Savory Cheese Soup

After someone recommended cheese soup & cheesy biscuits as a good meal (I can't remember who), I had been wanting to try a cheese soup! I found this recipe, and thought it sounded great. Aside from the cream cheese not melting well which may have been due to lack of patience), I thought it turned out pretty good.
Turns out, Nathan doesn't like cheese soups.

Oh well... a lesson learned. I won't be making this again, but maybe one of you can enjoy it! :)

Savory Cheese Soup
(TOH)



43.5 Ounce chicken broth
1 small onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1/4 Cup chopped sweet red pepper
2 Tablespoon butter
1 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon pepper
1/3 Cup all purpose flour
1/3 Cup cold water
8 Ounce cream cheese, cubed and softened
2 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
croutons, popcorn, cooked crumbled bacon, sliced green onion etc.

Instructions:
In a slow cooker, combine the first eight ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Combine flour and water until smooth; stir into soup. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes longer or until soup is thickened.
Stir in cream cheese and cheddar cheese until blended. Cover and cook on low until heated through. Serve with desired toppings.

Yields: 6-8
Prep Time: 15 m
Cook Time: 8.5 h
Total Time: 8 h 45 m

Bob's Crab Cakes

I love crab, so when I came across a recipe for crab cakes that basically boasted it was perfect, I had to try it.

Well, it might've been perfect, but the stupid things wouldn't hold together, so I'll never know.

(There is no picture intentionally. I basically made 'Bob's Crab Stir Fry' by the time it was done. It wasn't pretty.)

If you try this, let me know how it turns out. Maybe I'm just an idiot who couldn't do it right. :)

Bob's Crab Cakes
(TOH)

2 slices day old bread, cut into 1/4" cubes
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon mayonnaise
2 Teaspoon worchestershire sauce
1/2 Teaspoon pepper
18 Ounce crabmeat, chopped finely
2 Tablespoon canola oil

Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients; mix well. Add crab; mix gently. Form mixture into eight balls; flatten slightly. In a large nonstick skillet, cook the crab cakes in oil for 4-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Yields: 8 crab cakes
Prep Time: 15 m
Cook Time: 5 m
Total Time: 20 m

Golden Garlic Bread

This was an AMAZING find. This garlic bread is clog-your-arteries-as-you-eat-it good. (Which means that I REALLY need to find ways to make this healthier!)
The only downside (aside from clogging your arteries) is that it has entirely too much butter. It made it have a greasy taste to it. I'll cut down on the butter (maybe 1/2 cup?) for next time, but I will definitely make this again.

(Also, I cut the recipe in half when I made it... one loaf of garlic bread is too much for two of us! We ate some with dinner, and reheated the rest another time. It reheats surprisingly well, if you just broil it for a couple more minutes again!)
Golden Garlic Bread
(TOH)

3/4 Cup butter, softened
1/2 Cup mayonnaise
3 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 Cup grated parmesan
1/2 Cup onion, chopped
1 Teaspoon italian bread
1-2 Clove garlic, minced
1 Loaf french bread, cut in half lengthwise

Instructions:
In a small mixing bowl, beat butter and mayonnaise until blended. Stir in the cheeses, onions, Italian seasoning, and garlic. Spread over cut sides of bread. Place on an ungreased baking sheet.
Broil 4-6” from heat for 3-5 minutes or until topping is lightly browned and bubbly. Cut into 2” slices.

Yields: 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 5
Total Time: 20 m

Savory Parmesan Bites

Has anyone ever noticed the Meijer 'mealbox' or the recipe cards in the Meijer stores? I've glanced at them before, but never paid too much attention to them. I'm not fond of the Meijer website, and the cards never really catch my attention. This one did, though. We were grocery shopping, and I saw this. I thought it would be worth a try--we had everything but the crescents, and the pepper was probably going to go to waste if I didn't use it here. So, we tried it!
Unfortunately, I was not very fond of these. Nate enjoyed them, but most of them went to waste. I think part of it was that crescents are going lower and lower on the list of my favorite 'bread' type things... but I can't properly explain why. Oh well! I may try this recipe with something else bread-like... and maybe do a small substitution for the cream cheese? We'll see!

Savory Parmesan Bites
(Meijer)


4 Ounce cream cheese, softened
1/2 Cup grated parmesan
4 Ounce refrigerated crescent rolls
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
Parsley

Instructions:
Heat oven to 350.
Beat cream cheese and 1/3 cup parmesan with mixer until well blended.
Separate dough into 4 rectangles; seal seams. Spread with cream cheese mixture; top with peppers and parsley. Fold each rectangle lengthwise into thirds to enclose filling; cut into 4 squares. Place seam side down, on baking sheet; top with remaining parmesan.
Bake 13-15 minutes or until golden brown.




Yields: 16 'bites'
Prep Time: 15 m
Cook Time: 15 m
Total Time: 30 m

Broccoli Stuffed Shells

I don't know where I found this recipe... it was something I found when looking through the recipe books at Mama's.
I love the idea of stuffed shells, but I haven't liked any of the stuffed shells recipes we've tried. This one was OK, it just had too much spaghetti sauce. If I changed that, and maybe added more seasonings, it would have the potential to be pretty good.
Until you re-heat it.
Now remember, my mother taught me well--I HATE wasting food. Hate it. But this was one of those meals that, when re-heated, Nate & I looked at each other and suggested that we get that frozen pizza out of the freezer. It was GROSS.
So... overall rating? Not very impressed.

Broccoli Stuffed Shells


12 jumbo pasta shells
14 Ounce spaghetti sauce
1/2 Tablespoon Margarine
1/2 Pound ricotta cheese
1/2 Cup shredded monterey jack cheese
1/2 egg
5 Ounce chopped broccoli
1/4 Cup shredded parmesan
1/2 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions:
Cook pasta according to package directions.
Heat sauce, pour enough to cover the bottom of a 9x9 pan. Mix margarine, ricotta, egg, broccoli, and 1/2 of the cheeses. Stuff shells, arrange in pan over sauce. Add rest of sauce and sprinkle with rest of cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.


Serves: 4
Serving Size: 3 shells
Prep Time: 20 m
Cook Time: 40 m
Total Time: 1 hr

Warm Savory Cheese Spread

This was another mildly failed attempt at cooking. It was OK, but not something I could have more than a few bites of.
I am not a fan of mayo, so that may have had something to do with it. Maybe we will try it again, when there are more people to taste test? See if anyone else enjoys it more? It had an interesting taste....
We'll see.

(Note: I used my hearty whole wheat bread recipe for this!)

Warm Savory Cheese Spread (TOH)

2 Cup mayonnaise
2 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 Large onion, finely chopped
8 bacon strips, crumbled
1/2 Cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
1/2 Cup finely chopped green pepper
1 Teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder
1 round loaf (1 pound) bread

Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Cut the top fourth off the load of bread; carefully hollow out bottom, leaving a 1" shell. Spoon cheese mixture into bread shell.
Wrap in a piece of heavy-duty foil. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until heated through. Serve with crackers.

Serving Size: 4 cups
Prep Time: 15 m
Cook Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 1 hr 15 m

Chicken & Noodles Skillet

So, you may be wondering why it's been almost a month since I posted last.
I haven't disappeared from the face of the earth.
I haven't stopped cooking.
I just have been accumulating the pile of 'recipes to post' rather than actually posting any recipes.
On the plus side, I should have enough for quite a few posts, without having to cook anything new. :)


This is something I made a little while ago, from some chicken we cooked in the crock pot. You can mix & match with veggies... and make it very interesting!

Chicken & Noodles Skillet
(Betty Crocker)


1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 Pound chicken breasts, chopped
1 Medium onion, chopped
2 Cup veggies
1 Cup uncooked egg noddles
14 Ounce chicken broth
10.75 Ounce condensed cream of chicken soup
Parsley

Instructions: In a 12" nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Cook chicken and onion in oil for 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until browned and onion is just tender.
Stir in remaining ingredients except parsley. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer 5-8 minutes longer, stirring occassionally, until chicken is no longer pink in center and noodles are tender. Sprinkle with parsley.

Serves: 4
Serving Size: 1 1/4 cup
Prep Time: 40
Cook Time: 40
Total Time: 40