No idea why it's called "African" peanut soup. I found the recipe on allrecipes.com, which is still my go-to site for new recipes. It was a chunky soup (not blended like most of my other soups have been) and was pretty tasty. It wasn't spicy enough and could have had more peanuts/peanut butter, but everyone (me, two sisters, and one brother-in-law) still enjoyed it. I would definitely make it again, but would up the flavoring a bit by making the adjustments I've added to the instructions below.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 large red bell peppers, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced (or sent through a garlic press)
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, with liquid
8 cups (2 quarts) vegetable broth or stock
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
2/3 cup extra crunchy peanut butter (or chopped peanuts and creamy peanut butter)
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
Instructions:
Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Cook onions and bell peppers until lightly browned and tender, stirring in garlic when almost done to prevent burning. Stir in tomatoes, vegetable stock, pepper, and chili powder. (More chili powder would be good as 1/4 teaspoon did not give it any heat at all. Using cayenne pepper and closer to 1/2 teaspoon would probably be about right.)
Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes, then add the rice (but add the rice sooner if the bag says it takes more than fifteen minutes to cook). After you add the rice, cover and simmer another fifteen minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in peanut butter until well blended. (If you don't have crunchy peanut butter you can use 1/3 cup chopped peanuts plus 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter. I would actually recommend using chopped peanuts no matter what because they added a nice crunch to the soup. Also, more peanut butter would only make this soup more delicious.)
New ingredients: Ummm... peanuts and peanut butter in real food? In something that's not a peanut butter sandwich or dessert I mean.
New skills: I'm learning a bit about flavoring and spiciness :)
Thursday, May 10, 2012
#17 - Lentil Soup
I got this recipe from my sister, who altered it a tiny bit from a recipe by Alton Brown. It's a pretty thick and somewhat gritty soup, but still tastes very good. It's a really ugly dark brown color if you use green lentils and it's a lighter more orangey brown if you use red lentils. I'd go with the red lentils next time. So this is recipe #1 for 2012. I'm just going to keep counting from last year and see if I make it to #52 before 2013 rolls around :)
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 teaspoons salt
1 pound dry lentils (red or green, make sure to pick out the stones and shriveled lentils and rinse before using)
1 cup peeled and chopped tomatoes (or canned)
2 quarts vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (Alton calls for 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground grains of paradise instead of pepper)
Instructions:
Place the olive oil into a large pot and set over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, carrot, celery and salt and cook until the onions are translucent, approximately 7 minutes. Pour the lentils into a bowl and pick out any stones and shriveled lentils and rinse what's left. Add the lentils, tomatoes, broth, coriander, cumin and pepper and stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook at a low simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 35 to 40 minutes. Using a stick blender, puree to your preferred consistency. Serve immediately.
Makes about 8 servings.
New ingredients: Dry lentils
New skills: I didn't know you were supposed to pick and rinse lentils (I added that note to the recipe above), but now I know!
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 teaspoons salt
1 pound dry lentils (red or green, make sure to pick out the stones and shriveled lentils and rinse before using)
1 cup peeled and chopped tomatoes (or canned)
2 quarts vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (Alton calls for 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground grains of paradise instead of pepper)
Instructions:
Place the olive oil into a large pot and set over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, carrot, celery and salt and cook until the onions are translucent, approximately 7 minutes. Pour the lentils into a bowl and pick out any stones and shriveled lentils and rinse what's left. Add the lentils, tomatoes, broth, coriander, cumin and pepper and stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook at a low simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 35 to 40 minutes. Using a stick blender, puree to your preferred consistency. Serve immediately.
Makes about 8 servings.
New ingredients: Dry lentils
New skills: I didn't know you were supposed to pick and rinse lentils (I added that note to the recipe above), but now I know!
#16 - Chocolate Chip Cookies
So... it's been awhile since I last posted. Way back in late April or maybe early May of 2011 I made chocolate chip cookies for one of my last days at my old job. I can't believe that was a year ago. That was the last new recipe I tried in 2011. Yikes. Anyway... I'm 99% sure the recipe I used is the one below (from MarthaStewart.com - Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies), but no promises since it was a long time ago :) They were crazy delicious, but the crumbliest cookies ever. Definitely not soft and chewy. I don't know how to fix that, but I would still make these again even if I had to eat the pieces with a spoon out of a bowl. As someone pointed out last year, that would be the perfect way to eat them. Just so long as the bowl was full of ice cream.
Ingredients:
2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (about 12 ounces) semisweet and/or milk chocolate chips
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. Set aside. In a separate bowl combine the butter with both sugars. Beat until light and fluffy. (The directions say to use an electric mixer set on medium speed, but I just did it by hand. For the next step it says to reduce the speed to low and beat until well mixed, about 1 minute, but again, I just did it by hand.) Add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Makes 3 dozen (supposedly... I have no idea how many I made, but maybe they were a little too big and that was what was wrong with the consistency? I remember them spreading and flattening a ton while baking.)
New ingredients: Nothing
New skills: Nothing
Ingredients:
2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (about 12 ounces) semisweet and/or milk chocolate chips
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. Set aside. In a separate bowl combine the butter with both sugars. Beat until light and fluffy. (The directions say to use an electric mixer set on medium speed, but I just did it by hand. For the next step it says to reduce the speed to low and beat until well mixed, about 1 minute, but again, I just did it by hand.) Add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Makes 3 dozen (supposedly... I have no idea how many I made, but maybe they were a little too big and that was what was wrong with the consistency? I remember them spreading and flattening a ton while baking.)
New ingredients: Nothing
New skills: Nothing
Friday, April 22, 2011
#15 - Macaroni and Cheese
I'd been craving some extra cheesy homemade macaroni and cheese all week, so I decided to finally make it Friday night. I followed a recipe from my Cook This Not That cookbook that I've been eyeing for awhile. If I'd noticed the sidebar in the book that recommended adding tomatoes or broccoli I would have done that, but I was already back from the grocery store by then. Oh well. It was warm and gooey and delicious. I altered the recipe a little by adding cayenne pepper based on other mac and cheese recipes I looked at. I didn't put in chopped pickled jalapenos or strips of ham, which the original recipe included. I think I overcooked the egg noodles a little. Elbow macaroni might have been better. I also messed up the simmering of the milk/onion/flour mixture so it was all burnt onto the pot. It really should be simmered on a very low temp and definitely needs to be taken off the burner to cool for awhile before it's poured out. So hey, I learned something with this recipe! And satisfied my craving for mac and cheese. And have enough to continue satisfying it for several more days. Excellent. Recipe #15 - yummmmmmm
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion, minced
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk (less would be ok)
2 cups shredded cheese (I used half mozzarella, half extra sharp cheddar... more cheddar would be better)
about 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
about 5 dashes of cayenne pepper (don't over do it!)
1 pound of pasta
bread crumbs
Instructions:
Cook pasta in a big pot. Don't overcook! Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add the flour and stir to incorporate. Pour in the milk gradually, using a whisk to prevent lumps. Allow to simmer on low for 10 minutes, until it begins to thicken. Stir in the cheeses and seasonings.
Add the cheese sauce to the pasta and mix well. Taste test to see if it needs more spice or salt. Pour into a large baking dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and more cheese. Bake for about 10 minutes, then turn on the broiler for an additional 3 minutes.
(To make this dish healthier, add 2 cups of roughly chopped or cherry tomatoes or 2 cups of steamed broccoli.) Serves about 6.
New ingredients: nothing
New skills: not burning simmering milk
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion, minced
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk (less would be ok)
2 cups shredded cheese (I used half mozzarella, half extra sharp cheddar... more cheddar would be better)
about 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
about 5 dashes of cayenne pepper (don't over do it!)
1 pound of pasta
bread crumbs
Instructions:
Cook pasta in a big pot. Don't overcook! Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add the flour and stir to incorporate. Pour in the milk gradually, using a whisk to prevent lumps. Allow to simmer on low for 10 minutes, until it begins to thicken. Stir in the cheeses and seasonings.
Add the cheese sauce to the pasta and mix well. Taste test to see if it needs more spice or salt. Pour into a large baking dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and more cheese. Bake for about 10 minutes, then turn on the broiler for an additional 3 minutes.
(To make this dish healthier, add 2 cups of roughly chopped or cherry tomatoes or 2 cups of steamed broccoli.) Serves about 6.
New ingredients: nothing
New skills: not burning simmering milk
Thursday, March 24, 2011
#14 - Brownies with Chocolate Frosting
After dinner I wanted cookies, or cake, or chocolate, or something, anything, DESSERT!! Luckily, with my fully stocked kitchen and my new friend allrecipes.com, I was able to make it happen. I found a recipe for the best brownies (I think I might have searched for the "best brownies ever" to find this) that, like the soft ginger cookie recipe, had been reviewed thousands of times and saved tens of thousands of times, so I went for it. Aesthetically speaking, they were kind of a disaster. The brownies were slightly undercooked (I'm beginning to suspect I'm too afraid of burning my desserts to let them cook as long as they need to) and the consistency of the frosting was all wrong. It was too thick and when I tried to put it on the warm brownies it collapsed into the middle of the pan and then when I tried to spread it out it just pulled the surface of the brownies off. So yeah, they were sort of ugly, but other than that, they really were the best brownies ever. Much closer to fudge than cake in texture, like a brownie should be. Recipe #14 - perfection (despite appearances)
Brownies with Chocolate Frosting
Brownies:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Frosting:
3 tablespoons butter, softened
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan. In a large saucepan, melt butter. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat in cocoa, flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread into prepared dish. Bake for 30 minutes.
To make frosting, combine ingredients and mix well until creamy. (More butter and less confectioners' sugar might make for a better consistency... heating it just slightly might make it spread more easily on the brownies...) Frost brownies while they are still warm. Allow to cool before cutting.
Makes 1-8x8 pan of rich brownies.
New ingredients: nothing
New skills: I finally tried a dessert other than cookies!
Brownies with Chocolate Frosting
Brownies:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Frosting:
3 tablespoons butter, softened
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan. In a large saucepan, melt butter. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat in cocoa, flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread into prepared dish. Bake for 30 minutes.
To make frosting, combine ingredients and mix well until creamy. (More butter and less confectioners' sugar might make for a better consistency... heating it just slightly might make it spread more easily on the brownies...) Frost brownies while they are still warm. Allow to cool before cutting.
Makes 1-8x8 pan of rich brownies.
New ingredients: nothing
New skills: I finally tried a dessert other than cookies!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
#13 - Soft Ginger Cookies
For my boss's birthday I offered to make cookies, whatever kind he wanted. He said he liked gingersnaps, but then clarified that he actually liked them to be soft, not crunchy. "So ginger-softs" he laughed. After just a bit of googling I found a recipe for big, soft ginger cookies that seemed promising. It's hard to say no to a recipe that has a 5 star rating, has been reviewed over 2500 times, and has been saved by more than 77,500 people. Not surprisingly, it was on allrecipes.com, of which I've become a big fan. These turned out very well (if just slightly undercooked, I've adjusted the instructions below) and were a big hit with everyone at work. I think I like the ginger sugar cookies I made back in January better than these, but these were still very, very yummy. In other noteworthy news, I've discovered that I really like making cookies. It's a pleasant, calming activity with delightful, friendly results. Lucky recipe #13 - scrumptious!
Big Soft Ginger Cookies
2 and 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons white sugar (for rolling)
Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir in the sifted ingredients.
Shape dough into walnut sized balls and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten them slightly.
Bake for 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container and they'll keep very well for a few days. Makes about 3 dozen.
New ingredients: Nothing! My goal of slowly building a fully stocked kitchen has already been reached! I had ginger, cloves, and molasses on hand!
New skills: nothing, but it's nice to get more experience baking
Big Soft Ginger Cookies
2 and 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons white sugar (for rolling)
Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir in the sifted ingredients.
Shape dough into walnut sized balls and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten them slightly.
Bake for 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container and they'll keep very well for a few days. Makes about 3 dozen.
New ingredients: Nothing! My goal of slowly building a fully stocked kitchen has already been reached! I had ginger, cloves, and molasses on hand!
New skills: nothing, but it's nice to get more experience baking
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
#12 - Waffles with Strawberry Topping
mmmmmmm waffles! I had an impromptu breakfast-for-dinner party and made scrambled eggs with cheese, spicy hashbrowns, and waffles with strawberry topping. I made a giant mess of the kitchen and used just about every bowl, plate, pan, and fork I have. It took several days (seriously, DAYS) before I actually managed to finish washing all those dishes.... but, the food was good and it was nice to have a bunch of friends over. [Sidenote: We played a card game called Bohnanza and I dreamed about trading beans that night!] The pumpkin waffles I made in the past were delicious, but I didn't have any pumpkin, and I could have made pancakes, but that wouldn't have been a new recipe, so I found this classic waffle recipe on allrecipes.com. I had a pint of strawberries, so I decided to make this strawberry topping to go with it. I had some (what I thought were) old potatoes, that turned out to be rotten potatoes, but luckily Joe called from the store at just the right moment to see if I needed anything, so he brought home (orange juice and) the frozen shredded hashbrowns that I doctored up with lots of onion powder, garlic/pepper grinder stuff, salt, and red pepper. A little too spicy, but still good. And the eggs were fine, I just have to remember that they take a long time to cook when I'm making such a big batch. The waffles were perfect, but the strawberry topping was a little blah and didn't seem to have the right consistency (way too watery). I'm not counting the strawberries as a new recipe, but the waffles definitely count and I'll certainly be making them again. It's great to add a new, practical recipe to my repertoire. Recipe #12 - check!
Classic Waffles
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons white sugar
dash or two of cinnamon (I added this)
2 eggs
1 and 1/2 cups warm milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Melt butter and warm up milk. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Combine eggs, butter, milk, and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients into dry. Beat until blended. Pour into preheated waffle iron. Cook for about 2 and 1/2 minutes. (Makes 3 waffles.)
Strawberry Topping
1 pound of fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest (I didn't have/use this)
Slice strawberries in 1/4 inch slices. In a saucepan combine sugar and orange juice (and orange zest). Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Once it reaches a rolling boil, remove from the heat and pour over sliced strawberries. Let sit while making waffles. (Other recipes I looked at called for a few teaspoons of cornstarch to thicken the sauce. I think that would have helped.)
New ingredients: nothing
New skills: planning and serving a big meal!
Classic Waffles
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons white sugar
dash or two of cinnamon (I added this)
2 eggs
1 and 1/2 cups warm milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Melt butter and warm up milk. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Combine eggs, butter, milk, and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients into dry. Beat until blended. Pour into preheated waffle iron. Cook for about 2 and 1/2 minutes. (Makes 3 waffles.)
Strawberry Topping
1 pound of fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest (I didn't have/use this)
Slice strawberries in 1/4 inch slices. In a saucepan combine sugar and orange juice (and orange zest). Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Once it reaches a rolling boil, remove from the heat and pour over sliced strawberries. Let sit while making waffles. (Other recipes I looked at called for a few teaspoons of cornstarch to thicken the sauce. I think that would have helped.)
New ingredients: nothing
New skills: planning and serving a big meal!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
#11 - Tuna Noodle Casserole
YUMMY! This one might be my favorite thing I've made so far, but that's probably because I've been thinking about it for at least a week, so finally getting to eat it is very exciting. Niketa made a casserole weeks ago and posted about it on her food blog (which was what inspired me to blog about my own resolution... hers is The Weekly Nibble, if you're interested) and then a few weeks ago I saw a new casserole cookbook in a catalogue at work, so it seemed it was time to try one out myself. I think the only one I'd ever made before was green bean casserole, which only involves 3 ingredients (green beans, soup, fried onions), so this was new and a bit more interesting. I love tuna, so I knew tuna noodle casserole was exactly what I wanted to make. After some googling I found a recipe on the Land o' Lakes website that sounded good. I know you can't really go wrong with a casserole, so I added some ingredients and used a few substitutions. They're reflected in the recipe below. Joe and Niketa both agreed that my latest cooking attempt turned out well and I'm very excited that even after feeding all three of us, I still have tons leftover :) Recipe #11 - a huge success!
Tuna Noodle Casserole
- 2/3 bag of egg noodles, cooked (8 ounces pre-cooked)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup of sliced celery (2-3 ribs)
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped (1 medium)
- 1 can of condensed cream of asparagus soup (I substituted this for cream of mushroom soup because mushrooms are yucky and I figured it would be better than overpowering the whole thing with cream of celery soup in addition to the fresh celery)
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup of cheese, cubed (recipe called for American, but I used about 3/4 of a cup extra sharp cheddar and 1/4 cup mozzarella because that's what I had)
- 12 ounces of tuna, drained and flaked
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- few dashes of garlic powder (I added this)
- heavy dashes of chili powder and red pepper (I substituted this for 1 tablespoon of diced pimiento pepper because I couldn't find one in the store; this gave it a nice spiciness)
- a small bag of potato chips, crushed
- spoonful of bread crumbs (I added this)
Cook noodles according to package directions. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter in a large, deep, frying pan until sizzling. Add celery and onion and cook over medium heat until crisply tender (3-4 minutes). Stir in milk and soup. Continue cooking until heated through (2-3 minutes). Stir in all remaining ingredients except potato chips and breadcrumbs. Mix well in the pot you used to cook the pasta (if it doesn't all fit in the skillet). Spoon into an ungreased 13x9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and chips. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Enjoy! Makes about 8 servings.
New ingredients: nothing new this time around
New skills: experimenting with casseroles!
Tuna Noodle Casserole
- 2/3 bag of egg noodles, cooked (8 ounces pre-cooked)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup of sliced celery (2-3 ribs)
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped (1 medium)
- 1 can of condensed cream of asparagus soup (I substituted this for cream of mushroom soup because mushrooms are yucky and I figured it would be better than overpowering the whole thing with cream of celery soup in addition to the fresh celery)
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup of cheese, cubed (recipe called for American, but I used about 3/4 of a cup extra sharp cheddar and 1/4 cup mozzarella because that's what I had)
- 12 ounces of tuna, drained and flaked
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- few dashes of garlic powder (I added this)
- heavy dashes of chili powder and red pepper (I substituted this for 1 tablespoon of diced pimiento pepper because I couldn't find one in the store; this gave it a nice spiciness)
- a small bag of potato chips, crushed
- spoonful of bread crumbs (I added this)
Cook noodles according to package directions. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter in a large, deep, frying pan until sizzling. Add celery and onion and cook over medium heat until crisply tender (3-4 minutes). Stir in milk and soup. Continue cooking until heated through (2-3 minutes). Stir in all remaining ingredients except potato chips and breadcrumbs. Mix well in the pot you used to cook the pasta (if it doesn't all fit in the skillet). Spoon into an ungreased 13x9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and chips. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Enjoy! Makes about 8 servings.
New ingredients: nothing new this time around
New skills: experimenting with casseroles!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
#9 and #10 - Pumpkin Waffles with Banana Topping
On Sunday Marin and Sean came down for the day. I made lunch for us... it was going to be brunch, but ended up being ready pretty late so... lunchfest? A much more fun name than brunch anyway, says Marin. It was delicious, if I do say so myself. I doubt I'll be struggling to hit 52 new recipes at the end of the year, so I don't feel like I'm cheating in counting the two parts of this meal as two separate recipes.
First, pumpkin waffles, which I'd eaten before, but never made myself. My friend Laura found the recipe online and made them for brunch back in November, and honestly, I've been thinking about them ever since. Joe got me a waffle maker for Christmas, so I was ready to go. I got the recipe for the banana topping from Cook This Not That. It's meant to go on french toast, but I figured it would be good over waffles too. In the future I think I'd make it with plain waffles and eat the pumpkin waffles with just butter and syrup. The waffles and topping are both so delicious either one would be great without the other. I'm in the 8th full week of the year and have already tried 10 new recipes - awesome!
Pumpkin Waffles
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and warm
Lightly oil the waffle iron with vegetable oil and set it to the desired temperature. Combine brown sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Whisk together to break apart the cornstarch. Add the remaining dry ingredients and whisk to blend. Separate eggs, yolks go in a medium sized bowl and whites get set aside in a smaller bowl. Add pumpkin and milk to the egg yolks. Whisk to blend and set aside. Whip the egg whites with a hand mixer on high until stiff peaks form, about 1 and 1/2 to 2 minutes. Set aside. Pour melted butter into the yolk/milk/pumpkin mixture. As you pour, whisk to combine. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and mix them together until just combined. A little lumpiness is fine. That will smooth out when the egg whites are added. Slide the whipped egg whites out of the bowl and onto the mixture you just prepared. Gently fold them in until no white bits are obvious. Once the waffle iron is heated, you’re ready to pour the batter! Makes 4 full size waffles.
Banana Topping
First, pumpkin waffles, which I'd eaten before, but never made myself. My friend Laura found the recipe online and made them for brunch back in November, and honestly, I've been thinking about them ever since. Joe got me a waffle maker for Christmas, so I was ready to go. I got the recipe for the banana topping from Cook This Not That. It's meant to go on french toast, but I figured it would be good over waffles too. In the future I think I'd make it with plain waffles and eat the pumpkin waffles with just butter and syrup. The waffles and topping are both so delicious either one would be great without the other. I'm in the 8th full week of the year and have already tried 10 new recipes - awesome!
Pumpkin Waffles
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and warm
Lightly oil the waffle iron with vegetable oil and set it to the desired temperature. Combine brown sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Whisk together to break apart the cornstarch. Add the remaining dry ingredients and whisk to blend. Separate eggs, yolks go in a medium sized bowl and whites get set aside in a smaller bowl. Add pumpkin and milk to the egg yolks. Whisk to blend and set aside. Whip the egg whites with a hand mixer on high until stiff peaks form, about 1 and 1/2 to 2 minutes. Set aside. Pour melted butter into the yolk/milk/pumpkin mixture. As you pour, whisk to combine. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and mix them together until just combined. A little lumpiness is fine. That will smooth out when the egg whites are added. Slide the whipped egg whites out of the bowl and onto the mixture you just prepared. Gently fold them in until no white bits are obvious. Once the waffle iron is heated, you’re ready to pour the batter! Makes 4 full size waffles.
Banana Topping
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons bourbon (or cognac... that's what I used because that's what Marin brought)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup crushed walnuts
2 ripe but still firm bananas, sliced into coins
1/4 cup 2% milk
Heat the butter in a medium nonstick pan over medium heat. Add bourbon and brown sugar and stir to dissolve. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until bubbly. Add walnuts and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add bananas and heat through. Stir in milk and keep warm until serving. Makes enough for 3 people.
New ingredient: corn starch (I tried to buy bourbon, but they didn't have it at the grocery store, so Marin supplied the cognac instead)
New skill: whipping egg whites! fun stuff
2 tablespoons bourbon (or cognac... that's what I used because that's what Marin brought)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup crushed walnuts
2 ripe but still firm bananas, sliced into coins
1/4 cup 2% milk
Heat the butter in a medium nonstick pan over medium heat. Add bourbon and brown sugar and stir to dissolve. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until bubbly. Add walnuts and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add bananas and heat through. Stir in milk and keep warm until serving. Makes enough for 3 people.
New ingredient: corn starch (I tried to buy bourbon, but they didn't have it at the grocery store, so Marin supplied the cognac instead)
New skill: whipping egg whites! fun stuff
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
#8 - Creamy Broccoli Soup
I brought a new cookbook home from work today, Martha Stewart's Everyday Food: Great Food Fast. My friend Laura has had me over for dinner and made a few things from this book before, so I knew it would be good. I had it in my bag and needed to stop at the store to pick up milk on my way home anyway, so I decided to pick a recipe and pick up the ingredients I needed and make something for dinner. The cream of asparagus soup sounded great, but would have required a few too many extra purchases, so I went with the broccoli soup instead. It was funny, walking around the store with the book open in my cart. All I needed was the broccoli and some more vegetable stock, but I ended up buying a bunch of other groceries too. (I spend way too much money at the grocery store. I don't have problems with clothes shopping or shoe shopping... but the grocery store gets me every time.) Anyway, it wasn't a hard soup to make at all and it came out pretty well. I always expect soups to be thicker than they are. I added a spoonful of flour to make it just a little creamier. Not a super exciting soup and not as delicious as the tomato soup I made last year, but then nothing compares to that soup. I ate it with some toast with tomato and melted cheese. A nice, spur-of-the-moment dinner... recipe #8 - yum!
Creamy Broccoli Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 cups vegetable stock
1/3 cup rolled oats
1 and 1/2 pounds fresh broccoli (florets separated, stems peeled and cut into 1/2 inch rounds)
In a large saucepan heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the nutmeg and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in 1 and 1/2 cups water, stock, oats, and broccoli. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until broccoli is tender, 5-10 minutes. Puree using a hand-blender.
New ingredients: Nothing! That's why I picked this recipe.
New skills: peeling broccoli stems... it's a lot of work and doesn't seem so worthwhile
Creamy Broccoli Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 cups vegetable stock
1/3 cup rolled oats
1 and 1/2 pounds fresh broccoli (florets separated, stems peeled and cut into 1/2 inch rounds)
In a large saucepan heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the nutmeg and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in 1 and 1/2 cups water, stock, oats, and broccoli. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until broccoli is tender, 5-10 minutes. Puree using a hand-blender.
New ingredients: Nothing! That's why I picked this recipe.
New skills: peeling broccoli stems... it's a lot of work and doesn't seem so worthwhile
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)