(left-over) Cranberry Thumbpint Cookies

We had the soup last night with turkey sandwiches.  Today I did not get up until noon.  Jim thought I was dead.  The soup was really good.  We had enough left over for tonight.  Today was pay the bills day.   After that I mad Cranberry thumbrints Cookies.  It is a way to use up the cranberry sauce.  But they are not great, but OK.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Ifyou have chunky sauce, break it down in your food processor. 

1. Beat 1 C unsalted butter amd 3/4 C packed light brown sugar together in the bowl of a standard mixer until smooth.  Stir in 1 t vanilla extract.  Add 2 1/2 C flour, 3/4 t cinnamon and ground allspice plus a pinch of salt.  Stir in 3/4 C pecan pieces.  
2. Form dough int 11/2" balls and set 1" apart on a greased baking sheet.  Use your thumb to press a well into center of each cookie.  Spoon about 1/4 t sauce into each well.  Bake cookies until light golden brown 12-15 minutes.  

They are OK, not great.  However I forgot the cinnamon and ground alspice plus the pinch of salt.  Should not cook when I am tired and depressed.  I lost a good friend to brain cancer yesterday.  Sally was the smartest person I have ever known.   

The Last of the Turkey

Boy, am I cooked out. After breakfast I broke up the turkey skeleton and put it in a large pot with onions, carrots, celery and all those herbs I had to buy in quantity and didn’t quite use up for turkey day dinner. For dinner we will had leftovers. We still have tons of leftovers even with Max helping us eat them up. As soon as the soup cools we will be straining it and storing overnight to get the fat out.
I couldn’t post last night as something went wrong with the internet. I made the soup and cooled it over night. Today, after removing the fat, I added celery, carrots, turkey and white beans. When the soup is served you sprinkle it with parmesan cheese. I got this out of Sunset magazine.

Saturday with Friends

Last night we had visitors from Michigan, school mate of Jim’s. I decided to do Mexican assuming that all would be tired of Thanksgiving type goodies. For appetizers I recreated two from Thanksgiving, the cheese with honey and nuts and the crab artichoke dip. I also served nuts and olives and was supposed to serve Guacamole, but it is still in the refrigerator; should have made a list. Our main dish was wonderful, however I will warn you that it takes every pot in the house plus some you had to wash out and reuse. This can be a vegetarian dish, but I added leftover turkey.
Pumpkin Enchilada Casserole with Red Chile Sauce and Poblano-Pepita Salsa, from Fine Cooking Magazine
Serves 6-8
For the Sauce:
3 oz. dried California chiles (who knows, but I found ones called Anaheim, what could be more CA than the home of Disneyland.)
¾ oz. dried ancho chiles
6 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 t. dried oregano
1T EVOO
1T all-purpose flour
1T light brown sugar
Kosher salt
For the Filling
2T EVOO
1 large yellow onion, cut into small dice
4 large garlic, finely chopped
1T ground cumin
3 C ½ “diced peeled, seeded pumpkin (be sure to use pie pumpkin, not a jack-o-lantern)
½ C chicken or vegetable broth
2 C diced leftover roasted turkey or chicken (optional)
Kosher Salt
For Assembly:
EVOO
10 6” corn tortillas
3 C packed grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 recipe Poblano-Pepita Salsa
Crema Mexicana or Sour Cream for serving
Make the Sauce:
1. Stem, seed, and rinse the chilies. Put the chilies, garlic, oregano, and 3 cups water in a 3 QT. saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chilies and the garlic are very tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 30 minutes, Puree in a blender. (Peeling and seeding the chiles should be a man’s job. My hands were a mess. Anything from this sauce that does not make it in the blender turns whatever it hits red. Put blender jar in the sink and pour in the sauce. Make sure it is very cool as if this blows the blender lid, your kitchen is history.)
2. Heat the EVOO in a 4 qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and stir until it begins to color, 2-3 minutes. Carefully stir in the chile mixture-it will spatter-and bring to a boil. Stir in the sugar and 2 t. salt. Keep warm. (I put it will sputter in italics as this is a gross understatement. I had red spats from the ceiling to the floor. I was close to loosing it at this point, when Jim offered to clean up.
Make the Filling:
1. Heat the EVOO in a 12” skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring until nicely browned, about 11 minutes. Add the garlic and cook stirring for 2 minutes. Add the cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the pumpkin and stir to coat. Lower the heat to medium, add the broth, cover, and simmer until the pumpkin is just tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the turkey and season to taste with salt.
2. I had cut the pumpkin in half and roasted it skin side up for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Eliminates the very difficult peeling process. Mine were not perfect cubes of pumpkin, but no one seemed to notice. I did add the broth; I used turkey broth, and kept it on warm.
Assemble:
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush a 9x13 pan with EVOO. Spread ¾ C of sauce over the bottom of the dish.
2. Heat a griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and brush lightly with oil. One at a time, heat 5 tortillas until softened and pliable, about 1 minute per side. Arrange the griddled tortillas over the sauce in the pan.
3. Spread1/2 C sauce over the tortillas. Spoon the filling evenly over the sauce and top with 1 C cheese. Drizzle ½ C sauce over the cheese.
4. Heat the remaining tortillas on the griddle. Arrange the tortillas evenly over the sauce, filling, and cheese.
5. Spread the remaining sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
6. Bake until the cheese bubbles and the casserole is heated through, 30-35 minutes. Let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving with the salsa and sour cream.
I assembled by 3:00 and just topped with wax paper until I was ready to cook. I started about 10:00 AM and was done by 3:00. That did not include Jim helping with clean up along the way. Also you are not done yet. In the middle while waiting for steps to finish I made the
Poblano-Pepita Salsa
Yields about 2 ½ Cups
2 medium poblano chiles
1# tomatillos, husked and rinsed
½ C unsalted, roasted, hulled pepitas (I roast my nuts by putting them in a skillet and keep stirring. When half look light brown I turn off the heat and keep stirring. Never leave the stove for a minute while doing this)
¼ C packed chopped fresh cilantro
Kosher Salt
1. Char the chiles over a gas burner or under a broiler until blackened on all sides, 6-8 minutes. I do mine stove top and stick a long fork in them to keep turning. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic, and cool. Peel, stem, seed, and finely chop the chiles.
2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the tomatillos, turning occasionally, until dark brown in spots, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
3. Coarsely chop the pepitas in a food processor; transfer to a medium bowl. Without washing the processor, add the tomatillos and process to the consistency of a chunky sauce. Transfer to the bowl with the pepitas, Stir in the chiles, cilantro and salt to taste.
I just put the cilantro and peppers in at the same time as the tomatillos and let the processor do the work.
This meal was excellent. Worth the work and mess, and I do mean work and mess. Serve with the Sour Cream and Salsa.
Next dessert, this was a winner Just double or triple the recipe to save you the time of making it over and over again. It said 6 servings, but I only got 4.
Maple-Pecan Sundaes with Candied Bacon, Bon Appetite, October 2010.
4 bacon slices
2T pure maple sugar, divided
¾ C pure maple syrup-preferably Grade B
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 T finely chopped crystallized ginger
½ C pecan halves, toasted
Vanilla ice cream
1. Preheat oven to 44 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place rack in the center of the foil. Lay bacon slices on rack. Sprinkle 1 T maple sugar evenly over bacon. Bake until sugar is melted about 8 minutes. Sprinkle remaining 1T sugar over same side of bacon. Bake until bacon is deep brown and glazed, 12-14 minutes longer. Remove from oven.
2. Preheat broiler. Broil bacon until sugar on top bubbles thickly, watching closely to prevent burning, 1-2 minutes. Cool bacon completely on rack. Cut into ¼” dice. (I just broke mine in small pieces with a knife. Don’t use thick bacon but not too thin either as the sugar will not have time to melt before you burn the bacon.)
3. Combine maple syrup and cinnamon sticks in deep medium saucepan and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-high and simmer until sauce is thickened and reduced to ½-3/4 C, about 5 minutes. Remove cinnamon sticks.
4. Mix lemon juice and ginger into sauce.
5. Stir pecans and bacon into the maple sauce.
6. Scoop ice cream into dessert dishes. Spoon sauce over and serve.
I’ve never tasted a better sauce for ice cream ever.

Thanksgiving "Instant Replay"

Today is all leftovers, except for the corn that was forgotten in the oven. So I thought I’d write a little about how I assembled the dinner menu. The recipes came from many different sources. The first recipe for the Crab and artichoke dip came from Sunset Magazine. The pesto stuffed mushroom caps came from Viansa and couldn’t have been easier. I bought large white mushrooms and took out the stems. I cleaned 12 of them and filled the centers with 1 jar of Basil pesto from the store. I baked them for 20 minutes at 400 degrees and sprinkled each with finely grated Parmesan cheese. I left them in the oven for the cheese to melt a few minutes. These were a great hit. The goat cheese idea also came from Viansa also. Open up the package of goat cheese and place on a plate. Pour the honey on top and top that with roasted very thin sliced almonds with the brown edges. I served it all with thin French bread slices that had been toasted with EVOO that I bought from Wegmans.
I always wet brine my turkeys. I usually just buy the brine from Williams Sonoma. Jim always cooks the turkey in the grille. This year after drying it I rubbed the skin with a mixture of butter, Herbes De Provence, salt, pepper and EVOO. This recipe came from Penzeys catalogue. The turkey was moist and delicious. Jim kept basting it with chicken broth. He cooked a 20# turkey in 3 hours. I made the gravy with Wonder Flour, pan drippings which were not greasy as we used mostly chicken broth for basting. I supplemented it with the turkey broth I had made the day before. The stuffing came from Sunset Magazine and was the best I have ever made. The whipped Sweet potatoes and bananas with honey came from FoodTV chief Tyler Florence and the year was 2006. I still like the kind with marshmallows on top better. The roasted Brussels sprouts with wild mushrooms came from Fine Cooking Magazine. These were a huge hit and super easy.
Sweet bourbon corn pudding came from an article in Parade Magazine. The green beans were just coated with the EVOO, salt and pepper and cooked in the microwave. I sort of added them for color. The pan-roasted balsamic onions came from Martha’s TV show in 2007. I was really looking forward to this and they were good, but I’ve made better with less nonsense. The Cranberry Pomegranate Terrine also came from Food TV, 2008. I have enough left over to feed an army.

Finally dessert. I got so much grief from Jim for making two pies. “I’m not going to stuff myself,” said the man who had two helpings of everything at dinner and ate a piece of each pie with whipped cream. The first was an apple and blackberry combination. It is the picture on the left. The fall leaves are the millions of little leaves cut from pastry covering the apples as only Martha could dream up. The pumpkin pie was the best ever and came from a Sharon Klein of Milwaukie, OR, published by Sunset Magazine. This one was very easy and I decorated it with 2 sizes of leaves, an acorn and a pumpkin.
With appetizers Jim served Domaine Dublere, Chassagne-Montrachet, 1er Cru – Les Chaumees, 2006. If I ever win the lottery, I am going to fill the wine cellar with this wine. For dinner we had Reillys, 2007 old bush vine Grenache, just wonderful. I was extremely pleased with the taste of dinner and that the timing I planned worked perfectly.

Turkey Day, best ever

How can I say this was the best dinner I have ever made.  I guess that Heather and Nick should chime in.  I cooked til I dropped on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Today was all finish work and I was so organized it was amazing.  It was a breeze today.  The turkey was to die for.  The stuffing could not have been better.  I think I still like sweet potatoes with marshmallows best, but these were really good.   We have tons of cranberry sauce left over, but Sunset Magazine has a cookie recipe for it.  Everyone loved the pies.  I only had room for the apple blackberry and it was wonderful.  The mushroom appetizer was wonderful.   It totally overshadowed the other two which were equally great.  The Brussels sprouts were a winner.  Jim served wonderful wines.  Withe the appetizers we had Domaine Dublere Chassagne-Montrachet 2006.  With dinner we had an old bush vine Grenache by Reillys, 2007.  Here is hoping that yours was as good as mine.  
However no one will ever know how good or bad the Sweet Bourbon Corn pudding was.  I was talking to my brother and Mary said she made a corn casserole.  I said so did I, wait a minute.  I was working on the Brussels Sprouts  and  gravey and asked Jim to get all the items on hold out of the overn.  The corn is still there. 

Wednesday, went really good.

Yesterday was harder than today.  I think it was due to the pies.  Today I made the sweet potato recipe first except for final coking.  I next make the corn pudding.  I totally cooked it and will set it on warm tomorrow.  I made the stuffing and will cook it tomorrow and also the artichoke crab appetizer.  I have set the table and will start the final baking and keeping all partially cooked dishes for the table tomorrow, on warm as I finish them.  This has been so organized and I loved cooking it all by myself.   I sure hope it tastes good.

We were going to go out for dinner, but I was beat and took a pasta dinner out of the freezer that I had made previously.  Jim ate it all and all the soup from a previous dinner for lunch.  Not much of an appetite today.  A long time friend dumped on me last night and it was a hard day.         

Thanksgiving preparations

Day 2, countdown to Turkey day.
First I will give you the menu. I am not going to type in all the recipes as it would take me hours that I need to cook, but if anyone is interested in a recipe and I will email it to you.

Thanksgiving 2010

Appetizers

Warm Crab and Artichoke Dip with French bread

Pesto Stuffed Mushroom Caps

Goat Cheese with honey and Roasted Almonds

Main Course

Brined Turkey with Herbes de Provence and Gravy

Rye Bread Stuffing with Sausage, Pears, and Chestnuts

Whipped Sweet Potatoes and Bananas with honey

Roasted Brussels sprouts with wild mushrooms and cream

Sweet Bourbon corn Pudding

Green beans with lemon EVOO

Pan-Roasted Balsamic Onions

Cranberry Pomegranate Terrine

Dessert

Apple Blackberry Pie with Fall Leaves

Pumpkin Streusel Pie

Day 1 went well. I accomplished all I needed to do to finish by Thursday. I made both pies and the cranberry terrine. I made the onions and will warm in the microwave on Thursday. I chopped the bread to dry, brined the turkey and made the turkey stock for the gravy.
Today I started with the sweet potatoes. I made them up to the 20 minutes required in the oven again and will do that on Thursday. The corn dish is fully cooked and will be warmed tomorrow. I am now on to the Brussels sprouts and, the dip and preparing the Mushroom caps for filling and baking tomorrow. I will finish the day by setting the table and combining all the stuffing ingredients.  You will have to wait until Thursday night for tasting comments. 

Saturday and Sunday

Saturday night we went out to dinner in The Plaines at Griasole. Dinner was very, very good. I had a pear and arugula salad and Jim had Escargot, for starters. As we were finishing our appetizers, Robert De Valle walked in with his latest honey. He was in black jeans and a black leather jacket. He had a baseball hat on to cover his bald head. She was dressed all in beige with a beautiful casmire cape. The chef’s wife, who is the hostess, hovered at their table. You’d think they were movie stars or something. Jim had full view; I had my back to them. Jim said he must go out to dinner a lot as almost every time we are in The Plains, he shows up. For my main course I had Ossa Boca. It was wonderful. The pasta was good but kept slipping and decorated my blouse. Jim had venison in cherry sauce. He finished my Ossa Boca and said he liked his but mine was better. Jim finished with chocolate, chocolate cake.
Yesterday we went to the Washington Craft Show. The prices were outstanding. I did find a beautiful bench at a very reasonable price that Jim would not buy. We can spend $1200 on tires, but we can’t buy an outstanding piece of art for $1400. We had the left over Sausage soup for dinner along with the biscuits that I purchased at Williams Sonoma. I cooked them 10 minutes longer this time and they were still mushy in the middle. Jim concluded that there was just too much butter in them. I think they tasted very floury. I will not buy them again.
Today is Monday and the start of the melt down to Thanksgiving. Today we will shop and then go to dinner in Warrington. Monday is mussels night.

Five-Spice-Glazed Salmon with Sesame Green Beans

This meal comes from Fine Cooking. It was delicious and was easy to cut in half. I did use the full amount of green beans and did not weigh the 2 salmon fillets that I had in the freezer. Full recipe serves 4.
Ingredients:
¼ C honey
4 t reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 ½ t five- spice powder
2 large garlic cloves, minced
4 6-oz salmon fillets, with skin on. Mine did not have skin on.
1# slender green beans, trimmed
2 t canola oil
1 t Asian sesame oil
Salt and pepper
2 T toasted sesame seeds
1 t lemon juice
Steps:
1. In a small bowl, whish the honey, soy sauce, five-spice powder, and garlic. Put the salmon skin side down on a large plate and pour the honey mixture over it. Flip the fillets so they are skin side up. Let the fish marinate for 15 minutes at room temperature.
2. Position a rack 6 inches from the broiler and heat the broiler on high. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl, toss the green beans with the canola and sesame oils. Arrange the beans on on half of the prepared baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the salmon skin side down on the other half of the baking sheet. Brush the salmon with any remaining marinade from the plate.
4. Broil the salmon and green beans for 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, toss the green beans and reposition the salmon pieces as needed so that they cook evenly. Continue to broil until the salmon is just cooked through and the beans are crisp-tender, 2-3 minutes. Toss the green beans with the sesame seeds and lemon juice and serve.
I served with pre-packaged crescent rolls. My salmon took about 10 minutes under the broiler. The green beans were indeed crisp-tender. I might microwave them to done and then broil to add the color to the outside. I like beans that are less crisp. The marinade on the salmon was excellent.  Aside from easy to cut in half, it is a very fast meal.  We were everywhere today and didn't get home until 6:30 PM.  Poor Max, today was his 9th birthday and he didn't even get his dinner on time.  I did buy him boxes of treats from Trader Joe's and he really seems to like them. 

Viansa Fettuccini alla Boscaiola

So much to catch up on, I was too tired last night to write. We had a wonderful pasta meal from Viansa Winery. Warning, this is not low fat. It says 4-5 servings. We have about a half a serving left. Jim loved it and of course, fat means nothing to him.
Ingredients:
¼# fresh porcini mushrooms, sliced
1 small sweet white onion, coarsely chopped (mine seemed too big so I used half)
1/3 C Chardonnay wine
1/8 # pancetta, chopped (pre chopped at Wegmans)
1/8 # prosciutto, chopped (pre c hopped at Wegmans)
2 T white truffle oil and 3T for finishing
2 C heavy cream
1# fettuccini pasta
1 ½ C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground white pepper (I used black)
Instructions:
In a large sauté pan add mushrooms, onion, wine, pancetta and prosciutto and 2T truffle oil. Cook until golden. Stir in cream, cook until medium viscosity. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and add to sauté pan. Add parmesan cheese and toss over low heat. Salt and pepper to taste. Finish with the 3 T of truffle oil.
This meal was so easy to make and I thought very filling. I definitely probably had 1/5th and was very full. Jim only eats lunch if I fix it for him, so he was starved as I was having a total meltdown from my disease. I did get the T-day dinner planned.

White Bean Fennel and Sausage Soup

This recipe came from my friend Linda. We were in the grocery store and she wanted to know if we wanted fennel or broccoli for dinner that night. I said fennel and told her the story of Jim, my Mom and I being in a market in Italy and my Mom spotting fennel. She had never seen it before, but my Father had been in Italy during WW2 and wrote her about this wonderful plant that made everything taste better. She recognized it by his descriptions from years ago. This recipe is delicious and easy. The copy I have says Low-Fat cooking, Food & Wine. I do not have a year or date. Serves 8. I made the whole thing and have put the rest in the refrigerator for the end of the week.
Ingredients:
2 t EVOO
1 # sweet Italian sausage, skinned and crumbled
2 medium fennel bulbs, coarsely chopped
2 medium onions, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ C coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
6 C chicken stock
One 28 oz can Italian peeled tomatoes and their juice
2 C cooked with beans, such as cannellini or great northern, rinsed if canned
1 C cooked elbow macaroni ( I added more stock and dumped in ½ C of dried pasta)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Beyond soup:
Italian bread
EVOO
Parmigianino-Reggiano cheese
Chopped feathery fennel leaves
Steps:

1.   In a large heavy nonreactive skillet, heat the EVOO. Stir in the sausage and cook over high heat until well browned, about 5 minutes. Drain off all the fat. Lower the heat to moderate and add the fennel, onions, garlic, and parsley. Cook until the vegetables are just crisp-tender, 10-15 minutes.
2. If I had used a larger pot I could have added to this mixture. I had used a skillet, but not large enough. I added the stock and the tomatoes with their juice to a large pot and then spooned in the vegetables and sausage. Break up the tomatoes. I use scissors as they float to the top. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Next I added the beans and the pasta. I cooked for another 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile I cut up the bread and drizzled EVOO.  I topped with the cheese and fennel. On low and 2 rungs down I toasted the bread. I served the bread with the soup.
This meal is very good. Jim served a Gnarly Head Zin from Lodi, CA. Worked well

Crunchy Crumbed Cod with Frozen Peas

This is an absolute winner of a recipe. I got it from the Washington Post who got it from the new Cookbook, Radically Simple, by Rozanne Gold.
I could not find cod fillets today and I adored asking the fish monger for 4 matching 6 oz. fillets. Does not exist remember fish are natural not manufactured. Wegmans recommended Corvina Fillets as a match for cod, or halibut. I know what halibut tastes like and I chose to go with the Corvina. Needless to say that the fillets were all over the book in size and it took much longer to cook.
Ingredients:
4 scallions
1 large clove of garlic
Kosher salt
12 chive stems
10 oz. Frozen peas (not defrosted)
¼ C EVOO, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
¾ C panko bread crumbs
4- 6 oz. thick cod fillets (we used 3, remember Jim east for 2)
Steps:
1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. I used non-stick.
2. Trim the scallions and then finely chop the white and the green parts with the 12 chive stems. Mince the garlic with a little salt to help break it down.
3. Combine the scallions, chives and frozen peas in a bowl. Add 2 T EVOO and mix. Add a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Spread in the center of the baking sheet making a swath just large enough to act as a bed for the fillets. Place the fillets on top of the peas.
4. Combine the garlic, panko and the remaining 2 T of EVOO in a bowl, toss to evenly coat. Top the fillets with all the panko mixture, pressing down firmly.
5. Roast for 12 minutes. Mine took 25 minutes. Serve the fish atop the peas.
We also had the soup from last night. I was gone today, so Jim could not fix himself lunch. He ate 2 bowls of soup and 2 servings of fish.
Jim served a French white burgundy from Givry, 2007. It was absolutely wonderful.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

I believe this is the best soup I have ever made. This recipe came from the Dallas Museum of Art, Gallery Buffet Soup Cookbook. I actually bought the book in the Boston Museum of Art. Serves 8
Ingredients:
A small butternut squash, about 1#, I used the remainder of the squash from the other day. It weighed 2#, but it was the bottom with all the seeds. I cut it in half and scooped out the seeds.
3 tart green apples (this would be granny smiths. I hate granny smiths. I used golden delicious apples.)
1 medium onion
¼ t dried rosemary
¼ t dried marjoram (substitute is oregano)
3 cans of chicken broth
2 cans of water
2 slices white bread (I used 1 slice of hearty wheat as I rarely have white bread)
1 t salt
¼ t pepper
¼ C heavy cream (I used light sour cream)
Chopped parsley
Instructions:
1. Cut the butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds. After the soup cooks, you lift out the squash and scoop out the interior. Much easier than peeling squash. Peel, core and chop the apples, Chop the onion.
2. In a large pot combine all ingredients except cream and parsley. Bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered for 45 minutes.
3. Remove butternut squash and scoop out the pulp and puree the soup until smooth. I used my immersion blender.
4. Just before serving add the cream. Sprinkle the parsley on each serving.
I served this with mini-pork burgers. If you follow me, this past summer I had a lot of pork that I ground and added different seasonings to from the Webber basket that I won. Out of the freezer it was 2 huge burgers. I turned it into 8 sliders as I had slider buns. Jim grilled them and we just used the mustard we brought from Paris.
It was a good combination. We had a Peltier Station, 2005 Petite Sirah from Lodi. I am still enjoying some as I write.

Veal Chops

Last night’s dinner was simple, but good.  Max is eating the chicken crock pot meal for dinner each night.  I am lucky that my dog eats people food.  I could not face that dish, it looked so awful.  Sometimes when I really screw up I have trouble getting going again.  So I thawed 2 veal chops, I had potato chive pirogues’ in the freezer also along with green beans from our garden.  Jim grilled the chops.  I simply salt and peppered them.  I baked the pirogues and then put melted butter on them.  The green beans were cooked previously and then frozen.  They were still good.  Jim served a Chalone Vineyard 2006 Pinot Noir.  Simple meal and very good.        

Autumn Herbed Chicken with Fennel and Squash

I thhink I am giving up on the crock pot. You have to get up too early in the morning to make the menus by dinner. This recipe came from Costco who is trying to sell a new crock pot with a black interior. Before I give you the recipe I will tell you what happened. I got up and took the chicken out of the freezer to thaw. My trainer came at 11, yes, I do not do mornings. I did them for years while working. After she left, I relaxed with water and read the paper. Then I went into the kitchen and started the chopping. After finishing the chopping, I decided I was not going to bread and fry the chicken, too much of a mess for me. So I threw it all in the crock pot and hit low at 7 hours, totally oblivious to the time. At 5:30 PM I went into the kitchen to feed Max and realized that we would be eating at about 11:00 PM. Jim said no way and that is how last night’s dinner came about. It did not look that it would be done at even the time, as I had skipped the frying step, so I boosted the time. I forgot about it and went to sleep. When I awoke this AM, I could smell it. I went in the kitchen and realized it had been on warm all night. I said to JIm, sitting and eating breakfast, “Can’t you smell this? “ Yes, he says, it smells good. I had to leave, but at that point you could not iID squash, fennel, or chicken. I turned it off and left to go shopping. It is to be served over rice. I had rice soaking so when I came home tonight, I cooked the rice. I honestly thought I was eating garbage. Jim thought it was a "hearty beef meat meal." Should we ever get the Crockpot clean again it will be a long time before I use it. Following is the recipe. If you get up early and follow the rules, maybe it is good.
Ingredients:
3-4 # chicken thighs, I used chicken breasts as Jim does not like dark meat
Salt and black pepper
All-purpose flour
2T EVOO
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
½ butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into ½ “cubes
1 t dried thyme
¾ C walnuts
¾ C chicken broth
½ C apples cider
Cooked rice
¼ C fresh Basil
2 t fresh rosemary, finely sliced
Preparation:
1. Season the chicken on all sides with salt and pepper, then lightly coat with flour. (I did this) Heat oil in skillet over medium heat until hot. Brown in batches to prevent crowding. Brown on each side 3-5 minutes, turning once. (Id did not do this) Transfer to slow cooker
2. Add fennel, squash an thyme. Stir well to combine. Add walnuts, broth and cider. Cover, cook on low for 7 hours. (This is where the problem started.)
It kind of looks like barbeque, so Jim will get it for lunch all this week. My crock pot is retired. Jim served a wonderful Vioansa . 2006 Syrah.  I will take that again by not the stew. 

Lemon Pasta with Roasted Shrimp

I often screw up and today was one of those days. I was going to start this dish yesterday and Jim wanted to go out to dinner as he had a birthday coupon about to expire at his favorite restaurant. So we went out to dinner on a Wednesday night. We had a great time and a great dinner. This AM as soon as I could arise I took the chicken out of the freezer for the Crockpot dinner. My trainer came and then I rested and drank water. Next I started the preparation. When I got through the chopping and preps and turned it on, dinner was going to be really late. However, I was oblivious and just pushed the button. About the time I was feeding Max, (5:30PM)I realized looking at the timer on the Crockpot that dinner would be ready about 11:30 PM.
So phase 2.
I thought of all the things in the freezer and the easiest would have been salmon or lamb chops. Jim had lamb chops last night and I was not in the mood for just plain salmon or catfish. I knew I had frozen shrimp so I thought Scampi. I opened up my book of unused recipes and out fell Lemon Pasta with Roasted Shrimp by the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten. Perfect, I divided this recipe in half. It serves 6.
Ingredients:
2# (17-21 count) shrimp peeled and deveined. My shrimp were the right size and did not need peeling. They had tails that I left on.
Good EVVOO
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1# angel hair pasta ( I used Ink squid pasta)
4 T unsalted butter, melted
2 lemons, zested and juiced
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place the shrimp on a sheet pan with 1T EVOO, ½ t salt and ½ t pepper. Toss well, spread them in 1 layer and roast for 6-8 minutes, just until they’re pink and cooked through.
3. Heat a large pot of boiling salted water, add the pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions. I actually started the oven and the water at the same time.
4. Drain the pasta, Quickly add to the pasta, the melted butter, ¼ C EVOO, lemon zest, lemon juice, 2 t salt, 1 t pepper and ½ cup of the reserved cooking liquid. Add the shrimp and serve hot.
I served this with a salad. Jim loved this meal. He actually said, "Please serve this again." I believe that the ink squid pasta made it better. I really enjoyed it.

I am looking at the Crockpot and realize that it is enough to serve an army.

Chicken Salad with Balti Seasoning

Sometimes I choose a recipe as it looks interesting and sometimes it is because of an ingredient. I was looking through the Penzeys Spices catalogue and came upon a spice called Balti Seasoning. It says it is deliciously spicy but not too hot.
They had a recipe for Balti Chicken Salad. I made it today for lunch. Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
2 C cooked, cubed chicken or turkey
½ C plain non-fat Greek yogurt
3 T mayonnaise
½ C chopped cashews
¼ chopped apricots
¼ C chopped golden raisins
½ C green peas
1 t Balti seasoning mixed with 2 t water
8-12 slices sandwich bread of your choice.
Leafy greens
Instructions:
1. I cooked 2 chicken breasts in the microwave as I did not have leftovers but plenty in the freezer. I cut it in cubes and mixed it with the yogurt, mayonnaise, and seasoning.
2. I did not have the apricots, but the creator of the recipe for Penzeys said he made it up with what he had in the cupboard so, I used ½ C craisins with orange fravor instead of the apricots and raisins. Craisins are dried Cranberries. Anyway just mix it all together and place on bread with green leafy lettuce. You could also just eat it on lettuce.
Our take was that it was good, but did not get a sense of what Balti seasoning really tastes like. I am making a chicken crock pot recipe for dinner and it seems to be a little dull in the spice department. I will wait until it cooks a little more, and may add it to the crock pot.

Cleaning Day Pasta

I forgot to write last night, but Donna was right, The Sweet Potatoes with Red Beans was better the second night after I let it cook longer. Not cooking it on low was a problem. If you cannot cook it on low, wait until you can. She also agreed with Jim in the need for more beans. She doubled the recipe as she has 3 football players in the house. Double the beans would have been 28 oz. She had a 40 oz. can. She said it was perfect.
Today was clean the house day. It was horrendous. Luckily I had pasta and more of the Basil tomato sauce that Jim liked. Look back about a month for the recipe. I served it with Adele Italian sausage. We had a special wine that that was given to us by Sandy and Dave. Jim says this is an example of the bottle being worth more than the wine. It was a 2001 Jacob’s Creek, Shiraz Cabernet from Australia. It was decorated with a big red, white and blue bow, over a Christmas ornament. Under that carved in gold is Peace on Earth and the name of Dave’s Company that makes a special kind of fishing boat. I think we stored it the right amount of time as it was very good.

Sweet Potato Stew with Red Beans

I did not give this recipe my best attention today. This comes from my trainer who got it from a friend named Carlee. I should have started it sooner and cooked on low instead of high. I think it needed low.
I was distracted by the news that a long time friend is not going to recover and is in hospice. It has been a short time between diagnosis of brain cancer and the end.
I needed some supplies to make Max’s meatballs and as I was not in the mood to go on the planned art tour and out to eat asked Jim to also pick up these ingredients for dinner. As I loaded everything into the Crockpot, I realized that on low we would be eating at 11:00PM. So I switched to high. It makes a lot so I am cooking it some more on low and will report on it again tomorrow. Jim liked it but felt it could use more beans.
Ingredients:
2 10 0z cans diced tomatoes with mild green chile
1 16 oz can of red beans, rinsed and drained
1 14 oz can of vegetable broth
4 C cubed sweet potatoes, about 1 ½ #
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion chopped
½ C water
1 garlic clove, minced
1 t grated fresh ginger
½ t salt
½ t ground cumin
¼ t ground pepper
Small pork loin or I used 2 very large boneless pork chops
3 T creamy peanut butter
Directions:
1. Combine the first 12 ingredients in a 5 qt. slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
3. Spoon ½ C cooking liquid into a small bowl and add the peanut butter and stir well.
4. If you add the pork loin at the end of the cooking time, shred the pork and stir it back in the stew.
My trainer also added crushed red pepper. However every time I add this to anything Jim complains, too hot.  Jim definitely thought the sauce was very flavorful. I thought the pork was tough and felt if on low, the sweet potatoes would have absorbed much more of the flavor. My pork chops were too lean. I would definitely use a pork loin and cut maybe in quarters depending on the size. According to Carlee the stew had too much meat with the whole one. Donna said she doubled the recipe and used 4 pork chops  I also would finely chop the onion and red pepper in my food processor.  The onion was not finally chopped enough.  Again lack of attention on my part.  .

Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans

I know I said I would not be cooking tonight, but I decided I did not want to go out to dinner as Jim just wanted to go to someplace local, not new and exciting. Jim and I both agree that this was very good for us, good tasting, but not very exciting or something we’d make again. I got this from an online blog called “Worth your Salt “that is written by a niece of a friend of Jim’s.
Ingredients:
4 medium sweet potatoes
1 15 oz can of low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium tomatoes, diced ( I used one can of diced tomatoes, drained)
1 T EVOO
1 t cumin
1 t ground coriander
1 t kosher salt
¼ C rescued-fat sour cream
¼ C reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1. Place cleaned sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake at 425 degrees for 1 hour or until potatoes are cooked through
2. While the sweet potatoes bake, combine the black beans, tomatoes, EVOO, cumin, coriander and salt in a pan. Stir well so that the beans and tomatoes are evenly coated with the spices. Heat over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until heated through.
3. Remove the potatoes from the oven and split lengthwise. Spoon the bean mixture into the center of each potato. Top with sour cream and cheese.
I would however recommend this to people who go out a lot, do not like to cook and do not eat healty at home.  It is fast, tasty and very good for you. 

Leftover Night

I have tons of the soup from yesterday and it is cold and raining.  So we are having that as a side dish and spinach and feta sausages.  I know that I am going to get a few days of eating out, so it may be Monday before I cook again.  Sometimes it is good to go out.   

Soup Dinner

When I first moved to CA I meant my friend Marrilyn while walking our dogs. Marrilyn eventually figured out that I liked to cook and one day she asked me what my favorite thing to cook was. I said soup. She said she was very surprised. I feel soup is very complex. There are a million different recipes and variations of a recipe. Jim liked this recipe; I thought it was a little boring. I got this from the Nov. 2010 Penzeys Spices flyer. The photo looked great. I was a little put off by the canned vegetables. I generally do not like anything that comes out of a can. Maybe if you use fresh or frozen corn and green beans it would be better. I also used the cream instead of the additional whole milk. It was too creamy.
Three Sisters Green Chile Potato Soup
Ingredients:
4 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
6 C whole milk
2 C heavy cream, or I would recommend just additional whole milk
1 t salt
8 strips of bacon cut into 1” strips
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1T ground cumin
1 t oregano
1 14.5 oz can sweet corn, drained
2 C cubed zucchini, (I medium zucchini)
3 – 4.5 oz cans of green chilies
1 t ground pepper
1 c pepper jack cheese, optional
To begin, I made a mistake. I only bought one can of chilies. When I pointed this out to Jim, he was relieved that I did not put all the chilies in as he does not like anything remotely hot. I recommend the two more cans. I did not add the cheese as it was so thick and creamy. Use the milk, forget the cream and add the cheese.
Instructions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Add the milk and salt and heat over medium heat. (Do not boil)
2. In a skillet, cook the bacon and onion until the onions are translucent and tender. Add the garlic, cumin and oregano and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
3. Drain the mixture and then add to the pot along with the corn, zucchini, beans and chilies.
4. Cover and simmer for over med. heat for 15-20 minutes.
5. Taste and add more pepper and salt. Mine probably needed more S& P as I did not have enough peppers.
Serving size says 12-14. I’d say as a first course. Serves 6, as a full meal.
Jim served a Viognier, 2008 Vina Robles. It was much better than the soup. But again the soup was probably better if you read the directions carefully and follow them.

Mushroom Risotto, Pork Chops and Brussels Sprouts

Last night’s dinner was pretty good. I was just too tired to write about it. We had pork chops, mushroom risotto, and Brussels sprouts.
I made up the pork chop sauce. I had ¾ of a jar of jalapeño jelly I had made. I warmed this with a very sweet apple and mashed into a sauce for the boneless pork chops that Jim grilled. The chops were simply seasoned with salt and pepper.
The Brussels sprouts were just microwaved. I love Brussels sprouts and always have. Jim does not like them so I got most of them.
Mushroom Risotto recipe came from Viansa Winery. I cut the following in half. This recipe serves 6-8 as a side dish, 4 as a main course.
Ingredients:
1/3 C dried porcini mushrooms
1C hot water
4 T butter
8oz. cremini or shitake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
4-5 C chicken broth
1/2 C dry white wine
1T EVOO
¼ C minced onion
1 large garlic, minced
1 ½ C Arborio rice
1/3 C Parmesan cheese
1T chopped parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste
1. Soak dried mushrooms in hot water for 15 to 20 minutes, until soft. Remove from water, finely chop and set aside, reserving liquid. Strain liquid through a coffee filter and set aside.
2. Heat 2 T butter in a large sauté pan and cook fresh mushrooms over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, adding the reconstituted porcini during the last few minutes. Keep mushrooms warm.
3. Combine the strained mushroom liquid, chicken broth and wine in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer. (I put it in a glass measuring cup, heated in the microwave and kept it hot with one minute boosts of power)
4. Heat the remaining 2 T butter and the EVOO in a pan and sauté onion and garlic for 2 minutes. Add rice, stir to coat and sauté 2-3 minutes. Add simmering broth a cup at a time and continue cooking over medium-high heat until all the liquid is absorbed and rice is tender but firm, moist, not dry. Add mushroom, Parmesan and parsley and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (I seasoned my rice as I was mixing in the broth)
This was a pretty good combination of flavors. It was good to keep the Brussels sprouts plain as they really stood out. I loved the sweet /hot/sour of the sauce on the pork chops and the chops were grilled to perfection. Not over done. Jim used a temp probe and cooked to beef medium rare. Pork recipes always have it overdone. The risotto added a creamy texture to the table.

French Lentil Rice Soup

Another slow cooking recipe. I got this one from the Costco flyer that was trying to sell a new kind of slow cooker. If you read the fine print you find it comes from another food blogger, Barb Freda. She says she spends her spare time eating, drinking and traveling. Sounds good to me.  I did not buy a new slow cooker even though I think I need one, but I did make this recipe. We liked it a lot and believe it or not, Jim could only eat 2 servings, but he also had 6 crescent rolls.
Ingredients:
6 C chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 C lentils
2 medium carrots, I would probably at least double the carrots. I did not think there were enough.
1 onion chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
3T uncooked white rice
2 t minced garlic
1t herbes de Provence
½ t salt
1/8 t black pepper
Sour cream and chopped parsley to garnish
I did not really follow the directions. I rough chopped everything and threw it all in the slow cooker for 8 hours on low. I stirred it and all had decomposed into a thick stew. Jim had to add more salt. I added a dollop of low fat sour cream and chopped parsley to each serving.
We served a Costco Chardonnay with the meal from Sonoma. It was very good and only $7.99 in VA.
Strick following of the recipe:
If you really are interested in messing up your blender that I think is totally unnecessary at the end of the cooking time, remove 1 ½ C of soup and process till smooth and add back to the soup. They also call for all the vegetables to be minced. They totally break down in the cooking process.  Just chop and go.