Rachel's Thick and Creamy Tomato Soup

So, I was looking for a recipe that is a mock of Paradise Bakery's Fire Roasted Garlic and Tomato Soup and I found several different, even one that claimed it was really close. So, I decided to take those recipes and make my own and this is what I came up with. I haven't dined on it yet, I'm waiting for my grilled cheese sandwich to be done, but I have tasted it and I'm satisfied with it. :) This was really easy to put together and there was little mess because I used soo few dishes!

Rachel's Thick and Creamy Tomato Soup

• Olive Oil
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 2 ribs of celery
• 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 medium ripe tomatoes
• 1 6oz. can of tomato paste
• 1 8oz. can of tomato sauce
• 1 28oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. basil
• 1 tsp. parsley
• 2 tsp. chicken bouillon
• 1/4 c. butter
• 1 c. milk
• 4 c. chicken broth
• shake of red pepper flakes

Peel tomatoes and core and cut into quarters (an easy way to peel tomatoes is to dunk them into boiling water for 30 seconds then dunk them into a ice water bath until you can handle them and the skins will slip right off.) Place the tomatoes on a pan and drizzle about 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Place the tomatoes under the broiler, turning every so often, don't let them burn! While those are roasting, dice your onion and celery and saute in your pot until slightly translucent. Add your minced garlic and saute for about another minute more. check your tomatoes and if you think they're ready put them in your pot along with the butter, tomato paste, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and broth. Stir it all together and bring to a boil. Once it's boiling reduce the heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Add your spices and let simmer another ten minutes. Check the flavor and adjust to your tastes. When it's ready, use an immersion blender to blend to your desired consistency. I like mine thick so I don't blend that much and I let it simmer for a total of 40 minutes so there was less water in my soup. At this point add the milk or cream or half and half, which ever you prefer. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can blend it in batches in a regular blender, just be careful because it's HOT! I hope whoever reads this enjoys it like I do!

Chewy Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe looks good, I think I'll try it. Supposedly it's just as good as Paradise Bakery and Cafe Black and White Chippers. I found this recipe on picky-palate.com . I guess this'll be the next cookie recipe I try. I really like looking for new recipes on the internet, I also like trying them out. Like I did with the chow mein. The first recipe sucked, which is why it's no longer on MY blog. The second one, with some intervention from my husband was fabulous! It was even better the next day because all the flavors were melding together. Soooo Good! So, I'll let you know how this one goes.

Chewy Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 1/4 cups cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsps. baking soda
• 1 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 cups white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease cookie sheet. (I used a cookie sheet with a silpat liner)

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well with each addiction. Add the salt and vanilla.

3. In another bowl, combine the flour, cocoa and baking soda and gradually add to the creamed mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.

4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until fluffy but still soft. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

I guess if you can't tell, I like to try mock recipes!

Panda Express Chow Mein, again

So, I'm going to try a new variation on the panda express chow mein recipe. Hopefully this one is much better. I'm going to try a few things too. We'll see!

1 T vegetable oil
1/4 c white onion, sliced thin
1/4 c Napa cabbage, sliced thin
1/4 c celery, chopped
1/8 c bean sprouts
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2 T vegetable oil
1/4 c soy sauce
2 T water
1 T dark sesame oil
1 package Mie Noodles (Chinese style) boiled according to package directions

Place 1 T vegetable oil in wok or non-stick skillet and heat to 375 degrees. Stir fry onion, cabbage, celery, bean sprouts, ginger, pepper flakes and garlic until cabbage is wilted and garlic is fragrant (1-2 minutes). Stir in soy sauce and water. Add cooked, drained pasta and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and toss with sesame oil. Serve immediately.

Chicken Curry

• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 3/4 c. chicken broth
• 1/4 - 1 Tbsp. curry powder
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1 1/2 c. cooked chicken chunks
• 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• cooked rice

Mix and heat soup, sugar and broth. Combine curry powder and ginger in a small bowl; add about 1/4 cup of soup mixture to it and stir out the lumps. Pour into soup. Add chicken and lemon juice; heat through. Serve over rice and top as desired.

I love this recipe and it is sooo quick and easy to make. I also like to add onions to the sauce. Here are some of our favorite toppings.

Peanuts, cashews, apples, mandarin oranges, coconut, pineapple, crumbled bacon, banana, cucumber, tomatoes, green onions, shredded cheese, chinese noodles and raisins.

Beef Back Ribs

I like to go shopping at Smiths. They have a section of discount meats and I have to say that on occasion there are some real gems in there. About a month ago I found a package of Beef Back ribs for like $4.00. When I got home they went straight into the freezer and I'm making them tonight. I'm really excited about them too! I went in search of ways to cook them and I found Alton Brown's method for Baby Back Ribs intriguing, so I'm using it for my beef back ribs, because I can. You can see his recipe here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/who-loves-ya-baby-back-recipe/index.htmlBelow is the recipe I put together.

Beef Back Ribs

Rub:

• 8 parts brown sugar
• 3 parts salt
• 1 part chili powder
• 1 part your stuff

In my stuff I put garlic powder, paprika, old bay, ginger, onion powder and pepper

Braising Liquid:

• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 TBS. rice wine vinegar (because it's what I had)
• 2 TBS. soy sauce (because I didn't have worchestershire sauce)
• 2 TBS. corn syrup (because I didn't have honey, personally I think honey would be leaps and bounds better but, I had to work with what I had)
• 2 tsp. garlic powder

First lay down aluminum foil shiny side down and lay your rib on it. Pat your rub on to both sides of the ribs and don't be a pansy about it either. I wrapped them up in the foil, so I could open them again later, and let them rest for 1 hour. While they were resting I made the braising liquid and microwaved it for 1 minute on high. Then I poured half the liquid into each package of ribs. Then I baked them at 250 degress for 2 1/2 hours. After that I put the packages of ribs over a sauce pan and punched holes in the foil and let the liquid drain into a sauce pan. I put the sauce pan on the stove on a med/low heat and let it reduce, about half. In AB's recipe it says to brush the ribs with the sauce and then placed them on a baking sheet in the oven under the broiler and let it caramelize. Then cut the ribs into sections and toss in a bowl with some of the sauce to coat. I just drizzled a little bit of the sauce on them and then ate it with a side of mashed potatoes and a piece of bread. Really good. It was really hard to eat but, really delicious. :)