French Onion Grilled Cheese

 

Okay first things first I love grilled cheese sandwiches. They are among my favorite sandwiches especially when they have extra stuff in them. I also love caramelized onions so putting them into a grilled cheese was the logical step to take here.

 

One of the things I don't like about grilled cheese sandwiches is when the cheese and other fillings don't get hot/melted through in the time it takes the bread to get perfectly grilled. I found this oven method of cooking a grilled cheese a while back and it is a game changer, the sandwiches come out perfectly browned and melty all the way through. I don't think I'll ever go back to cooking them in a pan this just so much easier and better.

The process is simple (and by the way on the occasions when you have to cook a bunch of sandwiches at one time this is a lifesaver) The most important step is to preheat your baking sheet in the oven while the oven is preheating. I neglected to do this step the first time I tried this and the first side of the sandwich just didn't get brown and crispy.

Most of the time I do like to line my baking sheet with aluminum foil mainly because clean up is even easier that way.

You can find a downloadable/printable version of this recipe here.

French Onion Grilled Cheese

1 medium onion, sliced

butter

4 slices of bread of your choice

4 slices Swiss cheese

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. 

 

 -note I am only making one sandwich in the pictures but the directions are for two-

Preheat your oven to 450° F and place your prepared baking sheet in the oven to preheat with the oven. It needs to be really hot for this sandwich to really work.

Meanwhile melt about 1 Tablespoon butter in a small skillet over med heat. Add the sliced onion and cook slowly until the onions are caramelized, if they start to look crispy turn the heat down. This needs to be a very slow process, it usually takes at least 20 minutes to get my onion the way I like it.

When the onions are cooked butter one side of each slice of bread. 

 

 

 

 

The add a slice of cheese to the un-buttered sides of the slices.

Divide the onions between two to these slices then top with the other two slices. (just like a normal grilled cheese)

Remove the hot baking sheet from the oven and quickly add the sandwiches to the pan and return to the oven.

Cook 5 minutes.

Remove from oven just long enough to flip both sandwiches over. Return to the oven and cook 5 more minutes.

Remove from oven and allow the sandwiches to sit on a cutting board for a couple of minutes before cutting in half. 

Makes 2 wonderful grilled cheese sandwiches.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

 

I know I've said before on here that I love soup and as soon as the weather starts to cool down I start making my favorites as well as new soups. This recipe is kind of both, I started with a couple of recipes I've been making for years and added a few things, took out a couple of others and this was the result.

For me potato soup is very nostalgic because it was a soup my mom made often. Hers was very plain and I still love it to this day but sometimes I want to visit those memories but have something a bit more special. This is the bowl I am turning to in that situation. This one is rich and creamy and loaded with the things I love to put on a baked potato (another favorite- let's just be honest I love potatoes and pretty much everything they can be made into)

Since I included the things I love on a baked potato I might have missed your favorite toppings. That is where you can make this soup your own add the things you love. Then curl up with a warm bowl of potato soup on a cool fall evening.

You can find a downloadable/printable version of this recipe here.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

2 large baking potatoes

2 slices of bacon

2 green onions

1 Tablespoon flour

3 cups milk

¾ cup shredded cheese (I used a 4 cheese Mexican blend)

salt and pepper to taste

½ sour cream

Wash the baking potatoes and pierce the skin with a fork then bake as desired. I did mine in the microwave according to the directions that came with my microwave.

Cut up the bacon and cook in a Dutch oven until crispy.

Meanwhile slice the green onions keeping the white parts and the green parts separate.

Remove the crispy bacon from the pan and drain on paper towels.

 

 

 

 

 

Add the white parts of the green onions to the bacon fat in the pan and cook until tender.

Stir in the flour and cook for about 30 seconds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Add the milk and stir to combine, bring to a simmer over medium heat stirring often. Cook about 15 to 20 minutes until bubbly and thickened.

Meanwhile cut the baked potatoes in half and scoop out the cooked potato from the skins. Mash the potatoes until smooth. 

Add the potatoes and about ½ cup of the cheese. Stir and cook until heated through and the cheese melts.

Add the sour cream cook and stir until heated through.

Divide between 2 soup bowls and top with the sliced green onions, bacon and remaining cheese.

Pumpkin Cupcakes

 

For the my cupcake of the month for October this year I decided to go with something so simple but absolutely delicious, pumpkin. In my mind you really can't get any more on point for the month of October than pumpkin so they are perfect. I paired them with a divine cream cheese frosting to make the perfect way to finish off dinner time this month. 

 

 

As always we are starting with a partial box of cake mix. In the blog post you can find here I gave directions on how I divide a standard box of cake mix from the grocery store to make it perfect for small batch baking. If you haven't read that blog post I recommend you go over and read it first then come back and read this one. It will help you get all set to make this recipe.

I find that I normally get 6 cupcakes from these recipes but I have friends that always get 8. You can expect to get 6 to 8 depending on your pan and how full you fill it.

I love this recipe because while it has a bit of pumpkin spice in it, it is much more pumpkin than pumpkin spice. If you want more of a spice twist to your cupcakes make exactly the same recipe using a spice cake mix and leaving out the pumpkin spice that I use today.

I do have to warn you these smell so yummy while baking they are going to have you ready to dig in immediately when they come out of the oven. Please hold off and wait until they are cooled and you have frosted them to get the complete experience.

Speaking of frosting the recipe makes enough to cover 8 cupcakes but if you have some leftover this is excellent spread between a couple of graham crackers for a wonder treat for the cook.

You can find a downloadable/printable version of this recipe here.

Pumpkin Cupcakes

⅓ of a box of yellow cake mix

⅓ cup pumpkin puree

1 egg

3 Tablespoons milk

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Start by preheating your oven to the temperature your box of cake mix calls for, mine was 350°F. Line your cupcake pan with paper liners or grease really well.

Combine the pumpkin, egg, milk, oil, spice, and vanilla in a mixing bowl and combine well.

Add the cake mix and beat for up to 90 seconds.

Portion into cupcake pan and bake according to instructions on your cake mix.

 

 Mine was baked at 350°F for about 20 minutes.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes then move to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Small Batch Cream Cheese Frosting

¼ cup butter, softened

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups powdered sugar

Seasonal sprinkles if desired

Beat the softened butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract until combined and starting to get fluffy.

Slowly add the powdered sugar beating until well combined and creamy.

Move frosting to a decorating bag equipped with a large decorating tip. Decorate your cupcakes as desired.