Rollups

This recipe has been passed through my husband's family for generations. Mark has memories of his grandma making these for him, as well as his mother. I have also heard stories of him playing around in the kitchen as a child trying to make rollups with his brother. Mark's brother gave me some family recipes, handwritten on recipe cards, as a Christmas gift shortly after we were married. It was so thoughtful of him, and I am so thankful he did it because rollups have since become a special breakfast for us. Rollups are one of our favorite breakfasts, not only because of the memories but also because they are delicious and use common ingredients. The batter can also be frozen and reused later, making a quick, fun and delicious breakfast.

Ingredients:

2 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

• Beat all ingredients together.
• Put about 1 tsp of oil in large pan over medium heat before making each rollup.
• Put a small amount of batter in pan and roll batter around pan until it spreads to edges.
  
• Turn after a minute or two. It should look like this:

• Next, place rollup on plate and spread with butter, then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Roll it up and enjoy!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

One of the foods that reminds me most of home is, of course, CHEESE! I have always loved broccoli cheese soup, but this was my first attempt at making it. It turned out to be very good, so I figured I'd share it. I'm sure my fellow Wisconsinites can appreciate the cheesiness.

Ingredients:
6 tbsp. butter, divided
3/4 cup onion, chopped
1 cup carrot, chopped or shredded
4 cups small broccoli florets
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp. onion salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
4 tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

• In a large stock pot, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender, about 5 minutes, then add the carrots and cook about 3 minutes more. Add the broccoli, broth, onion salt, and garlic powder. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer.
• In a smaller sauce pan, melt the rest of the butter. Add the flour and cook, whisking, for 2 minutes until golden brown. Whisk the milk in and cook for about 5 minutes until the mixture becomes thicker and bubbles.
  
• Whisk in the cheese until it is totally melted.
  
• Add cheese sauce to the soup pot and let soup simmer until completely warmed through and vegetables are tender.
  
• Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Optional: use immersion blender to puree the soup to desired consistency.

Recipe originally from Annie's Eats.

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

I really can't give a good enough review of these pumpkin bars. The first time I made them was over a year ago for a pot luck with some friends down here in Alabama. Over a year later, our friends continue to request these bars whenever we get together. Even my husband, who does not enjoy the taste of pumpkin, loves this recipe. On the Food Network website, this recipe received 5/5 stars based on 488 reviews... I give it a 5 for sure! This is definitely a tried and true recipe that I will be using for years to come.

Source: recipe adapted from Paula Deen (Food Network)

Ingredients

Bars

• 4 eggs
• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
  
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 15-ounce can pumpkin
  
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:

• 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.

To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.