Creamy Tomato Soup - A Homemade Version of Panera's

 

 

 

I LOVE Panera's Creamy Tomato Soup.  During the Fall and Winter and I cannot get enough of it. I would go to Panera at least once a week when I worked in Santa Monica but now I'm on the complete opposite side of town.  There's no Panera near home or work. :( 

 

As I was driving 4 miles out of my way to get a bowl of this yummy soup from Panera the lightbulb in my head finally turned on.  Why not search for the recipe online or Pinterest?  Duh!  I found a recipe claiming to be a pretty close version of the soup and I decided to make it tonight. 

 

Final result?  Delicious!!!  It's not exactly like Panera's but it's pretty darn close.  Close enough for me to eat it up fast.  I'm so happy that I found this recipe and I no longer have to rely on a Panera near or far away. 

 

Below is the link to the recipe I used:

 

http://www.eatbreatheblog.com/guest-post-tasty-tomato-soup/

 

Enjoy!  xoxo...

 

P.S.

I first tried Trader Joe's Creamy Tomato Soup and was very disappointed.  It was way too sweet. Yuck! 

 



Captain Crunch Cookies

 

 

I was surfing the web for cookie recipes when I found this recipe.  I have always loved Captain Crunch cereal and at one point in my youth ate it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

 

Variations - the recipe calls for chocolate chips.  I decided to make three variations of the cookie.  One plain Captain Crunch, Chocolate Chip, and Toffee Chip.  I love toffee and was hoping the cookie and toffee would go well together. 

 

I usually like soft cookies but I think for this recipe the cookies needed to be crunchier.  The crunch is what we love about the cereal, right?  I also think the best cookie was the chocolate chop one but I that's just my preference.  I will take the cookies to work tomorrow and get the final verdict for the guys at work. 

 

Below is the link to the recipe. 

http://www.grouprecipes.com/19463/cap-n-crunch-cookies.html

 

Enjoy!  Xoxo...



Neiman Marcus $250 Recipe Cookies

 

My sister received this chain recipe about 20 years ago via fax.  We baked the cookies then and loved them.  The recipe has many steps and ingredients so it wasn't a cookie recipe we often baked. 

 

Variations - the recipe calls for a Hershey bar to be grated.  In the past we would always use a normal milk chocolate bar.  This time around I used a Hershey's bar for baking that was 100% cocoa.  It gave the cookies a stronger cocoa flavor and minimized the sugary sweetness.  The cookies were taken to work and everyone loved them.  I'm just curious to see what Hershey bar version they would like better.  I also used walnuts instead of pecans. 

 

Below is the link to the recipe I used.  Warning, it yields many cookies! :)

 

http://www.food.com/recipe/neiman-marcus-250-chocolate-chip-cookies-recipe-13307

 

 

Enjoy! Xoxo...





 

 

Mexican Corn on Cob

 

Yummy!!  Living on the Westside of Los Angeles has deprived me of such goodies like Mexican corn on the cob.  While grocery shopping early this week I saw white corn on sale and the first picture that popped in my mind was of the yummy way Mexicans prepare their corn on the cob.  I grew up running to the corn guy whenever we heard the horn on his mobile corn cart blaring.  They used to cost $1 but who knows what the price is now.  Anyhow, I don't know why it took me so long to make this since it's so easy. 

 

Ingredients

White corn still wrapped in the husk

Mayo to taste

Cayenne Pepper, ground, to taste

Cotija cheese, grated

 

Prep

Cook the corn still wrapped in its husk on an outdoor grill or stove top.  (If stove top, stay close to keep an eye on it.)  Grill the corn on low heat for about 15-20 minutes, turning slowly so all sides cook evenly.  The husk will begin to dry out, burn, and blacken.  This is okay but if you're doing it on the stove top just keep an eye out for a flame or two.  Just blow it out and continue grilling and turning the corn.  When done let the corn cool off for a couple of minutes.  Peel husk from corn and you'll find a juicy and nicely grilled corn. 

 

Lightly spread mayo all over corn, sprinkle with cotija cheese followed by the cayenne pepper.  Use a wooden stick or a sheet of aluminum foil to help you hold the corn while eating it.  The aluminum foil is a more traditional Mexican way to hold it.  Enjoy! :)

 

xoxo

Cacio E Pepe (Cheese Pasta & Pepper)

 

This is my second attempt at making this pasta.  The first time I made it I used whole wheat pasta (never again!) and confused the cheeses and melted them in the opposite order that the recipe instructs. I was hoping it wouldn't make a big difference but oh boy did it ever.  The only thing I didn't care to follow was the pasta they suggest we use.  Any pasta is great as long as you like it. :)

 

Here's the link to the recipe:

http://shine.yahoo.com/in-the-pantry/never-order-takeout-again-cacio-e-pepe-200200865.html

 

Enjoy!

 

xoxo