Tortilla Soup

24 ounces canned Great Northern beans
16 ounces canned sweet corn
6 cups water
2 Tablespoons chicken base
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
8 ounces Cheddar-Jack cheese, shredded
3 large corn tortillas (optional)
vegetable oil for frying (optional)
Drain and rinse beans. Puree half the beans in a blender.
Drain the corn, reserving liquid. Puree half the corn in a blender.
Combine the pureed beans, pureed corn and water in a large saucepan. Add the whole beans and corn, reserved corn liquid, chicken base, chili powder, paprika and cumin. bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes,
Add the cheese and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is melted, stirring.
Cut the tortillas into long thin strips. Fry in vegetable oil. garnish the soups with the tortillas strips to serve.
Submitted by Pam Taggart...this recipe is from Gaidos restaurant.

Minestrone Soup

RoseMarie had this for us in our refrigerator when I got home from Houston. Somebody should really talk to her about breaking and entering! The soup was wonderful, as usual. She made it vegan for us and it was yummy (I may have added some chicken, but it definitely didn't need it).

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 medium onion
2 celery stalks
2 carrots
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 zucchini
1 potato
1 14 oz can kidney beans
6 cups chicken broth (vegetable broth for vegan alternative)
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
2 oz pasta (omit or use brown rice (so good) for vegan alternative)
Parmesan cheese (omit for vegan)
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion, garlic, celery, carrots in olive oil for 3-5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients except pasta. Stir, bring to a boil, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add pasta and cook 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Jill

Green Bean Bundles

2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
1 pound bacon, cut into halves
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 TBSP light soy sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup butter
Blanch the green beans in boiling water for 5 minutes. Wrap 8-10 green beans with one bacon strip. twisting the ends of the bacon secure with a toothpick. Place in a dish. Repeat the process with remaining green beans and bacon. Microwave the brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic powder and butter in a microwave safe dish until blended. Pour over the green beans . Marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Bake for 30 minutes uncovered at 350 degrees.
May substitute four 16 ounce cans drained and rinsed European-cut (whole) for the fresh green beans. Or instead of wrapping as bundles, arrange the green beans on a baking sheet with sides ( I used a 9x13 dish). Sprinkle with crumbled crisp-fried bacon. Pour the marinade over the beans. Marinate covered for 24 hours. Bake, uncovered for 30 minutes. Spoon the beans and any remaining marinade into a serving bowl.
Serves 8
I used a 12 ounce pkg of bacon and this recipe only served 4, because we liked it so much!!!!
submitted by Pam Taggart

Homeade Spaghetti-O's

I found some alphabet pasta at Meijer that I thought the kids would have fun eating. I found a great recipe for spaghetti-o's on Oven Love. I'm not sure my family was sold on the recipe, but not because it didn't taste like spaghetti-o's! My kids have odd taste buds for their age. They would rather chow down on something thai or mexican than "kid food". I still decided to post because I thought others might be interested.

Ingredients:
6 cups canned tomato sauce
3-4 cups water (i used 4)
2-3 tsp garlic powder
1 lb pasta - alphabet, stars, rings
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbs butter ( i used a little less and it was fine)
salt to taste (i chose not to because i thought salty enough)

Boil tomato sauce, water and garlic powder together in large pot. Once boiling add pasta and cook for about 20 minutes. Stir often as pasta tends to stick to bottom of pot. Stir in cheese until melted. Then add milk, butter, and salt to taste.

Jill