Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup

There's nothing quite like a hot bowl of soup on chilly winter days.  I have long loved Broccoli Cheese Soup, but I might not be making it as often now that I've found this Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup recipe.  The broccoli-cheesy flavor combined with the chunkiness of potatoes, carrots and celery is definite comfort food fit for snowy days.  I think the bacon could even be omitted and I would still enjoy every bite of this soup just as much.

Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup

Notes: I may omit the bacon next time I make this.  I think with all the other flavors and textures I wouldn't miss it.  Also, I substituted about 1 teaspoon of regular mustard for the dried mustard since I didn't have any dried on hand.  It worked fine.

Update Jan 2015: I still really enjoy this soup.  I cut down the cheese to 10 oz. and thought it was still just as delicious.  Next time I might try going down to 8 oz.

Ingredients:

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup peeled carrots, sliced thinly

1 cup celery, sliced thinly

3 cups peeled potatoes, diced fairly small

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

4-5 cups broccoli crowns, diced small (about 2 heads of broccoli)

4-6 slices bacon, chopped (optional)

3 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup flour

3 cups milk

3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 12 ounces)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon dried mustard

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, combine the chicken broth, carrots, celery, potatoes and onion.  Bring the mixture to a boil, cover and simmer 10 minutes, until the vegetables are starting to get tender. 

2. Add the chopped broccoli.  Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes.  

3. If using the bacon, in a separate medium saucepan, saute the bacon until golden and crisp.  Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.  Drain the grease and wipe out the saucepan.  

4. In the same medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes until golden, stirring constantly.  Gradually whisk in the milk and cook until the mixture is bubbling and is slightly thickened, 5-7 minutes.  

5. Stir in the cheddar cheese one handful at a time, stirring to melt each additional handful before adding the next.  Stir in the salt, pepper and dry mustard.  

6. Slowly stir the cheese sauce into the hot broth and vegetables, whisking to combine well.  Add additional salt and pepper to taste.  If you want the soup a bit thinner, stir in additional broth or milk a bit at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.  Garnish with the bacon if desired.

Source: slightly adapted from melskitchencafe.com

Cranberry Nut Tart

My fall/winter baking season isn't quite complete unless this tart makes its annual appearance.  While the tart has a slightly fancy feel to it, this recipe comes together very quickly.  For dessert it could be served with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.  But I think it works great without any adornment as festive and delicious breakfast or brunch fare.

Either walnuts or pecans work great in this recipe, depending on your preference or what you have on hand.  If I had to choose, I would say I prefer walnuts, but I love it both ways.

Cranberry Nut Tart
Ingredients:
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, melted, plus additional for pan
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
Brown sugar to sprinkle on top
Vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream, if desired for serving

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 325 degrees with rack in center.  Spread nuts on a baking pan.  Bake until fragrant, about 7 minutes.  (Watch carefully so they don't burn.)  Transfer nuts to a bowl; set aside to cool.

2. Brush a pie plate or ceramic tart pan with melted butter to coat the insides evenly.  In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and flour (batter will be thick).  Stir in cranberries and 3/4 cup nuts.

3. Pour batter into pan.  Sprinkle top with reserved nuts and 2-3 tablespoons of brown sugar.  Bake until golden and slightly crusty on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes.  Transfer to a cooling rack.  Serve with vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream, if desired.  It is best eaten within a day.

Source: slightly adapted from a recipe given to me by my mom, via her friend, Laurie A.

Pecan Snowball Cookies

There are two types of cookies that stand out in my memory as being traditional on Christmas Eve-kolachy and these nut snowball cookies.  December 24th would find us standing around my Grandma's dining room table while eating a cucumber cream cheese bread appetizer and talking to relatives.  At some point someone would pull out a container of these nut cookies.  Some were shaped into balls and some in crescent shapes.  They are a little messy to eat because of the coating of powdered sugar, but the snowy white appearance is part of the charm of having these cookies at Christmas time.

I am posting two recipes for these nut cookies.  One is from the Cook's Illustrated Cookbook and is a little finicky, calling for superfine sugar and the use of a food processor.  I am also going to include a simpler recipe given to me by a friend.  I have not made her recipe, but have enjoyed her cookies and they are also delicious.

Pecan (or Walnut) Snowball Cookies
Yield: Makes about 48 small cookies
If you do not have superfine sugar, process granulated sugar in a food processor for 30 seconds.  If you make these cookies ahead, roll them again in confectioners' sugar before serving.
Ingredients:
2 cups (8 ounces) pecans or walnuts, chopped fine
2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) superfine sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (6 ounces) confectioners' sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

2. Whisk 1 cup chopped nuts, flour, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.  Process remaining 1 cup chopped nuts in food processor until they are the texture of coarse cornmeal, 10 to 15 seconds (do not overprocess).  Stir nuts into flour mixture and set aside.

3. With an electric mixer, beat together butter and superfine sugar at medium-low speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add vanilla and mix.  Add flour mixture and beat on low speed until dough is cohesive, about 20-25 seconds.  Do not overbeat.

4.  Working with 1 tablespoon of dough at a time, roll into balls.  If the snowball shape is desired, place dough balls on baking sheets.  If crescent shapes are desired, roll each ball between your palms into a rope that measures 3 inches long.  Place ropes on prepared baking sheets and turn up ends to form a crescent shape.  Bake until tops of cookies are pale golden and bottoms are just beginning to brown, 17 to 19 minutes, switching and rotating pans halfway through baking.

5. Let cookies cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes.  Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature.  Place confectioners' sugar in a pie plate or shallow bowl.  Working with 3 or 4 cookies at a time, roll cookies in powdered sugar to coat thoroughly; gently shake off excess.

Source: adapted from Cook's Illustrated Cookbook recipe for "Nut Crescent Cookies"

Pecan Snowball Cookies
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus additional for coating baked cookies
1 teaspoon vanilla


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

2. Mix together flour, salt and pecans.  Set aside.

3. Blend together butter and powdered sugar.  Add vanilla and blend.  Mix in flour mixture just until incorporated.

4. Roll into balls (or shape into crescents) and place on baking sheets.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.

5. After cookies are cooled to room temperature, place about 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a ziploc bag.  Place a few cookies at a time in the bag and shake to coat with powdered sugar.

Source: adapted from my friend, Yvette

Pecan Icebox Cookies

Last year a kind neighbor brought over some cookies around Christmas time that her and her son had made and decorated.  One of the varieties included were these Pecan Icebox Cookies.  I begged her for the recipe, which she graciously shared.  I'm so glad, because these are some of my favorite cookies now.  They are buttery, nutty and crunchy.  I store them in the freezer and love to pull a couple out to have with hot chocolate on cold winter nights. 

Pecan Icebox Cookies

Yield: about 75 small cookies

Ingredients:

4 cups flour

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. In a small bowl stir together the flour, cream of tartar and baking soda.

2. In a large bowl cream together the butter and brown sugar.  Beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Add the eggs and vanilla and beat another 2 minutes.  Add the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.  Stir in the chopped pecans.

3. Shape into three logs and wrap in saran wrap.  Chill about 3 hours or overnight.  

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking pans with parchment paper or silicone liners.  Slice dough to make 1/4-inch cookies.  Place on cookie sheet about 1-2 inches apart.  Bake for 11-14 minutes or until light golden brown.  (The cookies should firm up as they cool.  If they are still too soft after cooling for a few minutes, return to the oven for 2-3 minutes.)  Cool for 5-10 minutes on cookie sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Source: adapted from my friend, Jen

Thick and Chewy Triple Chocolate Cookies

When I want a "death by chocolate" cookie recipe, this is it.  With cocoa powder, chocolate chips and a whole pound of melted chocolate, these cookies are packed with dark chocolate flavor.  These also keep quite well in the freezer.  These cookies can be a bit expensive to make if you buy a pound of baking chocolate bars from the grocery store.  I've started using Trader's Joe's Pound Plus bars for baking.  They run about $5 for just over a pound.  Dutch-processed cocoa is also pretty expensive.  I compromise and buy the Hershey's "Special Dark" baking cocoa, which is a mix of natural and Dutch-processed cocoa.

Thick and Chewy Triple-Chocolate Cookies
Yields about 40-50 cookies
Ingredients:
2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) Dutch-processed or regular cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed (10 1/2 ounces) light brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl; set aside.

2. Microwave chocolate at 50 percent power for 2 minutes.  Stir chocolate and continue heating until melted, stirring every additional 30 seconds; set aside to cool slightly.  Whisk eggs and vanilla in small bowl.

3. Beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar at medium speed until combined, about 45 seconds; mixture will look granular.  Reduce speed to low, gradually add egg mixture, and mix until incorporated, about 45 seconds.  Add melted chocolate in steady stream and mix until combined, about 40 seconds.  Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  Do not overbeat.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until consistency is scoopable and fudgelike, about 30 minutes.  While dough is resting, adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners.

4.  Working with about 2 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll into balls and place about 1 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.

5.  Bake until edges of cookies have just begun to set but centers are still very soft, about 10 minutes, switching and rotating the sheets halfway through baking.  Let cookies cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes; transfer cookies to wire rack and let cool to room temperature.

Source: Cook's Illustrated Cookbook and melskitchencafe.com

Monster Cookies

One of the wonderful things about growing up in the Midwest was the presence of monster cookies in my life.  I grew up loving them.  I am a big chocolate-peanut butter fan, but throw in some oats and M&Ms and I couldn't be happier.  My high school cafeteria sold freshly baked monster cookies, packaged up in pairs.  I often splurged and bought them when word got out that they had warm ones for sale up at the counter.  

You can imagine my shock and dismay when I discovered that my husband  (who did not grow up in the Midwest) had never heard of these favorite cookies of mine.  These are probably the cookies I bake the most, so I am working hard to make up for all the years he lived without monster cookies in his life.  

Although I have seen monster cookie recipes that contain some flour, this particular recipe does not.  The result is a chewy cookie packed full of peanut butter and oaty-flavor.  One thing I love about this recipe is that it makes a very large batch, perfect for freezing.  I love having some on hand in the freezer to pull out when I'm taking a meal to a new mom, need to bring cookies to an event, or just for a little dessert at home.  And one of my favorite ways to enjoy these cookies is straight from the freezer with a little ice cream sandwiched in between.

Monster Cookies
Yield: about 50-60 cookies
Note: I think the cookies with the most M&Ms on top are the most sought-after, so I press 2-3 additional M&Ms on top of each cookie before baking to make sure each one looks great.
Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 oz. creamy peanut butter
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, softened
1 cup M&Ms
1 cup chocolate chips
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars.  Mix well.  Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter and butter.  Mix until creamy and well combined.  Stir in the M&Ms, chocolate chips, baking soda and oatmeal.  Mix well.  Roll the dough into tablespoon-sized balls (or use a cookie scoop) and place 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.  Flatten cookies slightly with the palm of your hand.

3. Bake for 8-12 minutes.  Do not overbake-the cookies should be just set and very lightly golden around the edges.  Let the cookies cool  for 1-2 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.  Store in an airtight container for 2 days or place in freezer bags and freeze.

Source: adapted from a Paula Deen recipe on foodnetwork.com and melskitchencafe.com

Slow Cooker Stuffing

The last couple of years I have made homemade stuffing that was too dry for our tastes.  This year we decided to give this slow cooker recipe a try, and we really liked it.  I'm so excited to be able to prepare the stuffing early in the day and not have to worry about it while preparing the turkey.  My slow cookers have typically gotten a break on Thanksgiving, but I think that will be changing!

After eating Thanksgiving dinner and dessert, I was very curious to know how many sticks of butter I had used in total in preparing the meal.  This recipe definitely added to the count, but at least Thanksgiving only happens once a year.

Slow Cooker Stuffing
Note: Next year I may double this recipe because we like Thanksgiving leftovers!  I think this recipe would be very adaptable with different add-ins to suit different tastes (my husband wants to try raisins and walnuts).  Also, check occasionally during cooking to see if the edges have started to burn.  Once the stuffing reaches 160 degrees, the eggs have reached a safe temperature and the slow cooker can be turned to the "keep warm" setting if desired.  Ours was starting to burn around the edges after being cooked for less than four hours, and it had already passed 160 degrees.
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
2 cups chopped onion
2 cups chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
12 cups bread cubes (Italian or French bread works well)
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2-2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth (if you use store-bought bagged bread cubes, they will be drier and likely need more liquid)
2 eggs, beaten

Directions:
1. The night before preparing the stuffing, cut up the bread into 1-inch cubes.  Spread on a baking sheet in a single layer and allow to dry out overnight.

2. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Stirring frequently, cook onion, celery, and parsley in the butter until the vegetables have begun to soften.

3. Spoon cooked vegetables over the bread cubes in a very large mixing bowl.  Season with poultry seasoning, sage, thyme, marjoram, salt and pepper.  Pour in enough broth to moisten, and mix in the eggs.  Transfer the mixture to a slow cooker.

4. Cover and cook on high for 45 minutes, then reduce heat to low.  Cook for 4-8 hours on low (see note above).

Source: adapted from allrecipes.com