Creamy Carrot Soup

Here's another great recipe I found on All Recipes. I did make this recipe into my own I didn't follow the recipe exact. Here's my version and Dave gave it 2 thumbs up and said make it again.

Creamy Carrot Soup

1 1/2 c chicken broth
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
Cook together until carrots are tender. In a blender or food processor, blend carrots in 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid, set aside.
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Flour
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 shakes red pepper flakes
Melt butter and the flour, basil, parsley and red pepper flakes. Cook just a few minutes.
Add 1 c Half & Half all at once. Cook until mixture bubbles and thickens. Add the carrot puree, and the rest of the chicken broth adding more until the soup is liquid but creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This is where the recipe stops but I thought it needed a little more so I added a few shakes of ground ginger and a few shakes of curry powder. You can add as little or as much as you like depending on your taste for these two spices.

Weight Watcher Old Points - 3 pts per cup

Healthy Cabbage Soup

I made this recipe because I had some cabbage and I didn't know what to do with it as I bought it thinking that I had a corned beef in the freezer but I didn't. I found this recipe on All Recipes and I LOVE it! It is easy to make and great tasting too!

Healthy Cabbage Soup

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 quarts water
• 4 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
• 1/2 head cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, drained and diced

1. In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic; cook until onion is transparent, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in water, bouillon, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then stir in cabbage. Simmer until cabbage wilts, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in tomatoes. Return to a boil, then simmer 15 to 30 minutes, stirring often.

I didn't have Italian-style stewed tomatoes so I used a can of petite diced tomatoes, drained them and added some Italian seasoning, stirred it together and let it sit for a few minutes and it worked just fine. You could add meat such as chicken or ground beef but then you will have to add more points. 
Weight Watcher's old points - 1 point per cup

Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Cake

While I have been off of work with foot surgery I have been bored out of my mind so I am turning to cooking and baking. Now baking is not something I do often because I do not like to bake but I had to take some paperwork into my job and I thought I'd bring my friends in some treats. I found this recipe on Pinterest and thought it would make a good breakfast treat and I have to say that not only was it easy but everyone really liked it too!



Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Cake

3 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 T butter, melted
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 T flour
1 T cinnamon
2/3 cups nuts (optional)

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
5 T milk
1 tsp vanilla

With an electric mixer or stand-up mixer, mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Once combined well, slowly stir in 4 T melted butter. Pour batter into a greased 9x13" baking pan.
In a large bowl, mix the 2 sticks of softened butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nuts until well combined. Drop evenly over cake batter by the tablespoon and use a knife to marble/swirl through the cake. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out nearly clean from center. Place powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle over warm cake. Serve warm (we like it straight out of the oven) or at room temperature.

This recipe was found at Six Sisters Stuff blog.

Sherried Tomato Soup

I found this recipe on Pinterest and someone pinned it from The Pioneer Woman and let me just say it's FANTASTIC! I had all the ingredients right here at home so I whipped some up. I was really unsure about all the sherry so I added it an 1/8 cup at a time and ended up adding the entire cup. I will be making this a go to recipe! When I served this I added a few of my homemade croutons to the top.

Sherried Tomato Soup

Prep Time: 10 Minutes | Cook Time: 20 Minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 6 Tablespoons Melted Butter
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 1 bottle (46 Oz.) Tomato Juice
• 2 cans (14 Oz. Cans) Diced Tomatoes
• 1 Tablespoon (up To 3 Tablespoons) Chicken Base
• 3 Tablespoons (up To 6 Tablespoons) Sugar
• 1 pinch Salt
• Black Pepper To Taste
• 1 cup Cooking Sherry
• 1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• Chopped Fresh Parsley
• Chopped Fresh Basil

Preparation Instructions

Sauté diced onions in butter until translucent. Then add canned tomatoes, tomato juice, chicken base, sugar, pinch of salt, black pepper and stir. Bring to a near boil, then turn off heat. Add in sherry and cream and stir. Add in parsley and basil to taste.

Homemade Croutons

I haven't bough croutons for years because they are so very easy to make and very inexpensive too! I get my bread from Wal-Mart in the day old section and I get my loaves for about $.96 cents. One loaf makes a TON of croutons and as you can see by my photo I am not kidding!



Homemade Croutons

Day old bread, what ever you can buy cheap
Olive oil or whatever kind of oil you have
Canned Parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning
Garlic powder
Rosemary
Salt & pepper

I eyeball all ingredients. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Add oil to a bowl and add all your seasonings. I do taste this to make sure I like the taste, set aside for flavors to meld. Cut your bread into cubes, whatever size you like. Pour oil mixture over bread cubes, stirring to coat well. Pour onto a cookie sheet and bake, stirring every 15-20 minutes until completely dried. You can top your salads with these, eat them as a snack, (yes they are that good!) and you can also top your cream soups with them.

Poppy Seed Dressing

This has to be the worlds easiest, fastest and the best tasting dressing I have had in a long, long time! I will be making this more often!!! I had bought a big container of fresh spinach from Sam's club and was wanting to make a salad with strawberries, Feta cheese and nuts but didn't have any good dressing to eat it with. I did a search for Poppy Seed Dressing and came across this on the Betty Crocker website. Only 4 ingredients, how could I go wrong?

Poppy Seed Dressing

3/4 c mayo or Miracle Whip, I used mayo
1/3 c sugar
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp poppy seeds

Mix all together and enjoy!

My friend Barb makes chicken salad and for the dressing she uses half mayo and half poppy seed dressing so there's another idea for you to use the leftovers with.

Double Bacon Cheeseburger Dip

I found this recipe on Pinterest and it comes from a blog called Closet Cooking. I made this and took it to work and everyone really liked it. I served it with a baguette but next time I will toast the baguette first.

Double Bacon Cheeseburger Dip

Ingredients

1/2 pound ground beef
6 strips bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoon ketchup

Directions

Cook the ground beef in a pan over medium heat, set it aside and drain the grease from the pan.
Cook the bacon in the pan until crispy, about 6-10 minutes, set aside and drain all but a tablespoon of the grease.
Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
Mix the ground beef, bacon, onions and garlic, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, mozzarella, cheddar, Worcestershire sauce and ketchup and pour it into a baking dish.
Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the top starts turning a light golden brown and then sides are bubbling, about 20-30 minutes.

Bubble Up Pizza

This is a really fast, easy and fun recipe. It really takes no time at all and you can actually eat it with your fingers!



Bubble Up Pizza

2 cans 12 oz Pillsbury Grands! Jr.
1 15oz jar of Pizza Sauce
2 cups Mozzarella Cheese
Your favorite pizza toppings - Cooked sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, peppers
Cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut biscuits into quarters and place in a med bowl. Toss biscuits with pizza sauce. Add pizza toppings and half of the cheese. Toss until well blended. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Pour biscuits mixture into pan and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until biscuits are done.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter! May the Easter Bunny bring you lots and lots of colored eggs
filled with all kinds of chocolatey goodness!!!

Teriyaki Sauce and Marinade for Chicken

This marinade is great for grilled chicken and then topped with the pineapple salsa. It makes a great lunch or light dinner, just serve with rice and some cooked Chinese vegetables. This also makes great Asian chicken salad with the leftovers!

Teriyaki Sauce and Marinade

1/4 c low sodium soy sauce
1/2 c water
1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 packets sweet & low
1 Tbsp honey
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp ground ginger

Mix all together and add 3/4 of this to a zip-lock baggie with your boneless, skinless, chicken thighs. Save the rest of the marinade for brushing on your chicken when grilling. Let this sit for at least 1/2 hour. Grill chicken, basting often with remaining marinade, until cooked. Serve with rice and stir fried vegetables.

Homemade Microwave Popcorn

I found this recipe on Pinterest, my new addiction, and I knew I had to try it because it came from Alton Brown from the Food Network. I love watching his shows they are so very informative. This really works and it is great for low calorie munching.

Homemade Microwave Popcorn

Brown Paper Lunch Bag
1/4 - 1/3 c un-popped popcorn
1 tsp olive oil
popcorn salt

Mix together popcorn, oil and salt. Put into paper bag and fold the top down three times. Cook in microwave for 2-3 mins or until popping slows or stops. Pour into bowl and enjoy!

You can add any kind of flavoring such as Italian seasoning, cumin, popcorn flavoring or grated Parmesan cheese.

Pineapple Salsa for Chicken

I have been trying to loose weight so I have been coming up with some great low calorie recipes to keep me on track and this is one that I absolutely love. I have been eating this on chicken but it would taste great on ham and also with cinnamon tortilla chips.




I don't have any specific amounts for these ingredients just add what you think you'll like.

Pineapple Salsa

Fresh pineapple, cut into small cubes
Red pepper, diced
Onion, diced
Cilantro, chopped
Kosher Salt
Lime Juice

Mix all together and let chill before serving. WW 0 pts per serving