Butternut Squash Soup

This one I discovered while making Rachael Ray's Butternut Squash Mac and cheese. The butternut was the base instead of the white sauce, sounds weird but it's so good. When I tasted the butternut base I just about fell over! Totally worthy of its own meal. It's the perfect thing on a cold, rainy autumn day.

1 butternut peeled, and cubed

1 Tbs olive oil

2 Tbs butter

1 Tbs dried Thyme (2 Tbs fresh chopped)

1/2 medium onion

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup cream or half and half

salt to taste

Boil the squash in a large pot, salt the water well. Heat the oil and butter in a small skillet and grate onion directly into the pan, let simmer until onion gets soft. When squash is tender drain and mash with a masher, I always keep a little cooking liquid in to make it a little smoother. Add onion and oil mixture, broth, thyme, and cream, check the seasonings, add more salt if needed. Let simmer until ready to eat. Top with parmesan or cheddar cheese. 

Shortbread Chocolate Chip Cookies

I debated on wether or not to post this cause seriously these cookies are out of this world delicious! I love how they are buttery (oh so buttery) and the texture is so different than a traditional chocolate chip cookie. Granted it doesn't make a monster batch but it is heaven in your mouth! My favorite part of this recipe is you can chow on the dough with no worries of food poisoning, there are no eggs!
I got the shortbread recipe from foodnetwork.com so thank you to them!

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into chunks
• 1 teaspoon water
• 1 cup Hershey's special dark chocolate chips 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Add flour, salt, powdered sugar, to a mixer or food processor. Then add vanilla, butter, and water. Pulse or mix just until a dough forms. (At this point you can wrap the dough and chill then cut into cookies or you can move on to the next level, oh yeah!) Add the chocolate chips and mix well. 

Roll teaspoon size balls and place on a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Gently press the dough flat. Bake for 12-14 minutes rotating half way through cooking time. Cookies are done when they turn a little brown around the edges. Place on cooling rack and wait 5 minutes, if you can...

Tips: Store in airtight container for up to a week or freeze uncooked log for up to a month. Also, use the freshest ingredients possible for the best tasting cookies.

Crock Pot Lasagna

I got this recipe from a friend and was skeptical because I thought noodles would be mushy after being in the crock pot. Nope. They were perfect!

1 lb ground beef cooked
1 (26 oz) jar spaghetti sauce
1 (16 oz) bag shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 (8 oz package of bow tie pasta (I used elbow mac)
1 (12 oz) container cottage cheese

Cook noodles 2 minutes short of package recommended time. Brown meat and combine with sauce. In crock pot layer 1/2 each of meat mixture, pasta, cottage cheese and shredded cheese. Repeat with second half of ingredients. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours.

Tzatziki Sauce

Oh wow! There goes my new year goal to post every week, SHOOT! I will post two recipes just to make up the numbers.

This Greek sauce is so delicious! I had it at a little place called Pita Pit a long time ago,  I couldn't get enough, little did I know it's a cinch to make! Now I can have it any time. It goes really well with grilled Eggplant.

1 1/2 c plain yogurt (you can use Greek yogurt if available)
1 cucumber grated fine and squeezed well, make it as dry as you can
1 clove garlic minced or grated fine
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and let chill, if you can wait that long.


Grilled Eggplant


1 eggplant peeled and sliced (about half inch thick slices)
olive oil
salt and pepper

Brush slices with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill for 5 minutes each side or until tender. Serve with fresh tomato slices and Tzatziki sauce

*A friend of ours thinned out some Pesto with olive oil and then grilled his. This is so versatile, if you have ideas or have done something different share with us!

Avocado Succotash

This is the best thing I ever put in my face! I would have taken a picture of it (cause it's gorgeous and colorful) but it was devoured way too fast. We use this as a dip and eat it with tortilla chips. However I think it would be perfectly acceptable to eat it as a salad.

2 avocados diced
2 medium tomatoes diced
1 can black beans well drained
1 jalapeno diced (remove seeds and ribs for a more mild flavor)
1 cup corn (frozen, thawed or canned, drained)
Drizzle of Italian dressing
Salt to taste

Mix everything in a bowl, toss to combine and eat it up!!!

I also think a great addition would be some fresh chopped cilantro, yummm!

Cornbread

I am usually not a big fan of cornbread (hush puppies, gag) but I really like this recipe, it's more of a corn cake then the really dense, grainy cornbread. A little story though:

I made this to go with my white chili on a Sunday. My sister and her boyfriend were over so it was a nice big family Sunday supper. When my sister got there we got to talking and giggling. The timer beeped for the cornbread and I noticed it didn't look like it usually did. I cut into it and something was definitely not right. The top half was cooked but the bottom half was ookey. Before anyone else tasted it I looked at the recipe again and realized I forgot to add the flour! Not a good idea, make sure to add all the ingredients, it really is good if you'll do that!

1 3/4 c flour
3/4 c cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 c sugar
1 1/2 evaporated milk (1 can)
2 eggs
1/2 c oil

In mixing bowl combine flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, and sugar. In separate bowl beat together evaporated milk, eggs, and oil. Add wet mixture to dry mixture, stirring only enough to blend. Pour into a greased 8x8 banking dish and bake at 350 for 30 mins or until edges are just brown. Serve with butter and/or honey.

White Chili

I love chili, but in the summer it's just too heavy and hearty for me. This white chili is just perfect. It's light but filling. I modified the recipe that I got from a friend, thanks Pam! This has to be one of my new favorites!

2 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
2 c chicken broth
2 cans white beans
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 medium onion chopped
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 c sour cream or plain yogurt
1 handful fresh cilantro chopped fine
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine everything except the  sour cream and the cilantro. Let simmer for 30 mins to an hour. Add cilantro and sour cream right before serving.

*Play with the seasonings until it's to your liking. I always like a little more in mine but start off with less, it's hard to take them out once they're in there!