What to do with a leftover veggie tray?

Over the weekend we celebrated Garrison's 2nd birthday with family and friends. It was so much fun. The birthday boy got spoiled rotten and managed through the evening with minimal 2 year old tantrums! The weather was perfect and the flies were horrible! We ate lots of delicious food and enjoyed some extra special cupcakes for dessert. Of course, I over estimated the amount of food we needed and had mounds of leftover's to use up. Tonight I set my sight on making a soup from all the leftover vegetables from the veggie tray. I had several cups of fresh broccoli, cauliflower, and baby carrots.  I channeled some inspiration from a Broccoli Cheese Soup that was hiding in the back of my memory from last fall and mixed that with some pantry (and refrigerator) staples. Voila! Rich & Creamy Vegetable Soup!

Creamy Mixed Vegetable Soup

2 c. each Broccoli & Cauliflower
1 1/2 c. carrots (or baby carrots)
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic
4 c. chicken broth (or 4 c. water with 4 tsp. granulated chicken bouillon)
1/2 c. fat free (or regular) half & half
1 c. milk
1 c. grated Colby Jack (or cheddar) cheese
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. grated black pepper
1/2 c. grated Colby Jack (optional, for garnish)
Fresh Croutons (optional, for garnish)


Add broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots to a large pot. Add broth and salt and bring to a boil. Turn to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are very tender. With a slotted spoon remove about 3/4 of the vegetables and place in a blender and puree with half & half. Set aside.

In a saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Add diced onion and garlic and cook about 5 minutes or until onion is soft and translucent. Stir in flour to make a roux and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add milk and cheese, stiring well to combine. Mixture will be thick.

 Mix roux into the large pot of remaining vegetables and broth. Stir in the vegetable puree. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh croutons and additional cheese if desired.

Pumpkin Spiced Latte

Did you run to Starbucks as soon as the Pumpkin Spiced Latte became available a couple of weeks ago?  Are you remortgaging your house so that you can afford said "lattes." The hubby and I tested out this recipe tonight and I give it an A+ for being as close to Starbucks as possible. I was so glad to find canned pumpkin, albeit a small can, for less than $2.00 today at Walmart. I've had this recipe in my hands for over a week and I just couldn't find it in me to shell out 3 almost 4 dollars for a can of pumpkin at other stores. Before I share the recipe a few notes: Use 1% or 2% milk and real sugar. After you've tasted this the right way then you can try and lighten it up. Also, you may find the pumpkin puree to be a bit mealy. If it bothers you Torani does make a Pumpkin Spice Syrup. You can replace the puree with the syrup. Without further or do, here is a recipe for a copycat pumpkin spiced latte.

Pumpkin Spiced Latte

2 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 cup 1 % milk

1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 (1.5 fluid ounce) jigger brewed espresso or double strength coffee  (I had no idea what a jigger was...but apparently it's the equivalent of a shot glass.)

Whipped cream, whipped topping, or whatever floats your boat :).

Brew your espresso and set aside.

 In a small saucepan over medium heat whisk pumpkin, vanilla, sugar, spice, and milk. Whisk continuously until hot. Do not bring to a boil or your milk will burn.

Place milk in a blender and whir a few minutes or until frothy. Pour into a mug and top with your jigger of espresso. Stir to combine and top with whipped cream. Enjoy!

At this rate you may still have money left over for Christmas shopping by the time fall is over.

Crockpot Chile Verde

There's something comforting about coming home on a Sunday afternoon to the aroma of something hearty stewing in the slow cooker. The rich aroma  reminds me of going to my grandma's house as a little girl for  Sunday afternoon supper. I would love to go back in time and spend it with my grandma in the kitchen. We went for supper nearly every Sunday, and it's a tradition I miss dearly. I've never tasted another pot roast the way grandma made it. She always pulled out the best dishes and served us a big spread like it was a special occasion, even when it wasn't.
     Occasionally I take something out of the freezer and put it in the slow cooker on Sunday morning because even though we can't always eat together, its nice for my husband to have some leftovers to take to work on Sunday nights. Last weekend I made Slow Cooker Chili Verde. It's definitely not the traditional pot roast I was raised with, but this recipe has a nice balance of flavor and can be served with rice and beans. Leftovers can be transformed into dishes like tostadas, enchiladas, burritos, or tacos.
I'm sure that someday soon my boys will grow up and start eating real meat (instead of chicken nuggets and hot dogs), and appreciate the comforting smell of a Sunday Supper. I suppose that for now I will just keep practicing and wait for that day to arrive.

Slow Cooker Chile Verde
3 lbs of pork shoulder or lean pork roast cut into large cubes.
3 T. olive oil
1/2 c. onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
5 - 7 oz cans of salsa verde  (be sure to check that it's gluten free)
1 4 oz. can diced jalapeno pepper (or for milder taste use diced green chiles)
1 can of diced tomatoes

In a skillet heat olive oil and add onion, garlic, and cubed pork. Cook until pork is browned on the outside. Transfer mixture to a slow cooker and top with salsa verde, jalapeno peppers, diced tomatoes, and oregano.

Cover and cook on high for 3 hours and then turn to low heat setting and cook an additional 4-5 hours. Enjoy!

           

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Bliss

Lately I've been thinking a lot about cupcakes. Maybe that's because Garrison's second birthday is just around the corner and I want to make something special. This week I experimented with chocolate and peanut butter. You can't go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter, especially when you swirl them on top of a pretty little peanut butter cupcake. The recipe comes from one of my favorite recipe blogs, "Our Best Bites." I added my own twist and decided made them miniature, which is how I prefer my cupcakes. The reason: when they're tiny they don't seem so terrible for you, and because I was taking them to a church dinner and I knew they would stretch a bit further this way.  I had to forgo putting a Reese's Miniatures  in the center since these were so small, but I quartered regular size Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and they made a perfect decoration for the top!

Peanut Butter Cup CupcakesRecipe adapted from Our Best Bites
1 white or yellow cake mix.
1 c. sour cream (full-fat or light, but not fat-free)
3 eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
1/8 c. water
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
24 unwrapped mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (omit if making miniature cupcakes)

Chocolate Frosting:
1/4 cup  butter softened
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 pound powdered sugar
3 tablespoons evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Peanut Butter Frosting:
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1/4 c. butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 tablespoons of evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine all the cupcake ingredients and beat with mixer on medium-low speed for 30 seconds and make sure to scrape the bowl. Adjust the speed to high and beat for another 3 minutes.
Fill each muffin cup about 1/2 full with batter. Top with an unwrapped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup (omit this step if you're making miniatures), then fill the muffin cups with the remaining batter. Make sure the Peanut Butter Cups are covered and the cups are about 3/4 full. Bake for 18-22 minutes (for regular size) or 12-14 minutes for miniature,  or until the tops are golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

In the mean time, prepare the frosting. For both flavors combine all the ingredients for each  and whip until light and fluffy. You can add extra milk, a little at a time, if needed. Frost the cupcakes with the *swirled frosting.

*Here's a tip on swirling the frosting, if like me, all you have are basic supplies such as a frosting bag and a star tip. If you don't have even these you can improvise with a large Zip Lock baggie and cut a hole in the bottom, but your swirl may not look as pretty.
- Cut off the tip of the bag (about 3/4 inches, depending on the size of the tip you are using) and put in your tip.
- Hang your frosting bag in the inside of a large glass or tumbler and fold over the sides, this will make it easier to fill.
- Spoon in Peanut Butter frosting, pushing it over to one side of the bag, don't sweat imperfection! Spoon in the Chocolate Frosting to the remaining side of the bag.
- Remove bag from cup and lay on its side, push down the frosting into the base and roll the edge down to close. If only one color is in the very base you can pipe out a bit of the frosting until you begin to see it swirl.

Grilled Pork Loin Chops

Chances are, if you are watching your grocery budget at all, you've bought some pork loin chops (a very lean cut with very little fat) and cooked them, only to have them come out pretty dry. A few months ago I found this recipe from Alton Brown for a Pork Chop Brine and the days of dry pork chops got left behind.

Last night I grilled up a few of these chops and shared with my neighbor Jen, whose husband  doesn't like pork chops. He loved them and I hope you will too!


2 Hour Pork Chop Brine
Alton Brown, Food Network
this is enough brine to cover about 5 chops

1 c. kosher or coarse sea salt (not iodized salt)
1 c. brown sugar
1 T. black peppercorns
1 T. dry mustard
2 c. cider vinegar
4 c. ice cubes

In a sealable container combine salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, and mustard. Heat cider vinegar in a small pan until hot (not boiling).  Pour cider vinegar into container and stir to dissolve sugar/salt. Let mixture stand for about 20 minutes and then add ice cubes and dissolve.  Add pork chops, making sure they are completely covered with brine and store in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Remove from brine and season to your liking. I used a Stubs BBQ Dry Rub.

Preheat grill and cook until internal temperature in the thickest part of the meat reaches between 145 and 160 degrees. Don't overcook* or you'll be left with dry pork chops anyways!

 *The USDA lowered its recommended cooking temperature from 160 degrees to 145 degrees in May and added a 3 minute rest time.

My Summer Grilled Chicken

My favorite summer inspired food consists of fresh tomatoes and basil from our garden stacked with slices of Mozzarella Cheese and drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar...Hungry yet? It's delicious! When I thought up this recipe I couldn't think of a better name to give it than Summer Grilled Chicken. It's fresh, simple, and gorgeous on a plate. It was so delicious that The Hubby literally licked his entire plate clean. Not very attractive, but definitely taken as a compliment!

SUMMER GRILLED CHICKEN

4 Chicken Breasts
1/3 c. Lemon Juice
4 T. Olive Oil
2 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
4 slices of Mozzarella
1 large Tomato sliced or diced 
1 handful of fresh Basil leaves, rinsed and patted dry.
1/4 of a Red Onion, sliced into rings
 2-3 oz. Goat Cheese
1 c. Balsamic Vinegar
In a shallow dish or Ziploc bag combine lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic to combine. Add chicken and marinate at least 1 hour, turning over chicken half way through.

Pour Balsamic Vinegar into a small sauce pan over high heat. Whisk continuously (to avoid burning) and bring to a boil. Continue whisking until vinegar is reduced by half, it will by syrupy and coat your spoon. Congratulations! You've just created a Balsamic Reduction to top your chicken with.

Preheat Grill. Remove chicken from marinade and season with salt and pepper. Grill over medium-low heat. Place Red Onion rings onto the grill as well, removing when they are starting to soften.

When chicken is just about done (internal temp should reach165 degrees), turn grill to low and  top with sliced Mozzarella (Work quickly, you don't want to overcook your chicken). Shut the grill for a few seconds and allow Mozzarella to melt onto the chicken.

Remove chicken breast from grill and place on a serving platter. Layer tomatoes, basil, red onion and crumbled Goat Cheese over chicken. Lightly drizzle with Balsamic Reduction. Serve with a crisp green salad and Voila! Enjoy licking your plate :).

Tequila Grilled Chicken with Jalapeno Cream Sauce

Last week I was at a baby shower and I had a very delicious stuffed Jalapeno Pepper. As I planned out this week's dinners I wondered what it would be like to combine those flavors with grilled chicken. The end result was this delicious concoction of zesty grilled chicken drizzled with lime and topped with a rich creamy Jalapeno Sauce.  Serve this with Mexican rice, refried beans, or a crisp green salad. Talk about Yum!

Tequila Grilled Chicken with Jalapeno Cream Sauce

Chicken only adapted from Foodnetwork.com

Chicken:

2 T olive oil

1/8 c. finely chopped red onion

1 1/2 T ground cumin

1/4 tsp. chopped garlic

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Juice from 1/2 of a lime, or about 1 Tablespoon

2 T. finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 oz. Tequila

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (2 breasts sliced in half to make 4 equal portions)

Sauce:

3/4 c. milk

4 oz of cream cheese

1/2 of a seeded and diced Jalapeno Pepper

1 1/2 c. Monterey Jack cheese

a few shakes of granulated chicken bouillon (approx 1/2 tsp)

For the chicken:

Combine all ingredients except chicken and 1 tablespoon of the lime juice in a Ziploc bag to make a marinade. Add chicken and marinade for about 1 hour.

Grill Chicken on an outdoor grill over medium heat for about 5 minutes per side or until meat is no longer pink. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of additional lime juice.

For the sauce:

Add milk to a small saucepan over low heat. When milk is warm add cream cheese. Slowly bring heat to medium low and stir to combine, making sure all lumps are gone. Add Jalapeno, Bouillon, and Monterey Jack cheese, stirring until melted and smooth.

To serve, place chicken on a platter and top with sauce. Garnish with lime wedges, cilantro, and diced red onion (optional).