Some Things You Should Know

I started this blog a long time ago as when it was "What's Cooking at My house" and before my mad photography skills kicked in and before we went gluten free. With that said you never know what you might find here. There's a little something for everyone I believe. But my hope is to provide more recipes with better photos to tempt your tummy. *smile*

Monday, March 30, 2009

Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup

This soup is so good. The perfect soup to serve with sandwiches.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped
4 stalks of celery, chopped
3 TBS.butter
1/3 flour
4 cups diced potatoes ( I buy organic so I leave the skins on)
2 1/2 cups chopped broccoli, steamed until crisp tender
1 32oz. box of chicken broth
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 1/2 cups skim milk ( half and half or whole milk for a creamier soup)
dash of salt and pepper to taste
couple shakes of paprika
Garnish with chopped parsley.

Directions:
1. In a large saucepan, saute onion and celery in butter over medium heat until tender.
2. Add flour, pepper, salt and paprika and stir until smooth.
3. Add broth, milk and potatoes, stirring constantly until it boils and thickens.
4. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
5. Stir in cheese and cooked broccoli and cook over low until cheese is melted and soup is heated through.
6. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Friday, March 20, 2009

Alcoholic Substitutions

If you're like me you don't have a wide array of alcohol sitting around the house! LOL. So I thought that this list of substitutions would be a good thing to post.

  • For 2 TBS Amaretto, substitute 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. almond extract
  • For 2 TBS of sherry or bourbon, substitute 1 to 2 tsp. of vanilla extract
  • For 2 TBS Kahlua, coffee, or chocolate-flavored liqueur, substitute 1/2 to 1 tsp chocolate extract plus 1/2 to 1 tsp instant coffee in 2 TBS water.
  • For 1/4 cup or more white wine, substitute an equal measure of white grape juice or apple juice.
  • For a 1/4 cup or more of red wine, substitute and equal amount of red grape juice or cranberry juice.

Have a blessed day!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Homemade BBQ Sauce

I'm a label reader and I don't like what I see on the BBQ sauce labels. High Frutose Corn Syrup is usually first in line. So here is a more healthy alternative. That is if you use organic ketchup that doesn't have High Frutose Corn syrup in it. If you don't then don't bother! LOL.

Ingredients:
1 cup Organic Ketchup
2 TBS. Sucanat or sugar
2 TBS. Molasses
1 TBS. Soy Sauce
1 tsp . Liquid Smoke

If you want to make a honey bbq sauce substitute the honey for the molasses!

Directions:
Combine all ingredients together and use immediately. Well in other words don't store it. Make only what you are going to use. You can adjust things to your liking. Like maybe adding more molasses or less sugar. It's just trial and error but this is a great base BBQ Sauce.
ENJOY!!

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Black Bean and Chicken Quesadillas

It's no secret that I LOVE Mexican food. So here is yet another addition to my Mexican food list of favorites. I made these yesterday and they were sooooo good and easy to make!

Ingredients:
4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 onion, chopped
1 can of organic black beans, rinsed
1/2 c. salsa
1 TBS of Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle Seasoning
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
10 flour tortillas (the large ones)

Directions:
Cook chicken breasts until done. Chop into bite size chunks and saute' with onion about 5 mins.
In a blender add your black beans, salsa and seasoning. Blend until smooth.
Distribute the bean mixture evenly over 5 tortillas that have been placed on sprayed cookie sheets. I used 3 cookie sheets for these.
Distribute cooked chicken and onions over the beans and then sprinkle with cheese.
Place remaining tortillas over the other 5 and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 mins. or until the tops and edges are slightly brown.
Remove from oven and cut each tortilla into 6ths with a pizza cutter.
Have extra salsa, sour cream, guacamole on hand to eat with your quesadillas.
Serve with a salad and you have a delicious meal!
Enjoy.
I know you will love these.