Tomato Basil Soup

Tomato Basil Soup

2 Vidalia onions (sweet)
1/4 c butter

Sauté onion until clear. Add 1 large #10 can of tomatoes, diced and peeled. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add:
1/4 c dried basil (or to taste)
garlic powder to taste
2 - 3 tsp. sugar (I usually double the sugar, sometimes triple... depends on your preference)
salt and pepper to taste

Simmer 10 more minutes. Puree to desired consistency. (Some like it with thicker chunks and some like it smooth) Add 1 pint heavy cream; heat slowly (don't boil). Serve with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Gingerbread Cupcakes

2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 egg whites
1 egg
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup molasses
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground all spice
1/2 tsp salt

1. Combine sugar, oil, egg whites, and egg until well blended.
2. Add applesauce and molasses. Mix well.
3. Add flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, all spice and salt.
4. Fill paper lined cups 2/3 full.
5. Bake at 350 degrees. (18-22 minutes for large cupcakes, 10-11 minutes for mini cupcakes, which are my preferance)
6. Cool completely, then add frosting.

Cinnamon Whipping Cream Frosting

2 cups Whipping Cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Beat cream, sugar and vanilla until almost set. Then add cinnamon. Put in a pastry bag and add a little dollop on each cooled cupcake!

Bookclub Chicken Salad

This is my most favorite salad - eat it with or without the chicken, depending on if you want it as a main or side dish. The amounts of lettuce and toppings are easily adjusted, depending on how many people you are serving. The dressing makes a LOT, I keep the remaining amount in a Mason jar in my fridge.

Cooked and diced chicken - add as much or as little as you like

Sugared almonds:
8 ounces slivered almonds
4 Tbsp sugar

In small skillet, sprinkle sugar over almonds and cook over medium heat until almonds are coated and sugar has dissolved.

2 bags European blend salad mix
1 head Iceberg lettuce, torn into pieces
(You can use Spring Mix and/or Romaine in place of either lettuce)
1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 c craisins
1 c shredded Mozzarella cheese
Feta cheese, optional

Dressing:
1/2 red onion, or less if onion is large
2 c sugar
4 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1 c red wine vinegar
2 c vegetable oil

For dressing, finely chop red onion in food processor. Add sugar, dry mustard, salt and vinegar and blend until frothy. Slowly add oil. Toss chicken, lettuce, bacon, craisins and cheese together in large salad bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat. Sprinkle sugared almonds on top and serve.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup quick cooking oats
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
2 1/2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1. In a large bowl, cream together 1/2 cup butter or margarine, 1/2 cup peanut butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add egg and beat well.
2. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir. Add oatmeal and stir.
3. Drop by teaspoons onto greased baking sheet, and press each mound down with a fork to form 1/4 inch thick cookies. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes, or until cookies are a light brown.
4. To Make Filling: Cream 3 tablespoons butter or margarine with the confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter, and the cream. Spread filling onto half of the cooled cookies, then top with the other half to form sandwiches.

Apple Bread

Apple Bread

2 c sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp soda
2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
3 c flour
1 1/2 c oil
1 can apple pie filling, chopped

Mix all together. Use pastry brush to grease 3 loaf pans with very soft butter (the more butter the better) and use granulated sugar to coat instead of flour (the more sugar the better). Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Let cool and wrap with plastic.

Pomegranate Dip

Amazing Pomegranate Dip

1 small pomegranate
1 tomato, chopped
2 Tbsp. onion, finely chopped
1 avocado, chopped
¼ tsp. coriander
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. salt

Serve with Fritos.

Mexican Chicken Casserole

Mexican Chicken Casserole

This is great because the recipe uses lower-fat options, but I've included my own personal preferences in parentheses.

1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (I just use 1 bullion cube dissolved in a cup of boiling water)
2 (4.5 oz) cans chopped green chiles, divided
1 3/4 lb skinned, boned chicken breasts
2 tsp olive oil
1 c chopped onion
1 c evaporated skim milk (I use good old 1%)
1 c shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I was out of this so I just left it out and added more cream cheese)
1/4 c tub-style light cream cheese (I use about 4 oz of regular cream cheese)
1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce
12 (6-in) corn tortillas (I usually only have small flour tortillas on hand, so that's what I use - I only needed about 6)
cooking spray
1/2 c shredded reduced-fat extra sharp cheddar cheese (regular cheddar for us)
1 ounce tortilla chips, crushed - about 6 chips (6?! I crushed a good handful of leftover Cafe Rio chips - YUM)

Combine broth and 1 can of chiles in a large skillet; bring to a boil. Add chicken; reduce heat, and simmer 15 min or until chicken is done, turning chicken once. Remove chicken from cooking liquid, reserving liquid; cool chicken. Shred meat with two forks and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over med-high heat. Add 1 can of chiles and onion; saute 3 min or until soft. Add reserved cooking liquid, milk, Jack and cream cheese, and enchilada sauce; stir well. Stir in shredded chicken; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place 4 tortillas in the bottom of a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Spoon 2 cups chicken mixture over tortillas. Repeat layers twice, ending with chicken mixture. (I used a 9" glass cake pan and layered 1 tortilla with the chicken mixture until the chicken was gone, or til I reached the top of the pan.) Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and chips. Bake at 350 for 30 min or until thoroughly heated. Let stand 10 min before serving.

Ginger Cream Cookies

Ginger Creams

1 c shortening
1 c brown sugar
3/4 c molasses
3/4 c hot water
2 tsp soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
4 c flour

Mix ingredients til well combined. Batter will be very sticky. Bake in oven set to 350 for 10-15 minutes (check after 10 minutes) on a well-greased cookie sheet. Once cool, frost and dip in finely chopped nuts, if desired.

Frosting:
2 c powdered sugar
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla or orange flavoring or lemon juice

(Cream cheese frosting is another excellent option)

Spinach & Feta Pasta

Spinach & Feta Pasta

1 box of Penne pasta (whole wheat pasta works great as an option)
olive oil
Italian seasoning
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
3 cups fresh spinach
1 onion, finely choped
5 - 6 cloves garlic, minced
a big handful of fresh mushrooms, chopped
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
salt & pepper to taste
Note: I add about 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, 1 tbsp sugar, and about 1/2 c half & half (add only after pan has been removed from the heat), and I only used about 3 cloves of garlic.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add pasta. Cook according to package directions. In the meantime, heat some olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and mushrooms and cook until tender (add Italian seasoning if you want). Add spinach and cook until wilted. Add tomatoes, heat through, add drained pasta and crumbled feta. Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat through and serve; you can crumble extra feta on top if you feel like it. This is very similar to the Penne Rosa at Noodles & Co.