Morsels of Megret

What better to warm you on a chilly day than a cup of homemade soup? I am 100% addicted to Olive Garden's minestrone soup. Looking for a healthy make-at-home-version, I came across this from Betty Crocker. It is a close second. Delicious with jalapeno cornbread, by the way (as most soups are). I highly recommend you trying this.

Ken returned home late yesterday afternoon, tired, filthy, and smelling of hard work. He and his dad spent all day long harvesting sweet potatoes from his dad's family's farm about an hour away. Hard work, pulling up thousands of sweet potatoes with a hoe and elbow grease (the tractor tire had gone flat). So, now we have our yearly stock of sweet potatoes ready to be stored. And now, too, comes the hard part....to see how many creative ways I can cook them! I think there are just so many times you can get excited about yet another dish of souffle or sweet potato pie. I am looking to branch out, find more inspired recipes for these orange, fleshy vegetables. I have started my research, but I am open to any pointers to recipes on the web, or ideas from your own recipe box!

If you are looking for a different option for your slow cooker, look no further. This recipe is comfort in a pot, and it fills your entire house with a delicious fragrance all day long. This is an old standby recipe for us....works great on days like yesterday when I am tending to other matters all day long and don't want to bother with a complicated meal. All I had to do at the end of the day was put on a pot of steaming brown rice and steam some asparagus. Mmmm.... (....and thanks, Mom, for being the original maker of this recipe. You started a great tradition.) Chicken in Sour Cream Sauce 1-1/2 t. salt 1/4 t. pepper 1/4 t. paprika 1/4 t. lemon pepper 6 chicken breasts 1 (10-3/4 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup 1 c. sour cream 1/2 c. dry white wine or chicken broth 1/2 lb. fresh sliced mushrooms Combine first 4; rub over chicken. Place chicken in crock pot. In a bowl, combine soup, sour cream, and wine; stir in mushrooms. Pour over chicken. Cover; cook on low for 6-8 hou...

Fall has *officially* arrived (meaning the temperatures, not the date on the calendar), and we were craving this week one of our fall favorites, hot mulled apple cider. No need to pull out fancy, ultra-posh recipes for this drink....I went by my old standby procedure and set to work. In one glorious hour (because of the heavenly scents it promoted), we were sipping cups full of fall's flavors. The only thing that would complete this treat is a warm slice of gingerbread. But I didn't exactly feel like starting that up at 9:30 pm. BASIC, NO-FRILLS MULLED APPLE CIDER 1 (64 0z.) jug apple cider 1/2 of a (64 oz.) jug cranberry juice cocktail 1/2 c. pineapple juice 2 whole cinnamon sticks 5 whole cloves Combine all in large stock pot. Bring to warm simmer on medium heat, cover, and let steep for one hour. Lower the heat if boils. Serves 4-6.

I was intensely craving carrot cake the other day. I guess of any dessert, that's the "healthiest" one that you could crave.....which is good (sort of). I luckily had all of the ingredients necessary at the house, so I set to work. I used a recipe out of a great cookbook called Meals That Heal . It isn't necessarily a book for diet foods, but instead a book which uses fresh fruits and vegetables, less saturated fat, and more fiber to create familiar foods in a healthier way. Nothing yet from this book has disappointed our palates. This is no exception. Cake: 2 c. whole grain pastry flour 2 t. baking powder 2 t. baking soda 1 t. ground cinnamon 1/4 t. salt 1 c. granulated sugar (I used raw sugar) 2 eggs 2 egg whites 1/3 c. canola oil 2 t. vanilla extract 1 c. buttermilk or fat-free yogurt 2 c. finely shredded carrots 1/2 c. golden raisins (or regular raisins) 1/2 c. well-drained crushed pineapple Frosting: 2 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature 2 T. u...

Here is a recipe I used yesterday for an old-fashioned favorite. Funny story about why I was "forced" to use up stale bread.... On Wednesday, I was so excited when I pulled from the oven two crispy loaves of challah bread. They smelled heavenly....they were shaped just right (which is usually not something that can be said of my bread)....they were, well, gorgeous. But one bite made me sickeningly realize that I had left out a key ingredient.....salt. I had been so cautious about sifting all of the flour for it that I neglected to add the salt. It tasted like subtly sweet cardboard. So, Ken made French toast with it that next morning, and I made this bread pudding yesterday. When it's used in a dish, the bread holds up to its reputation....it was delicious. Next time I hope I can enjoy it as is....straight out of the oven, sliced thick with honey on top. But if I forget again, at least I know I have a backup plan. ESTHER FOX'S BREAD PUDDING (from RealSimple m...

Have you ever tried to grill pizza, of all things? I highly recommend it. Even when it's no longer "grilling season," or even "eggplant season." This pizza is delish any time of year. The only one of the three of us which didn't care for it was Gardner. He's more of an all-American food kind of guy, we're discovering. But if you like semi-Mediterranean fare, and are itching for a light supper or creative lunch idea, look no further. And the topping ingredient possibilities are endless. Eggplant and Feta Flat Bread Pizza 1 medium eggplant, sliced into 1/2" thick rounds and quartered 1/4 c. plus 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil 1 t. cumin seed, crushed 1/4 t. salt 4 pieces flat bread 1 c. crumbled feta cheese (I added 1 c. chopped tomatoes) 1/2 c. sliced kalamata olives 1 t. fresh-ground pepper Heat a grill to med-high heat. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine eggplant, 1/4 c. oil, cumin, and salt in large bowl. Toss to combine, and set aside. Gril...

To somewhat "steal" the dessert name from Outback Steakhouse....no other name will do these babies justice, though. Oh, my. What a dense load of sugarness. I highly recommend you trying these if: 1) you are desperately needing a quick sugar rush in order to complete some sort of physical task within a certain timeframe, 2) a huge fan of cinnamon, sugar, butter, and, um, more butter, 3) you aren't worried about spontaneous pulmonary blockage due to a high concentration of saturated fats, and 4) it's been a long, horrible day and you just need to be bad. Otherwise, you probably won't enjoy these half as much. Indulge. Giant (a.k.a. "The Most Unhealthy of All") Cinnamon Rolls (from Better Homes and Garden's "Complete Book of Baking") 6-1/4 to 6-3/4 c. all-purpose flour 2 packages active dry yeast 2 c. milk 1/4 c. granulated sugar 1/4 c. butter 1-1/2 t. salt 1 egg 1/2 c. packed light brown sugar 1/2 c. granulated sugar 1/4 c. all-purpose flour...

Here is something I came across in a book Mom recently gave me. A simple, salty-sweet trail/party mix for fall. This goes great with hot mulled cider. 1 c. roasted pumpkin seeds 1 c. Life or Chex cereal 1 c. pretzel sticks 1 c. dried cranberries 1 c. candy corn 1 c. plain M&Ms 1 c. banana chips See....told you it was simple!! :0)

I came across this recipe, and now it's one of my favorite side dishes to serve company. It's a simple, simple mixture of easy-to-find ingredients, yet it won't be forgotten by those who taste it. You've gotta try this one....even if you hate spinach (and always have). Spinach-Artichoke Casserole 2 (10 oz.) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and 1/2 c. liquid reserved 1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts 2 T. butter 2 T. chopped onion 2 T. plain flour 1/2 c. milk 3/4 t. garlic salt 1/2 t. pepper 1 T. Worcestershire sauce 3/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese (or Italian blend) Drain chopped spinach well, reserving 1/2 c. liquid. Gently press spinach between layers of paper towels. Set aside. Drain artichoke hearts, discarding liquid, and cut in half. Melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over med-high heat. Add onion; saute till tender. Add flour; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Stir in reserved spinach liquid and milk; cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or till thicken...

....last night, I was inspired to pull out an old favorite, an old-fashioned recipe....Hoppin' John. For as long as I can remember, Mom would make this (or a rendition of it) and collard greens for our New Year's Day lunch. I stumbled across this recipe while looking for a way to use up some dried black-eyed peas I had lurking in my cabinets. The addition of kielbasa instead of ham is a great switch. Great fall meal idea. I'll be using this one again for sure. Hoppin' John (Black-Eyed Peas with Kielbasa) (from Epicurious ) 1 cup dried black-eyed peas 6 ounces smoked kielbasa sausage (I used turkey kielbasa) 1 medium onion 2 garlic cloves 2 celery ribs 1/2 fresh jalapeño chile 1 bay leaf 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 3/4 cups chicken broth 3 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves Accompaniment: cooked rice Quick-soak black-eyed peas. (Enough water in pan to cover; bring to boil and boil 2 minutes. Cover pan and turn off heat. Let stand 1-2 hours.) Quarter kielb...