Tomato Basil Soup

by penji1

Tomato Basil Soup

I just love homemade soup and it’s getting to be that time of year.  I made this for lunch today to use up some of the last tomatoes from our garden, it was delicious!  The recipe comes from my Blendtec cookbook that came with my Blendtec blender, I’m sure you could use a regular blender or food processor to make this soup though.  All you need is a grilled cheese sandwich and you’re entering comfort food city!

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup chicken broth

3 cups tomato juice, divided

4 cups tomatoes, diced

10 fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup half and half, warmed (I used evaporated milk instead to cut out a few calories)

Heat butter in large saucepan.  While butter heats, stir continuously until butter begins to brown.  Add broth and 2 cups tomato juice, let simmer.  In jar of blender, pour in remaining 1 cup tomato juice, diced tomatoes and basil leaves and secure lid.  Select “whole juice”.  Pour basil tomato blend into broth/juice mixture in saucepan and simmer 15 – 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool slightly.  Stir in half and half.  Garnish with basil ribbons and cracked pepper (I went with Parmesan and a basil leaf).

 

Baby Girl Pink Footprint Fondant Cake

by penji1

Baby Girl Footprint Cake

My cute neighbor Zoe had to job shadow for a class at school.  She told her mom Belinda that she wanted to job shadow Cort and me as we made a cake so yesterday Zoe came over and we made cakes together.  Belinda’s sister is having a baby girl after two boys so I made baby girl cake (Cort wasn’t feeling well so didn’t make it over which is a bummer because I’m sure the cake would have been way cuter if she had been here!) while Zoe watched and then while I put the finishing touches on the pink cake Zoe made her own cake.  I had baked a little mini cake for her with a 3″, 4″ and 5″ layer.  The baby girl cake is a double 4″ square with a chocolate layer and a white layer, buttercream icing and then Duff’s Pink fondant to finish.  Zoe loves The Cake Boss so she made a Cake Boss cake which came out really cute.  Hopefully she had fun and learned a few things along the way.  And now, here is Zoe’s cake:

Zoe's mini Cake Boss cake

Alien Cupcakes

by penji1

Alien Cupcakes

Yesterday was my son Zach’s 25th birthday and so I decided to surprise him at work with some birthday cupcakes.  This idea comes from the cookbook “Hello, Cupcake!” by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson.  They have three cupcake/treat decorating books and if you’re into stuff like that like I am then I highly recommend them.  The cupcakes were a big hit and I got to meet some of the people that Zach works with so all in all, they were a success.  For those wondering, these are made with a cupcake, a half a large marshmallow and a doughnut hole held together with frosting and then dipped in melted frosting and then topped with licorice antennas and candy covered sunflower seeds for eyes.  While not difficult to make, they were time consuming and messy!  Happy Birthday Zach, love you!

Black and White Quilted Fondant Birthday Cake

by penji1

Black and White Birthday Cake

We had fun experimenting yesterday with some new fondant techniques on this cake.  Courtney’s friend Brie called and asked if we would make a birthday cake for her friend Nina (we previously made a couple of baptism cakes for Nina’s son Rome).  She wanted something in black and white and wanted it to be pretty and elegant.  Cort and I weren’t really sure what we were going to do but when we got to Michaels to get the flower for the top and the ribbon, we started looking at some of the cake books there and saw something similar to this and decided to give it a try and it came out pretty good for a first try on the pattern.  I’m sure we will attempt this again on another cake and will be able to get a little better at it.  Love the look with the black sugar pearls in the pattern.  It’s a white cake with buttercream icing and Pettinice fondant.  Happy Birthday Nina!

Mini Grey and White Flower Fondant Birthday Cake

by penji1

Birthday Cakes 011

This is a little mini birthday cake that Courtney and I made for her friend Brie.  The top layer is 3″, the middle is 4″ and the bottom is 5″, so tiny and cute!  The flowers are fake from Michaels, the fondant is Pettinice from Funfinity.  Brie wanted a birthday cake for her friend (post to follow) and Cort wanted to make Brie a cake as well because she missed her birthday.  Love this little mini cake!  Happy Birthday Brie!

Slow Cooker Fudgy S’More Cake

by penji1

Slow Cooker Fudgy S'More Cake

Courtney always wants chocolate cake when they come over on Sundays and usually I just don’t have the time to get that made so yesterday I decided to try one of those crock pot cake recipes and it came out great!  It is a “Betty Crocker” recipe, pretty sure I’ve already professed my love for her (even though she doesn’t exist!).

1 box Betty Crocker Supermoist triple chocolate fudge cake mix plus ingredients to make cake

2 cups miniature marshmallows

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

graham cracker squares, if desired

1  Spray 2 – 3 1/2 quart slow cooker with cooking spray.  Make cake batter as directed on box.  Pour batter into slow cooker.

2  Cover and cook on high for 2 – 2 1/2 hours or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

3  Turn off slow cooker and sprinkle marshmallows and chocolate chips over top of cake.  Cover 10 minutes.  Spoon warm cake into dessert dishes and serve with graham cracker squares (and Cool Whip and/or ice cream!).

Grilled Vegetable Pesto Pasta Salad

by penji1

Grilled Vegetable Pesto Pasta Salad

Courtney and Jaren came over for dinner last night so in my quest to still take advantage of all the yummies from our garden that is slowly starting to wind down, I made Balsamic Bruschetta and this oh so good pasta salad.  It comes from “My Recipes” and was yummy and easy to make, especially when you can talk your hubby into grilling the veggies for you!

1 zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/2″ wide pieces

1 yellow squash, cut into 1/2″ wide pieces (I didn’t have any yellow so just used 2 zucchini)

1 red bell pepper, seeded, cut into 1″ thick slices

1 red onion, cut into 3/4″ thick slices

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

3 cups whole grain farfalle or penne

1 (15.5 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 (7 oz) container refrigerated pesto (about 3/4 cup) (I just made my own with the basil from my garden)

1/2 cup grated pecorino Romano

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1  Preheat grill to medium heat (300 – 350).  In large bowl, toss squash, bell pepper, onion and Italian seasoning with 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Lightly brush grill rack with oil.  Grill vegetables, covered, until lightly charred spots but still crisp tender, 4 – 6 minutes on each side.  Remove vegetables, let cool and chop.  Cover and set aside.

2  Bring large pot of salted water to a boil and cool pasta as package directs.  Drain.

3  Toss pasta, veggies, beans, pesto, cheese, 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper to combine.  Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours.  Drizzle with remaining olive oil and lemon juice just before serving.

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White Chocolate Berry Cups

by penji1

White Chocolate Berry Cups

Getting creative in the kitchen today.  My cute neighbor Lynley is getting married next month and so her mom’s friend Laura is throwing her a shower today.  I asked if I could make treats and Lynley’s mom Gina requested cake pops but what with working all nights this past week, I just didn’t have the time to get cake pops made.  So, in my quest for something cute to make for the shower, I came up with these.

1 box (15 count) prebaked mini fillo shells, or however many shells you would like to make (you can find these in the gourmet food section or they have them in the frozen food section too)

1 small box white chocolate pudding mix plus milk to make pudding

assorted berries – raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, whatever you like

white baking chocolate or white chocolate chips, about 2 ounces

1  Prepare pudding as directed on box and put in fridge until soft set.

2  Place small spoonful or scoop of pudding in each fillo cup.  Top with your choice of berries.

3  Melt white chocolate in 30 second intervals in microwave until smooth.  Place in small ziploc bag and snip a tiny cut in one of the corners.

4  Pipe melted white chocolate over berry cups in random pattern.

UPDATE!  This recipe is now also on The Six Sisters’ other website called “My Recipe Magic”, if you go look at it there too then I get paid!  🙂

Little Red Riding Hood Fondant Birthday Cake

by penji1

Little Red Riding Hood Birthday Cake

My friend Kathie called to see if we would be up for making a Little Red Riding Hood cake for her daughter Emma’s 4th birthday.  I have been working all nights this last week and have three more ahead of me next week so I asked Cort and she was totally up for it.  I baked the cake but she did all the decorating as I was trying to sleep and recover from working all night and she did a great job!  I think this cake is so cute!  It’s white cake and buttercream frosting and Duff’s fondant for the red and Pettinice for the white.  She sculpted Little Red Riding Hood out of fondant to match the invitations for Emma’s party and she came out so darling.  Happy Birthday Emma!

Chicken Fajita Crescent Braid

by penji1

Chicken Fajita Crescent Braid

Another installment of “Cooking with Courtney” from yesterday when we made this tasty dinner.  It is a Pillsbury recipe and truly was so easy to make and looked so pretty when it was done (I should have taken a picture of the whole thing to show you, when I make it again, I will.).

1 (8 oz) can Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations refrigerated seamless dough sheet

1 tablespoon oil (I used olive)

2 small boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 x 1/2 x 1/2″ strips (I used a can of Costco chicken to make it even easier)

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup green or red bell pepper strips (2 x 1 x 1/4″) (we used one of each)

1/4 cup salsa

2 cups shredded Cheddar/Monterey Jack cheese blend (8 oz)

1 egg white, beaten

1  Heat oven to 375.  Spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray.  Unroll dough onto sheet and press to 8 x 12″.

2  In skillet, heat oil over medium high heat.  Add chicken, stir in chili powder, salt and garlic and cook 3 – 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.  Add onion and pepper and cook 2 – 3 minutes longer or until chicken is no longer pink in center and vegetables are crisp tender.  (If using canned chicken, cook onion and pepper with chili powder, salt and garlic for a few minutes then stir in chicken until heated through.)

3  Spoon chicken mixture in 4″ strip lengthwise down center of dough.  Top with salsa and sprinkle with cheese.  With sharp knife, make cuts 1″ apart on long sides of dough within 1/2″ of filling.  Alternately cross strips over filling and press edges to seal.  Brush with egg white. 4  Bake 20 – 25 minutes or until deep golden brown.  Cool 5 minutes before cutting.