It's "What's in the Fridge" Soup for a Cold Day - Andouille and Black Bean Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound andouille, stripped from the casing - I had some from Blues Creek
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
2 cups chopped onions - I used red
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cups dried black beans
2 1/2 cups chicken brothIn a large saucepan, heat the oil and brown the andouille, cooking for
about five minutes. Add the garlic, onions and celery and sauté for two
to three minutes.Add the black beans, chicken broth, parsley, cumin
and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat, cover and sim-
mer for two hours, or until the beans are tender and soft. If the mixture
becomes too thick during the cooking time, add more broth. Add the
salt and hot sauce.
If you want a creamier or smoother soup, puree half of the mixture in
a food processor and return to the pot. Or, you can mash some of the
beans against the side of the pot with the back of a wooden spoon.
To serve, garnish the bowls of soup with sour cream or green onions if desired.

1-2 tsp. of cajun seasoning - sodium free kind
1 bay leaf
Hot sauce to taste or a jalapeno
Sour cream, chopped green onions for garnish

An Anthony Bourdain - Naples - had me craving really good sauce and good it was!!!

Recipe compliments of: the domestic diva

Ingredients

Fresh Garlic peeled and chopped (2 handfuls)
1 White Onion diced
6 cans Tuttorusso™ Tomato Puree
1/2 tube Amore™ Italian Tomato Paste (or 1/2 can of other paste)
Locatelli™ Pecorino Romano Cheese grated (3 handfuls)
Red Wine (drinking wine, not the cheap cooking kind)
Sugar (1/2 handful)
Pinch of Dried Oregano
10 Fresh Basil Leaves chopped
Water
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Fried Meat (meatballs*, Italian sausage, Beef Braciole, steak, etc.)

In a 8 quart stock pot, add enough Olive Oil to lightly coat bottom of pan.

Add fresh Garlic and Onion. Heat over a high flame until soft.

STIR.

Add a splash or two of Red Wine. Lower flame on stove to medium.

STIR.

Add Tomato Puree. Rinse 1 Puree can with a 1/2 can of Water to remove excess Puree from can. Poor into next Puree can and so on until the 6th can is full. Now add remaining Puree/Water mixture to stock pot. By doing this you get all the tomato puree and waste none.

STIR.

Add Grated Cheese.

STIR.

Add Sugar, Salt, Pepper, Basil, Oregano and Tomato Paste.

STIR.

Bring to a boil. Lower heat to a low to medium flame.

STIR.

Add lots of Fried Meat including meatballs, Italian sweet and hot sausage, braciole and steak.

STIR.

Do not cover.

Cook for at least 3 hours stirring every 20 minutes to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the stock pot. Depending on how thick you want your tomato sauce, you can cook it for up to 5 hours.

Simple Ravioli with Peas and some version of Pork!

Pea-Prosciutto Ravioli
from Food Network Magazine.....


This recipe was so simple, tasty, and husband even ate leftovers which is not too common with him!

For 4 servings:
-4 oz of chopped Prosciutto (I used bacon. 80/20:)
-2 tbsp Olive Oil
-3 cloves of sliced Garlic
-1 tbsp Tomato Paste
-1 cup of reserved Pasta-Cooking Water
-1/4 cup Heavy Cream
-1 lb of cooked Ravioli
-1 cup frozen Peas
-Chopped Parsley
-Grated Parmesan (for garnish)

Cook the prosciutto in a large skillet with the 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat until crisp, approximately 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste; cook for 1 minute.

Ladle in 1 cup of pasta-cooking water and simmer until reduced by half. Then add in the heavy cream and simmer until the sauce has thickened. Toss in the cooked ravioli, frozen peas and the chopped parsley. Mix to combine and top it off with grated parmesan.

Queso Fresco from Scratch!

Okay, so I can't take credit for making this, but I was an "official" taster. For Christmas Day, my husband and I decided to go "Feliz Navidad" style. I just couldn't do any more "roast and mashed potatoes." The local grocery store, a very small
Wegmans was out of Queso Fresco, so my husband made his own from his newly acquired Rick Bayless Cookbook. I was TRES IMPRESSED! And, he swears it was super easy.

Fresh Cheese - Queso Fresco Mexicano

Makes about 1 pound

Ingredients

1 gallon whole or 2% milk—preferably from a small local dairy with grassfed cows: the richer the flavor, the better the cheese
2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon citric acid (aka sour salt)*
OR 1 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt (pure fine-ground sea salt works best here)
Directions
1. Culture the milk. Pour the milk into a large (at least 8-quart) pot—I typically use an 8-quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven or a stainless steel 12-quart stock pot. Stir in the buttermilk, attach an accurate thermometer that registers temperatures as low as 75 degrees and set the pot over medium heat. When the temperature reaches 75 degrees, turn off the heat, cover the pot and let stand 3 or 4 hours.

2. Set the curd. If using citric acid, stir it into 1/4 cup cool water, continuing to stir until dissolved. Uncover the pot, set over medium heat and stir in the dissolved citric acid or the fresh lime juice. You will immediately see small curds start to form. Every couple of minutes, stir slowly, gently and thoroughly over the entire bottom of the pot until the milk reaches 195˚F—it’ll take just over 20 minutes. At this point the curds will very obviously be floating in the milky-transparent whey. Remove from the heat and let stand 5 minutes without stirring for all the curd.

3. Drain the curd from the whey. Wet a large piece of cheesecloth and drape it into a large colander. Set the colander in the sink. Using a large slotted spoon or a fine-mesh skimmer, carefully ladle all of the curd into the colander. Gather the cheesecloth up around the curd and gently press with the back of a large spoon to expel a bit more whey. Unwrap the curd onto a plate, break it up and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Work in the salt with a spoon or your fingers.

4. Finish the cheese. Gather the cheese curds into a 1-inch-thick disk, transfer to a plate, cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. The cheese should last about 1 week in the refrigerator.

A dessert worth making! Caramel Apple Cake!

From Foodnetwork

Ingredients
For the Caramel and Apples:
•4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
•3 cups sugar
•5 tablespoons light corn syrup -- Makes a lot of caramel...did not use it all!
•1 cup heavy cream
•4 large Golden Delicious apples (1 3/4 to 2 pounds) -- I used NY Cortland

For the Batter:
•3 cups all-purpose flour
•2 teaspoons baking powder
•1/2 teaspoon baking soda
•1 teaspoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•1/2 cup sour cream
•1/3 cup fresh orange juice
•1 tablespoon vanilla extract
•1 stick unsalted butter, softened
•1 1/2 cups sugar
•3 large eggs
Directions
Butter a 9-by-3-inch round cake pan. Make the caramel: Cook the sugar and corn syrup in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is dark amber, 7 to 10 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium. Carefully add the cream and 4 tablespoons butter (it will splatter) and cook, stirring, until combined, about 3 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat and let sit 1 minute. Pour 1 1/2 cups caramel into a glass measuring cup and set aside. Pour the remaining caramel into the prepared pan and set aside until set, about 30 minutes.
Cut 3 apples into quarters and cut out the cores with a paring knife. Arrange the pieces skin-side down in the pan (overlapping them slightly) to form a ring about 1/2 inch from the edge. Save any pieces that do not fit for later.
Halve the remaining whole apple crosswise. Scoop out the seeds with a melon baller or measuring spoon, leaving the stem on the top half. Chop the bottom and any of the leftover quartered apples into pieces; set aside.
Arrange the apple top, stem-side down, in the center of the pan. If the quartered apples shift, just push them back into place.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make the batter: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream, orange juice and vanilla.
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Crack the eggs into a small bowl. Slip them into the mixer bowl, one at a time, and beat until the mixture is pale and creamy, about 5 more minutes. Scrape down the bowl and beater with a rubber spatula.
With the mixer on low speed, add half of the sour cream mixture, then half of the flour mixture. Repeat. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula; finish combining the batter by hand.
Spread the batter over the apples in the pan. Top with the chopped apple. Bake on the middle oven rack until the cake is brown on top and springs back when pressed, 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes (don't worry if the top is dark). Cool in the pan on a rack.
Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a skillet wide enough to hold the cake pan. Carefully run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan several times, then rest the pan in the water to soften the caramel, about 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the water and dry.
Invert a plate on top of the cake, then flip over the cake and plate. Using pot holders or a towel, wriggle the pan off. Soften the reserved 1 1/2 cups caramel in the microwave, about 2 minutes. Drizzle the cake with some of the caramel.

It was a Clintonville Farmer's Market Feast

Compliments of my brother in law Sam and Elizabeth Telling Farm, we made some amazinging healthy and yummy stuff this weekend!

So, maybe this wasn't sooo healthy, but it was good and it did have zucchini!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups regular all-purpose flour, unsifted
1/2 cup cocoa
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup soft butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
2 cups coarsely shredded zucchini
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans -- not a nut person, so I skipped this
Glaze - can o frosting from store, mixed with some juiced fresh strawberries. :) Or the recipe below
Method
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
1 Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.
2 With a mixer, beat together the butter and the sugar until they are smoothly blended. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. With a spoon, stir in the vanilla, orange peel, and zucchini.
3 Alternately stir the dry ingredients and the milk into the zucchini mixture, including the nuts with the last addition.
4 Pour the batter into a greased and flour-dusted 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan. Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes (test at 45 minutes!) or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes; turn out on wire rack to cool thoroughly.
5 Drizzle glaze over cake.
Glaze: Mix together 2 cups powdered sugar, 3 Tablespoons milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until smooth.
Cut in thin slices to serve. Makes 10-12 servings.

As Anthony Bourdain would NOT say...YUMMO!

Crash Hot Potatoes
Love this blog site, Pioneer Woman Cooks... her pics of this recipe are very helpful.

Made these the other night, and they truly were yummo;)

Servings: 6
Ingredients
12 whole New Potatoes (or Other Small Round Potatoes)
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Kosher Salt To Taste
Black Pepper To Taste
Rosemary (or Other Herbs Of Choice) To Taste ...I used parsley and rosemary.
Preparation Instructions
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.
On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.
With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.
Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)
Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Not the best, not the cheapest but the best cheapest rice cooker!

Random Thought via Jen --Anyone remember Nacho Mama's on Route 23?

I just purchased a rice cooker from Target, and I decided to go cheap and this thing rocks! If you like good rice every now and then I highly recommend this very inexpensive option.

A favorite salad with a special nut

1 bag of lettuce, I prefer butter lettuces

1 pear - peeled, cored and chopped
5 ounces blue cheese cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup Emerald Pecan Pie Pecans (the key to this salad)
Your favorite balsamic salad dressing

1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Toss and Enjoy!

A few more soups to close out the winter!

Mushroom Cheddar Soup, as suggested by my wonderful friend, Marya

Bon Appétit March 1993
Yield: Serves 4
1 1/2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter

6 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed,

sliced 1 bunch green onions, chopped

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 cups canned chicken broth or veggie broth

2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups packed grated sharp Tillamook cheddar cheese or other sharp cheddar cheese...I use whatever I have!

Minced fresh parsley

Cover porcini with hot water and soak 30 minutes. Drain.
Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shiitake mushrooms and green onions and sauté until tender and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add flour and stir 2 minutes. Gradually mix in broth and milk. Add porcini. Bring to simmer, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thick, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Add cheese and stir just until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley and serve.

More soup and sometimes I surprise myself!

I dropped an avacado on the floor tonight while I was making tomato soup; thus, somehow the avacado was going into the soup! This was good stuff!!

Fire Roasted Tomato Soup

I tbsp olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped
1 carrot chopped
1 stick celery

2 cans fire roasted tomatoes (16 oz each)
1.5 cups broth...veggie or chicken

1/2 tsp dried dried red chilli flakes
salt and pepper to taste

For the avocado cream
1 medium avocado, stones removed
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbsp lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the chopped onions and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add the remaining vegetables and continue to cook for a further 5-10 minutes.

3. Stir in the tomatoes, seasoning and chili pepper

4. Stir in the stock, half cover the pan with a lid, and let the soup simmer gently for about 15 minutes.

5. Leave to cool slightly and blend until smooth - you can use a regular blender or hand blender.

Gently reheat.

6. Make the avocado cream by simply whizzing all the ingredients together until smooth. I used a food processor.

7. Serve the soup in bowls, with a generous dollop of the avocado cream on top.

"My Friend Jen P Would Love This" Soup

Top Chef Masters, Season 1, Episode 1
Serves 2 to 4
Ingredients
2 yellow squash, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
1 red onion, diced
8 strips of bacon, diced
8 cloves garlic, diced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 Anaheim Chili, minced
1 quart chicken stock
3 1/2 tablespoons dark chili powder
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons butter
Manchego cheese, shredded or whatever you have
Directions
In a large sauté pan on high heat, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add bacon, onion, and garlic and stir briefly. Reduce heat and add 2/3 chili powder. Continue to stir for 5 minutes. Add squash, carrot, red onion, jalapeno, Anaheim chili, continue to sauté on medium heat for five minutes. Add chicken stock and remaining chili powder and simmer for an hour. Fold in butter. Season with salt. Garnish with chives and julienned pepper.© 2009 Tim Love

Chef Academy Au Gratin

Now that Top Chef has ended, I need a new food show for inspiration and I have been trying to get into Chef Academy. This au gratin dish intriqued me because they added curry as well as nutmeg. It was yum!!! (They haven't posted their recipe on line but I could tell it was a traditional gratin with the added spices.)

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

3 lb baking potatoes (about 6 large), peeled and sliced in 1/8 inch thick rounds --I use a mandolin.

6 oz. Gruyere or Swiss cheese, finely shredded

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp. of curry

1 tbsp. of nutmeg

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Layer half the potatoes evenly over bottom of prepared dish. Sprinkle with half the cheese, garlic, spices and salt; drizzle with half the cream. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

3. Bake uncovered 1 1/2 hours or until potatoes are tender when pierced and top is brown and crisp. Notes: Notes: Planning Tip: May be baked up to 1 day ahead. Refrigerate covered with foil.

Super Easy Soup for a Rainy Fall Night

A good one from Rachael....lots of good flavor!

Chicken Salsa Soup
Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 head garlic, cloves finely chopped
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs (I used Rotisserie chicken.)
One 32-ounce container (4 cups) chicken broth
1 1/2 cups Salsa
Salt
1 avocado, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup sour cream
Directions:
In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic; cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken thighs and broth, bring to a boil and simmer for 4 minutes. Stir in 1 cup salsa, cover and remove from the heat. Let stand until the chicken is cooked through, about 45 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred.
Return the broth to a simmer; season with salt. Divide the chicken among 4 soup bowls and top with the avocado slices. Ladle the broth into the bowls and top each portion with the cilantro, sour cream and remaining salsa.

This one is a fall keeper...Beef Bourguignon

From A Year of Slow Cooking

3 pounds beef roast, or beef stew meat (I used a stew beef)

6 slices bacon--no need to cook

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, sliced in rings1 cup carrots (chopped or baby, your choice)

4 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped

1 tablespoon herbs de provence

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 cups cheap red wine

Directions.Use a 6 quart slow cooker. In the bottom of your stoneware, smear around the olive oil. Then lay down 3 slices of bacon. Add sliced onion and garlic. Put the meat into the pot on top of the onion and garlic, and sprinkle on dried spices and herbs. Toss the meat to distribute the spices to all sides. Add tomato paste. Lay the other 3 slices of bacon on top of the meat, and throw in the carrots. Pour wine over the whole thing.Cover and let cook on low for 8-9 hours, high for 4-5, or until meat has reached desired tenderness. If you are using a roast, you may want to flip the meat about an hour before serving so more liquid is absorbed into the meat. You can also cut the meat into chunks and return to the pot, if you would like more moisture to absorb.Serve with whipped mashed potatoes, and a ladle full of crock juices. I made a little gravy with some flour/butter roux and the juices.

It's a potato ricer...NO..it's a lime squeezer

I figured this out the other night as I was making a few cocktails and needed some lime juice. My juicer had called it quits so I used the ricer and it worked like a charm!

Easy Excellent Mac and Cheese

From a very fun and useful site...A year of slow-cooking

2/3 pound uncooked macaroni or hearty pasta

4 cups of milk

2 eggs

4 cups shredded cheese (I used all cheddar)

salt & black pepper

1 tsp dried mustard

non-stick spray

Directions: Spray crock well with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, whip egg and milk together. Stir in spices.Add cheese and noodles, and stir well to combine. Pour the mixture into the crockpot. It will be very liquidy. Cover and cook on low for 2-5 hours, or on high for 1-3. The cooking time will vary depending on what size crockpot you are using, and how quickly it heats and cooks.

Martha's Marvelous Onion Dip

From the Queen of Goodness...

This was a huge hit at our family gathering.

Ingredients
Makes 2 cups.
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 Vidalia onions (1 pound total), finely chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 ounces reduced-fat bar cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped chives
Potato chips, for serving
Directions
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add onions; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
In a medium bowl, combine onions, sour cream, cream cheese, vinegar, and chives; season with salt and pepper. Chill dip until slightly thickened, about 1 hour; or cover and refrigerate up to 2 days. Serve with chips.

Foil Packets and Fish...on the grill

These fish fillets are wrapped up with vegetables and tarragon so you end up with a great tasting meal wrapped up in a simple packet. The tarragon is a really nice add. I happened to use "Texas Tarragon" also known as "Mexican Mint Marigold"...is heartier in terms of growing for the dry Texas soil, but taste like French Tarragon.
Ingredients:
2 6 oz tilapia fillets (or any light white fish for that matter!)
1/2 zucchini cut into julienne strips
1/2 small red bell pepper, cut into thin strips....if you know me, you know I skipped this!
1/4 cup red onion, sliced
1 carrot cut into julienne strips
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon (or 3/4 teaspoon dried)
1 tablespoon butter
Preparation:Preheat grill. Heat oil in large skillet and quickly cook vegetables. About 2-3 minutes on a medium-high heat. Take two large pieces of aluminum foil. Place one piece of fish on each. Top with 1/2 tablespoon butter, half the vegetables and half the tarragon. Repeat for the other piece. Wrap tightly and place on grill. Grill over a medium heat for 12 - 18 minutes. Open carefully because the steam can be very hot.
I also served with a side of aioli.

An easy side dish for a summer night...

Sherry Potatoes from one of my fav's Simply Recipes

Ingredients
1 lb russet potatoes, scrubbed clean, sliced into 1/4-inch slices
1/4 cup butter (1/2 a stick), melted
1/4 cup dry sherry
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Method
1 Preheat oven to 375°F.
2 Arrange potato slices in layers in a gratin pan or baking pan, sprinkling salt and pepper over each layer. Pour sherry over the potatoes. Pour the melted butter over the potatoes. Make sure the potatoes are well coated.
3 Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes or until potatoes are cooked, but not mushy, and they are slightly browned on top. Remove from oven, sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.
Serves 4.