Who doesn't like cookies?

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Tomorrow will be a new soup (likely something hearty and warming since half the country is buried under a blanket of snow), but today I wanted to share a recipe for chocolate chip cookies that I tried recently.  It's a modified recipe of what's probably considered "standard", but the modifications make such a big difference!  Soft and chewy in the middle with a slightly crisper edge, and the top crackles open just like cookies you get in a bakery.

1 C butter, softened
1 C sugar
1 C light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. hot water
1/2 tsp. salt
2 C semi-sweet chocolate bits
1 C semi-sweet chunks

Preheat oven to 325 F.
Cream together sugar, brown sugar and softened butter until smooth.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time.  Stir in the vanilla.  In a separate small bowl or dish, dissolve the baking soda in the water.  Add to the batter, then add the salt.  Stir in the flour and chocolate bits and chunks (actually stir - don't use a mixer).  Use a spoon or melon baller to scoop uniform balls of dough; roll briefly between your palms to form balls.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 11 minutes.  They may not look completely cooked, but as long as the edges have a light brown tinge, they're done.  Let them cool on the cookie sheets for about 5 or 6 minutes before removing to racks or other container.

Week One - First Take

Monday, February 1, 2010

Yesterday I posted our first weekly soup recipe. We made it for dinner last night and the vote was - YUM! We did deviate from the posted recipe slightly as we went through the cooking process. First, we cooked 6 slices of bacon in the bottom of the soup pot until it was crispy and then removed to drain on a paper-towel covered plate. Then we sauteed the onion and celery in that instead of butter or oil. The only other change we made was to add an additional can of creamed corn; it looked like it could be just a tiny bit more thick. We then crumbled up the bacon and sprinkled on top with the shredded Colby cheese, some fresh ground black pepper and a couple of "Texas Toast" croutons. Served with some sourdough bread on the side, it was a very filling, very tasty dinner!

We had it again for lunch today, and it was still just as good!

Week One - Corn Chowder

Sunday, January 31, 2010

The first soup we're going to try is a corn chowder recipe.

Ingredients:
1 C chopped celery
1 C chopped onion
1 (32 oz) carton reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 C potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can creamed corn
1 (2.5 oz) pkg country-style gravy mix
2 C milk
8 0z Velveeta, cubed
2 T butter
salt & pepper to taste
shredded Colby cheese, green onions, croutons, etc for garnish

Directions:
In a large soup pot, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add celery and onion; cook until soft and tender, about 5 minutes.
Add chicken broth; bring to a boil. Add potatoes; cook over low heat for 20-25 minutes, or until potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally.
Stir in both cans of corn; return to boiling. In a small bowl, dissolve gravy mix in the milk; stir into the boiling soup mixture. Add Velveeta and cook over low, stirring until cheese is melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with shredded Colby cheese, green onions, croutons, or whatever you might like.

Welcome to Soup's On!

I love to cook and bake, and am always looking for new recipes and things to try. For 2010, we've decided to try one new soup each week. So each week, I will post the new recipe here. After we try it, I will post the results on how it turned out for us and share our reviews - what was good and not so good, tips on prep, possible modifications for the future. I'm hoping that some of you will choose to try it, as well, and let us know how your families liked them. And if you made any changes that you thought were great, please share those, too!

In addition to the weekly soup, I will sometimes share some additional recipes that are new to us that we try. Again, I'd love any comments on how they worked for you, or what changes you might have made.

The recipes will be ones shared from friends and family, our own creations, and maybe even a cookbook or two. If you have any great soup recipes that you would like for us to try and then post (with proper credit, of course!), we'd be happy to! Just send me a message with the recipe, and we will add it to the list.

I hope you enjoy the soups and making them as much as we are!

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