March's Me Make-Y We Taste-Y We Like-Y

Broccoli was cheap, so on an impulse I purchased a bunch of it. What to do with it, besides dip it in ranch or have broccoli and cheese as a side? I decided to make broccoli soup for the very first time. I came upon this recipe for Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup by Gina's Skinny Recipes. Let me just say...it was pretty darn good. The girls even ate it up like no big deal. I will make this one again. Enjoy!

Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup

Gina's Skinny Recipes

1 small onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp butter 2 tbsp flour

2 1/2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth

1 cup fat free milk...I just used the milk I had in the fridge.

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced small

salt and pepper to taste

4 cups (about 2 heads) broccoli florets, chopped into small pieces

1-1/2 cups 2% shredded sharp cheddar...didn't have sharp so I used medium cheddar instead.

2 slices 2% American cheese ...I omitted this because I didn't have any.

1 tbsp parmesan cheese

Chop onion, carrot, celery, garlic in a chopper or mini food processor . In a large soup pot, melt butter. Add chopped vegetables and sauté on low heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add flour, salt and pepper to the pot and stir until smooth. Add chicken broth, milk and potatoes and set heat to high until it comes to a boil, then cover and cook on low until potatoes are soft, about 10-15 minutes. Add broccoli florets, parmesan cheese, and stir well. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Cook uncovered until broccoli is cooked, about 5 minutes. Add cheddar and American cheese, stir well and remove from heat. Using an immersion blender , quickly blend part of the soup for a quick second or two. If you don't have an immersion blender, remove about 1-2 cups of potatoes and broccoli, place it in your chopper, then add it back to the soup. (I actually put about one cup and a half in the blender then added it back in.) This helps thicken it a bit.

Happy St. Patty's Day

Happy LOVE Day!

"And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye."
Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Loving is not just looking at each other, it's looking in the same direction."
Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Happy Valenine's Day!

I'm a FrEaK!

I'm a freak! I feel that way. Let me explain. There are some amazing people out there with extreme couponing talent and I am not one of those. I do watch for diaper and wipe coupons. Those things can leave you broke, especially paying full price. Our local grocery store has been running daily promotions that will soon come to an end, for example on Wednesdays you get free milk with your $60 grocery purchase and on Thursdays, it's double your coupon day up to a dollar. What a steal...a $1 coupons turns into a $2...amazing don't ya think? Well, I tried it...shopping with coupons and I feel like a freak. Let me say this, I bought things that I would normally buy and not things that I think I will use or feed my family. The picture you see are the goods I snagged up this morning. So the total for this before taxes was $74.49. Doesn't buy you much if you ask me. After my coupons and before taxes my total came out to be $35.54 with $38.95 in savings. I did a great job for being a newbie. Let me just fill you in, see that toothpaste...my store is running a sale on it for a buck a peice (Colgate). I had coupons for a $1.00 off and they doubled it...so I was actually paid to buy it and the big thing of Dawn dish soap (24 oz), only .59 after my coupons. Yay me! So that my friends is why I feel like a wierdo.

February's Me Make-Y We Taste-Y We Like-Y

What do you know I am on a roll. I must have been a good girl this past year. I say that because Santa brought me a Kitchen Aid mixer. I never have used one these in my life, until now. I decided to take it out of the box and play with it. Can I just tell you that I absolutely love it. I can't believe I ever functioned without one of these babies. I decided to make something simple, so I could get a feel on how the mixer works.

I subscribe to Parents magazine and in the October 2010 issue I found a recipe for Shortcut Pumpkin Bread. It is super easy and doesn't require much to make. This recipe involves pumpkin, bananas, and yellow cake mix. My hubby doesn't like pumpkin or cream cheese both of which this bread has. I was kind of nervous, but it is a hit. He loved it and even asked for a second slice. It is actually quite tasty and I will be making it again. In my opinion, the bread would also taste great without the frosting. K scraped the frosting off and just ate the bread. I can't complain. Compared to my banana bread recepie, this bread has a lighter texture and a cake feel to it. On a good note, a slice of this bread counts as 1/2 servings of fruits and veggies. So eat away. Enjoy!

Shortcut Pumkin Bread

Parents Magazine

-Prepare a yellow cake mix according to the package directions leaving the water out. -Stir in 1 cup of pumkin puree, 1 cup of mashed bananas, and 1tsp. cinnamon. -Pour into a greased 9' loaf pan and bake at 375 degrees F for 50 minutes. -Once the bread is cooled it can be frosted. For the frosting, beat 4oz. softened cream cheese, and 1/4 cup softened butter until creamy. Stir in 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract and slowly add 1 cup opwdered sugar.

January's Me Make-Y We Taste-Y We Like-Y

So here it is...the first recipe that I have tried and has been a success. In our home we enjoy Tostadas de Frijoles. They are super easy and fast to make. This actually makes for a great summer meal, but great all year round. I came across a recipe for Shrimp Tostadas by Guerrero. I have always wanted to cook with shrimp and add it to our diet. Let me tell you this is pretty tasty. I will be making it for our family. If K likes it then I have no reason to believe why anyone wouldn't like it unless you are not a fan of shrimp. I have also included my personal recipe for Refried Beans. They are super easy to make, plus they are healthy. It beats the stuff in a can...if you can call those beans. Bleah!

Shrimp Tostadas
Guerrero

What you will need:

Tostadas...for this particular one they call for the Guerrero brand, but any will do.

2Tbsp. olive oil...I didn't have any on hand, so I just used canola oil.

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tsp. minced garlic

1lb. raw shrimp, shelled and divined. I used the packaged kind that you can buy at Walmart for about $5

1/4 cup pureed chipotle chile. These come in a small can. I only used one chipotle pepper and added a little water and pureed thees together. Thees peppers can be spicy. They smell divine, but I wouldn't let that smell fool you.

1/2 tsp. white vinegar

1tsp. salt

1/2 cup onion marinated in lime juice. I would start on this first then work on the shrimp.

Refried Beans...if you must use a canned...Bleah!...See my recipe bellow.

Toppings for the Shrimp Tostadas: shredded lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream we used Mexican sour cream (Crema Mexican...Cascique brand...it's a little runny but delicious), avocados or your favorite guacamole (we used Wholly Guacamole original flavor...all I can say is yummo!) you can also add cheese, but I omitted this. I don't think it goes that great with the shrimp. If you are preparing a just beans tostada I would add your favorite cheese.

Preparation:

Saute chopped onion and minced garlic in the oil until they become transparent. Add shrimp and cook for 1 minute. (I cooked it for a little longer). Add pureed chipotle peppers, vinegar, and salt. Cook for another minute. (I cooked this a little longer as well) Remove from heat.

To assemble these you spread refried beans on your tostada, add shrimp, and top with desired toppings.

So now for my personal recipe for Refried Beans. We shall call these P's Refried Beans.

P's Refried Beans P Egbert

What you will need:

2 cups pinto beans

4cups water

1tsp salt.

1-2 tbsp. oil

Preparation:

Sort your beans from any debris. Rinse your beans. Place beans, water, and salt into your 2qt crock pot. Set on high for 6 hours. Your beans should be soft by then.

With these babies you can either store them for later use or eat them as they are.

for the Refied Beans...I take all the contents in the crock pot and dump them into my skillet with about 1 to 2 tbsp of oil. (Sorry no exact measurement for this one...I eyeball it.) Mash the beans. Then just let it cook until your desired consistency. The bean juices will reduce. What did I tell you? Easy and health...no bacon fat needed, no fancy spices, no need for canned beans.

1/11/11

I'll post because it is a cool date. I guess this would be a perfect time to make resolutions for the new year and post them, but really I am not good with those and I tend to break them as soon as I make them. What I will do instead is post on my likes...

So now that I don't have to worry about spiking my little one, I like to sip on an ice cold...

PEPSI on occasion. I wish I could drink one daily, but lets face it I don't need to add more junk to the trunk. I would totally love to have a ripped body like Miss...
JILLIAN MICHAELS one day. Hey it's a goal and it's reachable, but at not at this current time in my life. So until then I will keep working at my skills at...
COOKING. I am not terrible at cooking my no means, but I would love to expand my families taste palate. I would love to try out new recipes, but I am afraid of trying out new ingredients. I think I could try out something new each month and report. Sometimes the wild (wild ha ha ha) side of me comes out of me and I like to rock out to...

NICKLEBACK only when the girls are asleep or when I am alone in my vehicle, which is seldom. When I get the chance to splurge which is occasionally as well, I love to buy a nice pair of...

SILVER JEANS. They are my absolute favorite brand of pants. I think they are the most flattering type of pants that fit my body well. Sorry to disappoint if you were thinking shoes, but in reality I don't have that many. I can't count every pair I own using both of my hands. Sad I know. I would love to go back to school one day to continue to pursue my desires to become a...

DENTIST. I know I know. What can I say, I like teeth. I am obsessed. As soon as I married my hubby, I tortured the guy and put him in braces. As soon as my girls popped teeth, they were getting brushed and flossed. Hey they will thank me later. I have that Biology degree under my belt, now I just have to get into dental school. But for now, I am totally content, satisfied, and...
The End.