Homemade Mushroom Soup for Casseroles

The holiday season is always my favorite time of year because it is a time for family, friends, and old traditions; driving around to look at Christmas lights, watching elf, and breakfast casserole with coffee and Bailey's in hand on Christmas morning. Growing up my parents used to host an "Open House" for Christmas that began in the afternoon and went late into the night with food always prepared for people to grab as they wish. Recently, my husband and I have taken over that tradition and hosting the Christmas open house at our place; however the morning is reserved for my husband and I. Last year I created a french toast casserole for Christmas morning, but found myself craving the traditional breakfast casserole my mother made most Christmas mornings. The traditional casserole is made with eggs, breakfast sausage, cheese, cream of mushroom soup, and milk. I have been trying to cut out canned cream of mushroom soup in casseroles; however have been struggling with finding a recipe that creates a similar consistency with sustained flavor. I was thrilled with the results of this mushroom soup and surprised at how easy it was to create; a much better alternative than the canned version and can be used in a variety of casseroles that call for cream of mushroom soup. The casserole came out just like I imagined and I was one happy girl bringing my childhood tradition to my home Christmas morning.

Mushroom Soup (makes about 2 cups)

2 tbsp butter or margarine (I used yogurt butter)
3/4 c chopped mushrooms
3 tbsp flour divided
1 c vegetable broth
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat butter in medium sized skilled over medium high heat.
2. Sauté mushrooms until soft and fragrant.
3. Whisk in 2 tbsp of flour and garlic powder until combined
4. Whisk in 1 cup vegetable broth until no lumps are present
5. Whisk additional tbsp of flour and remove from heat. Add salt and pepper

Hunger Games adventure to Ella restaurant + bar

I am excited that more and more areas in Columbus are having winter farmer's markets inside. I love the idea of buying more local foods to support our farmers and our community; plus they always have exceptional produce that large grocery store chains just can't beat. What is even better is that there are more restaurants opening up that prepare locally grown food; one restaurant in particular (and was our spot for the December 'Hunger Games') being Ella restaurant + bar located in New Albany, Ohio. The name of the restaurant, Ella, stands for eat.local.love.art and this meaning is evident in not only their food, but their decor as well. Ella is connected to an art gallery that showcases local artists and includes items such as paintings, handbags, jewelry, and all natural beeswax candles. The restaurant itself also is decorated with art for sale by local artists. During the winter season, Ella offers seasonal menus with the winter menu showcasing seasonal vegetables such as winter squash and includes dishes such as Autumn Risotto (roasted butternut squash with a fried over easy local egg, walnuts, and leeks) and Hazelnut crusted Trout (served with potato, fennel, and apple hash finished with a grain mustard sauce). After scouring the menu for ten minutes or so the table and I came to a decision on our orders; mine being Panko Crusted Butternut Squash with seared Blue Jacket Gretna cheese, brussel sprout and orzo sauté, pesto, and micro greens. The squash was cooked to perfection with a crisp and flaky outer layer and melt in the mouth center paired with rich and garlicky pesto topped with a slightly salty and buttery non-meltable gretna cheese. After sticking my fork into the other girls' dishes, I am confident that mine was the best at the table. Not only was the food incredible, but the service was great too and the atmosphere is one that I would recommend to others. Check our more of their menu at http://ella-restaurant.com and enjoy!

Sharp Cheddar, Apple, and Spinach Panini with Balsamic and Pecans

When my husband and I initially began registering for our wedding, we walked around the stores leisurely scanning pillows, rugs, and bedding….and then came the kitchen. I'm 99% positive that I was  so overcome by the excitement of registering for kitchen supplies that I blacked out and scanned everything in sight like a crazed woman. When my husband asked if we really needed that many different styles of mixing bowls, I looked at him puzzled and said, "Of course."

When the time came to open our wedding gifts, I nearly forgot half of the kitchen items I had registered; but nonetheless I was ecstatic unwrapping herb scissors, tomato keepers, and salad spinners (and I must say my mixing bowls were well worth it). One item that I have used countless times is a panini press/grill/griddle pan. Initially I was using the pan for cooking salmon and vegetables but was recently interested in trying out the panini feature. I did not have any fancy bread in my kitchen, but the whole wheat bread held up just fine with only minor breaks here and there (more room for the oozing cheese I say!).

One of my favorite grilled cheese combos is sweet apples with a tangy balsamic vinegar and I think when I first started making these I had 4 in a week. When I started to prepare this particular sandwich I knew I wanted to include greens and that I was having a craving for pecans and thought I'd just throw them on top. After the success of this sandwich, I later made my husband a chicken panini with which he was pretty impressed. I may just use this feature more often!

Recipe:

1 gala apple; sliced whole
1 small handful of spinach leaves
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2-3 pieces of sliced white sharp cheddar
1 small handful pecans
2 pieces whole wheat bread
spray butter

1. Heat panini press over low-medium and spray pan with non-stick spray
2. Use spray butter or typical butter and spread onto bread
3. Place 1 piece of bread butter side down on panini press and build sandwich with the remaining ingredients. Top with additional piece of bread with butter side facing out.
4. Pull other side of panini press on top of sandwich and cook for about 3-5 minutes until golden brown and cheese is melted.

Seriously Good Salad

My husband and I have officially joined the Costco cult and I have never been happier. Oh sure, I was skeptical at first (I mean who needs that much cheese at once); but I have since been converted due to their abundance of frozen vegetables, giant Naked's, and plenty of produce for my weekly smoothies. In the most recent trip, I bought a rather large container of spinach for a smoothie recipe and while I used about 3 cups for my smoothie I hadn't even scratched the surface of that container. Salad for dinner it was!

There is no better way to make a salad than to throw a hodge podge of ingredients from your fridge topped with a homemade dressing. Opening my fridge that evening, I pulled out cubed butternut squash, apples, onion, feta, and avocado. The flavor combination of sweet apples, ripe avocados, and aged feta topped with a tangy dressing (borrowed from a great friend) really worked and will be a salad recipe I will continue to use in the future. The next night I made a similar salad and added seasoned tilapia with garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper that would pair well on this salad!

Recipe:

Salad:
1 gala apple; chopped
1/2 avocado
1 cup cubed butternut squash
2 cups spinach
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
handful pecans
1 tbsp olive oil
garlic powder to taste
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400. Arrange cubed butternut squash on foil lined pan and toss in olive oil and seasoning. Roast about 20 minutes or until soft.
2. Meanwhile combine salad ingredients in large bowl and add cooked and cooled squash. Top with pecans and dressing.

Dressing:
1/2 c minced onion or shallot (I used a sweet onion)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp pure honey
1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1 squeeze lemon or orange juice (I did both)

1. Add all ingredients in blender and blend until combined