Caramel Sauce

This post is probably better suited for fall but I had the urge to make homemade caramel sauce a week or 2 ago when we decided to have ice cream sundaes for dinner. (How bold)!

I've been wanting to make my own caramel sauce for a while now and had the perfect excuse (maybe not the perfect excuse but an excuse nonetheless). I thought the process would be a lot more difficult than it was. Waiting for the sugar to caramelize was the longest part of the process.

I just used the caramel sauce on top of ice cream but there's so many things you can do with it. You can drizzle it on top of brownies, cakes or even popcorn. I think I'll make this again this fall and use it to make candy apples!

You can find the recipe here

Jerk Turkey Chili

This isn't my first time making this chili. I actually made it a couple times before just never blogged about it. This is a product of watching "The Rachael Ray Show" on a day off about a year or two ago.

She has so many chili recipes and I'm always excited to try them. This one has a very unique flavor. The cinnamon and honey really provide a sweet taste to the chili that I think really completes this dish. The sweet taste with the combination of the spice really makes this chili an over all winner! It's really easy too!

Ingredients:
•2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

•2 pounds ground turkey breast
•2 medium onions, chopped
•4 garlic cloves, chopped or grated
•2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
•2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
•3 tablespoons chili powder
•1 tablespoon cumin
•1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
•1 teaspoon allspice
•1/4 cup tomato paste
•Salt and ground black pepper
•1 bottle beer, preferably an India Pale Ale (if you don’t want to use beer, use more stock or water)
•2 cups chicken stock
•3 tablespoons honey

In a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, add two turns of the pan of EVOO. Cook the ground turkey until brown, about 5 minutes. Add in the onions, garlic and peppers, and cook until the onions are translucent, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, tomato paste, salt and ground black pepper, and cook about 1 minute. Add in the beer, chicken stock and honey and bring up to a bubble. Simmer for about 15 minutes.

Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Scones

Still using up that buttermilk that I purchased over the weekend (Look out! I still have some left, wonder what I'll do with it). After paging through Tastespotting today, I came across these beauties and boy am I happy I did. These brown sugar chocolate chip scones came together really well and in no time. They're prefect for breakfast or dessert!

This recipe comes from Evil Shenanigans

Ingredients: 
2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces and kept very cold
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup cold buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg, well beaten
Sugar for topping

Heat the oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the cold butter and rub it in with your fingers until the butter is in small pieces, no larger than peas.  Add the chocolate chips and mix well. Pour in the cold buttermilk and vanilla and mix until the liquid is absorbed.  The dough will look very dry and shaggy. Turn out onto a cutting board and knead the dough three times by pressing the dough into a fat disk, folding the dough in half , turning it 1/4 turn and repeating.  Do not over knead. Once kneaded press into an 8″ circle and cut the disk into 8 wedges.  Places the wedges on the prepared baking sheet and brush with beaten egg.  Top each scone with as much sugar as you like. Bake the scones for 15 – 18 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.  Cool ten minutes on the pan before transferring to a wire rack.

Potato Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup

Sounds like a lot, right? I couldn't make up my mind...do I want potato soup or broccoli soup so after getting a little inspiration from a couple of food blogs and my cookbooks I decided to go for both potato & broccoli (you know I was using the cheese no matter what the main ingredient was).

This soup came together rather quickly and I was completely satisfied with my decision to use both potato & broccoli. The potato really helped with the overall consistency of the soup; made it more creamy (only had to used 1 tablespoon of skim milk). Spring is right around the corner so I really have to make the most of my winter comfort foods. I think I'll try this again in the near future with potato and cauliflower. I'll keep you posted! I had full intentions of making cheesy croutons for the top of the soup but forgot to get a loaf of Italian bread at the store, silly me!

I can't take credit for this soup but I don't really know who to give credit to. I used Martha, Food Network & Tastespotting to come to a final recipe for this soup.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (you can use olive oil if you're trying to be a little bit healthier)

1 medium size yellow onion

3 small heads of broccoli, chopped

2 medium size Idaho potatoes, cut into small pieces

4 cups of chicken broth (vegetable broth if you want to keep it vegetarian friendly)

1 1/2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1-2 tablespoons of skim milk (you can add more or less depending on you preference)

salt & pepper

In a dutch oven melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent (about 8 mins). Do not burn the onion! Add broccoli, potatoes, chicken broth, & a dash of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer until vegetables are fork tender (about 15-20 mins). Once vegetables are tender transfer to a blender and puree in batches (an immersion blender would do the trick too). Return puree to dutch oven over low heat. Stir in cheese, milk & salt/pepper to taste. Enjoy!