Broccoli and Cheese Soup

I love broccoli and cheese soup, and because I adapted this recipe from Cooking Light it makes me feel a little bit better about eating a bowl full of cheesy deliciousness. Besides tasting really good and being a little lighter, it's also super easy to make. A great weeknight meal and the leftovers make for a lunch that will definitely improve your workday!

The original Cooking Light recipe calls for Velveeta cheese and it turned out well, but I know some people cringe at the thought of Velveeta so I figured I'd share a version that uses another type of cheese. If you shred some sharp cheddar yourself it will improve the flavor and I also added in some pepper jack cheese to mix it up a bit.  Feel free to try out different cheese combinations or use already shredded cheese, but you are going to get stronger flavors if you shred it yourself. Also, you can of course always use Velveeta as the original recipe calls for. Another change I make is adding in some carrots to add some more nutritional value. Keep reading for the recipe I adapted from Cooking Light.

Click to read more ...

Grove Pointe Chili Club: 8 Alarm Chili

My friend Amanda is obsessed with chili, and together we are in pursuit of an awesome chili recipe. This pursuit ended up in the creation of a Chili Club with another friend, neighbor and good cook who lives in our apartment building. Meet Dennis, his grandfather was a French chef, so I'm always expecting good food from his kitchen. He's looking a bit scared that we'll find his chili too spicy.

When Fall approached and Dennis volunteered to kick off the Grove Pointe Chili Club, I wasn't sure if I should be excited because he is such a good cook or if I should be afraid because he LOVES spicy food. I wouldn't be surprised if he eats habanero's and scotch bonnet's for breakfast. I decided to get excited and to also load up on water like we did in preparation for Hurricane Irene. I also didn't let him scare me when he sent me the 8 Alarm Chili Recipe that he was going to make. 

Click to read more ...

A Birthday Dinner

I hope everyone had a nice weekend! And for those of you lucky enough to have Columbus Day off, I hope you are still enjoying yours. Happy Christopher Columbus Day!

As I mentioned in my last post, Friday was Mr. KMW's birthday so we had a some friends over for dinner and then  hit up a few bars in town. The meal received many compliments and as the host this was a great meal to cook for guests. It is pretty minimal prep and hands off throughout the process so I got to hang out with everyone. We started the feasting off with some Spinach Balls that I re-heated from the freezer and some cheese and crackers I picked up at Trader Joe's.

The feature of the dinner was prime rib from this Salt Crusted Standing Rib Roast recipe, my red meat loving husbands favorite. I purchased a 4 rib roast, which is huge and there were a lot of leftovers after feeding 6 people. You won't find a rib roast that's much smaller and the leftovers are great. Steak & Eggs, Panini's, or just eating them straight up. If you live in the NYC area, Fresh Direct is a good source for buying the rib roast, otherwise I'd call your butcher ahead of time to make sure they have one available. The horseradish sauce is what really tops this prime rib off, just combine sour cream, horseradish, salt, pepper, and a little lemon juice. 

Doesn't this meat look beautiful? I want to eat it off the page, good thing I have leftovers!

Click to read more ...

Tilapia Tostadas

Last weekend Amanda highly recommended a chicken tostada recipe she had tried. Initially I had all intentions of picking up a rotisserie chicken and making this recipe as is, but then I remembered I had some tilapia in the freezer and plans changed. Who was I kidding? When was the last time I left a recipe as is? I also didn't want to shred the lettuce, because I figured I would already have enough dirty dishes without using my food processer, so I left it out. I know, I could have purchased already shredded lettuce, but I made up my mind that I just didn't want lettuce on my tostada. Feel free to add some to yours, but I was pretty darn happy with the lettuce free end product. My husband ate his first tostada in approximately 20 seconds, I honestly don't think he tasted it, but he slowed down for the second one and really enjoyed it and even noticed a little spice. Keep reading for my Tilapia Tostada recipe adapted from this Chicken Tostada Recipe from Epicurious.

Click to read more ...

Roasted Butternut Squash & Shallot Soup

Do me a favor and make yourself this soup. Even if you or whoever you are making it for might be a little skeptical about butternut squash, still make it. My friend Sam passed this recipe along to me about a year ago and I've been hooked since. Even my husband who was skeptical of this vegetable based soup for dinner was easily converted into a fan. The other day when talking about his favorite recipes, he put it in the same category as Prime Rib and Beef Tenderloin. Needless to say, it's a favorite in our apartment and I regret not making a double or triple batch every time I make it for dinner.

In my recipe, I roast a whole head of garlic when making the soup, but only use a couple of cloves actually in the soup. The other cloves I smear on some buttered toast to eat on the side, it's heavenly! 

Click to read more ...