Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Today I was at the store, and I saw a package of velveeta on sale, and the desire for broccoli cheddar soup hit. I am not typically a pasteurized-processed-cheese-food-product kind of girl... but when the moment hits, it hits.

So I picked up the block of velveeta, some carrots, and since I had the normal staples at home, including frozen broccoli that's on my list of things to use up in the next month (score!), I was set.

Last year, I had a similar craving, and found a knock off recipe for Panera Bread's version of this soup. It was to die for! So, today I re-created it. So worth it.

Here's the link :Panera Bread Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Ingredients: 


1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups chicken stock or bouillon
1/2 pound fresh broccoli
1 cup carrots, julienned
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
4 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
8 ounces velveeta, cubed


Saute onion in butter. Set aside. Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add the half-and-half (this is called making a roux). Add the chicken stock whisking all the time. Simmer for 20 minutes. 

Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender for 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. The soup should be thickened by now. Pour in batches into blender and puree. Return to pot over low heat and add the cheese; stir until well blended. Stir in the nutmeg and serve.

Rainbow Cupcakes

Today (actually right now) we're having a party for a few people in my ward. I volunteered/was voluntold to make cupcakes. And while I used the book "Hello, Cupcake" for the decoration idea, but I decided that regular vanilla cupcakes weren't good enough for me. I decided that I wanted to try rainbow cupcakes! I've seen rainbow cakes, and they are awesome, and I had food coloring... Anyway...

Start by making a normal white/vanilla cake mix. (I'm sure you could probably even get away with yellow.) Divide the batter into 6 bowls in about equal proportions. Dye each bowl a rainbow color-- I did red (pink), orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.

Then I tediously spooned about a spoonful of each color into cupcake lined trays. I didn't spread out the colors, but could have. You'll see the design they made.

On this one you can see all the colors if you look close enough (even if it's blurry)

Bake as directed. THEN: (this is very important) Let the cupcakes sit in the baking pans for a full 5 minutes (I set a timer to make sure I get the full time in). This allows the moisture to redistribute and keeps the cupcakes more moist as they cool.

Baked they look like this; kind of psychedelic.

But the real fun comes when you cut into them... because who sees the tops anyway?

A side view:

And the Inside:

Sweet right? 

(To get the colors in layers instead of concentric rings of color I think you could put each color in a ziploc bag and pipe them evenly in the liners rather than plopping with a spoon.. maybe next time)

For the decorating you'll have to go get the book... but Here's why my final product looked like:

Here are the Birthday People; Nick, McKensey and Jillian

And here's another close up. I'm pretty proud of myself here... 

Apple Pie Caramel Apples

A while ago my roommate S and I went to Park City. While there we went to the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and had delicious caramel apples. Shelly got a snickers one, and I got an Apple Pie one. It was so delicious, but it was definitely a splurge. $5 for one apple... ouch.

But making them on my own with stuff I mostly have at home already, good idea!

(Pictures coming eventually...I took them, just haven't put the on the computer yet.)

I googled (which is how I find most of what I want to make), and found this website: The Cooking of Joy
Her recipe seemed to be the closest to what I was looking for, and Oh man, it was delicious! The only change I made was using granny smith rather than braeburn apples.

Here's what you'll need:

3 Granny Smith Apples
1 bag Werther's soft caramels. (Next time, for cost effectiveness I will probably buy the bulk type of caramels, but these were so good! and on sale.) About 10 squares per apple for the first, 5 each after that. (I had 25 squares and made 3 apples)
1-2 tsp water
4oz white chocolate. I had almond bark, so I used 2 squares.
3 Tbsp Brown Sugar
a few shakes of cinnamon
3 Popsicle sticks. (I used kebab sticks broken in half-- non broken part in the apple)

First, wash, dry, stick a stick in the apples, and chill the apples so the caramel will stick. (One website I saw suggested sanding the apples a little bit to rough up the surface for the same result.)

Unwrap the caramels and put in a microwave safe bowl. Add 1-2 tsp water (start with one see if it needs more) and microwave it on 50% power for 30 seconds. Stir and if it's not melted and smooth, continue in 20 second increments at 50% power.

Dip your apples in the caramel, using a spoon to cover the apple with caramel. Also, using the side of the bowl, or a knife, scrape off the caramel from the bottom of the apple.Place on a greased plate (this works better than waxed paper.) Stick in the freezer to chill till the caramel isn't sticky to the touch.

While apples are chilling, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon, and melt the white chocolate on 50% power till it is melted.

Try to push any of the caramel that has dripped to the bottom back onto the apple.

Now, you've got to work quick (as evidenced by my pictures I definitely did not work fast enough)

Dip the apples in the white chocolate then, before they harden, dip them in the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture. Put back on the plate and back in the freezer to set, but don't let them freeze!

Cut 2 parallel cuts on either side of the core, turn 90 degrees and do the same thing (you'll have 8 pieces and a core) Then bask in the sweet, crunchy, chewy, cinnamony, sweet deliciousness.

Star Wars Cookies

I (Rachel) am a huge nerd and absolutely love anything Star Wars. I have been pining over the starwars cookie cutter set from the moment I saw it. My wanting paid off when for Christmas my mom bought me the set! 

 

I'm going to be completely honest when I tell you mine did not turn out this cute. Due to my inability to count, I over mixed the royal icing and it turned out super thick. Lesson learned.As a heads up, this is an all day or two day project.

Here's the recipe:

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

- In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth with hand mixer. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt by hand. Cover. Chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit . Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with your fancy Star Wars cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

- Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely

My mom threw away my recipe (huge sad face) so I don't have the icing recipe. It's just your standard royal icing recipe...

On a side note, if you don't want to fork out the dough (haha) for these cookie cutters, the recipe works great with any cookie cutter. Valentine's Day, Christmas, Easter...Go wild! They don't spread out and turn into blob-like shapes as they bake. Here are my cookies :

Chicken Parmesan Soup

I have this friend... we've been friends for a long time, and our relationship is such that most of what we do together is cook dinner. We'll call this friend... "J." Usually J and I get together on Sunday evening, we meet at one of our houses and make something delicious. Usually stunning. We don't go for normal food, we make things amazing! Usually, I'm the basic girl, and J adds the idea for the twist that makes everything just one notch above normal. We've make mac-n-cheese, red and white chicken Parmesan, calzones, the list goes on... all of it was delicious and with a twist.
Earlier this week I saw a post on this blog that seemed just about up our alley. So I sent him a quick facebook post that said something to the effect of "you, me, chicken Parmesan SOUP and focaccia bread" Then I went on with my life... 
Today I was woken up during my Sunday afternoon nap by a buzzing cell phone, just one buzz meant it was a text message and could be checked later. Upon waking up a little more, I rolled over and checked my messages. I aparently had 2 messages that I had missed-- one said "I just saw your message. Is it too late to say ABSOLUTELY!!!!"  then a few minutes later it said "Whatcha doing tonight?" Having made no prior plans, we decided on 6:00 at his place.
I know you probably don't care about the background, but I assure you it was worth the wait for this recipe! The foccacia bread went on the back burner for a while, we'll get back to that one. But this soup... I'm craving leftovers already!

Chicken Parmesan Soup

Just Another Day in Paradise

4 Tablespoons olive oil

2 chicken breasts, pounded thin

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes

4 cups chicken broth (We used bullion, I have a costco pack!)

salt and pepper

1 cup fresh basil, chopped (I didn't have nor want to spend 3 dollars on basil, so it was 1/3 cup dried basil, which was perfect)

1 tsp red pepper flakes (the ones I have are pretty spicy and the soup had quite a kick, I liked it, but if you don't... maybe cut this in half.)

1 large onion, sliced really thin

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

(1 cup ish your favorite shaped pasta)

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook it in 2 Tbs of olive oil. Cook until just cooked through. Remove and set aside.

Add remaining olive oil and saute chopped garlic, onions, (dried basil) and pepper flakes. Cook until onions are beginning to soften...just a couple minutes. Add tomatoes and chicken broth and bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.(At this point, my friend J had a brain child, and we added some pasta and let it cook to almost done)  Add the chicken back in and cook another couple of minutes. Sprinkle in the (fresh) chopped basil and stir.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve with your favorite bread sticks. 

Note: Larissa at Just another Day in Paradise used the bread you would use for bruschetta. She toasted them and used them as crutons, which I'd like to try sometime, I'd bet it was delicious!  Alas... I made my own garlic Parmesan bread sticks. Mostly because I totally ruined a batch of rolls the other day (don't ask, I don't know...) and felt the need to redeem myself with yeast breads. 

I'm thinking this will make a quick, easy dinner group dinner during the up coming, busy count down to graduation! One month from TODAY! 

Nesting?

Lately I've just been feeling crafty. When my roommate asked me about it I told her it was because I was preparing to have children. Obviously not my own, but I've accepted a nanny position starting the week after graduation. So in a little more than a month, I'll have responsibility for an 8 year old and an 11 year old. Clearly, this preparation has caused me to begin nesting.


nesting [ˈnɛstɪŋ]

n. (Psychology) the tendency to arrange one's immediate surroundings, such as a work station, to create a place where one feels secure, comfortable, or in control

Another explanation is that crafting and creating is that I've been stressed lately. I've had at least one exam each week for the past 6 weeks, and it has been exhausting! Today I finished up my last midterm as an undergraduate, and in celebration I took a trip to the DI and the dollar store to gather supplies for a couple of upcoming projects.

In 2008, Deiter F Uchtdorf gave a talk on creativity. I believe that what he said is true! 

The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.
Everyone can create. You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty.
Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty.

After getting home from an eventful evening with the girls, we sat down to watch Morning Glory, which is a cute movie, and I worked on this first craft.

Old Book Wreath!


Now, apparently wreaths are all the rage, and after stalking err, viewing quite a few blogs I decided on wreath made out of an old book. I love books! Also, after helping my artistic sister Rachel with a few art projects, I learned that I love pulling apart books.

Here's what you'll need:

• An old book (I chose one at the thrift store that 1-I would never want to read, 2- had an old look to it with weathered pages and 3- had red edging, because I thought it would like the look.) 
• A wreath form (the ONLY one I could find at the dollar store was a floral foam one... not quite the best material, styrofoam or a wooden wreath would likely work better (next time...)
• Some form of attachment. All the blogs I read recommended hot glue, but I am not yet in possession of a hot glue gun (Don't worry, it's on my birthday list!) I purchased a package of 300 gold thumbtacks from the dollar store which worked with some help.
• Some ribbon or fabric to hang the wreath with. 

Yeah... I started ripping before I started picture taking. I couldn't wait. 

And, while we're looking at what you need, can I point out that I spent .75 on the book, 1.00 on the wreath, and 1.00 on the thumb tacks. I also used scraps from another project for the hanging fabric and something to wrap the wreath form in so the push pins would stay. All in all-- $2.75!

The first step is ripping up the book! Try to keep the pages whole, until you rip them in half. (My book was about 5X8 inches) so it made 2 1/2 X 4 inch rectangles. I'd say it was 250 pages, and I had about half leftover. 

Look at those red edges! I LOVE THEM!

Ok, so because of my lack of wreath options, and also lack of glue gun I had to be creative with getting my book pages to stick. I had some fabric laying around and wrapped it around the wreath- this gave it enough holding power for the push pins to stick. I would likely use push pins AND hot glue, I love the look of the gold push pins poking through and would like the security. Anyway...

Put a push pin in the center of your half-page. Like so:

Then wrap the paper around a finger, after taking this picture (which isn't very good), I decided that using my middle finger worked better. 

At this point I started pushing the pins into the wreath. I also enjoyed it so much that I failed to take any pictures of the process. I tried to put the papers as close together as I could. I did the top of the wreath and the outside. I didn't bother with the center because the top was so poofy that it covered it. 

Before I got all the way around, I tied a ribbon around the wreath so I could put the papers over it. 

As soon as I was done I was SO excited to hang it on my wall! (Unfortunately this probably won't pack or store well, so it will be my gift to my roommates who are hanging around here in Provo). I'll have to make a new one when I get to my final destination (with a glue gun). 

Ready to see the final product?

See what I mean about the thumb tacks? I really like them!

So cute, right? 

And a close up.

And now, you can make your very own and offend book lovers everywhere by tearing up the written word!

Springy Scarf!

I have been feeling crafty lately. By crafty I mean like I want to do crafts. I've found a bunch of blogs that have great ideas but a lot of the ideas are for home, or involve expensive supplies that I don't have. But I saw this scarf on Iron Violet Designs and after getting home from school/work/review session today, I decided to try it! It says "no sew" but I didn't have fabric glue, so I used a needle and thread (to avoid pulling out my machine) and I am thrilled with the results. (I even made two today!)

You'll need--
A t-shirt. (I'd probably use a new t-shirt if I had one, also, the bigger the better-- you'll get a fuller scarf)

I used a lunch sized correll plate to trace circles onto the shirt. I got 9 circles. I didn't put a circle around the little logo because I wanted to save it. 

Then you cut the circles into spirals. Make the spirals about 2". I just free handed, so they're not perfect, but I'm good with that. 

Then I made one stack of 4 and one stack of 5 and sewed each together:

Then sewed them all together: (It's not pretty, but I'll cover it up in a second)

The t-shirt was from my semester in Nauvoo 5 years ago, and it had a hole or two in it (and I have another 2 from that semester) so I was ready to lose the t-shirt, but I was not ready to get rid of the sentiment. 

I tied this over the top to cover the stitches.

And here's the finished product! On the inspiration blog she uses a flower at the neck to hold the 2 sides together... I may have to do that at some point :) 

Except... It was so fun/easy I couldn't stop! 

I made another one! 

I think I may be scouring the DI for fun printed t-shirts to make another one out of :)

Omelets a la Ziploc!

So once upon a time I went with my roommate for the weekend to her house in South Jordan. Saturday morning for breakfast she asked if I wanted omelets. I did, so we went to the kitchen. THEN she shared this amazing trick with me! She told me that her family does this for Christmas morning every year. It's so easy, and the easiest way to make omelets for a group that turn out perfectly every time with everyone getting exactly what they want.

Always looking for something to test on my dinner group, I decided to go for it, and according to my dinner group, it was a huge success.

Here's what you'll need:

I tried making it with off brand freezer bags once-- bad idea. Take my word for it. Get the quart sized Ziploc freezer bags. With the write on places it's perfect to keep everyone's omelet separate.
2-ish eggs per person-- 3 for the big eaters.
and then the fillings:
Diced ham
Bacon
Shredded cheese
Salt and pepper
Onions
Red Peppers
Mushrooms
Green Onions
Pretty much whatever you would put in a regular omelet.
You put all of the ingredients into the ziploc bag-- what ever you want, just seal up the bag and squish it all around.
While you are assembling your omelet in the bag, get a big pot of water boiling. Big enough for all the bags to fit into. (For dinner group I'll put a few big pots on to boil).

Then, just drop the bags into the boiling water. Set a timer for 15 to 20 minutes, and then poof! You have a perfectly formed, tasty, beautiful omelets. Yum!

I served it with orange-mango juice, hash browns, and a parfait (made with homemade granola!).

Look how pretty it is :)

And, check out the pie/cake, a pike, a pake?

Easy: You take a pie, bake it according to directions.

Put 1 3/4 cup cake batter (I used spice) in the bottom of a 9" cake pan. Squish the pie on top of it (you have to be careful for the transfer.)

Cover with more cake batter to cover the whole top.

Bake time on the box on a cookie sheet-- boil over is a definite option.

Frost and look how cool that looks! 

I know you want a bite (even if it is a little blurry).

Alton Brown's Macaroni and Cheese

I'm not really sure when My mom came across this recipe, but it has been a family favorite since the first time she made it! It is quite possible that this is my most frequently made recipe in my box. It's easy to add things to it, or to modify.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese: Serves 6-8 people
1/2 lb elbow macaroni (I use all kinds of different noodles...)
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 c yellow onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf (mom makes it with this, I don't have them, so I never do)
1/2 tsp paprika
1 egg
12 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (12 oz is a lot, especially on a college budget, so I usually just grate a whole big pile but I'm certain it's never this much..)
1 tsp salt
Pepper

*Cook pasta in large pot of salted boiling water to al dente
*While pasta is cooking, melt butter in separate pan over low, whisk in flour and mustard powder and keep it moving till the mixture bubbles.
*Stir in milk, onion, bay leaf and paprika. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf.
*Temper the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into mix and pour into a 2 qt casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
* Use 1 c bread crumbs to top (I had some stuffing mix that I needed to use today that I used instead and it was delicious!)
Bake for 30 minutes at 350*. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

You can see that the right half is a little bit red-- it's because I added salsa to that half! I also sprinkled the other half with Italian seasoning. Let me tell you: delicious!

Guest Blogger: Amy's Triple Berry Red velvet Cake!

This is Amy: one of my BFF's.(isn't she gorgeous?) This summer she and I spent a lot of time together, a lot. 

This weekend she told me she was making a Triple berry red velvet cake with homemade cream cheese frosting. I told her if she took pictures I would put her on my blog, so here is her guest post:


One of the ladies in my Bible study just moved into a new house with her son, and monday we're going to have a potlatch (so strange that's said pot-luck!) and bless her house and I'm bringing dessert. Because I'm house-sitting (and the lady does NOT bake, therefore is missing MANY ingredients in her pantry!) I decided to do something semi-homemade (Please don't submit this to cakewrecks!)

I chose to do a Red Velvet Cake with Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting. Because I used a box mix, I spent a little more and bought the Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cake. My first issue was that she did not have a single cake pan! Are you KIDDING me?! Anyway, I wound up using two comparably sized glass pie pans. The box said to spray the pan AND dust with flour, which I did. I usually don't use cooking spray, I just use oil and coat the pan, but I figured with the flour it probably didn't matter. I used Crisco Olive Oil cooking spray and Unbleached flour in the pans.

Then I whipped up the cake mix. This lady has an old 70s Stainless Steel Sunbeam Stand Mixer (kind of cool!) The cake called for 1 1/4 C water, 1/3 C vegetable oil, and 3 large eggs, blend on low until moist, beat on medium 2 minutes

[ I, Emily, Just LOVE this picture-- Amy could be a food photographer! Don't you think?]

The recipe calls for it to be baked immediately, thankfully I'd already preheated my oven to 350, so I poured the batter between the two pie pans and popped them in her rather small wall oven. After 20 minutes I had to rotate the two pans because the outside edges were browning beautifully but prematurely. 

Before:

After:

Once they were done baking about 34 minutes total, I pulled them out of the oven and let them set for five to ten minutes before flipping them onto the granite counter and letting them cool. If you don't have granite or quartz this is NOT a wise idea, as there's red food coloring in the cake mix and it WILL stain laminate or solid surface or cement, it also stained my fingers, and on that note, wear an apron! As I didn't and well, my shirt showed it :) Thankfully I wore a black tank and didn't get any of the food coloring on my shirt.

Because I somehow didn't oil the pans enough, I didn't have to cut one layer level, the bottom fell off and it leveled itself. Oops? (Yay cake remnants for eating! Maybe.... I may actually work them into the recipe!) 

As they continued to cool, I whipped up cream cheese frosting, again using that super cool vintage mixer :) Here's the recipe. I doubled the original, so here's what I actually made :)

1 8 oz package Cream cheese softened

1/2 C butter softened

2 tsp vanilla

4 C powdered sugar

2-4 tsp milk to consistency

Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating well. If necessary, gradually beat in milk to reach spreadability. 

Because I'm not at home and have no clue where to find a cake serving plate, I decided to use a decorative pie stone dish that was easily found, I put one layer of the cake in the bottom and generously frosted it.

Meanwhile I threw a pizza in the oven, a girl can't subside on cake batter and frosting fingers!

I then beautifully arranged blueberries, blackberries and raspberries on the frosting and gently pushed them into the frosting a little.

Next, I placed the top layer on and frosted the top and sides (also generously!) And then also arranged more of the berries on the top :) And quick pulled my pizza out because I forgot about it! 

Remember that broken cake I said might come back into play? Yeah, here it comes, I crumbled it up between my fingers and palms and just graced the sides/edges of the cake 

That's how I made a triple berry semi-homemade red velvet cake :) Now, I just need to figure out how to get it to the potlatch without ruining it.... But that's to be pondered later, I have a pizza to devour :) 

OH! Before I forget, put the cake in the refrigerator if you're going to leave it overnight and take it out an hour before serving.  Enjoy!