Cheeseburger Soup

I was on the hunt for the perfect hearty comfort dish for the snowy weather we've been having. I snatched and tweaked recipes from Taste of Home and Chocolate Covered Buttons. It is definitely not the easiest soup to make, but trust me -- the taste is totally worth it.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

3/4 c. onion, chopped

3/4 c. carrot, grated

3/4 c. celery, sliced

5 small - medium russet potatoes, cubed

1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 c. 2% milk

4 c. chicken or beef broth

4 tbsp. butter or margarine 

1 1/2 c. sharp cheddar cheese

1 c. tomato (~ 2 tomatoes), diced

1 c. romaine lettuce, chopped

6 hamburger buns, coarsely cubed 

1 tsp. dried parsley

salt

pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees for the hamburger bun croutons (YUM). In a large sauce pot, brown beef over medium heat; drain any excess grease and set aside in a medium bowl.

Ready all vegetables -- dice, grate, slice, cube!

To the same sauce pot for the browned beef, add the onion, celery, carrots, parsley, and one tablespoon of butter/margarine. Saute over medium heat until ingredients are softened--about 10 minutes.

Add the broth, beef, potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for approximately 12 minutes, or until potatoes are fork-tender.

Meanwhile, cube the hamburger buns; place pieces on a baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and bake for 8 minutes, or until golden brown.

The soup is simmering, the hamburger bun croutons are baking, and your kitchen smells pretty fantastic, right? Mmm.

Melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for approximately 3-5 minutes, or until lightly bubbly.

Add the butter-flour mixture to the soup; bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce to low heat.

Don't forget to check on the croutons!

Coarsely chop tomatoes and lettuce; grate the cheese.

Stir in the milk, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, salt, and pepper. Cook until cheese melts.

Top with hamburger bun croutons, and enjoy!

 

Eat your heart out.

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Pinteresting Pairings: Olive Garden-Macaroni Grill Knock-Off Meal

Recently, I've noticed a trend: People tend to find the task of assembling all components of a full meal a bit burdensome.

Following is a weekly feature to EYHO called "Pinteresting Pairings." This type of post provides a platform for pieced together recipes, gathered from the Web and included on my Pinterest page, to make a full meal. Most often, I will try to include a drink, an appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert. I hope to make these dishes soon!

Feel free to leave comments regarding sides, desserts, and the like, that might go well with the other featured dishes. Creativity welcome!

Starter

Knock-Off Olive Garden Salad
via Jennifer on Pinterest

Drink

Honey, Lemon, Ginger Vodka Seltzer
via Jennifer on Pinterest

Entrée

Knock-Off Macaroni Grill Pasta Vesuvio
via Jennifer on Pinterest

Dessert

Grilled Peaches with Honey and Yogurt
via Jennifer on Pinterest 

Eat your heart out.

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Pinteresting Pairings: Indian Cuisine

I, and many of you, are in the process of learning what tastes right in the kitchen. At times, finding creative dish ideas can be stressful. "Pinteresting Pairings" posts bring together recipes from around the Web, and arrange those dishes as full meals.

Here are a number of Pins that make up an overly delicious Indian feast.

Entrée

Crockpot Coconut Ginger Chicken and Vegetables

Side

Herbed Basmati Rice

Drink

Indian Drink: Mango Lassi

Dessert

Gulab Jamuns (Fried Milk Balls in Rose Water Syrup)

Eat your heart out.

Your turn: What are some of your Indian dishes?

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Caprese Fettuccine

Ingredients:

Dried (or fresh) fettuccine pasta, enough for two people

1 c. grape tomatoes, halved

1/4 c. fresh basil, coarsely chopped

1/2 c. shredded monterey jack cheese

1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

1/4 c. grated romano cheese

1/2 c. fresh mozzarella cheese, diced

1 tbsp. rosemary, crushed

1 tbsp. Italian herb mix

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. salt, or more to taste, plus more for boiling water

1 tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

To a large pot, add enough water to cover fettuccine pasta for two people. Add about 1-2 tbsp. salt to the water, as this is the only chance to flavor the pasta itself (I love the heck out of some Rachel Ray). Bring to a boil.

While the water is heating, halve the grape tomatoes and set aside.

Add the fettuccine to the water and boil for recommended time on the package--usually about 12 minutes. I recommend cooking al dente, especially since we're going to add the drained pasta back to the pot to include the remaining ingredients and let flavors meld together.

Finish halving the grape tomatoes and coarsely chop the basil. Smells amazing, right?

Give the mozz a dice.

Right about now, the pasta should be done. Drain and place back in the pot. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and toss.

Add the tomatoes, basil, all cheeses, and dry ingredients.

Mix the fettuccine and other ingredients together until well blended. If it is a little dry, drizzle a bit more olive oil onto the combination. Not too much. Lightly toss until smooth and creamy.

At this step, it took everything within me to not eat the entire pot. Of course, go ahead and taste the pasta to make sure it's to your liking. Add more of what you prefer.

Serve ...

... and eat your heart out.

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Pinteresting Pairings: A Hearty, Year-Round Italian Meal

Over the past couple of weeks, I've noticed a trend: People tend to find the task of assembling all components of a full meal a bit burdensome.

I'm introducing a weekly feature to EYHO called "Pinteresting Pairings." This type of post provides a platform for me to piece together recipes, from my Pinterest page, to make a full meal. Most often, I will try to include a drink, an appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert.

Feel free to leave comments regarding sides, desserts, and the like, that might go well with the other featured dishes. Your creativity is always welcome.


Please take the first Pinteresting Pairings post as an example of features to come:

Starter

Roasted Grapes with Thyme, Fresh Ricotta,  and Grilled Bread

Drink

A to Z Pinot Gris 2010 (Oregon, USA)

Entrée

Oven Fried Parmesan Garlic Chicken

Side

Zucchini Tomato Gratin

Dessert

Creme Brûlée

Eat your heart out.

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Bacon Twist on the Classic Margherita Pizza - An Interactive Date Night

This is a dish for which I hope you've made friends with your local pizzeria. Depending on the owner and your relationship with them, one can typically purchase pre-made pizza dough. This works perfectly for interactive date nights, without all the hassle of making dough from scratch. The pizzeria down the street (about one block - I know, dangerous, right?) sells large dough balls for $2.00. 

Yield: 2 medium, thin-crust pizzas

Ingredients:

1 large dough ball, divided in two

1 15 oz. can of tomato or pizza sauce

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1 bunch basil

1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved

8 oz. fresh mozzarella 

Olive oil

3 strips bacon

Salt and pepper

Yellow cornmeal

Directions:

Once you get the dough, most likely it will be chilled. Set it on the countertop, preferably covered, until it reaches room temperature. This will give you a chance to focus on the other steps, before putting the pizzas together. Set oven to 400 degrees.

Spread the yellow cornmeal across the surface for the dough.

Spray two pans with non-stick spray; coat with yellow cornmeal.

Cut the grape tomatoes in half; chop desired amount of basil, for both the sauce and atop the pizza (approximately 1/2 c., for me); thinly slice the mozzarella.

Prepare the sauce. To a medium sauce pan, add the can of tomato or pizza sauce; add approximately 1/4 c. basil and 1 tbsp. minced garlic. Stir and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

While the sauce is simmering, prepare the bacon. Thinly slice the bacon.

Heat a medium-size sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon.

Cook until golden brown--approximately 5 minutes--and drain.

Once the sauce and bacon are done, it's time to focus on the dough. Note: Do not knead the dough. At this point, all we want to do is stretch the dough to its desired shape. Focus on the middle and work outward. Don't worry if there are any holes, as they can be easily patched.

Place the stretched pizza dough onto their pans. Gently pop any air bubbles.

Spoon about 1/4 - 1/2 c. sauce onto each pizza.

Atop the sauce, place the mozzarella--approximately one inch between each slice (trust me, it'll melt and crawl the whole surface of the pizza, anyhow).

Add the drained bacon, grape tomatoes, and remaining basil. Drizzle lightly with olive oil.

Place the pizza pans in the center of the oven; bake for about 15 minutes. Note: Every oven is different, so it is best to check on the pizza often. Remove when the crust is a golden brown; leave longer if you like an extra crispy pizza.

Maybe enjoy with a nice red wine? We did!

Eat your heart out.

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