Creamy Potato-Veggie Soup

Living in the tropics, we usually get about 5 minutes worth of weather that's cold enough for long enough that the hubby will be willing to eat soup. The weather has been "so chilly" lately that I decided to capitalize on prime soup season. Mmmmmmmmmm, soup. My favorite! I was inspired by the delicious simplicity that was the potato soup on my friend Ashley's blog, and decided to make another type of potato soup tonight. I have a lot of potatoes, and had a couple of bags of fresh vegetables that I got on sale for $1 each this week. Creamy potato-vegetable soup started to take shape in my mind. Ok, now get to work.

5 cups potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1" cubes

3 cups broccoli florets, stems removed

2 cups cauliflower, stems removed 

8 cups water (you will remove 2 cups...read the directions!) 

2 tbsp chicken bouillon granules

1 tbsp kosher salt

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp rosemary

1/2 tsp thyme

4 tbsp butter

1 cup milk

3 tbsp corn starch (Rumford brand is non-gmo!) 

1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar

Bring 8 cups of water to a boil and add the potatoes. Boil for about 7-8 minutes, then add the broccoli and cauliflower. Bring to a boil and stir in the chicken bouillon, salt, pepper, & herbs, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer about 15 minutes, until the potatoes and veggies are tender. I know it sounds crazy, but now, REMOVE 2 CUPS OF WATER, then add the butter. Once the butter is melted, it's time to puree the soup if you want to make a cream soup. I used an immersion blender and it took about 2 minutes to get the thick, creamy consistency I wanted. (You could also leave it alone, or puree it only slightly.) 

 Next, stir the corn starch into the cold milk, until well blended, then add to the soup and once again return to a boil. Return heat to low and stir in the cheese until melted. I cooled my soup for about 15 minutes before serving it with julienned cheese topping and warm yeast rolls. ;-) 

After I served our bowls, I managed to drop my iPhone into the soup on the stove. I went after that phone, plunging my hand into boiling, creamy soup as if I had dropped an infant into the ocean. In the dark. During a tsunami. Thankfully I was able to rescue it, and its otter box prevented damage from being done. ;-) Enjoy your soup. The burns on my hand will thank you. (Snicker!!!) 

Allow 45 minutes from start to finish! ****Lifestyle tips: Use low-fat dairy products. This recipe has a 10-cup yield. Each cup is approximately 193 calories. If you are trying to reduce fat and carbs in your diet, try the soup before adding the cheese! It's actually pretty good, and brings the calorie count down to 127 per cup. A little cheese garnish might do the trick.

Sunday Chicken Roast

Right about the time that fall rolls around, I have the sudden urge to begin cooking lots of homey comfort foods, usually something with gravy that's also accompanied with buttered dinner rolls. Today was no exception. If you prepare all of the ingredients ahead of time, this easy crock pot lunch will take about 5 minutes to throw together in the morning, and it will be ready in 3-1/2 hours. This recipe is for 2 people. Double, triple, etc. as needed!

"Night before" prep:

2 frozen chicken breasts--in a tupperware container, cover with water and add 1 tbsp of chicken bouillon powder.
2 baking potatoes--peel, cube, and cover in salted water in a separate tupperware container
1, 12-oz bag frozen green beans--remove from the freezer and place in the refrigerator overnight.

"Morning of" prep:

Drain potatoes and place in crock pot. Add 2 tbsp olive, add salt, pepper, garlic, and 1 tbsp of dried herbs, then stir to coat. Rinse the green beans and pour on top of potatoes. Then, remove the chicken breasts from the water and place on top. Next, add salt/pepper/additional dried herbs to the top of the meat, and add 1 tbsp of bouillon granules to the pot with 1/2 cup of water. Lastly pour 12 oz additional SEASONED liquid over top. This can be chicken broth, etc. Today I used a small jar of chicken gravy. Cook for 3-1/2 hours on HIGH.

If desired, you can thicken the liquid from the finished crock pot meal to make gravy. Strain it into a small pot over medium-low heat and add 2 tbsp of corn starch (dissolved in about 1/3 cup of cold water!) Cook about 5 minutes, until thickened.

Georgia Road Trip

The past week has been an extremely full one. Last Monday, Rich started a great new job, and Thursday we took our first road trip in our SUV. It's only 8 hours drive to GA, and so we buckled the dog in his car seat and took off. We really enjoyed spending time with his family. Also the cotton was in full "bloom," and it is so pretty! I cajoled Rich into pulling over by a cotton field so I could take a couple of photos and also steal a piece of cotton. :) 

 Just leaving for our road trip. Rich is a very serious driver!!! 

The best little road tripper, looking out the window from his car seat. hehe. :)

The reason I bought an SUV: to avoid an awkward little tray of belongings on the back of my car. 

We finally found some hills in FL!!! I know, my CA friends, it's nothing. But you just don't understand how exciting these small rolling hills are when the place you live in is generally like the Kansas prairie. :)

On our way to the rehearsal. Did I mention that this is the time Apple maps failed us??? We drove 50 miles out of our way because apparently, Apple doesn't do country. 

Gorgeous cotton fields!

Fluffy cotton! 

The house where the wedding was held. So much property, here we call it a town. 

Bad lighting, I know--but see the cows? Somehow black and white cows seem friendlier than brown cows. Just sayin. 

My perfect little stolen fluff of cotton.

The "handsomest"best man ever! 

Dan and the minister waiting for the bride! 

Rich's Aunt Sylvia and cousins.

Someone is a little exhausted from our long vacation! 

Grass Fed Beef

Today started out beautifully. Perfect weather, sweet drive to work, birds were singing, blah blah blah. Until I strolled into my office with a smile on my face, and stepped directly into the biggest pile of dog poop imaginable. Once it was squished it made the most unbelievable smell on the planet. I spent the morning sliding around the halls in my socks while my shoes dried. :-)

What has this to do with grass-fed beef? Well, allow me to explain. Lately I've been buying only organic, hormone-free animal products such as meat, dairy, etc. A couple of months ago I also decided we would become a grass-fed beef family. I don't cook with beef very often, and I just opened my first pound of ground beef today to make tacos.

Within 2 minutes of cook time, I started noticing a faint whif of poop. I started checking my scrubs, my hair, and all the places on my person where poo can hide. These things just happen when you work with mutts and meows. I couldn't find anything, and then I stirred the ground beef. The biggest whiff of poop I have smelled hit me in the face. I dragged Rich into the kitchen to make sure I hadn't lost my mind.

I have no idea why the grass-fed beef smells like poop. I will not ever be eating it. Beef is grotesque enough without smelling like poo. I have no idea who would eat such a thing.

That is all.

Pork Roast Dinner

This roast dinner turned out great!! I used a pre-seasoned "roast flavor" Hormel pork roast. These come in 2 shapes and honestly I don't know why. :-) I buy the shorter, rounder one as opposed to the long, skinny one... If that helps. ;) I also use medium baking potatoes and full-sized peeled carrots.

Place the roast in the bottom of the crock pot. I usually add some black pepper to mine.

Potatoes & Carrots: How-To
In a large bowl, combine:
3 medium-sized baking potatoes, chopped into ~2" pieces
12-15 large carrots, peeled and cut into 4" pieces
3-4 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup water
1 tbsp herbs de Provence
1 tsp chicken bouillon granules
2 cloves garlic, crushed and coarsely chopped
To taste: kosher salt, black pepper

Toss all ingredients well. Pour over the roast and cook on high for 5-6 hours or until roast is fork tender.

I typically buy a small jar of Campbell's turkey or chicken gravy and add the juices from the crock pot to make the flavor matchy-matchy.

Wilted Spinach w/Bacon & Pine Nuts

I badly needed to use up a LARGE tub of baby spinach I bought a few days ago. Normally I have about 2 cups of baby spinach and a cup of kale as my salad base every day, but for some reason I have not been in the mood for cold meals lately. Even though it's 100 degrees outside, it's fall on Facebook and I'll blame my disinterest in spinach salad on that. :-)

I hate cooked/boiled spinach, as the tinny aftertaste and slimy texture leave me wanting to vomit. Let's pretend my previous post wasn't about decadent cupcakes, and I'll act like I eat raw spinach for its health benefits, and not because cooked spinach leaves me spitting and grimacing like a 2-year-old. Besides, just know that getting Rich to eat spinach, period, would take some doing. It might even be impossible.

After some online searches, I rejected everything that came up on google and decided to go back to the basics of tricking grown men into eating leafy green vegetables: bacon. Before you get all crazy, actually READ the recipe. ;) I decided to make a butter mix that was garlicky-buttery-bacony goodness. Here goes.

6 cups baby spinach, rinsed thoroughly.

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp Hormel bacon bits

1 clove of roasted garlic (throw an unpeeled clove of garlic in the oven at 325 for 20-25 minutes, and you'll have a perfect piece of roasted garlic. Squish it out of the peel and smash it.)

2 tbsp pine nuts (put them in a pan with the roasting garlic, but only about 15 minutes. Roasting them is delish.)

Salt & pepper

Smash the garlic clove with a wide wooden spoon in the bottom of a medium-sized pot. Add the butter, and turn the heat on low. Stir until the garlic is creamy. Add the bacon bits and the spinach. Lightly salt and pepper the leaves and toss them gently until they begin to wilt. Do not overlook!!! If your spinach leaves turn that deadly dark green color, there's a 5-year-old voice inside me strongly suggesting you don't even eat it.... Lol :)

Once the greens are wilted drain off ALL excess liquid (from the washing of the greens, and extra butter!) and top with roasted pine nuts. This was a winner at our house tonight. :-)

Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Amidst all the posts about pumpkin spice lattes, I decided to make something I've never made before. Salted caramel seems to be the item of the season. So, after a reading a few blogs, I decided to go for salted caramel cupcakes.

Now the cupcake really wasn't the star of my show. This was all about the frosting. Also, my first attempt at this particular flavor. One thing I've been noticing lately is most baked goods taste too sweet. I specifically looked for a "not so sweet" frosting that would be very light and fluffy. This was pretty labor intensive but ended up being pretty good.

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 stick salted butter, at room temp
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup caramel sauce
Kosher salt for garnish

Whisk together the flour and milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until it thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Pour the mixture into a small bowl and put into the fridge. Set a timer for 18 minutes. Every 3 minutes, remove the mix and stir well with a fork. The mix must be kept as smooth as possible.

While your flour/milk mix is chilling, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla together on medium-high at least 5 minutes. Once the mix is cool, stir it into the butter/sugar and mix 3-5 minutes more. You are looking for a very stiff texture. It will not have the creamy smooth texture of jar frosting, so don't be surprised. Once the frosting is mixed, carefully fold in the caramel sauce. You do not want to completely blend it but want ribbons of caramel throughout the frosting.

After you frost the cupcakes, drizzle with caramel sauce and a few grains of course salt for garnish. I also added candy pearls on the photo-op cupcake :-)

Enjoy!!!

*note: for the cupcake, I used a yellow cake mix + 1 cup apple sauce + 1 can puréed pumpkin. Bake @ 325 for 25-29 minutes.