Top O the Mournin' to ya!! And Happy St. Patty's Day!!!

St. Patrick's Day was so fun this year!!  My kids are old enough to enjoy the silly holidays like this one and I love to make a celebration of it!!  So each girl got a shirt that said "Lucky Girl" on it (covered in green of course!) and the babies of course had special outfits too with their own green accents!!  But, it wouldn't be a Complete celebration without a special meal created just for the occasion!!  So I made Guiness Onion Soup with Irish Cheddar Cheese, Green beans, and Green jello salad.  YUMMM!!!  Then of course we invited over our friends and enjoyed a fabulous meal and wonderful company!!  I honestly don't even know why we celebrate St. Patrick's day and I'm really not that interested in finding out!  For me it's just another reason to create traditions and memories with my family and I love to see them smile!!!  So here's the recipe for the meal and really, the soup was FANTASTIC so make it any day of the year don't wait until next march!  (But be sure to use Irish Cheddar because its what makes the dish!!)

ONION SOUP WITH IRISH CHEDDAR CHEESE!!
Extra-virgin olive oil
5 cloves minced garlic
8 cups thinly sliced onions

Salt

1 tablespoon dried Thyme 

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

2 cups Guinness Beer 

6 cups beef stock

6 slices sour dough bread cut 1/2-inch thick, toasted

1/2 pound Irish Cheddar, sliced

Chili powder

Salt and Pepper

Coat the bottom of large skillet with olive oil and heat over medium high heat add minced garlic and breifly then add onions and salt and cook for 5 minutes then reduce heat and cook for 10-15 until onions are golden brown.  When onions are desired color add vinegar and beer and reduce in half (about 10 minutes).  Add beef stock and seasonings to taste and bring to a boil then simmer for 10 minutes.  Finally remove soup to oven safe serving dishes and cover with toasted bread and Irish Cheddar and broil until cheese is brown and bubbling!!  Serve hot and enjoy!!

Make up Eating and Low-fat Stroganoff!

After last nights splurge I woke up this morning with the sweet tooth blues, feeling guilty of course for every bite of sinful decadence I enjoyed!  So today I am going to make a recipe I recently learned about from my sister in law.  It is the most simple and enjoyable meal I've made in a long time and if made correctly can be a great compliment to a healthy diet!  And if you are a busy chef, it can even be done in the crock pot so that you just put it in and go, then when you return, viola a delicious dinner!

1 16.5 ounce container low-fat sour cream
1-2 pkg. Lipton Onion Soup Mix
2 cans 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
sliced mushrooms (canned or fresh as many as desired)
4 medium chix breasts
1 pkg. egg noodles

Put all ingredients but chicken into the crock pot and mix well.  Lay frozen chicken breasts on top of the sauce mixture and salt, pepper, and garlic breasts.  Cover and cook for 4-6 hours.  Cook one package of eggnoodles as directed on the package.  Remove from the water and mix in a small amount of olive oil to keep noodles from sticking.  Serve chicken stroganoff sauce over noodles with salad!

Blonde Brownies!!

Ok so I found a really great recipe for Blonde Brownies and I thought well, its been ages since I've blogged, so perhaps I should share!  I have felt so swamped lately with life's "little" responsibilities that I have neglected some of the things I enjoy most...such as...DESSERT!!!  One of the responsibilities that is most interfering with my love of decadent treats is the infamous and ever antagonistic DIET- Ughh.  So I've decided today to put the worry of a trim waistline behind me (perhaps literally as it may actually end up on my backside! LOL!!) and make a treat for my family to celebrate BYU playing SDSU in the Mountain West Conference Finals!  My sister has made these several times and they have become a family favorite, so I added some goodies just for fun and they have turned out FANTASTIC!!  Hope you enjoy a moment free of all worries especially those related to food.  Take a minute to enjoy this delectable treat with those you love and count your many blessings!

• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, plus butter for pan
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cup dark brownsugar
• 2 large eggs 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons toffee chips
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 X 9 or 9X13 by 2-inch baking pan.  Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.  Melt the butter in a medium saucepan; add sugar and whisk until combined and sugar is melted, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and let cool slightly. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until combined. Add the flour and whisk until just combined. Fold in the chips, and almonds and transfer the mixture to the prepared pan.  Bake for 24 to 27 minutes or until the top cracks slightly and is firm to the touch and a fork inserted into the center comes out with moist pieces clinging to it. Remove to a wire rack and let cool completely. Invert on wire rack and cut into squares!  YUM!!