Italian Meatball Soup

I love this one-pot soup - it is a bowl of comfort food!

Enjoy!



Italian Meatball Soup

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Chopped Onions
Couple pinches of Salt
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 - 14.5 oz Can Basil, Garlic & Oregano Diced Tomatoes
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 Qt Chicken Broth
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
Couple Dashes Hot Sauce
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes (or more if you want some heat)
Meatballs
1/4 Cup Parmesan, freshly grated
8 oz Ditalini Pasta
Pinch of Dried Oregeno
Pinch of Dried Basil

Heat olive oil in medium saucepan over medium/high heat.  Add onions and saute until translucent (about 3-4 minutes), add a little bit of salt, then add garlic to pan and saute for about a minute more.  Then add diced tomatoes (with juice), tomato paste, broth, Italian seasoning, hot sauce, red pepper flakes, and meatballs.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  While still simmering, add Parmesan and pasta and continue to simmer another 15 minutes.  Remove pot from heat, add oregano and basil.

Notes:

• I buy a tube of tomato paste and keep on hand in the fridge for these kinds of recipes.
• I use 24 frozen Italian meatballs (mine are from Costco because it makes this recipe easy to throw together) - definitely use your own baked meatballs if you prefer.
• I find my Ditalini pasta at Walmart, but you can use any kind of small pasta.
• The pasta will continue to absorb the liquid as it sits - do not be surprised if it turns to a casserole.  You can add more broth or another can of tomatoes to bring up the liquid or reduce/remove the pasta.
• Feeds about 4-6 people.

Smothered Pork Chops

If you love pork chops, you're really going to love these!  They're so moist the meat will fall off the bone when they're done.  Then...THEN there's the yummy sauce on top!  We not only poured ours over our chops, but also our mashed potatoes!  You could even boil up some egg noodles and serve them on the side with the sauce on top!  Did I mention the sauce is delicious?!?  If you think you'll really love it too, go ahead and double that yumminess!

Note: Measurements for breading ingredients are approximate - it may take a little more depending on the size of your chops.  Chicken breasts can be substituted for the pork chops as well.

Enjoy!

Smothered Pork Chops

4-6 Pork Chops
Garlic Powder
Seasoning Salt
2-3 Eggs, Beaten
1/4 Cup Flour
2 Cups Bread Crumbs (I used Panko, but the seasoned Italian breadcrumbs would work too)
Olive Oil
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 Cup Milk
1/3 Cup White Wine
2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Rinse pork chops, pat dry, and season both sides with garlic powder and seasoning salt - set aside.  Set up your breading station: put beaten eggs in shallow bowl, flour on plate, and your bread crumbs in another shallow dish.  Dredge chops in flour, dip lightly in egg, and coat well with bread crumbs.  Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in medium pan over medium-high heat.  Fry chops 5 minutes on each side, until breading is browned (adding oil to pan as needed with subsequent chops).  Transfer chops to 9x13 pan, seal pan with foil, and bake for 1 hour.  While chops are baking; mix together soup, milk, wine, and worcestershire to create sauce.  After chops have baked for 1 hour, cover with sauce mixture, re-seal with foil, and bake another 30 minutes.

BBQ Grilled Chicken

I think summer is finally here in Minnesota!  It's been a loooooong winter and boy have I missed using the grill!  This is a great simple barbecue sauce for chicken and would work great for pork as well.  If you don't have a grill or it's the middle of winter and you have a craving, this also works wonderfully in the oven.  This recipe is good for approximately four chicken breasts.  Note:  I grill this on tinfoil that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

Enjoy!

BBQ Grilled Chicken

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
1/4 Cup Ketchup
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tsp Dried Thyme
1 Tsp Garlic Salt
1 Tsp Garlic Pepper

Mix all ingredients and coat your chicken.  Use left over to baste as you cook.