French-style crepes are easy to make at home! And these Homemade Fresh Strawberry Crepes are the perfect weekend treat. Make crepes ahead, then fill with fresh strawberries and cream just before serving.

So what is a French-style crepe anyway? By definition it’s a very thin pancake often filled with meat, cheeses, fruits and/or fillings. Crepes are even thinner than Swedish pancakes, and they’re either sweet or savory. Think breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and snacks.

Crepes: the perfect weekend breakfast!

When the weekend comes, it’s nice to gather around the breakfast table and connect over delicious fare. We can get in the same rut around here for weekend breakfasts. Omelets or scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, coffee cake and fresh fruit. It’s a nice menu, but I wanted to try to something special and a bit gourmet to surprise the boys.

Once in a blue moon we do go out for breakfast, but that gets expensive, especially if you have a family of growing boys like ours. And when they start ordering the large juices, well you can just throw in the towel. The battle has already been lost. We spent a grand total of $80.99 plus a $15 tip on a family breakfast out just last weekend… ouch! (It wasn’t even a fancy schmancy breakfast by the sea, either. Basic omelets etc.)

So I’ve always wanted to make homemade crepes. And then some friends recently downsized and gave me a lovely non-stick Le Creuset 7″ skillet. Very exciting. Once I had the right skillet, I knew I’d try my hand at making crepes. I always thought crepes would be hard to make and that they were always served hot. (Why?)

Since we all love fresh seasonal berries, I thought I’d make Homemade Fresh Strawberry Crepes first. The filling combines easily and if you have sweet strawberries in season, it’s hard to screw this up.

I was very pleasantly surprised at how easy the process is. The crepes were tender and delicious, and the boys and I enjoyed them for lunch today.

The most important thing I learned is that crepe batter is super simple to make and only uses a few ingredients. I also learned that crepes cook very quickly. You can make them ahead and stack/store them in the refrigerator, then fill them just before serving. So next time I serve crepes for weekend brunch, I’ll make the crepes the night before, then stuff them in the morning. Wonderful timesaver!

How to make Homemade Fresh Strawberry Crepes:

Slice up the strawberries, toss them with sugar and let them macerate. (Macerate = draw out the sweet juice!)

Then whip up the easy crepe batter in the blender. (So far so good.)

Then heat the skillet over high heat and spray some non-stick cooking spray on it. Pour in a scant 1/4 cup of batter, and tilt the skillet to swirl the batter evenly all around. Return to the heat.

When the top starts to dry out, flip it over.

And voila! A beautiful, golden crepe. Not bad, eh?

While the crepes cool, whip up the easy filling in the blender or food processor – just a few ingredients!

Spoon creamy filling and fresh strawberries in the center of a crepe, then fold in half and in half again. Garnish with more fresh berries, whipped cream and a fresh herb sprig if desired.

And there you have it folks: scrumptious Homemade Fresh Strawberry Crepes for all to enjoy! Gourmet and delicious.

Tips for making perfect crepes:

• Skillet should be nice and hot. Heat over high heat initially, but you’ll probably need to turn it down to medium once the skillet is fully heated. (Definitely turn down the heat if the cooking spray starts smoking.)
• I used non-stick cooking spray ‘Pam’ with good success.
• A non-stick skillet is nice if you have one. The 7″ size worked well for me.
• It should take about 1-3 minutes to cook each crepe, depending on how high the heat is.
• Flip your crepe when it starts to look dry on the top.
• If you love making (and eating!) crepes, a crepe pan is a good investment. It’s non-stick and has lower sides for easier access and flipping.
• Use a thin metal spatula to easily loosen edges to remove and/or flip crepes.
• Cool crepes before filling.
• Place filling(s) on top, then roll or fold crepes.

Other crepe recipes you may enjoy: Blueberry Crepes with Honey Whipped Cream, Lemon Cheese Cake Crepes and Paleo Crepes with Strawberries.

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Homemade Strawberry Crepes

Easy recipe to make Homemade Strawberry Crepes.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine French

Keyword crepe, crepe recipe, easy crepe, homemade strawberry crepe, stawberry crepe

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 8 7" crepes

Author Allie

Equipment

• 7" non-stick skillet
• thin metal spatula
• non-stick cooking spray, like Pam

Ingredients

Crepes:

• 2 large fresh eggs room temperature
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup flour all purpose
• 1 tablespoon butter melted
• optional 1-2 tablespoons white granulated sugar (if you prefer a sweeter crepe)

Strawberry Filling:

• 3 cups strawberries, fresh sliced
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract pure
• whipped cream for garnish

Instructions

How to make crepes:

• Process milk and eggs together in blender for 30 seconds.
• Keep speed low, and slowly add flour and butter, processing just until blended.
• Heat skillet over high heat until thoroughly heated.
• Lightly grease a 7" skillet with non-stick cooking spray.
• Pour scant 1/4 cup of batter onto heated skillet, picking up pan by the handle and tilting pan so the batter swirls over entire bottom of pan evenly.
• Return pan to the heat.
• Cook until bottom of crepe is turning golden, 1-2 minutes.
• Gently loosen edges from skillet and flip to brown the other side.
• Remove from skillet, and repeat process until you have cooked all crepes.

Strawberry Filling:

• Hull and slice strawberries. Lightly toss with white sugar. Set aside.
• Whip cottage cheese in a blender or food processor on high speed. Process until smooth.
• In a small mixing bowl, stir in smooth cottage cheese, sour cream, vanilla extract and powdered sugar.
• Fill crepes with a dollop of cheese mixture and strawberries on top.
• Fold crepe over in half and then in half again.
• Top with more berries and whipped cream.
• Garnish with fresh green lemon balm or mint sprig.

You may also like: Strawberry Cheesecake

The post Homemade Fresh Strawberry Crepes appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.

Crispy, cheesy and oh so addictive! Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapeños are the most coveted game day appetizer on the planet. Fresh jalapeños are stuffed with a cream cheese cheddar mixture, then wrapped with bacon. Baked to smoky perfection, these are unforgettably delicious and spicy poppers. You can’t stop at one!

You’ll love these bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers! I recently tried making them at home for the first time.

It won’t be my last, they were such a hit! (They also happen to be Keto friendly, low carb and gluten free! So hip hip hurray!)

Slice fresh jalapeños in half lengthwise and be sure to remove all seeds and membranes. (A grapefruit spoon or grapefruit knife works great for this.) The capsaicin (what makes peppers hot!) is located in the seeds and membranes.

If you don’t care for spicy heat, try stuffing red and orange sweet mini-peppers. Or stuff a mixture of jalapeño and sweet red and yellow mini-peppers for a smorgasbord sure to please every palate!

The cheesy filling mixture is so easy to whip up. Mix softened cream cheese with shredded cheddar or monterey jack, seasonings, chopped green onion and fresh minced garlic.

Pre-cook bacon until just soft, so it wraps easily around the stuffed jalapeños. Nine minutes at 375° worked nicely for me.

Wrap stuffed jalapeño with the lightly pre-cooked bacon, tucking ends underneath and securing tightly with a toothpick. Bake for 20 minutes at 425° or until golden brown. For milder flavor, bake for 45-50 minutes at 350°. Broil a minute or two at the end if the bacon needs crisping, but watch closely!

Or grill these outside (use a grill mat) for 18 – 20 minutes, flipping partway through baking. Enjoy!

Tips for making Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapeños:

• Look for uniform 3-4″ jalapeño peppers so the poppers cook evenly.
• Use gloves when working with jalapeños to slice and remove seeds and membranes. (Jalapeños can easily burn your fingers depending on the heat factor.  And whatever you do, don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth!)
• Use a grapefruit spoon or grapefruit knife to easily remove seeds and membranes.
• Line baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easy clean up. Or spray pan with cooking spray.
• You can freeze bacon-wrapped stuffed jalapeños ahead of time. Wrap stuffed peppers with partially cooked bacon. Don’t bake, but freeze individually on a sheet ’til frozen, then transfer to a ziploc bag (air removed) for later use. Poppers will keep this way for several months tightly sealed in the freezer.
• If you can’t handle the heat, but like the idea of jalapeño poppers, try a mix of mini sweet peppers instead. Or make a mixed tray of jalapeño and mini sweet peppers for all to enjoy.
• Pre-cook bacon in the oven, until just softened, 9 mins. at 375°.
• Bake poppers at 350° for 45 – 50 minutes for a milder, smoky flavor or at 425° for 20 minutes for bolder flavor. Broil if needed for a minute at the end to crisp them up, but watch closely.
• If grilling outside, grill for 18-20 minutes, using a grill mat to reduce flare ups. Cook upside down first, then flip after 5-7 minutes.
• Try stuffing with filling, wrapping in pre-cooked bacon and freezing for about ten minutes before baking. This helps cheesy  mixture to stay inside the jalapeños while baking.
• If you don’t have bacon on hand, try sprinkling real bacon bits on top!

Other jalapeño recipes you may enjoy: Jalapeño Popper Chicken Dip, Cheesy Jalapeño Bacon Steak Fries and Strawberry Jalapeno Salsa.

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Scrumptious Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapeños (Keto, Low Carb & Gluten-Free!)

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 16 poppers

Ingredients

• 1, 8 oz. brick softened cream cheese (not whipped or spreadable cream cheese, and not Neufchâtel cream cheese)
• 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar OR shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 clove minced garlic or more
• 1 green onion green and white parts diced small
• 8 washed fresh Jalapeño peppers (or 8 - 10 mini red and yellow peppers, or a mixture of both)
• 16 slices bacon not thick cut or real bacon bits

Instructions

• Line baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
• Pre-bake sliced bacon on the baking sheet in the oven at 375° for 9 minutes. (Should still be soft and pliable.) Set aside to cool.
• Mix cream cheese in mixing bowl until smooth and creamy with no lumps. (An electric hand mixer works great for this.)
• Stir salt and pepper, shredded cheese, fresh minced garlic and diced green onion into cream cheese until thoroughly combined.
• Set aside cheese mixture.
• Slice clean jalapeño peppers (or sweet mini-peppers) in half length-wise. (A good sharp knife is helpful!)
• Remove jalapeño seeds and membranes and discard. (A small melon baller, grapefruit spoon or grapefruit knife works well for this.)
• Stuff each pepper half with cream cheese mixture.
• Wrap each stuffed pepper half with one slice of pre-cooked bacon and secure with a wooden toothpick.
• Place cheese stuffed, bacon wrapped jalapeños on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet.
• Optional: At this point you may freeze stuffed peppers for ten minutes or so, to help contain the cheese while baking!
• TO BAKE: Bake for 45-50 minutes at 350° for milder flavor, or 20 - 25 minutes at 425° for bolder flavor.
• If needed, broil for a minute or two at the end to crisp up the bacon. (WATCH CLOSELY!)
• TO GRILL: Grill for 20 minutes, using a grill mat to reduce flareups. Start with the poppers upside down first, then flip right side up 5-6 minutes into grilling. Then grill 10 minutes or more until bacon is crisp.)

You may also like: Original Chipotle Guacamole

The post Scrumptious Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapeños (Keto, Low Carb & Gluten-Free!) appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.

This keto-friendly Cream of Broccoli Soup Recipe is perfect if you’re looking for a rich and creamy low-carb broccoli soup that’s easy to make with just a few ingredients on hand. It incorporates frozen chopped broccoli, so no chopping necessary! Cream cheese and heavy cream make it the creamiest broccoli soup ever.

I sampled this soup for the first time when our son Jonathan was born over twenty years ago. A kind friend (also a great cook!) brought it over for dinner, and we’ve been in love with this soup ever since.

This Cream of Broccoli Soup Recipe also fits perfectly into a keto diet. If you’re unfamiliar with the keto diet, it relies heavily on good fats, minimal protein and low carbs daily.

(Good fats on the keto diet are considered to be saturated fats, monounsaturated fats, natural trans fats and natural polyunsaturated fats. More info. here!) So this broccoli soup is naturally a tasty, filling and nutritious option that fits the bill.

Use an immersion blender if you have one

So last week I finally jumped on the band wagon and picked up an immersion blender. Do you have one of these kitchen wonders yet? It’s so much fun, makes quick work of blending and emulsifying, and it wasn’t very expensive.

I found my heavy duty immersion blender on Amazon with excellent ratings and it’s lived up to my every expectation.

So far I’ve used it to make homemade mayonnaise (with avocado oil!), homemade ranch dressing, French toast, a creamy bacon cauliflower cheese soup and this Cream of Broccoli Soup. An immersion blender is a great invention and I only wish I hadn’t waited so long to get one.

(You can also easily make this soup with a regular countertop blender too.)

Directions to make this keto-friendly Cream of Broccoli Soup Recipe are so simple.

Chop up your green onions and sauté them in a bit of butter.

• Add cubed cream cheese and heavy cream (or half and half).
• Stir over low heat until cream cheese is completely melted.
• Stir in chicken broth and add half of chopped broccoli.
• Process soup until creamy, with an immersion blender or a countertop blender.
• Add remaining chopped broccoli.
• Stir in seasonings.
• Cook on low until broccoli is tender.

Serve hot and garnish with toasted almonds if desired. That’s all for now, folks!!!

Tips for Making Cream of Broccoli Soup:

• Start with your cream cheese at room temperature rather than straight from the refrigerator. It will melt easier at room temperature.
• Thaw the broccoli ahead of time.
• Use chopped frozen broccoli to save yourself a lot of chopping work!
• Use an immersion blender or process in a countertop blender.
• If you prefer a smoother soup, process soup with all broccoli added.
• Cook over low heat just until broccoli is tender.
• Absolutely do not boil! (The soup will separate and the texture will be ruined.) Always keep this soup on low or medium low heat just to be safe.

Other broccoli recipes you may enjoy: Broccoli Bacon Salad, Cheesy Broccoli Rice and Beef and Broccoli Recipe .

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Keto Cream of Broccoli Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped green onion
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 32 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
• 4 cups half and half or heavy cream
• 4 cups organic sugar-free chicken broth
• 6 10 ounce boxes frozen, chopped broccoli, thawed
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• optional: toasted slivered almonds for garnish

Instructions

• Keep in mind that during this whole process you don't want the soup to boil. (This can cause it to separate and ruin the texture.)
• Saute onions in butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven.
• Cube cream cheese.
• Add cubed cream cheese and heavy cream or half and half to green onions.
• Stir over low heat until the cream cheese is melted.
• Stir in chicken broth.
• Add half of the chopped broccoli.
• Process soup with an immersion blender or in a countertop blender until smooth.
• Stir in lemon juice and seasonings.
• Add remaining chopped broccoli.
• Cook over low heat until frozen broccoli is tender.
• Garnish each bowl with toasted almonds and fresh herbs if desired.

You may also like this soup : Simon Pearce Vermont Cheddar Cheese Soup

The post Keto-Friendly Cream of Broccoli Soup Recipe appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.

If you’ve ever tasted a hearty Homemade Turkey Soup, you know it’s chock full of fresh flavor and nutrition. The tantalizing aroma of turkey soup simmering on the stove the day after a big holiday meal is mouthwatering! Follow my simple step by step instructions (with a few surprise ingredients!) for the best turkey soup recipe on the planet.

Keep in mind you won’t need exact ingredient amounts, because turkeys come in all different sizes. (And don’t let that intimidate you either. Trust yourself on this. And trust me too!!! I’ll guide you through every step and share all the best tips I know.)

This soup boasts rich broth, tender turkey, brown rice and fresh vegetables. You can easily make this soup and you get to do some taste testing along the way!

Making turkey soup is a multi-step process. It takes me about a day from start to finish. Most of that time the turkey bones are simmering, but there will be some hands on time at the end. Simple to do once you know the steps and oh so worth it!!!

Homemade Turkey Soup is a delicious and inexpensive meal. It stretches the dollar and freezes beautifully – great for last minute meals or sharing with others. It also makes great use of the turkey carcass, which is often just tossed in the trash these days. (Perish the thought.)

I’ve always loved the idea of stone soup…making something out of nothing. That’s why making turkey soup is so appealing to me. It feeds a big crowd for very little, from something that many would consider trash. And everyone is happy, including my wallet.

To make this delicious turkey soup, you will need:

• A turkey carcass with some turkey meat left on the bones. (Sometimes I use the wings and drumsticks too.)
• A large stock pot – big enough for the turkey carcass to fit into. (It’s ok if it’s on end.)
• Two large mixing bowls and a frying pan
• Chopped vegetables – celery, carrots, onions
• Cooked brown rice or noodles
• Small amount of olive oil (for sautéeing the veggies)
• Water
• lemon juice (fresh is better, bottled is fine)
• white wine (cheap is fine)
• frozen peas
• salt & pepper
• optional: lemon pepper seasoning

Step #1: Cook a turkey (or use a frozen turkey carcass)

So first off you’ll need to cook a turkey or have a frozen turkey carcass on hand. Sometimes I cook a turkey for a big holiday, then freeze the carcass/bones for making soup later.

If you’re freezing it, keep in mind that if it’s a big turkey, you’ll need to have a very large freezer bag or container on hand. (And lots of room in your freezer!)

If you’ve never cooked a turkey before or need a refresher, here’s the simple version below. You can always google for more information or check out this post.

• Remove the neck and giblets from the cavity.
• Pat the turkey dry with paper towels.
• Salt and pepper the bird thoroughly, inside and out.
• Place in a large roasting pan and roast uncovered at 325° for approximately 15 minutes per pound. Or until an internal meat thermometer registers 165°. (Just be sure it isn’t touching a bone, I place it in the thigh.)
• Remove turkey from oven and let it rest for 30 minutes before carving. (This allows the juices to absorb back into the meat and keep it tender.)
• Leave a small amount of turkey on the bone for making the soup.

The larger the turkey, the more soup it will make, so keep that in mind when purchasing your turkey. Last Thanksgiving I cooked a 33 lb. turkey and made (and froze!) over ten quarts of Homemade Turkey Soup. It’s been wonderful having the soup on hand in the freezer whenever needed.

You can use the carcass/bones to make the soup immediately. Or refrigerate it for a few days before making the soup. Or freeze it for later use. I usually make the soup immediately or freeze it, since I never have lots of extra room in my refrigerator. If it’s the right season and below 40° outside, use your back deck as a refrigerator. (I do that often when making this soup.)

Step #2: Cover the the turkey carcass with water and simmer

• Place the turkey carcass (and wings and drumsticks if you like) in a large stock pot. (You may have to place it on its side.) That’s ok. It might stick up out of the pot. That’s ok too. As it simmers, the bones will begin collapsing and it will eventually fall down into the pot.
• Cover the carcass with water.
• Cook on high heat on the stovetop until it comes to a full boil. (Be sure to stay nearby!)
• Then turn the heat down to low, place the cover on the pot and simmer for 8-12 hours.
• I often cook it on low through the night. I start the soup simmering at night before going to bed and let it simmer, covered, all night. You may be uncomfortable with doing that, so think about the timing. You may want to start early in the morning and simmer it all day.

Step #3: Optional – Refrigerate/chill the soup and skim off fat

This step takes a little time, but it makes the soup healthier and less greasy. You’ll notice once the soup is chilled that the fat rises to the top and solidifies.

The soup itself will also become very thick and congealed. The soup is so thick because there is natural gelatin from the bones. That gelatin makes for a wonderfully thick and nutritious soup. (And don’t worry, it will thin out again when re-heated.)

• Skim off the top layer of fat with a large spoon and discard.

Step #4: Remove the skin and bones from the pot

This is probably the least pleasant part of the soup making process. (And note I did not provide pictures, lol.) You’ll need to remove the skin and bones from the pot. After decades of making this soup, I finally have the process down to a science.

First, get a helper if you can. Sometimes Jon helps me. For this last pot of soup my son Jacob helped me. Doing this job with two people makes it go so much faster and helps me not miss anything. (Big tip: play pleasant music, listen to a podcast, or listen to the Funky Chicken Song. That’s what I do. Makes the time fly by!)

Removing the bones is a very important process, because some of the bones are very tiny and others have may have disintegrated a bit while cooking. You’ll want to be very careful to remove every single bone to minimize the possibility of choking.

Warm your soup slightly at this point, just enough so you can easily get to the bones and aren’t fishing through cold, thick congealed soup. (Yuck.) Note: you may even want gloves for this process.

• Put a large mixing bowl on either side of your stock pot.
• Using a large slotted spoon or large pair of tongs, pick through the soup looking for meat and bones.
• You will need to separate the meat from the bones.
• Into one large bowl, put pieces of turkey.
• Into the other bowl put skin, bones, cartilage, connective tissue and anything else that looks inedible.
• Once all the meat, bones and skin have been removed from the broth, pour it through a fine mesh metal sieve into another large stock pot if you have one. (If you don’t, use a slotted spoon to carefully find all the bones.)
• Pick through what remains in the sieve to see if there is any good meat to add to the soup.
• Discard the skin and bones.
• Add the turkey meat back to the turkey soup in the stock pot.

Step #5: Add sautéed vegetables and cooked rice

• Now is the time to sautée the onions, carrots and celery in a bit of olive oil on the stove top in a frying pan over medium heat.
• Once vegetables are softening and onions are translucent, add them to the soup.
• I usually use a couple of large chopped carrots, two stalks of thinly sliced celery and a couple of medium onions diced. Add more vegetables for a larger soup, less for a smaller one.
• I keep ziploc bags of cooked rice in my freezer most of the time so I can easily add to soups when needed.
• If you don’t have leftover rice on hand, cook some according to the package directions and add to the soup.
• Be sure your rice is cooked before adding to the soup.
• I usually add 1-3 cups of cooked rice to my soup, depending on the size of the turkey and soup.
• Be aware that the rice will absorb some of the turkey broth, so don’t add too much rice or you’ll be short on broth later.
• You can easily use cooked noodles instead of rice. This is a delicious alternative! I suggest cooking the noodles separately, then adding some noodles to each bowl individually before ladling the soup on top. This keeps the noodles from getting mushy and also absorbing too much of the turkey broth in the soup pot.

Step #6: Add lemon juice and white wine

This is definitely what sets this soup apart to me. A combination of lemon juice and white wine really deepens the flavor of the turkey broth. I usually add twice as much white wine as lemon juice. The combination of lemon juice and white wine gives great flavor, and allows you to use less salt when seasoning.

• Try pinot grigio or any leftover white wine you may have on hand.
• It doesn’t need to be an expensive wine, a cheap one does the trick.
• Add twice as much white wine as lemon juice.
• Start with 1/2 cup of lemon juice and a 1 cup of white wine. Taste test and add more if needed.
• Fresh lemon juice is great, but bottled works fine too. I’ve used both with great results.
• The best way to know how much to add is by taste testing. Lucky you.(!)

Step #7: Season the soup and add frozen peas

Now it’s time to season the soup with salt, pepper and maybe even lemon pepper!

• Taste the soup to see if it needs seasoning.
• You’ll typically need less seasoning with this recipe because there will be great flavor with the lemon juice and wine.
• Start by adding a teaspoon of salt and a half teaspoon of pepper.
• Taste the soup, and add more seasoning incrementally in small amounts if needed.
• Just a few minutes before serving, add frozen green peas to the mix.
• I often add a 10 oz. frozen bag of peas to a large pot of soup and just half the bag for a smaller pot.
• Adding peas at the last minute keeps their bright green color, retains the nutrients and keeps them from getting mushy and overcooked.

Extra tips for making Homemade Turkey Soup:

• Freeze a turkey carcass for later if you can’t make the soup right away – it will keep fine in the freezer for a few months.
• If you make a big pot of soup and it doesn’t get eaten right way, the rice or noodles will absorb a lot of the broth. Refresh your soup with extra store bought chicken or turkey stock if needed.
• Add frozen sweet peas just before serving to preserve color and flavor.
• Season with salt and pepper according to taste, lemon pepper seasoning is a nice option.

Other recipe ideas using fresh turkey: Southwest Leftover Turkey Soup, Thai Turkey Soup and Turkey Noodle Vegetable Soup.

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How to make Homemade Turkey Soup

Ingredients

• Turkey carcass with some meat left on the bones
• water
• 2 carrots or more peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks or more chopped
• 2 medium onions or more diced
• a couple tablespoons of olive oil or more if desired
• 1/2 - 1 cup lemon juice fresh or bottled
• start with a 1/2 cup and add more to taste if desired
• 1-2 cups white wine pino grigio or whatever leftover white wine you have on hand
• Start with one cup and add more to taste if desired
• salt & pepper
• optional: lemon pepper

Instructions

• Place turkey carcass in large stock pot. (Fine if it's on end or sticking up out of the pot.)
• Cover carcass with water.
• Bring to a full boil, uncovered.
• Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer for 8-12 hours.
• Add more water to keep carcass covered if needed.
• Remove pot from heat and cool.
• Chill/refrigerate soup until fat rises to the top and congeals.
• Remove fat layer from the top of soup by skimming it off with a spoon and discarding.
• Warm soup slightly over low heat on the stovetop.
• Remove bones and skin from the soup and discard. See post above for tips to simplify this process.
• Be very careful to remove all the tiny bones, as they are a potential choking hazard.
• Once you think you've removed every bone, pour turkey broth through a woven metal strainer.
• (For best results, see my tips above about the process.)
• Heat soup on stovetop on medium high, stirring often.
• Meanwhile, in a frying pan on the stovetop, sauté chopped celery, carrots and onions in a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat, until vegetables are just softening and onions are translucent.
• Add sautéed vegetables to the soup and heat thoroughly.
• Add cooked rice.
• Add lemon juice and white wine.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• (I start with a teaspoon of salt and a 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper and taste test, then adjust if needed.)
• A few minutes before serving, add frozen sweet peas.
• Enjoy steaming hot with a slice of crusty fresh bread!

You may also like: Hearty Split Pea and Ham Soup

The post How to make Homemade Turkey Soup appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.

Homemade Italian Meatballs are chock full of fresh and wholesome ingredients, always a big hit at our house. Spoon over spaghetti and pasta, or stuff into a toasted sub roll with melted provolone. Homemade meatballs are a great main dish everyone craves.

Homemade Italian Meatballs & Sauce:

While I may not have a drop of Italian blood in my veins, that doesn’t mean I don’t love me some good Italian cooking! And my earliest memories of authentic Italian meatballs come from my growing up days in Rhode Island.

My dad owned a yacht manufacturing business on 47 Gooding Avenue in Bristol. Every once in a while I got to spend the day with him at work. The office staff kindly found odd “jobs” I could do to earn money. (Read: someone, keep that kid busy.)

One job I loved was unlocking the soda vending machines on the property. I collected the coins inside, then counted and rolled them into paper sleeves to take to the bank. The best part? My dad always let me pick a soda while I was collecting from the machines. Fanta root beer. That’s the one I always picked.

We rarely had soda at home so it was a big treat. The irony is, I was usually going in with my dad because our dentist was nearby and my dad was bringing me in for my six month appointment. (Ahem.) Too funny. I don’t remember mentioning the Fanta to Dr. Ramos.

Yep, I got a little sidetracked going down memory lane. I do that. Meatballs. At lunchtime we frequented one of two places: Friendly’s or Ricotti’s Sandwich Shop. Ricotti’s was just down the street at 11 Gooding Avenue. That’s where we ordered the fresh Italian meatball subs I remember so well.

Only we called them grinders. Oh they were good. SO good. Soft, fresh baked grinder rolls stuffed with savory Italian meatballs, smothered in the best sauce with melted provolone. Best. Lunch. With dad. Ever.

This mouthwatering Homemade Italian Meatballs recipe reminds me of those Ricotti’s Italian meatballs made with fresh ingredients: garlic, parsley, Italian bread crumbs and freshly grated parmesan to name a few.

Use all beef or a mixture of ground meats. (I used ground beef and ground turkey in these meatballs.)

These Homemade Italian Meatballs are quick and easy to make and your family will love them too. Grab your fork and let’s mangia!

Tips for Making Homemade Italian Meatballs & Sauce:

• Use ground beef or a mixture of ground meats like ground turkey, ground beef, ground veal or Italian sausage.
• Grate fresh parmesan and romano cheese over meatballs before serving.
• Use fresh garlic, freshly grated cheese and fresh parsley for great flavor.
• Serve over spaghetti or pasta, or stuff into toasted grinders for meatball subs.
• You can the brown meatballs over medium heat in a frying pan with a little oil before adding them to the homemade sauce if you like. Or gently add them (uncooked) to simmering sauce. Let the meatballs simmer in the sauce for a good while before stirring. (Otherwise they could fall apart.)
• Make these ahead and freeze the meatballs, then drop into the simmering sauce as needed.

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Homemade Italian Meatballs

Savory, tender Italian meatballs with fresh garlic, parmesan, flat leaf parsley in a delicious simmered tomato sauce.

Course Main Dish

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 18

Author Allie Taylor

Ingredients

• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves crushed garlic divided
• 1 onion diced
• 1, 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1, 15 ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 pound 85% lean ground beef
• or a mixture of 8 ounces 85% lean ground beef and 8 ounces ground turkey
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
• Add chopped onions and 2 cloves of crushed garlic.
• Sautee 'til translucent.
• Stir in tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper.
• Cover and let simmer on low for 15 minutes.
• Put ground beef in a mixing bowl along with 2 cloves crushed garlic, bread crumbs, egg, chopped parsley and parmesan cheese.
• Combine with your hands or a fork.
• Form into tablespoon size meatballs with hands or a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop.
• Carefully add meatballs into the simmering sauce.
• Cover and continue simmering for 15 - 20 minutes until thoroughly cooked and meat is no longer pink inside.
• Season to taste with additional salt and pepper as needed.
• Serve hot over spaghetti, pasta or on sub rolls as a meatball sub.

You may also like: Chicken Scampi

The post Homemade Italian Meatballs & Sauce appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.

Hearty Split Pea and Ham Soup is the perfect steaming bowlful on a chilly winter day. Sautéed carrots, onions, cabbage and celery simmer with split peas, ham and flavorful spices for a hearty and nutritious soup that hits the spot.

Soup, soup, soup!!! I love savoring hot soup on a cold, snowy New England day. And why not? Soup is delicious and flavorful, economical to make and stretches beautifully to feed a crowd. It also freezes well for future meals.

This year I’ve been doubling and sometimes even tripling my soup recipes so I can freeze some for us and for bringing meals to others. If you have some great soups stashed in the freezer, it’s simple to pull together a meal when the need arises.

When bringing homemade soup as a meal, I typically add a fresh baguette and green salad. Occasionally I whip up a batch of brownies to add to the mix. Life is full, so I find that the simpler a meal is to prepare, the more likely I am to follow through with taking it.

My mom made pea soup for us often growing up, and that’s where I learned to like it so much. Thankfully my boys learned to love pea soup early on too. (Even if it is green, which seems to be an issue with some other of my culinary offerings….)

I recommend making this Hearty Split Pea and Ham Soup with a leftover ham bone that still has some ham on the bone. You can also make it without the ham bone and use bits of leftover ham or even a purchased ham steak.

(Or keep it vegetarian and skip the ham altogether, adding some vegetable bouillon for flavor.) I’ve made it all three ways and it’s always delicious.

Tips for making Hearty Split Pea and Ham Soup:

• Use a leftover ham bone with some ham still attached. (When we have bone-in ham for a holiday meal, I freeze the bone to have on hand to make this soup.)
• If you don’t have a leftover ham bone, use a small ham steak chopped or add bits of leftover chopped ham.
• You can still make this without ham or a ham bone and it will be delicious! Just add a vegetable bouillon cube for flavor.
• It’s ok if you don’t have every single spice listed. I’ve made this many times and missed a spice or two here or there and it still tastes great. (In fact, I’ve never made it with the summer savory listed because I can’t find it at my grocery store.)
• This recipe doubles well, just make sure you have a really big stock pot. If you double the recipe you’ll be adding a whopping twenty cups of water. (I used my canning pot to make a double batch of this last week.)
• This soup tastes best the day after you make it. It thickens up a bit overnight and the flavor develops more too.
• Pea soup freezes well and will safely keep in the freezer for several months. (It also keeps on a cold back deck for a few days if you’re short on refrigerator space. The voice of experience….)
• Pay close attention when sautéeing the root vegetables. Keep the heat on medium and stir often. (It’s easy to burn onions.)
• I originally discovered this recipe years ago in the Fit for Life cookbook by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond. They adapted it from the original Blue Ribbon Cookbook by Jennie Benedict (from Kentucky). I adapted it again, as the Fit For Life recipe is vegetarian and doesn’t include ham. Also the original recipe suggests cooking for 1 1/2 hours over medium heat. To me, the split peas taste nearly raw after cooking for only 1 1/2 hours. I prefer simmering this soup for 6-8 hours, covered, over medium or medium low heat.
• Soak split peas overnight in water first to reduce the cooking time by half.
• If you prefer a silkier soup, blend with your immersion blender before adding in the ham bits.

Other great soup recipes using split peas: Split Pea Minestrone Soup, Slow Cooker Apple and Split Pea Soup and Split Pea and Potato Soup without Ham

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Hearty Split Pea and Ham Soup

Cook Time 6 hours hours

Total Time 7 hours hours

Servings 12 cups soups

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil safflower, canola etc.
• 1 cup carrots coarsely chopped
• 1 cup celery coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped onions
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 2 cups finely shredded cabbage
• 10 cups water
• Large ham bone with some ham still attached or 1 vegetable bouillon cube or a small ham steak, chopped
• 2 cups dried green split peas
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried summer savory
• 1/8 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/8 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 tablespoons fresh minced parsley or 4 teaspoons dried parsley

Instructions

• Finely shred the cabbage with a sharp knife, mandoline or food processor.
• Dice the carrots, onions and celery.
• Heat butter and vegetable oil in a large soup or stock pot over medium heat.
• When butter is melted, add carrots, celery, onion, garlic and cabbage.
• Saute for about five minutes, stirring often.
• Add water, split peas, spices and ham bone ( or chopped ham or vegetable bouillon).
• Turn up the heat and bring to a rolling boil.
• Reduce heat to medium or medium low.
• Cover and simmer soup for 6-8 hours, stirring every few hours.
• Remove ham bone and cut remaining ham off the bone into bite size pieces (or shreds) and return ham to the soup.
• Stir in parsley.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve soup hot with fresh bread or cornbread.

Notes

Use a ham bone for great flavor.
If you don't have a ham bone, add a cube of vegetable boullion.
Can also use a ham steak and add chopped ham.

You may also like: Arroz Caldo (Filipino Chicken and Rice Soup)

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Maple Pumpkin Bisque is a creamy, flavorful pumpkin soup lightly sweetened with pure maple syrup. Use as an appetizer or main dish in fall and winter. You’ll love this easy seasonal bisque made with canned pumpkin.

I love fall. Just got back from leaf peeping in Vermont with my family this past weekend. What a feast for the eyes! Vibrant reds and striking golds and oranges everywhere you look. The vivid reflections in the streams and ponds were fantastic.

While we were up in VT, we dropped by King Arthur Flour in Norwich. It’s one of my favorite haunts and they have a lovely cafe for eats as well. After shopping in the store and spending too many pesos, I went next door to the cafe to spend a few more. A cup of their delicious homemade butternut squash soup and a chai tea latte hit the spot.

Maple Pumpkin Bisque

Their butternut squash soup got me thinking about making a pumpkin bisque. Pumpkin Bisque is the quintessential creamy fall soup. I’ve always wanted to try my hand at making some, but it’s the fresh pumpkin that always intimidated me.

Call me lazy, but I don’t want to spend the time peeling, chopping and gutting a fresh pumpkin if I’m not going to get a jack-o-lantern out of it. (Yep, lazy.) That’s why I’m so glad this recipe uses canned pumpkin.

I do love surprises. A few months ago a high school friend sent me a surprise package by snail mail: a cookbook with recipes from famous inns in Vermont. She found it at a local thrift shop in Indiana. Go figure.

This is just before adding the heavy cream, which lightens the color considerably.

I’m so glad she sent that cookbook! (Thank you Christy.) Leafing through it, I was inspired to use more maple syrup in my cooking. As you can imagine, many of the recipes incorporate pure maple syrup. There were a few pumpkin soup recipes that caught my eye too.

One recipe included maple syrup, another curry and a third incorporated fresh tomatoes. I used elements from these recipes (and a few of my own) to create this unique Maple Pumpkin Bisque.

Why I love this Maple Pumpkin Bisque recipe:

• It uses canned pumpkin, chicken broth and marsala wine, to name a few of the ingredients.
• Its delicate flavor is enhanced by the marsala wine.
• It is lightly sweetened with pure maple syrup, and a touch of heavy cream makes it the creamiest ever!
• It uses canned pumpkin puree so I don’t have to peel, chop and dice a fresh pumpkin.

I used a blender to process it ’til smooth. (An immersion blender would have been easier and faster, but seeing as I don’t have one… Hint hint to the jolly man in the red suit: I’ve been a very good girl.)

Then I added the heavy cream and seasoned with salt and pepper.

We had this bisque for dinner tonight and Jon says, “What’s with the bisque? And why do the French get all the fancy words like quiche and bisque and frites?” Dunno and no fair. But he did love this pumpkin soup.

Hope you enjoy this delicious pumpkin soup bisque as much as we do! Why not treat yourself.

Tips for making Maple Pumpkin Bisque:

• Don’t boil the bisque after you add the cream.
• Reheat the soup slowly on low heat to avoid separating.
• Use pure maple syrup.
• For best flavor and to allow ingredients to meld, refrigerate overnight before serving. Then slowly reheat.
• Be safe: cool soup before processing in the blender.

Other pumpkin recipes you may enjoy: Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake, Pumpkin Pie Smoothie, and Maple Pumpkin Spice Tea Latte.

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Maple Pumpkin Bisque

Servings 2 .5 quarts (10 cups)

Ingredients

Bisque

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup red onion finely diced (about 1 small red onion)
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup marsala wine
• 4 cups organic chicken stock
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 29 ounce can pureed pumpkin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup pure maple syrup

Optional Garnish

• sour cream
• fresh herbs

Instructions

• In a heavy stock pot, melt 2 tablespoons butter over low heat.
• Add 3/4 cup finely diced onion and minced garlic cloves.
• Stir in ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg,
• Stir and cook over low heat until onions are translucent, but do not brown.
• Add 1/2 cup marsala wine and 4 cups chicken stock.
• Turn up the heat and bring to a boil.
• Turn the heat down and simmer on low for 15 minutes.
• Stir in canned pumpkin and maple syrup.
• Cook for a few more minutes until thoroughly heated.
• Cool mixture.
• Process in a food processor or use an immersion blender until velvety smooth.
• For best flavor, refrigerate in a glass container for a few hours or overnight to allow flavors to meld.
• Return pumpkin soup to stock pot and add heavy cream, salt and pepper.
• Continue stirring and slowly heat until steaming. DO NOT BOIL or soup may separate.
• Serve steaming hot.
• Optional: garnish with a dollop of sour cream or fresh herb sprigs.

You may also like: Pumpkin Spice Sugared Pecans

The post Maple Pumpkin Bisque appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.

In this Brown Sugar Hawaiian Roll Ham Sliders recipe, the sweet rolls are cut in half and stuffed with a thick layer of sliced ham and cheddar cheese before being brushed with a sweet and spicy brown sugar glaze and baked. In other words, it’s heaven on a plate!

Easy Baked Ham and Cheese Sliders

These deliciously sweet and spicy Hawaiian roll ham sliders are an irresistible crowd-pleaser, making them ideal for picnics, parties, and tailgating. Plus, they’re super easy to put together and will be ready in no time!

The glaze is what makes this dish! It’s a balanced mix of dry mustard, butter, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Then, the ham and cheese sliders are baked until the cheese is soft and melty. They make a full dish on its own, but they also go great on the side with cheese boards, stuffed jalapeños, roasted asparagus, fried pickles, or onion.

My Aunt’s Famous Hawaiian Ham Sliders

We recently joined my aunt, cousin, and family up at their lovely summer cottage on Joe’s Pond in Danville, Vermont, for a long weekend. The summer home has been in my extended family for as long as I can remember — maybe even before I was born — and it holds many sweet memories through the years. We held family reunions there, and our various families rented cottages around the lake.

During the day, we’d hike, fish, sail, water ski, chat and play tennis. In the evenings, we’d gather for meals at a different cottage each night, often taking canoes, motorboats, or kayaks across the pond to get there. A highlight of spending time with my extended family is always the excellent food. My mom, aunts, and cousins seem to instinctively know how to make wonderfully delicious meals with fresh ingredients that feed multitudes. It must be in the genes.

This past summer was no exception. Up at the cottage, we were treated to a number of scrumptious new recipes, including this recipe for Brown Sugar Hawaiian Roll Ham Sliders with Vermont Cheddar that I’m sharing with you today!

Key Ingredients

This Baked Hawaiian Roll Ham and Cheese Sliders recipe is twofold — the sandwiches and the glaze.

For the sandwiches, you’ll need: King’s Hawaiian Rolls (24 total), sliced Vermont Cheddar cheese (or your preferred cheddar variety), and thinly sliced deli ham.

For the glaze, you’ll need: 1 cup of melted butter, brown sugar (light or dark), poppy seeds, dry mustard powder, and Worcestershire sauce.

How To Make Baked Ham and Cheese Sliders

1. Preheat your oven to 365 degrees F.
2. Then, while the oven is preheating, split the Hawaiian rolls horizontally on two equal parts.
3. Next, build your sandwiches. Start by placing the bottom half of the rolls into a prepared 10×15 inch pan. Then, layer the sliced ham on the bottom, and the cheese over the ham. Then, top the other part of the sliders with the remaining half of bread. Repeat for all 24 sandwiches.
4. Then, prepare the sweet and savory glaze by mixing the brown sugar, dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, butter, and poppy seeds together in a small bowl until combined.
5. Brush the tops of the rolls with the glaze, and cover the sliders with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes uncovered. 
6. Serve hot, and enjoy!

Tips

• It’s best to use a 10×15 pan, as directed.  Two packages of King’s Hawaiian rolls fit perfectly in that size pan. I tried to get away with using two differently sized pans on my first attempt. It didn’t work well because there was extra space in each pan, and the sauce ran into the extra pan space, rather than absorbing into the sandwiches. (On my second attempt, I bought the 10 X 15″ Pyrex pan at Bed, Bath and Beyond (using a 20% off coupon, of course) — and it was fairly inexpensive.)
• I had good luck using both a serrated bread knife and a serrated electric knife to cut the rolls in half horizontally. You don’t want to smush them or deflate them.
• Slice through the baked sandwiches with kitchen shears or a sharp high-quality knife for clean portions.

Variations

• Not a fan of ham? You can use any deli meat you like! Turkey or chicken would be delicious.
• Add some bacon for more pork flavor!
• Swap out the cheese! Provolone, Swiss, or Gouda would be great.
• Top with sesame seeds or even thinly sliced almonds as well as poppy seeds for more subtle nutty flavor in each bite.
• Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or thinly sliced green onions for more flavor and color.

More Recipes To Try

• Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole
• Savory Ham and Cheese Pancakes
• Easy Ham and Cheese Stuffed Crescents
• Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Jalapeño
• Classic BLT Sandwich

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Brown Sugar Hawaiian Roll Ham Sliders (w/VT Cheddar)

Ingredients

Sandwiches:

• 2 packages King's Hawaiian Rolls 24 rolls
• 1 pound VT cheddar cheese sliced
• 2 pounds ham thinly sliced

Brown Sugar Sauce

• 1 cup butter melted
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325°.
• Split rolls in half.
• Fit bottom halves into a lightly greased 4 quart, 10" X 15" Pyrex dish.
• Layer ham, then cheese onto bottoms.
• Finish off with roll tops and set aside.
• Whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, poppy seeds, dry mustard and Worcestershire sauce.
• Pour/brush mixture evenly over tops of sandwiches.
• Cover very tightly with foil.
• (At this point can refrigerate overnight if needed.)
• Bake covered at 325° for 25 minutes.
• Remove foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until golden brown.
• Serve immediately.

The post Hawaiian Roll Ham Sliders appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.

Today we’re making a terrific Classic BLT Sandwich! Lightly toasted sandwich bread is layered with thick sliced garden-ripe tomatoes, fresh lettuce leaves and crisp bacon. Step by step instructions for how to make the best BLT sandwich on the planet! (You’re welcome.)

There are few things in life I’m more passionate about than an excellent BLT. YES!!! Bring on summer. Bring on the fresh garden tomatoes. And bring on the fabulous BLT.

I recently realized just how important the humble BLT is to me. We dropped by a great pancake joint and I ordered a BLT. (So why didn’t I order pancakes? Sigh.) When I veered from the signature menu item, all my troubles began.

The bread was thin and dry. The mayo was nearly non-existent, and on one slice of the bread only. The single sliver of grocery store tomato was barely pink and so thin it was nearly translucent. The lettuce (if you call it that) was limp and wilted.

And here’s the real kicker. There was just one slice of bacon in the whole sandwich. Ouch!!! This is not a Classic BLT Sandwich folks. In my book anyway.

And I was pretty disgusted disappointed, especially since I paid nearly $10 for it. That’s when I realized there are folks out there (even wonderful restaurant folks!) who don’t get it about the BLT.

Everyone should know how to make a great BLT. So here goes…. the makings of an excellent BLT. Hope you adore this sandwich as much as I do!!!

Tips to make a terrific Classic BLT Sandwich!

Garden fresh tomatoes are the bomb! Ours started ripening up in our NH garden last week. YAY!!! Around here, that signals many scrumptious BLT sandwiches to come… all the way through October. You must have excellent tomatoes for an excellent BLT.

If you don’t have your own garden tomatoes, find a farm stand or farmer’s market nearby. Thickly sliced, fresh garden tomatoes are crucial to a great BLT sandwich.

Use your favorite kind of lettuce: Romaine, butter lettuce, curly green leaf and red leaf lettuce are all excellent choices. Leaves should be clean, dry, and fresh. Not limp or wilted. (Ahem.)

You’ll need two kinds of sharp knives. A sharp slicing knife to slice the tomato. I always sharpen my butcher knife before slicing tomatoes. That way I get nice, clean slices and can easily control the thickness.

And you’ll need a serrated bread knife to cut your sandwich when it’s finished. A sharp, serrated bread knife cuts through a BLT sandwich cleanly, without smushing it.

You’ll need two slices of your favorite sandwich bread, lightly toasted. Many people like white bread for their BLTs because it toasts so nicely. Sour dough bread is also a great choice. I used honey wheat (store bought) sandwich bread for this BLT. Make sure your bread is lightly toasted, but is cooled completely before spreading on the mayo.

Now is not the time or place to be skimpy with the mayo! Use your favorite mayonnaise (I used Hellman’s Light) and spread generously on one side of both slices of lightly toasted (but completely cooled) sandwich bread.

Cooling the toasted bread before spreading the mayo keeps the mayo from melting, and helps your sandwich bread stay crisp. A BLT should not have limp, floppy sandwich bread. (For a fun twist, try a flavored mayo like this fresh Basil Pesto Mayonnaise.)

Crisp bacon is a star in this Classic BLT Sandwich! You can cook the bacon in the oven while preparing the rest of the ingredients to assemble your sandwich. If you’re in a real hurry, buy pre-packaged bacon that’s already cooked, but I don’t recommend it. It’s faster but not as good.

You can also fry your bacon in a skillet. Microwaving the bacon according to package instructions is also an option, but not quite as good. When I cook bacon in the microwave it tends to be dry and more unevenly cooked. You’ll want nice, crisp bacon and a generous 2-3 slices per sandwich. However you cook it, be sure to drain your bacon well on paper towels before adding it to your BLT sandwich.

How you layer your BLT is very important. Lettuce that is clean and dry goes on top of the bread. THEN the garden tomato slices. (Putting the tomato slices in the between the lettuce and bacon keeps the toasted sandwich bread from getting soggy.) Generously salt and pepper the tomato slices.

Next, add your crisp bacon slices on top. Oh yes, this BLT sandwich is almost ready!!! My mouth is watering.

Add the second slice of bread on top and carefully cut in half with a serrated bread knife or electric knife.

There’s not anything in summer (except maybe homemade ice cream!!!) that excites me as much as an excellent BLT sandwich. If you’re a BLT fan too, you know exactly how I feel. And you’ll FIND A WAY to make sure you enjoy a scrumptious BLT sandwich this summer. Enjoy every delicious bite!

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How to Make a Terrific Classic BLT Sandwich

Ingredients

• 2 slices of your favorite sandwich bread lightly toasted and cooled (I used honey wheat bread)
• Mayonnaise I used Hellman's light
• Ripe garden tomatoes thickly sliced
• Fresh lettuce leaves washed and dried
• 2-3 slices crisp bacon
• salt and pepper

Instructions

• Spread both slices of lightly toasted sandwich bread with mayonnaise on one side only.
• Add several leaves of lettuce on one piece of bread.
• Add several slices of thickly sliced garden tomato on top.
• Generously salt and pepper.
• Layer on 2-3 slices of crisp bacon over the tomatoes.
• Top with second slice of lightly toasted sandwich bread.
• Gently slice in half with serrated bread knife, being careful not to smush your sandwich.
• Serve immediately with a dill pickle!

You may also like: Grilled Corn, Tomato, Basil & Feta Salad

The post How to Make a Terrific Classic BLT Sandwich appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.

This Summer Corn Basil Tomato & Feta Easy Omelette Recipe is sure to please your friends and family for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Summer corn and ripe garden tomatoes combine with fresh basil and salty feta for a flavor-full omelette. Serve hot alongside fresh fruit and bacon for a light and scrumptious summer meal.

So we just got fresh local corn at the farm stand for the first time this season. WAAAAA!!! You know what I mean by fresh corn, right? I mean fresh. As in fresh picked that day. THAT kind of fresh corn. Yep. It’s absolutely amazing, crunchy and sweet. Not a starchy kernel in the lot.

And so now is the time to make all the recipes using fresh corn. I made our favorite Corn Basil Tomato & Feta Salad that we love so much. And then this Summer Corn Basil Tomato & Feta Easy Omelette Recipe happened the next morning.

I love it when things come together by “accident”. For instance, the humble waffle cone. (Yep, it’s summer and I’ve got waffle cones on the brain.) Do you know how the waffle ice cream cone was invented? By accident.

The story goes that at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, an ice cream vendor ran out of bowls.

As fate would have it, the ice cream stand was located next to a pastry stand that produced zalabis, a waffle like square of pastry.

So when the zalabis pastry gal heard all the commotion next door re: no ice cream bowls, she rolled one of her hot waffles into a cone shape and handed it across the fence to the ice cream scooper. Genius.

The waffle pastry cone cooled quickly, then the ice cream guy filled it with two scoops. And there you go. I scream you scream we all scream for ice cream.

History in the making. (Serendipity?) And we’ve all been happily licking ice cream cones for over a century now, our jeans a tad snugger. LOL.

I tell you about the serendipitous waffle cone invention, because this Summer Corn Basil Tomato & Feta Easy Omelette Recipe has a similar story. Not as grandiose, because it didn’t exactly happen at the World’s Fair, just in my little kitchen.

So I’ve been making lots of omelettes for my family this summer. I have a friend from church who kindly shares fresh eggs with me when she can spare some. So I was whipping up an omelette for Jon one morning before he left, and realized there were zero veggies in the crisper. I like making veggie omelettes with cheese for him when I can.

Anyway, the crisper was bare, but I spied a little tupperware of Corn, Basil & Tomato Salad. This is one of our favorite sides to have with grilled chicken or burgers and was leftover from dinner the previous night.

I whipped up a quick omelette, then added a few spoonfuls of this corn salad on one side before I folded the omelette in half. This omelette was SO good. Seriously, one of the best omelettes we’ve had.

There’s something about the fresh corn, garden ripe tomatoes and snipped basil. So much flavor, and a great use of delicious left overs. This omelette may not be the waffle cone, but it’s serendipitous just the same.

Tips for making Summer Corn Basil Tomato & Feta Easy Omelette Recipe:

• Save out a few spoonfuls of Corn Basil Tomato Salad from dinner the night before to cut down on prep time.
• Use a heavy duty, non-stick or seasoned cast iron skillet, 9″ (the base diameter of mine is 7″, and the top opening is 9″ across).
• Use 2-3 eggs for a nice sized omelette.
• I suggest organic, non-caged eggs if you can find and afford them. They taste better, have more nutrients and a deeper hue.
• Use plenty of olive oil or butter for a good pan release, and make sure it’s sizzling hot (but not smoking!) before you add your beaten eggs.
• Add an extra sprinkle of your favorite cheese.
• Garnish with a fresh basil sprig.

Other omelette recipes you may enjoy: Spanish Omelette Casserole, Slow Cooker Veggie Omelette Recipe and How to Make the Perfect Omelette

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Summer Corn Basil Tomato & Feta Easy Omelette Recipe

Ingredients

Corn Basil Tomato Feta Filling:

• 2 ears fresh corn husked
• 1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 2 medium roma tomatoes chopped ( or 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, chopped)
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or more

Omelette:

• Butter and/or olive oil
• Salt & pepper
• Fresh basil leaves for garnish

Instructions

Corn Basil Tomato Filling:

• Steam fresh corn for several minutes.
• Cool corn, cut from cobs.
• Whisk 1/8 cup olive oil and 1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar in a medium bowl to blend.
• Stir in corn, chopped tomatoes, feta and chopped basil.
• Toss to coat and set aside.

Omelette:

• Whisk up 2-3 eggs in a small mixing bowl until thoroughly blended.
• (Or pulse for a short time in a blender.)
• Set eggs aside.
• Heat a heavy 9" non-stick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
• And butter to the skillet.
• Heat until sizzling.
• Pour eggs into the skillet.
• Eggs should begin cooking immediately. (If they don't, your skillet wasn't hot enough.)
• With a flexible spatula, begin loosening the edges of the omelette, all the way around the pan.
• Pull the edges away from the pan and tilt the skillet.
• Rotate the pan so the uncooked eggs in the middle slide underneath the omelette where the edges are pulled away.
• Keep pulling the edges back and tilting the uncooked eggs until the top is shiny and the eggs are cooked around the edges.
• Sprinkle one side with several generous spoonfuls of Corn Basil Tomato Feta filling.
• With a thin spatula, gently loosen the edges of the omelet and underneath.
• If the bottom of the omelet isn't yet turning golden brown, allow it to cook for another minute or two over the heat.
• Then fold omelette over, in half, and let sit for another minute or so over the heat.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve immediately, hot.
• Optional: garnish with fresh basil leaves.

You may also like: How to Make the Perfect Omelette

The post Summer Corn Basil Tomato & Feta Easy Omelette Recipe appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.