Sweet Potato Soup Recipe

Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite vegetables during the fall and winter. I love their sweet flavor, and the fact that they are very healthy for you. I often roast up a batch as a side dish for dinner, and then will eat the leftovers for lunch during the week.

My local indoor farmer's market had them for a great price last weekend, so I ended up buying quite a few pounds of them. And as much as I love them, I can only eat so many roasted sweet potatoes.

Since I'm such a big fan of cooking Butternut Squash Soup, I thought that the sweet potatoes would make a great pot of soup, too.

The soup is quite delicious, and I even managed to get my grandson to have a small bowl. Nothing makes me happier than to see my grandchildren try new foods, especially ones that are good for them.

Since the weather is so cold and snowy in lots of the country still, this is a wonderful soup to make and enjoy for a cozy lunch or dinner.


Recipe for Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onions
2 tablespoon olive oil
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

In a Dutch oven, saute celery and onion in oil until tender. Add remaining ingredients; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; simmer for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Discard bay leaf. Using an emersion blender, puree soup until smooth. Or, using a regular blender, process soup in batches until smooth. Return batches to pan and heat through. Use desired toppings.

Makes 4 servings.

Enjoy!!

Apple Cake Recipe From Smitten Kitchen

One of my very favorite food blogs is Smitten Kitchen. Deb Perelman is such an inspiration, and what I love about her recipes is that they are all completely doable, even for beginning cooks.

This recipe for an apple cake is from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. Let me just say that I think this is the most delicious thing I have ever baked. This cake is so moist, so full of apple tasting goodness, and it will fill your whole house with the most wonderful scent.

It is now on my list of fall and winter favorite desserts to make. And it's certainly a dessert that would be welcome for a party or celebration of any kind.

Recipe for Smitten Kitchen Apple Cake

Ingredients:

Butter or nonstick spray for the pan
6 apples (2 1/2 - 3 pounds) McIntosh apples
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 cups plus 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup orange juice
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
Confectioners' sugar, to finish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch tube pan, or coat it with nonstick spray. Peel, core, and chop the apples into 1/2 - 3/4 inch chunks. Toss them with all of the cinnamon and the 5 tablespoons  granulated sugar, and set them aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, orange juice, and remaining 2 cups of granulated sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ones, then scrape down the bowl to make sure all the ingredients are evenly incorporated. Stir in the walnuts if you are using them.

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Spread half the apple chunks over it. Pour the remaining batter over the apples, and arrange the remaining apples on top.
Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until a tester comes out clean, then transfer to a cake rack to cool.
Cool completely before taking cake out of pan and place onto a serving platter. Dust with Confectioners' sugar and serve.

Serves 12-16

 

 

I made this last February, but it's become such a favorite of family and friends, that I wanted to share it again. Enjoy!! 

Easy Meal Time with Chef Boyardee Rollback Prices at Walmart

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #LowPriceMeals #CollectiveBias #Ad

With winter almost behind us, I am looking for easy, scrumptious meals for my family. Less time in the kitchen means more time for other fun activities. Now through March 16, 2015, each 14.5-15 oz can of Chef Boyardee is on rollback at Walmart for only $0.75. Chef Boyardee raviolis, mac & cheese, and spaghetti and meatballs are just some of the varieties you can enjoy at a low price. Be sure to head to Walmart and stock up on this great deal while supplies last!

See the entire list of great Chef Boyardee 14.5 - 15 oz cans on rollback price:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1T0KEogmmH2...

While shopping at Walmart, be sure to look for the Rollback signs for Chef Boyardee in the Canned Food aisle!

Saying Happy Birthday With A Gift From T-Mobile Simply Prepaid™

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ChangingPrepaid #CollectiveBias

Birthdays have always been very special occasions in our family. When my kids were growing up, planning their parties, baking cakes, and buying them presents are some of the happiest memories I have. And just because all five of them are all grownup doesn't mean I have to stop making a big deal about the day they were born.

My youngest daughter Megan is almost at the end of her 2-year contract with a big name cellphone service provider. She hasn't been very happy with them, especially when her bills are unexpectedly high and she has to try and talk to a representative with the company to get some answers. So for her birthday, I decided to get her the T-Mobile Simply Prepaid™ plan and Samsung Galaxy Avant cellphone.

Megan and I had talked about her switching to a prepaid plan, so I knew this was something she wanted to do. Like lots of young people her age, she just went with a big name carrier when it was time to start paying for her own cellphone service, and not knowing there are better choices.

Introducing Simply Prepaid™ from T-Mobile lets you get unlimited talk, text, and data with your choice of a high speed data amount starting at $40/month. And there are no overtures, credit checks, or annual service contracts required.

This makes this plan a great choice for young people just starting out or on a budget. And I love that T-Mobile offers the best in wireless, now in prepaid.

Living in the city and paying high rent, I know that having a low-cost phone plan will help Megan balance her budget much easier each month. She's actually very good with money, but opening her phone bill every month was a stress that I'm very happy she won't have to deal with anymore.

I went shopping at Walmart to find my daughter's birthday present. I knew I wanted to pick out the perfect phone and plan for her, and I couldn't wait to give it to her. We are big on presents in our family, though I don't usually give cellphones, but I knew how much she would appreciate this gift.

With Simply Prepaid™ you get 4G LTE data on T-Mobile. And how cool is the Samsung Galaxy Avant phone? I know it will be great for Megan's super busy life and let her stay connected to family and friends with ease.

Look for T-Mobile Simply Prepaid™ at your local Walmart. You can find it in the No-Contracts Phone aisle.

Don't settle for second-rate prepaid wireless. On T-Mobile's Nationwide 4G LTE Network, there's no reason you have to.

I'm off to meet the birthday girl and give her this great new phone. I know she'll love it. I know I'll love that she loves it. And with this fabulous new phone, there is no reason at all why she can't call her mother.

Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes Recipe

A Bundt cake is one of my absolute favorite cakes to make, and so I couldn't resist the mini Bundt pans I found while at the thrift store the other day.

Specialty cake pans can be expensive, and most of us don't really use them very much so it can be hard to justify spending the money. But for a couple of dollars, these were well worth it.

Chocolate was my first choice (it usually is!!) for the kind of minis I would make. This recipe has a delicious, rich flavor that I really like. And feel free to drizzle on as much glaze as you like, the more the better I think.

One thing I did notice is that a couple of the cakes did get stuck in the pan, so be sure to use plenty of baking spray so that they come out easily. These mini cakes can be made in so many different ways, and for so many different occasions. I'm going to try a vanilla pound cake recipe next.


Recipe for Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk

For the glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons milk
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat 2 mini Bundt pans (or repeat twice for one pan) with nonstick spray, place on a cookie sheet and set aside. With a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the remaining cake ingredients one at a time, making sure to mix thoroughly in between each addition. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides as needed until thoroughly incorporated. Divide the batter evenly between the Bundt pans and bake for 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely on a wire rack before removing from the molds.

To make the glaze, place powdered sugar. milk and vanilla extract in a bowl and whisk together until completely smooth. Add another tablespoon or 2 of milk if needed. Spoon glaze over cooled cakes.

Makes 12 mini cakes.

Enjoy!!