Loaded Baked Potato Soup

     Soup weather is here! I don't know about you, but I think soup is the perfect supper. A big pot of soup simmering on the stove makes the house smell good, and holds promises of  a warm bowl of comfort on a chilly evening. Put on your warm wooly socks and snuggle up with a steaming bowl of goodness that'll warm you up from the inside out!

     This potato soup, from Cooking Light magazine, is a lightened version of the decadent loaded baked potato soup so popular in restaurants. Creamy texture? Check. Chunks of tender potato? Check. Melty cheese? Check. Crunchy bacon? Check. The only thing this isn't loaded with is calories. Pair it up with  a nice salad and you've got yourself a hearty, satisfying meal. It's surprisingly quick and easy to make, and if you hide some you're lucky, you'll have enough left over for tomorrow's lunch. :)

Loaded Baked Potato Soup
recipe from Cooking Light magazine, Nov. 2012

Ingredients:
4 (6oz.) red potatoes
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion (I love onion in potato soup, so I used more)
1 1/4 cups (fat free, lower sodium) chicken broth
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups low-fat milk, divided
1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 tsp. salt (or season to taste if salt intake is not an issue for you)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (I love pepper, so I used more)
Garnishes: cooked and crumbled bacon, cheddar cheese, thinly sliced green onions or chives

Instructions:

• Pierce potatoes with a fork. Microwave at High for 13 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Cut in half; cool slightly.
• While potatoes are cooking, heat a large saucepan over med-high heat. Add oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add onion and saute, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent. Add broth to pan.
• Combine flour and 1/2 cup of the milk in a small bowl, stirring until smooth. Add flour mixture to the pan with the remaining 1 1/2 cups of milk.
• Bring soup to boil, stirring frequently. Cook 1 minute.
• Remove soup from heat. Stir in sour cream, salt and pepper.
• Discard potato skins if desired. Coarsely mash potatoes into soup. 
• Top soup with grated cheese, crumbled bacon and onions or chives.
• Makes 4 servings

Maple Walnut Fudge

 

     Everybody needs a little sweetness in their life at times. With a crazy work week looking me in the face, my sweetness has been this creamy, dreamy fudge. Fall flavors are featured (maple and walnuts- seriously, those two should get married) and it's  dangerously simple to make. Each dreamy bite of fudge, smooth and toothsome as a maple-y flavored caramel and full of the crunch of walnuts, begs for another. I know it won't make my week any easier, but it will definitely be tastier!

Maple Walnut Fudge  (Printable Recipe Here)
recipe slightly adapted from All You magazine, Sept.'12 

Ingredients
1 cup light brown sugar
1(7.5 oz). jar Marshmallow Fluff
1 small can (5 oz.) evaporated milk
6 Tblsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 (11 oz.) pkg. White Chocolate Chips (I used Ghirardelli)
1 1/2 tsp. Maple flavoring
2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped (don't skimp on these!)

Directions
Line an 8in. square pan with nonstick foil. (Or line with regular foil, lightly greased.) Have the foil extend over the edges of the pan, so that it's easy to lift out when the fudge is ready.
In a heavy saucepan, combine brown sugar, evaporated milk, marshmallow fluff, butter and salt. Bring to boil over medium heat, whisking frequently. (Don't just let it heat on the stove while you chop your walnuts. It will scorch. Don't ask me how I know this.) Boil for five minutes, whisking constantly, then remove from heat. Add the bag of white chocolate chips and stir until melted.
Stir in maple flavor and walnuts. Pour into prepared pan and smooth the top.
Refrigerate uncovered until set, about two hours.
Lift block of fudge out by the foil edges, and cut into chunks. Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container between layers of waxed paper. Will keep a week in the refrigerator. (If it doesn't get eaten first!)

The Runaway Mummy

 
      How many of you grew up with Margaret Wise Brown's classics, Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny? And  have read them over and over to your own children? And grandchildren maybe?  If you, like me, can recite them with your eyes closed while you're half asleep with a child snuggled on your lap begging you to "Read it again, pleeeeease?" then you might just appreciate these two "Petrifying Parodies," Goodnight Goon and The Runaway Mummy, from Michael Rex.

    
     We had fun in my class this week comparing these two books with the originals. It was obvious that Michael Rex, the author, had an appreciation of both Margaret Wise Brown's stories  and Clement Hurd's illustrations. My own kids grew up with these classics and have fond memories of them.

     These little mummy cookies are just cute spooky enough to go with either of these books. No special decorating skills are needed for these little guys. Just make up some gingerbread men, (or would you call them gingerdead men?) "glue" on candy eyes and pipe on the frosting. I used a small Wilton basketweave tip, but a ziploc baggie with the corner cut off would work just as well. These were made from my favorite Iced Spice Cookie recipe, but any gingerbread (or even chocolate) cut out cookie would work.

And if you find that your gingerbread mummies are too scared to be alone on Halloween, you could always make them some skeletons to keep them company. :)

 

Iced Spice Cookies (Printable recipe here.) 

Iced Spice Cookies recipe adapted from Patti Paige, Creative Ideas for Living Jan/Feb '89 2/3 cup shortening (I use butter) 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt (I only use 1) 1 large egg (from a happy hen if you can find one-mine aren't laying right now) 3/4 cup molasses 3 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder Directions: Cream together the first six ingredients. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Add the molasses and mix again. Set aside. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Add to molasses mixture and mix until dough forms. Divide the dough into two balls (flattened), wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least three hours. (I chilled it overnight) This dough is hard to work with unless it's chilled. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out one ball of dough to a thickness of 1/8 to 1/4 inch. The original recipe calls for rolling the dough out between two sheets of lightly floured wax paper or a floured pastry cloth. I didn't have those so I just checked my dough frequently to make sure it wasn't sticking to my surface. (Flour is your friend, here.) Cut out desired shapes. Gather scraps into a ball and put in the freezer while you repeat with the rest of your dough. Transfer cookies to parchment covered (or greased) baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, making sure edges don't burn. Cool completely on a rack before frosting. (recipe below) For me this recipe made about 4 dozen small cookies. Royal Icing In a large bowl, mix together 1 pound of confectioners sugar, 3 tablespoons meringue powder (I used Wilton) and a scant 1/2 cup water. (Reserve several spoonfuls of the water-wait and see if you need it. Royal frosting is kind of tricky in that it depends on the humidity as to exactly how much water you'll need.) Mix until soft peaks form. (I did mine about 8 minutes.) Put some frosting in a piping bag fitted with a small basketweave tip and pipe on the mummy wrappings. You could also use a ziploc baggie with the corner cut off!

"Wormy" Cider Spiced Apple Pie Bars

     Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, guess I'll go eat worms. Do you remember that song? It came to mind as I scattered the topping over these wormy apple pie bars. Well not real worms anyway. I have an aversion to the real ones. What you see here is just a batch of squiggly cinnamon sugar covered wrigglers decking out a tender apple filling with an apple cider spiced cookie crust underneath. Throw a couple of cute little gummy worms on top and you've got a spook-tacular Halloween treat that's just gruesome enough. (But not too gruesome.)

     I spiced mine up with some instant cider mix, but plain cinnamon and sugar would work just as well. I know some people have issues with the ready made refrigerated pie crusts, but they really work here. (And I have issues with making pie crust.) Make your own crust if you wish, but the rolled dough makes it really easy to produce many worms in short order. And those wormy things on top? They bake up nice and crispy and add a cinnamon-sugar crunch to each bite. And trust me, it's the only way I'll be eating worms. :)


Wormy Cider Spiced Apple Pie Bars (Printable recipe here)
adapted from this Betty Crocker Recipe

Ingredients:
Cookie Crust
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 packet instant apple cider or 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Filling
7-8 medium apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 cup light brown sugar (or to taste, depending on the sweetness of your apples)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 packet instant apple cider (optional)
pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Wormy Topping
1 box refrigerated rolled pie crusts (or your favorite homemade pie crust)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 packet instant apple cider

Instructions:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. (400 for dark or nonstick pan) 
• Cream together 1/2 cup softened butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Stir in 1 1/4 cups flour and packet of cider mix or cinnamon until mixed. 
• Press mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 baking pan. 
• Mix together all filling ingredients and pour into the crust. Bake for 10 minutes. While this bakes, prepare the wormy topping.
• Mix together 1/3 cup of granulated sugar, cinnamon and apple cider mix. Cut one cold pie crust (still rolled) lengthwise in half, and then into thin (1/4 inch or less) slices. 
• Separate the pieces and toss to coat in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Repeat with the remaining pie crust.
• Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar coated "worms" over the partially baked filling and bake 18-22 minutes more until crust is golden brown. Cool completely before cutting into bars. For a spookier effect, try using colored sugar (red for earthworms?) for the topping.

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

 
     Do you know how hard it is to push the "publish" button when you've been away for a while? Whew! I didn't mean to be away for so long, but one thing led to another, life happened, and time slipped away from me.

     So I'm easing back in with these peanutty granola bars. My friend Lisa shared this recipe-from The Marathon Mom- with me. Her family goes through a batch of them every week, and I can see why! They mixed up in a jiffy (no oven needed) with ingredients I had on hand, and turned out crunchy and delicious.

     At my house, granola bars are just as good for hurried mornings as they are for hungry afternoons. These are a great alternative to the preservative laden bars you get from the grocery store that are made with ingredients you can't pronounce. Oats, wheat germ, honey, coconut oil, peanut butter and peanuts- that's it! You will need to keep them in the refrigerator though- they get gooey if they sit out.

     It's good to be back. It felt good to dust off my camera. I even enjoyed my little hamperer helper. (I don't know if Merlin was after the birds or the bars.)  And I plan to be back sooner than I was the last time. :)

You can find the recipe for these Peanut Butter Granola Bars at The Marathon Mom. 

Honey Apricot Bran Muffins

 

     These muffins? They're the bee's knees. Seriously, I can't think of a more perfect way to describe them.  Sweetened with honey, crunchy with walnuts, moist with homemade applesauce and filled with bran (just in case you didn't think they were healthful enough already) they were a breakfast delight.

   
      Some time ago I found a recipe for bran muffins that I really wanted to make, but couldn't find any bran in the local grocery store. By the time I got to town to a real grocery store that carried it (You wouldn't think that bran was so exotic, would you?) I had lost the recipe. Thankfully there was another recipe on the side of the Bob's Red Mill bag. Though it wasn't what I originally set out to make, with just a few changes it ended up being just what I wanted.

    
      So do you think it's probably a good thing that these are now in my back yard?  I have a feeling I'm going to be needing some of the fruits of these hive denizens' labors. Think they'll share? (more on these new additions later...)

Honey Apricot Bran Muffins
adapted from a recipe for Moist Molasses Bran Muffins from Bob's Red Mill
Ingredients
1 cup wheat bran
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup finely chopped dried apricots (I used a generous 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup milk
1/2 cup honey
3/4 cup applesauce
2 Tblsp. oil
2 eggs, beaten

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400F 
• Combine wheat bran, flour, baking soda and baking powder.
• Stir in fruit and nuts. (Make sure you coat the apricots well with the flour mixture to keep the pieces from sticking together.)
• In a small bowl, blend together applesauce, milk, honey, oil and the eggs.
• Pour wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just moistened.
• Spoon into greased muffin tins (or paper baking cups) and bake for 15-20 minutes.
• Yields 12 muffins

Cherry Almond Coconut Breakfast Loaf- Gluten Free

  

     It’s a "misty, moisty morning" and the dogwoods seem to have appeared overnight, mingling with the redbud trees to make a glorious spring pageant. After Saturday’s rain I can smell the earth just begging for the tiny little tomato plants growing in the windowsill. Spring has sprung.

     The warm weather and longer daylight hours have rekindled my enthusiasm for bringing my camera back into my kitchen, so I'm going to try to be more consistent with posting on my little blog. There are lots of things waking up around here that I can't wait to share!

   

  

     Sunday morning I woke up early, before the rest of the household stirred, and prepared these little loaves for breakfast. The original recipe for this lovely gluten-free-no-added-sugar-breakfast/snack came from Anja's Food 4 Thought. I changed it up just a bit to accommodate what I had on hand, and these loaves were the serendipitous results. As tasty as they were wholesome, they were a delightful addition to our morning. They disappeared so quickly that next time I'll be sure to double the recipe. Hmmm... Pineapple and macadamia nuts maybe?

     

Cherry Almond Coconut Breakfast Loaf

adapted from Anja's Carrot Coconut Breakfast Loaf

Ingredients

3/4 cup almond meal (I used almonds ground in my food processor.)

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup mashed banana (about 2 medium bananas)

1/2 cup dates, pitted and chopped (If your dates stick together while chopping, sprinkle with some almond meal.)

1/2 cup carrots, grated

1/4 cup desiccated coconut

1/4 cup almonds, chopped

1/2 cup cherries (sweet or sour) pitted and chopped

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375° F (180° C). Line three small loaf pans (or one standard size loaf pan) with lightly greased parchment paper.

• In a small bowl, mix together almond meal, baking soda and cinnamon.

• In another bowl, mix together eggs, extracts, coconut oil and mashed banana. ( I had trouble with my coconut oil not mixing well with the other ingredients, so I whirled the mixture around a few times in the food processor.)

• Add almond meal mixture to wet ingredients; stir.

• Gently stir in the remaining ingredients. Mix well to ensure that the chunky bits are evenly distributed.

• Pour batter into prepared loaf pan(s) and bake for 40 minutes (35 for smaller loaf pans) or until a cake tester in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Paula's Meatless (but you'd never know it) Chili

     Did you know that your heart beats about 100,000 times a day? That's about 35 million beats a year, and over two and a half billion beats in the average lifetime. Did you know that even at rest, your heart muscles work hard? Twice as hard as the leg muscles of a person sprinting! In one day, your heart pumps your blood a total of 12,000 miles- four times the distance across the US from coast to coast. That makes me tired just thinking about all of the work my heart is doing! (Heart facts from NOVA online.)

      This month, National Heart Month, is a good time to take a look at what you're doing to keep your hard working heart happy. One way to show your heart some love for all it does for you is to eat a heart healthy diet. According to the Mayo Clinic, a heart healthy diet limits unhealthy fats and sodium, includes low fat protein sources and is rich in vegetables, fruits and whole grains. This has been near and dear to me ever since hubby's heart attack and bypass surgery-  I'm always on the lookout for tasty recipes that fit the bill.

     Standing in the grocery checkout line, I saw this crockpot chili on the cover of a recent Woman's Day magazine. I had to have it. I even went back into the store and bought the ingredients I needed for it. I made it the first chance I had, and I have to say that it's a keeper. It's a low fat, meatless chili, full of beans, flavorful veggies and whole grains- wheat berries. I reduced the salt from the original recipe to make it even more heart friendly, and topped it with avocado.    

   This is the perfect vegetarian chili for a "dyed in the wool" meat eater. The wheat berries give it a toothsome texture, and if you didn't know better, you might even argue that a bit of burger was in there. Your heart will know it's not, though. The corn adds a little sweetness and a little pop of color, and the chipotle adds a smoky element.  Avocado is a great topper too, with healthy fats your heart will love.

     With the exception of soaking the wheat berries overnight, all you have to do is throw all of the ingredients into your crock pot, turn it on, and go about your business of the day. When dinner time rolls around, the intoxicating aroma of hearty chili welcomes you to sit down to a bowl of spicy goodness.You can heat it up as much as you want with extra hot sauce or even a couple of chopped chipotle peppers in adobo. I hope you get the chance to try this one- your heart will thank you!

You can find the recipe at the link below:
Paula's Meatless (but you'd never know it) Chili
Recipe from Paula Zsiray, Woman's Day magazine, February 2012
I made it mostly as written, but made the following changes:

• used fresh oregano instead of dried (because that's what I had!)
• used low/no sodium canned tomatoes and beans
• used diced tomatoes instead of puree (because that's what I had!)
• did not add any additional salt
• added a chopped chipotle pepper
• garnished with avocado

The recipe also says to wait until five minutes before serving to add in the beans, corn, pepper and hot sauce. I added everything in at the beginning and it turned out just fine. :)
I will definitely make this again!
Each serving has 360 calories, 2 grams of fat and 18 grams of protein.

Come join SoupaPalooza at TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored by KitchenAid, Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset

Will You Be My Valentine?

   
     When you're in second grade, Valentine's Day is wondrous. In the days leading up to it, you  thoughtfully decorate your mailbox with hearts and stickers, all the time anticipating what it might hold when the magical day arrives. Red and pink scraps of paper litter the classroom floor, evidence of hastily cut, glued, glittered and lettered missives of friendship that will be surreptitiously slipped into your classmates' expectant receptacles.

     In second grade everybody's your friend. You don't have to worry about girlfriends or boyfriends or dating or any of those drama inducing love triangles that will come all too soon and fill your Valentine's Day with more angst than should be allowed.

     In second grade, instead of worrying about who's sending you flowers or candy, you can tell jokes. Corny jokes. And riddles that you ask your friends over and over and they will always laugh. When you're in second grade, jokes are always funny. Classics like:

What did the boy bird say to the girl bird?  "Let me call you Tweet Heart."

What did the boy bat say to the girl bat? "Let's hang around together."

What did the boy cat say to the girl cat? "We're purrrfect for each other."

     The long awaited fourteenth  arrives, and all day long eyes are glued to the bulging bags on the classroom counter.  Not soon enough, little fingers are busy unearthing and poring over the hidden treasures within; little envelopes with colorful cards and maybe a piece of candy or two. Affirmations of friendships. And hopefully, cookies.

     These Iced Spice Cookies have been the "go-to" cookie in my household for years. Simpler to decorate than the last Valentine cookies I posted, they were a breeze to make. I used Sweet Sugarbelle's "Twenty Second" royal icing since the cookies were smallish. I loved that I only had to make two different colors of frosting, but you could make yours as colorful as you like. The hearts on the cookies were made by immediately piping dots of frosting onto each freshly frosted cookie, and then drawing a toothpick through the dots from top to bottom. Do this immediately, before the frosting crusts, and be sure to wipe off the toothpick after every pass to keep your hearts neat!

     Make some of these for someone you love. And if you know any second graders, ask them to tell you their favorite joke. Be prepared to listen to their peals of laughter while you secretly groan inside. :)

Iced Spice Cookies
(printable page)

recipe adapted from Patti Paige, Creative Ideas for Living Jan/Feb '89
2/3 cup shortening (I use butter)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt (I only use 1)
1 large egg (from a happy hen if you can find one-mine aren't laying right now)
3/4 cup molasses
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Directions:

• Cream together the first six ingredients. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Add the molasses and mix again. Set aside.
• Sift together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Add to molasses mixture and mix until dough forms.
• Divide the dough into two balls (flattened), wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least three hours. (I chilled it overnight) This dough is hard to work with unless it's chilled.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Roll out one ball of dough to a thickness of 1/8 to 1/4 inch. The original recipe calls for rolling the dough out between two sheets of lightly floured wax paper or a floured pastry cloth. I didn't have those so I just checked my dough frequently to make sure it wasn't sticking to my surface.
  
• Cut out desired shapes. Gather scraps into a ball and put in the freezer while you repeat with the rest of your dough.
• Transfer cookies to parchment covered (or greased) baking sheet.
  
• Bake for 8-10 minutes, making sure edges don't burn. Cool completely on a rack before frosting. For me this recipe made about 4 dozen small cookies.