Quick Creamy Tomato Soup

While talking with my mom today I had asked her if she could share any recipes with the masses what would it be? The answer, this tomato soup recipe.

She kept telling me to post this recipe because its quick, good and most of the ingredients people already have in there pantry. She said people are always looking for quick, simple recipes that are comforting.

So here is my moms go to recipe for tomato soup!

Ingredients:
2 (15-ounce) containers, chicken or vegetable stock/broth
1 (28-ounce) can concentrated crushed tomatoes
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and black pepper
Fresh basil leaves (cut into thin strips)

Directions

Combine broth and tomatoes in a medium saucepan over moderate heat. When soup bubbles, stir in heavy cream and reduce heat to low. Season with a little salt and pepper and simmer gently 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. With an immersion blender, puree soup. Serve bowls of soup with basil and soup toppings of your choice!

Gooey Butter Cookies

At the beginning of March my family and my parents went to stay at a hotel for my mom and dads celebrations. I refer to it as celebrations because my moms birthday is the 1st, my dads the 3rd and there anniversary the 5th. We got the whole thing done on one day!

I told my mom that I was going to bake something to bring up there since she had purchased a premade cake (shame on her). So I made the Gooey Butter Cookies- they were a hit! They are so soft and delicious there is no way possible you can have just one.

Ingredients:
1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 egg
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (18.25 oz) yellow cake mix
1/4 c. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl cream together cream cheese and butter. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Add cake mix and stir until well blended. Roll into 1 inch balls then roll in powdered sugar. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes. They will appear soft and they should be. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Sprinkle with more powdered sugar if desired.

*Variation-use other cake mixes for different flavors.

Alot of posts!!

Hey guys, bear with me. I am moving my other blog over here to this one. So yes there will be alot of posts in one day! It will get regular soon I promise! I usually try to post daily or every other day. Im a cook/bakeaholic so there is reason behind my madness. I would love comments on what you like, what you want to see me bake etc. So hope you all enjoy my site and brings you as much joy as it does me.

Sugar Cookie Bars

Who wants to take all that time rolling and cutting and individually frosting sugar cookies? Not I. Here is your solution- sugar cookie bars! Thanks to the author of chef-in-training.com I found this simple easy recipe that will sure impress. I had my little guys around as taste testers and decorators this morning and let's just say they had more samples than me!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. butter, room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray jelly roll pan (15x10x1) with cooking spray. In your mixer cream butter, cream cheese and sugar together. Add in egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated. With mixer on low, add in your dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and baking soda. Mix until just combined. Press dough evenly into your prepared pan. (dough will be sticky). Bake for 20 minutes until edges begin to turn golden brown.

You can always make your own frosting for this but I had some pink vanilla frosting with sprinkles left over from Valentines day that the boys wanted to use. Decorate, cut and indulge!

Whoopie Pies

Honestly I cannot say how Whoopie Pies have become so popular lately. I sure am not complaining! These little creations are so cute and delicious. Not really a pie per se more of a cake, but who's checking. Yesterday I had posted that I was going to bake something for my husband to bring to work for his birthday, well I made a compromise. I made the Cookies and Cream Bars as well as these Whoopie Pies and I'm giving him a little bit of each to bring. The best part of this........I get to keep some for myself, yay!

I don't think I have ever mentioned before but I used to hate to bake! Then somehow I got to baking and now I can't stop. I this this may be a good and a bad blessing. Good, I make others and my kids happy with my sweets. Bad, I think I'm putting on weight. All in all though I'm happy that I started again. I've been baking things I never thought I would. It's fun!

Anywho, here is the recipe for Whoopie Pies that I adapted from The Cake Mix Doctor Cookbook. Hope you enjoy how simple and quick this recipe really is.

Cakes:
1 pkg. (18.25 ounces) plain chocolate cake mix
8 tbs. (1 stick) butter; melted
1 large egg

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Set aside 2 ungreased baking sheets. Place the cake mix, butter, and egg in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients come together in a stiff mass, 1 to 2 minutes. Form the dough into 1-inch balls with your hands or scoop the dough into balls. Place the balls of dough on baking sheets 2 inches apart. Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake the cakes until they are still a little soft, 10 to 12 minutes. If your oven cannot accommodate both baking sheets on the center rack, place one on the top rack and one on the center rack and rotate them halfway through the baking time. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let the cakes cool on them for 5 minutes. Then, using a metal spatula, transfer the cakes to wire racks to cool completely, 30 minutes longer.

For the filling:
8 tsb. butter
1 c. powdered sugar
1 c. Marshmallow Fluff (about 1/2 of a 7 1/2-oz. jar)
1 tsp. vanilla

In a medium bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and remaining ingredients until light and fluffy.

Boston Cream Pie

I love Boston Cream Pie, who doesn't! Cake, cream filling, chocolate glaze. It is so decadent yet simple to make. Yum is all I can say.

My husbands birthday is in 2 days, happy early birthday hunny! I told him that I would make him a cake, which our 3 year old thinks is for him lol. He said he would rather have me make my Cookies and Cream Bars so he can bring them to work. I told him that I honestly couldn't guarantee that if I made them that they would last long enough to take. I'm bad, I know but there are some things on tgis earth that I can't control myself around and one of them is. Cookies and Cream Bars.

Anyways back to the topic, it has been quite a windy Minnesota day. Things flying across my yard, my 3 year old asking ever few minutes "what's that noise". So I took today as a good day to make my husbands cake. I know its a little early but that's just how I am. So here is a simple, delicious version of the beloved Boston Cream Pie.

Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix(and ingredients called for on the package.

Filling:
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding
1 c. cold milk
1 1/2 c. Cool Whip

Chocolate Glaze:
1 square unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
1 tbs. butter
3/4 c. powdered sugar
2 tbs. milk

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Spray 2 9 inch round baking pans with cooking spray. Bake cake for 28-33 mind or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool then take them out of pans and let cool completely.

Filling:
Beat together 1 cup of milk and pudding with a whisk or mixer for 2 minutes. Stir in cool whip until combined. Let stand 5 minutes. Stack cake layers on serving plate,spreading pudding mixture between layers.

Glaze:
Microwave chocolate and butter on high for one minute in a small microwave safe bowl. Stir until chocolate is melted. Add powdered sugar and 2 tbs. milk; mix well until smooth. Spread over the top of the cake. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.