Sunday Musings

Let's just say that I slept good last night after spending four hours playing with Jonah on the floor yesterday...when he went down for a nap I needed one as well. It's been a while since these arthritic knees have been crawling around on hardwood floors. Ken and I went to get our Jonah fix...we were in withdrawl. Talk about a shot in the arm...What fun to see him doing so many new things....like crawling at the speed of light, pushing anything that will roll or slide on the floor in front of him, thumbing through a book...( his personal favorite thing to do) saying ma ma and

da da, belly laughing out loud, pushing his wagon, pulling up to the window ledge and playing with the blinds, pulling up to stand beside mom or dad's legs , standing on his own, holding his own bottle with just one hand and sharing a mile wide smile that warms your heart and causes your own face to light up like the sun.

Kelly Swinson has been sick so I made some "Copy Cat Panera Bread Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese Soup" for us to have for lunch. If you want to try it yourself...here is the recipe.

1Tablespoon butter, melted

1/2 medium onion chopped

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups half and half

2 cups chicken stock

1/2 pound fresh broccoli

1 cup shredded or julienned carrots

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese grated

Saute onion in 1T butter and set aside. Melt 1/4 cup butter and add flour while whisking over medium heat then cook while stirring for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add the half-and-half. Add the chicken stock whisking all the time. Simmer for 25 minutes

Next add the chopped broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat for 20 - 25 minutes till veggies are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. The soup should be thickened by now. Pour in batches into the blender and puree. ( If you like chunkier soup you can cut the broccoli into small pieces and skip this step...but then it is not the Panera recipe!) Return to pot over low heat and add the grated cheese: stir until blended , add nutmeg and serve. Very very rich and MMMM...MMMM GOOD.

Also had to take our favorite Caramelized Brownies....Paula Deen recipe (no calories)

1 package of your favorite chewy brownie mix

4 Tablespoons butter

1 cup finely chopped pecans

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 inch oblong pan ( 325 degrees if using a dark pan)

Prepare your favorite brownie mix according to the package directions. Pour batter into pan. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the pecans and sugar and cook over medium heat stirring frequently until the sugar dissolves. Drizzle the caramel mixture over the brownie batter and bake until a tooothpick can be inserted and withdrawn cleanly...25 - 30 minutes.

I've made these a couple of times. Sometimes with or without nuts...when I add nuts I tend to find that I need to add more butter to get it to a pouring consistency. I have also just left it crumbly and spread like a crumb topping over the brownie mix. ...either way delicious.

On another note Kelly Grace turned 27 on March 13th. See good things do happen on Friday the 13th! She was working on her birthday but planned to party on Saturday and go for some pampering on Monday. Sounds like a great way to celebrate a birthday....HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELLY!