Broccoli Cheese Soup

Broccoli cheese soup

2 1/2 C. chicken broth

2 C. chopped broccoli

1 medium carrot chopped

1 med celery chopped

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1 C. half & half

3 Tbsp flour

1/2 C shredded sharp cheese

In a large saucepan stir together the broth, broccoli, carrot, celery, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer over med-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 6-8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. In a small bowl whisk together the half and half and flour. Stir into the saucepan. Simmer 1-2 minutes or until thickened stirring occasionally. Add the cheese. Remove from heat. Stir until cheese is melted.

*the sharper the cheese the better*

*i added cauliflower to add more veggies and it was awesome. my 2 year olds loved it!*

No Fail Pie Crust

No Fail Pie Crust

3 C. flour

¾ tsp salt

1 C. shortening

1 egg

6-9 Tbsp cold water

1 tsp white vinegar

Mix flour and salt, cut in shortening to cornmeal texture. In a separate bowl mix egg, water and vinegar. Add to dry ingredients and mix well. Divide dough and roll out on lightly floured dough disc.

*Crust is also great for tarts, cobblers and fried pies*

*Make three 9” pie crusts *

Chocolate chip cheesecake fantasies

Chocolate chip cheesecake fantasies

1 ½ c. graham cracker crumbs

1 egg

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 c. butter, melted

1 Tbsp grated orange peel

8 oz cream cheese, room temp

1 c. chopped walnuts or almonds

1 C. (6 oz) semi sweet chocolate pieces

1/3 c. sugar

2/3 c. flaked or shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, 2 Tbsp sugar and butter. Press mixture evenly in bottom of a 13X9” baking pan. Bake 7-8 min. In med bowl beat together cream cheese, 1/3 C. sugar, egg, vanilla and orange peel until blended. Spread evenly over baked crust. In a small bowl combine nuts, chocolate pieces and coconut. Sprinkle evenly over cream cheese mixture pressing lightly. Bake 25-30 min or until golden brown. Cool in pan. Cut cooled cookies into squares. Store in refrigerator.

Chocolate Drinks

Choco Punch

4 (1 oz) squares semi sweet chocolate

½ C. Sugar

2 C. hot water

2 quarts milk

1 ½ tsp vanilla

1 quart vanilla ice cream

1 quart club soda

½ pint heavy whipping cream whipped

ground cinnamon

In saucepan combine chocolate and sugar with hot water. Bring to a boil, stirring for 3 minutes. Add milk; continue heating. When hot, beat in vanilla. Remove from heat. Chill; then pour into punch bowl over ice cream. For sparkle add club soda. Top with whipped cream and cinnamon.

Choco- Cheesecake Freeze

4 oz cream cheese softened

2 Cups milk, divided

6 scoops chocolate ice cream

Place cream cheese and 1 cup milk in blender; blend until smooth. Place remaining milk and ice cream in blender and continue to blend until smooth. Serve cold.

Minty Chocolate Milk

2 Tbsp chocolate syrup

1/8 tsp peppermint extract

1 cup milk

1 scoop chocolate ice cream

Stir together chocolate syrup, peppermint extract flavoring and milk. Add ice cream. Serve immediately.

Quesadillas

Speedy Quesadillas

½ C. shredded cheese

4 flour tortillas

½ C. chunky salsa

½ C. chopped cilantro

Sour cream

guacamole, optional

Sprinkle half of the cheese on two of the tortillas. Divide and evenly spread the salsa over the cheese. Sprinkle evenly with cilantro and remaining cheese. Cover with the remaining tortillas. Place on preheated quesadilla maker one at a time. Close lid for 3-4 minutes or until tortilla is lightly browned. Cut into triangles. Serve with additional salsa, sour cream or guacamole if desired.

Bean and Cheese Quesadilla

16 oz refried beans

¼ C. shredded cheese

1 sm. Onion minced

6 flour tortillas

Divide and evenly spread refried beans on three of the tortillas up to ½ inch from edge. Sprinkle evenly with cheese and minced onion. Cover with the remaining tortillas. Place on preheated quesadilla maker one at a time. Close lid and cook 3-4 min or until tortilla is lightly browned. Cut into triangles. Serve with salsa or sour cream if desired.

Lower Calorie Brownies

These are lower calorie but you cant taste it. yummy

Brownie Ingredients

1/2 cup light butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large egg whites

1 large egg

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup fat-free milk

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese topping Ingredients

1 [8 ounce] block 1/3 less-fat cream cheese

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 [14oz] can fat-free sweetened condensed milk

1 large egg

Brownies

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degree's

2. Coat the bottom of a 13x9 baking pan with cooking spray [do not coat the sides of the pan]

3. Place butter in large bowl, beat with mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Add sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla; beat until well blended [about 5mins.]. Add egg whites and 1 egg, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add cocoa and 1/2 cup milk; beat well [mixture will appear curdled]. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; stir with a whisk. Add to cocoa mixture; beat at low speed just until blended. Spoon batter into prepared pan.

Cream Cheese Topping

4. Place cream cheese in a large bowl and beat with mixer at medium speed until smooth. Gradually add cornstarch and remaining 3 ingredients; beat until smooth. Spread evenly over batter.

5. Bake at 350 degree's for 35mins. or until set. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 36 bars.

Breakfast casserole

Breakfast Casserole

1 pkg croissant rolls


1 lb mild sausage


6 eggs, beaten


2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9×13 baking dish with Pam. Brown sausage in skillet. Spread croissant dough in bottom of 9×13 dish. Add sausage, then pour eggs over sausage. Generously top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.


Toddler Recipes

Spinach Nuggets

1 16-oz package frozen chopped spinach, cooked, drained, and chopped further if needed

1 cup Seasoned bread crumbs - (3/4 cup breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup wheat germ or flax meal is a healthy substitution!)

1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese Try tomato & basil cheddar!)

3 Large eggs or 5 egg yolks

Heat oven to 375F

1. Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil and set aside.

2. Combine all remaining ingredients and mix well. *Add seasonings if you like - garlic powder, pepper, extra basil & oregano for example. Add a fruit or veggie puree to substitute for the eggs if desired*.

3. Shape mixture into nuggets or fun shapes such as squares or squigglies etc..and place on baking tray. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, turn nuggets over after 15 minutes. Serve warm

You can "roll" this out and then try using small cookie cutters to make these into fun shapes!

YOGURT CEREAL BARS

2 cups corn flakes - 3/4 flour - 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon - 1/2cup butter or margarine

1 cup flavored yogurt (banana/strawberry etc..) - 1 egg slightly beaten

2 tablespoons flour

Preheat oven to 350F

Combine cereal, 3/4 cup flour, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Cut in butter or margarine until coarse crumbs form.

Press 1/2 the mixture firmly into the bottom of a greased 8inch square pan.

Mix yogurt, egg and 2 tablespoons flour in another small bowl.

Spread over cereal mixture in pan and then sprinkle the remaining cereal mixture on top

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown; cut into bars when cooled.

Courtesy of Stonyfield Farms Yogurt

Zucchini Linguine Recipe

Zucchini Linguine Recipe

Ingredients:

1 One pound package Linguine

2 medium sized Zucchini, sliced thin

4 medium sized fresh Tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 medium sized Onion, chopped

1/4 cup fresh Parsley, chopped

3 Tablespoons Olive oil

3 Garlic cloves, minced

1 Teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt and Pepper to taste

Grated Parmesan to season

Directions:

Cook Linguine by following the directions on the package.

Heat Olive oil in large skillet over medium heat.

Add garlic and cook until slightly brown. (approximately 15 seconds)

Add Zucchini and Onion Stir-Fry until tender-crisp. (Approximately 5 minutes)

Add Tomatoes, Parsley, Basil, Oregano and salt and pepper and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Toss the Linguine with the Zucchini mixture in a large bowl, gently.

Top with grated Parmesan.

Serves 6 to 8.

Zucchini Linguine is delicious when served for dinner with Toasted Garlic Bread.

Sweet Strawberry Bread

Sweet Strawberry Bread

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

4 eggs

1 1/4 cup canola oil

2 cups fresh strawberries, cut small

Mix flour, soda, cinnamon and salt in bowl. Add eggs, sugar, oil. Mix until moist, carefully add strawberries. Batter will be thick. Spoon into greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes then remove.

Summer Zucchini and Carrot Bread

Summer Zucchini and Carrot Bread

Any time that you add vegetables to your bread, be prepared to adjust the amount of flour that you use. Vegetables will add moisture to your bread and how they are grated or pureed along with the type of vegetables, will determine the moisture added. But it’s easy to add a little more flour; a little more difficult to dribble in a bit of water. Because it is easier to add flour than water, start your dough a bit on the wet side and add flour as needed. Because zucchini has such a high moisture content, salt is used to draw some of the moisture from the squash.

3 cups coarsely grated zucchini squash


1 tablespoon salt

2 cups coarsely grated carrots 


3 1/2 cups white bread flour


3 tablespoons granulated sugar


1 seven-gram packet of instant yeast


1 1/4 cup warm water, 110 degrees


2 cups fine ground whole wheat flour


1/2 tablespoon salt


2 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Grate the zucchini. Place the zucchini in colander over the sink and stir in the salt. The salt will draw water from the zucchini. Grate the carrots and set them aside. Place the white bread flour, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of your stand-type mixer. Add the warm water and beat with a dough hook until it is partially mixes. The purpose of this mix is to hydrate the yeast. Squeeze the water from the zucchini. Add the vegetables to the mixer bowl along with the whole wheat flour, the rest of the salt, the butter, and the cinnamon. Knead with the dough hook at medium speed for four minutes. You will likely need to adjust the moisture level either by adding flour or water. Start out a little on the dry side as the kneading tends to wring water from the zucchini. Set the dough in a greased bowl, turn once, and cover. Set the bowl in a warm place and allow it to double in size.
. Grease two large loaf pans. Form two loaves, cover them, and let them rise until doubled and puffy. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until done. The internal temperature should be at 190 to 200 degrees. If this bread is under baked, with all the vegetables, it will tend to be soggy. Remove and let the bread cool on a wire rack.

sugar gems

Sugar Gems

Cream together:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup sugar

1 cup oil

1 cup real butter

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Add:

5 cups flour

1 tsp cream of tarter

1 tsp salt

1 tsp soda

Mix all ingredients well. Roll into golf size balls and place on cookie sheets. Flatten with bottom of glass dipped in sugar. These are very good frosted.

Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes. Cool and frost with sugar gem frosting.

Sugar Gem Frosting

2-2 ½ cups powdered sugar

½ cup oil

2 tsp flavoring (almond, vanilla etc.)-I prefer 1 tsp of almond

3-4 Tbsp milk

Coloring if wanted

Mix well and add a little more milk or powdered sugar to get the right consistency.

Dinner rolls

Grandma’s Dinner Rolls

2 rounded Tb yeast

1 ½ cups warm water

1 cup warm milk

½ cup sugar (2/3 c for sweet rolls)

6 Tb shortening

2 tsp salt

4 eggs

7-8 cups flour

Beat first 7 ingredients until smooth. In an electric mixer with a dough hook, add flour one cup at a time until dough forms a ball, cleaning off edge of bowl. Knead 5 minutes (or 10 minutes by hand). Let rise until double. Punch down dough and let rise until double again. (To make this easier, I leave the dough in the mixing bowl with dough hook, covered with a damp towel. When it has risen double, I turn on the machine briefly to gently punch down the dough. Then I cover again with the towel and allow to rise again.) Punch down again and divide into 3 parts. Roll out each part and form into rolls. Roll each segment of dough into a circle. With a pizza cutter, cut into fourths then each fourth into thirds - making 12 pie shapes. Roll each one up starting at the wide end. Place on cookie sheet and let rise briefly. Watch carefully as rolls will rise very quickly now after 2 risings. Bake at 350 degrees for 17-20 minutes, until lightly browned.

Rainbow cake

Rainbow Cake

2 White Cake mixes

food coloring: red, yellow, blue, green , purple and orange

Follow directions for the cakes mixes per the box

then separate into 6 bowls (3 each cake mix)

it ends up being about 1 ½ C. in each bowl

Then color each bowl with the colors of the rainbow

Grease and flour 2 -9” round pans very well

In one pan you start with red and do ¾ C of each (best to measure – if you get too much your cake will spill over) color from red to purple pouring each color directly on top of the last.

In the other pan you do the same thing only you start with purple and end in red. (so they are completely opposite)

Bake as directed on the box. It usually takes about 30-45 minutes to bake. Let cool completely and then frost.

Poppyseed Bundt Cake

Poppyseed Bundt Cake

1 yellow cake mix (the kind with pudding)

1 (3.5 oz) box of instant vanilla pudding

1 TB poppyseeds

1/2 cup pineapple or orange juice

1/2 cup oil

1 cup sour cream (I use Lite)

4 eggs

Mix yellow cake mix, vanilla pudding and poppyseeds. Add juice, oil, and sour cream and mix. Add 4 eggs one at a time, mix well. Grease and flour a bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

When the cake is about 10 minutes from being done start the glaze.

Glaze

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup butter (1 cube)

1-2 TB corn syrup (I usually leave this out--I am not a fan of this)

Bring to a boil--then keep bubbly until ready to pour over cake. It is really like syrup that soaks in. Give it a few minutes to soak in and then turn it out onto a cake plate. Enjoy!

Orange Cream Cheese Filled Pull Apart Rolls

Orange Cream Cheese Filled Pull Apart Rolls

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. pecans (opt.)

2 tsp. orange zest

2 cans Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits

1 8 oz cream cheese

1/2 c. melted butter

1 c. powdered sugar

2 Tbs. orange juice

Combine the sugar and zest in a small bowl and set aside. Cut cream cheese into equal number of squares as biscuits. Place one square on cream cheese into the center of biscuit and fold over into a half moon shape and pinch the edges. Dip in melted butter and dredge in sugar/zest mixture. Place in a greased bundt pan with the curve side down in a single layer, do not stack and try not to have any gaps. Drizzle with remaining butter and sugar mixture. Bake 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Invert onto a platter. Mix together powdered sugar and orange juice and drizzle over hot rolls. Serve warm.

Ooey Gooey Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies

Ooey Gooey Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies



Batter Ingredients:



1 ½ c. sugar


½ c. butter (1 stick) softened


½ c. oil


1 T. vanilla


3 eggs

1 ¼ c. flour


¾ c. cocoa powder


¾ tsp baking powder


½ tsp salt


1 c. peanut butter chips

or chocolate chips


Filling Ingredients:



1 c. creamy peanut butter


¼ c. vegetable oil


¼ c. sugar


2 T. flour


2 eggs


½ tsp vanilla



Frosting:



2 (1-oz) bars semi-sweet chocolate


3 T. creamy peanut butter


1 ½ c. powdered sugar


¼ c. water


½ tsp vanilla


¼ tsp salt





Batter: Preheat oven to 350 and spray 9x13-inch pan. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add oil and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt - blend well. While beating, gradually add flour mixture to creamed mixture – mix well. Fold in chips. Evenly spread ½ batter into pan.



Filling: In a small bowl cream together peanut butter and oil. Add sugar and flour – blend well. Add eggs and vanilla – beat until smooth. Carefully spread filling evenly over batter in pan. Top filling with remaining ½ batter and spread evenly. Gently cut through layers to create marble effect throughout brownies. Bake for 30 minutes – do NOT over bake.
 


Frosting: While baking, in a medium saucepan, melt chocolate and peanut butter over LOW heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients – mix until smooth. If frosting is too thick, add 1-3 T. water. Spread frosting over brownies immediately after baking. Cool in pan 2-3 hours before serving.

 Preparation time: 30 minutes prep, 30 minutes bake

Caramel

Homemade Caramel

1/2 cup butter (not margarine)

1 1/2 cups light corn syrup

2 cups brown sugar

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided

1-1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

mixed nuts, optional

1. Begin by melting butter in large heavy pan over medium-low heat. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, and half of cream (3/4 cup). Cook over medium-low heat, stirring gently, until sugar dissolves.

2. Cook, stirring occasionally, until candy thermometer reaches 224°. Add rest of cream gradually. Turn up stove to medium heat and continue to cook. At this point I wash down the insides of the pan with a pastry brush and water to get rid of any sugar crystals (left alone they may cause your caramel to turn to sugar). Don't worry about drops of water getting in the caramel - it will boil off.

3. Just before it reaches the Firm Ball stage (240° or 236° for high altitude), add in vanilla. Allow it to come back to a boil and remove from heat as soon as it reaches the Firm Ball stage **check tips. If you like nuts, add them about 1 minute before the caramel is done - if you add them earlier they will over cook.

4. Immediately pour into a buttered 9x13-inch pan. Allow to cool, use a spatula to remove caramel onto a cutting board, and cut caramel into small squares. Wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap.

Tips:

1. Don't stir it when it gets close to the end. In fact, it needs minimal stirring at all!

2. Do not touch or disturb the caramel at all once you've poured it into the 9X13 - wait patiently for it to set up.

3. Although SLC is high altitude, I have found that 236 degrees is too soft. I prefer 240 degrees. Remember that the hotter it gets, the harder the caramel will be. Also, it depends on a lot more than just the temperature...so I would suggest checking your caramel the old fashioned way: drop a tiny bit into ice water and if it forms a ball that is the right consistency you like, it's ready. I like it to form a solid ball but still be soft enough to squish between your fingers.

4. I like to wrap in waxed paper. I rip the paper from the roll in 4 1/2 -5 inch strips then cut those in half. (That's perfect for a piece ~1 inch square) Then roll the piece of caramel and twist ends. Grip the paper from the far edge to twist in, otherwise it will rip.

snickerdoodle muffins

Snickerdoodle Muffins

3 cups of all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

10 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/4 stick), softened

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 Preheat oven to 375°F.

2 Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

3 In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together, beating until fluffy (about 2 minutes with an electric mixer). Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated after each one. Add the vanilla yogurt and buttermilk .

4 Now add the dry ingredients. Mix until all is moist. Do not over beat.

5 I used a mini muffin muffin pan and had enough batter to make 2 batches. Spray each muffin tin with cooking spray or brush with butter. Distribute the muffin dough equally among the cups. Bake until muffins are golden brown, about 10-13 minutes(20 for regular size muffins). Test with a long toothpick to make sure the center of the muffins are done. Set muffin pan on wire rack to cool. After 5 minutes, remove muffins from pan.

6 While the muffins are cooling, melt 1/4-1/2 cup of butter and prepare a bowl of cinnamon sugar. While the muffins are still a bit warm, dip the top of the muffins in the melted butter and then in the bowl of cinnamon sugar. Enjoy!

Raspberry Cream Cheese Brownies

Raspberry Cream Cheese Brownies

1 C. Butter

1 C. cocoa powder

1 C. sugar

10 oz all fruit seedless

4 eggs

raspberry preserves (3/4 C)

1 tsp vanilla or

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 1/4 C. flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

SWIRL TOPPING:

8 oz cream cheese

1/3 C. sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla or

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/4 C. sliced almonds,

1 C. raspberries

Preheat oven to 325. Prepare a 13X9-baking dish. Prepare brownie batter: In a 2-3 quart saucepan melt butter on med low. Whisk in cocoa and cook until mixture bubbles. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar and preserves, whisk in eggs and vanilla until blended.

In a small bowl stir flour and baking soda; add to chocolate mixture stirring until blended. Pour batter into baking dish and smooth top.

Prepare swirl topping: with mixer on med speed beat cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla until blended. Fold in raspberries. Spoon large dollops of topping over brownie batter spacing evenly. With knife swirl topping into batter. Sprinkle with the almonds if using. Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out almost clean with a few moist crumbs attached. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into 24 squares.