Well even the best cook takes time off from the kitchen the last couple of weeks I made several quarts of soup and we have been having soup and salad or soup and Baguette night......
There was a Faux Thanksgiving Sunday family dinner which made making turkey soup the next day easy, I played around with a nice aldente veggie soup which I loved , I am not a big fan of mushy vegetables,and after 3 lunches of that soup, I did a redoux and added meat and pasta for a heartier dinner soup.
Tonight I made homemade Mac and cheese a crowd pleaser, we love salmon patties in my family...you take canned salmon clean it up get rid of the cartilage and skin ect, crumble in a bowl, add eggs, dill, lemon zest and panko crumbs fry up in canola oil in Hamburg patty size till golden brown serve with lemons to squeeze, I had picked up some adorable teeny tiny yellow potatoes at Trader Joe's in Mass and I cut them in half and pan fried them served with peas and an arugula salad w shredded beets and avocado with my white balsamic dressing made the meal complete...and wa la old family comfort food..
The Mac and cheese will make us happy for days as lunch and dinner since we really never touched it tonight, but I like cooking a couple dishes at one time so that we have fast food when I am feeling slow...
The next few weeks will busy making fairy/princess tutu's for a craft fair...My youngest daughter and I sell soaps, scrubs and lotions made with organic ingredients, herbs ect that we conjure up here at the house..for Christmas.
Tata for now..........
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday Night at the Winooski Beverage Warehouse
well Last night was another fun night of tasting new beverages in Winooski at the Bevie!
Last night was Vt liquors night, we tasted Vermont White and Vermont Gold Vodkas.
by...Vermont Spirits
Here's some Info on the distillery:
Heidi Wheeler, sales & marketing
622 Keyser Hill Road
St. Johnsbury, VT 05819
Northeast region
contact information:
phone: 802.748.6545
email: heidi@vermontspirits.com
website: www.vermontspirits.com
Vermont Spirits is a micro-distillery making two varieties of handcrafted artisanal vodkas in the Northeast Kingdom. The Vermont Gold is distilled from maple sap, and the Vermont White from milk sugars. These ultra-premium vodkas are both unique in that they are not distilled from grains, like the majority of vodkas.
product description: Handcrafted Vodkas
And a Delicious Maple liquor called Saplings Maple Liquor.I see a future for this in my house for lots of things besides sipping...drizzle over baked squashes, add to crumble pie toppings(thanks Jen for that idea)and I still think drizzled over Vanilla Ice Creme it would make a nice ending to a Ham or turkey meal...Drizzled over a baked apple...endless possibilities
Anyway thanks to Jen and George and everyone at the Beverage warehouse in winooski for introducing us all to new things to try each week.
All these delightful beverages are right there to take home, there is also a space at the bevie where you can find some real culinary gems, from Vt Honey gardens apiarys Honey to Dell'Amore pasta sauce..(Remember Filomina's sauce)well I met the man who brings this sauce to us last night...you never know who you will run into at the Bevie!
So next time you're in Winooski stop by grab some wine, some Dell'Amore pasta sauce while you're there, your tastebuds will thank you!
http://www.beveragewarehousevt.com/
Last night was Vt liquors night, we tasted Vermont White and Vermont Gold Vodkas.
by...Vermont Spirits
Here's some Info on the distillery:
Heidi Wheeler, sales & marketing
622 Keyser Hill Road
St. Johnsbury, VT 05819
Northeast region
contact information:
phone: 802.748.6545
email: heidi@vermontspirits.com
website: www.vermontspirits.com
Vermont Spirits is a micro-distillery making two varieties of handcrafted artisanal vodkas in the Northeast Kingdom. The Vermont Gold is distilled from maple sap, and the Vermont White from milk sugars. These ultra-premium vodkas are both unique in that they are not distilled from grains, like the majority of vodkas.
product description: Handcrafted Vodkas
And a Delicious Maple liquor called Saplings Maple Liquor.I see a future for this in my house for lots of things besides sipping...drizzle over baked squashes, add to crumble pie toppings(thanks Jen for that idea)and I still think drizzled over Vanilla Ice Creme it would make a nice ending to a Ham or turkey meal...Drizzled over a baked apple...endless possibilities
Anyway thanks to Jen and George and everyone at the Beverage warehouse in winooski for introducing us all to new things to try each week.
All these delightful beverages are right there to take home, there is also a space at the bevie where you can find some real culinary gems, from Vt Honey gardens apiarys Honey to Dell'Amore pasta sauce..(Remember Filomina's sauce)well I met the man who brings this sauce to us last night...you never know who you will run into at the Bevie!
So next time you're in Winooski stop by grab some wine, some Dell'Amore pasta sauce while you're there, your tastebuds will thank you!
http://www.beveragewarehousevt.com/
Potato leek and Fennel soup
Halloween is drizzly damp and cold here in Vt...after a meal Of Delicious Green chili cheese burgers for dinner, my husband and I made soup
1 fennel bulb chopped
a few fronds chopped set aside to finish soup
1 onion diced
6-8 med potatoes
4 tablespoons butter
cheddar cheese
light creme or half and half 1 pint
makes 3 quarts soup
Melt butter, add fennel and onion and saute till tender add potatoes, 6 cups chicken stock, cook till potatoes are tender, use immersion blender to blend till smooth or leave a few potato lumps as you wish
add cheddar cheese grated I used half a package of Cabots sharp Cheddar, I added
1 pint lt creme,but half and half works just as well or milk I would use whole milk unless you really are concerned because it give a great mouth feel and depth of flavor to the creme soup. add salt and pepper to taste ...and additional fennel fronds and when serving top with a few fronds for presentation.
we serve with crusty bread, Stewarts, August First, Gerards whatever bread makes you smile!
This Soup is rich and flavorful and filling enough to stand alone for supper with bread, if you're yearning for a green veg add a nice salad.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Hungarian Mushroom soup...experiment
Well this was one of those recipe's in theory looked good. Some of us gave it a 5 out of 10...most of us thought it needed beef and noodles ala stroganoff...
if the ingredients sound good google it there are 2 recipes ...
Mushrooms
onions
fresh dill
butter
paprika
red chili
chicken or veg broth
yogurt
buttermilk
flour
sour creme
lemon juice
parsley
basically it was just to sour a soup...I wish I had made a nice cream of mushroom with sherry and thyme, tomorrow I am going to cook egg noodles and pour the leftover soup over it...waste not want not..and I did use really good ingredients so the flavor is there it's just different
if the ingredients sound good google it there are 2 recipes ...
Mushrooms
onions
fresh dill
butter
paprika
red chili
chicken or veg broth
yogurt
buttermilk
flour
sour creme
lemon juice
parsley
basically it was just to sour a soup...I wish I had made a nice cream of mushroom with sherry and thyme, tomorrow I am going to cook egg noodles and pour the leftover soup over it...waste not want not..and I did use really good ingredients so the flavor is there it's just different
The beauty of braised beef
I love braised beef, usually I use a brisket when it's on sale, brisket has become rather pricey so when my Grocery has it on markdown I buy and freeze a few. yesterday I found a flank steak on sale another cut of meat that has become pricey...anyway usually I marinate a flank steak along time and grill and slice on the diagonal so tasty, but today I decided to see if it would braise well...It did.
I laid the the flank steak in a covered dish, smeared garlic paste all over it Chile powder(I used new Mexico chili powder from the Atlantic spice company) a Little cayenne,lemon pepper and salt and pepper rubbed it in and set the oven on 350 degrees.
I cooked at 350 for one hour, at 300 for one hour and 250 for an hour and 200 for another hour, I like the meat to fall apart into strings when you put a fork into it. It could have been used after the 250 degrees cooking but I wasn't ready to serve so I left it in.
I removed the meat and just to add more flavor you really don't need to do this I laid it in a hot skillet to brown the bottom a bit...
I took the cooking liquid put in small sauce pan and added 1 can green chilies and a 1/2 small onion cooked for a few mins you don't want the onion mushy you just want it to absorb some of the flavor its cooking in
mean while I cooked 2 cups corn
steamed 12 tortillas(wrap in a kitchen towel put in a steamer above water and steam 10-12 mins covered
made Lime crema:
1 cup sour creme I used 50% fat free yesterday thin with a little creme I had light creme on hand yesterday, I juiced 1 1/2 limes added zest from one lime, salt and a pinch of cayenne stir together, this will all incorporate and make a nice sauce.
I took one tortilla(I would use 2 next time) each I was serving 3 people and dipped in the green chili sauce , put in bottom of a pasta bowl,covered with corn, added chopped shredded beef(I just chop to bite size pieces)poured some of the green chili onion sauce over meat topped with baby lettuce mix and topped with lime crema.
I serve the steamed corn tortillas on the side keep covered they dry out quickly.
The plates were completely clean and all the lime crema gone, and just enough beef left to top a salad or wrap in a tortilla for lunch today.
The nice thing about Mexican cooking is you can take any cut of meat braise it add Mexican spices green chili, corn or hominy and have a flavor packed meal....I am sure you could do this in a slow cooker if you work also, I would definatly try that if you don't have time to braise for hours...This is a good thing to do an a Sat or Sunday braise a lot of meat and use through out the week.
You can use braised meat in chili,quasadillas, tacos, salads,as a BBQ pulled beef or pork sandwich, you could use in a beef and rice soup that you could put together in less than a half hour. sometimes we just put the meat on rolls with mustard and pickles salt and pepper and it is so flavorful.
No pictures it was put together and devoured to quickly!
I laid the the flank steak in a covered dish, smeared garlic paste all over it Chile powder(I used new Mexico chili powder from the Atlantic spice company) a Little cayenne,lemon pepper and salt and pepper rubbed it in and set the oven on 350 degrees.
I cooked at 350 for one hour, at 300 for one hour and 250 for an hour and 200 for another hour, I like the meat to fall apart into strings when you put a fork into it. It could have been used after the 250 degrees cooking but I wasn't ready to serve so I left it in.
I removed the meat and just to add more flavor you really don't need to do this I laid it in a hot skillet to brown the bottom a bit...
I took the cooking liquid put in small sauce pan and added 1 can green chilies and a 1/2 small onion cooked for a few mins you don't want the onion mushy you just want it to absorb some of the flavor its cooking in
mean while I cooked 2 cups corn
steamed 12 tortillas(wrap in a kitchen towel put in a steamer above water and steam 10-12 mins covered
made Lime crema:
1 cup sour creme I used 50% fat free yesterday thin with a little creme I had light creme on hand yesterday, I juiced 1 1/2 limes added zest from one lime, salt and a pinch of cayenne stir together, this will all incorporate and make a nice sauce.
I took one tortilla(I would use 2 next time) each I was serving 3 people and dipped in the green chili sauce , put in bottom of a pasta bowl,covered with corn, added chopped shredded beef(I just chop to bite size pieces)poured some of the green chili onion sauce over meat topped with baby lettuce mix and topped with lime crema.
I serve the steamed corn tortillas on the side keep covered they dry out quickly.
The plates were completely clean and all the lime crema gone, and just enough beef left to top a salad or wrap in a tortilla for lunch today.
The nice thing about Mexican cooking is you can take any cut of meat braise it add Mexican spices green chili, corn or hominy and have a flavor packed meal....I am sure you could do this in a slow cooker if you work also, I would definatly try that if you don't have time to braise for hours...This is a good thing to do an a Sat or Sunday braise a lot of meat and use through out the week.
You can use braised meat in chili,quasadillas, tacos, salads,as a BBQ pulled beef or pork sandwich, you could use in a beef and rice soup that you could put together in less than a half hour. sometimes we just put the meat on rolls with mustard and pickles salt and pepper and it is so flavorful.
No pictures it was put together and devoured to quickly!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Chicken Soup
Well today seemed like the day to make the first batch of feel well soup, several members of the family were feeling under the weather ..
1/2 large onion
2 ribs celery
1 large garlic clove
I put these into the Cuisinart and pulse till finely chopped
2-3 table spoons olive oil
heat pan to med high add onion mixture and saute till soft
add spices...I use...cayenne 1/8 tsp, french seasonings 1/2 tsp, 1/2 tsp of basil, and 1/2 tsp of mint, I throw these in at the end of sauteing to bring out their flavor, add salt and pepper to taste.
3 quarts organic chicken broth(when I don't have this I use knorrs bouillon cubes 1 cube to every 2 cups of water, I was making a big batch today)
I chopped approx 1/2 -3/4 cup kale chop finely
added 3/4 cup of grated carrots,1 zucchini chopped in small pieces,
3/4 cup of frozen corn and peas, 5-6 small baby portabella chopped in small pieces
after you add the broth bring it to a boil,add chopped up chicken I used 7 small tenderloins today it was heavier on chicken flavor than meat today...after 5 mins add all veg's at once cook for a few mins 5-10 max I don't like mushy veggies
turn off soup and let sit for half an hour usually that's long enough for the zucchini to cook but still have texture.
when I make this soup I start the rice in a pan separately , I have learned through the years if you want broth cook the rice or pasta separately, I used 3 cups water 2 cups Jasmin rice today you can use any rice you like... I add the rice in 2 ways...sometimes I put rice in bowls and pour the soup over the rice I did this today for the lunch bowls with Ruby.....after I add the rice all at once for the dinner meal serve immediately after adding to hot broth.....I then put half into a ball jar and put right into the frig for tomorrow.
I am admittedly addicted to lemons ..I would eat dirt if you squeezed lemon on it...so there are two ways I serve this soup...1/ just the way it is and with lemon wedges for me to squeeze in ......2/ I juice 2 lemons add to 2 beaten eggs add hot broth to the egg mixture stirring quickly so the eggs don't curdle till its warm then add back into the soup and stir very quickly remove from stove and serve.. reheat gently for leftovers............that is the Greek antibiotic chicken soup called Aveglemo chicken soup it is by far my favorite and when I make it that way I add a bit more mint to the mix....
I will add pictures tomorrow.......night all
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