Potato and Broccoli Soup in Bread Bowls

As winter winds down and spring approaches, its interesting the different dishes that I like to make. On one hand, I'm feeling summery and am once again exploring fruits, fresh veggies, and cold salads. On the other hand, the nights and some days are still really cold, so we are still enjoying hearty and warm foods, like this soup.


I found this on a food blog somewhere about a year ago, but have tweaked it quite a bit to make it both healthier and tastier. This is thick and yummy soup, and is one of our favorites. The best part is, that thanks to the Mrs. Dash in it, it is no-salt added, but has tons of flavor. I always serve it in bread bowls and save the tops for dipping in the leftovers. This time I used a rosemary and olive oil bread and it was to die for with this soup!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cans low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tsp(ish) olive oil
  
• 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 medium broccoli tree, chopped
• 1 cup milk
  
• 1/4 cup light cream
• 1 bag (2 cups) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 tbsp Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Seasoning Blend
  
• Bread bowls for serving

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and 1/2 cup of the broth. Set aside. This will be used later to thicken the soup.
2. In a large stockpot, saute the onion in a small amount of olive oil until soft.
3. Add remaining broth, potatoes, and broccoli.
4. Bring to a nice simmer over medium heat and cook uncovered for about 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
5. Cover and simmer another 10 minutes.
6. Pour in the flour mixture and stir in. Continue to stir over medium-high heat until soup thickens.
7. Pour in milk and light cream, stirring to mix.
8. Add cheese and stir until melted.
   
9. Stir in Mrs. Dash.
10. Serve warm in bread bowls.

One note about this recipe. Its much easier to stay on top of the steps if you prep everything beforehand and only have to throw things into the pot. Overall though, its a very easy recipe to make!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

This is a recipe my mom used to make when I was a kid. When I was a senior in college my mom put together a recipe book of all of my favorite recipes (many of which will have their day here), and this was in it. Thanks mom!

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup shortening
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cups oatmeal
• 1 1/2 cups raisins

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
   
2. Beat the eggs in a large bowl.
3. Add the milk, vanilla, and shortening, and mix well.
4. In a separate bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
5. Mix dry with wet.
6. Add oatmeal and raisins. Mix well.
7. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.

Makes 12 cookies.

Peanut Butter Puppy Poppers

If you haven't already, meet Rowdy. Rowdy is our very energetic, 9 month old, chocolate lab puppy. We got him last September and he has definitely added a new dynamic to our life, including literally watching what we eat. I always wondered if I could meet another living being more food motivated than my husband (I KID, I KID), but Rowdy definitely takes the cake.

If you have pets, you know how expensive they are. Vet bills, supplies, toys, and especially food, can eat up your budget very quickly. When we got Rowdy we were spending quite a bit of money on treats for him. They are quite a necessity when training since dogs are so food motivated, and we were flying through the bags at record pace. So a few months ago when someone at work asked me if I make my own dog treats, I said no, but please, tell me more! She sent me this recipe from ivillage.com and I haven't bought a bag of treats since. They are quick and easy to make and Rowdy LOVES them. He actually makes a scarfing noise when he's really excited to get one. Its quite humorous.

I'm excited to learn how to cook not only for Jim, but Rowdy too, so I decided to introduce a pet portion to the blog. If you have a pet of your own, hopefully these recipes will give him or her a tasty new treat!

Ingredients

• 1 cup peanut butter
  
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine peanut butter and milk. Mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Mix dry with wet.
4. Roll into small balls and place on greased baking sheet.
5. Bake for 15 minutes
6. Allow to cool before serving.
   

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Chocolate and Vanilla Rice Krispy Treats

Remember these from when you were a kid?? I found a recipe last night and just had to try it and it was so easy, I made an extra batch for work. These are made in 5 minutes, and ready in an hour. And the best part? They're not even that bad for you. Really!

NOTE: For my first batch I doubled the recipe to make extra thick treats. The single batch came out great though and were a perfect snack size!

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup real maple syrup
• 2 tbsp margarine or butter
• 40 regular marshmallows or 4 cups mini marshmallows (I used the mini, the leftovers are great for hot chocolate!)
• 3 cups rice krispies (generic is fine too)
• 3 cups chocolate rice krispies

Directions

1. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large saucepan over medium low heat, melt together maple syrup and butter until butter is completely melted.
3. Add marshmallows and stir continuously until completely melted. Remove from heat.
4. Add cereals and stir until well coated.
5. Spray the back of a metal spoon with cooking spray. Use it to press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
6. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. (I refrigerated overnight, just to really firm them up).
7. Cut into squares to serve.

If you like your bars really gooey, add a little more marshmallow. For a less gooey bar, add a little less. If you really want to make it a tasty treat, try pouring some melted chocolate over the top, (just be aware that that may kill the whole "these are good for you" notion). :)

Source: American Heart Association Quick & Easy Cookbook

Sun-Dried Tomato and Mushroom Pizza

Pizza is an awesome thing. You can make it healthy, you can make it terrible for you, but no matter what you do, its always good. This is a recipe I found on the MayoClinic.com recipe database this summer when we started our new diet. The website is amazing and full of heart-healthy, yummy, and easy to make recipes.

Keep in mind when you're making this, its PIZZA. So the ingredient measurements are more of a guide than an absolute. Put as much or as little of anything as you want. Add things, remove things, do whatever you want. Its so easy to play around with!

Ingredients

• 1 -12 inch refrigerated pizza crust. (I use Pillsbury)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup fat free ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained, patted dry with paper towel, and chopped
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 2 cups mushrooms, chopped
• 1 tsp thyme

Directions

1. Place the oven rack on the lowest level of the oven. Preheat to 425 degrees.
2. Spray a cookie sheet, or flour a pizza stone. Roll out dough.
3. Arrange garlic, cheese, tomatoes, and mushrooms.
4. Sprinkle on basil and thyme.
5. Bake until crust turns brown, about 20 minutes.

I think next time I might try adding some chicken. Let me know if any of you make any adjustments or additions when you make it!