French Onion Soup

Fall is here and it's the perfect time to try some soup recipes. Here is a recipe from Rachael Ray for French Onion soup (this is similar to this one). I really want to try this one! I'll let you know how it turns out or you let me know if you try it out first!

~ 6 medium onions
~ 4 tablespoons butter
~ 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
~ 2 fresh bay leaves
~ 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
~ Salt and pepper
~ 1 cup dry white wine
~ 1 quart beef stock
~ 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
~ 1 baguette, ends trimmed, sliced into 16 rounds about an inch thick
~ 1/2 pound Gruyere cheese, shredded
~ 4 tablespoons good quality dry sherry, optional

Heat a heavy soup pot over medium heat while thinly slicing the onions. Add butter to the pot and melt. Add onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper, and gently caramelize, stirring frequently, 30 minutes. If the onions begin to brown too quickly at edges before they caramelize, turn heat down a bit. Deglaze the pan with the wine, let reduce a minute while stirring. Add stock and Worcestershire sauce and simmer 15 minutes more.

Meanwhile, place rack in middle of oven, heat oven to 250˚F.
Place a cooling rack over a baking sheet and arrange the bread slices on it. Toast bread 15 minutes. Switch broiler on. Top the bread with lots of mounded cheese and broil 2-3 minutes to melt cheese.

Ladle soup in shallow bowls and stir in a tablespoon of sherry per bowl, if using. Set 4 cheesy croutons into each bowl and serve.

Oh delicious!!!

~ From Rachael Ray, photo from Simply Recipes

Healthy Tomato and Chicken Pizza

This recipe was in the June issue of Fitness magazine. I think I'm going to make it for supper tonight!

Nonstick cooking spray
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 10-ounce package refrigerated pizza dough
3 medium plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
4 ounces cooked chicken, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons snipped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

1. Coat a 12-inch pizza pan with cooking spray; sprinkle with cornmeal. Press refrigerated dough into pan, building up edges.

2. Arrange tomato slices and chicken on dough. Add basil and pepper, and top with mozzarella.

3. Bake in a 425-degree F. oven for 13 to 18 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.

~ Courtesy of Fitness magazine

Blueberry Crumble Pie

I absolutely love pie! Doesn't matter what kind. My parents brought me a huge batch of blueberries from the farmers market. (Ohhhh summer!) We are eating them but can't keep up! So I thought I'd make a pie, the easy way! Pre-made crusts of course. : ) Mine is in the oven right now. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Ingredients:
•2/3 cup sugar
•3 Tbsp. cornstarch
•2 Tbsp. lemon juice
•zest of 1 lemon
•4 cups fresh blueberries (frozen unsweetened blueberries without juice are okay too)
•1 9-inch frozen pie crust, thawed according to package directions

Crumb Topping:
•2/3 cup rolled oats
•1/2 cup all-purpose flour
•1/2 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
•1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
•6 Tbsp. butter


Preparation:
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2.Place sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and lemon zest in a large bowl. Add blueberries. Toss gently to combine.

3.Pour blueberry mixture into pie crust.

4.In a small bowl, stir together oats, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture becomes crumbly. Spread over blueberries in pie.

5.Place blueberry pie on a baking sheet. Bake 40-50 minutes until blueberries are bubbly and pie crust is golden brown.

6.Let blueberry pie rest 15 minutes before cutting.

~from About.com

Orange Creamsicle Pie

OH my gosh, this pie is dreamy! I'm not kidding, go make it now!

Not the greatest photo of it but you get the idea.
My sister made this and I believe she got it from Kraft.

~ 1 - 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
~ 1 cup orange yogurt (we couldn't find orange so we used mango-pineapple)
~ Dash granulated sugar
~ 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
~ 1 small pkg. orange jello
~ 1 cup cool whip
~ 1 pre-made graham cracker pie crust (in the baking section)

Beat the cream cheese and yogurt til smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and sugar, continue mixing. Stir in orange jello powder. Beat to blend. Fold in cool whip. Pour into pie crust and chill for at least 2 hours (cover).

**Optional: Pipe cool whip around perimeter of pie. Garnish with an orange slice.

My mouth is watering. Enjoy!

~ Courtesy of Leah C.

Grilled Avocado and Tomato Salad

This recipe was in the latest Kraft email that I received. It looks so good. I never knew you could grill avocado??

4 large avocadoes (1-1/2 lb./675 g)
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup finely chopped red onions 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup KRAFT Extra Virgin Olive Oil Pesto Parmesan Vinaigrette Dressing
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

HEAT barbecue to medium heat.

CUT avocados lengthwise in half; remove and discard pits. Scoop out flesh of each half in one piece with large spoon. Add to lemon juice in medium bowl; turn over to evenly coat both sides of each. Transfer avocados to barbecue; set juice aside for later use.

GRILL avocados 4 min. or until lightly browned on both sides, turning after 2 min. Return avocados to bowl of juice; turn over. Let stand in juice until cooled. Drain; discard juice. Cut avocados into 1/2-inch cubes; place in large bowl.

ADD all remaining ingredients except pine nuts; mix lightly. Transfer to platter; top with pine nuts.

Outdoor Lunch

I like this table. What a pretty weekend lunch we could have here!

Slow Cooker Jambalaya

I really need to use my slow cooker more often. This recipe sounds great!!

~ 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
~ 1/2 pound andouille sausage, diced
~ 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
~ 1 medium onion, chopped
~ 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
~ 1 stalk celery, chopped
~ 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
~ 2 teaspoons dried oregano
~ 2 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning
~ 1 teaspoon hot sauce
~ 2 bay leaves
~ 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

~ 1 pound frozen peeled and cooked shrimp, thawed

~ 2 cups cooked rice

In a slow cooker, combine chicken, sausage, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, celery, and chicken broth. Stir in oregano, Cajun seasoning, hot sauce, bay leaves, and thyme.

Cover, and cook on LOW for 7 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours. Stir in the thawed shrimp, cover and cook until the shrimp is heated through, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaves and spoon mixture over cooked rice.

~ Food Network Robin Miller

Bunny Cake Pops

Today, I made these:

Aren't they cute?  They are from Bakerella.  If you haven't checked out this amazing blog, do it!   She's awesome.  These are very sweet.  Yes, they are cute sweet but also sugary sweet.  Like, REALLY sweet.  Just to warn ya.

Mine are a bit lumpier than hers but I still think they turned out cute.  Get the recipe here.  Happy Easter!!

Lovely Spring

I love to see that I have visitors from all over the world to my blog.  Thanks for stopping by!  I am just itching for spring right now.  In my neck of the woods in Canada, we had so much snow in March, all across the country.  I went to a garden show with a girlfriend today and now I'm really itching to get outside and plant.  I particularly love to set up my yard and eat, drink, snooze, read, laze and play outside with family, friends, my hubby and my girls.

Here are a couple of beautiful photos that inspire me to entertain outdoors.  When the weather is warm enough, get outside, make your space beautiful and prepare a simple, spring menu for friends, or just to pamper yourself while you read your favourite magazine.

Happy Spring!

Take a look at this beautiful spring table! (photo from House Beautiful)

I like the idea of little potted plants at the table in this photo.  Your guests could each take one home!  (photo from Colin Cowie)

This is a lovely outdoor table.  The candles would be gorgeous at night!  (Photo from Colin Cowie)

I love spaces like this because I love to lounge on a mound of pillows.  Beautiful.  (Photo from House Beautiful)