Candy Displays
Punkins
Popeyes & Cheese Sauce
Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup half & half
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded American cheese (the real stuff, no Kraft singles here)
salt to taste
Directions
Melt butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisking constantly add flour & cook for about 1 minute or until bubbly & brown (make sure you cook it to this point to get all the flour taste out). Slowly add half & half & milk. Whisking until mixture gets thick. Whisking constantly slowly add the cheese. Stir until cheese is completely melted. Add salt to taste (if it doesn't taste right you probably haven't added enough salt). Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Soup For You
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Submitted by Sarah S.
1 stick butter
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, thinly chopped
2 carrots, grated
about 1lb fresh broccoli, chopped well
1 red pepper, finely diced
5 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
2 cups half and half
3/4 cup flour
16oz cheddar cheese, shredded
4oz whipped or very soft cream cheese
salt and pepper
dash of hot sauce
dash of nutmeg
1- In large soup pan or dutch oven celery, onion, red pepper and carrots in butter until soft.
2- Add chicken stock and broccoli and cook at medium heat broccoli is done (15-20 min)
3- Season with salt and pepper (you will need a fair amount of each.)
4- Whisk together the flour and water to form a slurry
5- Add slurry to cream cheese to soup and increase heat to thicken.
6- Add cheese until melted.
7- Add half and half, nutmeg, hot sauce and more fresh ground pepper and heat through.
Curry Squash Soup
Submitted by Amanda W.
1 butternut squash, cut lengthwise, seeds scooped out and discarded
2 large onions, peeled and cut into quarters
1 head of garlic, top trimmed so you cna see the cloves; wrapped in tinfoil
6 cups of broth
bay leaf
1 tsp curry
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
Preheat oven to 350. Place first three ingredients on baking sheet with enough water to cover bottom of sheet. Cook for one hour.
Squeeze cloves out from garlic and scoop cooked squash out from skin. Puree squash, onions and garlic in blender with some of the broth. Pour into soup pot and add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer ten minutes. Serve with spoon of yogurt or sour cream on top.
Booba's Soup (but if I had to give it a proper name I'd call it "Chicken & Rice")
Submitted by Angela (Booba) H.
2 T Butter
1/2 onion chopped
2 t. minced garlic
2 carrots chopped into small pieces
1 stalk of celery chopped into small pieces
1/2 c. chopped mushrooms if desired
8 c. Chicken broth*
2+ c. cooked shredded chicken*
*It really tastes best if you boil an entire chicken and use that chicken broth and debone and clean the chicken to use that but that takes a lot of work and time so its totally up to you.
1/2 c. uncooked wild rice
1t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 c. half N half
In a pot, melt butter and cook onion and garlic for a few minutes. Add everything else but the half N half. Bring to a boil and then turn down heat and simmer on med-low for about 45 minutes (until rice is tender). add half N half. Heat until hot and serve (do not boil after the half N half is added.) Also, I guessed on the amount of chicken broth so if its not enough, add more or water. Its pretty hard to mess up so you can probably add more or less of anything. Season to your taste.
1/2 onion chopped
2 t. minced garlic
2 carrots chopped into small pieces
1 stalk of celery chopped into small pieces
1/2 c. chopped mushrooms if desired
8 c. Chicken broth*
2+ c. cooked shredded chicken*
*It really tastes best if you boil an entire chicken and use that chicken broth and debone and clean the chicken to use that but that takes a lot of work and time so its totally up to you.
1/2 c. uncooked wild rice
1t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 c. half N half
In a pot, melt butter and cook onion and garlic for a few minutes. Add everything else but the half N half. Bring to a boil and then turn down heat and simmer on med-low for about 45 minutes (until rice is tender). add half N half. Heat until hot and serve (do not boil after the half N half is added.) Also, I guessed on the amount of chicken broth so if its not enough, add more or water. Its pretty hard to mess up so you can probably add more or less of anything. Season to your taste.
Creamy Potato & Ham
Submitted by Jami R.This soup is SO creamy but not fatty....instead of cream I add Cream cheese (the 1/3 less fat kind) It's AWESOME and YUMMY:
5-6 cubed and boiled med potatoes
2 cups chicken stock
3 cups milk
3 TBLS spoons butter
3 TBLS flour
1 tea garlic
1 tea celery salt
salt and pepper to taste
1 8oz block of 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup shredded ham
1 cup Cheddar cheese
In med to large pot melt butter, add flour and stir to make rue. Add cream cheese and milk. stir until cream cheese is melted. Add the rest of ingredients to the pot and heat through! Enjoy!
5-6 cubed and boiled med potatoes
2 cups chicken stock
3 cups milk
3 TBLS spoons butter
3 TBLS flour
1 tea garlic
1 tea celery salt
salt and pepper to taste
1 8oz block of 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup shredded ham
1 cup Cheddar cheese
In med to large pot melt butter, add flour and stir to make rue. Add cream cheese and milk. stir until cream cheese is melted. Add the rest of ingredients to the pot and heat through! Enjoy!
Candle Winner
she won this wonderfully Fall smelling (Fall has a smell, I swear) candle!
Thanks to all who participated. I love giveaways! Giving gifts it's definitely my most prominent love language. & I love all of you, my readers... ugh, fine- "followers" ;) (sarcasm is my other love language)
*winner chosen at random using Random.org
Sent-filled Giveaway
What seasonal habit do you have when Fall hits?
Do you do a lot of baking? Does football consume your weekends? Do you start reading more?
I obviously begin burning millions of candles. I also start making soup like it's going out of style & organizing my garage. I don't know why I do the garage thing, but every year I do. So become a "follower" & answer the question below. I will announce the winner Friday evening.
*Must live in the USA to enter. One entry per person.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
1 medium onion diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons oil
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup purred tomatoes
1teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup grated Colby Jack cheese
2 tablespoons hot sauce
1 can diced mild green chilies
1/2 cup diced green peppers
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons flour blended in 1/2 cup warm water
1 cup cream
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded chicken
Directions
In large dutch oven or stock pot saute onion & garlic in oil over medium heat. Add chicken stock, tomatoes, sugar, salt, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, chilies, green peppers, chili powder & pepper. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Whisk in flour & water mixture, mix well. Add chicken & stir. Add cream & sour cream, whisk well. Bring to a simmer & lower heat. Slowly incorporate cheese, stirring constantly until cheese is melted & incorporated in. Serve with homemade tortilla strips. Enjoy!
Homemade Tortilla Strips
Fall Images
Best Banana Bread
Ingredients
2 sticks soften butter
1 1/2 + 2 tablespoons sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cup mashed bananas
4 1/8 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cup sour cream
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease & flour a bunt pan or two large loaf pans.
Cream butter & sugar. Add vanilla. Add eggs one at a time beating in between. Mix in mashed bananas.
Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients & sour cream alternately, mixing in between. Beat well until all ingredients are well combined, batter will be very thick.
Pour into pan & bake for 1 hour 10 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean.
Turn upside down on a cooling rack & allow bread to cool a bit before serving. Enjoy!
Finally, Someone Gets It
I Heart Craigslist
Since moving in I've been filtering through our stuff. I had already gone through it when we packed it, but somehow I had not purged enough stuff then. Now that we are settling in & are planning on being in this house for a long time I am getting rid of what we do not need. Which happens to be a lot of stuff... notice how many times I said stuff in the last few sentences, yeesh, I'm so sick of stuff. We had a garage sale & got rid of a few things, but not enough. That's when I started using Craigslist for the first time. It's so easy & I've made a good chunk of change in the last 3 weeks. So far I've sold
a chandelier
a twin bed
a vanity sink
a computer hutch & chair
a lightweight stoller
a double stroller (Don't worry, we haven't decided if we're done having kids. but I figure if I ever need a double stroller again then a stroller will be the least of my worries.)
an end table
a trike. And I'm still going strong. I love getting rid of stuff. I love it more when people come to my house & take it away. I love it best when those people give me money for the stuff. I heart Craigslist.
Mama's Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
4 cups Macaroni
12 Tablespoons Butter (Salted Butter)
1 whole medium onion diced
4 slices bacon diced
1/4 cups All-purpose Flour
2 cups Whole Or 2% Milk
1/2 cups Half-and-half
Salt to taste
1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cups grated Gruyere cheese
3/4 cups Grated Parmesan cheese
4 ounces Goat Cheese
1/3 cups panko crumbs (Japenses style bread crumbs)
1/8 cups chopped flat leaf parsley
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook macaroni to al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.
Fry bacon until crispy. Drain on a paper towel & set aside.
Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a skillet and then sauté onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown & edges re a little black. Set aside.
Warm milk in microwave for a few minutes. In a pot, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle in flour and whisk to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat for 1 minute until foamy & turns light brown. Make sure to do this step to the fullest as to cook out all the flour taste. Slowly pour in milk and half & half, then cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until thick. Reduce heat to low.
Add cheeses reserving ¼ cup of the parmesan and stir until melted. Add salt to taste. Taste for seasonings and add more salt if needed. Add cooked macaroni and stir to coat.
Melt remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Stir in panko crumbs, remaining parmesan, parsley, onion and bacon.
Pour cheesy noodles into a baking dish and top with the panko crumb & bacon mixture. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbly and hot.
Table Fixin's
Comfort Food: Meatloaf
Ingredients
1/2 pound sausage
1 pound ground beef/elk/deer
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 slices bread
1/2 cup whole milk
1 egg
1/2 medium onion, diced
Ketchup Sauce
1 cup ketchup
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/3 teaspoon mustard
1 tablespoon molasses
Mix well all ingredients together.
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place bread in a bowl & pour milk over the top, set aside. In large bowl mix remaining ingredients using your hands. Once bread has soaked up all the milk add to the meat mixture & mix well. Lightly spray broiler pan. Form meat mixture into a ball inside the bowl. Transfer to the broiler pan & form into a loaf shape. Bake for 30 minutes. Coat with ketchup sauce & continue to bake for another 30-45 minutes. Slice up & serve immediately. Enjoy!