Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

    I didn't realize until about a week ago that I hadn't even posted a single blog in months! Shame on me! Well, not much has changed in 4 months... I'm 30 now! (ugh) Thing are good, life is good! My friend Olivia asked about the recipe for this tomato soup on my Instagram and I decided it was time to share it with the world! It's so simple and quick to make. I used Campari tomatoes this time, but I have used roma tomatoes before and it came out wonderful still.

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Ingredients:

- 1 medium onion (sweet or yellow) 

- 16 oz package of Campari tomatoes

- 15-20 large basil leaves

- 3 cups of chicken broth

- 1 (28 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes

- 3 large bay leaves

- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder

- 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper

- salt and pepper to taste

- grated Parmesan

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Cut the onion into slices, cut the tomatoes in half, and lay both out on the prepared cookie sheet. Spray them with the cooking spray, top with the fresh basil, and bake them for about 15 minutes. Once the onion is tender, remove from the oven and add them to a large soup pot. Next, add the chicken broth and the crushed tomatoes to the soup pot. With an immersion blender, puree everything until smooth. Then, mix in the bay leaves, garlic powder, white pepper, salt, and pepper. Cover and bring the mixture to a simmer for about 30 minutes. If you would prefer your soup thinner, add more chicken broth. Serve warm, topped with parmesan.

Candied Pecans

    If you are looking for the perfect cinnamon sugar candied pecans, look no further. I love how crunchy they turn out, and talk about easy! Your entire house will smell like you just walked by the kiosk at the mall. I had to make two batches, some I brought to a party and most of them I included in my Christmas cookie plates. Trust me, you want to make them!

Candied Pecans

Ingredients:

- 1 large egg white

- 1 tablespoon of water

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- 1 cup of sugar

- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

- 1/2 teaspoon of salt

- 1 pound (4 cups) of whole pecans

    Preheat oven to 250 degrees, line a cookie sheet with tin foil, and spray with cooking spray. In a small bowl, whisk together the cinnamon, sugar, and salt. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the egg white, water, and vanilla until white and frothy. Toss the pecans in the egg white mixture until evenly coated. Add the sugar mixture to the pecans and mix until evenly coated. Pour the entire mixture onto the prepared cookie sheet and bake for 1 hour, taking them out to stir every 15 minutes. 

Cream Cheese Cranberry Bread

    I just haven't been in the blogging mood lately. I've definitely been cooking and baking some great recipes though! If you're curious, head over to Instagram and check out my hashtag #gettingbridgiewithit to see what I've been working on! I do have a few recipes that I want to share with everyone before 2017 is over though! This cranberry bread is so on point! I've made these loafs three times now and I've even substituted the cream cheese for ricotta! I definitely prefer the cream cheese, but feel free to experiment! This is the perfect recipe to share!

Cream Cheese Cranberry Bread

Ingredients:

- 2 cups of flour

- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

- 1/2 teaspoon of salt

- 1 cup of butter (softened) 

- 1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese (softened)

- 1 and 1/2 cup of sugar

- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

- 4 eggs

- 1 (12 ounce) package of fresh cranberries

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees and and prepare two 9x5 inch loaf pans with cooking spray and then coat the inside with flour, shaking out any excess. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Then, in a separate large bowl, beat the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Next, slowly mix in the flour mixture until just combined and fold in the cranberries being careful not to over-mix. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared loaf pans. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and loaves are golden brown. Slice and enjoy!

Easy Caramel Apples

    Oh man, I have been such a slacker! I've been preparing for Thanksgiving! Only to have all of my beautiful plans crumble in my face but that's another story... I've really been wanting to post this recipe for caramel apples. This is THE BEST chewy caramel I've ever made and it got rave reviews at church and from my Carrabba micos at work! You can easily double this recipe! Grab your candy thermometer and definitely pin this for your next fall festival!

Easy Caramel Apples

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of butter (4 sticks)

- 1 cup of light corn syrup

- 1 can (14 ounce) of sweetened condensed milk

- 2 cups of brown sugar

- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

- pinch of salt

- 12 to 15 medium sized apples

    First, prep your apples by washing them and drying very well. Place a popsicle stick of choice into each one. Then, line a cookie sheet with wax paper and set aside. Combined everything except the apples and vanilla in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Stir the mixture constantly until your candy thermometer hits 240-250 degrees F (the firm-ball stage, it will be just beginning to turn a dark caramel color). Remove from the caramel from the heat and stir in vanilla. Carefully dip each apple and add topping of choice! Let cool and enjoy! 

Roasted Chicken

    I had a lot of fun researching this recipe. I started by watching a couple of episodes of The French Chef, because not only is Julia Child informative, she's also a hoot! Next I searched the Pinterest and I found a recipe from Ina Garten because who doesn't love the Barefoot Contessa? After poking around on the internet a little more, I was ready to tackle my challenge. Two things, you're going to want to get the raw chicken as dry as possible and you definitely want to invest in a baster if you don't have one. I really tried to use every scrap of my vegetables because I hate wasting good food.

Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:

- 1 whole 5-6 pound roasting chicken

- 3/8 cup (6 tablespoons) of butter (divided)

- 1 large bunch of fresh thyme 

- 1/2 of a large garlic bulb (5 or 6 whole cloves)

- 1 small onion

- 4 large carrots

- 1 celery stalk, leaves and all

- sea salt

- black pepper

- favorite poultry seasoning (I used GOYA)

    Start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees. Spray your cast iron skillet or roasting pan with cooking spray and set aside. Clean your chicken by removing the giblets, rinsing with water, cutting off excess skin and fat, trimming the neck, and checking for pin feathers. Make sure that the fat glands behind the tail are removed as well. Next, take paper towels and pat your chicken as dry as you can, inside and outside. Once dry, salt and pepper the inside and place it in your prepared pan. Peel your garlic cloves and place them inside of the chicken. Cut off the ends of your carrots and place them inside as well. Slice carrots into large chucks and set aside. Cut up the celery into large pieces and stuff inside, leaves and all. Cut the ends off of your onion and stuff inside, I used the skin on and all. Peel the rest of the onion and cut into large chunks and set aside. Use half of the fresh thyme to stuff and save the rest. Once stuffed, tuck the bird's wings behind where it's neck would be and tie the legs together with kitchen twine (or tin foil if you are out). Melt 3 tablespoons of butter and brush the entire chicken with it. Liberally season the entire bird with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Place the carrot pieces, onion chunks, and top them with the rest of the thyme in the bottom of the roasting pan. Place the chicken in the oven and let cook for 45 minutes. Melt remaining butter and baste it onto the chicken. Flip the carrots and continue to cook for another 45 minutes, basting with pan juices every 15 minutes. Once your meat thermometer registers 165 degrees throughout your bird, remove and baste again. Cover with tinfoil and let sit for 20 minutes before carving. 

Apple Crisp

    Happy Fall everyone! I am still in shock that September is almost over! Last week, these beautiful gala apples were on sale and I couldn't help but buy a bag and make a pan of apple crisp! I really love this recipe and it's just perfect with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!

Apple Crisp

Ingredients:
Apple filling:

- 5-6 medium apples, peeled and sliced thin

- 3 tablespoons of butter, melted

- 1 tablespoon of flour

- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch

- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice

- 1/4 cup of milk

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- 1/4 cup of brown sugar

- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

- pinch of salt

For the topping:

- 1/2 cup of flour

- 1/2 cup of old fashioned oats

- 1/2 cup of brown sugar

- 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

- 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

- pinch of salt

- 1/3 cup of cold butter, cut into cubes

    Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together all of the ingredients for the apple filling and pour it into a greased 8x8 baking dish. Next, cut together the ingredients for the crumb topping with a pastry blender, a fork, or with your hands until it resembles pebbles. Pour topping over the apple mixture and bake for 30-35 minutes. Once golden brown, remove from the oven and serve topped with ice cream or whipped cream!

Banana Cinnamon Swirl Muffins

    We survived hurricane Irma! What a weekend! Frankie and I didn't leave the apartment for 4 days, and I loved it! I cooked up a storm during the storm and Frankie made jello shots the day before. Thankfully, we never lost electricity. There are people here in Florida going through a very hard time though, and we need to keep them in our prayers as they recover. So, back to my recipe, I really liked these cinnamon banana muffins! They're super fluffy if you make sure to not over-bake them.

Banana Cinnamon Swirl Muffins

Ingredients:
- 1 and 1/2 cup of flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 3 large bananas, mashed
- 3/4 cup of sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 and 1/3 teaspoon of vanilla
- 1/2 cup of melted butter
For the swirl:
- 1/4 cup of sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and spray them lightly with non-stick spray. Then, sift together the dry ingredients and set aside. Mash the bananas and cream the together with the sugar. After, add the egg and vanilla. Once combined, pour in the melted butter slowly while mixing. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and fold until just barely combined. Don't over-mix. Scoop batter evenly into prepared muffin tin. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Evenly distribute the mixture on top of each unbaked muffin and swirl with a toothpick. I have added chocolate chips on top at this point but, that is optional. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the muffins start to brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and enjoy