tomato basil soup

I’ve always loved tomato basil soup. It started when I got my first waitressing job at Vine Park Brewery in St. Paul, MN. The head chef Anthony made amazing dishes that we all loved to try. It was there that I realized there was more to meals then meat and potatoes or mac n’ cheese. Food was another art form and it was delicious. Anthony made a mean tomato basil soup, which unforetunely I can’t get anymore but have been trying ever since to make it the way he did.

This recipe I found at everyday occasions, though it’s not Anthony’s (I’ll keep looking and reinventing recipes) is a pretty good substitute. Enjoy!

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 2 – 14 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes
  • 1 – 14 oz. can of whole tomatoes
  • 2 cups of stock (chicken or vegetable)
  • 1 tsp of sea salt
  • 1 tsp of sugar
  • 1/2 tsp of fresh ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup of heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons of fresh basil, julienned
  • parmesan cheese

In a saucepan, saute garlic in olive oil on medium heat for 1 minute – being careful not to burn the garlic.

Add the crushed tomatoes. Add the whole tomatoes one at a time, squeezing them into the pan to break them up. Add the juice from the whole tomatoes, as well. Add chicken stock, salt, pepper and sugar. Cook the soup on medium at a simmer for 10 minutes.

To finish, reduce the heat to low and stir in heavy cream and basil.

Serve topped with parmesan cheese and enjoy!

I elected to make grilled cheese panini’s as our side. I used a whole grain bread and palmetto original cheddar cheese spread. This stuff is good!

Butter the outside slices of bread and place onto “griddler” until golden brown. Serve while warm!!

Enjoy!!

kringla

The in-laws made another journey down to help us with some household projects, enjoy some fun Halloween activities, and to teach me the Norwegian art of making kringla. My mother-in-law is Norwegian and has come from a long line of kringla-making family members. It was my turn. This fabulous floury cookie is wonderful with coffee and milk!

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 sticks margarine (I used butter)
  • 2 beaten eggs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tsp soda
  • 5 tsp baking powder
  • 6 cups flour

Start by creaming sugar, butter, eggs, and salt.


Add buttermilk, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, and flour.


Mix well. Don’t be afraid of over mixing! Make sure to mix everything well, especially the butter.


Put mix in refrigerator overnight or until cold.


Once the dough has chilled, roll dough on floured cloth. We used a Bethany Pastry Cloth.


Start by spooning out about 1 cup of dough and rolling it into a ball with floured hands. Then roll the ball into a log roll that is about 1″ thick. Place the rest of the dough back into the refrigerator.


Cut log roll into 1/2 inch sections.


Roll sections into about 8 inch lengths or the size of a pencil.


Then fold the “pencil” dough in half.


Twist and form a circle!


The wreath or infinity are the most common shapes in our household.


Bake on greased cookie sheet at 450 degrees until they puff up (about 2-3 minutes).


Then put them under the broiler until they are light brown on top! Watch very very closely on this process; you can burn them in seconds! Trust me!

This is one of those floury, semi-sweet gems that taste so good as a snack, or for breakfast or dessert. My mother-in-law even suggested giving them as Christmas gifts! What a fun idea. Thank you to Julie for sharing her skills; I think all the photos above were of her cookies. Ha. But don’t worry if they don’t look perfect, they still taste great!

Enjoy and Happy Week!

simple apple cider

Apple cider has always been a staple in my family during the fall and winter seasons. We would have a kettle permanently set on the island of our kitchen almost all winter long. We cherished my mom having it out after our long frozen-toed walks home after a day of sledding or even when we just wanted to make snow forts in the front lawn, we knew what was brewing inside.

Even when we cut down our Christmas tree, we would warm up at the Maguire Tree Farm with apple cider. It’s what you do! Since moving all around the states, I haven’t found my mom’s simple cider recipe, and I would coach coffee houses on the “extremely simple art” of making cider. First, I would ask if they had real apple juice or cider mix. We needed the apple juice. I like it simple. The pre-mixed ciders come with too much (in my opinion) sugar and spices. I know it’s weird because I’m a sweet fanatic – just not in my cider! Honestly, I wish I would have asked my mom the secret to her recipe but here’s my super simple recipe for cider. Heck, maybe it’s the same!

Recipe

Ingredients

  • Unfiltered apple juice (I like organic and not from concentrate)
  • Cinnamon Sticks

In a tea kettle, pour in apple juice. Warm juice until hot.

Pour apple juice into the cup with the cinnamon stick; let cool while mixing it with the cinnamon stick. That’s it. Serious. Sometimes, I even dilute the apple juice a little. Two parts apple juice, one part water. I can still hear my mom saying how “fancy” the cinnamon sticks were, and it makes an ordinary weekend feel a little more magical. I hope you feel the same. Enjoy!

Put your feet up, start the fireplace, and enjoy! Oh… and you can have multiple cups with one cinnamon stick! They’re truly fabulous!

maid-rite


Have you seen this wrapper? There’s usually a sandwich inside. I’m sorry I didn’t take a picture of the actual sandwich, but it was devoured before I thought to take a picture! This loose-meat sandwich has been a staple in Iowa since the 20’s and it’s chains have shown up all around the United States. Whenever we travel through Iowa, we have to stop at a Maid-Rite! It’s too good not to! I suggest the same on your travels.

When I was looking through my recipe box, I came across a recipe for maid-rites! Honestly, four years ago, when I got the recipe, I didn’t even know what a maid-rite was! But now, now, I know! I’m so excited I’ve found the recipe from Grandma Kuhse. She’s a born and raised Iowan, so I figured she knew her stuff! Plus, as I have said in previous posts, I’ve been blessed with amazing cooks in my family! These women and men have been feeding hungry, hard-working farmers, so they know a thing or two about great hearty eats!

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds ground beef (I use venison)
  • 1 can tomato soup
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 2 tablespoon chopped onion
  • 3 tablespoons vinegar
  • Pepper & Salt

Brown meat and saute onions until tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. (about a 1/2 teaspoon or so.)

Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 10 mins.

We served these up at our friend’s house, during a Sunday football game and got great reviews! It’s quick, easy, and so tasty! Plus, its another great recipe that will feed you for a week! We add cheese and pickles to ours, which makes it a cheese-rite, if you want to be technical! Enjoy!

Happy Weekend Friends!

cheeseburger soup

A recipe card used this much… I have to tell you about! It’s one of my favorite recipes for winter; I received it about five years ago, and I’ve been loving it ever since. My husband’s family threw me a bridal shower,where they invited each guest to bring a recipe they enjoyed! (I loved this idea and suggest it for all!) Lucky for me, we have some great ladies and even better cooks on both sides of my family tree.  Thank Sara Turner-White for this recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb gound beef (I use venison)
  • 3/4 cup chopped onion
  • 3/4 cup chopped carrots
  • 3/4 cup chopped celery
  • 5 tbsp butter (divided)
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 4 cups diced raw potatoes
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 8 oz Velveeta
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 cup sour cream

Recipe

Cook 1 lb ground beef until brown, and drain.

In a sauce pan, sauté onions, carrots, and celery in 1 tbsp butter until tender. (about 10 minutes)

Put veggies and meat in a big pot and add 3 cups chicken broth and 4 cups diced raw potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or so.

In the meantime, prepare white sauce. Melt 4 tbsp butter. Add 1/4 cup flour.

Mix for about 1 minute or until smooth and pasty. If lumpy, remove from heat and add more butter. <- I love that line. Remove sauce from heat when it gets smooth and bubbly.

Mix into the soup. Bring soup to a boil for a couple of minutes.

Reduce heat to low and add last ingredients: 8oz Velveeta, cubed, 3/4 tsp salt, 1 1/2 cup milk, and 1/2 tsp pepper. I know Velveeta isn’t even considered real cheese, but trust me, this is good!  

Cook and stir until cheese is melted. 1/2 hour before serving, add 1/4 cup sour cream.

This recipe makes 13 cups! So, for the husband and I, that’s 6+ meals! We had it all week at work. It’s so easy to heat up again and again. And for all you weight watcher fanatics, it’s 4 WWPP, per cup! (I used light sour cream and skim milk.) Enjoy!

pumpkin scones

It’s fall!! Well at least up north it’s fall, and I’m sure there are leaves changing, too. Here in Dallas, it’s still warm but we have had a few cooler mornings – and it’s beautiful weather all day (when it’s not in the 90’s)!! I love this time of year in Dallas! Plus, no matter where you are at this time of year, everything pumpkin-flavored is available!!

I was looking for pumpkin scones and came across this recipe on sweetpeaskitchen. She places not one but TWO different drizzles on top of her pumpkins scones, so I was all in!

Recipe

Pumpkin Scones

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
  • 3 tablespoons half-and-half
  • 1 large egg

Powdered Sugar Glaze

  • 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon powered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk

Spiced glaze

  • 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • Pinch of ground ginger
  • Pinch of ground cloves

Start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the “wet ingredients”: pumpkin, half-and-half, and egg. Set aside.

Sift together into a large mixing bowl the dry ingredients: Flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Add the cubed butter on top.

Now using a pastry blender, mix the butter and dry ingredients until you reach the consistency of coarse cornmeal. Don’t overwork the mixture, though there shouldn’t be pieces of butter larger than a small pea. You could probably do this step in your mixer using the paddle attachment, but I get all nervous about overworking the dough.

Now, fold in the wet ingredients. I usually make an indentation (like when you have mashed potatoes and gravy), then you can flip the flour into the wet ingredients. I used a spatula to try my best to mold everything, but at the end (with floured hands) I used my hands to mold in the flour. Again, don’t overwork the dough. It’s crumbly and not tightly packed and that’s okay! Just make sure all the dry ingredients are married with the wet.
On a well-floured surface, flatten and form the dough into an 8″ circle. Then, cut into 12 triangles! It’s looking like a scone now!
Place the triangles on the parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until light brown. Remove to a cooling rack and let cool before icing.
Make the powdered sugar glaze by mixing the milk and sugar until smooth; then paint the tips of the scones with glaze – I used a pastry brush. When making the glaze, start by putting the powdered sugar in the bowl and gradually pour in the milk. You might not need all ofthe milk.
While the first glaze is drying (~10 minutes or so.), make the spiced glaze by combing all ingredients and mixing until smooth. Drizzle onto the scones!

The recipe states you should wait a whole hour before serving, to let the glaze dry. So plan to leave the house for a while or else you’ll want to eat them all!

Note: If some of my pictures look like more ingredients than yours, don’t be thrown off. I made a double batch for my neighbors who just had their first baby! I plan to write in the card “We’re sure you’ll have some sleepless nights and early mornings. We hope these scones (with a cup of coffee) will help ease the transition. Congratulations on your new addition!”

Full Disclosure: I made these three times now (three times in four days!) and there’s a slight bitterness at the finish. I can’t figure it out?  I took out the cloves, nutmeg, and ginger on my last batch and still… bitterness!  I’m really sad to say, they didn’t turn out as good as I’d liked or looked. So, if anyone knows what I’m doing wrong, do tell. Or if you know of the certain ingredient that’s making these taste that way? Maybe one of my ingredients is old?!? I even bought new flour and spices. Or if you make these, and that doesn’t happen to you… please, please, let me know.

I honestly haven’t had a baking fiasco like this since my hard-candy experiment in sixth grade. I had a “small” kitchen fire my parents still don’t know about. 

bread bowl chili

I’m really ready for fall! Football has started, Starbucks has their Pumpkin Spice Latte, and Dallas has had a couple mornings in the 60’s! So, it’s officially time to bring out the chili!

Chili is one of my favorites fall recipes! It’s a great meal to make in a big batch so you can enjoy it all week long. I wanted to share one of my mother’s classic recipes (I believe she got it from a Kraft recipe book, but I couldn’t tell you which one. I’m sorry.) with my own personal twist!

Recipe

Chili

  • 1 lb ground beef (I use venison)
  • 1/2 c chopped onion
  • 16 oz can kidney beans, undrained
  • 16 oz can tomatoes, undrained
  • 16 oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 Tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Bread Bowls

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 package yeast
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 cup bread flour
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

First, I used the instructions from my BBQ pizza post to make the dough. Make sure to allot for 2 hours-plus (before serving), in order to allow the dough to rise, bake the bread bowls, and chili.

P.S. I know making dough sounds primitive, and to me sometimes scary, but everytime I make it, I get reminded of how easy it really is! Don’t get discouraged! It’s easy and fun!

For the chili, I started by browning the meat; drain.

Add onion to meat and cook until tender.

Stir in the remaining ingredients, except the cheese. This is where you can get creative. I add cumin, cayenne pepper, etc depending on my spice level that day! Have fun with it!

Cover; simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Now, back to the bread bowls. I used 4 corning ware 7 oz dishes, but any small (oven-safe) bowl will suffice. Spray each dish with non-stick cooking spray and mold the dough around the dish. The dough will make about 4 0r 5 bowls.

Place the bowls on a cookie sheet and bake until light brown, approximately 10-15 mins.

They should pop easily out of the bowl!

Add chili with or without cheese and enjoy!! I love me some bread with my chili and cheese, and these bread bowls are so easy and make for an adorable presentation if you’re hosting. Enjoy and Happy Fall!!

pup cups

I have two boys in my house. Technically, three. But two are furry and love pup cups! Especially in the summer! I wanted to share this icy treat with other pet lovers in hopes it will make your dogs as happy as mine.

Recipe

  • 32 oz vanilla yogurt
  • 1 banana
  • 2 tbsp peanut butter
  • 2 tbsp honey

Blend all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until consistency is smooth.

Place mixture in containers. I bought my Beaba Multiportion Baby Food Freezer Trays containers from Williams-Sonoma, but I believe you can get them elsewhere. They are silicon container trays that have seven 2 oz cups, perfect for this project. I use two containers for this recipe.

Prior to getting the trays, I would use paper cups (Dixie cups), but it was a bigger mess for both the dogs and myself. My lab would shred the paper all over the house or yard and the pug would eat the paper. I found these great baby food containers to be the best. After mixing all the ingredients, spoon the contents into each cup.

Then, just freeze overnight.  Trust me, your pup will thank you!

These little containers make it easy to pop out the frosty treats and hand it to your pups. I suppose a silicon ice cube tray would work too, but I liked having a cover! As you can see, we enjoy our treats outside.

Happy Wednesday to my furry and human friends!


water, with sparkles? sure.

I’ll admit it. I’ve been addicted for way too long to Diet Coke! I would have one during lunch at work, then that turned into two during work, then one after work, then… well, you get it – it was getting bad! Plus, with all the uncertainty behind artificial sweeteners, I wanted to stop for good. I wanted to make it a treat, not a necessity. Here’s my nemesis.

I was talking with friends about my habit and wanting to stop… They asked if it was a caffeine or carbonation habit, and I hadn’t thought about it like that. Caffeine or Carbonation? I was pretty sure I wasn’t affected by caffeine… So, maybe carbonation?

They immediately referenced sparkling water, and I was intrigued. I’ve seen those fancy green San Pellegrino and Perrier bottles before but didn’t have much desire to try them until now. I went to the market and was so excited… All that water goodness! What a fun new world to explore!
It worked like a charm! This little glass during lunch or with dinner is such a refreshing, guilt-free treat! It’s been working for a couple of weeks now, and I really don’t have a desire for Diet Coke anymore!
Plus, that statement of “caffeine doesn’t affect me” couldn’t be further from the truth! I haven’t slept this well in years!!

So, if anyone out there is trying to kick their own soda habit, try sparkling water (I add a lime to mine) and see if that does the trick! Or does anyone out there like any particular flavor(s)? I would love suggestions!

Thanks J&A for the realization and thank you Central Market for the selection!

Watch out coffee, you might be next! 

apple pie oatmeal

I like try to eat healthy! Especially in the morning! The whole day goes a little smoother for me if I get in a good breakfast!

Maybe it’s my parents’ words ringing in my ears, “The most important meal of the day is breakfast!”

Apple pie oatmeal is one of my go-to’s for that “most important meal of the day”. It’s a recipe I stumbled across while reading Green Lite Bites. She (Roni) has great recipes for the whole family and such a great attitude!

Recipe

  • 1/2 cup (40g) Old Fashioned Oats
  • 6 oz water
  • 1/2 tsp granulated sugar (optional) Roni uses one Truvia Packet
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 c unsweetened apple sauce

 

Put oats, water, sugar, and cinnamon in a small pot over medium/high heat.

Cook and stir until water is absorbed. About 5 minutes.

Mix the cooked oatmeal with apple sauce, sprinkle with cinnamon, and enjoy!

Sometimes I add the oatmeal, cinnamon, and sugar into snack-size bags, making for an even easier morning routine. Throw the contents of the bag in with 6oz of water, and you’re done! Add 1/2 c applesauce once it’s done cooking and what a fantastic-fast breakfast! Oh, and for all those Weight Watcher gurus, it’s 6 Point Plus points and will totally hold you over until lunch!