Split Pea Soup

Split Pea Soup
Courtesy of my Mom

Ingredients:
8 cups water
1 lb dried split peas
2 lb smoked ham cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (1 cup)
2 medium celery stalks, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (1 cup)

Directions:

In large Dutch oven, heat water and peas to boiling; boil 2 minutes.  Remove from heat; cover and let stand for 1 hour.

Stir in ham, onions, salt and pepper.  Heat until boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer until peas are tender, about 1 hour.  Skim fat if necessary.

Stir in carrots and celery.  Heat to boiling, reduce heat.  Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes.

Taco Soup

This soup is amazing!  The ingredient list had me wondering, but the editor's note under the recipe in the book stated that this was the most popular recipe in the entire Best of the Best collection.  After tasting it, I can see why!

Taco Soup
Adapted from Best of the Best - The Recipe Hall of Fame Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 envelope (1/4 cup) Old El Paso Taco seasoning
1 (16oz) can pinto beans, undrained
1 (16oz) can kidney beans, undrained
1 (16oz) can golden hominy, undrained
1 (14.75oz) can cream-style corn
1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (10oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 Envelope (3 Tbsp) dry Hidden Valley Ranch Mix
Sour cream, optional
Shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, optional
Tortilla chips, optional

Directions:

In Dutch oven, brown ground beef and onion, drain.  Add taco seasoning and mix well. 

Add, without draining, all the cans of beans, hominy, corn and tomatoes.

Stir in ranch dressing mix.  Simmer over low heat until heated through and bubbly.

Serve topped with shredded cheese and sour cream.

*The original recipe says to serve the soup over tortilla chips.  We really didn't care for doing that, so we left it out the second time we ate it.  It's much better to have the chips on the side for dipping.

Unstuffed Shells

Unstuffed Shells
Adapted from Once A Month Mom

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz) package medium pasta shells, uncooked (I used Tinkyada Brown Rice Flour Shells)
1 lb Italian Sausage links (about 4-5), cooked and sliced
2 (24 oz) can of Pasta Sauce (I used mushroom flavor)
1 container Italian And Herb Philadelphia Cooking Creme
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Cook pasta as directed on package.  Combine cooked sausage and pasta sauce and cook over low heat for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

Whisk together the cooking creme, milk and Parmesan cheese in a large bowl.  Add in the pasta and basil.  Stir until pasta is completely coated.

In a 2 1/2 quart baking dish (or 9x13 dish), pour half the meat sauce.  Add all of the pasta, then top with the remaining meat sauce.  Top with Mozzarella.  Cover with foil and cook for 30 minutes at 375F.  Remove foil and cook an additional 10-15 minutes.

Serves about 8-10.  Leftovers are our friend!