Roasted Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

Ben found The Kitchn blog the other day and suggested I check it out.  It looks like it has a lot of great recipes.  One section was on soups.  So when today turned out to be a wet cold day, I decided to try out one of the recipes.  I picked out the Roasted Broccoli and Cheddar Soup.  I've been trying to eat more veggies lately.  It seems like when the garden stops producing I forget to start buying veggies at the store.

Not the prettiest picture...but yummy

The recipe was a success.  Ben and I both enjoyed it and gave it a rating of 4 cookies.  The recipe is pretty easy.  I did not use the creme fraiche or yogurt.  I did put a drop of lemon juice in each bowl.  I also used an onion instead of a leek.  I might suggest adding a little garlic.

We served the soup with some fresh bread with herb butter.  If you give this one a try, I hope you enjoy. Click on the recipe title for cooking directions. 

Stay tuned for a recipe for chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter icing.

Roasted Broccoli & Cheddar Soup Serves 4-6
2 tablespoons oil, divided
1 leek, washed
1 medium waxy potato
1 bunch broccoli (about 1 1/2 pounds)
6 cups vegetable stock, chicken stock or water
1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
Lemon wedge
Crème fraîche or yogurt (optional)

Hot Chicken Sandwiches (slow cooker)

This is one of my favorite recipes from my mom.  She has made this for almost every graduation party, wedding shower, baby shower, etc.  I have memories from all of these celebrations that go along with this dish.  But it's also great for the everyday meal as well.  It's a fantastic recipe and pretty simple to throw together.

My mom has always baked chicken breasts and then shredded them beforehand.  Her's always turns out wonderful.  So I will recommend that method first.  I have decided to try Bowman Landes canned Turkey and see if it comes out the same.  They do have canned chicken.  However, the turkey are free range and at the farm in New Carlisle.

I do not like handling raw chicken.  I'm not sure why, but it can ruin a meal for me.  I'm sure I should speak to a therapist at some point.  But for now, I try to find ways around it.  I've mentioned before that I am a huge fan of Bowman Landes canned chicken and turkey.  If you have access to this store, I highly recommend it.  I find other canned chicken to have a weird texture. 

Side note:  I love Bowman Landes even more when I saw on their website that they recently purchased a 50 kilowatt Solar Electric Generating System to help power their farm.  Free range turkeys and green initiatives!

Recipe:
3-4 lbs. cooked shredded chicken ( 2 lg cans Bowman Landes)
2 eggs beaten
3 pieces day old bread
12 saltine crackers
1/4 cup evaporated milk
chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
celery optional

I'm going to give you directions based on my canned version.  Otherwise, cook and shred chicken how you normally would.

Directions:
1.  Open canned chicken.  Pour chicken broth into separate glass or bowl.  Place chicken in slow cooker.
2.  Crack eggs into another separate glass or bowl.  Scramble with a fork.  Pour over chicken.
3.  Tear up bread and crumble crackers into slow cooker with chicken
5.  pour evaporated milk over chicken
6.  Salt and pepper to taste (I used some celery salt in place of the celery)
7.  moisten chicken with reserved chicken broth (don't let it get soupy or the chicken mixture become a bit mushy.  If this happens, just cook the chicken longer or you could even put the sandwiches under the broiler for a few minutes.)
8.  Stir all ingredients until combined well in slow cooker
9.  Cook on low for 2 hrs or until warmed throughout

Elmo Cupcakes

We celebrated Cole's birthday over the weekend.  I was excited to make Elmo cupcakes for his party.  He loves all things Elmo.  When I saw a picture of these cupcakes, I had to try and make them.  It was so easy and a lot of fun.

I used a basic icing recipe with red food coloring.  Then I sprinkled red sugar on top for some texture.  The eyes are white candy melts with chocolate chips.  The nose is an orange peanut M&M.  The mouth is half of a Reese's cup.  I was excited with how they turned out.  I think Cole was a big fan as well.

Keeping with the Elmo theme, Ben and I gave Cole an Elmo Mr. Potato Head.  He can be dressed up to look like an Elephant, Chicken, etc.  Cole and his cousins let me play for a bit.  It was a great party to celebrate Cole's 2nd birthday.

Dog Treats: Pumpkin and Peanut Butter

Ben's family loves dogs.  His parents have two Great Pyrenees named Buddy and Sugar.  They are awesome dogs.  While we lived in Nashville, Gus would get to visit with Buddy and Sugar from time to time.  He loved them.  I don't think the feeling was mutual.  Gus is an acquired taste.  During his visits, Gus became very fond of their treat jar.  It was a large glass jar filled to the rim with treats.  All you had to do was lift the lid and the dogs came running.  They hear the glass lid clink as you open and they know it's treat time.

Izzie and Gus

Unfortunately, Gus doesn't get to visit with his cousin dogs anymore.  So he and Izzie got together and planned out a birthday gift for me....a glass jar to hold treats.  I took some time this evening to try and fill it.  I had pulled a few dog treat recipes.  I combined several and threw in my own ideas to come up with the final recipe.  While the jar is not even close to filled, the results were a success.

The New Treat Jar

Recipe:
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 Tbl. peanut butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinamon
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oats (if you don't want to use oats, up the flour by 1/2 cup)

Directions:

1. Mix together eggs, pumpkin, peanut butter, salt, and cinamon

2. Mix in flour and oats and form into a ball

3. Roll out flat and use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until hard

Izzie anxiously awaiting the final product

Roasting a Pepper

I had a request to show how I do roasted red peppers.  I try to steer away from How To's because everyone has their own way of cooking.  And I'm not a trained professional.  I will tell you how I roast a pepper.  I use a simplified method that is quick as well.  Remember not to rush the process though.  You'll end up with burnt fingers or a lot of time peeling.

I usually roast red peppers.  I had a green one on hand.  They roast the same way and I thought it would be a good addition to tonight's dinner.  Here is the process in 5 easy steps.

1.  Cut sides off pepper

2. rub pepper pieces with olive oil

3. broil peppers for 5-10 minutes until dark blisters form

4.  Remove from oven and place in covered bowl to cool

5. Peel off blistered skin

Some roast peppers by baking them in the oven.  I think they do around 425 degrees for 40 minutes or more.  I think for this process, you leave the pepper whole and turn several times.  This would probably give you a deeper flavor.  But I like the simpler method.

Roasted Pepper Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Birthday Week begins!  My mom and I have birthdays that are 5 days apart.  We have always ended up celebrating for an entire week.  Then my nephew, Cole, was born in between our birthdays.  This has only increased our celebration activities.  We may need to think about expanding to 2 weeks.  Needless to say, this is one of my favorite times of the year.  Birthday celebrations and fall activities everywhere!

I started out the week by cooking dinner for my mom on Sunday.  Anyone celebrating their birthday gets to pick their birthday meal.  My mom decided to leave it up to me to try out some new recipes.  It was fun to look through the stack trying to figure out what she would enjoy.  It is so much fun to cook for other people.

I decided to go with the following:
pulled chicken sandwiches
 Roasted Pepper Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Rosemary potatoes
Pumpkin Cheesecake

The pulled chicken sandwiches is one of my mom's recipes.  It is so good, I'll have to share it at some point.  My sister prepared this dish, but had a minor mishap before the party began.  A dish fell and shattered into the salad.  So she ended up picking up some barbeque down the street.

Look for the rosemary potatoes and pumpkin cheesecake posts under the Recipe Rankings tab.

I pulled the Roasted Pepper Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette from a recent Taste of Home magazine.  It is such a pretty dish with all of the different colors.  It was very good and I'm sure I'll be making it again.  It is a perfect summer dish while the peppers are plentiful.

I did learn a lesson concerning roasting peppers.  Never try to roast them in a hurry.  I took many of them out of the oven too soon.  This made pulling off the skins so much harder...obviously.  So make sure you take the time and roast them long enough.

I used the leftovers on top of speghetti with some sliced sausage.  Obviously you could use chicken or no meat.  I'm changing the ranking to 3 stars because I don't think I'll get it made too often.  Peppers can be too pricey other times of the year.

Ingredients:
2 each large sweet yellow, red, and green peppers
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
6 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. each minced fresh oregano, rosemary, basil and parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 carton (8oz) fresh mozzarella cheese pearls
5 fresh basil leaves

Directions:
1. Broil peppers 4 in. from the heat until skins blister (about 5 minutes).  Let cook and peel off skins.  Cut into thin strips. Place in bowl with onion.
2. in small bowl, mix oil, vinegar, herbs, garlic, garlic powder, cayenne, pepper and salt; pour over pepper mixture and toss to coat.  Cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.
3.  Before serving, allow peppers to come to room temperature.  Place on a serving plate; top with tomatoes, cheese and basil.

Almost Famous Pumpkin Cheesecake

Part 3 of the Birthday Celebration:
Wow, this cheese cake is amazing.  It took a lot of time, but well worth it.  Most of the time is baking time.  I've never baked with the water bath.  It baked the cheesecake perfectly.  It goes goes well with coffee.  Everyone seemed to really enjoy.

Ingredients

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 3/4 cups sugar
• Salt
• 2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
• 6 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 cups sweetened whipped cream
• 1/3 cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped

Directions

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Brush a 10-inch springform pan with some of the butter. Stir the remaining butter with the crumbs, 1/4 cup of the sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, packing it tightly and evenly. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on a rack, then wrap the outside of the springform pan with foil and place in a roasting pan.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese with a mixer until smooth. Add the remaining 2 1/2 cups sugar and beat until just light, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beaters as needed. Beat in the sour cream, then add the pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, 1 teaspoon salt and the spices and beat until just combined. Pour into the cooled crust.

Gently place the roasting pan in the oven (don't pull the rack out) and pour the boiling water into the roasting pan until it comes about halfway up the side of the springform pan. Bake until the outside of the cheesecake sets but the center is still loose, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the door briefly to let out some heat. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for 1 more hour, then carefully remove from the roasting pan and cool on a rack. Run a knife around the edges, cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

Bring the cheesecake to room temperature 30 minutes before serving. Unlock and remove the springform ring. To finish, place a dollop of the whipped cream on each slice and sprinkle with the toasted pecans.

Photograph by Ellie Miller 

16 servings/ 15pts each

Rosemary Potatoes

A potato always seems like a perfect side.  Ben prepared these for my Mom's birthday dinner.  They had a subtle flavor.  I don't like rosemary when it is overly powerful.  These were really good.  I'm sure we'll make these again.

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds small red or white-skinned potatoes (or a mixture)
• 1/8 cup good olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoons minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut the potatoes in half or quarters and place in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary; toss until the potatoes are well coated. Dump the potatoes on a baking sheet and spread out into 1 layer; roast in the oven for at least 1 hour, or until browned and crisp. Flip twice with a spatula during cooking to ensure even browning.
Remove the potatoes from the oven, season to taste, and serve.

Spice Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Icing

I had two goals for this week.  The first was to start back to the gym.  The second was to make cupcakes.  Shocking that I only accomplished the second goal.  Who has time for the gym when there are all these cupcakes to eat.  I guess I should have started out the week by saying I can only make cupcakes if I head to the gym first.  Lesson learned!

A cup cake shop opened up a few blocks from our house called Sweet by Kristy.  They are jumbo sized cupcakes.  I've had about 4 different ones and they were all are amazing.  I had one a few weeks ago that was like a cupcake version of a Cinnabon.  I wanted to make a small attempt at trying to recreate this wonderful deliciousness.

I figured I would find a recipe and try to develop from the basic recipe.  I made spice cupcakes with brown sugar cream cheese icing.  This recipe was really good.  The icing was the best part.  It melts in your mouth with brown sugar goodness.  However, I found the cupcakes to be too dense.  The next time I make it I will attempt to make them more moist.  Or I may try a new spice cake recipe.  Does anyone have a spice cake recipe that they enjoy?

I give the recipe 3 cookies because the cake needs some adjusting.  I really enjoyed the brown sugar cream cheese icing and would give this 4 cookies ranked on its own.

 spice cupcakes with sugar-cream-cheese-frosting

Brown Sugar Icing

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla (optional)
1/3 cup butter, softened (if using cream cheese, half the butter and add same amount of cream cheese)
2 1/2 cups icing sugar (powdered sugar)

In a small bowl or pot, stir together the brown sugar, water and vanilla. If you like, heat to a simmer to dissolve the sugar, or let it sit for a bit, stirring occasionally until the sugar is more or less dissolved. (It doesn’t much matter if there’s still some graininess in the bottom.)

In a medium bowl, beat the butter until creamy; add the icing sugar and about 3/4 of the brown sugar syrup and beat until smooth. Add more sugar or syrup as needed until you have a soft, spreadable icing.

 spice cupcakes:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg and/or allspice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter or non-hydrogenated margarine, softened
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups milk

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray two 8” or 9” round cake pans or one 9? x 13? pan with nonstick spray.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. In a larger bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer for about half a minute, until it’s pale and creamy. Pour in the sugar and continue to beat for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl whenever it needs it.

Stir the vanilla into the milk. Add about one-third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir it in by hand or with the electric mixer on low speed, just until it’s combined. Add about half the milk in the same manner, then another third of the flour, the rest of the milk, and the rest of the flour, mixing just until the batter is blended.

Divide the batter between the prepared tins, filling them about 3/4 full, and bake for 20-25 minutes until the cupcakes are golden and tops are springy to the touch. Makes 1 1/2 dozen cupcakes.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin! Those of us who have an October birthday seem to love pumpkin that much more.  This post goes out to a fellow Libra whose birthday is this Wednesday.  Happy Birthday to Michelle Kaiser.  It was great when Michelle and I lived in Asheville together because we could share birthday celebrations and all things pumpkin.  Now that we live far away, we share through phone conversations.  I think she was throwing a pumpkin get together over the weekend.  She has a great pumpkin chili recipe.  Maybe she will do a guest post and share.

Happy Birthday Kaiser!

Michelle has been a great friend through the years.  I have known her for 12 years now.  That is hard to believe.  I'm hoping that her future endeavors will lead her to Ohio so we can celebrate together again!  But those of you who know Michelle, know she will have offers from all over.  I'm really going to have to put together a good campaign.

In honor of pumpkins, I tried out a new pumpkin recipe.  I used a pumpkin pancake recipe I had looked up last year.  I found it on allrecipes.com.  The pancakes were tasty, but not quite what I was looking for.  It had you beat the egg whites into soft peaks and then fold them into the pancake batter.  This gave the pancakes somewhat of a fluffy egg texture.  The process, while fun, seemed a little much for morning pancakes.  The texture threw me off a bit.  The pancake recipe included a syrup recipe that I did not fix.  Maybe the combo would have blown me away.  But the pancakes themselves, not a keeper.

The blog gods are against me today.  But you get the idea.

Pumpkin Pancakes

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup cooked or canned pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

1. For pancakes, combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks, milk, pumpkin and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form; fold into batter.
2. Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a hot greased griddle. Turn when bubbles form on top of pancakes. Cook until second side is golden brown. Serve with the syrup (look up link for syrup recipe).