Beer Cheese Soup

02 Sunday Mar 2014

Posted by Planning for Paris in Good Eats

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Good morning!! Hope you all had a great weekend and caught a bit of the Oscars! So much glamour.

Today, I thought I’d share a soup that Matt and I have a made a few times and each time we change it up a bit and it just keeps getting better and better!! Matt found this in a beer brewing manual! Yep, that’s right, the Johnson’s are brewing! First batch is already in the works!

Beer Cheese Soup

ingredients
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp hot pepper sauce (we used Siracha)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups chicken broth
8 ounces pale ale beer
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
4 cups milk or half and half (we used vitamin D)
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp dry mustard
1 cup shredded smoked cheddar (we used significantly more)

process
1. In a large sauce pan over low heat, stir together chopped onion, celery, and garlic.

2. Stir in hot pepper sauce, cayenne, salt, and black pepper.

3. Mix in chicken broth and beer, simmer for 15 minutes.

4. In separate pan, melt hitter over low heat, add flour and cook until golden brown.

5. Slowly whisk in milk until thickened.

6. Combine and stir beer mixture into milk mixture. The original recipe doesn’t call for any cheese to be added to the actual soup which doesn’t make any sense. So we added about two cups of whatever cheese we had in the fridge until melted. Add Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and dry mustard. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes. *

7. Ladle to serve and top with cheese!

*we also added some cooked bacon, leftover pork sausage and some potatoes that needed to be eaten! This is a great empty the fridge meal!

Recipe adapted from Extreme Brewing

Happy Monday!
Erin

Lemon Cornbread Breakfast Cake

19 Wednesday Feb 2014

Posted by Planning for Paris in Good Eats

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baking, cake, cornbread, gluten-free, lemon, recipe

Today I’m bringing back an oldie but a goodie. I first published this recipe a couple years ago on my old blog. I’ve since said goodbye to The Compulsive Culinaire and the dang gluten but I love coming back to the old ones! Especially Joy the Baker recipes. They’re the best.

This recipe can easily be adapted to gluten-free (I did and it was delicious!). I love me some easy recipes and this one definitely fits the bill. It’s perfect when you’re craving that sweet treat on Saturday morning! Enjoy!

Lemon Cornmeal Breakfast Cake (recipe adapted from here)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour*
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted until brown then cooled slightly

*To make gluten-free, use gluten-free all purpose flour instead (cup for cup varieties are the best!). Make sure the flour you use includes xantham gum.

Lemon Glaze:
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
3-4 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Directions
Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°. In a 9 or 10 inch cast iron skillet, melt butter until browned. Coat the skillet with butter by tilting the pan and then remove the excess butter from the skillet to cool.

Whisk the dry ingredients (flour to salt) together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, lemon zest, and butter. Fold the wet ingredients until few lumps remain.

Pour the batter into the skillet and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, whisk the powdered sugar and lemon zest together for the icing.

Let cake cool for 10 minutes. Using a toothpick or fork, poke holes in the cake. Pour the glaze over the cake and let sit for 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Natalie

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies {Gluten-Free!}

05 Wednesday Feb 2014

Posted by Planning for Paris in Good Eats

≈ 5 Comments

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chocolate, Cookie, gluten-free, peanut butter, recipe

Hi, dear readers! I hope you’ve been enjoying this fabulous weather!

*cue sarcasm*

I’m over this weather. OVER IT. I can’t complain about the snow day (it was grand) but I need some sunshiiiine! And some 80 degree weather. And a patio. And a margarita ~~(or three)~~.

Enough about the weather… let’s talk cookies. Specifically, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookies. Raise your hand if Reese’s cups are your favorite?! Good, glad we’re on the same page.

These are so dang delicious. Even my family (who can sometimes poo-poo the gluten-free food idea) thought these were amazing. You can’t tell in the least bit they are gluten-free. And I heard they’re reallllly good for your hips! And weight-loss plan!

Slash not. But they’re still delicious.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies {Gluten-Free} (makes approx. 35)

(adapted from Gluten is my Bitch by April Peveteaux)

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 1/2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour*
1 package mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (approx. 40)

*Make sure the gluten-free flour you use includes Xantham Gum. If it does not, add 1 tsp. xanthan gum to the 3 1/2 cups flour.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well. Add in the peanut butter and mix until incorporated. Stir in baking soda, salt, and flour until thoroughly mixed.

Role the dough into 2 inch balls. Place a peanut butter cup in the middle and fold the dough around the peanut butter cup. Roll the cup/dough into a ball again. Place the dough on a cookie sheet, approx. 1/2 inch apart.

Bake cookies for 17 minutes. Set on wire rack to cool. Serve warm and with a large glass of milk!

Enjoy! These are so fabulous!

Natalie

Breakfast Casserole {Gluten- Free!}

23 Thursday Jan 2014

Posted by Planning for Paris in Good Eats

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Breakfast, casserole, gluten-free, recipe, sausage

I’ve mentioned this cookbook before here, but letmetellyou this is THE book to have if you’re starting out gluten-free. Or if you’re a year into it and still looking for information.

I made this breakfast casserole for Tad’s family over Christmas and it was so tasty. SO tasty. You couldn’t even tell it was gluten- free… win!

This cookbook provides tons of super easy recipes for the gluten haters and this recipe is no exception. Will I be making this again? Oh yeah. It’s perfect if you’re having guests over… prepare it the night before and just pop it in the oven in the morning! Voila!

Breakfast Casserole {Gluten- Free} (Serves 10)

Ingredients

1 pound sausage, gluten-free
6 eggs
2 cups milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
6 slices gluten-free bread, broken into chunks
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

Prepare this the night before!

Grease 9×13 inch baking dish and set aside.

Brown sausage then transfer to a bowl lined with paper towels to cool.

In a large bowl, beat eggs and milk together. Add the salt and mustard then beat well to combine. Add the GF bread to the mixture and soak until softened. Stir in cheese and cooled sausage.

Pour batter into greased baking dish, cover with plastic wrap and set in fridge overnight.

The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the dish for 40-45 minutes. Serve warm!

Enjoy!

Natalie

*Didn’t have my camera with me when I made the recipe so the pictures are all taken using my handy dandy iPhone!

Peach Smoothie

14 Tuesday Jan 2014

Posted by Planning for Paris in Good Eats

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banana, Breakfast, fruit, healthy, peach, smoothie

So as much as we try to fight them, we ALL make New Years resolutions. If you’re like me, a new year brings hopes of a healthier, happier version of you. Yes, we need to love ourselves for who we are and yada yada yada BUT I think January 1st can make us challenge ourselves. Challenge us to eat better, be more active, be kinder. Is that so bad? Sure, we need to not beat ourselves up when we don’t live up to the expectations but I’ve always been one to set goals. Set them until you reach them! Eh? Let’s do this.

First step to eating better…smoothies! Smoothies are so fabulous. I know juicing is the big craze right now but smoothies need some love too! My friend, Megan, introduced me to the KEY ingredient in smoothies: yogurt. Yogurt ties in the whole shebang.

I’ve made this smoothie after all of my workouts so far (Go me! Can I get a slow clap for that?!). It’s so tasty, healthy, and easy. It’s like icecream but without the guilt. WIN.

Enjoy this, guys! It’s pretty filling so I love to have this as my breakfast in the morning.

Peach Smoothie (recipe adapted from here)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup peaches, frozen
1 banana, cut into chunks
Splash of orange juice (approx. 1/4th cup)
1/2 cup milk (I used almond milk)
1/3 cup yogurt (I used Dannon’s Light Vanilla… it’s like the dairy version of crack)

Directions
Blend all ingredients (how’s that for easy) and enjoy!

Natalie