Enjoy this cozy soup on a chilly day. It only takes about a half hour from start to finish.
Meatball-Mushroom Parmesan Soup
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups lower-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup sliced baby-cut carrots
8 (1-inch) frozen Italian-style meatballs
1/2 cup rotini pasta
2 cups baby spinach
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
2. Add broth and carrots; bring to a boil. Add meatballs and pasta; return to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 10 minutes or until pasta is tender and meatballs are cooked through. Stir in spinach then sprinkle with cheese to serve.
Oooh. I’m loving me some Psychobuildings. Their latest song “Inside Out” has some hints of Bowie and loads of the great synthy stuff that makes me so happy.
This mock toffee is so much fun. Buttery biscuits covered with a buttery caramel and crunchy pecans taste amazing. They are super easy to make, too.
Butter Pecan Toffee
Ingredients:
4 oz butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
40 tea biscuits
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
Directions:
1. Combine butter, sugar and corn syrup in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until brown and 305°F on a candy thermometer. (If you don’t have a candy thermometer, you can follow the technique on this page).
2. Arrange tea biscuits side by side on a large baking sheet lined with non-stick foil (or grease some regular foil).
3. Pour the sugar mixture on top of the biscuits and sprinkle with pecans. Chill until firm then break apart to serve.
Even as things open up, I spend most of my time at home…and I live in Vermont where we are blessedly seeing very few cases of the virus. It’s just the way I find myself coping best.
So….lots of TV.
I strongly recommend Better Things, a scene from which is in the YouTube video above. It’s a smart comedy-drama with remarkable acting and a very strong soundtrack. The music placement is genius.
Other shows I finally got around to and loved: Fleabag, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Ozark, Dead To Me, Never Have I Ever, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Big Mouth, and The Good Place. If you like reality TV, I recommend Love Is Blind, The Circle, Dating Around and Love On The Spectrum.
I also recommend these easy Pizza Burgers that are packed with flavor and taste like summer.
Pizza Burgers
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 teaspoon salt or garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
4 hamburger buns, toasted if you like
Pizza sauce, warmed
Sliced mozzarella cheese
Basil sprigs
Directions:
1. Heat grill to medium-high heat.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the beef and spices then shape into 4 patties.
3. Place burgers on the grill and cook 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. (A covered grill helps reduce flare-ups and allows for more even cooking)
4. When burgers are almost done, top each with a slice of mozzarella and cook until cheese melts.
5. Serve burgers in buns with a spoonful of pizza sauce and a sprig of basil.
I always have Shazam open when I watch Better Things as there is usually a few banger tunes per episode that I am unfamiliar with.
One such is this blissful song by Jason Nutter & Jesika von Rabbit.
“Joshua Tree” closes out the second episode in season 4 of Better Things. The song, which I had never heard before, gave me instant chills and could not have been more beautifully paired with the moment in the show. I wish I had that video clip to share.
Check out Jason Nutter & Jesika von Rabbit here and here. You can buy the music here.
1. Remove cookie dough from fridge and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften.
2. Press cookie dough into an ungreased 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
3. Bake at 350°F until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
4. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Fold in 1 3/4 cups of the whipped topping. Spread over baked chocolate chip cookie crust.
5. In a large mixing bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Spread pudding mixture over cream cheese layer.
6. Top with remaining whipped topping. Sprinkle with topping of choice
7. Cover and refrigerate until set up, at least 8 hours.
“This Livens Up The Day” is new from Las Vegas-based band Rhythm Affair. I love lead singer Kevin Deon’s deep, comforting delivery woven with the beautiful back up vocals that emphasize the song title.
“You didn’t care about me yesterday
when all my hope was just slipping away”
I saw this recipe all around my social media feeds in March when everyone started staying at home and baking a lot.
Two ingredient bagels! No yeast! No boiling!
I finally got a chance to try the recipe out for myself. I started making the bagels at 6:30 am and just after 7 am my family got to dig in. So quick, so easy and so good.
My kids remarked that it took a few bites to get used to a subtle sweetness in the bagels (no doubt from the yogurt), but we all gave them a thumbs up. Two Ingredient Bagels
Ingredients:
1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1 cup self rising flour
Toppings:
1 large egg
pinch of fine sea salt
1 teaspoon water
Everything bagel seasoning mix, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, etc
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375℉. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and yogurt. Knead the dough until it is smooth.
3. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Shape each portion of dough into a ball. Use your thumbs to make a hole in the center of each ball. (I rolled my dough into a log and then joined into a bagel shape so they are kind of misshapen. Forming the ball and then poking a hole will make a more traditional looking bagel.)
4. Arrange the bagels on the prepared baking sheet.
5. Mix together an egg wash by whisking the egg, salt, and water in a small bowl until smooth. Brush the egg wash over the bagels. Sprinkle desired toppings over bagels.
“Everything And Nothing”, new from California-based band The Cry, is all the retro goodness I’m craving. It deserves a great big exclamation point…just like the bagels.
And another thing I love is a great burger on the grill.
Give your burgers a flavor boost by giving them the taco treatment. Corn chips and a packet of taco seasoning do all of the work. Really tasty…you should make them for your favorite father. 😉 Taco Burgers
1. In a large bowl, combine the corn chips, taco seasoning, onion and egg. Add beef to bowl and mix well. Shape into six patties.
2. Grill, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 inches from the heat for 7 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 160°F and juices run clear.
3. Top each burger with a slice of cheese and heat just until cheese begins to melt. Serve burgers on buns with lettuce, tomato and salsa.
Today I’m referring to the song “Happier” from Paula Sedlacek’s new EP ‘Stars Get Brighter’. Paula just graduated from my town’s high school and is an amazing singer/songwriter. I’ve been mesmerized with her voice since I first saw her perform at a school concert.
I adore “Happier”, but do go and have a listen to the other 3 tracks on the EP. Every song is incredible.
Need a sweet treat with a kick? A Buttered Toffee Cocktail will do the trick. This creamy and rich drink is perfect for a liquid dessert. Hell, these days it could even be the breakfast of champions.
Seattle’s Watch Clark bangs out electronic magic that whisks you back to them crazy 1980s. Get your synth-pop groove on right now with the nutric “Toxic Friend”.
Check out Watch Clark on Facebook. You can buy the music on Bandcamp.
Normally, to get inspiration to start this post, I would type something like “funny graduation” into a search engine and scroll through the images, gifs and videos.
I have a fabulous sense of humor, but I cannot find anything funny about all of the students around the world who have missed out on the traditional events in their senior year. Their parents are hurting, too.
That’s why there’s that video of a bird getting his dance groove on. Funny.
I am heartened to see so many schools coming up with unique ways to celebrate graduation and make it special for the seniors. Definitely a challenge in these weird times.
If you have a senior in your life, here is a cheerful cupcake you can make to salute them.
Graduation Cap Cupcakes
Ingredients:
1 (16.25 oz.) box cake mix prepared (I used red velvet)
24 cupcake liners (your school colors)
2 (16 oz) tubs vanilla icing
1 cup chocolate chips to melt and use as “glue”
24 Ghirardelli squares (I used dark chocolate raspberry)
24 mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
24 red M&M’s candies
1 bag Cherry Twizzlers pull ‘n’ peel candy
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Line 24 standard muffin cups with paper liners.
2. Prepare cake mix and bake as directed on the box for cupcakes. Set aside to cool completely.
3. Using a piping bag fitted with a 2A round tip, pipe icing onto cooled cupcakes.
4. Pull Twizzlers apart into individual ropes. Cut each rope into 2-inch long pieces. You will need 48 pieces (two for each cap).
5. In a small microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips on high for 1 minute then stir until melted. Pour into a small re-sealable plastic bag. Cut a tiny hole in corner of the bag.
6. Unwrap the chocolate squares and peanut butter cups. Place all the peanut butter cups upside-down on two trays. Squeeze a little melted chocolate on top of each peanut butter cup and place a chocolate square on top to create the “cap.”
7. Use a dab of the melted chocolate to attach the M&M candies and Twizzler “tassels” to the top of each “cap”. Refrigerate for 5-10 minutes, until the chocolate has set.
8. Top each frosted cupcake with a graduation cap.
Note: If transporting the cupcakes, do not place chocolate caps on top of cupcakes until you arrive as they may slide off while being moved. Instead assemble at your destination.
This is a positive and uplifting song by Halifax-based artist Jont. I love his “Possible Challenge” wherein he encouraged others to film their version of his song and send it to him. Very cool.
“All of us together
can change the way
the world works”
Check out Jont on his Website where you can buy the music.
2. Cook bacon in a skillet until crisp. Remove bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and pat dry.
3. Pour bacon grease into a saucepan set over low heat then whisk in flour, salt and pepper.
4. Slowly stir in milk and continue cooking until thick, stirring frequently. Add more milk if gravy gets too thick.
5. Chop the bacon and add to the gravy. Remove pan from the heat.
6. To assemble, place biscuits on a serving dish and top each with a few pieces of popcorn chicken. Ladle some of the bacon country gravy over the chicken.
While I can’t get help with all of your quarantine woes, I can share this delicious recipe to make your day a little bit better.
Salted Caramel Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Bars.
Mmmmmmm….Let that sink in for a minute.
This sweet treat tastes as good as it sounds and makes A LOT. Salty, sweet, chewy, buttery…yum.
Salted Caramel Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Bars
Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
14-ounce bag soft caramels, unwrapped (not caramel sauce)
2-3 tablespoons milk or cream
1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a 13 x 9-inch pan with foil or parchment paper. Lightly grease the bottom and sides with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. Heat a skillet over medium-low heat and add the butter. Whisk constantly until brown bits appear on the bottom, about 4 minutes. (The butter will melt, foam, then become clear golden before finally starting to turn brown. Stir frequently and do not leave the butter unattended as it goes from perfect brown to burned very quickly.) Remove skillet from heat and let butter cool completely, about 20 minutes.
3. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking soda and salt to the browned butter and stir until evenly combined.
Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Stir in the flour and chocolate chips.
4. Scatter about 2/3 of the dough, in large pieces, across the bottom of the prepared pan. Press into as even a layer as possible.
5. Combine the unwrapped caramels and cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in one minute increments, stirring in between, until the mixture is melted and smooth (Be careful not to burn).
6. Spread the warm caramel over the cookie dough in the pan. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt, if desired. Sprinkle teaspoon-size pieces of remaining cookie dough across the caramel.
7. Bake for about 25 minutes until the cookie dough is golden (The bars will be very gooey coming out of the oven but will set up as they cool). Cool completely before cutting into squares.
“Not So Pretty”, from Detroit-based Ally Evenson’s debut EP, gut punched me the first time I heard it. So much sadness laid bare in that heavenly voice…the song is really the opposite of its title.
“I’m so sick from you
and I wish I could
feel just like I used to”
And, seriously, that someone as beautiful as this young woman could be made to feel bad about herself by another human makes me so sad.
Check out Ally Evenson on Facebook. You can buy her music on Bandcamp.
These songs are up for listening purposes and only for a short period of time. Like what you hear? Then please support the artist and buy the music. If you're an artist or label who wants the song taken down, please let me know.
