Creamy Tortelini Soup

Keep this recipe on stand by for the next chilly night.  I made this a couple of months ago and was really impressed with how great it was.  No one has to know that you used canned soup as a base.  This is a tasty and filling soup.  The best part is it's on the table in no time!

Creamy Tortelini Soup

2 whole Large Cloves Of Garlic Minced

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 cans 10 3/4 Oz Cans Of Condensed Tomato Soup (I used the traditional Campbell's Soup in the can)
½ cups Sun Dried Tomatoes, Chopped Or Two Tablespoons Of Sun Dried Tomato Paste
1-½ cup Milk
2 cups Half-and-half
2 cups Chicken Stock
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
½ teaspoons Salt
½ teaspoons Pepper
2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
1 whole 9 Oz Package Of Cheese Filled Tortellini
½ cups Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Saute garlic with the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat until golden brown.
When the garlic is done, add tomato soup, tomatoes, milk, half and half, chicken stock and spices. Bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, prepare tortellini as directed.  When done, drain and add to soup.  Ladle soup into bowls, top with parmesan cheese and serve with crusty bread.

Enjoy!!!

The BEST Chicken Tortilla Soup

I could seriously eat soup everyday regardless of the weather!  And I LOVE a good chicken tortilla soup!  This recipe is as good if not better than any I've had before and when you factor in how easy it is to make you can't go wrong!  I saw this recipe on a fantastic blog I follow Live.to.the.point.of.tears.  I pretty much made it as written (just added cumin cause I'm a big fan of the stuff) and can't wait to make it again.  Seriously, even if you are a beginner in the kitchen, you can't go wrong with this fool proof recipe.  Trust me on this one!  Enjoy!

BBlove's Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

• Cooked & Shredded Chicken (1/2 of the breast meat from a rotisserie chicken is perfect for this or you can prepare your own chicken)
• 1 tomato, seeded & cut up
• 1 medium onion, in eighths
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped, or 1/2 tsp coriander, dried
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 cup green chile salsa
• 1 tsp olive oil (+ more for making tortilla strips)
• 6 cups chicken broth (makes about 5 servings)
• salt & pepper to taste (I go heavy on the pepper & light on the salt)
• a few slices of jalapeno if you want to add spice

Suggestions for topping:
• grated cheddar cheese
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 1 avocado
• Shredded cabbage, uncooked
• fresh cilantro
• sour cream
• small corn tortillas, cut in thin strips (1-2 tortillas per person)

Combine chicken broth and cooked chicken in a large soup pot and heat.

Meanwhile, blend tomato, onion, garlic, cilantro, jalapenos and salsa in blender or food processor. While blending, drizzle in the 1 tsp olive oil.  Add mixture from blender to your soup pot.  Bring to boil and then simmer for at least 30 min. Soup can simmer for 2 to 3 hours if you like. Or you can let it cool and reheat later.
To make tortilla strips (optional - you use store bought chips), coat a frying pan with olive oil, heat on medium heat. Add tortillas cut into strips and lightly fry until crispy, turning constantly to avoid burning. Blot oil on a paper towel and salt lightly.

Serve soup topped with desired toppings.  I put bowls of all the toppings on the table for everyone to add their custom toppings.  If you haven't tried uncooked shredded cabbage in soup, give it a try with this one.  It's one of my favorite additions!  Enjoy!

**UPDATE:  I have made this recipe 3 times now in the last few weeks.  Once for a welcome baby dinner for a new mommy & daddy and once for a book club dinner at my house.  (The first time was just for Mr. B & I)  Every time it has met RAVE reviews!  I can't tell you how much I LOVE this simple & delicious recipe.

Loaded Potato Soup

It's that time of year when I could eat soup for lunch every day & dinner every night!  I love a good bowl of hot soup!  Mr. B's favorite is a good potato soup.  I've been playing with a few recipes since I haven't mastered my mom's yet.  I saw this recipe by the Neely's on Food Network and decided to give it a try.  It was delish.  I completely pureed the soup to give it a nice silky consistency and then topped it with sour cream, crumbled bacon, chopped green onions, and hot sauce.  Everyone was looking for seconds!  Enjoy!

Loaded Potato Soup

Serves 4-6

4 tablespoons butter

1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup whole milk
1 (12-ounce) bottle light beer
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar (about 8 ounces)
Dash hot sauce
Dash Worcestershire
Sour cream, for topping
4 slices bacon, cooked crisp, for topping
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, for topping

Directions
In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and saute in butter until the vegetables begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and continue to stir for 2 minutes to toast the flour. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Gradually whisk in the stock, then the milk and the beer. Stir in the potatoes and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup until the potato is tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Return the soup to low heat. Add the cheese a handful at a time, stirring until melted and smooth after each addition. Season the soup, to taste, with hot sauce, Worcestershire, and salt and pepper.

Divide the soup among bowls and top with sour cream, crisp bacon and chopped chives.

Don't Forget the Cranberry Sauce!

My favorite holiday recipes wouldn't do you much good this year if i waited until after T-day to post them right??  So here's another blast from my holiday past...
I've been making homemade cranberry sauce for our holiday meals for as long as I can remember.  I was given a traditional family recipe to make when I was around 10.  Over the years I've switched it up a little here and there.  In the past I would add fresh raspberries (which I still think is great) but last year I tried adding some fresh chopped pear.  The fresh pears complement the cranberries so well!  I absolutly enjoyed the different texture.  I was so pleased that I will be doing it again this year.

If you've never had homemade cranberry sauce you should give it a try.  It doesn't take long to make and it is so much better than the stuff from the can! You can even make it a few days in advance.  (Dontcha just love make in advance recipes!)  Give it a try, you're family will be so impressed by your fancy skills!  Enjoy!

Pear Honey Cranberry Sauce
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup +/- water
1/2 cup white sugar
2 pears, peeled, cored and diced
1 (12 ounce) package fresh cranberries
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

In a medium saucepan, add together OJ, sugar, pears, cranberries and enough water to just come to the top of the fruit. Cook over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Cook, stirring frequently for 3 minutes, add honey and cinnamon. Continue to cook until cranberries pop and the mixture thickens slightly, about 5-10 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Cool to room temperature, then store covered in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Holiday Mashed Potatoes

The countdown to turkey day is on!  Are you ready to get your aprons on?  I don't know about you, but in my holiday meal experience those final minutes in the kitchen tend to be a bit on the hectic side.  Chances are you've got ten thousand people in the kitchen, there's a giant bird to be carved, gravy to be made, rolls to be burned warmed... you know all those last minute things that can't be done in advance.  One of the things we scratched of the list years ago in our family was mashing the potatoes.  This recipe is SUPER basic, and WAY too delicious!  The greatest part, all the time consuming stuff can be done the day before.  All you have to do the day of the big meal is throw it in the oven and enjoy!  Do this, you'll thank me!

Holiday Mashed Potatoes

5 lbs Potatoes, peeled & cut
8 oz Cream Cheese
1 Cup Half & Half
½ Cup Butter, + more for top
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Season Salt
1 tsp Regular Salt
1 tsp White Pepper

Boil & drain potatoes.

Mix Cream Cheese and half & half until creamy, add hot potatoes & beat. Add melted butter & seasonings; beat well.

Spread in 9” x 13” baking dish. (Can be done the night before up to this point.)
Top with melted butter & paprika. Bake 35 - 45 min @ 350 degrees.

Smothered Chile Colorado Burritos

When I saw this recipe from Chef-in-Training on Pinterest I may have drooled all over my keyboard.  It looked SO good, I knew I had to taste it.  When I made it yesterday & got to actually taste it, I couldn't have been more pleased!  It was probably one of the best things I've ever made.  Yeah I really just said that.  ONE OF THE BEST THINGS... and I've made A LOT of things.  Maybe it was how simple they were to make that added to the their AMAZING taste to put them on my top ten list.  Maybe they were just so delicious that they caused me to forget every tasty thing I've ever made before.  Either way, they were DELISH!!!  I would love to eat these again and again and again!  No really, they were that good.  Honestly better than anything like this I've had from a restaurant.

Oh and can I take a minute to talk about how easy they were to make.  Hello, the crock pot!  I love crock pot cooking.  Toss it all in and come home after work & it smells like someone has been in your kitchen slaving away all day.  I've been using my crock pot quite a bit lately.  It may be my favorite kitchen gadget.

Do yourself a favor, make these.  Trust me, it's way to simple to be so darn good!

Smothered Chile Colorado Burritos

1 1/2 lbs stew meat
1lg can or 2 small cans red enchilada sauce (I used 1 of can of El Paso Mild)

2 beef bullion cubes, crushed
1 beer* (any kind will do, I used a bottle of Coors Light)
refried beans
burrito size tortillas
1 cup shredded cheese

Put beef into crock pot. Top with crushed bouillon cubes, enchilada sauce, & beer*. Cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until meat is very tender.


When beef is done it will start to break apart.  I wanted mine less chunky & more shredded so I used the handy dandy kitchen aid mixer method I use for chicken.  Beautifully shredded!  If you want more "chunks" to your meat, you can skip this step.
Heat the refried beans separately. You can use canned refried beans or homemade if you prefer.  Whole beans would be tasty too if that is what you are in the mood for.

Desired amount of beans on to the center of each tortilla. Add about 1/2 cup of beef (give or take) a little cheese, and roll into a burrito.  (Shout out to Mr. Casa de Soria for teaching me how to roll burrito perfection!)

Place burritos into a baking pan. Pour some of extra sauce over the top of the burritos to smother them and sprinkle with cheese on top.

Broil until cheese becomes bubbly, approx. 2-4 minutes.

This recipe makes about 5-7 burritos depending on how big you make them.
*They use of the beer is optional. I love the addition of beer to most marinades and crock pot dishes.  I highly suggest you give it a try.  Don't worry, the alcohol cooks off, so you wont get drunk! ;)

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

I saw THIS recipe on SkinnyTaste.com and knew it had to grace my kitchen.  I love stuffed cabbage and this is a great way to capture all the essence with out all the tedious rolling and stuffing.  Unfortunately I discovered after I spent all the time making it, that Mr. B does not share my love for cabbage, but oh well more for me!

I will definitely make this again (probably when the Mr. is not around one night).

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

2 tsp olive oil, divided
1 lb. 95% lean ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1 large onion, chopped fine
1 tbsp finely minced garlic
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp sweet Hungarian Paprika
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 heads green cabbage, coarsely chopped
1 can (14.5 oz.) petite dice tomatoes with juice
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
2 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups low-fat mozzarella cheese  (I used a combo of cheeses I had on hand)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a large glass casserole dish with non-stick spray.  In a large pan on medium heat; cook ground meat until it's browned and cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the same pan, add 1 tsp olive oil, chopped onion and cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic, dried thyme, and paprika and cook about 2 minutes more. Then add the diced tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, and ground meat. Add water to the pan. Simmer until it's hot and slightly thickened, about 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the cabbage coarsely into 1 inch pieces.  Heat remaining olive oil in a large frying pan or dutch oven; add the cabbage and cook over medium-high heat until the cabbage is wilted and about half cooked, turning it over several times so it all wilts and cooks. Season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
When the meat and tomato sauce mixture has cooked and thickened a bit, stir in the 2 cups of cooked rice and gently combine.

Layer half the cabbage, half the meat mixture, remaining cabbage, and remaining meat mixture. Cover tightly with foil and bake 40 minutes, or until the mixture is just starting to bubble on the edges.  Remove foil and sprinkle on cheese.  Bake uncovered an additional 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to slightly brown. Serve hot.  Enjoy!

The Best Shredded Chicken

Remember this post?  Well if you do, think of this post as a reminder to make this tasty chicken.  If you missed this one, you can thank me for the repost after you've made this tasty & EASY dish!

It doesn't get any easier than this tasty Mexican style shredded chicken! On a hot day there's nothing better than coming home to a dinner that it practically done. Hot, delicious & no need to turn on the oven! How so? The crockpot! Most of the time we tend to only pull out the crock pot during the cold winter months... but warm days are perfect for your slow cooker, since it doesn't heat up the kitchen. And with the beautiful weather outside, anything that minimizes the time spent in the kitchen preparing dinner is a friend of mine!

I decided to pull this together for Football Sunday dinner with some friends.  In the morning, I threw all my ingredients in the crockpot... then we went about our busy day.  Came home that afternoon and the house smelled great! A few quick steps at that point and dinner was on the table no time.

Simple Shredded Chicken
(This can easily be doubled - this amount fed 4 of us with leftovers)
3 to 4 chicken breasts (mine were frozen)
1 jar of salsa
1 beer
desired seasonings (optional)

Combine all ingredients in crock pot. I chose a medium heat salsa that happened to be on sale.  In the past I've used one w/ black beans and corn.  Any salsa will do.  For the seasonings I went with a couple tsp of my homemade taco seasoning, fresh ground pepper, garlic, and some sriracha for a little extra kick. The lid went on & I set it to low for 8 hours, since that's when we would be ready for dinner.  You can certainly put it on high for 6 hours with great results as well.

When I got home, I removed the chicken from the crock pot and dropped them into my Kitchen Aid mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mixed for a few seconds and had perfectly shredded chicken.  (So easy this way!  no need to stand there with 2 forks shredding, or burning your fingers.)

Return chicken to crock pot and and all those yummy juices while you prepare whatever it is you'd like to use this yummy filler for! We had chicken tacos & burritos. I warmed some tortillas, shredded some cabbage and whipped up some smashed black beans and Mexican rice. Served with desired toppings and we had a fantastic meal! Enjoy!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I had bread bowls and I had broccoli...  what to do, what to do?  I turned to the ever so popular Pioneer Woman for inspiration & came upon this recipe.  I could eat soup anytime of year.  This soup was incredibly simple to make and oh so delicious!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 Onion, Diced

1 stick 1/2 Cup Butter
1/3 cup Flour
4 cups Whole Milk
2 cups Half-and-half
4 heads Broccoli Cut Into Florets
1 pinch Nutmeg
3 cups Grated Cheese (mild Cheddar, Sharp Cheddar, Jack, Etc.)
Small Dash Of Salt (more If Needed)
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Chicken Broth If Needed For Thinning

Melt butter in a pot over medium heat, then add the onions. Cook the onions for 3 to 4 minutes, then sprinkle the flour over the top. Stir to combine and cook for 1 minute or so.  Slowly add in milk and half-and-half, stirring while adding. Add nutmeg, broccoli, salt, and black pepper.

Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender.  You will want to stir periodically.

At this point you can pick your consistency.  I wanted a good amount of texture to my soup, so I decided to go with some pureed, some chopped, and some left as is.  You could absolutely leave it all as is, or blend it all up nice and smooth.  If you choose to blend it, make sure to use caution.  Always blend hot liquids in smaller batches.  Or is you're lucky and have an immersion blender just use that.

Once you're satisfied with your consistency and everything is back in the pot and the heat is back on, stir in cheese and allow to melt.

Taste seasonings and adjust if needed.  At this point I added a little hot sauce, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Serve in a bread bowl if desired.  But this soup is tasty enough to be served in a regular ole bowl with some crackers.  Enjoy!

Yum!

What is this delightful looking pasta you ask?  Stay tuned...

Bacon, egg & cheese "cupcakes"

How cute are these little guys!?!  I saw these HERE and decided to give them a try.  I love when I see something online and I go into my kitchen and discover I have everything to make it.

So I'm not sure if you noticed, but I have a soft spot for cupcakes.  What's not to love about individual treats that are cute and tasty??  Well this is all of your favorite things about breakfast in a cupcake costume.  When Mr. B took a look at his plate he was like, "well what are these little goodies?"  Once he cut one open he actually gasped, "It's even more spectacular when you cut it open!"  Yeah, that much enthusiasm out of him & I know it was a success!  

These don't really require a recipe, just some assemblage and preparation of ingredients.  The amount you need will vary depending on the number of mouths you are feeding:

Biscuit Dough - Homemade, from a boxed mix, or premade will do.  If you are going the easy route (why not go that route??) and want to use premade, do me a favor... STOP buying the canned refrigerator biscuits.  The frozen ones are SO much better!  They taste almost like homemade (unlike the canned ones) and you can pull 2 or 10 out of the bag and back into the freezer they go. *For this recipe pull them out and let them defrost while you get the rest of the ingredients together.

Eggs - Prepair however you usually make your breakfast scrambled eggs.  My tip, low and slow makes soft creamy eggs.  No hard rubbery eggs here!

Breakfast meat of your choice - You can use bacon, ham, or sausage, or even a combination.  I went with bacon.  Chopped and fully cooked.

Cheese - Use any chees you have on hand.  I chose grated colby jack.

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.  Roll out one biscuit, and top with your prepared toppings.  Crimp seams together creating a stuffed dough ball.  Place in lined cupcake pans seam side down.

I sprayed the tops with a little bit of olive oil and a light sprinkling of sea salt.  Bake 15 min or until golden brown.

How cute is this!  Give them a try, your Mr and/or your littles will be glad you did! Enjoy!

Meatless Monday: Black Bean Avocado Burritos

By no means am I a vegetarian.  Honestly, I could never give meat up.  well, red meat maybe, but never chicken or pork.  Hello, can you imagine a life without bacon?!?!  It would be a dull, sad, lonely place.  Having said that, once in awhile we like to have a tasty meatless meal.  Why, I'm not actually sure, but if done right you don't even miss the meat in a dish.

These burritos were just right.  Easy, tasty, and guilt free.  You can adjust and customize these about 100 different ways, but here's what I did:

Black Bean Avocado Burritos

1 cup cooked brown rice

1 cup black beans

Pico de gallo or fresh salsa

1 avocado

tortillas (the bigger the better for folding purposes)

a bit of cheese (I used Monterey Jack)

Pre heat panini maker.

While rice is cooking, heat and season beans.  I use a can of plain black beans, mostly drained with a little bit of water.  Add a spoon full of salsa/pico de gallo, some salt, pepper and garlic.  In a separate dish, smash your avocado.  I like to keep it simple, with just a little salt, pepper, garlic and cumin.

Into a tortilla add, rice, beans, salsa, guac, and cheese.  Roll, tuck and fold ends to make a nice little burrito.  Repeat until burritos are assemble.  Place 2-3 into the panini maker at a time.  Enjoy!

Meatless Monday: Veggie Patty Parmesan

Sometimes on a hot day I just don't feel like going to the store after work.  Yesterday was one of those days!  Dinner time is so much easier when you prepare in advance.  Someday day I'll be that person who has my meals planned out a week in advance.  But not today.

My first thoughts yesterday evening included: I don't know what to make for dinner, we have nothing for me to make, and finally I give up!  After a few moments of pity party, inspiration hit me. We purchased THESE Veggie Patties at Costco the other day.  They are Don Lee Farms Veggie Patties. I was pleased to see that the ingredient list did not include anything that sounded like it came from a chemists lab.  Mr. B is quite please with them and takes them to work for lunch.  He always eats them as a burger, on a bun, but I got inspired to do something a little different with them for dinner. 

With the addition of some whole wheat pasta, fresh spinach, some marinara sauce, and a little Parmesan cheese, I threw together a Veggie Patty Parmesan.  It was easy as can be and dinner literally came together in 15 min!

Veggie Patty Parmesan

(This was for 2 servings.  Could easily be changed to serve more!)

2 Veggie Patties

2 cups (+/-) Marinara Sauce

1 cup Whole Wheat Pasta

2 large handfuls of fresh spinach, roughly chopped

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Cook veggie patties according to directions.  While patties are cooking, boil pasta.  Once pasta is cooked and drained, toss in a pot with 1/2 of the marinara sauce and the spinach.  Divide into individual servings on plates.  Place cooked veggie patty on pasta, top each patty with remaining marinara sauce, and a sprinkling of cheese.  In fifteen minutes you have a tasty meal that you can feel good about.  Enjoy!

 

There are few problems in life that can't be solved or at least helped a little by a big plate of cheese for dinner.  Sometimes tasty cheeses, fruit, crackers, a little wine, and good friends can make even the worst of days seem just a little more bearable.

Simple Shredded Chicken

It doesn't get any easier than this tasty Mexican style shredded chicken!  On a hot day there's nothing better than coming home to a dinner that it practically done.  Hot, delicious & no need to turn on the oven!  How so?  The crockpot!  Most of the time we tend to only pull out the crock pot during the cold winter months... but warm days are perfect for your slow cooker, since it doesn't heat up the kitchen.  And with the beautiful weather outside, anything that minimizes the time spent in the kitchen preparing dinner is a friend of mine!

I threw all the ingredients in at lunch time & came home to a house that smelled great!  A few quick steps at that point and dinner was on the table in 15 min.

Simple Shredded Chicken

This can easily be doubled - this amount fed 2 of us with PLENTY of leftovers!

3 chicken breasts (mine were frozen)

1 jar of salsa

about 3/4 of a beer

2 cups of chicken broth

desired seasonings

Combine all ingredients in crock pot.  I chose a medium heat southwest salsa that had black beans and corn in it.  For the seasonings I went with a couple tsp of taco seasoning, fresh ground pepper & garlic.  The lid went on & I set it to high for 6 hours, since that's when I would be returning home.

When I got home, I removed the chicken from the crock pot and dropped them into my Kitchen Aid mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mixed for a few seconds and had perfectly shredded chicken.  

Return chicken to crock pot and prepare what ever it is you'd like to use this yummy filler for!  We had chicken tacos & tostadas.  Warmed some tortillas, shredded some cabbage and whipped up some smashed black beans.  Served with desired toppings and we had a fantastic meal!  Enjoy!

Simple Roasted Artichokes

I typically go with the standard boiled, or steamed artichoke.  This time I wanted to try something a little different.  Simple Roasted Artichokes!  I think the great thing about this method, is you aren't limited to how many you can prepare based on the size of your pots.  No need for 2 or more pots on the stove just to seam your 'chokes.  This would be the perfect method for feeding a crowd.  (And with artichokes on sale here for .99 each, who could resist!)  Just wash & trim your artichokes - I always cut the tops with a serrated knife, cut the stem, and then trim the individual leaves with kitchen shears.  Then lay each artichoke on a large section of foil, drizzle with olive oil (I used this lemon olive oil & it was tasty!), and season to your taste.  If you are in the mood, you can shove a whole, peeled garlic clove in the top.  Then just wrap the whole artichoke up and repeat with the next.  Place into a preheated 425 degree oven, on the rack, and cook for an hour.  Carefully remove from oven and let set for 5 or so minutes.  Unwrap and Enjoy!

Sunflower Cupcakes

Made these little cuties for a friend's bridal shower this weekend.  The sunflower centers are Oreo cookies (the regular and mini varieties).  Super simple, just a little tiresome on the wrist.  The petals were done using a leaf tip.  If you wanna know for, let me know... I'd be happy to give you more detailed instructions. :)

Easy Cheesy Skillet Lasagna

I saw this recipe on Pinterest from The Realistic Nutritionist and thought it was a little too good to be true!  "Easy Skinny Skillet Lasagna - 275 calories & 3 fat grams per cup, 7 WW points"??? Well I love cheese & I love lasagna.  With a short list of ingredients and an even shorter prep/cook time, I was sold.  Glad I gave this one a try!  It was too simple to taste that good!  The great part, you could add all sorts of goodies if you so desire.  I think next time I'll add sliced zucchini and fresh spinach.  Give this one a try, everyone at your table will be glad you did!  Enjoy! 

Easy Cheesy Skillet Lasagna

Serves 4

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Recipe adapted from Weight Watchers One Pot cookbook

1 1/2 Tbls extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14.5 oz) cans Italian diced tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato sauce
3 basil leaves, chopped
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup part skim mozzarella cheese
3 Tbls Parmesan cheese
About 6 ounces lasagna noodles, broken into thirds & fully cooked
2 tsp parsley (dried or fresh)

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook until garlic is fragrant, about one minute. Add in diced tomatoes and let reduce slightly about 2 minutes.  Add tomato sauce, basil, salt and pepper. Cook mixture until it thickens up a bit, around 5 minutes.

Add noodles to skillet and stir into the mixture well. Add scoops of ricotta cheese over the noodles; add in mozzarella and Parmesan. Stir in parsley. Cook about 2 more minutes, or until mixture is thick.

Serve immediately with additional basil or parsley.

Nutritional information per 1 cup:
Calories: 275
Fat: 3 grams
Carbohydrates: 42 grams
Fiber: 9 grams
Protein: 15 grams
Weight Watchers Points Plus Points: 7

Philly Cheese Steak, sloppy joe style

I have to admit, I have a fondness for Sloppy Joes.  Mr. B however does not.  He's not a fan of savory foods that have any sort of sweet in them.  Last week when I saw THIS recipe over at Chef in Training, I had a sneaky suspicion that it would go over well at our house.  A Sloppy Joe style Philly Cheesesteak may be just the thing to win Mr. B over.  Turned out I was right.  It was rather tasty & took no time at all to prepare!  I used Jack Cheese for the cheese sauce, since it's what I had on hand, but I think I'll try something a little stronger next time. Maybe a sharp cheddar?  Mr. B loved it, so I think I'll keep it in my arsenal of quick weeknight dinners.  Give it a try & let me know what you think.  Enjoy!

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

From Chef in Training
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 softball-sized onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped (I omitted - personal preference)
2 tablespoons steak sauce
1 cup beef stock
Salt and ground black pepper
                 *See Optional Additions Below
4 dinner rolls
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
1 cup provolone, shredded
In large skillet over medium-high heat add the oil and then brown the ground beef, about 5-6 minutes. Add the onion and green pepper and cook another 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables start to get tender. Stir in the steak sauce and beef stock, season with salt and pepper, bring up to a bubble and cook about 2 minutes.

*To the meat/sauce I added - about 2 tsp ketchup, 1 tsp soy sauce, a couple shakes of worshire sauce & a splash of beer.

Split open rolls and remove most of the soft insides, leaving a bed to hold the meat mixture. Toast the rolls and set aside.

While the meat is cooking, melt the butter in a medium-size pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook about 1 minute. Whisk in milk, bring up to a bubble and let thicken, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and stir the cheese.

To serve, place a scoopful of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the rolls, then top with the cheese sauce and replace the top of the roll.

Carrot Cake w/ Buttermilk Glaze & Cinnamon-Cream Cheese Frosting

Don't be sad that this is a re-post, be glad that I've reminded you about it!

This is the perfect sweet treat to make for Easter, but honestly, a carrot cake this good should be made more than once a year! In fact, if you are a carrot cake fan, YOU MUST TRY THIS CAKE!!! Did you hear that, I'm not kidding, please you have no clue what you are missing... TRY THIS CAKE SOON!


I LOVE carrot cake. But you will almost never see me order it, because I'm almost ALWAYS disappointed with the outcome. Even I have screwed up a carrot cake or two. Oh I'll never forget the notorious two tiered carrot cake disaster that still gives me nightmares! I'll never live that one down. I swore I would never make another carrot cake again. Oh but that's a story for another day, this as a happy story, this is a story about the last carrot cake recipe you will ever need. This is the cake that your family will beg you to make. And now, I pass it on to you!  It may seem like a lot of steps go into this cake, but really it's oh so worth the effort.  You can even make it in advance.

PS... Do not, I repeat, DO NOT skip the GLAZE. It is what sets this cake above all the rest. You may think it will be fine without it... but you will be wrong. And come on, do you want a cake that is just "fine" or do you want a cake that is absolutely divine? Enjoy!

Carrot Cake w/ Buttermilk Glaze & Cinnamon-Cream Cheese Frosting
 Cake
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cup sugar
3 large eggs
¾ cup buttermilk
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups coarsely grated carrots
1 ½ cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 8-oz can crushed pineapple in juice
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with vegetable oil; dust w/ flour. Whisk first 4 ingredients into a medium bowl. Set aside. Beat sugar, eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla in large bowl until smooth. Beat in dry ingredients. Fold in carrots, pineapple w/ juice, and pecans. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake cake for 30 minutes. Tent loosely with foil. Continue to bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 10 - 15 minutes longer. Remove from oven. Using bamboo skewer (or whatever), poke deep holes all over cake.
Glaze
1 cup sugar
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup unsalted butter
1 Tbs light corn syrup
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Bring all ingredients but vanilla to boil in large saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil until glaze is a deep amber color, whisking often, 4-5 minutes. Mixture will froth up and double in size before returning back to syrup like state. Remove from heat; add vanilla.

Spoon hot glaze evenly over warm cake. Cool cake completely in pan.

*Note: When boiling the glaze watch it carefully! It will boil over if you walk away and it will make a mess all over your stove! It’s not easy to clean, I learned this the hard way!


Frosting
1½ 8-oz packages cream cheese
½ cup unsalted butter, room temp.
1 1-lb box powdered sugar
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon; beat until well blended. Spread frosting over cooled cake in pan. Cake can be made one day in advance, just cover and chill.