Roasted Tomato and Bell Pepper Gouda Bisque + BLTs

This past weekend I went to a little restaurant on the town square with my mother. We had a roasted red pepper and Gouda bisque that I had to try to recreate for Cody to try. Yummy! Plus, BLTs are tasty, so I had to make them too!

 What you'll need for the bisque:

6-8 tomatoes

8 oz of Gouda cheese

Parmesan cheese, grated

2 bell peppers

10 baby carrots

tomato paste

8 oz sour cream

2 jalapenos

8 cloves of garlic

1 jar of roasted red peppers in oil

1 shallot

32 oz chicken broth

Spices (1/2 tsp each): paprika, dried basil, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, rosemary, thyme

2 bay leaves

 Cut all the vegetables and place them on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil.

 Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cook for about 20 minutes and then broil for about 15 minutes.

 When the vegetables come out, remove the tomato skins, and place all the vegetables in a pot. 

 Add the spices, and cover with chicken broth.

 Add in the roasted red bell peppers from the jar.

Bring to a boil and cook until the carrots are soft--about 20-30 minutes.

Turn off the heat, and remove the bay leaves.

Use the hand mixer to blend everything together.

You may want to leave it a little chunky.

Add in the tomato paste.

Add in the sour cream.

Slowly add in the Gouda cheese in batches. 

Add in about 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

 While the soup is boiling for the 20-30 minutes, there is plenty of time to make the BLTs.

What you'll need:

Bacon

Roma tomatoes

Green Leaf Lettuce

Dinner rolls

Provolone (or left-over Gouda)

 Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

 Place the bacon on a sheet pan and cook for 15 minutes. You may want to put foil on the pan for easy cleanup. While the bacon is cooking, slice the tomatoes and chop the lettuce.Slice and toast the rolls. 

 I like to put a little mayo and pepper on the top with bacon on the bottom. Then, add the tomato and lettuce. Last, add the cheese. Eat it! 

 Wow! This is a yummy dinner. I hope you try these out. 

God bless you and your food!

Baked Chicken Wings

Cody and I love chicken wings! I end up craving them at least once every week...especially Central Barbecue's smoked wings. Anyway, sometimes we like to make some at home in the oven rather than frying. 

What you'll need:

About 20 chicken wings

1 stick of butter

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 cup hot sauce (we use Frank's)

First, dry the chicken wings with paper towels so that the flour can stick better.

 Add the flour, paprika, garlic power, salt, and cayenne pepper to a zip-lock bag. Add the chicken, and then shake until well coated.

Melt the butter, and then add the hot sauce.

 Prepare a pan by covering it with foil; I use a double layer just in case. I also add a rack on top.

Dip each wing one at a time into the sauce mixture to coat.

 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cook the wings for about 25-30 minutes and then turn them over.

 Once you turn them, cook them for another 20-25 minutes. 

 Yum, yum, yum! Serve the wings with carrots, ranch or blue cheese dressing, and a salad (to make yourself feel better). I hope you enjoy!

God bless you and your food!

Pesto Chicken Sandwich

It's a Tuesday night, and I wanted to make something relatively easy; thus I made some tasty pesto chicken sandwiches. Also, these are great for Cody to take for lunch. Not to mention, The Biggest Loser is on TV tonight, so I shouldn't be eating all the cookies and caramels. These will be a better choice! 

 What you'll need:

Your choice of bread: kaiser, chibatta, etc.

Pesto

Chicken breast (I use 3 so that I have leftovers*)

Goat cheese

Bell Peppers (red was on sale! Yay!)

Chicken seasoning(s) (I used Montreal seasoning and "Jamaican Me Crazy")

Add the chicken to the pan, and season with the chicken seasonings.  Our friend Higgins bought us a grill pan for our wedding, and we use it all the time!

Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Once the second side has cooked, remove from the heat, and let the meat rest for a few minutes.

While the meat is resting, cut up the bell peppers.

Cut the chicken thinly.

Add a bit of oil to a pan, and heat the bell peppers for a few minutes. I usually only cook a few at a time in case I don't need them all. For leftovers, I like to leave the bell pepper raw.  

Toast the bun, add pesto to the top, and the chicken to the bottom.

Add bell peppers.

Add chunks of goat cheese. YUM!

Ready to eat! Cody should be home from the library soon, so I have time to make several more for lunches tomorrow!
  

* I use the leftover chicken for quesadillas, fajitas, or for the top of salads. Leftover bell pepper is great for when I'm feeling snacky.
 

Soft Caramel Candies!

What you will need:

2 sticks butter

2 1/4 cups light brown sugar

1 (14 oz) can of sweetened condensed milk

1 cup light corn syrup

1/8 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Add butter and brown sugar to a large pot.

Pour in the sweetened condensed milk. 

It helps to spray the measuring cup with cooking spray so that the corn syrup comes out easier.

Add corn syrup.

Turn on medium-high heat, add a candy thermometer, and begin stirring.

The mixture gets bubbly pretty quickly.

STOP cooking the moment the candy thermometer reads 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Any hotter will make brittle, and any less will still be runny when it cools. Remove the pot from the heat.

Off of the heat, add the vanilla extract.

Be careful because the caramel will bubbly up when you add the vanilla.

Butter a 9 x 13 inch pan.

Pour the caramel into the pan.

I like to cover mine with a rack and a towel as it cools so that it does not gather condensation. Let the caramel cool for at least an hour.

While the caramel is cooling, cut cellophane paper into 4 x 4 inch squares to wrap the individual pieces.  

After cooling, score the top of the caramel with a knife to create a template of 1 inch squares. Use kitchen scissors to cut out pieces and wrap them individually (use tape to secure). 

These caramels are tasty treats to give as gifts to friends. They also keep for quite some time! Hope you enjoy!

God bless you and your food!