Tortellini and Sausage Soup

 Ingredients

1 lb. Ground Italian Sausage

Olive oil

4 cloves garlic minced

1 medium onion minced

½ cup apple juice

½ cup water

32 oz. chicken stock

1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes

4 medium carrots diced

2 T. fresh basil chopped

1 ½ t. Dried oregano

2 medium zucchini grated

1.5 lbs. Fresh five cheese tortellini

4 T. fresh parsley chopped

1-2 t. Salt

⅛ t. Pepper

Instructions

In a large soup pan brown the sausage with a little olive oil over medium heat.  Once sausage is mostly cooked add the onions and garlic and continue cooking until the onions are soft and translucent.

Next add the cans of tomatoes, apple cider, water, chicken stock, diced carrots, dried oregano, and fresh basil.  Let that simmer for about 10 minutes while you shred the zucchini and chop up the parsley. Add zucchini and parsley and simmer for 5 minutes.

Finally add the tortellini and cook until tender, season the soup with salt and pepper to taste and cook for another 5 minutes.

Reunion Spaghetti

• 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes or tomato puree
• 1 14.5 oz. can of crushed tomatoes or tomato puree
• 10 oz. hot Italian sausage crumbled (approximately)
• 1 t. Oregano
• 1 t. Basil
• 1 t. Dried garlic
• 2 T. minced onion flakes
• 2 T. parsley flakes
• 1 t. Salt
• ½ t. Sugar 
• 1 16 oz package spaghetti noodles

In a large saucepan brown the Italian sausage (you can use link sausage, just peel off the skin and break apart in the pan as you brown it).  If there is a lot of grease after it is browned, drain it off or use a ball of wadded up paper towel to soak it up.

Add the canned tomatoes and spices and bring to a simmer.  Turn down low and simmer for at least a half hour or up to an hour.

While the sauce simmers, bring a pot of water to boil, add a teaspoon or two of salt to the water.  When it reaches a boil, turn down to medium heat and add the noodles and cook according to the package directions, usually about 9 minutes.

Serves 8

Notes:  I did this recipe (times 4) for the 2026 reunion so it was 6 28oz. cans total of tomatoes, half tomato puree, half crushed tomatoes. When you make it, any combo should do and you can substitute tomato sauce or petite diced tomatoes, the substitutions will affect the texture (be more watery) and taste a little different but should still be good. You could do two 28 oz. cans and add just a bit more of the spices and feed 10.

I usually use ground beef but the Italian sausage was on sale so a good bit cheaper and hey, added flavor.  For the reunion, it wasn’t too greasy so I didn’t drain any of the grease after browning it.

Upside Down Spaghetti

UPSIDE DOWN SPAGHETTI

Georgia

1 lb. ground beef
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese

1 lg. prego spaghetti sauce

1 (8 oz.) sour cream
Grated mozzarella cheese

Cook meat and add sauce. Place half of the cooked spaghetti in 9x13 in. pan. Add half of sauce mixture. Mix cream cheese and sour cream; place on top, then layer rest of spaghetti, followed by rest of sauce. Add grated mozzarella on top. Bake at 325º for 30 minutes covered. Bake additional 15 minutes uncovered.

Canned Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

CANNED HOMEMADE SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Georgia

 

50-60 Roma tomatoes (13 lb. 2 oz. of tomatoes)

4 green peppers

1 whole garlic

3 lbs. yellow onions

4 sticks celery

1 pint vegetable oil

8 small cans tomato paste

½ cup salt

1 ½ c. sugar

2 Tbsp. fresh basil

2 Tbsp. oregano.

 

Slip skins on tomatoes, and cook down for 2 hours.

 

Sauté green peppers, garlic, onions, and celery. (I definitely did NOT use that much oil, and you’ll have to sauté in batches)

 

Puree vegetables in blender, and add to tomatoes. (After I added the vegetables to the tomatoes, I would scoop out some and put it in the blender, and keep doing this until the sauce was to the “chunkiness” I wanted)

 

Then add tomato paste, salt, sugar, basil, and oregano. (I don’t like how much sugar it calls for, next time I’ll be cutting the sugar in half probably)

 

Cook all together for 2 hours, until desired consistency.

 

Steam can for 20 minutes. ( I only have a water bath, so I water-bathed the pints for 50 minutes, and the quarts for 55 minutes.)

 

Good luck! It’s super yummy~!

Quick Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

QUICK WHOLE WHEAT PIZZA CRUST

Georgia

 

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 package active dry yeast/instant yeast

¾ tsp. salt

1 cup hot tap water (120-125 degrees)

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil (canola or olive oil work well too)

1 Tbsp. honey or granulated sugar

1 Tbsp. gluten (optional)

 

To prepare pizza dough, stir whole wheat flour; lightly spoon into a measuring cup and level flour.

 

In large mixing bowl, combine whole wheat flour, yeast and salt. Blend in water, oil and honey or sugar. Stir by hand vigorously until all ingredients are well mixed; about 3 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise to desired size.

 

Place dough in greased jelly roll pan or 12-14 inch pizza pan. Press dough to cover bottom of pan and up sides to form a rim.

 

Some people prefer to “pre-bake” the crust for about 3 minutes before adding the toppings. Crust will be “crispier” than if not pre-baked.

 

Add pizza sauce of your choice and your favorite pizza toppings; bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and toppings are done.

Pesto Sauce

PESTO SAUCE

Shauna

 

We LOVE Pesto.  There are already several Pesto recipes in this cookbook,

but we found this one this summer, and it's another winner!  YUM. 

(Noah and Whitney were here when we found this treasure. It's from the back of a box of “Ball” canning lids. So it's probably in the Ball Blue Book.)

 

1 cup pine nuts (or walnuts, or no nuts at all if you're out—but pine nuts are the best)

4 cups fresh basil leaves, firmly packed

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup plus 1 TBS extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 (8 oz) half pint glass canning jars

 

1.     Spread pine nuts on a baking sheet and toast in oven at 450°F until lightly browned.

2.     Puree toasted pine nuts, basil and garlic in a food processor until smooth.

3.     Add Parmesan cheese. processing just to blend.

4.     Add 1 cup olive oil in a slow stream while machine is running.

5.     Place in container and drizzle remaining oil on top.

 

Get ready for some green goodness!!!

 

(We LOVE eating this on French bread, and making Bruschetta (fresh cut tomatoes and basil recipe) to go along with it.) 

Bruschetta

BRUSCHETTA

Georgia

 

This recipe is truly to die for. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

 

2 Tbsp. olive oil

4 tomatoes, seeded and chopped (you cut the tomato in half and scoop the seeds out with your    finger)

3 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1.2 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened

1 (4 oz.) package herb and garlic feta, crumbled

Baguette

1 8 oz. package shredded mozzarella cheese

 

1.  Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Mix in tomatoes, fresh basil leaves and garlic. Cook and stir until heated and slightly tender, about 5 minutes.

2. In a small bowl blend cram chees with herb and garlic feta.

3. In a toaster or an oven heated to 350, lightly toast the bread slices.

4. Spread toasted bread slices with the cream cheese blend. Top with tomato mixture. Sprinkle with desired amount of mozzarella cheese.

Spaghetti Sauce

SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Georgia

 

This is Wes’ mom’s recipe. This is his favorite kind of spaghetti sauce.

 

1. Cook 1 lb. of hamburger with 1 onion and a tsp. of garlic.

2. Add ½ tsp. salt, 1 Tbsp. sugar, 2 ½ c. tomato juice and a can of tomato paste.

3. Let simmer for most of the day. In the last hour add a can of mushrooms.