Irmgard’s Magical Spaghetti!

 Irmgard’s Magical Spaghetti!

Imgard Cates is married to Ed Cates, Dave’s brother. We met almost immediate after I started dating Dave back in 1998. She is a formidable woman of German descent. Since my grandfather was German, I always had interest in knowing about her county and culture. However, after 50+ years in the United States, aside from the slight accent, she is ALL American! Irm, as she is called, makes one of the best spaghetti with meat sauce I’ve ever had. I have asked her many times to share and this past week, she shared!!

You start with Jagermeister!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 LG onion dicednp

3 cloves garlic pressed

3 lbs meat - 1 1/2 lean pork & 1 1/2 93% beef

2tbs McCormick Italian Seasoning

1tbs McCormick basil

1 lg bay leaf

Salt & Pepper to taste

1/4 flour sprinkles over the meat mixture

1 can 16 oz stewed tomatoes

1 can tomato paste with 4 cups of water

**Irm’s secret ingredient - Krauterlinge by Knorr - 1 tbs (buy on Amazon)

Instructions: 

In a large sauce pan, heat olive oil add diced onion and minced garlic on medium high heat and stir until translucent. Add meat to pan and cook until meat is tender but cooked. Lower heat if necessary. Add Italian Seasoning (including Irm’s secret ingredient), basil, bay leaf, salt & pepper then sprinkle the mixture with the flour and mix. Next add the stewed tomatoes, tomato paste & water. Bring to a gentle boil stirring occasionally - make sure it does not stick or burn. Reduce heat to low and cook and hour. 

Serve hot over pasta and garnish with Parmesan  cheese.

Terri's Favorite: Cream of Spinach Soup

Terri Wilklow Wiebke's Favorite Soup: Cream of Spinach 

Terri and I at her home in Westcliffe, Colorado 2021

Terri is my younger sister by 16 months. We were each others first playmates until our younger sister, Julie was old enough to join the fun! Then we became the three musketeerettes! I currently live about 90 minutes from Julie in Florida but for 19 years, I either lived with Terri & her family, lived close by or traveled also 90 minutes to spend weekends out in the Wetmore Mountains at their ranchette. We always took turns cooking during those weekends. Once time I made this soup and she was hooked! Hope you are too! 

Ingredients: 

• 6 cups of cleaned/chopped spinach leaves 
  
• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• 2 cloves minced 
• 1/4 chopped onion 
• 4 cups of chicken or vegetable 
• 1/2 cup half & half or cream 
• Salt & Pepper to taste 

Instructions: Heat up a soup pot and add olive oil, garlic and onion and sauté (don’t burn). Once transparent add spinach and stir quickly for about a min so favor releases. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Using a hand mixer(I call a “boat moto”) purée the spinach soup to desired texture. To make creamy, mix 1/4 flour with hot water stir until NO CLUMPS! Bring to a slow boil, turn down and add cream. Keep heating until desired creaminess. Serve piping hot with a dollop of cream and a pinch of diced spinach! ENJOY!

Stephanie's Travels Green Chili Cheese Soup

 I always enjoyed traveling through Colorado for work and leisure during the almost 19 years I lived there. On one such trip to Buena Vista, I had lunch at a local restaurant that offered a variety of soups. We were able to try as many as we wanted but the Green Chili Cheese Soup was the winner and I eat at least 3 bowls!!!! I did not get the recipe but after thinking a lot about this soup, I decided to test kitchen my own version! 

Stephanie's Travels Green Chili Cheese Soup:

Ingredients: 

• 3 tbps olive oil
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup flour 
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 2 cans of diced green chili (I use Mild) you choose fire!
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth (carton or paste works best)
• 2 cans of diced green chili (I use Mild) you choose fire!
• 1lb shredded Mexican Cheese mixture (16oz)
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Garnish with Sour Cream and a pinch of Cheese Mixture

Stephanie's Green Chili Cheese Soup! 

Instructions:

In a large soup pot, heat olive oil with garlic and onion until translucent. Add 1/4 cup flour to the sautéed mix and stir constantly until a light beige color and all is moist. Add the 6 cups of broth and bring to a boil, stir constantly so as to not burn it. (Like gravy)At this point, you can use an immersion hand mixer to liquify the broth with any garlic or onion pieces. (Not necessary unless your like me and only want the green chili pieces in my soup!) Once soup has reached the desired thicknes, add the 2 cans of diced green chili (drained or not drained). If not drained, you will need to allow soup to reboil to get thick again. Once it gets to a slow boil, reduce to a simmer. Now add the cheese, a cup at a time, stirring constantly until all has been mixed into the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste. This is the time to see if you want to add anything more: Too Thick - add a cup of hot water or broth. Too thin - allow soup to simmer on very low heat for about 10 mins (make sure the soup is not sticking or burning). 

Most important tips:

• Drain or not to Drain the diced green chilis - if you reserve some of the juice you can add if the soup is too thick
• Make sure once the cheese has been introduced into the soup, you keep the heat low and mix constantly otherwise it will burn and taste BAD!     

 

Easy Pho Soup

 

Stella & Carmen with Grandpa

Pho Soup is new to both Dave and I. We started eating it out in Colorado with my daughter, Liz and her family. I absolutely LOVED the broth and I was able to eat the soft noodles. So one day back in Florida, I decided to try my hand in making Pho Soup with some left over vegetables and chicken. 

Ingredients: 

• Package of Asian Rice Noodles 
• 1lb Chicken Tenderloins - sliced or diced
• 6 cups Chicken broth (carton or paste) to taste
• 1 medium onion sliced thin
• 1 bag of shredded Coleslaw mix or Broccolislaw mix
• 1 cup of broccoli florets
• 3 tbps minced garlic (I buy the minced garlic in oil & always have in fridge)
• 3 tbps minced ginger (I buy the minced garlic in oil & always have in fridge)
• 1/4 cup sesame oil (or you can use Olive oil)

Instructions:

In a large pot at oil to medium high heat. Add garlic and ginger sauté for about a min then add the onion. Watch the pot and turn down it anything starts to burn. Add chicken to pot and allow to sauté until no longer pink on any side. Add 1 carton of chicken or vegetable broth on top of cooked chicken stir and bring to a gentle boil for about 10 mins. Add the Rice Noodles and cook about 5 mins at the same temperature (WATCH THE LIQUID SO AS TO NOT BURN!) Add more chicken broth if needed. 

Add the broccoli florets and the bag of Slaw mix and turn off burner. 

Serve hot in bowl and top with bok choy, or spinach leaves. Offer Soy Sauce and a hot Asian Sauce to add for flavor. 

The Grandkids Pasta Fazul

Kaya & Chloe with Grandma

Our granddaughters, Kaya & Chloe, love Pasta Fazul. Apparently, that is what they mostly order at one of our local Italian Restaurants here in Weston, Florida. As I spend more time with them, it becomes harder to figure out what they will eat....although, they are now almost 10 & 8 years respectively and their palates have improved, it is still hard planning something for dinner! I don't profess to be a good Italian cook but I put this recipe together and it has been a hit not only for Kaya & Chloe but Carmen & Stella in Colorado!!!

The Grandkids Pasta Fazul

1 box of Ditalini Pasta (kids love these small noodles) Cook as directed and set aside.
1lb of ground turkey or ground beef (lean)
1 chopped medium onion
2 tbsp Olive oil
3 tbsp minced Garlic
1 tbsp finely chopped basil
2 jars Marinara Sauce (I choose a variety like Tuscan Herb or chunky etc.)
2 jars Alfredo Sauce (I choose a variety like 4 cheese etc.)

2 cans of Cannelloni Beans (Like a white kidney bean)

1 lb package of shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Shredded Parmesan Cheese to serve.






Directions:
Heat a large pot add the olive oil, chopped onion, & garlic. Saute until transparent.
Add the ground meat at this time stir until browned. Add the basil and simmer about 2 minutes then add the 4 jars of sauce and the 2 cans of beans. Turn the temperature down to medium heat and cook about 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the cooked pasta and Mozzarella Cheese gently folding the mixture.

This mixture tastes even better a day or so later but not so well frozen. I serve this with Walmart Garlic Knots found in their deli/bakery area ....YUM!!!

My Roasted Peppers and Butternut Squash Soup

My favorite toy! Thanks kids

I love the fall flavors. I had purchased some red, orange and yellow peppers, and a small butternut squash about a week ago. Yesterday, I decided to roast them and then see what I could conjure up with them.

On the other hand, Memo, Kasia and my lovely granddaughters gave me a Cuisinart Soup Maker for Christmas last year. It is one of my favorite gadgets! So easy to make delicious soups and sauces.

My Roasted Peppers and Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients: 

Olive Oil

1 red, orange and yellow pepper - seeded and halved

1 large sweet potato - peeled and diced

1 cup red wine

3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 minced garlic clove

1/2 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

We love the fall & the Broncos!! 

Massage the vegetable skins with light olive oil. Roasted the vegetables - 400* for 30 mins or until soft with a browned skin. Immediately place into plastic bag and close until cool. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to your pot and then the minced garlic. Saute lightly and then add the broth and the sweet potato. Bring to a boil and cook until sweet potato is soft. Add the roasted peppers and cook for about 3 mins then using submersible blended, blend the soup together. Bring to a gentle boil and add the wine. Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and the heavy cream. Use the blender again once more to make sure all the flavors are well blended. Then allow to gently simmer for about 10 more minutes, serve and enjoy! 

Fruit Cobbler

Wedding Day 2008

I really don't know who told me about this recipe but it has become my go to recipe when I need to quickly take a dessert somewhere or I have last minutes guests for dinner.

I remember a while back, I shared this recipe with my daughter-in-law, Kasia. She told me that it has also become her go to recipe. Apparently, my son, Memo, likes it a lot. So I thought I would share.





Fruit Cobbler:

Any 6 cups of fruit -

• It can be fresh (cleaned and sliced or diced) This is the best!
• Frozen (rinse under cool water and let drain off all water)
• Canned fruit - like for fruit pies

1 box of vanilla cake mix
1 stick of butter - thinly sliced

Oven 400*

Use a deep dish (round or square) (glass or aluminum) and lightly spray the bottom. Pour fruit over the entire bottom of the dish. Sprinkle the cake mix, right out of the box, over the fruit. Now place the thinly sliced butter all over the top of the cake mix. Place in the oven, uncovered for 30-45 mins, depending on convection oven, toasted oven or regular oven.

All to cool down and serve with whipped cream and or ice cream.

Our beautiful granddaughters - Kaya & Chloe
April 2014