Weekend Cooking: Potato Leek Soup, Apple Nut Bread Pudding, and Apple Cheddar Scones

Let's get right down to it....

First up Potato Leek Soup. This is a Julia Child classic recipe.  I was the only one eating it Saturday night (uh mom... it looks weird....) and by Sunday I had a 2-year old, a 12-year old, and a 5-year old all singing praises for this simple soup.  I forgot to take a picture, but, seriously, do you doubt Julia?

Potato Leek Soup
serving 6 or 8

4 cups sliced leeks – the white part and a bit of the tender green
4 cups diced potatoes – old or baking potatoes recommended
6 or 7 cups of water
1½ to 2 teaspoons of salt, to taste
Optional: ½ cup of more sour cream, heavy cream or crème fraiche

In a heavy-bottomed, three-quart saucepan, bring the leeks, potatoes and water to a boil, uncovered. Salt lightly, cover partially, and simmer 20 or 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Taste and correct seasoning.

Puree the soup through a vegetable mill or in a blender or food processor. Serve with optional cream.

Apple Nut Bread Pudding
(from Fix it and Forget it)

8 slices raisin bread, cubed (pumpkin spice swirl bread is great too!)
2 large tart apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1/4 c raisins
1 c sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
3 eggs
2 c milk
1/4 c apple juice
4 T butter, melted

Place bread cubes, apples and raisins in greased slow cooker and mix gently. In a separate bowl, combine sugar and spice. Add in egg & mix well. Add milk, apple juice and melted butter and combine thoroughly. Pour this mixture over bread mixture in slow cooker and gently stir. Cover. Cook on high for approximately 2 hours or low for 3-4 hours.

Apple Cheddar Scones
(Smitten Kitchen, of course!)

Click HERE for the recipe (seriously... everything on this blog is delicious!)

Weekend Cooking -- Birthday Food!

On Saturday we had a birthday celebration / Halloween party for Atticus and Hope.  It was wonderful!  It took a great deal of pep work, but it really all paid off.  The guests were relaxed, we had plenty of food and the weather was glorious.  We sat up a few tables outside for the drinks and food to sit on, but then everyone just milled about -- indoors and outdoors -- enjoying the food and chatting.  Of the 34 people who RSVP'd we had about 25 people (including us). 

Today I'll talk about the food and tomorrow I'll detail some of the crafts and other aspects.

The Menu

Brown Sugar Chili
Wintertime Vegetable Chili
Fixins (sour cream, cilantro, chives, cheese)
"Mummy" dogs
Peanut Butter on Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Peanut Butter on Pumpkin Swirl Bread
Jack-o-Lantern Veggie tray with dip
Pretzels
Spooky Clementines

Applesauce Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting
Funfetti Birthday Cake
Impossible Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

Coffee ~ Soda ~ Water ~ Apple Juice
 

My goal was to make food that was easy to prep somewhat in advance, crock-pot friendly, and something toddlers would like.  The chili was more for the adults, but the kids annihilated the sandwiches and mummy dogs. 

Brown Sugar Chili
(from Fix it and Forget it Lightly)

1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 medium onion
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. mustard (bottled or prepared, not dry)
2 cans kidney beans (15 oz.)
1 pint low-sodium tomato juice or V-8
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. chili powder 
 
1. Brown the ground beef and onion in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and mustard.
2. Combine all ingredients in a 3-4 quart slow cooker.
3. Cover and cook on high 2-3 hours

Wintertime Vegetable Chili
(from Fix it and Forget it Lightly)

1 medium-sized butternut squash, peeled and cubed (I roasted the squash first at 350 for 45 minutes... I HATE cutting squash!)
2 medium-sized carrots, peeled and diced
1 medium-sized onion, diced
1-4 Tbsp. chili powder, depending upon personal taste
2 14-oz cans diced low-sodium tomatoes
4-oz can  chopped mild green chilies
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup fat-free, low-sodium vegetable broth
2 16-oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup fat-free sour cream

1. In a slow-cooker, layer all ingredients in order given—except sour cream.
2. Cover. Cook on low 6-8 hours, or until vegetables are tender.
3. Stir before serving.
4. Top individual servings with dollops of sour cream

Folks went back for seconds and thirds of chili and I had maybe 2 cups left of the veg chili and 1 cup left of the brown sugar chili at the end of the night.

The sandwiches were easy, I bought the bread at Publix on sale and cut the crusts off. 

The mummy dogs, Jack-o-lantern veggie tray, and spooky clementines were all Pinterest inspired.

Impossible Pumpkin Pie cupcakes were also found on pinterest and they were my favorites.

Applesauce Cupcakes were from Martha Stewarts' Cupcake book (but I used store bought cream cheese frosting).

The birthday cake was from just a simple Halloween funfetti box cake (hey, it was on sale for less than $1)!