Cheeseburger Soup

1/2 pound ground beef

3/4 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup shredded carrots

3/4 cup diced celery

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

4 tablespoons butter, divided

3 cups chicken broth

4 cups diced peeled potatoes (1-3/4 pounds)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups (8 ounces) process cheese (Velveeta), cubed

1-1/2 cups milk

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup sour cream

In a 3-qt. saucepan, brown beef; drain and set aside. In the same saucepan, saute the onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1 tablespoon butter until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the broth, potatoes and beef; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt remaining butter. Add flour; cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to soup; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in the cheese, milk, salt and pepper; cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from the heat; blend in sour cream

Black Bean Soup

2 cans black beans (15 ounces), drained and rinsed
1½ cups broth (chicken or veggie)
1 cup chunky salsa
1 teaspoon cumin
Cheddar cheese, sour cream and green onions

In a food processor or blender, combine beans, broth, salsa, and cumin. Blend until fairly smooth. Pour into medium saucepan and heat thoroughly. Serve with toppings.

Sugared Almonds

The salad I made was just red leaf lettuce, strawberries, sugared almonds and raspberry vinaigrette. Nothing fancy, but here is how you sugar almonds in case you're wondering.

Stuffed Shells

This is the recipe I use for my stuffed shells (link is here). The Essence is not needed (I've made it with and without and either way it is still good). When I made this I used a little less than 2 boxes of shells and I almost doubled the stuffing ingredients (more like x1.5). Luckily, you don't have to have exact proportions on anything and it still turns out good. This is an especially great meal if you need to bring dinner to someone. After you assemble the shells they can put in the freezer until you are ready to use them. Then just thaw, put the topping on and throw in the oven. 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 (12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells (18 to 20 shells)
• 2 cups finely chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 pound ground veal (I just used sausage)
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 15 ounces ricotta cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Essence, recipe follows
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Basic Red Sauce, recipe follows ( I just used jar sauce)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt and the pasta shells, and cook until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally with a long-handled spoon to prevent the shells from sticking together. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Drain.

In a medium skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until very soft, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the ground veal and cook, stirring, until cooked and browned. Add the squeezed spinach and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Add the spinach mixture, the extra-virgin olive oil, Essence, remaining teaspoon of salt, the basil, oregano, and pepper, and stir to combine thoroughly. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the spinach-ricotta filling into each cooked pasta shell. Place the filled shells in the prepared dish.

Pour the Basic Red Sauce over the filled shells and top with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, until bubbly, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Joyce's Cheesecake

For the calzones, I used Kelsey's recipe although I didn't make the pizza dough from scratch (my attempt failed so I just bought dough from Market District). Here is my cheesecake recipe though. It is best if you leave it in the fridge for a day or two (or three) but I just served it the same day I made it.

Joyce's Cheesecake

Crust:
1-1/2 packages graham crackers. Place in gallon ziplock bag and crush with rolling pin.

In medium bowl:
1 cube butter, melted. Add crushed graham crackers and stir until well mixed. Pour into 9x13 baking pan, spread evenly and pat down firm.

Filling: In a blender mix...
3 (8oz) cream cheese (the real Philadephia stuff)
1 c. sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
2 Tbsp. lemon juice (I usually don't have this on hand and it still turns out okay)

Blend until creamy. Carefully pour over crust (do not clean out blender). Bake 350 degrees for 15 minutes and let cool 5 minutes.

Topping:
In the same blender (remember don't rinse it out), mix...
2 cups sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
6 Tbsp. sugar

Blend until creamy. Carefully pour over the baked filing and smooth even. Bake 10 minutes longer. Refrigerate several hours.

Southwest Chicken

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast  cut in bite-size pieces

1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (8.75 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

 seasoned salt, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper (these spices are to season chicken while browning, to taste)

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Brown chicken with spices on both sides. Add tomatoes with green chile peppers, beans and corn. Reduce heat and let simmer for 25 to 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Serve with sour cream, avocados, chips, cheese, rice, anything you may want.