Yummy Cheese Soup!

It's officially fall! Even though we've still got a couple of weeks here before it'll finally start to cool off a bit, I figured I'd post one of my very favorite soup recipes in the hopes that I'll be in the mood to make it here soon!

Easy Cheddar Cheese Soup

1/4 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 cups chicken broth
3 cups milk
1 pound shredded Cheddar Cheese
Fresh Broccoli, chopped (optional, about 2 cups worth)
1/2 cup shredded carrots (optional)

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until tender (about 5 minutes). Stir in flour and cook until the flower and the onion mixture are thoroughly blended.

Add chicken broth and cook, stirring constantly until mixture thickens slightly. Add milk, broccoli and carrots (if used) and heat just to boiling, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and stir in cheese. Once cheese is melted, remove from heat.


It's such a yummy soup recipe, and really easy, too! It's good as just a cheese soup, but I like it best with the broccoli and carrots. Enjoy!

Margarita Cake

My contribution for our Father's Day BBQ/pool party was dessert. We've got a lot of chocolate eaters in my family, but I wanted to do something different this time. I found this recipe in the local newspaper a couple of months ago and decided to try it. I modified it a bit, but it was *GOOD*! Plus, it was my first totally from scratch cake. I felt like a baking rockstar! Of course, I forgot to take a picture of it. Oh, well. I'll just have to make it again! :)

Margarita Cake
1/2 cup or 1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 lime, rind grated and juiced to make 1 tablespoon
Dickenson Lime Curd for topping (available at grocery stores). (I didn't use this)

For Lime Glaze
1/2 cup lime juice
2 teaspoons triple sec (I omitted since we were feeding kiddos, too)
1 teaspoon tequila (again, I omitted)
1 cup confectioners' sugar

For Lime Buttercream Frosting
1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup shortening
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Lime glaze (recipe above)
2 tablespoons grated lime rind
Green sugar crystals for embellishment (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter until smooth. Gradually add the sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and continue to beat. In a second bowl, sift flower, baking powder and salt together. Alternately add the flour mixture and cream into the egg mixture, starting and ending with the flour. Mix in the lime rind and the lime juice. Pour batter into 2 greased 8 inch cake pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Put on cake rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze: Mix the lime juice, triple sec, tequila and confectioners' sugar until smooth. (If not using triple sec and tequila, just mix lime juice and confectioners' sugar together) Set aside half to make the frosting. While the cake is still warm, slowly spoon glaze over the top so that all the liquid is absorbed.

To make the frosting: Cream butter and shortening in a large mixing bowl. Add confectioners' sugar and heavy cream. Add the remaining lime glaze. Mix well. Sprinkle in grated lime peel. Frost cake and top with lime curd (optional).

Cook Yourself Thin!

I have a new favorite show! It's on Lifetime and it's not your ordinary cooking show. They make yummy things to eat (like cupcakes!), they just show you how to make them with less fat and calories.

I like to cook and bake (well, most days!) so I went out and bought the cookbook. 'Cuz let's face it - my metabolism isn't like it was when I was in my 20's. Gone are the days when I could eat a McDonald's two cheeseburger meal super sized and it wouldn't super size *me*! Oh, early 20's how I miss you! I'm not a Hamburger Helper kind of gal, so making these recipes weren't a stretch for me - I'm already a from scratch cook. Lots of the baked goods require zucchini in place of butter and oil and I can grow zucchini like a champ, so I see lots of muffins in my future!

So far, I've made about 9 recipes out of the cookbook and they are all really yummy! They've got the recipes online, so go forth and cook!

http://www.mylifetime.com/on-tv/shows/cook-yourself-thin

Yummy, yummy cookies!

I've never thought of using cake mix for anything other than, well, making cakes. So, when I saw this recipe in the Spring 2008 Kraft Food and Family magazine, I was intrigued. The recipe was quick and easy. Best of all? I was not disappointed!

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
1 pkg. devil's food cake mix
4 oz (1/2 of an 8 oz package) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place all ingredients in large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed 2 minutes. Beat on medium speed for an additional 2 minutes.

Shape into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Flatten each ball, in a criss-cross pattern, with tines of fork dipped in sugar.

Bake 7-8 minutes or until edges of cookies are set. Cool 2 min. on baking sheets. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

Makes 3 1/2 dozen or 21 servings, 2 cookies each.

The best dip ever!

Well, maybe not the best dip ever, but it's pretty darn good. I got this recipe on the 2 peas message board (I don't remember who posted it, though) and made it at Christmas. It was a hit!

Buffalo Chicken Dip
2 - 10 oz cans chunk chicken, drained
2 - 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup Ranch dressing
1 small bottle Franks Red Hot sauce (I used their Buffalo Wing sauce)
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:
Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and Ranch dressing. Stir and cook until well blended. Transfer to ovenware. Add in the Cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Serve with tortilla chips, crackers and celery.

My Favorite Sweet Potato Recipe

Since it's almost Thanksgiving, I thought I'd share my recipe for candied sweet potatoes. It's rich and yummy, and like all good things in life , probably has a million calories. But, who's counting?! The praline pecans on top are oh, so yummy and I always throw in some marshmallows for good measure. Delicious!

I found this recipe online years ago and I don't remember where, but it's yummy goodness, I promise!

INGREDIENTS
4 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 pint heavy cream
1/4 pound butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups chopped pecans
2 cups mini marshmallows, if desired

DIRECTIONS
Butter one 2 quart casserole dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a mixing bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, sugar, vanilla extract, eggs and cream. Blend well, and spread evenly in casserole dish.
Prepare the topping by combining the butter, brown sugar, flour and pecans. Mix until crumbly, and sprinkle over sweet potato mixture.
Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven
If mini marshmallows are used, they can be mixed into the sweet potato mixture before baking, or can be added to the top when 3-5 minutes are left on the bake time.