Broccoli Cheese Soup

I love making this soup, because you can make it on the stove in about a half hour or cook it all day in a crock.

12 cups water
20 ounces chopped broccoli (or if you're me, much more)
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
4 teaspoons salt
pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons garlic powder
16 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
1 cup cold water

Bring water to boil.  Add broccoli and onion; boil 10-12 minutes or until onions are transparent.  Add seasonings, milk, cream, butter, and cheese.  Stir until cheese melts and soup has a creamy texture.  Mix together flour and cold water for a thickener.  Add to soup, stirring rapidly and cook until soup is thick.

Broccoli Salad

I absolutely big puffy heart LOVE this salad.  I'm a huge fan of broccoli and it can only be made better with onions and bacon.  It's a great summertime classic, but I'm very excited to have fresh broccoli year round to make it whenever I like.

1 large head broccoli, chopped

1 mild red onion, chopped

1 cup grated Swiss cheese

1/2 cup crisp cooked bacon

1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries, optional

1/2 cup cashews or peanuts, optional

Dressing:

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup mayo

2 Tbsp. white vinegar

Mix dressing and let set at least 3 hours before combining with other ingredients.

Mexican Corn Chowder

This recipe essentially comes from my boyfriend’s mom.  However, we make it a little bit different.  We had it for dinner tonight and I ate two large bowls.  I absolutely love it with a dollop of sour cream and some tortilla chips (in case there isn’t enough corn already!).


One of the wonderful things about this recipe is it can be made any time of year, since most of the ingredients are canned and it’s made in a Crock Pot. However, it would be great to use fresh when available too.  I know part of my family (in Michigan) who will husk and partially cook corn on the cob to freeze for the winter when it’s unavailable.

Mexican Corn Chowder

6 cans cream style corn, not drained
2 cans corn, drained
2 cans diced tomatoes, not drained (I used diced tomatoes with sweet onion tonight)
1 package bacon, cooked, drained, and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 Tbsp garlic, chopped (I just estimated it)
Chopped jalapeno, to taste (I used about a tablespoon and a half of nacho slices from a jar tonight)
2 cans potatoes, sliced OR 2 large potatoes, peeled and sliced

Crock Pot directions:
Open up canned vegetables and add to Crock Pot.  Start to cook bacon over medium heat in a frying pan.  While bacon is cooking, chop up onion, jalapeno, and potatoes.  Once bacon is done cooking, discard (or store) bacon grease leaving about 1 Tablespoon of bacon in the pan.  Sauté the onion, garlic, and jalapeno in the bacon fat. If using fresh potatoes, sauté those as well.  If using canned, simply add to Crock Pot without cooking them. Once the onions start to turn translucent, add pan contents to Crock Pot.  Mix together well and cook on high for 4-5 hours (or on low 8-10 hours)  or until warm.

Stove directions:
Cook bacon over medium heat in a frying pan. While bacon is cooking, chop up onion, jalapeno, and potatoes.  Once bacon is done cooking, discard (or store) bacon grease leaving about 1 Tablespoon of bacon in the pan.  Sauté the onion, garlic, and jalapeno in the bacon fat. If using fresh potatoes, sauté those as well.  Once the onions start to turn translucent, add all ingredients back in and cook on the stove for 20-25 minutes.

Vegetable Pizza

1 package crescent rolls
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp. Miracle Whip
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
Seasoning salt, to taste
Variety of vegetables, chopped
Shredded cheddar cheese

Spread crescent rolls out on pan; bake according to package. Let cool. Mix together cream cheese, Miracle Whip, Ranch mix, and seasoning salt; spread on cooled crust. Top with vegetables and cheese.