Recipes:Minestrone Soup, Red Velvet Cake and Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

Dear Anais,

This recipe is soooo easy to make. It tastes very good but it makes a HUGE batch. I think all Italian recipes are like this. You can ask Aunt Dawn to be sure.



"Home Made" Minestrone Soup



I large onion finely chopped

2Tb olive oil

3-6 cloves garlic minced

1 cube msg free/see salt veg bullion

1Tb Italian seasoning

1 small can carrots

1 can green beans

1 can peas

1 can red kidney beans

1 can garbanzo beans

1 can potatoes

1 jar spaghetti sauce (like ragu, nothing fancy)

Enough water to make veggies swim.

1 c shell pasta



Place olive oil in bottom of large soup pot and warm, saute onions until translucent, add garlic for a few min. Throw everything else in the pot but the shell pasta. Bring to a full boil. Once at a boil, add the shell past. Boil for 10 extra min until pasta is tender-serve with Parmesan on top.



Cheaters "mini"strone recipe:

1/2 onion chopped

1 Tb olive oil

3 cloves garlic

1 bullion cube

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 can veg-all

1/2 can kidney beans

1/2 can garbanzo beans

1 c spaghetti sauce

1/3 c mini shell pasta



follow same instructions as above.

Notes: I know there is supposed to be spinach in there somewhere, but as Anais does not care for it, I have omitted it. You could throw a handful of it in at the end of cooking time. I wouldn't out it in the beginning or you end up with green soup. It is so veggie packed, I don't really think you are going to be missing much by leaving it out.



While we are on the red, I will post my favorite cake (hint, hint) since I have heard you have become so adept at baking.



Astoria Waldorf Red Velvet Cake



1/2 c butter softened

1 1/2 c sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla (always use the real stuff!!!)

2 1 oz red food coloring

2 Tb cocoa

2 1/2 c flour

1 tsp salt

1 c buttermilk

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 Tb vinegar

9" pan



Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, stir in vanilla. Mix food coloring and cocoa-let set a few minutes, then add to mix. Sift flour and salt. Add flour and buttermilk alternately. Mix soda and vinegar, fold into the mixture. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes in the 9 " pan, cool and frost with cream cheese frosting.

Does not work well with decorative pans as it is too moist and delicate of a cake (ask me how I know-cough, cough).





Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting


2 packages cream cheese softened
1/3 c honey
2 tsp vanilla

whip until desired consistency, frost cake, serve to mom on her birthday.