By the Cookbooks

    I love soup season. It's my favorite thing to meal prep. Soup can reheat easily and is easy to bring to work.     This is a soup I will make on a regular basis. Its hearty, tasty and just makes me want to jump through the cookbook and thank Trisha Yearwood herself! Ingredients     2 tbs of olive oil     2 tbs of salted butter     1 medium onion, finely chopped     2 garlic cloves, minced     1 cup of quinoa     2 cups of whole kernel corn, roughly 2 to 3 cobs     5 cups of chicken stock     1/2 cup of heavy cream     2 lbs of baby Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered     2 tsp of Old Bay seasoning     1/4 lb of bacon     2 tbs of parsley     4 green onions, finely chopped Directions     In a large pot, over medium heat, heat the oil and butter until it shimmers.     Add the onion and garlic and saute ...

   Fun fact: I love shrimp!    I find it very easy to make, and its probably one of my favorite foods to eat.    This is a ridiculously easy recipe. Ingredients     1 lb of peeled, devined shrimp, tails on     2 cups of cherry tomatoes     8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced     Olive oil, for drizzling     Salt and pepper     1 lemon Directions    Preheat oven to 400.    Place shrimp and cherries on a rimmed sheet pan.    Sprinkle garlic slices on pan.    Drizzle olive oil over everything and sprinkle salt and pepper.    Roast for 10 to 12 minutes.    Squeeze half lemon over shrimp before serving. Changes I Made!     I squeeze the lemon before and after roasting to bring more of that flavor to the table. This recipe is from Pioneer Woman: Come and Get It!

   I love a good beef stew. It was one of the first recipes I learned how to make, and so whenever I find a new recipe I find a need to try it. Ingredients     1 lb of lean stew beef     1 3/4 cup of dry red wine, I used a Merlot     1/4 cup of flour     2 tbs of butter     1 onion, chopped     1/2 cup of water     2 tsp of fresh garlic, minced     4 peppercorns     1 small bay leaf     1/2 tsp of thyme     4 large carrots, sliced into rounds     4 large red roasted potatoes, peeled and cubed Directions     Rinse the meat in cold water, and marinate in one cup of wine for at least 1 hour.     In a large pot, saute the onion in butter until tender.     Remove cooked onion from pot.     Remove meat from wine, and pat dry. Drag meat in flour then cook in same pot as the onion.     After meat ...

    On hot days, I am all about a good caprese salad to quickly put together, and this one is a mix on the traditional tomato and mozzarella dish. Ingredients     1 lb of mozzarella, cut into slices     2 avocados, pitted, peeled and cut into slices     2 large tomatoes, cut into slices     olive oil     balsamic vinegar Directions    Place the mozzarella, avocado slices in whatever order you please.    Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Changes I made!    I used what was in my pantry for this and had left over white balsamic vinegar, and it was still delicious.     Also make sure you use a good quality mozzarella. This recipe from Audrey at Home. 

   When I meal prep on Sundays, I'm a huge fan of making soup. A giant pot is at least 4 to 5 meals for me, and I am all about replacing canned soups I grew up with recipes like this one. Ingredients    3 tbs of olive oil    1 tbs of salted butter    1 medium onion, finely chopped    3 carrots, peeled finely chopped    2 garlic cloves, minced    2 cups of mushrooms    6 cups of chicken stock    1 cup of wild rice Directions     In a large saucepan, heat the oil and butter over medium heat.     Once butter is melted and oil shimmers, add the onion and carrots and saute until onions are tender.     Add garlic and mushroom and cook for another 5 minutes.     Add stock and wild rice.     Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover.     Simmer until wild rice is finished. Changes I Made!       I ad...

   Baked potato soup is one of the first soups I learned how to make, and this recipe is my go to recipe, especially in the middle of winter, because most of the ingredients I have on hand at all times. Ingredients    2 medium potatoes, bakes and cooled    1 can of chicken broth    2 tbs of sour cream    1/8 tsp of pepper    1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese Directions    Peel potatoes and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.    Place 1/2 of the potato in a blender and with chicken broth.    Pour mix into sauce pan and add remaining potato, sour cream and pepper.    Cook over low heat until heated through.    Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese, and whatever else you want. Changes I made!    I do not mess with this recipe except what I add on top when I eat. This recipe is from Taste of Home. 

   I am a fan of making soup. You make a giant batch at the beginning of the week and call it a day. Also Susie loves when I make this and waits for the carrot scraps. Ingredients     2 tbs of olive oil     1 medium onion, chopped     1 tsp of minced garlic     4 carrots, peeled and sliced into coins.     8 cups of chicken stock     1 cup of frozen peas     1 container of tricolor cheese tortellini     1 can of sweet, whole kernel corn, drained     2 cups of baby spinach Directions     In a large stockpot, over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering.     Add the onion, garlic and carrot.     Saute for 5 minutes.     Pour in chicken stock and increase heat to high.     Bring to boil, and add peas, tortellini and corn.     Cook for 12 minutes.     Add spinach on top and wait for it to wilt. ...

    I've been doing this blog for months, and I have finally hit a point where there's only 2 or 3 recipes left in each book I want to try, so I have mixed in a new cookbook!     I watch Trisha Yearwood's Food Network cooking show every Saturday morning and jumped at picking up Trisha's Table when I came across it.     This dish stood out to me. A savory chicken dish with a dash of fruit. Ingredients     4 boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets     Salt and pepper     1/2 cup all purpose flour     1/4 cup of olive oil     1 large shallot, thinly sliced     4 garlic cloves, chopped     1/2 cup of white wine     1 cup of chicken stock     6 ounces of mushrooms     1 cup of raspberries     2 tbs of salted butter     1 tsp of lemon zest     1 tbs of balsamic vinegar Add caption Directions    Seaso...

    I dated a guy who's family is part Greek for years and loved the flavors his family introduced me to.     This large salad is great to for something light to eat, or if you used it the way I did: pre gotta-fit-in-this-dress diet. Ingredients     Dressing        3 tbs of red wine vinegar        1 tbs of Dijon mustard        3 cloves of garlic, minced        1 tsp of salt        1/2 tsp of black pepper        5 tbs of olive oil     Toppings        1 round pita bread        1 tbs of olive oil     Salad        1 head of iceberg lettuce        1 jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained and halved        12 ounces of feta cheese        1 8 ounce can of garbanzo beans, drained and ri...

   On another make it yourself mission. This is a pretty easy bread dish, which is probably why I went for it. I'm just proud of myself for making the bread. Ingredients     3 cups of all purpose flour     1 1/2 tsp baking powder     1 tsp baking soda     1/2 tsp cream of tartar     1/2 tsp of salt     1 cup of sugar     1 1/2 cups of golden raisins     1 1/2 cups of buttermilk     2 eggs, beaten     2 tbs of butter, melted Directions    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.    Sift dry ingredients three times.    Soak golden raisins in hot water for 5 minutes, drain and add to dry ingredients.    Mix together buttermilk, eggs and butter, then add to dry ingredients    Stir until moistened.    Bake in a greased 2 quart dish at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes.    Let cool before cutting into wedge...

   Continuing on my journey to learn alternatives, I have always been told homemade mashed potatoes are way better than the box mixes. I grew up in a household that made box mixes, and let me tell ya, I will no longer use a box mix ever! Ingredients     2 1/2 lbs of Yukon Gold potatoes     1 1/2 cups of half and half     6 tbs of unsalted butter     3 ounces of truffle butter, purchase online     2 tbs of grated Parmesan     Salt and pepper to taste Directions      Peel and cut potatoes into 1 inch chunks.      Place them in a large deep pan, cover with water and bring pan to a boil.      Reduce heat, and let simmer for 25 minutes.      Drain and return to saucepan      Meanwhile, heat half and half and butter in a small saucepan until butter melts.      Remove small pan from heat truffle butter, until butter is m...

       Something I've made a goal about this blog is trying to make items that I normally buy. I normally buy barbecue sauce, so when I saw this, I realized I had most of the ingredients in my fridge, and according to the Barefoot Contessa the recipe holds for at least a month, so I figured why not! Ingredients     1/2 cup of vegetable oil     1 large yellow onion, chopped     3 cloves of garlic, minced     1 cup of tomato paste     1 cup of cider vinegar     1 cup of honey     1/2 cup of Worcestershire sauce     1 cup of Dijon mustard     1/2 cup of soy sauce     1 cup of hoisin sauce     2 tbs of chili powder     1 tbs of ground cumin                                               1 1/2 tsp of crushed red ...