Roasted Carrot Soup

Roasted carrots, onion and garlic pureed into a creamy delicious soup. It really can’t get much simpler!
You will need:

7 large carrots peeled, halved crosswise, and cut lengthwise
1 Large Onion, quartered
1 head of Garlic
2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 stick of margarine
1 tsp Garlic salt
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400

Mix room temperature margarine with parsley and garlic salt in a small bowl until combined. Line a baking sheet with foil and spread the butter mixture all over the foil. Place the carrots and onions on the foil lined baking sheet and mix around so they are coated in the butter. Place in a 400 degree oven for 40 minutes- turning at least once.

For the garlic, cut 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves. Drizzle about a tbsp of oil on the cloves and wrap in tin foil. Place the garlic in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Once cooled, turn the clove upside down and squeeze the cloves out. You could also use  a fork and knife but if find the squeezing method to be faster.

Using a food processor or emulsion blender puree the vegetables until smooth and transfer the mixture to a pot. Add chicken stock until the desired thickness and simmer for 30 minutes.   It would be great as a first course or light main dish. Serve with crusty bread

Caprese Salad Skewers

Last week the college and career group hosted a valentines banquet for the married couples in our church. One of the appetizers we made were these caprese salad skewers. They are SUPER simple to make and they are very good!

1 package tooth picks
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
2 lbs of fresh mozzarella (bocconcini which are small balls of fresh mozzarella)
Bunch of fresh basil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Quality Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and Pepper

 

Be sure to get quality ingredients as this is a simple dish that should be fresh and simple. The freshest ingredients will bring the best flavor. Assembly is very simple. First wash and dry your tomatoes and basil. We chopped our tomatoes in half so they would fit on the toothpicks better. If you’d rather not chop the tomatoes you could get larger toothpicks or skewers instead. Skew the tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil on the tooth picks. The drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. It’s that simple!

Buffalo Chicken Dip Won-tons

My grandma was always attending gatherings or luncheons with friends. I can’t remember a time when she went to a party empty handed. This past weekend I attended a family dinner with my boyfriend and decided to bring this favorite appetizer for group gatherings. Baked buffalo chicken dip won-tons

   

You will need
prepared buffalo chicken dip
1 package of won-ton wrappers
bowl of water

Start by mixing up your favorite buffalo chicken dip recipe. Such as this one from Frank’s redhot website.  Next, line up about 5-10 won-ton wrappers. You want to work with a few at a time and keep the rest covered so they don’t dry out. Place a small tablespoon of the chicken filling in the center of the wrappers.

Brush the edges of the won-ton wrappers with water and fold the wonton over to create a triangle. Gently pinch the edges so the filling is sealed in the wrapper.

Brush the base of the triangle with water and fold one of the bottom corners to the middle (one over the other).

Once all of the won-tons have been filled you will want to put them on a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to cool. The filling and the wrappers need to be the same temperature.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 17-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Aren’t these adorable? Be aware they must be served hot! I’ve also done the same thing with artichoke spinach dip and the result is still just as good. Hope you enjoy!