Cooked from what we had on hand this week

The sales weren't very good this week so we only purchased a few things. We took stock of what we had in the cabinets and freezer and made our menu with that. On Sunday T made us Italian Wedding Soup. It is my favorite soup of all time.

Italian Wedding Soup I

Ingredients

* 1/2 pound extra-lean ground beef
* 1 egg, lightly beaten
* 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
* 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
* 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
* 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
* 5 3/4 cups chicken broth
* 2 cups thinly sliced escarole
* 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
* 1/3 cup finely chopped carrot

Directions

1. In medium bowl, combine meat, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, basil and onion powder; shape into 3/4 inch balls.
2. In large saucepan, heat broth to boiling; stir in escarole, orzo pasta, chopped carrot and meatballs. Return to boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cook at slow boil for 10 minutes, or until pasta is al dente. Stir frequently to prevent sticking.

Recipe from Allrecipes

The girls loved having Baked Oatmeal for breakfast so I made this Monday morning.

Baked Oatmeal

2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. oil (you can use applesauce instead of oil)
2/3 c. sugar (white or brown) (I do 1/2 white 1/2 brown)
Mix above together. Then add:
3 c. oatmeal
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 t. vanilla (can use 1 packet vanilla sugar)
1 c. milk
Pour into buttered 8 x 8 baking dish and bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.

And you serve it with flavored yogurt on top or fresh fruit.

T made us calzones Monday night. Tuesday night we went to a friends house for dinner. Wednesday night I made pasta so I looked through the cabinets and this is what I came up with.

Alfredo with Italian sausage and tomatoes

1 box Penne pasta cooked
1 jar Alfredo sauce
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes drained
1 Tablespoon oil
3/4 lb Italian sausage sliced

Brown sausage in oil and drain. Add sausage back to pan pour Alfredo sauce and drained diced tomatoes over it. Cook until heated through. Serve over pasta. Simple and yummy!

Thursday night I tried another new recipe from www.allrecipes.com.

Maple Sausage Skillet

Ingredients

* 1/2 pound fully cooked kielbasa or Polish sausage, sliced
* 1 teaspoon canola oil
* 1 medium green pepper, thinly sliced
* 1 small onion, halved and sliced
* 1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
* 1 celery rib, sliced
* 2 tablespoons maple syrup
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* Hot cooked rice

Directions

1. In a large skillet, cook sausage in oil for 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned. Add vegetables; stir-fry 3-4 minutes longer or until crisp-tender. Stir in the syrup and pepper; heat through. Serve with rice.

We didn't have mushrooms on hand so I omitted those. We all like this.