Alphabet Soup

I loved this recipe. Everyone else was pretty meh about it, but I loved it and will definitely make it again, probably not on a night when Andrew and Dad are rushing out to Cub Scouts. I will offer extra dessert to anyone who can spell their name in the soup, and then eats it.

Real life. I don't believe in staging. Not pictured: the crying baby on my lap.

Alphabet Soup

from Happy Healthy Mama

2 T butter or oil

1 onion, diced

3 carrots, diced

1 potato, diced

1 medium sweet potato, diced

1 cup cauliflower florets, or 1 small red pepper, diced

2 quarts chicken of vegetable broth

1 can diced tomatoes, not drained

2 t salt

black pepper to taste

2 T tomato paste

1 cup small alphabet pasta (I used the Prince brand, 69 cents at my local grocery store)

1 cup frozen green peas

1 cup frozen corn kernels

In a large saucepan, heat oil and sauté all veggies about 5 minutes, until they start to soften. Add broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper and simmer, covered, about 20 minutes. Add pasta and simmer 5 more minutes. Add peas and corn and heat through.

I made this in my instant pot since we cracked our stovetop. I sautéed all the veggies about 5 minutes, then added everything except the peas and corn (I decreased the broth to 6 cups) and cooked on high pressure for 6 minutes. Everything except the potatoes was a little overcooked, so I would try 5 minutes next time.  Let the pressure come down for 10 minutes, then release the rest of the pressure. 

I served this with some delicious cornbread and it was a perfect meal, in my book, but I think you could easily brown some ground beef, turkey or sausage in step 1 or add some cooked chicken with the peas and corn for a meatier option. 

Whole Wheat Apple Cake

A trip to the orchard left us with a peck of apples. We will eat them all eventually, but I decided to use a few for baking. This cake is delicious, not too sweet and therefore mostly guilt free (until you eat half the pan). It's even good with milk for breakfast.

Recipe from cuisinebymae at food.com.

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 apples
2/3 cup milk
1 cup walnuts or 1 cup pecans, chopped (I left these out. Don't really care for nuts in my baked goods)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 13x9-inch baking pan. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir in nuts, if using. Cream butter and sugar together. Stir in eggs, one at a time, mixing well. Stir in vanilla. Peel, core, and chop apples. You should have about 3 cups. Stir dry mixture and milk alternately into creamed mixture, starting and ending with dry mixture, making 3 additions of dry and 2 of milk. Fold in the chopped apples.
Bake in the greased and floured 13x9-inch baking pan in a preheated 350°F oven for about 35 minutes, or until a tester poked in the centre comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the pan before cutting. Cut into 32 pieces (or 4, whatever works for you).

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/whole-wheat-apple-cake-157960#ixzz1aVRm5AZU

Soup Season

Ah....fall. The first day of autumn and the rainy, cool day, along with the squash sale this week and the chicken in my freezer gave me a perfect reason to make one of our all-time favorite soups, Colorful Chicken and Squash. You can find the full recipe here. It makes a lot and is very healthy and delicious. Just give yourself plenty of time to prepare it - it involves lots of chopping, but it's good for several meals and freezes well.

We paired it with Parmesan Muffins from my new 500 Muffin Recipes book. I thought they were okay, but hubby really, really liked them.

Helpful Hint: To make butternut squash easier to peel, stick a few holes in it with a fork and put the whole thing in the microwave for 3-4 minutes. The peel will soften and once it's cool, you can easily peel it with a vegetable peeler.

What did you have to celebrate the first day of autumn?