Cauliflower and Cheddar Soup

Cauliflower is one of my husband's favorite vegetables.  With fall finally here, I am excited to make soups and heartier recipes!  What could be better on a chilly evening than a creamy, cheesy soup?  I can't think of anything right now.

Cauliflower and Cheddar Soup

modified from King Arthur Flour

3 Tbsp butter

1/2 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 large head cauliflower, cut into pieces

3 cups chicken broth ( I used unsalted chicken stock)

1/4 cup white wine

dash hot sauce

2 cups sharp cheddar, grated

salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in large soup pot.  Add garlic and onions and cook about 3-5 minuted, until softened.  Add chicken stock and cauliflower to pot, bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes.  Add wine and hot sauce and simmer about 5 more minutes.  Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth (you can also do this in a blender or food processor)  When the soup is smooth, add cheese, 1/2 cup at a time and mix until melted.   Add pepper.  Taste, add salt as needed.  

I served this with homemade pop overs and cinnamon honey butter.  It's definitely a do over for our family!

Spicy Asian Chicken

inspired by Alli n Son
This has become one of our family favorites!  I love it because I can marinate the chicken the night before and dinner is a snap to put on the table the next night!  I think the chicken in marinade would freeze nicely too.  I hope you enjoy this one as much as my family does!

3-4 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
for the marinade:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup rice vinegar
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp hot chili sesame oil
1/8 cup ketchup
1 clove garlic
1 tsp grated ginger

I package frozen asian style noodles
1 package asian style vegetables

Brown chicken in skillet.  Once brown, cover and let cook for 8-10 minutes until cooked through.   Add vegetables and cook until vegetable are heated through.  Cook noodles or rice according to directions.  Serve over asian noodles or rice.

My Favorite Brisket and Menu Plan

I started making this brisket recipe about 10 years ago.  Its a great meal to make on a lazy Sunday when you're just hanging out at home.  We've had a very cool summer, so this was perfect last Sunday when my son and I were just hanging out together at the house.

My Favorite Brisket
1 2-3lb. brisket
1 jar chili sauce (some day I will make my own, I usually use store bought)
10-12 small red potatoes, cut in half
2 cups chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Salt and pepper outside of the brisket.
Place brisket in roasting pan.  Add potatoes around meat.  Top with chili sauce.
Bake 21/2-3 hours, until brisket is tender . If you're using a larger cut of meat, you will have to add cooking time)

Dinners:
Sunday: Peach-Whiskey Barbeque Chicken and parmesan baked zucchini
Monday: Pork and Fontina Sandwiches
Tuesday: Baked Camembert Pasta
Wednesday: leftovers
Thursday: Baked Salmon Packets with pesto and Angel Hair
Friday: Homemade Pizza

Lunches:
Sandwiches
Salads
Pita and Hummus

Breakfast:
cereal
bagels
homemade english muffins

I'll be linking to Menu Plan Monday, Mouthwathering Monday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday,  Tuesday's Tasty Tidbits,  At the Table Tuesdays, What's on the Menu Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, and What's for Dinner?

Cheesy Spaghetti and Menu Plan

With a day and a half left of school, I am getting ready to get back to my favorite ways to entertain myself; namely cooking, sewing, scrapbooking and shopping!  I thought this week, I'd share a favorite recipe from my childhood.  My mom used to make this when we were kids.  Make this when other people are around to share, because if you make it by yourself, there will be no leftovers, not that I'm speaking from experience or anything!  This is one of my favorite comfort foods.  It has almost all my favorite foods in it; cheese, garlic and pasta.  How can you go wrong with those?    I've changed the recipe a little over the years, but this is ultimate comfort food!

1 lb box spaghetti (I used fresh spaghetti)

1 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese

2 tbsp butter

3 cloves garlic

2 tbsp fresh parsley

1 tsp chili powder

2 tbsp milk

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain pasta and return to cooking pot.  Add cheese and other ingredients and mix until cheese is melted and distributed throughout the pasta.  

Yep, I think its the easiest recipe I've ever posted here!  I had a craving for it last weekend, and when I posted it on Facebook, I had 3 friends ask me for the recipe, so there you go!  Its definitely a cold day, comfort food type recipe.  (In my beautiful, sunny California right now, it feels like January!) Enjoy!

Sunday: Spinach and Roasted Red Pepper Lasagna
Monday: Spicy Peanut Noodles and chicken strips
Tuesday: Macaroni and Cheese
Wednesday: leftovers
Thursday: Turkey Burgers with turkey bacon and avocado
Friday: homemade pizza

I'll be linking to Menu Plan Monday, Mouthwathering Monday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday,  Tuesday's Tasty Tidbits, What's on the Menu Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, and What's for Dinner?

BBQ Joes and Menu Plan Monday

I have another recipe from my new favorite cookbook.  This one is a keeper, but all of the ones we've tried from this book are new favorites in our house!  I think the cookbook is just a keeper.  Easy, low clean-up, fresh and fast.  

BBQ Joes

1 tbsp canola oil or butter

1 onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, diced (or more if you're in my kitchen, I used 4)

1 lb ground beef (I used ground turkey)

1 jar BBQ sauce (I always try to find one that doesn’t have high fructose corn syrup)

Hamburger buns (I made these, our family’s favorite)

Heat oil in the pan.  When oil is heated, add onion and garlic.  Cook until softened.

Add ground meat to the pan and heat until cooked through.  Add BBQ sauce and continue to cook until sauce is heated all the way through.  

Serve on hamburger buns.   We had caesar salad with homemade dressing and homemade croutons a side dish.

Breakfast:

waffle french toast

homemade donuts

cereal

Lunch:

leftovers

turkey sandwiches

wraps

Snacks:

fruit

veggies

crackers

mini bagels

multi-grain chips

Dinners:

Sunday-  I think after a house filled with 5, 6, and 7 year olds, we're going out! (Today is my son's birthday party)

Monday- Fettucine Alfredo with broccoli and chicken (for the boys)

Tuesday- Vegetable Enchiladas

Wednesday-  Turkey and spinach sandwiches and zucchini bites (We had these at the Nordstrom cafe over the weekend and I want to duplicate them)

Thursday- leftovers

Friday- Bagel Dogs with sweet potato fries

I hope you have a wonderful week!  What's on your menu?

I'll be linking to:

Menu Plan Monday, Mouthwathering Monday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday,  Tuesday's Tasty Tidbits, What's on the Menu Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, What's for Dinner? and This Week's Cooking.

My family's favorite (Mac n Cheese)

My macaroni and cheese is famous.  Maybe not as famous as Kraft, but all my friend's kids love my macaroni and cheese.  In fact, my godchildren tell their mom that mine is the best ever on a regular basis!  My son has made it very apparent to everyone in the family that mommy's macaroni and cheese is the best in the whole world.  I asked him last week what he wanted for Valentine's Day and I wasn't surprised, he asked for my macaroni and cheese!  Last time I made it, I finally took pictures.  So, before I go grocery shopping and bake the muffins I am taking for his class party tomorrow, I will share recipe for my macaroni and cheese.  Enjoy!

1 box elbow macaroni (I use quinoa pasta)
1 head cauliflower, chopped into bite-size pieces
pinch salt
1T olive oil
2 T flour
1 1/2 cup milk (I use 1%)
2 cups sharp white cheddar
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1/2 cups bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Boil 6 quarts of water with salt.  While water boils, chop cauliflower into bite-sized pieces.  Boil pasta about half-way to aldente, then add cauliflower.  Drain and put pasta and cauliflower into deep dish casserole dish.

Add oil to saute pan.  Once oil is heated, add flour and mix together.  Add milk once a paste is formed with the flour and oil. Add milk to pan.   Cook until the milk begins to thicken, about 5 minutes.  Next, add tomato paste.  mix together until sauce thickens and is heated through


Add shredded cheese, reserving about 1/2 cup for the top of your dish before it goes into the oven.  Incorporate cheese until its melted and incorporated into sauce

Add small amount of salt and pepper, as needed.

Pour sauce ever pasta and cauliflower and mix a little so the sauce is mixed in.  Top with reserved cheese and breadcrumbs.  Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and golden brown.

Swedish Meatballs

This was a favorite when I was growing up. I remember my mom always cooked the meatballs in her electric frying pan.  Here's my recreation of my mom's recipe, as best as I can get it.   Its a great cold weather recipe!  You can use ground turkey too, I usually use what's in the freezer at the time.

For meatballs:
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 a large onion, chopped
1/2-2/3 c. milk
4 slices bread, broken into small pieces
pinch nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 seeds cardamom, removed from pods and crushed
2 colves garlic, crushed and chopped

For sauce:
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream (I use 0% greek yogurt instead, all the flavor, none of the fat!)

16 oz package egg noodles

1/2 cup cheddar cheese for garnish

Mix all ingredients for meatballs into a large bowl.  Mix ingredients together with your hands.  Mixture should be soft, but not too wet.

Place meatballs in a large skillet, brown each side on medium-high.  Add chicken broth and cook on low until meatballs are cooked through.

Meanwhile, boil water for noodles.

Once meatballs are cooked, add sour cream and stir.  I prefer a thinner sauce, but if you prefer a thicker one, you can make a roux out of 2 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp flour.  Melt butter in sauce pan, add flour until mixed together and thick.  add to chicken broth before you put in the meatballs and cook.

Serve meatballs over noodles and sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

I know the cheese makes them very NOT swedish meatballs!  When my mom made this, she used the noodle roni cheddar noodles from the box.  The cheddar cheese brings back that memory for me!

Menu Plan Monday

Happy Father's Day!  Today, we're having sliders, home-baked fries, baked zucchini rounds, and cherry pie for dessert!

This is going to be a short week, and I'm trying to use up as much food from my fridge as I can.  We lave for Seattle on Friday morning for my half marathon and a mini-vacation.  Lake, bar-b-que, hanging out with great friends, here we come!!

Monday:  Terriyaki chicken with broccoli and brown rice

Tuesday: Macaroni and Cheese (one of these days, I'll share this recipe!)

Wednesday: homemade hot pockets (I'm going to use my homemade pizza dough recipe and use some of the lunchmeat and veggies we have left in the fridge)

Thursday: leftovers for my hubby and me.  My stepson is heading down to his grandparents' house while we're gone and I pick my son up the next morning for our flight.

You can find more meal ideas here at Organizing Junkie.

BBQ pork sandwiches (crock pot)

I'm a terrible blogger!  I forgot to take pictures of dinner last night.  It was karate night, and we are running frantic from the time we get home until I get my son to bed.  I hope you all will forgive me.  Here is my BBQ pork sandwich recipe.  My husband wanted another sandwich, but said he had no room in his tummy.  My stepson ate his (he's not a huge fan of pork) and my son loved it too!

Chili BBQ pork sandwiches

2 lbs pork tenderloin
2 tbs. high quality chili powder
1 tbs coarse salt
1 16 oz can tomato sauce
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1-1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/3 cup water

Rinse and pat dry pork tenderloin. Season both sides of the tenderloin with chili powder and coarse salt. Place the seasoned tenderloin in the bottom of the crock pot.  Add shredded carrots.  Pour can of tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce over the tenderloin.   Cook on low for 6 hours.  Mine sat on warm for quite a while and was delicious and tender.  This is definitely a do over!  I served it with baked sweet potato fries.