A Day In The Life

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

2011-01-20T15:48:00.005-05:00

The latest addition (addiction?) to my homemade foods arsenal is Broccoli Cheddar Soup. It's a longtime favorite of mine but I was always afraid to try making it because I knew I would have to make a roux, and that scared me. Past attempts had led to what was basically homemade concrete and to me throwing things around the kitchen. Once I watched someone make a roux and understood I'd have to be patient (a problem area), the recipe came out just as it was supposed to. This isn't the healthiest soup you could make, but nothing else tastes as good on a cold day. Plus it has all of that broccoli in it, right? I'll think about the cheese, milk, bread and second helpings some other day. I hope you like it.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

¼ cup, plus 2 Tbsp. butter; divided

½ medium-size sweet onion; chopped

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 cups whole milk (or 2 cups of half & half, if you’re really evil)

3 cups chicken stock (a.k.a. broth)

½ lb. fresh – yes, fresh - broccoli florets (about 2 heads)

1 cup shredded carrots (treat yourself to the pre-shredded ones, you’ll thank me)

salt & black pepper; to taste (something like 1tsp. salt and 1tsp. pepper)

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg (not imperative but adds a little something)

8 oz. grated sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese (or a combination of cheeses)

Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large pot over low heat, add onion and sauté until soft; about 10 minutes. Transfer onions to a small bowl and set aside.

Melt ¼ cup butter in the large pot over low-medium heat. Whisk in ¼ cup flour. Continue whisking for 4-5 minutes (to cook the raw taste out of the flour.) Turn heat to medium and whisk in 2 cups milk (or half & half) and stir or whisk constantly. Mixture will bubble up and form lumps at first but - DO NOT WORRY – the lumps will melt into the sauce as it thickens (and now you know how to make a roux.) Continue stirring constantly until the milk mixture has become thick and bubbly. Add 3 cups chicken broth and return to a low boil, stirring frequently. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add broccoli pieces, carrots, and onion to the thickened sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes or until broccoli and carrots are tender. Once the vegetables are cooked, blend the soup (in batches) in a blender or food processor, or blend with a hand mixer or an immersion blender (best thing ever invented) right in the pot. Mix, blend or puree the soup to your desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in nutmeg and cheese, blending well. Serve with crusty bread or in bread bowls. Makes 4 large servings.

Chicken Curry

2010-08-27T15:25:00.002-04:00

I first tried Chicken Curry a few years ago at a place nearby that serves Northern Indian cuisine. From the very first bite, I was hooked. I thought it was going to be crazy spicy and full of strange ingredients. I was happily surprised to see big chunks of chicken breast, garbanzo beans and basmati rice; things I can recognize. I searched the internet for a couple of years looking for an easy recipe and was distressed by the hundreds of recipes that called for huge lists of spices. I finally got smart and went to the Indian market near the Indian restaurant I love so much. The owner of the market had also eaten there and was able to tailor a recipe for me. I no longer had to worry about going bankrupt buying a dozen spices for each recipe. She sells prepackaged spices and even frozen naan bread. You have to have naan with chicken curry. I think it's the law.

The following is a work in progress, but I think I've got it. I buy Parampara Chicken Tikka Masala packaged spices and MDH Tandoori BBQ Masala at a place near me called Mall of India. If you don't have a place that sells Indian groceries close to you, they can be ordered online and they are cheap. You will only need one box (possibly for the rest of your life) of the MDH Tandoori BBQ, as it is hellishly hot. I add 1/2 tsp. of it to a double batch of the sauce. The Indian woman who owns the store told me to do the following:

2 pkgs. Parampara Chicken Tikka Masala mix

1/4-1/2 tsp. MDH Tandoori BBQ Masala

1/2 tsp. each onion powder, garlic powder, ginger powder

4 cups hot water

2 Tbsp. corn starch mixed with 1/4c. cold water

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts; cut into chunks

1 can garbanzo beans; drained and rinsed

1 large spoonful plain Greek yogurt

basmati rice; cook according to package instructions

naan; fresh or frozen and warmed in the oven

Add 4c. hot water to 2 pkgs. of Parampara Chicken Tikka Masala spices. Dissolve spices over medium heat, stirring frequently.

Add powdered onion, garlic and ginger to taste. (I added them the first time I made it, and didn't the second time and I didn't notice a huge difference.)

Add 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. MDH tandoori BBQ chicken masala powder. It is wicked hot, so start small.

(As the sauce came to a boil, I added 2 Tbsp. corn starch to 1/4c. cold water and added it to thicken the sauce. It came out really watery until I did this, and adding it made the sauce just right. It may not be authentic to the recipe, but whatever.)

Cook chunks of chicken in the sauce for about 30 minutes.

Add a can of drained, rinsed garbanzo beans to the pan while the chicken cooks. You can omit this or add anything you like.

When the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is of desired consistency, add a large spoonful of plain greek yogurt to add a little creaminess. Again, you can omit this step if it doesn't seem necessary to you.

Warm up store-bought naan and cook up a batch of basmati rice.

I'm addicted.

http://www.ishopindian.com/parampara-chicken-tikka-masala-mix-pr-23535.html

http://www.ishopindian.com/mdh-tandoori-barbeque-masala-pr-21928.html

Winter Beef Stew

2009-12-29T14:39:00.003-05:00

We finally have a dusting of snow on the ground, so naturally I'm thinking of winter foods. Have I mentioned my favorite beef stew yet? It's super simple, really good, and pretty adaptable. I've substituted sweet potatoes for half of the regular potatoes, added celery, corn, or whatever happens to be in the fridge or freezer. This is just the basic recipe that I've been making for years. The dumplings (if you choose to add them, and really? Why wouldn't you add dumplings? Hello?) are the same recipe I make for chicken and dumplings. Those big, fluffy, cloudlike babies that seem to be made of heaven. I usually cut the meat smaller than your standard stew beef, but cut everything up the way you like it. It cooks long enough to cook all the veggies completely, no matter how big the pieces. My Mom, for one, will quarter an onion and call it "diced." I call it "lazy," but whatever. Try it out, play around with the recipe, and let me know how you like it.

Winter Beef Stew

2 lbs. stew beef
2 Tbsp. flour
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
2 envelopes Lipton’s beefy-onion dry soup mix
3-4 cups water

2 large onions; diced
6 carrots; diced
6 medium potatoes; peeled (or unpeeled) & diced
1 small bag frozen green peas

Toss beef in flour to coat each piece. Heat oil in a large pot, add beef and brown it on all sides over med-high heat. Once the beef has browned, add salt, pepper, dry soup mix and water. Bring to a boil, then cover, lower the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until meat is nearly tender. Add onion, carrots, potatoes and peas and simmer, stirring occasionally, for another 45 minutes or until veggies are tender. When the stew is done, add the dumpling dough and cook as directed below, or just serve as is, with bread.

Dumplings:

3 cups Bisquick mix
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. fresh or ½ Tbsp. dried parsley
1-1 ¼ cups milk

Mix together all ingredients in a large bowl; dough will be soft and sticky. Add a little more milk if the dough is dry or crumbly. Drop by large spoonfuls into boiling stew. DO NOT STIR. Allow to cook for 10 minutes uncovered, and then cover pot and cook an additional 10-15 minutes.

Comfort Food

2009-12-17T00:01:00.005-05:00

I have favorite desserts that I prefer in the winter and certain ones that I'll only eat in the summer. I'm not a big ice cream eater in January, and I can't imagine eating pumpkin pie in June. I am, however, happy to eat

Peach Cobbler a la mode

any time of the year. This is a cheater's version, but it's stupid-easy and you probably already have everything you'll need in your kitchen right now. It can be made with cherry pie filling as a substitute for the peaches. Just add a little water to the cherries before pouring over batter. Be careful not to make this too often, no matter how easy it is. Easy does not = ok to eat every day. Enjoy!

Peach Cobbler

1 stick butter
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 cup Bisquick
1 large can peaches; in heavy syrup

Preheat the oven to 350◦. Melt butter in a 13"x9" pan in preheating oven.

Mix milk, sugar and Bisquick together in a bowl. Pour over melted butter in pan.

Drain about ½ of the syrup from the peaches. Pour the peaches with remaining syrup on top of the batter.

Bake 45 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Kick-Ass Chili

2009-11-01T21:23:00.001-05:00

KICK-ASS CHILI

1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. spicy hot ground pork sausage
1 lg. onion; coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves; minced
1 lg. bell pepper; chopped
2 - 28oz. cans diced or chopped tomatoes
4 Roma tomatoes or 1 pint tiny tomatoes; chopped
2 - 27oz. cans kidney beans; drain 1 can and reserve the liquid from the other can
1/3 cup yellow corn meal; mix with reserved liquid from 1 can of beans and add into the pot
2 tsp. dried ground oregano
3 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground coriander
1-1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. dried mustard
1 tsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. cocoa
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
Salt & pepper; to taste
1 Tbsp. tobasco
2 Tbsp. molasses
2 Tbsp. vinegar
1 cup strong coffee

Season meats with salt & pepper, then brown and drain. Add all other ingredients and simmer 30 minutes. Serve with peanut butter sandwiches. Yes, peanut butter. On white bread.

This recipe does require a ton of spices, but they will last through several batches of this chili.

Best. Cookies. Ever

2009-02-06T20:48:00.011-05:00

I had always thought I would keep my Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe a secret. Maybe I thought I would be the next Mrs. Fields or something and should therefore keep the recipe locked up, but then I got a grip. I know you will love them and so will anyone you give them to. They are very easy to make and the sprinkle of salt makes them unique. Let me know what you think.

The cookies pictured are about 5" in diameter.

Best. Cookies. Ever.

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter; softened
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 tsp. milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. coarse salt

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

~Combine butter, brown sugar, milk, vanilla, and egg in a large bowl and beat until fluffy.
~Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
~Add flour mixture to wet ingredients and mix until just blended. Do not overmix.
~Stir in chocolate chips.
~If dough is sticky, add small spoonfuls of flour and mix well until it no longer sticks to your fingers.

Drop large spoonfuls of dough onto ungreased baking sheets and flatten slightly with palm of hand. Bake until light browned; about 15 minutes for smaller cookies and 20 minutes for larger cookies. You can divide the dough into twelve equal portions and make huge cookies like the ones pictured above; they usually take 20 minutes to bake. As soon as cookies come out of the oven, sprinkle lightly with coarse salt (not fine table salt.) The salt cuts some of the sweetness of the chocolate. Allow to cool completely on baking sheets.

Options:
~add 1/2 cup chopped nuts; any kind
~trade the chocolate chips for white chocolate chips and add 1/2 chopped macadamia nuts.

So much for that weight-loss resolution - it's time for fettuccine alfredo!

2009-01-21T13:58:00.007-05:00

One of the fastest, cheapest, and most requested dinners I make is fettuccine alfredo.
The alfredo sauce is fresh and made from scratch, but it's the easiest and most delicious thing ever - totally worth the calories. You will never want to eat that nasty Alfredo Sauce/Elmer's Glue from a jar again.

Fettuccine Alfredo
1 pkg. refrigerated fresh fettuccine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ teaspoon minced garlic
½ pint (8oz.) heavy whipping cream
pinch coarse salt
pinch freshly ground black pepper
pinch freshly ground nutmeg
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley; chopped

Bring a large pot of water to a boil while putting sauce together. Add a handful of salt to water just as it begins to boil, then add the pasta and cook according to package directions.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. When butter has melted, add garlic and stir. Allow garlic to warm in butter for about 30 seconds and then add the cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir frequently as cream heats to a simmer.

Drain pasta and return it to pan. Add parmesan cheese to sauce, stir in, and remove from heat. Pour alfredo sauce over pasta and toss well. Sprinkle with parsley after plating.

· You can alter the alfredo recipe by adding or subtracting whatever you like. Finely chopped roasted red pepper, or finely chopped cooked pancetta are really good.
· Top with freshly cooked shrimp, sliced grilled chicken breast, steamed broccoli, or any other combination you like.

Hot soup for a cold day

2009-01-10T23:31:00.004-05:00

Every time the temperature outside dips into the 30's and below, I think about making homemade soups and stews and staying indoors. Nearly all of the recipes I have for soups come from my mother and grandmother. My mom isn't the greatest cook I've ever known, but her soups are to die for. Maybe it's because they are easy and require only one big pot and some chopping of veggies. Whatever the reason, she certainly found her niche. One of my favorites that has been passed down for at least three or four generations is our potato soup. What probably started out as a thin, inexpensive soup intended to feed a large Irish family has become a thick, rich bowlful of heaven. I'll just say it's not exactly diet food. Besides the fact that it is incredibly delicious and filling, I imagine one reason it has had such staying power in our family is that it's really cheap to make. The recipe makes enough to feed an army and it tastes even better when reheated the second day. I make lots of the little chewy dumplings since most of us in my family try to pick them out for ourselves leaving none for anyone else (man, can that start a fight.) Over the years, some changes and variations have been tried (shredded carrots, potatoes with the skins left on, clams - gag!) but I always seem to go back to the original. I hope you try it and love it.

Potato Soup

Soup:
5 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes; peeled and diced
1 stick butter (real butter)
1 medium yellow onion; diced
1 stalk celery; chopped
1/2 gallon whole milk (yes, it has to be whole milk)
coarse salt & black pepper; to taste
1/2 cup fresh parsley; chopped

Dumplings:
2 large eggs
1/2 cup - 3/4 cup (give or take) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. of the chopped parsley

Toppings: (if desired)
-sour cream
-shredded cheddar cheese
-crispy, crumbled bacon

In a large pot, boil the diced potatoes in slightly salted water until tender. Drain and set aside. Return the pot to the stovetop over medium heat and add the butter, onion, celery, and 1/2 tsp. coarse salt. Cook until vegetables are soft, lowering heat as needed to prevent butter from browning or burning. When vegetables are soft, add all but 2 cups of the potatoes back into the pot along with the 1/2 gallon of milk and 1/4 tsp. black pepper. Mash the reserved 2 cups of potatoes with a fork and add to the pot (this helps to thicken the soup.) Cook over medium heat and stir occasionally until soup is nearly ready to boil (but not boiling.) Turn the heat down to low.

To make the dumplings, break the eggs into a medium bowl and whisk in 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. black pepper, and 2 Tbsp. chopped parsley. Add in the flour 1/4 cup at a time and stir until the mixture is very sticky. Adjust the amount of flour as needed. (I usually add a little more than it calls for because they are too sticky to deal with.) Drop by teaspoonfuls into the simmering soup. Cook, stirring frequently, for about twenty minutes or until dumplings are cooked through. Right before serving, add the rest of the chopped parsley. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Add desired toppings or eat as is.