Cream of Broccoli Soup

Yummm......a hearty, satisfying soup for the colder days up ahead. This recipe is easy to make, and reheats well. Grab yourself a spoon, and get ready for a comforting bowl of deliciousness :)

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Serves 6

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, chopped

1 stalk celery,, chopped

1 quart (4 cups) chicken, vegetable or "no-chicken" broth

8 cups broccoli florets

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

salt and pepper to taste

In a medium stock pot melt 2 tbls. butter. Add onion and celery. Saute until tender. Add broth and broccoli. Simmer covered for 10 minutes. Puree soup using a stick blender, or regular blender. Return to heat.

In small saucepan, melt 3 tbls. butter over medium heat. Add flour and milk. Cook until thick and bubbly, stirring often. Add to soup. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Garlic Cheese Crackers

Crisp, buttery, and cheesy. That is what these crackers are.

They are easy to throw together, and yummy to snack on :)

Cheese Crackers

Adapted from Cherry Tea Cakes

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 cup flour (or 3.5 oz Soft White Wheat flour)

1/2 tsp dill

1/2 tsp granulated garlic

1/2 tsp salt

1 tablespoon half-and-half

Preheat oven to 350º.

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine cheese, butter, flour, dill, garlic and salt. Mix on medium until mixture reaches a sandy consistency. Add half-and-half. Knead into a ball, then form into a log. Cut into 1/4 inch thick slices, and place on parchment lined sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on rack before transferring to airtight container. Enjoy!

Milk Chocolate Ice Cream with Brownie Bits

Oh, wow! This ice cream is extremely rich, and extremely DELISH! It's creamy, and it's chocolatey. Very indulgent! Give it a try sometime soon. You won't be disappointed :)

Milk Chocolate Ice Cream with Brownie Bits

Adapted from Annie's Eats

Serves 4

For the brownies:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut in pieces

4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 1/4 cups sugar (or honey sucanat)

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (or 2.5 oz Soft White Wheat flour)

pinch of salt

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the ice cram:

8 oz milk chocolate, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups whole milk

3/4 cup sugar (or honey sucanat)

pinch of salt

4 large egg yolks

To make brownies:

Line 8X8 dish with foil, and lightly grease. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350º.

Melt butter in small saucepan. Add chocolate and whisk until melted. Remove from heat. Whisk in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Fold in flour and salt. Mix in chocolate chips. Pour into prepared dish and smooth out batter. Bake until center is just set, about 30 minutes. Cool completely. Cut half of brownies into small bits for ice cream. Set aside. (Eat or freeze remaining brownies).

To make ice cream:

In a heatproof bowl, placed over a pan of simmering water, combine milk chocolate and heavy cream. Heat until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove bowl from heat and place mesh sieve over bowl for use in next step.

Combine milk, sugar, and salt in medium saucepan. Heat until sugar dissolves. In a separate bowl whisk together egg yolks. When milk mixture is warm, add a small amount to yolks while whisking constantly. Add yolk mixture to milk mixture and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens slightly, and coats the back of a spoon. (Heat to about 170º - 175º on an instant-read thermometer). Remove from heat, and pour through sieve into chocolate mixture.

Cover and chill in refrigerator until cold. Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. After ice cream is frozen, fold in brownie bits. Freeze in airtight container until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Strawberry Glacé Pie

Strawberry pie....one of the most delicious ways to welcome summer into your kitchen. The fresh, aromatic berries filling the air with a sweet aroma....

Its just plain lovely. Especially when the recipe is as easy and scrumptious as this one. (My mom has been making this version for over a decade, so I'm not sure where the recipe originally came from, haha!)

Strawberry Glacé Pie

1 8'' or 9'' pie crust, cooked and cooled

6 cups (approx) fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, dried, and cut in half

1 cup sugar (or honey sucanat)

3 tbls. cornstarch

1/2 cup water

Mash enough strawberries to measure 1 cup. (It takes about 1 1/2 - 2 cups). In a medium saucepan mix sugar and cornstarch. Add water and mashed strawberries. Cook at medium heat until the mixture boils. Boil for 1 minute. Let cool.

Mix remaining strawberries with half of the cooked mixture. Pour into pie crust. Spoon remaining strawberry mixture evenly on top of berries. Refrigerate pie until cold. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream on top, if desired. Enjoy!

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Are you in need of a quick and easy dinner? How about whipping up this creamy and delicious soup!

This is a breeze to throw together, and it is very satisfying. You can serve it with some cheddar biscuits for hearty and scrumptious meal. Yum!

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Adapted from this recipe

Serves 4

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups chicken or "no chicken" broth

1 medium (2 1/2 pound) cauliflower, cored and chopped into florets

4 oz cream cheese, cut into 6 pieces (or I used 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt)

1/4 cup heavy cream (can use half-and-half or whole milk)

1 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, plus more for garnish (can use dried)

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large saucepan, cook onions in olive oil over medium heat until soft and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add broth and cauliflower. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until cauliflower is tender.

Add cream cheese (or greek yogurt), and mash cauliflower with a potato masher. Stir in the cream. Puree with an immersion blender, (or in a regular blender in batches). Stir in chives. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with cheddar cheese and chives sprinkled on top. Enjoy!

Chocolate Turtle Cake - It's My 1st Blogiversary!

Yep, its my Blogiversary! Exactly one year ago today, I published my first blog post. That is so hard to believe! These past 12 months have seemed to fly by so quickly. I've had such a blast having my own blog, but without you all I probably wouldn't have kept it up. So thank you for taking the time to read it! It means so much to me : ) Heres to many more years of fun in the blogosphere!

This is actually a cake I made for my mom's birthday, but I thought this would be an opportune time to share the recipe. It is a little bit involved, but totally doable if you tackle it one step at a time : )

Super rich, super chocolatey, super delicious! Definitely a crowd pleaser. Yum!

Chocolate Turtle Cake

Serves 12

3 Cake Layers (recipe below)

Caramel Filling (recipe below)

Chocolate Filling (recipe below)

Caramel Frosting (recipe below)

Chocolate Ganache (recipe below)

Place one cake layer on a cake stand. Using caramel frosting, pipe a frosting border around the top edge of the cake to make a barrier (so the filling won't leak out). Spread half of the caramel filling evenly over cake. Pipe half of the chocolate filling evenly over caramel filling, spreading it out to the edges of the cake. Top with second cake layer and repeat the process. Top with last cake layer. Frost entire cake with caramel frosting, reserving some to use as garnish. Slowly pour ganache over top of cake and allow to drip down the sides. Allow ganache to set. Pipe decorative rosettes of caramel frosting on top of cake, and place pecan halves in the center of each rosette. Enjoy!

For the cake:

Adapted from this recipe

1 1/3 cups cake flour (or 6.5 oz Soft White wheat flour + 2 tbls cornstarch)

1/2 cup dutch processed cocoa (I used "natural" processed)

1 cup sugar (or honey sucanat)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

1/2 cup whole milk, divided

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease three 8-inch cake pans and line with parchment paper.

Lightly beat eggs, vanlla, and half of milk in a bowl. Mix until incorporated. Set aside.

Equip your mixer with whisk attachment and sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt into the mixer bowl. Add butter and remaining milk. Beat on medium speed until smooth (about 4 minutes), scraping bowl as needed.

The mixture may start out rough looking, then turn thick and paste-like. After beating, add one-third of the egg mixture and mix on medium for two minutes. Add another third and beat for two minutes (the mixture will start to increase in volume). Add last third of the egg mixture, and beat for two minutes more.

Divide batter evenly between pans, (I use a kitchen scale to do this), and level out smooth. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back slightly when touched in the center, and a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool completely in pans, (the cake should pull away form the sides of the pan as it cools, but if it doesn't, just run a knife around the edges to release). Once cooled, remove from pans and peel parchment paper off.

For the caramel filling:

2/3 cup dulce de leche (homemade* or store-bought)

1/3 cup chopped pecans

Stir together dulce de leche and pecans. Set aside until needed.

*To make homemade: Pour one can of sweetened condensed milk into a saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until it thickens and turns golden brown. (This might take up to an hour). (Reserve 1/3 cup to use in the frosting, and use the rest for the filling. If you're a little short, don't worry about it - you don't have to have exactly 2/3 cup).

For the chocolate filling:

Adapted from this recipe

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

2 2/3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1/3 cup half-and-half

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter. Mix in cocoa powder, vanilla, and confectioners' sugar. Add half-and-half. Beat until creamy. Set aside until needed.

For the caramel frosting:

Adapted from this recipe

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Pinch of salt

1/3 cup dulce de leche

In the bowl of an electric mixer cream butter and sugar on low. Add cream, vanilla, and salt. Beat until there are no lumps. Scrap down bowl. Add dulce de leche. Beat until incorporated. If frosting is too thick, add a little bit more cream. Set aside until needed.

For the chocolate ganache:

Adapted from this recipe

8 oz. semi-sweet or milk chocolate, finely chopped

3/4 cup heavy cream

Make ganache after the cake is frosted and ready to go. Place chocolate in heatproof bowl. Pour cream in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Pour cream over chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute. Whisk until smooth. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, (if it thickens too much it will be difficult to pour over the cake). Slowly pour over cake, letting it drip down the sides. Enjoy!

Dainty Sandwich Cookies

I absolutely love these treats - decadent chocolate sandwiched between two crisp, buttery cookies. Deliciousness! And the sprinkling of salt and sugar on the tops? Pure genius! It really brings out the flavors of the cookie.

These are surprisingly easy to whip up. I like to roll my dough out between sheets of plastic wrap - I just find it to be easier. However, the dough is easy to work with, so feel free to roll them out strait on the countertop. Either way, roll some out soon : )

Dainty Sandwich Cookies

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Makes about 2 dozen, 1 1/2-inch cookies

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or 12.5 oz Soft White wheat flour)

1 teaspoon baking powder

scant 1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon poppy seeds

6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature

2/3 cup brown sugar, packed (or honey sucanat)

2 large egg yolks

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2-3 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon big flaky sea salt (optional)

1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (optional) (or honey sucanat)

6-7 ounces (I used 12 oz) dark, semi-sweet, or milk chocolate, chopped

additional equipment: 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter

Preheat oven to 350°, with the racks in the top third of the oven.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and poppy seeds in a medium bowl. Set aside

In a separate bowl, beat butter until fluffy and creamy (by hand or with an electric mixer). Mix in sugar and scrape down bowl. Mix in egg yolks and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture by hand, being careful not to overmix. If dough seems dry, add the milk. Dump out dough on counter and knead it a few times so it comes together. Divide and form dough into four discs. Wrap in plastic and chill in the fridge until firm, about 30 minutes.

Roll out dough 1/8-inch thick on a floured surface (or between two pieces of plastic wrap). Stamp out using a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter. Place 1-inch apart on parchment lined cookie sheets. Place in fridge or freezer until well-chilled. Sprinkle with a small pinch of turbinado sugar and sea salt.

Bake for about 7 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. When cookies are cool, and you're ready to assemble the cookies, melt chocolate in double boiler, (or in a bowl placed over a pot of simmering water). Spread 1/2 teaspoon of the melted chocolate (I spread 1 tsp) on one cookie, and spread out almost to the edge. Top with another cookie and press together until chocolate is nearly coming out. Repeat with the rest of the cookies. Allow chocolate to set before transferring to an airtight container. Enjoy!