Broccoli and Cheese Soup

I grew up eating broccoli and cheese soup so of course I've been craving it lately. The reason I really loved making this recipe is because it was super fast and simple. By only using processed cheese, such as velveeta, it helped give the soup a creamy texture.

Broccoli and Cheese Soup
Recipe from Cooking Light

cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups chicken broth
16 oz broccoli florets {frozen}
2 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon pepper
8 oz Velveeta

• Heat a large nonstick saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 3 minutes or until tender. Add broth and broccoli. Bring broccoli mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cook 10 minutes.
• Combine milk and flour, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add milk mixture to broccoli mixture. Cook 5 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Stir in pepper. Remove from heat; add cheese, stirring until cheese melts.
• Place one-third of the soup in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Return pureed soup mixture to pan.

Ashley

Creme Anglaise

This is definitely Timmy's favorite sauce for any dessert. I said I was making it to go with my pear galette and he got super happy. He describes it as a melted ice cream and he's completely right. Making the sauce is super easy, you just need to make sure that you don't overcook the final custard. The great thing is that this is the base for many things like ice creams or advanced creams like creme anglaise-style buttercream.

Creme Anglaise
Recipe from Advanced Baking and Pastry

243 g milk
243 g heavy whipping cream
97 g sugar, divided
97 g egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

• To a pot, add the milk, heavy whipping cream and half the sugar. Bring to a boil.
• In a bowl, add the egg yolks and right before the liquids in the pot come to a boil add the rest of the sugar to the egg yolks and whisk until combined. You want to do this so that the sugar doesn't cook the egg yolks.
• Temper the liquids into the egg yolk mixture and return everything back into the pot. Cook the custard until it thickens and has reached 160-180 degrees.
• Strain the mixture into a bowl over an ice water bath and stir until cooled and add in the vanilla.
• Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Ashley

Cranberry-Citrus Relish

This recipe comes from one of my classmates and it's amazing. It's light and fresh and goes great with vanilla-honey greek yogurt... I just can't get enough. She also told me to use organic sugar because white granulated sugar gives a grainy texture.

Cranberry-Citrus Relish
Recipe courtesy of Leann Pointer

1 bag cranberries, rinsed

1 orange, ends and seeds removed

1 lemon, ends and seeds removed

2 apples, cored

10 oz crushed pineapple 

1 cup sugar {organic} 

1/2 pomegranate seeds 

• In a food processor, blend everything separately, making sure everything is the same consistency. After each item is blended, empty the contents into a bowl. 
• First start with the cranberries, then the orange and lemon, and lastly the apples {adding the pineapple in before finished processing the apples}. 
• Mix all of the processed fruit in the bowl and add the sugar, stir until combined. Add the pomegranate seeds and combine. 
• Let sit overnight so that all of the flavors meld together.

Ashley

Pasta with Zucchini, Tomatoes and Creamy Lemon-Yogurt Sauce

I absolutely love greek yogurt so I knew this was going to be something I'd love. It's a refreshing pasta dish that you could make all your own with other fresh vegetables!

Pasta with Zucchini, Tomatoes and Creamy Lemon-Yogurt Sauce

Recipe adapted from Jillian Michaels

12 ounces farfalle pasta
3/4 cup greek yogurt
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon slap yo mama seasoning or black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 medium zucchini, halved and cut into thin strips
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook about 9 minutes, or according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and set aside.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together the yogurt, parmesan cheese, lemon zest, salt and slap yo mama seasoning; set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, and cook just until wilted, flipping them over occasionally with a spatula.
• Push the zucchini aside so a space on the bottom of the pan is clear. Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute, until golden but not really brown.
• Mix the garlic into the zucchini.
• Stir in the tomatoes and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.
• Transfer the zucchini mixture to the yogurt mixture, and stir to combine. Add the drained pasta, and toss gently to combine. 

Ashley

Savory Breakfast Bread Pudding

This savory bread pudding was super yummy and easy to make. I'm thinking next time I will add mushrooms to give it extra flavor.

Savory Breakfast Bread Pudding

4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon parsley
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 onion, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 fresno peppers, chopped
1 small tomato, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper 
1/4 cup spinach
1 1/2 cups cheese, shredded {monterey jack and sharp cheddar}
5 strips bacon, diced
5-6 slices of bread, cubed
slap yo mama seasoning, sprinkled on top

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
• In a bowl, add the eggs, milk and parsley. Whisk together and set aside.  
• In a pan over medium heat, add the butter and saute the onions. Add the green onions, garlic and fresno peppers and continue to saute. Add in the tomatoes and cook just until the tomato juices start to evaporate. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the vegetable mixture to the egg mixture. Add the spinach and 1 cup of the cheese mixture as well. 
• In the same pan used to cook the vegetables, add the bacon. Cook completely. Drain the bacon grease and add the bacon slowly to the egg mixture making sure to stir while adding. 
• Spray a 8x8 inch baking pan with cooking spray and add in the bread. Pour the egg mixture over the bread and make sure all the bread is equally soaked. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese over the top and sprinkle with the slap yo mama seasoning. 
• Bake for 30 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

I served this with spicy roasted potatoes!


Ashley