Broccoli Cheddar Soup!

 One of the best soups is Broccoli Cheddar Soup! This is a quick recipe perfect for those Autumn days and it's a one pot meal.

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Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20-40 minutes
Serves: 6

Items Needed:

• Large pot
• Measuring utensils

Ingredients:

• 2 12oz bags frozen broccoli (fresh is fine)
  
• 2 large carrots, peeled & diced
• 2 medium yellow onions, diced
• Optional (one, two or all three): 
• 4 ribs celery, diced
• 5 russet potatoes, diced
• 4 green onions, whites only, diced
  
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 32oz vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup sour cream
  
• 1lb Velveeta cheese, diced
  
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
  
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
  
• 1/2 teaspoon dill
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
•  Optional Toppings:
• Green onions
• Cheddar cheese
• Oyster crackers
  

Directions:

1. If you are adding potatoes, boil them in a very large pot for about 20 minutes with some salt until the potatoes are tender and a fork slides through them easily. Drain potatoes and set aside. Use the same pot. If not using potatoes, skip this step.
2. In a large pot, add the butter, garlic, carrots & onions. Add the celery & white onions if you are using them. Let them cook for about 7 minutes on medium high heat until they get soft. Steam your broccoli as you normally would. Drain and set aside the broccoli. I drained them in the same colander as the potatoes and kept them together sitting aside.
   
3. Add the flour and cook on medium low heat mixing in the flour to make sure it's being cooked to form a thick roux. Once the roux is formed, add the heavy cream a little at a time mixing it in to keep the roux on the thick side.
4. Add the vegetable broth and turn it up to medium high heat. Stir in all the seasonings, the broccoli & potatoes, the sour cream, and velveeta cheese. Stir occasionally and let the velveeta cheese melt for about 10 minutes.
   
5. Add the cheddar cheese and stir it again until melted. Turn off heat.
   
6. OPTIONAL: If you added potatoes, I highly recommend this and this will help create a thicker soup. Use a potato masher in the soup the break up the potatoes and other vegetables. I would still advise this even if you didn't add potatoes as well.
   
7. Serve with your favorite toppings and add any additional salt and pepper to taste.
   

Bacon Beer Cheese Soup!

Looking for a thick and tasty soup good for anytime of the year? Bacon Beer Cheese Soup has your back. It's the best soup you'll ever eat.

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Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 6

Items Needed:

• Large pot
• Measuring utensils

Ingredients:

• 16oz bacon (12+ strips), cooked & diced (more bacon if you want toppings!)
• 32 fl oz chicken broth
• 16 fl oz half & half
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 large red pepper, diced (any bell pepper would do fine as well)
• 1 small jalapeno, diced
• 4 stalks celery, diced
• 4 large carrots, peeled & diced
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 12 fl oz beer (lager or ale preferred)
• 16 oz Velveeta cheese loaf, cut into chunks
• 5oz Kraft cheese spread (old English sharp cheddar or pimento are good)
• 4oz pepper jack cheese, shredded
• 2oz cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp pepper

Directions:

1. In a large pot, add your olive oil, garlic, and all of your vegetables. Cook until they are soft. About 6 minutes on medium high.
2. Lower your heat to medium low and add the butter. Once it melts, add your flour. Stir until it becomes thick, slightly brownish and all the flour lumps have been dissolved and cooked.
3. Add some of your half & half  until it is "absorbed" by your roux. Keep doing this until you used all your half & half.
4. Add your beer & chicken broth. Cook on medium high heat for 10 minutes to let some of the beer cook out.
5. On medium low heat, add in your Worcestershire sauce & Dijon mustard. Add your salt & pepper. Add in your velveeta cheese and let it melt. Stir it a lot to help the cheese melt.
6. After the Velveeta has melted, add in your your cheese spread (whatever kind you use). Let it slowly melt and stir like the Velveeta.
7. Once the cheese spread has melted, add in your pepper jack cheese and let it melt as well and stir.
8. Do this process once more for the cheddar cheese.
9. Stir in your bacon & voila! Turn off the heat. Add more salt & pepper to taste.

Note: You can add a LITTLE more flour if you like it really thick, like we do! You can also add more beer. We add a few 'sips' from a second can for flavor. I will say it's hard to add "too much" beer, but I wouldn't quite add two 12 fl oz cans, one is good! You can also add broccoli or green onions if you'd like to. They would go well in this! We made simple garlic bread to dip into the soup. You don't have to use Velveeta or Kraft brands. Off brands that are cheaper are great too! Another great option instead of the 2oz cheddar cheese is a smoked gouda or smoked cheddar cheese.

Also, this is the ale we used and did not regret it. It has a smokey taste that pairs well with the bacon, peppers, and pepper jack cheese.
https://saugatuckbrewing.com/beer/bonefire-brown/

Baked Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls!

If you love Philly cheesesteaks and you love egg rolls, you just might love this recipe!

 

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Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 3

Items Needed:

• Large pan
• Baking sheet

Ingredients:

• egg roll wrappers
• 1lb ground beef
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 large green pepper, diced
• 10 slices of provolone cheese
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• small bowl of water
• cooking spray
• special sauce (we used Kraft, any sauce you want is fine!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. 
2. Cook the ground beef in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add in the Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and salt.
3. When the meat is nearly browned, add in the peppers & onions.
4. Once the meat has been fully cooked and the vegetables have been softened, DRAIN the pain of any liquid/grease. Otherwise, you will have soggy egg rolls. Put two slices of provolone cheese on top and finish cooking until the cheese is mixed in and completely melted. Turn off the heat and set aside.
5. The egg roll packages usually show how to fold them. First, put half a slice of provolone down, then you want put about 3 tablespoons (don't over stuff your egg rolls) in the middle, but slightly towards one corner. Fold in that corner first toward the middle. Then fold in the two side corners to the middle and roll the egg roll carefully to the last corner. Use the small bowl of water to put a few drops on the last corner to help keep it together and put the egg roll on the baking sheet with the seam side down. Repeat this step until you are out of filling or egg roll wrappers.
6. Spray the tops of your egg rolls with cooking spray. Don't use too much or it will get greasy.
7. Bake for about 25 minutes until they are golden colored.
8. Dip into the special sauce and enjoy!

Note: You can fry them instead if you want to! The process is the same except don't use cooking spray and you want to use a deep dryer or a pan with about an inch of canola oil on medium-high heat. You cook each side of the egg roll for maybe 3-4 minutes.

Skyrim Vegetable Soup! With Extras!

This is a twist on Potato & Leek Vegetable soup! Skyrim inspired!

Okay Dragonborn, get out your boar meat, butter, carrots, goat cheese, leeks, potatoes, dried elves ear, potatoes, salt, garlic, bread, & a jug of milk!

Just kidding! I promise this recipe is tasty & easy though!

 

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Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4+

Items Needed:

• Large pot
• Measuring Tools
• Potato masher or blender (optional, but recommended)

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3 carrots, peeled & diced
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 3 leeks, chopped (look below for ease of washing/cutting)
• 2lbs gold Yukon potatoes, chopped (peeled is optional)
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 cups chicken broth (low sodium is what we use)
• Seasonings: 
• 2 teaspoons dried dill
• 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspooons mustard powder
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 3 bay leaves 
• Optional ingredients:  
• 8oz shredded cheddar cheese
• 8oz (12 strips) bacon (4 strips for topping)
• 3 ribs celery 
• Scallions for topping
• Bread: ciabatta, Italian, garlic, etc. for dipping
  

Directions:

1. In the large pot on medium-high heat, melt the butter and add the garlic, onions, leeks, celery, & seasonings until softened and fragment. About 5 minutes.
2. Add the carrots, potatoes, chicken broth, bay leaves, & thyme. Stir well. Let it look for 20 minutes on medium-high heat. 
3. If you are adding bacon, cook it using your preferred method such as a pan, oven, microwave, etc. Dice 8 strips of bacon once cooked & cooled. Dice the other 4 strips, but keep separate to use as a topping.
4. Turn the heat to medium-low and remove the bay leaves & thyme. Add 1 cup of heavy cream. If you want bacon and/or cheese (recommended), add in 8 strips of bacon. Slowly mix in handfuls of the cheddar cheese at a time to the soup. Add more pepper & salt to taste, if desired.
5. For a thicker soup, use a potato masher to mashed up the chunks. For a thinner soup, you can use a hand blender. You can also put the soup into a regular blender, leaving a hole at the top for heat to escape.
6. Ladle into bowls and garnish with bacon pieces, scallions, & cracker pepper. Serve with bread.

Note: If you aren't used to cooking with leeks, they can be tricky for some to get them clean as dirt has a tendency to hide between the folds. 
Cut off the green tops and the white tip root & discard. Cut the leek in half lengthwise and wash each half under water to get the dirt out. You can also use a colander. After each leek has been washed, they can be chopped.

Slow Cooker Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Ranch Dip

This is such a great meal to serve at parties, potlucks, or simply for dinner! If you don't have a slow cooker, you can do this in a pot, but I love the ease of the recipe and that it takes a shorter time to cook compared to others!

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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2.5 hours
Serves: 4+

Items Needed:

• Slow cooker
• Measuring Tools

Ingredients:

• 1lb chicken breasts (thin sliced - cooks faster)
• 3 8oz packages of cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup of shredded colby jack cheese
• 1/2 cup of buffalo sauce (we use Sweet Baby Ray's, but RedHot is good too)
• 3 green onions, diced, separate whites & greens
• 2 ribs celery, diced (smaller the better)
• 1 1oz or 2 tablespoons ranch seasoning packet
• 3/4 cup of ranch dressing OR bleu cheese dressing
• 8oz or 1 cup of sour cream
• Tortilla chips, crackers, or veggies for serving with!
  

Directions:

1. In the crock pot add your chicken and seasoning with HALF of the ranch seasoning packet (or 1 tablespoon). Add in just the onion whites. Cook on high for 2 hours.
2. After 2 hours of cooking, the chicken should be done. Remove the chicken and shred it with a knife and fork. Then add it back to the pot.
3. Add the following into the pot: cream cheese, shredded cheeses, buffalo sauce, the other half of the ranch seasoning, sour cream, and the ranch or bleu cheese dressing. Stir well! Cook for 30 minutes.
4. After 30 minutes, add in the celery & green onions. Stir again.
5. Turn off slow cooker or set to warm and serve!

Note: Pepper jack cheese is a great substitute if you like spicy or peppers! You can add more cheese & buffalo sauce to taste as well! Do NOT add salt to this recipe. Ranch seasoning has a lot of salt already in it and it tastes very salty with any added salt!

Perfect Slow Cooker Chili! (Spicy Subsitutions!)

Chili season is upon us! This is my versatile and go-to chili that is easy and a slow cooker meal so it's ready at the end of the day. I even included options to make it very HOT and spicy, if you like it! I can actually suggest a lot of substitutes for this recipe as well because it can have a lot of different flavors, but all tasty. The base recipe is still the same, but you can easily swap out the ingredients! I am not a fan of watery chili and I like it with a little bit heat so this recipe encompasses both!

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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 4-8 hours
Serves: 4

Items Needed:

• Slow cooker
• Large pan
• Measuring Tools

Ingredients:

• 2lbs ground turkey (drained of any grease) 
• Use the following seasonings for the ground turkey only:
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 14.5oz cans of dark red kidney beans (drained & rinsed)
• 1 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes with chilis (Rotel brand or not)
• 2 14.5oz cans of tomato sauce (use 1, if you like it really thick)
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 2 small shallots, diced
• 1/2 large red sweet onion, diced
• 1 mild banana pepper, diced (you can leave the seeds or not)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro (leaves & steams), minced
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil 
• 2 tablespoons of fresh garlic, minced or grated
• Toppings include your choice of...
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Sour cream
• Cilantro
• Original or Chili Cheese Fritos
• Pepper & salt
• Saltines or oyster crackers

Substitutions:

• Turkey: Ground beef, ground venison, ground chicken, or ground pork are all acceptable.
• Diced Tomatoes with Chilis: Italian diced tomatoes, plain diced tomatoes, diced tomatoes with onion & garlic, diced tomatoes with onion, green pepper, & celery.
• Red Onion & Shallots: One large red onion, 2 medium yellow onions, or any other combination of onions.
• Banana Pepper: A jalapeno pepper is really good choice. Mild Anaheim, chili pepper, hot Hungarian wax. I use a jalapeno a lot instead of banana if I really want it spicy, two if I am trying to go for spicy.

Directions:

1. In a large skillet or pan, heat your extra virgin olive oil. Once it is heated, add your ground turkey and the seasonings listed for just the turkey. Cook until there is no pink meat showing. Break up the meat as it cooks into small pieces.
2. You can cut all the vegetables needed while the turkey is cooking. 
3. Once the meat is cooked and your vegetables are cut, add everything to your slow cooker. Add the other seasonings as well. Add the beans, tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Everything should be added to the slow cooker.
4. Stir the pot well.
5. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Stir half way, if possible.
6. When done, spoon out to a bowl & add any amount of toppings you prefer. I like cheddar cheese, sour cream, cilantro, Fritos, & more pepper & salt.

Note: If you love a spicy chili, please use a jalapeno or two instead of a banana pepper. You can also increase the red cayenne and even add a tablespoon of sriracha!

Hello Fresh Review!

HelloFresh is a meal delivery service kit that has the potential to ship 2-4 recipes for 2-4 people each week. Each meal kit is packaged with the meats needed for the recipes between ice, with produce and everything else stored in a bag on top to ensure freshness in order to cook your meals. Each meal comes with all the ingredients needed for it inside a labeled bag with recipe cards with pictures and easy to follow steps. You will need to keep oil, sugar, butter, pepper, and salt on hand. Recipes vary each week, so you won't have to be stuck eating the same thing over and over again. Some recipes have additional charges as well, but only 3 out of the large selection.

I am not a representative, nor am I a weekly HelloFresh subscriber as I write this review. I simply wanted to try it via co-workers' recommendations. I can't say that I do or do not recommend HelloFresh because it's definitely a personal choice depending on your lifestyle & budget. I can give $40 off your first box if sign up if you'd like to try it though. I can also send a limited quantity of free boxes, so please message me your email if you're interested.

The Recipes:

 

Chicken & Pineapple Quesadillas

Chicken, pineapple, onions, peppers, taco seasoning, homemade pico de gallo, & sour cream in a broiled tortilla shell.

 

 Pepperjack Burgers & BBQ Wedges

Stuffed BBQ seasoned burgers with pepperjack cheese with onions, peppers, sweet potato wedges with BBQ seasoning, & spicy ketchup

Tuscan Sausage & Pepper Spaghetti

Spaghetti in tomato sauce with spicy Tuscan seasoned sausage, peppers, & onions with Parmesan cheese.

These were the 3 meals we ordered for 2 people. My husband is quite the picky eater and he ate all of the meals happily. We liked each one, however, both of us really enjoyed the Chicken & Pineapple Quesadillas. Most likely because it is something we enjoy, but something I never cook. Each recipe was easy enough to make, but I thought that the Pepperjack Burgers & BBQ Wedges was the most difficult to cook, but sweet potatoes aren't always easy to cut and the recipe required a burger stuffed with cheese, which we never cook either. 

Pros:

• Each meal had fresh ingredients that were also of great quality
• The recipes were very easy to follow and everything was packaged together for ease
• The meals were tasty and we would eat each one again
• Calories & nutrition are listed for each recipe on the website. The recipes are also listed there in case something happens to your recipe card
• You make everything, so it's fresh with very little preservatives or additives. 
• Everything is perfectly proportioned. It teaches portion control and helps those who have trouble with it
• Each week is a different menu with nearly 20 recipes, only 3 of which are up-charged for having more expensive ingredients
• Every ingredient is used in the recipe completely, which has no waste of food

Cons:

• The cost is very expensive. For 3 meals for 2 people a week, it is $60. If it was routinely $30, we would do HelloFresh more often. 
• The packaging is a little much & a lot of plastic included, so not very eco-friendly
• The prep & cook time total on each card took me 10 minutes longer to do for each meal & this is staying focused cooking on the meal and not getting distracted doing other things
• It's much cheaper to grab the ingredients at the grocery store yourself and cook the recipes

I would recommend this service for beginner cooks. If you can try it for a good price, it's good to experience and open up some recipes to your library. I also like that you can try new foods each week because we get tired of making soups, pasta, & tacos each week. However, the price is really the largest issue for me. If it was half of regular price, I would use it pretty regularly.

However, I can tell you what we decided is the best for our lifestyle. Because the price is such a large con that it trumps everything else, we were able to order so many meals at discounted prices. We are getting 18 meals for 50%+ off. We will not pay full price, so we won't be buying anymore HelloFresh boxes after that amount ends unless it's discounted. We really enjoyed the recipes and my husband is so picky that I am tired of our weekly battle of, "what do you want for dinner?" so I can grocery shop & make it. We will be looking at HelloFresh's weekly menus often and choose meals we want to try each week, but we will grocery shop for it ourselves and use the recipes provided on the website to measure out our ingredients and make the recipe. This is cheap, but still using HelloFresh's amazing recipes to our advantages and it works for us. You can even download and print the PDFs online if you'd like a recipe card in front of you while you cook! We are going to make our own HelloFresh recipe book.