Creamy Parmesan Orzo with Spinach

I don't really make up recipes too often.

Pretty much, I follow the rules and stay on course. 

But sometimes when the stars align and Venus is in the fourth blah blah blah...

Sometimes I just feel like wingin' it.

And sometimes, every so often, it's a hit. 

Ingredients:

2 cups orzo (I used the pretty tri-colored kind.)
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T. flour
1-1/2 c. milk
3/4 c. grated Parmesan
1 t. sea salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
3 cups fresh spinach
fresh basil for garnish

Boil the orzo according to package directions. Drain and set aside. In a skillet, heat olive oil. Add onions and garlic and cook until soft. Sprinkle in the flour and let it cook for a minute. Whisk in the milk. When thickened, add the cheese, salt and pepper. Stir in the spinach and let it wilt in the heat of the sauce. Mix in the orzo. Garnish with basil for a great lunch by itself or a nice side.


Linked to: Sugar Bee, Blue Cricket Design, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Finding Fabulous, Tatertots and Jello

Guest Recipe and GIVEAWAY with Joseph's Grainery

My family and I have been moving toward eating more whole grains lately, so I was especially pleased to open up my mailbox and get two wonderful mixes from Kelli and her family at Joseph's Grainery-- a multi-grain pancake mix and a whole grain cookie mix!

You absolutely would not believe the quality and made-from-scratch taste of their mixes. Wonderful! My mom, sister and I tried them out and were really impressed with how fresh and delicious (and easy) they were. The kids gobbled them down, too!

Make sure you check out Kelli's recipe below and enter the giveaway at the bottom of the post.

Then go order some wonderful, nutritious products from these nice folks--who wouldn't feel good about eating well and supporting a family-owned business?

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Hi there!  It's Kelli (aka "MaMa" to Lil' Joe) from Joseph's Grainery and I'm excited (and honored) to share one of my all time favorite soup recipes with you today.

Me, Lil' Joe and My Dad - Joseph's Grainery

Over at Joseph's Grainery, I'm the cook and computer geek, my dad's the farmer and Lil' Joe is the "blogger".  ;)  I love coming up with family friendly, yet healthy whole grain recipes made with the grains from our family's farm.

So here's a recipe that you'll definitely want to file away for those times when you have to feed a crowd or want some left overs, and soup will fit the bill.  This is a kid-tested-and-approved yummy soup, perfect for a rainy spring evening!

Sausage and Lentil Soup

Get ready, cause this is like no Lentil Soup you've ever tasted before!

Sausage and Lentil Soup Ingredients:

2 Tbs olive oil

1 red onion, diced

4+ cloves garlic, minced

1/2 lb mild Italian pork sausage (or more if you want)

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

2 c Joseph's Grainery Lentils, rinsed

8 to 10 c beef broth

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes with juice

2 Tbs tomato paste 

1 c fresh spinach 

2 tsp rosemary, chopped

1 tsp oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:  Saute onion in olive oil for several minutes in a big soup pot. 

Add sausage and garlic and saute until sausage is browned.

Add carrots and saute for several more minutes.  Then add lenils and saute briefly.

Add broth, tomatoes, paste and seasoning and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 45 minutes.  When about 10 minutes remain, add the spinach and continue to simmer for the remainder of the time.  If it becomes to thick, add more broth or water.

Serve with grated parmesan cheese and enjoy every bite!  We know you will!

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{{ GIVEAWAY! }}

Joseph's Grainery Gift Pack ($30 value)

 Joseph's Grainery Gift Pack let's you send the gift of whole grain goodness to your special someone.  This Gift Pack is the perfect sampler of our favorite and best selling whole grain products.  Included in the festively packed gift are the Joseph's Grainery Multigrain Pancake Mix, Whole Grain Cookie Mix, Cracked Wheat Breakfast Cereal, Hard Red Wheat Berries, Hard Red Whole Wheat Bread Flour, Lentils and Recipe Cards with some of our favorite whole grain recipes.  Everything your loved one will need to start cooking and baking with Joseph's Grainery!

To Win (1 entry for each):

1. Check out  Joseph's Grainery online and leave a comment here, telling us about your favorite product.

2. Become a follower of Joseph's Grainery and leave a comment here saying you did (or are).

3. Become a follower, subscriber or facebook fan of In Between Laundry and leave a comment here saying that you are.

4. Share this on facebook, twitter or your blog and leave a comment here saying that you did.

5. Place an order and leave a comment here saying what you purchased.

Giveaway ends promptly at 11:59 pm central-time, April 5th.

Winner will be announced on April 6th.

My Mom's Meaty Italian Pasta Sauce

This is a hearty pasta sauce from scratch that will have you licking your fingers at the end of the meal.

(not that I would ever participate in such behavior)

(at least not in public)

Ingredients:

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 lb. ground beef

4 chopped cloves of garlic

3 T. chopped parsley

1 T. dried oregano

1/2 c. tomato puree

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes

2 T tomato paste

3/4 c. grated carrots (or use matchstick)

2 stalks celery, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan, heat olive oil. Add onion and ground beef; saute until browned, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, parsley and oregano. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Add puree, tomatoes and paste. Bring to a boil and add celery and carrots, salt and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat for 1 hour, stirring occassionally. Best the next day.

Linked to: Blue Cricket Design, Sisters Stuff, Tatertots and Jello, Craft-o-Maniac

Homemade Peppermint Patties

{{St. Patty's Peppermint Patties}}

with a secret ingredient: mashed potatoes


Whoa. Hold on, sister. MASHED POTATOES?! 
You heard me.

I, for one, can't think of much that's more Irish than potatoes.

They taste even better than those other patties from the store that rhyme with Zork.

The mashed po-tay-tahs give them just the right texture.

You must try them. 

Ingredients:

1 cup leftover mashed potatoes

2 T. melted butter

2 t. peppermint extract

10 cups powdered sugar

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 T. vegetable oil

In a bowl, combine the first 4 ingredients and mix well. You may need to add more sugar if your mixture is too runny--it should feel like a dough.

Scoop teaspoonfuls of the dough and shape into patties. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for a few hours. 

Melt the chocolates with the oil and dip the chilled patties, covering completely. Chill until set.

They're perfect for St. Patrick's Day!

PS: These have a LOT of sugar, but this recipe makes a large batch of small candies. 

They're basically health food with that kind of math, right?

Linked to: Finding Fabulous, Fingerprints on the Fridge

Wedding Gift-- Monogrammed Pitcher and Glasses

We went to a sweet wedding on Saturday and watched two beautiful, young lovebirds tie the knot.

I cried through the whole thing,

even the slideshow at the reception showing pictures of them as children,

and I didn't even know them as children.

I need help.

Anyway, I wanted to share the gift that I made for the happy couple.

Using Armor Etch and my cutting machine, I monogrammed a glass pitcher and glasses.

I have also done this before with an exacto knife and contact paper.  Just print out your design and trace it on the contact paper, then cut it out.

Stick it to your glass and follow the directions on the glass etching cream.

I went with a Lemonade Theme:

"If life ever gives you lemons..."

Inside the pitcher, I placed a recipe for my favorite drink: lemon-limeade made from freshly squeezed fruit.

Ooooh, this recipe is making me crave some warm afternoons on the patio.

Love,

Linked To: Craftaholics Anonymous

Recipe Binder Re-do with Photocopied Fabric

This is a little embarassing...

I've been keeping a secret buried deep within the depths of my kitchen pantry.

My former recipe binder. See for yourself.

{hanging head in shame.}

{wince.}

Complete with rings that didn't close all the way and pages that were shoved in haphazardly.

The best part: I left the binder a little too close to the hot stove while cooking one day and melted all the plastic sheet protectors, rendering them useless.

The best-er part: I don't even remember when this happened. It was THAT long ago, friends.

{nervous laugh}

But those days are all behind me now.

I have seen the error of my ways.

My dividers are organized alphabetically:

1. Appetizers and Snacks
2. Beverages
3. Breads
4. Cleaning Products (I sometimes like to make my own.)
5. Desserts--subdivided by: cakes, cookies and bars, misc. and pies
6. Main Courses--subdivided by: beef, chicken and turkey, fish and seafood, pork and vegetarian
7. Salads
8. Sides
9. Soups

And I was able to get a little creative. I need that.

For the cover, I photocopied a few of my favorite fabrics, then pieced the papers together and slid them right under the plastic on my binder.

Some people advocate typing up all of your recipes so you eliminate any small recipe cards.

That certainly is nice and tidy, and I really almost did that.

But I just couldn't part with the beautiful, handwritten recipes that my mother, grandmother or dear friends have given me through the years.  They're like memories.

So I kept them and used 4x6 photo protector pages to keep them nice and safe. Perfect!

*********

I would love to hear about your favorite recipe from a special person. 

Linked to: Fingerprints on the Fridge, Finding Fabulous, Tatertots and Jello, Under the Table and Dreaming, Craft-O-Maniac

Strawberry Hi-Hat Cupcakes

When a cupcake recipe calls for enough frosting to measure in inches, I'm in.

When a cupcake recipe calls for dipping said frosting in melted chocolate, I'm in trouble.

Cupcakes, take me away.

Strawberry Cake:

1 box white cake mix
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sweetened strawberries in juice
1 small package strawberry jell-o (combined with 1/2 c. water)

Combine all ingredients and blend for 2-3 minutes. Pour into cupcake pan and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

The light, fluffy frosting recipe is Martha's and I found it here.

I used a 12 oz. bag of white chocolate chips (instead of semi-sweet) and followed her instructions for dipping.

Heart-Shaped S'more Pops

Dearest Marshmallows,

I'll pretty much eat anything that involves you, chocolate and graham crackers. You are perfect just the way you are; however, might I make a suggestion?

I think you could be cuter. 

How about pink? 

Thanks so much.

Yours eternally,

PS: To make your s'mores heart-shaped, use a small heart-shaped cookie cutter to slowly and evenly apply pressure and punch through the graham cracker. Then lay them on a baking sheet and place chocolate chips and pink (or white) marshmallows on top. Broil until marshmallows puff up and start to brown slightly. Sandwich your s'mores together and insert popsicle sticks. Cool.

Simple Applesauce

If you're a facebook fan, you know that I was recently on the hunt for a great apple recipe.

I was really thinking about doing some sort of pie, but let's face it...

The zipper on my jeans can't handle any more pie.

Thank you very much, holidays.

So I decided on this pure, wholesome applesauce.

It's simple and versatile, a perfect afternoon snack.

Tonight it will accompany grilled pork chops and
(maybe if I'm feeling a bit naughty) a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert.

We won't tell my jeans.

Try this. You will absolutely die.

Ingredients:
8 cups tart apples, peeled and chopped into 1/2" chunks
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon

1. In a Dutch oven, combine all ingredients. Cover and cook on medium-low for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. When apples are tender, mash with a potato masher until desired consistency.

Yields about 3-1/2 cups.

Tip: When we've finished about half of it, I mix in store-bought jarred applesauce and no one's the wiser (wink).



Tatertots and Jell-O, Finding Fabulous

Banana-Oatmeal Muffins with Peanut Butter Chips

My sincerest apologies to your resolutions.

Unless, of course, you've resolved to become a breakfast-time champ.

In which case, mission accomplished.

Banana-Oatmeal Muffins with Peanut Butter Chips

1/2 cup shortening or softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 t. vanilla
1 cup flour
1/4 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1/2 cup quick oats
1 cup peanut butter morsels

Cream the shortening (or butter) and the sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each. Mix in the bananas and vanilla. Sift the flour, salt and baking soda. Add, with oats, to the creamy mixture. Stir in the peanut butter morsels. Pour batter into a greased or lined muffin tin and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.