Broccoli Cheddar Soup - Recipe Swap

I had so much fun with my first recipe swap that I decided to jump right in to the next one, especially when I saw the category - soup. I love soup, all kinds of soup. I could eat it everyday. There is just something so welcoming about a bowl of piping hot soup. My kind of comfort food. This past Wednesday was the perfect day for me to try out my swap recipe from Jenna at Jenna's Cooking Journey. It was Ash Wednesday and as all you Catholics out there know, we don't eat meat on Ash Wednesday.

Unfortunately, I didn't plan ahead very well and didn't have all of the ingredients for Jenna's recipe but I had enough that I could give it a go with just a couple of substitutions. Joe was a little skeptical about just having soup for dinner but with the knowledge that there were leftovers in the refrigerator in case he needed them, he was ok with the plan. Let me tell you, after two large cups of soup, he proclaimed himself full and didn't need to touch the leftovers stashed in the fridge!

The soup was very good, nice and thick and creamy with great flavor and wasn't difficult to make at all. I didn't have enough cheddar for what the recipe called for so I put in a mix of Monterrey jack and cheddar. I didn't have any veggie broth or stock so I used water and added some garlic in with the onions and carrots. Also, I tried to lighten it up a big by using fat free half and half instead of regular half and half. There are leftovers at home that I can't wait to have for lunch this weekend!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Very slightly adapted from Jenna's Cooking Journey

Ingredients
1 0r 2 bunches (12 ounces) fresh broccoli, cut into florets
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp butter, divided
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 medium carrot, julienned or grated
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup flour
2 cups fat free half and half
2 cups water, plus more if needed
1/4 tsp nutmeg
4 ounces good sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
4 ounces Monterrey jack cheese, freshly grated
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop the broccoli florets into the boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove broccoli and place into a large bowl of ice water. Once cooled, drain the broccoli and set aside.

In large pot or dutch oven, saute the onions, carrots and garlic in 2 tbsp of butter until soft, about 4 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Add 1/4 cup of butter to the pan over medium heat. Once butter is melted, add in the flour and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes. Slowly whisk in half and half and water until completely incorporated. Add in nutmeg and stir. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

Add the onions, carrots, garlic and broccoli back into the pot. Add more water if you feel the soup is too thick (I add an additional cup at this point). Stir and cover and simmer for another 20-25 minutes.

Use a potato masher to break up the broccoli florets to your desired size (I kept most of my pretty big). Add in 3/4 of each type of cheese. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.

Serve immediately with additional cheese as garnish.

My First Recipe Swap - Roasted Rosemary-Onion Potatoes

I gathered the courage earlier this month to enter a recipe swap that is done on a monthly basis among a wonderful group of food bloggers and cooks that belong to a message board that I frequent. I had been following a lot of their blogs for the past few months and I loved the idea of a recipe swap. Here's how it works, a theme for the swap is created then everyone has to submit one of their recipes. You are then given someone else's recipe to make and report back on by a certain date.

This month's category was potato recipes. I submitted my recipe for home fries and got Jaida from Sweet Beginning's recipe for Rosemary-Onion Potatoes to try. I love potatoes, especially roasted potatoes so I was excite to try out this recipe. I made them earlier this week for dinner with meatloaf and both Joe and I enjoyed them very much. I didn't deviate from the original recipe too much but I did use Yukon Gold potatoes instead of red potatoes since that is what I had in the house. I also used dried rosemary and thyme since I didn't have any fresh. I really like how the onions got nice and soft and sweet. I think they really helped to create a great flavor profile.

So, one recipe swap down, hopefully many more to go!

Roasted Rosemary-Onion Potatoes
Slightly adapted from Sweet Beginnings

Ingredients
4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1.5 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
2/3 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil or spray with cooking spray.

Cut potatoes into 1 inch chunks. Mix remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add potatoes and toss to coat. Spread potatoes in a single layer on baking sheet.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes, turning once, until potatoes are golden brown and tender when pierced with a fork.

Smothered Pork Chops

I was looking for something different to make for dinner a while back and while trolling blogs I came across this post on my friend Melissa's blog. I didn't have pork tenderloin which Melissa used in her original recipe but I had some nice thin boneless pork chops at home and I knew they would work just as well. As promised, this was quick and easy to put together and was really tasty. We had dinner that night and I think both of us had some leftovers for lunch the next day.

Smothered Pork Chops
Slightly adapted from I Was Born to Cook

Ingredients
3/4 cup flour
3 tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
4 thin boneless pork chops
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream or half and half
1 package (10 oz) cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 large sweet onion, sliced
Flat leaf parsley, for garnish

Directions
Place the flour in a shallow baking dish and add garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Mix with a fork. Dredge pork chops in flour mixture, shaking off excess

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet and add pork chops. Cook chops on each side until golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Remove from pan and tent loosely with foil to keep warm. Add additional 1 tbsp oil and add mushroom and onions. Cook until soft, about 5-6 minutes. Sprinkle about 2 tbsp of the seasoned flour over the mushrooms and onions and pan drippings. Stir to cook the flour into the mixture. Add the chicken broth, stirring to release any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the heavy cream and cook, stirring often, until the mixture comes to a rolling boil and has thickened.

Return pork to the pan and cover in sauce.  Simmer for 3-4 minutes and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary. Garnish with parsley and serve.