Pot luck soup

I'm making soup on this snowy evening, out of left-overs and things I have on hand. I want to pass along to my children and grandchilden the craft of making-do.  You'll have to use your own left-overs and imagination to create your own pot luck potage, but maybe this will give you some ideas.

Using a splash of olive oil. I sauteed some chopped onions left over from last week's book release party (originally chopped up as a topping for chili, and the left-overs stored in the refrigerator in a baggie.)

Added some crushed garlic.

Had a handful of baby carrots in the vegetable drawer.  Chopped these up in the food processor and added them to the pot. 

Added a can of pumpkin

Salt and pepper

Had half a can of chicken broth in the refrigerator,  so I added it in the pot.

I didn't want to open a new can of broth, so I just added some water, not too much.  Can use a bit of cream or half & half for richness, but not necessary.

Next, I'll fry up some bacon, and crumble it for a topping. 

Top with grated parmesan and/or gruyere cheese.

We'll eat this tonight with a salad and left-over pizza. 

What are YOU having for dinner tongight?

Twinkie Minions

Halloween fun with those squishy, creamy, airy, extremely versatile carb bombs you know and love...

 

Twinkies!

 

 

Thank God Twinkies are back -- saved from near-death to live on in the minds, hearts, and cavities of kids everywhere!  (Although I was always a Tastykake girl -- Butterscotch Krimpets being my favorites -- with the peanut butter Kandykakes a close runner-up.)  Tastykake has even copied the Twinkie in a product called a "Dreamie" -- which looks exactly like a Twinkie.   

Anyway, where was I going with this?  Oh yeah.  Making minions from Twinkies, which is what Mindy and I did this weekend, with the boys.  Minions (in case you've just dropped in from another century) are the cute little torpedo-headed side-kicks in the 3D computer-animated comedic Despicable Me movies.

And what better time to make edible minions than at Halloween?

Here's what you need:
1.Twinkies, cut in half.  Each twinkie will make 2 minions.
2.Cupcakes, iced.  Here, you see one of our master chefs icing a cupcake.  (Be sure to save extra icing for "glue.")
3.Smarties (those little round colored candies that look like pharmaceuticals.)     4.Decorator icing in a tube.  We used dark brown.
5.Cake sprinkles.  Again, we used brown.
6.A couple of ninja chefs to assemble the minions.


Using a dab of icing, glue the Smartie eyes in place on the Twinkie. (Some minions only have one eye). Make a pupil in the center with a dot of icing from the tube.

With another dab of icing on top of the rounded part of the twinkie (the minion's head) stick on cake sprinkles for hair.

Squeezing the decorator icing out of the tube, make the rest of your minion's face.  Then stick the Twinkie in the middle of the iced cupcake.  Voila!

 

 

 

 

Celebrity Chefs!

Sometimes, when it's snowing outside and I'm writing furiously on my novel, I cheat.  Tonight, it's Stouffer's meatloaf in gravy; I had it in the freezer.

Bobo Leonard occasionally used Aunt Stouffer's frozen meals; a trusted brand in our family.

And to go with the meatloaf, Bob Evans mashed potatoes!!  How good is that?! 

   Now, to find a vegetable.. I always have carrots on hand.  They never go bad, have you ever known a carrot to go bad?  They might shrivel up and look anemic, but they don't go bad.  So I parboiled the rest of the carrots, sauted them in butter and dill, opened a bottle of wine -- and dinner is served!

Easy peasy pumpkin soup -- and a throw-together spinach salad to die for.

This is what I call a kick-ass autumn supper! It all starts with PUMPKIN -- and the right music to cook by.  Tonight I chose Tim McGraw's, "I like it, I love it, I want some more of it" for obvious reasons.  (Actually, I like to cook to country music because if the pan is sizzling and the exhaust vent is roaring, it doesn't matter if I miss a few words or chords, I can still sing along and make up whatever rhymes.)  And yes, that's fine Corelle china we're eating off of.

The wine I chose to swill while cooking was the bottle in the 'fridge we didn't finish last night.  (Sad, I know.  But that happens as you get older.  Or, hopefully it does...)  Palazzo Della Torre, 2009.  Although I must say, Calvados makes a great aperatif for this meal...  Now, as I'm writing this, I'm sipping Calvados as a digestif.  (If you don't know the difference, google it.) 

I LOVE pumpkin soup and have made numerous variations of it, over the years.  Also squash and carrot soup.  Actually, anything orange.  Orange and green are good colors to eat.  This recipe for pumpkin soup is one of the easiest EVER.    I improvised on it just a little, but it's from the Food Network Magazine, Oct. 2013. 

You can make it after work really quickly -- or you can start it in the morning in the crock pot on LOW.

Simmer one 15- oz can pumpkin, 2 cups chicken broth, 1/2 tsp pumkin pie spice and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. 
Next, I put this in a small crock pot (1.5 qt. size.) 
A few minutes before serving, add 1/2 c. cream.  If you aren't doing it in the slow cookier, just mix everything together from the get-go. 
Fry up some bacon (and save the grease in a can.  You all DO save your bacon grease in a can, don't you?)
 Chop up a nice tart apple and fry in butter until soft. 

Now, you can either dish up the soup, sprinkle some white cheese of your liking on top, then add the apples and crumbled bacon -- or you can use individual bread boules (you know, those round shaped loaves) and scoop out the middle, heat it in the oven, then fill it with the soup, sprinkle the cheese, then the apples, then the bacon on top and go for it! 

This recipe serves approximately 4. 

For a side dish, I saw I had some nice baby spinach in the crisper.  I got rid of most of the bacon grease (poured it into the grease can -- NOT down the drain), except for a couple of tablespoons.  Into this nice bacon grease I put half an onion, chopped, and a couple handsful of sliced mushrooms.  Sauteed these, then added a splash of apple cider vinegar and a splash of the wine I was drinking. Stirred some more, scraping the good stuff on the bottom of the pan.  Then I added the spinach, right into the cast iron skillet, stirring as it wilted nicely.  After which I added a few slivered sun dried tomatoes, for the color.  (And because I love sundried tomatoes.)  I tossed it all around and dished it up in a Corelle bowl that matches those classic blue and white plates.

Do you know this dinner contains five servings of vegetables -- six, if you count mushrooms?

Singing, "I like it, I love it, I want some more of it!" 

With pumpkin for dinner, who needs dessert?

Today's Pot Luck Lunch

For today’s pot luck lunch I raided the refrigerator and used up stuff to make huevos rancheros:

  

Ezekiel sprouted wheat tortillas (My friend Deb Welzel turned me on to these) 

half a can of Fritos bean dip

green onions

shredded Mexican cheese blend

half a jar of 505 Southwest green chili sauce

2 eggs 
a sprig of cilantro (only a little past its prime...) 

 

I smeared a bunch of bean dip on two tortillas, then sprinkled a few cut up green onions over.  These I microwaved, one at a time, each on their own plate, until the cheese melted.  Meanwhile, I fried up the eggs, over easy.  Heated up the remaining green chili sauce, adding just a touch of water, and poured it over the cheesy bean tortilla.  Topped it with an egg, and there you have it: a hearty lunch for two.

I learned my pot luck skills from my mother, my aunts, and my grandmothers, who could make delicious meals out of thin air.  While I don' think I ever had huevos rancheros growing up in Maryland, in the 1950's and '60s, I learned to be creative with what was on hand. 

 

 

 

 

 

Pumpkin deviled eggs?

Growing up, my mom made deviled eggs fairly regularly.  Deviled eggs were what she took to picnics and potlucks, and what she served at Easter, as I recall.  My grandmothers both made deviled eggs too.  I don't think they ever put a pureed vegetable in a deviled egg, but tonight Bob did, creating a balanced meal, all in one bite! 

How to make pumpkin deviled eggs.  (They don't taste as weird as they sound!)

First you need a pumpkin

or

 

Then you hardboil a dozen eggs.  Bob made this recipe so it was all very scientifically precise, whereas I would have just put the eggs in a pot of water, brought it to a boil, covered the pot, turned the heat off and let it sit until it cooled.

 

Peel and half the eggs.  Mash the yolks with 1/3 cup each, pumpkin and mayonnaise, 1 tsp. dijon mustard and 1/2 tsp. each of ground coriander and salt.  Fill the egg halves and sprinkle with paprika.

 

We had these for appetizers, but served with salad, they could be a meal.   

 

The recipe comes from October's Food Network Magazine.  I insisted Bob add paprika on top, because who ever heard of a deviled egg without it?

 





It's pumpkin time!

 Get ready for the pumpkin recipes!  Starting tonight...  Stay tuned...

Collective family memories

I'm ringing the dinner bell and asking my family to help with this blog.  Feel free to post recipes, photos, gardening tips, food memories, family stories that have to do with food, whatever!  Let's gather round the dinner table, count our blessings -- and share recipes, old and new.

Who remembers this?

God is great
God is good
Let us thank him for our food
By his hand we all are fed
Give us Lord our daily bread.
A-men.

Pass the butter, please!

And this?

Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house we go...

Steamed Mussels

Missin' those buckets of Belgian moules et frites (mussels and fries) so Bob and I cooked us up a mess of mussels from the seafood department of the grocery store in Colorado. Maybe they weren't the freshest, but they tasted pretty damn good, with beer and bread.



Moules pour deux
(Steamed mussels for two)

Olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
2 cloves minced garlic
2 shallots, minced
12 oz bottle of beer – Lager suggested
2 lbs fresh mussels
2 Tbsp cilantro leaves and stems, minced
Pepper
Lemon
Grated parmesan cheese



Throw away any mussels that are broken or not tightly closed. Then soak them in cool water while you arrange your ingredients. Drain before cooking.

First open a bottle of beer to drink while cooking. Then heat a large pot over medium heat. Add olive oil and butter. Add shallots and cook until softened, but don’t let them get all brown and crispy. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds.

Add mussels to the pot, and pour in the beer. Put lid on an allow mussels to steam over medium heat until the shells are all open and the mussels inside are opaque. This should take about 5-6 minutes. Shake the pan occasionally to ensure even cooking.

Remove the mussels with a slotted spoon and place in serving dishes. Ladle broth from pot over each serving. Top with cilantro leaves, black pepper and a squeeze of lemon. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese to finish off. Serve with warm crusty bread to mop up the juices.

NOT your mother's shrimp...

Honestly, this couple could be eating chicken livers or corn nuts; they're certainly not thinking about food!

The problem with shrimp cocktail is it's such a date food. And, frankly, it's dated. So good, but So twenty years ago. And then there's the bacteria count to worry about...

I'm a pasta girl, and I love shrimp so this one's a no-brainer. You can add as much or as little dried red chile pepper as you like, but do add some. And keep a bag of frozen, de-veined shrimp in your freezer for this recipe. You don't need fresh shrimp (which are never really fresh anyway since they freeze them in brine on the shrimp boat, I'm told... then are thawed for the supermarket sale.

Of course the best way to get shrimp is off the shrimp boat, which Bob and I did once, on a sailing trip to the Dry Tortugas, south of Florida. Traded a case of beer and a bottle of rum for a couple of pounds of fresh-caught shrimp. Ask us about that story sometime when we're sitting around the table, enjoying this meal:

NOT your mother's shrimp recipe (serves approximately 4)

3 TBSP. good quality olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped fine
1 TBSP. chopped garlic
2 TPSP. chopped Italian parsley
1 and 1/2 tsp. dried red chile pepper flakes, according to taste and temperment
1 can diced tomatoes (Italian-style is good, but plain works)
1 lb. pasta
10 or more shrimp, thawed.
1 TPSP. capers
sea salt


Saute onion in olive oil over med-high until onion is pale golden. Add the garlic, stir. Then add parlsey and chile pepper, and stir some more.

Add tomatoes, and stir. Turn heat down to medium and simmer.

Now cook the pasta.

Meanwhile shell the shrimp, and devein if you're using fresh shrimp. Rinse and pat dry with paper towel.

Put the shrimp into the pan, adding a little salt, and the capers. Turn the shrimp over after a minute, to ensure even cooking. Don't overcook. When they loose the shiny gray color, they're done. Turn heat down very low.

Remove half the shrimp and chop them up finely, then put them back in the pan, and stir.

Serve over your cooked pasta. Garnish with more parsley and a few extra capers.

With wine or beer, this slightly spicy dish rocks. And easy enough to prepare after a day at the office.

The heat is on!

Whatever happened to global warming? All I know is it's been pretty darn cold around here... Bob decided a little heat was in order, and took charge of dinner tonight. Actually, you can make these scallops pretty mild or pretty hot, it all depends on how much red pepper flakes you use.

Bob was inspired by Ken Hom's Top 100 Stir-Fry Recipes but substituted just a bit.


Spicy Scallops (4 small servings)

1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. peanut oil
1 lb. scallops
2 tsp. chopped ginger root (We use the kind in a jar)
3 Tbsp. finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes (you can get them already julienned, in a jar, with oil. The extra oil clinging to the tomatoes gives the dish extra flavor.)
2 tsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. sugar
Red pepper flakes to your liking. (the little packets you save from pizza delivery
work just fine.)
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat wok, add oil. When slightly smoking, add the scallops and stir-fry for 30 seconds or until lightly browned.

Add the ginger and pepper flakes and stir-fry about 1 minute. Then add the sun-dried tomatoes, lemon zest, sugar, and stir-fry about 2 minutes.

Stir in the fresh cilantro, mix well, and serve with rice or noodles.

Healthy brownies? No one will know, unless you tell them!

<


Secret Ingredient Brownies

1 box brownie mix

1 can black beans !

Rinse and drain the black beans. Put in blender or food processor with a little water and grind to a wet pulp. Pour back into the empty can, and fill to the top with water. Add to the brownie mix. Do not add egg or oil. Spread into baking pan. For extra yumminess, spread chocolate chips all over the top, then bake according to directions on the box.

No one will know, I promise you, that these brownies are made with black beans. Unless you tell them...

Rose roasts a chicken...

Back "in the day" when I was growing up in Maryland, roast chicken was a special meal, a country Sunday dinner proudly served for family and friends. Food doesn't have to cost a lot to be special, it just needs to be prepared with love -- and attention to detail.

Rose's chicken was enhanced by the wonderful taste and aroma of fennel, garlic, carrots, thyme and onion. The chicken was so moist, the skin lightly brown. We dined family-style, al fresco outside on the picnic table, a kid's baseball game going on in the park, Jada waiting nearby for a taste.

I'm glad and proud my daughters have re-discovered chicken, a versatile food and inexpensive. As Rose noted, when you buy a whole chicken, it's cheaper than buying the parts! And so elegant, when roasted, and served with a chilled Sauvignon Blanc, or a dry Rose.

Dessert? Paula Dean's peach cobbler a la Rose (see previous post.) A quintessential summer feast.

Roasted Chicken
* 1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
* Kosher salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs
* 1 lemon, halved
* 1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
* 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
* 1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
* 4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
* 1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges
* Olive oil


Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

an epic year for Palisade peaches...

Lucky Colorado people got a good mouthful of peach this summer. I was blessed to have two peachy dishes prepared for me: A grilled peach salad Sarah made, and a peach cobbler a la Rose. I'm talkin' a little bit of heaven on earth, here.


Peach and Arugula Salad

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt (preferably sea salt)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 firm-ripe peaches (1 1/2 lb total)
24 thin slices pancetta (Italian unsmoked cured bacon; 1 1/4 lb)
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 oz baby arugula (6 cups)
2 1/2 oz finely crumbled ricotta salata (1/2 cup)
Coarsely ground black pepper to taste

Whisk together vinegar, juice, and salt, then add extra-virgin oil in a stream, whisking until emulsified.

Cut an X in bottom of each peach and immerse in boiling water 15 seconds, then transfer to a bowl of ice water. Peel peaches and cut each into 6 wedges, then unroll pancetta slices and wrap one slice around each wedge, overlapping ends of pancetta. Heat remaining oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook peaches in 2 batches, turning over occasionally with tongs, until pancetta is browned on all sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate and keep warm, covered loosely with foil.

Divide arugula and warm pancetta-wrapped peaches among 8 salad plates. Drizzle with dressing and sprinkle with ricotta salata and pepper. Serve immediately.


Cooks' notes:
• Dressing can be made 1 hour ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature. • Peaches can be peeled, tossed with an additional teaspoon lemon juice, and wrapped with pancetta 1 hour ahead. Keep chilled, covered with plastic wrap. *Available at Italian markets, cheese shops, and specialty foods shops.

from -- Gourmet
June 2004


Paula Deen's Peach Cobbler
Ingredients
4 cups peeled, sliced peaches
2 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup water
8 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/2 cups milk
Ground cinnamon, optional
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the peaches, 1 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Put the butter in a 3-quart baking dish and place in oven to melt.

Mix remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and milk slowly to prevent clumping. Pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir. Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup. Sprinkle top with ground cinnamon, if using. Batter will rise to top during baking. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

To serve, scoop onto a plate and serve with your choice of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

THANKS, GIRLS!

Berries! (Don't even think about skipping the ice cream...)

When I was a girl (oh, hear we go again, the young ones sigh) and we said we were bored on a long, long, long July day (what happened to those July days? They aren't as long as they used to be) my mother, or Alice May's mother, would send us off berry picking.

Glad for a mission, Alice May and I would take a bucket and head out to the woods in search of black berries and raspberries, which grew in profusion in rural Carroll County, Maryland. Back there the woods are thick in the summertime, not only with trees but with weeds and wildflowers, poison oak and poison ivy, brambles and bushes...some of which were blackberry and raspberry bushes.

"Leave some for the birds," mother used to say. We did. We also kept an eye out for snakes, which were purported to like the berries too...

Eureka! Finding a bush laden with ripe fruit was like finding the mother lode -- might be enough on this bush so we can live like kings! Eat our fill and take home enough for our mothers to make into pies and preserves. Enough to make them smile when we returned, hunter-gatherers extraordinaire, hands stained, pants torn, proudly offering them our harvest.

Today I buy my berries at the grocery store, and they're usually from California or Mexico. Sometimes I chance upon them when hiking in Colorado, but I feel bad taking them from the wildlife. OK, maybe just one...

Berry Cobbler

2 lbs. mixed berries
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
a good dose of ground cinnamon, about 1/2 tsp.
1 tsp. ground ginger

For the cobbler topping:

2 and 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp baking soda
6 Tbsp. chilled, unsalted butter cut into little pieces
1 lg. egg
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup finely minced crystallized ginger (optional, but really adds a nice touch)

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly butter a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Combine berries, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and ground ginger in a bowl and toss to coat. Pour berry mixture into the baking dish.

To make topping by hand: In a separate bowl stir flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Scatter the butter pieces over the top and cut in the butter with a pastry blender, or two forks until the mixture resembles coarse meal. In another small bowl, whisk the egg and cream, then pour this mixture into the flour mixture, stirring and tossing with a fork until it holds together. Then stir in the crystallized ginger.

Place dollops of the topping (will be thick and sticky) evenly over the berries. Sprinkle a little more sugar on the top. Place the dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake the cobbler until the top is golden and the filling is bubbling, about 35 minutes. Take out and let cool for 10-15 minutes.

Eat warm Don't even think about skipping the big scoop of vanilla ice cream that goes with it! Next morning, have some for breakfast, with a little milk poured over.

Bon appetit! Or as the country folk say, Good eatin'!

a dog's dinner?

Ah, the extremes of life; the breadth, the width, the depth of experience!

On the 16th we dined on lobster; the next night we sat on logs in the midst of an abandoned cowboy camp and ate a backpacker's version of beef stroganoff, made with the dried Lipton version which we enhanced with fresh mushrooms sauteed in butter, a sprinkle of freeze-dried onion, and a can of roast beef. The stroganoff, which looks like a dog's dinner (an old sailor's term referring to a tangle of knotted lines)was superflous to the appetizer of wine, cheese, bread... and thou.