Boy oh boy! This has been one crazy week. And it’s only Thursday. If this is any indication of what my last semester is going to be like…I don’t know if I want it to come.

I’ve been working in New Jersey all week – Secaucus and Plainfield. Work starts at 6am and I don’t usually get home until 6pm. This means I have zero time for studying, and even less time for sleeping. Forget cooking.

Although, the online health class that I am taking just covered nutrition and healthy eating. Not that I don’t eat healthy – I really try to. I don’t eat fast food and I like to try different cooking methods for meats and veggies. It’s a challenge finding a way to keep in the most nutrients while still tasting yummy.

Anyway, learning about healthy alternatives introduced me to ChefMD and John La Puma, M.D.’s book: “ChefMd’s Big Book of Culinary Medicine.” It’s on my wish list!

One of my favorite winter soups is Pasta e Fagioli. It’s an Italian pasta and bean soup with garlic, tomatoes, ground beef, among other things. The best, in my opinion is at Olive Garden. Here is a fantastic clone of the Olive Garden’s masterpiece that I found Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur. He is a genius, I think. Try it out for yourself!

“INGREDIENTS

1 pound ground beef

1 small onion diced 1 cup

1 large carrot julienned 1 cup

3 stalks celery chopped 1 cup

2 cloves garlic minced

2 cans diced tomatoes - 14 1/2 oz ea

1 can red kidney beans - 15 oz with liquid

1 can great northern beans - 15 oz with liquid

1 can tomato sauce 15 oz

1 can V-8 juice - 12 oz

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 pound ditalini pasta

PREPARATION

1. Brown the ground beef in a large saucepan or pot over medium heat. Drain off most of the fat. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and sauté for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, except pasta, and simmer for 1 hour.

2. About 50 minutes into simmer time, cook the pasta in 1 1/2 to 2 quarts of boiling water over high heat. Cook for 10 minutes or just until pasta is al dente, or slightly tough. Drain.

3. Add the pasta to the large pot of soup. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes and serve.

This recipe yields 8 servings.”

I haven’t had a chance yet to try this recipe but Wilbur’s other recipes are great. Here’s another heart healthy alternative from ChefMD for the soup:

“INGREDIENTS

1 teaspoon olive oil
2 carrots, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
One-quarter teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 cups low-salt vegetable or chicken broth
One-half cup (2 ounces) uncooked whole wheat gemelli (small twisted pasta), such as Eden brand or ditalini (small tube pasta) or small shell pasta
1 can (14.5 ounces) seasoned diced tomatoes, undrained (such as Muir Glen brand)
1 can (15 to 16 ounces) kidney beans or red beans, rinsed and drained
One-half cup frozen baby peas, thawed
One-quarter cup chopped fresh basil or flat-leaf parsley
One-quarter cup grated Romano or Asiago cheese

PREPARATION

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil and carrots; cook 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes; cook 1 minute. Add broth and pasta; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and beans; return to a simmer and cook 5 minutes or until pasta is tender. Stir in peas; heat through. Ladle into shallow bowls; top with basil and cheese.

SUBSTITUTIONS

Freshly shelled peas may be substituted for frozen peas; stir them into the soup with the tomatoes and beans. Great Northern or cannellini beans may replace the kidney or red beans.”

Now, enough of the healthy eating. Time for some yummy dessert recipes! Here’s my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe from All Recipes. They’re soft on the inside, and crunchy on the outside.

“INGREDIENTS

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 tablespoons dark corn syrup

1 tablespoon half-and-half cream

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts, toasted

PREPARATION

1. Position oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). (Using an oven thermometer will ensure proper baking temperature since ovens vary.) Line cushion-type baking sheets with baking parchment; set aside. (Professional bakeries double their baking sheets and use baking parchment.)

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder; set aside. In a large mixer bowl, cream together butter, sugars and vanilla at medium speed until creamy and light. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in corn syrup and cream or milk. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add flour mixture, in 3 separate batches, scraping down bowl after each addition. Mix well to ensure full incorporation of flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate) and nuts.

3. For each cookie, using a 1- 3/8 inch spring-loaded scoop (or 1 tablespoon measuring spoon), scoop 2 level spoonfuls of dough and roll into a ball with wet hands. (Dough will be very sticky. Wetting hands between every 3 rollings of dough will prevent sticking. Simply hold hands under running tap water and shake hands 10 times over sink before handling dough. Don't worry, this will not harm the cookies. I guarantee that this added effort will be worth it for these cookies!) Arrange at least 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. (Cookies will spread a bit during baking.) Flatten each ball of dough slightly with heel of hand or fingers.

4. Bake for 14 minutes or until light golden brown around edges and centers are still a little puffy. (Do not underbake this particular cookie or they will be too soft.) Allow cookies to cool at least 5 minutes while on baking sheets before transferring (with a thin, metal cookie spatula) to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough and fresh sheets.”

This is enough for now. I’ll be adding an old family chicken soup recipe tomorrow. We call it “sicko soup” in my house because, well, it’s what we eat when we’re sick.

Toodles!