Chocolate Molten Cake

Mark and I ate this every day on our cruise (both cruises we took together). Thanks once more to lindsey for the recipe!

(Lindsey says that muffin tins work just a well! Yay!)


Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes

Ingredients:
4 Tbsp real butter
1/3 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
8 oz bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips and it's about 1 1/3 cup chocolate chips)
powdered sugar for dusting
whipped cream or ice cream (I did ice cream)
butter and granulated sugar for preparing pans

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400º. Prepare pans by using fingers (or butter wrapper) to rub butter in the muffin tins (maybe 4–6) or four ramekins. Sprinkle in some sugar to coat the entire inner surface and tap out any extra.
Melt chocolate in the microwave, heating for one minute, stirring, and then 20-second intervals until melted.
With a mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Slowly add flour and salt into the butter mixture until just combined. Stir in melted chocolate by hand, until just combined. Don't over-mix.
Divide batter evenly into muffin tins or ramekins (place ramekins on a baking sheet).
Bake until tops of cakes no longer jiggle when pan is lightly shaken, about 8–10 minutes for a muffin pan and 10–12 minutes for ramekins. Remove from the oven and let stand for ten minutes.
If using muffin tins, invert the pan. You can do this with the ramekins, too, or just leave them in. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Enjoy!

Cilantro Lime Chicken

Again, another goodie from lindsey's blog.

Cilantro Lime Pork Chops (or chicken)

Ingredients:
6–8 pork chops (or chicken tenders or breasts, I like tenders better because smaller pieces of chicken means more sauce per bite!)
1 cup finely chopped cilantro* (reserve a little for garnish)
1/4 cup peeled grated ginger* (promise me you'll use FRESH ginger—it's the best part!)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp fish sauce (find it in the Asian foods aisle. Don't smell it. But it makes a big difference in the recipe!)
Juice of one lime
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp–1 Tbsp red pepper flakes (or cayenne pepper), depending on how much heat you desire
1–2 garlic cloves, minced*
Coarse salt and pepper

Directions:
*It takes a while to chop all the cilantro, grate the ginger, and mince the garlic...so what I do now is cut small pieces of ginger off the root and place it in a food processor with cilantro leaves and whole cloves of garlic. Then pulse away! This saves a lot of time!
Place all ingredients in a ziploc bag and marinate in the refrigerator for 2–3 hours. Grill for about 10 minutes, basting with leftover marinade until about halfway through (to make sure the raw juices cook).

Bread Twists (Like PIzza Factory)

I found this on my friend, Lindsey's, website. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks delish! Here's her blog.... http://lindstewfoodies.blogspot.com

Bread Twists

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp yeast
3 1/2 cups flour (I did 1 cup whole wheat)
1 tsp salt
Melted butter (2–4 Tbsp, plus more to brush on baked bread twists)
2–4 cloves of garlic, minced (promise me you'll use real garlic for the insides, it's SOOOOOO good! You've GOT to!)
Kosher salt (for sprinkling)

Directions:
Put sugar and yeast in the mixing bowl and add warm water. Cover and let sit for 5–10 minutes. Then mix in 3 1/2 cups flour, a cup at a time, and the salt. Mix until smooth (I used my KitchenAid, it took a about 3 minutes). Cover and let rise for 10 minutes.
On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a large square (this is as close as mine got to the square—haha).
Mix minced garlic with the melted butter and brush onto the dough. Then sprinkle with Kosher salt.

Fold dough in half.

Cut into one-inch strips.
Twist and place on cookie sheet. We tried a few on bamboo skewers and they were really fun! The bread twists can be placed pretty close together.
Let rise for 15–20 minutes while preheating the oven to 400º. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Immediately after baking, brush with more garlic butter (I used powdered garlic here, I didn't know if fresh would be too strong) and sprinkle with Kosher salt and grated parmesan cheese (we were out of cheese, but they were still phenomenal without!).

We just ate them plain, but you can dip them in marinara, alfredo sauce, or ranch!

*The site where I got this recipe says it makes great pizza dough: just roll it into a circle, top, and bake at 400º for 15–20 minutes.

Southwestern Chicken

I found this on my friend, Mandy's, blog. Sounds SO delish! I'm making it tonight!

Ingredients:
Chicken
1 Can Black beans
onion
paprika
parsley
cumin
sour cream
pepper jack cheese

Recipe:
1. Cook chicken breasts however you like--grilling would be ideal, but I used the George Foreman
2. While cookin' chicken, heat up can of black beans and grill your onions.
3. Take chicken off grill when done, top with desired spices--I used paprika, parsley, and cumin...don't ask me why I just did.....although, I don't know why I didn't add a little cayenne...next time! (just thought of that--that would add a little kick)
4. Put however many slices of jack cheese you want on hot chicken so it can be melting.
5. Add onions, black beans on top of cheese, top with sour cream!

Black Beans

Seriously so easy, so healthy, and so yummy! You can't lose!

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) can black beans
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt to taste

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine beans, onion, and garlic, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Season with cilantro, cayenne, and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes, and serve.

Found Here. I drain and rinse the beans and then add a can of chicken broth for the liquid. Yum Yum Yum!!!

apple crisp

Ingredients

• 5 medium tart apples, peeled and sliced
• 1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
• 1 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter
• 1 cup water

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine the apples, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Transfer to a greased 8-in. square baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and remaining sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over apples, pressing down to smooth top.
2. Slowly pour water over the top; sprinkle with remaining cinnamon. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until apples are tender. Serve warm.

Peach Cobbler

I made this and it was delicious! I'm going to substitute the peaches with apples for Thanksgiving. Hopefully it'll turn out!

• 8 fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced into thin wedges
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 
  
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 
  
• MIX TOGETHER:
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine peaches, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly, and pour into a 2 quart baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in butter with your fingertips, or a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined.
4. Remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over them. Sprinkle entire cobbler with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake until topping is golden, about 30 minutes.

Cauliflower Gratin

Ingredients

• 1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (20 ounce) bag frozen cauliflower florets, thawed
• 1 cup finely grated Swiss cheese
• 1/4 cup cooked crumbled bacon or bacon bits

Directions

1. Spray a 2-quart casserole with cooking spray. Stir the soup, milk, garlic, cauliflower and half of the cheese in the casserole. Sprinkle with the bacon and remaining cheese.
2. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender and mixture is hot and bubbly.

*I used Parmesan Cheese instead of swiss cheese because that's what I had in my fridge and it was delish! :)

Pumpkin Pie

Yep, I'm planning on making this for Thanksgiving.

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. Add the sugar gradually to the pumpkin puree. Beat well an stir in the flour, salt and spices. Stir in the corn syrup and beat well. Stir in the slightly beaten egg, then slowly add the evaporated milk, mixing until well blended. Pour the batter into the unbaked pie shell.
3. Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 10 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees F) and continue baking pie for an additional 30 minutes or until a knife inserted into the mixture comes out clean.

recipe found here:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pumpkin-pie/detail.aspx

Salmon

• I'm not a huge seafood fan, but I got some yummy salmon from my awesome brother who lived in Alaska this summer. I've never cooked salmon before and so I found this recipe on Allrecipes (my #1 go to place). Mark raved about it all through dinner. Seriously so good!

• 1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets
• lemon pepper to taste
• garlic powder to taste
• salt to taste
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions

1. Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt.
2. In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and vegetable oil until sugar is dissolved. Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
3. Wrap each fillet in tin foil and bake at 425 for 15 minutes.
   

BBQ Chicken Pineapple Quesidillas

Cannot WAIT to try these!!!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/05/grilled-chicken-pineapple-quesadillas/

Sweet Potato Souffle

I made this tonight as an experiment...and it's probably one of the BEST experiments I've ever tried. It taste like candy. DEFINITELY will make this again.

Ingredients

• 6 sweet potatoes
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 
  
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Bake sweet potatoes in a 425 oven for 60 minutes. Cool enough to handle. Peel and mash
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease or butter one 2 quart casserole dish.
3. Place potatoes in a mixing bowl and with an electric mixer, beat on low speed until potatoes begin to break up. Increase speed to medium high and blend until smooth.
4. Reduce speed to low and add sugar, milk, butter, vanilla, eggs and salt. Mix well.
5. Allow any potato 'fibers' to remain on the beater and remove. Pour sweet potato mixture into the casserole dish.
6. Prepare the topping in a small bowl by whisking together the brown sugar, flour, butter and pecans. Sprinkle mixture over potato mixture and bake for 40 minutes.

NOTES:
I used chopped almonds because that's what i had in my pantry and it was still really yummy!

Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Isn't peanut butter and chocolate a match made in heaven? I found this frosting recipe to go along with some chocolate cupcakes I made...

Peanut Butter Frosting
Makes about 5 cups

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter, preferably a commercial brand (because oil doesn’t separate out)

1. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Continue to beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Add the peanut butter and beat until thoroughly blended.

Or if you'd like a more peanut buttery taste, my SIL, Tamara, gave me this recipe.
Peanut Butter Frosting

1 cube butter
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup peanut butter
4-6 cups powdered sugar (I have to kind of eye it. Not too much or it is too hard to pipe out. Not too little or it doesn't frost right)

Cream everything but powdered sugar together until smooth. Add powdered sugar.

I highly recommend both recipes. yum yum yum.

Mac 'n Cheese

My friend brought this over for me after I had my surgery and I insisted on the recipe. quick and easy to make and SUPER yummy!

Mary's Macaroni & Cheese

12 oz. uncooked macaroni(cook as directed) (16 oz dry = 3 Cups)

2 C cottage cheese - blend in blender (3 C)

1/3 C butter (1/2 C)

1/3 C flour (1/2 C)

1/2 t salt (1t)

1/4 t white pepper (1/2 t)

2 C half and half (3 C)

2/3 C milk (1 C)

3 C grated cheddar cheese (4-5 C)

1-2 C crushed cheese its or cheese nips

1/4 C melted butter

1/2-1 C crumbled bacon

Cook macaroni in large pot and drain. Put back in pot. Blend cottage cheese in blender. Set aside. Melt butter in med size sauce pan. Add flour, salt, and white pepper. Stir with whisk to make a thick paste. Gradually add the half and half and milk. Continue whisking until thick and smooth. Pour over noodles. Add cottage cheese and cheddar cheese. Add some crumbled bacon if desired. Stir until combined. Pour in sprayed 9x13 baking dish or if making the larger recipe pour in 8x8 and 9x13. Sprinkle bacon on top. Combine melted butter and cheese its. Sprinkle on top. Bake 20-25 min at 400*. Let sit 5-10 min before serving.

*When I make this for another family I use the amounts in parentheses.

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

For our upcoming family dinner, my sister in law asked me to bring a pasta salad. Ok, pathetically enough...I've NEVER made a pasta salad. So of course, I jumped on the internet and started searching for recipes. My two criteria were that it had to be a 5 star recipe and I have to currently have all the ingredients in my house. I thought this might be a challenge, but lo and behold, I found a recipe...and since I'm afraid I won't be able to find it again, I thought I'd post it now. It sounds different than your basic pasta salad, but then again, I don't really like your basic pasta salad so I'm excited to try it! I will tell you right now that I will be omitting the olives because I think olives are GROSS and should be withheld from ALL food and I'm going to use medium cheese instead of sharp cuz that's what's in my fridge right now. Hope my family is ok with it, otherwise they'll learn not to assign me pasta salad. hahahaha

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

• 1 (12 ounce) package uncooked tri-color rotini pasta
• 10 slices bacon
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons dry ranch salad dressing mix
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic pepper
• 1/2 cup milk, or as needed
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1 (4.25 ounce) can sliced black olives
• 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Stir in rotini pasta and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Place bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook until evenly brown. Drain and chop.
3. In a large bowl, mix mayonnaise, ranch dressing mix, garlic powder, and garlic pepper. Stir in milk until smooth. Place bacon, tomato, black olives and cheese in bowl and toss to coat with dressing. Cover and chill at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. Toss with additional milk if the salad seems a little dry.

BBQ Sauce

This sauce is to die for! So yummy!

1 cup sugar
1 stick butter
½ c corn syrup
½ c water
1 c diced onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cup prepared BBQ sauce

In a large sauce pan, combine sugar, butter, corn syrup and water. Bring to a boil and continue boiling until the mixture reaches softball stage. Add remaining ingredients and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes.

Stuffed Pizza Rolls

Thanks for the Recipe, Natalie. Can't wait to try it!!!

Stuffed Pizza Rolls

Green Chile Chicken Burrito

I found this recipe and I'm SUPER excited to try it out. Best part is, I already have all these ingredients!

Crock-Pot Green Chile Chicken Burrito

1 can- cream of mushroom
1 can- cream of chicken
1 can- green chilies
4-5 chicken breast
1 can of green enchilada sauce
1 bag-Jack cheese

Throw can of mushroom, cream of chicken, green chilies, and chicken breast together in the crock-pot and cook on low for 5 hours! shred the chicken the last hour!

Fill the tortilla with chicken, (sour cream if you like) and cheese! Roll up like a burrito and spread the green enchilada sauce over the top..... Than top it with cheese- throw in the microwave to get the cheese melted on top- Ready to eat! Enjoy!

Famous White Bean Soup

This recipe is from Andrea. Sounds yummy! Thanks, Andrea. Can't wait to try it!

Famous White Bean Soup

3 can great northern beans, drained

1 sweet onion chopped

3 cloves garlic chopped

1 t cumin

1.t coriander

1 T oregano

1 can corn

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup lime juice

1 cup water

2 cans chicken broth

1 lb chopped chicken

Saute chopped onion and chopped garlic in oil. Cook and chop chicken. Add together all other ingredients and simmer for half hour. Add more lime juice to your liking. Serve with tortilla chips and sliced avacado.

Cafe Rio Pork Salad

Cafe Rio has to be one of my favorite stops, but after having the twins, I've been having withdrawals. (Too bad they don't have a drive through). I found this recipe and LOVED it.

SWEET PORK

1-2 lbs pork tenderloin
2 cups fresh Salsa (I used the one you get a costco)
1 cup brown sugar

Mix sugar and salsa, pour over pork. Cook in crock pot for 8 hrs. on low. When done shred with two forks and return to juice in crock pot and allow liquid to absorb.

CILANTRO-LIME RICE

1 c. uncooked rice (long-grain, white rice)
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.


BLACK BEANS

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 c. tomato juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro.

DRESSING

2 cups mayo
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2-1 bunch cilantro
2 TB water
2 TB vinegar
1 jalapeno pepper
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt

*Blend all ingredients together in blender

Serve with lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, cheese, fried corn tortilla strips

HINT:
I made a BIG BATCH of the pork cuz my husband is a huge pork fan. We used the leftovers for sweet pork quesadillas. yum!

Alfredo Sauce

I'm addicted to the Olive Garden's Alfredo sauce. I get it every time I got to the OG so I can dip it in their yummy bread sticks. This recipe is quick and easy and taste pretty similar. Not all that healthy, but oh so good.

Ingredients:
1 pint heavy cream
1 stick butter
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese - (to 3/4)
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Cooking Directions:
In a saucepan combine butter, heavy cream, and cream cheese. Simmer this
until all is melted, and mixed well. Add the Parmesan cheese and Garlic
powder. Simmer this for 15 to 20 minutes on low. You may wish to season
with a little salt and pepper. It has been made with half-and-half, but
heavy cream is preferred.

Potato Broccoli Cheese Soup

Tried this recipe out and it turned out pretty good! I like it because not only is it yummy, it's healthy.

Potato Broccoli Cheese Soup

HINTS:
*I added a couple cloves of garlic for a little more flavor.
*Use olive oil instead of butter (more healthy)
*I only added 1.5 cups of cheese instead of 3 cups, again, to make it more healthy

Pretzel Salad

I got this recipe from a colleague of mine. Now, my mama would argue that this is DEFINITELY not a salad, it's more like a dessert. It goes great as a side dish at a BBQ, potluck, whatever. Whenever I bring it to a potluck, I get lots of compliments and requests for the recipe.

Cream together:
1 pkg - 8 oz cream cheese
1 container - whip cream
20 oz crushed pineapple-drained
1/2 cup sugar

Topping:
2 cups crushed pretzels
1 cube melted butter
1/2 cup sugar

*Mix topping ingredients together and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes until crunchy
*Mix the topping into the salad right before serving.

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Cookie Bar

Yes, it's as good as it sounds. I got this recipe from my sister in law, Julie. She is the BEST baker. She seriously needs to open her own bakery. Again SO EASY and SO FAST, yet SO YUMMY! Takes a chocolate chip cookie to a whole new level.

4 cups of your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe
2 packages- 8oz cream cheese
1 cup sugar
2 eggs

Instructions:
cream together the cream cheese, sugar and eggs
Grease 9x13 pan
put a layer of 2 cups of cookie dough down
spread the cream cheese mixture on top
crumble 2 cups cookie dough on top

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

Best Brownies EVER

I'm normally a Betty Crocker Brownie Mix kinda gal, but when I found this recipe, I knew I had to try it and I was not disappointed. It is SO RICH and SO THICK, you have to have a little vanilla ice cream with it to wash it down. As my sister in law, Ashley would say, "It's a party in my mouth!"

Best Brownie's Ever

• Soft butter, for greasing the pan
• Flour, for dusting the buttered pan
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar, sifted
• 1 cup brown sugar, sifted
• 1 cup melted butter
• 11/4 cups cocoa, sifted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup flour, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch square pan.

In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs at medium speed until fluffy and light yellow. Add both sugars. Add remaining ingredients, and mix to combine.

Pour the batter into a greased and floured 8-inch square pan and bake for 45 minutes. Check for doneness with the tried-and-true toothpick method: a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan should come out clean. When it's done, remove to a rack to cool. Resist the temptation to cut into it until it's mostly cool.

HINTS:
*Instead of buttering the pan to grease it, I put wax paper in it and then poured the batter on to the wax paper. When I took it out of the oven, I just pulled the wax paper up and put it on a cooling raking. Makes it for an EASY cleanup.

*I used regular salt instead of kosher salt, because really, who has kosher salt just sitting in their cupboard? Not me...

Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup

tablespoons margarine or butter (1/4 stick)
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 can (13 3/4 to 14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1 head (2 1/2 pounds) cauliflower, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup Sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup Pepper Jack cheese

In 4-quart saucepan, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour and salt; cook 2minutes, stirring frequently. Gradually stir in milk, chicken broth, and 1 1/2 cups water; add cauliflower and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes. In blender (with center part of blender cover removed to allow steam to escape), blend cauliflower mixture at low speed in small batches until very smooth. Return cauliflower mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in mustard and 1 1/2 cups cheese until melted and smooth. Garnish soup with remaining cheese to serve.

HINTS:
*Instead of using pepperjack cheese, you can just use 2 cups of the cheddar cheese.
*BLEND WELL! Mine turned out a little grainy because I didn't blend it well enough.

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

I've used this recipe MULTIPLE times and have gotten raving reviews from people. I used it to make 700 strawberries for my friends wedding once and someone even asked where she got them catered from! It's SO FAST and SO EASY. (my favorite way to cook!)

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

HINTS:
* Don't let the chocolate boil or get too hot or else it will harden really fast!

*To make it easier, I don't use toothpicks. I just hold them strawberry by the stem and dip it. Then I lay them flat on a cookie sheet with wax paper on it. It would look more elegant if you let them dry on the styrofoam, but I much to lazy for that.

*My personal additional touch is that I melt white chocolate chips and a tiny bit of oil and drizzle them over the top to make them look nice and elegant.

*I've also used this chocolate recipe for dipping pretzels. At Christmas, I died the white chocolate green to give it a nice holiday touch and handed them out to neighbors as gifts. They were a hit!

My Recipe Blog

When I'm not using my cookbook that my sister in laws made for me, I'm searching the internet for recipes. I only choose recipes that receive 4-5 star rating. I wanted a place to put all my recipes that I've found on the internet so I wouldn't have to search for them every time I wanted to make them. My promise is that I will only post recipes that I absolutely LOVE (because, really, I won't want to make them again if their not the best right?) If you would like to be a contributor to this blog so you can save/share your recipes too, please email me at markandbre at gmail dot com.