Spinach and Artichoke Soup

Spinach and Artichoke Soup

From:Crackers & Co. Café in Mesa, AZ

¾ lbs. margarine

8 oz. diced onion

2 c. flour

2 qt. half and half

1 tsp. white pepper

3 tsp. Tabasco

3 oz. chicken base

1 ½ c. sour cream

1 c. parmesan cheese

Salt to taste

Milk as needed

½ lb. cooked diced spinach

½ of #10 can (about 2 ½ lbs.) diced artichoke hearts

1 TBSP balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. Sherry

In a 4 gallon pot melt margarine on low heat. Add diced onion-sauté for about 5 minutes. Add flour and cook an additional 5 minutes. Add half and half 1 qt. at a time and cook over low heat. Leave heat on low at all times.

Add spices and sour cream, add cheese, sherry, vinegar and cooked drained spinach and artichoke hearts. Stir soup will not burn or stick.

Add more regular milk if soup is too thick. Note this soup will thicken as it cooks, due to being started as Roux base first. Yields 2 ½ gallons

Enjoy!

-Delia

Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes

I'm not a fan of pumpkin pie, but I do love the flavor of pumpkin so I try to find ways to use pumpkin that don't include pie! This is my new favorite pumpkin recipe and it is delicious. I found it on MSN a couple weeks ago and finally tried it. I did cupcakes, but it originally is for a 3-layer 8 inch round cake.; due to this fact it makes at least 36 cupcakes depending on how much you fill your cupcake pan.

Cupcake Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup good-quality cocoa
2 tablespoons good-quality cocoa
1 tablesppon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon fresh-grated nutmeg
1 1/2 Cups pumpkin puree
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs
Orange-Cream Cheese Frosting

Heat oven to 375 degrees (for cake, 350 degrees). Line cupcake pan with liners (for cake lightly buter 3 8-inch cake pans and fit each bottom with an 8-inch circle of parchment paper. Lightly butter parchment paper).
Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl and set aside. Combine the buttermilk, pumpkin, and vanilla in a medium bowl and set aside. Beat the butter, and granulate and brown sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer set on medium speedy until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, until the misture is smooth and light. Alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, blending well after each addition.


Fill each each cupcake with 1/4 cup of batter (for cakes divide the batter among the pans and bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean -- about 35 minutes. Cool cakes in the pan for 20 minutes. Remove cakes and cool.) Bake cupcakes for 22 minutes.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
orange food coloring

Blend the cream cheese, butter, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla in a large bowl using an electric mixer set at medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar and continue mixing until light and creamy -- about 3 more minutes. Add food coloring and gently mix until your color choice is reached. Chill the frosting until ready to ice the cupcakes or cake.

Tips: I bought a big can of pumpkin and you only use a little bit. Pumpkin can be stored in your fridge for 1 week and in your freezer in a container for 3 months. Pumpkin does expand when frozen so make sure your container has enough room to accommodate.


From the kitchen of Megan

Minestrone Soup

1 lb. Italian sausage
1 can of garbanzo beans-DO NOT drain juice from beans
1 large onion

3 garlic cloves

1/2 cup of pasta shells
1 medium zucchini
2 large carrots
2 cans of Italian diced tomatoes (14 oz.)-Drain juice
1/4 lb. fresh green beans
2 celery ribs
6 cups of beef broth
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 cups shredded cabbage
1 medium leek (use white part)
3 tsp. of fresh parsley

Note: I used 1/2 can of kidney beans and 1/2 a can of garbanzo beans and I thought it was really good. Also fresh green beans taste a lot better than canned green beans!

Cook sausage. Cut veggies and combine sausage and all ingredients in a pan EXCEPT for noodles. Simmer until carrots are soft (not too soft) then add noodles and cook until noodles are done. When finished, garnish soup with Parmesan cheese if desired.
* Can use a crock pot if you want too. Let veggies and all ingredients cook on low all day then add noodles a little before dinner and turn up the heat!.*

From the Kitchen of Kelly

Cream Cheese French Toast

This is a new twist on an old favorite.

Ingrediants:
1 loaf French bred (sliced into 1/2-1 inch slices)
4 eggs
1/4-1/2 cup of milk
butter (for frying)

Topping:

1 package cream cheese (8oz) softened
1 cup powder sugar
Fresh or Frozen berries (sweetened with sugar if desired) or freezer jam


Beat your eggs and gradually add milk until egg batter reachers desired consistency (it depends on how eggy you like your French toast, so you decide how much milk to add). Hear skillet or frying pan and drop butter onto pan to grease. Dip both sides of French bread slices into egg and then put directly onto skillet. Fry on both sides until golden brown and no longer gooey (I find it a bit better to cook on a lower heat so that the egg can cook and the bread doesn't burn). Make as many pieces of French toast as desired (you can create more egg batter if needed), and place in a tupperware lined with papper towels to keep warm until ready to serve.

To make topping (I usually make this in advance). Make sure that the cream cheese is soft enough to stir with a spoon. Place it in a bowl and added powdered sugar gradually while stirring by hand (you can also do this with a hand mixer, but I find that I am faster when I don't have to get out extra equipment). Taste periodically and add more sugar to desired sweetness.

Top warm French toast with cream cheese and then berries or freezer jam (I usually use freezer jam in the winter when fresh berries are difficult to come by). Add more powdered sugar if desired. For little kids you can also use syrup like traditional French toast.

Tips:
I don't generally put any cinnamon in the egg batter like I would with traditional French toast since I use cream cheese and berries instead of syrup. If I have left over eggs I like to add a few more eggs and then fry them up like scrambled eggs in the pan (sometimes I'll top them with cheese). I've tried a couple different types of French Bread and I've found that bagged French breads taste the best (my favorite being Sam's Club, but Wal-Mart also carries bagged French bread) because they are a bit softer. Lee's French bread is a bit dryer and more brittle and doesn't turn as well for this French toast.

From the kitchen of Tannie.