Chicken Pot Pie

 I typically, just wing it when I make Chicken Pot Pie.  So here is my best attempt and documenting my receipe.  Fingers crossed.  Oh...how can it be bad, with all this good stuff in in it.

Chicken Pot Pie

 

Ingredients:

 

1 tsp olive oil

1 TBL butter

1 small onion or ½ large onion, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

2 carrots, diced

1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced

2 TBL flour

¼ cup white wine or sherry

¾ cup to 1 cup chicken broth

¼ cup cream

2 cups diced chicken (leftovers or rotisserie chicken)

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup frozen corn

1 or 2 pre-made pie crusts (feel free to make your own)

1 egg

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

 

Add olive oil and butter to a Dutch oven style pan.  Heat on medium heat until hot.  Add onion, celery and carrots.  (At this point, you can add any other diced vegetables you want.  I added diced zucchini and mushrooms.  You could also add butternut squash.)  Season with salt and pepper.  Sauté until onions are translucent and tender.   Add the garlic and stir until combined (about 30 seconds.)  

 

Add the flour, stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.  Add the wine and stir.  Let the wine cook off for about 1 minute.  Add the chicken broth.  Stir in, scrapping the bottom of the pan well.  Let thicken.  Add the cooked chicken, peas and corn.  Stir well.  Add the cream.  (Add more broth if the mixture is too thick.)

 

One crust pie:  Add mixture to pie plate and cover with pie dough.  Crimp crust to the pie pan.  Cut slits in top pie crust so it can breath in the oven.  Brush lightly with egg wash (1 egg mixed with about 1 or 2 tsp off water)

 

Two crust pie:  Place bottom pie dough in bottom of the pan.  Fold edges under to line up with pie pan. Add mixture to pie plate and cover with pie dough top.  Crimp crusts together to the pie pan.  Cut slits in top pie crust so it can breath in the oven.  Brush lightly with egg wash.  

 

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.

 

If you would like to use uncooked chicken, diced 1 or 2 boneless chicken breasts.  Add them to the pot before you add garlic.  Brown the chicken.  Add the garlic and continue the recipe.

Custard Pie

My mother requested a custard pie.  So pulling out her old cookbook, I found a recipe.  With a few tweaks, here is the recipe.

Custard Pie

(For a 9” Pie)

Ingredients:

4 eggs

2/3 cup of sugar

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla

2 2/3 cups scalded milk (can use part cream or half & half for a richer pie)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees with rack in the middle of the oven. 

In a mixer, beat eggs slightly.  Add sugar, salt, nutmeg and vanilla.  Slowly drizzle scalded milk into the mixture.  Pour into a pastry lined pie dish.  Bake the pie at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.  Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and cook for 15 more minutes.  Pie is done with a knife inserted into the side of the pie comes out clean.  Center my look a bit soft, but it will continue to cook.

How to properly scald milk:  (Just learned this yesterday)  Pour milk into saucepan with good conductive bottom.  Heat over medium heat until it begins to bubble on the sides and steam.  Just before it boils, around 181 degrees, remove from heat and let cool to 110 or 120 degrees before using.

Roasted Eggplant Dip

Any party or get together requires some yummy creamy dips.  Dill dip, artichoke dip, pesto dip.  All delicious and usually starting with a mayo base.  If you are looking for something equally delicious, yet healthier...look no further.  I've got one for you.

Roasted Eggplant Dip.

It's all good stuff and works perfectly with crisp pita chips.  Although I would love to take credit for this recipe, I cannot.  It comes from the talented and wonderful Ina.

Roasted Eggplant Dip

Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant
2 red bell peppers, cored
1 red onion, peeled
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the eggplant, peppers and onion into 1-inch pieces.  Place in a large bowl and toss with the garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper.  Spread out on rimmed cooking tray.  Roast for 45 minutes, stirring once half way through.  Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

Add all roasted vegetables into your food processor with the tomato paste.  Pulse 4-5 times to get a chunky texture.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

That's it.  You now have a wonderful, healthy dip ready for your guests.

Enjoy!

Easy Peel Hardboiled Eggs

I can't tell you how long I have struggled with peeling hard-boiled eggs.  Seriously....it's been a long time.  I have been so frustrated while peeling an egg, as I remove shell bit by tiny bit resulting in a tore up ugly egg with a significant portion of the whites still sticking to the shell.

Every recipe I ever seen has called for starting the eggs in cold water, bring to a boil, turn off heat and cover.  Let the eggs sit for 10-12 minutes.  That is how I have always made my hard-boiled eggs which always resulted in a difficult peeling process.  I pretty sure I even watch Ina make them this way.

In desperation, I reached out to my Facebook community and I got a lot of varied answers.  Add baking soda to the water, put a pin whole in the egg before cooking, don't use fresh eggs, make sure you get them cold quickly in an ice bath.

Finally, finally, finally...with the guidance of my Auntie Mar and the ever helpful Pioneer Woman, I succeeded in making an easy to peel hard-boiled eggs:

Hard-Boiled Eggs

• Bring a pot of water to boil, making sure you have enough water to cover the eggs.  When the water is boiling, using a slotted spoon to GENTLY place each egg in the water.  Return the eggs to a gentle boil.  Boil for 12-13 minutes

• Immediately, place each egg in a ice water bath.  Let them cool in the water for 5 minutes.  Remove the eggs from the water, dry them off and cracked the shells to peel.

Perfect eggs.

And here's what I made with my eggs:

Egg Salad

Ingredients

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and diced

1-2 stalks of celery, diced

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp dry mustard

salt & pepper to taste

Add all the ingredients to a bowl and stir  to combine.   Spread liberally on two pieces of toasted wheat bread (buttered) with some crunchy lettuce and eat yourself happy.  I know I just did.

Breakfast Goodies #3

I know this is a long time in coming.  So sorry it has taken me this long to post.

Here is the third and final installment of the Breakfast casserole recipes from my mother's birthday brunch.

This is the sweet one.  Perfect for my mother who has developed a bit of sweet tooth as she has gotten older (haven't we all).

Sorry for the crap photo. 

Raspberry and Mascarpone French Toast Bake

Ingredients

Casserole:

12 slices of Italian or French bread cut into pieces (Leave out over night to dry out)

2 (8 oz) containers of mascarpone

1-cup fresh raspberries

12 eggs

2-cups half and half

½ cup maple syrup

Raspberry Sauce:

1-cup raspberries

1-cup water

1-cup sugar

2 TBL cornstarch

3 TBL butter

Spray the bottom and sides of a 9x12 baking dish (can also use large oval Corning Ware casserole dish).

Add half of the bread to the baking dish.  Scatter chunks of mascarpone over the bread.  Scatter 1 cup of raspberries over the mascarpone.  Top with the remaining bread cubes.

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, half and half and syrup.  Pour over bread mixture.  Cover securely with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

For the sauce:  In a small saucepan, whisk together the water sugar and cornstarch.  Bring to a boil over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture thickens.  Gently fold in 1 cup of raspberries and butter.  Stir gently until butter melts.  Can be made the morning of or the day before.  If you make it the day before, just store in the refrigerator and reheat in the morning.

Remove casserole from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to baking.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Remove cover and bake for 30-40 minutes until puffed up and brown. 

Serve with sauce or warm maple syrup.  Both work well with this dish.

And I'm adding this photo of mom and her sister...just because.

Sisters

Breakfast Goodies Part 2

Now it's time for the Spinach and Gruyere Strata.  Again, this recipe originated from Cooks Illustrated.  Need to give credit where credit is due.

You all ready...Here goes:

Breakfast Strata

Spinach and Gruyere Version – Double Recipe

Ingredients (makes one 8 x 12 inch strata)

• ·       10 – 12 slices supermarket French or Italian Bread
• ·       10 Tbl butter
• ·       8 medium shallots, minced (about 1/2 of a cup)
• ·       2 packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• ·       Salt and ground black pepper
• ·       1 cup medium-dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
• ·       12 bounces Gruyere cheese, grated
• ·       12 large eggs
• ·       3 ½ cups half and half

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 225 degrees.  Arrange bread in a single layer on large baking sheet and bake 20 minutes and flip.  Bake 20 minutes more until bread is dry and crisp. Set aside to cool. (Alternative option: leave slices out overnight to dry.) When cooled, butter slices on one side using 4 tablespoons of butter; set aside.

Heat 4 tablespoons of butter in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Sauté shallots until fragrant and translucent, about 3 minutes; add spinach and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir occasionally, until spinach and shallots are combined, about 2 minutes. Transfer spinach mixture to medium bowl; set aside.  Add wine to skillet, increase heat to medium-high and simmer until reduced to ¼ cup, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Butter 8 x 12 -inch rectangular baking dish with remaining 2 tablespoons butter; arrange half the buttered bread slices, buttered-side up, in a single layer in the dish (can cut bread to fit).  Sprinkle half of the spinach mixture over the layer of bread.  Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese on top of the spinach mixture.  Arrange remaining bread slices in single layer over cheese.  Sprinkle remaining spinach mixture and then another 1/2 cup of cheese evenly over bread.

Whisk eggs in medium bowl until combined; whisk in cooled reduced wine mixture, half and half, 1 tsp salt, and pepper to taste.  Pour egg mixture evenly over bread layers; cover surface flush with plastic wrap.  Place boxes of sugar or cake mixes on top of plastic wrap.  (Intent here is to press down lightly on the mixture so all the ingredients are covered in the egg mixture.)  Refrigerate overnight.

Remove dish from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees.  Uncover strata and add remaining ½ cup cheese.  Bake until both edges and center are puffed and edges have slightly pulled away from the side of the baking dish, 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Enjoy and make often. Preferably with the Sausage version.  It's hard to decide which version is better.

Breakfast Goodies Part 1

After the big Saturday night party to celebrate Mom's 90th Birthday, we hosted a family breakfast out at the farm.  So thankful that everyone was able to make it and enjoy a few more hours together before my Minnesota family had to fly back home.  

For our breakfast I made three breakfast casseroles:

They are, in order from front to back:

1. French Toast Bake with Raspberries and Marscapone
2. Spinach and Gruyere Strata
3. Sausage and Monterey Jack Strata

After, several requests, I've promised to post each of the recipes here.

Today we are going to start with the Sausage and Monterey Jack Strata.  It seems to be the most popular and if you only get around to making one...this is it.  The original recipe came from Cooks Illustrated.  I've made a minor adjustments to accommodate my families tastes.  This is also a double batch version, so you can cut this recipe in half and make a smaller version.

Always best to time this so that you are pulling the strata out of the oven while your guests are standing around your kitchen.  It comes out of the oven all puffed and brown.  It looks amazing.  After it cools and couple minutes and falls back down to earth, but it sure does make a fantastic first impression.

And as for taste...well there is nothing quite like it.

Breakfast Strata

Sausage and Monterry Jack Version – Double Recipe

Ingredients: 

• ·       10 – 12 slices supermarket French or Italian Bread
• ·       6 Tbl softened butter (approx)
• ·       1.25 pounds of bulk breakfast sausage
• ·       6 medium shallots, minced (about 1/3 of a cup)
• ·       Salt and ground black pepper
• ·       1 cup medium-dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
• ·       12 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese, grated
• ·       12 large eggs
• ·       3 1/2 cups half and half
• ·       4 Tbl minced fresh parsley leaves

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 225 degrees.  Arrange bread in a single layer on large baking sheet and bake 20 minutes and flip.  Bake 20 minutes more until bread is dry and crisp. Set aside to cool. (Alternative option: leave slices out overnight to dry.)

When cooled, butter slices on one side using 4 Tbl of butter; set aside.

Fry sausage in medium nonstick skillet of medium heat, breaking sausage apart with wooden spoon, until sausage has lost raw color and begins to brown, about 4 minutes; add shallots and cook, stirring frequently until softened and translucent, about 1 minute longer. Transfer mixture to medium bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add wine to skillet, increase heat to medium-high and simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup, 2-3 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Butter 8 x 12-inch square baking dish with remaining 2 Tbl butter; arrange half the buttered bread slices, buttered-side up, in  a single layer in the dish (can cut bread to fit).  Sprinkle half of the sausage mixture over the layer of bread.  Sprinkle ½ cup cheese on top of sausage mixture.  Arrange remaining bread slices in single layer over cheese.  Sprinkle remaining sausage mixture and then another ½ cup of cheese evenly over bread.

Whisk eggs in medium bowl until combined; whisk in cooled reduced wine mixture, half and half, parsley and 1 tsp salt, and pepper to taste.  Pour egg mixture evenly over bread layers; cover surface flush with plastic wrap.  Place boxes of sugar or cake mixes on top of plastic wrap.  (Intent here is to press down on the mixture so all the ingredients are covered in the egg mixture.)  Refrigerate overnight.

Remove dish from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees.  Uncover strata and add remaining ½ cup cheese.  Bake until both edges and center are puffed and edges have slightly pulled away from the side of the baking dish, 1 hr and 20 minutes. 

Here's a better view of the Sausage Strata...photo bombed by my cousin Leslie.

Now all you have to do is cut into squares and serve.  

Enjoy.

The Perfect Soup for a Snowy Day

On a cold, snowy day...there is nothing more delightful than a warm bowl of homemade soup.

I saw Rachael Ray make a chickpea soup the other day on the Food Network.  With a quart of homemade chicken stop in the fridge...it seemed like a perfect match.  Except, I don't really like chickpeas.  I know, crazy huh?  I like them in hummus, but on there own, not so much.

But I do LOVE Northern White Beans.  Seemed like an easy compromise.  I tweaked Rachael's recipe a little to accommodate my tastebuds.

Here is my version:

Potato, White Bean and Spinach Soup

Ingredients
2 tbl olive oil
2 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and chopped
Salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
Two  15.8-ounce can Northern White Beans (drained and rinsed)
1 quart chicken stock
1 cup water1/2 cup small type pasta
1/2 package chopped frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
Grated Parmesan cheese (to taste)

Add olive oil to a stock pot.  Add the potatoes and let them cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add the onions, garlic, salt and pepper.  Stir well.  Cover and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes so the vegetables have a chance to sweat down.  Add stock, water and beans.  Stir and bring to a light boil.  Reduce heat and cook until potatoes are tender.  Add pasta and spinach (breaking up the spinach as you add it to the soup).  Heat throughly and serve with a generous heap of parmesan cheese.

Enjoy.

Muffin Fun!

I just received the March Edition of Food Network Magazine (which I love by the way...I think it's the best cooking magazine for the home cook).

This month's Special Insert is all about making goodies in a muffin tin.  So, naturally, I had to make something and it was these delicious ham and egg bakes.  We had them for breakfast this morning.  I of course, added a sprinkle of cheese on top.

So easy and fun.  These would be great to do for a large group.  Will definitely have to make these on our "Up North" vacation this year.

Breakfast was made extra special with homemade bread that a dear friend dropped off yesterday.  (Thanks Frank).

More muffin tin treats are in my future for sure.

Cookie Time

Got to make cookies with this guy today:

Lucky me!

Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken

I'm making a roast chicken tonight.  It's a very simple recipe that has evolved over time into a one pot wonder.  Easy to make and delicious.

Here's the recipe:

Pre heat oven to 425 degrees

Ingredients
4-5 peeled potatoes cut into quarters
4-5 peeled carrots cut into 1 inch pieces
1 4-5 pound whole chicken
1/4 cup butter - melted
1 lemon quartered
8-10 cloves of garlic - unpeeled
Fresh thyme sprigs (or dried if that's what you have)
4 slices bacon
S&P

Placed the potatoes and carrots in a roasting pan (I used a 8x10 casserole pan).  Toss with salt and pepper.  Remove any bags inside the chicken (I typically just toss these, but you may utilize if you like for something).  Pat dry the inside of the chicken with paper towel.  Salt the inside of the chicken well.  Place the chicken on top of the potatoes and carrots.

Stuff half of the lemon wedges and half of the garlic cloves and thyme sprigs inside the chicken.  Tie the legs together with cooking string (not a requirement).  Place the remaining lemon, garlic and thyme in the corners area of potatoes and carrots.  Brush the chicken with the butter, pouring all the butter over the chicken.  Season well with salt, pepper and thyme.  Lay the strips of bacon over the chicken.  Put into over and cook for one hour.

Chicken prior to going in the oven

At the one hour mark, carefully remove the bacon (place on the serving tray and serve with the dinner).  Continue cooking the chicken for another 30 minutes.  (If you have a smaller chicken...say closer to 3 pounds, you may only need an additional 20 minutes.)  Remove chicken from oven and place the chicken on a cutting board.  Tent with foil and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes.  Place the potatoes and carrots in a covered dish.

Cut up the chicken and serve with the potatoes, carrots and bacon.  Dinner!

Busy Day

No surprise...I've been a terrible blogger, but I'm not letting that stop me from posting something out of the blue.

I had a most productive day last week and here is what I accomplished.

I roasted all the spaghetti squash that I harvested from my garden.

And then I scraped out all the flesh and put it in bags and into the freezer.  I also used a helping to make that nights dinner.

Next up was to process 10 peaches that I had purchased the week before into 7 jars of peach jam.  (It actually was more like 8 jars as one of the jars was bigger.)

And finally...process all the basil I had into pesto, which I placed in muffin tin to freeze.  Later, I bagged and labeled each pesto muffin into it's on freezer bag.

These are perfect for tossing into any pasta sauce or soup.  I just used one to top flatbread pizza.

End of a perfect day.

In the Deep Freeze

What to do when it's two degrees outside and it's still the afternoon.  Why make chili, of course.

Here's all my ingredients:

I've posted the recipe before, but I may have added or removed things over time.  Here is the Chili recipe  from days gone by.  In that version there was no meat, but today I put it in.  I also don't add pasta all that often.  It gets too mushy.  Play with it and use what you like.  If you asked what's my secret...I'd say cream corn, barbecue sauce and V8.  Must have cumin too.

It's just a little bit of everything and will warm you up on a day like today.  I made what I think is a huge pot, but after tonight, I'll be lucky if there is one small bowl left.  This family loves chili.

Stay warm.

Homemade Ice Cream

I received an ice cream maker for my birthday.  I've been wanting one for so long and I was so excited to use is yesterday.

I made this:

Raspberry chocolate chip.

It was very fun and easy.  Can't wait to make more.  Already have flavors going around in my mind.  Peppermint for Rick, pumpkin for Jay...the ideas just keep coming.

Also made a couple cards last week.

Inspiration

Version 1

Version 2

Have a great Saturday.

Roasted Winter Squash Soup

I made a pot of squash soup the other day and it turned out to be absolutely delicious.

I adapted this recipe from Ina's Winter Squash Soup recipe.  Just tweaked it a bit to fit my taste.

I decided to use a couple different kinds of winter squash as I had been given a buttercup squash. I already had a butternut squash from my garden.

I've never used a buttercup squash before, so this seemed like a great opportunity to give a whirl.  They look like this:

This isn't my photo.  I forgot to take a photo before I started.  Bad me.

Anyway…I took out my good knife. The one that cuts the butternut squashes with ease.  Barely a dent.

So then I tried the cleaver.  That made a cut, but I couldn't move it any further with my own strength.  So out came the hammer.

I know it should have been a wooden mallet, but I don't have one.  After extensive pounding, I got a couple good chunks off the sucker.  Sliced off the outer layer and managed to dice them up.  Holy cow.  I ended up with a bruised palm from holding the cleaver.  Ouch.

Now that I'm done complaining, let's get back to the recipe:

Ingredients:

Olive Oil
S&P
1-2 Butternut squash - peeled and diced into 1 inch chunks
1 other type of winter squash - peeled and diced into 1 inch chunks (optional)
1 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree
1 medium to large onion - diced
2 medium carrots - diced
2 celery stalks - diced
4 cups chicken brother
1 cup half and half
1 Tbl butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Place diced squash on cookie sheet.  drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Mix well with your hands.  Place squash in oven and roast until fork tender and lightly browned.  Stir halfway through cooking process.  Approximately 20-30 minutes.  May take longer if you do larger pieces.

Meanwhile, put 1 Tbl olive oil in your favorite soup pot.  Add onions, carrots and celery. Season with salt and pepper.   Sauté until onions are tender and translucent.  Add the roasted squash, chicken broth and pumpkin puree.  Bring to a light boil and then reduce heat to simmer and cover.  Cook until carrots are tender about 20 minutes.

Take pot off heat and using an immersion blender, puree the soup mixture until smooth.  (You can also use a blender, but be careful with the hot soup.  Take out the center piece of the blender top and cover with clean dish towel before you blend.  Blend the soup in batches.)

Add the half and half and pat of butter to finish the soup.  Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Happy Eating!

Pump up the Volume on your Chicken Broth

After years and years of failed attempts and making soup, I finally learned the secret.

DON'T USE WATER!

Use boxed or canned chicken broth as your base.  That's the first lesson here.

But I do like to pump up the volume on my boxed broth.  Here's how I do it.  (Keep in mind you don't have to do this, I just like to make sure my soup has the most flavor possible.)

Typically, I like to roast a whole chicken every week or so.  They are super easy and I use Ina's Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken.  It's so yummy.

After you've cut of all the meat, keep the chicken carcass in an air tight container in your fridge.  Then when you are ready, here's what you do:

1.  In a soup pot or dutch oven, add the chicken bones, 2 carrots in large chunks, 2 celery in large chunks, half a large onion quartered, 1 clove of smashed garlic, 2 bay leaves, 10-20 whole peppercorns.

2.  Add two boxes of store bought chicken broth and 1-2 cups water.  This is the brand I usually use.  Obviously, use whichever you like best.

3.  Bring the pot to a boil.

4.  Then cover and simmer over low heat for an hour or two.

5.  Using a mesh colander, strain the broth into a large pot or bowl.  Store broth in airtight container in your fridge until you are ready to make your soup.  I like to use Mason jars to store my broth.  I use a ladle and funnel to make the transfer super easy.

Here's my finished product:

I usually can get 2 1/5 jars of which I can make two batches of soup.  I hope this doesn't sound like a lot of work as you can spread it out over a few days when you have time and it really does pump up the volume.

Next up Squash Soup.  Happy Eating.

The Ultimate Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

Every now and again, when the Food Network magazine arrives, I find so much inspiration that I can't wait to start cooking.  The October Edition was a perfect example.

It just arrived yesterday and this evening I made Tyler Florence's Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese sandwich…page 127.

It was great and as I made a double batch, it was a great way to use up 4 pounds of tomatoes from the hoop houses.  And I have two full jars in the fridge.

The sandwich is grilled cheese with bacon and apple slices.  So yummy.  Highly recommend!

As BW brought home about 15 pounds of tomatoes…. I peeled, chopped and crushed the remaining 11 pounds and I now have 7 more bags of crushed tomatoes in my freezer.  

Very productive day.

Stuffed Green Peppers

There is the rumor going around the family, that I only make foods that I like.

I want to use this venue to provide proof to the contrary.

This is documentable proof, that I can and do make things that I don't like:

Green peppers (strongly dislike them) stuffed with beef, sausage and rice (strongly dislike rice).

(My mother strongly dislikes the word hate, which is what I first typed and then corrected myself.)

My sweetie ate them all gone!

Black Bean Soup

Made this soup last night and it got thumbs up all around as it was delicious. Best part was it was quick, easy and I had all the necessary ingredients.

Here's how I made it:

Ingredients

10 slices of bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 can (28 oz) tomatoes, crushed (or diced if you like chunky tomatoes)
3 cans (15 oz size) black beans, rinsed
1 TBL chili powder (or a little less if you have someone sensitive to heat)
2 TBL ketchup
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Garnish with lime juice, cilantro or parsley, diced green onion and sour cream if you like.

Cook the bacon in a large heavy pot.  Cook over medium heat until the start browning.  Stir in onion and cook until translucent (5 minutes or so).  Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Just until you start to smell it.  Season with S&P.

Add the broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire and chili powder.  Give a good stir.  Add the beans.  Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.  Done.

We had this with a salad with fresh lettuce and greens from my garden.  Great dinner.

Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

I made this Grilled Corn Avocado Tomato Salad with Honey Lime Dressing tonight.

I found the recipe on Facebook and as I had a very ripe avocado sitting on the counter, it was  perfect for dinner.

It was delicious and something I highly recommend.

Here is the recipe:

GRILLED CORN, AVOCADO AND TOMATO w/ HONEY LIME DRESSING

1 pint grape tomatoes

1 ripe avocado

2 ears of fresh sweet corn

2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Honey Lime Dressing

Juice of 1 lime

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp honey

Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

1 clove garlic, minced

Dash of cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Grilled Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad

Remove husks from corn and grill over medium heat for 10 minutes. The corn should have some brown spots and be tender and not mushy. Cut the corn off the cob then scrape the cob with the back of your knife to get the juices. Set aside and let cool. Slice the tomatoes in half. Dice the avocado and chop the cilantro.

Honey Lime Dressing

1.     Add all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

2.     Combine the sliced tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and grilled corn and honey lime dressing and mix gently so everything is evenly coated. Be careful not to mash the avocados. Let the salad sit for 10-15 minutes to let flavors mingle

I did make a few alterations.  First, I didn't want to heat up the grill for two ears of corn, so I just cut the corn off the cob and sauté the corn in some olive oil until I got a few brown bits of corn.  I also used parsley instead of cilantro as I have a "certified" cilantro hater in the house.  And, finally…no cayenne as the cilantro hater is also not a fan of "heat".  I think he has a sensitive palate.

And here is what I served with the salad:

This is the world's best sandwich.  It's a salmon BLT on Ciabatta roll.  Oh my goodness.  Oh my goodness.

So wonderful and so messy,  but worth every bite.

Happy Friday everyone.