Curried Cauliflower Soup

When we were in Miami, we walked through the Lincoln Road Mall at least once a day. There are so many fun shops, restaurants, art galleries, etc. there.
I had to go in Williams-Sonoma one day, just to look around. Side note- did you know that Williams-Sonoma is now selling grains and lentils and stuff like that? I was so excited when I saw quinoa, red lentils and even black lentils in stock there.
Anyway, I started talking to the woman working there and she told me about this soup. She had made it the day before during a cooking demonstration and also at home, so I took the recipe card and decided to make it when I got home. We kept talking and talking and then I noticed my husband had left his spot outside the store where he was watching people, so I had to run out and try to find him!

Spring has officially arrived here in Georgia- we've got gorgeous weather, lots of pollen and my roses are blooming! Every once in awhile we still have a rainy day and I made this last week on a very rainy day. It was perfect.
Since I added the spices and herbs to the soup it isn't the most pleasant color to look at, but we tried to spiff it up with some of the yogurt and cilantro garnish.
I didn't follow the recipe exactly- I made few changes, like I usually do and they are noted below.

Have you ever been to the Lincoln Road Mall? Do you love Williams-Sonoma?

HERE is the recipe for Curried Cauliflower Soup

* I used less oil to start the soup and the extra veggies used for garnish, probably only 2 Tablespoons all together and used canola oil

* I just added the spices and herbs to the soup, no cheesecloth

* I didn't add as much oil as called for to the yogurt garnish

* I didn't completely puree the soup

Fruit Bruschetta

So, are you tired of hearing about the food we enjoyed on my brother's birthday?
I hope not, because this is a really yummy one.

I decided to make my brother a special birthday breakfast and had seen a couple of great ideas that I wanted to try.
My brother loves bread, cereal, muffins, and oats. He could live on those items. He eats a lot of bread. and cereal. and oats. And not just at breakfast time. When we lived in Utah, he would often come home from school and eat a bowl of cereal with a couple pieces of bread.

Anyway, he also loves yogurt.
So, when I saw this idea of fruit bruschetta- a toasted baguette with a little butter and cinnamon sugar, topped with delicious mixed fruit and drizzled with yogurt- I knew this was the breakfast I was going to make him.

I saw a couple of different version's and decided to use the one I saw on Annie's Eats. She used a combination of pineapple, kiwi, strawberries, and bananas. I added some lemon zest to the fruit mixture just to up the flavor a little bit.
I also used a whole wheat baguette. Usually I don't ever put butter on toast, but I figured a little bit for this special breakfast would be okay. I melted the butter before hand and then used a pastry brush to just get a dab on the toasted bread slices.

This was a delicious twist on bruschetta and breakfast. A little time consuming, but completely worth it. It would be great for brunch or Mother's Day or even a mid-day snack. Yummy, yummy, yummy.

The birthday boy was very happy.
I added lemon zest to the fruit
Recipe for Fruit Bruschetta on Annie's Eats

Recipe for Fruit Bruschetta on The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Warm Seven-Layer Salad

I saw this recipe in Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine. Every month there is a feature in that magazine, I think it is called Kid Zone, and it showcases a recipe that is easy enough for kids to make with a little bit of help.
I thought this Warm Seven-Layer Salad looked really good and loved how there were different veggies/ingredients than the usual ones that you would see in a salad like this. I also liked the fact that it was served warm, so it would make a great dinner.

Now, this recipe starts out with cooking bacon and then cooking the green beans and summer squash in the bacon fat. Sorry- ya'll, I just couldn't do it. I don't like cooking real bacon and I certainly am not going to cook vegetables in bacon fat. I don't have anything against people or recipes that use this method, I just wasn't excited about that at all. I don't like bacon.
I decided to buy the precooked bacon that you just warm in the microwave and crumbled that for the top.
I just sauteed my green beans and summer squash with a little water, cooking spray, salt and pepper. It worked out fine. I also warmed my beans with these veggies.

You layer the cooked green beans, summer squash, tomatoes, white beans, romaine lettuce, and sprinke some shredded cheese (I used a combination of cheddar and mozzarella) on top of those layers. Then you top that with a dollop of plain yogurt and sprinkle some crumbled bacon pieces on the very top, to finish the whole thing off.

I made mine into minis, so that everyone had their own serving and we all really liked this combination of veggies turned salad.

The fact that the green beans, summer squash, and white beans were warm added a nice contrast to the crisp, coolness of the romaine lettuce and tomatoes, which was again contrasted by the yogurt and bacon. Lots of flavors that really complimented each other. This was good!
And the kids enjoyed layering their own servings into the mini trifle dishes.
I will make this again. It would be great for a potluck or get-together.


Recipe for Warm Seven-Layer Salad

One Year Ago-Lavash Crackers and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Breakfast Banana Split

I don't remember where I saw this idea, but I did see it in a cookbook somewhere and I thought it was too cute to pass up.
I am always looking for new ways to make breakfast healthier and more exciting.

This breakfast takes the idea of a banana split and makes it breakfast worthy (although I am not against eating ice cream for breakfast :-)

I found these cute little banana split dishes at Publix and thought they really just added another element of fun to this whole idea. This is also a versatile breakfast idea- you can change up the fruits and toppings with whatever you like best.

Breakfast Banana Split
1 banana, split in half lengthwise
assorted melon balls- I used canteloupe and honeydew
yogurt
granola
berries- I used blueberries and raspberries

Place your sliced banana in a dish. Top with melon balls and yogurt. Sprinkle granola and berries on top. Eat
Ta-da!
Wasn't that easy?

P.S. if you look closely at the spoon, you can see my reflection- kinda made me laugh

and you still have time to enter my giveaway!

One Year Ago- Grandma Ruthardt's Sloppy Joes on Prudy's Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

Peach Frozen Yogurt and Georgia Peach Buttercream

I have been playing around with my photos a little bit. It's pretty fun.
I don't really remember how it came up, but some of us were talking about making ice cream and Nancy mentioned how delicious David Lebovitz's Peach Frozen Yogurt was and since I had peaches, I made it.

I didn't weigh my peaches (mistake)- I just assumed that my peach mixture was the perfect amount, but when I churned it, I realized I should have just measured the darn things. My frozen yogurt yielded way more than 3 cups and it was really peachy, which was fine with me, but I don't think it turned out exactly how the recipe wanted it to. We still enjoyed it. My youngest came in and saw me taking pictures and snatched the cone from me- so I let her hold it for the pic.

My mother-in-law had a birthday at the end of July and I decided I would make her a little cake. She had a really busy day, so I just made it, took it over and put it in her fridge, and she was surprised later, when she came home.

I saw the recipe for Georgia Peach Buttercream in the June issue of Southern Living and it sounded like a perfect, summery frosting. Plus, I live in Georgia, so I pretty much had to make it.
The frosting is a basic buttercream with peach puree added to it, to give it a light peachy flavor. I read a couple of the reviews and one of them said that the peach flavor was really light, so I added more peach puree than it called for. It did add a little extra flavor, but made the frosting extra hard to keep on the cake. I think this frosting would work great on cupcakes or a 9x13-inch cake. Maybe it was just really hot- once I put the cake in the fridge it was all good.

I used this cupcake recipe, which uses a white cake mix, but adds buttermilk, butter, and almond extract, which all give it a great texture and flavor. I made three 6-inch cakes and my mother-in-law called me later raving about the cake. She said it was her new favorite. Yay! for birthday success!
Here are all the links to the recipes

David Lebovitz's Peach Frozen Yogurt

Georgia Peach Buttercream Frosting

Basic White Cupcake

One Year Ago-Greek Chicken Pizza

Carrot-Zucchini Yogurt Muffins

I hope everyone had a great weekend. We had fun yesterday. I was in charge of the menu at my mother-in-laws and it turned out great. I also suggested some menu items to my family in Utah and I think they enjoyed them.

This recipe is for a muffin I made a couple of months ago.
As soon as I saw this muffin recipe, I knew it was something that my younger brother would love, love, love! He is only 17 and a bit of a health nut.
He loved everything I ever baked or cooked and that made trying new things lots of fun.
This is a really healthy muffin, loaded with shredded zucchini and shredded carrots. It has wheat germ and yogurt and whole wheat flour.
Unlike some healthy foods that don't taste healthy, this muffin does. But, I don't think that is a bad thing. I know some people might argue with me about that.
It also has a hint of molasses flavor.
My brother loved these. He even hid some in the pantry, so that no one would take them. That made me laugh when I found his little stash.
If you need healthy snack, here you go!

Carrot-Zucchini Yogurt Muffins from Martha Stewart Living

Egg whites beaten to stiff peaks ensure that the texture of these whole-grain muffins remains light. Fresh carrots and zucchini keep these muffins moist.
Ingredients
Makes 1 dozen.
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (3 ounces) pecans, toasted and finely chopped
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
1/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 medium carrots, peeled and grated on the large holes of a box grater (2 cups)
1 large zucchini, peeled and grated on the large holes of a box grater (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 large eggs, separated
2 tablespoons unsulfured molasses
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a standard (12-cup) muffin tin with cooking spray. Whisk together flours, pecans, wheat germ, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Stir together carrots, zucchini, yogurt, egg yolks, molasses, and orange zest in a large bowl. Fold flour mixture into carrot mixture until just combined. With a whisk or a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites until shiny, stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into the carrot mixture.
Spoon batter into prepared tin, filling to the brims. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center of 1 comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. (Muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.)

Coming Tomorrow- TWD- Coconut Roasted Pineapple Dacquoise (Yummy!)

Whats in Your Lunchbox? Finger-Picking Chicken Balls, Mini Caramel Apples, Mini Bagel Sammies, and Fruit Parfaits with Homemade Granola

When my son started first grade this year and was going to be gone all day, I decided that he was going to take a lunch from home. I wanted to do more than just normal sandwiches and make it fun, so I am going to share a couple of things that he has in his lunch each week. I also pack a lunch for my 16-year old brother, so keep in mind these are all good for any age, even me. First, the chicken balls. How cute are those? They are good cold or warm and you can send some ketchup in a little container for dipping. They were a big hit, as were the mini caramel apples. We made some with butterscotch chips and some with peanut butter chips. Everyone liked the peanut butter variety better. My son was really proud to take those because he helped me make them the night before. Then the mini bagel sammy, kind of fun and totally adaptable to any kind of sandwich toppings and fillings. The fruit and yogurt parfait was loved because of the homemade granola, I even had one myself for breakfast. By the way, I made a batch of that granola which disappeared in less than 24 hours and it was requested I make more. I doubled it the next day and it only lasted 36 hours! On a side note, I did send a cold ear of corn and edamame in their lunches and both were enjoyed. Creativity and Variety are key to not getting bored with Lunch!

Finger-Picking Chicken Balls adapted from Annabel Karmel's Lunch Boxes and Snacks

Makes about 20 chicken balls

1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated

2 small, skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

1 onion, chopped

1 Tbls chopped fresh parsley

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs

1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1 Tbls boiling water

salt and black pepper

flour for coating

1 Tbls canola oil

cooking spray

Using your hands, squeeze out some of the excess liquid from the grated apple. Put the apple, chicken, onion, parsley, thyme, bread crumbs, and chicken bouillon into a food processor. Process until a smooth mixture forms a ball. Season with a little salt and pepper.

With your hands, form the mixture into about 20 balls, roll in flour, and fry in the oil,( I added a little cooking spray as well) for about 10 minutes, until lightly golden and cooked through.

Mini Caramel Apples from Family Fun Magazine
4-inch lollipop sticks
Melon baller
Granny Smith apples (one apple makes about 8 mini apples)
Butterscotch or peanut butter chips
Chopped nuts, nonpareils, sprinkles, shredded coconut (optional)
Small paper candy cups

Step 1 First, cut the lollipop sticks in half at an angle (the pointy end will go into the apple pieces easier). With the melon baller, scoop little balls out of the apple. Each ball should have a section of apple peel. Push half of a lollipop stick into the peel of each ball. Pat the apple pieces dry.

Step 2 Melt the chips according to the package directions. Dip and swirl the mini apples in the melted chips, then roll the apples in nuts, sprinkles, nonpareils, or coconut, if desired. Place the mini apples in paper candy cups to set.

Mini Bagel Sammies by Mary Ann

mini bagel

Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese, 1/3 less fat

turkey, ham, or whatever lunchmeat you want

baby spinach leaves

thinly sliced cucumbers

matchstick carrots

thinly sliced tomatoes

alfalfa sprouts

Spread a small amount of cream cheese on both sides of mini bagel. Layer lunchmeat, spinach, cucumber, carrots, and sprouts on top. Place tomatoes in a separate baggie to be added later, so it doesn't make anything mushy. Put bagel half on top and pack!

Fruit Parfaits with Homemade Granola by Mary Ann

6 oz container yogurt, or spoon desired amount of Greek yogurt into plastic container

Homemade Granola (try this Maple-Pecan Peach Granola, it is yummy!)

cut up fruit of your choice, grapes, bananas, berries, whatever packs well

Pack the granola in a plastic container. Put the fruit in separate container or sandwich baggie and assemble parfait when lunch is to be eaten. If using Greek yogurt, you might swirl in a little honey.

TWD- Dorie's Blueberry Sherbet and not Dorie's Blueberry-Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

This week's recipe, Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream, was chosen by Dolores over at Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity. I made that Ice Cream for the 4th of July, to go along with that delicious Blueberry Pie. So for the recipe, go to Dolores' blog or go to this post when I made it 6 weeks ago. I was planning on making it again because it really is that good and I think making homemade ice cream is easy. But, then, as I was thumbing through a cookbook, I saw a recipe that was Dorie's, that she gave to her friend Nick Malgieri, and it was for Blueberry Sherbet. I decided that I would make that and it could still count since it was a Dorie recipe and I wasn't really trying to get out of making the ice cream, since I have already made it. Too much info? Sorry.
I decided that as long as I was making sherbet, I might as well make frozen yogurt too, since there was a recipe I had been wanting to make that I saw it in the local paper. It didn't require the ice cream maker, so I threw them both together and we did a taste test. The kids preferred the sherbet because it was slightly sweeter. I liked both, but liked the yogurt a little bit more, since it wasn't as sweet. The straining step is essential in the sherbet recipe, I think because it uses frozen berries, the skins don't puree as well. In the picture below, the sherbet is on the left (no visible skins or seeds) and the frozen yogurt is on the right.
In the picture below, the frozen yogurt is on the left and the sherbet is on the right.

Confusing? Maybe, but very tasty! Go to the TWD Blogroll to see all the other delicious ice cream!
"A gift from my friend Dorie Greenspan, author of the award winning Baking with Julia. this recipe uses frozen berries...."

Dorie's Bluberry Sherbet found in Perfect Light Desserts by Nick Malgieri and

David Joachim

1 cup water

1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 Tbls light corn syrup

1/3 cup strained lemon juice

1-pd bag frozen blueberries, thawed

1-Combine the water, milk, sugar and corn syrup in a medium saucepan and whisk to mix. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

2- Pour the syrup into a bowl and cool it to room temperature. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the syrup until it is very cold.

3- Stir the lemon juice and blueberries into the syrup.

4- Puree the mixture in batches in a blender. Strain the mixture to remove the skins and seeds.

5- Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions.

6- While the sherbet is churning, place a bowl in the freezer. Empty the churned sherbet into the bowl as you remove it from the ice cream maker. Press plastic wrap against the surface and freeze the sherbet.

Texture is best if served within 24 hours.

Blueberry Frozen Yogurt

3 cups fresh blueberries (I used 2 cups blueberries, 1 cup strawberries)

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup water

2/3 cup plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)

In a saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Let cool completely. Wash and stem blueberries and puree with yogurt. Mix with the syrup mixture.

Freeze in a shallow metal cake pan for 4 hours or until firm (only took 2 1/2 hours, I used a 9 by 13-inch pan). Break into chunks; puree in food processor. Pack into airtight containers and refreeze for 4 hours or until firm or for up to 2 days.

Mango-Banana Frozen Yogurt

After making that delicious blueberry ice cream on the 4th of July, I realized how easy it is to do at home and how delicious. So, I made this wonderful frozen yogurt. The flavors were wonderful and the texture was amazing! I think I am going to have to do this every week!
Mango-Banana Frozen Yogurt from Cooking Light

1 cup sliced ripe banana

3/4 cup chopped peeled mango

1/3 cup orange juice

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 1/2 cups 2% low-fat milk

3/4 cup sugar

1 (16-ounce) carton vanilla low-fat yogurt

Combine first 4 ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. Combine banana mixture and remaining ingredients in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk.
Pour mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Spoon into a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze (ripen) at least 1 hour.

Summer Squash Casserole

One thing I loved about living in the South is the amazing way that anything and everything could be turned into a casserole. I mean one time at Thanksgiving, we had pineapple casserole! I love it, the south I mean, the pineapple casserole was alright.
So, when I got my Southern Living and saw this yummy casserole I had to make it. I used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, because it tastes the same and has less fat. This was really good!
Summer Squash Casserole adapted from Southern Living Magazine
1 1/2 pounds yellow squash
1 pound zucchini

1 small sweet onion, chopped

2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided

1 cup grated carrots

1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of chicken soup

1 (8-oz.) container plain Greek style yogurt

1 (8-oz.) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped

1 (8-oz.) package herb-seasoned stuffing

1/2 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Cut squash and zucchini into 1/4-inch-thick slices; place in a Dutch oven. Add chopped onion, 2 tsp. salt, and water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook 5 minutes; drain well.
2. Stir together 1 cup grated carrots, next 3 ingredients, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt in a large bowl; fold in squash mixture. Stir together stuffing and 1/2 cup melted butter, and spoon half of stuffing mixture in bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Spoon squash mixture over stuffing mixture, and top with remaining stuffing mixture.
3. Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown, shielding with aluminum foil after 20 to 25 minutes to prevent excessive browning, if necessary. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Homemade Frozen Yogurt

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS or Mormon) we are lucky to have multiple magazines published monthly that have great articles and The Friend, which is for children, always has a Kitchen Kraft. This was the June recipe and it was alot fun to make with the kids and it tasted great, especially on a hot day. I froze it in little plastic cups and we went for the Strawberry Mango variation. I know we are going to be making this again!

Homemade Frozen Yogurt
Whip up yummy homemade frozen yogurt in your own kitchen. Mix together 16 ounces of fat-free or regular vanilla yogurt with your favorite fruits, and spoon the mixture into serving-size freezer containers with lids. Store the containers in the freezer. To serve, remove the lid and soften the yogurt in the microwave for about 45 seconds. Here are some examples of flavor combinations you can try.

Converting ounces to grams:
16 ounces = 454 grams
8 ounces = 227 grams
4 ounces = 113 grams

Cherry Vanilla
Use 16 ounces fresh or frozen pitted cherries

Strawberry Mango
Use 8 ounces of fresh or frozen sliced strawberries and 8 ounces of fresh or frozen chopped mangoes

Berry Berry Good
Use 4 ounces each of fresh or frozen blueberries, raspberries, sliced strawberries, and blackberries.

Peachy Walnut
Use 16 ounces of fresh or frozen chopped peaches and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.

Tropical Pineapple
Use 8 ounces of fresh or frozen chopped pineapple and 8 ounces of fresh or frozen chopped papaya.

Tangy Treat
Use 16 ounces of fat-free lemon yogurt instead of vanilla; 2 oranges, seeded and chopped; 4 tangerines, seeded and chopped; and 2 kiwi, peeled and chopped.