Broccoli Cheese Soup

I've made broccoli cheese soups before, but I loved this one because it uses real cheese! No velveeta or processed cheeses. I liked it a lot more. I served it for my book club dinner and my mom and sister liked it too. It is a nice creamy soup to serve on a cold day to keep you warm. I served it in bread bowls for those who could eat it that way with a salad on side. Very good and not hard to make at all. Once you have all the ingredients prepared and ready to go, it moves quickly. I did not make any changes to the recipe and it was great. I think next time I might add a bit more cheddar cheese to get the richness of that flavor even more.

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 small onion, diced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, preferably sharp or extra sharp
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese
2 1/2 to 3 cups chopped, lightly steamed or blanched broccoli

Directions
Simmer chicken broth and chopped onion for 15-20 minutes in a covered small saucepan, until onions are soft. Heat milk in microwave for 1-2 minutes. In a separate medium-sized stockpot, melt butter then add flour, salt and pepper. Cook together, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, then whisk in warmed milk. Stir and heat together on medium heat until soup starts to thicken, about 5-8 minutes. Add warmed chicken broth and continue to stir until well blended. Add cheeses and stir until completely melted. Stir in seamed broccoli. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Serve immediately in bowls or bread bowls.

Gluten free: Use gluten free flour.

Original recipe from: melskitchencafe.com (from pinterest.com)

White Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Num num. Me and my husband really liked these and it's a little bit of a change from your standard enchilada. These are nice and creamy. Loved it. Not hard to make either. Just three steps basically. First you fill your tortillas with the chicken and cheese. Then you make your white sauce to pour on top. Then you bake. Pretty simple. Takes about twenty minutes to prepare and twenty minutes to bake. Not bad. And they taste wonderful. I served it with corn on the side, which my husband enjoyed mixing with his enchiladas as well. I also used corn tortillas instead of flour since they are gluten free and it still turned out great. My husband said he actually would have preferred corn over flour tortillas anyway. So that was good!


Ingredients
8 soft taco size flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterrey jack cheese, divided
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies
Chopped, fresh cilantro for garnish

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray; set aside. Mix the chicken together with 1 cup of the cheese. Distribute the chicken and cheese mixture evenly among the tortillas. Roll up and place seam side down in the prepared pan. In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, whisking until smooth. Continue cooking over medium heat until sauce is thick and bubbly. Stir in the sour cream and diced green chilies. Pour the sauce in an even layer over the enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Sprinkle with cilantro just before serving.

Gluten free: Use GF tortillas (corn or rice flour).

Original recipe from foodgawker.com (off of pinterest.com).

Pumpkin Fudge

It's that time of year when I start craving pumpkin. I love it! I came across this recipe and had to try it. Of course, it was my first time making fudge EVER, so I had my mom come over to supervise me and make sure I didn't ruin anything. Overall it is very easy. You just have to follow the recipe to a T. Exact measurements and times. You can't flounder with fudge...it is very picky I hear. It came out well, especially for my first time! And it has great flavor. Tastes like pumpkin pie fudge. This is probably because I swapped cinnamon for pumpkin spice instead. I'm sure it is great either way. I just like pumpkin spice. :) If you have never made fudge before either, don't fear, this recipe really isn't hard at all. It moves fast, so definitely have all of your ingredients measured and ready to go once you start. It also cools and hardens quickly too so you can eat it that much faster! :) Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 cups white sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 cup white chocolate chips
7 ounces marshmallow creme
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Line a 9x9 inch pan with aluminum foil, and set aside.
In a 3 quart saucepan, heat milk and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.
Mix in pumpkin puree and cinnamon; bring back to a boil. Stir in marshmallow creme and butter. Bring to a rolling boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 18 minutes.
Remove from heat, and add white chocolate chips and vanilla. Stir until creamy and all chips are melted. Pour into prepared pan. Cool, remove from pan, and cut into squares. Store in a cool, dry place.

This recipe is Gluten free! Wahoo!

Original recipe from allrecipes.com

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Mug Cake

Gotta love super simple, fun and different yummies to try!! This was not only easy, but it was a fun Sunday night activity for me and my husband to do together. We each made our own mug cake so that he could use his flour and I mine. I recommend using a large mug because the cake expands and puffs up rather tall. That way you can enjoy it with ice cream on top instead of on the side! It was very tasty and rich! We definitely preferred it with vanilla ice cream on top. :)

Put into a mug:

1 egg + 3 TBSP brown sugar + 1/3 cup flour + 1TBSP softened butter + 3-4 TBSP mini chocolate chips.

Mix with a spoon and microwave for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes until set.

Enjoy with a dollop of ice cream!

Recipe by: Brooke McLay via blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen
(I got it off of pinterest.com)

Gluten free: use GF flour.

Scooter's Spaghetti

Yummy yummy yummy. I'm a fan of spaghetti as it is, and this is just a fancied up version with wonderful flavor! Me and my husband ate this for dinner last night and loved it. I did omit the green peppers because me and my husband don't always care for them in certain things, and of course the french fried onions because they are not GF (therefore I cannot eat them...sadness). But I'm sure if you did add those two things it would only make the dish that much better!! Definitely give this recipe a shot just the way it is. It takes a little bit longer than if you were to make regular spaghetti, but the cream cheese mixture just adds such a yummy creaminess that is so unique. It is not hard. And it really doesn't take too much longer...maybe 5 minutes extra. We loved it. So if you have a few extra minutes to spare, jazz up your spaghetti night with this recipe!!

Ingredients
8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
1 pound ground beef
1 large can spaghetti sauce (26.5 ounces)
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped green peppers
1/3 cup chopped onions
8 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons milk
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese
French Fried Onions (small can)
Directions
Cook spaghetti according to directions on the package. Cook to al dente, drain and set aside.
Brown ground beef. Drain excess grease. Add spaghetti sauce to skillet and heat.
Combine onions, peppers and butter in small glass bowl. Cover and microwave 4 minutes on HIGH until soft.
Add cream cheese and milk to vegetables and stir well.
Using a 10 x 6 dish, assemble in the following order:
1)Thin layer of meat sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish.
2)Spaghetti
3)Cream cheese/vegetable mixture
4)Spaghetti sauce
5)Parmesan Cheese (amount subject to your own taste)
6)French Fried Onions (added during last 5 minutes of cooking)
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Top with French Fried onion and continue baking 5 more minutes.

Notes
Make this ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze without the French Fried onions. Don’t forget to add them 5 minutes before casserole is finished cooking.

I got this recipe off of pinterest.com- original recipe from salad-in-a-jar.com.

Gluten free: No french fried onions. Use GF spaghetti noodles and check to make sure you have a GF sauce.

Yummy Goodness on the Menu!

Just wanted to give you a sneak peek into my yummy things that are on my menu this week! They are all new recipes that I have never tried before, but they sound fantastic! Recipes and reviews coming soon! :)

Scooter's Spaghetti
Pumpkin Fudge
White Chicken Enchiladas
Mug Cake

Mmm Mmm Good!

Braised Balsamic Chicken

Sometimes when you try something new, you are taking a risk at not liking it so much. This was one of those times...however, I think with some modifications it could be much better. For me, it was not my favorite. My husband didn't seem to like the flavor at all. If I were to make this again, I think I would cut WAY down on the balsamic vinegar (and I am usually a fan of it too), it was way too strong for the dish. I would also halve all the seasonings/herbs too. The overall flavor of the dish was good, but very overwhelming- meaning too much flavor. I was planning to serve this dish with a veggie and rice on the side. I ended up having to dish up a bunch of white rice and use the balsamic chicken as a small topping to my rice in order to tone down the flavor. All in all, it was ok, just really strong. I would not recommend eating it plain. Definitely eat it over rice to tame it and then it's really not too bad. And possibly halving all of it, while keeping the same amount of chicken will help tone it down as well. I think I will give it another try sometime soon and then put an updated review for you to see if it turned out better or not! I really think if the flavors are just toned down a bit, it would actually be a decent dish with a unique taste to it!

Give it a try and let me know what worked for you! Or maybe you liked it just the way it was! :)

Ingredients
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions
Season chicken breasts with ground black pepper and garlic salt. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet, and brown the onion and seasoned chicken breasts.
Pour tomatoes and balsamic vinegar over chicken, and season with basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme. Simmer until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear, about 15 minutes.

Gluten free: this dish should be gluten free. Just double check your balsamic vinegar.

Original recipe from allrecipes.com

Zucchini Bread

This is my mother's de-li-cious zucchini bread. And what a great time of year to make it too, when everyone who has a garden tends to be overflowing with zucchini! This bread is so moist and yummy with that delicious hint of cinnamon. Not to mention easy! Usually when you think of bread, you do not think easy. But it really is. Just dump all the ingredients in a large bowl, mix and bake! I love to make it every year. Makes the house smell wonderful. Mmmm...I think I'll make another loaf soon!

Ingredients

3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 cups shredded zucchini
3 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Directions

Grease or flour two bread loaf pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix all ingredients together and bake for one hour.

This recipe does make two loaves so if you only need one, cut the recipe in half.

Gluten free: GF flour

Egg-Topped Soba Noodles

This dish was delicious and different! I absolutely loved it- as did my husband! It looks really pretty too. :) The changes I made were: I used rice noodles instead of soba and thinly sliced ham instead of prosciutto. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. It really was divine.

Ingredients
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
5 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 3-ounce package thinly sliced prosciutto, cut crosswise into strips
8 large eggs
1 9.5-ounce package thin soba noodles
1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed, cut on sharp diagonal into 1/8-inch-thick slices
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional cheese shavings


Preparation
Heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; stir 30 seconds. Add prosciutto strips; cook until slightly crisp. Remove from heat. Set aside.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in each of 2 nonstick skillets over medium heat. Crack 4 eggs into each skillet. Cook on 1 side until eggs begin to set, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover; set aside.

Cook soba noodles in large pot of boiling salted water 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sliced asparagus to pot; cook until noodles are cooked through and asparagus is just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain noodles and asparagus, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.

Add drained noodles and asparagus to prosciutto mixture in skillet. Cook over medium heat until heated through, tossing and adding reserved cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls to moisten.

Remove skillet from heat. Add grated Parmesan cheese and remaining 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil and toss to coat. Divide among 8 plates. Top each serving with 1 egg and cheese shavings. Serve immediately.

Gluten free: Use GF noodles of your choice.

Original recipe from epicurious.com