Broccoli Cheese Soup

So I have made another attempt at Broccoli Cheese soup from my first. This was supposed to be a "skinny" version and while the flavor was pretty good I just couldn't get behind the consistency. I got an immersion blender as a birthday gift from my Hubby and wanted to try it out...I may have over blended the soup? Perhaps if I hadn't blended it quite so much it would have stayed more liquid-y and less "mashed potato" consistency? For the points it's definitely worth a second look in the future sometime!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes

Serves 6

Estimated Point Value: 3.5pts

1 onion, diced

1 handful of baby carrots, diced

1 rib of celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp margarine

2 Tbsp flour

3 1/2 cups chicken stock*

1 cup skim milk

2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced

4 cups (~10 oz) broccoli florets

6 oz reduced fat cheddar cheese

2 slices 2% pepperjack cheese

1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper, to taste

Pinch of nutmeg

1. In a large soup pot melt butter and saute onion, carrots, celery, and garlic until translucent.
2. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth then whisk in the chicken stock and milk.
3. Bring to a boil and add potatoes then cook, covered, for about 15 minutes (or until potatoes are tender).
4. Add in the broccoli and Parmesan cheese and cook uncovered for about 5 minutes or until the broccoli is tender.
5. Add the remaining cheeses and stir until melted.
6. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it reaches your desired consistency.
7. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and then serve!

*I had to add an extra cup of chicken stock from the original recipe to get a more smooth consistency. I did this during the blending step, but I think it would be more useful earlier on and would help you decide what thickness you want to blend the soup when it comes time for that...

Bacon Breadstick Focaccia

So this weekend I co-hosted a baby shower where the menu followed a theme.

BACON

The menu was comprised of:

Bacon and Cheese Dip

Bacon Breadstick Focaccia

Spinach Salad with Crumbled Backon

Cauliflower Soup with Bacon Garnish

Maple Bacon Cupcakes

Does that not sound AMAZING?!

It was, just take my word for it.

Bacon Breadstick Focaccia

Adapted from Pillsbury.com

Makes 2 Small Focaccia*

1 can of refrigerated breadstick dough

2.1 oz package of precooked bacon slices

2 pieces of string cheese (4 if you want both focaccia to have cheese)

1 egg

Garlic Salt, to taste

Italian Seasoning, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 375 and prepare a baking sheet (your choice: parchment, baking mat, cooking spray, etc.)
2. Slice the cheese into quarters long ways to make 8 longs strips.
3. Unroll the breadsticks and layer each with a piece of cheese (for half of the breadsticks) and a piece of bacon.
4. Roll the breadstick/bacon combo into two pinwheels, one with cheese and one without.
5. Beat one egg and brush over the top of the bread.
6. Dice the extra slices of bacon (if you haven't eaten them already) and sprinkle over the top along with the garlic salt and Italian seasoning.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

*I have done one big pinwheel and two small ones and the two small ones seems to turn out better.

Baked Onion Rings

I ask you, who doesn't love onion rings?! When I saw this recipe pop up via a mom-blogger I follow on Twitter I knew I had to give it a try. Tonight's dinner was steaks on the grill a la Hubby and I figured what more perfect meal to test out these beauties! While you can't really pick these bad boys up, they most definitely hit the old onion rings spot for sure.

Baked Onion Rings

Adapted from SkinnyTaste.com

Serves 2

1 medium onion

2 cups skim milk

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper, to taste

Olive oil spray

1. Mix 2 cups of milk with 2 Tbsp of lemon juice and set aside.
2. Slice onion and separate into rings. Lay out in a shallow dish.
3. Pour milk over the onions.
4. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours (I did mine for 3 hours).
5. Preheat oven to 450.
6. In another shallow dish, mix together the remaining dry ingredients.
7. Using tongs, remove the onion rings from the milk and coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Place onto baking sheets lined with foil in a single layer.
8. Spray the onion rings with olive oil spray and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Hot Spinach Dip

So it's Superbowl Sunday and we're in the thick of "Snowmageddon 2010"...chili is brewing and next up on the list of Super-Foods is some hot spinach dip.  A recipe adapted from one used by a friend, this is super tasty and super simple.

 

Hot Spinach Dip

 

1 Jalapeno, chopped
1 White Onion, chopped
2 Tomatoes, chopped (about 2 cups)
10 oz. Package Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
2 cups (8 oz) Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Half and Half 

Mix together all ingredients and put in a buttered baking dish (sometimes if I'm feeling extra cheesy, I sprinkle the top with some parmesan cheese).  Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.  (You can also microwave if you'd rather).  Serve with pita chips, tortilla chips, slices of baguette...pretty much anything you want!

Christmas Appetizers

This Christmas I was responsible for bringing two appetizers to our family gathering. I decided this could kick-start one of my 2010 New Years' Resolutions and try a few new things. After much Internet research I settled on two recipes to try out: Spinach Balls and Stuffed Mushrooms. Both were able to be made ahead of time and frozen until Christmas.

The Spinach Balls were insanely easy to pull together and were a combination of several recipes from RecipeZaar. These were my mother's favorite.

Spinach Balls

(Makes 5-6 dozen)

20 oz. of frozen chopped spinach
6 oz. Stove Top Stuffing (I used Chicken)
1 c. grated Italian Cheese Blend (I used the Sargento version)
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c. butter, melted
Dash of Nutmeg
Salt & Pepper (to taste)

• Thaw spinach and drain out as much water as possible.
• Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
• Roll into 1 inch balls.
• Place onto a cookie sheet and freeze (covered).
• Once frozen, store in a freezer bag until ready to use.
• To heat and serve, bake (frozen) at 350º for 10-15 minutes.

The Stuffed Mushrooms were a Pioneer Woman recipe that I had been wanting to try out ever since seeing it on the blog. The only change I made to the recipe was in using a mild Italian sausage. Oh yeah, and I doubled the recipe because I just couldn't resist (the leftovers are making a reappearance for New Years Eve). I made these ahead and froze them until it was time. I went ahead and baked them frozen too and it seemed to do the trick (Hubby and I actually preferred them baked after being frozen to freshly baked...since obviously we had to try some the night I actually made them). The only thing to watch is that baking while still frozen will cause a lot of juice to accumulate in the bottom of your baking sheet/dish so I wouldn't plan on serving them straight out of the dish (learn from my mistakes please!) Just bake and then transfer the hot, yummy goodness to whatever serving platter you plan on using.