Product Review: Market Classics Harvest Vegetable Soup Mix

One of my favorite stores is Cost Plus World Market.  The treasures you can find at this store are unique and priced right.  I love to browse their kitchenware for unique serving dishes and baking items.

Another area I love to browse is their food section.  Mostly imported items, you can find so many good things here such as spices, sauces, and soups.

Today I've made Market Classics Harvest Vegetable Soup Mix.  They have a great variety of soup mixes, such as lentil, potato, tortellini, and tortilla.  Today I chose Harvest Vegetable.  All these choices and more, for only $3.99.  Great price!  The Harvest Vegetable comes with a blend of vegetables  pasta, and rice.  I added the cooked chicken, the broth and some onion.  What transpired was a nicely spiced chicken vegetable soup.  A blend of carrots, red bell peppers, corn and wonderful seasonings and herb.  This mix makes about 8 1-cup servings.  A good sized portion for about 4 people.  

This was easy enough to make during the week with leftover cooked chicken breasts.  Leftovers were not quite as soupy as the first day due to the rice and the pasta soaking up some of the liquid.  The addition of more chicken broth helped to fill the leftovers out without watering down the seasonings too much.

If you love soup, and want one that quick try this one or grab another flavor at  Cost Plus World Market.  You can find them on line or in the store.

It's always great to find an item that will help you out in a pinch with a good hearty meal.  These soups do just that.  I'm going back to choose some other flavors now...see you!

Pumpkin Pie Bars

Need a fall flavored dessert that will feed a crowd?

I have one for you!  It's perfect for a crowd.  It is a cross between a pumpkin pie and a cake.  It is out of this world. Really.

We were having a holiday luncheon at work and everyone was bringing a dish.  So I thought I'd change up the dessert menu a bit from the standard pumpkin pie.  Most everyone loves the flavors of pumpkin, so I went on the search for a different recipe featuring pumpkin.

In an old Betty Crocker recipe book I found these Pumpkin Pie Bars.  Perfect!  And they were made in a 9x13 dish so they would feed a crowd.  Double perfect!

Reading the recipe told me that it would come out as a layered dish.  Part cake and part pie.  The addition of a butter and brown sugar crumble on the top just put this over the edge!  First, the aroma in the house...OMG.  I was walking around just sniffing the air.  WOW!

I couldn't wait to taste it.  As it turned out neither could anyone else.  We had an apple pie, a pumpkin pie, and my dessert.  I must say my dessert was the one with no leftovers!  It was a major hit.  Several people asked to take some home and a couple wanted the recipe ASAP!

So if you want a great dessert for the holidays this is the one.  It would be perfect to take to a party.  Served with a little whipped cream on top, it doesn't get much better than this!

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Bars

adapted from Betty Crocker

serves 16

Base

1 ½ cups ready made baking mix

½ cup butter or margarine, softened

½ cup pecans halves

Filling

1 cup sugar

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk

4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

3 eggs

Topping

1 cup ready made baking mix

½ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup butter or margarine

¾ cup pecan halves

Heat oven to 350 degrees.   Spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.  In a food processor bowl add ingredients for the base (baking mix, butter, and cup pecans).  Pulse 8-12 times until butter mixture is crumbly and pecans are roughly chopped.  With floured fingers, press mixture in bottom of pan.  Bake 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat filling ingredients with wire whisk until smooth; set aside.  Back in the food processor bowl add the topping items (baking mix, brown sugar, butter, and pecan halves).  Pulse about 10-15 times until butter/sugar until mixture is crumbly and pecans are roughly chopped. 

Pour filling over hot partially baked base. Sprinkle topping over filling.

Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 30 minutes before cutting into squares. Serve with whipped cream, if desired. Store in refrigerator.

Note:  If you don't have pumpkin pie spice substitute with 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg.  If you don't have a food processor you can cut in the butter using a pastry blender or two forks.

Cooking Oils 101 - Top 10 Best Cooking Oils

Cooking Oils 101

When used in moderation, cooking oils are a wonderful addition to your kitchen's pantry.  But, with all the different cooking oil out there is becomes confusing about which to use for sauteing, frying, baking, and for use in dressings.  Each one has its own benefits and uses, though the most important factor to pay attention to is the oil's smoke point, which indicates the highest temperature the oil can be heated to safely.

Peanut Oil

Peanut oil has a high smoke point, and it's a favorite oil for stir-frying and deep-frying.

Sesame Oil
There are two kinds of sesame oil: light and dark.  Light sesame oil has a light, nutty flavor and is good for sauteing, and salad dressings.  Dark sesame oil, on the other hand, has a more intense flavor.  Only a little bit is needed to accent other flavors.  It is great used in Asian-inspired dishes.

Coconut Oil

One of the more eclectic oils, coconut oil is good for deep-frying due to its light coconut flavor.  It's solid at room temperature, but liquid when heated just slightly.  Try substituting it for other oils in baked goods or use to add tropical flair to sides and entrees. Finally, coconut oil is also an excellent moisturizer for skin and hair!

Vegetable Oil

Vegetable oil, a mixture of corn, safflower, and canola oils, is a great all-purpose oil with a neutral flavor.  It has a high smoke point, so it's good for frying.  Vegetable oil is perfect for baking too, and keeps muffins and cakes from drying out.

Corn Oil

Corn oil has a mild flavor and is another great all-purpose oil for general cooking and deep-frying.  The mild flavor also makes it an especially good choice for baking.

Canola Oil

When you'd like to cook with an unsaturated oil but don't want the added flavor of olive oil, turn to canola oil.  It has a bland flavor and a fairly high smoke point, making it good for sauteing, frying, baking, and salad dressings.  For an easy weeknight side, try drizzling cut-up seasonal vegetables with canola oil and roasting in the oven.

Olive Oil

There's a lot of talk about the health benefits of flavorful olive oil.  The flavor of quality olive oils depends on the particular olives used and the unique characteristics of their growing region.  Extra-virgin olive oil is pressed from whole olives within a day after the harvest and is the highest quality olive oil.  Heating olive oil causes it to lose a lot of flavor, so avoid using more expensive extra-virgin olive oil for cooking.  Extra-virgin olive oil is better for tossing with roasted vegetables, pasta, etc.  No matter the variety, be sure to store olive oil in a cool cabinet away from heat and use within 6 months, or store in the refrigerator.

Sunflower Oil

Sunflower oil is a flavorless oil high in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat.  It has a fairly low smoke point, so try it whenever your recipe calls for a quick saute or homemade dressing.  It's also great for baking fries in the oven -- a healthy alternative to traditional deep-fried french fries.

Some new oils I've used:

Walnut Oil
Walnut oil contains polyunsaturated fats, and is also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. This is a very heart-healthy oil, and is a great cooking oil to use if you are diabetic.  Walnut oil has a very high smoke point of about 400 degrees F, which makes it a great oil to use for baking. It’s also great for sauteing at low-medium heat. It can also make your salad pop, simply by drizzling it over the top.

Almond Oil
Almond oil also contains monounsaturated fats, which makes it good for your cholesterol. It's also an ideal cooking choice if you are diabetic.  Almond oil has a high smoke point of about 495 degrees F, and is good for high heat cooking, like sauteing. It’s great flavor also works well as a healthier substitute in dessert recipes, like whipped cream.

Grapeseed Oil  

This oil contains polyunsaturated fats, and is low in saturated fat, making it very heart healthy. Grapeseed oil is very versatile, and can be used to add a very mild, nutty flavor to almost any dish. It’s great for salads, and can make for a nice drizzle over toasted bread.