Cream of Tomato Soup

This is hands down one of my favorite soups. It is SO easy, I mean simple simple simple easy! Gray and I both love this and we make it often during the winter. This recipe is from Real Mom Kitchen, if you didn't know, I am a big fan of her recipes!

1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
3 cups tomato juice or V-8 juice
1/4 tsp baking soda
2-3 cups milk
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp dried basil (optional)

Melt the butter then add flour and whisk until smooth. Add the tomato/V-8 juice. Stir until it thickens. Whisk in baking soda, 2 cups of milk, sugar and salt. Cook until heated and desired thickness. Taste, add more milk if needed. Stir in dried basil. Serve hot.

Lunch Lady Bars

I think these are Gray's new favorite little treats. They are super moist cookie bars and are all kinds of amazing. The recipe is from Delicious Meliscious.

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup canola oil
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl combine the oil and sugars. Add one egg at a time and combine then add the vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry then fold in the chocolate chips. Grease a baking dish. Pour the batter into the dish, spread evenly and bake until golden brown.

Crock Pot Roast

I love my crock pot. It makes dinner easy breezy and turns out some delicious meals that seem like they would take hours to prepare. I love love love a roast in the crock pot. This is a nice solid roast recipe, nothing crazy just ultra flavorful and very tender. This recipe is slightly adapted from Crepes of Wrath.

3 to 4 pound boneless chuck roast
32oz low sodium beef broth
1 6oz can tomato paste
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp paprika
3 tsp allspice
10-15 baby carrots
1 onion (sliced thinly)
8-10 red potatoes (quartered)
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the beef broth, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar and sugar in the crock pot. Add the paprika, allspice, salt and pepper. Add half your veggies then place the roast down over them then add the remaining veggies. You want the roast to be almost fully submerged in the liquid, if it's not then remove some of the veggies under it and place them on top. Cook on low for 7-10 hours.

Cheese Breadsticks

Who doesn't love cheese sticks? These were good, easy, and just the right addition to a big bowl of pasta. I found this recipe over at My Recipe Box.

Dough:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tso salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp oil

Topping:
1/4 cup prepared Italian salad dressing
1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
dash black pepper
1 to 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

In a mixing blow combine the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Combine the water and oil in a separate bowl then add to the flour mixture. Mix and add flour as needed to form a soft ball in the mixing bowl. Knead the dough for several minutes on a flat surface until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl combine salad dressing, sugar, salt, garlic powder, oregano, thyme and black pepper.

Once the dough is ready, punch it down. Place on a greased pan and pat down until you reach the desired shape. Brush the dressing mixture over the bread then top with cheeses. Bake at 450 for 11 to 13 minutes. Slice and serve warm.

Creamy Caprese Pasta

Just looking at this picture is making me hungry for this pasta! This yummy recipe was found over at How Sweet It Is! This recipe is all kinds of delicious and was a big hit with both Gray and I!

1 lb whole wheat penne or ziti pasta
1 cup tomato/pasta sauce
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
4 oz fresh mozzarella (cut into cubes)
1 pint of grape tomatoes (cut in half or quartered)
5-5 fresh basil leaves (chopped)

fresh mozzarella cut into thin slices (enough to top some of the dish)

Heat oven to 350. Boil the pasta according to directions. As the pasta cooks, heat the pasta sauce in a saucepan. When warm add the cream and parmesan. After the pasta is cooked and drained, add to the sauce. Stir in the mozzarella cubes, tomatoes and basil. Pour into a baking dish. Top with fresh mozzarella circles. Bake for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Serve warm.

Stuffed Baked Apples

These were such a quick and fun dessert to make for Gray and I! I found this recipe over at the Jane Deere blog, I adapted it to fit our taste and what we needed.

3 Apples
1/2 cup brown sugar
6 tbsp butter (softened)

1/2 cup quick cooking or old fashioned oats
1/2 cup Heath Bits O’ Brickle
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup apple juice

Heat oven to 425. Cut two of the apples in half and scoop out the seeds. Place the apples in a dish. 4 tbsp of butter and the remaining ingredients except the apple juice. Fill the apples with the mixture. Cut the remaining 2 tbsp of butter into 4 pieces, place on top of the filling of each apple. Pour the apple juice into the bottom of the dish. Bake in oven until the apples are fork tender, around 20 minutes.

Tomato Bacon Grilled Cheese

It's fall. I love fall. And I love this grilled cheese. It's simple and easy and can be attributed to know one because I have seen it on tons of menus. My love for it comes from my mother though, I'm not sure I have ever seen her eat it but whenever she sees it on a menu she would always talk about how it's one of her favorite sandwiches. It really is devine.

2 pieces of bread

4 strips bacon (cooked)

2-3 slices of tomato

1 piece sliced cheddar cheese

1 tbsp butter

Melt half the butter in the pan over low-medium heat. Place on piece of bread down, lay down bacon, tomato then cheese and top with the other piece of bread. Let it cook on one side until it is nicely browned, lift from pan and melt remaining butter. Flip and let grill on the other side until brown. Serve warm.

This recipe was also linked over at the Eat at Home Ingredient Spotlight for Bacon.

Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice

Easy Easy Easy!!!! This recipe is from Southern Plate, it's the perfect warm, filling and easy recipe to make on a busy night! Did I mention it is easy?

3-4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 Onion (chopped)

1 Box of Long Grain and Wild Rice with Seasoning (cooked)

Place chicken in crockpot, add onion and cream of mushroom soup. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Before serving add cooked rice and stir in. Serve hot.

Mini Cinnis

Real Mom Kitchen has some of the best easy breakfast recipes I have ever seen. I have posted many of them already. I love being able to fix breakfast at home on the weekends but truthfully, I am only going to put in so much effort on a Saturday morning, all these recipes are super simple and very delicious. I adore these little mini cinnamon rolls and could eat WAY more than I should. I also cut this recipe in half for our family.

2 (8-ounce) cans refrigerated crescent creation dough or the rolls
6 tbsp butter (softened)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Create rectangles out of the crescent roll dough. Combine the butter, brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon. Spread the butter mixture onto the crescent roll dough. Roll up and cut into 1 inch pieces. Place in a 8x8 greased pan. Bake at 375 for 14 to 17 minutes or until done. After removing the pan from the oven make the glaze. Combine the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract by whisking until smooth. When the cinnis have cooled for 5 to 8 minutes, drizzle with glaze. Serve warm.

Parmesan Garlic Bread

This is another adapted recipe from Simply Scratch. Gray and I both thought this bread was the perfect addition to any meal, it was flavorful and still had a nice crunch. It would be wonderful to dip in a good pasta sauce!

1 loaf of Italian Bread
2 stick of Butter (softened)
3 cloves of Garlic (minced)
2 tbsp Parmesan Cheese

1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Dried Parsley
Salt and freshly cracked Black Pepper, to taste

Combine the butter, garlic, parmesan cheese, onion powder, and parsley. Add salt and pepper, mix until combined well. Cut Italian bread down the middle and spread the butter mixture on it. Broil until desired doneness is reached.

Baked Penne with Chicken and Tomatoes

This is a great great recipe for the fall and winter, it was so gooey and cheesy! Yum. The recipe is from Cinnamon Girl and very very slightly adapted.

6 tbps butter
salt and pepper
1 pound penne pasta
1 tsp olive oil
2 chicken breast (cooked and shredded)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 garlic cloves (minced)
6 cups whole milk
1 can diced tomatoes (drained well)
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese (shredded)
1 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)

Heat oven to 400. Boil pasta. In a deep pan, melt butter. Add flour and garlic, whisk for 1 minute. Continue to whisk and slowly add the milk, 1 cup at a time. Bring to a simmer and whisk often. Add tomatoes and cook for 1 minute. Stir in mozzarella and immediately remove from heat. Add 1/2 cup parmesan, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp of pepper. Add chicken and pasta to the mixture. Pour into a grease 9x13 baking dish. Top with remaining parmesan cheese and bake for 25 minutes.

Bacon and Cheese Red Potatoes

This was another quick invention when I realized that I was missing an ingredient for a different recipe! Gray and I both loved these and I will be making them again and again!

8-12 red potatoes (quartered)

4 tbsp butter (melted)

4 pieces bacon (crumbled)

1/4 cup diced onion

1/2 tsp lowery seasoning

1 cup shredded cheddar

Heat oven to 375. Mix all the ingredients together, pour into a baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, top with cheddar and return to oven for 10 to 15 more minutes. Serve warm.

This recipes was linked over at the Eat at Home ingredient spotlight for bacon.

Swirled Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars

I love anything with a pumpkin cream cheese combinations! These were wonderful, just as I expected! This awesome fall recipe is from The Baker Chick.

6 tbsp butter (melted and slightly cooled)
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin

1/3 cup water
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 container (8 oz.) cream cheese (room temperature)

Heat oven to 350. Put the butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar in a bowl and mix until smooth with a mixer. Beat in two eggs, pumpkin and water until combined. In a separate bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and nutmeg. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. In a small bowl beat the cream cheese, 1 egg and 1/4 cup of sugar until smooth. Spoon the cream cheese mixture on top of the pumpkin mixture then swirl together. Bake for 30 minutes or until done.

Pesto Green Beans

I feel like I am posting the easiest recipes in the world right now, I love easy! Who doesn't love easy? I found this recipe over at 400 calories or less.

1 lb green beans

1 tbsp prepared pesto

Steam the green beans until desired tenderness. Toss in pesto and serve right away.

Honey Mustard Club Sandwich

This is my version of the BLT Club from Simply Scratch. I'm not a huge deli meat fan but I do love a good club sandwich as long as the deli meat is cut thin. In my opinion this is the perfect turkey sandwich! This recipe is for 1 sandwich.

2 pieces white bread (toasted)

2-4 slices of turkey

1 slice cheddar cheese

1 slice provolone cheese

2 slices tomato

3-4 rings red onion

4 slices of bacon (cooked)

Mayo

Honey Mustard

Coat both slices of bread with mayo. On the bottom piece layer cheese, then turkey, then bacon, then onion, then tomato. On the top piece of bread add a thick layer of honey mustard. Slice and enjoy!

Crock Pot Coke Marinated BBQ Pork

Everyone does the rootbeer pork all the time and I have tried but it's just too sweet for me. The other day I had a boston butt and knew that I wanted to use it to make BBQ and I had a bottle of coke, so I went for it. Also if you are wondering what in the world that is on top of my pork, it's Orangeburg style BBQ sauce. It's a South Carolina thing and it's a sweet and slightly tangy sauce. Oh I could just drink it, it's my favorite with a mustard based sauce being my second runner up. Gotta love the south and all our different BBQ sauces.

1 Boston Butt Roast

3 cups Coca Cola

Salt and Pepper to taste

Marinated the boston butt for 1 to 12 hours in 2 cups of Coca Cola. Place the meat in the crock pot, put a fresh cup of coke in the bottom. Salt and pepper the meat. Set to low and cook for 6 to 8 hours. Shred and serve with your favorite sauce.

Perfect Party Cookies

I made these adorable and delicious cookies for my son's 5th birthday party! They were a huge hit, I love that they were fun and festive sitting on the table. The recipe is from Stephanie Cooks and she hit a home run when she created this recipe!

1 cup flour
1 cup yellow boxed cake mix
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup butter (melted then slightly cooled)
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
4 tbsp colored sprinkles

In a bowl stir together the flour, cake mix and baking soda. In a separate bowl beat together the butter, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until creamy. Add the sugar and brown sugar and stir in. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir. Stir in the chocolate chips and sprinkles. Heat oven to 350 and refrigerate the batter for 30 minutes. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Keep dough cool if not being baked. Cool for 5 minutes on pan then place on a baking rack.