PESTO VEGETABLE SOUP

June 3, 2012

This soup is a tasty, light summer dinner. (Toss in shredded chicken if you are like us.) I made it from the Joy of Cooking cookbook. My favorite thing about it is that it is a water based soup requiring no broth. This is interesting and I wouldn’t have considering much before. Plus, you can have it hot, cold, or even room temperature. Give it a whirl. I find the color beautiful and the lots of vegetables a treat. It has an old fashioned soup quality too it.

PESTO VEGETABLE SOUP
Serves 5-6

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 leek, diced
2 carrots, sliced
1 potato, peeled and sliced
8 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
15 ounces white beans
1 cup cavatappi pasta
1 zucchini, sliced
1 and 1/2 cups green beans, sliced 1 inch length
2 cups basil
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon pepper
Parmesan, grated

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large stock pot with onion, leek, and carrot for 5-7 minutes. Add potato, water, and salt. Bring to boil then cover with lid and reduce to simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, pulse together basil, garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil, and pepper. Set aside.

Add white beans, cavatappi, zucchini, and green beans to pot. Cook for 15 minutes, until pasta is tender. Remove from heat and stir in pesto. Top with grated parmesan.

PESTO VEGETABLE SOUP

Author: Rachel Schultz

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 leek, diced
2 carrots, sliced
1 potato, peeled and sliced
8 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
15 ounces white beans
1 cup cavatappi pasta
1 zucchini, sliced
1 and ½ cups green beans, sliced 1 inch length
2 cups basil
2 cloves garlic
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon pepper
Parmesan, grated
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large stock pot with onion, leek, and carrot for 5-7 minutes. Add potato, water, and salt. Bring to boil then cover with lid and reduce to simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, pulse together basil, garlic, ¼ cup olive oil, and pepper. Set aside.

Instructions

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large stock pot with onion, leek, and carrot for 5-7 minutes. Add potato, water, and salt. Bring to boil then cover with lid and reduce to simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, pulse together basil, garlic, ¼ cup olive oil, and pepper. Set aside.
Add white beans, cavatappi, zucchini, and green beans to pot. Cook for 15 minutes, until pasta is tender. Remove from heat and stir in pesto. Top with grated parmesan.

Adapted from Joy of Cooking.

LOADED CRISPY HASH BROWNS

May 4, 2012

Rachel Schultz

I have not been one to find enough difference between frozen hash browns and fresh ones to justify the work of doing fresh. There are a few foods that are like that. (Like pumpkin puree! Ina Garten told me making it yourself does not taste better, so don’t bother.) There is no pumpkin in this breakfast, I was just saying that because Ina Garten is fancy and if she uses store-bought on some things than we can too and not feel like fast food.

We love this breakfast. It’s a hash nicely loaded with bacon and lots of vegetables.

I like breakfasts with no grains, but this still gets me full. The key to getting the hash browns crispy is cooking them in thin layers. I LOVE THESE HASH BROWNS. Dare I say it – it is my favorite breakfast.

Loaded Crispy Hash Browns
Serves four

1/2 pound bacon
3 tablespoons butter, divided
4 cups hash browns, divided (fresh or thawed if the frozen store-bought kind)
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
3 carrots, diced
1 onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, diced
2 cupsspinach
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4 eggs

Slice bacon into one inch pieces. Place in a cold skillet and turn heat to medium. Fry bacon, stirring occasionally until crispy, about 25-28 minutes. Discard bacon fat.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shredded potatoes and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until bottom is golden brown, about 12 minutes. Then flip and cook the other side, about 3 more minutes. Give a quick stir and remove from heat.

Add carrots and onions to the pan and cook for three minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a bit of extra butter if needed. Add bell pepper and cook 2 more minutes. Add spinach and garlic powder and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat.

In a new skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Whisk four eggs in a small bowl. Pour eggs into skillet, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula until eggs are cooked to your liking. (I like over hard!) Season eggs with additional salt and pepper. Serve hash browns topped with vegetables, bacon, and scrambled eggs.

LOADED CRISPY HASH BROWNS

Author: Rachel Schultz

Ingredients

½ pound bacon
3 tablespoons butter, divided
4 cups hash browns, divided (fresh or thawed if the frozen store-bought kind)
½ teaspoon salt, divided
½ teaspoon pepper, divided
3 carrots, diced
1 onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, diced
2 cupsspinach
½ teaspoon garlic powder
4 eggs

Instructions

Slice bacon into one inch pieces. Place in a cold skillet and turn heat to medium. Fry bacon, stirring occasionally until crispy, about 25-28 minutes. Discard bacon fat.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shredded potatoes and season with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook until bottom is golden brown, about 12 minutes. Then flip and cook the other side, about 3 more minutes. Give a quick stir and remove from heat.
Add carrots and onions to the pan and cook for three minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a bit of extra butter if needed. Add bell pepper and cook 2 more minutes. Add spinach and garlic powder and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat.
In a new skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Whisk four eggs in a small bowl. Pour eggs into skillet, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula until eggs are cooked to your liking. (I like over hard!) Season eggs with additional salt and pepper. Serve hash browns topped with vegetables, bacon, and scrambled eggs.

GRADUATION

April 29, 2012

Rachel Schultz

Below I have transcribed 11 Reasons I love Michigan State University.
1. Class is cancelled if the professor is more than 15 minutes late. It never happens, but the thrill of the possibility was absolutely enchanting.
2. The Dairy Store. I like how they have a different flavor for Big 10 schools. No matter how hard I try, Maize and Blueberry is my favorite.
3. The CATA. I love the buses! I spent approximately 256 hours on them the year I lived at chandler’s. This is a real calculation; I didn’t just make up that number.
4. Disliking zeke the wonder dog. He barely ever catches the frisbees. Everyone just relax.

5. The sensation of thinking you may have found out someone you know is sparty.
6. Old trees
7. Athletics! We won the greatest college basketball game every played! Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird. MSU takes the 1979 NCAA Title. Plus, another hundred great things since too. Greg Jones. ~~Mateen Cleaves~~. Everybody loves Draymond. Captain Kirk.
8. Pokey sticks from Gumby’s.
9. Wilson dorm.
10. Being on an IM Volleyball team. And that our team name was “Teenage Dream.”
11. It’s where I met my husband!