I was craving soup two nights ago (this is the time of year I really bust out the soup recipes), and black bean soup was really calling to me, but I had no recipe. Cut to me at Food City, putting items in my basket that sound like they would go well together in a soup. The result was a freakishly easy soup that was super delicious!
Black Bean & Corn Soup
1 15 oz. can black beans (drained & rinsed)
1 15 oz. can corn (drained)
1/2 cup salsa (I used medium to add a little heat, but any kind will do)
2 cups chicken broth (I used this because I had it on hand, vegetable or beef stock would do well, too!)
1 lime (I used the entire lime's worth of juice-- I'm not sure of the equivalent for bottled lime juice)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Salt (to taste)
In a blender, add all of the ingredients except for the salt. Blend until you reach the desired consistency (I made mine slightly smooth on accident. I got overzealous with the buttons). Transfer mixture into a saucepan and heat. Add the salt to taste (it depends on the salsa used, some add a lot of salt, some have hardly any).
It was less than $5 to make, and took no more than 10 minutes. I served it with sour cream and cheese on top.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Baked Pasta
This is one of the easiest meals in the world to make. But it is always a crowd pleaser and can be put together in no time at all, so if you get unexpected guests for dinner, you're set!
Baked Pasta
One box of pasta (any will do, I typically use ziti or bowties)
One jar of pasta sauce
Two cups mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the pasta as directed, drain and return to the pot. Pour in the sauce and also add about a third of the jar of water, because it will dry out otherwise. Stir together and put in a casserole dish (I use a 13x9 glass dish). Top with the mozzarella cheese first, make sure to cover evenly. Sprinkle with grated parmesan and bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until the cheese is beginning to turn golden brown.
This would be great with roasted vegetables and some bread.
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| Photo Courtesy of myrecipes.com |
Baked Pasta
One box of pasta (any will do, I typically use ziti or bowties)
One jar of pasta sauce
Two cups mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the pasta as directed, drain and return to the pot. Pour in the sauce and also add about a third of the jar of water, because it will dry out otherwise. Stir together and put in a casserole dish (I use a 13x9 glass dish). Top with the mozzarella cheese first, make sure to cover evenly. Sprinkle with grated parmesan and bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until the cheese is beginning to turn golden brown.
This would be great with roasted vegetables and some bread.
Fall Festivities!
It is a secret to no one that fall is my favorite season. I love the colors, the cooler weather and the food and drink that it brings with it. I try to get as much fall in as I possibly can-- which means dragging my friends and boyfriend along to Rocky Mount, one of my favorite places to go in this area, for their Harvest Festival day.
Making fresh apple cider. Probably one of the best-tasting apple anything I've ever had.
Fall foliage.
Rocking chair in the main house
The apples used to make the cider, some picked fresh from the trees on site!
My boyfriend, me and two of my closest friends Chris & Meredith
The main house
Making apple butter! Yum.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Roasted vegetables
This is so delicious and easy, I shouldn't even feature it here. But I will.
Roasted vegetables can make even the pickiest of vegetable eaters happy. My boyfriend hates broccoli, but will eat it if I roast it. I have friends that have never tried asparagus, but now love it because I persuaded them to try it.
Coat the veggies in olive oil in a mixing bowl. Just use enough oil to coat them, too much will make them soggy. Sprinkle the vegetables with salt and just a small amount of sugar. Place on a cookie sheet and put in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the veggies are browned, crisped and soft. The result is crispy, tasty vegetables that everyone will love!
(If they don't, come find me.)
Roasted vegetables can make even the pickiest of vegetable eaters happy. My boyfriend hates broccoli, but will eat it if I roast it. I have friends that have never tried asparagus, but now love it because I persuaded them to try it.
It's so simple to roast any vegetable, and they make a delicious and healthy addition to any meal using ingredients you can already find in your kitchen!
Roasted vegetables
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Any vegetable of your choosing, enough to fill a cookie sheet (I've done broccoli, asparagus, tomatoes and potatoes--carrots are next on my list)
- Olive oil
- Salt (Kosher or standard table salt will do, but I prefer kosher)
- Sugar (just a pinch to help caramelize! Use only on vegetables that aren't naturally sweet-- no carrots or sweet potatoes!)
Coat the veggies in olive oil in a mixing bowl. Just use enough oil to coat them, too much will make them soggy. Sprinkle the vegetables with salt and just a small amount of sugar. Place on a cookie sheet and put in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the veggies are browned, crisped and soft. The result is crispy, tasty vegetables that everyone will love!
(If they don't, come find me.)
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Potato Soup
It's getting to be my favorite time of year-- fall. I get to wear cardigans and not feel uncomfortable, drink apple cider and do all the cheesy fall festival events at our local historical sites that I love so much.
I've featured a soup before, but I've made this twice since the temperature has gone down (yes, it's that simple and that good) and I have to share.
I made this today for some friends for when we watched the final "Lord of the Rings" movie-- a tradition we recently started of watching famous movie trilogies. In case you were wondering (and I know you all were), "Star Wars" is next. We don't count the most recent films.
Easy Potato Soup
16 oz. hash brown potatoes (I've only found 32 oz. bags in the grocery store, so I take what I believe to be half from the bag and save the rest for my eventual second batch!)
1 onion, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups water
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
2 cups milk
Salt (to taste)
As I've mentioned before, I really hate onions.
So for this recipe, I do what I always do and saute the onions in a little bit of butter (usually about 2 tablespoons) in my trusty stock pot before I add the rest of the ingredients. After the onions have softened a bit, add the potatoes, broth and water and simmer until the potatoes are nearly cooked (about 5-10 minutes). Turn the heat down and add the milk and soups. Simmer those until everything is heated through and add as much salt and pepper as you care for and enjoy! This is best topped with cheese (naturally), bacon or chives-- whatever you like best.
It makes approximately 2-2 1/2 quarts of soup, or 6 bowls, depending on serving size.
I've featured a soup before, but I've made this twice since the temperature has gone down (yes, it's that simple and that good) and I have to share.
I made this today for some friends for when we watched the final "Lord of the Rings" movie-- a tradition we recently started of watching famous movie trilogies. In case you were wondering (and I know you all were), "Star Wars" is next. We don't count the most recent films.
Easy Potato Soup
16 oz. hash brown potatoes (I've only found 32 oz. bags in the grocery store, so I take what I believe to be half from the bag and save the rest for my eventual second batch!)
1 onion, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups water
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
2 cups milk
Salt (to taste)
As I've mentioned before, I really hate onions.
So for this recipe, I do what I always do and saute the onions in a little bit of butter (usually about 2 tablespoons) in my trusty stock pot before I add the rest of the ingredients. After the onions have softened a bit, add the potatoes, broth and water and simmer until the potatoes are nearly cooked (about 5-10 minutes). Turn the heat down and add the milk and soups. Simmer those until everything is heated through and add as much salt and pepper as you care for and enjoy! This is best topped with cheese (naturally), bacon or chives-- whatever you like best.
It makes approximately 2-2 1/2 quarts of soup, or 6 bowls, depending on serving size.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Mexican Corn Chowder
This meal is one of my favorites to make and to eat. It's been a bargaining chip for any favors I ask of people:
Me: "Will you help me move this weekend?"
Everyone: "Yeah, but only if you make me some chowder."
It's a good thing this recipe is easy.
Mexican Corn Chowder
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 lb. chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces (4 breasts usually work)
- 2 cans of creamed corn
- 1 can of chopped green chiles
- 16 oz. half & half
- 2 cups colby cheese (shredded colby is hard to find sometimes, so the Mexican blend works just as well)
- 1/2-1 tablespoon Cumin
- salt
- hot sauce
Melt the butter in a stock pot or dutch oven on medium high heat and cook the garlic, onion and chicken for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked (I usually put the onions in first, I hate the taste of onions and cook them down to almost nothing). Turn down to medium heat. Combine the rest of the ingredients and cook until hot.
Add more cumin, salt or hot sauce to taste. Serve with extra cheese and tortilla chips, if you'd like!
Me: "Will you help me move this weekend?"
Everyone: "Yeah, but only if you make me some chowder."
It's a good thing this recipe is easy.
Mexican Corn Chowder
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 lb. chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces (4 breasts usually work)
- 2 cans of creamed corn
- 1 can of chopped green chiles
- 16 oz. half & half
- 2 cups colby cheese (shredded colby is hard to find sometimes, so the Mexican blend works just as well)
- 1/2-1 tablespoon Cumin
- salt
- hot sauce
Melt the butter in a stock pot or dutch oven on medium high heat and cook the garlic, onion and chicken for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked (I usually put the onions in first, I hate the taste of onions and cook them down to almost nothing). Turn down to medium heat. Combine the rest of the ingredients and cook until hot.
Add more cumin, salt or hot sauce to taste. Serve with extra cheese and tortilla chips, if you'd like!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Sunday Chicken
I am in love with the Crock Pot. If (wo)man and appliance could marry, I'd marry my beautiful, stainless steel Pot.
This blog will be a collection of my favorite recipes, both Crock Pot and standard.
To begin, I'll start with one of my favorites-- Sunday Chicken. I got this recipe on a facebook Crock Pot recipe-sharing group and every time I've made it, it's been popular. It's easy, delicious and comforting. Also, it's a great recipe for fall.
Layer this in the Crock Pot in the following order:
I usually don't recommend cooking anything on high in the Crock Pot, I've never had very good results.
Crock Pots are great for throwing items in and letting it cook while you're gone or doing other things. Typically I will put my ingredients in before I go to class or work, and my meal is ready when I get home. An added bonus-- my apartment smells amazing!
This blog will be a collection of my favorite recipes, both Crock Pot and standard.
To begin, I'll start with one of my favorites-- Sunday Chicken. I got this recipe on a facebook Crock Pot recipe-sharing group and every time I've made it, it's been popular. It's easy, delicious and comforting. Also, it's a great recipe for fall.
Layer this in the Crock Pot in the following order:
- Chicken (4 boneless, skinless breasts typically work)
- Sliced Muenster cheese (it melts the best with this recipe, but any sliced cheese will do)
- Cream of chicken and cream of celery soup (combine; I've also added cheese soup for a cheesier flavor. I'm a big fan of cheese)
- Box stuffing (I mix the stuffing with the soup so the stuffing doesn't dry out)
I usually don't recommend cooking anything on high in the Crock Pot, I've never had very good results.
Crock Pots are great for throwing items in and letting it cook while you're gone or doing other things. Typically I will put my ingredients in before I go to class or work, and my meal is ready when I get home. An added bonus-- my apartment smells amazing!
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