what's for dinner tonight {cheeseburger soup}.

{source}

i used to be the girl that never would go to a restaurant and order a burger.  ever.  i just never cared that much about red meat nor did i crave it.

until i met nick.

soon into our dating, somehow i was telling him how i had been anemic and he promptly declared "you need to eat more red meat", and all of a sudden late night dates for cheeseburgers became our "thing".  and ever since then, i love a good burger.  yes, i'm now that girl.  and i fully embrace it.

in fact, one of our favorite local pizza joints has a to die for big mac pizza on their menu.  it is one of my favorite things and we actually just ate it the other night: ground beef, lettuce, cheese, pickles and the sweet, tangy "big mac" sauce... i know what you're thinking: pickles on a pizza?!  you have no idea.  where was this pizza when i was pregnant??

it's been chilly here this week and that only means one thing: the beginning of fall/cold weather/comfort food cooking... and that means lots of soup and chowders.  i've made cheeseburger soup a few times, but our trip to our pizza joint and feasting on their big mac speciality just made me want to take it up a notch... and so i did.

i added pickles.

i used this recipe as my base, and then tweaked it a bit.  the end result?  absolute deliciousness in a bowl.  with cheese.  and pickles.

need i say more?

cheeseburger soup

* 1 lb. ground beef
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 carrots, chopped
* 2 stalks celery, chopped
* 1 t. dried basil
* 1 t. dried parsley
* 4 T. butter
* 3 c. chicken stock
* 2 medium potatoes, chopped
* 1/4 c. flour
* 1/4 c. dill pickles, diced
* a generous splash of pickle juice (sorry; didn't really measure...suit your taste!)
* 1 t. salt
* 1/2 t. pepper
* 2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
* 1 1/2 c. milk
* 1/4 c. sour cream

- in a large stockpot, melt 1 T. butter over medium heat.  add onion, carrots, celery and ground beef.  cook until beef is brown.
- add chicken stock, basil, parsley and potatoes and bring to a boil.  cook until potatoes are fork tender.
- melt remaining 3 T. of butter, whisk in flour and milk until smooth.  slowly add milk mixture to the stockpot, stirring constantly.  bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer.
- add in pickles, juice and salt and pepper.  stir in cheese until melted.
- stir in sour cream and heat through; DO NOT BOIL.
- serve with crusty bread and be happy.  it's delicious.

enjoy!

what's for dinner tonight {chicken tortilla soup}.

my mother-in-law makes the best chicken tortilla soup.  it's so so good.  while we spent the holidays in dallas, she whipped some up and i'd been craving it again ever since.  i have her recipe tucked away somewhere, but couldn't remember where i put it.  and in a hurry to get dinner on the table, i started looking up clean eating tortilla soup recipes and found this one.  super easy and super delish.

we have been having some exceptionally cold weather here in new england.  we're talking single digits, people... single digits!  when the weather is cold and snowy, i especially crave comfort food.  i love finding easy, delicious recipes that warm and fill our bellies, but are healthy, too.  this is just the dish to fit my healthified comfort food cravings.

chicken tortilla soup

* 1 T. olive oil
* 1 medium onion, diced
* 1 (7 oz) can of green chiles, drained
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 1/2 lbs of chicken, cooked and shredded
* 2 c. chicken broth (i used homemade; you can find my recipe here)
* 2 c. water
* 2 (14.5 oz) cans of diced tomatoes
* 1 (14.5 oz) can of corn, drained
* 1 (14.5 oz) can of black beans, rinsed and drained
* chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper to taste
* 1 lime, quartered
* 1 avocado, sliced
* 2 whole wheat tortillas, quartered or sliced into strips
* bunch of cilantro, chopped
* shredded cheese and plain greek yogurt for garnish

- add first four ingredients over medium heat in a large stockpot.  cook until onion is tender.
- add chicken broth, water and tomatoes (with liquid).  cover and bring to a boil, turn heat down to low.  add chicken, beans, corn and spices and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
- place sliced tortillas on a greased cookie sheet, spray with cooking spray.  bake at 350 until crisp and golden.
- ladle soup into bowls and top with sliced avocado, cilantro, cheese, greek yogurt and lime.

still not as good as my mother-in-laws chicken tortilla goodness, but a quick and easy substitute.

enjoy :)

what's for dinner tonight {homemade crockpot chicken stock}.

one of my most favorite go-to sites for recipes and food ideas is 100 days of real food.  i absolutely love the information they give and have tried several of their recipes and have loved them!  mamas with school-aged children: follow them on facebook and you'll get some great ideas for creative and healthy school lunches!

good stuff.

the weather has been cold here in snowy maine, so i've been craving comfort food.  i made several meals this week that are perfect for staying warm and cozy, but are also healthy and clean.  a new tradition we are starting with the girls is to have candlelight dinners once or twice a month.  nick was telling me recently how his mom did this for he and his brother and sister when they were growing up and how he always loved it!  so i made a nice dinner; roasted chicken, mashed sweet potato, roasted brussel sprouts and (the only unclean-part but sooooo delish; worth the splurge!) homemade stuffing in the crockpot.  besides emmy screaming and bella constantly wanting to get down from her chair to sit in my lap, it was a delicious meal.

(someday we'll be able to have enjoyable, peaceful family dinners)

the best part about cooking a roasted chicken?  i have made a few meals from the leftovers... or, in this case, the inedible leftovers.

that night, i decided to use my leftover chicken bones and carcass (never thought i'd be using the word carcass in one of my recipe posts...) to make homemade chicken stock.  i had seen this recipe on 100 days of real food the other day while browsing, and i had pretty much everything on hand, except fresh herbs.  i made it anyway and the result was amazing.  here's what i did:

homemade crockpot chicken stock

* leftover chicken carcass, bones, drippings, anything from a roasted chicken
* 1 onion, peeled and chopped
* 1 rib of celery, chopped
* 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
* add: thyme, parsley, salt and pepper (i used dried herbs as i didn't have any fresh)  if you have a bayleaf, toss that in too

- throw your chicken bones and drippings into the crockpot.  add veggies, herbs and seasonings.  fill crockpot almost to the top with water (leaving about an inch).  turn crockpot on low and cook overnight.
- using a ladel, pour stock through a fine mesh strainer.  before i froze mine, i kept it in the fridge for a few hours and then skimmed the solidified fat off the top.  i froze in 4 cup portions in ziplock bags.

easy peasy.  and the smell that will fill your home?  pure deliciousness.  i love making soups and stews in the winter, so my freezer is ready to go with bags of this homemade frozen stock.

so go grab yourself a chicken to roast; it's the gift that keeps on giving ;)

what's for dinner tonight {broccoli cheese soup}.

ahhhhh what a perfect fall day it was here in maine. a crisp sixty-five-degrees, a bit overcast and a few trees are already turning bright shades of brilliant red.

i'm in heaven.

fall is absolutely my favorite time of year (besides christmas) and i haven't spent one in maine in a very long time. so i am pumped. i decided the fall cooking begins now, with many soups and new crockpot recipes in the lineup.

tonight nick, bel&i had my parents over for dinner. on the menu: caesar salad, homemade biscuits and a oh-so-delish broccoli cheese soup i hadn't made in a while. i found the recipe a couple of years ago when i was pregnant with bella and we ate it probably once a week for a while it was just THAT good! it's an emeril lagasse recipe, but super easy and surprisingly not complicated. i tweaked it a bit to fit our taste (and because two of his original ingredients include white pepper and nutmeg... i usually don't have nutmeg on hand and who in the world cooks with white pepper?!)

so here it is. you need to hurry to the store to get all the ingredients because you need to try this... and you won't be sorry you did, i promise!

broccoli cheese soup

* 5 T. butter (yes, i said 5 tablespoons... just forget the amount and still make the soup)
* 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
* 1/2 t. salt
* 1/4 t. pepper
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/4 t. dried thyme
* 3 T. flour
* 3 c. chicken stock
* 1 (16 oz) bag frozen broccoli, thawed
* 1/2 c. heavy cream
* 1 c. sharp cheddar cheese

- melt 3 of the T. butter over medium heat in a large pot. add onion, salt and pepper and cook until onions are soft.
- add garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant. add flour and cook for about two minutes, stirring constantly.
- slowly add chicken stock, whisking continually. bring to a boil and then reduce heat and allow to simmer until thickened, about five minutes.
- add broccoli and cook until tender, about ten minutes.
- with an immersion blender, food processor or regular blender, puree until smooth.
- add cream and bring to a very low simmer, just enough to heat through. add cheese, stirring until melted. finally, add final two T. of butter and stir to blend.
- ladle into bowls and enjoy :)

this is a great soup; perfect for the beginning of your fall cooking! pairs great with bread and caesar salad... one of our absolute favorite meals (you can find my biscuit recipe here).

my dad gave it a "ten" :)

what's for dinner tonight {christmas eve seafood chowdah}.

okay, so it's not for dinner tonight... but was i about to post on my blog on christmas eve? ummm no.

it's been a tradition in my family to have lobster stew on christmas day... but in most recent years, we've switched to seafood chowder on christmas eve and it. is. awesome. my sis and i began looking through recipes on the internet, and decided to make up our own from taking elements from a few we found. the result? the most *amazing* seafood chowder i've ever put in my mouth. and no... i'm not tooting my own horn. i'm just telling the truth.

it's officially called "the keezer/cornwell mama seafood chowdah" but for simplicity sake, we'll just stick with a shorter title (for those of you who are not from new england, no the "ah" is not a typo). we did a lot of improvising, so here is my best attempt at creating a formal recipe. maybe it should become your new christmas eve tradition.

it should.

christmas eve seafood chowdah

* 3 small potatoes, diced

* 4 stalks of celery, sliced

* 1 onion, diced

* 1 garlic clove, minced

* 1 can of corn kernels

* 1 t. each of thyme, parsley, salt and pepper + additional to taste
* 2 lbs lobster meat, cut into chunks

* 15-20 large sea scallops, halved

* 3/4 lb shrimp, whole

* 1 lb haddock, or another white fish, cut into chunks

* 1 c. milk

* 1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk

* 2 c. half&half

* 1/2 c. flour + some additional to thicken

* 3 c. seafood stock

- sautee onions and celery in butter over medium heat until translucent. add garlic and cook for 1 minute (careful to not burn).

- add potatoes, flour, and seafood stock... and 1 teaspoon each of parsley, thyme and salt and pepper (may need to add more later). cook until potatoes are fork tender (about ten minutes).

- add scallops and haddock, cook for ten minutes. add shrimp, lobster meat and corn.

- add milk, evaporated milk and half&half. DO NOT BRING TO A BOIL or else it will curdle.

- in a small bowl/cup, whisk together flour and a little bit of water until a thick slurry is formed. you can stir this into the chowder to get desired thickness. we did this a few times since we like our chowder thick. we also added more seasonings (salt, pepper, thyme and parsley) until the taste was how we wanted it... can't really tell you how much we used in total... sorry! this is where the creativity comes into play :)

we made this chowder the night before christmas eve, which allowed everything to blend and the taste to become more flavorful. heat up over low heat and serve with biscuits, saltine crackers, or whatever your little heart desires.

as we say in new england: WICKED GOOD.

this will definitely become part of your holiday tradition... if you like seafood, that is. sure blows the restaurant version out of the water. no pun intended.

happy holidays.

love,

the keezer/cornwell mamas

what's for dinner tonight {tomato basil soup}.

as soon as cool(er) weather hits dallas, i love bringing out fall-ish recipes for soups, chili, stews, etc. my mom gave me this recipe a couple of years ago and it has become one of our favorites. the past week has been a rough one in the cornwell household as all three of us have had some cold junk. not-so-much-fun. having colds coupled with the chillier tempatures and the arrival of october, made this soup a part of our menu for today. nick requested it actually... it's one of his favs.

tomato basil soup

*2 cloves garlic, minced
*1 1/2 t. olive oil
*28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
*10.5 oz can condensed chicken broth
*1 1/3 c. water
*1/4 t. pepper
*3/4 c. heavy whipping cream
*2 T. fresh basil, finely minced
*2 t. sugar

- in a large pot, sautee garlic in olive oil
-add tomatoes, broth, pepper and water
-bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 min.
-stir in cream, basil and sugar, cook for one minute; do NOT bring to a boil

we like to serve with salad and fresh bread. also works well with grilled cheese sandwiches. mmmmm.

welcome, fall. so glad you are here.