Apple Cake with quick caramel frosting

This is an amazingly yummy fall recipe and so quick to throw together.  It's one my mom gave me years ago and I have not a clue where she got it- my Memommy maybe?  If you are one of those sadly deluded people who think that things can be "too sweet" then you might not be a fan (or you just might scrape off most of the icing like my husband did) but if you are a true sweets lover than indulge!

Apple Cake

1 cup oil

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

3 cups chopped apples

1 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 pckg butterscotch chips (optional- use if you are NOT frosting with caramel icing)

Mix oil, sugar and eggs.  Sift dry ingredients and add to sugar mixture.  Add vanilla.  Stir in apples and nuts.  If using, sprinkle with butterscotch chips.  Bake 1 hr at 350 in 9x13 pan.  Leave out chips if you plan to make caramel frosting.

Caramel Frosting- quick and easy

(this is a great substitute for the old fashioned caramel icing that can be pretty difficult)

Melt 1 stick butter (1/2 cup).  Add 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar and 1/4 cup milk.  Bring to a boil and stir for 2 minutes.   Remove from stove and add 2 cups powdered sugar.  Beat until creamy and frost cooled cake.  

Tip:  I poke holes in the top of the cake before frosting it because how could it not be good for the frosting to seep down into the cake?!  

Make your own salads

This has become a favorite in our house especially on busy days.  The girls love the "make your own" aspect of it and I love it because it's (mostly) healthy and quick and easy.  No recipe really.  Just pick your toppings- we usually do tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, chives, hard boiled eggs, cheese, bacon (if I have it), craisins or raisins, sometimes olives and/or avocado and usually some type of nuts.

I found this  fabulous marinade for chicken and beef.  It's not only south beach diet friendly, it's also super easy and versatile.  Sometimes when I bring chicken home from the store, I go ahead and cut it up and put it in the marinade and then put it in the freezer in ziplocs and it's ready to go.  Other times if I haven't really planned ahead, I'll marinate the chicken just for an hour or so before cooking it and it's still just as yummy.  It's also a great marinade to use over night before grilling, but sadly we don't have a grill...

Mostly I love that we've found a fun, creative and healthy way for our girls to love salad!  

For dressing, I almost always use homemade ranch or our favorite balsamic vinegar dressing that I use for everything.  Here's that recipe...

Balsamic Vinegar Dressing

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

3 TBSP honey

2 TBSP dijon mustard

1-2 garlic cloves minced

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup olive oil

Combine all ingredients expect olive oil.  Gradually stir in olive oil until well blended.  Store at room temperature and shake to combine before using.

Hearty Italian Soup

(apparently I can't rotate pictures anymore-sorry!)

But turn your head sideways and marvel at how yummy this soup looks!  In my opinion, just looking at anything with spinach in it makes you healthier and this soup is so full of flavor that you really can't go wrong.  I changed the original recipe because I can't get Italian sausage here.  I used chicken instead (frozen in a 2 cup portion from several whole chickens I cooked the other night- thank you very much freezer cooking for changing my cooking life!).   I also already had the white beans ready in the freezer along with the broth so I threw this together in minutes.  So yummy!

Hearty Italian Soup

2 cups cooked chicken

2 tsp olive oil

1 large onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

48 oz chicken broth

 2 cans white beans (I used 4 cups cooked from dry)

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 tsp Italian seasoning (I used a haphazard combo of oregano, thyme and basil)

5 oz baby spinach

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (I used dry- maybe a TBSP)

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Brown onions and garlic in oil until tender.  Stir in chicken broth, chicken, beans, tomatoes,and Italian seasoning.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes.   Stir in spinach and remaining ingredients.  Cook, stirring occasionally, 5-6 minutes or until spinach is wilted.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Latte

This was amazingly easy and SOOO good!  Here's the link...

http://crockingirls.com/recipes/crockin-pumpkin-spice-latte/

Vegetable Lasagna

I completely forgot about this recipe!  I found it years ago in a magazine and it's so yummy!  A bit time consuming but so worth it!

Vegetable Lasagna

1 (10 oz) frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1 (12 oz) lowfat cottage cheese (I used labneh in the Middle East)

1 egg, beaten

2 tsp olive oil

3/4 cup minced onion

1 cup sliced mushrooms

2 cloves garlic

1 (14.5 oz cans tomatoes, drained, chopped)

1/4 cup fresh parsley

1/4 cup dry red wine (I used vinegar)

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 tsp dried whole basil

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dark brown sugar

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp salt

6 lasagna noodles, uncooked

5 cup sliced zuchini

1 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella

2 TBSP Parmesan

Press spinach to drain.  Combine spinach, cottage cheese and egg-set aside.  Coat large pan with spray- sauté onion 3 minutes.  Add mushroom and garlic- sauté until tender.  Add tomatoes and next 8 ingredients- stir well.  Reduce heat and simmer uncovered- 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.  Coat dish (12x8) with cooking spray.  Spoon 1/3 tomato mixture into dish.  Arrange 3 noodles lengthwise over tomatoes.  Top with 1 1/4 cup spinach.  Layer 2 1/2 cups zucchini over spinach and sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella.  Repeat layers.  Top with remaining tomato mixture.  Cover and refrigerate 8 hours.  Bake covered at 350 for 1 1/2 hours.  Uncover and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and parmesan before serving.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.  

Black bean pineapple salad

This is a yummy accompaniment to any Mexican feast.  We love it with taco salads or fajitas.  I've altered it a good bit over the years to suit what we can find here and the tastes that we like.  

Black bean pineapple salad/salsa

1/2 lb dry black beans cooked in salted water or 2-3 cans black beans

pineapple tidbits with a little juice

chopped red pepper, red onion and celery

Dressing

1/4 cup lime juice

3-4 TBSP honey

2 TBSP olive oil

salt to taste

Combine veggies in serving bowl.  Mix dressing and pour over veggies.  Chill for 6-8 hours before serving to let flavors blend. 

Corn and Zucchini Queso Chowder

This is going to become a regular in our fall/winter soup rotation- extra bonus that it's vegetarian and therefore even less expensive!  Super yummy!

Corn and Zucchini Queso Chowder

1/4 cup butter

1 cup chopped red pepper

1 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups whole kernel corn

2 cups chopped zucchini

1/4 tsp ground cumin

28 oz chicken broth

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup half and half

1 cup shredded monterey jack

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar

Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium/high heat; add pepper, onion and garlic and sauté 4-5 minutes until tender.  Add corn, zucchini, and cumin and saute 4-5 more minutes.  Gradually stir in broth, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of pan.  Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, simmering 15 minutes.  Whisk together flour and next 2 ingredients.  Stir into veggie mixture and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly 5 minutes or until thickened.  Reduce heat to low.  Add cheeses, and cook, stirring constantly, until cheeses melt and mixture is thoroughly heated.  Serve topped with bacon bits, sour cream, cheese and chives.  

Broccoli Slaw

I love broccoli in almost any form.  My kids do too making it a pretty popular choice around here.  It's gotten easier and easier to find as we've lived overseas, and now it's actually pretty affordable.  It always bugs me though, the way they cut it in the stores because they leave a huge amount of the stalk on so you end up paying mostly for that since they weigh it by the kilo.  I bought a bunch of broccoli last week and was cutting it up and prepping it for freezing and storing and I remembered broccoli slaw.  I had a favorite recipe for this that we used in the states where you can conveniently buy shredded broccoli slaw pre-packaged.  I had so much stalk that I realized I could use my food processor and shred it with some of the broccoli to make my own broccoli slaw.  It turned out great.  For those of you in the states, you can buy it pre-packaged or you can shred it yourself or just use the broccoli   florets.  Either way it's yummy!

Broccoli Slaw

1 pound broccoli chopped, or shredded broccoli stalks, or pre-packaged broccoli slaw

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1/4 cup sunflower kernels, toasted

2 pkgs Ramen noodles crumbled (reserve seasoning packets)

grated carrots, red cabbage for color, if desired

Dressing

1/3 cup oil

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1 ramen seasoning packet (chicken flavor)

Combine veggies, nuts, and noodles.  Mix dressing ingredients and pour over all.  Serve immediately.

Homemade Baking Mix (Bisquick substitute)

I've loved discovering this recipe!  It's opened up a whole new world of baking- sausage balls, red lobster cheese biscuits.  I mean, we can occasionally find Bisquick but it's SOOO expensive I don't let myself buy it

Baking Mix

10 c. flour (can do half white/half wheat)

6 TBSP baking powder

1 1/2 TBSP salt

1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 cup sugar

2 cups vegetable shortening

2 cups powdered milk

Sift together first 5 ingredients three times.  With pastry cutter, cut in shortening to consistency of cornmeal.   Store in covered container at room temperature.  Use as substitute for Bisquick in recipes

Balsamic Marinated Roasted Veggies

I adapted this from a recipe in a Southern Living for marinated, grilled veggies.  Sadly, we don't have a grill (yet), so I tweaked the recipe a little, roasted the veggies and they turned out quite good.  And aren't they pretty?  

Balsamic Marinated Roasted Veggies

lots of chopped fresh veggies- I use whatever's in season here and I try to make it colorful

(carrots, various color peppers, zucchini, onion, eggplant, cauliflower etc)

4 TBSP olive oil

3 TBSP honey

2 TBSP balsamic vinegar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

fresh herbs to taste (today I had rosemary in my window planter so I used that- I've also used thyme or basil)

sea salt

Chop veggies.  Combine other ingredients including herbs.  Put veggies in a large ziploc and pour marinate over.  Seal and shake well to combine.  Marinate in frig for at least 4-6 hours.  Roast at 400 degrees until tender. (about 15-20 minutes)  Sprinkle with sea salt and parmesan if you like.

Cranberry Bran Muffins

This is from a bran muffin recipe that's classic.  Been around a while.  But I've gradually changed it around a little to better suit our family and the ingredients we can get over here.  What I love about this recipe is that it makes almost 3 dozen muffins- much more practical for our family considering we can clear 1 dozen as a family in one sitting and the girls will maybe still be hungry!  Yeah, that whole thing about teenage boys eating you out of house and home, applies to girls too!!   Thing 2 that I love is that you make these in advance and keep the batter in the frig for up to a month, making them when it's convenient.  Helps with our crazy morning routine!

Cranberry Bran Muffins

i cup boiling water

1 cup All Bran

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup shortening or oil (I always use oil)

2 cups buttermilk (or 1 cup yogurt, i cup milk- that's what I do...)

2 cups oats

2 1/2 tsp soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups flour (I use either all wheat flour or half white/half wheat depending on the consistency of the wheat flour I've found...)

1 cup craisins (I've been wanting to try chopped dried apricots also- seems like that would by yummy too)

Pour Bran into boiled water, soak, set aside and let cool.  Cream shortening or oil with sugar; add beaten eggs, buttermilk or yogurt and milk along with bran/water mixture.  Add bran flakes, soda, salt, beat well; fold in four.  Stir in craisins.  Keep in refrigerator at least overnight before baking.  It will keep up to a month.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.  

Feta Coleslaw

Well, I guess it looks like none of us eat anymore!  We do eat.  And I even cook still.  Some.  It's just been such a crazy few months, I'm lucky to get a decent meal in front of my family- much less blog about it!  

Anyway, trying to get back into the routine!  Here's a recipe that's become a favorite side dish in our house- AND it's healthy.  AND my 13 year old LOVES it.  And finding veggies that she not only loves but asks for regularly- well I consider that an accomplishment!  

When we were in the states a year or so ago, I went to a place called Zoe's Kitchen in Birmingham.  You can find their link here.  Kind of a trendy, Mediterranean style restaurant with lots of yumminess.  More Greek Mediterranean than Lebanese (in my opinion) but still super good.  They have a fantabulous coleslaw with a vinegar based dressing and huge yummy chunks of feta cheese.  I made it my mission to replicate this recipe.  Mine has ended up pretty different than the original mainly due to the different consistency of feta in this part of the world but it's still super yummy and all my kids love it.  

Feta Coleslaw

1 head cabbage shredded

diced green onion

other diced veggies as desired (I usually use red pepper, green pepper, maybe carrots)

crumbled feta (enough... ok lots)

Dressing

vinegar

olive oil

Cavender's greek seasoning

lemon juice

salt

Ok, for the dressing- I have never measured.  I use more vinegar than oil (maybe 3 parts vinegar to 1 part oil?).  Then I squirt in the lemon juice (a few TBSP?).  The seasoning and salt is to taste but I'd say  at least 1-2 tsp of Cavender's if not a little more.  

Combine all slaw ingredients.  Combine dressing and pour over veggies at least a few hours before serving so the flavors can combine.  

Mint Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

The recipe for this cake came about completely by accident, but it was an instant hit!  Maddie came home a month or so ago needing to take a cake to school the next day.  Since it was 6 at night, dinner wasn't made and I did not want a trip to the floor, I scrounged around and realized I had the ingredients for chocolate chip pound cake.  The recipe called for a box of instant chocolate or vanilla pudding.  I didn't have just regular pudding but I had a box of magic color changing pudding that Jason's mom had brought months ago- it had gotten pushed to the back of the cabinet and forgotten but I found it in my hunt for ingredients.  So I figured why not (knowing that a room full of hungry 5th graders were not going to be hard to impress especially if chocolate is involved!).  Anyway, we used the pudding, and WOW- that batter turned the most amazing (and by amazing I mean VERY bright and sort of obnoxious...) shade of green.  Maddie was a little distressed that the cake would seem weird so I scrounged around in my cabinets again and decided that by adding a bit of peppermint extract, the green color would fit right in and voila, mint chocolate chip pound cake!  This time, I stuck with the regular recipe (using the regular box of vanilla pudding) and just used a few drops of green food coloring along with it.  I also went online and found a recipe for peppermint glaze which finished it off very nicely!

Mint Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

1 box yellow cake mix (I have yet to use yellow- the first time all the store had was coconut and this last time, it was white chocolate...)

1/2 cup sugar

1 box instant vanilla pudding

2/3 cup water

3/4 cup oil

4 eggs

8 oz sour cream (for those in the ME- I used labneh which worked great)

6 oz chocolate chips (I chunked up a semi sweet chocolate bar)

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

Combine first 6 ingredients.  Mix well.  Stir in sour cream, chocolate and extract.  Bake 350 for 1 hour.  Cool in pan 10 minutes then remove from pan and cool completely.  Top with peppermint glaze

Peppermint Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

hot water

Combine sugar and extract.  Add hot water until desired consistency reached.  

Banana, Peanut Butter and Honey Muffins

Image Credit

These were a wonderful departure from the usual breakfast suspects in our house this morning. I saw this on the Tasty Kitchen Blog last night and knew immediately that it was what I was going to make for breakfast this morning.

1-¼ cup Flour
½ cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
¼ teaspoons Salt
½ teaspoons Cinnamon
1 whole Ripe Banana, Mashed
⅔ cups Plain Fat Free Yogurt
1 whole Large Egg, Lightly Beaten
¼ cups Water
⅓ cups Creamy Peanut Butter
⅓ cups Honey
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 teaspoons Sugar
¼ teaspoons Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375°F and line a 12-cup standard muffin pan with baking cups then coat baking cups with cooking spray. Set aside.

Whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture.

Combine banana, yogurt, egg, water, peanut butter, honey and vanilla in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk to combine. Add this wet mixture into the well that you made in the center of the flour mixture and stir just until combined. The batter will be thick.

Fill each baking cup 3/4 full of batter. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the muffins.

Bake for 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let muffins cool in pan set on a wire rack for 2 minutes before removing them from the pan to serve warm or cool completely. Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.

Hummus (Lebanese- the ONLY kind...)

I have discovered that after living in Lebanon,  I will never look at hummus the same again.  Those of you living in the good ole' US of A who think you have had yummy hummus, if it did not come from a Lebanese restaurant or from the home of someone who learned to make it in Lebanon, sorry but it could not have been that great!  Yep, I'm a little biased!

I've started making our hummus because I have yet to find it in Jordan that is quite like I like it.  I have a Lebanese cookbook and follow that basic recipe and then tweak it until I get the right flavor and appearance.  So, these measurements are not exact.  You have to figure it out for yourself!

Hummus, Lebanon style

4 cups chick peas, soaked overnight

tahini (sesame paste)

lemon juice

salt

garlic cloves (several, crushed)

olive oil

Cook the chick peas in salted water for several hours until very soft adding water as necessary.  Now, the first time I made hummus, I became very overwhelmed at the amount of chick peas produced and how difficult it was to process them.  A friend told me that one of her Lebanese neighbors separates the chick peas after cooking them into serving size freezer bags and only uses a little at a time.  It worked so much better this way!  Again, I don't know the exact measurements but I divided the cooked chick peas into 4 equal portions, froze 3 of them and prepared the last portion.  Place chick peas (with a little water and a good bit of lemon juice in large bowl).  Process until smooth.  Add crushed garlic (2-3 cloves), salt and tahini to taste and until you get the consistency you desire.  Top with olive oil, serve with pita chips and fresh veggies- YUMMY!

KJ's Chicken Salad

KJ might not even know that she has a chicken salad, but in our house, this is KJ's chicken salad.  She made it for supper when I visited them back in the fall and I LOVED it so much and now make it a good bit.  So yummy and quick and easy!  (and pretty...)

KJ's Chicken Salad

1 rotisserie chicken (or chicken cooked in crock pot- white and dark meat)- torn into pieces

chopped celery

chopped walnuts

craisins

celery salt (amount depends on if you also used celery too)

mayonaise (enough to where it sticks together but not so much that it gets gloopey- is that a word?)

Combine all and serve on a bed of lettuce.

(I had mine with hummus and red peppers- also super yummy!)

Strawberry Dream Cake

And here is yet another amazing strawberry dessert recipe (I am obviously blogging therapeutically about food since I'm dieting and can't eat any of it!).  I had to go back a few years to find a picture of this cake.  I made it for Maddie's birthday several years ago shaped like a big white bow...

This year I made it for our traditional Easter bunny cake and of course forgot to take a picture.  But let me tell you this cake is AMAZING.  I've had lots of experience with strawberry cake and this is the all time best I think...I got the original recipe from all recipes.com but changed it up a bit.

Strawberry Dream Cake

1 white cake mix (i used yellow)

1 1/2 cups frozen sweetened strawberries, pureed (I used fresh and mooshed them)

12 oz cream cheese

8 (1 oz) squares white chocolate

1 pckg strawberry jello

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 (8oz) container cool whip (I used the equivalent of whipped cream)

sliced fresh strawberries

Preheat oven to 350 and grease and flour 2 9inch round pans.  Make cake per directions except substitute the 1 1/2 cups strawberries for the water and add 1 extra egg, (if mix calls for 2 eggs, add 3), and 8 oz cream cheese at room temp and package of strawberry jello.  Beat well and pour into prepared pans.  Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown.  A toothpick inserted in center will not come out clean when this cake is done since it is so moist.  Let cake cool fully before frosting.

Frosting:  Heat the heavy cream until just beginning to boil.  Pour it over the white chocolate (chopped) and the remaining 4 ounces cream cheese.  Mix well and let cool.  Once cool fold into the whipped topping (I used whipped cream).  Use to frost cooled cake.  If the frosting needs to be thicker, you can beat in powdered sugar but I did not have to do that this time.  Garnish with fresh strawberries.

I promise the combo of white chocolate, cream cheese and strawberries in this cake is to die for!!

Strawberry Sour Cream Pie

This pie is one of our summer favorites.  The recipe actually says that it can also be done with peaches or blackberries which I've never actually done but I'm sure would be amazing.  It kind of ends up being a pie/cobbler combo- best of 2 worlds!

And on this post, not only am I a horrible food photographer, but I actually forgot to take a picture of the finished product so you'll have to use your imagination...

First you pile your strawberries in the crust..

Then put on the topping...

And voila....

A delicious strawberry cream pie

(here's the part where you have to use your imagination or just try it, believe me, you'll be glad you did...)

Strawberry Sour Cream Pie

1 unbaked pie shell (9 inch)

(you can find my favorite pie crust recipe here)

1 1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 TBSP sugar

1 quart fresh strawberries 

1 cup sifted flour

1 cup sour cream (middle east friends- I substitute labneh and it works great)

Rinse, drain and half strawberries and place in pie shell.  Sift sugar, flour and salt together and add gradually to sour cream.  Pour mixture over strawberries.  Sprinkle remaining 2 TBSP sugar evenly over top.  Bake until firm and lightly browned.  (450 for 15 minutes and 350 for 50-60 minutes).  I used a shield around the crust to keep it from getting too brown.  

Moroccan Lamb Stew

I found a new recipe and we all LOVE it, so I thought I would share.  I did it in my crockpot, but that's not what the recipe calls for, so if you don't have a cp, don't worry.  I browned my lamb chunks before putting them into the crockpot and cooked for 8 hours on low.  I also used golden raisins instead of the apricots, couldn't find sweet potatoes so just left them out, and couldn't find turmeric so I jut didn't worry about it.  Other than that, I think I followed the recipe :).  I served it over cous cous, which I made with the awesome broth from the soup (thanks KF for teaching me that trick).  The second time I made this, I put in more lentils because, hey, why not?  The link is Here.  ENJOY ladies!

Germantown Chocolate Pie

I discovered this pie by accident this winter and it's oh so yummy.  I've realized that in our overly connected world, I typically used recipes I've always used and then those that I find on the internet.  But I have mounds of cookbooks that sadly rarely get touched.  Anyway, I was going through some old ones this winter and came across this pie recipe.  It was so worth it!  I got this recipe as a wedding gift.  It's a Junior League cookbook and has some great recipes in it.

I actually forgot to take a picture of the finished product but I took a picture a day or so later for another post on dieting.  Again, food photography, not my strongest gifting, but you get the idea...

Germantown Chocolate Pie

1 4 oz package German sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup milk, divided

1 1/2 tsp instant coffee crystals

3 oz cream cheese, softened

3 TBSP sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup heavy cream, whipped (or 2 cups whipped dessert topping)

1 9 inch baked pie shell or graham cracker pie shell

chocolate curls

In a 1 quart sauce pan, combine chocolate, 2 TBPS milk and the coffee crystals.  Cook and stir over low heat until chocolate melts.  Cool to room temperature.  

In a small bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, remaining milk, and cooled chocolate mixture with an electric mixer until smooth.  Fold in whipped cream.  Spoon into pie shell.  Freeze about 4 hours or until firm.  Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes.  Garnish with chocolate curls before serving.  YUMMY!!

Sweet Potato and Red Pepper Soup

I made this soup a couple of months ago and the jury is still out. I think mine came out a little too thick - I didn't have a flavor issue, although I probably didn't put enough salt, pepper and hot sauce. I had more of a texture issue with it. Especially for eating it room temperature. But I was in the mood for something a little different and this certainly fit the bill.

serves 6

2 red bell peppers (about 8oz.), seeded and cubed
generous 4 cups diced sweet potatoes
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 1/4 c dry white wine
1 1/4 quarts vegetable stock
hot pepper sauce, to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh chunky bread to serve

Dice a small quantity of the red pepper for the garnish; set aside. Put the rest into a saucepan with the sweet potatoes, onion, garlic, white wine and vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until all the vegetables are soft.

Transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and process utnil smooth. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a generous dash of hot pepper sauce. Cool slightly. Garnish with the reserved diced red pepper and serve warm or at room temperature.

Mulligatawny

The name of this soup makes me think of Seinfeld and the soup n@zi. I had no idea what was in it until I decided to make it one day. I imagine there are probably different variations of it out there. One thing is for sure, this version from my Harry's Roadhouse cookbook fed us for about a week and we had extra to take to friends as well. If you're ever hosting a big group I think this would be a fun thing to serve.

1 c uncooked rice
1 c diced onions
1 c diced celery (I used celery seeds b/c I didn't have fresh, but wished I would have just put more carrot of apple for more texture...)
1 c diced carrots
1/2 c butter, divided
3 1/2 T good-quality curry powder (I used red curry paste...)
1 1/2 t turmeric
1/4 t cayenne
2 1/2 quarts chicken stock (I used homemade)
1 quart coconut milk (I used 2 cans which may not have equaled a full quart...)
2 apples, peeled and diced
3 cups cooked and diced turkey or chicken (I used chicken)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c flour
1/4 c chopped cilantro

Cook the rice in 2 cups of water. Set aside.

Sautee vegetables in half of the butter. When onions become translucent, add curry powder, turmeric, and cayenne. Cook for about 5 minutes; add stock and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Add apples. When apples are soft add the cooked turkey or chicken. Adjust seasonings for salt and pepper.

Make a roux with 1/4 c butter and 1/4 c flour. Whisk into hot soup, being sure to whisk out lumps. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Place rice in the bottom of six 12-ounce bowls, top with soup, and garnish with chopped cilantro.

**it says this feeds 6 but it went a long way for us - I just made fresh rice each time. You can make it stretch for awhile over rice. I liked it better over brown rice than white, but I prefer brown rice in general so that could be why

Lemon Chicken Vegetable Soup with Pita Chips

This is healthy eating in a spoon!  Super yummy and fresh tasting!  Jason's mom gave me a terrific lemon-chicken soup recipe.  I combined it with a local recipe from a friend here and the result was fabulous.

Lemon Chicken Vegetable Soup

1 whole chicken

2 large onions, chopped

5 celery ribs, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp olive oil

1-2 cups chopped veggies (carrots, zuchini, cauliflower)

2 TBSP lemon zest

1-2 TBSP fresh lemon juice

2 tsp salt

2 TBSP dried parsley leaves

other seasonings to taste (I used thyme and basil- small amounts)

Cook chicken in enough water to cover until tender.  I added onion, carrots and other seasonings to make a richer broth and cooked it in the crock pot over night.  Remove chicken, reserving broth and let cool 15 minutes.  Shred chicken.  Strain broth, discarding solids, and add enough water to equal 10 cups.  Saute onion, celery and garlic in hot oil until tender.  Add broth and other veggies.  Cover and cook over medium heat until veggies are tender.  Add chicken, lemon zest and juice and other seasonings.  Heat through.  

Pita Chips

pita bread cut into triangles

olive oil

garlic salt

sea salt

Spread pita bread on cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil.  Spray with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt and sea salt to taste.  Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned and crisp.  Serve with soups, hummus, guacamole or other dips or spreads.

Apricot Muffins

Let's go ahead and establish in case it hasn't become blatantly obvious by now, that I am a horrible food photographer.  It is simply not something that I care enough about to figure out how to do better.  Maybe one day when I have oodles of spare time, but not today.  I love to cook and if it's a recipe that I want to share I'll snap a picture of it before I eat it.  The end.

These little jewels have lots of memories for us.  On our third anniversary we went to Heber Springs, AR and stayed in a bed and breakfast.  We were hoping to do some poor man's fly fishing (read as- we couldn't afford to pay for a guide and all the equipment) and sure enough the hosts of the bed and breakfast took pity on us and he offered to take us out for a half day adventure on the house.  It was fabulous!  The breakfast they packed with us to take out on the river including a version of apricot muffins- super yummy especially wearing weighters, waiting for the fish to bite at 5 AM!  These also meet my husbands requirement of not being "too sweet" (poor thing thinks that's normal...)

APRICOT MUFFINS

13/4 cup flour (I use wheat)

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 egg beaten

*3/4 cup orange juice *

1/3 cup oil

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

1/2 cup walnuts (I sometimes leave this out since my weirdo families don't like muffins to crunch...)

Stir first 4 ingredients, make well in center.  Combine egg, orange juice and oil.  Add all at once.  Stir until moistened.  Add apricots and nuts.  Bake 400 for 20-25 minutes.  Dip tops in melted butter and powdered sugar.  

*I've started doing half orange juice and half lemon juice- makes it a bit more tart and less sweet*

Cocoa- Mint Yo-yos

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Cocoa Mint Yo- yos

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/3 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400.  In large bowl, beat butter on medium speed until softened.  Add sugar and beat until fluffy.  Beat in egg.  In mixing bowl stir together dry ingredients.  With mixer on low speed add half of the flour mixture and beat well.  Beat in the buttermilk and then the remaining flour mixture until well mixed.  Drop by rounded tsp about 3 inches apart onto greased cookie sheets.  Bake 7-9 minutes until edges are firm and cookies are no longer shiny.  Move to racks to cool.  Mix up mint filling.

Mint Filling

3 cups sifted powdered sugar

6 TBSP butter softened

1/4 tsp peppermint extract

2 TBSP milk

3-4 drops green food coloring

In small bowl combine all and beat on low speed until smooth.  Add additional milk if needed until easy to spread.  

Assemble by spreading rounded tsp of filling on flat side of half of the cooled cookies.  Top with remaining cookies, rounded side up.