Culinary Goods

I made this last night and really liked it. I left out the Italian sausage, which I will add next time, because the soup was missing just a little something. As it was, Jared and I gave it a 7. I got the recipe off of melskitchencafe.com. Lasagna Soup Yield: Serves 4 Ingredients Soup: 1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 4 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press 2 teaspoons dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper 3 tablespoons tomato paste 1 (28-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained 2 bay leaves 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or 2 tablespoons dried basil I used fresh Salt and pepper to taste 1/2 pound fusilli noodles, cooked and drained Cheese topping: 1 cup ricotta cheese 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 2 cups shredded mozzar...

I made these yesterday and thought they would be really good. Now, before I go and blame the recipe, I should tell you that I cut down the butter (which is something I almost never do in desserts) because I could not bring myself to add 3 sticks of butter to a desert that fit in a 9x13 pan. I only cut it down by 4 TBS, but I think that may have been the difference between just okay chocolate shortbread fingers and really good chocolate shortbread fingers. I don't know that I'll ever make them again because of how much butter it calls for, but if I do, I won't cut it down. I also don't know if I will add the cinnamon because it don't think it added too much to the flavor. Okay, it just sounds like I probably need to never make these again because I wasn't a fan all-around. I would give them a 5. I got the recipe and pic off of melskitchencafe.com. Chocolate Shortbread Fingers Yield: Makes 16-20 shortbread fingers Note: To make superfine sugar as...

  This came from our favorite new blog, melskitchencafe.com. You can see from my picture that this is a thick soup, but that I omitted the bacon. It was still awesome. I give this an 8.5, and while I like my original broccoli soup recipe, this one is better and I will use this one from now on. It’s really good. Also, I did make changes, which I indicate in bold on the original recipe below. Loaded Broccoli Cheese and Bacon Soup Yield: Serves 8 You could easily use turkey bacon here especially since the bacon grease is drained before proceeding with the recipe. Alternately, if you like to live life on the edge, you can use the bacon grease for the base of the white sauce and omit the butter (just make sure you have at least 3 tablespoons, otherwise, supplement with butter). This soup is definitely on the thicker side of things; if you want a thinner soup, consider decreasing the broccoli by half (only using 2 cups or so) or adding additional broth at the beginning or the end. Ing...

The muffins didn’t taste much better than they look, unfortunately. So, I found this recipe on melskitchencafe.com, and this was my first disappointment. I give these a 6, but my kids would give them much higher. Here is the recipe, and I put my changes in bold. Whole Grain Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins   2 average-sized bananas, peeled and mashed 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar (optional, see note) I used half of this, because she said you might not need any if the bananas were ripe 1/2 cup plain yogurt 1 large egg 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce I used half applesauce and half oil 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/3 to 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips Directions Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line with cupcake liners (lightly grease the muffin liners if using). In a large bowl, whisk together the bananas, sugar, yogurt, egg, and applesauce. In a small bowl, combi...

I got this recipe from melskitchencafe.com (my new favorite) and took this beautiful picture myself. I liked these because they can be healthy (if you don't use sour cream or cheese) and tasted good. I would give these a 7. Jared didn't have any because his stomach was bad, but I'm sure he would have given it a similar rating. I put my changes in bold. Salsa Verde Tostadas Ingredients 4 flour tortillas I used corn tortillas 1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese I just put a few slices on each tortilla 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese 2 1/2 cups cooked, shredded chicken or pork I did not use any meat 1 cup green salsa (salsa verde) plus more for serving 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin Toppings: lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, avocado, etc. I cooked brown rice and added it to the bean mixture. I also added chopped green onions. Directions Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrang...

This picture and recipe came from melskitchencafe.com, and it was great. I give it an 8. I will put my changes or things I will change for next time in bold below. Also, I will add corn to this, and possibly more vegetables. It was great, but it needed more substance. Sweet potatoes would be good, and even things like green beans would be great. Cream Cheese Chicken and Vegetable Soup Yield: Serves 4 we fed 6 with this Note: this recipe calls for already cooked chicken. I usually cook the chicken breasts in the crockpot with a little chicken broth the morning I make this soup, but you could also go ahead and cook the chicken in the first step with the onions and other vegetables that cook together. Ingredients 2 tablespoons butter I cut this down a slight bit 1 yellow onion, finely diced 2 cloves garlic, finely minced 2 stalks celery, diced I would double this at least 1/2 cup diced carrots (about 2 regular carrots or a handful of baby carrots) I would double or triple this 3 ...

I got this recipe and pic from Fine Cooking (I have a subscription) and really liked it. I would give it an 8.5. Spiced Pumpkin Bread Pudding Softened unsalted butter, for the dish 2 15-oz. cans pure pumpkin purée 2 cups whole milk I used 1% 2 cups heavy cream 2 cups packed dark brown sugar I used 1 3/4 C 8 large eggs 1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract 1 Tbs. ground cinnamon 1 tsp. ground ginger 1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg 1 tsp. fine sea salt 1/2 tsp. ground cloves 1-1/2 lb. challah, brioche, or other soft egg bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 16 cups) I used french bread Confectioners’ sugar, for dusti...