Hot chocolate everyone will love!

This is one of my best purchases ever. This makes the best hot chocolate you've ever had, right in your own home.

I start out with the hot cocoa mix from GFS, or your local foodservice; Nestle, or Swiss Miss is good too. Your Cocomotion will make 4 servings at a time, so make sure you measure the hot chocolate mix according to package directions. I use milk; you can use water, it's your preference. But what I do which I think, makes mine stand out, is using 1/4 cup of marshmallow cream. Add that to the milk and cocoa mix, turn the machine on and in about 10 minutes, you will have hot cocoa like you did when you were a kid.

And in the end, isn't that what it is all about? The things you do today are the memories your kids will look back on. It will remind them, when times get hard, of a soft place to fall. Doesn't everybody want that for their kids?

Now, go play in the snow!

Easiest Tomato Soup!

I used to get a bowl of tomato soup from a great sandwich shop almost 20 years ago when I was a working girl. As I always do, I asked the owner how they made it; most people will be honest, but you've got that one person, who either doesn't want you to stop paying $4 for a cup of soup, or they don't want to admit cooking can actually be easy. Either way, they gave me the instructions on how to make this soup, starting with expensive canned tomatoes. It took me almost $50 later and 3 failed, awful batches of soup when I finally gave up. I was destined to never have the soup at home, settling for one cup a week at work - in my dress clothes - even during the winter, when I was all comfy in my robe and fireplace going at home.

A few months later I went to the restaurant for my weekly cup of soup and I told the young girl at the take-out counter how this was something I looked forward to but the one thing I duplicate at home. She said "I don't cook, and even I can make this soup. Want me to give you the recipe?"

Come to find out, evidently the owner either didn't want to give up the secret, or didn't want anyone to know his expensive, fancy restaurant sold soup - by the cup for $4 - started out with a can of Campbell's Tomato soup.

It's so good, you can't believe how easy it is.

1 can Campbell's Tomato Soup (10 3/4 oz can)
1 teaspoon pesto*
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in saucepan; over low heat, whisk until combined. Heat until hot but not boiling.

That's it. This is a very rich soup, so you only need a small cup. I love crusty bread with mine, or buttery crisp croutons. Refrigerates well, so you can reheat it during the week. It makes an excellent dipping sauce for grilled cheese.

*Back 20 years ago, I used pesto. But my now 12 year old son is allergic to tree nuts, he can't have pesto since it has pine nuts. So I substitute a teaspoon of grated Parmesan cheese, a small clove of garlic minced, a pinch of parsley and just a drop of olive oil. Plus the pesto, at my local store, is very expensive - and in my region so is the fresh ingredients of pesto.

Snuggle in and enjoy your soup!

This Is Not A Recipe

Last night, I took a large container of plain yogurt, let it drain overnight in a coffee filter (you can use your choice of method to strain.) Make sure you put a bowl under it that won't overflow into your refrigerator - sometimes you get a lot of liquid, sometimes not. Depends on the brand and how long it sits.

This morning, I threw away the liquid, took the thick yogurt mixture and added a teaspoon of Penzeys vanilla, half the zest of an orange, the juice from the half of orange and 2 packages of Sun Crystals (5 calories per package) mixed with a dusting of nutmeg and cinnamon, refrigerating until this afternoon.

About mid-morning, I took some fresh strawberries, cut them in half and tossed them with a teaspoon of sugar and a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.

When I crave a creamy snack, I layer the yogurt (I flavored myself exactly like I like it) with the strawberries - and don't limit yourselves to strawberries. I love raspberries, blueberries, whatever is available in your area and is afforable. Plus I make my own granola also affordable - just oats, coconut, almonds sweetened with honey, exactly what I like - none of that pesky granola full of cheap peanuts and fake maple flavor. Just watch it in the oven, boy it burns quickly!

That's the best part of making your own things at home - it's how you like it, at no extra charge. Plus when you make it yourself, you know it's not going to be wrong when you get home and opened the wrapper.

The only way I could get my young son to eat yogurt was to take the thick yogurt mixture, and instead of adding the stuff I liked, I added a package of the sugar free grape drink aid mix normally added to a bottle of water (and, it's not half bad!)

See, it doesn't always have to be a recipe!

Turn This Into That! French Onion Soup

I took the simple, inexpensive ingredients and made a delicious, satisfying lunch!

Yesterday, I purchased from Kroger, the following:

Campbell's French Onion Soup .......... $1 per can on sale (I used 2 cans for 4 servings)

Kroger Mozzarella Cheese .......... $1.99 for 8 oz. bag

Texas Toast Frozen Bread .......... $2.40 for a box of 8 slices

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Bake bread according to package directions (usually 6 - 8 minutes.) While the bread bakes, heat the soup according to directions.

Just assemble and bake:

Cut the bread into cubes (one slice of bread per bowl, you can serve an extra piece of bread on the side or save it for later)

Ladle soup into oven proof bowl

Top with mozzarella cheese.

Bake at same temperature until cheese melts. Bowls are hot, be careful! And make sure your bowls are oven proof - that's really important!

For 4 servings, the total cost was about $1.60 per serving. If you ordered this at a restaurant, you can expect to pay at the very least, triple that amount. Mine was ready in a fraction of the time it would take to get carry-out, or going to the drive-thru. We never left the house.

Now, you can make the onion soup from scratch - which I do. But when I don't have homemade on hand, or day old french bread, the ready made ingredients keep me at home with my family instead of eating a cold sandwich or ordering out. And I always say, if keeping the ready made ingredients on hand means you don't settle for a dry burger and fries then it's worth it.

Homemade is good, but don't let not having the homemade-from-scratch ingredients keep you from making this soup!

And in my case, the fireplace inside our dining room with the snow falling outside was furnished at no additional charge - that means I had lunch on the table in less than 10 minutes, and my sons were more than happy to enjoy the meal with me. We laughed and talked for over an hour, and it only meant 10 minutes of work from me. I don't know about you, but I can't put a price on that.

Enjoy!