Pasta fagioli - olive garden style

Ingredients: Servings: 12-14 2 lbs ground beef 1 onion, chopped 3 carrots, chopped 4 stalks celery, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained 1 (16 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained 1 (16 ounce) can white kidney beans, drained 3 (10 ounce) cans beef stock 3 teaspoons oregano 2 teaspoons pepper 5 teaspoons parsley 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (optional) 1 (20 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce 8 ounces pasta Directions: 1 Brown beef in a skillet. 2 Drain fat from beef and add to crock pot with everything except pasta. 3 Cook on low 7-8 hours or high 4-5 hours. 4 During last 30 min on high or 1 hour on low, add pasta.

Produce ordered for Oct. 19th

14 items
Bananas, Gala apples, Asparagus, Green Bell & Red Bell Peppers, Zucchini, Pears, Lime, Green leaf lettuce, Celery, Carrots, Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato, Oranges

Best Homemade Salsa, EVER!!

 HeHe (at least my family thinks so)  This is an old family recipe that my mom and I have improved upon over the years.

10 cups diced tomatoes (approximately 10-12 large tomatoes)
4 cups onions (roughly 6 medium onions)
6 cups bell peppers (I use approx. 4 green and 4 red bell pepper)
7 garlic cloves, minced (minced =2 TBL)
3-5 jalapenos (mild to medium heat)
For a hotter salsa add 3-5 havaneros and 3-5 more jalapeno (still has a great flavor with a lot more spice)
1 1/4 cup white vinegar
4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 cup sugar (my mom wouldn't let me tweak this, so those that try it with agave or another substitute let me know how it goes)

Makes 12 pints or 6 quarts

Dice tomatoes (by hand will be more chunky or you can use your food processor (easier, but not as chunky)
Dice bell peppers and onions in food processor ( I pulse it about 6-8 times, don't over do it or it will produce a lot of liquid)
emulsify garlic, jalapeno (havaneros, if you like it hot), I add some of the tomatoes so its easier to blend it. No one wants to bite into a big chunk of garlic or jalapeno for that matter
Combine all of the ingredients and cook on medium high until it comes to a full boil, put into bottles. Make sure the rims are clean so they will seal.
Place lids in boiling water for 1 minute, put rings on as tight as you can
Place in canner - pour cold water over bottles until it hits rim of the bottles (cold pack)
Cook on med-high heat until boil. Then cook 10 min for pints or 15 min. for quarts
Take out of hot water and place on towel to cool.
Be sure to label bottles with date and strength of salsa.
ENJOY!!

Produce ordered for Oct. 12th

14 items:
Bananas, Gala apples, Pears, Butternut squash, Spaghetti Squash, Romaine Lettuce, Avocado, Carrots, Cilantro, Green Beans, Broccoli, Peaches (probably the last time :(  , Mango, Green Onions.

Produce ordered for October 5th

First, I have to apologize for not putting the voting up.  Between being sick in bed most of the weekend and trying to catch up on Monday, I totally forgot til I woke up this morning and had a panic attack when I realized that I have to pick the produce.  I am so sorry and that was absolutely no fun.  Hopefully, everyone enjoys what was ordered. :)

13 Items:

Bananas, Gold Delicious apples, Pineapple, Avocado, Peaches, Red Grapes, Green Beans, Red Bell Pepper, Green Bell Pepper, Zucchini, Corn, Russet Potatoes, Green Onions