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Broccoli and Cheese Soup

I made this for a Christmas Party last week, and everyone really seemed to enjoy it so I thought I'd share with you.


Broccoli and Cheese Soup

1/2 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons (ish) of minced garlic
2 pounds of Fresh Broccoli
Bullion Cubes (enough to make 6-7 cups of water)…crush so that they dissolve easier
6-7 cups of water
1 (1 pound) loaf processed cheese food, cubed (I used Medium Chedder..but you can use whatever type you want)
2 cups heavy cream (can also use half and half or mild)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2/3 cup cornstarch
1 cup water

DIRECTIONS

1. In a stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion and minced garlic in butter until softened and translucent. Add Bullion Cubes. Stir in broccoli, and cover with 6-7 cups of water. Simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Reduce heat, and stir in cheese cubes until melted. Mix in milk and garlic powder.
3. In a small bowl, stir cornstarch into 1 cup of water until dissolved. Stir into soup; cook, stirring frequently, until thick.

Cafe Rio Meal!! - darby

we made this tonight after i've been wanting to make this for months!! i loved it. it was so tasty. the only annoying thing is presoaking the beans. i made the dressing late so i stuck it in the freezer to quickly chill. jonathan even ate some lettuce! (i got this from anna p., it's taken right off her blog.)

Sweet Pork Mex Salad (Cafe Rio Style)

So I received a few requests to blog this recipe so here it is. Is it just like Cafe Rio's yummy salads..no, but pretty darn close. The other great thing about it is if you get pork butt roast(which is not literally butt ..had to research that as I wasn't sure I could go there) on sale you can feed a group for the cost of a salad a drink at the restaurant. Here Goes:

Sweet Pork Fresh Mex Salad

LAYER
Tortilla
Black Beans
Cilantro Lime Rice
Chopped Romaine Lettuce or Spinach
Sweet Pork
Guacamole
Pico De Gallo
Tortilla Strips
Lime Wedge
Tomatillo Ranch Dressing

SWEET SHREDDED PORK
5 lbs Butt Pork Roast (bone in)
1/4 c. ketchup
1/4c. soy sauce
1 1/3 c. brown sugar
2 fresh garlic bulbs minced
1/2 c. chicken broth

Cover bottom of crock pot with water. Place pork in crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours. Or place pork in a 9x13 pan and cover w/ aluminum foil. Bake @ 325 for 5-6hrs. Take pork out and shred. In a sauce pan combine the rest of the ingredients and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Pour over pork and serve.

CILANTRO LIME RICE
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp. grated lime peel
1/8-1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 c. chicken broth
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Combine rice, garlic, lime peel, pepper and broth in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil, stir, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in cilantro.

TOMATILLO RANCH DRESSING
2 c. mayo
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves
2 Tbsp. white vinegar
1 jalapeno seeded
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 toamatillos (take off outside paper)

Blend all ingredients together in blender or food processor. Refrigerate for an hour or two.

Homemade Pretzels and Nacho Cheese

I am so excited to try this combo this week or next week.

I have a blog I love, it's here
www.thefreshloaf.com

not only is it really informative, but they have fun unique recipies. One I found is for

Homemade Soft Pretzel's

I also have been searching high and low for a Nacho Cheese recipie that doesn't use Velveta Cheese. Not that there's anything really wrong with it, I just wanted to see if there was a good more natural version. Well I came across this website
www.ilovenachocheese.com
in my hunting and while I was there stumbled upon the recipie they devised

Homemade Nacho Cheese

I am so so excited to try these both out. i'm a bread fiend, so I think this'll a winner at our house!

Pretzels

The other day I was reading Jeffrey Hamelman's recent book Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes when I came across his pretzel recipe. His recipe requires a pate fermente overnight, a long fermentation, and a bath in a solution of water and lye, which means rubber gloves and goggles are required.

"Rubber gloves and goggles and caustic fluids to make a batch of pretzels?!? You've got to be kidding me," I thought.

The next day I found myself flipping through another baking book when I stumbled across another pretzel recipe. No caustic bath. No preferment. Not even an initial fermentation: simply mix everything together, shape the pretzels, and bake them; beginning to end, under an hour.

So which is it? Is it necessary to make the preferment and use lye to make decent pretzels at home? Do you even need to ferment the dough to make passable pretzels, or can you just jam them into the oven?

Find out below.

By the way, the other baking book I was looking at was Breaking Bread with Father Dominic 2. Not a bad little book. I gather that it is out of print, but if you see a cheap used copy at the local bookstore it might be worth picking up.

I didn't follow his recipe exactly, but it provided a nice balance to Hamelman's recipe.

The Experiment

There was no way I was going to try the lye bath at home. Maybe to make world class, authentic German pretzels that is necessary, but for a half dozen pretzels at home? Forget about it.

I decided to try make pretzels with an initial fermentation and without. I also tried boiling them briefly in water, egg washing them, and just baking them dry. If any of those methods could produce something reasonably like the soft pretzels I've had before I'd be happy.

The Recipe

I buy my yeast in a jar so that I can measure out as much or as little as I want (well, that and it is cheaper when you bake as often as I do). If you are using yeast from a packet, you can either use half a packet or double the recipe and use an entire packet (at least the packets they sell in the grocery stores in the US... international bakers will have to do their own conversion).

If you are using instant (AKA Rapid Rise or Bread Machine) yeast, you can just mix the yeast in with the rest of the dry ingredients before adding the warm milk and it'll activate fine. If you are using active dry yeast, mix it into the warm milk along with the malt powder (or brown sugar) and give it 5 to 10 minutes to activate before incorporating it into the dry ingredients.

Pretzels

Makes 6 large pretzels
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 tablespoon malt powder or brown sugar
2-3 cups all-purpose unbleached or bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm milk (approximately 110 degrees, which is 1 minute in my microwave)

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix together until it forms a ball. I start with 2 cups of the flour and mix it together until it forms something like a thick batter, then add more flour a handful at a time until it'll form a nice ball that I can knead by hand.

Either use an electric mixer to mix the dough for 5 minutes or remove it from the bowl and knead it by hand for 5 to 10 minutes until the dough begins to get smooth and satiny.

If you are going to ferment the dough (more information on whether this set is necessary below), return the ball of dough to a clean, greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set it aside to rise until it has doubled in size, approximately an hour.

If you fermented it, degas the dough gently before moving on to the next step.

Before shaping, start preheating the oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the dough into 6 pieces. Roll each one into a short log, cover with a towel, and let the dough relax for 5 to 10 minutes. After it has relaxed you should be able to roll it out and stretch again fairly easily.

After taking this photo, I let them relax again and then gave each a third roll and stretch session before they were as long and thin as I wanted (about 15 inches long and about as big around as my index finger). They'll nearly double in width while baking, so it is ok to roll them out quite thin.

Shaping pretzels is simple, once you get a hang of it. Place a rope of dough on the work surface in front of you. Take each end in a hand, loop the dough away from you, and bring the ends back toward your stomach, crossing them about an inch above the rope. Apply a little bit of pressure to make the loops stick together, but not too much because you don't want then to flatten out.

Pretzels don't appear to need to rise again before baking, so you just need to figure out how you want to prep them for the oven. Here are the options I tried:

To boil them: If you want to boil them, bring a pot of water to a boil. Dunk each of the pretzels into the boiling water for 5 seconds, then place them onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with coarse salt (I use the kosher stuff that is easy to find at the grocery store) or other toppings.

I used a pair of spatulas to hold the pretzel in place while holding it under water.

To eggwash them: Simply place them on a baking sheet, brush them gently with an egg that has been whisked, then sprinkle with coarse salt or other toppings.

To bake them (mostly) dry: Sprinkle or spritz them with a little bit of water so that the toppings will stick, then sprinkle with coarse salt or other toppings.

Place the baking sheets into the oven. It took around 15 minutes for my pretzels to get golden and brown. Remove from the oven and eat immediately.

Results

We definitely thought the boiled pretzels (on the left) were better than the pretzels that had just been spritzed with water (on the right). The spritzed ones were dry and had a slightly french bread like crust. Crust like that is good on french bread but not so good on soft pretzels.

I liked the boiled pretzels more than the eggwashed pretzels, my wife preferred the eggwashed pretzels better. The eggwashed ones rose considerably more in the oven than the boiled ones, so they were quite soft and fluffy. The boiled ones were still soft, but they were a little denser and chewier.

Truthfully, I couldn't tell the difference between the batch that I let ferment for an hour and the batch I baked immediately. If I were tasting them side by side with no toppings I probably could detect a slight difference. But at least when I eat soft pretzels they are a medium for other flavors (salt and mustard), either method produces an adequate pretzel.

And the lye bath? At least for the home baker I can say with confidence that you can skip it.

The Official ILoveNachoCheese.com Recipe

We've posted various recipes. We've conducted taste tests. We've delivered the very best nacho cheese related news anywhere on the Internet. Now, we're going to contribute something truly original to the nacho cheese community - An official recipe.

A couple weekends were spent in the kitchen creating literally dozens of different nacho cheese sauce variations. We experimented with ingredients and tweaked quantities until we came up with something we were proud to share. In the end, we settled on this original recipe and hope you like it as much as we do. After all, we created it for you! So give it a try and let us know what you think.

Click here for the recipe.

The Official ILoveNachoCheese.com Recipe

Serving Size: Enough for one bowl of nachos (1-2 persons)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. corn starch
1/2 cup milk
1 oz. cream cheese, cubed
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/8 cup monterey jack, shredded
1/2 tsp. Busha Browne's Pukka Hot Pepper Sauce. (Any habanero/scotch bonnet pepper sauce will do. We recommend anything with a "use with descretion" warning on the bottle.)
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. paprika

Directions:
In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, melt butter and stir in corn starch.
Pour in the milk, add cream cheese, and continue to stir until mixture is fully incorporated.
While stirring mix in cheddar and jack cheeses, chili powder, paprika, and hot pepper sauce.
Continue to stir until cheese has melted and all ingredients are well blended.
Pour over tortilla chips.

Simple delish smoothie

i made this smoothie this morning and it was oh so good... the measurements are all approx because i just kind of guessed! the best part was i didn't need to add any sugar or honey!



I had some peach nectar frozen in the freezer just waiting for the right smoothie to come along. I broke of a chunk or about a cup and a half of that and tossed it in. I poured in around two cups of milk (1% because that's what we had). Then I tossed in a heaping spoonful of frozen orange juice concentrate and about a cup and a half of frozen presliced strawberries I picked up at frys. That's it, then I blended the crud out of it and it was done. it was really sweet, due to the peach nectar and creamy thanks to the milk!

-darby

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

I was so proud of myself today because I made my first batch of homemade noodles for my soup and they were super easy.   I don't think I will ever use store bought again for this reciepe.  Here goes.  

 chicken breasts or a whole chicken on the bone

carrots

onion

celery

potato

noodles

salt

chicken seasonings

herbs

2 Tbl. olive oil

I don't ever measure so just add more or less of everything depending on how many servings you want.  

Boil the chicken in water and canned chicken stalk until cooked, remove chicken let it cool and then shred.  While the chicken is cooling add all other ingredients except noodles.  Add the chicken back in after it is shredded.  

Noodles

whisk lightly 3 eggs in a bowl add one cup of flour and mix well, keep adding flour until it is thick.  Spread flour on the counter and dump mixture on top.  Knead until smooth and continue to add flour until it is not sticky.  Roll out and then cut into noodles with a pizza cutter.  Let the noodles dry over night if time allows.  If not let them dry as long as possible add to soup 15 minutes before you are ready to eat.  Enjoy!!  

Oh Yum

Strawberry Pineapple Julius


Ingredients:
1.00 c Frozen sliced strawberries
1.00 cn Crushed pineapple in juice
(8-oz)
1.00 c Water
2.00 Egg whites
0.75 ts Vanilla extract
0.25 c Granulated sugar
1.00 c Crushed ice -- heaping

So Delish...just like macaroni grill's Pasta Milano -darby

ok not exactly, but it was really good and having a flavorful white sauce was so nice!!


PASTA MILANO


Here's the Sauce
* Exported from MasterCook II *

Lynn's Pasta And Creamy Roasted Garlic Sauce

Recipe By : Lynn Thomas
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Pasta

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 to 2 heads roasted garlic -- * see note
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup parmesan cheese -- grated
salt -- to taste
fresh ground pepper -- to taste
14 oz. pkg. frozen or fresh tortellini OR
1 pound fettucine
1 tablespoon butter (up to 2 tbsp.)

*NOTE: To roast garlic, choose large heads. Cut the top off to expose
the cloves (a serrated knife is best to do this). Place the head in a
square of aluminum foil with the head facing up. Drizzle with 1 to 2
tablespoons olive oil. Seal aluminum foil and roast for 1 hour in a
350 degree oven. Let cool, separate heads into cloves and pinch each
clove to squeeze out the garlic.
Place roasted garlic into a blender or food processor. Add the
olive oil and 1/4 cup cream and whirl until garlic is pulverized. Add
rest of the cream, sour cream, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.
Whirl to combine. Sauce will be thick at this point. Set aside. Cook
pasta al dente; drain. Melt butter in a skillet. Add pasta and toss
with the butter until coated. Add the sauce, cook and stir until
sauce becomes thin. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve immediately with extra parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. Recipe
from and typed by Lynn Thomas dcqp82a.




Here's the Pasta...

Ingredients

* 6 ounces butter
* 18 ounces grilled chicken, sliced
* 12 ounces sun-dried tomatoes
* 12 ounces mushrooms, sliced
* 6 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese
* 36 ounces roasted garlic cream sauce
* 36 ounces bow tie pasta (about 6 oz. pasta per serving)
* italian parsley sprig, if desired

Directions

1.
1
Cook the pasta as directed on package.
2.
2
Meanwhile, sauté butter, sun dried tomatoes and mushrooms about 30 seconds. Add the roasted garlic cream sauce and Parmesan; heat thoroughly.
3.
3
Remove pasta from water and drain. Add pasta to the sauté pan and mix well. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and Italian parsley sprig.

Chicken Stirfry

One of the best ways that we have found to use our home grown veggies in in Stirfry. We use the Fat Sisters Cookbook receipe with a few changes. We add lots more veggies (snow peas, broccoli, onions, bell peppers, etc. We 1 1/2 times the sauce (there is never enough), and go lean on the meat (we never use as much as they say..mostly because meat is expensive and this is our "cheap" meal).

Breakfast Bake

I am so trying this this week.

Breakfast bake...!

The other morning my husband requested this little dish, something I had long forgotten. I had made it for him when we were dating & didn't realize it was one of his favorites! It's super easy & super yummy so I thought I'd share!

You'll need::
1 pkg crescent rolls
6 eggs
1/2 cp. shredded cheese [I used sharp cheddar]
1/2 cp. chopped ham or bacon [cooked]
a handful of chopped veggies like tomatoes or I used bell peppers
2 tlbs. cream cheese [I always add cream cheese to eggs!]

Roll out crescent rolls [all together] on floured surface. Try to roll it into a 12"x 8" rectangle.
Once rolled out, cut 1" strips along sides of rectangle [length wise]

Then, in a bowl whisk together eggs, cream cheese, shredded cheese then add the mea & vegetables. Scramble until almost done, leaving the eggs a bit runny. [they will finish cooking when you bake them]

Lay out egg cooked egg mixture down the center of dough. Carefully wrap the center with the strips on either side, alternating each side. Brush a little egg white or butter over the top to make it crispy or shiny.

Bake @ 350 for about 20 mins!


Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Spooky Brownies

With Jacks' Birthday on Halloween I have been on the lookout for fun treats. I thought these were really cute and who knows I may even try them out. Spooktacular fun and scrumptious eating are coming your way! Gather your goblins to share lots of baking tricks and treats. Prep Time:1 hr Start to Finish:2 hr Makes:24 brownies

1	box Betty Crocker® Supreme brownie mix (with chocolate syrup pouch)
	Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for in brownie mix directions
1	container Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy creamy white frosting
	Neon green, pink and blue food colors
24	large marshmallows
	Miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits
	Black decorating gel
1	roll Betty Crocker® Fruit Roll-Ups® chewy fruit snack (any red variety)
	Gummy worms candies

1.	Heat oven to 350°F. Bake and cool brownies as directed. Cut into 24 brownies, 6 rows by 4 rows.
2.	Remove lid and foil cover from container of frosting. Microwave frosting uncovered on High about 20 seconds or until frosting can be stirred smooth. Divide warm frosting among 3 small bowls, 1 for each color. Decorate as directed below, using 8 brownies for each. Franken-Brownies Add 5 drops green food color to frosting in 1 bowl; mix well. Top each of 8 brownies with 1 large marshmallow. Spoon 1 tablespoon green frosting over each marshmallow to coat. Decorate with green baking bits for eyes and ears. Use black gel for mouths and centers of eyes. Cut fruit snack to use for hair. Boo-BrowniesTop each of 8 brownies with 1 large marshmallow. Spoon 1 tablespoon white frosting over each marshmallow to coat. Use black gel for eyes and mouths. Spider BrowniesAdd 5 drops pink food color and 3 drops blue food color to frosting in 1 bowl; mix well. Top each of 8 brownies with 1 large marshmallow. Tuck gummy worms candies under each marshmallow for legs. Spoon 1 tablespoon purple frosting over each marshmallow to coat. Use orange baking bits for eyes. Use black gel for mouths, centers of eyes and eyebrows.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Follow High Altitude brownie mix directions.

Tamale Pie - Darby

I tried this one out last night and it was a hit. Jonathan was a tad worried because he doesn't like Tamale's but it wasn't like a Tamale at all. I didn't want to use a pound and a half of meat so I used about 1/2 to 3/4 a pound that was frozen in the freezer. I also didn't have a green bell pepper or raisins on hand (Hyrum ate them all before I got a chance to use them last week!) but it was still fabulous. I served it up with a side of corn on the cob, mashed potatoes with the peels on and some lemon squares for desert!

Tamale Pie

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeds and stem removed, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons chile powder (more or less to taste)
2 teaspoons cumin (more or less to taste)
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes
1 (4-ounce) can green Anaheim chiles, drained, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (4 ounce) can sliced ripe olives
1/3 cup raisins
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
1/3 cup water

1-pound of prepared cornbread mix (such as Jiffy or Bob's Red Mill).
Whatever is needed according to cornbread mix instructions to make the cornbread batter (water, egg, oil, milk)

Method

1 Preheat oven to 375°F.

2 Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high. Add the ground beef, onion, and bell pepper. Add salt, chile powder, and cumin. Cook, stirring infrequently, until the ground beef has browned on all sides. Remove from heat. Drain excess fat if necessary (if you are using lean beef, there shouldn't be excess).

3 Mix in fire-roasted tomatoes, Anaheim chiles, corn, olives, raisins, cheese, and water. Adjust seasoning. Add more chile powder and cumin if desired. Rub a little olive oil over the insides of a 9x12-inch casserole dish (or use a nonstick cooking spray). Spoon filling into the casserole dish.

4 In a large bowl, prepare the cornbread batter according to the directions on the package. Pour the cornbread batter over the top of the filling in the casserole.

5 Bake for 40 minutes, until the top is browned.

Serves 6-8.

Alfredo Sauce - Darby

I got this from Anna. Love it. I might add sun dried tomatoes next time.

Alfredo Sauce

I made this Alfredo sauce the other day and it is easy, fast and yummy. I hate paying for mediocre sauce at a restaurant and even scarier concoctions from a jar. I forgot to take a picture so you'll just have to make it to see it!

1/2 c. butter ( not margarine!)
1 8 oz. package cream cheese (I've used low fat and it works)cut in chunks
2 garlic cloves minced
2 cups milk( you can use whole, 2%, half-&-half, cream or combination)
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese from green bottle to start or 6 oz. of grated Parm. cheese
1/8 tsp. pepper
pinch of nutmeg

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and then throw in your garlic for a few minutes. Add your cream cheese, stir with a wire whisk until it is smooth. Slowly pour in your milk, a little at a time continue whisking to make it smooth. Stir in your Parmesan cheese if you are using the powdered you may want to add a little more until you like the consistency. Add a pinch of nutmeg. Remove from heat. The sauce does thicken quickly, you can always thin it with a little milk. Toss with some hot pasta and enjoy. I frequently add grilled chicken or shrimp and it's fabulous! Enjoy!

Dipping Sauce, Pizza Hut Style - Darby

Dipping Sauce, Pizza Hit Style

I made this sauce to go with the breadsticks. Again I'd lay off the oregano a bit, but it was still great!

Ingredients

• 10 ounces tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon italian seasoning
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

1. Simmer the tomato sauce with the seasonings for about 20 minutes.

2. You may alter the amounts of the seasonings to suit your tastes.

3. Use with Bread Sticks - Pizza Hut Style posted on this site.

Bread Sticks, Pizza Hut Style - Darby

Bread Sticks, Pizza Hut Style

We loved these. My suggestion, no oregano in the topping and more Parmesan in the topping.

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups warm water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 3 tablespoons powdered milk
• 2 teaspoons yeast

Topping

• 2 tablespoons dry parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic salt
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

1. Add the dough ingredients to the bread machine in the order given, and set to first rise.

2. When this has finished, roll the dough out into a rectangle which is 1/2-3/4 inch thick.

3. With a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 1x4 inch strips.

4. Place on greased cookie sheets and allow the bread sticks to rise until doubled.

5. Meanwhile, stir the topping seasonings together with the parmesan cheese.

6. Brush the breadsticks heavily with olive oil.

7. Sprinkle with the topping. I use an empty spice bottle to shake it on evenly.

8. Bake the bread sticks at 350 for 12 to 15 min's until golden.

9. Serve warm with Dipping Sauce - Pizza Hut Style posted on this site.

Beef and Gravy - Darby

This is another Crockpot-cooking Recipie. I bought a roast and it was a bit too big to make just a pot roast out of. So I cut the roast and cooked 2/3's of it for the pot roast and the other 1/3 I cut into small (and I'd suggest pretty small) pieces, tossed them in a ziploc then into the freezer. A week or so later I was ready to make Beef and Gravy ( I'd suggest 3 cans of soup for more sauce). This was such an easy dish to make. I served it over bowtie pasta and rolls. I think I had pillsbury style rolls on hand so I used those. This is a tasty and hardy meal! I think next time I'll steam some carrots to go along with it! Ingredients 2-3 pounds roast cut into bite sized pieces 1 packet Lipton's Onion soup mix 2 cans Cream of mushroom soup

Directions

Place pieces of roast in crock pot. Sprinkle packet of onion soup on meat. Cover with cream of mushroom soup. Let cook up to 9 hours. Stir about 1/2 way through cooking. Serve over mashed potatoes or pasta.

Chicken Fricassee with Vegetables - Darby

We loved this one. My notes on it say to make more sauce and make the onions nice and small. I served this over mashed potatoes (with the peels on). The only real unusual ingredient is the spice Tarragon. I picked some up just for this recipie, and after doing so, my sister in law Laura mentioned how much she loves cooking with Tarragon! I also couldn't find any leeks at the store, don't know why, so I made it without. Also, since there are only 2 of us I only cooked 3 chicken breasts. For each meal I cook I try to plan on one extra portion and when I'm plating our meals (I've become a fan of plating our meals so everyone takes a little of everything) I put one portion right into a set of tupperware for Jonathan to take the next day. It's worked out really well and Jonathan been able to take yummy filling meals to work most every day! Ingredients 4 to 6 boneless chicken breast halves salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons butter 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 tablespoons flour 2 cups chicken broth 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon 4 carrots, cut in 2" pieces 2 onions, halved and thickly sliced 3 leeks, white part only, washed and chopped 1 bay leaf 1/2 cup half-and-half 1 10-ounce package frozen peas, thawed

Directions

Wash chicken breasts and pat dry. Set aside. Saute minced garlic in butter for a minute, then add flour and cook, stirring, until smooth. Pour in broth (you may use 1/4 cup of sherry in place of some of the broth), the thyme and tarragon, and stir until thickened. Layer in the Crock Pot the onions, carrots, chicken, then leeks; pour sauce over all. Add bay leaf. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours (high: 3 to 5). If cooking on low, change to high and stir in half and half and thawed peas. Cover and continue cooking on high another 15 minutes, or until peas are heated through. Taste and adjust seasonings. Discard bay leaf and serve with with sauce spooned over the chicken and vegetables.

Root Beer Sundaes - Darby

In all fairness I haven't been able to try this yet, but I saw it on a cooking show called, Semi Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee. They looked SOOOO good and I'm going to make them soon.

• -Root beer sundaes
• 3 bottles of rootbeer in sauce pan - medium heat
• 1/4 cup sugar
• stir, let simmer for 40 minutes
• top with crushed root beer candy, crushed sugar cone and whipped topping (can flavor with rootbeer flavoring)
• Your favorite vanilla Ice Cream
  

What an Novel Idea -Stacy

Hey Sisters! I think this is such a great idea! I wish I had more recipes to share but I don't right now, but I am stoked to try out what you put up here and leave my feedback on how it turned out!
Love you guys!
Stacy

Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip - Darby

Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

For those who enjoyed this the other day here's the recipe! This is great with Pita Chips, I love Stacy's Pita Chips.


1 cup thawed, chopped frozen spinach
11/2 cups thawed, chopped frozen artichoke hearts
6 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Boil spinach and artichokes in 1 cup of water until tender and drain. Discard liquid. Heat cream cheese in microwave for 1 minute or until hot and soft. Stir in rest of ingredients and serve hot.

Chicken Tortilla Soup - Darby

I have always loved Chicken Tortilla Soup, I'll always get it if we are out to eat. So i decided to look up a recipe that I could make and here's what I found.

It's quite a bit thicker than most restaurant soups, but it was still so so good. I think to thin it out, add more broth or add less tomatoes. I followed this pretty close though and I loved it and surprisingly, so did Jonathan!

BTW, if you haven't discovered the little jar of minced garlic you keep in your refrigerator you should find it at your grocery store. I love it, because I hate touching garlic!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 cup whole corn kernels, cooked
• 1 cup white hominy
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
• crushed tortilla chips
• sliced avocado
• shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• chopped green onions

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in chili powder, oregano, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Stir in corn, hominy, chiles, beans, cilantro, and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips, avocado slices, cheese, and chopped green onion.

Chicken Arroz Con Pollo - Darby

Crockpot cooking. I've been trying to get the hang of it and I found this site! www.crockpot-cooking.com

It's fantastic. I try to schedule two or three crockpot meals a week so I can do dinner ready first thing in the morning.

This is one of the first crockpot meals I ever tried and we loved it.

I didn't have 4 chicken breast on hand so I just used 2 and didn't toss any peas in cause I couldn't find mine in the freezer, but it was still fabulous!


Chiken Arroz Con Pollo

Ingredients 4 chicken breast halves, skin removed 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon paprika 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 medium onion, chopped 1 small red pepper, chopped (or chopped roasted red pepper) 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary 1 can (14 1/2 oz) crushed tomatoes 1 package (10 oz) frozen peas

Directions

Season chicken with salt, pepper, paprika. In skillet, heat oil and brown chicken. Put chicken in Crock Pot. In a small bowl combine remaining ingredients, except peas. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low 7 to 9 hours or on high 3 to 4 hours. One hour before serving add peas. Serve over rice.

Baked Potato Soup - Darby

Here's one we tried the other day. I was one meal short for the week, I can't remember what happened, but I had some potato's in the fridge so I looked up a potato soup recipe, thinking I could probably toss in a few veggies and give it some nutrients.

This the recipe I found. I'm surprised I even tried it, seeing as how everytime I've been offered it at a restaurant I've declined. So I whipped this up (it was a really fast meal), and make some cornbread as a side. We loved this soup and were so surprised at how much flavor it had for carrying the name, Baked Potato.

I only had half an onion and it was still great.

Here's where I found it. http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/01/12/hearty-baked-potato-soup-a-quick-and-frugal-recipe-for-january/

Hearty Baked Potato Soup

• 3 large russet potatoes, cleaned, skins pierced 3-4 times with a fork
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups chicken broth (or one 14-ounce can)
• 12 ounces evaporated milk (I use the fat-free kind)
• 2 tsp seasoned salt (make sure you have this, makes all the difference)
  
• Optional toppings: shredded cheese, diced ham or crumbled bacon, chives or scallions, Tabasco sauce, croutons

Microwave the potatoes 8-9 minutes until baked through. Set aside to cool slightly. Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium-high heat and add onion. Cook 6-7 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and cook 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add flour and stir several minutes to make a thickened roux. Gradually stir in evaporated milk and broth. Scoop the pulp from one potato, mash it slightly and add to soup. Cook soup on medium to bring to a boil. Add seasoning salt (to taste). Dice the remaining two potatoes and empty skin of the third potato. Add to soup and heat through. Serve alone or topped with anything that sounds good to you.

Cooking and shtuff...

Ok so I'm the first to admit I'm not THAT good at cooking, but I have been enjoying it a lot more latley as Jonathan and I have been trying to eat in instead of out. So yesterday when Allison suggested doing a group blog with the girls on what we are cooking and fun new or modified recipes I thought, heck why not! And as Stacy (who shared a room with me for many years) and Jonathan, who has to deal with it on a daily basis, can attest, once I get an idea in my head you can bet I'll be doing it right away!

So here is our cooking blog!

-Darby