Broccoli Cheese Soup and a Fine Little Ham Sandwich

This is a great soup, easy and nutritious.

Ingredients:

2lbs fresh broccoli {I'm sure frozen would be a fine alternative}
4 cups chicken broth or stock
2 cups half and half
2 cups grated extra sharp cheddar cheese
dash of black pepper
dash of dried thyme

Instructions:

In a large soup pot , cook broccoli tops on medium heat in 4 cups of chicken broth until tender. Then turn heat to low and add half and half, cheese, pepper, and thyme. Allow to cook on low heat for 10 - 15 minutes until cheese melts. Watch closely and stir frequently. Last, blend in blender, but avoid over blending as to not completely liquefy the broccoli. Pour back into pot. Serve.

The perfect little friend for the broccoli cheddar soup is a ham and Havarti cheese sandwich. I love deli ham, shaved and paired with creamy Havarti cheese. Mayo. Honey wheat bread. YUM!

Corn Chowder and Paninis

I'm feeling fall food lately. Soups, soups, and soups - I love soups!

This is what I made the other night to enjoy while watching the first Auburn game.

Serves: approximately 4-6

Corn Chowder
1 onion chopped
2 medium baking potatoes peeled and diced into small cubes
1-2 cups water (or more if needed)
2 cups milk
5 ears corn, cooked and cut off the cob (or 1 bag frozen corn or 2 - 15 oz cans of corn, drained)
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste

Saute onion with a little oil or butter on medium heat until tender, add diced potatoes and water. Turn up to high heat and boil potatoes for 20 - 25 minutes until they are mushy. Keep adding water if needed - it tends to boil off quickly. Then turn to low heat and add, milk, corn, salt and pepper. Cook on low heat for 10 - 15 minutes before serving.

Top with crispy BACON! *I always cook bacon on a cookie sheet lined with tin foil - 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. It turns out perfect every time and clean up is easier.

To accompany this delicious chowder I made panini sandwiches with turkey, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, and mozzarella cheese (most of these ingredients I already had in my kitchen). Any sort of grilled sandwich goes well!

Hope you like!

Meatball Subs

Who eats a leftover meatball sub at 10 AM?

A pregnant me! This was quite a meal, perfect for hungry men, growing boys, and pregnant women. It's hearty.


Servings: 4

Meatballs
1- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1-2 eggs beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning or dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup diced onion (optional)
1/4 cup diced green pepper (optional)

Mix all ingredients thoroughly and form into meatballs, your size of choice. Cook in olive oil coated sauce pan on medium heat until beef is cooked through. It takes approximately 15 minutes depending on your size of meatball.

Once done, pour jar of store bought marinara sauce over meatballs and allow to warm.

Spoon meatball/sauce mixture onto sub roll and top with cheese (mozzarella, provolone, or in my case - 6 cheese Italian blend). Heat in oven (350 degrees) on cookie sheet for 5 - 8 minutes for cheese to melt and sub roll is a little bit toasty.

Enjoy!

Black Beans and Rice

Found this recipe in this month's Southern Living.

Loved it!

{Click on photo for larger image of recipe}

My modifications:

*Used 2 cans of black beans instead of 3 and scaled back proportionately on all the other ingredients since there were just two of us.

*For toppings - cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, pickled jalapenos, and fresh cilantro.

*Served with tortilla chips.

Pretty darn good for a meatless meal.

Grilled Chicken Fingers and Fries

My whole little family loves this meal! And let me tell you its...easy, easy, easy, EASY.


Ingredients:

1 bag frozen chicken tenders defrosted and marinated in whatever you like to use to marinate chicken (this time we used Worcestershire sauce and lots of black pepper).

1 bag frozen french fries

Instructions:

Grill chicken.
Bake fries as directed on package.

Serve with ketch-up and homemade honey mustard.

*You could use chicken breasts and cut them up, but I highly recommend just buying frozen chicken tenders. They were the perfect size and I love not having to deal with raw chicken.

This is one of those meals you could always have on hand in the freezer. I made it spontaneously and did not marinate chicken until 15 minutes before putting on the grill. The only thinking ahead you have to do is : defrost chicken. But we all know hot water out of the sink can speed that process along.

Simple Simple, BLT's and Cheese Grits

This is one of the best and simplest meals you could ever enjoy.

The BLT is made of the basics...white bread (not toasted - personal preference), mayo, bacon, Romaine lettuce, tomato, salt and pepper. When I have fresh basil, I like to make a little basil mayonnaise by mixing up basil bits into the mayo.

For cooking the bacon, I lined a cookie sheet with tin foil and placed bacon pieces onto sheet to bake at 350 degrees for 10- 15 minutes. This method of cooking bacon is so much easier and cleaner than using a skillet.


For the cheese grits, I made 2 servings of grits as directed on packaging. I then added approximately 1 tablespoon of butter, 1 oz of cream cheese, 1/2 cup grated extra sharp cheddar cheese, a tiny hint of garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste. You can serve directly off the stove and adjust measurements as needed.

That's it.

Yum, right?

I don't know what I love more - the meal's simplicity or deliciousness.

To keep it real around here I have to tell you that I had to stop mid-meal and spank Stephen Small for persistently climbing up to dangerous levels on furniture. As he continually disobeyed my warnings, I yelled. Then he stopped. Then I felt so bad for losing it. The Grande was not home yet because he had afternoon plans with a friend...I missed his company. I tried to watch TV - couldn't find the remote. Then I thought it would be nice to read the most recent Southern Living - couldn't find that either.

All this to say...the food tasted great, but the lack of company and/or entertainment, and an unruly child at the witching hour made for a very unpleasant dining experience.

Don't feel too sorry for me. Bath, Benadryl, and bed are in order for me. Child is asleep and I expect the Grande to be home any minute.