Pasta E Fagioli soup

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

1 med. onion, chopped

4 carrots, slivered

3 ribs celery, diced

1 24 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 can drained red kidney beans

6 cups beef stock

1 1/2 tsp. oregano

1 1/4 tsp. pepper

2 1/2 tsp. parsley

3/4 tsp. tobasco sauce

3 cups spaghetti sauce (any brand)

4 oz. ditalini pasta, cooked and drained

(Ditalini, or "little thimbles" is a small tubular pasta like a very short macaroni. If you can't find it in your store, macaroni can be used.)

Directions: Brown the ground beef in the oil in a soup pot. Drain if needed. Stir in carrots, onions, celery, and undrained tomatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes. Rinse and drain the kidney beans, then stir into the beef mixture. Stir in stock, oregano, pepper, parsley, and tabasco sauce. Simmer for 45 minutes until celery and carrots are tender. Stir in the spaghetti sauce and pasta.

My note: I found this recipe on PamperingBeki while surfing blogs the other day. Made it tonight for the guys, and it was a hit. Really easy too. Because I hate dirtying an extra pan unless absolutely necessary, near the end of the cooking time I just put the dried pasta into the soup, then when it was tender, I added the spaghetti sauce last. Oh, and I had some baby spinach, so I tossed that in at the end too. Even though I'm still full, I'm already looking forward to leftovers! :)

And check out Beki's blog. Today she had some awesome pictures of ornaments from her Etsy shop.

Egg Salad Whimsy

Ingredients:

8 eggs

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/4 cup sweet pickle relish

1 Tablespoon dried onion flakes

1/2 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 avocado

Directions:

Place eggs in a small saucepan, cover with water, and add a little salt. Cover pan and bring to a boil, then immediately turn off heat and let sit for 10 minutes or more. Drain hot water from pan, then run cold water over eggs. Drain that water off, then put cover back on pan, and holding the cover on the pan, shake vigorously to thoroughly crack all egg shells. Peel eggs immediately under cold running water. This method almost always makes getting the shells off a breeze. Place peeled eggs on a paper towel to remove excess water.

Chop eggs into a bowl. Add remaining ingredients except for the avocado. Stir just until mixed well. Top with sliced avocado right before serving. Serve with toast points or crackers, or as a sandwich filling.

My note: I'm enjoying a newly completed porch and beautiful mild weather, so I decided to have a tea party. Some iced Red Zinger tea was perfect with the salad.