Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

Lately I've really been into making soups and chowders. I guess there is nothing like homemade. I really can't stand canned soups. I think I ate canned soup too much when I first moved away from home. It's not that I won't eat it it's just that I will if there is really no other choice.

While I was browsing through my pile of old recipes that I want to try I found this one for a vegetable chowder. It has no meat in it, but I think if a person wanted to add some kind of chicken or even ham I don't think it would hurt the flavor.

This chowder does not take long to make and it does not take any odd ingredients to make. I actually had everything already in my cupboard or fridge.

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder
2 T butter
1/2 C chopped onion
1 C finely chopped carrot
2 rods of celery, finely chopped
1 T minced garlic
4 C chicken broth
2 large baking potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 T flour
1/2 C water
2/3 C milk
2 C chopped broccoli
2 C shredded cheddar cheese

Melt butter in a large soup pot. add onions, carrots, and celery and saute over medium heat until tender. Add garlic and cook and additional 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender. Mix flour and water and add to the soup and simmer until soup is slightly thickened. Add the milk and broccoli and cook until the broccoli is just tender and soup is heated through. Stir in the cheese and allow to melt. Serve with crackers or bread.

Apple Pannekoeken

I don't know about everyone else, but I'm just really done with the snow and the cold. I am getting tired of bundling up to take the dogs for a walk in the morning and at night. I'm tired of freezing in the house if I don't have a fire going in the wood stove. I'm tired of wearing sweaters and long sleeves. I guess you could say I'm ready for spring.

With this weather making me long for spring it got me thinking about Easter. I remembered this apple pancake that my mom would make sometimes at Easter and decide that I should give it a try and see if my family liked it.

Apple Pannekoeken

I got several "what is it?" while it baked and once it was served, but I think they were very surprised by how good it tasted. You can make this pannekoeken with or without apples, but I know my mom always made it with the apples and I can't imagine it without fruit.

When you serve this you can pour syrup over it or put whipped cream on it. Either way it is delicious.

Served up with whipped topping

It makes me wonder what other type of fruit would be good to use in this recipe. I bet one could simply use a can of fruit pie filling. I might have to experiment with that one or if someone else does let me know how it works.

This dish takes very little time to make and leaves you free to create the rest of your breakfast dishes while this bakes away in the oven. It also a great dish to make for an Easter brunch.

 Pannekoeken
4 eggs
1 1/2 C milk
1 1/2 flour
1/4 t salt
1 stick of butter

apples
cinnamon
sugar

Melt butter in an oblong cake pan in 400 oven. Combine eggs, milk flour and salt together. Pour batter into pan and bake for 30 minutes.
If you want to add apples:
Cut apples, peel, and shake in a bowl of cinnamon and white sugar. Pour over top of batter. It might take 3-5 minutes longer with the apples. 

Brownie Cookies

Well I'm on spring break this week and since I have no money or anyone for that matter to go on spring break with I'm staying home and enjoying some of the things that I don't get to do regularly.

One of the things that I want to do is go to the tanning salon. I know people tell me how bad it is, but really is it any worse then those people who are going to tropical places to play out in the sun from the time it rises to the time it sets? It's not like I'm baking in there for a super long time nor am I doing this on a regular basis. So if the thought of going to a tanning salon upsets you just skip this part. My hope is to get a little bit of color on this pastey white body of mine and feel a little bit better about the crappy weather I'm putting up with right now.

Brownie Cookies

I also want to go to the gym to work out. I've been slipping lately and I need to get back into my regular routine. I went yesterday and boy could I feel how out of shape I am. I need to get back to running and working out on the elliptical. I also want to go to a yoga class again. I miss yoga and I need to start going and getting back into it 

Another thing that I want to do is to go shopping at some stores that I've never been to before but I'm very curious about. If you can believe it I've never been to Trader Joe's. I'm dying to go there and see what they have. I've heard that they have some very unique items and that their prices are great.

I also want to go to Home Goods. This store is suppose to have all kinds of items for the home at unbelievable prices. I'm excited to go and see if maybe I can find some stuff to liven up my home a little bit. Maybe I'll find those curtains for my bedroom that I need so desperately.

I would really like to go to the Science Museum too. Right now they have Body Worlds there. I went the last time they had an exhibit like this and it was amazing. This time it is centered around athletics. I think that my daughter whom is going to be a physical therapist would love the exhibit too. It might be tricky planning a  time working around her school schedule, but I'm going to try.

I also want to bake and cook a bunch of old and new recipes so I can have a plethora of already tried and photographed dishes to share. It is hard teaching, coming home and getting everything else done and then cooking for just two. I exploring the option of making one day on my blog a college cooking day where I can scale back on ingredients and time.

Well to start this week out I decided to make something with chocolate. These cookies are extremely rich so look out. I don't know where I got the recipe from. I found it in my pile of recipes that I want to try. I had cut it out of some magazine or something a long time ago and I've never attempted to make it.

So here's the recipe for Brownie Cookies!
Brownie Cookies
1/2 C butter
4 (1oz) Squares unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3 C (18oz) semi sweet chocolate morsels, divided
1 1/2 C all purpose flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
4 eggs
1 1/2 C sugar
2 t vanilla extract
2 C chopped pecans, optional

Combine butter, unsweetened chocolate, and 1 1/2 cups chocolate morsels in a large heavy saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until butter and chocolate melt; cool.
Combine flour, baking powder, and slat in a small bowl; set aside.
Beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla at medium speed with an electric mixer. Gradually add dry ingredients to egg mixture, beating well. Add chocolate mixture; beat well. Stir in remaining 1 1/2 cups chocolate morsels and pecans.
Drop dough by 2 tablespoonfuls 1 inch apart onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cool slightly on baking sheets; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Yield: about 2 1/2 dozen.