Broccoli Cheese Soup

This is a favorite soup at our home! One that every single one of us loves. I can make it fairly quickly in my instant pot. See the note for instant pot directions. Adapted from here.

Ingredients
2 TB olive oil
1 chopped onion

1 TB minced garlic
1 cup chopped carrots
1 bell pepper, finely diced
3 stalks celery, finely chopped

3 cups chopped cauliflower (one head)
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup water
1 TB flour
2/3 cup milk
3 cups chopped broccoli (about bite size)
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup Colby jack cheese, grated


Instructions
Melt the oil in a large soup pot. Add onions, carrots, red pepper, celery, and cauliflower and saute over medium heat until tender. Add garlic and cook 1 or 2 additional minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add broth and potatoes, bring to a simmer, and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Puree the soup in a food processor or blender and return to pot.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour with water, add to soup along with the broccoli. Simmer until broccoli is tender, another 10-15 minutes.

Add milk and cook until heated through. Stir in cheese, allow to melt, and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.

Note: I like to make this in my instant pot. I saute the onion and garlic in the oil, then add the carrots, pepper, celery, cauliflower, salt, pepper, broth, and potatoes. Set the instant pot for 10 minutes. Then follow the rest of the steps.

Fettuccine

Ingredients

1 lb (6 oz) Fettuccine Pasta
2 TB olive oil

2 TB Butter
1 Garlic Clove (minced)
1 Cup Heavy Cream

1/2 C milk
1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Pepper
1 1/4 C freshly Shredded Parmesan Cheese (divided)
2 Tablespoons Italian Parsley (optional)

Directions

Cook fettuccine pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 C of water when draining noodles.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the oil and butter. Add the garlic and cook until slightly browned. Add the cream, milk, salt, pepper, and 3/4 C of the parmesan cheese. Let gently simmer until cheese is melted and the cream and milk begin to lump up a bit. 

Add the cooked fettuccine pasta, and if needed add additional water reserved from the noodles to reach a desired consistency. Top with additional 1/4 C parmesan cheese and parsley and serve warm. 

Adapted from here. 

Note: The best this has ever tasted is when we used Sartori classic grated parmesan. It was amazing!

Manicotti

Here's a family favorite that's very simple and quick to prepare (although it does cook for an hour in the oven). All my kids are happy when they know it's manicotti night.

Ingredients
1 box manicotti noodles
3 C cottage cheese
1/4 C grated parmesan cheese
8 oz grated mozzarella cheese (2 C grated)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp dry parsley (or 2 TB chopped fresh)
pinch of pepper
16 oz jar spaghetti sauce

Boil water in a large pan and cook the noodles for 6 minutes. While the noodles are cooking, mix all the other ingredients (except the spaghetti sauce) in a large mixing bowl. Drain the noodles and let them cool off a bit. Stuff the noodles with the cheese mixture and place in a 9x13 baking pan. Pour the spaghetti sauce on top and cover with tin foil. Bake for 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove the tin foil and cook for 15 minutes more.

Quinoa Salad

This is a recipe I got from a friend which ultimately came from here. I made quite a few adaptions that made this amazing recipe below.

Ingredients
3 1/2 C quinoa, cooked (about 1 1/4 uncooked)
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 C fresh cilantro, chopped
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
Juice and zest from one medium lime (1-2 TB juice, adjusting for taste)
2 TB olive oil
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp minced garlic (I use the kind in the jar)
1 avocado, diced
chips



Directions
To make the quinoa: In a large saucepan add 1 1/4 C uncooked quinoa, 2 1/2 C water, and a dash of salt. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat off and cover with a lid for at least 25-30 minutes. I usually prepare this step a few hours in advance and just leave it on the stove until I'm ready to mix everything together. Fluff with a fork and you're ready to go.

Add all the rest of the ingredients to the quinoa and stir well. Add the avocado just before serving and enjoy with your favorite chips! Ours are Juanitas tortilla chips.

Refried Beans

My friend taught me how to make these authentic Mexican refried beans. The flavor is simply amazing. She doesn't follow a recipe, so I just took some notes and practiced a few times to create one of my own. These are pretty simple and simply delicious. I couldn't get my husband or kids to eat beans until I learned this recipe, and now they request them. Even my three-year-old will clear her serving of beans and ask for more. 

Ingredients

4 C dried pinto beans

Water

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, or 1 tsp minced (I use the bottled kind that is already minced)
oil
4-5 serrano peppers

1-3 TB tomato bouillon  (we like 1 rounded TB)

salt to taste (we like 1 tsp)

Directions

Dump your beans on a clean counter space and sort through them to make sure there are no small rocks. Rinse the beans and put them in a large stock pot. Add the water, onions, and garlic. The amount of water should be 1/2 the height of the stock pot (about 15 cups in mine). Heat to boiling and reduce the heat slightly to maintain a lightly rolling boil (on my stove that's about heat level 7 out of 10 on the dial). Cover with a lid tilted in so it vents a little bit.

Every 20 minutes or so, add another cup or so of hot water to maintain the water level to 1/2 the stock pot. You want to end up with about the same amount of water in the pan as when you started. Cook for a total of 2 hours. The beans should be tender with the outsides splitting off a little bit. 

Saute the serrano peppers in oil until they are white all around. Remove from the pan and fill with half of the beans and water. Mash the beans with a potato masher and season with the tomato bouillon and salt. Start on the smaller end of the amounts and add more to taste. These make a fabulous side dish or chip dip.

Pico de gallo

I originally found this recipe here, and the only change we make is it to add avocado to it (an idea we got from a friend who makes amazing authentic Mexican food). We eat this with tortilla chips (our favorite is the Juanitas brand), and also as a garnish for enchiladas.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Cilantro, rinsed, drained, lower part of the stems removed, and roughly chopped
1 Jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1 lb ripe tomatoes (about 3 cups), diced small
1/2 cup white onion, finely chopped
1 avocado, diced small
2-3 TB lime juice, or to taste
2 TB olive oil
1 tsp salt

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and toss until combined. Taste test with a chip and add more salt or lime juice if needed to your liking.

Vegetable Dill Soup

This is a regular that my husband requests often. Serve it with some homemade muffins or rolls/cinnamon rolls and a fruit salad and you've got yourself a delicious homemade meal. So comforting on a nice rainy day like today :)

The dill is an essential ingredient as it gives it a unique and flavorful taste. The vegetables are very versatile and you can add whatever suites your tastes, and as much or little as you want. Feel free to add some black or pinto beans for some protein as well.

Ingredients
1-2 TB olive oil
1 medium onion
1 tsp minced garlic (optional)
4 medium carrots
1 large potato, diced
1-2 C any other vegetables you have on hand (we like zucchini and/or squash)
8 C water
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 TB Better than bouillon (beef)
2 C dried noodles (penne, farfale, etc)
1 TB dried dill

Directions
Saute the onion, carrots, and garlic in the olive oil. Add the other vegetables, water, salt, pepper, and bouillon. Bring to a boil and cook for 10-15 minutes, then add the noodles and cook for however long the package says. We like the mini farfalle, but anything will work. Add the dill at the very end and you're good to go!

Pizza Dough

I can have a pizza ready from start to finish in less than 30 minutes with this recipe, plus it tastes better than anything I could buy in the store or order, so we have this fairly often in our home. This recipe makes enough dough for three pizzas. You can read my note below about freezing the dough.

Ingredients
3 C warm water
3 tsp sugar
3 tsp salt
1/4 C vegetable oil
7 1/2-9 C flour
3 TB SAF instant yeast
Desired toppings

Directions
Combine the warm water, sugar, salt, and oil in a mixer with the dough hook until well blended. Add the flour and yeast (no need to mix them together in a separate bowl, just add a few cups of flour, then the yeast, then a few more of flour). You know you have added enough flour when the bowl begins to clean itself with the dough, and when you can touch the dough with your finger and have it come away clean.

Mix for a few minutes (or knead by hand for five minutes if you don't have a mixer). Roll out and press down onto a greased pizza pan dusted with cornmeal or flour. Add desired toppings, and bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 min or until the crust is crispy and lightly browned.

Freezing the dough
I cut the dough in thirds, make one up for that night, and then store the other two in separate freezer bags. I open one can of spaghetti sauce and put 1/3 on the pizza I'm currently making, then fill 2 bags with 1/3 of the sauce in each that go in the freezer as well. Then when I want to make pizza, I pull out a dough and sauce the night before and let them defrost in the fridge. Two super cheap and easy freezer meals done in no time. :)

Corn Chowder

Totally Delish!! Great with homemade rolls and a salad.

1 medium onion, chopped
1 C sliced mushrooms
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2  tsp dried thyme
4 C water
dash pepper
4 bouillon cubes (I use Better Than Bouillon)
2 C frozen corn kernels
1 large potato, peeled and diced
2 TB flour
1 12 oz can evaporated milk

Salt to taste (I ended up adding 1/2 tsp since my bouillon was reduced sodium)

Saute onions and mushrooms, adding garlic towards the end. Add cumin, water, pepper, and thyme. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Add corn and potatoes and cook until veggies are tender. Combine flour with evaporated milk in a separate bowl and whisk into soup, stirring until it thickens a bit. Season with salt and pepper as needed.