Italian Sausage
Pasta Soup
1 pound bulk Italian sausage
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups sliced zucchini
1 medium onion, diced ( about 1 cup)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
4 cups (1 quart) canned diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3/4 cup small shell pasta
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, cook Italian sausage, mushrooms, onions and zucchini in oil, over medium heat, until meat is no longer pink.
Add garlic, cook 1 minute longer.
Add broth, tomatoes, basil and pepper. Bring to a boil. Stir in the pasta.
Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the pasta is tender, 15-20 minutes.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Serves 6-8.
Molasses Spice Cookies
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
12 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup un-sulphured molasses
1/3 cup granulated sugar for rolling cookies
Adjust oven racks to upper and lower middle positions. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Whisk flour, baking soda, spices and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside. Cream butter, brown sugar and 1/2 cup white sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Scrape sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Add egg, vanilla extract and molasses. Beat until combined – about 30 seconds. Scrape sides of bowl.
Add dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined. Place remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar in shallow bowl.
Working with 2 Tbsp. of dough at a time, roll dough into 1 3/4-inch balls. Roll balls in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheets, 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart.
Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets (from top to bottom and front to back) halfway through baking) until outer edges begin to set and centers are soft and puffy, 12-14 minutes.
Cool cookies on cookie sheets for 2-3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack with wide spatula.
Makes about 20 large cookies.
