Tomato-Basil Parmesan Soup

I adapted this recipe from one I found on the Sister's Cafe.  They used a crock-pot, but somehow I often forget to start dinner that early, so I made it on the stove.  It was the best soup we've had in a long time!

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

2 (14oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup finely diced onions
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 Tbsp fresh oregano
1 Tbsp dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cups half and half, warmed
1/2 tsp black pepper
salt, to taste (I didn't need to add any)

In a large pot or Dutch oven, combine tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, bay leaf, oregano, and basil . Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer for about 30 minutes, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.

Blend soup with an immersion blender or in batches in your regular blender. Next prepare a roux: Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour; stir constantly with a whisk for 5 to 7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup until smooth. Add another 3 cups soup and stir until smooth.

Add all back into the pot. Stir and add Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for about 10-15 minutes until ready to serve. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Shrimpo de Gallo

We first made this dip last year for one of our Superbowl snacks, and really liked it.  We had it again for New Year's Eve this year and I remembered how good it was, and that I needed to post it! I got the recipe from The Pioneer Woman's blog.

Shrimpo de Gallo

Ingredients:

1 pound Cooked Shrimp (tails Removed), Chopped
½ whole Red Onion, Diced Finely
½ cups Green Or Black Olives, Chopped
2 whole Tomatoes, Diced
2 whole Fresh Jalapeno Peppers, Minced
2 whole Avocados, Chopped
2 whole Limes, Juiced
Kosher Salt To Taste
2 cups Cilantro, Chopped

Preparation Instructions:

Combine shrimp, red onion, olives, tomatoes, and jalapenos in a large bowl. Add lime juice to taste, then a dash of kosher salt. Add cilantro. Stir gently with a spoon, then taste on a tortilla chip so you’ll have an accurate gauge of the salt content. Add more salt and/or lime juice if needed.

Chill until serving. Note that the avocado will brown if too much time passes, so if you want to make this ahead of time, leave out the avocado until just before serving.

Serve with tortilla chips!

Double Chocolate Waffles w/ Berries & Cream

Double Chocolate Waffles with Berries & Cream

recipe from Our Best Bites

2/3 C flour
1/3 C corn starch
1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 t baking powder
3/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/8 t cinnamon
6 T granulated sugar
1 C milk
1/3 C vegetable oil
1 egg
1 1/2 t vanilla
1/2 C mini chocolate chips

Berry Sauce & Topping
3 C berries, fresh or frozen
1/4 C raspberry jam (you could use strawberry if you prefer)
2 T hot tap water
optional: powdered sugar to taste

Sweetened whipped cream
Start by making the berry sauce since it can sit while you make the waffle batter. Combine jam and warm water and whisk until combined. Add in the berries and gently stir until combined. Depending on the sweetness of the berries, you can add a little powdered sugar if you'd like. Set berry sauce aside and make waffle batter.

Waffles:
Preheat a waffle iron. Combine flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Use a whisk to combine. In a separate bowl whisk together sugar, milk, oil, egg, and vanilla. Whisk for a minute so it gets a little frothy. Slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry a little at a time, whisking to combine. Just stir until they're combined and don't over mix. Stir in the chocolate chips. This is a pretty thin batter, so don't be expecting something that looks like a pancake batter. It's supposed to be thin.

You shouldn't need to grease your waffle iron. Place batter in and cook according to your iron. Be careful to not overfill. This batter has plenty of leavening so it will expand.

A tip: Instead of pouring batter, use a ladle and spoon it in, making sure to stir the batter each time. Otherwise the chocolate chips won't be distributed.

It's a little harder to tell when chocolate waffles are done because you can't go so much on color. Go by smell and touch and realize that they will crisp up a little more after they come off the iron.

When done cooking waffles, top with berry sauce and sweetened whipped cream.  YUM!!!

Shrimp Pasta with Oven-Dried Tomatoes

This pasta dish was really easy and delicious!  We always love shrimp and the flavors in this were really good.  I made the oven-dried tomatoes ahead of time and kept them in the fridge, and the rest of the dish came together quickly!  I'm sure if you were in a hurry, you could use sun-dried tomatoes instead.  The recipe came from Annie's Eats.  We served it with crusty garlic french bread.

Shrimp Pasta with Oven-Dried Tomatoes

Ingredients:
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
Olive oil
Small pinch of sugar
Kosher salt and pepper

1 lb. bowtie pasta
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
¾ cup chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
½ cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)
6 oz. mascarpone cheese
½ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
¼ cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

Directions:

To make the oven-dried tomatoes, preheat the oven to 225˚ F. Place the tomatoes in a small baking dish in a single layer, cut side facing up. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with a pinch of sugar, salt and pepper. Bake for about 3 hours, or until the tomatoes are mostly shriveled up. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Once boiling, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain well.

While the pasta is cooking, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook in a single layer, flipping once during cooking, just until opaque, about 2-3 minutes. Remove to a plate, tent loosely with foil and set aside. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the pan. Sauté the onion until slightly softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan and sauté just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the wine or broth and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Reduce the heat to medium-low. Return the shrimp to the pan and add in the drained pasta along with the oven-dried tomatoes. Add the mascarpone to the pan and stir until completely melted. Stir in the basil and Parmesan, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with additional Parmesan as desired.

Stuffed Bell Peppers {Updated}

My mom always made these growing up, but I think the recipe came from my grandma, Mimi. When the other colors of peppers are on sale, I sometimes use the orange, yellow, or red ones. Get nice big peppers for this recipe!

Stuffed Bell Peppers
3-4 large bell peppers
1 lb. ground beef or turkey
1/2 med. onion, chopped
1 can tomato sauce or diced tomatoes
salt & pepper
1 1/2 c. grated cheese
2 c. cooked rice
Cut peppers in half and remove membranes and seeds. Blanch in boiling water about 5 minutes, remove from water, drain on paper towels, and salt insides of peppers lightly. Meanwhile, brown meat and onions, drain. Mix in tomato sauce and season to taste w/ salt & pepper. Mix in rice and 1 c. cheese. Fill peppers with mixture, place in baking dish, and top w/ remaining cheese. (I always have extra filling, so I put it in a small dish to bake for the little ones who don't like peppers). Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.

Grilled Pizza {A How-To}

Step 1: Prep your ingredients and pre-heat your grill. You will need pizza dough, about 1 cup of sauce (I used pesto), 1 lb. of sliced fresh mozzerella, any desired toppings (I did grilled veggies on this one), 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan, and some olive oil.

Step 2 (no photo, sorry!): Grill your veggies. I sliced up 2 zucchini and 2 yellow squash on an extreme diagonal, drizzled them with olive oil, seasoned them with s & p, and grilled over medium heat until tender. I also roasted an orange bell pepper, placed it in a ziploc to steam for about 20 minutes, removed the blackened skin and sliced it.

Step 3: Roll your dough out into a rough rectangle shape about the size of a cookie sheet. Brush or rub olive oil all over it. Place on the grill oiled side down (very carefully) and close the lid. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the bottom is done and has nice grill marks. Make sure to keep an eye on it so you don't burn it! Loosen with a spatula, and using a cookie sheet, carefully slide it off the grill.

Step 4: Working quickly, oil the un-baked side of the crust and flip it over. On the baked side, place your toppings- first sauce, next mozzerella, then desired toppings, and last a sprinkle of Parmesan.

Step 5: Very carefully, slide your pizza from the cookie sheet back onto the grill. Cook just until bottom has grill marks and cheeses are melted.

Step 6: Remove pizza from grill, slice, and eat to your heart's content. The crust is crispy, the cheese is melty, and the veggies are smoky and delicious. This was definitely the best pizza I've ever had! Enjoy!

Grilled Pizza
for the dough:
1 tsp yeast
3/4 c. warm water
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 tb olive oil + more for brushing
for the pesto (you can also use plain 'ol pizza sauce, alfredo, or whatever):
3/4 c. fresh basil leaves
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
3 tb. pine nuts
2 cloves garlic
s & p
1/3 c. olive oil
for the toppings:
1 lb. fresh mozzerella, sliced
1/2 c. grated parmesan
desired toppings (some ideas are grilled veggies, ham & pineapple, sausage & mushrooms, pepperoni & olives, sliced tomatoes & fresh basil, grilled chicken & artichoke hearts, etc.)

Make the dough by combining yeast & water and letting sit for a few minutes. Mix flour and salt, add yeast mixture and oil. Mix by hand or mixer and then knead for a few minutes. Roll into a rectangle about the size of a cookie sheet. Brush dough with oil & set aside.

Make pesto by combining basil, parmesan, garlic, pine nuts, and a little s & p in a blender or food processor. While machine is running, slowly add olive oil until combined. Set aside.

Prep all topping ingredients, slice & grill any meats or veggies. Pre-heat grill to medium heat. Place all ingredients on a table near the grill.

Grill crust, oiled side down, with the lid closed for about 10 minutes or until it is cooked on the bottom and has nice grill marks (watch carefully to avoid buring). Very carefully, loosen with spatula and remove to cookie sheet. Oil un-baked side and flip over. On baked side, top with pesto or other pizza sauce, sliced mozzerella, desired toppings, and grated Parmesan. Carefully slide back onto grill and cook until bottom is cooked and cheeses are melted. Remove, slice, eat and enjoy!

Fruit Soup

I like to plan my weekly menu every Sunday night before I go shopping Monday, but I've been in a bit of a recipe-idea slump lately. So I enlisted my family's help. Everyone -my three oldest kids (5, 7 and 10) and my husband- thinks up one dinner idea each week and then I fill in the gaps. They have actually come up with some good ideas- fish tacos, ribs, eggs & bacon, etc. But sometimes I have to tweak the kids' ideas a bit. My 5 year old wanted soup and grilled cheese for his dinner, so I adapted that to a summer version, and we had croissant sandwiches and this delicious fruit soup. I had seen the idea on the Sister's Cafe and adapted it to suit our tastes (it called for canned peaches and orange juice concentrate, neither of which I ever buy, so I changed those). It was so fruity, cool and refreshing- I could've eaten the whole thing myself!

Fruit Soup
3/4 c. sugar
1 c. water
1 c. orange juice
3 Tb tapioca (be sure to use the “minute brand” quick cooking tapioca)
2 1/4 c. additional orange juice
2 cans mandarin oranges (with or without juice)
1 bag frozen mixed berries (or an equivalent amount of fresh)
2 c. fresh strawberries, sliced, just before serving
2 bananas, just before serving

Bring sugar, water, orange juice and tapioca to a boil. Continue boiling on medium high for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Some tapioca will be clear and other granules will have a white center. Take off heat. Let sit for 30 minutes. (This is when the tapioca will become more clear.) Add 2 1/4 c. orange juice. Chill for several hours or overnight. Add mandarin oranges and mixed berries. Before serving add strawberries and bananas.