Bacon-Lentil Soup
When the weather gets colder I love to have soup in the fridge and/or on the stove at all times. I am not alone in this, right? I have never made lentil soup, but I read a couple of recipes that all were quite similar, but none had bacon. When one is making soup, it is always best to add bacon (although if you want to make this vegetarian you could skip the bacon and use vegetable broth).
Bacon-Lentil Soup
6 slices bacon, chopped
1 onion, minced
3-4 cloves garlic
3 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
8 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1-2 teaspoons fennel seed powdered
salt/pepper (generously)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 cup lentils (do not pre-soak, I used red)
3 tablespoons tomato paste (half a small can)
1 pint heavy whipping cream
Cook the bacon in a large stock pot, add onion and garlic, saute for a few minutes. Add celery & carrots, saute 2-3 minutes. Add chicken stock, spices, baby leaves, lentils and tomato paste. Bring to a boil and simmer 45 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cream. Soup’s done!
AppleScotch Spice Cupcakes
These cupcakes taste just like fall, roasted apples and butterscotch and spice. They are absolutely delicious and were a huge hit amongst my coworkers (also, this recipe makes a ton of cupcakes, or one bundt cake, if that’s how you roll).
AppleScotch Spice Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
3-4 baking apples (I used Jonagold)
1 box spice cake mix
1 3.5oz pkg butterscotch instant pudding
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup applesauce
1 cup greek vanilla yogurt
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup melted butter
5 eggs, room temperature
Peel, halve, and core the apples. Roast cut-side down, on parchment paper on a rimmed baking sheet, 20-25 minutes, then dice.
While apples are roasting, mix dry ingredients together with whisk, dump in all the wet ingredients and fold in apples.
Bake in lined cupcake tins (makes 18 full size + 12 mini + a little more for, um, tasting), filled 3/4 full of batter. Bake 20 minutes.
Or, if you want to bake it in a bundt, makes sure you grease and flour it well and then bake for 60 minutes.
Butterscotch Buttercream
1/3 cup butterscotch chips
drizzle of heavy cream
Melt in the microwave for 20 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until it’s nice and creamy. Salt to taste (you want it salty-ish.)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon butter flavoring
1/4 teaspoon salt
4-5 cups powdered sugar
2-4 tablespoons whipping cream
Cream butter and 1 cup powdered sugar until fluffy. Add scotch ganache, butter flavor, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until desired consistency. Add cream to thin when necessary.
Stuffed Bell Peppers
Stuffed Bell Peppers
6 bell peppers (I used red and yellow)
2 1/2 cups of cooked rice (I used Spanish rice because I had it in the fridge)
2-3 TB olive oil
1 large onion, minced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 15oz can corn, rinsed and drained
1 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 15oz can diced tomatoes
2 small cans green chilies
salt and pepper, generous
cumin and chili pepper
3 cups shredded cheese
bread crumbs, if it’s too watery
Ok, so this is a little involved, but the end result is worth it. First cut the bell peppers in half the long way (it makes it easier for them to stay put when you fill them up with stuff), pull out the seeds and ribs. Put all the halves in a pot (except one, chop that up and throw it in the skillet with everything else), cover with water, and bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes. Take the pepper halves out with tongs and shake off a bit and place in BOTH a 9×13 and a 8×8 pan. (You are going to have a lot of stuffed peppers by the time this is over, btw. Perhaps you should invite some people over right now.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, saute the onion and garlic. Add the pepper and zucchini and cook for a few minutes. Add the corn, beans, tomatoes, green chilies, and spices. Add the rice and 2 1/4 cups of the cheese. If it’s still watery, add some breadcrumbs to soak it up. Pack the veggie-rice mixture into the pepper halves, be generous, and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. Bake, uncovered for 30-35 minutes.
Serve with sour cream, diced green onion, and cilantro (if you have it, and if your sweetheart doesn’t insist that cilantro tastes like soap).
The Devil’s Coconut Cupcakes
Once upon a time, not so long ago or far away, (last week; my kitchen) I had a serious hankering for a Mounds bar, but in a cupcake. A little tinkering and I came up with this sinfully delicious (see what I did there?) chocolate cupcake with a creamy, coconutty center and almond butter cream. I can’t stop eating them, and I’m afraid as soon as they are gone I will need to make a new batch and then eat them all over again. I did something unusual, for me, and used a box mix for the cake, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Of course, you could always substitute your favorite chocolate cake recipe for the box, but it is absolutely not necessary.
The Devil’s Coconut Cupcakes
Chocolate Cupcakes
1 box Duncan Hines Devil’s Food Cake Mix
3 eggs
1 cup water
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
Make according to directions, but substitute the coconut oil for the vegetable oil and add chocolate chips. Line your cupcake pans with papers and spoon in the batter. Do not over-fill your cupcakes, you want them to have a flat top when cooked. Allow to cool completely. When cupcakes are cooled, take a small knife and cut out a cone shape from the inside of each cupcake. I scooped out a little extra cake for each one because I really like coconut filling. Cut the bottom off the cone shape, about 1/4″ thick, and replace on each cupcake. If you do this as you go you will not be frustrated by an impossible-to-complete chocolate cupcake-top puzzle.
Coconut Filling
14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
2 1/2 – 3 cups flaked coconut (I used sweetened because it’s what I had, I’m sure unsweetened would be just fine)
3/4 – 1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
*I’ve cut this filling recipe in half and still had excellent results. If you use more coconut and less powdered sugar the filling won’t be quite so sweet, which I think makes these cupcakes more delicious.
Mix sweetened condensed milk, coconut, vanilla and salt together, thicken with powdered to desired consistency. You want it pretty thick.
Almond Buttercream
1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
pinch of salt
2-3 tablespoons whipping cream or milk, for consistency
2 teaspoons almond extract
Whip butter, salt almond extract with electric mixer until fluffy and combined. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time and mix until well blended and smooth. Add cream or milk in increments to desired consistency.
Putting it all together
Spoon the coconut filling into each cupcake and replace the lid, top with almond buttercream. I use a pastry bag for my frosting because it is faster and easier than a knife. You can also use a Ziploc bag with one corner cut off. I used this tutorial to learn how to prettily frost cupcakes. Eat immediately. Refrigerate any extras in an airtight container, they make a delicious breakfast.
Veggie-Ranch Pizza
This recipe is from my mother-in-law, she makes it whenever the whole family is over and it is devoured by adults and children alike. I made it for book club last month and it was a huge hit. Now, this is not a traditional pizza, it’s served cold and has a ranchy-sour-cream-cheesey sauce and is topped with as many fresh veggies as you can cram in. It is delicious, and perfect for hot, summer weather!
I tried to get all fancy and make my own pastry crust and failed, miserably. So then I went back to the grocery store and bought those pop-out-of-a-can Pillsbury rolls, just like my awesome MIL recommended, and it turned out perfect. Lesson learned: you don’t have to be fancy or home-made all the time, Heidi. Sheesh!
Veggie-Ranch Pizza
2 large packages of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
Finely chopped veggies:
1 broccoli head, chopped into small pieces
1/2 a head of cauliflower, chopped into small pieces
2-3 tomatoes, diced
1 bell pepper (I used yellow), diced
1 bunch green onions, sliced (only green part)
big handful of grated carrots
2-3 radishes, sliced
1 small can of black olives, sliced
2-ish cups grated cheddar cheese
12 oz. cream cheese or neufchatel cheese, room temperature
1 cup sour cream or plain, greek yogurt
1 package ranch dressing mix
Preheat oven to 375′
Lay out rolls to cover a baking sheet or sheet pan, you don’t need to press them down, just lay them out so they cover the bottom of the pan completely. I had to trim mine a bit in the middle because they were a bit large and I didn’t want a crust-mountain diving my pizza. Bake until light brown (maybe 15 minutes? Keep an eye on it). Cool completely.
Combine cream cheese, sour cream, and ranch dressing and spread over crust, don’t be stingy. Sprinkle with cheese and all the veggies you have. I pressed the veggies into the sauce a bit to make them stick a little better.
Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
heidikins cooks 