Butternut Squash Soup

I know half of my sisters are disgusted/turning their nose up at the idea of using squash as the main ingredient or any ingredient for that matter in a meal. I promise you this is SO good, you won't even know it is squash when you taste how good this soup is. Come on, try it, you will LOVE it! Perfect time of year to make this nice, warm, fall soup!

Butternut Squash Soup

1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Olive oil
2 14 oz cans chicken broth
1 butternut squash, peeled and seeded and cut into 2 inch chunks
2 cups half and half
Salt and pepper
Sour cream
Green onions, chopped
Bacon, cooked and chopped

Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until transparent in a large pot. Add 1 can chicken broth and squash. Cover and steam until squash is tender, about 20 minutes. Blend contents together in blender. Return to pot. Add cream and chicken broth to thin to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, green onions, and bacon sprinkled over top.

Fresh Herb Roasted Chicken

I saw this being made on an HGTV show. All the fresh herbs and the lemon looked like such a good combination, I had to give it a go. There was no specific recipe so I guessed on amounts. The flavor was AMAZING. The most fragrant chicken I ever ate. The only disappointment...a little dry...so I won't tell you what temp or how long to roast, but totally worth following this prep if you know better cooking times. Can anyone make suggestions for that-Lyns, I know you make whole chickens now and again?

Fresh Herb Roasted Chicken with Vegetables

Zest of 1 lemon, lemon quartered
2 large cloves garlic, minced
Fresh sage
Fresh rosemary
Fresh thyme
Olive oil
Whole chicken
Salt
Pepper
Carrots, sliced in half and chopped to 2 inch chunks
Potatoes- red and gold, sliced in half

Process the lemon zest, garlic, sage, rosemary, and thyme in a mini food processor. Then add enough olive oil until a thick paste is reached. Spread underneath the skin of the chicken. Fill the cavity with quartered lemon and extra herbs. Place potatoes, sliced side down in pan and throw carrots in over top. Place a rack over pan for chicken, then roast. The chicken drippings give the potatoes and carrots underneath a great flavor.

Raspberry Buttercream

This is a SUPER yummy frosting recipe. Asher and I read a book about construction trucks that made a cake. After reading it, he asked if we should make a cake. So we made cupcakes and frosted with raspberry buttercream. Delightful.

Raspberry Buttercream

½ cup soft butter
½ cup fresh raspberries
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt
16 oz. powdered sugar

Beat the butter, raspberries, and vanilla together until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar a little at a time beating in between.

Tortilla Soup- Make it your own

I found this recipe in a kids magazine article about kid friendly dinners. It is also adult friendly as Brent raves each time I make it about how good it is. Last time we had it he told me he could eat it every night for a week and not get sick of it. You make a soup base, then set out bowls of add ins so you can "make it your own" by putting what you want in it. Then of course you eat it with tortilla chips along the way...hense earning the given title.

Tortilla Soup- Make It Your Own

2 quarts chicken broth
2 cans corn, drained
1 cup mild salsa
Tomatoes, chopped
Avocado, diced
Cooked chicken breast, diced
Monterey Jack cheese, grated
Can black beans, drained and rinsed
Cilantro, chopped
Sour cream
Tortilla chips

Combine the broth, corn, and salsa. Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Prepare the “add-ins”- avocado, chicken, cheese, beans, cilantro, sour cream, and tortilla chips in individual bowls. Serve the soup then add in your “add-ins” of choice.

Chicken Pasta with Pesto Cream Sauce

Yes, that is a baby hand thieving the asparagus off my plate...who knew he would LOVE chewing on a few spears of asparagus! Got this recipe from a friend who is always creating good things in her kitchen.
Chicken and Asparagus Pasta with Pesto Cream Sauce

2 Tbsp butter
½ cup pesto
Cream
Salt
2 Chicken breasts, cooked and sliced
Bunch of Asparagus spears roasted (400° 5-12 minutes) cut into 1 inch pieces
½ lb pasta, cooked and drained
Shredded Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in large skillet. Add pesto. Thin with cream to sauce consistency. Add the chicken, asparagus, and pasta. Toss to coat evenly. Top with shredded Parmesan.

Aussie Chicken

I picked up this recipe dinner trading with dinner swap girls. It is GOO-OOD. Love the mushroom/bacon/cheese topper and then dipping in the honey mustard sauce...ya, GOO-OOD!

Aussie Chicken

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, pounded ½ inch thick
2 tsp. seasoning salt
6 slices bacon
½ cup mustard
½ cup honey
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp dried onion flakes
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup shredded Colby-Montery Jack cheese

Rub the chicken breasts with the seasoning salt, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°. Crisp bacon then chop it into small bits. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the mustard, honey, mayo, and dried onion flakes. Remove half of the sauce, refrigerate the other half. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Place the breast in the skillet and saute for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until browned. Remove from skillet and transfer to a 9x13 baking dish. Apply the honey mustard sauce to each breast, then layer each breast with mushrooms, bacon, then top with shredded cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and chicken juices run clear. Serve with reserved honey mustard sauce.

Classic Fetticini Alfredo

Brent and I have loved this easy classic for a while now. It is heavy and not very healthy so we don't have it very often. But when we do it is so good. I know you are underestimating the goodness of this one based on the plain looking pasta you see here in the picture...but give it a go at. So worth it.
Classic Fettuccine Alfredo

6 Tbsp butter
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
½ tsp. salt
Generous dash of ground white pepper
Generous dash of ground nutmeg
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese + more for serving
Fresh chopped parsley
¾ lb cooked fettuccine (linguini)

Place the butter and cream in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until butter melts and mixture bubbles. Cook and stir 2 more minutes. Stir in salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in cheese until thoroughly blended and smooth. Return to heat to completely melt cheese if needed (DO NOT let sauce boil or cheese will become lumpy and touch). Toss over pasta. Served with a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley and sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

Pork Chops with Raspberry Sauce

I got this recipe from one of the girls I used to dinner swap with during dental school. I just made it the other night and had completely forgotten how YUMMY these are. My chops were pretty thick and I cooked them right out of the fridge just like it says...the insides were still a bit pink and raw according the to the cooking time listed. Next time I will remember to set the chops out and cook them from room temp...I think it will cook perfectly that way.


Pork Chops with Raspberry Sauce

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried sage, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 (4 ounce) boneless pork loin chops
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). In a small bowl, combine crushed thyme, sage, salt, and pepper. Rub evenly over pork chops. Melt butter and olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Cook pork chops for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, turning once. Remove from skillet and keep warm in preheated oven. In the skillet, combine raspberry jam, orange juice, and vinegar. Bring to a boil, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until sauce is reduced to desired consistency (sauce will thicken as it cools). Serve pork chops drizzled with the raspberry sauce.

Chicken Enchiladas with Tomatillo Cream Sauce

Brent's Mom passed this recipe on to me. These suckers are delicious. I think it is the cream sauce (when does cream not make anything taste better?) that makes them so good. I know my pic isn't too appetizing. Sorry for that. This is on leftover night cause I forgot to take my pic the night I made them. It makes TONS. This will make you 2 9x13 pans. So half it or make some for your freezer. I just pulled a pan out of the freezer the other day. I thawed them out then baked them up. They were great. I admit, they are a bit labor intensive...but I promise your work pays off.
Chicken Enchiladas with Tomatillo Cream Sauce

3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 8 oz container sour cream
1 8 oz. package Monetary Jack cheese, shredded
1 onion, chopped
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic, chopped
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
24 6 inch corn tortillas
Tomatillo Cream Sauce
1 8 oz package Colby and Monetary Jack cheese blend, shredded
Sliced green onions, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two 13x9x2-inch baking dishes
In a large bowl, combine chicken and next 8 ingredients. Spoon 2 tablespoons chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Fold sides over, enclosing filling. Place filled tortillas, in a single layer, seam side down, in prepared baking dishes. Spoon Tomatillo Cream Sauce evenly over enchiladas. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Garnish with sliced green onions, if desired.

Tomatillo Cream Sauce

1 28 ounce can tomatillos, drained
1 14.5 ounce can chicken broth
1 4 ounce can chopped green chilies
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup heavy whipping cream

In a large skillet, combine tomatillos, broth, chilies, cumin, chili powder and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat: reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
Pour mixture into container of an electric blender or food processor. Pulse mixture several times until smooth. Return mixture to skillet; stir in cream and cook 2 min. on low.

Love Cookies (Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies)

So these are my all time favorite cookies EVER. I promise if you make them, you WILL NOT be disappointed. And if you are, you are lying to me. You might want to think about doubling this! If you are wondering about the "Love Cookie" name...dates back to when I lived in UT and used to make them for my siblings and cousins there when we had get togethers. Everyone "loved" them so much and I said it was because I baked every batch with "love"...so we referenced them as the Love Cookies. Thank you for reminding me, Lyns!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 Tbsp. soft butter
3 Tbsp. shortening
½ c. white sugar
½ c. dark brown sugar
½ c. peanut butter
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 ¼ c. flour
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ bag MILK chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375°. Cream the butter and sugars. Add the peanut butter and beat. Add the egg and vanilla and beat. Mix the flour, soda, and salt together in a separate bowl. Add and mix in the flour mixture little by little. Mix in the chocolate chips. Bake 8-11 minutes.

Chicken Pot Pie

• This is to die for! It's pretty easy to make and it's perfect for winter days. This is hearty and it warms you from the inside out. You must try!
• 
  
• Ingredients:
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 2/3 cup milk
•  
• 2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
2. In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water (don't be afraid to throw in a chicken bullion cube for some extra flavor!) to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside *** I baked my chicken instead of boiled it and I think that may have given the pot pie an extra kick because I could season the chicken.
3. In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown (brush with egg white for it to get nice and brown) and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Tomato and Basil Grilled Cheese

Olive Oil

Diced Garlic

Italian Bread

Tomato

Basil

Provolone or Mozzarella Cheese

Directions:

1. Sautee garlic in olive oil.

2. Lightly spread olive oil on the outside piece of bread and place olive oil side down in a pan set to medium heat.

3 Layer cheese, tomato, and basil on bread and top with another piece of bread which has also been spread lightly with olive oil.

4. Grill sandwhich until cheese is melted and bread is golden brown.

Tomato Soup
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup, undiluted
1 cup milk

Directions:
In a saucepan, saute onion in butter until tender. Add basil, paprika and garlic powder. Stir in soup and milk until well blended. Cook over medium heat for 6 minutes or until heated through.

Peanutbutter Buttercream

I made these "Peanut butter Whoopie Pies" (dumb name, I know) for a dessert open house. The peanut butter butter cream inside was to die for delicious and super easy...the cake-like chocolate cookie was good, but not to die for so I will just be sharing the buttercream recipe...unless one really wants the cookie recipe. This came from a Martha Stewart magazine a few years ago. I have been holing onto this recipe meaning to make it forever.

Ingredients

2/3 creamy peanut butter

8 TBSP butter

3/4 cup powdered sugar (+ up to 1/4 cup more)

Instructions

Cream the peanut butter and butter in electric mixer with paddle attachment on high speed. Switch to low and slowly mix in the 3/4 cup sugar until combined. Then beat on high speed until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes. (At this point I added a little more powdered sugar. It was still a little thinner than I wanted, I am sure due to the heat around here.)

Broiled Tilapia

Great recipe if you are wanting to start dabbling into seafood but you are a little nervous about it. Tilapia is pretty mild...might as well be chicken! JK-not really. I thought this was SUPER delicious. The lemon and basil make it really fresh and flavorful. This is a recipe I got from one of the girls (Megan) when we were doing our meal swap during dental school. Make sure you hold out for the browned top under the broiler after you put on the spread, gives nice flavor.

I halved this and spread it over 3 fillets, but I will leave the measurements big in case you are cooking more.

Ingredients
½ cup Parmesan cheese
¼ cup butter, softened
3 TBL mayonnaise
2 TBL fresh lemon juice
4 fresh big basil leaves chopped
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp celery salt
6-8 tilapia fillets

Instructions
Preheat oven broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise, and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder, and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.

Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2-3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Honey Wheat Sandwich Loaves

Honey Wheat Sandwich Loaves (Makes 2 loaves)
(Culinary Art Institute Home Baking Cookbook with some Lyndsey Changes)

I wanted something that I could make sandwiches with and have on hand all the time. I added an extra cup of Whole Wheat flour and cut down the cooking time and temp since I was getting burnt loaves.

3 Cups bread flour
2 cup whole wheat Flour
2 ½ tsp active dry yeast
2 cups whole or low-fat milk (Microwave 2 minutes until warm enough to activate yeast)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey
2 tsp Salt
Cooking spray for greasing
Egg wash (1 egg whisked with 2 tbsp cold milk for brushing)

Combine the flours and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the milk, oil, honey, and salt and mix on low speed until dough forms a shaggy but evenly moistened dough, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough feels satiny and elastic, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Fold the dough over on itself, pressing gently to release the gas. Turn it out onto a floured work surface and cut into 2 equal pieces. Round each pieces into a smooth ball, pulling the outer layer taut and pinching together the excess dough at the base of the ball. Place the dough seam sides down on a lightly floured work surface. Cover the dough and let rest until relaxes, about 20 minutes.Coat two 9-inch loaf pans lightly with cooking spray. Stretch each dough ball into 8 x 12-inch rectangle. Fold each short end of the rectangle 1 inch toward the center of the dough to keep the sides straight and the corners square. Fold a long edge into the center and use the heel of your hand to seal the edge of the dough. Fold the dough in half lengthwise and use your fingertips to seal the 2 edges together; keep the seams straight. The dough should be about 10 inches long. Roll the dough into a cylinder 12 inches long. Push the ends of the cylinder toward the center until it is 10 inches long and place seam side down into the loaf pan. Brush with egg wash.

Let the dough rise in a warm place, uncovered, until the pans are three-quarters full and the dough springs back slowly to the touch, 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375F

Bake until the loaves have a rich golden brown crust and the sides of the bread retain their structure when pressed, 30-45 minutes. Check at 30 minutes. Remove the bread from the pans immediately and let cool completely on wire racks before slicing and serving. (I know it is tempting but wait until it cools to slice it, you will ruin it!)

A-1 Pot Roast

2 10 ounce cans cream of mushroom

1 lipton onion packet

3/4 bottle A-1 Sauce (10 ounce size)

Roast (any cut works just fine, we generally use a chuck roast)

Place roast and all ingredients into a crock pot, you don't even have to mix them together. Place a piece of foil over the crock pot/under the lid. Cook on high for 3 hours, then flip the roast over, turn the heat to low and allow to cook 2 more hours. The meat will be super tender and really flavorful!

*This is not a very appetizing picture.... this is a 5 star recipe in my book!

Baked Ziti

Ingredients

• 1 pound dry ziti pasta
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
• 6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
• 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
2. In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, ricotta cheese, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.