Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I never really liked butternut squash soup until recently when I tried a recipe similar to this one - and I kinda fell in love with it.  It is a sweeter version of the traditional, and I that is what I like about it.  Also, this should be eaten as a side dish to a very light meal because it is so rich!

I had some left-over tortillas that I had made the night before, so I cut them into strips, tossed with butter, cinnamon, and sugar, and baked in the oven at 350 degrees for a few minutes (until crispy).  I totally recommend doing this!  You could also make cinnamon/sugar croutons by substituting the tortilla strips for cubed bread.

 

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

1 large Butternut Squash (the biggest you can find at the store)

1Tbsp Vegitable Oil

salt/pep

1 cup Onion

1 Gala Apple

2 Cloves Garlic

2 Tbsp Butter

about 3 cups Chicken Broth

2 - 4 Tbsp 100% Maple Syrup

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pep

1/2 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin (or less depending on what you like)
pinch of cayenne

Cream

Cut butternut squash lengthwise and remove seeds. Preheat oven to 375° F. Brush insides and outsides of squash halves with vegetable oil, season with salt and pepper and place, cut sides down, on cookie sheet or in roasting pan. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until squash is tender.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter and add finely diced onion, apple, and garlic. Cook until onion is softened. Remove from heat until squash is cooked.

When squash is cooked, remove from oven and spoon out the softened squash into the saucepan with the butter and onion, discarding the squash skin. Add enough chicken stock to the saucepan to cover the squash by about an inch. Return to heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add maple syrup, salt, black pepper and spices (to taste).

Puree with an immersion blender or a bit at a time in a regular blender. (Note: You can freeze the soup at this point- and you will probably want to since it makes a TON at once, and you really can't eat too much of it at a time. Just re-warm then add cream before serving. Thin with a bit more chicken stock, if needed).

Add as much or as little cream as you'd like. Cook over low heat just until warmed through (do not boil). Serve and enjoy!

Pumpkin Pancakes

I love the Fall, and I love making things with pumpkin in the fall.  Here is a recipe that i got from my sister for delicious and easy pumpkin pancakes. 

Pumpkin Pancakes

2 eggs
3/4 cup pumpkin
2 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cup milk

Beat the eggs and stir in pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking soda and salt. Then add baking powder, oil, and flour. Stir in milk until desired consistency. (It should be thinner than you think)

I always use Agave instead of syrup since it a lot healthier... but if you are feeling super fallish then use this recipe for apple cider syrup:

Apple Cider Syrup

1 cup sugar
2 Tbs cornstarch
2 cup apple cider or juice
2 Tbs lemon juice

Mix well and boil one minute

Corn Chowder

I know it has been a while. Life has been majorly busy... I still have a family to feed, so I have been cooking, but just not posting.  Here is a soup that I have loved since I was little.  Enjoy!

Corn Chowder

3Tbs Butter and some oil
1 medium Onion, diced
1 Carrot, diced
1 Celery Stick, diced
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
6 Sprigs Fresh Thyme, leaves only
1/3 cup All-Purpose Flour
4-5 cups Chicken Broth (until chowder-like consistency)
2 cups Potatoes, chopped
3 cups Frozen Corn
2 cups Half & Half
Pinch of nutmeg
salt & pep to taste
1/4 cup fresh parseley leaves, chopped (optional)


In a large, heavy pot, saute onion, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme in butter/oil for about 8-10 minutes, until onion is clear and tender. Dust vegetables with flour and stir to coat everything well.  Pour in the broth and bring to a boil.  Add potatoes and boil hard for 7 minutes (until potatoes soften/break down), then simmer.

Add corn and cook until heated through, add half and half and seasonings (nutmeg, salt & pep, parsley) to taste.  If it is too thick, add more broth, if too thin add more flour (mixed with a small about of water first so it doesn't clump in soup.

Green Soup

My friend, who I have mentioned before on this blog (and who is always making delicious food) told me about this soup. When she told me about it, it made me nervous. Then she invited me over to try it - and once I saw it I wasn't really sure I wanted to try it. Of course I didn't want to offend her, so I tasted it... and I was sold! I love this soup. I love that it has TONS of spinach and kale and you can't even tell. My husband, who is not a lover of green veggies, loves this soup.

Check it out:

Scary huh? Well it is delicious and good for you. Try it!

Green Soup

1 bunch chard/spinach (I used spinach)
1 bunch kale
4-5 green onions, sliced, white and green parts
1/2 cup loosely packed parsely
1 tsp. sea salt, plus more to taste
1 medium Yukon gold potato
1 medium yellow onion
1 1/2 TB olive oil
Marsala, dry sherry, or white wine (I just used white cooking wine - about 1/4 cup)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups chicken broth
pepper
cayenne
juice from 1/2 or whole lemon, whatever tastes good to you
cream (I used about 1/3 cup)

chop and caramelize the onion and garlic with oil and butter in the big pot (I always use oil and butter when sauteing things. The butter makes it tasty, and the oil keeps if from burning on to the bottom). When done, deglaze the pan with the white wine.

Wash the greens, trim their stems, and slice the leaves. Combine spinach, kale, green onions, and parsely in pot with broth and salt (the kale and spinach take up so much room that you might have to put a bunch in, wait for it to wilt, then put the rest in). Peel the potato, cut it into small pieces, and add it to the pot. Bring to a boil, turn to low heat, cover the pot, and let soup simmer for about 35 minutes.

puree it in a blender or with an immersion blender. Don't overprocess because the potatoes will turn gummy if you work them too much. (if you think you need to, add a small amount more of broth). It should pour easily from a ladle.

Return the soup to the pot, bring it back to a simmer and taste. Add some more salt and pepper if needed. Add a pinch of cayenne and the lemon juice. add cream at the end. Stir well and taste.

Chicken Pot Pie

This is favorite cold-weather dinner of mine, for sure. Delicious, hearty, and packed full of veggies! I combined a few different recipes, and added some things of my own... so this is what I came up with:

Chicken Pot Pie

In a large sauce pan saute for 5 minutes:
3 tbs butter
3 cloves minced garlic
1 chopped med onion
1/4 cup sweet red pepper
1/3 cup white wine

Stir in to make roux:
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper

Add:
2 - 2 1/2 cups chopped/shredded cooked chicken

Add:
- 2 cups whole milk (or half and half)
- 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
- 1 1/2 cups sliced baby carrots (steam until semi soft before adding)
- 2 cups chopped potatoes (boil until semi soft before adding)

Add a little more flour if the sauce doesnt seem thick enough (I think I added another tbs of flour at this point)

in a deep pie pan, (or 8x8, 9x9) put pre-made roll out pie crust dough (I used Pillsbury), pour in pot pie mixture, then top with another pie crust roll.

Cook pie for 30 minutes at 425 degrees.

Modified Beef Bourguignon

My friend, Merrie, made me Julia Childs Beef Bourguignon a couple of months ago and it was delicious! I wanted to recreate it without all of the work (she said it seriously took her all day to make!). So here is my modified crock pot beef bourguignon... with cream.

Modified Beef Bourguignon

2 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 pounds beef roast
Salt and pepper
2 cups red wine (used Burgundy)
1 1/2 cups brown beef stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/2 teaspoon thyme
3 carrots, sliced
12-15 white onions, small
1 cup mushrooms, fresh and quartered
1/2 cup half and half or cream
Salt and Pep to taste

Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the beef, and brown in oil on the stove. Place beef in crock-pot. Pour wine into pan, let the alcohol cook out, and scrape up the little left over beef bits. Add beef stock, tomato paste, and garlic to the wine, and pour into the crock-pot. Add the rest of the ingredients to the crock-pot (except cream), cover, and for 8 hours on High, or 4 hours on Low.

When meat is tender enough to pull apart, suction all of the juice out, put in sauce pan, and simmer. Mix 1-2 tbs corn starch in a small amount of water, and whisk into sauce until it thickens to a thin gravy consistency. Whisk in 1/2 cup of cream. Add salt and pepper until it tastes the way you like it.

Pull beef apart into small chunks. Add sauce back into the crock-pot with meat. Serve over rice.

(I also always throw potatoes into the crock-pot to cook along with the other stuff, and remove them when they are tender, to eat on the side)

Tortilla Soup

Love this soup! I usually make it when I am running out of food in the fridge, and am wanting to use some of my food storage.

Tortilla Soup

1 T olive oil
1 large onion chopped
2 cups shredded chicken
1 package taco seasoning
1 package ranch dressing mix
1 can original Rotel (with reg canned tomatoes)
1 16 oz can petite diced tomatoes
1 can pinto beans, rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas)
2 cans chicken broth
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime squeezed over soup
salt and pepper to taste

heat oil and sauté onion tender. Throw everything (including onion) into your crockpot and cook on low for 4 hours.

Garnish with:
tortilla strips
avocado
Sour cream
shredded cheese

Blueberry Muffins

This is my all-time favorite blueberry muffin recipe. I think what I love most about them is that the blueberries are chopped, not whole, so instead of getting a sour blueberry burst in every bite (some people love that... I don't quite as much), the blueberry taste is all throughout the muffin. I got this recipe from my cousins wife who got it from a friend who used to own a bakery. It was a little heavy on the sugar, though, so believe it or not, I took out almost 1 cup to make the recipe below! Dont worry, it is still definitely sweet enough.

Blueberry Muffins

2 c. flour
1 c. (rounded) + 1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. butter, melted and cooled
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
2 c. blueberries, chopped
1/2 c. walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 and grease 12 muffin cups

In a large bowl stir together dry ingredients. In another bowl mix together wet ingredients. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add wet. Stir just to combine. Add berries and nuts.
Pour into muffin tin. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp sugar over top of muffins. Bake 20-25 mins

Tortillas

There is nothing better than home-made tortillas. I first had these when my friend, Merrie, made them for me. After making them myself, I don't think I can ever buy the pre-packaged kind again! They are ridiculously delicious and easy! I also love this recipe more than other tortilla recipes because it just uses olive oil - so much better for you than crisco!

Tortillas

3 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
4-6 Tbsp.olive oil
about 1 1/4 cups warm water


Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add vegetable shortening or lard. Or use a combination of the two. Use a fork to cut in the shortening or just your hands.

Next add warm water a little at a time until your dough is soft and not sticky. You do not need very hot water. Knead the dough for a few minutes. Now you will pull off pieces of dough to form about 12 small balls. Let them rest on parchment paper for at least 10 minutes, longer if you like.

*flatten and cook with a tortilla maker, or...

Flatten dough balls and sprinkle with a little bit of flour. Roll out (on parchment paper) with rolling pin as thin as you can, from the center out.

Melt a tiny bit of butter in pan on med to med-high heat, and cook tortilla in pan until it has lots of nice brown speckles (about 20-30 seconds).

(The dough also freezes really well! I usually double the recipe, and freeze a bunch. Make sure you roll each dough ball in flour, before throwing in a freezer bag, to prevent them from sticking together!)

***Since I wrote this, I have purchased this.  Hello, new best friend!  All I do is make the dough... and that thing cooks and flattens them.  I make tortillas about once a week or so.  Easy peasy. 

 pretty, huh?