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!

~ A Christmas Story Dinner ~

I've been fixing this dinner for a long time; my now teenage boys have come to expect the month of December. It's the meal the Parker's are seen eating just prior to the 'old man' getting his major award and after Ralphie's fight. The only thing I changed, is the purple cabbage - we don't care for it, so I use green cabbage - actually, I buy the shredded cabbage or cole slaw mix in the bag because it has carrots in it, and I like the sweetness (and convenience.) I also serve a platter of cornbread with mine. Remember, I cook for a family of six, five of them men so this meal could be a bigger one than you need; either reduce the quantities by half or this could be a 'cook once eat twice' meal.

I hope everyone enjoys this as much as my family - and of course, it's best served while watching 'A Christmas Story.'

Meatloaf Smeatloaf

3 lbs ground beef

1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs (if making fresh breadcrumbs, that's 5 slices of bread)

2 eggs slightly beaten

1/4 grated onion

1 small clove minced garlic

1 tsp Kitchen Bouquet

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp black pepper

2 tsp sloppy joe sauce (can reserved for topping)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, mix eggs, onion, garlic, Kitchen Bouquet, salt, black pepper, and sloppy joe sauce. Give it a quick mix; add ground beef and breadcrumbs, mix gently until everything is incorporated - be careful not to over mix, or your meatloaf will not have a moist texture. (It's very fra-gee-lay...) In the meantime, mix 2 tbsp brown sugar into the rest of the sloppy joe sauce, reserve for topping.

Form mixture into 2 even loaves, place in oven proof roasting dish. Top each loaf with a few tablespoons of sauce, and put in the oven for 45 minutes, remove from oven and add a little more sauce if desired. Bake until internal temperature is 165, or about 1 hour and 15 minutes. (every oven is different, so check periodically for best results.) Heat the sauce on the stove for about 5 minutes, until hot. Serve on the side.

Mashed Potatoes

10 peeled potatoes, cut into chunks (I use russet potatoes)

10 cups cold water

1 1/2 sticks of butter or margarine

2/3 cup milk

salt and pepper to taste

In a large pan over high heat, bring potatoes & water to a rolling boil; after 15 minutes, check for tenderness, a knife should go right through without them being mushy. If not, you may need to add 5 more minutes to cooking time. When potatoes are tender, strain and return to dry pan. In the meantime, heat milk and butter until butter is melted. Add milk and butter to potatoes, part at a time, whip with mixer or potato masher, whatever is best for you. Don't beat them too long, you don't want them to be like glue (save the glue to repair your major award...)

Sauteed Cabbage

1 lb bag cole slaw mix or 1/2 large head cabbage, shredded

2 tsp butter

1 tsp kosher salt

Pepper to taste

In a hot skillet, melt the butter over medium high heat - add the cabbage and using tongs or a spoon and a fork saute the cabbage until covered in melted butter and hot but still crisp, this happens quickly - usually just about 5 minutes. Cover and keep warm until the rest of the meal is done.

This dinner is best served with a plate of white bread, a plate of dill pickles and tall glasses of ice cold milk.

From my family to yours, I wish you all the happiness in the world, and may all your wishes - like Ralphie's - come true.

Eggnog Pound Cake

My sister sent me 2 pieces of this cake tonight and it was positively delicious! It would be great to take to an office pot luck or family gathering. And it's not hard to make, doesn't cost a lot and takes minutes to prepare so you can still have time to enjoy your holiday. It's from the Southern Living magazine.

Eggnog Pound Cake

1 package pound cake mix (16 oz package)
1 1/4 cups eggnog
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan (I'd use real butter, you get a great texture.)

Beat all ingredients together on low speed: Increase to medium speed and beat for 2 minutes. Pour into greased pan. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool in a pan on a wire rack, about 10 minutes, remove the bread from the pan and continue to cool on wire rack. Slices clean in about an hour (but I bet it would taste sinfully good while still warm.)

Nothing says holiday like eggnog! And make sure you take a copy of this recipe, because anybody who eats it will want to know how you made it!

Catt's Homemade Dill Dip

I know this is a retro recipe, and I know you can buy it - but it's so much better if you make it yourself. And if you can't find the round bread to use, then use a bowl and surround the dip with crisp vegetables, and cubes of good crusty bread. The original recipe called for a spice, Beau-Monde; some can't find that in their area and I hate buying one spice for one thing. In this day and age, it's too expensive. So I've made an appropriate change.

Catt's Dill Dip

1 cup mayonnaise (use a good brand)
1 cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons dried minced onion
1 tablespoon parsley
1 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon celery salt

Whisk together all ingredients. Let sit overnight, so the flavors can marry. Serve in a hollowed round loaf of pumpernickel bread, or in a green pepper and a red pepper, which have been hollowed out also. Can also serve with crackers and vegetables even though I have to tell you, the best thing to dip in this is bread cubes. I just take a loaf of french bread and cut it into bite sized cubes. Yummy!