Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

I found this recipe on Pinterest, and I made a few tweaks to cut back on some of the fat. It was absolutely fabulous! Tanner and I agreed it was the best tomato soup I have ever made! It's got quite a bit of veggies in it, but you can't even tell once they are pureed. It also made a ton! We had leftovers for days. Hope you enjoy!

           

1. Dice 1 c. each of celery, onion, and carrots.

2. Add to crockpot along with 2 cans diced tomatoes, 4 c. low sodium chicken broth, 1 TBSP dried basil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper. Cook on low for 4-5 hours.

3. About 30 minutes prior to serving, melt 5 TBSP butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in 1/2 c. flour and cook for 5 minutes, whisking continually.

4. Once it looks like this, start ladling in some of the broth from the crockpot. 

5. Whisk in a couple of cups of soup until it is thinned out a bit.

5. Add it to the pot of soup and whisk a bit until it is combined. Using an immersion blender(or regular blender), puree soup to your liking. I made it thin with a few small chunks left.

6. Stir in 1 c. half and half, 1 c. 2% milk, and 1 c. shredded parmesan cheese.

7. Cook for another 20 minutes or until completely hot. Give it a taste test to see if it needs more salt, pepper, basil, and/or oregano.

8. Serve with some tasty fiesta grilled cheeses!

Crockpot Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

Serves 8

1 c. diced celery

1 c. diced onion

1 c. diced carrot

2 cloves minced garlic

2 cans diced tomatoes, with juice(I used basil & oregano no salt added)

4 c. low sodium chicken broth

1 TBSP dried basil

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 bay leaf

5 TBSP butter

1/2 c. flour

1 c. half and half

1 c. 2% milk (or whatever kind of milk you have on hand)

1 c. parmesan cheese

1/2-1 tsp. salt

pepper to taste

Add first 9 ingredients in crockpot. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. 30 minutes before serving, melt butter in a small saucepan. Sprinkle in the flour, whisking constantly, and cook for 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in a couple of cups of broth from the crockpot to thin out the roux. Then add it all back into the pot. With an immersion blender, puree the soup to your liking. Then add the half and half, milk, and parmesan cheese. Give it a taste and add salt, pepper, basil, and/or oregano as needed. Cook on low for about 20 more minutes or until completely hot.

Mini Fiesta Grilled Cheeses

These little grilled cheeses are absolutely like no other and so simple! The recipe came from my mother, and I LOVED when she would make them. They are just so easy and really give the traditional grilled cheese a run for its money. They only require 4 ingredients and about 5 minutes to make. I usually pair them with some kind of soup. I promise you will love them!

1. In a bowl combine 1 can Campbell's Fiesta Nacho Cheese soup and 1 8oz. bag shredded sharp cheddar cheese. You could probably use any cheese you have on hand. It should be similar to the consistency of pimento cheese.

2. Thinly slice a store-bought french baguette. The above picture was only half of the baguette. One full baguette gave us 4 good servings. 

3. Lay all the slices out on your cutting board. Butter one side of each piece (like you would a grilled cheese).

4. On the non-buttered side of half the pieces, spread on about a heaping TBSP of the cheese mixture. 

5. Put the tops on. Outside of sandwiches should be all buttered. Preheat panini press, grill pan, or griddle to med-high heat. 

6. Grill the sandwiches for about 3-4 minutes or until toasted and melty. The cheese usually starts running down the rides and sizzling on the pan.

7. This is what they look like when they are done! Love those little grill marks!:)

8. Serve it up with some warm tomato soup and you can never go wrong!

Fiesta Grilled Cheese

Serves 4-8 (enough cheese mixture for 2 baguettes. Each baguette should serve about 4 people)

1 can Campbell's Fiesta Nacho Cheese soup

1 8oz. bag shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 french baguette, thinly sliced

butter

Mix soup and cheese in a bowl. Thinly slice baguette and butter one side of each piece as you would a grilled cheese. Spread about a heaping TBSP of the cheese mixture on the non-buttered side of half the bread pieces. Preheat your panine press, grill pan, or griddle to med-high heat. Grill the sandwiches for 3-4 minutes or until toasty and melted. 

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I absolutely love Panera Bread's broccoli cheese soup. It's so rich and cheesy and comforting. Unfortunately we don't have a Panera close by, so I figured it was time to try out a recipe for it myself. I found two recipes on Pinterest that looked good, so this is a recipe that kind of combines my favorite things about the two. I have made this soup twice now and it is FANTASTIC! Any time in the future I have a craving for broccoli cheese soup this will be the recipe. I really encourage you to try it. It's packed full of fresh broccoli and carrots, and I cut back on the half and half, so it's practically healthy! ;) Hope you enjoy!

1. Chop 1 small onion and cook in a pot with half a stick of butter .

2. While that is cooking, chop your broccoli into florets and rinse in a colander. 

3. Shred your carrots. I think I used 2 large carrots or about 2 c. (maybe a little less)

4. Once onions are tender, sprinkle in the flour and cook for another minute.

5. Slowly add 4 c. chicken broth and 2 c. half and half.

6. Add the broccoli and carrots. Simmer on low for 20-30 minutes or until veggies are tender.

7. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste, and nutmeg. Stir in 2 c. sharp cheddar cheese.

I served it up with an always tasty BLT! YUMMY!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Serves 6-8

4 TBSP butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 lb. fresh broccoli florets

2 c. shredded carrots

1/4 c. flour

4 c. low sodium chicken broth

2 c. half and half

salt and pepper to taste

2 c. sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

In a pot cook chopped onion and butter until onions are tender. Whisk in the flour and cook for another minute. Slowly add chicken broth and half and half. Add broccoli florets and shredded carrots. Simmer on low for about 20-30 min. Once veggies are tender, use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste and the nutmeg. Stir in cheese until melted.

Chicken Swiss Casserole

This is such a fabulous casserole that my whole family enjoys making. It's warm and comforting and just yummy. I tweaked the original recipe by substituting Healthy Request cream of chicken soup (reduced sodium and fat) and cut back on the butter a little. It was still just as delicious and made me feel less guilty about my over-sized portion! :P Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

1. Shred/chop cooked chicken and spread in the bottom of a 9x13 dish.

2. Saute chopped onion in a little olive oil until tender.

3. Meanwhile, place sliced water chesnuts on top of chicken. (I cut my sliced water chesnuts in half). Then pour the onions over top.

4. Pour a 10 oz bag of thawed peas on top.

5. Sprinkle with the 2c. swiss cheese

6. In a small bowl, mix cream of chicken soup and chicken broth.

7. Pour soup mixture on top of casserole and spread out evenly.

8. Sprinkle herb stuffing over the top.

9. Pour 6 TBSP melted butter on top. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly. We were so anxious to dig in that I forgot to take a picture of the finished product! It looks pretty much the same, but with more of a golden crust.

Chicken Swiss Casserole

Serves 8

2 1/2 c. cooked chopped chicken

1 onion diced and sauteed

1 can sliced water chesnuts

1 10 oz. package frozen peas, thawed

1 can cream healthy request cream of chicken soup

1/2 c. low sodium chicken broth

2 c. swiss cheese, shredded

1/2 pkg. herb seasoned stuffing mix

6 TBSP butter, melted

salt and pepper to taste

Layer first four ingredients in a 9x13 casserole dish. Sprinkle cheese generously over top. In a small bowl, mix together cream of chicken soup and chicken broth. Pour over top of cheese. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Top the casserole evenly with stuffing mix and pour butter over top. Bake at 350 for 45 min or until hot and bubbly. 

Finder's Keeper's Cream Cheese Frosted Cake

The secret's out! There is a story behind this wonderful confection. Many many years ago my mom's younger bother had a friend in high school who's mom made this cake. My mom fell in love with it and had to get her hands on the recipe. However, the cake was a secret family recipe and the lady would not give it up! So one night my uncle's friend sneaked into the kitchen and copied the recipe for my mom! hehe The lady never found out and we have been making this cake ever since! This is one of the best cakes your will EVER eat! I mean who wouldn't want to share this?? I know of many people who will vouch for that! It is so tasty and surprisingly not too sweet or too chocolaty. You will be making it for years to come. 

1. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, butter, vanilla, and water in a large bowl.

2. Mix on med-low speed for 2 minutes.

3. Melt 1 c. semi-sweet choc. chips and pour into batter.

4. Mix until chocolate is combined.

5. Pour batter evenly into 3 parchment-lined round cake pans(8 or 9 in.) I only have 2 round cake pans, so I had to wait to bake the third until the first two were finished. Sprinkle tops with 1/3 c. chop chips and 1/3 c. chopped pecans. I used a little less pecans since Tanner is not a big nut fan. 

6.  Bake at 350 for 25-35 min. Let cool in cake pans for 10-15 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack until completely cool. While the cake is cooling, prepare the icing:

7. Beat 1 block cream cheese with 1/2 stick butter and 1 box powdered sugar until smooth.

8. Place first cake layer on cake plate and spread a layer of icing on top. Top with second cake layer and do the same thing. Add top layer but do not frost. 

9. Next, ice the sides of the cake. For less mess, slip some parchment paper strips under the edges of the cake before icing.

10. Leave top of cake unfrosted-sounds weird but trust me! Dust top with powdered sugar. And now the BEST part!! Give yourself a nice big slice and enjoy! If you want to kick it up another notch, pop it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to melt the choc chips a tad. YUM! No need for ice cream-that's how good this cake is! Because of the cream cheese icing, I'm a little more cautious and store in the fridge. 

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosted Cake

1 box plain yellow cake mix (I used Duncan Hines Classic yellow)

1 small box instant vanilla pudding

1 stick melted butter

4 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 c. water

2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

1 c. chopped pecans

Icing:

1 8 oz. block cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat)

1/2 stick butter, softened

1 box powdered sugar

In a large bowl, mix cake mix, pudding mix, butter, eggs, vanilla, and water. Beat on med-low speed for 2 minutes. In a microwave safe bowl, melt 1 c. of the chocolate chips. Pour melted chocolate into cake batter, and beat until well combined. Line your cake pans with parchment paper and pour batter evenly into 3 round cake pans(8 or 9 in.). Sprinkle on top of each 1/3 c. chocolate chips and 1/3 c. chopped pecans. Bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes (depends on which cake pan size you used). My 9 in. pans took 26 minutes to bake. Check with a toothpick. Cool in cake pans for 10-15 minutes, then cool completely on a cooling rack. While cake layers are cooling, prepare icing.   Mix together cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar until smooth. Frost in between the layers, but leaving the top unfrosted. Frost the sides of the cake. Dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar.