THis is from All Recipes and it is so simple and so delicious. Not many ingredients so most of the items are probaly on your kitchen shelf. Great Sunday night dinner with crusted bread and salad.

Ingredients
1 (8 ounce) package penne pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups spinach leaves, packed
salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch red pepper flakes
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Directions
1.Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente; drain.
2.Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add onion and garlic, and cook until golden brown. Mix in tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinach. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook 2 minutes more, until tomatoes are heated through and spinach is wilted. Reduce heat to medium, stir in pasta and feta cheese, and cook until heated through.

Yes, I know, I’m getting kinda fancy with the Risotto thing and then adding Thyme to it, oh my goodness, next thing you know, I will be giving a recipe for ahi-tuna! (Will wait until I actually get to California before going there)

This is another one of the recipes that I found while in Orlando during Thanksgiving.

3 tables butter

2 cups sliced baby bella mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 1/4 cups arborio rice

3 1/2 cups vegatable broth or chicken broth

1 cup shredded parmesan

2 tables chopped fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 375. In a large deep oven-proof skillet with a tight fitting lid, melt butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onion; cook and stir 5 min or until tender.

Stir in rice and cook and stir until lightly toasted, about 2 min. Stir in broth; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cover skillet and place in oven. Bake 45 min.

Remove skillet from oven. Stir in Parmesan and thyme, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

This makes an excellent side dish for any meat.

If you are like me, you are already sitting down looking through your favorite magazines to pick out just the right recipes for that wonderful feast day we call Thanksgiving. You, like us, might actually have some family members who do not like dressing and instead have your turkey or chicken stuffed with rice. This recipe is delicious and it is so pretty and flavorful.

Makes 8-10 servings

1 cup uncooled brown rice

1 cup uncooked wild rice

2 tables butter, melted

1 (32 oz) container chicken broth

1 cup diced sweet onion

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1 (5.5 oz) package dried cherries or cranberries, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Stir together first 3 ingredients in a lightly greased 3 qt  slow cooker (crock pot), stirring until rice is coated. Stir in chicken broth, onion and pepper.

Cover and cook on High 3 to 4 hrs ur until rice is tender. Stir in cranberries or cherries with a fork; turn off heat, cover and let stand 15 mins.

Meanwhile, heat pecans in a small nonstick skillet over medium low heat, stirring often 3 to 4 mins or until toasted and fragrant. Stir into rice with a fork just before serving.

For the luncheon today I also served mashed potatoes which ended up being so delicious. The ladies ask what was different about them and here is what it was.

Instead of adding milk to the potatoes to mash, I used Pioneer Country Gravy Mix.

Follow directions on the small package of Pioneer Country Gravy Mix (this is a white gravy)  When potatoes are cooked and ready to mash, add butter and this gravy before whipping. It adds so much flavor to them and makes them so creamy.

If you are cooking potatoes for 2, use just half of the gravy and safe the other half to pour over the whipped potatoes when serving.

2 cups rice

1 can french onion soup

1 can beef broth

1 can of water

1/2 cup of butter

Melt butter in dish which you have sprayed with Pam. Add all ingredients and cover and bake for 45 to 50 min in a 350 degree oven. Remove from oven and remove lid. Stir with a fork.

Well, what a beautiful day today. The air was fallish and didn’t hit 90, so life is good. I have been craving Potato Soup, so that is what I fixed. I know we have Mexican food at El Fenix tomorrow night, so soup just sounded very good.

Soup for 2

1 large can of chicken broth

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 potatoes (I prefer red skinned)

1 carrot, sliced very thin

1/2 cup chopped celery

2 pieces of bacon, cooked until crisp

1 1/2  cups of milk

1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Boil potatoes in chicken broth until tender. Do not drain. Add all ingredients except cheese and bacon and cook until all veggies are done. Add milk and when heated (do not boil), add the cheese and bacon. Serve with crackers or grilled french bread.