Recipe Box - Veggie Tomato Soup

This is the recipe I get the most requests. I adapted it from a Rachael Ray recipe, but put my own twist on it. I hope you enjoy!

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
1 medium zucchini, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 carton portebello mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
1 15-oz can tomato sauce
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup frozen green beans
1/2 cup quick-cooking barley

1. On large soup pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and crushed red pepper; cook for 5-7 minutes. Add carrots cook another 3 minutes, add zucchini cook another 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook about 1 minute. Add mushrooms and basil and cook until tender.

2. Turn hear to medium-high and stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and chicken stock. Bring soup to a boil.

3. Add frozen green beans to soup and bring back up to a boil. Add in barley and cook for ten minutes.

4. Serve. I usually sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top and serve with some sort of crusty bread.

Restaurant File - Jensen's Cafe

When I was younger I did not like breakfast foods. As I have gotten older I have found I to enjoy certain foods for breakfast. I am still not a cereal and scrambled egg eater but I have found I really enjoy waffles, pancakes and Eggs Benedict.

Let me start by telling you that I love Eggs Benedict, well actually I love hollandaise sauce and would eat anything covered in it! So usually when I go out for breakfast I end up ordering Eggs Benedict and my trip to Jensen's Cafe was no exception. Many restaurants have multiple types of Benedict and at Jensen's Cafe you can order regular, chipolte, Florentine with tomato and spinach, salmon with dill hollandaise, steak with chipolte sauce, and Montreal with sausage patties and sausage gravy. Seriously! So many choices, it took me forever to choose. I finally decided on the chipolte Benedict, which is like the regular but with a chipolte hollandaise sauce. And the best part about Jensen's Benedict...? Instead of coming on an English muffin, they serve it on top of mini pancakes. At first I thought this would be gross, but the sweet pancakes with the salty sauce was amazing.

My friend Laura who went with me ordered the Garden Ome-Alot, and it was actually an Ome-Alot. It was one the the biggest and fluffiest omelets I have seen at any restaurant. She seemed very happy with her choice.

Most breakfasts come with a side of breakfast potatoes, which are diced, seasoned red potatoes. You can substitute cheesy hash browns or fruit for 99 cents. I chose the cheesy hash browns and they were the best I have had for awhile. Laura said she really liked the breakfast potatoes.

The breakfast menu is quite extensive. There are a wide variety of pancakes, waffles, omelets, egg dishes and plenty of side and a la carte options. The daytime menu also offers lunch options.

We went on a Sunday about 11 in the morning. It was about a twenty minutes wait for a table. But, there is a gift shop attached so you do have something to do while you wait. Overall, I found Jensen's Cafe to be a fun bunch option.

Jensen's Cafe - 12750 Nicollet Ave. S. Burnsville, MN

Recipe Box - Cornbread and Beef Skillet Pie

Tried this out for the first time Wednesday night and it was a hit with the whole family (even Sam!).

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup plus 2 T all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1 T olive oil
2 red bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), thinly sliced
1 medium red onion
1 package (10 ounces) white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped (this was not in the original recipe, but I added it)
1 1/2 pound(s) ground sirloin
1/4 cup tomato paste
3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together cornmeal, 1/2 cup flour, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; set aside.

2. In large ovenproof skillet (I used a dutch oven) heat oil over medium heat. Add peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Cook until tender, about 6-8 minutes, tossing occasionally; season with salt and pepper.

3. Raise heat to high; add sirloin and tomato paste. Cook, stirring, until meat is no longer pink about 3-5 minutes. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons flour and 2/3 cup water (or beef broth, which is what I used); season with salt and pepper.

4. Make cornmeal batter. Add sour cream and egg to reserved cornmeal mixture; stir just until moistened. Drop tablespoons over beef mixture in skillet, 1 inch apart. Bake until biscuits are golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.

Adapted from Delish.com