Broccoli Cheese Soup

My husband is the first person to rally against vegetables. Maybe you have seen him in our front yard with a sign shouting "No more vegetables! No more vegetables!" So, it surprises me when he kept ordering broccoli soup in restaurants the past couple of weeks. I asked him if he would just want me to make some for him. He told me it would be nice. My oldest daughter told me this is the best broccoli soup she has ever had.

Broccoli Cheese Soup
2 lbs. broccoli
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
2 Tbsp butter
1 shallot (about 1 Tbsp)
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
2 cups milk (I used skim milk)
4 oz. fontina cheese, grated
8 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
4 cups chicken broth

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to broil.
2. Arrange the broccoli on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil.
3. Season the broccoli with salt and pepper.
4. Broil for 5 minutes and remove. 
5. Turn the broccoli pieces over and broil for another 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn the broccoli. Set aside to cool.
6. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat.
7. Add the shallot and stir for about 1 minutes.
8. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute.
9. Whisk in the the milk.
10. Add the cheese and stir until melted.
11. Stir in the chicken broth and turn down the heat to low. 
12. Add the roasted broccoli pieces and stir. 
13. Allow the soup to simmer for 10 minutes and serve.

Recipe adapted from Katy's Kitchen.

One year ago.....................I made Lemon Tassies.

Did you already know...................
-Broccoli belongs to the cabbage family.
-The word broccoli derives from the Latin word (brachium) and Italian word (braccio) that means arm.
-1 cup of broccoli has the same amount of Vitamin C as 1 orange.

Macaroni and Cheese

To save time and hassle, I pick out my children's clothes for the week. I line them up on top of their dresser. Then they just have to put it on and head to school. My youngest daughter doesn't always like my combination so she will switch it. My son just doesn't think about it. Well, I hadn't realized but I had inadvertently placed his sister's pants in his pile. He wore her pants all day to school. When I arrived home from work, I noticed the hearts on the jean's pocket. So I asked, "Why are you wearing your sisters pants?" He took them off looked at them and put them back on. Then he replied, "Because you gave them to me to wear." True it was my fault. However,  I had to ask him, "After knowing that you are wearing your sister's pants, why are you continuing to wear them?" "Because they look good on me," my son replied. He looked like a male country singer in tight jeans. I will admit that his shirt did cover up the hearts on the pockets. Every since, I have been careful on sorting the kids clothes. 

Macaroni and Cheese
12 oz. package of macaroni noodels
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 cups milk (I used skim.)
1 Tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cups Fontina, grated
1 cup Parmesan, grated
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Grease a 13x9 glass baking dish with butter. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the Fontina, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheese. Set aside. 
In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil before adding the noodles. Cook the noodles for about 5 minutes so it is still al dente. 
In a large bowl, whisk the heavy cream, milk, flour, salt, and pepper.
Stir in half of the cheese mixture to the milk mixture.
Drain the noodles and add the hot noodles to the milk mixture. Toss to coat.
Transfer the noodles to the baking dish. 
Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the noodles.
Bake the macaroni and cheese for about 20 to 25 minutes. The cheese should be melted and browned on top.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis.

One year ago........................I made Tiramisu with homemade Ladyfingers.

Did you already know..........
-Giada De Laurentiis was born in Rome, Italy.
-She is the granddaughter of film producer Dino De Laurentiis.
-After receiving her anthropology degree at UCLA, Giada De Laurentiis attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.

Bacon Fontina Panini Sandwich

What is your favorite go to meal when you have to make supper in a hurry? My first choice is pizza but for some reason the rest of my family think we shouldn't eat pizza every night. Well, I agree since I think we should have it for breakfast and lunch too with the occasional bowl of cereal. However, they would have no problems if we had sandwiches every day. When I make sandwiches, I like to change it up. Some days it is just a cold sandwich. Other days I use the broiler to toast the sandwich. Then there is always the grilled cheese. Why make a grilled cheese when it is even faster to use a panini press, right? Except if you decide to add caramelized onions to your sandwich, then it will take a little extra time. It was worth it.

Bacon Fontina Panini Sandwich
5 pieces of bacon
3 tsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced thin
10 slices of smoked deli ham
5 slices of Fontina cheese
10 slices of crusty bread like french bread
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

Directions:

1. In a skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat. Set aside.
2. Wipe out the pan and add 2 tsp of oil to the skillet.
3. After a minute, add the onion and saute every few minutes for 20 minutes. Set aside.
4. Brush the panini press with the remaining oil (or add to your skillet the oil).
5. Butter two sides of the bread with the butter.
6. On the unbuttered side of one slice of bread, add one slice of cheese, bacon, two slices of ham. 
7. Top the ham with the caramelized onion. 
8. Place the unbuttered side of the bread on top of the onions.
9. Set the assembled sandwich on the panini press and close (or in the skillet), and cook for a few minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.

One year ago.............................I made Nutella Hot Chocolate.

Sometimes onions are messy to eat!

Did you already know...............
-Fontina is a creamy, semi soft cheese.
-There are different types of fontina cheese like Italian, Swedish, or Danish.
-Fontina is a versatile cheese and can be eaten with fruit or cooked in a dish.