Tomato Basil Soup

This was the first recipe I used my immersion blender with. I am obsessed with tomato soup, so I just had to try it out on my own! I love how easy and low cal this recipe is. It's also very tasty, though I will say, you shouldn't expect this soup to be creamy as it only has greek yogurt to do that job. I modified the original recipe from here.

Tomato Basil Soup

Ingredients:

* 1 tsp. olive oil

* 1 sweet onion, chopped

* 2 cloves of garlic, chopped (I used the jarred kind)

* 2 (28oz.) cans diced tomatoes (I used 4 (14oz) cans, some were garlic fire roasted, oregano/garlic/onion, etc.)

* 2 cups vegetable broth

* 1/2 cup basil, chopped

* 2 tsp. oregano

* 1 tsp. sugar

* salt and pepper to taste

* 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

Directions:

1. Warm oil in bottom of large pan. 

2. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 4 min.

3. Add garlic and cook another 2 min.

4. Add in all ingredients except the greek yogurt. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes.

5. Add in the greek yogurt and use an immersion blender (or regular blender) to puree the soup to a consistency of your choosing.

6. Enjoy or freeze for later! I like to double the batch and freeze 3/4 of it for Winter!

Marinated Tomatoes & Mozzarella Salad

My tomatoes are coming in LIKE CRAZY...Basil is way overgrown...so what better thing to do than to buy some mozzarella and make caprese salad.....but not just any caprese salad, because I have had too much of that this summer and am bored. I found a recipe that had other flavors and let me tell you, this is definitely a keeper! The original recipe can be found here. I lightened it up and added a few things to make it just right for my taste buds! I decided to turn my leftovers into a sandwich on my favorite italian bread, and that just took it to a whole other level! YUMMY!

Marinated Tomatoes & Mozzarella Salad

Ingredients:

* ~1.5lb. tomatoes (I used a Bradley, sliced and a whole lotta cherry tomatoes quartered)

*  Mozzarella cheese balls (I got 1 container and cut the balls into smaller pieces)

* 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil

* about 10 large basil leaves

* 2 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar

* 2 Tbsp. Balsalmic Vinegar

* 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

* 1/2 tsp. pepper

* 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Directions:

1. Combine vinegars, sugar, oil and all seasonings in a small bowl. Whisk.

2. Roll basil leaves and carefully cut into marinade. Mix well.

3. Add sliced tomatoes and cheese to a container that you can flip (like ziploc or glad).

4. Pour over marinade and carefully flip a few times. 

5. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

6. Flip a couple times just before serving.

7. ENJOY!

Freakin' Awesome Jalapeno Poppers

This recipe is SUPER simple, yet yields AMAZING results! It does, however, take some patience, but with only 3 ingredients, how can you go wrong?

 I always ask Brian to rate my food on a 5-point scale. The majority of my recipes get a 3-4 point rating (He's a tough critic!). These god a 4.5-5 point rating!! Needless to say, these are worth the time they take!

P.S. Recipe cred goes to my dear friend, Carrie! She made these for one of our "Bachelor Mondays" and we practically inhaled them then too!

Freakin' Awesome Jalapeno Poppers

Ingredients:

* Fresh Jalapenos (As many as you want)

* Cream cheese (I use low-fat, and the amount depends on how many jalapenos you use)

* Turkey Bacon

Directions:

1. Cut jalapenos and remove all seeds and ribs. *MAKE SURE to wear gloves! The juices will burn your hands!*

2. Fill each half with desired amount of cream cheese.

3. Using a full slice of bacon, carefully wrap each pepper.

4. Bake in a pre-heated oven for about 20-30 minutes. Keep in mind, the longer they cook, the more mild they get.

5. ENJOY!

Blackberry Sangria

I LOVE all sangrias, but have been dying to try a blackberry sangria! I finally found a recipe that I was willing to try, and it was worth it!! 

Blackberry Sangria

Ingredients:

* 1 cup sugar

* 1 1/2 cup water

* 1.5 liter Red Rose

* 1.5 liter Merlot

* 2 cups Blackberry Brandy

* 1 orange

* 1 lemon

* 1 lime

* 2 cups blackberry

Directions:

1. Make simple syrup by combining sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring to med/high heat just until all of the sugar dissolves. Set aside until syrup cools.

2. In a large punch bowl combine wine and brandy. Squeeze orange and lemon and add peel to sangria. Squeeze lime, but throw away rind. Pour in blackberries.

3. Add simple syrup and let sit overnight.

4. Just before serving pour Sprite (or 7up Ten, Sprite zero, etc.)

*I made an ice ring with lemonade to melt in. It ended up being too sweet, so to balance it out, I added more wine and it was fine.

Corn on the Cob and Smoky Lime Butter

On this rainy 4th of July I had to improvise when it came to some of the food I had planned to cook on the grill. Corn on the Cob was one of these casualties, but after I found a 'Magic Pot' recipe, all was well with the world! I combined this with a Smoky Cilantro Lime Butter recipe and it was SO GOOD! 

Corn on the Cob in the Magic Pot

Ingredients:

6-8 ears of corn with the husks

Directions:

1. Remove all husks, reserving the tender husks near the actual cob.

2. Cut off the stems of each cobs and run under cool water.

3. Line the bottom of the magic pot with the tender husks.

4. Place corn carefully in  pot, then top with other tender husks.

5. Add 1/4 cup water and cover.

6. Microwave 8-10 minutes.

7. Voila!!

Want to top it with some good butter sauce??

Smoky Lime Butter

Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup butter or margarine

* 1 lime

* 1-2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

* 1/2 tsp. salt

* 1/2 tsp. red pepper

* 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

1. Melt butter.

2. Add remaining ingredients and stir until combined.

3. Serve with warm corn. 

Grandma's Lemon Pie

This pie is ALWAYS a favorite! Even Brian, who doesn't generally like any dessert involving fruit, loves this pie! For our 4th of July Cook-in on this rainy day, I thought I would whip one of these up! Of course I had to use some lighter alternatives, though Grandma would probably kill me if she knew, so I listed both sets of ingredients.

Ingredients:

Crust:

* 1 sleeve of graham crackers from the box

* 2 Tbsp. Sugar

* 1/2 stick of butter, melted (I used ~1/3 cup of Light Margarine)

Pie Filling:

* 1 box of instant lemon pudding

* 2 cups of whole milk (I used 2%)

* 1 block of cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat)

Directions:

1. Crush graham crackers either in a blender or ziploc bag.

2. Add 2T. sugar and melted butter.

3. Mix well, then press 3/4 of the crumbs into pie pan. (reserve remaining crumbs for topping)

4. Mix all filling ingredients well with a mixer until filling has a smooth consistency.

5. Carefully pour filling into prepared graham cracker crust.

6. Top with remaining crumbs.

7. Cover and chill at least 2 hours.

8. Enjoy!

Homemade Pizza Rolls

This was a Pinterest find and can be found here. I made these, well technically Britt made these, for the Christmas party this past year and I forgot to blog them! Here they are!

Homemade Pizza Rolls

Ingredients:

• 2 cans refrigerated pizza crust (I used seamless creations crescent rolls)
• garlic salt
• Italian Seasoning
• 1 cup sliced and chopped pepperoni (I used turkey pepperoni)
• 1 cup shredded cheese (I used mozzerella)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
• Marinara for dipping

Directions:

Prep: Preheat oven to 425.

1. Dust a large cutting board with flour and roll out each pizza crust (crescent).
2. Season each crust with garlic salt and Italian seasoning.
3. Top with cheese and meat
4. Start at one end and roll crust into a tight log
5. Slice into 1-inch pieces.
6. Place on lightly greased pan/cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 mins.
7. Serve with marinara.