Spicy chicken lentil soup

A few days ago I hopped over to see what Pam was cooking up in her kitchen. She had made a fantastic sausage and lentil soup. I was instantly in love with this recipe and come hell or soup hating husband, I was making this soup! :D



I took a quick trip to Trader Joe's (without recipe in hand) to find the lentils Pam used for her yummy soup, but arrived home only to find I was missing a lot of the other required ingredients...the sausage for one. Instead of wasting my gasoline and making an even larger carbon footprint, I just used what I already had on hand.



I simmered my soup in the crockpot all day and I must say, I love the way it came out. It had the most wonderful flavor! And the best part...my darling husband didn't utter a single word of complaint! In fact, I could have sworn I saw him sneak into the kitchen for a second bowl!



Spicy Chicken Lentil Soup
inspired by For the Love of Cooking

Print recipe

2 tsp olive oil
2 carrots, diced
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 can of Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups vegetable broth
3 cups prepared lentils
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, very thinly sliced
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
cracked pepper
fresh or dried parsley

Place all ingredients into a large slow cooker. Set to low and cook for 5-6 hours. Remove the bay leaf. Ladle several cups of soup into a blender and pulse briefly, return to the slow cooker; this helps to thicken the soup a bit. An immersion blender would be easier for this, but if you don't have one the blender will work fine.

Garnish with parsley. Serve with a nice crusty bread for a warm, hearty meal.

Thanks for the inspiration, Pam!

Turkey-Bacon-Guacamole Burgers

So tomorrow is the big game! Super Bowl....what number is it???? Oh yes, Super Bowl XLIV... right??? I really wish I was more of a football fan. The game will be on tomorrow at our house and we will have chips, dip, and beer on hand. I will try to watch and grasp just what all of those penalty flags are all about.



I will also whip up some guacamole, thanks to Joe!



Isn't this just the coolest little kit you've ever seen? I spotted it the moment I entered the store and I nearly jumped for joy! I am pretty sure that the employees at Trader Joe's are used to this jumping for joy business and probably wouldn't have even batted an eye.



Here is a great way to use your guacamole kit!

Turkey-Bacon-Guacamole Burgers
by theUngourmet

makes 4 1/4lb burgers

1 lb ground turkey
4 slices of turkey bacon
1 trader joe's guacamole kit
sliced cheddar cheese
lettuce leaves
a nice loaf of crusty bread

Put together your guacamole. Cook your bacon until crisp. Shape your patties, season with your choice of seasoning. Cook thoroughly. Place the turkey burgers on toasted bread and garnish with cheese, guacamole and lettuce.

Serve with chips and beer.

Cheer for your favorite team and have a fun day!

Chocolate raspberry and almond baked oatmeal

I'm always trying to think up new ways to jazz up my baked oatmeal. Since Valentine's Day is this month, I thought a little chocolate/raspberry combination would be a great choice.



This recipe is pretty rich so I don't know that I would eat it for breakfast. Paring it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and serving for dessert would be fantastic!



I originally thought of using cherries in this recipe but I couldn't find any frozen ones. I couldn't see myself having the patience for removing the pits from fresh cherries, so I switched to raspberries.



I would like to try this again using cherries...just for fun.



The oatmeal smelled like brownies while it was baking.



Now, I just need to run back to the store for that vanilla ice cream!

Chocolate Raspberry Almond
Baked Oatmeal
by theUngourmet

Print recipe

3 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup melted butter, cooled to room temp
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup frozen raspberries

In a large bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and chocolate chips. In a smaller bowl, combine the eggs, milk, butter, honey, extracts and raspberries.

Add the egg mixture to the oat mixture. Stir to combine. Pour into a greased 9 inch baking pan.

Bake on 350 for 35-40 minutes. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.


Have a terrific weekend and thanks so much for all of your happy blog birthday wishes, they made me feel loved! :0)

Carrot cake muffins with cinnamon toasted pecans for my bloggy birthday

I began my blogging journey last February. Before I started blogging, I truly had no clue what a blog even was really. I had been hooked on The Pioneer Woman's blog (not knowing it even was a blog) for several months. I got to thinking, "Boy, this sure does look like fun. I think I'd like to try this!". -And so it began... I researched...I surfed...I studied...and finally...I BLOGGED.



I've been hooked from the very first post! I have had such a great year and I've made so many great friends along the way.



Some of my first visitors were: Cairo Typo, Kathy B!, Alicia, the Snowflake, Debbie, Connie, jenjen, and, of course, my dear momma.



My blog has really grown up over the course of a year and is completely different from the way it looked when I started. It will be fun to see how things evolve around here as this year rolls on.



I thank you all for your kind, encouraging comments. I look forward to reading all of your amazing posts this year as well!



Now, let's all raise our muffins for a toasted pecan! Tee-Hee!!



Carrot Cake Muffins with Cinnamon Toasted Pecans
by theUngourmet

makes about 18 muffins

Print recipe

2 large carrots, peeled and grated
1 large apple grated
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup ground golden flax
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup shredded coconut
3 large eggs
3/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, flax, brown sugar, and coconut. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, honey, and vanilla. Stir in the carrots and apple.

Fold the wet ingredients into the flour mixture just until moistened. Divide batter evenly into lightly oiled muffin cups.

Bake in a 350 degree oven to 18-20 minutes. Remove from pans and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before frosting.

Frost and top with toasted pecans.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

1/4 cup softened butter
4 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp milk
1 cup powdered sugar

Blend the butter, cream cheese, cinnamon, vanilla, and milk until creamy. Add the sugar a bit at a time until smooth and creamy. Adjust milk and sugar to gain desired consistency.

Cinnamon Toasted Pecans
Adapted from Paula Deen

2 cups chopped pecans
1 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp light corn syrup
1 tbsp agave nectar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Combine the butter, corn syrup, agave, cinnamon, and salt. Toss in the pecans and give 'em a good stir.

Bake on a cookie sheet at 250 for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool.

Good Stuff!

Thanks for joining me today! Come back and visit anytime!! :0)

toasted coconut & chocolate chip oatmeal cookies

For some reason or another, a favorite cookie from my childhood popped into my head a couple of days ago. It was a store bought cookie with coconut, chocolate chips, and oatmeal. I loved it! These days I'd rather bake my own, it's much more fun and, of course, there aren't as many strange ingredients to wonder about.

My mom is going to be reading this so I would like to clarify one thing, we did bake plenty of our own cookies as well. Our favorites were Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip and peanut butter with those cute little fork marks.



I would have loved to use whole wheat pastry flour in these. Unfortunately, I used it all and haven't gone out to pick up more. I will definitely use it the next time, it's much more nutritious.



I did buy the cheapy chips but they really weren't bad at all.



I love the the toasted coconut in these!



My kid's were thrilled when they arrived home from school and discovered these dandy cookies were waiting for them in the kitchen. :)



Toasted Coconut and Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
by theUngourmet

makes about 2 dozen

Printable version

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp coconut extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup toasted shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
2 cups rolled oats

In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and coconut. Beat butter for 30 seconds until creamy. Add the egg, extracts, and sugar. Mix well. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix well. Fold in the chips and oats.

Place tbsp sized scoops on baking sheet. Press down each scoop just a bit. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.

My, oh my, these are disappearing faster than I can say cookie!!

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I also wanted to say a very big thank-you to Claudia and Sweet and Savory for this lovely award! Thank you so much for thinking of me!

Thanks for stopping over today! Have a sweet weekend!