Chicken Enchilada Soup

( I apologize for my food photography. The soup really tastes MUCH better than it looks!)

Ok. This recipe is another one of those that I got from someone else. We had a soup potluck before the RS broadcast about a month ago. Of course with so many soup choices, it is hard to stick to only one. I tasted two. This was the second, and I had no desire to try any others...I was in heaven! I actually even almost gave up a brownie to have seconds. Ok, well I did have both, but I regretted the brownie, and wished for more soup. Apparently the girl who made it got TONS of requests for the recipe, because at a following enrichment night, I happened to start to tell her that I wanted the recipe, and before I could even finish, she whipped out a typed copy. She had a pile of them and was handing them out like candy.I am making it for dinner tonight! Hopefully it will come out as good as hers!

Chicken Enchilada Soup

1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 Tbls. olive oil
1 can (14 oz.) beef broth
1 can (14 oz.) chicken broth
1 can (10 oz.) cream of chicken soup
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chiles
2 cups chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1 1/2 cups water
1 Tbls. worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
6 flour tortillas ( the girl used 10 corn tortillas)
3 cups grated cheddar cheese
sour cream for garnish

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Add the rest of the ingredients except the tortillas, cheese and sour cream. Bring to a boil. COver, and simmer for 1 hour. Cut tortillas into 1/2 inch strips. Add tortillas and cheese to the soup. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

* I LOVED this soup as much as I thought I would! I am completely amazed that the tortilla strips almost dissolve in the soup! Ha! Who knew?

Halloween sugar cookies

I decided to make sugar cookies today for Halloween. I have a ghost and a pumpkin cookie cutter, and I was originally planning on rolling and cutting out cookies. I really hate rolling out dough. In the end, I decided to use a recipe for spiderweb cookies, and instead of making webs, I dyed the icing orange and then I had my son decorate the cookies like jack-o-lanterns with chocolate chips. Perfect!


Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture. Roll dough into balls and place on un-greased cookie sheet. Flatten with hand. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes (the edges should
be just barely golden).

Make sure to mix up the frosting glaze before you bake your cookies.You will want to glaze the cookies right from the oven.

For the glaze: (I got the recipe here)
2 3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp. shortening
3 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. corn syrup
1/4 tsp. vanilla

Beat all ingredients well. Add food coloring to reach desired color.

Now, when your cookies are RIGHT out of the oven, take a few off the tray and begin frosting them with the glaze. You should do this immediately so the glaze melts a bit and smooths out over the cookie.Wait to cook your next batch until the first batch is glazed. They are quite tasty! And really easy! I am all about easy.

Oatmeal Pancakes

I decided this is my new favorite pancake recipe. For some reason they are soooo good!

Oatmeal Pancakes

1 ½ c. rolled oats
2 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten

Combine oats and buttermilk. Add remaining ingredients. Cook on a hot skillet, turning when the batter begins to bubble on top.

Note: If you don’t have buttermilk, combine 2 tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar and enough milk to make 2 cups. Let stand for 5 minutes.

* I have made this recipe 3 different ways. The first time I made them, I did not have buttermilk so I used the milk and lemon juice option. I also didn't read the directions very well, and didn't combine the oats and milk first. I just added them all as I went. The batter was a bit thin, so I added more wheat flour until it thickened up. They were delicious.

* The second time I made these I actually had buttermilk, and followed the directions better. This time the batter wasn't thin, and they were great.

* My husband made them the other day, and again we went the milk/lemon juice route. He used all white flour, and the batter was really really thin. He didn't thicken it up, and so the pancakes were really thin. They still tasted good!

Creamy Fusilli with Yellow Squash and Bacon

( I don't have any idea how to photograph food and make it look good, so please send your tips my way!)

I found this yummy recipe on a blog I was reading one day and decided to try it. It was delicious!

Creamy Fusilli with Yellow Squash and Bacon

coarse salt and ground pepper
8 oz fusilli (or rotelle) pasta
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled into small pieces (save grease in pan)
4 medium yellow squash (quartered lengthwise and sliced crosswise)
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese, plus more fore serving

Cook pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.

Place skillet containing bacon grease over medium-high heat. Add squash and garlic to fat in skillet; season with salt and pepper, and toss well. Cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until squash begins to soften, 5-7 minutes. Uncover, and continue to cook until liquid is evaporated and squash is tender, 2-3 minutes more.

Add cream and cooked pasta to skillet; toss well, and cook until cream begins to thicken, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in parmesan cheese and add enough reserved pasta water to create a sauce that coats pasta. Top with reserved bacon and more cheese.

* I used the tri-color or garden rotini. I think it looks better that way with the different colors. I cheated and used the microwave bacon, so I didn't have the bacon grease. I just heated up a bit of olive oil to cook the squash in. On the blog, the girl mentioned that she added onion to hers as well. I didn't, but it would be good in the future. I also forgot to reserve my pasta water. That's what happens when you are trying to cook dinner while the baby is crying, and the 3 year old is running circles around the house yelling at the top of his lungs. Anyway, I just poured a bit of warm tap water in instead. It seemed to work just fine. I am sure it would have been more flavorful with the bacon grease and pasta water, but it was still yummy. Make sure to season the squash well. I had to add a bit of extra salt at the end when eating, so i am sure that if I had seasoned it a bit more, I wouldn't have had to.I also think adding chicken broth instead of the pasta water would make it quite tasty. For some reason I kept envisioning artichokes in the dish. It would probably be really good with them as well! I might have to re-invent my own version of this recipe for sure! The bacon is really what makes it taste good. This recipe probably only made 4 servings, or 2 if you are my husband and me. We both had two nice bowlfuls and finished it off. I am a bit sad there aren't any leftovers! This would be a fantastic use for all that squash in your garden...if you plant yellow squash! Anyway, I really liked this recipe, and will definitely add it to my favorites and make again. Next time I may have to double it!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

I decided to make cupcakes again last night. I tried a recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting, with chopped up peanut butter cups sprinkled on top. I LOVE the frosting, but the cake was a bit lacking. I think it needed to be WAY more chocolatey, and more moist. I know the easy solution to fix the chocolatiness is to add more cocoa powder. I am not sure about how to make it more moist.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

2 1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. baking soda
3 Tbls. cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients and mix on low for 30 seconds, scraping bowl. Mix on high for 3 minutes, scraping bowl after each minute. Fill cupcake tins 1/2-2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Yield: 24-36 cupcakes.

* I got about 22 cupcakes, but probably filled some too high, so I could have gotten about 24.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter, creamy
3 Tbls. milk
2 cups powdered sugar

Mix peanut butter and butter until creamy. Add sugar, and milk alternately. Beat 3 minutes until light anf fluffy.

* I actually halved this recipe, and it turned out to be plenty for 2 dozen cupcakes. I did probably add the full 3 Tbls of milk however, because when I was done mixing the frosting for 3 minutes, it wasn't very creamy or spreadable. i added a bit more milk to reach the consistency I wanted.

I chopped up some peanut butter cups nd sprinkled them on the top! They look really cute!

Favorite Pasta (aka Pasta in Tomato Cream Sauce)

Pasta in Tomato Cream Sauce

16 oz. penne pasta
2 (14.5 oz.) cans Del Monte Diced Tomatoes with Garlic and Onion
1 cup fresh basil chopped, or 2 tsp. dried basil
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Cook pasta according to directions; drain and keep warm. Cook tomatoes over medium-high heat in skillet until thickened, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat; add basil and cream. Heat through. DO NOT BOIL. Toss with pasta and cheese. Serve.

This is one of my most favorite recipes, hence the name favorite pasta. I make this meal when I have to take dinner to someone, or when we have guests for dinner. It is so easy, but it tastes like a restaurant meal. Most everyone that has had it has really liked it, so it is definitely a winner. I took dinner to two people tonight, and this is what I made. I also included a box of frozen garlic toast, and a bagged caesar salad.

* I have tried this using half and half, and it does NOT turn out as well. It still tastes good, but it doesn't look good. It gets kinda grainy looking and not smooth like the cream. For presentation purposes, stick to the cream. If you don't care about the looks, go ahead and try the lower fat version. And it is definitely a million times better with fresh basil. I usually use the dried because I already have it, and it saves me money at the store. I suppose if I grew my own basil, I wouldn't have to worry about the expense! I also have always used fresh shredded parmesan, and not the grated. For some reason this is really good the next day, after the suace has set up more and isn't as runny. I hope you like it!

Apple Pumpkin Soup and Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread

So, tonight is recipe group and the theme is Pumpkin. This is what I decided to make.

Apple Pumpkin Soup
from Taste of Home

INGREDIENTS
2 cups finely chopped peeled tart apples

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

4 cups chicken broth

3 cups canned pumpkin

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger

1 cup unsweetened apple juice

1/2 cup half-and-half cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper


SERVINGS 12
CATEGORY
Low Fat
METHOD Chill
PREP 50 min.
COOK 10 min.
TOTAL 60 min.
DIRECTIONS
In a large saucepan, saute apples and onion in butter for 3-5 minutes or until tender. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually whisk in broth. Stir in the pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Cool slightly.
In a blender, cover and process soup in batches until smooth. Pour into a bowl; cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Just before serving, transfer soup to a saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes. Stir in the apple juice, cream, salt and pepper; heat through. Yield: 12 servings (about 2 quarts).

NUTRITIONAL INFO
Nutrition Facts: 3/4 cup equals 100 calories, 3 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 10 mg cholesterol, 389 mg sodium, 16 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 2 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 1/2 fat.

I am also making this recipe, which I am serving on french bread. I thought it would go good with the soup.I got this recipe in my recipe group in Indiana from Michelle Hubert. Thanks Michelle!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread

It's a slightly-sweet spread that
would be appropriate as a fruit dip as well.

1-8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 C canned pumpkin
1/4 C sugar
3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp vanilla

Blend cream cheese and sugar till smooth then add rest of ingredients
in batches, being careful to blend well in between additions.

I have had this spread before, and really like it. i haven't yet tried the soup, so I will have to update after tonight!

Caramel Apple Cupcakes and Artichoke Dip

Last night I hosted our book group, and I made these two delicious recipes. I had to share!

I made Caramel Apple Cupcakes, that I found the recipe here.

Caramel Apple Cupcakes with Caramel Topping

Cupcakes:
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 medium sized tart apples, peeled, cored, and chopped small


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Insert liners into a medium cupcake pan. In a large bowl beat together brown sugar, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat for one minute after each addition. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Beat until blended. Stir in apples. Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full with batter. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted come out clean. Cool cupcakes in the pan.


Caramel Topping:

1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 c. heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract


In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the brown sugar, butter and cream to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla. Pour the warm caramel topping over cupcakes.

* I have recently become fascinated with all the cupcake hype lately. I guess that cupcake bakeries are popping up all over the place, and they are becoming quite the "thing". Anyway, I made these cupcakes and they were divine! I was a bit skeptical about how good a cupcake could truly be. Most of my memories of cupcakes consist of the super sweet, a lot of times really dry and crumbly cake, with canned frosting. The batter for this recipe was really thick and I was hoping it would turn out. The caramel sauce was sooooo good. I could have eaten it with a spoon. When I bit into the cupcake I was very pleasantly surprised. It was really moist and dense. It was almost like a muffin, but not quite. The chunks of apple were yummy in it, and the caramle topping was perfect. Much better than a frosting. Everyone raved about them! I was able to get 18 cupcakes from the recipe, although they were not all uniform in size. I wanted to stretch the batter a bit to get more.They were still a decent size. Go try these, you will love them!


I also made a new recipe for artichoke dip, and it was sooo good. I think it is my new recipe for this dip from now on. I got it from my Fix It and Forget It Recipes for Entertaining cookbook. You will love it!

Hot Artichoke Dip

2 14 3/4 oz. jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 cup water chestnuts, chopped
2 cups grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup finel chopped scallions

1. Cut artichoke hearts ino small pieces. Add mayo, sour cream, water chestnuts, cheese and scallions. Pour into slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on high 1-2 hours or on low 3-4 hours.
3. Serve with crusty French bread or crackers.

* I happened to have a HUGE 64 oz. jar of artichokes from Sam's Club, so I was happy to find a use for them. I used my Pampered Chef Food Chopper to chop up the artichokes, and it worked out perfect. I also used fresh shredded parmesan instead of the grated. I love water chestnuts, and so I thought they really added something super yummy to the dip! It was delicious!

Pasta, Chicken and Spinach Salad

I was served this fabulous salad at a playdate a few weeks ago. It is seriously soooo yummy! I made it like three times within a week and a half, and have given the recipe out to many people already. It is actually from Cooks.com.

PASTA, SPINACH AND CHICKEN SALAD
3 c. cooked shredded chicken
1 pkg. (12 oz.) bowtie pasta
1/4 c. sesame seeds
1/2 c. salad oil
1/3 c. soy sauce
1/3 c. white wine vinegar
3 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. chopped parsley
1/2 c. thinly sliced green onion
8 c. lightly packed, torn spinach leaves
Cook pasta, drain, rinse.
In small frying pan, combine 1/4 cup oil and sesame seeds. Saute until seeds are golden. Cool. Stir in remaining oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Pour over cooked, cooled pasta and chicken. Toss gently. Cover and chill 2 hours or overnight. Before serving, add green onions, parsley and spinach. Toss gently. Serves 8+.

* My notes: I made it with parsley the first time, but didn't like the texture. We used the curly pasley, so if you do choose to make this, be sure to buy the flat leaf parsley.You will want to eat many helpings, I promise!

Recipe blog beginning

I decided to start another blog strictly devoted to recipes. I love to read and look at cookbooks, and now cooking blogs. I don't make all the recipes that I find, but I do make some, and I love to share my favorites! This is mostly for my sake, but if anyone can benefit from the yummy recipes I find, then I am happy to share! Enjoy!