Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup

Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup

What we need:
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 medium onion (chopped)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 can (13 3/4 to 14 1/2 oz) chicken broth,
1 1/2 Cups Water
1 head (2 1/2 lbs) cauliflower (cut into 1-inch pieces)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

Directions:
In 4-quart saucepan, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour and salt; cook 2minutes, stirring frequently. Gradually stir in milk, chicken broth, and water; add cauliflower and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes. In blender (with center part of blender cover removed to allow steam to escape), blend cauliflower mixture at low speed in small batches until very smooth. Return cauliflower mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in mustard and 1 1/2 cups cheese until melted and smooth. Garnish soup with remaining cheese to serve.

This was really good and pretty close to the Cauliflower Soup from Zuppas. It had a little to much of a kick for my tastes, so I think next time I'll use a little less pepper Jack and more chedder cheese. But It is really good, and we really enjoyed dipping our rolls in it too.

Recipe: Just Cook Already

Herbed Pasta with Chicken

What we need:
Bow Tie Pasta
1 lb chicken breasts (cut into 1 inch cubes)
2 Tbs olive oil (divided)
3 ripe tomatoes (seeded and chopped)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
2 Tbs fresh parsley (chopped)
2 Tbs fresh basil (chopped)
2 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese.

Directions:
Cook pasta according to pkg directions. Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Saute the chicken in 1 Tbs of olive oil over med-high heat until no longer pink in the middle;l set aside. Turn skillet to low and add remaining oil. Add tomatoes garlic, parsley, basil, lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until heated. Add cooked chicken. Spoon mixture over hot pasta and sprinkle with cheese. Serves 6 to 8.


This was pretty good and my 4 year old ate all of her food! Can't argue with that...

Recipe: Smith's Food and Drug

Chocolate Trifle

CHOCOLATE TRIFLE

 

What we need:

1 (19.8 ounce) package brownie mix

1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix

1/2 cup water

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 (1.5 ounce) bar chocolate candy

Directions

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions and cool completely. Cut into 1 inch squares.
In a large bowl, combine pudding mix, water and sweetened condensed milk. Mix until smooth, then fold in 8 ounces whipped topping until no streaks remain.
In a trifle bowl or glass serving dish, place half of the brownies, half of the pudding mixture and half of the 12 ounce container of whipped topping. Repeat layers. Shave chocolate onto top layer for garnish. Refrigerate 8 hours before serving.

Recipe: All Recipes

Magic Mint Chocolate Bark

Magic Mint Chocolate Bark

 

What we need:
1 2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.)
NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Dark Chocolate & Mint Morsels,
1/3 cup coarsely chopped oven roasted or toasted almonds

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325° F. Line small baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Pour morsels onto prepared baking sheet. Arrange morsels so they are touching each other in a single layer (roughly an 11 x 9-inch rectangle). Bake for 1 to 3 minutes or until morsels are shiny. Morsels will retain their shape. Remove from oven to wire rack. With tip of butter knife or wooden pick, immediately swirl morsels to create a swirled pattern. Sprinkle with nuts. Hold baking sheet 3 inches above counter and drop to settle nuts into melted morsels. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Break into pieces. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Notes: Substitute broken pretzel pieces or another nut of choice for the almonds.

Recipe and Picture:  NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE

Orange Smoothie

ORANGE SMOOTHIE

What we need: 1 (6 ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate, 1 cup milk, 1 cup water, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/3 cup white sugar, and 10 cubes ice

Directions: In a blender, combine orange juice concentrate, milk, water, vanilla, sugar and ice. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.

This was sooo yummy! I just love it when a smoothie works out the way you want.

Recipe and Picture: All Recipes

CrockPot Rotisserie-Style Chicken Recipe

CrockPot Rotisserie-Style Chicken Recipe

What we need: 1 whole chicken, skinned (4-5 pounds), 2 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 4 whole garlic cloves (optional), and 1 yellow onion, quartered (optional)

Directions: Skin the chicken and get rid of the neck and other stuff from the cavity. In a bowl, combine all of dried spices. Rub the spice mixture all over the bird, inside and out. Plop the bird breast-side down into the crockpot.
If desired, shove 4 whole garlic cloves and a quartered onion inside the bird.
Do not add water.
Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 8. The meat is done when it is fully cooked and has reached desired tenderness. The longer you cook it, the more tender the meat.

Notes: Remember when cooking gluten-free, to always check the lables, each brand makes their product differently.

Recipe: A Year of Slow Cooking

Picture: A Year of Slow Cooking

Monster Cookies

MONSTER COOKIES

Ingredients:

1 Cup Butter

2 Cups White Sugar

2 Cups Brown Sugar

6 eggs

9 Cups Oatmeal

4 cups Flour

4 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 Pint Jam

1 1/2 lbs Peanut Butter

1 bag M&Ms or Chocolate Chips

Directions:

Mix butter, brown and white sugars. Add eggs, mix again. Mix in Jam and Peanut Butter. In separate bowl mix oatmeal, flour, baking soda, and baking powder, then add to the wet ingredients.

Bake at 350* for about 10 minutes.

Notes: The flavor jam you use will change the taste of the cookies. Our favorite is a homemade cherry jam.

 

Recipe: Diana Munz, also available in The World Wide Ward Cookbook

Pumpkin Cookies

PUMPKIN COOKIES

What we need: 1 box Spice Cake Mix, 1 can pumpkin (NOT pie filling), 1 bag chocolate chips

Directions: Mix the pumpkin and spice cake mix together till blended, fold in chocolate chips, bake at 350* for 12-14 minutes.

These are sooo easy to make and taste great!

Recipe: World Wide Ward Cookbook

Sugar Cookies and Frosting

Sugar Cookies and Frosting

SOUR CREAM SUGAR COOKIES

 

What we need: 1 Cup Butter (room temp.), 1 1/2 Cups Sugar, 3 Eggs, 2 tsp. Vanilla, 1 Cup Sour Cream, 5 Cups Flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, 2 tsp. baking powder, salt to taste.

Directions: Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well to blend after each addition. Add the vanilla. Blend in the sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the dough and mix just until combined. (It makes a lot of dough, so don't over mix.) Working in batches, roll the dough out onto a floured surface. (Flour your rolling pin and cookie cutters as well.) Cut into desired shapes.

Bake at 325*-350* for 5-10 minutes or until done. Do not overcook as they are best when still really soft. Cool and frost.

Notes: I baked mine at 330* for 9 minutes and they were PERFECT!

Recipe: World Wide Ward Christmas Cookbook

FROSTING

What we need: 4 cups confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup shortening, 5 tablespoons milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and food coloring.

Directions: In a large bowl, cream together the confectioners' sugar and shortening until smooth. Gradually mix in the milk and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth and stiff, about 5 minutes. Color with food coloring if desired.

Notes: also really good with Almond extract in place of the vanilla.

Recipe: allrecipes.com

7 layer chip dip

7 LAYER CHIP DIP

I love this dish. I'm sure you all know how to and have made this in the past, but here is my version of it.

Layer the ingredients in this order: 1 can re-fried beans with taco seasoning packet stirred in, guacamole, 8 oz sour cream, cheese, tomatoes, olives, and another layer of cheese.

My husband doesn't like sour cream, guacamole, or tomatoes, so I'm the only one who eats this, so I'll be eating a lot the next couple days. But when I have other people around who like it, it never lasts more then a couple hours. soooo good!