Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Paninis

I tend to make up recipes off the top of my head. Sometimes they don't turn out so well, and I feed them to the dog. But this tomato soup is so yummy and quick. You can hardly call it homemade since it uses a can of Campbell's, but you'd never know to taste it!

Pour the can of condensed tomato soup into a microwave-safe bowl. Fill the empty can with 3/4 chicken stock and 1/4 heavy cream. (I didn't say it would be low-fat!) Sprinkle in some basil, mint, onion powder, garlic salt, pepper, or whatever spices you like. Then just heat it until it's nice and steamy.

It so yummy! Perfect with a grilled cheese...I squished these on the panini press for an added crunch! So tasty on a cold winter day -- comfort food to the max!

How do you do it?

Okay, I'm wanting some input on marking up my new Bible. I recently purchased an ESV single-column reference Bible, which I love. The only think I don't love about it is the pages are rather thin and require some special pens in order not to bleed through. I have black, pink, orange, red, blue, purple, yellow, and green fine-tip pens. I have used various Bible-marking methods in the past, but a lot of them included a highlighter, which this particular Bible will not tolerate. How do you guys mark your Bibles...colors, symbols, just notes, etc? I'm all ears!

Game Day Potato Skins

Another yummy recipe from my test kitchen! While not low-cal, these are definitely scrumptious. Great for game day! Try them for yourself:

1) Give your potatoes a rub-down with a bit of canola oil and salt

2) Bake them in the oven at 450 for about 45 mins

- While the potatoes are baking, cook 1-2 slices of bacon per potato

3) Split the potatoes open and scoop out most of the insides

4) Brush the hollowed-out potatoes with oil and sprinkle on some more salt

5) Put them in the oven hollow-side down for about 7 minutes

6) Pull them out and fill them with a hearty amount of your favorite cheeses (I combined sharp cheddar, colby jack, and mozzarella)

7) Crumble the cooked bacon on top

8) Stick them back in the oven to let the cheese melt into bubbly goodness

9) Serve to your drooling guests before they rush the oven in a mad craze

10) Have some sour cream, ranch, and green onions on the side for good measure!

Cooking...Pioneer Style

So I tried Pioneer Woman's chicken parm, and boy was it good! And so easy...I prepped, cooked, and cleaned up the whole meal in about an hour. If you'd like to try your hand at it too (and you should...it's yummy!), you can find the step-by-step recipe here. If my co-workers were drooling over the microwaved left-overs in a plastic ziplock container, you can imagine how tasty it is! Try it out and let me know what you think, foodies!

Pioneer Woman

My sick computer has been healed! Well, actually I buried it in the backyard under the oak tree. But now I have a new (and very welcome) addition. I have now entered the Mac World, and am finding it a very nice place to be.

My new favorite place to wander in Mac World is the Pioneer Woman's

blog. I was first introduced to Ree through her cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks. She's a city-girl turned country-lover, homeschooling mother of four, and creative to the core. You should wander on over too!

I made her chocolate chip cookies for work the other day...yummy. They have a nice heaping teaspoon of instant coffee granules that give them that special little something. I'd post a picture of them if they weren't already gobbled up. Maybe next time...I've got my eye on her chicken parm right now. I think a trip to Wal-Mart may be in store for the day. So, while I head to the store, hop on over to visit the Pioneer Woman. But beware, you might drool a bit as you browse through her cooking section, so have a paper towel or bib handy!