Soups's On!

There are so many reasons to love soup. First, it is warm and comforting. Second, it is easy and quick to make. Third, it's great to make ahead of time and is great with the crazy soccer, karate, cross country, cub scout schedule we have. If everyone eats at different times, it can always be heated in the microwave.  I could go on and on because what's not to love about soup?

Well, the husband  will sometimes think he doesn't like soup. The other night I made some beef vegetable soup and as I was cutting up some cooked bottom round, he was dreaming about  putting the meat between two pieces of crusty Italian bread.   I just have to guide him into liking his soup. I do this by making hearty soups such as  tortellini soups, beef vegetable, black bean soup and ham and bean soup. It seems to work as I do see a twinkle in his eye when he comes home on a cold day to a huge pot of hearty soup. This tortellini is one of our favorites. Click here for my other  version with kielbasi.

Chicken Tortellini Soup with Carrots and Kale

12 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 small head kale, cored and chopped
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups cooked boneless chicken, chopped
2 (14 oz) packages frozen tortellini
salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Heat broth on high heat in a large soup pot. Add kale and carrots and cook for 15 minutes or until carroys are softened and kale iswilted. Add chicken and tortellini. Cook according to tortellini package directions which is typically 18 minutes or 4 minutes for precooked ones. Make sure tortellini is cooked through. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with grated cheese if desired. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Da Bomb Breakfast!!!

This breakfast is the bomb! It was so good it practically made me cry. When the husband saw what I was making, he looked a little leary. He is not a huge French toast man but loved this once he tasted it. This probably would even be good as a dessert topped with a few scoops of ice cream. And the Nutella syrup just raised it to another level.

The sad thing is this recipe almost didn't even make it to the table. I had the French toast idea swirling around in my brain but when I went into the fridge, there was only one egg left.  Lucky for me Thrive Food Storage had sent me some eggs to try and this was the perfect opportunity.  These are dried eggs that can be stored for ages and are so convenient for times when you run out of fresh eggs or those times when you come home from vacation and your fridge is empty. All I needed to do is mix the powder with water and they were ready to use in my French toast.

I do have one warning. Don't look at these pictures before you have had breakfast! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

 

Coconut Pecan French Toast with Nutella Syrup

3 large eggs

2/3 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup flaked coconut, plus extra for garnish

1/4 cup chopped pecan halves

1 tsp ground cinnamon

6 slices white or wheat bread

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 TBS Nutella (chocolate hazlenut spread)

In a large shallow bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, and vanilla. In another bowl, mix together the coconut, pecans and cinnamon. Dip each slice of bread in the egg mixture. Then dip into the coconut mixture. Place slices on a well oiled skillet or griddle on medium heat. Cook both sides for a few minutes or until the egg is set, being careful not to scorch the coconut and pecans. While bread is cooking mix together the syrup with the Nutella. Serve the French Toast with the syrup over it and sprinkle with extra coconut. Makes 3 servings.

Carnation: It's the Cooking Milk!

The One2One Network is working with Carnation Evaporated Milk to let cooks around the country know  that evaporated milk isn't just for baking. They came to me to see if I would like to get involved and help with this campaign.  They asked if I could feature two recipes on my blog, one from Carnation's recipe booklet and another that I created myself. The nice people at One2One Network and Carnation Evaporated Milk also sent me a recipe booklet, some free cans of  milk and a gift card to cover the cost of groceries for the recipes.

The minute I heard the name Carnation, I couldn't refuse the offer. I love cooking with Carnation evaporated milk!  Evaporated milk is simply milk in which some of the water is removed. It is rich, creamy and the perfect substitute for half and half or light cream. I use it often to lighten up my recipes. I also keep a few cans in the pantry to use in my coffee.  

It was not hard to pick out the recipes I would make. First, I went with The Party Perfect Mini Quiches from the recipe booklet and then I chose Mushroom Cheddar Quiche which I make often.  I used the non fat Carnation milk in both and believe me, the fat was not missed. Both dishes had a custard texture without the added calories of cream.

If you would like the recipe for Party Perfect Mini Quiches, click here. They really are perfect for a party!  I also like to make some in advance, keep them in the fridge and heat them up for a quick nutritious breakfast.

Lucky for me, real men eat quiche in my house. I make this Mushroom Cheddar Quiche for dinner all the time. It is another easy meal to make in advance and then heat up right before dinner. In this one, I used a whole wheat crust to make it even more nutritious.

The winter is a great time to stock up on Carnation Evaporated Milk. I will be making plenty of creamy soups with it. For more interesting recipes, click here.   They have both sweet and savory recipes which any  cook will enjoy making!

Cheddar Mushroom Quiche


1 TBS olive oil
3 green onions, chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
3 large eggs, beaten
1 can (12 oz) Carnation fat free evaporated milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp black pepper
4 oz low fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
9 inch  pie crust

Preheat over to 375 degrees. In a large fry pan, heat oil on medium heat and saute onions and mushrooms for 10 minutes or until wilted. In a small bowl, mix together eggs, milk, salt, mustard and pepper. Mix the egg mixture with the mushrooms. Sprinkle the cheese on the bottom of the pie crust. Pour the egg mixture over the cheese. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until top is golden and puffy. Cool before serving.

Marsala Mushroom Beef Tenderloin

First, I want to announce the El Tacodor winner. Congrats to Dawn from Vanilla Sugar who has won the dinner prize pack! Dawn, please email me your address and My Blogspark/ Old El Paso will ship out your prize.

Now for some good stuff. I just loved making this dinner! It was quick and easy, lower in calories and tasted like something you would get at a restaurant. What else is there to a good dinner? I served it with some roasted potatoes and a green salad. And now I am getting all kinds of favors done from the husband. Hubby, please clean the garage. Hubby, can you empty the dishwasher while I am making tenderloin? Hubby, do you mind scrubbing the toilets while I cook dinner? Okay, I am exaggerating a little but he really was impressed with this dinner.

The great thing is that this dinner was not expensive at all. I bought a whole beef tenderloin from the grocery store when it was on sale for $4.99 per pound. I had the butcher trim it for me and cut it into individual steaks and roasts.  I am set for a while. Or at least for my next honeydo list!

Marsala Mushroom Tenderloin

4 (6 ounce) beef tenderloin steaks, cut about 1 1/2 inch thick
1 TBS steak seasoning
10 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 TBS flour
1 TBS butter
1 TBS olive oil
1/2 cup Marsala wine
1/2 cup low sodium beef broth
1 TBS soy sauce ( I used lower sodium)
2 TBS fresh chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Rub the steaks with the seasoning and sprinkle the mushrooms with the flour. Set aside. In a large frying pan, melt the butter and add the oil to the pan. Bring to medium high heat and sear the steaks for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, depending on how rare you like them cooked. Remove steaks from the pan and keep warm. Add mushrooms, reduce heat to medium and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the wine, beef broth and soy sauce to the pan. Stir well and cook until mushrooms are tender ans sauce is slightly reduced. Add the parsley and place the steaks back in the pan to warm and pour the sauce over them. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Makes 4 servings.

My BlogSpark and El Tacodor Game Night Giveaway!

Is Taco night a part of your dinner rotation? We just had taco night and it was loads of fun! It is easy to now schedule game night and taco night all in one evening. All you need are Old El Paso® taco fixings and a FREE game-ready El Tacodor Pack which includes instructions, a scorecard and a challenge sheet which you can download at http://www.eltacodor.com/.

My family and I were lucky to receive a whole dinner prize pack from My Blogspark and Old El Paso. The kids enjoyed the tacos and the game. And here are the two kiddos chowing down on tilapia tacos.

You can win a prize pack too! I will be giving away one prize pack courtesy of My BlogSpark and Old EL Paso. This includes information and a link to the El Tacodor game, as well as (2) two coupons to purchase Old El Paso dinner kits and a $10 gift card to purchase any additional meal needs (i.e. meat, cheese, lettuce, etc).

And if that wasn’t exciting enough – you can also enter the Old El Paso El Tacodor Sweepstakes for a chance to win $5,000 just for having fun with your family. Other prizes include monthly giveaways of $300 cash cards, and weekly giveaways of gift certificates for Old El Paso products for the next five months. When you visit El Tacodor you will also find a link to coupons, a calendar to schedule your next taco night, topping choice chart and more!

So what do you need to do to win? Just leave a comment by Sunday 11/ 8 on what your family's favorite type of tacos are. We especially like fish tacos. Even my picky son ate the talapia tacos I made the other night! Make sure you leave me an email address if you do not own a blog. Unfortunately, this can only be mailed to a US address. Good luck everyone! I will be picking a winner on Sunday night and posting it then.

New Winner and Moorestown Iron Cupcake rundown!

I have not heard from the movie ticket winner and have no email to get in touch with her so unfortunately I have to pick a new winner. The new winner is Barbara Bakes! Congrats Barbara! Please email me your address so I can get your prize packet out.

Now let me tell you about my experience as a cupcake contest judge. Last week I was lucky enough to be a judge in the Iron Cupcake Challenge of Moorestown, NJ. The contest happened to be at the Pop Shop which happens to be my kids favorite place to eat. So lucky me and lucky them!

Kati Angelini is the brainchild behind this fun event. She knows how to organize an event and has her own cupcake business. Here is Kati and her husband dressed for the event.

 There were 15 contestants which meant I had to try 15 cupcakes. It was not an easy feat but I was able to get through it. And here are the winning cupcakes:

All of the cupcakes were great and it was hard deciding on a winner. If you live in or near southern NJ, think about entering next time. The next cupcake challenge will be on November 29th at Swanky Bubbles  in Cherry Hill, NJ and you can get the details here. Now enjoy looking at these beautiful morsels!

We have a winner and check out some cakes!

First, I want to announce the winner of the movie prize pack. It is Mom2Be and was picked through random.org.  Congrats and please email me your address so I can get your prize mailed out.

Second, let me tell you about the sweet sugary day I had. Last night, my daughter and I made a fondant cake for a 10 year birthday celebration at her middle school today. The fondant figure you see on the cake is her principal. I see a very strong resemblance. This was the first time, I ever tried using fondant and it was so much fun that I will be trying it again. Look at some of the other beautiful cakes that families made. Aren't they great? The school even had some special judges from  Carlos Bakery .  I tried some cake but kept it to a minimum as I finished my day as a cupcake judge for a local Iron Cupcake event. It was so much fun and I will do a post with pictures later on this week. Now I am all sugared out!