Swiss Cheese and Onion Soup

Swiss Cheese and Onion Soup is a very simple soup recipe that made me feel very accomplished after making it.  It's so creamy, so thick, and seems so complicated.  But it's not!  I actually amended this recipe by adding broccoli and spinach. I was so glad I did.  Charlie said that without these additions, this soup would have been "too white and rich." HA!  That's a fact, folks.

To start, I softened onions on the stove with garlic, salt, and dry mustard.

The broccoli went in.

The spinach went in.  Get in there!

The secret ingredients: horseradish and Marsala wine. The recipe actually calls for sherry, but my cupboard was bare, so Marsala it was. Marsala is so fragrant. It makes me fall in love with food every time it's aroma fills my kitchen!

Charlie shredded the Swiss cheese. He's an angel. A cheese angel.

After adding the cheese and stirring the soup, dinner was served!  And look who decide to show up, an old friend!

Broccoli Strudel

I don't go cuckoo bananas crazy for strudels, but I thought this Broccoli Strudel was pretty great. The filling was well seasoned and hearty. Cutting the broccoli into tiny pieces was key and helped make the dish very tender.  I made a half recipe, as the original makes two rolls.

The filling was a mixture of onion, garlic, finely chopped broccoli, breadcrumbs, and cheddar.  I wrapped everything in a few layers of filo dough and baked it on a cookie sheet. It was late and I wasn't feeling particularly precise, so my roll ended up looking more like a giant, browned raisin, than a tidy strudel.

Broccoli Mushroom Noodle Casserole

Broccoli Mushroom Noodle Casserole is exactly that. There's some breadcrumbs, and cheese, and a little sauteed onion in there too. It's all quite delicious and makes you feel like you're eating healthy macaroni and cheese. I love a good veggie saute!

Broccoli and Friends

I tried the quick, simple Broccoli and Friends sandwich for lunch the other day. First, I softened some onion and broccoli in a pan on the stove.

Then I toasted some bread and topped it with a slice of Havarti. This is a little different from the recipe in the book, because I didn't have any of the Greek Lemon Sauce it called for handy.  Lastly, I spooned the broccoli and onions onto the bread!  It was a wonderful afternoon treat.

Broccoli Sauce

Ooooh baby, this Broccoli Sauce was some seriously good stuff. Though the name reflects an abundance of green trees, there were also many, many tiny tomatoes in the sauce.


After washing and halving the tiny tomatoes, I added broccoli, onion, garlic, kalamata olives, red pepper strips, and vegetable broth to the Dutch oven. The sauce was rich and hearty. I served it over linguine with a generous sprinkling of Parmesan on top.

Marinated Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli

Marinated Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli
Steamed sweet potatoes marinated in a vinaigrette with steam broccoli and thin green apples slices on top!

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Cream of Broccoli Soup with chopped broccoli, finger killing green pepper, milk, and a little sour cream. Smoothed out after a ride in the blender and served with steamed broccoli florets on top. I could eat this every day.