Hi Sara & Friends,

Always glad to be of service, especially when it involves helping New Friends.

There are many recipes for this traditional Italian mainstay, usually served as a meal. Here's another that is slightly different. I like it because it's lighter in the Sodium, unlike many pre-prepared soups from the Grocer. If you are in a hurry, substitute the dried beans with 3 (16 ounce) cans white, navy, great northern, or cannelini beans. Serve with a salad and crusty Homemade Italian bread."

Speaking of High Sodium foods, many of you may be watching your Sodium intake like I am, thanks to Hypertension and other heath issues. For some great tips on making your food taste great without all that salt, click on Cutting Back on Salt for 10 ways to eat well without it.

Pasta e Fagioli

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package dried navy beans
• 1 (10 ounce) meaty ham bone or smoked pork hocks
• 10 cups water

• 1 (8 ounce) box elbow macaroni
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1 cup water
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Place navy beans, ham bone, and 10 cups of water into a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the beans are tender, from 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water to chill, then set aside.
3. Once beans are nearly ready, heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic, cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, celery, carrot, red pepper flakes, and 1 cup of water; bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the carrot has softened, about 10 minutes. While the tomato mixture simmers, remove the ham bone from the beans. Separate the meat from the bone; dice the meat, and discard the bone.
4. To finish the soup, stir the beans, cooked macaroni, and diced ham into the tomato mixture; add additional water if needed to make a chunky soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper; simmer until the macaroni and beans are both quite tender, from 5 to 15 minutes. Stir in chopped parsley before serving.

Have A Blessed & Beautiful Sunday,

Phil

Hello My Friends,

Sara, as soon as I found this Recipe, I immediately thought of you and your two Meat-hungry Guys. These are potato pancakes firs filled with a savory ground beef filling, then pan-fried until golden brown. They sounded just perfect for those meat-and-potatoes eaters in your house.

Stuffed Potato Pancakes

Ingredients

• 8 potatoes, peeled and shredded
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 eggs
• salt and black pepper to taste

Filling:

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 onion, grated
• 1 pinch garlic salt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Directions

1. Mix together the potatoes, flour, baking powder, 3 eggs, and salt and pepper in a bowl. In another bowl, mix the ground beef, onion, garlic salt, 1 egg, and bread crumbs until well-combined.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-low heat, and drop a rounded tablespoon of potato mixture into the hot skillet. Spread and flatten the pancake out a little, and place about 2 teaspoons of beef mixture on the pancake, spreading the filling out almost to the edges of the pancake. Drop another rounded tablespoon of potato mixture on top of the beef, and spread it out to completely cover the beef. Fry until the bottom of the pancake is golden brown, about 5 minutes, then flip and fry the other side until golden, 1 to 2 more minutes.

Have A Terrific Week,

Phil

Hi Myrna,

Thanks for stopping by to visit. Those Stir-Fried Green Beans sound delicious, however, I always have to watch my salt, whenever I fix anything Oriental style.

Here's a quick, simple, and most importantly in these difficult economic times, a cheap way to make pork chops. I love it!

Oven-Fried Pork Chops

Ingredients

• 6 pork chops, trimmed
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1-1/2 egg, beaten
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1-1/2 cups herb-seasoned dry bread stuffing mix

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Pour butter into a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. Stir together egg, milk and pepper. Dip pork chops in egg mixture, coat with stuffing mix and place in pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Turn chops and bake for another 10 minutes, or until no pink remains in the meat and juices run clear.

Have A Wonderful Evening My Friend,

Phil

Quote:

EASY POTATO SOUP

EASY POTATO SOUP 1 sm. onion, chopped 4 med. potatoes, diced 1 c. shredded carrots or sliced celery 1 c. water 2 c. milk 3/4 tsp. salt Dash of pepper 1 or 2 tbsp. butter Boil onion, potatoes and carrots in water for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in milk, salt and pepper. Heat until hot but do not boil. Makes 4 servings. (I usually double the recipe and add a couple of dashes of Natures Seasonings. Very delicious!)