Portabella Burgers with Sundried Tomato Pesto & Classic Margherita Pizza

Portabella Burgers with Sundried Tomato Pesto

Recipe here from My California Roots!

Classic Margherita Pizza

Recipe here from Sally's Baking Addiction!

Golden Clam Chowder Recipe

Comfort food at its best! Yes, you can have a warm, homemade bowl of Clam Chowder for dinner tonight. This soup is seasoned expertly and the thyme adds a great dimension of flavor.

Ingredients

2 celery ribs

2 medium carrots

1 medium onion

2 teaspoons olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

2 cans (6-1/2 ounces each) minced clams, undrained

1 bottle (8 ounces) clam juice

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon water, divided

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Directions

Finely chop the celery, carrots and onion. In a Dutch oven, saute vegetables in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the potatoes, clams, clam juice, 1 cup water, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Gradually stir in milk; heat through. Combine cornstarch and remaining water until smooth; stir into chowder. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in bacon. Yield: 7 servings.

French Onion Grilled Cheese

Have you ever veered off the traditional grilled cheese route? Maybe it's time.

Let's start with the primary "rules" on what makes a grilled cheese a grilled cheese.  

A Grilled Cheese Must...

• be a closed sandwich, griddled on both sides.
• have cheese as the primary ingredient. Other ingredients can complement, but not overwhelm the cheese.
• be made with sliced bread. Thus a sandwich made with whole, crust-on loaves like an Italian panini or a Cubano do not qualify.
• be served hot all the way through, with the cheese melted.
• be cooked on a flat, greased surface until golden brown. In extreme circumstances it may be cooked on an outdoor grill over an open fire. A grilled cheese may never be baked.

Now that that's out of the way. How about this French Onion Grilled Cheese which captivates the flavors of French onion soup in a simple, handheld grilled cheese.

French Onion Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:

2 onions, sliced

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup beef broth

2 sprigs thyme

1 clove garlic, minced

4 slices bread

6 ounces gruyere cheese, shredded

softened butter as needed

Instructions:

To make the caramelized onions, heat the sliced onions with the butter over very low heat. Stir occasionally, cooking slowly for about one hour, or until the onions are sweet and brown. More butter may be needed as the onions cook.

Add the beef broth, thyme, and garlic to the onions, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon as the liquid sizzles. Cook until all the liquid in the pan has evaporated. Remove from heat and set aside.

Build the sandwiches by dividing the cheese and onions between two slices of bread. Top with the remaining slices of bread.

Butter the tops and bottoms of the sandwiches and heat in a pan over medium heat until crispy.

Good Ol' Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

(Recipe below)

If you are a cat owner, please do me a favor: (besides spay &  neuter), try whistling at a very high pitch & see how your cat responds. I'm not sure if it works on all cats, but my kitties become very affectionate and silly. I've read all sorts of things about why this might be. One place said it could be because kittens have a very high pitched cry & instinctively hearing the whistling makes them think you're in distress & need comforting.  If you know why this is, feel free to comment! Love hearing from my readers! 

Meet my felines:
<--Smokey & Gabriel-->

Now, on to the soup. Yes, the soup. What's the scoop on the soup, Scotty! No, but seriously. Homemade Chicken Noodle. Ya' know, I'm kind of surprised at how cold it's been today. I mean 62 ° F isn't that low, but in comparison to this summer's heat, it's a tad chilly. There's a wicked draft that comes through the french doors toward the back of the house that needs to be fixed before winter.  Go figure my office is the room with the french doors. Har, har.  Though we haven't fired up our wood stove yet, I am guilty of using the space heater today.  I am also guilty of wearing fuzzy socks; very warm fuzzy socks.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning

6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

4 cups cubed peeled potatoes

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast

2 cups uncooked yolk-free wide noodles

1 cup fat-free evaporated milk

Directions:

In a stockpot, saute the onion, carrots and celery in oil for 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the flour, oregano, thyme and poultry seasoning until blended.

Gradually add the broth, potatoes and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Stir in chicken and noodles; simmer for 10 minutes or until noodles are tender. Reduce heat. Stir in milk; heat through (do not boil). Yield: 8 servings.

Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip

I love football season. Being a foodie, my favorite thing about football season besides the game, is the food. Who woulda' guessed? It's a time for hearty, satisfying eats. It's a time when we unavoidably gain a few extra pounds to stay warm in winter. At my home, we are big football fans. And even bigger tailgating fans. My hubby reunites with his buddies from college and reminisces over beers.  Myself & Ellie (my daughter) serve up tempting tailgating dishes to family & friends...and hot chocolate, too! This Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip

always goes too fast. It's definitely a sports fan crowd-pleaser! Incredibly easy dip to make.

Ingredients

• 1/2 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed, drained and coarsely chopped
• 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon chili sauce (optional)
• 1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
• 1/4 cup mozzarella, shredded

Directions

Mix everything and pour it into a baking dish.

Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the sides are bubbling and the cheese cheese has melted and turned golden brown on top, about 20-30 minutes.

Peach Cobbler, Peach BBQ Sauce, & Roasted Peach Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

The month of August is National Peach month! This holiday is for honoring and enjoying the great flavor of juicy peaches! So go get yourself a few. Eat them right off the tree, sliced in cream, make peach cobbler with ice cream or you can even blend them in delicious slushies. It doesn't matter how you eat them just as long as during this month you celebrate National Peach month by eating them in as many ways as you can think of.  The peach recipes I've included below should be helpful in getting you started. Enjoy!

Fresh Peach Cobbler

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided into 3/4 cup each

1 tbsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1 cup milk

4 cups (about 4 large) fresh yellow peaches, cut into slices

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp. lemon zest

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt butter in a large baking dish or dutch oven.

Combine flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder and kosher salt in a medium bowl. Add milk and stir just until dry ingredients are incorporated. Without stirring, pour batter over melted butter.

Heat remaining 3/4 cup sugar, fresh peach slices, lemon juice, lemon zest, cinnamon and nutmeg over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Cook until sugar has melted and all ingredients are fully mixed. Without stirring, pour the peach mixture over the batter. Don’t worry: the crust will form over the peaches during baking. Sprinkle cobbler crust with additional cinnamon or nutmeg, if desired.

Bake cobbler for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve cobbler along with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Peach Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 large clove garlic, chopped

1 lb (16 oz) of canned or fresh soft & ripe peaches

1 ripe tomato, quartered

1 tsp. lemon zest

Juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup)

3 Tbsp Spicy Mustard

2 tsp. paprika

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup ketchup

1 tbsp. Sorghum (or molasses)

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium-high heat; stir in onion & garlic, and saute till translucent, about 5-10 minutes. Next, add in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil for about 3 minutes. Turn down heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off burner and carefully transfer ingredients to a blender or food processor and puree till smooth. Next, either transfer sauce back to pan to continue to simmer or set aside for later use.

If using on chicken, baste the sauce on during the last 5-10 minutes of grilling, this is so the natural sugars won’t burn up your chicken.

Roasted Peach Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

Ingredients:

Cupcake:

6 semi-ripe peaches

1/2 cup butter softened

1 cup sugar

2 larges eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup Unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 cup buttermilk

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter softened

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2-4 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400˚ and cover a sheet tray in parchment paper.

Peel the peaches and dice in 1/2″ pieces. Play on sheet tray and bake for 25-30 minutes or until peaches become soft and are just beginning to brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

Lower oven to 350˚.

In a medium bowl (or a bowl of a stand mixer) combine butter and sugar, beat until light and fluffy- about 3 minutes. Add in eggs and vanilla, continue to beat (I use the whisk attachment on my kitchen aid) until incorporated, scrapping down as needed. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients followed by half of the milk. Beat until just combined. Scrap down sides and repeat. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix until batter is combined- don’t over mix. Fold in roasted peaches.

Divide batter into 12 cupcakes and bake for 18-20 minutes or until cupcake springs back when pressed. Remove from pan and let cool.

Once cupcakes are cool, beat butter (with a paddle attachment) until soft. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Once frosting starts to come together, add in cream as needed to achieve a spreadable consistency (you don’t want the butter cream too soft or too firm.) Pipe onto cupcakes or smear on with a knife.