Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Oh, Broccoli! You are either liked or not. Oh, Broccoli! Even Presidents have declared they will not eat you. Don't worry little broccoli since you are welcome at our house. We don't always eat you raw. We refuse to eat you frozen. However, we will always eat you in this soup.

It is surprising that sometimes my husband will ask for a certain dish especially if the dish contains vegetables. I guess it helps when the dish calls for milk and cheese. It is creamy and a mild soup. It is a nice fall meal. When I made this dish, I think my son enjoyed the oyster crackers more since I could only see a little bit of the soup. He said he really liked the soup very much. My daughters and niece really liked it. I recommend making this soup any time of the week since it is pretty easy.

Broccoli Cheese Soup
6 oz. butter
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup all purpose flour
4 cups milk (I used skim since it is what I keep in the house)
2 cups half and half
4 heads of broccoli, cut into tiny pieces
salt and pepper for taste
3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. 
2. Add the diced onion and garlic and saute for about 4 minutes.
3. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir to combine.
4. Cook for 1 minute before adding the milk.
5. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes.
6. Add the broccoli and a small dash of salt and pepper.
7. Cover and reduce the heat to low.
8. Allow the soup to simmer for about 20 minutes.
9. Stir in 2 cups of the cheese and allow the cheese to melt.
10. Add additional salt and pepper if needed.
11. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with additional cheese and oyster crackers if desired.

Recipe adapted from Ree Drummond.

Did you already know...
-California grows almost 90% of the nations broccoli.
-1/2 cup of broccoli counts as a serving of vegetables.
-Broccoli has only 15 calories per a serving.
-The Italian word for broccoli is broccoli.

White Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

I recently had to purchase some textbooks for my oldest daughter. My son was watching and asked how it worked. I told him I paid the bill online. He said, "What?" So, I repeated that I paid the bill online. He looked at me and said, "They mysteriously take your money?" It really feels like it. My daughter will be happy when all of her textbooks arrive.

Well, I have started making muffins again for breakfast before school. My daughter's favorite muffin is blueberries if you couldn't tell. I have made To die for blueberry muffins. I have made Baking Illustrated's Blueberry Muffins just to name a few. Sometimes the muffins are very good the first day and not so much the second. When I saw Our Favorite Blueberry Muffin on the King Arthur website, well I had to try them. I will say these muffins are good. They taste just as good the next day which is the goal of making the muffins besides making my youngest daughter happy. I can say they are my youngest daughter's favorite.

White Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins
6 Tbsp butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups blueberries, fresh
1 Tbsp sugar for the topping

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each egg.
5. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
6. Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and beat well.
7. Stir in the milk and vanilla extract. Mix only until smooth.
8. Fold in the berries. 
9. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 to almost full.
10. Sprinkle the top of the batter with sugar.
11. Bake the muffins for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown.
12. Place the muffin tin on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
13. Remove the muffins and allow to completely cool on the wire rack.

Yields 12 muffins. Recipe adapted from King Arthur website. 
One year ago, I posted....Ultimate Streusel Cake.

Did you already know...
-It is estimated about twenty million students are attending American colleges and universities this fall. 
-57% of the students are women.
-In the last year, the average student spent over $600 on course materials.

Mussels

At our farmers market, you can purchase vegetables, cheese, baked goods, and seafood. Seafood? Can you tell we live near the coast? Normally, there are several vendors who provide free samples. One of these samples are mussels. My son loves them. He tries to get me to purchase him a bushel all the time. Occasionally, I will break down and buy them.

I am not a fan of mussels but I have no problem cooking them up. If you like mussels, you really need to make this recipe. It always smells so good. 

Wild Mussel Recipe
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
3 cloves of garlic
1 shallot, chopped
1/4 cup fresh herbs (I used basil, parsley, chives, and oregano)
1/2 cup Riesling wine
2 lbs. mussels, rinsed (throw away any open mussels)

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the butter to the pot and saute until melted.
3. Add the garlic, onion, and the herbs. Saute for about 4-5 minutes.
4. Add the wine and bring to a boil.
5. Add the mussels to the pot and cover.
6. Cook until the mussels opened about 5 to 10 minutes.
7. Cook for about 3 more minutes after the mussels have opened. 
8. Pour the mussels with the broth into a large serving dish.
9. Serve with crusty bread. 
10. Use the broth for dipping the bread and mussels.

Receipe adapted from Blue Dragon Mussels Wagon.

Did you already know...
-Mussels can live to be 50 years old.
-Male mussels have pale white meat while a female has an orange color.
-Wild mussels have a bluish black shell with white erosion spots and maybe barnacles. Cultured mussels will have a shiny bluish black shell.

PB Brownies

When I am really tired, I have a bad habit of calling people by the wrong name. Normally, it is no big deal. I have on occasion called all of my children by their sibling's name. The children just answer me. They do not even correct me. I have even introduced myself by the wrong name once. I don't even realize I did it. The problem comes when I call my husband by the wrong name. Well, the other night I happen to call my husband by my brother in laws name. Without correcting me, he just answered, "Sweetie, you can call me by any name you want as long as you continue to cook this good!"

One of the recipes my husband was referring to are these brownies. They are dense and chocolatey with the added bonus of peanut butter. These brownies have been requested again. They were gone fast. My oldest daughter ate one and she was in heaven even if I recently called her by my sister's name.

Peanut Butter Marbled Brownies
Peanut Butter Layer:
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 Tbsp milk
Chocolate Layer:
1 cup butter, melted
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 Tbsp milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
3. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 egg, and 2 Tbsp milk until smooth. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, 2 cups sugar, and vanilla. 
5. To the melted butter mixture, add the eggs one at a time. Beat well after each egg. 
6. In another medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. 
7. Combine the flour mixture to the melted butter mixture.
8. Remove 1/2 cup of the chocolate batter.
9. Stir 1 Tbsp milk to the 1/2 cup of the chocolate batter. Set aside.
10. To the remaining chocolate batter, fold in the chocolate chips.
11. Spread the chocolate chip batter into the greased baking pan.
12. Spread the peanut butter filling over the top.
13. Drop the reserved chocolate batter by spoonful over the peanut butter filling.
14. Using a knife, gently swirl the topping layer for a marbled effect.
15. Bake the brownies for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out almost clean.
16. Allow the brownies to cool completely before slicing into bars.

Recipe adapted from Lick the Bowl Good.

1 year ago post...Snow White Vanilla Birthday Cake

Did you already know...
-About 540 peanuts were used to make a 12 oz. jar of peanut butter.
-60% of consumers prefer creamy peanut butter or chunky.
-In the U.S., peanut butter is the leading use for peanuts.

Chocolate Caramel Shortbread

So, I made the shortbread cookies and had a few left over. Alright, I hid them so I could make this recipe. They are chewy and sweet.

I preferred the shortbread cookies without the additional toppings. Now, I will admit I don't care for chocolate chip pancakes or muffins. My youngest daughter and husband loved them. I think they are easier to eat after you make them. To me, they do not taste like a candy bar.

Chocolate Caramel Shortbread Cookies
20 Shortbread cookies
20 pieces of caramel candies
1 Tbsp milk
3 oz. semi sweet chocolate
3 oz. white chocolate

Directions:

1. Place a piece of foil underneath a wire baking rack to save on clean up.
2. Spread out the shortbread cookies on a wire rack.
3. In a microwave bowl, microwave the caramel and milk for 1 1/2 minutes.
4. Stir the caramel and microwave the caramel for another 30 seconds or until the caramels are melted.
5. Spread the caramel over the top of the shortbread cookies.
6. In a double boiler, melt the chocolates.
7. Spread the chocolates on top of the caramels.
8. Allow the bars to sit until cooled before serving.

Recipe adapted from Food & Family magazine Fall 2012.

Did you already know...
-In 1967, the American company Mars Inc. introduced the Twix candy bar to the United Kingdom with the name of Raider.
-In 1979, the Twix candy bar was introduced to the U.S.
-The Twix bar was invented by Forrest Mars Sr.