Alley Street Eats in Rosewood

Everyone in the neighborhood has eagerly awaited the opening of Alley Street Eats. I read an article about these folks and their concept.  Asian street food, of different styles.  The decor is cool and modern. The menu is extensive without being overbearing and features the variety we so desperately need in our area.

Viv and I shared shrimp and zucchini tempura to start.  Their tempura is light and crispy, just as it should be.  Next, we had an order of the Sichuan wontons. 

These are delicious.  Pork wontons with soy, scallion, cilantro and garlic. I was expecting them to be spicy, given "Sichuan" but they were actually pretty mild, but very flavorful.  I bet next time I can just ask for them to be spicy and they would oblige. 

Next, we had the Yaki Udon Noodle with shrimp.  This was also quite delicious. Soft, pillowy Udon noodles in a soy based sauce with red bell pepper, scallion and mushroom.  The shrimp were nicely cooked, which as we all know, can be a 50-50 shot in some restaurants.

Viv and I are excited about this place.  We've often lamented the fact that almost every Chinese place we know of has a zillion dishes on their menu, yet they all taste the same.  We love, love, love Mai Thai but sometimes the trip to W.C. just isn't in the cards. And, our Korean and Japanese choices are limited.  Now that we have Alley Street Eats right here in the neighborhood, we can get our Asian food fix much more readily!  Here's the link to their MENU. Support our locals!

I'm a Chowder-Head

And proud of it.  One of my all-time favorites is corn chowder.  I have many variations that I like, so it can be a little different each time.  The last batch was a pretty standard recipe, which is delicious and easy.  There is some prep, but if you enjoy cooking with real ingredients, you have to prep them.  We're all on the same page there, right?

This recipe came from another book in my extensive collection: Cook's Country 2009.  I have modified it a little from time to time, but I use this recipe because of the fact it has been tested by their kitchens and I like having a guide for measurements.

Here's what you do:

• 6 ears of fresh corn
• 2 cans canned corn
• 5 c. chicken broth
• 4 slices Canadian bacon (diced)
• 1 onion, chopped/diced
• 1 lb. potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 cup 1% milk 
• 4 scallions (green onion) sliced
• salt, pepper & cayenne to taste

Shuck corn and cut kernels from cobs.  Set cobs aside. Puree canned corn in blender with 2 c. broth. 

Saute onion, Canadian bacon, corn kernels and salt/pepper in a little canola oil.  When onion begins to soften, add potatoes, corn puree, the rest of the broth, and the corn cobs.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes become tender. 

Discard the corn cobs and stir in the milk.  **Now, here, you can be a purist and use cream. Or, half & half, any form of milk you choose.** Taste and season with salt and pepper.  I really love polishing it off with some cayenne to keep it interesting.  

With this batch, I happened to have some crab meat in the fridge, so I sauteed some in a little butter to warm it and topped my soup with that.  I've also topped it in the past with shrimp.  Another wonderful addition is to roast, peel and chop some poblano peppers to mix into the soup.  Green chilis and jalapenos can liven things up as well. Of course, you can also use regular bacon,  or no bacon, but no bacon is just crazy talk.  Don't doubt me about the pureed canned corn. The test kitchens experimented with this, using fresh, frozen and canned corn with the goal of creating a nice, smooth and silky base to the soup.  Canned won out.  And, then of course, the fresh corn gives you all the fresh, crunchiness and sweetness that corn always brings to the party.

I hope you love it as much as I do!

 

Roasted Red Pepper Soup...Yummmm...

 

Despite what many think, soup IS NOT just for winter time.  Soup can be the most filling, comforting, nutritious and simple to whip up. For a long time, I couldn't stand tomatoes. Cooked, like in sauces (spaghetti, pizza, etc.) was fine, but raw or in your face tomato dishes like tomato soup, nope.  I was always jealous though, seeing others with a hot bowl of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. If you are one of those people, then this roasted red pepper may just be the ticket for you.  If you aren't one of those people, then this roasted red pepper may just be the ticket for you too.  

We have a cafe/wine shop/market here called The Gourmet Shop. Great chicken salad, beautiful sandwiches on fresh baguette, cheese plates and homemade soups. One of their periodic soups is a roasted red pepper bisque.  My daughter loves it paired with a half avocado for a light lunch. I've sought out and tried many recipes trying to duplicate that soup at home.  I have finally landed on one, with a few tweaks, that I think is the sure thing. And, insanely easy to make in your kitchen with not a lot of time on your hands. 

I credit this to a person named Judi who posted this to AllRecipes.com some years back.  I've changed a few things, but I still use her recipe for measurements.  She calls for roasting fresh red bell peppers, which I have done.  It's not hard, but it does take some time.  Her recipe calls for roasting and peeling 4 peppers.  I usually default to jarred, already-roasted peppers for time's sake and ease. Rather than using heavy cream, I turn to half & half, mainly because I rarely have whole cream on hand, but since I use half & half in my coffee, it's always in the fridge.  I also like to jazz the soup up at the end with a bit of cayenne pepper and chopped chives.  Once you make it, you'll discover all kinds of little details you may want to play with.

So here we go:  my version of Roasted Red Pepper Soup.

• 1 1/2 or 2 jars roasted red peppers (in the pickle section)
• 2 Tbs butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 c. chicken or vegetable broth **
• 1/2 cream or half & half
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
• salt to taste

**It's a good idea to keep bouillon cubes on hand in case you get into a recipe and realize you're out of broth; you can use these to make your own.  

Over medium, saute onions, garlic and peppers in butter until onions are getting tender. Pour in the broth, stirring well and reduce heat to low.  Simmer about 30 minutes.  Transfer to a blender (be careful; open the vent) and puree until nice and smooth. Return to saucepan and add your cream, pepper, salt and cayenne. Heat through for about 5 minutes or so. I top mine off with chives. A dollop of sour cream or Mexican crema is nice too.

We made this just a few days ago and served it with baked potatoes for our little supper.  The soup is delicious right off the bat, but it tastes even more awesome next day. 

Even if you are skeptical about bell peppers, I urge you to try this recipe.  It is smooth and satisfying, like a tomato soup, but a little more mellow because the peppers aren't quite as acidic as tomatoes. Even if you are a tomato lover, try this one too. You may be glad to have it in your repertoire for those days when you just need to shake it up.  Who knows?  Maybe you'll like this one even more than the usual!  

Local and Loving It

Rosewood Drive is one of Columbia's major thoroughfares. It's a retail/commercial corridor that those of us living in Rosewood and Shandon traverse and rely on daily. Our kids go to school on Rosewood, we shop at our Publix on Rosewood, we eat and shop in the Rosewood Market, treat ourselves at the Dairy Bar and Pelican's Sno-Balls, some of us even live right on Rosewood Drive. I can pretty much make my way up this street and get every errand accomplished and run into several of my neighbors along the way.

This is exactly what my friend Stephanie Bridgers identifed and banked on when she decided to open The Local Buzz at the corner of Rosewood & Shandon Street. Stephanie loves coffee.  She loves to serve coffee. She loves to bake. She loves her 4 kids and she loves all the kids they go to school with too.  So, her idea for her coffee shop took on a shape that most business owners don't consider.  It's the LOCAL buzz.  See, that's significant for a few reasons.  Obviously, she's a local.  She sells other local businesses' wares (Double Trouble doughnuts, Silver Spoon Bakeshop, Sweet Cream Co. ice cream).  But, what really sets The Local Buzz apart is Steph's vision and desire to make it a local hangout. 

And, she's been successful in achieving it. Kids and parents come in after school to tackle homework and eat ice cream. The morning crowd comes in for coffee, leaves their personal cup behind and the staff washes it and hangs it back on the wall for tomorrow.  There is a little free library.  She hosts "Rosewood weekends" where she donates some of the proceeds of Rosewood families' sales back to the PTO.  She's hosted movie nights.  And today was no different.  As the kids left school for Spring Break, they were invited in for an Easter cupcake decorating party.

The kids were given a blank "canvas" cupcake, supplied with various decorating supplies and were then given free reign. 

As you can probably imagine, the kids were in heaven.  Add in banana, strawberry and pineapple smoothies and you have a successful kid gathering! 

If you haven't made it to The Local Buzz, put this on your calendar.  Preferably on a day when you can take your time, relax on the big sofa, read a book or just chat with friends.  The coffee's great, the sandwiches and soups are homemade and the atmosphere is all community.  

Turkey's Day After

Turkey is the American symbol of Thanksgiving, of harvest time, of bounty and abundance.  Makes you wonder if turkeys have any sense of their importance? Maybe it's a source of great pride? Maybe it's a source of great depression? For the turkey that is.  But for us humans, the turkey represents one of our most anticipated and joyously celebrated holidays.  It's cool too that it's uniquely American.  Interestingly enough, there are some people who regard turkey as the ultimate delicacy and yet, there are those who are just ok with it and some who really don't like it.  But, we roast 'em, fry 'em, grill 'em and serve 'em every year.

Almost as anticipated as the Thanksgiving turkey itself is the leftover Thanksgiving turkey.  Some people dream about the leftover turkey sandwich. I've heard everything from a simple white bread and turkey sandwich to an elaborate turkey, dressing, cranberry sandwich tower. After all the leftovers went into the fridge, Neil & his brothers used to go retrieve the now-cooled gravy, slice it off (yes, slice it) and put a slab of cooled, congealed gravy between two slices of bread.  I AM NOT making this up! My mind usually goes to the old turkey tetrazzini or turkey enchiladas.  But, today we tried something new and I think it's now my favorite.

Back story:  as most of you probably know, my mom and I work together selling real estate.  For many years, we've been sending our clients a monthly recipe postcard.  We've had numerous clients call us to let us know that they've tried the recipe with great success.  I always mail one to mom and dad's house so that I know they've hit the mail and have been delivered.  This month, right before the holiday, the card arrived with a recipe for "Asian Turkey Soup."

We whipped up a batch of this today and served with some veggie egg rolls on the side.  Man, did it hit the spot!  Especially on a cold day. And, best of all, it was a snap to prepare.  

We had enough for the three of us and more for tomorrow.  The Asian flavors were just right for making this something new and different than the usual, traditional leftover turkey fare. 

 

Thank you Pinterest

Since joining Pinterest a couple years ago, I've pinned many, many recipes.  I think the exact number is one zillion and two.  And I know I'm not alone here. In that time, I've made some of them.  Some have been successful, some lackluster, some not good at all.  But tonight changed all that.  Tonight I made a crock pot of creamy tomato soup that I've been eyeing for months and as cliche and juvenile as it is, all I can say is "OMG."  (It's like Moon Unit Zappa's horrible 80's "oh ma god, like gag me with a spoon.")

So, in full disclosure, the recipe came from here. I didn't grow up eating tomato soup because my mom can't stand it.  And, that crap in the can tastes like some weird sugary tomato concoction that can only have originated in Willie Wonka's factory. For quite some time now, I've been on the look-out for a homemade tomato soup.  The photo of this recipe lured me in. As soon as I read the recipe, I've been dreaming of making it and pairing it with a gooey grilled cheese sandwich.  However, the hubinator has been craving baked potatoes lately and that sounded like a pretty good combo.  So, today was the day.  I whipped this soup up in my trusty crockpot and I am so happy that I did, that...well, I just felt compelled to write about it and tell you. So, as I type this post, I have a warm belly full of the most awesome, rich, fresh, flavorful tomato soup and the happiness that this entails.

Even if you never fancied yourself a lover or even a liker of tomato soup, if I were you, I'd venture out and try it.  The ingredients are cheap, so if you hate it, throw it out and it'll be no biggie. I bet you won't though.  In fact, I think even my mom would eat this soup and like it.

Lunch in the Garden

You know those places that you forget about and then, when you go there again you always say to yourself "I've gotta remember this place and come here more often." One of those places for me is the Garden Bistro in the Vista.  My good friend Ellen loves this restaurant and is a regular. I recently met her there for lunch and had that "why don't I come here?" moment.  

For those of you who do not know the Garden Bistro, it's a cute little place that's decorated like a patio.  You're inside but you feel like you're outside.  It's tucked away behind the Art Bar so you kind of have to know what you're looking for.  The cool thing is that it's in the Vista, but its got an enormous parking lot right outside its door.  Parking is quite the rarity in this part of town.  It's a locally owned restaurant with daily specials and a really good regular menu.  Lots of fresh sandwiches, salads and soups.

When we went the other day, Ellen got one of the specials which was a turkey reuben.  It looked just awesome and I may have to get that next time. I chose a salad and soup combo: BLT salad (I'm a sucker for bacon) and French onion soup. I loved them both!  It was a perfect size for lunch and the taste was fantastic.  

If you read restaurant reviews on sites like Urbanspoon you know that Garden Bistro gets rave reviews all the time.  Comments tend to focus on freshness, variety, flavor and that it's a good local joint.  The atmosphere is comfortable, fun and creative.  They have a loyal following of regulars and deservedly so.  Sadly, the owner of the restaurant recently passed away from kidney disease at a much too early age.  I did not know him, but Ellen did and she (and many others) are greatly saddened by his passing.  I hope that Columbia's continued patronage will help keep his memory alive and will help his family continue on. Garden Bistro definitely is a keeper in Columbia's dining scene.
 

Serious about Salad

Hello, my name is Elizabeth and I'm a salad-bar-aholic. There, I said it.

Yes, it's true.  I love salad.  I love salad bars.  Now, my germaphobic friends are cringing, I know.  But, what can I say? I like to live on the edge.  The reason I love the salad bar so much is simply that I like being able to have complete control over what's going on that plate.  I can't begin to tell you how many times I've ordered something other than a salad (in a non-bar restaurant) because I don't want to go through the exercise of saying something along the lines of:

"I'd like the grilled chicken salad 
BUT without onion, cucumber, celery, or egg."  

And, so many times I've asked (logically) "since I don't want onion, cucumber, celery, or egg, could you put on some bacon bits or olives or something instead?"  Of course not.  That would mean we're interested in making our customer happy, and we really couldn't care less about that. With a salad bar, I avoid all of this awkwardness and annoyance.  I can build that salad with whatever I want and no one can tell me not to!  The problem is finding any place with a salad bar anymore.  I mean, it's even hard to find a crummy salad bar.  So, when you come across a good one, you want to stick with it!

This brings me to Jason's Deli.  I have been there twice now and both times have gone straight for their salad bar.  OMG...if you haven't checked this out, and if you're a salad fanatic like me, get in your car now.  This is the bar of bars.  The choices are beautiful and bountiful!  Romaine, spring mix, spinach, Kalamata olives, green olives, artichoke hearts, pickles, beets, cheddar, parmesan, pepperoncini, bell peppers, croutons, carrots, jalapenos, sunflower seeds, almonds, bacon...just to name a few!  Lots of dressing choices, mini-muffins, crackers, and Jason's deli flatbread crackers with sesame seeds & pepitas.  Heaven! ( I didn't take any photos because during the busy lunch service, I just wasn't up for looking like a fruitcake standing there snapping pix of a salad bar.)

Of course, there's a lot more to Jason's than just the salad bar.  First, throughout their menu, they feature organic, healthful ingredients, vegetarian dishes and a lot of gluten-free.  I'm also a big fan of soup and I can't even begin to remember all the soups they had available the other day.  I remember vegetarian vegetable, organic tomato basil, and broccoli cheese.  My mom had the manager's special which was a cup of soup and half of a "pastrami meltdown." This was beautiful pink pastrami piled on fresh bread with caramelized onion and melted cheese.  She chose the broccoli soup and said both were very tasty.  You can see Jason's menu here.

And the "icing on the cake" is the NON-high fructose corn syrup soft serve ice cream which is gratis with your meal.  What a sweet little touch, huh? This place serves really fresh, good tasting food and offers choices to satisfy everyone, including kids.  Of course, for me, it's the bomb-diggity salad bar of salad bars!  If you haven't checked it out, do yourself a favor.  It's right on Gervais in the heart of the Vista...you can't miss it.   

New Product Review

Many of you know this about me, but I'll say it again.  I am a coupon addict.  It pains me to go to the grocery store without a stack of them.  I love the rush of feeling like I just robbed the store.  I plan, I plot, I wait, I watch.  Then, I swoop in and buy, buy, buy!  Now, before you get concerned, let me clarify: I only buy stuff we actually use, unless I can get it for free and then I donate it; I have not built an addition onto my house to house 3 years' worth of groceries and I don't clean out an entire department of my grocery store in one fell swoop.  But, I do sleep well knowing that I have my own little personal hoard of olive oil, soup, rice and beans.  (and occasionally feta cheese, pie crust, spaghetti sauce and pickles)

Well, last week, I noticed that this new product that I'd never heard of was on sale at Publix.  It's Progresso's "Recipe Starters."  Now at first, I thought this was like those new concentrated stocks that a lot of the broth people have introduced. I downloaded some coupons and decided to check this stuff out.  Turns out they're not all stocks.  They are bases to start recipes with and the can actually has a recipe on it, in addition to the URL of more recipes and ideas.  I selected a variety to give it a try:  Creamy Parmesan Basil, Fire Roasted Tomato, Creamy Roasted Garlic and Creamy Three Cheese.  

Just a couple of days later, I received an email from MyBlogSpark to introduce me to "Progresso Recipe Starters" and it included a link to a high value coupon for it.  They have encouraged me to post this coupon link for you, my faithful reader, to download and give the product a try.  I decided to use one of them myself so I could give you my two-cents' worth, in case you're interested.  I used the "Easy Weeknight Bacon Mac n Cheese" recipe right on the label.  You can view the recipe right here. 

I served it with a grilled flatiron steak and green beans.  This dish was very tasty (BACON!) and very creamy.  I think the flavor could be boosted even more with a sharper cheese thrown in, like blue cheese maybe.  And, it was a snap to prepare.  It absolutely fits the bill for an easy weeknight dish.  If you are the type who prefers the old school, drier oven baked macaroni from your grandmother, this may not do it for you.  But, if you are one who digs hot, cheesy, creamy pasta...this is a winner.  If you're interested in trying out this product, the nice people at Progresso have made this coupon available to us.

And, their generosity doesn't end there.  They also included a coupon for Progresso Light Soups.  These are low calorie soups; some as low as 100 calories!  Please note that this information and the coupons were provided to me from MyBlogSpark and Progresso.  Download the coupons and try out the products.  Thank you Progresso!

SouPhoria

I'm taking a quick break after a day of coupon organizing, list making, grocery shopping, prepping meat for the freezer and cooking.  In fact, I'm basking in the glow of a culinary success.  You know, that euphoria you experience when you just cooked a dish that is so good, it just makes you happy.  Giddy really.  In this case, it's a soup, so in my classically witty style, I've invented the word 'souphoria' for your reading pleasure.

A few days ago, I got an insane deal on cauliflower at Aldi.  

The vegetable that gets the least attention :-(

The rockin'est store on the planet!

I love it roasted, with cheese sauce, my friend MaryAnn's curried cauliflower casserole...but thus far, I haven't had much luck with the littlest diner.  I stared at the two heads of cauliflower as they stared back.  What to do?  What to do?  Perhaps if I could transform it then you-know-who wouldn't even have to hear the word "c'flower."  So, I decided to combine two faves:  roast it then turn it into soup.  

In a word...hotdamndiggity.  

Here's what I did:

2 heads cauliflower cut into florets
4 Tbs olive oil
4 tsp garlic powder
3 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg (fresh if you have it)
1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs olive oil
2 med. onions, chopped
6 Tbs flour
2 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
2 cups milk
2 Tbs dry sherry

Place cauliflower in a roasting pan and drizzle with oil, sprinkle with seasoning and toss to coat.  Roast at 450 for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  Keep an eye on it, you want it nice and roasty, but not burnt.

When done, set cauliflower aside.  Melt butter and olive oil in a stockpot or large saucepan.  Cook onions until soft and lightly browned.  Sprinkle the flour over the onions and keep stirring & cooking for a few minutes.  Slowly add the milk, broth & water.  Bring it up to a gentle boil to thicken it, stirring pretty often.  Add 2/3 of the cauliflower and the sherry.  Warm it through then blend with an immersion blender or in a regular blender.  Add in the rest of the cauliflower and heat through.  

Fill up a big bowl, get a big spoon and well, you can take it from here...

Side note:  the little one ended up with the grandparents this afternoon and wasn't hungry for anything upon returning home.  Will have to "guinea pig" her some other time.  But, the ball-n-chain and I loved our dinner!

Potatoes Day 2: Loaded Potato Soup

I decided to make Potatoes Anna last night to accompany our corned beef.  I consulted an Internet recipe for some guidance then did my own thing with it. Thank goodness I DID NOT prepare as much potato as the recipe called for or I would've had potato slices coming out of my ears.  I peeled 3 good sized baking potatoes but only sliced two.  Good thing.  As I started layering the slices in my pan, it was obvious that potato #3 was not needed.  I even had some slices left over so I put them all in a ziploc filled with lemon juice-spiked water to keep them from browning and into the fridge.

Today, I have one little person and one big person sick with strep throat AGAIN.  As I drove to the pharmacy for a Hefty bagful of antibiotics, I pondered that leftover potato.  Two sick people in the house?  Soup.  Of course!  And, I've been dying to try the 'grow your own green onion' trick I found on Pinterest, so my thoughts turned to Loaded Potato Soup.  You know, the one that graces every chain restaurant's menu.  But, I was going to do it from scratch, so it would be infinitely better.  So, I gathered up all the medication at the pharmacy and grabbed a bunch of green onions from the produce department and headed home.

In keeping with my usual M.O., I consulted a recipe then made my adaptations.  The end result?  Fantastic loaded potato soup that was WAY better than any I've had in a restaurant.  Turns out I was the only one who felt like eating any of it, so, oh well...more for me!  

Homemade potato soup garnished with cheddar, bacon bits and green onions!

 Have I piqued your interest?  Ok, I'll tell you how to make it.  Be prepared...it's ridiculously fast and easy and I promise you, it was delicious.

Homemade Loaded Potato Soup

• 2 slices bacon, cut with shears into cubes
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp & 1 1/2 tsp flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 large baking potato, peeled & cubed
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce

Cook bacon in a large saucepan until crisp.  Drain on paper towels.  Save about 1 Tbsp bacon grease and saute the onion and garlic until soft.  

Add flour, salt, pepper & basil.  Stir until combined and cook a little bit (to cook out the raw flour taste), stirring constantly.  Gradually add the broth & bring to a boil, stirring about 2 minutes.  

Add potato, milk & Tabasco.  Let boil about 2 minutes, then lower heat to low, cover and cook until potatoes are tender.  (about 6-10 minutes)  **I decided to use my immersion blender to blend up some of the soup to make it silky and not so chunky. You do it however you wish.** 


Garnish with bacon bits, sliced green onions, cheddar or whatever speaks to you.  Come to think of it, a dollop of sour cream might be nice as well.  


I had two bowls.  I hope you like it as much as I did.  I thought the consistency was perfect, the flavor was outstanding and I was pretty darn pleased that I didn't let that extra potato sit around in my fridge and go bad.  I'd put my soup up against a restaurant version any day too.  I'll be making this again for sure.  It didn't take much time, but the result was so good, I would have invested any amount of time necessary!  Bon Appetit!
 

Progresso Souper You Contest

The nice folks at MyBlogSpark have notified me that the Progresso soup guys are gearing up for their "Souper You" contest.  If you don't know, or don't usually shop for Progresso, they have a huge line of soups now that are extremely low in calorie, but still tasty and will make your tummy feel full and happy.  These are the details:
o This year, the Souper You^® Contest will provide three lucky winners with an ultimate makeover experience in Hollywood; this includes a trip for 2 to Los Angeles, California where the winner will receive a head-to-toe makeover including hair and makeup, guided shopping spree with a $1,000 fashion retailer gift card, $1,000 spending money and 2 tickets to this season´s live finale of NBC´s The Biggest Loser.

o Progresso is asking fans to visit www.SouperYou.com and submit their photo with a brief essay about why they love Progresso soups and why they deserve a makeover, by no later than February 22nd.

o Fans can check back on March 12th for the announcement of the top ten finalists, and to vote for their favorite finalist until March 25th.

o In addition, visit  http://bit.ly.ProgressoCoup to download a printable coupon for $1.25 off the purchase of four (4) cans of Progresso Soup today, and feel free to share with your blog readers so they can take advantage of the savings as well.

If any of you guys enter, let me know. Sure would be cool if someone from our world wins a trip to L.A.!  And, don't miss out on this coupon.  If you haven't already joined the "Coupon Nation,"  head over to Southern Savers to learn how to make coupons really work for you. 

I couldn't NOT buy it. I know, right?

I just watched Jenny's video about saving on produce.  Ironically, I just snagged a deal on broccoli at BiLo this week.  Broccoli was B1G1.  I mean, really.  Think about it.  When was the last time you saw any fresh fruit or vegetables that were B1G1?  Probably close to never.  So, I went skipping down the aisle on a serious broccoli-seeking mission.  They had bundles of 3 big stalks that counted as "1."  This made each bundle $1.34.  That's incredible.  As much as I would have loved loading up the cart, I am realistic. Man cannot live by broccoli alone.

So now I had the task of coming up with something to do with lots of broccoli.  Time to conjure up some soup!  So, I made a double recipe of Cream of Broccoli.  Plenty for us to have for dinner and put some away in the freezer.

Green gold!

 

Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble

 So, we made a nice little dinner of fresh broccoli soup and these C.R.A.Z.Y. twice-baked potatoes that I saw Rachael Ray make on her show.  Oh sure, it looks like a heart attack spud, but worth every bacony bite.  I highly recommend you try it out.  I'm sure you can imagine the look on any man's face when you present him with this bacon and potato bombshell!

This hit the spot!

 Now I need to decide what to do with the 2nd bundle of broccoli that I have.  I love the old classic broccoli with cheese sauce, of course.  I am human, afterall.  Chicken and broccoli always work well together.  Quiche.  Simply steamed with lemon.  A tidbit for you:  don't throw out your broccoli stalks.  You can peel them, slice into julienne and add to a stir-fry, eggroll stuffing, vegetable stock, you name it.  They pack just as many vitamins, folate and minerals as the prettier florets.  So, ignore President Bush and eat your broccoli.  Especially when it's B1G1.