Broccoli and Cheese Soup

Yay-- I just updated my settings to the new blog editor so hopefully I'll have better luck uploading some pics.  For some reason, it would flip some of my pics sideways (see cake decorating part 2 picture 1 for a prime example).  I'm hoping I will no longer have this problem!!

Okay so I just have to share this.  Last night my son slept EIGHT HOURS IN A ROW!!!! From 9 till 5! Fricken unbelievable!!  The extra sleep was definitely appreciated as I've been fighting off a cold for a couple days now and the rest definitely can't hurt!! Which leads me to this post -- what's better than soup when you're feeling down!

One of my favorite soups of all time is broccoli and cheese soup!  I've made several variations of this before, but this latest one is quick and easy.  I made it a couple weeks ago when my in-laws were up.  I had planned on BBQing burgers but our BBQ was stuck in the shed with a bunch of ice blocking the doors from opening.  So I improvised and made up a quick pot of soup.  My FIL informed me after he ate lunch that he really does not like broccoli, but he'd eat it any day if it always tasted like that!  (I'd say that was a definite HIT!)

Broccoli and Cheese Soup
4 cups broccoli florets, cut into small bite size pieces
1 grated carrot
1/2 onion, chopped
just enough water to cover

Boil above till broccoli very tender.  Mash everything with a  potato masher.  Then add:

1 can cream of chicken soup
2 TBSP fresh dill, or to taste
Pepper (no salt as I didn't use reduced sodium cream of chicken soup)

Whisk this all together in the pot.  Let simmer for about 10 minutes till everything's piping hot.  Then add:

1/3 cup Maclarens Imperial Sharp Cold Pack Cheddar, broken up into pieces so it melts faster.

Serve.  Top with grated cheese. yumm

*If you want a thicker soup, fry up the onions separately in a 1/3 cup butter, then add 1/3 cup flour and whisk together.  Cook for 2 minutes whisking constantly, and then slowly whisk your soup into this.  I just add crackers to thicken it up in the bowl - saves time and effort!

Cake Decorating Part 2

For some reason it won't allow me to post
the pic right side up! 

I had my second cake decorating class on Thursday night and had a blast! We brought a cake and the icing already made. Thank goodness for my cake caddy, otherwise it would have been a real pain trying to haul it there and back!

In this class we learned and practiced:

• how to do circles (haha, yes, there's a trick to doing circles), and how to drag the circles to make designs such as hearts or in this case, the cupcake bottom on my design.
• how to cut a cake in half perfectly (use a cake leveler, which I now bought)
• how to ice the middle of a cake
• how to ice the top and sides of the cake and smooth out the design
• how to transfer a design with icing gel. You trace the design on parchment paper with the gel in a piping bag and the pattern underneath!

I really enjoyed icing and decorating the cake in this class but I felt really really rushed. Like I didn't feel I had enough time to smooth out my icing properly, and then it has to set for 15 minutes (which it didn't have enough time to do), and then I had extra work to try and smooth it and I was rushing so I kept jamming the spatula into the edges, making it look really messy. I'm 75% happy with the result, but just know I could've done so much better if time would have permitted!!

You can see where I gouged out the edge all along here! It was smooth at one point. Also, the white beads around the bottom I piped on in the last 45 seconds of class! So they're not even but I think the cake looked a lot better with a little bit more detail!

Updated Cost List:

Cake Leveler ($5.49 reg price) $4.40

Piping gel ($5.99 reg price) $3.59

Total = $74.05

White "Enchilada's"

I have my girlfriends shower today. Last night I

was making up a batch of Broccoli and Chicken

Divan , and decided to cook up a bunch of extra chicken meat for our supper too. Since we just had this not long ago, I didn't want to make the same thing for us, so I decided to be inventive. So I decided to look in my pantry, see what I had and get cooking.

I saw tortilla shells so I'm thinking I'll make some kind of taco style thing. Check my supply, yep, taco seasoning in stock. Because of the white chicken meat and white tortilla shells, I'm inspired and decide to add everything else white!! So I add sour cream to make the sauce. Then I'm thinking that I need to mix more in to give it more filling and more staying power. Digging through my pantry I come across white kidney beans -- perfect!!! Okay, okay.. need a binding

starch in the mix...... rice of course!! I really wish I would have had some type of pure white cheese on hand to complete the effect, but they still tasted delicious.

White "Enchilada's"

3 cups cubed skinless boneless chicken breasts

1 can white kidney beans, rinsed

2 cups sour cream

1 cup rice, uncooked

1 pkg taco seasoning

8 flour tortilla's

1 cup grated cheese to top

In large, deep skillet, cook chicken with some italian

salad dressing (I always do this instead of adding oil when I'm cooking chicken on the stovetop!) until thoroughly cooked and no

pink left inside, about 15 minutes. While this is cooking, cook your rice according to package directions. Add sour cream, taco seasoning and white beans to chicken mixture. Once rice is cooked, add to chicken mixture and stir. Grease 9x13 dish (or can use two square dishes and freeze one for later!). Heat tortilla's in the microwave for 25 seconds so they are more flexible and less likely to break. Fill tortilla with chicken mixture, roll, and place in dish seam side down. After doing this for all 8 tortilla shells, top with grated cheese and bake in 400 degree oven for 10 minutes, until cheese is melted nicely!

*white cheese options to grate on top : mozzarella, white cheddar, fontina, or gruyere to name a few!!

Cake Decorating Part 1 & Butter Cream Icing

So I've been cooped up all winter and needed to get out and do something, so when Camille and her sister-in-law to be (also named Camille) mentioned this cake decorating class, I jumped on the bandwagon!! It's through Michaels and is four 2 hour classes. We had our first class last night and the two hours flew by. I couldn't believe it was time to go home and I had only decorated four cookies!

Things that I learned:

• How to pipe stars
• How to color icing
• Use 'Bake Easy' non-stick spray instead of Pam to make sure that your cake pops out with no crumbs. (makes a difference when icing a chocolate cake with white icing!)
• Use meringue powder in your icing so that it'll harden and be easy to touch up after it's dried.
• How thick or thin to make the icing depending on what you wanna do with it!
• Let your cake sit exactly 10 minutes before popping it out of the pan after it's baked.

I'm kinda worried that this is going to get expensive though.

Here's a list of what I've spent so far:

Class tuition 50% off plus another $5 off at the till = $18

Wilton basics starter kit (Reg price $49.99 + 50% off coupon) $24.99

Wilton 12 icing colors (Reg price $21.99 + 50% off coupon) $10.99

Small tub decorator icing (Reg price 5.99 + 25% off coupon) $4.50

Meringue Powder (Reg price $8.49 + 40% off coupon) $5.09

plus tax = $66.06

Plus I made 2 dozen cookies to decorate and ran out of sugar.

There's a lot more things that I want to buy, but I'm going to check with my FIL first to see what extra things he has, to save me a couple of bucks.

Things on my to buy list:

Cake leveler, turntable, cake boards, some good quality cake pans, piping gel, sifter, angled spatula, tool box, and I think the list will keep growing!

I have my next class tomorrow night and I have to bake a cake and whip up a batch of the butter cream icing, and make some of it thick and some of it medium consistency.

Class Butter Cream Icing (stiff consistency)

1 cup solid white vegetable shortening

1 tsp flavor (vanilla, almond, or butter) (make sure they're clear)

7-8 tsps milk or water

1 lb (4 cups) icing sugar

1 TBSP wilton meringue powder

pinch of salt (dissolve in water first before mixing )

Cream shortening, flavoring and water. Sift icing sugar. Add dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until all ingredients have been thoroughly mixed together. Blend an additional minure or so, until creamy. Makes 2 1/2 cups.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is another recipe I got from the 'Bun in the Oven' Shower. Camille made these and they are some of the best banana muffins I've ever had! They use apple sauce instead of oil and are so light and fluffy. My FIL was helping me in the kitchen today, and for those of you who don't know, he is a baker!! He gave me lots of tips on mixing, creaming sugar and eggs, baking and some really fun ways to fill the muffin tin. I made a mess but had a ton of fun. Camille and her fiance popped in and got to witness Barry flinging the batter into the paper cups in the muffin pan and then my attempt at doing the same. I did end up getting the hang of it after a while!! His biggest tip was to not be afraid to work with my hands and get dirty!

I'm going to be taking a cake decorating course, so he also showed me how to pipe the batter into the cups, just to practice! I'll be sure to post my homework for everyone to see. The course starts this week!

I made a double batch, one batch for my girlfriends shower on the weekend and one batch for me! My freezer is full and I love it.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 1/2 cups white sugar

3 eggs

1 cup applesauce

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

2 cups mashed bananas

1/2 cup chocolate chips or however much you want! (optional)

Grease 2 muffin tins (skip this step if you're using paper liners). Beat together sugar and eggs until creamy. Mix in apple sauce. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add slowly to creamed mixture. Mix in mashed bananas and chocolate chips if you want. Pour (or fling if you're so inclined) into muffin tins or paper liners and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Makes 2 dozen.

To tell if they are done, gently press down on the muffin top and if it springs back up, they're ready! If they don't spring, they need more time.

I've never actually creamed the sugar and eggs for as long as I was supposed to EVER, but my FIL showed me how to tell when it's ready - you taste the mixture and if you can taste the grainy sugar, it's not ready yet. This will take less than 10 minutes. Don't over beat or else you'll break down the sugar.

Chicken and Broccoli Divan

A couple of my girlfriends hosted a 'Bun in the Oven' Shower for me before my son was born. It was fantastic as they had organized for everyone to bring a dish to pop in the freezer and include the recipe. It was the absolute BEST thing, as after Gray was born the last thing I had time/wanted to do was prepare meals. One of my favorites was Daryl's contribution of Chicken and Broccoli Divan. I made this the other day and it was so easy and delicious. Since I made it, both my mom and my MIL have made it, with rave reviews.

I doubled the recipe as I always feel the need to cook as if a football team is coming over for supper. I used one can of cream of chicken and one can of cream of broccoli and it was delicious. My mom used two cream of mushroom and said it was too strong of a mushroom flavor. You can really put whichever soup you want, depending on your taste and what you have on hand. Also, I added WAY more breadcrumbs, and next time I'd add even more as the soup soaked up a lot of it.

You can find the recipe for Chicken and Broccoli Divan here, which is on the Campbell's website.

BBQ Pork Tenderloin and Greek Pork Loin Ribs

Wow. I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted. I've been cooking a lot, and taking pictures of some things, but just haven't got them on here! Anyways, I came across a huge deal on pork tenderloin and pork loin ribs at Sobey's a couple weeks ago and ended up buying a couple of each. Like seriously, it was $1.99/lb. Can't beat that price! I made the pork tenderloin a couple weeks ago and it was so good I made the exact same recipe this past weekend too for the in-laws. I use Mike's favorite BBQ sauce so of course HE loves it! And it was actually pretty quick to cook too. I served it with quinoa (loaded up on quinoa at costco!) and a salad with fresh pineapple.

BBQ Pork Tenderloin

*On most of the websites, it said to tie the pork tenderloin together for even cooking. But I didn't and it turned out fine.

2-3lbs pork tenderloin

salt and pepper

Your favorite BBQ sauce recipe or store bought sauce. I used President's Choice Smokin' Stampede Beer & Chipotle BBQ sauce

Season the tenderloin with the salt and pepper and sear all sides in a hot pan with a little bit of oil. Spray a roaster with pam and then put a generous amount of bbq sauce on the bottom, add a little bit of water to thin if desired. Place the seared pork directly on top of the sauce and then cover with a bunch more bbq sauce. Cook at 450 degrees for 45 minutes, basting every 15 minutes. If sauce is getting too thick, thin with a bit of water. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Greek Pork Loin Ribs

Boil 2 racks pork loin ribs (or whatever other ribs you have) in large pot on stove for 45 min- 1 hour or until meat is super tender and starts falling off the bone. Put in large roaster and season with generous amounts of oregano, lemon juice, and garlic powder (or greek seasoning if you have it). Broil in oven until you're too hungry to wait any longer, or about 25 minutes, flipping half way through. (be sure to season both sides). Mike said they were even better the next day!