VALENTINES MARSHMALLOW POPS
By twosisterscrafting.com
Who wouldn’t love marshmallows on a stick covered with chocolate and decorated with Red, Pink and White candy melts? These Valentine’s Marshmallow Pops are both tasty and adorable.
For each Marshmallow Pop, find 3 marshmallows that are approximately the same size an skewer them with a lollipop stick.
Place 20-25 chocolate wafers in the pan and microwave them for 30 seconds, check them, give them a stir and then microwave again for 10 seconds more. Repeat process until chocolate is almost completely melted.
Use a spoon to help cover the marshmallows and also to smooth out the chocolate once it was on the marshmallows.
FRESH STRAWBERRY CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM
By ovenloveblog.com
Yummy Strawberry Cake with Cream Cheese. YUMMMYYYYY
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Yield: 10 Servings
Ingredients: 24 oz frozen or very ripe fresh strawberries, hulled (if frozen, thawed) 1-2 tsp sugar (for fresh berries only) ¼ cup milk, at room temperature 6 large egg whites, room temperature
1 Tbsp vanilla extract 2¼ cup cake flour, sifted
1¾ cup sugar 4 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 12 Tbsp unsalted butter (1½ sticks), softened (not melted)
Instructions:
Thaw frozen strawberries in whatever form (sliced, whole, etc) and in whatever container/bag you have them in. Pour into a fine strainer placed over a bowl and let sit. Lightly toss the strawberries occasionally to remove any pockets of excess liquid. Reserve the liquid for another use or discard.
Place strawberries in a food processor or blender and puree. (You can use fresh strawberries if you don’t have a stash of frozen strawberries in your freezer. Just hull, slice and toss with a teaspoon or two of sugar and cover. Let them sit at room temperature for a couple of hours, until nice and juicy. Place strawberries in a food processor or blender and puree.)
Reserve ¾ cup puree for the cake. Use leftover puree to fill the cake or fold into the frosting, if desired.
Simple Homemade Tomato Soup with carrots, onions, garlic, tomatoes, broth, and bacon for deliciously rich flavor. Extremely easy to make!
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Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients: 4 slices bacon, cut into small pieces 2 carrots, chopped half of a yellow onion, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 tablespoon flour
4 cups chicken broth (more to thin out the soup at the end as needed) 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1 bay leaf 1 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes
Instructions:
Fry the bacon in a large soup pot over medium low heat until bacon starts to get crispy and browned, about 5-8 minutes.
Add the carrots, onion, and garlic to the bacon in the pan; saute for 5-10 minutes until the vegetables are very aromatic and tender.
Add the tomato paste – stir for a few minutes until you can see/smell the tomato paste starting to brown and caramelize. Add the flour and stir for a minute or so.
This Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup is full of hearty seasonal vegetables and wild rice (plus chicken, if you would like), it’s wonderfully creamy and comforting, and easy to make in the Instant Pot, Crock-Pot or on the stovetop.
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Yield: 8 Servings
Ingredients: 6 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock) 1 cup uncooked wild rice* 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 medium carrots, diced 2 ribs celery, diced
1 large (about 1 pound) sweet potato, peeled and diced 1 small white onion, peeled and diced 1 bay leaf 1 1/2 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
Instructions:
Combine vegetable stock, wild rice, mushrooms, garlic, carrots, celery, sweet potato, onion, bay leaf and Old Bay seasoning in the bowl of an Instant Pot pressure cooker. Stir briefly to combine.
Cover and set vent to “sealing”. Cook on manual (high pressure) for 25 minutes. Let the Instant Pot rest there for an extra 10 minutes (natural release). Then carefully turn the vent to “venting” and release the remaining pressure (quick release). Remove lid and discard the bay leaf.
Meanwhile, during those final 10 minutes of pressure cooking, prepare your cream sauce on the stove. In a medium saucepan, cook the butter over medium-high heat until melted. Whisk in the flour until combined, and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add in the milk, and whisk until combined. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the mixture nearly comes to a simmer and has thickened. (It should be very thick.)
I love everything about this time of year! I love the fashion (the scarfs, gloves and hats), I love the outdoors (the red and orange falling leaves and the snow-capped mountains), and I love all the seasonal vegetables and fresh herbs. Pumpkins, squash, yams, thyme, rosemary and sage…. Need I say more? If I could give the holidays a “taste”, a spoon of this roasted butternut squash soup would pretty much be that “taste”.
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Yield: 8 Servings
Ingredients: 1 large butternut squash 2 carrots 3 stalks of celery 1 large onion 5 cloves of garlic 6 sage leaves
6 sprigs of thyme 1 sprig of rosemary 1/4 teaspoon cayenne red pepper powder (or less, if you do not want a little kick) salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Peel, pit and chop the butternut squash into 1 inch squares. Add to a large roasting pan.
Chop the carrots, celery and onions in big chunks and add to the pan. Peel the garlic and add cloves whole or halved.
Spinach Avocado Chicken Burgers
By unboundwellness.com
These paleo spinach avocado chicken burgers are the ultimate healthy burger. They’re packed with healthy fats, protein, and even hidden veggies. Make them on a weeknight, or serve them at a backyard cookout. They’re paleo, Whole30, and AIP!
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Yield: 4-5 Servings
Ingredients: 1 lb ground chicken 1/2 cup spinach, finely chopped 2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped 2 tbsp coconut flour (optional- acts as a binder) 1 tbsp avocado oil (plus more if you’re frying or grilling) 2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder 1 tsp sea salt 1/2 tsp black pepper (omit for AIP) Juice of one lime
Instructions:
For the avocado mayo, combine all of the ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth. Set aside.
Prepare either a grill or a grill pan and set to high heat. Add avocado oil to the grill pan if using.
Mix the ground chicken with the seasonings, spinach, coconut flour, lime juice, and avocado oil until well combined.
