#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

#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!

#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

#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!

#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!

#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

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

#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

#7 - Spritz Cookies

I was going to make heart-shaped cookies for Valentine's Day, but I didn't have almond extract, so I postponed by a day and made them for February 15th instead.  The real reason I wanted to make these cookies was so that I could finally try out my cookie press that I bought more than a year ago.  It worked pretty well, but it's messy and kind of a lot of work.  I tried the heart shape, the Christmas tree, and a 5-petaled wreath/flower shape.  I used the recipe for classic spritz cookies that came with the cookie press.  They're not the best tasting cookies in the world, but they're ok and they were all eaten pretty quickly at work.  They're more decorative than delicious really, so when I make them again it might just be to mix in with other cookies as a gift during the holidays.  Next time, once I press out the dough, but before baking, I can try adding sprinkles.  Maybe I'll see if I can find a better recipe, because the shapes really are pretty fun, and it would be worth the extra effort if they tasted better.  #7 - done!

Classic Spritz Cookies
1 and 1/2 cups butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
* Thoroughly cream butter and sugar.  Add egg, milk, vanilla, and almond extract.  Beat well.  Stir together flour and baking powder.  Gradually add to creamed mixture, mixing to make a smooth dough.  Don't chill!  Put dough into cookie press and press onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 8-9 minutes at 375 degrees.  Remove from sheet and cool on a rack.

New ingredient: almond extract
New skill: using my cookie press!

#6 - Crab Dip

I decided to make crab dip for a superbowl party I went to.  I figured instead of making my usual mexican dip I'd try a new recipe.  I guess it turned out alright... people ate it at the party and Joe seems to like it and is going to finish it, but I haven't actually tried more than a tiny bite.  Something about the smell just makes me feel sick and I don't want to eat it at all!  It's main flavor is actually dill, which I don't normally dislike, so I guess it's just the crab that's really turning me off.  Oh well, recipe #6 - check!

Crab Dip (from the "New Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook" again)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 six-ounce can of cooked crabmeat, drained and flaked
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
1 teaspoon lemon juice
ground red pepper to taste
salt and black pepper to taste
- Combine ingredients, cover, refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours before serving with crackers.

New skills: grating lemon peel
New ingredients: ground red pepper, dried dill

#5 - Ginger Sugar Cookies

Today I decided to finally try a cookie recipe from "The Gourmet Cookie Book".  Ever since I came across this book at work I've been so excited to try out all the recipes in it.  It features "the single best recipe from each year 1941-2009" as originally published in Gourmet Magazine.  When making my resolutions for the year I was tempted to resolve to make one recipe from this book each week, but then I realized it was a really bad idea to make cookies every single week.  Even if I gave them away and brought them to work, I'd still gain a million pounds.  So instead I decided to just try one new recipe of any sort each week, knowing that now and then I'd try a new cookie recipe.  These came out really well.  They feel like Christmas.  And I learned something new!  If you sprinkle 2 or 3 drops of water on the cookies right before you bake them (as the recipe says you should) they get that perfect crackled look on top.  I'll have to try that next time I make snickerdoodles.  I couldn't tell if more or less water led to more crackling... oh well, some water made some crackles and they looked nice and were delicious.  They remind me of the molasses cookies I ate when I was a kid, but with a little bit more of a ginger kick.  The recipe says it makes 11 dozen, but that can't possibly be right.  I think mine were bigger than they were supposed to be and I made 5 dozen.  Recipe #5, another cookie success!

Ingredients:
3/4 cups butter or shortening, softened
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses (mild, not robust)
2 and 1/4 cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
sugar
water

Instructions:
Cream butter and then gradually beat in dark brown sugar.  Stir in egg and molasses and blend thoroughly.  Sift flour and combine with baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt.  Gradually blend dry ingredients into the creamed mixture.  Chill dough, covered, for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Roll heaping teaspoonfuls of dough into 1-inch balls.  Dip the tops in sugar and place 3 inches apart on a greased baking sheet.  Sprinkle each cookie with 2 or 3 drops of water (this gives the cookies a distinctive crackled look).  Bake for 7-8 minutes.  If you take them out early, when they've just set, they'll be soft and slightly chewy.  Leave them in a little longer and they'll get crisp.

Makes about 5 dozen.

New skills: dropping water on cookies
New ingredients: molasses, cloves

#4 - Pesto Tortellini

I attempted to make Pesto Gnocchi with Green Beans and Tomatoes, another recipe from "Cook This Not That!", but the grocery store didn't have any gnocchi and I was too tired to make it from scratch, so I improvised and made Pesto Tortellini instead.  It was sooooooooooo good!  Cheesy pasta with pesto, can't really go wrong there.  Recipe #4, done and I can't wait to make it again!

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound fresh green beans
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 packages of premade cheese tortellini (or ravioli or gnocchi) (about 18 ounces total)
1/2 cup of pesto
1 cup bite-size cubes of fresh mozzarella
parmesan cheese to taste

Instructions:
Wash the tomatoes and green beans.  Snap the ends off the green beans and break into bite-size lengths.  Heat a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add the olive oil and green beans and cook for 3 minutes, then toss in the tomatoes and continue cooking until they're browned on the outside (about 5 more minutes, don't let the green beans get too soft).

Cook and drain the tortellini according to the package.  Combine the veggies with the pasta, pesto, and mozzarella cubes in the big pot.  Mix in a little parmesan cheese if desired, or grate fresh parmesan on top of each serving after scooping into bowls.

Makes 4 servings.

New skills: cleaning fresh green beans I guess?
New ingredients: nothing

#3 - Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Decided to make cookies for a friend's birthday, so I found a recipe that had 4.5 stars on allrecipes.com and they were aaaaaaamazing.  Easy, quick, delicious.  What more can you ask for in a cookie recipe?  I barely changed this one.  Cooking is an art, baking is a science, right?  Recipe #3, check!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened (I used 1/2 cup salted, 1/2 cup unsalted)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick-cooking oats ***I had looked at a recipe that called for regular rolled oats and bought those, but then used this recipe, so I decided to use up the last 1.5 cups of quick oats in my cupboard and then use 1.5 cups of regular oats.  I think I'd do it the same next time because the texture of these cookies was completely perfect.***
1 and 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  In a large bowl cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.  Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.  Stir into the creamed mixture until just blended.  Mix in the oats and chocolate chips.  Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake for 12 minutes.  Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 3-4 dozen.  Keep well for at least a few days... if they're not all eaten within the first 24 hours.

New skills: nothing
New ingredients: nothing

#2 - Black Bean Soup

I've been in a soup mood... and excited about using my new hand blender... so I tried a recipe for black bean soup with salsa cream that I found in my sister's "Williams-Sonoma Collection: Soup" cookbook.  It was pretty good, not great, but I added more spices to the leftovers and that significantly improved the flavor, making it a great soup that I will definitely make again in the future.  I only used one jalapeno, but it would definitely be better with two.  I altered the original recipe a bit by adding chili powder and increasing the spice measurements (all reflected in the recipe below).  I paired it with quesadillas (roasted red and green peppers and pepper jack cheese) that were good with the extra salsa cream.  Made for a great meal.  Recipe #2, done!


Ingredients:
For soup:
2 cans black beans
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 yellow onions, finely chopped
2 jalapeno chiles, seeded and minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 and 1/2 teaspoons dried coriander (cilantro)
1 and 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
8 cups water
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro, plus sprigs for garnish
salt and pepper to taste


For salsa cream:
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons purchased fresh salsa
salt and pepper to taste


Instructions:

In a large soup pot over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onions and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Add green chile to taste along with the garlic, bell pepper, cumin, coriander, and oregano. Sauté, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened and the mixture is very aromatic, 7-10 minutes.

Add the beans and water, cover partially, and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. Puree the soup, leaving some texture. Add the lime juice, minced cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste. Reheat gently over medium heat.

Just before serving, make the salsa cream. In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, lime juice, salsa, and salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and garnish each bowl with the salsa cream and a cilantro sprig.

Makes about 8 servings.

New skills: figuring out recipes... cilantro vs. coriander!
New ingredients: cilantro and coriander!

#1 - Butternut Squash Soup

The whole family was in DC for a day of sightseeing and we had lunch at my apartment, so I made green bean casserole, ham, and butternut squash soup.  I adapted a recipe from "Cook This Not That!" to make it vegetarian (veggie broth instead of chicken, no bacon).  Everyone seemed to enjoy it, but it wasn't as flavorful as I was hoping for and the texture was too much like applesauce for my liking.  Maybe the squash wasn't ripe enough?  Too ripe?  I think if it cooks longer and the whole thing is mixed more with the hand blender the texture might improve.  More nutmeg and more pepper might perk up the flavor too.  I don't think I'll be trying this one again anytime soon, but still, one recipe attempted!

Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash
olive oil
pinch of grated nutmeg
salt and black pepper to taste
1 small onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 green apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
4 cups vegetable broth

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Slice the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.  Rub the halves with a touch of oil and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.  Place open side up on a baking sheet and roast until the flesh is very soft, about 50 minutes.  Set aside to cool.  When it's cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh.  ***I did this two nights in advance and then just kept it in the refrigerator until it was time to make the soup.***

Heat a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onion and ginger and cook until the onion is translucent (but not browned), about 3 minutes.  Add the apple and cook until soft, another 3 minutes or so.  Add the squash pieces and broth.  Remove from the heat and use a hand blender to mix until smooth.  Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Return to the heat, bring to a simmer.  Serve hot.  ***My sister peeled and minced the ginger root, so if I use fresh ginger again someday it will really be my first time working with that particular ingredient.***

Makes 4-6 servings.

New skills: baking butternut squash, using ginger root
New ingredients: fresh ginger

The Resolution

I'm going to try 52 new recipes this year!  It seems to me that the best way to learn to cook and bake all sorts of different things is to just go ahead and try to make them, so that's exactly what I'm going to do.  I'll aim for one new recipe per week, but some weeks I might try two and others none at all.  By working with new ingredients and trying out new methods and/or cooking tools as I go I'm hoping to end up with a well stocked, comprehensive spice rack and a kitchen holding everything I need to cook any great meal or bake any amazing dessert I want to make in the future.

So here goes :)