SOUPerbowl photos!

Everything was a smashing success, and the food vanished almost before I got to try any of it, WHICH i take as a serious compliment.
This is one of my most fond memories in the apartment.

Anyway, here we go!

Cheddar Broccoli Soup: (Serves 6, but i made two large batches)

Ingredients:
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1 onion, cut into medium dice
* 3 cloves (more if you want!) minced fresh garlic
* 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
* 2 large heads chopped broccoli
* 1 quart vegetable broth
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 cups whole milk (i used half & half to make it creamier!)
* 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese (or more...i suggest doubling this!...also, make sure you don't buy pre-shredded cheese. it doesn't melt nearly as well as freshly grated cheddar.)
* salt to taste

Directions:
1. Melt butter over medium heat in a stockpot.
2. Cook onion in butter until softened.
3. Add garlic and pepper; cook for 1 minute
4. Stir in broccoli, and stir in vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Whisk flour into milk until dissolved. Stir into soup stirring frequently until thickened.
6. Reduce heat, and stir in cheese until melted and heated through.
7. Season with salt to taste.


mmm!

***

Cheddar Bay Biscuits: (courtesy of howtoeatacupcake.net!)
-this yielded her 8 large biscuits. i doubled the recipe and managed 24 small biscuits.
1 1/4 cups Bisquick mix
1/2 cup cold whole milk
2 tablespoons cold butter
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh grated sharp cheddar

1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
Pinch of salt

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
2. Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork (she froze the butter first, then grated it with a box grater to eliminate this step). You don't want to mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix.
3. Drop small portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop.
4. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.
5. When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 1 tablespoons butter in a small bowl in your microwave. Stir in remaining garlic and the dried parsley flakes. Use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Use up all of the butter.


(the hit of the night, i believe.)

***

Elle's BBQ Tofu Bites:
Ingredients:
* 3 pkg extra firm tofu
* 1 jar of your fave bbq sauce! Elle likes Sweet Baby Ray's!

Directions:
1. drain and cube tofu into 1"(ish) cubes
2. fry cubes in 2 tbsp vegetable oil in preheated skillet, turning until all sides are golden brown.
3. drain oil.
4. add bbq and let simmer until sauce is thick and sticky.
5. serve with toothpicks!

easy and delicious! another hit!

***

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese icing: yields about 2 dozen cupcakes
(i got the basics of this from howtoeatacupcake (my hero!) and made some adjustments.
here's what i came up with:)

Ingredients:
* 1 1/2 cups of sugar
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, room temperature
* 2 eggs, room temperature
* 2 1/3 cups of flour
* 4 tbsp Nestle's cocoa powder
* 1 tsp of baking soda
* 1 tsp of baking powder
* 1/2 tsp of salt
* 1 cup of buttermilk (can be made by dropping 1 tbsp vinegar into milk and letting set for 10 minutes.)
* 1 1/2 tbsp of red food coloring
* 1 tsp of vanilla extract
* 1 tsp of vinegar (white or apple cider)

Frosting ingredients
* 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature
* 8 oz of cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
* 2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
* 1 tsp of vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer for 3 minutes on medium speed until light and fluffy.
2. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is fully incorporated. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
3. In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl whisk together the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla extract, and red food coloring.
4. Add a fourth of the dry ingredients and mix, then add a third of the wet. Continue adding in a dry, wet, dry pattern, ending with the dry ingredients.
5. Scoop into cupcake papers, about 2/3 way full. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.


Icing:
1. Cream the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
2. Add the vanilla extract and mix.
3. Add the powdered sugar. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.