* Broccoli Cheese Soup *

mmm...I love soup! We had some broccoli in our Bountiful Basket and this was the perfect use for it! Even my 3 1/2 year old liked it...and that says a lot! :) I found this recipe here.

* Broccoli Cheese Soup *2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, finely diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups broccoli, cut into very small pieces
2 cups chicken stock (I used two chicken bouillon cubes dissolved in two cups of hot water)
2 cups milk
1/2 cup flour
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Salt and white pepper

Melt butter in a pot over medium heat, add onions and celery plus a pinch of salt and pepper and cook until soft. Add garlic, cook for another minute. Add broccoli, cook for one minute, then add the chicken stock and cover. Allow the broth to come to a boil, and cook until the broccoli is soft.

Whisk together flour and milk until combined. Add this mixture to the pot, stirring gently. The soup will thicken (yay starch!) and once it's thick and creamy looking, add the grated cheddar. Salt and pepper to taste, serve with toast.

* Key Lime Pie Recipes *

I'm posting two recipes for Key Lime Pie today.

While this first one is not "real" key lime pie, it is still delicious! It is the perfect summery dessert: light, tangy, and sweet! I found it in a cookbook I got at a bridal shower and we've made it a few times over the last 5 years. I like this one becasue it requires no baking and is a cinch to put together. It is a little runny-ish but still good!


*Easy No Bake Key Lime Pie *
1 prepared 9-inch graham cracker crumb crust
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. (about 3 medium limes) fresh lime juice
1 tsp. grated lime peel
2 c. frozen whipped topping, thawed


Grate outer peel from limes using grater (only grate the very outside...you don't want the white bitter part of the lime peel). Beat sweetened condensed milk and lime juice in small mixer bowl until combined; stir in lime peel. Pour into prepared crust and spread with whipped topping. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until set (I would say let it set longer...maybe 4-5 hours.) Garnish with lime peel twists or lime wedges.

-------------------------------------------------
This second recipe is a bit more involved but is so yummy. The recipe originated from The Pioneer Woman so you know it has to be good! I found the recipe here. Since you all know me and you know that I'm a lazy cook, I used an already prepared graham cracker crust but I'm sure this homemade one is delicious and tastes nothing like cardboard (like my western family store bought one).

* Key Lime Pie *
Crust:
18 whole graham crackers (the 4-section large pieces)
⅓ cups sugar
⅓ cups butter, melted

Filling:
1 Tablespoon (heaping) lime zest
½ cups lime juice
2 whole egg yolks
1 can (14 Oz) sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350*. For the crust: Crush crackers in a food processor or Ziploc bag. Pour them into a bowl and stir in sugar and melted butter. Press into a pie pan and bake for 5 minutes or until golden and set. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.

For the filling: Mix lime zest, lime juice, and egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Add in condensed milk and mix on high until smooth and thick. Pour mixture into crust and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour—more if possible. Serve with sweetened whipped cream and more grated lime zest

* Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing *

I got this recipe from a girl in my ward (thanks Shacie!) I love a good spinach salad...especially with this dressing!

* Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing *
1/2 c. mayo
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. milk
1 T. red wine vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar and it turned out yummy still)
1 T. poppy seeds

Blend ingredients together and serve over any type of lettuce/spinach salad...my favorite is spinach and strawberry salad...mmmm!

amanda's breadsticks

These breadstick are so easy (even I can't screw them up...and I'm terrible with bread making). I got the recipe from a girl in my ward (thanks Amanda) and they are super delicious--and did I meantion easy?

* Amanda's Bread Sticks *

1 1/2 c. warm water
1 Tbsp. yeast
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 c. flour (or more)
6-8 Tbsp. butter
Garlic salt
Parmesan cheese
Grated cheddar cheese (optional)

Sprinkle the yeast and sugar into the warm water; let bubble about 10 minutes. Mix in the salt and flour until it's no longer sticky. Knead on a floured surface until soft dough is formed. Let sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter in 9x13 pan at 375. Roll dough on a floured board and cut into strips. Roll in butter and arrange in pan. Sprinkle with a little garlic salt and Parmesan cheese. Let raise 10 minutes. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese over the top for the last few minutes if desired.

* Lasagna Rolls *

mmm...lasagna rolls. These are so yummy and the perfect size for eating. You don't have to worry about your lasagna falling apart as you pull it out of the pan...basically, they are awesome! I found the recipe here at SkinnyTaste.com. They have some great (and healthy) recipes...check them out! This recipe is only supposed to be 4 weight watcher points per lasagna roll (although mine were probably more because I used cottage cheese instead of ricotta, Ragu spaghetti sauce instead of tomato sauce, and more cheese than it called for)!

* Lasagna Rolls *
(my pictures are terrible but this is really good! click on the link above if you want to see a pretty picture of these)
9 lasagna noodles, cooked
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
15 oz fat free ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
salt and fresh pepper
32 oz tomato sauce (I used Ragu spaghetti sauce)
9 tbsp part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350*. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles. Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese.

Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls. To serve, ladle a little sauce on the plate and top with lasagna roll.

Menu Monday (#13) -on Wednesday- :)

Sorry this menu is a few days late....here's what is planned for this week!

Sunday: Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Monday: Hamburgers
Tuesday: Stromboli
Wednesday: Crockpot Beef Stroganoff & Pasta
Thursday: Tostadas (chicken, beans, etc)
Friday: Omelets, Toast, & Smoothie
Saturday: Chili Hot Dogs

* Menu Monday (#12) *

Menu Monday #12 is up....

Sunday: Steak, Baked Potatoes, & Veggies
Monday: Teriyaki Meatballs & Fried Rice
Tuesday: {Valentine's Day} Go out to eat & Homemade Heart-shaped Dessert Pizza
Wednesday: Hawaiian Haystacks over Rice
Thursday: Stuffed Shells & Salad
Friday: Biscuits & Gravy, Sausage, & Fruit Smoothie
Saturday: BBQ Ranch Quesadillas

* Pull-apart Mini Pizzas *

Okay, so I honestly don't know what this recipe is really called but I'm sure "Pull-Apart Mini Pizzas" is not it. I got this recipe (although it's not really a recipe but another way to make pizzas) from my mother-in-law and my family loved it! My mother-in-law uses rhodes bread dough for the dough in this recipe but I used my own pizza dough this time. I think the rhodes dough works best (they turn out fluffier) but either way, these are yummy.

* Pull-apart Mini Pizzas *
One batch of homemade pizza dough, rhodes bread dough, etc.
cheese
toppings
pizza sauce (for dipping)
ranch dressing (for dipping)

Roll out your pizza dough into a rectangular shape. Cut dough into 12 equal pieces. Stretch each piece out and place desired toppings in the middle of the dough piece. Top with cheese. Fold over the edges of the dough and press together, making a "pillow?" (not sure how to describe it) Place seam side down on greased baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the dough pieces.

I really don't know how to describe this next part either...basically you take a knife or a scraper (see my picture below)and chop the pizza pillows 2 or 3 times across and 2 or 3 times top to bottom. Scrunch (or spruce) the mini pizzas up. Bake at 425* for 10-15 minutes or until browned. Serve with ranch dressing and warmed up pizza sauce.
These are super easy and my kids (and I) love them because they can pick little bites off all by themselves! I hope this all made sense. I just learned it by watching my mother-in-law so don't mind the weirdo directions :)

* Menu Monday (#11) *

Here is our dinner menu for the week! I'm trying 3 new recipes this week so wish us luck :)

Sunday: Pizza & other snacks (for the superbowl)
Monday: Chicken Roll-ups, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, & Veggies
Tuesday: Spinach Lasagna Roll-ups
Wednesday: Chicken Alfredo (trying a new recipe from a friend in my ward) & Veggies
Thursday: Ham & Bean soup
Friday: Whole Wheat Waffles & Fruit Smoothie
Saturday: Grilled Ham & Cheese Sandwiches & Tomato Soup

* Cauliflower Cheese Soup *

We got a Bountiful Basket last weekend (it had been a while since we got one...since last summer when our garden starting producing) and I forgot how much I enjoy them! We got a head of cauliflower and I decided to make Cauliflower Cheese Soup (recipe found here). I was surprised at how good it was...I am not a cauliflower fan but this was pretty good! If you ever have some cauliflower to get rid of, give this a try!

* Cauliflower Cheese Soup *
1 medium cauliflower
2 cups chicken stock (I just used water and chicken boullion cubes)
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups milk
1 cup grated medium Cheddar cheese
buttered croutons for garnish

Cook cauliflower in chicken stock until tender. Do not drain. Cool a bit. Run through blender to desired texture. Set aside. Melt butter in saucepan. Add onion and saute until limp. Do not brown. Mix in flour, salt and pepper. Add milk. Heat and stir until it boils and thickens. Add cheese and cauliflower mixture. Stir to heat and melt cheese. Garnish with buttered croutons.