meals on wheels

In my family, if someone has surgery or is sad or god forbid, has lost a loved one--we go into cooking mode. My mom, the best mom in the whole wide world, is having surgery in a week or so, so today I started making "meals on wheels" as she would call them. I made two from scratch pot pies ( one for her, one for us!), 16 hot ham and cheese sandwiches (individually wrapped in foil for easy heating in the oven), chicken is cooked for Chicken Divan and I made a pot of a new soup, Sausage and Corn Chowder. This is from the Tasty Kitchen site, an offshoot of the Pioneer Woman website. That lady is a dynamite and this cooking site is becoming great just like her other features. The soup is really tasty.

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soup's on

Yesterday, I made this vegetable soup again which is perhaps the simplest recipe I own with the most delicious results. I loved it last year but did not totally love the spicy part. Only b/c I did not have all the ingredients on hand did I alter this, and it turned out even better (to me at least). My substitutions included one can of vegetable broth in place of one of the cans of beef broth and I used petite diced tomatoes instead of the ro-tel style tomatoes. A bit milder, more traditional taste resulted.

I have taken SO FEW pictures this year but I need to b/c there are things I want to share. Like Shelby's newly rearranged room courtesy of her Dad. Or Olivia's new smile that is currently minus one more tooth. Or my little injured puppy who spends some time resembling a tri pod b/c he has a hurt knee...which is a long story for another post. I will preface it with this: luxating patellas...plural. Pin It

beer and cheese soup recipe

(photo from BHG--recipe HERE)

I have had the ingredients on hand for days, however, life has gotten in the way of cooking over here. So, around 2p, I cooked this up for my post lunch, bagel chaser. (My sickie is home from school but on the mend s l o w l y).

It is from BHG and was tasty. The red pepper taste is pretty strong so I would maybe cut back on those and for me, add more cheese. I did not fry the hashbrowns for the topping for my snack, I may do that when I have it for a real meal. I did mix in more hash browns, not pureed, for some more substance. Oh, and my best guess is that this makes about 4 portions. When I go to the trouble of preparing soup, I like to make lots and freeze it...although this might not freeze well anyway.

And did you hear the Pioneer Woman's cookbook is #1 on the NY Times list? Crazy. Pin It

the lap quilt continues

Let me first say, I am learning a LOT. I am enjoying the process and will try this again. Maybe something smaller but more quirky like this kind of stuff: mini art quilts. I am all over flickr and the inspiration right now. I am now attaching the binding which is what intimidated me most. I have struggled with the corners, and they are sewn (incorrectly) to the front side but I am OK with moving on, this being my first quilt ever. I think I know what I did wrong so next time, I might beautifully mitre my corners. I am pretty sure I mastered this blind stitching too so add that to my list of things I thought impossible. I have asked myself often: just who am I?! For instance, today I ate soup from a can. And you know what? It really was good! I had the Progresso Light Vegetable Soup and it was tasty (thanks to my friend Amy for vouching for it). Now, I am not on Weight Watchers but I do know anything you can eat that equals 0 points, is a darned good thing. So I, ate mine, with crackers. And some cheese too. I am a rebel.

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soup's on!

Last year I totally got into making homemade soups and I am back at it again! Right now, this is on the stovetop:

Chicken Minestrone with Pesto from Woman's Day (and I borrowed the picture from there too). I decided to make it on the stovetop because 1) I am afraid of chicken thighs and 2) I was too afraid to put raw meat in the crockpot. Unfounded fears probably, but just two I live with! Anyway, I browned ground chicken in a skillet instead and then added all the ingredients as called for. I cannot wait to try it topped off with pesto, b/c I LOVE pesto. I already sampled a bit, and the flavor is wonderful.

ETA: The pesto makes such a huge wonderful difference. Make sure you add that to each bowl. Also, this makes a ton, I have 6 big servings to freeze. I share these with my dad, I am my parent's own version of Dream Dinners. Kinda. At least they say that jokingly. Ha!

Earlier I made a fudgelike candy from a recipe my neighbor shared. I had it at her house last week and it was divine. I will try to find the recipe online and share b/c it was so simple: chocolate candy bark coating, sweetened condensed milk, pecans and vanilla.

Once Olivia got home, she and I whipped up Rocky Road fudge which is absolutely to die for.

Rocky Road Fudge (Good Housekeeping, 2006)

1 pkg. (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 tablespoon margarine or butter
1 pkg. (10.5 ounces) mini marshmallows

Grease 8x8 or 9x9 baking pan; line with plastic wrap. In 4 quart saucepan, combine chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, peanut butter and margarine. Cook over medium heat 2-3 minutes or just until ingredients are melted, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
Stir marshmallows into fudge mixture. Pour into lined pan; spread evenly. Cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate fudge until firm, at least 3 hours.
Invert fudge onto cutting board; remove plastic wrap. Turn fudge top side up. Cut fudge into 36 pieces. Can be stored in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

The guys at my husband's work particularly like this one.

And yesterday while reading blogs, I ran across this madness: Peppermint Bark like William Sonoma. So I bought all those ingredients too!

And this news will probably surprise no one but today while trying to hoist my jeans over my gut, one of the belt loops literally ripped off. It seems my waistline doesn't agree with all this cooking and eating as much as my tastebuds do. I have decided to just live it up until January 1, and then I will address the gut.

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