cooking ala mel

healthy recipes and the occasional craft

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2013 Favorites

Woo!  How were the holidays for everyone?  Lots of family, food, and traveling (with all three kitties) made for a pretty busy time for me, but we are now back in Buffalo just in time for some super snowy weather.  I had a great time over the holidays, but I am excited to be back in the kitchen with a few new gadgets to boot.

I finished off 2013 by going skiing with my sister and her boyfriend up at our local resort back home in PA, and I was rewarded with a very stiff neck, as I pulled a muscle during our last run after catching my skis in a pile of powder and tumbling a bit.  It was fun up until that point, but hey, no broken bones or serious injury!
To kick off the new year, I wanted to look back at the reader favorites over the past year here on cooking ala mel.  It’s neat to see which old recipes pop up time and time again!  I also had to add in a few of my favorites, as there were so many great recipes I got to make this year!

Peanut Butter Carob Cookies for Dogs

Yesterday was my sister’s annual cookie party; all of the girls in the family get together before Christmas to overload on sugar and caffeine and unwind a bit together.  My sister has two dogs, so last year I made them their own cookies for the cookie party.  This year, my cousin has a dog, too, so I brought cookies for all the pups.  This is a tested and true recipe – all the puppies love them!

 

Since all the family dogs are pretty small (shih tzus and a puggle), I use the bottom of a pastry tip to make small round cookies.  For larger dogs, you can make them into regular sized bone-shaped cookies!

 

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Another soup recipe coming at you!  This one is possibly my new favorite (although I say that each time I make a new soup).  This time, though, I’m totally serious.  Broccoli cheese soup is definitely a weakness of mine.  I wanted to make it a little healthier, but I was nervous that it wouldn’t taste the same.  I’ve been super crazy lately with some apartment issues (totally stressed and angry all. the. time.), so I quickly whipped up this soup.  The flavors are SPOT ON.  I am in love.

This soup is slightly healthier using Chobani instead of cream – hello, protein!  Otherwise, it’s not too much different from your standard broccoli cheese soup.  No skimping on the cheese!