Lemon-Honey Cupcakes

     We wanted to have a Labor Day picnic. I had brought home some food from my parents and our friends had steaks thawing in the refrigerator. The only thing we needed was a dessert. As an avid cupcake baker, I have probably close to a hundred cupcake recipes sitting in a file waiting to be made. As I glanced through the stack I noticed one for Lemon Honey Cupcakes. Just the sound of them made my mouth water.


     What made them sound even better was the fact that both Frank and I had had sore throats over the weekend. Whenever my throat is hurting my dad always makes me his “special tea” which is loaded with lemon and honey and always helps my throat. I figured maybe these cupcakes would have some healing powers as well.

     The smell of these cupcakes baking was heavenly. Our house smelled like lemons and cake-YUM! While the cupcakes cooled I made a honey lemon frosting to go on top of the cupcakes. The cupcakes themselves were sweet with a hint of citrus. The frosting was out of this world; I seriously could have eaten the entire bowl without the cupcakes.

    The cupcakes were a hit at the picnic. They were the perfect compliment to a heavy meal of steaks and pork BBQ. They are sweet and tangy and go well with a hot cup of coffee. I will definitely be making these cupcakes again.

Lemon-Honey Cupcakes

The original recipe comes from Woman’s Day

2 ¾ c. flour
¾ t. baking powder
½ t. baking soda
½ t. salt
½ c. reduced fat sour cream
¼ c. low fat milk
2 T. lemon zest
4 T. fresh lemon juice
½ c. butter (1 stick)
4 oz. no sugar added applesauce
2/3 c. honey
¼ c. sugar
1 egg
1 egg white

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

3. In a small bowl whisk sour cream, milk, zest, and lemon juice. Mix until well combined.

4. In a stand mixer beat butter, applesauce, honey, and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg until well blended. Add in egg whites one at a time and beat for 2 minutes.

5. With the mixer on low, beat in half of the flour mixture. Then mix in the sour cream mixture. Beat in the remaining flour mixture until just combined.

6. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins, filling each cup three-quarters of the way full. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Lemon-Honey Frosting

½ c. butter (1 stick)
¼ c. honey
¼ c. low fat milk
2 T. lemon zest
4 c. powdered sugar
8 T. lemon juice

1. In a stand mixer beat butter, honey, and lemon zest until creamed. Slowly beat in the milk. On a low speed beat in the powdered sugar until just blended.

2. Stir in the lemon juice until the mixture is fluffy and pale yellow.

3. Spoon into a pastry bag or a ziptop bag. If in a ziptop bag snip off the corner and use to frost the cupcakes.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

     We had some friends over for dinner last night. I always like to make some sort of appetizer for us to snack on while dinner is cooking. My usual is veggies and dip, buffalo chicken dip, or guacamole. Lately I’ve been seeing a million posts for the jalapeno popper dip. We love poppers and it seemed really easy to make. There were a million different varieties of this recipe so I ended up printing 3 of them and combining them to make a dip we would enjoy.


     CAUTION: DO NOT CUT JALAPENOS WITH YOUR BARE HANDS. I cannot caution you enough on this issue. I don’t think I’ve ever cut a raw jalapeno before and didn’t give it a second thought while doing it. Bad move. My hands burned all night long. I tried washing them with soap, washing with Borax, soaking them in alcohol, and soaking them in milk. While the major sting went away, they still hurt. In the morning when I thought they felt better I put my contacts in my eyes. I thought I’d gone to the moon! My eyes burned all day. The lesson learned? Wear gloves when chopping jalapenos.

     With the exception of my burning hands the dip was a major hit! It was creamy and cheesy with a nice punch of jalapenos in it. We dipped tortilla chips and crackers into it. There were only four of us and we ate the entire bowl of dip. This is one recipe I’ll be keeping on hand to take to parties because of how easy and delicious it was.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

3 slices of bacon (frozen)
2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
2 packages of light cream cheese (8 oz. each)
½ c. Miracle Whip Light
1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
2 4-ounce cans of green chilies
1 t. garlic powder
1 T. Frank’s Red Hot
Topping:

¾ c. unseasoned breadcrumbs
½ c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
½ c. Mexican blend cheese, shredded
½ stick butter, melted
1 t. black pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Take the bacon out of the freezer and dice it. I like to freeze it because it’s so much easier to cut it frozen. Toss the bacon into a small sauté pan. Cook until it’s almost brown. Add in the diced jalapenos and cook until soft. Remove to a paper towel.

3. In a baking dish combine cream cheese, Miracle Whip, cheddar cheese, green chilies, garlic powder, and Frank’s Red Hot. Add in the bacon and jalapenos.

4. In a bowl, mix the breadcrumbs and cheeses for the topping. Pour the melted butter and mix well. Spread evenly over the dip and bake for 20 minutes.

Chex Mix Party Host!

I am a member of General Mill’s Pssst... Panel ,which is a group of people that learn about new products, try the new products, and sometimes host parties to get the word out about the products. I was recently chosen to host a Chex Mix party. I love Chex Mix and the party is on a Sunday so I thought it would be fun to host it during a Steelers game.


My party pack arrived in the mail on Monday and inside were three different bags of Chex Mix, a ton of coupons for Chex Mix for my guests, football plates, football napkins, and a huge Chex Mix bowl. I was very excited to see the football themed plates and napkins since I had already decided to host a football party with the Chex Mix. The three flavors I received were: original, Honey Nut, and Turtle flavors. I always eat the original but I’ve never had the Honey Nut or the Turtle flavors and I’m anxious to try them both.

The great thing about having a Pssst party is that there is a website for hosts with recipes, product information, and a community of people that share what they will be doing for the party. After looking at the recipes I am excited to mix up “S’More Fun” with the Honey Nut Chex, “Chocoholic Fave” with the Turtle mix, and “Berries and Chips” with the original Chex Mix.

My party will be hosted on October 3rd. I have invited a few family members and a few friends. It’s looking like there will be about 10 of us. I’m also looking for ideas on other snacks to serve, so if anyone has any good football snacks, post them below! I can’t wait to host this party and try the different Chex Mix recipes.

I haven’t yet tried this one yet, but here’s a quick recipe for Island Delight using the Honey Nut Chex Mix.

Island Delight

1 bag of Honey Nut Chex Mix

1 c. Macadamia nuts

½ c. dried bananas

½ c. dried mangos

½ c. dried pineapple

½ c. sweetened shredded coconut

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Serve with a Pina Colada.

The Help

     I was pretty excited when I heard our book club book for September was going to be The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I have heard that this is an amazing book and it has been on my list forever. I even borrowed it from the library at one point but didn’t end up having the time to read it before it was due. I’d even seen 2 or 3 woman out and about with a copy of The Help in their hands.


    Twelve days after I put it on my hold list at the library it came in. It is a large book, well over 400 pages, and was somewhat intimidating. The first fifty pages were a struggle for me. There were a lot of names to learn and a lot of information to absorb. I wasn’t sure whether or not I was going to enjoy the book. However, the more I read the more I couldn’t put the book down.

    I really liked the style the book was written in.  Every chapter was told from the point of view of a different woman.  Becauseof this, I felt as though I got an inside look at what that particular woman was thinking and feeling, and really came to know many of the main characters.
    The book is set in the 1960’s right at the height of the Civil Rights movement in Jackson, Mississippi where the women live. It gives us a glimpse into the lives of the middle class white families and the black women that work for them. We meet Minny, a black maid who has been fired 19 times and can’t find work. She eventually ends up working for Miss Celia, a white woman who came from nothing but married well. We also meet Aibileen, a older maid who works for Miss Leefolt. She is soft spoken, is amazing with children, and is the first person to help Miss Skeeter with her “tell all” book.

    Miss Skeeter is a middle class white woman who has just finished college and dreams of being a writer. She receives word from a publisher in New York that if she can come up with an idea that is new and exciting yet dear to her heart, the publisher will consider it. At first Skeeter thinks of common issues that everyone is writing about. Then she hears about Miss Hilly’s bathroom initiative.
     Miss Hilly, the Junior League’s president and the worst kind of white woman, embarks on an initiative to have all the households in Jackson install an extra toilet just for the colored help. She believes that colored people carry a plethora of diseases that the white families can easily catch. She is mean to the help and makes it her mission to separate the white families from their colored help in any way she can.

    When Skeeter hears about the way Hilly has been treating the help, she thinks back to her own maid, Constantine, who was a friend as well as a caretaker. Skeeter decides to write a tell all book from the maids perspective on what it is really like to work for the white families in Jackson, Mississippi. The New York publisher loves the idea but warns it will be difficult to get the maids to confide in her, seeing as Miss Skeeter is a member of the Junior League and was roommates in college with Miss Hilly.

    Things heat up for both Skeeter and the maids when Miss Hilly finds a copy of the Jim Crow laws in Skeeter's purse.  Hilly makes it her personal mission to figure out what is going on and in the process makes an outcast of Skeeter.  The women are scared now that Jackson, Mississippi's most powerful woman is on to them.  Late nights, secret meetings, and scared tales follow.

    The book goes on to detail the lives of the black maids and the single white woman who wants to tell their story. It also gives us a glimpse into an unlikely friendship of a poor black woman and a white middle class woman. The women are all very different, and there will be hell to pay when the “tell all” book is actually published and the white ladies try to figure out which of the maids wrote about them. The names have been changed to protect the guilty but the stories are very distinct. In the end the book shows us the strength of the women in the south in this controversial period of time.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

     Fall is officially here as far as I’m concerned. The Steelers are on the TV, the nights are in the 40’s, the days are in the high 60’s, the leaves are beginning to change colors, and all I can think about is baking with pumpkin and apples. I have a few standard pumpkin and apple recipes that I enjoy making every fall, but this year I’ve been on the hunt for some new recipes.


     In the past two weeks I’ve printed over 20 new pumpkin recipes and over 10 new apple recipes. It looks like my blog is going to be filled with these fall treats from now until Thanksgiving  I went to the market this morning and bought the large can of Libby’s Canned Pumpkin which will allow me to make three of the pumpkin recipes.

     Since its Sunday I decided to start with the pumpkin cinnamon rolls because they require the most prep time. I kept the cinnamon roll part pretty true to the recipe I found here ,but I changed the filling to include more pumpkin flavor.

     The smell from the batter was a spicy pumpkin scent. I couldn’t wait for the dough to rise. The recipe stated that it would take an hour for the dough to rise. Because my husband frequently makes bread, I know that in our house it generally takes around two hours for the first rising, which it did.  I then rolled the dough ut, put in the filling, rolled up the cinnamon roll, sliced it into 12 pieces, and put 3 rolls out to do a second rising.

     The other 9 cinnamon rolls I placed into my new Glad Ovenware, which can go from the freezer to the oven. This recipe is great because I was able to bake the three that I wanted today and freeze the rest until we wanted more. I love that we’ll be able to have fresh pumpkin cinnamon rolls three more times before I have to make another batch.

     The smell from the rolls baking in the oven was heavenly. I almost took them out early because I could hardly wait to take a bite! After the longest 25 minutes ever, I was able to get my first look at the pumpkin cinnamon rolls. They were a golden brown and seemed to ooze the cinnamon sweet filling. I drizzled them with the glaze and took my first bite. They were amazing! They are sweet and spicy with a nice balance of the pumpkin. This is a fall recipe I’ll be keeping around for a long time. I can’t wait to have one on a chilly morning with a hot pumpkin spice latte.


Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:

1 package dry yeast
¼ c. warm water (100-110 degrees)
4 c. all purpose flour, divided
¾ c. pumpkin (I used Libby’s canned pumpkin)
½ c. low fat milk
3 T. butter, slightly melted
4 T. sugar
1 t. salt
½ t. pumpkin pie spice (or more cinnamon and nutmeg if you don’t have this spice)
1 t. cinnamon
½ t. nutmeg
Filling:

4 T. sugar
4 T. brown sugar
3 T. flour
1 heaping t. cinnamon
½ t. pumpkin pie spice
2 t. canned pumpkin
2 T. butter at room temperature
Glaze:

¾ c. powdered sugar
¼ c. milk
½ t. vanilla
Pinch of cinnamon
1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large mixing bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add 3 cups flour, pumpkin, milk, butter, sugar, salt, and spices to the bowl.

2. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Either use the dough hook on the mixer to knead for 10 minutes, or knead by hand for 10 minutes on a floured surface. While kneading, add ¾ cup to 1 cup of the remaining flour, a little bit at a time, to prevent the dough from sticking.

3. Place the dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray. Flip to dough over to coat the top of the dough with cooking spray as well. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, for about an hour (or two hours if you live where we do). The dough should double in size.

4. Check the dough. When it has doubled in size press two fingers into the dough. If an indentation remains, the dough has risen enough. (You can see how my finger indentation stayed in the dough in the picture on the left).If not, cover and let rise an additional 30 minutes. Otherwise punch the dough down; cover and let rest 10 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine all ingredients for the filling. Mix well. The filling should be a thick paste.

6. Roll the dough into a 12 x 10 inch rectangle on a floured surface. Spread the brown sugar mixture all over the dough rectangle (like picture to the right). Roll up the dough tightly, starting with the long edge, pressing firmly to release any air bubbles. Pinch the seam and ends to seal.

7. Cut the roll into 12 (1 inch) slices. Place slices in a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. (I put 9 of mine in the Glad Ovenware to freeze for later consumption. If you are freezing them place them in a baking dish then cover with plastic wrap and then foil to make a tight seal. Freeze. When thawing, simply stick them in the refrigerator until thawed and continue to step 8).

8. Cover the cinnamon rolls in the baking dish and let rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. (Again, this took my rolls 1 hour).

9. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the rolls for 22-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack.

10. To make the glaze mix the powdered sugar and the vanilla in a small mixing bowl. Add in the hot water 1 T. at a time using a whisk to mix the glaze. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Drizzle over the slightly cooled cinnamon rolls and serve warm.

**Tell me abot your favorite pumpkin or apple recipe!  Feel free to link a recipe that is in your blog.**

Same old side dish no more!

     I was tired of having the same side dishes all the time, so I went on a mission to find something different. I came across a recipe for polenta. It sounds like something we would eat so I went to the store to buy the stoneground yellow cornmeal. I’d like to say it was a piece of cake to find, but it took me 20 minutes in the local grocery store to find it. It was in the organic section.


     I’ve never made polenta before so I was a little hesitant. I’d seen a few recipes with cheese in them and decided that putting cheese in it the first time we tried it would be beneficial. I wasn’t really sure when the polenta was finished, but I took it off the heat when the directions told me to and it was surprisingly delicious! I think this is going to be a new addition to our weekly side dishes.
Gruyere Polenta

3 c. chicken broth
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 t. dried thyme
¼ t. black pepper
¾ c. stoneground yellow cornmeal
¼ c. gruyere cheese
2 green onions, minced
1. In a large pot bring the chicken broth and garlic to a boil. Put in the thyme and black pepper.

2. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal. Whisk continuously during cooking (seriously, otherwise it bubbles and blows up all over the stovetop) for about 15 minutes or until the polenta is creamy, almost the consistency of mashed potatoes.

3. Remove the polenta from the heat and stir in the cheese.

4. Sprinkle green onions on top.

Cuban Pork Chops

     When I mentioned we were having pork chops for dinner my husband was not very happy. He was tired of having marinated grilled pork chops and pan fried pork chops. So, being the nice wife I am, I embarked on a journey for a new and yummy pork recipe.


     I searched the Internet but many of the recipes were just variations of what we always have. I asked for some suggestions on the What’s Cooking? board on The Nest. The ladies there had some good ideas, but most involved the oven. It’s been in the 90’s all week, so I knew I wasn’t about to use the oven this week.

     I finally decided to check out the Food Network site and see if good old Bobby Flay had any chop recipes. I was not disappointed. The first recipe that came up was for Cuban Style Pork Chops. My husband loves Cuban sandwiches and the best one he’s ever eaten was at Mesa Grill Bobby Flay’s restaurant in Las Vegas. In fact Mesa Grill was the best restaurant we ate at in Vegas. Bobby Flay knows what he’s doing in the kitchen-I’ll give him that. The food there was delicious. Anyhow, when I found this recipe I instantly knew that we had to try it.

     I made a few substitutions using what we had at the house and what I could find at the market. We ended up marinating the pork chops for around two hours which seemed to be the perfect time. The chops took about 15 minutes to prep before marinating and about 15 minutes to prep after I took them out.

    I sent my husband outside to do the grilling and when he brought the chops in I began drooling. They had a strong citrus and spice scent to them and were oozing the cheese and ham out of the sides of the pork chop. The juices were running on the plate and they tasted as good as they looked and smelled. I’d recommend pairing them with a slaw and baked beans.

Bobby Flay’s Cuban Style Pork Chops (adapted from Bobby Flay)

¾ c. fresh orange juice
½ c. lime juice
3 T. dried oregano
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 T. ground cumin
2 T. canola oil
4 pork chops, butterflied and pounded thin
8 thin slices of Swiss cheese
¼ lb. of shaved deli ham
1 dill pickle, sliced thin
2 T. olive oil
1. Place 4 toothpicks in a glass of water for 10 minutes.

2. Heat the grill to high

3. In a small dish, whisk together ½ c orange juice, ¼ c. lime juice, 2 T. oregano, the garlic, cumin, and canola oil. Pour into a freezer bag and add the pork chops making sure all four are covered by the marinade. Cover and let stand for about 2 hours in the refrigerator.

4. Remove the pork from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel. Put the pork chops on a large cutting board and season with salt and pepper. Place one slice of cheese, ¼ of the ham, 4 slices of pickle and another slice of cheese on each pork chop. Fold the pork chop over and secure with a wet toothpick. Brush the top with oil and season with salt and pepper. Flip the pork chop over and repeat on the other side.
5. Place the pork chops on the grill. Grill on one side for 4 minutes or until brown. Flip and continue grilling an additional 4 minutes or until the bottom side is brown and the cheese is melted.

6. Serve with a mixture of ¼ c. orange juice, ¼ c. lime juice, and 1 T. oregano seasoned with salt and pepper. This dish can also be served topped with BBQ sauce.

Hummingbird Cupcakes

   Lately I’ve heard a lot of talk about Hummingbird Cake. I’ve never in my life heard of a Hummingbird Cake let alone tasted one but the reviews have been nothing but positive. I asked for a recipe and got a few that were similar. After seeing what was in the cake I knew I’d have to make one sooner or later.


   We buy bananas a few times a month and usually when they start getting brown I make banana bread. This time, when I saw two of our bananas getting brown I went right to the local grocery store (Martin’s) and bought a can of pineapple and some pecans.

   I was initially planning on making the actual cake but the more I thought about it I decided cupcakes would be better because we could eat some and I could take some into work. I checked two of the recipes I printed out and made some adjustments to turn them into cupcakes. The batter looked and tasted good.

   I put them in the oven and the smell was heavenly. It was sugary with a hint of citrus and bananas. I couldn’t wait to get them out of the oven. They took a little longer to cook then I thought they would, but they came out looking wonderful. After cooling I put on the cream cheese frosting and a pecan on top.

   After the first bite Frank and I could not believe we had never had these before. They were amazing! The cupcakes were moist and sweet with a subtle taste of the bananas, pineapples, and pecan. There was also a hint of spice to them. They were perfect.

   Because it’s just the two of us in the house I only frosted a few cupcakes at a time and kept the remaining icing in the refrigerator since it has cream cheese in it. We learned the next morning that the unfrosted cupcakes make a great breakfast muffin! I can’t wait for our next dinner party or birthday to share these with all of our friends.
Hummingbird Cupcakes (adapted from Southern Living )

For the cake:

3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
½ t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 ½ c. sugar
1 t. ground cinnamon
3 large eggs, beaten
½ c. vegetable oil
½ c. cinnamon applesauce
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, with juice
1 c. chopped pecans
2 ripe bananas, chopped

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 (8 ounce) package of 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 pound powdered sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. vanilla
24 pecans for decoration
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin tin cups with paper liners.

2. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl.

3. In a small bowl beat the three eggs. Add to the dry ingredients along with the oil and applesauce. Stir until the mixture is just moist. (Do not use a mixer). Stir in the vanilla, pineapple (with juice), pecans, and bananas until just mixed in.

4. Pour the batter into prepared muffin tins filling each cup ¾ of the way full. Bake for 22-24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

5. Cool in the muffin tins for 5 minutes then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
For the frosting:

1. Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with a mixer. Add the powdered sugar 1 c. at a time until fully incorporated. Stir in vanilla and cinnamon.

2. Spread or pipe 1 ½ T. of icing on each cupcake. Top with a pecan. (Store extra icing in the refrigerator).

Frosted Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

     The last couple of days my husband has been craving cupcakes and chocolate. Every night after dinner he’s been telling me how much he’d like a cupcake or something with hot fudge sauce on it. I finally gave in last night and decided I’d make him some cupcakes. After looking in the pantry to see what type of ingredients we had, I decided to make him chocolate chip cupcakes with chocolate icing. This way I could have the cupcakes without the icing and not have too much chocolate.

     I looked through my recipes but couldn’t find any for chocolate chip cupcakes. I figured I’d just make a basic butter yellow cupcake batter and add in the chocolate chips. The results were a soft, moist cupcake that seemed to be a cross between a cookie and a cake. I had mine without icing. I iced my husband's with chocolate icing topped with nuts and a cherry to make it a sundae cupcake. He loved them!

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

1 stick of butter at room temperature
4 oz. cup of light applesauce
¾ c. light brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg white
1 ½ c. all-purpose flour
½ t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
¼ t. salt
½ c. milk
1 t. vanilla
¾ c. chocolate chips
1. Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners (12 cupcakes). In a bowl, mix the butter, applesauce, and brown sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and egg white beating well.

2. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir well. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture on low speed. Add the milk and mix at medium speed. Stir in the rest of the flour mixture until just blended.

3. Add the vanilla and chocolate chips and stir with a spatula.

4. Divide the cupcake batter between 12 cupcake liners. Fill the cups about ¾ of the way full. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

5. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

6. After they are cooled, top with chocolate icing. Sprinkle with nuts and a cherry if desired.

Chocolate Frosting (adapted from Hershey’s)



1 stick of butter or margarine
1/2 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup 2% milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency.

2. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Chicken Tortellini Soup

    My darling husband and I haven’t been feeling well the past few days and all we’ve wanted is soup. I’ve made chicken soup, vegetable soup, and potato soup; all of my standards. I was looking for something that was healthy but substantial. I remembered that my next door neighbor had given me a homemade recipe book with all of her soup recipes. She’s a great cook so I knew that any of the recipes would be great.

    I decided to try the chicken tortellini soup. It has a chicken broth base but then adds in some vegetables and the tortellini to make it substantial. I was shocked by how easy and fast this soup in to make, and how wonderful it is! It’s the perfect soup to make when you aren’t feeling well because it’s hearty but easy to make.
Chicken Tortellini Soup

½ pound boneless, skinless chicken tenders
1 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 c. chicken broth
2 c. water
1 pound package of fresh or frozen tortellini
1 (10 oz) package fresh or frozen spinach
1 (16 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 t. pepper

1. In a skillet heat the olive oil.

2. Cut the chicken tenders into 1/2 inch pieces and add to skillet. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until you cannot see anymore pink on the outside of the chicken pieces. Remove from heat.

3. In a large stockpot melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook until browned and crunchy.

4. Add chicken broth and water to the stockpot and bring to a boil. Add the chicken and tortellini then reduce heat.

5. Simmer for 15 minutes on low heat. Slowly add the spinach and tomatoes (including the juice) and simmer for 10-15 more minutes.

6. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

Sizzling Sixteen-Stephanie Plum Series

    I’d like to begin by saying how much I love the Stephanie Plum series. I’ve read them all and am pleased that the movie is being filmed in my hometown of Pittsburgh. I’ve had a birthday card and a book for my wedding signed by Janet Evanovich.


    With that said, I was highly disappointed with the sixteenth installment of the Stephanie Plum series. The book is Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich. The book begins with Stephanie’s cousin Vinnie being kidnapped by his bookie because he is unable to pay his gambling debt. After hearing that Vinnie will be killed if his debts aren’t paid Stephanie, Lula, and Connie decide to find Vinnie and raise the money needed to pay his debt. After all, if Vinnie’s dead they are all out of work.

    Along the way they run into cows, men shooting at them, and even an alligator. The plot is very similar to many of the others in this series. Stephanie gets herself into trouble, Ranger comes to the rescue, and Morelli still takes home the girl. Oh, and Stephanie blows up yet another car.

    In the end the girls come up with the money, save Vinnie, and their jobs. While there were some tense, almost steamy scenes with Ranger, Stephanie still in unsure of which man in her life she will choose. Personally, I wish she would give Ranger a chance and then pick a man for good. I feel for Ranger who does nothing but feed, give cars to, and rescue Stephanie only to have her run back into Morelli’s arms at the end of the book.

    I’m giving this book 2 ½ out of 5 stars (and that’s only because I really enjoy the earlier books and hope the next one get better.)

Hot & Sour Soup

We love eating Chinese food. The problem is, when we go to a Chinese buffet we end up eating way too much. Whenever I try reproducing Chinese dishes at home, they never quite taste the way they do at the restaurant. However, I was looking through my Cooking Light magazine and found a recipe for Hot and Sour Soup. We are avid tofu lovers so I gave it a whirl.

It is absolutely delicious! I think this recipe may be even better then the hot and sour soup we get in the restaurant. It has that sourness to it that we love but the amount of mushrooms and tofu that go into the soup balance it nicely. We topped it with some crunchy Chinese noodles and had pork eggrolls on the side to make a complete meal.

Hot and Sour Soup

1 package of extra firm water-packed tofu
6 c. vegetable broth
2 c. water
1/3 c. white vinegar
3 T. low sodium soy sauce
1 T. finely chopped fresh ginger (or powdered if you don’t have fresh)
1 T. sugar
1 t. pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 oz. mushrooms, chopped
3 T. cornstarch
¾ c. canned sliced bamboo shoots
1 egg
½ c. sliced green onions
1 c. crunchy Chinese noodles (if desired)


1. Place tofu on several paper towels. Cover with several more paper towels; top with a heavy skillet for 10 minutes to drain tofu. Throw paper towels away and cut tofu into 1/2 inch pieces.

2. Bring chicken broth and 1 ½ c. of the water to a boil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Stir in vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, sugar, pepper, garlic, and mushrooms. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. In a small bowl combine cornstarch and remaining ½ c. water. Whisk until smooth. Slowly stir the cornstarch mixture into the soup. Add tofu and bamboo shoots and bring to a boil.

4. Cook for 5 minutes then remove from heat.

5. In a small bowl beat the egg. Slowly drizzle the egg into the soup (it will form ribbons of egg). Do not stir!

6. Return soup to low heat and cook 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with green onions and crunchy noodles.

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Meatless Mondays

Chicken with Spinach Tomato Ragout

I love chicken. I would eat chicken at least 3 times a week if my husband would let me. Lately we’ve been having the same old chicken dishes and he was quickly tiring of them. I found a recipe here for chicken with a spinach tomato ragout. It sounded fantastic! I made a few subtle changes to the recipe and made it the next day. It turned out really well and had a ton of flavor. I think next time I’ll serve it over top of noodles and make it a pasta dish from it.

Chicken with Spinach Tomato Ragout

2 T. olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken tenders
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1 T. smoked paprika
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
½ c. mushrooms, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
2 handfuls of fresh spinach, roughly chopped
¾ c. chicken broth

1. Heat olive oil in a pan.

2. Season the chicken tenders with salt, pepper, and paprika. Add to pan. Cook 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown.

3. Add the onions and garlic to the pan. Cook 2 minutes.

4. Add mushrooms to pan and cook for 3-4 minutes.

5. Put tomatoes in pan and sauté for an addition 2 minutes.

6. Add spinach to the pan and toss ingredients.

7. Add chicken broth and simmer for about 5-7 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 170 on the chicken tenders. Serve over spaghetti if desired.