Butternut Squash Soup with Ravioli

From: Better Homes and Gardens breast cancer cookbook

Ingredients:
2 lbs butternut squash
2 14-oz cans vegetable broth
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1 Tbsp butter
1 9-oz package refrigerated cheese-filled ravioli
1 Tbsp molasses

Peel squash. Halve lengthwise. Remove seeds and discard. Cut squash into 3/4-inch pieces. In a large saucepan combine 1/2 cup water, squash, vegetable broth, and red pepper. Cook, covered, over medium heat for 20 minutes or until squash is tender. Transfer one-fourth of the squash mixture to a blender container or food processor. Cover and blend until smooth. Repeat with remaining portions, one at a time, until all of the mixture is blended. Return blended mixture to the saucepan. Bring just to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Add butter; stir until just melted. Meanwhile, prepare the ravioli according to package directions; drain.

Ladle hot soup into bowls. Divide cooked ravioli among the bowls. Drizzle with molasses.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I don't know how much 2 lbs of butternut squash is but I just used one squash. Also, instead of cooking the ravioli separately I just tossed it in during the last 3-5 minutes of cooking.

What I'll do differently next time:
Not sure.

Verdict:
Neutral. This soup turned out to be very sweet. The ravioli definitely helps cut down on the sweetness but I wouldn't add any more than what the recipe calls for.

Printable version:

Ingredients:
2 lbs butternut squash
2 14-oz cans vegetable broth
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1 Tbsp butter
1 9-oz package refrigerated cheese-filled ravioli
1 Tbsp molasses

Peel squash. Halve lengthwise. Remove seeds and discard. Cut squash into 3/4-inch pieces. In a large saucepan combine 1/2 cup water, squash, vegetable broth, and red pepper. Cook, covered, over medium heat for 20 minutes or until squash is tender. Transfer one-fourth of the squash mixture to a blender container or food processor. Cover and blend until smooth. Repeat with remaining portions, one at a time, until all of the mixture is blended. Return blended mixture to the saucepan. Bring just to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Add butter; stir until just melted. Meanwhile, prepare the ravioli according to package directions; drain. Ladle hot soup into bowls. Divide cooked ravioli among the bowls. Drizzle with molasses.

Lemon-Blueberry Diamonds

Ingredients:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

FILLING:
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup flour
6 eggs
2 tsp grated lemon rind
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Heat oven to 350. Line 13x9 pan with aluminum foil. Coat with nonstick cooking spray. Make the crust: In bowl, stir together butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and salt. Gradually stir in flour until smooth. Press dough over bottom of prepared pan. Bake in 350 oven 20 minutes or until edges are brown.

Make the filling: In large bowl, mix granulated sugar and flour. Whisk in eggs until smooth. Stir in lemon rind and juice. Fold in berries. Pour filling over crust. Bake in oven until set, about 30 minutes. Let cool in pan on wire rack.

Dust with 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar. Cut into diamonds.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I went outside to pick the blueberries from our blueberry bushes only to find.... they are gone. No blueberries since ??? So mine are just plain lemon bars which is fine for me but I would love to add blueberries!

What I'll do differently next time:
Maybe add blueberries if I think about it!

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I love lemon bars and these are not too sweet. Great dessert treat!!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

FILLING:
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup flour
6 eggs
2 tsp grated lemon rind
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Heat oven to 350. Line 13x9 pan with aluminum foil. Coat with nonstick cooking spray. Make the crust: In bowl, stir together butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and salt. Gradually stir in flour until smooth. Press dough over bottom of prepared pan. Bake in 350 oven 20 minutes or until edges are brown. Make the filling: In large bowl, mix granulated sugar and flour. Whisk in eggs until smooth. Stir in lemon rind and juice. Fold in berries. Pour filling over crust. Bake in oven until set, about 30 minutes. Let cool in pan on wire rack. Dust with 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar. Cut into diamonds.

Lemon-Blueberry Bundt Cake

From: All You

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 tsp grated lemon zest
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups blueberries

GLAZE:
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 Tbsp buttermilk
2-4 Tbsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a Bundt pan with melted butter, add a few tablespoons of flour and rotate pan to evenly coat, tapping out excess. Sift 3 cups flour with baking powder and salt into a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, vanilla and buttermilk. In a second large bowl, beat butter, sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add about 1/4 of flour mixture, followed by 1/4 of buttermilk mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Repeat, alternating dry and liquid ingredients, until batter is thoroughly combined. Gently fold in blueberries. Transfer batter to pan, spreading evenly. Bake until a tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then unmold cake.

Make glaze: Mix confectioners' sugar, buttermilk, and 2 Tbsp lemon juice in a bowl, stirring until smooth. Glaze should be pourable; if it's too thick, add lemon juice, 1 tsp at a time, until it reaches desired consistency. Pour half of glaze over warm cake. Let cool for 1 hour, then pour remaining glaze over cake and serve.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I used regular milk instead of buttermilk. I normally make my own buttermilk with milk + lemon juice but I ran out of lemon juice. I totally skipped the glaze, and I used loaf pans instead of a bundt pan.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Very good recipe. For some reason all of my blueberries sank to the bottom of the loaf pans but as long as you can taste them in every bite I have no problem. :)

Printable version:

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 tsp grated lemon zest
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups blueberries

GLAZE:
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 Tbsp buttermilk
2-4 Tbsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a Bundt pan with melted butter, add a few tablespoons of flour and rotate pan to evenly coat, tapping out excess. Sift 3 cups flour with baking powder and salt into a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, vanilla and buttermilk. In a second large bowl, beat butter, sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add about 1/4 of flour mixture, followed by 1/4 of buttermilk mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Repeat, alternating dry and liquid ingredients, until batter is thoroughly combined. Gently fold in blueberries. Transfer batter to pan, spreading evenly. Bake until a tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then unmold cake. Make glaze: Mix confectioners' sugar, buttermilk, and 2 Tbsp lemon juice in a bowl, stirring until smooth. Glaze should be pourable; if it's too thick, add lemon juice, 1 tsp at a time, until it reaches desired consistency. Pour half of glaze over warm cake. Let cool for 1 hour, then pour remaining glaze over cake and serve.

Garden Vegetable Soup

From: North Cobb Christian School's cookbook

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 package Hamburger Helper (cheeseburger macaroni)
5 cups water
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 16-oz stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 16-oz can Veg-All undrained

Cook and stir ground beef and onion in Dutch oven until done, drain. Stir in sauce mix, water, basil, salt, pepper and tomatoes. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Stir in macaroni and Veg-All. Cover and cook until macaroni is tender, 10-15 minutes longer.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Used venison instead of beef, made stewed tomatoes rather than bought them, and added okra because we had so much in our garden.

What I'll do differently next time:
Not sure.

Verdict:
Neutral. It was okay, I love this type of soup, but I think the mix from the Hamburger Helper gave it a slightly odd flavor. If I made it again I would probably try to find something to replace that.

Printable version:

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 package Hamburger Helper (cheeseburger macaroni)
5 cups water
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 16-oz stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 16-oz can Veg-All undrained

Cook and stir ground beef and onion in Dutch oven until done, drain. Stir in sauce mix, water, basil, salt, pepper and tomatoes. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Stir in macaroni and Veg-All. Cover and cook until macaroni is tender, 10-15 minutes longer.

Pork Fried Rice

Ingredients:
1 (5 oz) boneless pork chop diced
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped broccoli
1/2 cup frozen tiny peas thawed
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 Tbsp butter
3 cups cooked long grain rice
2 eggs beaten
3-4 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp ginger

Saute first five ingredients in butter in skillet about 3-4 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Cook rice in skillet until heated. Push rice to sides of skillet. Pour eggs into middle and cook until set, stirring.

Stir rice into eggs, add veggies and remaining ingredients. Stir.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Normally I don't change this recipe. But for tonight, I changed several things. First of all, Stephen requested that I use our remaining filet mignon for this recipe, so I used that instead of pork chops. I sliced the steak and then made a dry rub of salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder and rubbed it all over the slices with my hands. I had frozen peas and carrots in my freezer, so I used those as well, sauteeing just the steak, peas and carrots in the beginning. I left out the broccoli because I didn't have any handy and I left out the onion because Stephen doesn't like onions to linger on his breath. I also cook the rice and then I put it in the skillet because otherwise I would be worried that it would still be crunchy at the end.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing except change the meat to either pork or chicken.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! This is a classic, easy, great tasting recipe. Stephen always craves the food at Japanese steakhouses so this is a really easy way to get that taste at home. You can easily throw veggies on the grill and add them to the rice - I know those steakhouses normally do onion, zucchini and mushrooms. Those items can sometimes be found marked down in the produce section at your grocery store, so you can snag them and make a vegetarian version of this recipe as well!

Printable version:

Ingredients:
1 (5 oz) boneless pork chop diced
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped broccoli
1/2 cup frozen tiny peas thawed
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 Tbsp butter
3 cups cooked long grain rice
2 eggs beaten
3-4 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp ginger

Saute first five ingredients in butter in skillet about 3-4 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside. Cook rice in skillet until heated. Push rice to sides of skillet. Pour eggs into middle and cook until set, stirring. Stir rice into eggs, add veggies and remaining ingredients. Stir.

Macaroni and Cheese Soup

From: Southern Living

Ingredients:
1 cup elbow macaroni
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 small onion, chopped
4 cups milk
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded American cheese
2 Tbsp chicken bouillon granules
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp water
1 8-oz can corn, drained
1/2 cup frozen English peas

Cook macaroni according to package directions, omitting salt; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain and set aside. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add carrot, celery, and onion, and cook, stirring constantly, 5-7 minutes or until tender. Remove vegetable mixture from heat; set aside.

Combine milk and cheese in a heavy Dutch oven, and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until cheese melts. Stir in bouillon granules and pepper. Combine cornstarch and water, stirring well; stir into milk mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in macaroni, vegetable mixture, corn, and peas; cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thoroughly heated.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I had frozen peas and carrots so I used those instead of buying fresh carrots. I have never even seen shredded American cheese in the store, so I used the slices which I have a ton of and just shredded them into a few small pieces by hand and threw them in the pot. I omitted the white pepper because I don't have any.

What I'll do differently next time:
Only the same as above unless I have fresh carrots and then I may substitute them. It definitely didn't make a difference!

Verdict:
Thumbs UP! This recipe was easy and delicious! Brianna loved it too which is always a plus. Come to think of it, there's not really anything she doesn't like so I guess that's not saying much for the recipe. This soup had such great flavor though, and I'm still enjoying it for leftovers and it's just as good! Definitely will make this one again!

Printable version:

Ingredients:
1 cup elbow macaroni
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 small onion, chopped
4 cups milk
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded American cheese
2 Tbsp chicken bouillon granules
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp water
1 8-oz can corn, drained
1/2 cup frozen English peas

Cook macaroni according to package directions, omitting salt; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain and set aside. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add carrot, celery, and onion, and cook, stirring constantly, 5-7 minutes or until tender. Remove vegetable mixture from heat; set aside. Combine milk and cheese in a heavy Dutch oven, and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until cheese melts. Stir in bouillon granules and pepper. Combine cornstarch and water, stirring well; stir into milk mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in macaroni, vegetable mixture, corn, and peas; cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thoroughly heated.

Butter Sticks

From: Betty Crocker recipe card

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter
2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup cold water

Heat oven to 425. Melt in baking pan, 13x9 1/3 cup butter. Stir together Bisquick and water with fork in bowl to form a soft dough. Gently smooth dough into a ball on floured board. Knead 5 times. Roll dough into rectangle with rolling pin. Cut lengthwise in half. Cut each half crosswise into 12 strips, 3 inches long and about 3/4 inch wide. Dip each strip into the melted butter in the pan. Be sure both sides are covered.

Bake 12-15 minutes.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Nothing.

What I'll do differently next time:
???

Verdict:
Um... okay, it really hurts that the label of this recipe card said, "Recipes Children Can Make". What did I do wrong? My sticks were flat and crumbly, not puffy like the picture on the recipe card! If anyone makes this recipe I would love to know how yours turn out because this would be something I'd make all the time! Maybe I rolled my dough too much?

Printable version:

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter
2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup cold water

Heat oven to 425. Melt in baking pan, 13x9 1/3 cup butter. Stir together Bisquick and water with fork in bowl to form a soft dough. Gently smooth dough into a ball on floured board. Knead 5 times. Roll dough into rectangle with rolling pin. Cut lengthwise in half. Cut each half crosswise into 12 strips, 3 inches long and about 3/4 inch wide. Dip each strip into the melted butter in the pan. Be sure both sides are covered. Bake 12-15 minutes.