Curried Broccoli Soup

So, I wish we were celebrating Thanksgiving again today.  Turkey dinner?  Uh, okay.  PIE?  That’s a dumb question.

On the bright side, today is flyer day – and I like flyer day.  BECAUSE I’M SUPER COOL.  I know!

OKAY – soup.  I make a lot of soup.  I like it, a lot.  I probably like soup more than I like flyers.
This is really easy and so good.  It’s not a really strong curry flavor – its mild enough that the Bud doesn’t notice it.  It’s one of the his favorites.

FINALLY, you say.  A soup that isn’t potato.
I aim to please.

Source: Fare for Friends

Curried Broccoli Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup onions, chopped
1 bunch broccoli, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 cup 18% cream (optional – substitute with milk or water)
1/4 teaspoon of curry powder – or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation Instructions

Cook celery and onions in butter for about 5 minutes.  Do not brown.  Add broccoli and broth and sinner until tender.  Puree in a blender or food processor.  Return to pan and add remaining ingredients.  Heat gently and serve.  Can be made in advance and reheated carefully.  Serves 6.

Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

So, my sister was visiting this weekend and yesterday we made this:

Um, that isn’t close enough.  We made this:

Even that doesn’t do it justice.

It changed my life.

It was a lot of steps, a lot of waiting – but WELL worth it.  It was a like the goo-iest cinnamon bun of life.  It would be amazing for brunch or on Christmas morning – permitting you have two and a half hours to spare making it.

I got the recipe here.

She’s the cutest.  I’ve also made this from her blog and – oh, my.  She knows the way to my heart.

 

Beef and Potato Hand Pies

Chris thought he has died and gone to heaven when I made these.  I made them last weekend, baked one up to try it and froze the rest for a quick dinner.  Since then, Chris has asked me approx. 4 times when we are going to have them.

Think Jamaican Pattie, but no spice.  Next time though, I’d definitely spice it up.  I’m thinking cayenne, or maybe samosa-type seasoning?
Mmmmm, samosa.
The original recipe called for raisins (in the place of peas), but this didn’t really appeal to me to I made a substitution.  I feel like you could put anything in these, use your imagination!

Make them, freeze them and then bake them and serve with a salad for a quick dinner.  Use fun dipping sauces!

A note about smoked paprika: I wasn’t able to find this, I used Spanish paprika that I thought smelled stronger than regular.  It didn’t seem to add too much flavor, though they were still good.

Adapted From: Everyday Food

Beef and Potato Hand Pies

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ pound ground beef
1 tablespoon smoked paprika, plus more for sprinkling
1 medium Yukon gold potato, diced in medium-sized chunks
½ cup frozen peas
All-purpose flour, for dusting
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed

Preparation
Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F (if you are baking them immediately).  In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, season with salt and pepper and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add beef and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until browned.  Stir in paprika, potato and peas; season to taste with salt and pepper and remove from heat.  On a lightly floured work surface, gently roll out the puff pastry sheets to remove the
creases and then cut each sheet into 4 squares.  Please 1/3 cup beef mixture into the center of each pastry square and brush the edges lightly with water.  Fold over the pastry, making a triangle and pinch the edges shut.  Sprinkle with paprika.  (This is the stage that I froze them at by placing them in a large plastic container lined with wax paper.)  Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and bake until the pastry is golden and puffed, 20 to 25 minutes.  Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Fajita Turkey Burgers

These were FANTASTIC – we all thought so.  There are few things in life that I love more than guacamole.  It’s highly recommended that you put guac on this burger.

I could eat 82, 546 of these, right now.

Note: this makes 8 burgers.  We halved it.

Source: Tasty Kitchen

Turkey Fajita Burgers

Ingredients

2 pounds ground turkey
3 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried thyme
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
2 jalapeños
4 cloves garlic
½ onion
¼ cups cilantro
1 teaspoon hot sauce
½ cups mexican cheese (optional)
8 burger buns

Preparation Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, add meat. In a small bowl, mix the cumin, thyme, and salt and pepper together and add to the meat. In a food processor, add seeded green pepper, red pepper, and the jalapeño. Pulse until chopped finely. (We just chopped everything very finely.)  Add to meat. Mince in garlic. Add finely chopped onion. Add the cilantro and hot sauce. Mix well. Form into patties.

Cook in a skillet over medium high heat for 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Place cheese (optional) over the patties in the last 2
minutes of cooking to melt. Serve on burger buns with desired toppings.  Suggested: salsa, tomato, avocado or guacamole.

Pumpkin-Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

I needed to make something pumpkin.  Every magazine, food blog – everybody is all about pumpkin and I was feeling left out.  But then I made these, and now I’m not feeling that way.  And I have lots of leftover pumpkin which I will use this weekend to make Pumpkin Donut Muffins and then I’ll feel like I totally belong to the Pumpkin Club.

In fact, I think I should be President of the Pumpkin Club because I didn’t take the SHORTCUT that everyone else is taking buying pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice.  I made it myself.
Take that, Pumpkin Club.

There were good, but really – when was something with cream cheese icing NOT good?   I know.

Pumpkin-Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

For the pumpkin pie spice:
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice or ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
(This makes one teaspoon – you need to double this for this recipe.)

For the cupcakes:
1 cup pure pumpkin puree
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs

For the icing:
12 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons of while milk for thinning, if necessary
(This makes 3 cups of icing, which is WAY more than I think you need.  You could eat the remaining with a spoon or I’d half this.)

Preparation Instructions

For the pumpkin pie spice: combine all the ingredients.

For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350F.  Lightly coat muffins tins with cooking spray or line with papers.  In a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, buttermilk and vanilla.  In another medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and pumpkin pie spice.  In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium-high until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed.  With the mixer on low, beat in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions of the pumpkin mixture, until combined.  Spoon 1/4 cup of batter into each muffin cup.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through.  Let cupcakes cool in pans for 15 minutes.  Remove the cupcakes from the pan and let cool completely on racks, 10 minutes.  (Store cupcakes in airtight containers for up to 2 days.)  To serve, spread icing onto cooled cupcakes.  Yield: 24 cupcakes.

For the icing: In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth – about 4 minutes.  With mixer on low, beat in icing sugar and vanilla until smooth and fluffy.  Thin with whole milk if necessary.  Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 day, bring it to room temperature before using.

Cauliflower Potato Soup

I’m back, with a very important message: Make.  This.  Soup.

I know what you’re thinking.  Does this girl know how to make anything other than soups that contain potato?  The answer is no.  I’m fine with it.

The boys loved it, I loved it.  I brought it to work for lunch and it was a hit with all two of my co-workers.  I’m practically the most popular girl in the office now.

In other news, at 9:30am on Sunday morning the Bud asked me what we were having for dinner.  Gosh, I just love him.  A boy after my own heart.

I’ll be back soon with another recipe that I must share.  And then Christmas cookies.
And you thought I was gone for good.  Sometimes I get a little dramatic.
FALSE ALARM.

Source: Tasty Kitchen

Cauliflower and Potato Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large head cauliflower, cut in florets and washed
4 potatoes, peeled and  cut into 1″ cubes
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
4 cups chicken (or veggie) stock, heated
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoons paprika
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cups light sour cream
Green onions, chopped (for garnish)
Croutons, homemade or store-bought (for garnish)

Preparation Instructions

In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil; add to this the cauliflower florets, the cubed potatoes, the onion and the garlic. Gently stir for several minutes to coat in the butter/oil. Add the hot chicken (or veggie) stock to the pot, stir, and then add the salt, pepper and paprika. Allow to gently simmer on medium-low heat, uncovered, for about 20-22 minutes, until potatoes are tender.  Once vegetables are tender, remove from heat. Using a hand-held immersion blender, puree thoroughly until completely smooth and silky. (If using a blender, blend in small increments to prevent the soup from splattering, and return to pot.)Finish the soup by whisking in the lemon juice and the light sour cream. Check and adjust the salt/pepper, if necessary.
Ladle into bowls and garnish each bowl with 1 teaspoon of chopped green onion, and 2 tablespoons of croutons.

Health is Happiness – Week Four

Day 22 – Only Eat When You’re Hungry
Many Canadians use food as something other than fuel.  The next time you’re bored or depressed, don’t reach for comfort foods that are high in fat and low in nutrition – find something else to do, such as going for a walk or calling a friend. (Note: Don’t call me.  I probably won’t answer.)

Day 23 – Take a Walking Break at Work
Canada’s physical activity guidelines suggest that adults accumulate at least 150 minutes of physical activity every week – but that doesn’t mean you have to do it all at once.  In fact, introducing 10-minute bursts of activity into your daily work routine is a proven way to boost both productivity and job satisfaction.

Day 24 – Cut Down on the Caffeine
Caffeine, found in coffee, tea, soda and energy drinks, acts as a stimulant, giving your body what may feel like a boost of energy.  But that boost takes its toll on your nervous system, increasing anxiety and stress, while it diuretic properties can leave you dehydrated.  Try drinking water with a slice of citrus fruit before you reach for another cup of coffee.

Day 25 – Start a Health Journal
Keeping a written record can help hold you accountable for your overall health and serve as a powerful motivational tool.  Commit to tracking your calorie intake and how often you exercise.  Evaluate your results often and make plans for improvement.

Day 26 – Fill Up on Water
Waters helps regulate the body temperature, plays a role in your metabolism and helps your organs absorb nutrients.  is it any wonder you need at least eight cups a day to meet your body’s needs?

Day 27 – Pick Up a Jump Rope
Not only is skipping cheap and simple to do, but it offers a full body workout and can burn up to 1000 calories an hour.  jump your way to a great cardio workout while improving your condition, agility and endurance.

Day 28 – Work Out With a Friend
The YMCA has found that social support is positively associated with increased physical activity.  Use the buddy system to motivate, challenge and encourage each other – and have fun doing it.

Day 29 – Park Far Away From the Entrance
If you drive to work, see if you can squeeze in some exercise by switching your usual parking spot for one that’s farther away.  Even a 10-minute walk can help get your blood pumping.

Day 30 – Replace Juice With Fruit
Real fruit not only offers all the flavor and nutrition of juice (with added processed sugar), but it also offers more fibre and vitamins.

Source: Canadian Living