Tag Archives: cooking

Broccoli Cheddar Soup and Sandwiches

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Quick Post:  This was amazing! Panera Bread has nothing on homemade! This is so much cheaper than eating there, too 🙂 I will make this again and again. The baked ham and cheese sandwiches are a must for dipping. I used multi grain ciabatta bread, honey ham and baby swiss. Wrap each sandwich in foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. My picky daughter loved the simple sandwiches, but turned down the soup – more for me 😉 Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Broccoli Cheddar Soup – adapted from Simply Scratch
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons melted Butter, divided
  • 1 small Yellow Onion, diced
  • 1 medium Carrot, julienned
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 cups Half-and-Half
  • 2 cups Vegetable Stock, plus more if needed
  • 1 bunch {12 ounces} Fresh Broccoli, cut into florets
  • 1/8 teaspoon Fresh Nutmeg, or more to taste
  • 8 ounces Good Sharp Cheddar Cheese, freshly grated
  • Kosher Salt and Fresh Black Pepper, to taste 

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Drop the broccoli florets into the boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove the broccoli and place it into a large bowl of ice water. Once cooled, drain the broccoli and set aside.

Sauté the onions and carrots in two tablespoons of butter until soft but still firm. Remove and set aside.

Add the 1/4 cup of melted butter to the same pan. Add in the flour, stir constantly for 2-3 minutes. 

Slowly pour half-and-half and then the vegetable stock while still whisking. Add in nutmeg and stir. Cover and simmer {over medium-low} for 20 minutes.

Next, reduce heat to low and add in the onions, carrots and broccoli. Add more vegetable stock if you feel the soup is too thick. Stir and cover to simmer for another 20-25 minutes.

Lastly, use a potato masher to break up the broccoli florets to desired size. Add in half of the cheddar cheese. Season generously {to taste} with kosher salt and black pepper. 

Serve immediately with additional cheddar cheese.

Lemony Yellowfin Tuna Over Pasta

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Quick Post: This was pretty good, but I will definitely modify the recipe for next time. I had slightly more than one pound of yellow fin tuna  and I seasoned it according to the recipe, which I should have changed. I will make sure to add more lemon, chili flakes and white wine and probably even some lemon zest to the foil packet. Also, I’ll make sure to use a sharper cheese, like the Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. It has great potential to be really flavorful, but it was my fault that I didn’t compensate for the amount of food I made. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Lemony Ahi Tuna & Olive Oil Pasta – adapted from Simply Scratch

  • 10-12 ounces fresh or frozen Wild Caught Ahi Tuna Steaks{thawed if frozen}
  • 3/4 of a pound of Fettuccine or Linguine
  • 1 Lemon, sliced
  • 3 Garlic Cloves, pressed through a garlic press or minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
  • 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 1/4 cup Sauvignon Blanc
  • 1/4 cup Parsley, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup Reserved Pasta Water
  • Salt and Fresh Black Pepper, to taste
  • Parmesan or Pecorino Romano Cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and bring a large pot of water to boil. Season the water with lots of kosher salt.

On a piece of parchment or foil, lay a few of the lemon slices. Place the tuna on top and season with salt, pepper and top with more lemon slices.

In a small bowl; combine pressed garlic, red pepper flakes, wine and oil. Whisk it together and pour over lemons and tuna. Seal up the parchment or foil to eliminate any steam from escaping and place the foil pack on a rimmed sheet pan. Place pan on the middle rack in your oven and cook for 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of your tuna. {The tuna is done when a toothpick glides easily through the thickest part without meeting any resistance.}

After 10 minutes have elapsed since the fish has been in the oven, drop the pasta into the seasoned water and cook as directed on the package. Pastas have different cooking times so adjust your times accordingly. When the pasta is al dente, reserve a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of starchy pasta water then drain the pasta and transfer pasta to a large bowl

When the fish has finished cooking, carefully open the foil pack from the top and remove the fish, being careful to keep the juices from spilling. Break apart the tuna into bite size pieces. And combine the cooking liquids with the pasta water. To the pasta; add the parsley, tuna and sauce liquids. Season with more salt, pepper and shaved cheese.

Toss and serve immediately!

Deep Dish Apple Crumble Pie

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I usually crave pumpkin pie this time of year, but sadly my husband doesn’t care for pumpkin flavored anything…but, luckily he does like apple pie with crumb topping. I haven’t made apple pie in years, and I’m not sure why. Hopefully this is worth the effort and mixing of two different recipes. I wanted the deep dish directions with a crumb topping and I had to improvise the baking time and technique.
Verdict: Pretty good, but I will continue to search for the perfect pie! I think I added too much lemon zest, but this definitely needed it. All that sweet needs the balance of citrus. I also am not a fan of making pie dough, but I used this recipe and it worked out well. It was buttery and flaky and easy to make. I need to practice rolling out pie dough – it’s such a pain! I have only done it one other time, so I guess I should give myself a break. Whenever the dough becomes too warm and starts to fall apart, put it in the fridge so the butter can firm up. Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Deep Dish Apple Crumble Pie – adapted from The Galley Gourmet 
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4 1/2 to 5 pounds Granny Smith apples (about 8 – 10 medium), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
Topping

  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
  • 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine sugars, salt, zest, juice and cinnamon.  In a large dutch oven over high heat, melt the butter.  Add the apples and toss until the apple slices are coated with butter.  Reduce the heat to medium, cover tightly, and cook, stirring frequently until the apples are slightly softened, about 7-10 minutes.  Add the sugar mixture and increase the heat to high.  Cook the apples at a rapid boil, stirring frequently and gently until the juices become very thick and syrupy, about 7-10 minutes more.  Immediately spread the apples in a thin layer on a large baking sheet and allow to cool to room temperature.  Position a rack on the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 F.

Meanwhile, remove one disk of pastry to a lightly floured work sheet of parchment paper.  For the bottom crust, roll out pastry to a 13-inch circle  adding flour as needed.  Transfer pastry to a baking sheet and refrigerate until the dough is firm, about 30 minutes.  Once firm, invert 13-inch bottom pastry into a deep 9-inch pie plate; peel off parchment paper.  Ease pastry into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand and pressing into bottom edges of the pie plate with the other hand.  Allow overhang to remain in place.  Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.
Make crumb topping and set aside in the fridge. Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, carefully take the pie out of the oven and pour on the crumb topping then bake for another 40 to 45 minutes.  If the top appears to be browning too quickly the last 15 minutes, place a sheet of aluminum foil on top (do not wrap) to prevent over browning.  Transfer pie to a wire rack to cool completely, about 3 to 4 hours.  To serve pie warm, reheat at 350º F for 15 minutes.  Pie can be kept at room temperature for 2-3 days.

Citrus Chicken

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I had a few boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the fridge that were meant to be grilled. That is usually my go to method and they’re always marinated, but then I remembered that we’re out of propane – bummer! I came across this recipe at Tastespotting and was happy that I already had most of the ingredients required. I was worried about dry chicken, but this looked like a good recipe that would be full great Asian inspired flavor.

Verdict: Yum! This had great flavor, but next time I will make sure to reduce the citrus sauce down much more. The chicken was tender and juicy and I’m glad I made one and a half portions of the sauce to spoon over rice. Next time I will serve this with sugar snap peas or some other vegetable to round out the meal. I’m always happy when a new recipe turns out well and I’m not the only one who thinks so. I will make this again! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Kay’s Citrus Chicken – adapted from Kayotic Kitchen

  • 4 chicken breasts
  • thumb size piece of ginger
  • 2/3 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp orange zest
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 1/2 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp mirin
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • pinch dried chili flakes
  • 2 orange slices
  • 1 medium red onion
  • pepper
  • salt

Directions –

Squeeze out the oranges, sieve the juice and pour it into a sauce pan. Add the grated garlic, grated orange zest and grated fresh ginger. Pour in the honey and chicken broth. Add a few drops of tabasco, a good pinch of salt, pepper, and I squeezed in some lemon juice, about 2 tbsp. Add a pinch of chili flakes.

Mix the corn starch with a little water and whisk until it’s a lump-free liquid and pour it into the orange sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a little oil and butter and cook the chicken over medium heat until nice and brown on all sides.

Transfer them to a casserole. Top the chicken breasts with the onion slices and place half an orange slice on top of each breast. Place the casserole in the oven and bake at 350Fº for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how thick your chicken is.

Chocolate Pudding

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My husband let me know on more than one occasion, that he wanted chocolate pudding. I was over the “man nagging” so I made it. Now I understand why there is a market for “instant pudding”, because this took at least 40 minutes to make! Here’s hoping that it was worth the work 🙂

Verdict: This was ssuuupppppeeerrrr sweet – way too sweet for me. I used semi sweet chocolate chips and all the required sugar, so next time I will use bittersweet or dark chocolate. The chunks you see in the spoon are the leftover pieces of chocolate chips that didn’t melt completely. Next time I would melt the chocolate before adding to the pudding, but other than those problems, it was tasty. If you have a craving for pudding, you’ll have to wait a while before you can eat this! It needed at least four hours in the fridge to firm up properly. My first time making pudding wasn’t a complete disaster and now I know what to expect for the next time 🙂 The kids loved it and my son asked when I’m making it again cause it was the “best dessert ever”. My son is notorious for “laying it on thick”, so I don’t know how good it is to him. He would have said that about anything 😉 Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Double Chocolate Pudding – adapted from Sophistimom

  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 3 tablespoons corn starch
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • pinch ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup good quality chocolate chips, like Guittard brand, plus a small handful for garnish
  • whipped cream (recipe follows)

1. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, bring the milk almost to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk sugar and egg yolks until pale yellow, smooth, and it falls in ribbons. Whisk in cocoa powder and corn starch.

2. Whisk in hot milk, a half a cup at a time until mixture is warm to the touch. Pour entire mixture back into the saucepan and whisk constantly until pudding starts to thicken and it coats the back of a wooden spoon.

3. Pull off the heat and add in cream, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pour in chocolate chips and allow to rest for a minute. Stir the mixture to incorporate the melted chocolate. Pour into a bowl or into individual cups. Serve warm or cold and with a dollop of whipped cream. Chop a handful of chocolate chips and sprinkle on for a garnish

Navy Bean and Ham Soup

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Oh, TG leftovers, how I appreciate you! It’s so nice having leftovers that are easily turned into a whole new dish. Take the ham bone for instance – it doesn’t seem like much, but it lends rich flavor to this soup. I chopped up some leftover ham and added it to the pot towards the end of cooking right after using my stick blender to puree some of the soup. The flavor is warm and comforting and this may become a new Thanksgiving leftover tradition for my family 🙂 It’s so cheap to make too, and all I needed to buy was the navy beans because I had all the stock, veggies and herbs I needed for this. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Navy Bean and Ham Soup –

  • 1 pound navy beans, soaked for 6 to 8 hours
  • 4 carrots, chopped
  • 3 celery, chopped
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • thyme, rosemary, bay leaf – tied with kitchen string
  • 1 meaty ham bone
  • 2-3 cups diced ham
  • 8 cups chicken stock or water

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven combine the beans, herb bundle, ham bone, onions, and garlic with the water. Bring to a boil, cover, and adjust the heat so the soup cooks at a gentle simmer, about 1-1/2 hours.

Add the chopped vegetables and beans. Cook for another hour, until the vegetables are soft, the beans are completely tender, and the ham meat easily pulls away from the bone. Pull the meat off the bone and discard the bones.

Turn off the heat and remove the ham bone. Cool slightly. Remove the meat from the ham bone, discarding the bones, fat, and skin. Cut the meat into small cubes. Remove the herb bundle and discard.

Puree about 3 cups of the beans with a some of the liquid in a blender or use your stick blender. (For a smoother soup puree all the beans.) Stir the puree and diced meat into the soup along with the chopped ham. Heat the soup and adjust the seasoning as needed with salt and pepper.

Baked Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

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What a perfect Fall breakfast! I only wish it felt like Fall here – I had to set the air conditioner yesterday…something is very wrong about that! Where is our cold front? 😉 I have lots of apples here for our Thanksgiving deep dish apple crumble pie and also for the turkey. I’m sure I can spare one or two for this.

Turns out I had no apples to spare after learning that the deep dish apple pie requires 5 pounds! Thankfully, my neighbor and new friend had plenty to share 🙂 This oatmeal was really yummy and satisfying. I kept it in the oven about 5 minutes longer than suggested to let the oatmeal absorb more of the milk. Once I took it out of the oven to cool, the oatmeal continued to thicken. I added a little maple syrup to sweeten this. I loved the apples and raisins in this because of the different textures and sweetness, and next time I may add a handful of chopped walnuts to this for added crunch. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Baked Cinnamon-Apple Oatmeal – adapted from Simply Scratch

  • 1 medium-sized Apple, cored and diced {like Cortland, Jonathan or Rome}
  • 1-1/3 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
  • 1/4 cup Golden Raisins
  • 2 tablespoons Dark Brown Sugar, plus more for serving
  • 1 tablespoons Melted Butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon Fresh Nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • 2 cups Whole Milk

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the apple, oats, raisins, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir in the melted butter and pour the mixture into an oven safe dish. Pour the two cups of milk over top and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until most of the milk is absorbed. Sprinkle with a little extra cinnamon, drizzle with a little bit of milk and serve!

Re-Post: Brined Herb-Crusted Turkey with Apple Cider Gravy and Brioche and Sausage Dressing

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My husband suggested I repost the recipes that I made for Thanksgiving last year. This post has had a major spike in popularity 🙂 This is the turkey we’re having this year – it’s so worth the effort and ingredient list! I’m also making the brioche and sausage dressing because it was amazing, and again well worth the effort and wait. I hope you all have a Thanksgiving full of family, friends and great food! Thanks for reading, enjoy 🙂

Brined Herb-Crusted Turkey with Apple Cider Gravy – adapted from Anne Burrell

Brine –

  • 7 quarts water
  • 1 quart apple cider
  • 3/4 cup kosher salt
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 large or 2 small carrots, diced
  • 3 ribs celery, diced
  • 1 head garlic, cut in 1/2 equatorially
  • 1/2 bunch fresh rosemary
  • 1/2 bunch fresh sage
  • 6 bay leaves
  • 1 (12 to 14 pound) turkey

Herb Crust –

  • 1 bunch fresh rosemary, leaves finely chopped
  • 1 bunch fresh sage, leaves finely chopped
  • 3 sticks butter, room temperature
  • Kosher salt

Gravy –

  • 1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
  • 1 large or 2 small carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
  • 2 ribs celery, cut into 1/2-inch dice
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 2 Granny Smith apples, cut into 1/2-inch dice
  • 5 bay leaves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 bunch thyme
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 quart chicken stock, divided
  • 2 cups apple cider, divided
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Special equipment: butcher’s twine

To brine the turkey: Combine all of the ingredients for the brine in a large container. Add the turkey and let it brine in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.

To prepare the turkey for cooking: Remove the turkey from the brine the night before roasting and pat it thoroughly dry with paper towels. Combine the rosemary, sage, and butter for the herb crust in a small bowl. Season, to taste, with kosher salt. Work the butter under the skin of the turkey and massage it into the breasts and the legs. Massage the bitter on the outside of the skin as well. Tie the legs together over the breast so they will protect it during cooking and help keep it moist and juicy.

Gravy preparation: Put the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, apples, bay leaves, cinnamon stick and thyme in a roasting pan and season with salt. Arrange the turkey on top of the veggies and refrigerate overnight UNCOVERED! Yes, that’s right, uncovered. This will help the skin dry out and become really brown and crispy. Make sure that there is no raw food near the turkey in the refrigerator. After refrigerating overnight, the turkey is ready to go in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Put 2 cups chicken stock and 1 cup apple cider in the bottom of the roasting pan. Roast the turkey in the preheated oven until the skin gets really nice and brown, about 40 minutes. Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees F for the remainder of the cooking time. Baste the turkey every 30 minutes or so and add more stock to the roasting pan, if needed. Cook about 17 minutes per pound. Once it gets to the proper color, tent the turkey with aluminum foil to prevent it from getting too dark.

Remove the turkey from the oven when an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the turkey registers 160 degrees F. Make sure that the thermometer is not touching a bone when doing the reading. When the turkey has reached the proper temperature, remove it from the roasting pan to a cutting board and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil.

Strain all the veggies over a bowl to separate them from the stock/mixture. Discard the veggies. Skim off the fat and add it to the roasting pan. This is the fat for the roux. Put the roasting pan over 2 burners and over a low heat and whisk in the flour. Cook until the mixture looks like wet sand, about 4 to 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in the remaining 1 cup apple cider, remaining chicken stock and the stock/cider mixture. Cook until the mixture has thickened and reached a gravy consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Pour into a serving pitcher or bowl.

Carve the turkey, transfer to a serving platter and serve with the gravy.

Cook’s Note: Don’t fight over the drumsticks.

Give thanks for such a great turkey!!!

*Basic Brioche – The Bread Bible

Dough Starter –

  • 2 TBSP room temperature water
  • 1 TBSP sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
  • 1/2 cup (2.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
  • 1 large egg

*Make the starter one to two days ahead. In a mixing bowl, add ingredients and mix until very smooth. Cover with plastic wrap.

Flour Mixture –

  • 5.5 ounces all-purpose flour
  • 2 TBSP sugar
  • 1 1/4 tsp instant yeast
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 8 TBSP room temperature butter

1. Combine first four ingredients and pour on top of the starter, cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

2. Using a standing mixer, add eggs and mix on low speed for about a minute until evenly moistened. Raise speed to medium and beat for two minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl with an oiled rubber scraper, then continue beating for five minutes longer or until the dough is smooth and shiny but very soft and sticky. It wont pull away from the bowl completely.

3. Add the butter one TBSP at a time until all incorporated. The dough will be soft and sticky. Lightly oil top and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

4. Chill – refrigerate for one hour, then gently deflate with rubber spatula, then return it to the refrigerator for another hour.

5. Deflate/Chill – turn the dough out onto a well floured surface. Press or roll into a rectangle, flour as needed. Give the dough a business letter turn, brushing off excess flour. Rotate 90 degrees so the closed side faces left. Make a second business turn and round the corners. Dust it lightly on all sides with flour. Wrap loosely but securely with plastic wrap and place in a large ziploc bag. Refrigerate of at least six hours and up to two days.

6.  Shape/Rise – remove from fridge and gently press down to deflate. Roll/press into a 7 1/2″ by 5″ wide rectangle. Roll down from top in three turns, being sure to brush off the excess flour. Place seam side down in a prepared 8×4 inch loaf pan pressing down firmly. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise until the dough reaches the top of the pan – about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with a rack on the lowest position of the oven and place a baking stone or a baking sheet on the rack.

8. Glaze/Slash/Bake – glaze the top of the loaf with a mixture of one egg yolk and a splash of cream or milk. Slash the top of the loaf 1/4″ to 1/2″ deep lengthwise down the loaf, making sure to leave 1″ at each end. Set on hot stone and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees.

9. Cool – un-mold loaf to cool on a wire rack at least two hours before cutting.

*Sausage Brioche Dressing – adapted from Food Network

  • 1 brioche loaf, cubed into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 pound pork breakfast sausage
  • 4 celery ribs, halved lengthwise and cross cut into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 4 cups stock
  • 1/4 cup chopped sage leaves
  • Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Directions –

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Spread the brioche on a baking sheet and put it in the oven until lightly toasted, about 10 minutes. Set aside in a large bowl.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the sausage and break it into pieces with a spoon. Cook until browned, then transfer it to the bowl with the brioche. Add the celery to the sausage drippingsand cook until softened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Put the sausage into the brioche bowl. Stir in the stock and sage and mix until the brioche absorbs most of the liquid. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Transfer the dressing to a 13 by 9-inch baking dish and cook, uncovered for 20 minutes. Cover with foil and bake until golden brown on top, another 20 to 25 minutes.

There-Is-Entirely-Too-Much-Halloween-Candy-In-This-House-Cookies!

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The kids hit the mother load in our neighborhood! I knew I was going to have to find a use or I would eat too many myself. I started my search for uses a few days before Halloween and I came across this recipe. I like the fact that only one stick of butter is needed and this isn’t going to be a huge batch of cookies. The occasional batch of cookies isn’t a bad thing, but when the batch made over 50 cookies – well, that’s just way too many for me to avoid! 😉 I’ll make sure we will pass some of these out to our lucky neighbors – that is if M decides to be generous and share. He loves Reese’s cups! The kids are still counting their booty as I type this! And before they knew why I asked for their M&Ms and Reese’s cups they whined (thinking I was going to eat them), but once I revealed the true reason they were more than willing to give them up! 😉 We discovered that they have 15 KitKat’s so I may have to find another recipe for those – unless of course I take some for myself 😉
Candy Cookies – adapted from For the Love of Cooking
  • 1/2 cup of butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup of white sugar
  • 1/2 cup of brown sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 7 “Fun Size” packages of M & M’s (about a cup)
  • 7 full size Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, cut into bite size pieces
Directions: 
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray or line the cookie sheet with a silpat baking mat.
In a large bowl, mix the butter, white sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until creamy and smooth. Slowly beat in the eggs. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt together thoroughly. Slowly add the flour mixture to the egg mixtures until well blended. Add most of the M&M’s and most of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and mix carefully.
Drop by rounded spoonfuls on cookie sheets. Add the remaining M&M’s and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup pieces to the top of the cookies.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool before moving them to a wire rack. Enjoy

Re-Post: Ham and Potato Soup

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Quick Post: This soup is perfect when the temperature dips below 70 here, and I always look forward to the cooler weather to make some of my Fall favorites. The last time I made this was last December, posted here.

Ham and Potato Soup – adapted from Allrecipes.com

  • 3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
  • 1/3 cup diced celery
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
  • 3/4 pound diced cooked ham
  • 3 1/4 cups chicken stock (like this one)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
  • 5 tablespoons butter
  • 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups milk

Directions: 

Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.

In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.

Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.