A Cooking Baker

I'm not a lover of vegetable soup.   That said, I don't NOT like it, it's just not on the top of my list.  My husband likes it, and lots of people love it.  I was going through my recipes and saw this, I had a flashback of watching people slurp up reheated cans of vegetable soup in lunch rooms at work, and had to share this - it's so much better than a can of soup, and you can package and freeze in in individual servings if you like to take soup to work.  This is a revised version of a recipe of a family friend. 1 lb. ground beef or turkey, browned & drained (you can skip the meat, too) 1/2 tsp. EVOO 1/2 c. onion, diced 1/2 tsp. oregano 1/2 tsp. dried basil 1/2 tsp.  dried thyme 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1 c. carrots, diced 1/2 c. celery, diced 1 bay leaf (remove after cooking) 1 28 oz. can tomato sauce 1 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes 6 c. water (or 3 c. water, 3 c. vegetable broth) 1 c. frozen peas 1 c. frozen corn

Know what I like about pork tenderloin? You can make it fancy, or you can keep it simple.  You can slice it and put it on a platter and serve it as a nice sit-down dinner, or you can slice it and throw it on a roll and serve a platter of casual sandwiches.  It's usually reasonably priced, and you can often find it on sale.  It's a great main dish for feeding a crowd, too.  Over the holidays, I had a dinner and we grilled six tenderloins.  Once again, I found a keeper on Pinterest - seriously, I never should have started with that, but anyway....  Here's the original post , to give credit to the artist. Balsamic-Garlic Crusted Pork Tenderloins 4-5 garlic cloves, finely minced or crushed 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (I might up this a bit.... we drizzled the cooked meat with more) 2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 pork tenderloins (about 1¼ pounds each) 2 tablespoons canola oil (if preparing in oven) Stir t

I love Mediterranean flavors.  So when I saw this recipe on Pinterest,  I knew I had to try it.  It's not hard, but it's something different to do with chicken, healthy, and the kids like it. Chicken Gyros For the tzatziki: 16 oz. plain yogurt (not nonfat, if possible) 1/2 seedless cucumber or 1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded (Costco has a 3 pack of seedless cukes if you're making a big batch - they also have tzatziki if you don't feel like making it) 2-3 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press (or finely minced) 1 tsp. white wine vinegar Salt and pepper Squeeze of fresh lemon juice Extra virgin olive oil For the chicken: 4 cloves garlic, smashed Juice of 1 lemon 2 tsp. red wine vinegar 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 2 heaping tbsp. plain yogurt 1 tbsp. dried oregano Salt and pepper 1¼ lbs. chicken pieces (I use boneless, skinless chicken breast halves) To assemble: Pita bread Fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced Red onion, s

An all-time favorite comfort food... In the early years, we made grilled cheese and chicken noodle soup pretty often - and we loved Mrs. Grass and her mysterious flavor nugget.  But, as time went on, I started making more things from scratch, and found that chicken noodle soup is pretty hard to mess up, cheap to make a giant batch and freeze, and great to share.  I remember getting a container of soup and a crusty loaf of bread when little Baker was born, and it TOTALLY hit the spot - simple and delish, and the whole family liked it.  Chicken Noodle Soup This makes a huge batch. 4 cups chicken, cooked & diced 4-6 c. water 6 c. chicken broth (we use Swanson Natural Goodness or Kirkland's Chicken Stock) 2 bay leaves 2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped 2 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped (a tsp of dried works, too) 2-4 sprigs fresh thyme (leaves fall off during cooking - tie them together for easy removal) 1 tsp. salt (or leave out, and let others adjust it before serving - be

Here's the recipe I used for waffles last night - I combined one from Alton and one from Martha, and they got rave reviews.  You can make the batter in advance, and stick it in the fridge until you're ready to make them.  I am going to make a few and stick them in the freezer as "frozen waffles" and see if they reheat in the toaster ok for breakfast in the morning.  I'll get back to you on that. Quick note:   I really did measure the flour with my food scale - I do that with a few other recipes when the weight is specified, too.  It's more precise than filling a measuring cup - you'd be amazed at how much the actual amount will vary when you do it that way.  Easy Waffles 4 ¾ ounces all-purpose flour, approx. 1 cup 4 ¾ ounces whole-wheat flour, approx. 1 cup ½ teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons brown sugar 3 whole eggs, beaten 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted 16 ounces buttermilk, room temperature ½ ts

I really love this combination of flavors. I was always wary of goat cheese, until I had it at The Green Well in GR several years ago and loved it.  Combining it with the cream cheese and adding all of these delish ingredients also mellows out the flavor, so for those of you who were skittish, this is a good gateway recipe for goat cheese.  This comes from a weekly email I get with healthy recipes from AICR .  I had a similar, but more decadent version of this at Vino Cappuccino a long time ago, and they served with with risotto.  I think some couscous would be good (and easier), too.  Mediterranean Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Spinach 4 (4-oz.) chicken breasts, boneless and skinless 1/2 tsp. dried Italian spices, divided 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided Salt to taste, optional 4 tsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided 1 garlic clove, minced        1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry 3 Tbsp. chopped and drained sun-dried tomatoes 2 Tbsp. herbed goa

Sick of plain pork chops? I have a funny (now) story about pork chops.  When we got married, we were young, and inexperienced in the kitchen.  I wooed my man with a crisp grilled cheese and a side of Pringles in the dorms, but that was about the extent of my skills.  I often purchased those super thin boneless, skinless pork "chops", and baked the daylights out of them, and served with potatoes and a veggie (in the early years, I think canned corn was the only one he would eat).  Finally, after several months, he said something about maybe not wanting to have them again for a bit (I blocked out the original comment, apparently), and we never had pork chops again . Fast forward about 10 years, and we have brought them back into the rotation, although they're usually a thick, bone-in or boneless chop, and they're marinated and grilled, or carefully baked, so they're not too dry.  He always manages to compliment them, every. single. time.  No. matter. what.  I ki

Meal Plan Monday I got totally sick this weekend, with one of those colds with a cough that totally saps all of your energy, and I'm still fighting it.  So, I'm sort of phoning it in here, sorry - lots of thawing freezer meals unless I get my energy back.  Here's the plan, so far... Monday:  Broccoli Chicken Asiago Skillet  with a side salad (I've got a lot of broccoli I need to use up) Tuesday: Minestrone Soup  with salad and bread on the side Wednesday: Buttermilk Waffles with fresh fruit (and probably some bacon!) - here's a recipe from Alton and one from Martha , or use your own. Thursday:  Tarragon Chicken  with some steamed asparagus Friday: Leftovers! We'll also have deli sandwiches available (great combo: turkey, Havarti, sprouts, and horseradish sauce on sourdough.) Saturday: Italian Beef Sandwiches  with sweet potato fries Sunday: Spaghetti (or something)

Another tasty soup recipe for chilly weather... I got this one from a cooking class I attended with my mom several years ago.  It's a good comfort food kind of soup...  An easy freezer meal, too, if you leave the noodles out and include the topping in a separate bag.  I noted my changes in the directions if you're prepping for the freezer. Turkey Tetrazzini Soup Topping: 1 tbsp. butter 1 c. bread crumbs (fresh are great) 2 tbsp. grated Parmesan 1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped 1 tsp. lemon zest, minced salt & pepper to taste Soup: 4 oz. medium shell pasta (keep separate if freezing) 4 tbsp. butter 1-1/2 c. onion, diced 8 oz. button mushrooms, stems trimmed, sliced 1/4 c. flour 2 tsp. paprika 1/2 tsp. dried thyme (fresh is great, too) 1/2 tsp. kosher salt 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg 1/3 c. dry sherry (look by wine, not the grocery shelves) 4 c. chicken broth 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 1/2 c. Parmesan, finely grated 1/

I love the taste of tarragon in a sauce with chicken.   So when I saw this recipe on Facebook today, I had to tweak it and share.   This is going on next week's meal plan.  Chicken thighs go on sale often, so grab a few packs and toss them in the freezer when they do. I bought skin-on, bone-in, and got 8 big ones for $3.  I just rip the skin off and trim myself to save some cash.  I wrote out some instructions for how I'd do it as an oven freezer meal, and also a slow cooker freezer meal, and I also included the original slow cooker instructions. Sauce note:  I went ahead and used my gravy separator to get rid of some of the fat in the juices, and then I used my stick blender to puree the veggies with the juices - my kids are picker-outers, so they would have just left behind all of that roasted veggie goodness.  It looked so pretty, I had to take a picture!  I'm a dork, I know... Tarragon Chicken with Mushroom Cream Sauce 6 bone-in thighs, skin removed (or bone

Every Monday I'll try to share my planned dinners for the week - it may or may not pan out, but but it's a good idea to have a plan, and remain flexible. Monday: Stromboli with a side salad Tuesday: chicken stir fry with brown rice Wednesday: BCS Chili Cook-Off - so we're bringing some chili ! Thursday: chicken phillys with sweet potato fries Friday: basketball tournament - eating out, most likely, or we'll grab something throw together Saturday: beef & pea pods with brown rice OR sloppy joes Sunday: loaded baked potato soup with a side salad

My bread machine is the BEST! This afternoon, the little  Baker and I tossed in this recipe for bread machine pizza dough , and made some Stromboli for dinner.  It turned out great - I'll definitely use it again.  I'm going to make some more and form some pizza crusts to keep in the freezer this week.  I tweaked 2 things - I used closer to 2 tbsp. of evoo instead of veggie oil, and I squeezed in some honey instead of sugar.  This makes enough pizza dough for two 12-inch thick-crust pizzas, or I made 2 "loaves" of Stromboli (one with lots of veggies, and one without). 1 1/2 cups water 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used 2 tbsp. evoo) 3 3/4 cups bread flour 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar (I used about 1 tbsp. honey) 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast Add ingredients to your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. ( Click here to find out what that is if you don't have your manual anymore!) The general ru

I'm hungry for some new freezer meals. I'm kind of getting tired of the ones we've been doing for the past few years, so I'm on a mission to find some new ones.  I'm going to try these this week - found the recipe for Perfect Short Ribs on a deviation from a Pinterest pin. The cool thing here is the amounts to do it x7 are listed next to the single meal ingredients.  Perfect Short Ribs 4 lbs short ribs / 28 lbs short ribs salt / salt pepper / pepper 8 oz can tomato sauce / 56 oz tomato sauce 2 T molasses / 14 T or 7 oz molasses 2T cider vinegar 1/ 4 T or 7 oz cider vinegar 1 onion sliced / 7 sliced onions 1 tsp liquid smoke / 7 tsp liquid smoke Assembly: Sprinkle the short ribs with salt and pepper. Mix ingredients in bag and then add ribs.  Freeze. To Serve: Thaw and place on 9x13 pan. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 250 degrees for 5 to 6 hours or place in slow cooker.

My daughter LOVES to bake.  When asked, she told someone our last name was Baker because her mom bakes a lot.  I love it.   I don't always love baking with little hands helping, since it makes a gigantic mess 99% of the time, so I need to be relaxed and in a good mood to bake with assistance.  Today we baked a few of these, and we're going to bake some fresh for the school bake sale in a few days, so a batch was tossed in the freezer until then.  She did a great job placing the candies on the cookies before baking - the perfect job for little helpers. I get sick of the baking part when making big batches of cookies, so I usually freeze 1/2 the dough in the correct portions, and bake the rest.  I like to include a dessert with meals I bring to families, so I bake up some brownies or cookies, or send a bag of frozen cookie dough they can bake fresh at home.  It's nice to have the frozen dough on hand. M&M Sugar Cookies       2-1/2 c. all-purpose flour 1/

Time to break out the "Thanksgiving Pants ." Ok, so it wasn't THAT bad,  but we did indulge in some seriously tasty dishes tonight.  I tweaked things here and there to make a LITTLE healthier (reduced the cheese, subbed reduced fat, skipped the butter, etc.).  We had an awesome pizza from the Food Network - blue cheese+steak+balsamic drizzle=yum .  And I made some boneless buffalo chicken tenders a la Martha - the teenager's fave - with some homemade blue cheese dip. We also broke out the pizza dip, and a plate of fresh veggies.  We were happy with the resulting menu, barely watched the game, liked the halftime show, and thought the commercials were OK.  What was your favorite commercial?

This is our very favorite dip.  We make it for most of our big sporting events, and serve it with triscuits and rye chips.  You can make it ahead of time and stick it in the fridge, and bake before serving.  Enjoy! Pizza Dip 1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened (I use Neuchatel) ½ c. sour cream (I use ff or light) 1 tsp. dried oregano 1/8 tsp. garlic power 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or more!) ½ c. pizza sauce ½ c. pepperoni, chopped ¼ c. green onions, sliced ¼ c. green pepper, chopped ½ c. mozzarella cheese, shredded Preheat oven to 350°.  Beat together the cream cheese, sour cream, oregano, garlic powder and red pepper flakes.  Spread into a 9-10” quiche dish or pie plate.  Spread pizza sauce over top, and sprinkle with pepperoni, green pepper, and green onions.  Baked until heated through, about 10 minutes.  Top with mozzarella cheese, and bake until cheese is melted and starts turning golden brown.  Serve warm with crackers, rye chips, veggie

You're welcome. Blue Cheese Dip 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature (I used Neufchatel/reduced fat) 1 c. sour cream (I used light) 4 oz. blue cheese crumbles (use reduced fat if you must) 2 tbsp. chopped fresh chives (use fresh, ok?) 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper Serve with veggies and/or potato chips (REALLY good with Fritos!). In bowl, using electric mixer or immersion blender, or stirring super fast, beat cream cheese on medium speed until soft & creamy.  Reduce speed to low, add sour cream, and beat until combined.  Add blue cheese and beat until cheese is crumbled and no large lumps remain.  Stir in chives and pepper.  Transfer to serving dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes for up to one week.  Serve with potato chips or crudités.  Makes about 2 cups.

Game Day Goodies I still haven't decided on a menu for Super Bowl Sunday, but I think we need to have this one - it's basically guac & pico deliciousness.  I'll probably also make some baked chicken wings, and maybe try some baked mozzarella sticks with fresh marinara (which, by the way, is a FREEZER-FRIENDLY recipe, so when I try it, I'll share!), and maybe a blue cheese & steak flatbread.  What's on your game day menu? Tomato-Avocado Salsamole 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion 1 teaspoon minced jalapeno, or more to taste 1tablespoon lime juice 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and coarsely mashed 1 medium tomato, chopped ¼ c. chopped cilantro Combine onion, jalapeno, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, and salt in bowl.  Add avocado, tomato, and cilantro, stir well.  Serve immediately or, to store, reserve avocado pit, add to the mixture to prevent browning, cover

You know how I feel about soup. So here's another one for ya - most kids like it, and it's a reasonably healthy, affordable option for dinner.  We first did it for a freezer meal, and the original recipe we tried was ridiculously salty - lots of packaged things with lots of sodium.  So I've tweaked it, and here's what I came up with: 1 lb. ground beef or turkey, browned and drained, or cooked, shredded chicken 1 medium yellow or white onion, diced 1 pkg. taco seasoning (look for one with the fewest ingredients or make your own) ½ c. water 2 15-ounce cans petite diced tomatoes 1 15-ounce can tomatoes with chiles 2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce 1 15-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained (or throw in 2 cups of frozen) 2 15-ounce cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 15-ounce can pitted ripe olives, drained (optional - none for me, please) 1 14.5 ounce can chicken or vegetable broth (Swanson Natural Goodness) Have