Mom's Broccoli Cheese Soup

I adore this recipe for broccoli cheese soup. It hits the spot on a cold winter evening, and is so yummy I could drink it out of a coffee mug. Hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, minced
½ cup chopped celery
1 cup broccoli florets
2 T margarine
1/3 cup all purpose flour
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups milk
3 cups chicken broth
1 lb. Old English cheese

In a large saucepan on medium high heat, sauté onion, carrot, celery and broccoli until tender. Add the flour, salt and pepper. Mix until smooth. Add the milk slowly, until mixture is thick. Add chicken broth and cheese; stir until fully blended. Allow the soup to heat until cheese is melted.

Serve hot with bread of crackers; enjoy!

Easy Homemade Pizza

My husband has the best recipe for pizza dough, and since he introduced me to it I don't even really care for delivery-style pizza.

Not only is this recipe healthier, it makes for a fun family cooking event. We have a great time experimenting with toppings. Our favorite so far? Sausage, corn, rotel tomatoes and cheddar cheese. We call it our queso pizza.

Knead the dough by hand or use a stand mixer with a kneading attachment. Either way is easy.

Ingredients:
1 package active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water
2 T sugar
2 cups bread flour
2-3 T olive oil
Italian seasoning

Combine yeast, water and sugar in a bowl and let stand for 5 minutes. Add flour, olive oil and seasoning. Mix well. Run a stream of warm water over the bowl, while mixing. Stir until maleable. Use your judgement to add a little flour and/or olive oil until you're able to handle the dough. Either knead on low for 10 minutes in a stand mixer or knead by hand 8-10 minutes.

Spray a baking sheet with Pam; let the dough rise on the baking sheet for at least 1 hour, and up to 5 hours. Preheat the oven to 500. Spread the dough out and bake 2 minutes. Remove dough from oven and top with tomato sauce or olive oil. Layer toppings, then cheese. Bake 8-10 minutes and serve.

Enjoy!

Cranberry Orange Bread

In the mood for a yummy bread to warm your home this cold winter day?

Try this Cranberry Orange Mini Loaf recipe. I made it in the form of muffins, for breakfast. But they'd make a great gift if you divide the recipe into individual loaf pans.

Happy Baking!

Ingredients:
2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 T fresh squeezed orange juice
2 T grated lemon peel
4 eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions:
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar, orange juice and lemon peel. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk.

Stir in cranberries and walnuts. Pour into four greased 5-3/4-in. x 3-in. x 2-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

White Chili

I got this recipe from a good friend, and my family loves it. As soon as the weather begins to get colder, they start asking for it. The recipe and preparation are so easy, this makes a perfect weeknight meal.

Lately, I haven't been able to find the garlic chicken broth. If you find that is the case, simply add about a 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic to the broth as you cook the chicken. Serve White Chili with extra sour cream and cheese along with chips or flour tortillas.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 cup diced onion
1 can white corn
1 can garlic chicken broth
1 small can green chiles
1 can great northern beans
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon basil
1/8 teaspoon oregano
1 small carton sour cream
Salt & pepper
Monterrey Jack Cheese

In a large saucepan, cook the chicken breasts, onion and broth until tender. Add the next 5 ingredients (through oregano). Simmer 10-15 minutes until chicken is no longer pink. Lower the heat and add sour cream, salt, pepper and cheese. Stir well to combine. Heat until cheese is melted. Serves 4-6.

Berry Tart

I recently became smitten with the tart. I’ve wanted to master it with all the gadgets that are involved in tart making, but I tested a few recipes using a pie plate and dried beans. When I became increasingly confident, I invested in a tart pan and pie weights.

The tart is traditionally a summer delicacy, but I think it’s perfect for year around dining. I made this one with strawberries, but it would be fabulous with cranberries or raspberries for a Thanksgiving dinner treat.

This recipe may seem daunting, but it’s really very manageable. And the crust is absolutely divine, and healthy, too! I plan to use this crust recipe for almost every pie I make.

Berry Tart
Berry TartFilling:
2 cups diced fresh rhubarb
3 cups fresh raspberries or cranberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water

Crust:
1/2 cup rolled oats
3 tablespoons low-fat milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar1 teaspoon lemon zest
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon canola oil

Directions: Combine rhubarb, 1 cup berries, sugar and lemon zest in a saucepan. Let stand for 20 minutes; bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring often, 5-8 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir cornstarch and water in a small bowl until smooth. Stir into the simmering fruit. Cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate until chilled.

To prepare crust and assemble tart: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom with cooking spray (if you don’t have a tart pan, use a pie plate; it works great). Spread oats in a small baking dish and bake, stirring occasionally, until toasted, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool. Place the oats in a food processor and process until finely ground.

Combine milk and vanilla in a small bowl. Whisk the ground oats, flour, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Drizzle oil onto the dry ingredients and stir with a fork or your fingers until crumbly. Use a fork to stir in the milk mixture until the dough just comes together.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead 7 to 8 times. Roll the dough out to an 11-inch circle, dusting with flour if necessary. Transfer to the prepared pan, pressing to fit. Trim the edges.

Line the tart shell with a piece of foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights (if you don’t have pie weights, just use something heavy like dried beans). Bake the tart shell until set, 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove weights and foil or paper and bake until lightly browned, 8 to 12 minutes more. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

Shortly before serving, spread the fruit filling evenly into the tart shell. Arrange the remaining 2 cups fruit decoratively over the filling.

Homemade Cozies

Have you started thinking about this year’s Thanksgiving meal? I love that this holiday is primarily celebrated around a table. There’s something about a long meal that fosters real community and conversation between friends and family members. Don’t you think?

This week, I thought I’d post my Grandma’s recipe for hot chocolate. Around my house, we simply call it “cozies” (i.e., “Want some cozies?” or “Oooh, cozies are on the stove!”). Silly, I know. But it makes you want to drink it, right?

I’d absolutely love to get my hands on some of your favorite Thanksgiving recipes. In the coming days, I’ll be sure to post my favorite recipes for cranberry sauce, turkey & dressing, deviled eggs (seriously, they are to die for) and more. Share!

Homemade Cozies

Adapted from Grandma’s Kitchen

1 container nonfat dry milk powder

1 carton powdered coffee creamer (I prefer something caramel or peppermint flavored)

1 box confectioners’ sugar

1 large carton Nestle Quick chocolate drink mix

Whisk ingredients in a large bowl until evenly combined. Distribute into containers to store throughout the fall/winter season, or wrap with ribbon and give as gifts to friends. To prepare a cup, mix 2 heaping spoonfuls with 1 cup piping hot water or milk.

For kicks, I also found this Wassail Punch recipe and thought I’d put it up, even though I’ve never tried it. Let me know if you have a chance to try.

Wassail Punch

Adapted from allrecipes.com
2.5 quarts apple cider

2 cups orange juice

1/4 cup lemon juice

12 whole cloves

4 cinnamon sticks

1 pinch ground ginger

1 pinch ground nutmeg

Combine apple cider, orange juice and lemon juice in a stockpot over low heat. Add cloves, ginger and nutmeg. Simmer until heated through. Serve hot. Top with whip cream, if desired.