Recipe #310: Bacon-y Potato Soup

Oh man this one is just perfection.  I made a couple changes, marked in red.  It makes a LOT of soup (serves 7-8) and is perfect for this cold weather we're having.  This is another winner from allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound bacon, chopped 2 stalks celery, diced 1 onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 8 potatoes, peeled and cubed 4 cups chicken stock, or enough to cover potatoes

3 tablespoons butter 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon dried tarragon 3 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro  (I used green onion instead) salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until done. Remove bacon from pan, and set aside. Drain off all but 1/4 cup of the bacon grease.
2.	Cook celery and onion in reserved bacon drippings until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes. Add cubed potatoes, and toss to coat. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Return bacon to the pan, and add enough chicken stock to just cover the potatoes. Cover, and simmer until potatoes are tender.  (about 25 minutes or so- test with a fork)
3.	In a separate pan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the heavy cream, tarragon, and cilantro. Bring the cream mixture to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir the cream mixture into the potato mixture. Puree about 1/2 the soup (I used a potato masher to lightly mash the entire thing, but leaving plenty of potato chunks), and return to the pan. Adjust seasonings to taste.  Top with shredded cheese.

Recipe #309: Sausage, Peppers, and Pasta

I was craving this for several days before I found a recipe and tried it myself.  I'd only had it in restaurants previously, but now this is going to be a staple in my own kitchen.  So easy, but restaurant quality.  This one is from simplyrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 Italian sausage links (sweet, hot, or a couple of each)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced into 2 to 3 inch long strips
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into 2 to 3 inch long strips
• 1 bell pepper of another color (yellow or orange or purple), sliced into strips 2-3 inches long
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced into slivers
• 1 large sweet or yellow onion, sliced into 1/4-inch half-moons
• 1 small (15 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp of dried oregano
• 1/2 cup Marsala or red wine (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• Salt to taste.

DIRECTIONS

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pan that has a lid. When the oil is hot, add the sausages and brown them slowly. If they sizzle and crackle too much, turn the heat down. You want a gentle browning, not a sear. Cook for several minutes, turning them occasionally so they brown on all sides. When the sausages are browned, remove from the pan and set aside.

Increase the heat to high and add the onions and peppers. Toss so they get coated with the oil in the pan and sear them as well as you can, stirring every so often. You want some blackening. Once the onions and peppers soften, sprinkle some salt on them. Once you get some searing on the onions and peppers, add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

Add the Marsala or red wine if you are using, and with a wooden spoon scrape the bottom of the pan to release all the browned and blackened bits. Let the wine cook down by half.

Add the tomatoes, oregano and red pepper flakes (if using) and stir well to combine. Add the sausages back in. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer until the peppers are soft the sausages are cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Serve over polenta, or with penne pasta, or load up in a hoagie roll. 

Recipe #308: Baked Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks

I LOVE this recipe.  Just a little kick to it, nothing too spicy, super easy to make and cheap.  I made a dipping sauce on the side by melting blue cheese with a little bit of milk and adding flour to thicken it up a smidge.

Ingredients

Chicken:
8 drumsticks
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Spicy Sauce:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup hot sauce
1 tablespoon BBQ sauce

Directions

For the chicken: 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Rinse and pat dry the drumsticks. Mix the oil, chili powder, garlic powder, and some salt and pepper in a medium bowl or resealable plastic bag. Toss the drumsticks in the seasoned oil to coat well. Bake the drumsticks on a wire rack placed on a baking sheet (so air circulates around chicken) until very tender and the skin is crisp, 50 minutes.

For the spicy sauce: 

Mix together the butter, hot sauce and BBQ sauce in a large bowl.
Toss the drumsticks in the spicy sauce until well coated. Place the drumsticks back on the rack and continue baking an additional 10 to 15 minutes.

Recipe #307: Summer Corn and Lobster French Onion Chowder with Gruyere Toastets

I wanted to make something fantastic to celebrate (or lament) the end of a nice long vacation, so I went to foodgawker.com to see what looked interesting.  I saw this recipe and was smitten.  Super easy to make but tastes fancy.  Heavy, flavorful, perfect for cold weather.  If you don't want to spend the money on lobster, crab meat or shrimp would be fine substitutes.

(copied from http://www.halfbakedharvest.com/)

• 3-4 (8 ounce) lobster tails (optional and interchangeable)
• 4 slices thick cut bacon, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 sweet onions, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• salt and pepper
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups white wine or beer (12 ounces)
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 4 ears fresh corn, kernels removed
• 1 cup heavy cream or half and half
• 1/2 a lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup fresh basil or parsley, chopped (I used basil)
• 1 french baguette, sliced
• 4 ounce gruyere cheese, shredded

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Once boiling drop in your lobster tails. Boil for 5-10 minutes or until your tails turn bright red. Drain the water and allow the tails to cool.

Heat a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy. Remove bacon from the pan and set aside on a paper towel to drain.

To the pot add the butter, onions, thyme and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until the onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Continue cooking and scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan frequently, until the onions are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Once the onions are caramelized, add the flour and garlic. Stir the flour with the onions to make a roux, cook about 1 minute. Slowly pour in the wine and chicken broth. Add the corn.

Bring the soup to a boil, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile cut down the back and front of the lobster and pull the meat away from the shell. Dice or shred the lobster meat.

After the soup has simmered about 10 minutes add the cream and simmer another 5 minutes. Squeeze half a lemon over the soup, season with salt and pepper. Stir in the lobster and fresh basil. Preheat the the broiler to high.

Ladle the soup into oven safe soup crocks. Top with a slice or two from the french baguette and a handful of shredded gruyere cheese. Place under the broiler until browned.  Garnish with bacon. Eat hot. Enjoy!!

Recipe #306: Beef, Stout, & Blue Cheese Pot Pies

This is immediately a favorite recipe, hands down.  I've had this one bookmarked from http://edible-ireland.com/ and finally got around to making it.  So wonderful.  Rich, hearty, filling, amazing flavors.... I can't say enough about this one.  The recipe would fill about three larger single rammekins, so I would double if feeding four.

Filling before adding the cheese.

I giggled when I got these out of the oven.

So good...

1kg (2lb) stewing beef (such as shin or cheek), cut into bite-sized pieces
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons plain flour
rapeseed or olive oil
2 red onions, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
500ml (2 cups) stout
125g (3/4 cup) crumbled blue cheese
1 sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry
1 egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.

Put the beef in a large bowl and sprinkle over 1 teaspoon of salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add the flour and toss the beef in it until it all has a light dusting. Heat some rapeseed or olive oil in a large ovenproof casserole and brown the beef in batches over a medium-high heat, making sure not to crowd the pot or the meat won’t brown properly. Add more oil in between batches if needed. Remove the beef from the pot and set aside.

Add another splash of oil to the pot, then add the onions and carrots along with a pinch of salt so that the onions don’t brown. Cover the pot and cook for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft but not browned. Add the garlic, thyme and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper and cook for 1 or 2 minutes more.

Pour in the stout, scraping up any browned bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pot. Return the beef to the pot and bring up to a lively simmer, then cover and put in the oven for 3–4 hours (or simmer on the stovetop on a low heat with the lid on), stirring a few times. You will know it’s done when the beef easily falls apart when you prod it with a fork and the stout has reduced right down – it’s a pot pie filling, not a stew, so you want it to be nice and thick. Stir in the cheese, then taste it and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Raise the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Place one large ovenproof pie dish or individual dishes or ramekins onto a baking tray just in case any filling bubbles up and over the sides, then spoon the stew into the dish(es). Roll out the pastry a little on a lightly floured countertop, then cut to fit the top of the dish. Rub the edges of the dish with a little water or some of the beaten egg to help the pastry stick in place, then place the pastry lid on top. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg (not too much or the pastry won’t rise properly), then cook in the oven for 20–30 minutes, until the pastry has risen and is golden. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before digging in.

Recipe #305: Caramelized Onion, Mushroom, Apple, & Gruyere Bites

Another winner from foodgawker.com.  I knew I had to try these as soon as I saw the picture.  It didn't make enough filling for all of the pastry, though. I would probably add more onion and mushrooms to balance out the apple more, but it was still delicious this way.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
4 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1½ granny smith apples, cubed into ½" cubes
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1½ oz. grated gruyere cheese
2 tbsp. chives, minced
½ tsp. dried thyme
1 package (1 pound) of frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats. Set side.
2. In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil and cook the onions (with 1 tsp. of salt) until they're
golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove and set aside in a large bowl. In the same skillet,
sauté mushrooms until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside in the bowl with the
onions.
3. In the same skillet, melt the butter and add in the apples with the sugar. Cook until softened,
about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and add to the large bowl with onions and mushrooms.
4. Add the cheese, chives, and thyme to the bowl and stir to combine the mixture well. Season
with salt and pepper, to taste.
5. With a pizza cutter, cut the puff pastry into 2­inch squares and place them on the lined
baking sheets. Using a pastry brush, brush beaten egg on the squares.
6. Using a tablespoon, place filling in the middle of each puff pastry.
7. Bake for 25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through and switching the baking sheet on
the top rack to the bottom and the bottom to the top, until the pastry is golden brown and
crisp.

Recipe #304: Tex Mex Taco Pasta

Super easy!  Makes great leftovers.  I think it could be tweaked easily too if you would want more spiciness.  I skipped the cilantro because I'm not a big fan of it.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb ground beef (you could also use ground turkey or chicken)
• 1 packet taco seasoning, low sodium
• 1 (15oz) can Rotel, drained of excess liquid
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz) can sweet corn, drained
• ½ lb farfalle (bow tie) pasta
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
• 2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large pot, bring water a boil and prepare pasta as directed.
2. In a high-rimmed skillet, brown ground beef on medium-high heat and drain off excess grease. Season with taco seasoning and simmer for 5 minutes. To the meat mixture, stir in Rotel, black beans, and corn. Turn the heat off and cover with a lid.
3. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add in the meat mixture and stir. Pour in the cream and toss in the cheese and stir with a wooden spoon until the cheese has completely melted.
4. Ladle pasta into bowls and topped with chopped cilantro.

Recipe #303: Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup

Here was an easy Christmas Eve dinner.  The fresh avocado was so good with it.  I skipped the cilantro because I'm not a huge fan of it.

Ingredients

• 5 small corn tortillas, cut into strips
• 3 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 8 ounces Greek cream cheese, softened
• ¾ cup enchilada sauce
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¾ cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14 ounce) can low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweet corn kernels, drained and rinsed
• 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with chilies (such as Rotel brand)
• Sliced avocado and cilantro leaves for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil in a 3-quart or larger Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the tortilla strips and fry until crispy, about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to the pot and turn the heat to medium-high. Add the chicken pieces and diced onion; cook 7-10 minutes until chicken is browned and cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, puree the cream cheese, enchilada sauce, cumin, and cayenne pepper in a small food processor (or beat using a hand mixer).
4. Add the broth to the chicken pot, followed by the cream cheese mixture. Stir in the beans, corn, and diced tomatoes. Simmer over medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes, until warmed through.
5. Serve topped with tortilla strips, cilantro, and avocado.

Recipe #302: On-The-Go Breakfast Muffins

These were fun to make and eat!  Another one I found on foodgawker, from www.thecookingjar.com.  I had one less egg than the recipe required and it still worked out fine.

INGREDIENTS

• 12 large eggs, beaten  
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves, chopped
• 6 slices bacon, chopped / ½ cup bacon bits
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix together all the ingredients and whisk until smooth
2. Grease a regular size muffin tin and fill each cup about ⅔ of the way full
3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-23 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean
4. Cool for 5 minutes before prying muffins loose
5. Dish and serve hot

Recipe #301: Maple Sausage, Apple, and Sage Strata

I served this up for Christmas brunch.  I love the mix of flavors and textures.  I found this using foodgawker.com, which led me to thestayathomechef.com.

Ingredients 

6 English muffins, halved 1 lb ground maple sausage 1 sweet onion, diced 2 apples, cored and diced 8 sage leaves, minced 8 eggs 2 cups half and half 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 1 cup shredded provolone cheese  1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

 Instructions 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish. Line the bottom of the dish with english muffin halves, cutting them as needed to fit.  2. In a large skillet over medium high heat, cook the ground sausage with the onion until sausage is brown. Add in diced apple and sage and cook another 3-5 minutes.  3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, half and half, salt, and pepper. Stir in shredded cheeses.  4. Stir sausage mixture into egg mixture and pour over english muffins. ***At this point you can cover the dish and refrigerate it over night.  5. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until set.