Creamy Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup

I'm not a huge fan of tomato soup.  My husband grew up on it. Tomatoes are easy to grow and easy to can. It's a cheap way to make soup.  For a family watching their budget it was the go to meal.  I remember his mom making it but not eating.  She had had her fill of it.  The rest of the family still enjoys a bowl full on occasion.  Whether you likes yours with croutons, grilled cheese sandwiches or maybe cheese quesadillas, this soup will hit the spot!

Roasting the vegetables gives it little bits of  burnt, slightly caramelized edges.  It adds a flavor cooking in a pot on the stove doesn't.  If you're thinking "I've seen something like this on your blog before."  You have.  My Roasted Marinara Sauce starts off much the same way.  The difference is the type of bell pepper and the amount of them is less.  They are spread out more so it is is a thicker soup with less juices to dump off.   

A fancy blender will give you a smoother soup but you can still do well with an immersion blender, food processor or regular style blender.  Check out my tips at the bottom for your type of appliance.

Creamy Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup                          Printable Recipe

2 pounds roma tomatoes, deseeded and quartered
1 small onion, cut onto chunks

2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into chunks

olive oil
1⁄2 cup milk (2% or whole)
1⁄2 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

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35+ Knock Your Socks Off Brownie Recipes

Soft, dense, ooey goey, frosted, plain or stuffed full of treats. There are so many ways to make brownies. I've gathered 35+ chocolately goodness recipes for you to check out.  Whether you like them plain or doctored up I know you will find a recipe here to try. 

Epicurean State Shaped Cutting Board Giveaway

I never seem to have enough cutting boards.   I use them for everything from cutting fruits and veggies to raw meats and then a new board for the cooked meats.  I know most of you don't have a need for a second one but since I have a special needs child with food prep needs I need that second board. 

When Epicurean recently contacted me about their new custom designed shape boards I was intrigued.  I could have any of 49 states (sorry Hawaii,) animals, fruits etc! I chose Iowa since I live there but if they had had a goat shape I might have chosen that.  

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Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

I saw these cookies at a local gas station one day when I came in get a bottle of water.  The clerk told me these cookies were fantastic so I had to try them out.  I have to agree, they were quite delicious.  The next time I came to the gas station I found they had the cookies again.  This time with an ingredient label on the package.  To my dismay, there weren't strawberries in them at all.  It was some concoction to make strawberry "bits" and a list of ingredients that was crazy long.  The dried strawberries I found at the store are made of  real strawberries and cane juice.  I thought they tasted like fruit roll-ups!  You can also find them online, but watch the ingredients and also make sure they aren't freeze dried.

I set out to make a similar cookie so we can enjoy them at home. This base makes a thicker cookie than they had but are still tasty. You could easily switch out the strawberry bits and white chocolate chips for other delicious add ins and have a whole new flavor of cookie.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies                                                      Printable Recipe

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 – 2/3 cup chopped dried strawberries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

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Apple Cider Cinnamon Steel-Cut Oatmeal

My family has recently discovered steel cut oats.  They haven't been run through a bunch of processes other than a quick cut so when they cook they aren't mushy like quick or regular oats.

If you are looking for a warm, nutritious breakfast but don't have the time in the morning, try this oatmeal recipe.  You can throw all of the ingredients into the crock pot before bed, set a timer (in the electric section of the store that will turn your crock pot on and off for you based on how you set it) or program on your crock pot and you're off to sleep.  The oatmeal cooks without effort and in the morning you will have an aroma that smells like baked apple pie filling your kitchen.

This recipe makes plenty and you can save the leftovers in the fridge to heat up for another tasty quick breakfast. I made ours for dessert since I was testing the time needed to cook and wanted to be awake during the process.  After our family of four we devoured our share, there were still 2-3 servings to be re-heated for breakfasts.

Apple Cider Cinnamon Steel-Cut Oatmeal                                   Printable Recipe

3 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped

2 cups apple cider (or use 3-1/2 cups and leave out the water)

1-1/2 cups water

1 cup steel cut oats ( I used organic Bob's Red Mill)

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon sugar (I used raw)

Optional: chopped pecans or walnuts and pure maple syrup

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Key Lime Cheesecake Bars

I saw a bag of Key Limes at the store the other day.  Curious about these tart little fruits, I bought the bag.  Not sure how to go about making Key Lime bars I looked a few recipes and then came back to the Apple Pecan Cheesecake Bars I made last fall and tweaked the recipe a little bit.  A little sweet, a little tart. They are perfect little bites of yummy!

If you don't have Key Limes where you are or don't want to take the time to squeeze those little guys you can use regular limes or lime juice from the bottle.

Key Lime Cheesecake Bars                                                             Printable Recipe

Crust:

1 cup flour

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

6 Tablespoons butter

Filling:

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon flour

1/2 Tablespoon Key Lime zest

1/3 cup Key Lime juice

8 ounce package light cream cheese

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

Crumb Topping:

6 Tablespoons all purpose flour

2 Tablespoons cup brown sugar

2 Tablespoons old fashioned oats

2 Tablespoons quick oats

3 Tablespoons cold butter, cubed

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Corn Salad

I had this at a potluck and had to hunt down the one who brought this in and get the recipe.  It's fresh and crunchy and you'll find yourself grabbing a second helping.  If you are headed to a party, make this dish.  It's a unique dish so there's a good chance there won't be 2 to 3 other dishes just like it. There is only so much macaroni and potato salads one can eat at a meal. 

It tastes just as good the second day although it loses its corn chip crunch.  Sprinkle on a couple more crushed pieces and you'll be back in corn salad heaven!

Corn Salad                                                                                               Printable Recipe

2 cans yellow kernel corn, drained (or four cups frozen corn, thawed and drained)
1 green bell pepper, diced (approximately 1 cup)
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1 cup mayonnaise
8 ounce block of cheddar cheese, shredded (approximately 2 cups)
Chili cheese flavored Frito-Lay corn chips

Two-Toned Scalloped Potatoes

This scalloped potatoes recipe has a delicious creamy sauce.  We eat it as a main dish with meat added but you could leave out the meat and easily serve it as a side dish.  One day I didn't have enough white potatoes so I tossed in some sweet potatoes.  It was tasty!

Two-Toned Scalloped Potatoes                                                     Printable Recipe

3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons flour
2-1/2 cups milk
8 ounces Velveeta (or you can use 2 cups shredded cheddar or any other cheese you like)
salt to taste

3 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced thin

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
ham slices, chopped, or dried chipped beef, chopped

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Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #128

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Top 10 Recipes of 2014

2014 is drawing to an end and I thought we should take a look back at some of the fan favorites.  Most of them are from this year but a few from last year snuck in. 

I hope you enjoy the look back with me. Click on the title to see the recipe or click on the "pin it" link to go right to Pinterest to re-pin for later!

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Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #126

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Sweet Potato Casserole

Crispy topping and smooth and creamy custardy middle! We eat it as a side at holiday meals but you could serve it as a dessert. 

Sweet Potato Casserole                                                                             Printable Recipe

2-1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
1/4 - 1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla


5 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
7 Tablespoons flour
4 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Melting Snowman Hot Cocoa Toppers

My daughter is always asking for marshmallows for her hot cocoa and all I had were large ones. They don't melt nicely in hot cocoa unless it is super hot and we don't, for safety reason, heat ours that warm.  This uses whipped topping instead.  Even though it is frozen, the heat from the hot cocoa is just enough to melt it and if you did happen get your cocoa too hot it will help cool it.

Using the decorating design of some snowman cupcakes I made a few years ago I came up with these. I did skip the orange spice drop as noses  The thought of a gummy orange flavored candy floating (or maybe it wouldn't float) in my hot cocoa didn't sound great.  I used orange-colored whipped topping instead. 

Your kids can help you with the chocolate chips and if you need to you can use clean tweezers to place the mini chocolate chips.

Melting Snowman Hot Cocoa Toppers (makes approximately 10)

Small tub whipped topping, thawed
Regular size milk chocolate chips
Mini milk chocolate chips
Orange food coloring gel
Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix