****My Quiche Bites are such a delight****

Welcome to some good ol November weather where we drink more tea, hot chocolate and eat more hot soup. Oh, and where I bake more of one of my favorite dishes...Quiche cups which I actually make and take to work for a quick breakfast during my work weeks. I also brought them in for a welcoming breakfast at work and my colleagues LOVED THEM! I was so thankful as it was a pleasure to make as well as a pleasure to devour. With that said, this blog post will be how to make them so look it over, make them if you dare and if you do, let me know how things turned out. Enjoy

MAKING QUICHE CUPS

INGREDIENTS

·        Pillsbury Pie Crusts- 1 box (includes two sheets)

·        Eggs- 1 Dozen

·        Heavy Cream- 1 Cup

·        Shredded Cheese- Pepper Jack 1 ½ cups

·        Broccoli- 1 cup chopped to small pieces

·        Red and Green Bell Pepper- ½ of each diced

·        Yellow Onion- ½ of one cut up very finely

SUPPLIES

·        Aluminum foil cup pan

·        Measuring cup

·        Big fork or spoon

·        Non-Stick spray

Directions

1.     Heat your oven to 375 degrees.               

2.     Crack open eggs into measuring cup then add heavy cream then stir until mixed well.

3.     Spray the cups with a non-stick spray then sprinkle your cups with a lite flour so the cups do not stick later.

4.     Roll out the crusts, cut them into six quarters then place the crusts into each muffin cup.

5.     In each cup, your first 2oz layer of cheese goes in then add your veggies.

6.      Completely fill the cup with eggs then add one more layer of shredded cheese.

7.      Bake for 25 min.  Once finished, take out the oven and enjoy the aroma that is now in the air. Serve them with oatmeal and toast or can be an horderve.  Enjoy!

Panera Bread

Hi again from the Windy City! That's the nickname for Chicago because it gets soooo windy here at this time of season. As I said before in one my earlier blogs, this time of year is the best time for eating soups...good and tasty soups! It gets really chilly around town and nothing is more relaxing when you can pull up to the table and eat one of your favorites. Well with that said, let me tell you about the soup I had over the weekend. It was called VEGETARIAN AUTUMN SQUASH SOUP which was sweet from the apples included in the recipe along with the maple syrup as well. It also had a nice surprise right on top of the dish which were pumpkin seeds. It was very delicious and I even asked my "picky eater" son to try a little and he LOVED IT! Therefore, I highly recommend it!

In addition to the soup being great and the service being speedy, going to Panera Bread on a Saturday afternoon was not a good idea, I should have waited until the evening, as the place was like a zoo. It seemed like the whole town of Skokie decided to have lunch at the popular dining place. Also, I like to order online so once I'm in the door of Panera, my package is ready, however once in, I still have to walk down a short isle to grab my package and in doing so, I think I said the two words, "excuse me" seven times or more. Yes, the place was really crowded. Despite all that, make your way there and see for yourself how wonderful the VEGETARIAN AUTUMN SQUASH SOUP is. That is all.

~ Gerri 

The Chill Cafe

Its soup time again! Now, this time, the winning dish is CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP, which I have found, has turned out to be a great choice. I say that because, I was trepidatious at first as I had never tried this dish before. I kind of figured it would taste something like a chicken soup dish but with a little kick, however, I was wrong. The CHICKEN TORTILLA is nothing like a regular chicken soup dish. As a matter of fact, it has amazing ingredients like:

1. Corn
2. Chopped Green Chile Peppers
3. Red Peppers
4. Green Onion
5. Crushed Tortilla Chips
6. Chopped Chicken

I believe there are one or two more ingredients that I have left out but that's okay because I am not the cook. Luckily, I am the sampler! With that said, and since I love to cook, I'm contemplating on making this dish even though its a little more complicated than what I am used to cooking but will still give it a try. Wish me luck!

Below is a couple of pictures from the café that I recently visited which is called, The Chill, which is located at Swedish Covenant Hospital. The café offers two amazing soups each day.

Thanks always for reading my blog and stay tuned for more samples of soups from eateries, in and around the Chicago land.

~ Gerri

Second Stop, Swedish Covenant Hospital Cafeteria in Chicago, Illinois

Hi. I'm back and this time we are going to talk about another favorite soup of mine, which is called TOMATO BISQUE which was on the menu at Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago. Have you ever tried this soup? If not, why not? It's a perfect fall soup that you can have depending on where you are in the world. If you are in the midwest, it'll work just fine since we are into sweater/jacket weather.  Well, here is another question, as a child, were you ever a big fan of Campbell's Tomato Soup? As for myself, I wasn't a big fan and basically only ate tomato soup if I was sick in bed so when I had the opportunity to try TOMATO BISQUE, I turned my nose up and didn't think I was going to enjoy it, but boy was I wrong! TOMATO BISQUE is a real treat as it carries a better punch than regular tomato soup. Its thicker, sweeter and has more ingredients like celery, honey, parsley, garlic, onion and heavy cream. All these ingredients make the soup what it is and if you like, you can also throw some carrots in the mix as well. If you do, you'll add a much brighter dark orange color to the dish and it may be a tad bit sweeter. As far as the the heavy cream ingredient goes, I'm not ecstatic about it because of the fat content, but I'll take it. This ingredient gives it the thickness. Therefore, I say, on a fall day, eating a hot, thick soup like TOMATO BISQUE is what makes a day go all too well.

If you need more information on this great soup like how to prepare or what the nutrition facts are, go to www.skinnytaste.com/tomato-bisque. Here, you will find many interesting facts. Its also a great website to find out about other tomato soups. Better yet, if you are in the vicinity of Swedish Covenant Hospital, take a walk into the Café where you'll find the best Tomato Bisque ever made!

-Gerri

First stop Au Bon Pain...

Hello and welcome to my new blog! I'm glad you stopped here for a minute or two or who knows, maybe you'll stay longer.  About me, I'm a very big fan of soups...especially in the fall season and I am planning on showing you the best of the best soups in and around the town of Chicago. My first stop was Au Bon Pain where I had the pleasure of speaking with the manager Tony, who was even more excited about soups than I was. On their menu, Au Bon Pain had over 6 different soups to choose from for purchase and if you log on their website for the first time, you will be invited to join the "eclub". In doing so, you will get a coupon to pick up a free coffee mug (minus the coffee, I may add). Okay back to the  soups.  So, we all know the usual soups that you see on every menu, like chicken noodle, clam chowder, cream of broccoli etc., however Au Bon Pain has those listed but so much more like:
1.Barley and Creamy Lentil
2.Southwest Tortilla
3.Carrot Ginger
4. Harvest Pumpkin
Those are just to name a few and all I haven't tried...yet but soon will.
Well, out all the soups of the day open for purchase, I tried the  CORN & GREEN CHILI BISQUE, which was super savory and had fat corn kernels, mild green chilies and tomatillos in every bite!  It was a bit spicy because it also included jalapenos but was a hearty soup that I was very satisfied with after it was consumed. Not only that, the small bowl that I purchased, was more than a portion that I needed as I had leftovers to save for tomorrow's work week lunch. Overall, this is a great soup to have for the many fall days like what we've been experiencing lately and more coming ahead, I'm sure. 
For more information about this wonderful and filling soup, go on Au Bon Pain's website. There, you will get a plethora of information on this particular dish like the ingredients included and food allergens. So, what are you waiting for, go in now and grab a cup for yourself; Its delish!


Corn & Chili Bisque. Picture courtesy of Au Bon Pain's website  

Well, before I go, I have a couple of  questions for you. What kind of soups do you savor or have you tried to make lately? As for me, I tried making BUTTERNUT SQUASH last year in the fall and it came out tasty to my pallate. Have you tried Butternut Squash yet? If so, how is it to you? If not, put this on your to-do list quick! I love it!  So, with that said, until next time...

~ Gerri

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