Another Thing I Made + A Recipe

This is my Wild Monkey Bracelet.  

There is a birthstone color for each Wild Monkey.

And of course a Wild Monkey Charm.

It too has helped assuage my desire to make bracelets.

I have been looking at how to make bracelets on Pinterest.

I have Googled how to make bracelets.

Lately all I can think about is bracelets.

David gave me a bracelet for Christmas......

And now for the Recipe.

I have served it twice.

The second time I served it at my book club.

And they raved about it.

And they are foodies...one has even published two cookbooks.  Yeah. I was a cooking rock star.

Lasagna Soup

INGREDIENTS

for the soup:
2 tsp. olive oil
1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage (I added a 1/2 to 1 pound of ground chuck)
3 c. chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 T. tomato paste
1 28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
6 c. chicken stock  (I used a lot more......twice maybe)
8 oz. mafalda or fusilli pasta (I used bow tie once...then the fusilli second time--both were fine)
1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

for the cheesy yum:
8 oz. ricotta
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

PREPARATION

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces, and brown for about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.

Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente. Do not over cook or let soup simmer for a long period of time at this point, as the pasta will get mushy and absorb all the soup broth. You may even want to consider cooking the noodles separately, and then adding some to individual bowls before ladling the soup over them. This would be an especially smart move if you are anticipating any leftovers. Right before serving, stir in the basil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheesy yum. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.

To serve, place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl, sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.

Servings:  8

I served this with a nice salad and garlic bread...it was great.