Hearty Chicken Soup

Good Monday Morning! :)

I thought, since many of us are in this ice/snow belt, chicken soup would be a great thing to share today. :)

This recipe for Hearty Chicken Soup is from Recipe.com.

Now, I will tell you right away that I more used the METHOD than the direct recipe, because I didn't HAVE everything the recipe called for. :D For instance, my chicken thighs were boneless, so the stock wasn't as good for us as it could have been. <sigh> I made this for Kenn when he first started coming down with this respiratory stuff, and we all know chicken soup is good for the soul, healthy or ill though the person may be, correct? :D

With that said, this was good soup. I tend to not like soups too much, because they're SO liquidy. :D I'd rather have a stew or a chowder any day of the week! (Or something with lots of cheese in it... :D ) But I think it was a comfort to Kenn, and it said, "I love you" to him, and we ate it for dinner. :D I'm saving it in my "Good Recipes to Have" folder.

OK, everyone! Stay safe and warm, and enjoy your day! :) Be BLESSED!

Double Fudge Brownies

Welcome to Wednesday! Having a great week? I hope so! Today's been really pretty and sunny; tomorrow's high is 30. :D Ahhh, weather in the South...

Anyway. Today's recipe review is for these Double Fudge Brownies from Crazy for Crust.

First of all, there's a link in the recipe for homemade brownie mix. It's the easiest mix EVER, and it was fun to have it on hand. (Actually, I'm keeping some on hand! :D )

Then there's the fact that I made a batch of these brownies one day when I wanted a taste of chocolate, and wanted to try a new recipe - and Kenn and Mom benefited from my desire, too. :) I did NOT frost them the first time I made them, and they stored easily, were easy to get out of the pan, and didn't last too long. :D

I made THIS batch to take to a friend who'd been in the hospital - actually, the brownies went for her husband and kids. :D She's not supposed to be eating a bunch of sugar, either!

I loved the unfrosted brownies. I really thought the frosting was way too dark chocolate, and took the brownies to a level where I didn't want to eat them. Some people thought they were wonderful, but some really thought they were too dark, too. If you LOVE dark chocolate, try them frosted. If you're looking for a great brownie, try them unfrosted. :D

OK, I'm outta here! Have a wonderful day! Be BLESSED!

Baked Apple French Toast

Happy Monday! Did you have a good weekend? Are you staying warm? Today's recipe might help; it's Baked Apple French Toast from Work It, Mom!

I made this for breakfast with a friend. We had a great time, and I liked this because it was ready to throw in the oven early when I wasn't up to thinking very clearly. :D Plus, it was good - not too sweet, which I appreciate. I added extra cinnamon to the apples. :) The crusts on the baguette were a little difficult to cut through, so if I want to do a bit more prep work, I MIGHT cube all the bread, instead of just slicing it.

I served some bacon on the side, and it was a warming, comforting, easy breakfast! :)

OK, I'm outta here. Have a WONDERFUL day! Be blessed, friend!

Ham and Cheese Gnocchi

Happy Friday! Have you had a good week? I sure hope so! And that you can stay warm this weekend - I'm cold today! :)

Today's recipe is for Ham and Cheese Gnocchi from Kevin & Amanda. (Just click on the website's name, on any post, to go to the recipe! :) )

This is a YES, PLEASE! It's good, warming comfort food - and I thought it was even better warmed up for lunch the next day. :) I cut back on the cheese on top, because Kenn has an issue with cheese. :) I also used about half of the onion - and it was PLENTY!

It's easy to put together. I try to keep a package of gnocchi in the freezer, and we had ham in the freezer from an earlier meal. Poof! :D

OK, I'm outta here! Have a wonderful weekend, dear friend. BE BLESSED!

Butterscotch Chip Cookie Cake

Happy Friday! :)

Do you have someone who loves cookies? Then you NEED to make them this Butterscotch Chip Cookie Cake from Bake Your Day.

Kenn likes butterscotch, and I enjoy spoiling him every now and then. :) I had been meaning to make this for him, but just got around to doing so about a week or so ago. He liked it so much that he bragged about it on Facebook. :D

It's SO easy, people! AND I love the fact that you can do just about anything with it - I suspect it will be getting chocolate chips and pecans at a future date. :) It IS very rich, so cut the pieces small. You could throw this together tonight, so the family ( :D ) has something to snack on all weekend!

OK, friend I am outta here! Have a wonderful weekend! Be BLESSED!

Cheese Sticks (aka Cheese Straws)

Happy Wednesday (night :D )!!! Have you had a good week? Sorry I am having trouble getting into the habit of blogging again; I'm staying really busy. Kenn has turned in his two-week notice, so we're doing lots of "What if..." planning, etc., right now. :)

ANYWAY. This is a "How To Make Cheese Sticks" from allrecipes.com - and I know them as Cheese Straws. :)

I wasn't really thrilled with this recipe, but it turned out pretty good. :) First of all, it says to do this as soon as the dough is thawed enough to unfold; I really think the toppings/ingredients would do better if it came further up to temperature for maybe 15 minutes.

These are really good the first day, and pretty good the second day, and then forget about it. :) Also, think of doing something else - like using a different cheese, or maybe doing a sweet one like cinnamon sugar with butter instead of oil. :D

So I'm saying this is a YES, PLEASE, even though I'd tweak things a bit. LOL - like you never hear that from me.... :D

OK, I'm outta here. :D Have a WONDERFUL evening/day! Be BLESSED, dear friend!

New York-Style Crumb Cake

Happy Friday! Are you looking for something yummy and relatively easy to put together for your weekend breakfast? Try this crumb cake!

It's New York-Style Crumb Cake from Smells Like Home.

The cake was a LITTLE dry for my taste, but I can fix that - I think I need to weigh the flour next time, not just measure it. (I know that's the most accurate way to bake, but it was the day before Christmas Eve, and I had soooo much to do...) This was a really mild crumb, too - I probably tripled the cinnamon, and it was still very light in taste. I might have to do more next time... :D

OK, I'm outta here! Have a WONDERFUL weekend! Be blessed, dear friend!!!