Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 medium chopped onion
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half cream
2 cups chicken stock (2 cups water 4 tsp knorr chicken boullion)
2-3 cups frozen broccoli- chopped or blended
1 cup carrot, finely grated
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

Directions:
Sauté onion in butter. Set aside.
Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and add the half & half.
Add the chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat 10-20 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Can be puréed in a blender. Return to heat and add cheese.


adapted from: http://www.food.com/recipe/panera-broccoli-cheese-soup-150384

Baked carmel chocolate drizzled popcorn

½ cup Butter

2 cups Brown Sugar

½ cup Corn Syrup

1 tsp Salt

½ tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Vanilla

3 bags Popped popcorn

In a sauce pan melt butter, sugar, corn syrup, and salt together. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Take pan off the heat and add baking soda and vanilla.

Pour over popped popcorn and mix as well as you can. Spread caramel popcorn onto 2 greased cookie sheets and bake in the oven.

Bake @ 250 for 1 hour mixing every 15 minutes. Take out and let cool.

While cooling, make chocolate mixture.

2 cups Chocolate chips (any flavor you like)- This was way to much for me- I probably used half of it.

2 TBS Vegetable Oil

Melt in a small sauce pan over the stove. Once melted and smooth, drizzle chocolate over the caramel popcorn. Let the chocolate set, break into pieces, and serve.

Lemon Garlic Tilapia

4 tilapia fillets
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Rinse tilapia fillets under cool water, and pat dry with paper towels.
Place fillets in baking dish. Pour lemon juice over fillets, then drizzle butter on top. Sprinkle with garlic, parsley, and pepper.
Bake in preheated oven until the fish is white and flakes when pulled apart with a fork, about 15-20 minutes depending on thickness of fish.

peanut butter banana smoothie

from 100daysofrealfood.com
1 1/2 frozen bananas
1/4 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. milk

blend until smooth

Makes 1 1/4 cup serving

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

from 100daysofrealfood.com

2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon of fine sea salt
1 tablespoon honey
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 ¾ cups milk (you can use any kind – skim, 2% or whole)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted + butter for frying
2 ripe bananas, mashed

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir until well mixed and then make a well (hole) in the center of the bowl by spreading the flour mixture to the sides of the bowl. Pour the honey, eggs, milk, and 2 tablespoons of melted butter into the well, then gradually whisk from the center outward until the ingredients are well combined but still a little lumpy. Do not over mix the batter. Very gently fold in the mashed bananas (and/or other berries).

Preheat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Pour pancake batter into pan.

When the pancakes have begun to bubble in the center and the underside is golden brown, flip them. Cook until the 2nd side is golden brown. Serve with warm syrup. And freeze the leftovers for another day!

WHOLE WHEAT CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL COOKIES

from: chef-n-training.blogspot.com

1 ¼ cups brown sugar
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 ¼ cups butter
3 eggs
1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ¼ teaspoon salt
2 ½ cups white wheat flour
2 ½ cups oats
2 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars.
Beat in eggs and extract.
Stir in dry ingredients and then chocolate chips.
Scoop rounded tablespoonfuls onto greased (or lined) baking sheets.
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes

Crockpot chicken

from: 100daysofrealfood.com
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 onion
1 large chicken

Directions

Combine the dried spices in a small bowl.
Loosely chop the onion and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker.
Remove any giblets from the chicken and then rub the spice mixture all over. You can even put some of the spices inside the cavity and under the skin covering the breasts.
Put prepared chicken on top of the onions in the slow cooker, cover it, and turn it on to high. There is no need to add any liquid.
Cook for 4 – 5 hours (for a 3 or 4 pound chicken) or until the chicken is falling off the bone. Enjoy!

taco seasoning

From rhrecipes.blogspot.com

3 Tbsp Cumin
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Cayenne
1 Tbsp Salt
2 Tbsp Pepper

Mix and store in an air-tight container.


Tips:
I use about 1-3 Tbsp of this mix on each pound of meat. Adjust for your tastes.

Slow cooker refried beans

from 100daysofrealfood.com

1 onion, peeled and diced
2 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed
2 cloves garlic, minced
¾ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
One big pinch of cumin
6 cups water
Directions

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
Cook on high for 8 hours or overnight while you are sleeping(on low).
Drain the excess liquid. If desired, save excess liquid until the final product is desired consistency.
Mash remaining beans with a potato masher and voila! You have homemade refried beans. I beat mine in my kitchen aid for 5-10 seconds until mashed.

I also added some taco seasoning to taste.

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze

2 C flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 C sugar
1/4 C (4 Tbs) real butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 C mashed ripe bananas (about 4 large bananas)
1/4 C sour cream or plain yogurt
3 Tbs apple juice or milk*
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C coconut

Topping: 2 Tbs additional coconut
Glaze: 1/2 C powdered sugar whisked with 1 1/2 Tbs fresh lime juice

*as in: don’t go buy apple juice just for this recipe. If you don’t already have some, just use milk!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until blended. Add eggs and beat to combine. Add banana, sour cream or yogurt, apple juice (or milk), and vanilla. Beat until blended.
Add flour mixture and beat at a low speed until just combined. Stir in 1/2 C coconut.

Pour batter into a 9×5″ loaf pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle additional 2 Tbs coconut on top.

Bake in the oven for about 1 hour or until a knife or skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Note: Check bread after about 40 minutes. If the top has browned and the coconut pieces are looking toasty, cover top of bread lightly with a piece of foil. Continue baking until done.

When done, remove pan from oven. Let cool on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes and then carefully remove from pan. Whisk powdered sugar and lime juice together for the glaze and then drizzle over top. Cool for another 15 minutes before slicing.


from Our Best Bites

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

3 C. grated zucchini
1 C. vegetable oil
2 C. granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 C. cocoa- I used the hershey secial dark
1 C. mini chocolate chips
1 C. flaked coconut
3 Large eggs
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
2 3/4 c. flour
1 C. nuts

Spray loaf pans and put wax paper in the bottom. Mix all ingedients together and evenly distribute in the loaf pans. Bake at 325 for 1 hour.
Makes 2 loaves

stir fry

Teriyaki Sauce

¼ cup soy sauce
¾ cup water
1/2 tbsp peeled & freshly grated ginger- depends on how much you like ginger
2 tbsp honey

(I doubled because we like lots of sauce on our stir fry)

Stir Fry

3 – 4 servings of rice
2 to 3 tbsp oil
2 to 3 cups of sliced veggies- pepers, onions, celery,carrots etc and/or meat or seafood

Start the rice according to directions on the package. To make the sauce combine the next sauce ingredients (soy sauce, water, ginger & honey) in a small bowl. Chop veggies, and meat/seafood. In a wok or sauté pan heat the oil over medium heat then add the veggies and meat/seafood. Once the vegetables are soft and the meat is cooked through, add the sauce. I thickened my sauce with a little cornstarch and water mixture. Serve over the cooked rice.

Yield: 3 – 4 servings
Adapted from 100daysofrealfood.com

Chicken Divan made over

-1/2 lbs broccoli (3 large heads) chopped
2- boneless skinless chicken breasts- cooked and cut into bite sized pieces
salt and fresh ground pepper
1 tbsp butter
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, cut, crushed, however you like garlic
2 tbsp shallots, minced (onions would work too)
4 tbsp flour
1- 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk
2 cups shredded cheese - I used cheddar
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs


Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the broccoli and blanch 3 minutes. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well and set aside.


Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Heat a medium pot on medium heat. Add the butter and oil until melted and then add garlic and shallots. Sprinkle the flour and whisk until smooth. Stir in broth, milk and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in half of the cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


Arrange the broccoli in a casserole dish and pour half of the sauce over the broccoli. Arrange the chicken on top and cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle the remaining swiss cheese, grated parmesan and top with breadcrumbs.

Bake 30 minutes, serve hot

From skinnytaste.com

Baked Oatmeal

Baked Oatmeal
From Our Best Bites

3 c. oats (not quick-cooking)
1/3 - 1/2 c. brown sugar (I use 1/3)
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. Craisins, raisins, dried cherries, or other dried fruit
1 c. milk
1/2 c. butter, melted (you can substitute applesauce for 1/4 c. of the butter if you want)
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and Craisins. In a smaller bowl, mis together the milk, butter, vanilla, and eggs. Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture and whisk to combine. Pour into a deep 9" pie plate or an 8x8" or 9x9" baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Serve immediately with a splash of warmed milk. Serves 8.

I halved the recipe and cooked for about 25 minutes. It is even delicious warmed in the afternoon.

chicken parmigiana

4 whole (up To 6) Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Trimmed And Pounded Flat
½ cups All-purpose Flour
Salt And Pepper, to taste
½ cups Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped
4 cloves Garlic, Minced
¾ cups chicken broth
3 cans (14.5 Oz.) Crushed Tomatoes
2 Tablespoons Sugar
¼ cubes Chopped Fresh Parsley
1 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 pound Thin Linguine


Mix flour, salt, and pepper together on a large plate.
Dredge flattened chicken breasts in flour mixture. Set aside.

At this time, you can start a pot of water for your pasta. Cook linguine until al dente.

Heat olive oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium heat. When butter is melted and oil/butter mixture is hot, fry chicken breasts until nice and golden brown on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Remove chicken breasts from the skillet and keep warm.

Without cleaning skillet, add onions and garlic and gently stir for 2 minutes. Pour in chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pan, getting all the flavorful bits off the bottom. Allow wine to cook down until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
Pour in crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add sugar and more salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cook for 30 minutes. Toward the end of cooking time, add chopped parsley and give sauce a final stir.

Carefully lay chicken breasts on top of the sauce and completely cover them in grated Parmesan. Place lid on skillet and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer until cheese is melted and chicken is thoroughly heated. Add more cheese to taste.

Place cooked noodles on a plate and cover with sauce. Place chicken breast on top and sprinkle with more parsley. Serve immediately.

From pioneer woman cooks

vegetable lasagna

2 tsp. olive oil
approximately 2-3 cups vegetables -- I usually do 10 oz. chopped spinach, 1 small diced onion, 5-6 oz. sliced mushrooms, and 1 medium sized grated carrot
1 jar spaghetti sauce
9 lasagna noodles, cooked
1 cup cottage cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella, reserve 1/2 cup for the top
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Saute the onions, carrots and mushrooms until softened, add spinach and heat through. Add the sauce and simmer 10 minutes. Spread about 1/2 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Layer 1/3 noodles, 1/3 cheese, 1/3 sauce; repeat until all layers are finished. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes; uncover and bake for 10 minutes longer.

Lemon poopyseed muffins/ bread

2 1/4 C all purpose flour
1 1/4 C sugar
1 C butter, softened
3/4 C milk
3 eggs
2 Tbsp poppy seeds
1 Tbsp freshly grated lemon peel
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Glaze
1/2 C sugar
3 Tbsp butter, melted
4 tsp lemon juice
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of four (5 1/2 x 3 inch) mini loaf pans. Set aside.
Combine all bread ingredients in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often until well mixed.
Spread batter into prepared pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. For muffins I would cook 12-15 minutes.
Stir together all glaze ingredients in small bowl. Drizzle over warm bread loaves. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pans.
enJOY!

carmelized onions

Several medium or large onions, yellow, white, or red
Olive oil
Butter (optional)
Salt
Sugar (optional)

Slice off the root and top ends of the onions, peel the onions. Cut the onions in half. Lay them cut side down and slice the onions lengthwise to desired thickness. If you want, you can cut a little wedge in the tough rootball end of the onions and discard that part, but we haven't found this to be necessary, as this part of the onion softens and cooks with the rest over the long cooking time.

Use a wide, thick-bottomed sauté pan for maximum pan contact with the onions. Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil, or a mixture of olive oil and butter (about 1 teaspoon per onion). Heat the pan on medium high heat until the oil is shimmering. Add the onion slices and stir to coat the onions with the oil. Spread the onions out evenly over the pan and let cook, stirring occasionally. After 10 minutes, sprinkle some salt over the onions, and if you want, you can add some sugar to help with the caramelization process. (I add only about a teaspoon of sugar for 5 onions, you can add more.)

Let cook for 30 minutes to an hour more, stirring every few minutes. As soon as the onions start sticking to the pan, let them stick a little and brown, but then stir them before they burn. The trick is to let them alone enough to brown (if you stir them too often, they won't brown), but not so long so that they burn. After the first 20 to 30 minutes you may want to lower the stove temperature a little, and add a little more oil, if you find the onions are verging on burning. A metal spatula will help you scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan as the caramelization proceeds. As the onions cook down, you may find you need to scrape the pan every minute, instead of every few minutes. Continue to cook and scrape, cook and scrape, until the onions are a rich, browned color. At the end of the cooking process you might want to add a little balsamic vinegar or wine to help deglaze the pan and bring some additional flavor to the onions.

Store refrigerated for several days in an air-tight container.

From simplyrecipes.com

Twice baked sweet potatoes

2 medium sweet potatoes
2 oz cream cheese, softened
2 TBSP sour cream
1 TBSP butter
1/4 tsp salt
2 TBSP butter
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Scrub and pierce potatoes; place on a plate and microwave uncovered for 12-14 minutes or until tender.

When cool enough cut a thin slice off top or a lit in it. Scoopt out the pulp. In a bowl mash pulp. Add cream cheese, sour cream, butter and salt. Mix well. Spoon into potato shells.

Place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Bake uncovered at 425 for 12-15 minutes or until heated through and toppin is golden brown.

Dreamy Apple Pie

1 whole Unbaked Pie Crust

Filling
3 whole Large (4 Or 5 Small) Granny Smith Apples, Peeled, Cored, And Sliced Thin
½ cups Brown Sugar
½ cups Sugar
1 Tablespoon All-purpose Flour
1 cup Heavy Cream
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
⅛ teaspoons Cinnamon

Topping
7 Tablespoons Butter
¾ cups All-purpose Flour
½ cups Brown Sugar
¼ cups Pecans (more To Taste)
Dash Of Salt

Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Roll out pie dough and place it in a pie pan. Decorate the edges as desired.

Add apple slices to a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together cream, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pour over apples. Pour apples into pie shell.

In the bowl of a food processor (or you can mix by hand) combine butter, flour, sugar, pecans (chop if you’re not using a food processor), and salt. Mix until everything comes together in clumps. Pour topping over apples.

Attach foil to the edges and lay a piece of flat foil loosely over the top of the pie. Place pie pan on top of a rimmed cookie sheet and bake for one hour. At the end, remove foil and allow to finish baking and browning. Can bake for up to 15 or 20 minutes more if necessary.

Remove from oven when pie is bubbly and golden brown.

Serve warm with hard sauce, whipped cream, or ice cream.

From pioneer woman cooks

Granola Bars

 

2 1/2 cups Rice Krispies
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup karo syrup
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
Combine brown sugar and corn syrup in saucepan. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Blrend until smooth. Combine other ingredients in 9x13 pan. Pour brown sugar mix over top. Mix gently and then press into pan. Cool and cut.

Zucchini Marinara

 

Cut desired amount of zucchini in slices and mix with preferred sauce. Microwave for 5-10 minutes covered or until zucchini is to desired softness. Serve with noodles or alone. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

 

4 medium baking potatoes, unpeeled and washed
1 1/3 cup water with 2 chicken bouillon cubes dissolved
1 1/3 cup milk
bacon, cooked and crumbled
cheddar cheese
sour cream
Pierce potatoes; microwave on high 5 minutes turning after 2 1/2 minutes. Cut potatoes into chunks. Combine potatoes, broth, and milk in microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 6 minutes, stirring after 3 minutes. Slightly crush potatoes with fork or potato masher. Serve topped with cheese, bacon and sour cream.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

 

1 large egg
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp granulated or packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp oil
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Beat egg in medium bowl with hand beater until fluffy. Beat in remaining ingredients just until smooth. For thinner pancakes, stir in additional 1-2 Tbsp milk. Heat griddle to 375. Cook pancakes until bubbly on top, puffed and dry around edges. Turn and cook other side until golden brown. Recipe works to double or triple.

Sausage Potato Corn Soup

 

1 lb sausage-reduced fat
1 cup chopped onion
4 cups potatoes cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried marjoram, crushed
1/8 tsp pepper
1- 17 oz can cream-style corn
1- 17 oz can whole kernel corn, drained
1- 12 oz can fat free evaporated milk

Cook Sausage and onion. Drain on paper towel. Return to pot. Mix everything except cream style corn, whole corn and milk. Cook uncovered 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Then add corn and milk and heat through. Option: Double the batch but keep the sausage one pound.

Lemon Sage Chicken

 

1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp dried sage
4 chicken breast halves (about 2 ½ lbs total)
Preheat oven to 425. Combine lemon juice, sage and oil. Brush on chicken breast halves. Place chicken in a lightly greased baking pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.

60 Minute Rolls

 

60 Minute Rolls
3 1/2 - 4 1/2 cups flour
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp yeast, dry
1/2 cup dry milk
1/2 cup margarine
1 1/2 cups water
Heat water and margarine until warm. Add 1 ½ cups flour along with remaining dry ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes Add ½ cup flour and beat for 2 minutes. Add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 5 minutes. Let rise for 15 minutes. Shape into rolls and place in a greased pan. Let rise for 15 minutes. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes
For Cinnamon Rolls: Increase sugar to ½ cup. Add 1 egg, if desired. Divide dough in half after 1st rising. Shape each half into a rectangle. Spread with soft margarine and a dark mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Roll up starting with long side. Cut each roll into 12 pieces and place cut side up in a buttered muffin tin or place all 24 rolls in a 9x13 pan. Let rise and bake.