Simple Yet Gourmet

T'is the season for soup.  I was told by Tyler this week that he hates the winter because all we eat is soup.  I reminded him that I make soup about once every two weeks but it can become more often if he would like!  I love to feed my family soup, even if Tyler feels we eat to much of it, because I feel this is the best way to make sure they get a complete and balanced meal without much hassle or fight.  Plus it just makes you feel all warm inside.  This was a great soup, wonderful flavor and simple to make.  Serve it with a slice of warm homemade bread or rolls to make the meal complete.  Enjoy!

So when I made these this morning, Maddie said, "pumpkin all November and now eggnog all of December?"  My answer to that was, "oh yes!"  I love eggnog, so why not make whatever you can using this seasonal item!  I made eggnog french toast with eggnog syrup last week and loved it.  Next week I have a recipe for overnight eggnog french toast, so Maddie is in for it.  These are simple muffins with just a hint of eggnog, but I thought they were wonderful.  If you enjoy eggnog, then I would give these a try.  Enjoy!

When I was a child, I would have liked to eat Mac and Cheese from the box every single day.  I still remember my Dad teasing me about how when I got older and went on a date I would probably ask for Macaroni and Cheese.  What can I say-I loved it!  I thought all kids did.  My little Brynlee, however, will not touch the stuff.  If I ever offer to make it she asks me to leave the cheese off.  So basically she wanted just plain noodles.  That is until she tried this.  This is SO much better than the stuff from the box and really doesn't take much longer to make.  It is smooth, creamy, and delicious.  Comfort food at it's finest!

I pinned this recipe over a year ago with great intentions to try it and then completely forgot about it till this year.  I'm so glad I remembered!  This apple cake is very moist, dense, full of apples, and dripping with caramel.  It really wasn't that complicated to make- I just lined the pan with parchment to make sure the cake came out good.  Everything else was a piece of cake!  Pun intended :).  I thought this was a delicious take on a classic combo.  If you love caramel apples, you'll probably love this cake!

With cold weather just around the corner, a good bowl of soup or chili is always comforting. This recipe come from my mom, who taught me everything I know and is one of the best cooks around. We made this a few weekends ago and really enjoyed it. I came a cross another version of this that is cooked in the crock pot so I will post that one as well and you can decide which one works best for you! I cooked my own beans and my kids ate a big bowl of just the beans before I added them to the soup. What can I say, my kids are a little strange in what they like to eat, but I love it!                             Happy Fall!

So the pumpkin season continues!!  My family is looking forward to Christmas because the pumpkin will go away, but until then the torture continues.  Just looking at the picture you know these are going to be good!  These were moist, rich in flavor and just melt in your mouth delicious.  I love the taste of chocolate and pumpkin so I added some mini chocolate chips to the crumble topping.  You are more then a welcome to add it to the batter, but I just wanted a hint so I thought the topping would be perfect.  You better hurry and try these before pumpkin season is over and peppermint time begins.

I really do love a good chicken pot pie.  The only thing I don't like is all the work that goes into it for a good pie.  When I came across this recipe I knew that I had to give it a try.  It was simple to make and the crumble topping was excellent.  You can use the crock pot to cook your chicken, but I just boiled my chicken in the chicken broth on the stove top for 30-40 minutes and it turned out just great.  I made a batch and a half of the crumble and the kids just added extra crumble to their plate when I dished it out.  Then they ate the rest of them over the course of the night as a treat!  If you love a good pot pie, then you will love this one! (picture from cooking classy, mine was not so good!)