Pumpkin Bar

These pumpkin bars are a winner, soft and cake-like! I prefer the chocolate chips on top--to me they are too rich with the cream cheese frosting. You could also make a half batch of frosting and do half chocolate chips and half frosting. It makes an entire jelly roll pan so they are good for feeding a crowd or if you have to take something to party.

 6 eggs

1 1/2 cups canola oil

3 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 large can (29 oz) pumpkin

3 1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp salt

semi sweet chocolate chips or cream cheese frosting

Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl, mix together eggs oil sugar, vanilla, and pumpkin. Fold in dry ingredients and pour into jelly roll pan. (13x18 pan) Sprinkle with semi sweet chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not overbake. 

If you want to frost with cream cheese frosting, leave the chocolate chips off the top.

Cream Cheese Frosting

16 oz. cream cheese

16 Tbl. softened butter

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Recipe from realmomkitchen.com

Zucchini Soup

This is really delicious! Yes, my kids sometimes call it slime soup because of the color - but they love it, especially with peasant bread. You can also use yellow squash in this too. This is my new go to St. Patrick's day meal, served with French bread or peasant bread and some cold milk with green striped paper straws. Easy! No green food coloring required. Or, just add it to your zucchini recipe file for the end of the summer when anonymous neighbors leave zucchini on your porch in the middle of the night.


Some other great St. Patrick's Day food would be Broccoli Bow Tie Pasta Salad, Key Lime Pie, or Rainbow Jello.

1 cup chopped onions
2 Tbs butter
3 cups sliced zucchini
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 cup half -and-half cream (or milk for a lighter version)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, then crumbled
In a large saucepan cook onions in melted butter until tender. Add sliced zucchini and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer until tender (about 15 min.) Add salt and pepper. 

Cool slightly, then pour mixture into blender and puree it. Stir in half-and-half cream. Return to saucepan and reheat, but do not boil. Garnish with grated cheese, sour cream and bacon. 

Makes about 6 servings.

 

Vegetable Cheese Chowder

This soup tastes similar to a potato cheese soup, but it is lighter and better for you with all of the vegetables in there. I think cauliflower would be an amazing addition to this soup, but it is still on my list of things to experiment with. This is really yummy and perfect for lunch or dinner.

Vegetable Cheese Chowder

4 cans, or 64 oz. chicken broth
4 cups water
1 bunch of broccoli, finely chopped
4 medium potatoes, finely diced
4 stalks celery, finely diced
1 small onion, diced
4 carrots, shredded or finely diced
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cans evaporated milk (or I just use 2 cups regular milk)
2 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Flour and water, one part flour to two parts water to thicken

Combine chicken broth and water in large soup pot and add diced vegetables. Simmer until the vegetables are tender. Add 2 cans evaporated milk.

Combine 1/2 cup flour with 1 cup water in a separate bowl and mix well with a whisk until all lumps are gone. Stir in flour and water mixture into vegetable broth mixture until bubbly. You may continue to thicken as needed.

When it has thickened to your liking, cook and stir one minute more to completely cook the flour, then simmer 15-20 minutes longer.

Add 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese. Simmer until cheese melts. Makes 16 one cup servings.

You may garnish with crumbled bacon on top, and serve with peasant bread.

White Chocolate Bundt Cake

I got this recipe from my Aunt Kaye, and I have to tell you, this cake is amazing. Make it for something fancy, or serve it with all of your fresh raspberries this summer. You're welcome.

The Cake

1 Betty Crocker yellow cake mix with pudding in the mix
4 oz. instant white chocolate pudding mix (or you can use cheesecake flavor pudding)
1 cup low fat sour cream
1/4 cup canola oil
2/3 cup skim milk
1 egg white
2 eggs
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Coat a 10" bundt pan with non stick cooking spray. Combine cake mix through the eggs in a bowl, blending until well mixed. Stir in white chocolate chips and pecans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes.

The Glaze

1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1/4 cup skim milk
1 Tablespoon almond extract

Mix in a small bowl. Cool cake for 10 minutes in pan before inverting on a serving plate or cake stand. Brush glaze on with pastry brush to coat cake. I just drizzled it over the top and used the back of a spoon to smooth it all over the cake. If desired, you can sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the glaze.

The Raspberry Sauce

1 10 oz. package frozen raspberries in syrup
1/4 cup sugar
2-3 Tablespoons orange juice

Drain 1 package raspberries and discard juice. Puree the rest in blender and strain if desired.

If you can't find raspberries in syrup, make your own heavy syrup by dissolving 3/4 cup sugar in 1/2 cup boiling water. Puree a bag of whole raspberries in the blender and slowly add enough of the syrup (not all) to make raspberries pourable. Add orange juice.

Add this to a bag of frozen raspberries

The Assembly

Garnish the cake with fresh raspberries.

To serve, first take a slice of cake. This is what the cake looks like with the pecans and white chocolate chips inside. It is so moist.

Then top it with raspberry sauce. Drizzle a little extra on the plate so you can dip the cake in it.

Top it with sweetened whipped cream and fresh raspberries. Delicious, I tell ya. Enjoy!

Bethany's Peasant Bread

From my sister, Bethany. So easy, and so delicious. My favorite variation is to rub butter on top of the loaf when it comes out of the oven and then sprinkle it with some garlic salt and serve with soup or spaghetti or salad--really it can go with almost anything. Or try some herb butter. That's really good too.


Bethany's Peasant Bread

1 1/2 Tbl. yeast
1 1/2 Tbl. coarse kosher salt
3 cups warm water
6 1/2 cups unbleached white flour

1. Add all ingredients to large mixing bowl in order listed. Stir with wooden spoon or mix in stand mixer until mixture is uniform.  Cover and let rise 2 hours or until dough begins to collapse.

2. You can use any portion of the dough anytime after this point. The rest can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.

3. When ready to bake, prepare pizza peel by sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal to prevent your loaf from sticking when it slides into the oven. I'm still trying to figure out how to do this without making a mess of my oven. Sometimes I sprinkle a cookie sheet with cornmeal and put the loaf right in the middle before letting it rise and baking it right on the cookie sheet to contain the cornmeal mess.

4. Sprinkle the surface of your dough with flour, and cut off a grapefruit sized piece using a serrated knife. Hold dough in your hands and add a little more flour as you shape it into a ball. The bottom of the loaf may appear to be a collection of bunched ends but it will flatten out.

5. One or two loaves is about right to fit on your peel and pizza stone. It doesn't work as well or look as pretty when you try to cram three on there and they are all touching. Rest loaf and let it rise, covered with a loose towel, for 40 minutes while your oven heats to 450 degrees with pizza stone on the center rack. Place an empty broiler pan on the rack below.

6. Slash the top of the loaf about 3 times with a serrated knife. Transfer loaves to hot pizza stone (or bake it on a cookie sheet). Quickly pour 1 cup hot water into the broiler pan and close the oven door to trap the steam. Bake for 30 minutes.

Like I said, my favorite way to serve this is to rub butter over the hot loaf right out of the oven and sprinkle it with garlic salt. Or you can also try out this recipe for herb butter.


Herb Butter

1 cup butter, softened
2 Tbl. fresh minced parsley
1 Tbl. minced garlic cloves
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Or, to simplify, sometimes I just use this butter.

*For an Italian loaf, try mixing 2 Tbl. of Italian seasoning into your dough in the first step.

Ice Cold Strawberry Milkshakes

My dad recently reminded me of this tasty low calorie treat. If I'm craving ice cream or something sweet at night, this will really hit the spot and satisfy my craving. Plus, it's really filling and you'll eat it slower because it's cold! These are so good, even strawberry haters (yes, they do exist, in my own house, actually) will gobble them right up.

15 frozen strawberries
1/2 cup Splenda (or sugar)
2 cups fat-free milk

Blend until smooth. Makes 4-5 cups. Weight Watchers Point Plus Value: 4 points for the whole batch. About 1 point per cup, depending on serving size.

Zucchini Quiche

Do you have zucchini at your house? Then you must make this recipe. It was so good, I made it for my family dinner one night, then made it for a girly lunch with the women in my extended family a couple days later. Everyone raved about it, from the non-zucchini lovers in my house, to my two-year-old, to my husband, and my grandma.

Another thing I have to say is this is the way to prepare zucchini as a side dish. No more of this steaming mushy stuff. Slice your zucchini very thinly, and cook it up with some onions and garlic in a little bit of butter and top it with salt and pepper. It was so good I couldn't stop picking at it with my fingers while I prepared the rest of it. I used one of those ginormous zucchinis that come from your garden, so I sliced it as thinly as I could, then cut the slices into quarters.

I simply bought two frozen pie crusts at the store (they came in a two pack) and found a pound of gruyere cheese at Costco. I used a deep dish pie crust, so I added an extra egg and a little more cheese than the original recipe.

Zucchini Quiche
adapted from Our Best Bites

1 deep dish frozen pie crust
1 lb. zucchini
1 Tbl. butter
1/2 c. chopped onion
3 cloves garlic (I used 3 tsp. prepared minced garlic)
kosher salt
black pepper
4 eggs
1/2 Tbl. dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp. dry oregano
1/8 - 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes, depending on how much kick you want
8 oz. gruyere cheese
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese (or if you are out like me, I substituted the powdery stuff and it still tasted great)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large skillet on the stove top, melt butter. Add onions and garlic and cook for about 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add sliced zucchini and add a sprinkle of salt (about 1/2 tsp.) and a few cracks of black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes until zucchini is softened. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

In a separate bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add dijon mustard, oregano, and red pepper flakes. (You might want to use the lower end measurement for red pepper flakes for kids.) Whisk to combine, then gently stir in Gruyere cheese.

Add egg and cheese mixture to zucchini mixture and toss until combined. Place mixture in prepared pie crust and sprinkler Parmesan cheese on top.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until center is set and top is lightly golden. Cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting. Can be served warm, at room temp, or even cold.

Edit: I would add that if you are using an old zucchini, remove the seeds. The first time I made it with a ginormous zucchini from the garden, and the seeds softened up just fine and blended into the quiche. The next time I made it, the zucchini was a little older and the seeds didn't soften up and you had to pick them out as you ate it.

Rainbow Jello

St. Patrick's Day is this week, and I've been trying to work up a green menu plan for my family. I have a hard time adding green food coloring to all the food. It seriously grosses me out. I know much of the food I buy at the store is full of food coloring, but somehow it's different than green scrambled eggs or green milk. Corned beef and cabbage would never fly at my house, so I've been trying to come up with some ideas of more naturally green food.

This year, we're going to go easy on breakfast with some Lucky Charms. My kids have never had them, so I think they'll be a hit. I'm still working on some fun ideas for lunch. I'd love to hear any ideas you've got to share.

For dinner, I've got some spinach pasta from the grocery store, which is already green! I'm going to make some fresh pesto sauce to go on top. Get out your green table cloth, and serve it up with a green vegetable and some of this rainbow jello and voila! You're family will be so impressed. You could even serve some of this low calorie key lime pie for dessert.

This jello will take a while to make, but most of it is down time while you wait for the next layer to set up in the fridge. It's a piece of cake if you are working on other projects around the house. Just take a break from folding laundry and add your next layer before moving your load of whites over to the dryer. I'm going to make mine the day before St. Patrick's day so it's ready to go and I don't have to worry about it the day of.

Now, this is important. Unless you fridge is more level than mine, it won't look very cool if your layers aren't level. I usually have to fold up a piece of paper and shove it under one side to compensate.

Check out more St. Patrick's ideas at the below, and remember to share your green ideas with me in the comments!

Other St. Patrick's Day Ideas:

Veggies: broccoli, green beans, spinach, cucumbers, green salad

Fruit: green grapes, honey dew melon, kiwi, green apples dipped in a pot of gold (peanut butter or caramel)

Treats: goldfish crackers, gold mini Reeses peanut butter cups, Skittles, M&M cookies with green M&Ms or Andes mints

Lunch: green juice boxes, green jello cups, pickles, green fruit leather

Recipes:
Broccoli and Bowtie Pasta
Green Zucchini Soup with peasant bread
Key Lime Pie
Green smoothies via my sister-in-law Jen
Other St. Patrick's ideas from Jen

My St. Patrick's Day Pinterest Board

Rainbow Jello

Use a 9 x 13 dish.

You will need small boxes of jello (in this order):
lime
lemon
orange
strawberry
cherry
black cherry (purple)
1 1/2 lb. sour cream

Combine one box of jello with 1 1/4 cups boiling water. Divide this mixture in half.

First half, add 1/3 c. sour cream and stir until smooth. Use wire whisk to add sour cream. Mix it gently, being careful no to make it too foamy. Pour your sour cream jello layer into your glass dish and pop any bubbles before putting it into the fridge. Refrigerate 1/2 hour.

For the second half of the jello, add 3 Tbl. of cold water. Carefully spoon onto first layer. Chill 1/2 hour. You will end up repeating this process twelve times--two layers each of six colors of jello. Be careful as you pour on each layer. Remember to check that the dish is level before leaving it to set up.

Top with cool whip and serve to all those little leprechauns at your house!

Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies

My husband reminds me multiple times a week that his favorite cookies are of the chocolate chip variety. Whenever he hears me having a serious discussion with my kids about what kind of cookies we should make today, he inserts his opinion, and the answer is always the same: chocolate chip. And these cookies received his chocolate chip cookie expert overwhelming stamp of approval.

This is my mom's recipe, the cookies I grew up eating as a little girl. Normally I like cookies that use butter over shortening, but this recipe is fabulous. I love the flavor because they are heavy on the brown sugar. They are soft and chewy and perfect with a glass of milk.

1 cup shortening
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda dissolved in 3 Tbl. of water
3 cups flour
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream shortening and brown sugar. Add eggs and cream well. Add vanilla, salt, baking powder, soda dissolved in water. Add flour one cup at a time and mix well. Finish off your cookie dough with 12 oz. chocolate chips.

Bake at 375 for 9 minutes. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to counter top to cool. Enjoy!

Chicken Taco Soup

I'm still dreaming about dinner last night. I can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch today. I've kind of been in a rut lately when it comes to planning dinner. Trying to make meals that are healthy, and not the boring same-old same-old. And this recipe was a winner. Super easy and fast, delicious flavor, and low Weight Watchers Points Plus values. I might make something different for the rest of the family for dinner tonight, just so I can keep all the leftovers of this soup for myself!

This is sometimes called Chicken Tortilla soup too.

2 Tbl. olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. oregano
4 c. chicken broth
8 oz. chopped green chiles
4 c. shredded cooked chicken
2 medium onions, diced
4 tsp. chili powder
60 oz. crushed tomatoes (I used 4-15 oz. cans)
16 oz. bag frozen corn
2 cans black beans, 15 oz. each
tortilla chips to serve

Heat oil in soup kettle. Add onions and saute until clear; add garlic and saute for one minute more.

Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips and a sprinkle of grated cheese on top.

Just the soup, without chips or cheese is 2 Weight Watchers PointsPlus per cup. And this recipe makes a huge pot -- 7 quarts, or 28-1 cup servings.

For fun, you could serve this in a tortilla bowl. You can make your own using a mold like these. (Hint: If you like the molds, it is helpful to have two or four so you can make more than one bowl at a time.) You could also cut up some tortillas into little 1/2" x 2" strips, fry them up, and use them to garnish on top of the cheese.

My Grandpa's Famous Caramels

My Grandpa is a candy lover. Divinity, fudge--and yes, caramels--are his specialty. I have always loved these smooth, buttery caramels, but this was my first attempt at making them myself. And wow, what success I had! I ended up making five batches this past Christmas season, some to share with neighbors, and some for my kids who watched with longing eyes as we packed them up to give away to friends.

For my first attempt, these were easy--as long as I followed the recipe exactly. I know that candy making can sometimes be tricky, but I must have been lucky because all the batches I made turned out, if I do say so myself, absolutely perfect or to die for, take your pick.

First, you will need a candy thermometer. Then you will need to calibrate it. One word about calibrating your thermometer. I followed the directions on Our Best Bites and was disappointed to find that my brand new thermometer was off by 8 degrees. My water boiled at 204 degrees instead of 212! So, I wrote a big "+8" at the top of my thermometer before I realized the difference was due to elevation. Where I live in the Salt Lake City, Utah area, the altitude is 4320 feet, and if you use this calculator you will see at 4320 feet the boiling point of water is 204 degrees.

Image from PreparedPantry.com

Since my Grandpa also lives in the Salt Lake area, this recipe is written to work perfectly at this altitude. So you will need to figure out the difference. For example, if you live in Boulder City, NV at an altitude of 2201 ft, according to the calculator the boiling point of water is 208 degrees, so you will need to add 4 degrees to the temperatures in this recipe. There can also be quite a range of altitudes even within one city, so you may want to check what the elevation is right where you live, because every 500 ft will make a difference of 1 degree on your candy thermometer.

You can also test your temperature while cooking by dropping a small amount of the candy into a cup of cold water. For this recipe, you want a firm ball stage, which means when you put a little bit into a cup of cold water it will form a soft ball that will hold it's shape. Since my husband especially loves things soft and chewy, I made a few batches of caramels at a soft ball stage, which means when dropped into a cup of cold water it will form a soft ball, but when you hold it or place it on a plate it will flatten and not hold it's shape. For me, the difference between my soft ball and firm ball were a couple of degrees. My best advice is to make a few batches relatively close together so you can find which temperature you like the best. 

Before you begin on the stove top, butter a glass 9x13 dish with butter.

2 c. sugar
1 c. white corn syrup
1/4 tsp. salt
2 c. (1 pint) whipping cream (not heavy)
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix together sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/3 of the cream (you can eyeball it) in a heavy saucepan. Using a damp paper towel, wipe down the sides of the pan as best you can to remove any sugar on the inside of the pot that would make the caramels grainy.

Set your burner at medium heat (a 5 out of 10). Don't be tempted to turn up the heat to speed up the process. It will get you into trouble. Keep it at the same temperature the entire time.

Cover and bring to a boil at medium heat. Cook for five minutes to allow steam to melt sugar crystals down sides of pan. Remove lid and boil for 5 more minutes until quite thick.

Brought to a boil

Begin to add the cream gradually, slowly enough that it never stops boiling and allow the caramel to thicken after each addition. It takes about 5 minutes to add all the cream.

After all the cream has been added

 When all the cream has been added, use a candy thermometer to bring to a firm-ball stage or 234 degrees (mixture forms a firm ball when dripped into cold water and won't flatten when removed.) Keep stirring gently and continuously. As the temperature rises, the water boils away and the sugar concentration rises. 

Slice your butter into thin slices

Cut cube of butter into small slices and, after it has reached 234 degrees, add the butter to the mixture along with the vanilla. Stir quickly to melt butter and bring temperature back to 239.  (I accidentally cooked mine to a lower temperature - my chewier caramels to 234, and my slightly firmer caramels to 236).

After the butter has been added

Immediately pour without scraping the inside of the pot into a buttered 9x13 glass dish. Pour the majority of the caramel into the glass dish and just let as much drip out as you can. If you scrape the sides to get every last drop it will make your caramels turn hard.

Cool thoroughly and cut into 1 inch rectangles. Wrap in wax paper squares and store in an airtight container. I figure it took me 45 minutes to make one batch from start to finish.

 Did I mention these taste heavenly?

Pigs in a Blanket

Gourmet? Not exactly, but we have no pretensions here. I am including this dinner idea because I made these recently at the request of my boys after forgetting about them for a looong while...and my husband and my boys raved about them. So, while not gourmet, if any of the people at your house are in the under ten crowd or of the male variety, these are sure to be a hit.

Hot dogs
Crescent rolls

Separate the crescent roll dough into triangles and wrap each triangle around a hot dog. Bake on a cookie sheet at 375 for 11-13 minutes until golden brown. Serve with ketchup and mustard for dipping.

Oven Steak Fries

Here is another recipe success at our house from Our Best Bites. Our Best Bites had a couple different seasoning options, so go there for other ideas. We made the garlic salt option.

 

These were really good, and made an easy, tasty, healthful side dish. I just ate them plain because the seasonings were perfect. My husband firmly believes that all fries should be eaten with ketchup. And my kids love anything, even potatoes with the skins left on dipped in ketchup.

4 medium Russet potatoes, washed

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper

2 1/4 tsp. garlic salt

1/4 tsp. parsley

Preheat oven to 400. Mix desired spices in a medium bowl. Add olive oil and combine well.

Cut potatoes into 8 wedges each. Add potato wedges to seasonings and toss to coat.

Lightly crumple some aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray and then arrange potato wedges on foil. This ensures even cooking and makes cleanup a cinch.

Bake at 400 for about 40 minutes.

Quick and Easy Black Beans

I've made these a few times now and they are a hit at my house. Last time we had them with Mushroom-Smothered Salisbury Steak (recipe coming soon), and the flavors complimented each other perfectly. Or you could just eat them with some corn chips. They are that good.

The best part is that I can make an amazing side dish in about 15 minutes (they would go great with these enchiladas). I always make a double batch so there's enough for leftovers.

This recipe comes from Our Best Bites.

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed (this is important, I overlooked it the first time I made them and they were too runny)
1/2 Tbl. olive oil
2/3 c. diced onion
2-3 garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced
2/3 c. chicken broth
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. coriander
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 lime

In a saucepan on the stove, heat the olive oil to medium high heat. Saute onions for about 3 minutes or until they just start to become translucent. Add garlic and saute about 30 seconds more. Add beans, broth, and remaining seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer and simmer for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When they are done cooking, remove from heat and add in a few squeezes of fresh lime juice. Then use the back of a spoon or rubber spatula to smoosh (yes that is a technical culinary term) some of the beans. You don't want to pulverize them, but you want to take a bunch of good smooshes so that some of the beans are smashed, which will thicken the sauce. They will thicken more upon standing. If you want a more soupy consistency, add a little more broth.

Chicken, Artichoke, and Mushroom Fettuccine

So I have to admit, before this dish I have never had artichokes before. I know that canned artichokes doesn't count, but I'm taking baby steps here! I was surprised to find they had kind of a tangy flavor. This dinner was so good, and the parmesan cheese sprinkled on top (forgot it for the picture) was the perfect finishing touch.

9 oz. fettuccine (I used whole wheat pasta)

8 oz. sliced mushrooms

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and sliced 

2 Tbl. butter

1 Tbl. flour

1 cup milk

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper

2 cups shredded skinless rotisserie chicken breat

14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and cut in half (I found a can of quartered artichoke hearts)

1/4 c. chopped green onions

fresh parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta. Drain and keep warm.

2. In large skillet, spray with non-stick cooking spray  and saute mushrooms and red pepper for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove and keep warm.

3. Add butter to pan. Add flour to melted butter and cook 1 minute until bubbly. Add milk, salt, and pepper. Cook 3 minutes until thick, stirring constantly.

4. Add mushroom mixture, chicken, and artichokes to pan. Cook until heated. Add lemon juice and green onions. Toss mixture with pasta. Sprinkler with parmesan cheese.

Serves 5-1 1/2 cup servings at 7 WW points per serving.

Homemade Root Beer

I haven't done much food blogging since I had my baby. I've still been cooking and experimenting and having photo shoots at dinner before anyone is allowed to take a bite. I hope to slowly bring back the food blog, because I've got more great recipes to share with you.

This root beer is a family classic and it is usually my grandpa that makes it at family gatherings. And it is wonderfully easy. There are few things better than homemade root beer on a warm summer evening.

2 bottles root beer concentrate
5 lb. sugar
5 gallons water
ice
5 lb. dry ice

Pour sugar into 5 gallon container.

Pour both bottles of root beer over sugar. Add about 2 gallons of warm water and stir until sugar is dissolved.

Add 3 gallons of ice water.

Add the dry ice 1/2 hour before you want to serve it. Break it into several smaller pieces instead of one big piece. Stir occasionally to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom.

24 hours after we made our root beer, it had turned slushy (on the one occasion we made it for just us instead of for a large group of people and we actually had a bunch left over). I learned that slushy root beer is cool and refreshing and heavenly.

Dry ice tips:

You can buy this at your local grocery store (although my Walmart does not carry it). Handle with gloves to prevent burns. Don't buy the dry ice more than a few hours before you are ready to use it. Don't put it in your freezer, but put it in a cooler with the lid mostly closed. Don't store it an an airtight container. And if you put a tiny piece in your mouth, you can blow smoke out your nose. (Not that I recommend doing that or have ever done it before.) For more dry ice tips, click here.

Zucchini Soup

This recipe is from my cousin, Laura, who confesses that her family called it slime soup when she was little. Don't let that scare you, it is really delicious, especially with some peasant bread on the side. And it's healthy too! This could also be a cute St. Patrick's day meal, and you could call it Leprechaun soup and tell your kids the leprechauns turned it green. Or add it to your zucchini recipe file for the end of the summer when anonymous neighbors leave zucchini on your porch in the middle of the night.

Zucchini Soup

1 cup chopped onions
2 Tbs butter
3 cups sliced zucchini
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 cup half -and-half cream
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, then crumbled

In a large saucepan cook onions in melted butter until tender. Add sliced zucchini and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer until tender (about 15 min.) Add salt and pepper. Cool slightly. 

Pour mixture into blender and puree it. Stir in half-and-half cream. Return to saucepan and reheat, but do not boil. Garnish with grated cheese, sour cream, and bacon. Makes about 6 servings.
 

Tips: You can substitute milk for the half and half, or even leave out the dairy products and it will still taste really good. You can also add yellow squash to this.

Mexican Quiche

I love this dish. Very cheesy texture and good flavor. We eat it for breakfast or dinner.

1 cube butter

10 eggs

½ c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 8 oz. can chopped Ortega chilies

1 pt. cottage cheese

1 lb. Jack cheese, grated (or use the Mexican blend)

½ tsp. salt

Melt butter in 9 X 13 pan to be used in baking quiche. Beat eggs, add flour, baking powder and salt. Blend, then add melted butter, chilies and cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes; reduce to 350° and bake 40 minutes. Cut in squares. Serve hot or cold with salsa on side and chopped cilantro (optional).

Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are really good, especially for how easy they are. These are really soft and cakey. I think they taste better after they've had time to cool rather than hot out of the oven.

1 30 oz can pumpkin
2 spice cake mixes
1 12 oz bag chocolate chips

Mix together gently until combined. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes.

When this batch makes 48 cookies, each cookie is 1 WW point.

Easy Milkshakes

Lately we've been blending up ice cream and milk in the blender to make milkshakes. The chocolate ice cream milkshakes tasted more like Frosty's, but our favorite are the Oreo milkshakes that we make with cookies and cream ice cream. The consistency is better.

ice cream flavor of your choice
milk - amount depends on how much ice cream and the consistency you want.

Directions are simple: Blend.