A Little Break

I know I just started this blog, but this week is a big festival at the school, and I am one of the people in charge of it, so I don't think I'll be posting much this week. I don't know if I'll even be cooking much this week. So, hopefully I'll get some new recipes up at the end of the week. Until then, try some of the things I've already posted, and let me know if you like them!

Chicken, White Bean and Leek Soup

I forgot to get a picture of this dish, but it was really good. It's a very light tasting, but very flavorful soup, and very healthy.

Chicken, White Bean and Leek Soup

1 pound chicken

2 cans cannelini beans

3 leeks, chopped

1 pound red potatoes, diced

1 cup carrots, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

4-6 cups chicken broth

Bake the chicken at 350 degrees about 1 hour, or until juices run clear. While chicken is baking, diced the vegetables. Once chicken is baked, chop or shred it into bite size pieces and then set aside. Stir fry* vegetables in a big soup spot until they are just getting tender. Add the broth, and heat to boiling, then add the chicken and the beans. Salt and pepper to taste (this had a very nice, mellow flavor, and I didn't add any salt or pepper to it, I preferred the taste of the vegetables.) Serve and enjoy!

*Stir frying the vegetables instead of boiling them helps to maintain their fresh flavor, and makes the soup more flavorful. This was a tip from my sister, and I thought it made the soup taste better.

Roasted Vegetables

Side dishes are hard for me, I don't feel like I have very many, and it's hard for me to think of different, creative ways to make vegetables. But this is really yummy.

Roasted Vegetables

1 head broccoli, cauliflower or broccoflower, chopped into bite size pieces

2 red bell peppers, cut in chunks

2 cups baby carrots

olive oil

salt

Put chopped vegetables on large baking sheet. Lightly brush with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt (I like to use coarse salt). Cover with tin foil and bake at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until vegetables start to get tender. Remove tin foil and bake until they start to turn golden brown. Be careful, the broccoli can dry out if you're not careful. Cook until desired tenderness (I like them crisp tender). When you roast them, they taste fresher than when they are boiled or steamed, and it's easier to keep them from getting soggy. I've sprinkled them with Parmesan cheese before, and they're really good that way too.

Fancy Nachos

Some nights, I just don't feel like making anything, so we eat tortillas. Some weeks, we eat a lot of tortillas. One night, I wanted something different, but I didn't feel like making anything, and I had some shredded fajita meat in the freezer, so I came up with "fancy nachos." Pretty much just whatever you have or feel like putting on your nachos. Very, very simple, but very good. The kids love it.

1 bag of tortilla chips (I used blue chips last time, but use whatever you like)

1 can of black olives, sliced

1 can of beans (kidney or pinto)

Shredded meat

3 chopped tomatoes

Shredded cheese

Put the chips in a 9x13 pan, then put as many or as little of the toppings on as you like. This adds up really fast, so start with a little, and add more if you want it. Cover with cheese, and bake in oven at 350 for about 15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and melty.

I served them with a dip that the girls like, sour cream and salsa mixed together. The leftovers get soggy, so try to not make too much.

Macaroni and Cheese

This year, Megan requested macaroni and cheese for her birthday dinner. I always make my macaroni and cheese from scratch. My kids won't even eat the boxed macaroni and cheese. It's really pretty simple, and it's always yummy and cheesy.

1 pound noodles (I usually use penne, but sometimes macaroni noodles)

2 TBSP flour

2 TBSP butter

1 1/4 cups milk

3 cups shredded cheese (fresh shredded, NEVER preshredded cheese)*

salt, pepper and mustard powder to taste

Bring a pot of salted water to boiling, then add noodles and cook until tender. Drain noodles in colander and set aside.

Melt butter in the pot, then add the flour and stir until smooth, using a whisk (again, this is a roux.) Add about 1/2 the milk to the butter and flour mixture, stirring constantly, until milk is smooth and then add the rest of the milk. Stir constantly until mixture starts to bubble and thicken. Turn heat to low, and add the cheese. Stir continuously until mixture is smooth. Add salt, pepper and mustard powder to taste. Add noodles, and stir until all noodles are coated in cheese. Serve with broccoli or roasted vegetables. This makes a really big pot of noodles, but we eat it all in one meal, with just enough leftover for lunches the next day.

*Preshredded cheese is coated with flour to keep it from becoming a big clump in the bag, but that means that it doesn't melt well. I always buy a 5-pound block of sharp cheddar from Costco, shred it in my food processor, and then freeze it in gallon ziploc bag. It freezes well, is the cheapest way to buy sharp cheddar, and I always have cheese on hand.

Tortellini Leek Soup

I made up a little recipe for dinner tonight. It came out really well! So well, that there's no leftovers for my lunch! The girls even asked to take it to school for lunch, which means it was good!

Here's my recipe. Very simple, but tasty.

1/2 a large butternut squash, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
3 leeks
1 small bag of tortellini
3 cans of chicken stock

Slice leeks into thin circles. Chop squash into bite size pieces. Stir fry leeks for a couple minutes, then add the chicken broth and the squash. Boil for about 10 minutes, then add the tortellini. Boil until tortellini is soft. Serve with biscuits.

It was tasty yet very simple. I LOVE squash this time of year, but Liz doesn't like it, so I have to think of ways to put it into dishes. She liked it in this soup, not a single complaint, and she downed her bowl faster than anyone else. You could change it up by adding different spices, a can of tomatoes, or some sausage.

Awhile ago, I made Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake. I got it here. It was really, really good. Our girls don't like Pumpkin Pie, but they loved it and declared it "delicious." I don't have a picture, but it's definitely worth trying.


2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed



Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.

Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cover with whipped topping before serving.