Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup

Both the hubby and I are not creamy soup people. Until tonight. We loved this soup! It had great flavor and texture and warmed our bellies on a cold night. I highly recommend this one!

4 potatoes peeled, and cut into small cubes
5 carrots peeled and chopped
2 heads of broccoli chopped (think of the choppin' broccoli song from SNL)

Boil potatoes and carrots for 10 min. then add broccoli and boil 10 more minutes. Drain and set aside.

Then:
half or whole onion diced
1/4 cup butter

Melt butter then saute onion in butter until tender. Set aside.

Then:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
4 cups whole milk
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups cheese
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Melt butter in large pot. Add flour and whisk until mixed well. Add milk and broth. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes to thicken. Add veggies, onion, cheese, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low. Serve with rolls or in bread bowls. Enjoy!!

Holly Cookies

Nothing says Christmas to me like Holly Cookies.
My mom made these every year for our neighbor treats.  They are so cute and festive plus delicious and gooey.  No baking required, just mix up and drop.  So easy!
10 oz. miniature marshmallows

1/2 cup butter

2-4 Tbs. green food coloring (depending on how dark you want them)

2 tsp. vanilla
6 cups Cornflakes

*Melt together first four ingredients and stir until all green.

Add 6 cups Cornflakes and mix well. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper and put 3 red hots on each cookie.  Let cook before moving onto plates.

Sweet Chex Mix

Tis the season for baking Christmas goodies! I got this recipe from Amy Goodman, my cousin/friend/book club homie. It is super easy and highly addictive.8 cups Rice Chex

8 cups Golden Grahms
1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup coconut

*Mix in big bowl. Then bring to a boil for 2 minutes in a saucepan:

1 cup sugar

1 cup light Karo

3/4 cup butter

*Pour over cereal mixture and mix well.

Sour Cream Banana Bread

Moist and delicious!!

1 1/4 cups sugar
1 stick plus 2 Tb. softened butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
4 Tbs. sour cream
1 cup mashed, ripe bananas
2 cups flour

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, sour cream, soda, bananas and flour. Mix well and bake at 350 degrees for 45 min to an hour.

Stuffing Pork Chops

Same Holiday magazine, different recipe. 6 boneless, thin-cut pork chops

1 onion, sliced thin

2 Tbs. Worcestershire

1 pkg. (6oz.) stuffing mix for chicken

1 cup shredded mozzarella

*Heat large skillet on stove and spray with cooking spray. Add chops and onions. Cook until done, turning once. (about 10 minutes). Remove chops and continue cooking onions, adding Worcestershire, for 5 minutes. Return chops to skillet and top with onions. Mix stuffing mix with 1 1/2 cups hot water and spoon around edge of skillet. Top with cheese and cook for 10 more minutes.

Baked Penne Pasta

Found this recipe in a Holiday magazine and thought it looked fairly simple and normal. It also contains like 5 food groups! My family really liked it. 1 1/2 cups multigrain penne pasta, uncooked

1 pkg. (9oz.) fresh spinach leaves

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 tsp. dried basil leaves

1 jar spaghetti sauce (14 1/2 oz.)

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

2 oz. Neufchatel cheese, cubed

1 cup shredded mozzarella

2 Tbs. shredded Parmesan

*Cook pasta according to directions, adding spinach the last minute of boiling.

Cook and stir chicken and basil in skillet on stove over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Add sauce and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer until chicken is done. Add Neufchatel cheese and stir.

Drain pasta and spinach and add to chicken mixture. Add half of mozzarella and stir. Pour into a casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes and then sprinkle with the rest of cheeses and bake 5 more minutes.

Crepes

1 cup flour

4 eggs

2 Tbs. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup water

1 Tbs. vanilla

*Blend ingredients in blender. You can use a crepe-maker to make them or just use a small frying pan (scrambled egg size). Spray with cooking spray and put in a 1/4 cup of batter and spread around by picking up pan and moving in a circle. Cook on medium for a couple of minutes and then fill crepes with pudding, fruit, whipped cream, powdered sugar, syrup, or whatever suits your fancy.

Pulled Pork

I got this recipe from Nat who got it from her mother-in-law. It's sweet and delicious!

Pork tenderloin or pork roast
some water

Put pork in crockpot then add some water. Cook on low all day. Shred then add sauce:

1 brown sugar
1 cube melted butter
2 Tb. ketchup
2 Tb. mustard
2 Tb. worchestershire sauce

Pour over pork and mix well. Let sit for a few minutes to let flavors blend together. Serve on rolls. Makes a lot!

Rootbeer Pulled Pork recipe to come....