Chocolate Chip Crunchewy Cookies

These cookies are the best!  Seriously.  Make them and you will see.  Erica called me after picking up the CSA today and told me that Chris had asked her to get this recipe from me.  I made a batch of these a while back and brought them some.  They must have made quite the impression because that was probably a year ago : )  These would be great to add to your holiday cookie cannon...I guarantee everyone will love them and you will be the only one who makes em!

Chocolate Chip Crunchewy Cookies

Ingredients

•  3/4 cup shortening, butter flavor vegetable
• 1-1/2 cups C&H Pure Cane Golden Brown Sugar
• 2 tbsp.milk
• 3/4 cup peanut butter, creamy style (reduced- fat OK)
• 1 tsp.vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt (I’d reduce this to at least 3/4 tsp.)
• 3/4 tsp.baking soda
• 1-1/2 cups oats, old-fashioned rolled (I’d reduce this to 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup Rice Krispies cereal
• 1 cup Cap`n Crunch cereal
• 1 (12 oz.) pkg. mini chocolate chips, mini (I’d reduce it to 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup toffee bits
  
  

  Preperation

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter cookie sheets or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In bowl of electric mixer, combine first six ingredients and beat on medium speed until creamy.
3. Add flour, salt, and baking soda and combine. Add oats, Rice Krispies, and Cap’n Crunch and mix.
4. Stir in chocolate chips and toffee bits by hand.
5. Drop batter by spoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets. Using a spoon, slightly flatten the tops of the cookies.
6. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on the sheets for two minutes; then cool completely on cooling rack.
   

Curried Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

My friend and fellow CSA participant Laura gave me this recipe.  We also work together in the restaurant, and I have seen her sipping this concoction out of a water bottle a few times during hectic nights serving the masses.  So it is good cold as well as hot :)  It is also ridiculously easy to make.  The original recipe is from What's Cooking America's website.  It calls for all butternut squash, but I used a mix of that and sweet potatoes.  I also added a pear into the pound of apples the recipe calls for, which added to the soup's silky texture.  But it is still delicious with just apples.  I enjoyed it plain, but I think that it could benefit from a crunchy garnish of some sort.  Perhaps some crumbled bacon, or toasted and/or candied nuts of some kind.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onions
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Red (cayenne) pepper to taste
2 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, halved lengthwise, and sliced thin
3 cups vegetable or Chicken Stock
3 cups water
1 pound tart apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

In a large soup pot over medium heat, heat olive or vegetable oil. Add onion and sauté until golden brown. Add garlic, curry powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper; cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Add sliced squash, vegetable or chicken broth, water, and chopped apples. Bring liquid just to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, 25 minutes or until squash is tender. Remove from heat and let cool at least 15 to 20 minutes.
Puree mixture in a blender or food processor, in batches, and transfer back into soup pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
NOTE: At this point, soup may be refrigerated until ready to serve.
To serve, warm over low heat, stirring until hot. Remove from heat and serve in soup bowls.
Makes 6 servings.

Creamy Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Cheddar Soup

Gotta love this classic!  I just sort of winged this one.  It's quite easy and straight forward.  And so delicious with some saltine crackers or crusty bread for dipping!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

6 cups of chicken broth
1 onion, chopped
2 lbs total of broccoli and cauliflower, chopped into small florets
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup all purpose flour

3/4  cup milk

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
Chopped scallions for garnish

Directions:

In a large pot, combine chicken broth, onion, garlic, cauliflower and broccoli. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Continue to simmer until vegetables are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.
In a bowl, combine flour and milk. Whisk until there are no lumps. Add mixture to soup, stirring continuously as soup thickens. Blend with an immersion blender, or in batches in a blender with the vent open but covered by a kitchen towel, until smooth. Stir in Cheddar cheese until completely melted.  Garnish with chopped scallions.
Enjoy!

Spicy Sausage, Potato & Kale Soup

It's soup season in my house.  I love to have a variety of options to pull from my chest freezer, so this recipe is the first of three I am making this weekend.  I usually make veggie soups so the fact that this recipe calls for sausage brought a nice and hearty element to the soup.  If you wanted to keep it vegetarian you could always substitute veggie stock for the chicken stock and a hearty variety of mushroom like Oyster or Hen of the Woods for the sausage. 

I opted to keep the meat.  I was not sorry.  I made just a few small alterations from the original recipe which I found on www.thecandidapetite.com.  Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound spicy italian sausage (I used chicken but pork is good too)
• 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
• 1 large bunch of kale, washed, stemmed, and choppe
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 4 medium or 2 large russet baking potatoes, sliced
• 12 cups of chicken stock
• 3/4 cup heavy cream

Preparation:

1. Heat a large heavy-duty pot over medium-high heat. Once the pot has heated through, add the sausage, which you removed from the casing. Using a wooden spoon, begin to break up the sausage and allow it to cook, stirring occasionally, until it has fully browned. Remove the crisped sausage from the pot and transfer it to a plate or bowl. Set aside.

2. Lower the heat to medium, add the butter or oil and throw in the onions and garlic. Stir, scraping down the bottom of the pot picking up the browned bits of sausage with the back of a wooden spoon, and cook until soft and translucent about 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes, if using. Continue to sauté until the onions have caramelized. Add the chopped kale in batches, allowing it to wilt down as it cooks. It might seem like a lot of kale but it will cook down, just like spinach! Add the nutmeg and stir. Cook the kale for another 3 minutes until it has turned bright green and completely wilted down. Throw in the sliced potatoes and cooked sausage.

3. Pour in the chicken stock or broth and bring it up to a boil. Lower the heat and allow the soup to simmer until the potatoes are cooked tender and soft. Taste the soup for seasoning, at this point you may add more salt, pepper or red pepper flakes, if desired. Once the potatoes are fully cooked, stir in the heavy cream. Serve right away with some bread on the side. Enjoy!