Cozy Broccoli-Cheddar Soup

Jake and I often find ourselves ordering broccoli-cheddar soup from a nearby restaurant so I decided to try and make my own.  I found this recipe on foodnetwork.com and it was quite delicious. Jake and I both give it a 10.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/almost-famous-broccoli-cheddar-soup-recipe/index.html

creamy cauliflower curry (indian-ish)

i'm attempting to be vegan right now, but add whatever you want (i.e. chicken, real milk, whatev.). i made this for dinner last night.

1/2 tsp olive oil
3 C cauliflower pieces
1 small onion, sliced
1/2 C frozen peas

sauce (separate pan):
1 1/2 C rice milk
1 T grated ginger
1 T grated garlic
1 T yellow curry powder
1 tsp raw sugar or agave nectar
1/2 tsp flaxseed meal or 1 T arrowroot (thickener)

saute' the onion and cauliflower in the olive oil for a few minutes (you want a little color). add 1/4 C. of water and cover. allow to simmer until the cauliflower is slightly tender, but not mushy. while that is simmering in a separate pan add all of the sauce ingredients except the thickening agent. simmer for 5 minutes and assess the thickness. if you're using regular milk it may cook down and not need a thickener, rice milk will definitely need it. when the sauce is thicker than when you started add it and the frozen peas to the cauliflower pan. cook for another 5 minutes, uncovered, and serve over rice. serves 2-3

*quick tip* i like to make 4-6 cups of brown rice and/or quinoa once a week and keep it in the fridge. that way for a recipe like this, you just heat up some rice and throw this over it!

Basil Fettuccine in Fresh Tomatoes

So, I thought I might try something different.  I bought Japanese Style Noodles (Nasoya).  I made one of the recipes on the back that I had the ingredients for and was quite pleased.  I admit the recipe isn't the healthiest but the basil and tomatoes together are very tasty.

After you boil the noodles and rinse them off with cold water you just add:
1/4 C whipping cream
1/3 C fresh, finely chopped basil
2 Tbs. melted butter (the not so healthy part, I am sure you could substitute something else)
2 Tbs. olive oil
3 medium tomatoes cut into 1/2" cubes
1 C Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste.

Peach Cobbler

My mom always makes the most delicious peach cobbler but she doesn't use recipes so I it is difficult to ask her how to make it.  I found this on Sunday and made it and it was delicious but of course not as good as my moms and never will be. There is something about your mother's cooking.  Maybe Ellie will like my peach cobbler some day thanks to Paula Deen. 

We ran out of peaches so we made up for it with strawberries which I knew could either be very good or very bad.  Jake said it turned out very good and he it my best critic.

I also didn't have self-rising flour so I found out how to make it by Googling it.

http://southernfood.about.com/cs/breads/ht/self_rise_flour.htm

It was easy to make and will be a great cozy dessert in the winter.

Cook Time:45 minLevel: EasyYield: 8 to 10 servings


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Ingredients

4 cups peeled, sliced peaches

2 cups sugar, divided

1/2 cup water

8 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 1/2 cups milk

Ground cinnamon, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the peaches, 1 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Put the butter in a 3-quart baking dish and place in oven to melt.

Mix remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and milk slowly to prevent clumping. Pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir. Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup. Sprinkle top with ground cinnamon, if using. Batter will rise to top during baking. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

To serve, scoop onto a plate and serve with your choice of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Fall Favorite - Zucchini Cheddar Bread and Veggie Soup

Zucchini Cheddar Bread (Make soup of choice to go with it)
Serve with soup or salad for lunch.  It is also great toasted the next day. 

Whisk together: 3 C flour, 4 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp baking soda
Add and toss together: 1 C shredded zucchini, 3/4 c. cheddar cheese grated, 1/4 c. green onions chopped, 3 TBL parsley, 1 TBL dill
In another bowl: 2 eggs, 1 C buttermilk, 4 TBL melted butter

Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and lightly mix.  Do not overmix.  Batter should not be smooth.  Bake at 350 in the middle of the oven in a 9x5 greased loaf pan.  Bake for 55-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan on a rack for 5-10 minutes. 

Coconut Lime Chicken and Cous Cous (It's very easy!)

I love this relatively quick recipe and exotic taste! I made this with shrimp and chicken last night and the shrimp were delicious too.

Ingredients: 1 can coconut milk, 1 TBL oil, 1 tsp ginger, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tsp jalepeno pepper (can substitute red pepper flakes), 1/4 cup chicken broth (can use 1 boullion cube), 1 Cup frozen peas, 1 tsp salt, 2 TBL lime juice, 1tsp cumin

Heat in a pan: 1 TBL oil, 1 tsp ginger, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tsp jalepeno or red pepper flakes.  After 1 minute add 1 cup (1/2 can) coconut milk and 1/4 cup chicken broth, 1 cup frozen peas, 1tsp salt, then turn off and wait. 

In another small bowl:  rest of coconut milk, 2 TBL lime juice, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp jalepeno/pepper flakes. 

Pour 1/3 sauce in bowl over chicken to marinate and save the rest as sauce to pour over the meal when finished. 

Grill the chicken

While the chicken is grilling turn the pot back on and heat to a boil then at cous-cous, 1 TBL lime juice, cover and turn off heat.  Let it stand for 5 minutes. 

Serve chicken over cous-cous on a platter and let people pour the sauce on their individual if they want more flavor. 

Chicken Salad Sandwich

I know what you're thinking... "Chicken salad sandwich? The James family already has the best ever chicken salad sandwich recipe I have ever tasted, lovingly made at every James sponsored shower i ever attended :) but my mother in law made these the other day- so simple and one more added ingredient you might not have though of.... macadamia nuts! and yes, you can buy these on the mainland- usually in the healthy food section of the store. so heres to one more recipe!

Can of Chicken
Mayonaise
Salt to Taste
Cut up Grapes
Chopped/Grinded into bits, Macadamia Nuts!

Mix it all together and slap it all on a crossant bun! Yummy and so easy!

Green Beans

I bought a bag of fresh green beans and wanted a new way to cook them so I tried this recipe and was pleased with it.  I was missing a few ingredients (cumin, cayenne pepper, paprika )  but the beans still turned out with plenty of flavor.

Here is the link:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/blackened-green-beans-recipe/index.html

Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic, Gorgonzola and Herbs

I almost never watch the Food Network but starting this blog inspired me to stop while I was channel surfing. I watched Guida De Laurentiis make these tomatoes and I had to try them. They were delicious and easy to make. Jake even liked them (if you can't tell he is my guinea pig).

I like that the ingredients were pretty simple. I was going to try one of her other recipes but the ingredients were harder to find and more ridiculously expensive.

I will definitely make these tomatoes again. They would be a great appetizer or side dish. I made them with Gorgonzola, which is a little bit more difficult to come by compared to Parmesan so I might try that next time.

I also cut the recipe in half so that I could sample them.
They were delicious.

Ingredients

12 Roma tomatoes, sliced in 1/2 lengthwise

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup plain bread crumbs

3/4 cup finely crumbled Gorgonzola or grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Using a teaspoon or grapefruit spoon, remove the seeds from the tomatoes. Place the tomato halves, cut side down, on paper towels to drain, about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Using clean hands, gently toss the drained tomato halves in the oil mixture until coated. Marinate the tomatoes for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and Gorgonzola cheese.

Place the marinated tomato halves, cut side up, on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Fill each tomato half with the bread crumb filling. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until slightly softened and the underside of the tomatoes are brown.

Arrange the cooked tomatoes on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Brussels Sprouts

So, I have never been a fan of Brussels Sprouts.  I think when they are cooked they stink.  It is hard because I know nutritionally they are supposed to be great for you so I want to like them.

 To piggy-back on another great recipe from Kristin, here is a great salad made  out of fresh Brussels Sprouts.  Now, I made this the other day and will have to be honest and say that Jake did not love this one.  So, if your husband is a "meat and potatoes" kind of guy then he may not like it either.  On the other hand, I think it is a great alternative for eating Brussels Sprouts-fresh not stinky.

Ingredients:

Brussels Sprouts 1 dozen

Fennel 1/2 tsp

Goat cheese 1/2 c.

*The amounts are guesstimates.  I kind of just felt it out. Sorry.

1. Wash the Brussels Sprouts

2. Finely chop up the Brussels Sprouts (like shredded cabbage) and place in a bowl.

3. Heat goat cheese in a sauce pan.  Be careful to heat it up on a low heat so that you don't burn the cheese.  Heat it up to the point that it is melted.  It doesn't need to go to the point of boiling.

4. Pour the goat cheese on the finely chopped Brussels Sprouts and stir it in.  The goat cheese should lightly coat the Brussels sprouts

5. Sprinkle fennel on top and stir in.

6. Eat.

Hubrich Lemon Pasta

This is what I had for dinner last night thanks to Kristin and the Hubrichs.  It was amazing!  I think you could also add a couple veggies to it like some chopped up Roma tomatoes and some sauteed asparagus.  Really though, this one can stand all on it's own flavor wise. Kristin cooked this for me about two months ago and I have been craving it since.  I finally received the recipe last night and I ran right to the store to get the ingredients. When Jake came home from a long day of studying at about 10pm he said, "What did you eat for dinner?  It spells delicious."

2 garlic cloves


Zest of Lemon

4T Butter

1 C Heavy Cream

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 nutmeg

1 C Parmesan

Lemon Juice from Lemon

In pan, melt the butter and cook the garlic and lemon zest until very fragrant. Add cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Cook until heated through. Set aside until pasta is cooked. Reheat sauce. Add Parmesan cheese and lemon juice. Best with radiator pasta.

I couldn't find radiator pasta so I used bow tie.

Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

Today, since it is hotter than yesterday I decided to make another salad for lunch.  This is one of my favorite salads because it is a great way to get your veggies in.

Ingredients:

4-5 slices Bacon (I do turkey bacon)
1 c. Parmesan Cheese
 1/4 c.Craisins (other options are raisins or sliced up fresh grapes)
1 head Cauliflower
1 head Broccoli
 3/4 bottle Brianna's Poppy seed Dressing
1/4 c.Red Onions (optional, I usually choose to opt out)

Now. I don't usually measure this one out.  This is about an estimate of what I did for lunch today. You just wash and chop up the Broccoli and Cauliflower into bite size pieces. Then put them together in a large bowl. Then you cook up the bacon and chop it into small pieces and put it in the large bowl.  Add the Parmesan cheese, craisins and red onions if you like.  Then pour on the dressing and mix it all together and your done. 

Summer Salad

Right now in Delaware it is 86 degrees with 66 percent humidity. I was hungry for lunch and needed something cool and refreshing to eat. I decided to make a salad. I like to experiment with my food and so I decided that I would make a frozen fruit salad. It ended up hitting the spot because the frozen fruit was nice and cold in this blazing weather as well as delicious and nutritious. Here is what I had:

Spinach
Frozen Raspberries
Frozen Blueberries
Cashews
Feta Cheese
Poppy seed dressing