Beer and Cheddar Soup

Hello!  It seems that most of the US is experiencing bitterly cold temps right now, including us as we wait for the "polar vortex" to hit our neck of the woods Sunday and Monday.  I don't know about you but I'm a little tired of the cold weather and it is only early January.  We still have a couple of months at least of winter.  Ugh.  But on the positive side, cold weather is the best time to eat and cook one of our favorite foods; soups and stews of all kinds.  This one is amazing if you like bacon and cheese and really, who doesn't. 

Beer and Cheddar Soup

8-10 slices of thick cut bacon chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1/2 of an onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBS chopped fresh thyme
One 12 oz bottle of beer
3 cups reduced sodium chicken stock
4 TBS unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour
8 oz sharp yellow cheddar cheese, grated
4 oz smoked cheddar cheese, grated
salt and pepper

Directions:

Cook bacon in a large pot over medium heat until crisp and fat is rendered.  Transfer to paper towel with slotted spoon.  Add celery, onion, garlic and thyme to bacon fat and cook until soft.  Add half of the beer and cook until reduced by half.  Add broth and bring to a simmer.

In a small skillet melt butter and then add the flour.  Cook, stirring this until slightly browned, about 2 minutes, and then add to soup.  Whisk until incorporated and continue to simmer until thickened.

Add the cheeses and the rest of the beer and simmer until thick and creamy.  Stir in the bacon and salt and pepper to taste.  Serve it up with some crusty bread.

There really is nothing like a pot of homemade soup simmering on the stove on a cold day, right?

Enjoy!  And stay warm!! :)


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Pumpkin Scones

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I can't get enough pumpkin during the Fall season.  I love it.  Especially in scones.  These are simple, fast and so tender and flaky.  And I may or may not have eaten them all myself at midnight last night.  ;)

Pumpkin Scones

2 cups all purpose flour
7 TBS sugar
1 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
6 TBS cold butter, cubed
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 TBS heavy cream
1 large egg

Spiced Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
2 TBS whole milk
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine dry ingredients in food processor and pulse to combine.  Add cold butter and pulse until butter resembles small pea size crumbs.  Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, heavy cream and egg.  Whisk until mixed together.

Fold into wet ingredients.  Form dough into ball and pat into a 9 in x 3 in wide rectangle.  Cut into 3 equal portions.  But those 3 portions diagonally so that you have 6 equal triangle shaped slices of dough.

Place on greased baking sheet.  Bake 14-16 minutes.

Combine ingredients for the glaze and drizzle over warm scones.

Enjoy!

Simple Stuffed Peaches

If you're anything like me, you start craving juicy summer fruit way before summer arrives and before perfectly ripe fruit hits the farmers market or grocery store.  When those cravings hit, I love to make these stuffed peaches because cooking less than ripe fruit in the oven brings out the flavor.  These are so simple and inexpensive to make with so few ingredients but taste like pure heaven. 

Let's get started, shall we?  First, butter the bottom of a baking dish and preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Take 3 peaches (more if you like), cut them in half and remove the pit.  I used white flesh peaches here because they are my favorite.  Then scoop out some of the flesh to make room for the cookies.  We use Biscoff cookies in this because I think the taste is amazing paired with the peaches.  Take 7 or 8 cookies, put them in a ziploc bag and smash them up.  You could also use a food processor but I think it's easier, with less to clean, to mash them in a bag.

Spoon the cookie crumbs into the peaches.  It's okay if some spills over. 

Sprinkle about a teaspoon of brown sugar over the top of the crumbs.  This caramelizes the top a bit.

Then dot the tops with bits of unsalted butter.  Pop them in the oven and bake for about 15 or 20 minutes depending on the size of your peach.   While you're waiting, whip up some fresh vanilla cream. (1 cup heavy cream, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 2 TBS powdered sugar.)

And that's it.  While the peaches are still warm, dollop the fresh cream over the top and watch it melt into the sweet, buttery caramelized crust on top of the peaches....

It is heavenly.......

Over the top delicious.....

You're welcome.  :)

Orange Glazed Blueberry Scones

With blueberries in abundance right now, not to mention affordable, I've been having fun making some of our favorite summer sweets.  One of those is blueberry scones.  But with the heat of the summer, the last thing I really want to do is roll out dough.  

And sometimes I'm lazy.  

That's why I love this recipe.  

You throw the dough together and drop it in heaps on the baking sheet.  

Simple.  

And no chilling, rolling and cutting dough into triangles.

Let me tell ya, the star here is definitely the orange glaze.  Without it, these are just ordinary scones.  With it, they are really something special.  

Trust me.  

As far as a glaze is concerned, 

you just can't go wrong with melted butter, fresh squeezed orange juice and powdered sugar.  

I could drink it.

You can find the recipe here.

I may or may not have eaten 4 of these just while taking the photos.

Tip:  To make the glaze super easy to drizzle on your scones, as well as super cute, I like to use those plastic cake decorating squeeze bottles available in the cake decorating department of the grocery store.  They're cheap and also perfect for storing your homemade snow cone syrup. 

What are your favorite blueberry recipes?

Valentine's Dessert Ideas

We aren't huge chocolate fans around our house so I usually make desserts without it for Valentines Day.  One of our favorites, Sticky Toffee Pudding.  However, I make my own version and turn it into individual trifles.  It somehow seems easier that way and I'm all about giving everyone their own little individual container with their own little dessert.  It just makes it more special.

This recipe is pretty easy and uses ingredients that you probably already have, with maybe an 

exception to the dates.  Start by chopping 3/4 cup of pitted dates into fine pieces and throwing them into a small bowl with 1 teaspoon of baking soda.

Pour 1 1/4 cups of boiling water over them and set aside.  Next, in another bowl, combine 1 cup + 1 TBS all purpose flour and 1 tsp baking powder, combine and set aside.

While those sit, combine 1/4 cup room temperature unsalted butter and 3/4 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer (or using a hand mixer) and mix until light and fluffy.

Add one egg and 1 tsp vanilla and mix until combined.

Slowly add flour mixture and mix only until combined.  Do not overmix here.

Here's what it should look like.

Pour in your dates/boiling water mixture and carefully fold it into the butter mixture.  It will be very thin when you are finished, looking like this.

Pour into a greased 8 x 8 inch baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes until it looks like this (and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center).

Yum!  While that cools completely, whip up some fresh cream.  Take 1 cup of heavy cream, 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla and mix until stiff but before you turn it into butter.  I completely forgot to take a pic here, sorry!  Set that aside and make your toffee sauce.  Grab a stick of butter, 1 cup of light brown sugar and 1/2 cup of heavy cream and put into a small heavy saucepan.  

Heat to boiling, reduce heat and gently boil on medium low, while stirring for about 8 minutes.  It will look like this when done and you will want to drink it straight from the pan.

Let this cool and thicken.  Next take your cake and flip onto a piece of parchment paper and 

cut into squares.

Take your little serving dish, I used stemless wine glasses, and layer starting with the cake, then the toffee sauce and fresh whipped cream, repeat ending with the cream.  Drizzle a little toffee sauce over the top and you are done.  This dessert is so good!  Don't make it too far in advance or your toffee sauce will get to thick.  You could make your cake and cream a day in advance and make the toffee sauce and assemble the dessert a couple of hours before you plan to serve.  Try it!  I'm tellin' ya, you'll love it and so will your sweeties!

Have a great day!

Valentine's Dinner Ideas For Your Sweeties

I happen to love the month of February.  It's a whole month of love for us, not just Valentine's Day but our anniversary happens in February along with a couple of our kiddos birthdays, so, it feels like we celebrate our family the entire month, which I just love.

On Valentine's Day, I like to go all out at dinnertime and make something for my man and kiddos that we don't eat on a regular basis, just to make them feel extra special.  Around our house, that is homemade Fettuccine Alfredo with fresh pasta.  I just don't think there is anything better than a rich creamy pasta dish eaten with those you love on Valentine's Day.  

This recipe is really simple for those that think homemade alfredo sauce is hard to make, like I used to.  It's not.  And it tastes so much better than the jarred variety.  I wouldn't say it's healthier, loaded with heavy cream, cheese and butter, but at least you know what's going into it.  And there is nothing wrong with enjoying a rich dish like this on a special occasion every now and then.

 To make the fresh fettuccine, I followed the same pasta recipe that I use here, then use my Kitchenaid attachment for fettuccine to cut the pasta.  After it's all cut, toss it with a tiny bit of flour and this pile of golden goodness is what you have.

While your pasta rests, put your salted water on to boil and grab a fry pan.  

Throw in 4 TBS of unsalted butter.

Melt completely and add 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream and 1 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Simmer until it begins to bubble, whisking the entire time.  After bubbles appear on top, turn off the heat and continue whisking a minute or so until thick.

It should look like this.  Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.

Set aside and add your fresh pasta to your boiling water.  Remember that fresh pasta doesn't take as long to cook as dried so it should be ready in a few minutes.  After the fettuccine is done, drain and toss it with the alfredo sauce.

Oh. My. Word.  Look at that creamy goodness!  Traditionally, nutmeg is grated over this dish but we don't like nutmeg in our family so I leave it out, but feel free to add it if you like it.  Oh. Yes.  Dinner is ready.  It's really quick to make if you prepare your pasta ahead of time.  Or you could just buy dried pasta or prepared refrigerated fresh pasta.  It's so good!  Top it with freshly grated parmesan cheese.  I also like to sprinkle a bit of smoked paprika over the top.  It really adds a special flavor to the pasta and I happen to love smoked paprika.

Add a simple leafy green salad with a light vinaigrette, some crusty bread and a nice bottle of wine (for the grown ups) and you have yourself a pretty special Valentine's dinner. 

I thought it would be fun this week before Valentine's Day to share some fun ideas for making a fabulous dinner/evening for the special people in your life.  So stay tuned for some yummy dessert ideas, some cozy decorating ideas, and some fun little goody bags for school parties.

Have a Happy Monday!  And for all those that have emailed asking, I just listed more bread boards, finally!  Enjoy!

Blueberry Pie

 There is nothing I love more in the dead of winter than pulling out some preserved summer blueberries from the freezer and making a pie for my family.  It will definitely cure the winter blahs.

And it gave me a good excuse to use my new vintage pie server that hubby brought home with a box of vintage flatware.  Anyone else think the pie photo above looks like a face??  My youngest, who's sitting here with me as I type, this just pointed that out.  And I think I'm gonna have to agree.

This pie is simple to make because I just use a store bought pie crust dough, which is just as good as the homemade kind, if you ask me.

Put 4 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries in a bowl with 3/4 cups sugar, 

1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 cup flour.  Combine.

Place one roll of pastry dough in the bottom of a pie dish.

Next, pour blueberry mixture in, making sure to evenly distribute the sugar, flour, cinnamon mixture.

Next, unroll second piece of pastry dough and place on top of the pie, seal the edges and cut four slits in the top for steam to escape.

Whisk one egg to make an egg wash for the top and brush the top of the pie, then sprinkle with sugar.

Place pie on top of a cookie sheet to catch any spills and bake in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until top is golden brown.  

If the top of your pie browns too quickly, place a piece of foil over the top. 

Grab your favorite vanilla gelato or whip up some fresh cream to serve on top of the warm pie and sit back and remember your favorite summer memories. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Warm Spinach Salad with Sweet Vanilla Bean Vinaigrette

Hey there!  Did everyone have a Happy Thanksgiving? 
Did you stuff yourselves silly like we did? 

We have been nursing our sweet little boy back to health so I wanted to make something fast and light today.  Although, with a stick of butter in the vinaigrette, I'm not sure it's light on calories.  But hey, all the healthy fruit and spinach cancels that out, right??  The warm vanilla bean vinaigrette is what makes this salad so special and I could seriously just drink it by itself.  It's that good. 

Also, this salad is a good way to get some veggies into your kiddos because of the sweetness of the dressing and the fruit added.   It's really a simple recipe and so yummy.  If you like vanilla or vanilla bean, you will love this salad.  Here's what you need for the vinaigrette.

Melt a stick of butter in a small saucepan.

To that, add 3 TBS of brown sugar and 2 TBS of honey.  Then scoop in the pulp of a vanilla bean and stir together until brown sugar is melted.  Now, I know vanilla beans are pricey, however, I buy my vanilla beans in bulk from ebay for about $15 including shipping.  I get about 30 beans and if you wrap them up tightly and store them in an airtight jar, they will last forever.  I use vanilla beans a lot so this is a pretty good bargain for us.  Much better than paying 10 bucks for 2 of them in the grocery store. 

Transfer entire mixture to a blender.  If you don't have a blender, just whisk for several minutes.

Add 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract and pulse (or whisk) until combined (about 2 minutes).  While pulsing, add 3 TBS of olive oil continuing to pulse to incorporate.  Pour into a small pitcher and keep warm.

I'm telling ya, I could drink this stuff without any salad.  Look at all those yummy vanilla bean specks.  So much goodness!  Set this aside and grab a 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts, toss them onto a small baking sheet and toast in the oven at 375 degrees for 5 - 8 minutes checking frequently.

Set aside to cool while you assemble your salad.  For the salad you will need a regular sized container of baby spinach, 3 oranges segmented (or a can or mandarin oranges, drained), a couple large handfuls of red seedless grapes and 2 red apples quartered and then cut into bite size pieces.  You could also add blue cheese crumbles if you like those, we do not, so I leave that out.

Combine your salad ingredients and drizzle the warm vanilla bean vinaigrette over the top.  Enjoy!

Here's the recipe:

Warm Spinach Salad with Sweet Vanilla Bean Vinaigrette
For the Vinaigrette:
1 stick melted butter
3 TBS brown sugar
2 TBS honey
1 vanilla bean
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 TBS olive oil

Melt butter in small sauce pan and then add brown sugar and honey, stirring until melted.  Add the pulp of a vanilla bean.  Transfer to blender and add vanilla extract and olive oil.  Pulse until combined.  Keep warm.

For the Salad:
1 package baby spinach leaves
2 handfulls red seedless grapes
2 red apples, quartered and cut into bite size pieces
3 oranges segmented, or one can mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted

Combine all ingredients in a large salad bowl and drizzle warm vanilla bean vinaigrette over the top.