Pasta E Fagioli Soup

This is one of my favorite soups in the world! It is a hearty soup, so it satisfies my “meat and potato” loving husband! If you have ever ordered this at Olive Garden you will be very impressed with this version. Enjoy!!!
Pasta E Fagioli
3 teaspoons Oil
2 pounds Ground turkey (or whatever ground meat you usually use)
12 ounces Onion; chopped
14 ounces Carrots; slivered
14 ounces Celery; diced
48 ounces Tomatoes; canned, diced
2 cups cooked Red Kidney beans
2 cups cooked White kidney beans
88 ounces Beef stock
3 teaspoons Oregano
2 1/2 teaspoons Pepper
5 teaspoons Parsley; (fresh chopped)
1 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
48 ounces Spaghetti sauce
8 ounces dry pasta Shell macaroni; or other pasta
Directions:
Preparation: Sauté beef in oil in large 10-qt. pot until beef starts to brown. Add onions, carrots, celery and tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse beans and add to the pot. Also add beef stock, oregano, pepper, Tabasco, spaghetti sauce, and noodles. Add chopped parsley. Simmer until celery and carrots are tender, about 45 minutes. Makes 9 qts. of soup!
**I recommend cutting this recipe in half if you are planning to just feed your family. It makes a ton of soup!

St. Patty's Day delights

YUMMY!!! The Guinness Irish beef stew and chocolate mint martini's were out of this world! My only complaint...there wasn't enough stew! I would at least double this recipe if I were going to feed more than 2 1/2 people! Bon Appetit...

IRISH BEEF STEW WITH GUINNESS STOUT
2 tbsp olive oil
3 bay leaves
2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1 1/2 inch to 2 inch cubes (with some fat)
1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tsp dried thyme, whole
1 tsp dried rosemary
2-3 tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 cup beef stock
1/2 cup Guinness stout
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 lb carrots, sliced
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat a 6-quart stove-top casserole and add the oil and the bay leaves. Cook the bay leaves for a moment and then add the meat. Brown the meat on both sides on high heat. Add the sliced onion and cook for a few minutes until it is clear. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, thyme, rosemary and flour, and stir well until smooth. Add the beef stock and stout; simmer, stirring, until the stew thickens a bit. Add the remaining ingredients and cover. Place the pot in a 275 F oven (yes, 275 F!) for about 2 hours, stirring a couple of times. Check for salt and pepper before serving. Serves 4-6 (not in my house it didn't!)

Chocolate Mint Martini Dessert

2 boxes of Jell-O brand chocolate fudge instant pudding
4 cups of milk
1 container of COOL WHIP (colored with green food gel)
10 oreo cookies
12 Andes mints

Make pudding according to directions and pour into martini glasses. Crush your oreo's and Andes mints and sprinkle on top. Top with the green COOL WHIP. You can add another layer of each...or stop with these three. My martini glasses only held one layer of each and it was delicious just like that!!!