Food love

I don't profess to be the greatest cook by any means, but I do enjoy making (and eating) good food, and I am continually adding to my arsenal of tried and true recipes. Here are a couple that I took to our ward mix and mingle over the weekend. The first is from my friend Kim whose kitchen is dubbed the test kitchen. She found it in the food section of her newspaper of all places, and now this soup is loved by many! It makes enough for a crowd, and I also love that it freezes well so I'll either freeze half and serve it for 2 dinners, or freeze what's left into smaller portions and Pat takes it to work for lunch.

Italian Sausage and Pasta Soup

Ingredients

Time: about an hour to prep and cook
Makes about 10 1-Cup servings.

• 1 lb hot or mild Italian sausage (can substitute turkey sausage)
• 3 medium carrots peeled and chopped
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped (works with shallots or leeks, too)
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped or crushed
• 8 C lowfat or fat free chicken broth (I've subbed chicken bouillon with fine results)
  
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 15 oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 T dried basil
• 1 ½ C large shell pasta
• 6 oz spinach leaves, rinsed and slightly chopped (I use bagged baby spinach, and I've also added grated zucchini when I haven't had spinach)
  
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Squeeze sausages from their casings into a 5-6 qt pan over high heat and stir often, breaking up sausages with a spoon. Cook until brown and crumbly. Spoon out and discard all but 1 T fat from pan.
2. Add carrots, onion and garlic; stir often until onion is limp, 5-7 mins.
3. Add broth, basil, tomatoes (including juice), and beans and bring to a boil.
4. Add pasta, reduce heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally until pasta is just enter to the bite about 10 mins. Skim and discard any fat.
5. Stir in spinach and cook just until it is wilted, about 30 seconds.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with parmesan.

This recipe for cheesecake is fantastic. I was highly disappointed that there was none left to take home on Friday night- it was one of the best I've ever made. I found this recipe on my friend Hannah's cooking club blog. Hannah is an excellent cook, and she is in a cooking club with other fabulous cooks, so I love to browse their blog for inspiration. Here is the recipe as shared on their blog (all notes belong to the original chef)- I take no credit for it, but I do love to make it, and even without any toppings it's incredible!

NEW YORK CHEESECAKE

FILLING
2 lbs cream cheese
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sour cream
CRUST
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
6 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup white sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and 1/4 cup sugar in a small
bowl. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9 or 10 inch springform
pan. Place in freezer for 10 minutes.
Cream 3/4 cup of sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in eggs one
at a time, add vanilla and cornstarch until just mixed. Stir in sour
cream until blended. Pour into prepared crust.
Bake at 400 for 45 minutes. Watch that the top doesn't turn too dark,
cover loosely with aluminum foil if it starts to turn brown. Turn oven
off and leave door ajar (remove aluminum foil for 3 hours. Serve with
your favorite topping.

My husband calls this "Better The Next Day Cheesecake" and it's true.
If you chill the cheesecake overnight the flavors meld together and
it's even better than if you eat it fresh. Don't worry, the calories
cook out! Also if you're doing party food, you can do mini
cheesecakes. Just omit the crust part of the recipe and use 'Nilla
Wafers. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners, add a 'Nilla Wafer to
the bottom of the cupcake liner and fill the cup 3/4 full of the
cheesecake mixture. Bake until the top starts to turn brown and let
cool on the counter. Top with your favorite fruit and serve.