A little bitta Italy in my house

*Editor's Note: This post was written months ago and never published. I apologize to those readers who have been camped out by their computers, waiting for it. Life probably got a little tough.....)*

Some of my FB friends asked me to share this recipe for pasta fagioli soup....
so they too can have houses that smell like Olive Garden. ;-)

My whole family liked the recipe, which means we will be eating it again. There was one thing I didn't like about it--if you leave it sitting on the stove for too long, the pasta gets mushy. So be sure to serve the soup as soon as it is done cooking.....

{Pasta Fagioli}

2 T. olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano
2 cans (14.5 oz each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
8 oz (about 2 cups) small pasta shells
1 t. Italian seasoning
1 bunch fresh kale, tough stems discarded, cut into 1-inch pieces and washed
2 cans small white beans, drained and rinsed
1 T. tomato paste
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper grated parmesan, for serving

1) Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute.
2) Stir in tomatoes, broth and 3 cups water. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Add pasta and Italian seasoning. Cook, stirring, 5 minutes.
3) Stir in kale; cook 5 minutes more. Reduce heat to medium and stir in beans, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Heat through.
4) Ladle into bowls; garnish with Parmesan.

(Recipe from Family Circle--Feb 2011)

I'd like to introduce you to my friend Hominy

My family is very good about trying new foods. In fact, we eat such a variety that they really are not surprised by much.

Except ethnic foods.

Because of our tight budget, I am not good about looking outside of the normal grocery store fare, to cook ethnic dishes for my family. I don't add many different ingredients, besides the normal fruits and veggies and grain products that are common in American cooking. So, they are not keen on "weird foods", as they call them. Hopefully we are never called to be missionaries in a foreign land.....they might waste away to nothing. ;-)

Therefore, when I found a recipe for chicken tortilla soup and excitedly made it, it was not met with as much enthusiasm as I had. Because it had HOMINY in it.

(Heaven forbid.....)

I grew up eating hominy. We lived in Idaho when I was little, and it was a pretty common staple in grocery stores. So I thought nothing of adding it to this soup....in fact, I was excited for a reason to use it! My family was NOT excited.

It looked delicious when I served it, and I was able to eat my fill (for once!) due to my family's lack of enthusiasm. And this recipe made enough for two meals, so I served it over rice the next night, which seemed to help a little. I guess rice disguises hominy? Who knows......


Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 t. olive oil
2 zucchini, cut into small cubes
1 can (29 oz) crushed tomatoes
6 cups chicken broth
1 can (15 oz) white hominy
1 1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. cayenne pepper (I left this out)
1 deli rotisserie chicken, meat pulled off and shredded (I used 2 cooked chicken breasts)
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
Optional toppings: sliced avocados, tortilla chips, shredded cheese, fresh limes, sour cream

1. Heat oil in a stockpot. Add the zucchini and saute for 2 minutes.

2. Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, hominy, cumin, cayenne pepper and shredded chicken. Heat to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Stir in a handful of chopped cilantro just before serving.

3. To serve, place a handful of tortilla chips in the bottom of a soup bowl. Ladle hot soup over the tortilla chips. Add a generous squeeze of lime and top with additional toppings, if desired. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Serves 4 to 6.