Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons of unsalted

1 small onion

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups half-and-half

4 cups chicken broth (I used nature's promise culinary chicken stock) you could probably use a vegetable based stock

2 bay leaves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

salt & pepper to taste (I also added nature's seasoning)

4 cups broccoli florets

1 large carrot, diced

about 4 cups sharp cheddar cheese (1 brick)

Instructions:

Melt butter over med heat, add onion and cook until tender. Whisk in flour and cook until golden brown, 3-4 minutes, gradually whisk in half-and-half until smooth. Add stock, bay leaves, and nutmeg, then season with salt, pepper, and nature's seasoning and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to med-low and cook uncovered until thickened, about 20-30 minutes.

Add broccoli and carrots to the mixture and simmer until tender, about 20-30 minutes. Whisk in grated cheese until melted.

Recipe edited by Kris Litchfield:

Her Notes: I changed the original recipe so I figured I would just type it up for you. It really is delicious!

Pasta with Chicken & Sundried Tomatoes

Ingredients:

1 stick butter

1/2 c. oil packed sun dried tomatoes, drained and cut

2 tbsp fresh basil

2 tbsp fresh parsley

1 packet Knorr leek soup mix

1 1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup grated cheese

1 tsp black pepper

3 chicken breasts cut in 1/2 inch strips

1 pound rigatoni

Recommendation: double batch of the sauce

Directions:

Melt butter in large pan.

Add chicken and cook through.

Add sun-dried tomatoes, basil, parsley, soup mix, heavy cream.

Stir until it boils.

Reduce heat, add cheese, stir until melted.

Toss pasta with sauce. Top with extra cheese.

Spicy Black Bean Cakes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 green onions, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, pressed
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, finely diced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 (14.5 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
salt and black pepper to taste
2 cups grated raw sweet potato
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup plain dried bread crumbs

Directions:
1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook green onions until softened, about 1 minute. Stir in garlic, 2 diced jalapenos, and cumin; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.


2. Transfer contents of skillet to a large bowl. Stir in black beans, and mash with a fork. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix in sweet potatoes, egg, and bread crumbs. Divide into 8 balls, and flatten into patties.


3. In the oven, set cooking rack about 4 inches from heat source. Set oven to broil. Lightly grease baking sheet with 1 tablespoon oil.


4. Place bean patties on baking sheet, and broil 8 to 10 minutes. Turn cakes over, and broil until crispy, about 3 minutes more.



*I made these for the first time last night and loved them! I omitted the garlic- made a half batch and used a whole egg instead of half. They are just slightly dry but taste phenomenal! Will tweak a little more next time and update if I find something that works better.

Grammy's Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Ingredients

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tlbs cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp cloves

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 can (15 oz) pure pumpkin puree

1 1/2 tsp ginger

2 sticks butter

2 lg eggs

2 cups brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
In small bowl whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, soda cinnamon, cloves and ginger. Cream butter and brown sugar till creamy 3-4 minutes add Pumpkin , eggs and vanilla til well blended on low speed add dry ingredients. Place heaping tablespoons on cookie sheet 2" apart and bake at 350 for 10-12 min.

Filling
1 stick of butter(do not use margarine)
1 pound of confectionary sugar
3-4 tablespoons of marshmallow
3 oz cream cheese
1/3 cup milk

Cream the butter and cheese till fluffy add sugar and marshmallow with milk. You may not need all the milk.

Potato Soup

Ingredients

10-12 small potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small chopped onion
3 scallions chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 sweet potato, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons butter, cubed
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes, onion, scallion, carrot, and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender; lightly mash/ use immersion blender.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir into potato mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add parsley, salt and pepper. Remove from the heat; stir in cheese until melted.

Tomato Soup

Tomato Soup

Ingredients

1 peck of tomatoes chopped (blanch first, remove seeds and chop in food processor)

8 onions chopped (can use food processor)

5 stalks of celery (can use food processor)

3/4 cup of sugar

1/4 cup (or less) of salt

1/2 pound butter

1 cup cornstarch with water just to dilute (pour this in slowly)

Boil tomatoes, onion and celery for 1 hour.

Pour mixture through a strainer. (not absolutely necessary)

Add sugar, salt, butter and cornstarch.

Mix, bring to a boil and seal in jars.

Recipe from Gayle Elsberry

Carrot-Tomato Soup

Carrot-Tomato Soup

Ingredients
2 TBSP butter
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 lbs tomatoes, peeled* and sliced in half with stems removed
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
(optional) fresh sprigs of thyme, oregano or rosemary
1 medium sized yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
5 medium sized carrots, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken (or vegetable) stock
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
3/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions
Place sliced tomatoes on a baking sheet. Cover with most of the olive oil (reserving 2 TBSP or so), and the salt and pepper. If you'd like a little more flavor, I sometimes add a fresh sprig or two of oregano or thyme atop the tomatoes. Place in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes to roast.

Halfway through the roasting, melt the butter and remaining olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic and cook until the vegetables begin to get soft (15 minutes or so). When the tomatoes are done, add those to the pot (removing the sprigs of herbs), along with the stock. Simmer on low until the vegetables are all tender (another 15 minutes or so).

Puree the soup. (I don't have an immersion blender, so my regular blender works just fine, doing it in batches.)

Stop here and see below if you'd like to freeze some of the soup for later!**

Return the soup to the pot and onto the stove. Heat slowly. Add the chopped basil and heavy cream.

Enjoy!

Notes:

*To peel the tomatoes, heat a sauce pan full of water and bring to a boil. Place tomatoes in for a minute. Remove and let cool. The skins will peel off easily after that.

**Because I love the basil and cream to be fresh when I serve this, at this point, I try to estimate how much I'll use for dinner now and how much I'd like to freeze for later. Usually, with this recipe, I freeze a one quart mason jar, filling it to within an inch from the top to allow for expansion room when it freezes. It makes a perfect lunch or light dinner size for us, especially when served with some crusty bread and sharp cheddar cheese for sandwich dipping!

Recipe from Soule Mama's blog. Thank you!