Cheeseburger Soup

It is officially fall so that means its time to eat soup.  Ha ha.
I have a lot of different soups pinned on pinterest.  This seemed like one the kids would possibly eat.  So I tried this one.  One kid ate it.  The other did not.  But she hasn't been eating much dinner at all so I am not counting "opinion".

Ingredients

• ½ pound ground beef (use 1 pound)
• ¾ cup chopped onion
• ¾ cup shredded carrots
• ¾ cup diced celery
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups peeled and diced potatoes
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• 2 cups of Velveeta processed cheese cubed (I used 16 ounce)
• 1½ cups milk
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ cup sour cream

Instructions

1. Brown the ground beef in 3 quart saucepan. Drain and set aside.
2. In the same saucepan add 1 T butter and add onion, shredded carrots, parsley flakes, basil and celery. Saute until tender.
3. Add the broth, potatoes and beef and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
4. In small skillet melt remaining butter (3 T) and add the flour. Cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to the soup and bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
5. Stir in the cheese, milk, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat and blend in sour cream.

http://therecipecritic.com/2012/12/cheeseburger-soup/

Mexican Corn

This corn salad goes great with tacos, burritos, enchiladas, you name it.
It is quick and simple so you can make it anytime.  I didn't have jalepenos and it was still delicious.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 cups corn (about 4 ears), cut from the cob
• 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 glove garlic, grated
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 handful cilantro, chopped
• 1 lime, juice
• 2 tablespoons cotija (or feta), crumbled
• chili powder to taste

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add the corn, toss and let it sit cooking until charred, mix it up and let it char again, about 6-10 minutes.
3. Add the jalapeno, saute for a minute and remove from heat.
4. Mix everything and serve warm or at room temperature.

http://www.closetcooking.com/2012/08/esquites-mexican-corn-salad.html?m=1

Cashew Chicken in the Crockpot

 A nice quick and easy meal. 

Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thigh tenders or chicken breast tenders*

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup cashews
Directions:
Place chicken in slow cooker. Combine soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, sugar, garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes in small bowl; pour over chicken. Cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours. Add cashews and stir. Serve over rice. Makes 4-6 servings.
If you want like sauce and want to have some to pour over the chicken and the rice, double the sauce ingredients.
http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/10/slow-cooker-cashew-chicken.html

Honey Whole wheat Bread

Working with yeast is not my forte but this bread turned out great.  It  was perfect for sandwiches or just to eat.

I plan on adding more wheat flour next time to make it healthier.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 3 Tbs. powdered milk
• 1 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 1/4 cups warm water
• 2 Tbs. vegetable oil
• 3 Tbs. honey

Instructions

Add both flours, yeast, powdered milk, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the water, oil, and honey to the dry ingredients and turn the mixer to medium low. Mix with the dough hook just until the dough begins to form a ball. Turn the mixer to low and allow the dough to knead for 8-10 minutes, or until the ball of dough is smooth and pliable.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, and cover with a towel. Allow the dough to rise until it has doubled in size, or for approximately 1 1/2-2 hours.

Once the dough has risen, remove it from the bowl and shape it into a log. Place the log of dough into a lightly greased 9×4 inch bread pan. Cover the dough log with plastic wrap and allow it to rise again until it has doubled in size (1-2 hours) and the top is puffed over the top edges of the pan.

Preheat the oven to 350, and bake the bread for 35-40 minutes, covering the top of the bread with a tent of foil halfway through baking. Bread is done when the top has turned a golden brown, the bread sounds hollow when you knock on the top, and the internal temperature of the bread has reached 190 degrees.

Once the bread is cool enough to handle, remove it from the loaf pan and place it on a cooling rack to cool completely. Slice as needed.

http://jcocina.com/honey-whole-wheat-sandwich-bread-and-creepy-emails/

Monster Cookies Take 2

In one of my past posts I made monster cookies.  They were good.  But these are our new favorite.  Everyone loves them and asks for the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened to room temperature*
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 and 1 /4 cups all purpose flour (are you measuring flour the correct way?)
• 1/2 cup quick oats (not instant or whole-rolled oats)*
• 3/4 cup M&Ms 
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
2. In a large bowl, using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together on medium speed, about 3 minutes. Mix in the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla (in that order). Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Slowly mix in the baking soda and flour. Do not overmix. Fold in the quick oats, M&Ms, and chocolate chips. If the dough is very soft and unmanageable by hand, chill the dough for 30 minutes before rolling.
3. Rolls balls of dough, about 2 Tablespoons of dough per ball, onto prepared baking sheet. Press a few extra M&Ms on top for looks, if preferred. Bake for 9-10 minutes - do not bake past 10 minutes. The cookies will appear undone. I too mine out at 9 minutes, which is recommended. Slightly press down the baked cookies with the back of a spoon, since the cookies only slightly spread in the oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Cookies will firm up as they cool. Store cookies covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. Cookies freeze well.

Read more from the source: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/01/15/soft-baked-monster-cookies/#ixzz2XVovDuaT
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http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/01/15/soft-baked-monster-cookies/

Charleston Cheese Dip

Lots of cheese and bacon... what is not  to love?  This was another hit from our Memorial Day picnic.

Ingredients:
1/2 - cup mayonnaise
1 - 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1 - cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 - cup grated Monterey jack cheese
2 - green onions, finely chopped
Dash of cayenne pepper
8 - Ritz crackers, crushed
8 - slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix the mayonnaise, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, Monterey jack cheese, green onions and cayenne pepper.

Transfer the mixture to a shallow baking dish.Top mixture with cracker crumbs and bake for 15 minutes, or until heated through.

Remove the pan from the oven and top with the bacon. Serve immediately with corn chips, bagel chips or crackers.

http://www.mommyskitchen.net/2011/01/charleston-cheese-dip-potluck-sunday.html

Salsa

I grew up a picky eater.  Until I graduated from college I would never even try salsa. Too may chunks of onion, pepper, tomatoes. Gross.

Now I love it and have been wanting it all of the time. I still don't like it too chunky. This recipe was perfect for me. You can pulse it In The food processor or blender to get it as smooth or chunky as you like.

Tip:  I put the seeds from the jalepeno in the salsa to make it spicy. Just omit the seeds or some of them to make it less spicy.

Ingredients

• 1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
• 2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
• 1/4 cup Chopped Onion
• 1 clove Garlic, Minced
• 1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
• 1/4 teaspoon Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 1/2 cup Cilantro (more To Taste!)
• 1/2 whole Lime Juice

Preparation Instructions

Note: this is a very large batch. Recommend using a 12-cup food processor, or you can process the ingredients in batches and then mix everything together in a large mixing bowl.
Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you'd like---I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.
Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips or cheese nachos.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/01/restaurant-style-salsa/