Fast & Easy Delicious Soup

Welcome 2012! This time last year I was pregnant with baby number 2, who is now 7 month old baby sister. Wow. Time is going much too fast, but I'm doing my best to enjoy every minute of it. I look forward to future days that hold some extra time & energy so I can get back to sharing more crafts and projects. Until then, thanks to those who are still up for peeking at my little part of the mommie made blog world!

Recently I happened upon a delicious soup recipe that I have to share. It's a one pot wonder that is so tasty, so good & super easy to prepare. Here's my vegetarian version:

 Tomato Soup with White Beans & Pasta

via AllYou January 2011

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (I squeeze 'em thru our press)

1/4 tsp dried oregano

2 14.5oz cans diced tomatoes

28oz veggie broth

1/2 cup small pasta (I use elbows)

1 can cannellini beans, drained & rinsed

salt, pepper & any other seasoning you enjoy

 Start by warming the oil in your pot over medium-high heat. (I like using my dutch oven.) Add the garlic, stirring frequently and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in oregano, then tomatoes & broth. Bring the soup base to a boil. Next add the pasta, stir occasionally and cook about 8 minutes. Add the beans, stir and lower to a simmer for about 5 minutes. Season with salt & pepper, and I like to add some of Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute too. Keep it warming on the stove top for a bit or go ahead & ladle into bowls alongside some warm crusty garlic bread. YUM!

Most recipes I find in magazines typically turn out bland, so I was shocked that this turned out so well! I found it in All You, which I began subscribing to a few months back for the coupons. (I'm not a candidate for Extreme Couponers, but do enjoy saving our household serious cash!) What a pleasant surprise and an excellent addition to our dinner rotation during cold winter nights. I hope you give it a try and like it as much as we do!

Baby's First Embroidery

Summer may be coming to a close, but my crafty endeavors are just beginning for baby sister. I finally found some extra time to whip up a personalized burp cloth. I mentioned before on my Facebook page, I've got them all over the house, just never in the exact spot I end up needing one. So here's another to add to the laundry load!

 

I started by sewing polka dot grosgrain ribbon to the bottom hem of a Gerber organic diaper cloth. After browsing all of my Monogram Wizard Plus fonts, I decided to use 3 different fonts to spell her name...yes, I'm a nut, lean towards obsessive compulsive, and always seem to make things harder than need be. But isn't that why we crafters create? - to make exactly what we want and uniquely so to boot!
- E is Exact, LL is Fletch and A is Curly Q -

Big brother's first embroidery was the same (but with his name in a more masculine font of course), so now I have a pair of baby keepsakes. Good thing they are absorbent because I am sure they will wipe my tears when I fondly reminisce of baby days.

For now we are enjoying our precious chubby bundle's sweet smiles and coos. She's pictured above on a blanket made by her great-grandmother, and is wearing her mommie's very own vintage bubble suit!

Choo Choo BBQ

We are anxiously awaiting the birth of baby sister. Big brother arrived several days before his due date, but it seems our girl is snuggled up and has her own agenda. So as we kick off a Memorial Day weekend of waiting, I thought I'd share one of my husband's favorite go-to crock pot recipes. It's on right now for dinner, planned to go alongside some ears of fresh corn. (And for those that don't know, I'm a vegetarian, but the ease of preparation allows me to put this on for the hubs and move on to my own version of chicken!)

My brother is responsible for sharing the super simple recipe, found here. Thanks Esteban! We make a half batch most times which still yields plenty. And a great tip of my bro's is to use half of the BBQ sauce initially, shred the meat about 30 minutes before time to eat, then add it back to the crock with the remaining sauce.


 

 I served this dish as Choo Choo BBQ for big brother's 2nd birthday party and it was a hit in the Dining Car...get it?! We also offered Chugga Chugga Punch. This mommie loves a good theme! For more on the Train Party, head here and here.
 

Happy holiday weekend everyone! Hopefully I'll have baby news to share soon...or lots more nesting projects!

Decorated Sugar Cookies

Last week was Spring Break around here, so making Easter cookies was high on my list of fun activities. Big brother loves cooking, so we whipped up a fantastic sugar cookie recipe. It's delicious, easy and instantly ready to roll out if you have an impatient baker as do I! It even held up nicely in the fridge between cutting sessions...someone lost his steam once we got to the cut outs and wasn't the most gentle. Even so, I think our final shapes turned out nicely!

I let the cookies cool and packed them in airtight containers overnight. Soon we were ready to decorate! 

After having such success with my cupcake frosting, I was excited to make my first batch of Royal Icing. Once again, I turned to Prudent Baby's wisdom to get started.  I made a large batch of white icing and then divided it into small bowls for coloring. Once the color was mixed, I spooned the frosting into my handy squirt bottles. I kept things basic by starting with outlines, and then filling them in for big brother to happily sprinkle.

I've got a long ways to go to match some of the gorgeous cookies I've seen in blogland, but our first go at it was fun! Figuring out the correct consistency of the icing is key, and having a little helper always produces homegrown results. And that's what makes them extra special!

As you can see, the cookies were well loved, shared excitedly and eaten quickly.

Here's to the next batch and I hope everyone's Easter was great!

Playful Playdoh

  

We've had a rainy, chilly week but are expecting Spring's return this weekend. Hoorah! Since we were stuck indoors, big boy and I had fun making April's preschool classroom batch of purple playdoh yesterday...and giving it a test run too!

Find my trusty recipe here.

Apologies for the dull photos. I snapped these in front of an open window, but this was as good as it got due to the gray day. Luckily the sun has poked back out today - aahhhh!

And a big welcome to many new followers both here in blog-land and on Facebook! I'm honored and excited to share my creations with you! Thank you for stopping by!

Corn Chowder

I first made this chowder moons ago when my husband and I were simply boyfriend and girlfriend. He's asked me to make it again several times, but I somehow misplaced the recipe. Then we moved, got married, and started our family. Well, much to my nesting delight, I recently came across the missing recipe while going through a stack of books I'm purging. I immediately made a batch and the recipe is settled in our permanent binder of go-to meals. Here's a pic of the deliciousness in my cast iron pot. Find my take on the recipe below!

Vegetarian Corn Chowder

adapted from Rachel Ray's Clam Chowda

2 tablespoons butter

2 slices bacon, chopped (I like Morningstar Farms)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 ribs celery with greens, chopped

4 springs fresh thyme

salt & pepper

2 teaspoons (or more) hot sauce

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 pint half-and-half

2 cups stock (I use vegetable)

1 cup raw hash browns (usually found in the dairy case & I use much more)

2 cans kernel corn (I drain the water, but you can add what you like)

In a medium pot over medium high heat melt butter. Add bacon, onions, celery and thyme sprigs. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce and cook 5 minutes. Add flour and cook a minute more.
Add half-and-half and stock and bring to a bubble. Then stir in potatoes and corn. Bring soup back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, until potatoes are cooked and soup has thickened to coat the back of a spoon.

Even though we're enjoying some spring-like temperatures, I'm sure there are still more cold, gray days ahead. Give this a try on one of those nights and snuggle in before it's too hot for soup!

Pretty Play-doh

Back in September, I signed up to make monthly batches of play-doh for my son's preschool class. Here's a peek at February's classroom love:

You can find my recipe here. I just love it (as does my son!) and it makes a wonderful homemade gift. Wouldn't it be cute divided into little clear containers with Valentines attached?!

Favorite Foods: Macaroni & Cheese

I don't know of one male (or even female for that matter!) in my family that doesn't love this Macaroni & Cheese recipe.  This dish is a must share as it's requested often...birthdays, rainy days, chilly days, holidays...you get the picture!  I always try to serve a green veggie with the Mac, and my Mom started the tradition of serving it alongside blueberry muffins.  Sounds crazy, but the combo is soooo gooood!  I think it's something about the savory and sweet together.  Or maybe it's just the giant carb-fest we all crave from time-to-time.  Whatever the case may be, it's delicious and I hope you enjoy it as much as our family does!

Macaroni & Cheese

8 oz cooked macaroni noodles

2 cups + shredded cheese

2 eggs

2 cups milk

salt, pepper, seasoning to taste

 Whisk together eggs, milk and desired seasoning.  Butter a casserole dish and cover the bottom with a layer of shredded cheese.  Alternate layers of cooked noodles and cheese, ending with cheese on top.  Pour liquid over entire casserole.  Top it with a few small cubes of butter to assist in browning (and deliciousness).  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes.  YUM!

I like to use sharp cheddar cheese, but am also known to mix it up with colby or other specialty cheeses.  If you have a meat lover in your household, you could add ham or even sausage.  This recipe delivers a casserole consistency and is definitely a southern delicacy.  Don't forget to try it with blueberry muffins!

Fruit Pie

It's just not summer without a fresh-from-the-oven fruit pie! I happened upon a simple recipe* for this scrumptious concoction last week, and quickly baked up my very own peach & blueberry version. YUM!

Ingredients

1 frozen Wholly Wholesome pie crust
sliced fruit & berries of your choice
1 cup half-and-half
1 egg
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions: 1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Place fruit in pie crust and spread evenly. 2. In a small bowl, combine half-and-half, egg, sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt; whisk until well blended. Pour over fruit. 3. Place pie in oven and bake at 400 degrees F for 50 minutes or until center is set.

The liquid portion ended up being a bit too much for my fruit packed pie, so either put less fruit in or try less half-and-half. Thank goodness I had my pie on a baking sheet that caught some of the excess - whoopsie! Once it's cooled enough to dish, don't forget to plop a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on top!

*original recipe found in Family Circle's August 2010 issue

Homemade Play-doh

One of my son's playmates turned 2 this past weekend, so I whipped up a homemade batch of play-doh for her to enjoy. My mother made it for me growing up, and gave her grandson his first batch at Christmas. The texture and peppermint scent instantly transports me back into my own childhood. It's a fun gift in that color and scents are endless with this handy recipe. Plus it's just a darn good old fashioned "toy" that's fun and safe to play with...and even eat should it somehow end up in a child's, mommie's or even doggie's mouth!

MHB's Homemade Play-doh
1 cup flour, sifted
1/2 cup salt
1 cup water
3 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/2 Tbl oil
food coloring
(peppermint) extract

Mix all ingredients in a pot, then place over medium high heat and stir constantly for 3 minutes. It gets difficult to stir the last little bit, but stop when it reaches the consistency of play-doh. Some of it does stick to the pot, so don't worry that it's not right. Turn it out on the counter or wax paper and it's ready to go.

We keep our homemade stash in airtight containers in the fridge, and I try to set it out prior to playtime. However, my little guy usually demands it immediately and doesn't seem to mind it cold and less pliable. Once it hits room temp, it really works great with cookie cutters and various play-doh toys. Enjoy!

Food for Thought

Mmnnn! Just made these delicious (and super easy!) granola bars today, and had to share the recipe. I DVR "The Martha Stewart Show" daily and was pleased to catch this particular treat. I used ingredients we already had on-hand, but certainly appreciate the ability to prepare this for others with food allergies. I also used raisins instead of chocolate chips as my little one somehow did not inherit his parent's love of cocoa concoctions. So proud he prefers fruit!

And speaking of preparing food for my sweet bambino, check out the lastest blog I'm obsessing over: Another Lunch. I immediately broke out my cookie cutters for his bento lunches this past week...why hadn't I thought of it before?! My fellow bento-using hometown bestie turned me on to this site and I can't thank her enough. The photos, ideas and products are too much crafty/nerdy fun not to share! Cute waste-free healthy lunches rock!

Pretty Cookbooks

The girls at Prudent Baby recently inspired me to jazz up a couple of my recipe binders. Aren't they great?! My mother is handing down some of her recipes/cookbooks, and she just so happened to have transferred them into binders. Creating covers for these jems had fallen to the bottom of my project pile until I saw the fantastic printable templates! My binders are on the smaller side, so I just cut and folded accordingly. Voila! I really found Jacinda's organizational tips insightful as well. Bon Appetit!