Recipe: Stuffed Pepper Soup

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Stuff you need:

Crockpot - (I have a 6 quart)

6 boxes of Campbells / V8 Sweet Red Pepper soup (yes, just like wine, soup comes in boxes too!)
1 package of Uncle Ben's 90 second white rice
1 package of Uncle Ben's 90 second wild and long grain rice
2 lbs of ground turkey, chicken, beef, or pork (I used turkey)
2 packages of taco seasoning, any brand
1 can of Hunts Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Garlic
1 can Glory Foods Field Peas & Snaps (any brand would do - I use this one b/c it's southern seasoned and I'm southern)

garlic salt*
red pepper flakes***
paprika****
black pepper
minced onion flakes (or dice up an onion - I don't like to, because they really irritate my eyes.)

What you do with it:
1.  Brown the meat.  Once it's how you like it, add the taco seasoning packets.  Stir it up till it's all combined and the seasoning isn't powdery anymore. 
2.  Microwave the rice by following package directions.  (Don't try to microwave both packets at once - trust me)
3.  Dump meat, rice, tomatoes, and peas in crock pot and stir it up. Make sure you break up any rice lumps.  (Add the chunky stuff first - it's easier to stir this way.)
4.  Add all boxes of sweet red pepper soup.  (You may need less or more of them, depending on crock pot size)
5.  Add garlic salt, red pepper flakes, onion, paprika, and black pepper to taste.  Or just do what I did and shake a bunch of each into the pot and call it good. LOL

Crock pot it for 4 hours on high, then either eat or stick in fridge.  It's already cooked, but crock potting it makes it all combine and plus the house smells yummy.  The consistancy comes out pretty thick - it's more like a chili than a soup with broth. 

* I normally don't like garlic salt, but I discovered I was out of garlic at midnight and had no desire to go out and get more.  There's garlic in the tomatoes, but I like my stuff really garlicy.
*** Maybe it's just me, but I've found that I can't taste the heat from these when I first put them in the mix, so don't taste it, think it's not there, and then go crazy dumping it in unless you like a lot of fire in your food.  I do, so I put maybe four tablespoons in.  But a little goes a long way, so keep tasting it over the 4 hours and add as needed.   
****I have no idea why I included this - it was in the cupboard and it seemed like a good idea. 

Recipe: Pumpkin Pie Dip

Pumpkin Pie Dip

Fun for parties!

8 oz (1 package) cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioners sugar
15 oz (1 can) pumpkin
1/2 cup sour cream
1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 heaped teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 heaped teaspoon ground ginger


1. Combine all ingredients.
2. Enjoy with cookies, such as gingersnaps.

Makes ~ 4 cups

Recipe: Simple Peanut Butter Fudge

Simple Peanut Butter Fudge

Think fudge is complicated? Think again!

2 pounds (1 bag) confectioners sugar
4 sticks butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups peanut butter


1. Knead all ingredients together until spreadable.
2. Spread into 9x13 pan.
3. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Eat.

Recipe: No Bake Chex Mix Chocolate Pecan Nom-Noms

No Bake Chex Mix Chocolate Pecan Nom-Noms

Decadent, rich, gooey, and oh so sinful!

1/2 cup pecans
2 cups Chex Mix Cereal - I use Corn Chex, but you can use whichever you want
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons heavy cream
pinch of salt
1 ounce semi-sweet chocolate chips

**This recipe works best when used with mini cupcake pans, OR cake pop pans (round ones, not "cavity" ones)

1. Toast pecans for about 5 minutes. Cool. Chop.
2. Toss pecans and cereal in large bowl.
3. Melt butter, cane syrup, heavy cream and salt and bring to boil, stirring until it comes together loosely in the middle of the pan and gets a little thick. Takes about 5 minutes.
4. Once the mix stops bubbling, add chocolate. Melt.
5. Pour mix over cereal and nuts and mix until thoroughly coated.
6. Scoop mixture into mini cupcake or cake pop pans. If using cake pop pans, you will be using each pan separately - not closing them together.
7. Set for 1 hour.
8. Carefully remove from pans and place on patter/plate/who cares because you're just going to nom them.

Recipe: Gluten Free Blackberry Walnut Sticky Buns

Gluten Free Blackberry Walnut Sticky Buns

What you'll need:

Topping:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus a little more for greasing
1 cup blackberries
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup packed, dark brown sugar
3/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Buns:

Gluten Free Bisquick Mix (you will need 3 eggs, milk, and shortening)
2 cups blackberries, halved
sugar
cinnamon
brown sugar
gluten free flour for "rolling"


Directions:

Grease 12-cup (or two 6-cup) muffin tins with butter. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.


Make topping:

1. Combine 1 cup blackberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1 tablespoon lemon in a bowl. Let it soak/sit for 30 minutes. (For the lemon juice, I used fresh - buy one large lemon and cut in half, squeeze into a tablespoon, fishing out seeds as necessary.)

2. After 30 minutes, mash it up. You could use a fork, or you could get creative like me and use a retro glass. Strain the juice into a small bowl and throw away (or eat?) the solids.

3. Melt 5 tablespoons butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, add blackberry juice (from step 2), and stir until smooth and a little thick.

4. Divide into the muffin cups.

5. Add coarsely chopped walnuts.

6. Set aside.


For the buns:

1. Follow the directions on the package to make gluten free Bisquick biscuits.

2. Roll the dough out onto a floured flat surface. This is the fun and messy part. If you've worked with this dough at all, you know it doesn't really roll all that well. So, flour a flat surface, like a cutting board, and sort of spread the dough out with your fingers. Thickness doesn't really matter, you just want flat.

3. Sprinkle sugar, cinnamon, and brown sugar over the dough.

4. Sprinkle the halved blackberries onto the dough.

5. With your fingers, scoop up equal parts of the dough, roll it up to sort of form biscuit like balls, and put into the muffin cups.

6. Place the muffin tins onto cookie sheets, and bake for 16 minutes. (Always double-check doneness with a cake tester inserted into the center.)

See that spillage? That's the reason for the cookie sheet!

7. To remove from muffin pan, a serving spoon works best. The "buns" will seem mushy at first but they're definitely not. Plate them upside down, so the gooey nut mixture is on top.

Now, once you cut into one - and I do recommend a fork because, as with most gluten free things, these are crumbly - you might think, based on appearance, that these will taste biscuit-like, but I can assure you - they don't! They're ooey gooey good!!

Recipe: No Bake Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

No Bake Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

So simple to make, but they look so elegant!

Strawberries
1 tub extra creamy whip cream
8 ounces (1 package) cream cheese, softened
1 1/5 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 packet cheesecake flavored pudding filling

1. Wash strawberries. Cut out the stem, leaving a hole for filling. Dry thoroughly.
2. Fold together whipped cream and pudding mix until blended.
3. Slowly add cream cheese and vanilla. Mix until blended and smooth.
4. Spoon filling into strawberries. (You can also use a pastry bag or a freezer bag with the corner snipped)

Enjoy!

Recipe: Tomato Basil Soup

There's nothing like this rich, creamy soup on a chilly night!

3 cans diced tomatoes
1 quart tomato juice
3 tablespoons dried basil
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup butter*

1. Place tomatoes and juice in pot and simmer 30 minutes.
2. Puree mixture. I use a stick blender, but you can transfer to an actual blender if you trust yourself not to spill hot tomatoes everywhere. Add basil.
3. Return to medium heat. DO NOT BOIL.
4. Stir in heavy cream and butter. Keep stirring until butter is melted.

Add salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with shredded cheese if desired.

*You can use something like I Can't Believe it's Not Butter to cut down fat/calories, but if you want the rich taste, use butter!

Recipe: Alfredo Sauce

Once you try this, you'll never go back to the jar stuff again! It's quick and simple but oh so yummy!

1/4 cup butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1. Melt butter over med/low heat.
2. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly, heating through.
4. Add parsley.

Enjoy!