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

Green and Lean Smoothie

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time to spend time with family and friends and over indulge on delicious foods such as noodles, mashed potatoes, and stuffing. However, if you are anything like me, the next day my body is begging for normalcy and some fresh produce (I mean green bean casserole should count right!?) One of my favorite things after a night of indulgence is to start my morning off with a smoothie because it is a quick and easy way to get at least 2-3 servings of fruits and veggies; not to mention they are pretty refreshing. I typically add spinach or kale to all my smoothies with addition of fruits for sweetness. Like the other smoothie, this can be kept in the fridge for about a week (although I usually finish it in 3-4 days).

Green and Lean Smoothie

- 4 kiwi; skins removed and cut into chunks
- 3 green applies cut into chunks
- 2 Bartlett pears cut into chunks
- 2-3 cups spinach
- 4-5 cups water

1. Add spinach and 3 cups water in food processor or blender until evenly combined and without chunks
2. Add additional fruit and continue to blend until evenly combined and no chunks.
3. Pour into pitcher and add additional 1-2 cups water to desired consistency.

** you will need to whisk the mixture before serving as the water and ingredients tend to separate in the refrigerator.

Nutrient packed smoothie

Sometimes I can be a little stubborn in my ways; so when the craze surrounding juicing and smoothies began, I quickly turned a cold shoulder. I continued to happily take my daily handful of vitamins and quickly scrolled over the smoothie and juice recipes on Pinterest. My interest slowly started to peak after I received a facial before my wedding. My aesthetician informed me that she too had taken up juicing and had never felt better mentally and physically. After hearing more about the benefits and easy way to amp the amount of fruits and veggies in my diet, my curiosity was definitely peaked. It also occurred to me that I could cut back on (pricey) vitamins and receive a lot of my nutrients naturally through this process; win/win!

On an impulse I strolled through the grocery store grabbing stalks of celery, bunches of kale, and bags of fruit. Unfortunately once I got home I realized the juicer I already owned was not equipped to extract the juice from veggies; so I went another route by using my food processor. I must say, the process took me a while to perfect as I would find myself munching like a cow on the sustained stems of kale (not very pleasing if you ask me). I call the below recipe a smoothie while others may consider it more as a juice; either way it is one of my favorites with a combination of sweet and tart flavors. This recipe will make about 8 8 oz servings and keep in the fridge for 4-5 days (stirring before each use).

Recipe:

3 organic gala apples cut into small chunks

6 oz raw cranberries

1 1/2 container strawberries with stems removed and halved

3 cups spinach

3-4 cups water (depending on your thickness preference)

1. Combine water and spinach in food processor and mix until evenly combined and resembles mostly homogenous liquid consistency (I found it best to over mix or you could have chunks in your smoothie)

2. Add cut apples; repeat step 1

3. Add cranberries and strawberries; repeat step 1

4. Once the ingredients are evenly combined you can adjust water as desired. 

Easy Cheese Tortellini and Spinach Soup

So it is officially an issue that finding and making soups recipes has taken over my life. There is something about the cool weather and this time of year that makes soup sound so warm and comforting. While my husband will try anything I put in front of him, I have found he tends to be a picky soup eater and usually turns his nose up at the hint of sweetness in his soups (those I get to save for my daily lunches). And while he shies away from leafy spinach, he still gobbles up the following easy soup. I just used cheese tortellini and spinach in this recipe, but you could easily substitute meat ravioli or add other vegetables such as mushrooms to satisfy your taste buds; plus it takes no time so no need to pause Real Housewives for this one ;).

Cheese Tortellini and Spinach Soup

- 1 package frozen cheese tortellini
- 2 cups spinach; throughly washed and dried.
- 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth combined with 1 cup water (adjust to your preference of broth)
- salt and pepper to taste
- dash of cinnamon
- couple of shakes of garlic powder

1. Combine vegetable broth and water in a large pot; add the tortellini and bring to a boil.
2. Cook tortellini until done (3-5 minutes)
3. Add spinach and cook until wilted.
4. Done!