Broccoli and Cheese Soup

 

I hab a code.
I really shouldn't complain since I've managed to get through the whole winter to the middle of February without getting sick.  So, I'm pretty thankful, and trying to stay positive despite feeling like there is a thousand cotton balls filling the space between my nose and my brain.  Prettttttttty.
Anyway... yesterday, I took Catherine to Panera Bread for lunch before her dentist appointment and we both got the Broccoli and Cheese Soup.  It was a good for the body soup (ok, maybe not, but it sure did make me feel better).  When we got home after school today, I had no desire to cook anything.  If we had potatoes, Catherine and I considered Loaded Baked Potato Soup, but alas we were missing the key ingredient.  That's when I remembered the Broccoli and Cheese Soup from yesterday.  We had broccoli and we had cheese.  I took to Pinterest and found all of these recipes for Panera's yummy soup.  Hot, yummy soup.  Soooooooo good!

• ½ medium onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• Splash of oil
• ¼ cup butter
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup light cream
• 2 cups chicken broth
• ½ lb. fresh broccoli
• 1 cup carrots, julienned
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• 8 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese
• Salt/Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a stock pot over medium-high heat, add about 1 tablespoon of butter and a splash of oil.  Toss in the onions and sauté.  Remove the onions from the pot.
2. Add the ¼ cup of butter to the stock pot and melt, then add the flour, whisking constantly for 2-3 minutes, or until the flour cooks.
3. Stir in the milk and cream, and then add 1 can of chicken broth.
4. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.
5. Add ½ of the second can of chicken broth.
6. Add the broccoli, carrots, onions, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
7. Cook over medium low heat for 20 - 25 minutes or until the veggies are cooked.
8. Add the cheese and stir until melted.
9. If needed, add the remaining chicken broth.
10. Remove from heat and serve with bread.

Butter Cream Frosting

Frosting, frosting, frosting!  Who doesn't love frosting?  Well, I can tell you that everyone in this family LOVES it!  Here's our go-to butter cream frosting recipe.

• 16 oz. (1 pound) confectioners sugar
• ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
• 4-6 Tbsp. milk or half-and-half
• 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• Pinch salt

DIRECTIONS

1. In large bowl, with mixer at medium-low speed, beat confectioners sugar, softened butter, vanilla, salt, and 3 tablespoons milk until smooth and blended.
2. Beat in additional milk as needed for easy spreading consistency. 
3. Increase speed to medium-high, and beat until light and fluffy.

Yield: about 2 1/3 cups

Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Frosting

When it comes to frosting, are you a chocolate or vanilla fan?  Whichever is your favorite, I can tell you I have got some good recipes.  Here's a sinfully rich chocolate frosting recipe, thanks to Hershey.

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter
• 2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa Powder
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt butter. 
2. Stir in cocoa. 
3. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to a creamy, spreading consistency.  A small amount of additional milk may be added to make it more spreadable. 
4. Stir in vanilla.

Makes "just enough" for 24 cupcakes, or a 2-layer cake.  Adjust the ingredients up a little if you are a big frosting fan (LIKE ME!  Let's just say that I doubled it for about 30 cupcakes and JUST had enough)!

Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake

A good few years ago, I wanted to make my husband a cake for his birthday.  He asked for chocolate with chocolate frosting.  I could have made it easy on myself and just bought one, or even made one from a box, or at least got frosting from a can, but I really wanted to go the extra mile and make it from scratch.  While IMing with my friend Martha (anyone keeping track of how many times her name comes up on here?), she said the best chocolate cake ever comes off the back of the Hershey's cocoa container, with one tiny, but key, modification -- coffee!  She was so right, and this has been our go-to chocolate cake recipe ever since.  Most recently, I made the cupcakes for his birthday this year, and also for his father's birthday this past weekend.

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup Hershey’s cocoa
• 1 ½ tsp. baking soda
• 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 Tbsp. instant coffee or instant espresso

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350˚. 
2. For a cake, grease and flour two 9" round cake pans.
   For cupcakes, line (2) 12-cup cupcake tins.
   (I actually had enough for another 6 or so cupcakes)
    
3. Combine dry ingredients (sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda and baking powder) in large bowl. 
4. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, beating on medium speed for two minutes. 
5. Add instant coffee/espresso to boiling water, and stir to dissolve. 
6. Stir hot mixture into the rest of the batter -- batter will be quite thin.
    
7. Pour into prepared pans/tins.
   (The Pampered Chef Large Scoop, creates the perfect portioned sizes)
   
8. Bake 30-35 minutes for cakes...about 17 minutes for cupcakes,
   or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
   
9. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

Frost with Perfectly Chocolate Frosting or Butter Cream Frosting.

Yellow Buttermilk Cupcakes

PICTURE COMING SOON

Catherine actually found this recipe on an online blog last year when we had the 1st Annual Cupcake Swap, when we made the Banana Split Cupcakes (oops... I forgot to post that recipe!  Note:  Remember to post the Banana Split Cupcake recipe!).  When I looked at the site she got the recipe from, I realized I know the blogger!  Forget the fact that the recipe was originally adapted from Martha Stewart's, I knew it had to be good because I knew Jen had a great reputation for her confections, and was acquainted with her from our days on The Nest.


Catherine and I love making things from scratch.  Who needs a box, when you have a yummy go-to recipe?  For this past weekend, we had three parties we were going to, the biggest one being my father-in-law's 90th Birthday Party!  We offered to bring cupcakes, instead of a big cake, and thought a variety of cupcakes would be a cool idea. We made our standby's --  Red Velvet Cupcakes, Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes, and these Yellow Buttermilk Cupcakes, and then made both Buttercream Frosting and Perfectly Chocolate Frosting.  There was pretty much a cupcake for everyone's tastes!

• 3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ tsp. baking soda
• 2 ¼ tsp. baking powder
• 1 ½ tsp. salt
• 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp.  (2 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 ¼ cups sugar
• 5 large whole eggs plus 3 egg yolks, room temperature
• 2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. 
   
3. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
4. Reduce speed to low and add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beating until combined after each.
5. Beat in vanilla.
    
6. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full.
   (I used a Pampered Chef Large Scoop.  One full scoop filled each cup perfectly.)
7. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until cupcakes spring back when lightly touched and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
8. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely.
   
   
9. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
10. Reduce speed to medium and add whole eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. 
11. Add yolks, and beat until thoroughly combined.

Makes 36 cupcakes

Adapted from BeantownBaker.com (and Martha Stewart)

Mini Mac & Cheese Bites

After two weeks of Playoff games, our friends, Charlie and Julie, invited us to their party to watch our New England Patriots try to redeem themselves against the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.  I put the bat signal out to my friends for something new and different to make for our contribution.  Wouldn't you know, my friend Martha came through again with another fantastic recipe.  These mini macaroni and cheese bites were a great "picky" type of food to pop in your mouth, and super delicious.  The recipe she sent me called for just cheddar and American cheeses, but I added some mozzarella... just because.  I also added a whole egg, instead of just egg yolk, and omitted the paprika that was in the original recipe.

Super Bowl Sunday has come ... and gone.  The Patriots sure know how to get my blood pressure up.  Alas, my boys of winter, were again defeated by the New York Giants, in a heartbreaking loss.  But, there's always next year.  In addition to feeling very sad for my team, I'm also feeling a little bit at a loss as I don't have any more tailgating parties to cook for.

• ½ lb. elbow macaroni
• 1 ½ Tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more for brushing
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• ¾ cup milk
• 4 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded (1 packed cup)
• 2 oz. sliced American cheese, chopped
• 2 oz. sliced mozzarella cheese, chopped
• 1 large egg

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 425°.
   
2. In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the macaroni until al dente.  Drain, shaking off the excess water.
   
3. Brush non-stick mini muffin tins with butter.
   (for one batch, I used two of Pampered Chef's Deluxe Mini-Muffin Pans that each create 24 pieces, for a total of 48 pieces)
4. Sprinkle each cup with 2 tablespoons of the grated cheese, tapping out the excess.
   
5. In a large saucepan, melt the butter.
6. Whisk in the flour over moderate heat for about a minute.
7. Whisk in the milk and cook, whisking continuously, until boiling, about 5 minutes.
8. Add the cheeses (cheddar, American, and mozzarella) whisking until melted.
9. Off the heat, whisk in the egg.
10. Fold in the macaroni until well blended.
     
11. Spoon slightly rounded tablespoons of the macaroni into the prepared muffin
    cups, packing them gently.
    (I used the Pampered Chef Small Scoop, which created perfectly sized portions)
12. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of grated cheese on top(I didn't measure this out... I just sprinkled on top of each piece)
    
    
13. Bake the mini macs in the upper and middle thirds of the oven for about 10
    minutes, until golden and sizzling.
14. Let cool at least 10 minutes.
    (Original recipe said 5 minutes, and the first couple were falling apart as I took out because they were still too hot.)
15. Using a small spoon, carefully loosen the mini macs, transfer to a platter and serve.
    (I actually made mine the day before and put them in an aluminum pan that I wrapped in foil.  I reheated the next day when ready to eat, at about 350° for about 5-10 minutes.
    
    The recipe also states that you can prepare through Step 10, refrigerate overnight, and then continue with the baking instructions the next day.)