Simple Yet Gourmet

     I am so happy to welcome fall this past week!  Not only do I love the fall colors, but I am soooo happy to finally have some cooler weather.  This summer has been so unbearable with the high temperatures and the state on fire, I am ready for fall.  Plus with cooler weather means a change in menu as well.  I start making more soups and homemade bread and less grilling.  Here is the new one for my recipe book.  I'm sure many of you know Cafe Rio and Cafe Mexicali.  I have mentioned before that I can eat Mexican food everyday if Mike would go for it.  Unfortunately, he likes Mexican food, but not as much as I do.  Well this one Mike really liked, thank goodness.  This soup in a combination of recipes from Cafe Rio and Cafe Mexicali.     At Cafe Mexicali they make this Tortilla Soup, but they add a scoop of creamy habanero sauce, which makes the soup heavenly.  Now, you may make the soup and omit the creamy sauce if you so desire, but you should at some time give it a try.  Th

This is not your average tomato soup. Roasting the tomatoes gives them extra sweetness and depth, making them burst with flavor.  I absolutely love soup in the Fall, and this one has definitely found a place in the rotation!  I am never going back to canned tomato soup.  There really is no comparison.  It's easy to make, delicious, and perfect for eating with a grilled cheese sandwich, or however you like.

I was looking for a way to use up some peaches and I came across these muffins.  Wow.  They were so delicious.  I had never had peaches in muffins before, and my first experience was quite a pleasant one.  If you have peaches to use up, give these a try.  I think you'll like them!

I love brownie batter.  I love it even more than the brownies themselves.  So when I came across this recipe I knew I needed to try it.  I made this for a youth church activity and the girls loved it!  It really did taste like brownie batter.  So yummy with strawberries, pretzels, etc.

I have been waiting all year long for peaches to come into season so I could make this salsa!  We love it.  When you first take a bite you taste the sweet peaches, but it is quickly followed up by the spiciness of the peppers.  As a side note, we picked these peaches off my parent's trees, which makes them that much sweeter.  Try eating this salsa with Hint of Lime Tostitos! So good! I've written this with canning instructions since that's what I usually do, but it's not necessary.  

With school back in session and my afternoons crazy, I am always looking for ways to make a healthy and nutritious dinner with little time and effort.  I love to use the crock-pot as much as possible on those busy days.  It is great to start dinner in the morning and have it ready at dinner time.  This recipe was a super easy dish to make and it gave me an opportunity to use up all my veggies in the fridge.  I steamed some veggies, just for a minute, then added them to the crock-pot just before I served this.  I have a rice cooker so I started that just as I walked out the door to pick up the kids from school.  Dinner was ready in no time at all!  You can always have a great dinner for your family, just sometimes you have to plan ahead and start dinner in the morning!

I have never been a fan of carrot cake, but ever since a friend of mine gave me a fantastic recipe, I love carrot cake.  Not a fan of pineapple and raisins in my cake, but a good carrot cake is to die for.  That carrot cake recipe I make often, but I was excited to find a great carrot cake cupcake recipe to make for church dinners, picnic lunches or just a quick dessert after dinner. I love cupcakes because you don't need a plate or forks to enjoy this little bit of heaven.  They easier for someone to just grab and go, plus they feed more people than the cake does.  This recipe was quick and easy and the cake turned out wonderful.  I think that carrot cake is better the next day and this is the case for these as well.  Enjoy!