We made this for Easter dinner and thought it was delish!

Roasted Asparagus with Lemon & Goat Cheese

2 pounds asparagus, trimmed

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 C. chicken broth

3 oz. soft goat cheese, crumbled

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 425°.  Spray a roasting pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Toss the asparagus with the olive oil in the pan.  Season with salt and pepper as desired and add the broth.

Roast the asparagus for 20 minutes or until tender, stirring once during cooking.  Top with the cheese, lemon juice and lemon zest and serve.

Recipe altered slightly from campbells.com

Italian White Bean & Orzo Soup

This called for 2 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes... I did 1.5 and my kids still wouldn't eat it.  So I cut it down to 3/4, but I liked it with a bit of spice.

Italian White Bean & Orzo Soup

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

30 mins

Ingredients

·         1 cup uncooked orzo pasta

·         1/2 yellow or white onion, diced

·         2 tablespoons butter

·         1 tablespoon minced garlic

·         6 cups chicken broth 

·         3 cups water

·         1 1/2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

·         1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

·         1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

·         1 can great northern beans, drained and rinsed

·         salt and pepper to taste

·         3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 

Instructions

1.    In a large stock pot melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, orzo, and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes until garlic is fragrant and onions are tender.

2.    Add chicken broth, diced tomatoes, beans, and Italian seasoning and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook 20-25 minutes until orzo pasta is fully cooked and tender.

3.    If the soup is too thick, add up to 3 cups of water to get a good broth. Taste, add salt and pepper to taste and crushed red pepper flakes. Serve warm and garnish with freshly chopped basil or parsley if desired.

https://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/italian-white-bean-orzo-soup/

Cheesy Southwest Soup

I don't normally do velveeta... and when I do I have to hide it from Jeremy;), but this was quite tasty (and so easy!).

Cheesy Southwest Soup

15 minPrep Time

15 minCook Time

30 minTotal Time

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/4 cup onion, minced
• 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I actually skipped these this time)
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon fajita seasoning
• 1 (11 ounce) can mexicorn (drained)
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• 8 ounces velveeta cheese (cubed)
• cilantro, for topping
• sour cream, for topping
• avocado, for topping
• tortilla strips, for topping

Instructions

1. In a stock pot over medium heat, cook garlic, onion, and chicken breasts in olive oil until browned. Sprinkle with Fajita seasoning, and stir until combined.
2. Add mexicorn, black beans, tomatoes, chicken broth, cumin, chili powder, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and stir in velveeta cheese until it is completely melted.
4. Pour into bowls and serve. Top with cilantro, sour cream, avocado and tortilla strips.

https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/cheesy-southwest-soup/

Caprese Pasta Bake

Quick, easy and delish!

Caprese Pasta Bake

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) bag Penne pasta
• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cooked and shredded), optional
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes (quartered)
• 2 Tablespoons fresh basil (chopped) (or 1 tsp dried)
• 1 1/4 cups chicken broth (divided)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup fresh sliced mozzarella cheese
• 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add noddles and boil for 5 minutes, then run under cold water to stop additional cooking.
3. In a bowl, combine cooked noodles, chicken, tomatoes, basil, 1 cup chicken broth, garlic, powder, garlic salt, and shredded mozzarella cheese.
4. Pour remaining 1/4 cup chicken broth in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan.
5. Add noodle mixture and spread evenly in pan.
6. Top with sliced mozzarella cheese, covering the top as much as you can. Feel free to fill in any extra gaps with the remaining shredded mozzarella.
7. Drizzle top of casserole with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
8. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees, or until cheese begins to bubble and golden.

https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/easy-caprese-pasta-bake/

Coconut Carrot Cake Cupcakes

My kids loved these... and they were, of course, super surprised that there were carrots in them!  Eeek!

Coconut Carrot Cake Cupcakes

·         Yield: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

·         1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 

·         1 teaspoon baking powder

·         1/2 teaspoon baking soda

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·         3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

·         1/4 teaspoon EACH ground nutmeg and ground cloves

·         1/2 cup vegetable oil, canola oil, or melted coconut oil

·         1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

·         2 large eggs, at room temperature

·         1/3 cup plain yogurt or sour cream

·         1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

·         ¾ teaspoon coconut extract (optional)

·         1 cup freshly grated carrots (about 2 medium finely grated)

Cream Cheese Frosting

·         8 ounces full-fat block cream cheese, softened to room temperature

·         1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

·         3 cups confectioners’ sugar, plus an extra 1/4 cup if needed

·         1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

·         1 teaspoon coconut extract (optional)

·         1/8 teaspoon salt

·         1-2 tablespoons milk

·         toasted coconut flakes for topping, optional

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Instructions

1.     Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.

2.     In mixer, whisk the oil, brown sugar, eggs, yogurt, vanilla and coconut extract (if using) together until combined. Whisk in the carrots and spices. Add the baking powder and baking soda and quickly mix until combined.  Add the flour and mix just until combined.  Batter will be thick.

3.     Spoon the batter into the liners with cookie scoop – fill only 2/3 full to avoid spilling over the sides. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For around 30 mini cupcakes, bake for about 12-13 minutes, same oven temperature. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

4.     Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, milk, vanilla, coconut extract and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. If you want the frosting a little thicker, add the extra 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar (I add it).

5.     Frost cooled cupcakes however you’d like. Top with coconut flakes.

6.     Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Soft Pretzels

We made these for Conference and they were so tasty and very soft inside, but nice and "pretzely" outside.  Just get someone to help you if you double it... my arms were so tired from rolling the dough!

Soft Pretzels

·         Yield: 12 pretzels

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Ingredients

·         1 and 1/2 cups warm water 

·         1 packet active dry or instant yeast (2 and 1/4 teaspoons)

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         1 Tablespoon brown sugar

·         1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and slightly cool

·         3 and ¾-4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

·         coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Baking Soda Bath

·         ½ cup (120g) baking soda

·         9 cups (2,160ml) water

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Instructions

1.     In mixer, whisk the yeast into warm water. Allow to sit for 1 minute. Whisk in salt, brown sugar, and melted butter. Slowly add 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix until dough is thick. Add 3/4 cup more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. If it is still sticky, add 1/4 – 1/2 cup more, as needed. Poke the dough with your finger – if it bounces back, it is ready to knead.  Knead in mixer for 3 minutes. Cover with towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes. (Meanwhile, I like to get the water + baking soda boiling as instructed in step 6.)

2.     Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

3.     Pull off pieces of dough (a bit bigger than golf ball

4.     Roll the dough into a 20-22 inch rope (this should be quite thin – just barely thicker than a pencil, or your pretzels will be enormous). Shape into pretzel shape.

5.     Bring baking soda and 9 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Drop 1-2 pretzels into the boiling water for 20-30 seconds. Any more than that and your pretzels will have a metallic taste. Using a slotted spatula, lift the pretzel out of the water and allow as much of the excess water to drip off. Place pretzel onto prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle each with coarse sea salt. Repeat with remaining pretzels.

6.     Bake for 12-15 minutes or until dark golden brown (don’t overbake or they’ll be dry, but let them get “pretzely colored” on the outside.

7.     Remove from the oven and serve warm with cheese sauce. Pretzels may be stored in an airtight container or zipped top bag for up to 3 days (they lose a little softness).

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Notes

1.     Freezing Instructions: Pretzels freeze well, up to 2 months. To reheat, bake frozen pretzels at 350°F (177°C) for 20 minutes or until warmed through or microwave until warm.

*Alternative: Instead of salt, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and serve with vanilla frosting.

Asian Chopped Salad

This salad was really yummy.  It was meant to be a side salad, but there's no way I'm putting this much effort into a side salad, so I added chicken to it and made it the main dish.

Asian Chopped Salad

Ingredients

·         6 cups chopped romaine or mixed greens

·         1/3 cup shredded carrots chopped

·         ½ cup sugar snap peas or snow peas chopped

·         1 cucumber peeled and chopped

·         1 tablespoon sunflower seeds or sesame seeds, toasted

·         1/3 cup dried cranberries

·         ½ -1 cup mushrooms (portabella, if possible)

·         Breaded chicken, cooked (use frozen and heat in toaster oven)

teriyaki dressing

·         1/3 cup teriyaki sauce

·         1/3 cup oil

·         5 tablespoons rice vinegar

·         1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions

1.    Combine dressing ingredients in a jar, shake to combine. 

2.    Combine lettuce, veggies, sunflower seeds, chopped chicken and cranberries in a large bowl. Add dressing and toss to combine. Serve immediately. *If making ahead, cover and chill salad and reserve dressing until just before serving.

https://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/chopped-asian-salad/?mc_cid=e23f4b207a&mc_eid=318867e01f