{throw it all together}

Today was a confidence boost kind of day for me... cooking-wise.

I put Caroline down for her nap, and walked into the kitchen to scavenge for my lunch. I really wanted some tomato soup and a grilled cheese, but alas- "no soup for you." ;)

So, I grabbed the ciabatta bread, sliced it in half, buttered it, and then topped it with shredded mozzarella cheese. I broiled it in the oven (at 400 because our broiler on high burns stuff really fast. not speaking from experience or anything.) It came out perfectly brown and melted.

At that moment, I looked into the fridge for something to dip my grilled cheese into. Salsa? Nah. Ketchup? No way. Hmm... Tomato juice. Surely I could just heat that up in a mug, and it would be close enough?

I pour it into a mug, and just as I was about to stick it in the microwave, I had a lightbulb moment. Whole milk. check. Basil? check. garlic? check. I added those ingredients together (1:1 ratio of milk to tomato juice, but you could adjust that to taste) in a small saucepan, quickly whisked together, and turned it up to medium/medium high. After I checked to make sure it was warm enough, I poured it back into my mug.

Voila! Tomato Basil Soup a la kate. Is it La Madeleine's? No. But, is it good? Absolutely.

So proud of myself for thinking outside the box and whipping something up with what I had on hand.

{comfort food}

I just emailed this to a handful of family members and friends and thought- what the hey. I should do a blog post! So here it is...

Now that it is cooling down outside...

I found this recipe a few months ago and have made it a handful of times. I really love tuna noodle casserole for some reason, even though we didn't eat it much growing up. It definitely counts as comfort food for me. Zach grew up with tuna casserole, and usually isn't very fond of it, but does like this version.

It is also really easy to exchange some of the ingredients for a healthier version. (i.e. olive oil for butter, less cheese, skim milk) It's from scratch, quick, and very easy to make.

Another great thing about it is that you usually have most of the ingredients on hand, so usually I just have to buy the tuna and the cheese. Super inexpensive to make!

Just thought you might like it and wanted to pass it along! Here is the link:

http://tammysrecipes.com/easy_tuna_noodle_casserole

I love recipe swaps. So, if you have anything easy, sort of healthy, and want to pass it back, I'd love you for it!

Have a great weekend!

Love,

Kate

{iced heaven}

Since we are in the craziest heat wave/drought, I have been on a big iced-coffee kick. Pioneer Woman posted a recipe recently and it was way too complicated for the fractional amount of spare time I have on my hands, so I went another direction.

It is called Vietnamese Iced Coffee. I adapted my recipe from this link because I don't have any of the special equipment. Hope you enjoy!

Serving Size: 1-2 cups

6 Tablespoons of coffee (I used a dark roast to make it extra strong)

18 ounces of filtered water (ratio is 2T coffee to every 6 ounces of water)

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

Ice

Brew coffee (strong is good because the ice will weaken the coffee a bit)

Fill big coffee mug about 1/2 full with ice (crushed is best)

Add about 2 Tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk (+/- to taste)

Pour coffee on top and stir.

Add more crushed ice as needed.

SO easy! Of course, you can adapt the strength of the coffee and amount of sweetened condensed milk to taste.

I am WIRED right now, so you may want to avoid this in the afternoon?

Enjoy!

{quick dessert recipe}

Hey there! All those cliche sayings you hear about when you have a mobile or semi-mobile child are t.r.u.e. Wow. I still haven't figured out how to juggle the baby, the blog, my new budding business, along with keeping up with friends and family, bible study, our house projects, etc, etc, etc... I'm sure everyone has a similar story. Such is life, right? Carpe Diem!

Here is my non-Caroline post for the week (month? :) If you are in a pinch to make a dessert for any occasion, this is an awesome recipe. Super quick, super easy, and has a great wow-factor.

You can make this healthier or non-healthier by adjusting ingredients. See below:

Rojean's Cheesecake Parfait
(Source: The Family Style Soul Food Diabetes Cookbook by Weaver, Williams, Gaines, and Fralin)

Prep time: 10 min
Serves: 24 (Serving size: small parfait glass)

Ingredients:
8 oz package reduced-fat cream cheese
8 oz package fat-free cream cheese
(**Update! I totally forgot to mention that I buy the whipped cream cheese. It blends together so.much.better than the regular blocks of cream cheese. Just some food for thought.) {ha!}
12 oz container fat-free cool whip
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup splenda sugar blend for baking
24 oz can sugar-free pie filling (i.e. blueberry or cherry)
Garnish ideas: mint leaves, crushed Nilla Wafers

Using a mixer, blend the cream cheese (very softened) until whipped smooth. Add Cool Whip, lemon juice, vanilla, and Splenda. Layer in a parfait glass with pie filling. Garnish with mint leaves or Nilla wafer crumbs.

**Recipe Note: this comes from a diabetic cookbook. I have used all fat-free cream cheese and regular pie filling and it was still delicious. You could also use fresh fruit. Another idea would be to layer it into a cake pan. The possibilities are endless!

I am making this for a recipe swap with my bible study girls tonight. I will come back (ok. I will try) and post some pictures of my version for tonight.

xoxo-
kate