White Bean Soup

White Bean Soup

(adapted from Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist)

2 shallots, sliced

1/2 pund carrots, sliced on the diagonal

1 bulb fennel, sliced

4 celery ribs, sliced on the diagonal

8 cups prepared Great Northern Beans or other white bean*

1 tbs rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

For serving:

Vinaigrette (Dijon, balsamic vinegar, olive oil)

prosciutto, sliced in ribbons

Parmesan, thickly grated, or use a vegetable peeler to get pretty strips

In a dutch oven, soften shallots in olive oil over medium heat.  Add carrots, fennel, and celery and allow them to soften, about 15 minutes.  (If you don't have fennel, you can add some fennel seed for flavor or just leave it out)

Add beans and chopped rosemary.

*Note, I use dried beans and prepare them.  If you use canned, I recommend rinsing and draining them.  But you will need to add some water or broth to compensate.  

Cover and cook for 30-40 minutes, or longer if you have time.  

Add salt and pepper to taste.  If you are using the prosciutto, remember it is salty, so go easy on the salt.  Bacon is really nice with this soup too.  

Mash with a potato masher for a chunky texture.  For a smoother texture run part of it through a food processor or blender, or use an immersion blender right in the pot.  I love my immersion blender so that is my tool of choice here.  

Ladle into bowls and top the soup with Prosciutto, cheese, and vinaigrette.  

This is a wonderful comforting soup.  

Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash Soup

(adapted from Betty Crocker)

One of my favorites ever!  I've made this soup a few times this year, trying to find exactly the right recipe.  And I finally hit it.  Most recipes have you peel and chop the squash, but I roast mine, it's much easier, and gives it a great flavor.

2 tbs butter

2 medium butternut squash

2 large apples, peeled, chopped

1 large onion chopped

2 tbs brown sugar

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp pepper

3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

squash seeds (optional garnish)

nutmeg (optional garnish)

Preheat oven to 375.

Cut the ends off of the squash, scoop out the seeds.  I save the seeds and bake them and use them as a garnish.  Place them skin side down on a baking sheet.  Bake until fork tender, about 45 minutes to an hour.  

Once the squash has cooled enough scoop out the flesh.

Saute' onions in a couple tablespoons of butter, until softened.  Add the apples, broth, salt, cinnamon, pepper and squash.  Bring to a boil and simmer covered until apples are soft.  

In batches, pour the soup into a blender, or food processor (I use my vitamix), and process until smooth.  Once it has all been pureed, return to a clean pot and heat until warmed.  Ladle into bowls and top with baked squash seeds and a dash of nutmeg.

Soup, Salad, Friendship

I love my girlfriends.
I love how we all bring something different to the group, we all have unique personalities.  They are a blessing to my life.
Every couple of months we have a girl's night out, or in.  In this case it was in.  I think usually, our time together revolves around food.  There's something sacred about sharing a meal together.

I made soup.  Kelli made salad, Tina made bread and Amy "made" dessert.  This is one of the things that is so special.  Amy, just didn't have time to make dessert.  Or buy it.  But I love that she grabbed some random things from home and came on over, I love that she felt no pressure to perform or bring something.  And guess what?  Nobody cared.  These are good friends.

Our lovely table.

Dessert!!  

Our night was filled with love and laughter.  These women bring refreshment to my soul.

I didn't break out my camera this night... I know, shocking... so I don't have actual pictures of the soups.  But, I will share the recipes with you.  Thanks to Tina for sending me her phone pics to share.  :-)

Butternut Squash Soup

(adapted from Betty Crocker)

One of my favorites ever!  I've made this soup a few times this year, trying to find exactly the right recipe.  And I finally hit it.  Most recipes have you peel and chop the squash, but I roast mine, it's much easier, and gives it a great flavor.

2 tbs butter

2 medium butternut squash

2 large apples, peeled, chopped

1 large onion chopped

2 tbs brown sugar

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp pepper

3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

squash seeds (optional garnish)

nutmeg (optional garnish)

Preheat oven to 375.

Cut the ends off of the squash, scoop out the seeds.  I save the seeds and bake them and use them as a garnish.  Place them skin side down on a baking sheet.  Bake until fork tender, about 45 minutes to an hour.  

Once the squash has cooled enough scoop out the flesh.

Saute' onions in a couple tablespoons of butter, until softened.  Add the apples, broth, salt, cinnamon, pepper and squash.  Bring to a boil and simmer covered until apples are soft.  

In batches, pour the soup into a blender, or food processor (I use my vitamix), and process until smooth.  Once it has all been pureed, return to a clean pot and heat until warmed.  Ladle into bowls and top with baked squash seeds and a dash of nutmeg.  

White Bean Soup

(adapted from Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist)

2 shallots, sliced

1/2 pund carrots, sliced on the diagonal

1 bulb fennel, sliced

4 celery ribs, sliced on the diagonal

8 cups prepared Great Northern Beans or other white bean*

1 tbs rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

For serving:

Vinaigrette (Dijon, balsamic vinegar, olive oil)

prosciutto, sliced in ribbons

Parmesan, thickly grated, or use a vegetable peeler to get pretty strips

In a dutch oven, soften shallots in olive oil over medium heat.  Add carrots, fennel, and celery and allow them to soften, about 15 minutes.  (If you don't have fennel, you can add some fennel seed for flavor or just leave it out)

Add beans and chopped rosemary.

*Note, I use dried beans and prepare them.  If you use canned, I recommend rinsing and draining them.  But you will need to add some water or broth to compensate.  

Cover and cook for 30-40 minutes, or longer if you have time.  

Add salt and pepper to taste.  If you are using the prosciutto, remember it is salty, so go easy on the salt.  Bacon is really nice with this soup too.  

Mash with a potato masher for a chunky texture.  For a smoother texture run part of it through a food processor or blender, or use an immersion blender right in the pot.  I love my immersion blender so that is my tool of choice here.  

Ladle into bowls and top the soup with Prosciutto, cheese, and vinaigrette.  

This is a wonderful comforting soup.  

The Great Reveal...

The million dollar question was "when will you're kitchen be done?"  As the saying goes, if we had a dime for every time someone asked us that, we'd probably be at Disney World right now.

Being a home owner, are you really ever finished with projects?  Probably not.  And, there is still some finishing touches yet to be done.  But, if I don't get these pictures up now, it may never happen.  :-)

We started this project in July.  But we didn't just remodel a kitchen, we put on a new roof, remodeled a kitchen, bathroom, and living room, plus painted and re-floored almost the entire main living space.  And, my amazing husband did most of the work himself.  Some projects were hired, and some we had help, but the majority of it was him.  Aside from working on the house, he works a full time job, and was training for the Chicago marathon.  All or nothing right?

Let's start in the kitchen, that's what ya'll really want to see anyway.

Here's what we started with...

Demo day...

I'm telling ya, they don't make em like they used to.  These guys had to tear these cabinets out piece by piece.

Until there was nothing left but the kitchen sink.  And a few appliances.  

One more before:

and, wa lah!

I know, it's amazing!

How about some close-ups?

 This is intended to be a coat closet, however, we used it for a pantry since I didn't have room in the cupboards for my food.  The shot on the right is taken from the half bath directly across from it.

Now I have a real pantry! And it's not in the entry way.  I actually have lockers in the entry way, yea!

My favorite thing about the pantry, besides just having one, is that all those small appliances you see, are actually plugged in!  Frees up my counter space, and eliminates getting it out and putting it back.  

Lockers...

 Again, taken from the half bath.

I used to have a built in desk here:

Another favorite feature... double wall oven!  And I actually use them both.

Want to see the living room?
Before...

How we lived all summer...

And, after...

You can see we tore out the built-ins and moved our desk to the right of the fire place.

Hopefully the mantle will be up before Christmas.

And, here's a peek at the bathroom.  But, it's not finished yet, still need a mirror and maybe some window treatments.
Here's the before.

There it is!  The great reveal!  A special Thank You to my sweet friend Aleisia  for her Interior Design Expertise!  And Thanks to Patti for the initial vision of making my space beautiful and getting me started.  

Thanks for stopping by,

Chellie

Pineapple Coconut Refrigerator Oatmeal

Well Hello world!
Yes, I'm still alive.  Not much time for blogging lately.  As much as I would love it to be a priority, There are just other more urgent things right now.  Mainly my four little ones are keeping me from the computer, and that is not all bad, but oh how I miss this outlet. I know lots of amazing bloggers who stay up in the wee hours of the night, writing and posting... I admire you.  This mama just can't do that right now.   Also, I'm in the middle of a kitchen remodel, so, not much cooking going on here.  Pretty much camping in my house.  But, can I just say, I am SO STINKIN' EXCITED, to be doing the remodel!!  You can be sure I will post pictures.

So last night I made this oatmeal for breakfast and mentioned it on facebook.  Some were asking for the recipe.  Well, that was just the inspiration, or push rather I needed.  So here it is:   I adapted this from The Yummy Life.  I want to try all her flavors.

1/4 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup coconut milk***
1/4 cup vanilla greek yogurt (or not greek)
1 1/2 tsp chia seeds
1/4 cup chopped pineapple (fresh, canned or frozen)

Put it all in a jar, or container with a tight fitting lid, and shake it up.  If you're using a smaller jar, you may want to shake it before you add your fruit, then stir the fruit in.  I've done it both ways.  Put it in the fridge, and it's ready to go in the morning.  Top it off with a little more fruit just before serving.

*** I made home made coconut milk by putting 1 cup of shredded coconut and 2 cups of water in my Vita Mix.  Oh my, so tasty!!!

Thanks for reading, I'll try not to stay away so long.  :-)

BBQ Sauce Review and GIVEAWAY!!

Winner Winner BBQ Dinner!!!

And the winner is...

Melissa Schnieder!  

Congrats and thanks for entering!

***UPDATE*** Contest extended!!!!!  

Meet my new friend Johnny Secreto.  

This is now my favorite barbecue sauce.  It is all natural, I recognize every single ingredient on the label!  And, it's local!  If you've been around for awhile, you know I like "real" food.  I like to do a lot of home made recipes because I want to know what's in my food, and I want it to be real.  No high fructose corn syrup is allowed in this house!  Or things that have a gazillion unrecognizable ingredients and preservatives in it.  Nope, not here.  So, I was delighted to find this sauce.  I'm all about making my own sauces... but, don't we all need a little convenience sometimes? With 4 kids, I say YES!  I may never make my own barbecue sauce again!  

Okay, so I was asked to review this sauce.  You may  have already caught on, that I LOVED it!!  

The flavor is great, you can actually taste layers of flavor, and it has a subtle kick in the after taste.  It has a great balance of sweet and smoky.  My whole family really enjoyed it.  The kids always give me a thumbs up, thumbs down, or thumbs sideways review at dinner.  This one got 2 thumbs up!  

Here's what I decided to put it on...

Yes, ribs!  Ribs just scream bbq!  

I was recently in Kansas City visiting my cousins (who are super awesome by the way), and we had us some real Kansas City Barbecue, mm hmm.  It was good, it was delicious actually, it was authentic KC BBQ.  But, Johnny Secreto might just take the cake on this one (sorry Kansas).  

I would not, and will not limit myself to ribs with this sauce.  It would be good on so many things!  

You can check out this baby back rib recipe here.  

Be sure to visit the Johnny Secreto website too.  And guess what!  They make Pasta Sauce too!  And marinades and spice blends.   

Johhny Secreto sauces can be found at many local farmers markets in Michigan.  You can also find it  on their website. Your local Meijer store carries the Pasta Sauce.

Did you see "Giveaway" in the title of this post?  Yes!  Johnny Secreto's is giving me a Craft Barbecue Sauce to give away to you my awesome readers!  Here's how to enter:

   

  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

SRC: Cherry Pop Tarts

It's time for another Secret Recipe Club post!  This month I had the most lovely blog... (insert drumroll here)  Mele Cotte!  Christina, or Chris, as she's often referred to grew up surrounded by a family of experienced Italian cooks (LUCKY!). She has also had some professional training.  Chris says "Utilizing baking as a stress reliever, my most pleasurable activities that stemmed from culinary adventures was Mele Cotte, my personal blog..."  You can read more about Chris HERE.  Plus, I bet you're wondering what Mele Cotte means, I was too, but you'll have to go visit her to see.  :-)

Christina's pictures are beautiful, and make you want to dive right in!  Her blog is easy to navigate and she has oh so many fabulous recipes!  Check out these Chewy Granola Bars, and this Baked Avocado Salsa, and the Three Bean and Sweet Potato Chili.  I told you she was fabulous!

Well, as you can see from the title of my post, I landed on the Cherry Pop Tarts.  I've always wanted to try making my own pop tarts.  As a kid, we ate these things all the time.  But, as an adult, ugh, they don't even sound good.  I've developed a taste for real, unprocessed food, so no offense to any pop tart lovers out there, but this beats the grocery store kind any day!

Christina made hers gluten free.  I did not.  Since I don't normally cook gluten free, I just don't have the ingredients on hand for that.  Here's the scoop:

For the Filling:
1 cup fresh pitted cherries (I had some still in my freezer from last summer, so I just thawed them out)
2 Tbsp. water
¼ cup turbinado (raw) sugar, fine ground
1 Tbsp. arrowroot (or cornstarch)--I used cornstarch

For the Pastry Dough:

2 ¼ cups brown rice flour--I used all purpose flour
½ tsp salt
¾ cup cold butter, cut into pieces
¼ cup turbinado (raw) sugar, fine ground
1 egg, lightly beaten
4-6 Tbsp. cold water

Place flour, salt, butter and sugar in a food processor and pulse several times until butter is incorporated. Add the egg and pulse to incorporate. Gradually add cold water and pulse until the dough begins to form a ball. Remove from bowl and press into a square. (If dough is too dry, sprinkle water on top and knead it into the mixture.) Wrap and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.  (I only needed 4 Tbs. of water, and it was perfect--very easy to use!)

Preheat oven to 375 ° F. Lightly flour a clean surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a large rectangle.  Be sure to shift the dough occasionally to prevent sticking.

Cut into twelve even rectangles. Place six on a parchment lined baking sheet. Carefully spoon 1 or 2 tablespoons of filling into the center of the rectangles (the amount of filling will depend on the size of your rectangles). Top with the remaining six dough rectangles. Smooth the dough over the filling and gently press the edges to seal.

Bake 12-14 minutes, or until very lightly golden brown. Let cool.

These were SO delicious!  The taste of the cherries just brought me back to summer!

It was a pleasure to bake something from Christina's blog.  Be sure to check out all her amazing recipes!

Blessings to you~

SRC: Homemade Vegetable Dip

It's time for another Secret Recipe Club post!!  Yea!  This month I was assigned Debbi Does Dinner Healthy & Low Calorie.  What a great site to be assigned right after the holidays!  Debbi's mission is to make healthy, low calorie meals without sacrificing taste, and she does it well!  I had alot of fun browsing through her site, and I'll definitely be back to try more of her recipes.  Thanks Debbi for all your inspiration!

So, where did I land?  The Home made vegetable dip.  I am so glad I chose this one.  We love to snack on raw vegetables, but my kids especially like something to dip it in.  I typically buy a yogurt based ranch dressing, it's an all natural sort of brand, and we love it.  Who doesn't love ranch?  But, this is real veggie dip, with all the flavors of one bought, but made at home.  It was easy peasy to make, and uses staple ingredients.  Total winner.

Ingredients:
1 6oz plain yogurt
1/3 cup light sour cream
1/3 cup light mayo
1 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp dried dill weed
2 tsp Lawry's seasoned salt

Whisk it all together, and wa-lah!  I told you it was easy, or as my kids say... easy peasy lemon squeezy.  I bet this would be good with a squeeze of lemon, hmm.  Chill it for about an hour before serving to let all the flavors blend.

Don't you just want to munch on some fresh veggies right now?  :-)  Happy crunching.