Cheesy Chowder

1 1/2 cup chopped potatoes
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped green pepper

In pot, cook above ingredients until tender but not brown. Add 1 cup brocolli, 3 cups chicken broth and 2 cups milk blended with 1/2 cup flour; cook, simmering for 30 minutes. Add 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese and 1 tablespoon parsley. Makes 6-8 servings.

Peppermint Ice Cream Cake

My mom gave me this recipe about 18 years ago and it is still wonderful today! This is not a one bowl recipe, but it is worth the mess it makes.

Peppermint Ice Cream Cake

1st Layer:
1/3 lbs graham cracker crumbs
1 cup chopped nuts

Spread crumbs in 9x13 pan and sprinkle nuts on top of crumbs.

2^nd Layer:

1 cup butter - divided

3 squares bitter chocolate

4 cups powdered sugar

1 t vanilla

Dash salt

6 egg yolks *

6 egg whites – beat stiff

Melt chocolate in microwave with ¼ cup butter. Beat in mixer with the rest of the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt (dough will be quite thick at this point). Add egg yolks. Gently fold in egg whites. Spread evenly over the 1^st layer and put in freezer until hard.

3^rd Layer:

2 quarts peppermint ice cream

Soften a little and spread over frozen chocolate mixture. Drizzle with chocolate if you like. Freeze until serving time.

Serves 20

Illustrated Directions (for those of us who are visual learners):

Make your crumbs in your blender - I chop my nuts here too!

Nuts can be coarse in texture.
Beat the whites while the chocolate is melting and set them aside.
Add the melted chocolate. Notice that I didn't bother to clean the leftover egg whites out of the mixing bowl. Just leave them there.

Before you add the yolks the mixture is very thick.

Fold in the whites very carefully to keep them light and fluffy.

Pour mixture over the crumb/nut base and freeze until hard.

Scoop ice cream on top of frozen base and then let it soften until it can be spread evenly.

"Limited Edition". This is still in stores! Go buy 3 cartons now (1 1/2 for the recipe and the rest for leisure eating). This also makes a pretty and yummy Valentine's treat!

The child closest to age 10 in your family can drizzle the chocolate (we used Hersey's syrup).

* Because this contains raw eggs you will want to warn any pregnant ladies or super old people and give them a bowl of peppermint ice cream instead.

Banana Cream Pie

This is actually a post from the Bossy blog I have with my sisters.

We love this recipe because it is delicious, basic, and so simple. Kids can help poke holes in the pie crust before baking, and line the baked pie crust with the sliced bananas. Good in the winter, good in the summer--it is always a family favorite!




Banana Cream Pie
Prep: 25 min. Makes: a pie

2 T butter
2 C milk
1/4 t salt
3/4 C sugar
1/3 C all purpose flour
1 t vanilla extract
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 pie crust, baked
2 bananas
whipped cream topping

1. Bake a pie crust (for ease, I prefer the pre-made rolled pie crust dough, put into my own glass pie dish).
2. Lightly beat egg yolks in a bowl.
3. In a pot on medium high heat, mix: butter, milk, salt, flour, and sugar. Bring to a boil and stir for about 2 minutes.
4. Turning heat down for just a moment, take a little of the mixture out and add to the beaten egg yolks, stirring well.
5. Add egg yolk mixture back into the pot, stirring well, add vanilla. Bring to a boil and stir for 2 more minutes.
6. Cover pie crust with sliced bananas, and fill with pudding mixture to top.
7. Cool and let set in refrigerator. Top with whipped cream topping before serving (I prefer to make a basic whipped cream from scratch).

Really tasty homemade tomato soup

This soup is the best tomato soup I've ever had. It is really worth trying.

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Ingredients:

1 14oz can chopped tomatoes
1/4-1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 stalk clelery, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (we have substituted italian seasoning, or sage and thyme, and they all work well).
1/2 cup heavy cream, optional (we have never used this).

Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Strain the chopped canned tomatoes, reserving the juices, and spread onto a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and drizzle with about 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Roast until caramelized, 10-15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat remaining olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the celery, carrot, onion and garlic. Cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the roasted chopped canned tomatoes, reserved tomato juices, chicken broth, bay leaf and butter. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15-20 minutes. Add basil and cream (if using). Puree in a blender until smooth.