Succotash Soup: Soup On

Succotash Soup

Hi everybody :)

With Fall in full effect and cooler days ahead, soups are definitively in my meal plans. Yesterday, dinner was great. Soup was on at my house. I made a vegetable soup. It was simple and easy to prepare and only takes a few ingredients you may already have.  For a full meal serve with your favorite sandwich, it's great with  grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, but I chose to serve it with Garlic Bagel Chips which were equally good.
Here's what I did...

Succotash Soup

The Ingredients 

 

3 tablespoons butter (not shown)
1 large onion, diced
2 large carrots
1 stalk celery
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes 
2 cans (14.5 oz.) triple succotash (I used Margaret Holme
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch or flour (not shown)
1/4 cup  water (not shown)
1 teaspoon sugar (not shown)
2 teaspoons Franks Red Hot Sauce (not shown) optional
Fresh or Frozen okra (I used frozen)
Salt and Pepper to taste 

Directions

In a medium 3 quart pot; melt butter over medium heat, add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook until tender, about 8 minutes.

Add tomato

and succotash. Turn temperature down to simmer. Mix cornstarch and water together; add to soup to thicken. Add sugar and hot sauce, if desired . Cook, covered, about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat, add okra, stir in and cover. 

Let sit for about 5 minutes. The heat for the soup will cook the okra. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Homemade vegetable soup is always a favorite for me. I love, love,  love this recipe. I especially LOVE okra in my soup. Sometimes I do add meat to this, but mostly I just serve it along side.  

Feeling a little chilly in your part of town? ... Greet the Fall months ahead with a warm pot of soup, and soup we'll be on at your house also :)

ENJOY! Come again...

Linked to:

Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage
Hookin' Up #120 @ House of Hepworths 

Creative Juice Thursday @ Momnivore's Dilemma

Tastetastic Thursday 10/11 

 Sweet Treats and Swanky Stuff
Food on Friday: Soup Glorious Soup!  

Red Velvet Peppermint Whoopie Pies: Making Whoopies

Red Velvet Peppermint Whoopie Pies 

Hi everybody :)

I'm so excited...I'm making whoopies today! YA! I brought my whoopie pie pans months ago. I don't know why it took me this long to decide to make some. Go figure... So this is my first whoopie...whoopie pie, that is :)

While browsing the web, I came across this red velvet cake made from a box and flavored with peppermint. Yum! I thought to myself this would definitely make great whoopie pies. The filling recipe came with the pans. So here's what I did...

Red Velvet Peppermint Whoopie Pies inspired by this and adapted

Red Velvet Cake Mix
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil or 6 tbsp. melted butter; cooled
1 teaspoon peppermint extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix cake mix, eggs, and oil until completely dissolved into dough. Add  peppermint extract.

Drop balls of dough (2 Tablespoons) onto lightly greased baking sheet or whoopie pie pan.

Bake 9-12 min. or until  done. Remove and cool.(If using whoopie pie pan allow to cool in pan for 8 minutes before removing.)

Whoopie Pie Filling adapted Wilton

6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 jar marshmallow creme (about 7 oz)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used peppermint)
 Pink food coloring (optional)
For Garnishing:
Crushed peppermint candy (optional)

In large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer until creamy. Add sugar and salt to the butter; mix well.

Add marshmallow creme and vanilla; blend well.

If desired, add food coloring. Roll edges in crushed peppermint candy. Makes about 2 1/2 cups, of filling, enough to fill 12 whoopie pies.

What I Did and/or Think:

I divided the mix in half, put 1/4 cup crushed peppermint in one of the halves. Bake up the pans one at a time. CAUTION: Do not over-bake! I baked the first pan for 10 minutes and let  them sit for the 8 minutes in pan as instructed in the pan baking directions. Don't do that! They will over-bake that way. *Lesson Learned* If you want nice chewy moist whoopie pies bake for about 9 minutes and carefully remove from pan in about 1 - 2 minutes. This was tested with a Duncan Hines Cake Mix, I do know if this is true for a cake from scratch. I will be testing it out soon, so stay tune in :)

I only made half of the filling recipe, so I drizzled some of the cookies with a peppermint glaze (recipe below) and dusted the rest with powdered sugar. So have fun and get creative with this...

For the Peppermint Glaze:
1/3 cup Powdered Sugar; sifted
1 teaspoon Peppermint Extract
about 2 Tablespoons Milk
Mix together sugar and extract, add enough milk to make it drizzle.

The Taste: The first pan was great, but a little over-cooked, but the second batch was Deliciously Chewy and Moist. I LOVE the mint flavor in these!! TIP: The filling is sticky, so let it chill a little to help make it more easier to work with. Run your scoop under warm water to make dipping easier. This is a REPEAT, people! I got to try this with a carrot cake mix next, using a lemon, orange, or pineapple flavoring in the place of the mint!  :)

ENJOY! Come again...

Linked to:
Sweets for Saturday # 90 @ Sweet As Sugar Cookies
Cast Party Wednesday @ Lady Behind the Curtain

Whatcha’ Whipped Up #19

 Made By Me Wednesdays # 52 Link Party

Show & Share Wednesday #7
 Thursdays Treasures
 Sweet Treats and Swanky Stuff

Sage Sausage Cheese Dip with Cheddar, Pepper & Herbs Crisps

Sage Sausage Cheese Dip with Cheddar, Pepper & Herbs Crisps

 Hi everybody :)
.
I am a cheese lover in case you did know. Let's hear it for all the cheese-lovers in the house, WHOOP! WHOOP! Today I'm bring you two cheesy recipe, one is a dip and the other, cracker crisps, to serve with the dip. Too cheesy?...maybe...maybe not; let's find out...

Sausage Cheese Dip adapted Jimmy Dean Signature Recipes 

Ingredients:
2 packages Sage Flavor Jimmy Dean Pork Sausage
2 cans (10 oz. each) diced tomatoes & green chiles, drained (I used diced tomato without chiles)
2 lbs. (32 oz.) process cheese spread cut up (Velveeta Cheese Spread)
1/4 cup salsa
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions (optional)
1 medium tomato seeded and chopped ( optional)
Crackers or Pita Chips

Makes about 8 cups

Directions:

In large saucepan, cook sausage over medium-high heat stirring frequently until thoroughly cooked and no longer pink.

 Stir in tomato & green chiles; cover and cook 2 minutes.

Stir in cheese and salsa ; add green onions if desired.

Reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered until cheese melted, stirring frequently. Stir in tomato if desired.
Served hot with crackers or pita crisps.

Cheddar Pepper Crisps adapted 2000 Taste Of Home Annual Recipes

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I use mild cheddar cheese)
1/2 cup cold water
2 tablespoons vinegar (I use cider vinegar)
Coarsely ground pepper (I used a mixture of Black Pepper, Mrs. Dash Onion & Herb Seasoning, Salad Supreme, Dry Ranch Dressing Mix and this)

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients.

Cut in butter until crumbly.

Stir in cheese.

Sprinkle with water and vinegar. Toss with a fork until a ball forms.

Wrap tightly in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 1 hour or until dough is firm. (I divided dough into three portions because I only did half the recipe, then wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.)

Divide into six portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough into an 8-in. circle. Cut into eight wedges and place on greased baking sheets. Sprinkle with pepper; lightly press into dough

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Bake at 375 for 10-14 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 4 dozen.

What I Did and/or Think:

I did half the recipes for the dip and the crisps, the full recipes are shown above. The other changes are in Italic.  The crisps recipe remind me of a cheesy pie crust recipe with pepper. I thought it would be fun to play around with the flavor on this one, so I added more seasoning along with the pepper on top.

The Taste: I LOVE the buttery, cheesy, crunchy taste of the crisps and the spicy taste of the dip. Definitely not too cheesy, I thought they went together very well and was please with the result.

Let's hear it people...not one, but two great recipes for the REPEAT file. I'm on a roll  :)

ENJOY! Come again...

Linked to :
Melt In Your Mouth Monday # 86 @ Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms
Mix it up Monday!  
Recipe Sharing Monday # 30 @ Jam Hands
Made by you Monday
Marvelous Mess Monday @ Marvelously Messy
Tuesday-Talent-Show # 57
Tasty Tuesday  @ Naptime Creations

Tasty Tuesdays #91

You're Gonna Love It - Week 25

BYOB @ girlichef: BYOB - Bake Your Own Bread

Tumbleweed Contessa: Superbowl and Chili Party