Megan's Cornucopia Salad

 1/4 cup slivered almonds (or pre-candied almonds)

1 TB sugar

1 head green leaf lettuce, torn into pieces

1 head Romaine lettuce, torn into pieces

1 cup chopped celery

1 11-oz can mandarin oranges, drained

2 avocados, cut into chunks

2 apples, diced

1/2 cup dried cranberries (or pomegranate erils)

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

Dressing:

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon grated onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup veggie oil

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tsp dry mustard

3/4 tsp poppy seeds

NOTE: Megans puts more of the good stuff than stated in the recipe.

Combine dressing ingrediates and refrigerate until ready to use. Caramelize slivered almonds by mixing with sugar in a small skillet and stirring constantly over low heat until lightly browned. Spread on foil to cool, then break into pieces. Toss salad ingredients, almonds and dressing just prior to serving. 

Carmel sauce

 INGREDIENTS

1 ¾ cups (12 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
½ cup water
¼ cup light corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon
vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt


Bring sugar, water, and corn syrup to boil in large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, without stirring, until mixture is straw-colored, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, swirling saucepan occasionally, until mixture is amber-colored and registers between 360 and 370 degrees, 2 to 5 minutes longer.
2


Off heat, quickly but carefully stir in cream, vanilla, and salt (mixture will bubble and steam). Continue to stir until sauce is smooth. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. Reheat in microwave, stirring frequently, until warm and smooth.)

Zupa's Tomato Soup (Instant Pot)

• 4 14.5 oz Cans Italian Stewed Tomato
• 1 Cup Pesto Sauce *Make Fresh or from a Jar
• 3 Tbs Butter
• 3 Stalks Celery Diced
• 3/4 Cup Onion Diced
• 2 Tbs Sugar *This will help cut acidity
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 1/2 Cup Whipping Cream
• 1/2 Cup water *Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker only
• I also added a large carrot ;) - LG

• In a sauce pan over medium/high heat, melt butter. Add Celery and Onion. Saute’ until tender. Set aside.
• In an Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker put Italian Stewed Tomatoes, Pesto Sauce, Sugar, Salt, and Celery/Onion mixture. Add 1/2 cup of water or chicken broth. This is to add enough extra liquid so your ingredients don’t burn in your Instant Pot. If cooking in a Crock Pot, do not add extra water. Give a quick stir.
• Secure the lid. Check to make sure the pressure value is closed. Set Instant Pot to Manual and cook for 5 minutes. It will take a few minutes for the pressure cooker to heat up and seal. Then it will cook for 5 minutes. Do a quick release to release pressure.
• Use an Immersion Blender to blend soup to a smooth consistency. Mine is never smooth because my pesto sauce is still a little chunky which is like. Just blend up as much as you like. If you do not have an immersion blender, you can remove soup and put it in a blender a little at a time. It’s super simple and no big deal. Either way works just fine.
• Add whipping cream and blend or stir to combine. Serve hot with fresh Parmesan. Oh so good!

Soft Pretzels

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

• 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 ¼ cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ½ cup baking soda
• 4 cups hot water
• ¼ cup kosher salt, for topping

Instructions Checklist

• Step 1
  In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in 1 1/4 cup warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
• Step 2
  In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two more tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Step 3
  Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease 2 baking sheets.
• Step 4
  In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in 4 cups hot water; set aside. When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda-hot water solution and place pretzels on baking sheets. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
• Step 5
  Bake in preheated oven until browned, about 8 minutes.

Brush with butter after!

Best Broccoli Cheddar Soup

1 tablespoon + 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 small/medium sweet yellow onion, diced small
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced finely
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock (chicken stock may be substituted)
2 cups fat-free half-and-half (regular half-and-half may be substituted; whole milk or 2% milk will work but soup won’t be as creamy)
2 to 3 cups broccoli florets, diced into bite-size pieces + 1 cups stems, optional (I used 3 cups florets and 1 cup stems as not to waste them)
2 large carrots, trimmed, peeled, and sliced into very thin rounds, about 1/16th-inch
3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika or regular paprika, optional and to taste
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder, optional and to taste
pinch cayenne pepper, optional and to taste (doesn’t make soup spicy and serves to enhance flavor)
8 ounces grated high quality extra-sharp cheddar cheese, with a small amount reserved for garnishing bowls

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, add 1 tablespoon butter, the diced onion, and sauté   over medium heat until the onion is translucent and barely browned, about 4 minutes. Stir intermittently.
2. Add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn. Remove from heat and set pan aside.
3. In a large heavy-bottom pot add 4 tablespoons butter, flour, and cook over medium heat for about 3 to 5 minutes, whisking constantly, until flour is thickened. You are making a roux and it’s very important the mixture is thick or soup will never thicken properly later.
4. Slowly add the vegetable stock, whisking constantly.
5. Slowly add the half-and-half, whisking constantly.
6. Allow mixture to simmer over low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until it has reduced and thickened some. Whisk intermittently to re-incorporate the ‘skin’ that inevitably forms, this is normal.
7. While mixture is simmering, chop the broccoli and carrots. After simmering 15 to 20 minutes, add the broccoli, carrots, and the onion and garlic you previously set aside.
8. Add the salt, pepper, optional paprika, optional dry mustard powder, and optional cayenne. 
9. Allow soup to simmer over low heat for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until it has reduced and thickened some. 
10. While soup simmers, grate the cheese. Stir in the cheese until melted and incorporated fully, less than 1 minute.
11. Transfer soup to bowls, garnish with reserved cheese, and serve immediately. Soup will keep airtight for 5 to 7 days in the fridge. Reheat gently in the microwave. 

TORTELLINI SAUSAGE POTATO SOUP

1 pound peeled, chopped sweet potatoes (about 2-3 medium potatoes)
1 pound peeled, chopped Yukon gold or yellow potatoes (about 3 medium potatoes)
3 cups chicken broth (I use low-sodium)
1/2 tablespoon dried parsley
2 cloves garlic, finely minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
1/2 to 1 pound ground sausage (regular or spicy), cooked and crumbled (grease drained)
9 to 12 ounce package cheese tortellini (see note)
2 cups half and half (see note)
2 to 3 handfuls fresh spinach, torn into pieces
Salt and pepper to taste


INSTRUCTIONS
To the insert of a 5- or 6-quart (or similar size) slow cooker, add the potatoes, chicken broth, parsley, and garlic. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours until the potatoes are tender.
Leave the potatoes in chunks OR lightly mash them in the slow cooker until slightly chunky (I prefer mashing the potatoes lightly).
Stir in the cooked sausage, tortellini, half and half, and spinach. Cook on high for 20-30 mins until the tortellini is tender. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper! The soup will thicken slightly as it cools (refrigerated leftovers will thicken quite a bit).

From Mel's Kitchen Cafe. Lindsay's notes: I added 4 cups of water but only 3 teaspoons of Better Than Buillon to avoid it being too salty. Probably could have added even more water. Consider using spicy sausage (last time i used mild). I also recommend using a full thing of Costco tortellini (they come in a two-pack, I mean only one half of that). Also more spinach!

I don't make in a slow cooker I just cook the potatoes in the broth, then brown the sausage add the garlic to the sausage at the very end, then combine everything until its hot.