September 19, 2010

I'm Back!


Wow, I cannot believe that it has been so long since I have posted! I have recently started a second job, so my time has been pretty booked. Most of our meals have not been blog worthy, lots of slow-cooker and thrown together at the end of the day meals. Also, the few things that I have cooked have not turned out very well. These turkey sliders have turned things around though. What can I say I am a sucker for cute little sandwiches. Matt ordinarily does not eat lunch meat very well, but we both really enjoyed these. He also really liked this broccoli cheese soup (it was supposed to taste like Panera's). I was not a huge fan, but I only like broccoli soup that is SUPER cheesy. I think the bay leaves were too strong, maybe. Anyway this was a good meal, because I could make the soup on my day off and then heat it up and assemble the sandwiches for a quick dinner which is good when you don't get home until 8:00!
Not Quite Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head)
1 large carrot, diced
2 1/2 cups grated sharp white and yellow cheddar
Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Saute the onion for about 5 minutes or until tender. Using a whisk, add the flour and cook until golden (3-4 minutes). Gradually whisk in the half-and-half until smooth. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, and nutmeg, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered until thickened (about 20 minutes).
Add the broccoli and carrot and simmer until tender (about 20 minutes). Remove the bay leaves. Optional- Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth. Whisk in the cheese over medium heat. If the soup is too thick you can add up to a half cup of water.
Turkey Pesto Sliders
Ingredients:
6 slider buns (we used the Hawaiian brand ones)
6 slices of deli turkey meat
6 slices of provolone cheese
3 tbsp. pesto
3 tbsp. mayonnaise
2 tbsp. butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Split the slider buns. Lay them on a foil-lined baking sheet. Lay a folded slice of turkey on the bottom half of each bun. Add the provolone. Combine the pesto and mayonnaise in a small bowl. Spread a thin layer on each top bun. Replace teh top bun. Brush the tops of the buns with melted butter. Bake 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sandwiches are warmed.

2 comments:

  1. Yay! I was worried you'd abandoned the blog for the job.

    Also, that soup looks pretty darn cheesy to me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. No worries, I just hadn't had time to get to it

    I know, but it wasn't as cheesy tasting!

    ReplyDelete