Reese's Peanut Butter Brownies

Here's a treat for the handful of you who may occasionally be checking my blog. :) I made these scrumptalicious brownies for a gathering with friends recently and several people requested the recipe.

Reese's Peanut Butter Brownies

1 box brownie mix
8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. creamy peanut butter
small bag Reese's peanut butter cups
small bag mini chocolate chips (I don't use near an entire bag of these or Reese's cups)
1 cup or more chopped peanuts

1. Bake brownies as directed on box. Cool slightly.
2. Mix cream cheese, brown sugar and peanut butter and spread on brownies.
3. Crumble Reese's and sprinkly on top with chips and nuts (You can put as much or as many of the toppings as you like.)

Sausage Tortellini Soup

Earlier this fall I began posting my favorite soup recipes. During the cooler months I like to make a homemade soup a week. It doesn't always happen. For example, last week my family ate lots of soups, but they were all from a can. (A friend recently introduced me to the Progresso brand. I've tried the tomato, chicken noodle, vegetarian lentil, and vegetarian vegetable and they are all delicious!) Here's the one I made last evening. I got it from a coworker about 6 years ago. This time I used 2 c. beef broth from our cow's beef bones so there were actually some little pieces of beef in it as well. I think it just added to the intensity and richness of flavor.

P.S. Learned something new yesterday. When there's no tomato sauce on hand, mix 3/4 c. tomato paste with 1 c. water and you get 2 c. tomato sauce!!

Sausage Tortellini Soup

1 lb. italian sausage
1 c. coarsely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, sliced
5 cups beef broth
1 cup water
2 c. chopped tomatoes
1 c. chopped carrots
1/2 t. basil
1/2 t. oregano
8 oz. tomato sauce
1 1/2 c. chopped zucchini
8 oz. cheese-filled tortellini
3 T. parsley

Brown sausage with onion and garlic. Drain well. Combine in large pot everything EXCEPT: zucchini, tortellini, and parsley. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Cover and simmer another 30 minutes. Add zucchini and cook only until crisp tender (I did this about 5-10 minutes.) Do not overcook. Add parsley. Finally, add tortellini right before you serve soup - it needs no longer than 3-5 minutes to cook. Serve immediately!

Chicken Enchiladas

One of my readers requested this recipe for here it is. This was discovered by a friend in college. There were 7 of us women who lived together for two years in a row. Oh, the fun we had and the growing up we all did together!!! We all did anywhere from a little to a lot of cooking those two years. Some were experienced and gifted in the kitchen. Others (okay, me) had wonderful training from our mothers but didn't put much effort into the whole thing until we had to... which happened to be junior/senior years of college. This was one of those recipes that was prepared several times during those two years, if I recall correctly. In fact, we put together a cookbook at the end of our senior year with contributions from each of us. It's one of the special momentos I have of college life and friendships... and I use it quite often!!

Chicken/Turkey Enchiladas

1/2 c. chopped onion
3 T. butter
1 c. sour cream
2 1/2 c. cooked, cubed chicken or turkey
2 c. shredded cheese (cheddar or whatever you like)
10 flour tortillas
1 c. turkey or chicken broth
1-4 oz. green peppers
1/3 c. taco sauce
1/8 t. chili powder
2 T. flour
1/2 c. chopped tomatoes

In a glass bowl, combine the onions, peppers, and 1 T. butter. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Add taco sauce, 1/4 c. sour cream and chili powder. Stir in meat and 1/2 c. cheese. Divide mixture among the tortillas. Roll and place seam side down in 9x13 dish. Microwave remaining 2 T. butter until melted. Blend in flour, then add broth. Microwave 3-4 minutes or until thickened (my microwave does this much faster, by the way.) Stir in remaining sour cream. Pour over enchiladas. Microwave 6-8 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and microwave until cheese is melted. Serve topped with chopped tomatoes, fresh avocado, and fresh cilantro.


I found a very ripe platano (plantain) the other day in the store and decided to fry it up with this meal. So then I made some rice and beans as well ( I cheated with a box mix.) It was all so delicious together!!

Chunky Vegetable Chili

As promised earlier this fall, I'm sharing my favorite soup recipes occasionally on this blog. This is one is delicious. It's quick to assemble and quite healthy too. The bonus is that you can put it in the crockpot and forget about it until dinner!!

Chunky Vegetable Chili

1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 in. pieces
1 medium green sweet pepper, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. coarsely chopped onion
1/2 c. coarsely chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 -3 t. chili powder (we usually do 2)
1 t. dried oregano, crushed
1/2 t. ground cumin
2 - 14 1/2 oz. cans Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
17 oz. can whole kernal corn, undrained
15 oz. can black beans, rinsed & drained
8 oz. salsa

Combine everything in crockpot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Serve with dollop of sour cream on top and/or shredded cheese.