Cream of Broccoli Soup

Who doesn't love a good soup? Especially on these cold days. I found a few recipes for Cream of Broccoli soup and while they all sounded good, I ended up sort of combining two recipes, but making some changes to it. I have to say, it turned out pretty good.

Ingredients

2 Tbls butter

1onion, chopped

1 stalk of celery, chopped ( I was out of celery so I used a handful of baby carrots, chopped)

3 1/4 cups chicken broth

4 cups broccoli florets

3 Tbls butter

3 Tbls flour

2 cups whole milk

1/4 teas nutmeg

1/4 teas ground black pepper

1 1/4 cup shredded cheddar

Directions

1. Melt 2 Tbls butter in medium sized stock pot and saute onion and carrots until tender. Add a little fresh ground black pepper. Add brocoli and broth, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.

2. Puree the soup in the food processor in batches until smooth. Pour back into stock pot.

3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, over medium-heat melt 3 Tbls butter, stir in flour and add milk, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir until bubbly, and add to soup. 

4. Add cheese and S&P as needed. Heat until cheese is melted. (Do not boil.)

**I added the cheese right in the pot with the soup. One recipe I found didn't call for cheese at all and the other had you putting it on top at the end . We like it cheesy!! I really didn't measure the cheese either. I added it until we were satified with the taste. I had half a block of white sharp cheddar that I shredded. It didn't seem like enough, so I added a little more with yellow sharp cheddar. That seemed to do the trick!! 

Chicken Taco Stew in Bread Bowls

This is an excellent weeknight meal. Not only is it easy and super yummy, but it's served in a bread bowl! Every time I make this I say to John, "What else I can serve in bread bowls?" It's that delicious! I did make a few slight changes to the original recipe, but it was just as good!

Ingredients

~1 can (11 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated crusty French loaf (I always buy 2)

~1 pkg. (9 oz) refrigerated cooked Southwest flavor chicken breast strips, chopped

~1 can (15 oz) dark red kidney beans, drained, rinsed

~1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained (OK here is where I strayed away from the recipe. I used I (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes and 1 (4oz)  can of diced green chilies.)

~1 cup frozen corn

~1 cup chicken broth (I used a whole 14.5 oz can )

~1 Tbls cornstarch (because I had a little more liquid I needed more cornstarch. I continued to add it until I achieved my desired thickness)

~shredded cheddar

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Cut dough into 2 equal pieces. Shape each into a ball, placing seam at bottom so dough is smooth on top. Place dough balls, seam sides down, on cookie sheet. (Like I said, I buy two loaves and cut them in half so I end up with 4 bread bowls. You could cut them in threes if you want smaller bowls.)

2. Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, mix remaining ingredients, except cheese. Cook over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until mixture boils and thickens.

4. Cut top off each bread loaf. Lightly press center of bread down to form bowls.

Place bread bowls in individual shallow soup plates. Fill bread bowls with stew and top with cheddar cheese. Place top of each bread bowl next to filled bowl.

Truth be told . . . .I make two extra bread bowls so we can have it for lunch the next day!!

Enjoy!

Food Challenge

My oldest stepson Kevin came over for the day yesterday. I asked him what he would like for dinner, he said, "Chicken parmesan." To me, this was a food challenge. Chicken parm happens to be Kevin's favorite meal AND one I've never made before . . . so it had to be good. Not that there's a lot to it . . .breaded chicken cutlets over pasta with a red sauce, but if you think I was just going to use any ordinary jarred sauce on it, you're wrong! I was all about making the sauce too. (another thing I've never made before)

I found this super simple recipe on the Food Network Website for the red sauce. The one thing that drew me to this recipe was the fact that I got to use my food processor. Everyone makes a red sauce a little differently. This recipe was interesting because it had carrots and celery in it. Who knew? My favorite thing about it was the fresh basil that went into it. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, fresh basil. After tasting the sauce I decided this is definitely going to be my "go to" red sauce recipe from now on. John and Kevin absolutely loved it!

Simple Tomato Sauce

~1/2 cup EVOO

~1 small onion chopped

~2 cloves garlic, chopped

~1 stalk celery, chopped

~1 carrot, chopped

~Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

~2 (32 oz) can crushed tomato

~4 to 6 basil leaves

~2 bay leaves

~unsalted butter (these two ingredients are to cut the acidic taste)

~sugar (sugar wasn't part of the recipe, but I used a little, along with the butter to help cut the acidic taste)

Directions

In a large pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and simmer covered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors. (I added 2 tablespoons of butter and some sugar.) Add half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce. If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months

Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients

~8 thinly sliced chicken cutlets

~1 egg

~2 tsp water

~1/3 c. bread crumbs

~1/3 c. grated parmesan

~flour

~dried parsley

~about 3 Tbls. EVOO

~mozzarella ( you can use sliced or shredded)

Directions

In one bowl add enough flour to coat your cutles. In another bowl beat the egg and 2 tsp. of water. In a third bowl mix the parmesan cheese with the bread cumbs and some dried parsley. Next dredge the cutlets through the flour first, then the egg mixture and finally through the bread crumbs. Place on a rack atop a cookies sheet for a few minutes to dry before frying. Next heat  EVOO in a large pan on medium high. Add cutlets, cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Spread a little sauce in the bottom of a large baking dish. Transfer cutlets to sauce in baking dish. Spoon sauce around cutlets. Top with slices of mozzarella. (I used slices from the deli. Next time I am going to buy the fresh ball of mozzarella and slice it thin.)

Bake at 425 degrees until cheese is melted and chicken is cooked through.

I served it with the red sauce from my earlier post and linguine. We also had a delicious ceasar salad (made by my husband) and some fresh, crusty bread.

It was a DELICIOUS Sunday meal! Kevin liked it so much he took some leftovers home! 

ENJOY!

Beer Stew

This is another great recipe for a week night. It is so easy to prepare and of course since you make it in the crockpot, it's even easier! I took this picture after I got it all together in the crockpot, but forgot to take one when it was finished. It was so delicious. I served it with warm, crusty, garlic bread . . . .DELISH!

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb. beef cubes

2-3 potatoes chunked (I used about 6-8 baby redskins, quartered with the skins on)

1-3 beef bullion cubes

2 tsp salt ( I used a little less .. . it seemed like a lot)

8 oz. tomato sauce

12 oz. beer

1 tsp. oregano (I was all out, so I used dried basil)

1 small onion chopped

2 celery stalks chopped

1 cup baby carrots  (I chopped these .. . you  could leave them whole)

6 oz. baby peas (the peas are optional . . .but I used regular frozen green peas)

1 clove garlic chopped

1/2 tsp pepper.

Directions

Cut beef into 1 inch squares. Place beef, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, beer, salt, pepper, oregano and tomato paste in crock pot. Set cooker on low and cook for 8-10 hours.

Just before serving I thicken it a little with 3 Tablespoons of cornstarch and enough water to make a thin, liquid. Stir in a little at a time until you reach your desired thickness. 

ENJOY! 

Peppers 'n' Potatoes Beef Skillet Supper

Looking for an easy, weeknight, one pot meal? This one is for you! As you can tell from the picture, it makes a lot! No problem here . . . my husband was thrilled to take leftovers for lunch today. 

Recipe from "Everyday with Rachel Ray"

Ingredients

~1 Tbls EVOO

~1 onion chopped

~1 lb. ground beef

~S&P

~4 slices bacon, chopped ( I used a little more because it's so yummy!!)

~1 lb. baby red-skinned potatoes, quartered

~2 Bell peppers, cut into thin strips ( I used just red. You can use red & green or just green)

~1 1/2 cups frozen peas

~1 (15oz.) can tomato sauce

~1 (12 oz.) bag dried egg noodles

Directions

1.  In a large, deep skillet, heat the EVOO over mediun-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 5 to 7 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Drain and transfer to a bowl.

2. In the same skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, 4-5 minutes; drain on a paper-towel-lined plate. Add the potatoes to the pan and stir to coat with the rendered bacon grease; cover and cook until just tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in the bell peppers and cook until softened, 6-8 minutes. Stir in the reserved beef mixture, the peas, tomato sauce and 1 cup water; season with S&P and cook until the potatoes are tender, 8-10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the egg noodles until al dente, 8-10 minutes; drain. Add the beef mixture; toss. Top with the bacon.

ENJOY!!

Cupids & Cocktails

Our Valentine cocktail party turned out to be a success. It ended up being a smaller, more intimate party than we originally planned. A few people had a to cancel due to illness. It was great to catch up with friends we haven't seen in a while. The smaller group allowed us to really enjoy ourselves. Here are a few pictures of my dessert spread.

While these things look cute set up on the counter tops in my kitchen . . . .I really can't wait until our dining room is finished. That's when the REAL entertaining begins! Stay tuned as we transform our dining room. Adios wallpaper!



Lemon Alfredo



For Christmas my husband got me subscriptions to the "Food Network Magazine" and Rachel Ray's "Everyday." I've been watching my mailbox everyday waiting for them to get here.The first issues finally arrived last week! This recipe is from the March issue of the Food Network Magazine. It was delicious! The lemon flavor really came through in this dish. I used spinach fettuccine, which was excellent. The only thing that might have made this recipe better is a little chicken! Next time I make this I will definitely add some cut up chicken cooked in a little butter and lemon pepper.

Ingredients

1 minced shallot (I used onion)

1 Tbls butter

1 1/4 c. heavy cream

1 egg yolk

2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1/3 c. grated pecorino (I used regular grated parmesan)

Salt & Pepper

12 ounces of cooked fettuccine

Directions

Cook 1 minced shallot in a skillet with 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat until golden, 3 minutes. Whisk heavy cream, egg yolk and lemon zest in a bowl; reduce heat to low and whisk into the skillet along with grated pecorino. Whisk until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and plenty of pepper. Toss with 12 ounces cooked fettuccine and some pasta-cooking water. Top with more pecorino.

This first issue of the "Food Network Magazine" was their Italian issue. I found some other great recipes that I plan to try . . .  I also learned a few things about Italian food and Italian cooking.

How Italian are you? Can you match the following cheeses with these animals?

Pecorino Romano                Caprino               Asiago

A. Goat       B. Cow       C. Sheep

Oreo Truffles

These have become one of my favorite things to make as far as desserts go. They are so easy and so delicious. Now that I have a food processor, it's even easier!

Ingredients



• 1 pkg. (1lb. 2 oz) Oreo cookies, finely crushed
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 2 (12oz.) pkg. chocolate ( I used Toll House white chocolate chips & semi-sweet morsals)

Directions

Mix 3 cups of the cookies crumbs and the cream cheese until well blended. I put both ingredients in my food processor and PRESTO! (So easy!!) Shape into 42 (1-inch) balls.

Dip balls in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Decorate as desired.

Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Store any leftover truffles in tightly covered container in the refrigerator.

Tonight I'll be working on the Valentine Cookie Bouquets! Stop back for some updated photos. I hope they look as cute as the picture!

Pulled Pork Sammies

Ok so the picture isn't so great . . . .but the sandwiches were! This recipe was so easy. So easy, I called my mom in St. Thomas and she rattled it right off the top of her head! This was the perfect meal for the Super Bowl. Just put it in the crockpot and forget about it until game time!

Ingredients

~Bone-In Pork Butt sliced Southern Style for BBQ (This was a little over 3lbs.)
~S & P
~3/4 c. cider vinegar
~ a little garlic powder (This wasn't part of my mom's recipe but I added it)
~two bottles of your favorite BBQ sauce (I used a bottle and a half of two completely different types of BBQ sauce)
~ Rolls

Directions

Place pork in slow cooker. Add salt and pepper. (More pepper than salt). I sprinkled a little garlic powder in also. Pour vinegar over top. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Remove pork from slow cooker. Shread using two forks. Remove all bones. Empty juices from the slow cooker. Place pork back in slow cooker and stir in BBQ sauce. Allow the pork to heat through. Serve on your favorite rolls. Enjoy!    



Hot Cheddar Bean Dip

This is one of my all time favorite dips and it's a crowd pleaser. I always have these ingredients on hand . . . anytime is a good time for bean dip!

Ingredients

1 (15 oz.) can kidney or black beans

1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilis  

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 tsp. hot sauce

Directions

Drain kidney beans and mash thoroughly. Stir in remaining ingredients. Spread in a 1-quart baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips.

Asparagus Hors D'Oeuvres

Ingredients:

25 thin slices bread

3 oz. blue cheese

8 oz. cream cheese

1 egg

1/2 lb. butter

25 asparagus spears

Directions:

Trim crusts off bread and flatten with a rolling pin.

Blend cheeses and egg. Spread mix evenly on bread slices. Roll a spear on each bread slice and dip all sides of bread in melted butter.

Place on a cookie sheet and freeze for about an hour. When bread is very firm, slice each roll into 3 pieces. At this time you can place them in plastic bags and freeze until needed. Bake frozen rolls in 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes 75 pieces.

Trust me  . . .these are worth the work!

Enjoy!

Super Bowl Sunday

How cute are these cupcakes? I won't be making these for the game . . . but here's what I will be making:

~Asparagus Hors D'Oeuvres

~Hot Cheddar Bean Dip

~ Pulled Pork Sammies

SOUND GOOD? Stop back after the game for the mouth watering recipes and photos!

~Let's go Steelers!~ 

Fortune Cookies

I recently stumbled across a "how  to" video for making fortune cookies on You Tube. How fun would it be for each of my guests to get a fortune cookie at  my little "Cupids & Cocktails" get together? I can't wait! I prepeared them with the cutest little love fortunes! 

Ingredients

~2 egg whites

~1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

~1/2 teaspoon almond extract

~3 Tbls. vegetable oil

~1/2 cup all purpose flour

~1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

~1/2 cup sugar

~dash of salt

~3 Tbls. water

Directions

1. Place egg whites, vanilla extract, almond extract, vegetable oil in a bowl. Use electric mixer to beat just until frothy (not stiff). 

2. Add flour, sugar, cornstarch, salt and water. 

3. Continue to mix until batter is smooth.

4. Drop a small amount on a greased cookie sheet and spread around using the back of the spoon until you have about a 4" diamter.

5. Only bake about two on the sheet at a time since you have to work fast when folding them or they crack.

6. Bake in a 300 degree oven for about 6-7 minutes or until the edges start to become golden brown. 

7. Quickly remove from pan, place fortune in the middle and fold in half gently pinching the tops together. Next, bend them over a mug with the seam side up, to get that great fortune cookie shape.

8. Place in a muffin tin to keep the shape while they cool.

These require a little patience! The first batch cracked on me and were just too big. You really have to work quickly with them. I suggest taking one off the pan and leaving the other in the oven as you work with the first one. The recipe made about 16 cookies. Click on the You Tube link above to watch the full tutorial. Enjoy! 

Pop Up Pankcakes

Happy Saturday! This week has been both long and stressful. I could not wait for the weekend to get here to be able to spend time with my wonderful husband and spend some time in my kitchen! I have been dying to try this recipe! These little guys were both cute and delicious! I topped them with banans, a little powdered sugar and homemade really vanilly whipped cream. It was a happy way to start our Saturday morning! This recipe is from Make and Takes.

Ingredients   

• 1 cup milk
• 1cup flour
• 6 eggs
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• dash of salt
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease your muffin tins

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients in the blender until smooth. 
2. Pour mix into greased muffin tins or baking pan. You can make these in a jelly roll pan if you like.
3. Bake them for 15 minutes in a 400 degree oven, or until puffy and golden on top. Use a knife to pop them out. The puffiness will die down as they cool and they will become more like a cup. 
4. Apply your favorite toppings
5. Enjoy!

*Makes 24 muffins or fills a 9x13 baking pan

I filled the muffin cups just a little too much. Mine came out REALLY puffy and large. (But they were still delicious!) Next time I think I'm going to try adding a little sugar to the batter and maybe some vanilla extract for a little added flavor. I really love that you prepare these in your blender. It was easy and mess free! Enjoy! 

Easy Cheesy Beef and Bow Ties

Ingredients

6 oz. (2 1/2 cups) uncooked bow tie pasta (farfalle)

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 cup chopped green onion

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup

1 cup salsa

6 oz. (1 1/2 cups) shredded Cheddar and American cheese blend

Directions

1. Cook pasta as directed on package. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, in a12-in nonstick skillet, brown ground beef over medium-high heat until thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain.

3. Reserve 2 tablespoons onions for garnish; stir remaining onions, the soup and salsa into beef. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 5 minutes.

4. Stir in cooked pasta; cook 3 to 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with reserved 2 tablespoons

 green onions.

This recipe was so easy! Excellent for a work night. I made a few slight changes to fit the ingredients I had. Instead of Cheddar cheese soup, I used a can of Southwest Style Pepper Jack soup. (It gave it a little kick!) I also used a yellow onion instead of the green onions and rather than reserve any, I put them all in at the same time. I used shredded sharp cheddar instead of the Cheddar and American blend. Enjoy!