Spicy Cauliflower Soup

A snow storm has graced our lives today. Yipee. I dislike winter, and I have little patience for it this year especially. I would love nothing better than to disappear to Mexico and never look back! (Keep dreaming!!)

But I digress. Failing running away south of the border, I needed a way to stay warm today. And this soup fits the bill in a plethagora of ways. Flavorful, filling and hearty, this spicy soup made my day warmer and brighter. And it was super easy, take it from me :)

1 box (900 ml) chicken broth

1/2 onion chopped

2 tsp oilve oil

1/2 tsp garlic, jarred minced

3 large carrots chopped

4 medium potatoes chopped (I leave the peels on)

1/2 cauliflower, chopped

1 tsp garlic, jarred minced

1/4 tsp ground chili pepper

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp dill

1/4 tsp coriander

dash hot sauce (if you want)

salt and pepper

1/2-3/4 cups milk

**You can adjust the heat of the soup by how much spice you put in. Flavor according to taste**

Sautee onion and garlic in the oil for 2 minutes. Add to the broth in a large pot with the carrots, potatoes, additional garlic and the spices. Cook on medium low heat for 40-50 minutes or until veggies are soft. Add the milk and stir. Pulse in a food processor in small batched until smooth and transfer back to stove and heat on low a few more minutes. Serve

***You can add more milk if too thick***

Crunchy Carrot Dog Biscuits! Bow Wow!!

So the pups got stuck with thier mom for the day inside, and they started to go a little stir crazy. What to do? (There's only so much Sponge Bob Cartoons you can watch. Seriously, the dogs love that show.) So, we decided to create a new dog cookie.

These light and crunchy cookies were an instant hit with the pups, and will definatly have to be kept in the cookie jar. Bone-appetite ;)

**This receipe can be doubled for more**

1 cup carrots, grated and chopped fine

1 cup whole grain flour

1/2 cup oats

1/8 cup flax, ground

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp peanut butter

1/2 cup warm water

Mix dry ingredients together. Add carrots and blend. Add oil, and peanut butter, then the water to blend the peanut butter. Mix the dough till no longer sticky, add a little flour if still sticky. Roll out to 1/8" or so, and cut into shapes or bars.

Bake in a 350 F over for 35-40 minutes on an ungreased sheet. Turn off the over heat, and leave the cookies in for an additional 35-40 minutes. Take out of oven and cool. Store in airtight container.

Hearty Cream of Potato Soup thats a breeze to make!

Well, the warm weather has left finally, though I was enjoying the unseasonable +26C (79 F) temperatures for the beginning of October. Anytime I can suntan that late, I'm a happy camper.

But now the cool is here, and with it the fresh summer produce is ending and the hearty fall fare is starting. Such as this wonderful soup, which isn't hard to make from scratch, and tastes awesome. And it'll keep you warm on those fall nights (unless you have plenty of dogs and a cat like me to keep your feet toasty :)

2 really large or 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

1 3/4 cups chicken broth

3 tbsp butter or margarine

3 tbsp all purpose flour

2 1/2 cups milk (you can use which ever kind you want)

1 tsp garlic (jarred kind) use more if you want

1 tsp dill, pinch salt and pepper (to taste)

Toss potatoes, onion and carrots, garlic and dill to the broth in a stockpot. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover stock pot and simmer 18-20 minutes or so. Mix occasionally, and watch for the consistency, you want some of the potatoes to sort of dissolve a little, making it very thick.

Add butter or marg to a small sauce pan, melt over medium heat and add flour till smooth. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer 2 minutes. Stir into potato stock. Add salt and pepper, or more dill and garlic if you want. Cook over lowish heat for 5-10 minutes, more if you used skim milk, because it will be thinner and need to thicken.

Enjoy your homeade soup!

Soft & Fragrant Honey Gingerbread Cake!!

This is such a tasty cake, so moist and tasty with all of the flavors that inspires one to think of fall time. Cinnamon, cloves, allspice and ginger permeate through the house as this treat is cooking making the experience all the more enjoyable. So grab a hot cup of cider or spice tea and enjoy.

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 tsp allspice

3/4 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup softened butter or margerine

1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

Spray a 9 inch pan with pam, and set aside. Sift flour, spices, baking powder and soda. In another bowl cream sugar with margerine until fluffy, add egg and the honey, mix. Add half the batter to the dry ingredients, then add the yogurt, followed by the last of the batter and stir until well combined. Pour batter into pan and bake in a preheated 350F oven for 30-35 minutes or until done. Cool a little and enjoy!!

The Best Saskatoon Muffins in the World!!

This is bar none the best saskatoon recipe ever invented. Yes, I am that confident. You can replace the saskatoons if you want for blueberries, I won't scold you for it ;)

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup margerine

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

1 1/2- 2 cups saskatoons or blueberries

1 tsp white vanilla*

* White vanilla can be found at most specialty stores or through Watkins

In one bowl mix flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl mix margerine, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Then add the milk and mix. Add the moist to the dry ingredients. Fold in the berries.

Scoop into muffin paper lined pan and bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes. Makes 12 muffins

Shrimp Tomato Basil Pasta!! Bellissima!

This is a super tasty dish that is very, very easy to make. Serve up with some crusty french bread slathered with some garlic butter, and you'll be the talk of the dinner table!!

1 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 Lbs Shrimp

3-4 tbsp Minced garlic (I use the jar kind)

7-8 firm tomatoes, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups worth or so)

1/4 cup fresh basil (or more to taste, and more for garnish)

salt and pepper

10-15 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Season shrimp with salt and pepper in a bowl. Spray a pan over medium low heat and toss in the oil and get warm. Add the shrimp and cook 3 or so minutes. Add the garlic, half the basil and the shrimp. Cook on lower medium heat for 12 minutes or so, and then add the last of the basil for another three or so minutes. Pull the pan from the heat and add the cherry tomatoes.

Boil some whole wheat pasta and serve. Enjoy.

French Bread!! Oui Oui Mon Cheri!!!

So not my recipe at all, but something I wanted to give a try. It was time consuming, but the results were nice. I think I used the wrong kind of yeast, making my bread alot less fluffy, but covered in garlic butter, it's all good :)

http://yvonneandmason.galganov.net/recipes/frenchbread.html