April Monthly Menu

Wow, I can't believe it's already April. I can't wait for Spring to officially be here. It's been teasing us for the past couple of weeks and it's killing me! The other day it was in the mid 60's and today it snowed. Crazy weather here. My girls are so anxious to be outside. We've started taking walks to the park every relatively warm day we've had lately and I'll look forward to walks every day.

On to my monthly menu for April. I am STILL trying to clean out my freezer, well mostly my deep freeze now, because we just found out we're going to be moving at the end of the month. After 5 long months, we will finally get to close on our condo! Yeah, I'm pretty excited. So, in cleaning out my freezer I think I'm going to be making a lot of smoothies. I did a little inventory the other day and still found a bunch of apricots and raspberries! That's ok though, we've had smoothies for the past 3 days and love them.

I'm trying a few new things this month that will help me use up some of my frozen meat and I've also got some recipes that will help use up that holiday Easter ham.

Lunches
Pineapple Ham Pockets
Ham, Pear and Cheddar Panini
Chicken Meatball Subs

Dinners
Pecan Encrusted Chicken w/ Apple Salad and Peanut Butter dressing
Honey Curry Chicken w/coconut rice & sugar snap peas
Cranberry Chicken w/rice & broccoli
Lemon Poppy Chicken with Sweet Pea Couscous
Garlic Rosemary Roast Turkey Breast w/garlic mashed potatoes & green beans
Basil Chicken Burgers w/salad

Sweet and Sour Meatballs w/rice &
Fajitas and homemade refried beans
Spaghetti w/ salad
Homemade Pizza
Penne Pasta with Smoked Ham and Pepper Cream Sauce & sugar snap peas
Spring Risotto

Lentil Soup
White Bean Chili Verde w/ corn tortillas
Sweet Potato Corn Chowder
Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Other Goodies
Sour Cream Pound Cake with Lemon curd and fresh berries (hubby's b-day)
Blueberry Cheesecake Bread
Apple Walnut Bread

Pecan Crusted Tilapia with Butter Rum Sauce

I love fish. It is a great option for a quick weeknight meal, even if it's frozen. Tilapia is also great because it doesn't have a really fishy taste either. I don't usually use a recipe for fish, I usually just throw on some olive oil and seasoning and stick it in the oven, but this looked too good to pass up. I think I'm also going through a phase. Last month I did several Greek-inspired dishes; see these, meatballs and these too. This month I have gone southern with my Jambalaya, Red Beans and Rice and now this dish, originally from Southern Living, that I found on This Mommy Cooks.

The pecan crust is great but what really makes this dish is the sauce; oh I love this sauce. It is a little sweet and citrusy with just a hint of rum. I think this sauce would go well on any fish, actually. You could even toast up the pecans and throw them into the sauce at the end of cooking if you didn't want to dredge the fish.

For some reason I ALWAYS serve my fish with wild rice. I don't know why, it just seems to go well together. I also served steamed sugar snap peas. Rice has been a great vehicle in getting my girls to eat meat and veggies; as long as they are cut up pretty small. They have never had a problem eating fish this way either! Yeah!

For the fish:
1/2 cup pecans
4 small tilapia fillets
salt
pepper
olive oil

For the Sauce:
3 Tbsp butter
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
*2 Tbsp. rum (substitute 1 tsp. rum extract)
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp orange juice
2 tsp honey


Preheat oven to 425. Process pecans in a food processor until finely chopped. Drizzle fish fillets with olive oil then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dredge fish in finely chopped pecans.

Place fillets on a baking sheet lined with foil or a silpat and bake about 8-10 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork.

While fish is baking, prepare the sauce. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat; add shallot and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes or until shallot is tender. Reduce heat to low, and slowly whisk in the rum/rum extract and remaining ingredients. Serve warm over fish.

*You may also omitt the rum completely and just add a little more citrus.

SOURCE:Adapted from This Mommy Cooks, originally from Southern Living 2009

Creole Style Red Beans and Rice

SUNDAY SOUP
When I went to make this the other day, I couldn't find the recipe on my blog and I realized that I have never posted it! I just couldn't believe it and even went through my archives like 3 times. Crazy. I have had this recipe for a couple of years and have made it several times. Although I'm not a real southern woman, my mom made this with one of her best friends who IS and it got her approval. This is a very tasty soup with some pretty simple (and inexpensive) ingredients. I think this would also work well in the crock pot.

1 pound dried red beans, rinsed and sorted
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup chopped ham
1 cup chopped yellow onions
3/4 cup chopped celery (about 2 ribs)
3/4 cup chopped green bell peppers (about 1 pepper)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, or 1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 pound smoked sausage, split in half lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound smoked ham hocks
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
10 cups chicken stock, or water

4 cups cooked white rice
queso fresco, crumbled

Place the beans in a large bowl or pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Let soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and set aside.

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the ham and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the onions, celery and bell peppers to the oil in the pot. Season with the salt, pepper, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes. Add the bay leaves, parsley, thyme, sausage, and ham hocks, and cook, stirring, to brown the sausage and ham hocks, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the beans and stock or water; I use about half stock and half water. Stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and starting to thicken, about 1 1/2-2 hours. As the beans cook, skim off the foam that floats to the top. (Should the beans become too thick and dry, add more water, about 1/4 cup at a time.) Remove from the heat and remove the bay leaves.

Serve over rice and garnish with crumbled queso fresco.

SOURCE:Adapted from Emeril Lagasse, Food Network

NOTES:I like to make this over a couple of days. I take the first day to soak the beans then make the soup the next morning. If you chill the soup in the fridge until dinner time (or overnight again) then you can skim off the fat that has solidified on the top.

The first time I made this I did not use a ham hock because, to be honest, I was a little grossed out, but it was really good. The next time I made I used a ham hock and the flavor was amazing and I've used one ever since in making this dish. It does add a lot of fat though, that's why I now chill my pot of beans, so I can skim that fat right off the top.

Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes

If you've been reading my blog for any amount of time, you'll know that I'm a big fan of breakfast. I love to make something special and not just on the weekends. Any 'ol day of the week I'm game.

I have a favorite buttermilk pancake recipe that I love and have used forever. I also have it memorized, so making them are a cinch. I have also fell in love with these oatmeal cookie pancakes (don't be deceived by the name, they're pretty healthy although they taste as good as a cookie), and I use it whenever I need to use up some sour cream or very ripe bananas.

And, these pancakes just might make it into my pancake rotation. First of all, the recipe is almost exactly like my favorite pancake recipe, only with the lemon and poppy seeds. Secondly, they have great flavor!

I served these up with macerated strawberries; you could really use any berry here or a combination of berries. Just cut them, sprinkle with some sugar and leave them out at room temperature while you whip up the pancake batter. I also made this buttermilk syrup to go with the pancakes, and it complimented them perfectly!

Lemon-Poppy Seed Pancakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
zest of 2 lemons
juice of 1 lemon
2 cups buttermilk
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup poppy seeds
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup oil

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt in a large bowl. In another bowl mix together the lemon zest, lemon juice, buttermilk, sugar, poppy seeds, eggs and oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Stir all the ingredients until they are just combined. Don't worry if the batter is a bit lumpy, you don't want to over mix.

Let the batter sit while the griddle heats up. Once hot, use 1/4 cup measuring cup to pour batter. Cook pancakes until golden brown on each side.

SOURCE: Adapted from my Buttermilk Pancakes

BYU Mint Brownies

This post is dedicated to my siblings and their spouses who all attended BYU (even though I didn't). (Oh, and to my youngest sibling, you're included even though you haven't gone YET and don't have a spouse YET.) I'm sure they know how legendary this BYU Creamery treat is and while I don't, I can still vouch for how delicious they are. I don't usually make brownies from scratch because, let's be honest, you really can't beat brownies from a box-most of the time. However, this just might become my go-to brownie recipe. They are absolutely wonderful. They are rich and chocolaty without being overly sweet. I love having both the mint and the chocolate frosting, but you can certainly do just one or the other. Make sure you have glass of milk handy.

For the brownie:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa
1 Tbsp. honey
2 eggs
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Melt butter and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Pour batter into a greased brownie pan or 8x11.5 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool. Frost with mint icing and place in fridge or freezer for a few minutes to stiffen it up. Then frost with chocolate frosting.

For the mint icing:
2 Tbsp. butter
dash of salt
1-2 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. peppermint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring

Soften butter. Add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.

Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Frosting:
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup Hershey's cocoa
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3-4 Tbsp. milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla.

SOURCE:The Girl Who Ate Everything, originally from BYU Dining.

NOTES:If you're a BYU mint brownie purist, here's what I changed; I only adapted it slightly from the original BYU Dining recipe. First off, I halved the recipe, which makes a 9x13 pan of brownies. They used margarine, I only use butter. I doubled the cocoa. They also added walnuts (1 cup for full recipe); sorry, I don't do walnuts in brownies. They give no recipe for the chocolate frosting and I think the Hershey's is the best there is when it comes to frosting.

Muffin Tin Monday

For today's Muffin Tin Monday, there was no theme so I chose to label ours "Tomato Soup for the Little Sick Soul." My two little girls have been sick for over a week and they have been MISERABLE! So, today, I thought I'd try to lighten up their spirits by using springy muffin cups and warm their insides with some yummy soup.

I made homemade tomato soup, in the middle, with goldfish, flower-shaped cheese and grilled cheese croutons for toppers. There is also fresh strawberries and raspberries.

NOTE: When my first daughter was much younger and I started serving her tomato soup, I found it very difficult because it's so liquidy. I started letting her drink her soup with a straw and she loves it and will finish the whole bowl!

Creamless Tomato Soup

Sunday Soup

Last summer we planted about 10 tomato plants in our garden. When I canned all the spaghetti and pizza sauce as well as salsa that I wanted, I just bottled the rest as stewed tomatoes. Perfect for tomato soup. Only thing is my husband is lactose intolerant and doesn't like to eat tomato soup with dairy. Needless to say, I was pretty happy when I stumbled across this recipe that is dairy-free, yet still thick. This soup is really yummy and very flavorful and super quick to cook up. Throw in fresh basil in season and it's just about perfect!

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. dried basil
1 bay leaf
1 quart jar stewed tomatoes or (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes in juice
2 tsp. brown sugar (or to taste)
2 slices sandwich bread, crusts removed, torn into 1-inch pieces
1 cup chicken broth
1/4-1/2 cup cooking sherry (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:
chopped fresh basil

Heat oil in large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, dried basil and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Using a potato masher, mash until no pieces larger than 2 inches remain.

Stir in sugar, bread, chicken broth and sherry; bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until bread is completely saturated and starts to break down, about 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf and discard.

Add about 1 tbsp. olive oil to the soup and and process the soup directly in the pot with an immersion blender. (If you don't have an immersion blender, just use a blender, processing in batches.)

Check for seasoning and salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm in soup bowls with fresh basil, when available.

Serves 4

NOTES:This soup does not have to be dairy-free so if you still feel you want a creamier soup, feel free to add about 1 cup of whole milk or heavy cream. We took out half the soup for my husband and added cream to the rest and both tasted great!

SOURCE:Adapted from Ezra Pound Cake

Vanilla Roasted Pears with Oats

It snowed this morning. After walks outside and trips to the park three days this week, it snowed. March is so fickle. However, I think it made the perfect morning for these pears. I have had my eye on this dish for a few weeks now and couldn't wait to make it. I know it's not really pear season right now but they have been on sale at the grocery store which made it perfect. These pears are pretty quick to put together and they taste phenomenal. Even my girls scarfed them up!

1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted, divided
1/4 water
1 tsp. vanilla
6 slightly-under-ripe, fragrant, medium Bartlett or Bosc pears

Preheat oven to 375. In a small mixing bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add 1/4 of the melted butter and toss to combine. Combine water, vanilla and the other 1/4 cup of melted butter and pour it into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Peel pears and cut in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the core with a spoon and fill each cavity to overflowing with oat mixture. Place the pears in the baking dish. Roast for 30 minutes, occasionally basting with pan juices. Check for doneness at 30 minutes. If they are still a little firm, continue roasting until tender and slightly caramelized.

Serve warm with yogurt for breakfast or with ice cream for dessert.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast

Wow, I have had this recipe for years and have made it several times, but I have forgotten about it. I actually thought of it because of my failed attempt at peanut butter stuffed french toast earlier in the week. You see, I make my own bread about 99% of the time. However, I bought Texas toast because it was thick and soft and it works well for stuffed french toast. I had half of the loaf left to use up (after my mishap) then thought of this recipe to use up the rest of the loaf.

With that said, this is the best french toast you will EVER have. Seriously. It is so delicious. The strawberry and orange are a perfect combination and it's not too sweet. I used homemade strawberry freezer jam, that actually tastes like strawberries, and I think it makes a big difference in the taste. This is great for a weekend breakfast or a special occasion. Or if you're like me, it's great for any 'ol day of the week. Enjoy!

For the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. strawberry jam
1 Tbsp. orange zest (about half an orange)

For the French Toast:
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
juice of half an orange
8 slices, Texas Toast style bread (French bread works too, just cut thick slices-about an inch)

Preheat griddle. Combine filling ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

In wide, shallow dish, such as a pie tin, mix together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and orange juice and set aside.

With a pairing knife, slice a pocket into the top or side of the bread, but don't cut all the way through. Fill the pocket with about a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture.

Dip the filled bread in the egg mixture, and place on the griddle. Cook about 2-3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining slices.

Serve hot with additional strawberry cream cheese mixture and powdered sugar, if desired.

SOURCE: Adapted from Sandra Lee, Food Network

Muffin Tin Monday

If you couldn't guess, today's theme for Muffin Tin Monday is green. We had a lot of fun with this. I really liked it too because I was able to get my 3 year old to try some new foods that she normally wouldn't have. I made it such a big deal to eat GREEN foods so she wasn't as caught up on the new foods that were there. She ate pretty well too.

Here's what we had: spinach quesadilla, strawberry-banana smoothie with spinach leaves, green salsa (for the quesadilla), peas, kiwi, guacamole (for the quesadilla) and a green pepper shamrock.

To see what the others are doing, head on over to Muffin Tin Mom and check it out!

Sunday Soup

I have missed posting my Sunday soup recipes, but that's not because we haven't been having them. They are just older recipes so they are ones I've already posted. If you want to take look, here's what we've had the past 3 weeks:

Grandma Noodles


Italian Wedding Soup


Posole

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made these the other night and hadn't planned on posting them. First of all because everyone has their own cookie recipes and second of all, their just cookies, right? Holy Hannah, not these, they were so good, I couldn't not post the recipe. This dough makes a firm yet tender cookie. Even better, they didn't dry out or harden overnight, they stayed tender. That's one of my biggest pet peeves about cookies is that they harden if you don't eat them right out of the oven. These were heavenly right out of the oven, but any way you eat them grab a glass of milk and you will enjoy them!


3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1-2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter (creamy is fine too)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together until creamy; about 2 minutes. Add the peanut butter and mix until incorporated. Add in the egg and vanilla. Mix until well combined.

On low speed, add in the dry ingredients. Mix just until the combined. Stir in the oats and chocolate chips until everything is combined.

With a small scoop, scoop the dough into balls and place on 2 baking sheets. Slightly flatten dough balls. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned and puffed. They will set up after they cool, so don’t over bake.

Remove cookies from oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 3 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.


Makes about 21 cookies.

SOURCE:Recipe adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod.

Four Cheese Ravioli

Several years ago my husband and I went to this nice Italian restaurant and I ordered porcini ravioli with a gorgonzola cream sauce. It was to die for, I don't think I had ever had anything so delicious. Not too much later, I tried to recreate that same dish at home...and failed miserably! I had never made homemade pasta, other than noodles for chicken soup, and didn't know much about it. I rolled the dough too thick so when it cooked up it was just this big thick piece of pasta and so unappetizing. Since then I have steered clear of homemade pastas.

When I found this recipe, It sounded and looked so delicious and I just knew I had to try it. The only thing was it called for homemade pasta-uh, no thanks (not yet anyway). Then a light went on in my brain and I remembered reading somewhere that won ton wrappers could be used to make ravioli as well. Ha! That's all I needed and I was off to the store.

These are incredibly easy to make and the filling is just out of this world! It practically melts in your mouth. My husband is lactose-intolerant so I try not to make too many things with dairy. When he tried these though, he said I could make them again. So, if he's willing to wage a stomach war to eat these ravioli, I think they are a keeper.

1/2 cup part-skim ricotta
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded fontina
1/2 cup shredded parmesan
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 package square won ton wrappers
Marinara sauce, for serving


In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, fontina, parmesan, garlic, and spices. Mix well to blend. Place about 2 teaspoons of filling in the middle of each won ton wrapper, leaving a clear edge around the perimeter. Dip a finger in water and lightly brush around the edges. Fold opposite edges together, making sure to press out any excess air and sealing the edges compeltely. Repeat with the remaining wrappers. Let dry on a lightly floured surface for about 1-2 hours. (If they are not sufficiently dry, they will open up when you boil them.)

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Cook the ravioli about 3 minutes. Serve in warmed bowls with marinara sauce. Sprinkle extra parmesan cheese on top for garnish.

Uncooked ravioli may be stored in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for 3 months. There is no need to thaw the ravioli before boiling, just cook it about 6-8 minutes.

SOURCE:Good Things Catered

Muffin Tin Monday-Yellow

Today's theme for Muffin Tin Monday is the color yellow. At first I struggled with something well-balanced and not bland, but in the end I had fun coming up with unique yellow foods. I used those darling butterfly and flower cupcake cups from the dollar bins at Target to put the food in. Yellow is the perfect color for today. It's warm and sunny and spring is just around the corner! On the top row is watergate salad and fresh pineapple and on the bottom is apples and corn risotto. YUMMY!

Feta and Sun-Dried Tomato Turkey Sliders

I love it when I spy a new recipe and have all the ingredients to make it on hand! I think this is going to be the end of my Greek streak for a while because I about used up the last of my feta. Even though I've made a lot of Greek lately, I just couldn't resist these flavors; the feta and the sun-dried tomatoes with the fresh spinach, they just go so well together. I actually didn't know what a slider was until recently, but I've seen them popping up a lot in the blogging world lately. A slider is simply a mini burger.

I absolutely LOVE these burgers. My mouth had a little party when I took the first bite. It almost became my favorite burger for a split second, but then I remembered the basil chicken burgers I made last summer (amazing) and decided this would have to take a close second. I personally think grilling them on an outdoor grill is a must; you just can't beat the flavor the outdoor grill adds to meat. However, I'm sure they'd be great cooking them indoors as well. Go have yourself a party and make these little sliders.

For the burgers:
1 lb ground turkey
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
*1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated and chopped
1/2 Cup fresh baby spinach leaves, chopped
1-2 tsp. Greek seasoning
olive oil

mini hamburger buns, or dinner rolls
mayonnaise
fresh spinach leaves

Place sun-dried tomato slices in a small saucepan and cover with water. Boil for 5 minutes. Drain and chop.

*I used my own sun-dried tomatoes that I dehydrated, but you can also use the same amount of oil-packed tomatoes.

In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients for the burgers, except the olive oil. Mix until just combined. Form 1/4 Cup patties and place onto a plate or cookie sheet. Meat mix should make about 12 mini patties.

Prepare outdoor grill. Just before grilling the patties, brush a little oil on the rack to prevent sticking. Grill about 3-4 minutes per side. You can also cook the patties on an indoor grill or frying pan.

Serve burgers on rolls spread with mayonnaise and layered with fresh spinach leaves.

12 Servings (1 patty)
Calories per serving: 79

SOURCE:Adapted from Picky Palate

Butternut Squash Casserole

I had actually forgotten that I still have about a dozen butternut squash still left in my basement from my garden. This recipe reminded me that I need to use them up before they ROT! I lost most of my acorn squash already because we didn't eat it fast enough. Thankfully these lasted longer. I've made a few things with butternut squash that I wasn't thrilled about, and my girls would NOT touch. I like the stuff pretty much any way it comes but I have to be a little more creative when it comes to my kids. This recipe seemed like a winner with the caramelized onions and cheese. What kid doesn't like cheese? I liked the spinach in it, I think it was just the right amount to not be overwhelming. The version below is meatless, which we try to do once a week or so, but I would definitely try this with some crumbled bacon or some Italian sausage tossed in there.

About 3 pounds, peeled and cut in 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 6 cups)
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 large yellow onions, trimmed, peeled and chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup whole milk
1 large egg, beaten
1-2 tsp. thyme
2-4 slices day old bread, cut into 1-inch cubes and toasted (You can stick them on a cookie sheet and put them under a broiler for a few minutes-watch closely though!)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/3 cup parmesan (or more cheddar)
2 handfuls of fresh spinach, washed, stemmed and roughly chopped(not too small)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter or spray a 4-quart casserole dish.

Place 3 quarts water in a large stockpot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the squash to the water, return to a boil, and cook for 8-10 minutes. The squash will turn a deeper orange. Drain it and set aside.

In the mean time, melt the butter in a large chef's pan with high sides; add the oil. Add the onions and sauté over medium-low heat until they start to carmelize, about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. They will brown a little, but that's part of the caramelization. Turn off heat and add spinach. Toss to coat (it will wilt as it warms up). Add the warm squash and the milk, egg, thyme, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and 1 cup cheddar cheese. Blend with a wooden spoon or spatula until the ingredients are well combined.

Spread the mixture evenly in the baking dish. Bake for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the parmesan cheese, or more cheddar cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes more; or until slightly golden on top. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

SOURCE:Adapted from Ezra Pound Cake

The hosts of the Grow Your Own blog carnival invited me to share this recipe in the February roundup. Oh what fun, come check it out!

This recipe is linked to Recipe Swap Thursday @ Prarie Story.

Muffin Tin Monday

Today there was no theme for Muffin Tin Monday so I chose foods that began with the letter "d" to go with our letter of the week theme. We did a little about doctors and dentists but mostly about dinosaurs. I could not, for the life of me, conjure up something to go with dinosaurs, although I really wanted to. I went out on a limb a little with the "d" foods and this is what I came up with:
domino graham crackers
dried fruit (dried apples and dried plums on the dominoes)
dirt-yogurt (or pudding) with oreos crushed on top

I know it's hard to believe which one Shelby went for first!

Oh, and this is another cute plate I got at Target on clearance after Valentine's Day.

Monthly Menu-March

Woohoo! I'm so excited for March. Warmer weather is on it's way and that means spring is too. I'm looking forward to more outdoor exercising and trips to the park. We're getting more sunshine in the morning now, which I love; it just starts my day off better when the sun is smiling down, you just can't help but smile back. Well, I'm also looking forward to this month's menu. I'm going to try to continue my "Operation Defrost" from last month. Although I got through a lot of what was in my freezer (and fridge), I still have a little ways to go. This month has several of my old favorites as well as some new recipes I'm dying to try. I only had to carry over one recipe from last month, the southwest chicken cordon bleu, and it uses the raspberry-chipotle sauce I already made. I can't believe I put it off this long, it sounds too good, but I know I'll get to it soon. Here's the rundown:

Dinners
Italian Wedding Soup
Butternut Squash Casserole
Chicken Pot Pie
Chili Verde with rice
Feta and Sun-Dried Tomato Turkey Sliders

Grandma Noodles
Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun-dried tomatoes
Pineaple Chicken fajitas
Quick Chicken Jambalaya
Southwest Chicken Cordon Bleu

Quick Creamy Tomato Soup with grilled Cheese
Orecchiette with sausage and peppers
Red beans and rice
Beef Taquitos
Ranch Chicken

Lentil Soup
Meatballs and rice
Manicotti Rolls
Pecan Encrusted Chicken with Apple Salad and Peanut Butter Maple Dressing

Other goodies
Peanut Butter Stuffed French Toast
Hot Fudge Sauce

Tangerine Beef with Peppers and Onions

Oops, I don't know what happened, here's how the original post was supposed to read:

This meal was supposed to be the orange beef way back from my January monthly menu, now here it is the end of February and I"m just now getting to it. When it was time to get this meal ready, I couldn't find the recipe I had planned to use so I went to Food Network's website, which I don't do a whole lot, and on the home page was a picture and a link to Guy Fieri's Tangerine Beef. I knew immediately that it would replace my orange beef and my thoughts were only confirmed when I read all the wonderful reviews about it. I did things a little differenly than the original recipe, but I think it turned out wonderfully. I loved the strong flavor of the tangerine coming through.

For the marinade:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 pound flank steak or tri-tip, cut in thin strips on the bias

For the sauce:
2 tablespoons cooking sherry
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
juice of 1 tangerine

For the stir-fry:
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
zest of 1 tangerine, divided
1/2 onion, cut in wedges
1 red pepper, julienned

For the garnish:
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
half of the tangerine zest

In a bowl or resealable plastic bag combine the soy sauce and cornstarch and mix well. Add beef, cover, and let marinate for 20 minutes in the.

Whisk together the sherry, hoisin, honey, soy sauce, and tangerine juice until completely combined.

In large pan or wok, heat about half the oil on high heat. Add the onion and pepper and saute until tender; about 3-4 minutes. Remove to a bowl and set aside. Heat remaining oil and add the ginger, half of the zest and beef and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Return veggies to pan and add sauce mixture and cook for another 2 minutes on medium heat until sauce thickens. Serve on warm platter, garnish with remaining tangerine zest and sesame seeds.

1 serving=1/4 of recipe with 1/2 cup rice
4 servings
Calories per serving:455

NOTES:If you'd like to add some heat, just add some chili sauce or red pepper flakes into the sauce when you mix it together.

SOURCE:Adapted from Guy Fieri

Chicken Enchiladas-Updated

It's been over a year since I first posted this recipe and when I went back to look at it, I realized that I make this different now and that I needed to update it. This is a quick weeknight meal that will help you use that leftover chicken, cheese and tortillas. I have never made this the traditional, roll up your tortilla, enchilada way because it's just so easy to make it lasagna-style and tear up everything and throw it in. So this is my take on chicken enchiladas, the lazy way.

For the filling:
3 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 black peppercorns
1 onion, quartered
1 bay leaf
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded reduced-fat extra-sharp cheddar cheese

For the sauce:
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 egg
1/2-1 tsp salt
*1-2 (11-ounce) cans tomatillos, drained
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, undrained

Remaining ingredients:
8 flour tortillas
salsa

To prepare filling, place first 6 ingredients in a Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minute or until done. Remove chicken from cooking liquid; cool. Shred with 2 forks. You can reserve the broth for another use. (I usually poach my chicken this way for the enchiladas but I have also grilled my chicken on an outdoor grill with some McCormick chipotle pepper and that is great too and takes a little less time.)

Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine chicken and cheeses; set aside.

To prepare sauce, place milk, cilantro, egg, salt, tomatillos and chiles in a food processor; process until smooth. (*In the past I have substituted canned tomatillo salsa-salsa verde-for the tomatillos. I think it's Herdez brand, about 11 ounces. Recently I have started using the tomatillo salsa I bottled over the summer since we grew our own tomatillos. You can use part or all of a pint.)

In the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan pour a little of the sauce on the bottom. Rip up 2 tortillas and spread across the bottom. Spread half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas, and about a third of the sauce. Rip up two more tortillas and spread across the chicken. Repeat with anoter layer and end with tortillas, and a little sauce. Sprinkle with extra cheese.

Cover and bake at 375° for 20 minutes. Serve warm with salsa and sour cream, if desired.

Spanikopita Chicken Meatballs with Yogurt Sauce

I love meatballs, they are so versatile. You can change up the meat, the seasonings and even sneak in some chopped up veggies for the picky eater. I especially love Rachel Ray's take on meatballs because the girl comes up with endless possibilities. I love Greek food and when I found these meatballs, I knew I had to try them. They are so quick to pull together. You can cook up some rice while they're in the oven and chop up a quick Greek salad and this is less than a 30 minute meal!

For the meatballs
1/2 onion, finely chopped (about 1/4-1/2 cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced
*1 box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 lb. ground chicken
2-3 tsp. grill seasoning (I used McCormick Montreal Seasoning)

For the yogurt sauce
**1 1/2 cups Greek style plain yogurt (try it, it's worth it)
1/3 seedless cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh dill (or a couple tsp. dried dill)
1/2 lemon, juiced
Salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a bowl combine onion and garlic. Squeeze the water out of the spinach until completely dry (put it in a kitchen towel, but one you don't care if it gets a little stained). Separate the spinach as you add it to garlic and onion. Add feta, chicken and grill seasoning to the bowl. Mix the meat with veggies and feta and form 18 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs. I used a small scoop and got exactly 18 meatballs. Place the meatballs on a nonstick cookie sheet and bake 10 to 12 minutes until they are golden and juices run clear.

Place yogurt, garlic, cucumber, dill, lemon juice, and a little salt in food processor and process until smooth. Adjust seasonings and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve meatballs alongside sauce.

*I had a bag of chopped spinach in my freezer and I just grabbed about a cup in my hands and thawed it out.

**If you cannot find Greek yogurt, you can use regular yogurt and let it sit in a dish towel over a strainer for a few hours to get some liquid out. It will still be a little runny though.

1 serving=4 meatballs and 1/4 cup sauce
4-6 servings
Calories per serving:238

Serve with:
Rice pilaf-Saute some garlic and onion in olive oil then add some thyme and the rice (and pine nuts if you like) to toast it up for about a minute. Add chicken broth instead of water; bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to simmer for about 18 minutes. Remove from heat and squeeze some fresh lemon juice in the rice and fluff with a fork.

Chopped Greek Salad-Roughly chop some cucumbers and tomatoes and pour some Greek salad dressing or balsamic vinaigrette over it and crumble feta on top.

Muffin Tin Monday

This week's Muffin Tin Mom's theme was orange and we decided to go with it since I was doing dinosaurs and couldn't come up with something to go along with that. First of all, I have to start off showing you this place setting I got at Target. I got it for Shelby for Valentine's Day and she uses is just about every meal. She loves it.


For lunch we had peaches, pizza goldfish, a peach ring candy and homemade macaroni and cheese. It is so fun to serve Shelby's food creatively and she gets so excited about it too.

Raspberry Almond Bread

(I know, enough with the raspberries already! This is my last one though, for now. I wasn't going to post this yet, but I've been seriously slacking in the kitchen and haven't hardly made a thing, thus, nothing new to tempt you with.)

My bread turned blue! It sure was tasty though. You know when the recipe says "fold in" such and such because it's delicate well, I just ignored that little instruction because I was just too lazy this time and wanted to get this bread made. Plus, I was making it in my bosch so I didn't want to have to dirty another bowl in order to "fold" in the raspberries, so I just pulsed them in with my wire whisks. They totally bled. It worked for me though because I got my bread made and we loved it! I doubled the recipe and made it in 3 8x4-inch pans. By the end of the night, we had eaten half of a loaf already.

Now, I understand that raspberries aren't a winter fruit, but as you know, I'm trying to use up the last of my raspberries in my freezer (hence the last several posts featuring raspberries). Tuck this away until peak season this summer and use fresh berries or make it for breakfast next week, with frozen berries and make sure you have a tall glass of milk on the side. Enjoy!

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup vanilla or plain yogurt
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 eggs
1 cup crushed fresh or frozen raspberries
1/3 cup toasted slivered almonds


Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray or grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar and almond extract until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then the yogurt. Mix in the dry ingredients. Fold in the crushed fruit and almond slivers.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the center of the oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool the bread in the pan for 20 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack, turn right side up and cool completely.


SOURCE:Joy The Baker

Raspberry Chocolate Scones

I think I found my new favorite breakfast food! I love these scones. I actually made them on Valentine's Day for something a little extra special. These scones are a little bit softer than traditional scones because of the yogurt in them, and they're not too sweet. The dark chocolate is the perfect accent because it gives that burst of chocolate without being too sweet either. This was a great way to use up some of my frozen raspberries.

For the scones
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
¾ cup fresh or frozen raspberries
½ cup plain or vanilla yogurt
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten

For the egg wash
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp. milk or cream

Preheat oven to 375° F and place rack in middle of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Stir in the chocolate chips and raspberries. In a small measuring cup, whisk together the yogurt, vanilla extract, and egg. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough gently four or five times. Dough will be a little sticky so put a littl more flour under the ball of dough (as well as on your hands) then pat, or roll, the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches round and about 1 1/2 inches thick. Cut the dough into 8-12 triangles. Place the scones on the baking sheet. Make an egg wash of one well-beaten egg mixed with 1 tablespoon milk and brush the tops of the scones with this mixture. Sprinkle with additional sugar if desired.

Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.


SOURCE: Adapted from Annie's Eats

Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

Well, I certainly did not think I would be getting out my home canning equipment in the middle of winter. However, I had so many raspberries in my deep freezer from summer, I figured it was time to make room!

When I was searching for recipes to help me use up my raspberries I came across the combination of raspberries and chipotles and since I love both I thought they'd be great together. The sauce recipes I found were all pretty similar so I decided to stick with one from Emeril Lagasse. I mean, who can go wrong with Emeril? I didn't think I could go wrong. I found some amazing recipes to use with this sauce that I'll be making in the near future. For starters, you could use this over a pork loin or pork chops, meatballs, on a turkey sandwich with some provolone, slather it on a whole wheat quesadilla with cheese and thinly sliced granny smith apple or you could make like a southwest chicken cordon bleu with ham and pepper jack cheese rolled up inside and the raspberry sauce drizzled over the top. Yum!


1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup small diced onion
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. chipotle chiles in adobo, chopped
2 pints fresh raspberries, rinsed (I used frozen and they worked fine)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar (or raspberry vinegar)
3/4 cup granulated sugar (brown would work too)
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft and slightly caramelized, 4 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and saute for 1 minute. Add the chipotles and cook, stirring continuously, for 1 minute. Add the raspberries and cook until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vinegar and stir to deglaze the pan. Add the sugar and salt, and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until thickened and reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool before using.

Yield: about 1-1/2 cups

*Home canning instructions
To make it worth my effort to can the sauce, I tripled the recipe and got about 4 pints. I used some pints and some half pints. Ladle hot sauce into hot jars and process in hot water canner 10 minutes. For detailed instructions on how to home can, see the Ball website.

Source: Adapted from Emeril's Kitchens: Favorite Recipes from Emeril's Restaurants, by Emeril Lagasse (William Morrow)

Muffin Tin Monday

This week's Muffin Tin Monday goes along with the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle, and was part of our letter "c" theme week. If you've read the book, you know the caterpillar eats through a lot of stuff, especially sweets, near the end. I kind of tailored it to what we had on hand, trying to keep it healthful, and adding just a little bit of sweets.

On the top row, I have a quarter of a cupcake (treat from grandma), lean turkey lunch meat, cheese and about half of a clementine. On the bottom row are a few skittles, pears, strawberries and raspberries. I've had a hard time getting my little gal to eat lunch meat but I wrapped it around the cheese and she at least ate half of it this time.

This was really fun to prepare and Shelby just loves eating lunch when it's so special!

White Chicken Chili

Sunday Soup


Talk about a bowl full of goodness, this chili is wonderful! We really love the flavors that go into it; it's almost like a posole with the jalapeno and green chilies and the cilantro garnish. I loved the warmed corn tortillas with it in place of corn tortilla chips. It changes it up a little bit and it's great to sop up the last bit of the soup in the bowl.

This chili is really easy to throw together and you can even do some of it the day before, like cook the beans and chicken. I actually cooked a big batch of beans earlier in the week and just took out the 2 cups I needed for my soup today and threw them in the freezer. All I had to do was pull them out when I was ready to cook!

The recipe only serves about 4 so you may want to double it if you have more people. Heck, you may want to double it anyway because it's that good!


1 whole Fryer Chicken, Cut Up (or 1 1/2 Cups Cooked Chicken)
olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 whole cans green chilies, chopped
1/2 pound dried great northern beans, rinsed (2 cups beans or about 1 can of beans)
4 cups Chicken Broth
1/2 whole jalapeno, sliced
3/4 Tbsp. ground cumin
salt, to taste (you're gonna need a lot because beans are very bland on their own, but add it a little at a time until it's too your liking.)
ground pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp. masa (corn Flour) OR cornmeal

Garnishes:
grated monterey jack cheese (or pepper jack if you like more heat)
sour cream
chopped cilantro
freshly squeezed lime
corn tortillas, warmed (or corn tortilla chips)

Cover chicken with about 8-9 cups water and cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until done. Remove chicken to a large platter or cookie sheet to cool. Reserve broth. (If you do this step ahead, you can put the broth in the fridge then scrape off the fat that solidifies on top.) You're only going to need about half of the broth, the rest can go in the freezer.

Once meat is cooled, remove meat from bones. Set aside. (You will have enough chicken for 2-3 meals. Just portion out what you don't need for the soup and throw it in the freezer for future meals.)

In a dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat olive oil and saute onions and garlic for 2 minutes. Add chopped green chilies, then rinsed beans. Pour chicken broth into the pan. Add sliced jalapenos. Season with salt, pepper, and cumin. Place lid on pot and reduce heat to low.

Cook for 2 hours or until beans are done. (If you've already cooked your beans, or are using canned beans, cook about 10 minutes.) Halfway through the cooking process, add 1 1/2 cups of cooked chicken.

When beans are tender, mix masa (or cornmeal) with a little water and pour into the chili. Cook for a few more minutes to thicken. Check seasoning and adjust.

Serve chili in a bowl and add which ever garnishes you wish.


SOURCE:Adapted from Pioneer Woman

Linked to...
Recipe Swap Thursday @ Prarie Story.
Make Ahead Meals For Busy Moms
This Week's Cravings @ Mom's Crazy Cooking
Made From Scratch Tuesday @ From Mess Hall To Bistro

Smokin' Chipotle Chicken with Cilantro Lime Rice

I love the smokey flavor of chipotles! My mom gave me this recipe the other day and was so excited about it. She also brought me some of her dried chipotles she used to make the same dish so I could make it too. I made it that same night because I had some cilantro and lime in the fridge I needed to use up and hadn't had a plan for them. This was perfect and so yummy! It's a great weeknight meal because it comes together REALLY quick and has very little prep. My girls even ate it all up, so that's always a plus.

Marinade
2-4 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1-2 dried chipotles, crushed into a powder*
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 - 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders, or chicken breasts cut into strips

Mix all the ingredients together for the marinade and pour them over the chicken in either a shallow baking dish or a zip-loc bag. Marinade for about 15-30 minutes.

Preheat indoor grill pan on medium heat and cook chicken strips in batches until done. (You can also use an outdoor grill.)

*You can find dried chipotles in the Hispanic section of your local grocery store and they are pretty inexpensive. However, if you cannot find them, you can also substitute chipotles in adobo sauce. Unused chipotles in adobo may be stored in the freezer for later use.

Serve with Cilantro Lime Rice

Serving Size= 2 1/2 chicken tenders and 1/2 cup rice
Calories per serving=344

SOURCE:Adapted from Marcela Valladolid, Mexican Made Easy on the Food Network

Muffin Tin Monday

I stumbled across Muffin Tin Mom's Muffin Tin Monday the other day when I was looking for fun apple-related things to do with my toddler. Let me just tell you this is a GEM! I love this idea. It's a great strategy for getting toddlers excited about eating. I'm sold!

We pretty much took her whole idea this time on the apple theme and here's what we came out with.

From the top, there's the apple slice with a worm sticking out (made the hole with a sturdy straw), the lady bug made from apple slices and chocolate chips (held on by peanut butter), peanut butter sandwich, an "apple tree" (I should have gotten a better shot of this), and skittles as the apples fallen from the tree. To make the tree, I used a piece of banana, stuck the pretzels on with a thin layer of peanut butter then stuck a little broccoli floret in the top. Michelle made hers a little different; to see what she did, see here.

Shelby absolutely loved this. She was so excited to eat it. She even told me thanks for a cool fun lunch. I was a little skeptical about her eating the broccoli, but when I wasn't looking, I saw her eating it all on her own! Yeah, Muffin Tin Monday was a hit and will be a new tradition in our house.

Cauliflower Soup

Sunday Soup

Mmm, what could be better than a warm bowl of soup on a Sunday evening? I'm always looking for ways to incorporate more veggies into our diet and this was perfect. We don't eat a lot of cauliflower, I always thought I only liked it raw. My husband has told me over the years that he really likes cauliflower and cauliflower soup but we have never had it. I'm so glad I tried it, I found I like cauliflower both raw and cooked, especially if there's cheese involved. This simple soup is sure to please even the picky eater.

2 Tbsp olive oil
½ whole Onion, Finely Diced
2-3 whole carrot finely diced
1 whole cauliflower head (roughly Chopped)
2 Tablespoons Fresh Or Dried Parsley (chopped)
1 quart Low-sodium Chicken Broth Or Stock
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 cups whole milk
1-1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
Salt, To Taste

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat oil. Add the onion carrots and cook for a few minutes, or until it starts to turn brown. Add cauliflower and parsley and stir to combine. Cover and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pour in chicken stock or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Mix in the flour and let bubble for about a minute. Whisk in the milk, whisking constantly. Let mixture come to a bubble and thicken. Add mixture to the simmering soup. Add cheese and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check seasoning and add more salt or pepper if necessary. At this point you can either leave it chunky "as is" or take a imersion blender to it and pulse a few times to partially blend it, still leaving some chunks. If you don't have an imersion blender, take part of the soup and put it in blender to puree a little bit then add it back into the rest of the soup.

Serve immediately.


Source:Adapted from Pioneer Woman