Broccoli Cheese Soup

I was supposed to make dinner for dinner-club.  But, I ended up not doing so (long story).  So, I had a ton of broccoli and only a few days to use it.  Since it is cold in Chicago I went searching for broccoli soup recipes.  Broccoli cheese soup is not usually a favorite of mine, but I figured I'd give it a try...

1 qt chicken broth (or vegetable)
2 cups milk (I used skim)

2 10 oz bags of frozen broccoli florets (I used fresh broccoli)

1/2 diced white onion

1/2 t black pepper

1/2 t kosher salt

1/2 t ground nutmeg

1 cup each of three different cheeses (I used jarlsberg, gruyere, and velveta)

Mince the onion into really small pieces.  The onions are going to soften in the milk and the broth, and need to be quite small so you don't crunch on onion pieces when the soup is complete.

Add the onion to your crockpot, and top with the milk, broth, and spices. Stir in the two frozen bags of broccoli.

Cook on low for 7-9 hours, or on high for 4-6. The broth is done when the onion is cooked nicely.

20 minutes or so before serving, shred all the cheese you are going to use, and stir it in. The cheese will be stringy and will stick to the broccoli florets.

Serve with your favorite rolls.

If you want a smoother texture, use a hand held stick blender to blend some of the large broccoli florets.  I don't have one, so didn't use one.

Nancy's Take:  I really liked the flavor - super yummy.  I liked the broccoli a lot.  The only thing I was unsure about was the consistency - very thin.  But, it tasted very rich and good.  The girls enjoyed dipping their bread and chicken in it for flavor.  But, they did not eat big spoonfuls.  The only soup they really dig into is Chicken Noodle - made by my mom.  They (especially Erin) love it!! 

Dave's Take:  I always look forward to a good Broccoli and cheddar soup.  What I didn't know was how much a fan I am of a SMOOTH broccoli and cheddar soup.  The taste of this soup was pretty good and I did ask for and finish seconds, but the cheese seemed to clump up to the pieces of broccoli and the broth was rather thin.  One thing Nancy and I said should be done differently in preparation next time was to blend the final soup in a blender or use one of those hand blenders.  So bottom line, taste good.  Texture, needs improvement.

Asian Peanut Butter Pork - Crock Pot

I've been itching to use my crock pot lately.  Probably because I am finding myself unorganized when it comes to dinner time.  And, using the crock pot forces me to think about dinner prior to 3pm.  I also had nearly all of these ingredients on hand - and I've wanted to make this for some time.  The peanut butter seems odd to me - so I figured I should give it a try.....

1 pound pork tenderloin                                        
1 onion - sliced in rings                                      
1/4 cup soy sauce                                              
1/4 cup brown sugar                                            
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar                               
3 tablespoons water                                            
2 cloves garlic - chopped                                      
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter                                   
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts                                  
1 lime - cut in wedges                                         

Use a 4-6 quart crockpot.

Put onion slices into the bottom of your crockpot.

Put the pork on top. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, water, garlic, and peanut butter.

No need to stir--the peanut butter needs to melt before you can do so.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4-6. The pork will be more tender the longer you cook it.

1 hour before serving, flip the meat over in the crockpot to allow the other side to soak up the peanut butter.  Garnish with chopped peanuts, and serve with lime wedges. The lime juice mixed with the peanut butter is delicious.

Nancy's Take:  This was good.  Pretty darn good!  Seeing as I was nursing during dinner (sorry, too much info) I was quite happy I did not need to use a knife.  I liked the sauce - didn't need a ton of it, though.  Having too much peanut butter sauce would be just too much.  Served it with rice and corn which seemed to go well.  The biggest surprise was how much the girls LOVED it.  Erin ate seconds and Ev ate hers in record time as well - no seconds.  I did not feel the lime was necessary - it did not add much.  The one super nice thing about this recipe is I had all the ingredients in hand - except the unnecessary lime!

Dave's Take: This was a pleasant surprise.  The pork was very tender and the peanut sauce was very tasty.  I wanted seconds and enjoyed my seconds ... even though I'm supposed to be watching my portions.  Well I watched that second portion go right down.  I'd say this was short of an "All-Star" dish, but still really good.  I'd be happy to but this into a regular dinner rotation.  I'd say about once a month.

Sugar Coated Pecans

I know the holidays are over and I should stop baking sweets.  But, I am going to Bunco tonight and need to bring an appetizer or dessert.  So, I wanted to make something where I had all the ingredients.  And, these just looked super easy.  Hopefully they won't be so good I eat them all on the car ride to Bunco!

1 egg white                                                    

1 cup brown sugar                                              

1 tablespoon flour                                             

1/8 teaspoon salt                                              

1 teaspoon vanilla extract                                    

2 1/2 cups pecans                                              

Beat egg white until foamy.

Slowly beat in the brown sugar mixed with flour.

Add salt and vanilla flavoring, then fold in pecans.

Transfer pecans to a greased baking pan and bake at 250° for about 45 minutes.

Nancy's Take: Well, I didn't eat the whole bag on the way to my party.  But, I did sneak a few.  They were yummy, but not exactly what I was looking for.  I'll try another recipe to see if that is a perfect match!  But, since the new year is here I might not be trying it for a while...........

Dave's Take:  I don't think I really like pecans so I don't think I really went into this with an open mind.  It's not that pecans taste bad, I wonder if it's because I think they are ugly looking.  In any event, I guess these were ok, but I don't think I would reach into a bowl and pick them out to eat them at a party.

Buffalo Chicken Casserole

Tonight I wanted something spicy. Something you enjoy but don't want to eat an entire pan of - we're watching portions!

½ cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice
1 cup water
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
2 medium stalks celery, thinly sliced (1 cup)
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes, undrained
½ cup buffalo wing sauce
¼ cup blue cheese dressing

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook rice according to package instructions; about 20 minutes. Warm oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and celery to the oil and cook for about 7 minutes, stirring frequently, and remove from heat when the chicken has no more pink. Cut up tomatoes in the can, and stir into the chicken mixture along with the wing sauce.

2. Spoon cooked rice into an 8-inch square baking dish. Spread chicken mixture over the rice without stirring.

3. Bake for 25 minutes or until hot in center. Add dressing to the top before serving.

Nancy's Take: Well, I didn't want seconds.  I didn't really want to finish what I started!  I'd never make it again and didn't find many redeeming qualities about this dish.  The chicken got too dried out - I think being "cooked" twice.  And, it all tasted the same - one note - and not a tasty note.  Boo hoo.

Dave's Take: Sometimes food is just a vehicle to enjoy a sauce (think french fries and ketchup, or pancakes and syrup).  This seemed sort of like that.  The Buffalo sauce really saturated the rice and was very overpowering.  I don't have anything against Buffalo sauce, but this dish was was WAY to much of one single strong flavor.  I did not ask for a second helping of this either.

Try New Recipes?!?

Last year I was ambitious. I got rid of something using freecycle every day. This year my plan is weekly - and not freecycling, but cooking a new recipe. I'll post the recipe with my thoughts on it. This is nothing too creative, but I want to try some new recipes - and this might keep me on track!

Please keep in mind that if you want to follow this blog... On the whole, these recipes won't be anything earth shattering - nothing too fancy - nothing too adventurous.  Just day to day recipes that a family (or at least some of the family) might enjoy.  I'd love your suggestions of recipes - and if you try the recipe or think it sounds yummy, please let me know that as well!

At minimum, I pledge to try new recipes and publish some of my trusted favorite recipes.

We'll see how this goes.