Broccoli and Cheese Soup

I got this recipe from the WIC office months ago. Turned out good. I would add more cheese. I dont think it had enough cheese flavor in it. Overall, easy and good. I will make it again. Kayla loved it.

2 tbs olive oil, 2 onions chopped (I only used 1), 6 medium potatoes cubed (I used 6 small ones), 1 pint of water or stock (I used chicken broth), 2 heads of broccoli flowerets (about 2 cups), 8 oz cheddar cheese (I would use 10 oz next time)

1. Heat oil, add onions and potatoes.
2.When yellowish, add about 1 pint stock and one head of broccoli, salt, pepper.
3.Cook about 20 minutes at a fast simmer.
4.Add another head of broccoli, simmer for 2-3 minutes.
5.Remove from pan (I didn't) while new broccoli is still crunchy.
6.Add about 8 oz grated cheddar cheese and stir until cheese melts. Top with lots of ground pepper. Serve with fresh baked brown bread.

YUM-O!

I made it for lunch today and am taking some to a friend's house to go with dinner! Cant wait to eat more.

Beer Bread

For Nick's last home cooked meal before he left, my friend B asked Nick what he wanted. All we could out of him was, "Beer."

So, she went on a hunt and found this beer bread recipe. I made it. It turned out real good. As I was mixing the ingredients, I thought it couldn't be right because it was so weird. But as it was baking in oven and the house smelled like a bakery, I knew it was going to be good.

And oh boy, was it!

You can serve this b read with soups, dips, or just have it as a snack to eat. Its so soft and moist. It really is fantastic.

Serves 6-8 But I found it to serve much more. I even ended up throwing a bunch away because we couldn't eat it all.

3 cups sifted flour
3 teaspoons baking powder (omit if using self rising flour)
1/4 cup sugar
1 12 oz can/bottle of beer
1/4 cup melted butter

1.Preheat oven to 375.
2.Mix all dry ingredients and beer.
3.Pour into a greased loaf pan.
4.Pour melted butter over mixture.
Bake 1 hour, remove from pan and cool for at least 15 minutes.

If using a non-alcoholic beer add a packet of dry active yeast.

Bread dough


Dough in loaf pan topped with butter


Finished loaf of bread



I sliced the bread and we used it to dip into Cheeseburger dip. Recipe coming soon.

Michelle's Magnificent Chicken Wings

This last few days I been on a chicken recipe hunt. I discovered our new favorite wings. We had a 5 lbs bag of wings in the freezer and I knew I couldn't eat them all before they got freezer burned. So my goal was to finish them before Nick left. We did.

Here's what I did.
I split the 5 lb bag into 2 dinners. So 1 meal that we shared was about 2 1/2 lbs.
I bought the Dales' Steak Seasoning and marinaded the wings in this for at least 30 minutes. It's steak seasoning, but on the bottle it says you can use it for anything. The ingredients in the sauce is soy sauce, garlic, onion, vinegar.

Marinading wings..


Then I placed all the wings into a zip lock bag, with half of a pack of McCormick Original Bufflo Wing Seasoning.


Shake bag. Then I added 5-6 tablespoons of brown sugar. Shake bag.
Spread on foil lined baking sheet in single layer.


Bake 30-ish minuted on 450 degree oven.

And you've got the most savory chicken wing ever! Ok, maybe not ever- but close! There is the PERFECT amount of spice and sweetness in every bite!!

Chicken Citrus Salad

So, after our last visit to Hard Rock Cafe, I wanted to re-create the salad I had there. Chicken Citrus Salad. The attempt I made is very delicious but it's not that HRC salad I had. I cant get the dressing right. Mine is missing a spice and I don't know what it is. HRC's dressing was very citrus-y with a hint of kind of spice. Some to give it a zip. And I don't know what it is.

So, what did I put in my salad?
Lettuce- I used just your plain ole iceburg because I was in the mood for the crunch
red onion, dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, butter toffee almond slivers, blue cheese crumbles, and southwest chicken strips cut into bite size pieces ( This is the oscar mayer chicken in your lunch meat aisle )

Its sweet and spicey and crunchy and oh so yummy. I cant get enough.

and the dressing..
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons of orange juice
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

but- the dressing is missing that zing- and I cant figure it out!

Great Grandma's 'Ice cream' sandwhiches

So, this idea comes from my Great Grandma. Not sure where or who she got the idea from, but its marvelous!
All you need is whip cream and graham crackers. Pile some whip cream in between 2 whole graham crackers. Wrap in foil. Freeze for at least 24 hours before you eat it.
Why? Because the longer its in the freezer the better it is. The graham cracker gets soft just like those chocolate ice cream sandwiches you buy in the store. If you eat it any sooner then seriously, its not as good.

These are soooo good. Id say they are even better than the ones in the store. Well, except those strawberry shortcake ones from Turkey Hill.

Peanut Butter Swirled Brownies

I made these Peanut Butter Swirled Brownies over the weekend to take to a BBQ. I never made them before, but I had all the ingredients on hand, 1 box of brownie mix and 1/2 cup peanut butter.

Mix brownie batter as directed on package. Pour into greased pan. Microwave 1/2 cup peanut butter for 20 seconds or until melted. Pour over brownie batter. Swirl with butter knife. Bake as directed on package.

They turned out really good. The recipe came from the Skippy peanut butter.

Here they are baking in the oven and then finished. The house smelled really good while they were baking!

Cheeseburger Pasta

I made this Cheeseburger Pasta last night, and I will not post the picture nor the recipe because I didn't like it. It didn't taste bad, it wasn't terrible, but it was just like the boxed Hamburger Helper....which I really don't like.

So, onto to trying something else...