Simple Creamy Carrot Soup

I love soup. I don't think soup should only be eaten when it is cold. In light of Easter yesterday I thought this recipe was perfect. Ok carrots don't really have anything to do with Easter, more the Easter bunny, but since I am a huge fan of Easter egg hunts I think that carrots do have a place in Easter! This soup definitely has a carrot flavor. If you aren't a hug fan of carrots, then this soup might not be for you. If you do enjoy carrots then this soup is definitely worth a try. The flavor is unique, but I love the carrot and rosemary combo. I am also pretty excited about how healthy this soup is!

Simple Creamy Carrot Soup

Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds peeled carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 sprig of fresh thyme
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
32 ounces chicken broth
2 strips precooked bacon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

Directions
Place oil in large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, onions, garlic, thyme and rosemary. Cook for 15 minutes, until carrots are fork tender. Remove herb sprigs and transfer carrots and vegetables to blender (I used our Kitchen Aid blender). Puree, using the soup button if you have one. Add chicken broth and continue to puree. Transfer to large saucepan over medium heat and add bacon strips. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Simmer until ready to serve.

Makes 6 servings

Recipe Source: Picky Palate

Deviled Eggs

I know that this is a very basic recipe, but I'll be honest until now I never had a recipe I always used. I would go to the internet, cookbook, whatever to find a recipe. After making this recipe I no longer need to search for a recipe. This recipe is simple, basic,  and easy just how I like it! I have tried many recipes that are very salty. I don't need a ton of salt in my deviled eggs. If you are looking for a good basic deviled egg recipe this is it! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Deviled Eggs

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Servings 2-4

Ingredients
6 hard-cooked eggs
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 - 1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt (salt to taste)
Paprika


Directions
Slice eggs in half lengthwise; remove yolks and set whites aside. In a small bowl, mash yolks with a fork. Add the mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, mustard and salt; mix well.  I recommend adding less salt at first, trying a small amount and then adding more if needed. I also recommend doing this with the vinegar until you get the right amount of tang that you like. Stuff or pipe egg yolk mixture into egg whites. Sprinkle with paprika. Refrigerate until serving.

Note: If you find your yolk mixture to be dry add some extra mayonnaise 1 tsp at a time until you get the consistency you like.

Recipe Source: Adapted from Allrecipes

Resurrection Rolls

I found this cute little recipe on Pinterest. With Easter this Sunday I just couldn't help but make these, eat them, and then share this wonderful find with all of you. The site that I found the recipe on has a cute little story and activity you can do with children. I don't have any children yet so I couldn't take cute pictures of kids doing this fun activity. So if you want the full story check it out here. Even though we don't have kids, my husband and I both enjoyed making these and most of all eating them!

Resurrection Rolls

Ingredients
1 can crescent rolls (I used this dough recipe and loved it)
8 large marshmallows (or however many rolls you want to make)
Melted Butter
Cinnamon Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper. Unroll crescent rolls or if using homemade dough pinch of a ball big enough to cover a marshmallow. Roll the marshmallow in butter. Then roll the marshmallow in cinnamon sugar. Wrap the marshmallow in the crescent roll dough or homemade dough pinching the dough the seal it closed. Roll each marshmallow/dough combo in butter then cinnamon sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough and marshmallows. Bake for 12 minutes. You may need a longer baking time if using homemade dough. Mine took about 15 minutes. Once rolls are cool enough to handle open them up and see the empty tomb :). Again for full story and cute pictures click here.

Recipe Source: Adapted slightly from Eat At Allies

Lemon Olive Oil Cookies

I'll be honest I have never made cookies with anything other than butter. I am a huge fan of butter in my cookies. You can imagine my curiosity when I saw this recipe that only had olive oil. Olive oil is a healthy alternative to butter. I use it all the time in my cooking, but have never really used it in my baking. I'm pretty sure the only oils I have in my house and regularly use are olive oil, coconut oil, and butter. Now I'm not saying I'm going to stop using butter in my cookies. I absolutely adore the buttery taste of most cookies, but in these cookies I didn't mind not having it. These cookies were crisp on the edges and soft and chewy in the center with a delicious flavor of lemon. They were really quick and easy to make. I think I threw them together in 10 minutes or less and they only took 12 minutes to bake. It turned out to be a quick, easy, and delicious mid day snack!

Lemon Olive Oil Cookies

• 2 cups unbleached flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup Lemon Olive oil (I didn't have this so I used regular Olive Oil with great results)
• 4 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• Juice of 1 ½ lemons
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• Sugar, for rolling

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk flour, sugar, salt and baking soda together in medium-sized bowl. In another small bowl, stir together the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla.
3. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, then mix lightly until it resembles wet sand (I like to use my hand, when the dough is squeezed it should form a solid clump). Using your hands, roll dough into balls about the size of a walnut.
4. Roll in a  little sugar and roll the cookie balls gently in your hands to distribute it. Put the cookies about 2 inches apart on cookie sheets and bake for about 12-15 minutes

Recipe Source: Field of Cakes

Breakfast Casserole

We had a breakfast get together with some friends this weekend. We seem to do this about every 6 months to a year. I am a huge fan of breakfast, so mixing breakfast  and good friends is even better. We also always have very delicious food. My friend made some amazing cinnamon rolls which I am hoping she will post on her blog. I was in charge of making a breakfast casserole. I have made a few different kinds of breakfast casserole but always love trying new recipes. This recipe was so easy to make and turned out delicious. Everyone loved it! I threw it together the night before then let sit in the fridge until the next morning when I was ready to bake it. This way I didn't have to wake up early to make it but it was still warm for everyone to eat. I will definitely be making this recipe again!

Breakfast Casserole

Prep: 15 min. Bake: 35 min. + standing
Yield: 12 Servings

Ingredients
1 pound sliced bacon, diced (I used turkey bacon and loved it)
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
6 eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) 4% cottage cheese
1-1/4 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Directions
In a large skillet, cook bacon and onion until bacon is crisp; drain. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; stir in bacon mixture. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Recipe Source: Taste Of Home

Amish Friendship Bread

I must be on a bread making kick lately. I absolutely adore this bread. I have loved it since the first time my mom made it for us. If you have never heard of this bread will give you the brief story straight from Wikipedia:  

Amish Friendship Bread is a type of bread or cake made from a sourdough starter that is often shared in a manner similar to a chain letter. The starter is a substitute for baking yeast and can be used to make many kinds of yeast-based breads, shared with friends, or frozen for future use. The sweet, cake-like Amish Cinnamon Bread is a common bread that is made from this starter; it is a simple, stirred quick bread that includes a substantial amount of sugar and vegetable oil, with a mild cinnamon flavor. The recipe for Amish Cinnamon Bread may have first been posted to the internet in 1990, but the recipe itself is several decades old.

I'll be honest I'm not a fan of chain letters or any such thing. I'm sure some people love them, but I'm not one of those people. For this reason I found a way to get around this. Instead of making 4 batches of bread (8 loaves) every time I want this bread I realized that the starter is the same on the day that you get it or on day 10. So every once and a while I will go through the 10 day process of multiplying the starter. On day 10 instead of giving them away with a chain letter I stick them in the freezer. Then whenever I want some fresh cinnamon bread I pull out a bag and make the bread.

If you have never tried this bread I do feel that it is worth the time and effort it takes to make a start and make this bread. I love the sweet cinnamony flavor and the unique flavor that the start brings. If you are someone that likes the challenge of finding someone new to give this bread and starter to then feel free to be a good person and share this bread with friends and family, they will be glad you did!

Amish Friendship Bread Starter

Ingredients
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
3 cups white sugar, divided
3 cups milk

Directions
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 10 minutes. In a 2 quart container glass, plastic or ceramic container, combine 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or flour will lump when milk is added. Slowly stir in 1 cup milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Cover loosely and let stand until bubbly. Consider this day 1 of the 10 day cycle. Leave loosely covered at room temperature.

On days 2 thru 4; stir starter with a spoon.

Day 5; stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Days 6 thru 9; stir only.

Day 10; stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Remove 1 cup to make your first bread, give 2 cups to friends along with this recipe, and your favorite Amish Bread recipe. Store the remaining 1 cup starter in a container in the refrigerator, or begin the 10 day process over again (beginning with step 2).


**Note: Once you have made the starter, you will consider it Day One, and thus ignore step 1 in this recipe and proceed with step 2. You can also freeze this starter in 1 cup measures for later use. Frozen starter will take at least 3 hours at room temperature to thaw before using.


Amish Friendship Bread


Ingredients:
1 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 - (5.1 oz) box instant vanilla pudding
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup nuts (optional)

Grease 2 bread pans well. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar into each bread pan and tip side to side to coat the bottom and edges (kind of like you are flouring your pans but using cinnamon sugar). In a small bowl combine oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well. In a separate large bowl combine remaining ingredients and mix well. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix and pour into two well greased and cinnamon sugared bread pans. If you want even more cinnamon sugary goodness you can sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on top of the loaf prior to baking. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Cool on wire rack.

Recipe Source: Allrecipes

Homemade "Magic Shell" Ice Cream Topping

This lovely recipe is another great find on Pinterest. I am always looking for some great quick and easy ice cream toppers and this is definitely that. I have always loved magic shell topping. There is just something fun about it. When I saw how easy this was to make I just had to try it. We used unrefined virgin coconut oil which has a slightly stronger coconut flavor, but if you aren't a fan of coconut flavor you could try a refined coconut oil or butter. My husband said with the unrefined coconut oil it kinda reminded him of a Mounds or an Almond Joy.

 

Homemade "Magic Shell" Ice Cream Topping

All you need is:
1 1/4 Cups Chocolate Chips
1/2 Cup Coconut Oil (measured when solid)

Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave about 1 minute (depending on your microwave). Allow to sit a few minutes to allow the heat of the oil to melt the chocolate chips and then stir until smooth. It will be runny.

Pour into a bottle. You could use a recycled pickle relish bottle. (We recommend a glass bottle if you’re gonna refrigerate and then heat.) 

Store in the refrigerator (though in the summer it’s likely to stay liquidy unrefrigerated). To serve, heat the glass bottle (open cap) in the microwave for 30 seconds until liquid. Stir and continue heating at 30 second intervals if not liquid after the first 30 seconds. Pour over your favorite ice cream and in a few seconds you will see magic!

Notes:

• You can substitute butter for the coconut oil, however the coconut oil gives the more ‘real’ Magic Shell flavor.
• You can use milk chocolate chips, but everyone we served preferred the semi-sweet chocolate chips

  Recipe Source: Alphamom