Donna asked me if I had ever had a recipe failure. Hmmmm – more than a few! I said I had never been able to make a good broccoli cheese soup even though I'd tried several different recipes. Donna said “I have a recipe that you’ll love and it won’t fail!” She sent me this tried and true broccoli and cheese noodle soup from her recipe box. She was right. It was a hit! I would never have thought of adding noodles to a broccoli cheese soup but it is so good! The unexpected noodles bring it to a “stick to the ribs” category of yummy. She made a note to make sure the noodles are extra fine – around an inch long and smaller than the diameter of thin spaghetti. I did cut the recipe in half to make six servings – one meal for the three of us. And instead of water and bouillon ... [Read More]
Vegetables
Crockpot Calico Beans
It doesn't matter if you call them Calico Beans or Trucker Beans, or Cowboy Beans or Prairie Beans, this dish is perfect for a summer barbecue or an autumn tailgate party. This recipe is foolproof and flexible and quick to make! Gather your crockpot for no-work cooking and set all the ingredients on the counter. Pour, stir and cook on low for 3-6 hours. Make it a main dish with a tossed salad for a perfect meal. Take it to a gathering and you won't be bringing home leftovers because it's always a hit. Chips* contributed the recipe to a Quasquicentennial community cookbook where I found it. I have tweaked it -- of course!-- many different ways and it always turns out tasty! Chips' family prefers the deeper flavor that comes from baking in a 9x 13 pan for about an hour at 350 ... [Read More]
How to create salads your family will love
Green salads are a great addition to any meal. They are low in carbs and calories but filling so you can eat a lot without going above your daily goal. They are a delicious way to pack in nutrients. But like anything else on the table, salads can be boring. Here’s some ways to beat the boring . . . Based on a yummy salad we first found at Panera, the strawberry combination above is easily one of our favorite salads. The base is a spring green mix. Add a couple of fruits, some nuts and the saltiness of feta cheese. Yum! The fruit changes with the seasons – strawberries for spring, apples for fall, canned mandarin or fresh clementines anytime. Dried fruit makes an appearance as well, for color, nutrition and flavor. You can use golden raisins or dried cranberries, flavored or ... [Read More]
Cheddar Chunk Green Pea Salad
Green peas are a harbinger of springtime, one of the cool weather crops that begins to produce early. Green peas are a nutritional powerhouse, a legume rich in vitamins and minerals along with protein. Green peas make a delicious salad that Wheels calls “Traffic Light Salad” because it is red, green and yellow. Add these all together and Cheddar Chunk Pea Salad is the perfect salad to usher in National Salad Month, otherwise known as the Merry Month of May. Peas are legumes, along with beans and lentils. They were one of the first crops to be cultivated by humans and were eaten dried (blech! Sorry . . .personal opinion . . disclaimer ) for thousands of years. They are now grown all over the world, with Canada as the major producer. If you are a gardener, you know peas will ... [Read More]
Potato Nests and holiday menu suggestions
I served this at a tea party brunch for something a little more substantial and with a different texture and savory taste than the usual fare. I served in the fancy ramekins in which they were baked. A platter of these nicely turned out would be spectacular, especially with a few chopped chives over the top and perhaps a bit of other green garnish tucked in between the cakes. Foods that are already portioned make a buffet line move quickly. This is quick to make because you start out with packaged shredded potatoes. I used the kind found in the refrigerated section. The shredded Parmesan cheese adds to the flavor and you can use your choice of cheese for the remaining measure of cheese. I didn't want my potato nests to have a bright yellow color so chose a white yellow mix of ... [Read More]
How to puree a pumpkin
This big pumpkin has been on our front porch since early October. Time to make the change to Christmas decor so it had to go. Bytes has been the master jack o lantern carver, but was busy this year. So this super large globe survived Halloween intact and went right up to Thanksgiving. Nary a ding and only one surface blemish to mar its nearly twenty pound beauty. Could not just throw it away. You have to know, too, that Wheels has frequently worked on Thanksgiving. Not every year, but often enough that we haven't really established any traditions except a really good dinner sometime close to the fourth Thursday in November. But this year, he was home. And we had some time on our hands while the crockpot worked its magic with the turkey breast. See where this is going?? ... [Read More]