Stuffed Pasta Shells And a Movie

This vegetarian recipe whips up in minutes. So, you’ll have plenty of time to see a movie in the same evening …  at a theatre or in the comfort of your own home. Have you ever heard of The Shell Seekers with Maximilian Schell?

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Chunky Root Soup Just Happens to Be Vegan

Root soup is a winter necessity on these icy cold days. It’s a little early for Saint Patrick’s Day but you might find this served along with corned beef or beef brisket. It’s just a wonderful meal all alone.  Light enough to have several servings.

Eat it chunky like this or use a blender to give it a creamy texture. I prefer it this way.

If you use prepared vegetable broth this can be ready to eat in 30-40 minutes. I like making my own vegetable broth … my recipe in the previous post. This is a rich recipe not requiring butter or chicken broth. Absolutely the best!

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Tender Stove top Spare Ribs

Easy Spare Ribs

Easy Spare Ribs

This recipe, just 30 minutes start to finish, is amazingly simple. Use the marinade for vinho d’alhos if you are looking for a more traditional Portuguese dish. Or try this simple finger-licking recipe.

Last week I visited my Grandmother Rose’s niece, Margaret De Mello. I had taken a few old photographs I inherited from my grandmother … hoping we could identify family or friends. Margaret was generous with her time and recipes. We talked about years past … her family’s home was the hub … We, cousins and second cousins, remember Aunt Alice’s as an adventure … kinda like another world.

Being the eldest daughter Margaret was right up front when the annual ritual pig slaughter took place. She helped with cleaning the casings for the linguica and preparing fifty pounds of onions for the morcellas among many other chores. All the daughters in the family became great cooks. It wasn’t unusual to visit and find one of the girls in the kitchen baking a cake.

Margaret shared many of her recipes with me. This spare rib recipe is one. The ingredients, you’ll agree, are not Portuguese cuisine in origin. But Margaret has years of experience cooking pork. I knew the recipe would be impressive. And it is so simple. This method of cooking can be used with any sauce you choose. I am hoping you choose to try this one.

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Portuguese Meatballs and Pops for Super Bowl Sunday

Portuguese Meatballs and Pops

These savory Portuguese meatballs cannot be mistaken for Italian or Swedish meatballs. They have a taste all their own. If you cook Portuguese dishes you will immediately recognize the spices used as Portuguese cuisine favorites. The meatballs are formed, dipped in egg, rolled in fine bread crumbs, and precooked slightly in hot olive oil. Then the meatballs are transferred to a red sauce of tomatoes, paprika, pickling spices and red pepper flakes, to finish cooking. The breading is a good finish for small meatballs to be served as appetizers. For meatballs sandwiches I opt out of the breading process and brown the meatballs without it.

These pops were a cinch and can be mixed up quickly. The time to process the rolls is somewhat lengthy. But if you are putting together the meatballs and sauce the preparation and rising times, meatballs and pops, knit nicely.

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No Worries Oven Braised Beef Stew

Oven Braised Beef Stew

This oven braised beef stew only needs your attention for a few minutes. Then you pop it into the oven to slow cook for at least 4 hours. It does tolerate longer cooking if needed. This is a treat for my visiting daughter. Yep, we are back with the family favorites and comfort foods. But I’m moving to tapas next. Everyone loves tapas, don’t they?

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Spicy Mexicali Casserole

Mexicali Casserole

Family is visiting and the Mexicali Casserole was requested for dinner. The Mexican spices are not too hot for the kids and the flavor is amazing. So rich! It’s one of our family favorites! If you are into cheese, egg noodles, and Mexican spices you are going to love this too!

Throw out the boxed instant hamburger meal and try this!

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Light Vegetarian Black eyed Pea Soup

This soup is a great option for lunch during these cold days. It is thick with vegetables and can second as a side dish instead. I use frozen peas. The nutritional value is similar to fresh picked, and it is convenient.

The ingredients for this soup might already be in your panty. Let’s see!

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Sunday Sausage, Peppers, Onions Recipe

Sausage, Peppers & Onions

Rizzo inspired. Hearing the story more than once about a Connecticut family’s love for Sunday Sausage, Peppers and Onions inspired me to put this dish together. Only the three main ingredients were mentioned. So, the rest was up to me.

Guys like to throw this together, too. And of course, eat it! Fast, Easy, Tasty … Rizzo Inspired Sunday Sausage, Peppers and Onions. You’ll love it! But maybe not every Sunday!

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Spicy Portuguese Sopas

Portuguese Sopas is a traditional soup from the Azores. It is made each year for a celebration occurring about two months following Easter. For seven years my brother, Dan, helped with the preparation of this sopa do Espirito Santo for our hometown celebration.

We enjoy eating this soup, his recipe here with my tiny variation, throughout the year especially in the colder months. To us it’s a comfort food. Yep, some of the guys in our family can eat this morning, noon and night … loving every spoonful. Dan’s son Stephen admits!

All ingredients with the exception of the cabbage, bread and mint have been added. My Grandmother would say, don’t be afraid of spices!  Now for the long cooking to meld the flavors.

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Quick, Easy, Delicious, VersAtile

Best Lasagna, American Style

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lasagna American Style? Mainly for the versatility. The pasta is a no boil, the sauce comes from a jar (Use homemade if you have it!) and the cheeses are not all Italian. It is a recipe for the busy family … Quick, easy, delicious and versatile.

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