Mmmm Good.

Wil Wheaton's Veggie Soup

Flipping through posts on Google+, I ran across a recipe of Wil Wheaton's that sounded sofa king delicious that I just had to try it. It's getting colder here in Nebraska and it sounded like the perfect soup. Plus, I've never made a tomato-y soup before and I've never made one with zucchini and yellow squash either.

I fiddled with his recipe *just* a little. I live in Nebraska and I'm no vegetarian so I added a splash or two of beef stock (though veggie stock would be fine too), and then I splashed in some white wine for the hell of it. And a couple of bay leaves. And I removed the evil celery. I hate celery.

I hope he won't mind if I reproduce his ingredients and instructions because they made me laugh and he's a better writer than I am:

Wil Wheaton's Sinusitis Can Suck It Vegetable Soup
3 cups tomato juice
2 cups water
1 can chopped tomatoes, or 4 chopped fresh tomatoes (save as much of the juice as you can)
4 or 5 carrots
3 or 4 medium potatoes (I used the red, gold, and purple medley)
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow squash
4 or 5 stalks of celery (I used celery hearts)
1 medium yellow onion
4 large cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon Bragg's Liquid Aminos (Soy or Tamari sauce also works) - I used soy sauce because I don't have an effing clue what the other two sauces are.
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme

Steph's additions:
2-3 bay leaves
2 glugs of beef stock and 2 glugs of white wine

Back to Wil:
Wash all the vegetables. Slice the zucchini and squash. Slice the potatoes, then quarter the slices. Chop the onion, celery, and carrots. Peel and mince the garlic.

Heat a bit of olive oil in a stock pot or large (~4qt) sauce pan. Sauteé the carrots, onions and garlic until the onions are translucent and the carrots are bright orange, about 2 or 3 minutes. Be careful that you don't let the heat get too high and burn the oil. Add the potatoes and stir. About a minute later, pour in the tomato juice and water, and turn the heat to maximum. Add all the veggies and spices. Stir like a boss. If the veggies aren't covered, you can add a little more tomato juice. (Here is where I added the stock, wine and bay leaves)

Bring it all to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 30 minutes, then let cool, uncovered, for about 10 minutes (unless you're into burning the hell out of your mouth. I don't judge.)

Serve with some crusty bread (I got a nice artisan boule of sourdough, but I bet it would be great with some spent-grain bread).

Note: You can add other veggies if you want, just make sure you increase the liquid to account for the extra stuff. I considered kidney and garbanzo beans, and I bet you could toss some cauliflower or broccoli florets in there, too, if that was your thing.

Another note: I based this recipe off of about a dozen different ones I saw online, combining things I liked, and ignoring the rest.

Carrot and Parsnip Puree

Mmmmmm. This is such a luxurious comfort dish that both my daughter and I love. I first had it when it was on the menu at my English Pub near London. We served it many times a week and well, I couldn't come back to America without bringing the recipe for this lovely stuff with me.

So to make this delicious little side dish all you will need are:

• 1 bag of carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces.
• 1 bunch of parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces.
• Butter
• Cream
• Salt & pepper
• Nutmeg (optional, but recommended!)

Notice I don't have precise amounts for some of it. It's just really dependent on how many carrots and parsnips you're using. For the batch I made today, I used about 4 TBSP of butter and half of a 1/2 pint carton of cream for 8 carrots and about 6 parsnips.

Now, to prepare this, add the carrots and parsnips to a pot of salted water and boil until they're nice and soft. Drain them, put them back in the pot and add the rest of the ingredients if you're going to puree using an immersion blender. Or, if you're using a food processor, just add the carrots/parsnips to it, add the salt/pepper/butter/pinch of nutmeg and begin to puree. Slowly add in the cream until you get it to thick, but not TOO thick consistency.

Serve hot and try not to eat it all up before dinner's all ready :)

Chinese Chicken Salad

I've been making this salad for years. It's so tasty. I suppose it's more of a side dish than a main meal, but we've always eaten it as the "star" of the meal. Also, it makes a TON depending on the size of the cabbage used. I'm guessing the name of the salad is derived from the ramen used in it, but that seems silly to me.

But it's easy as hell to make :)

Ingredients:

• 1 Package of fresh chicken breasts
• 1 Head of cabbage - size is up to you and whether you want a lot or a little.
• 1-2 bunches of scallions (up to you how onion-you want it. I usually use 2)
• 2-3 packages of uncooked chicken flavoured ramen noodles crumbled into bite-size pieces.. I love the crunch from them so I use 3.
• 1 Package of lightly roasted/salted sunflower seeds. Traditionally, I think it's supposed to be sliced almonds, but I hate sliced almonds. Sunflower seeds are lovely.
• Light vegetable oil
• White vinegar
• Sugar

Directions:

Fill a saucepan with water and add the chicken. Heat on medium-high heat until boiling. You can boil the chicken in chicken broth or just plain salted water. Either way is fine.

While the chicken is cooking, chop the cabbage into bite-size pieces and add to a large bowl or container.

Chop the scallions (use the white and green parts) and add to the cabbage.

Break up the ramen into small chunks and add to the cabbage and scallions. Now, don't throw away those chicken seasoning packets! They are a little secret ingredient :) Add the packets to the green :)

Finally, liberally add the sunflower seeds. I like a LOT in them :)

Now, I didn't notate a specific amount for the oil, vinegar and sugar. That's because this is the slightly-trick part. I've never known a specific amount. Just add enough oil to coat everything. Then sprinkle a nice amount of sugar over it and mix really well. Now add some good glugs of vinegar to give it a tangy, sweet bite. You just have to experiment and get it to the taste you like. I like it rather sweet, my daughter likes it more tangy.

Once it's allllll mixed really well and you have it tasting how you like, it's time to put it away in the fridge for a few hours and let it soak and absorb and get all manner of delicious. Once it's rested in the cold for a while, you can then nom to your heart's content!

Pantone Cookies

I have a boyfriend who is a fan of Pantone gear. What is Pantone, you ask? I'll let Wikipedia answer that for me. Suffice it to say that  there is a world of Pantone fans out there ready to indulge in Pantone merchandise - journals (I am the proud owner of one such Pantone journal, courtesy of the aforementioned bf), mugs, t-shirts, iPhone cases, you name it - the way a teenager squees over Hello Kitty stuff ;)

So when I saw this blog post by Kim Neil, I knew what I must do.

What I will do is talk about my journey in making these. Mainly, I haven't made from-scratch cookie dough or used a cookie cutter since I was a kid. So I jumped in with reckless abandon and confidence in my culinary skills and hoped for the best :)

First I had to procure the tools for the job. The Pantone Cookies must be shipped in the awesome Pantone tin, which can be ordered from Uncommon Goods. I chose the yellow one to match my bf's yellow avatar on Twitter.

While I waited for that to ship, I scoured my town looking for a rectangle cookie cutter (omg so hard to find. I eventually had to order them from Amazon), powdered food colouring (also hard to find, so I went with a pack of 12 coloured gels I found at Hobby Lobby) and black food decorator pens (also ordered from Amazon.) What I learned is my town sucks whenever I need something even slightly obscure.

Anyway, once everything arrived, it was cookie-makin' time :)

I used the recipe Kim linked to in her post, although I suppose you could use your favourite sugar cookie recipe really. The dough was simple to make, although I did not have the almond extract called for, so I substituted lemon extract. Same with the icing. I think they turned out pretty yummy and kind of refreshing.

The icing was also dead easy to make and she also linked to that recipe here.

I'm not gonna lie. I had a hard time getting my Pantone cookies to look as good as Kim's. I'm not the best ummm, icer. But I figured it would be the thought that really counts and carried on with some help from my daughter (Thanks honey!) And I got a spiffy little frosting knife while I was at it, so that worked out.

Remember to do all the white strips first, let it dry, then do the colours, let that dry - like COMPLETELY DRY - and then use the markers to write the logos and colour codes :)

I had to do a bit of cross-referencing on Pantone's site to get the codes for the colours I made, but it was fun :)

And here they are, bubble-wrapped like crazy and settled into their shiny Pantone tin, ready for shipping to the UK where they arrived today safe and sound (not a single one was broken!) and one surprised and happy bf was waiting to nom them :)

A very fun project indeed!

 

Sloppy Joes

First, I'm posting this without photos because I was winging it when I made this and it turned out delicious so I want to remember what I put in it. I have a terrible memory :) When I make it again - and oh yes, I will make this again - I'll do a proper post.

I had 2 pounds of ground chuck that I was going to make plain old hamburgers with, except I really wasn't in the mood for burgers. But sloppy joes sounded good - but I didn't have any Manwich in. I have always used that stuff - it's all I knew growing up. But then I thought, hang on a mo, maybe there are recipes for it.

Sure enough, I found this one. Now, I've fiddled with it because I don't have any mustard, and I don't like plain white vinegar much. I also had half of a tomato, only half of a white onion, and some shallots. Soooo, here are my ingredients:

• 2 lbs hamburger
• 1/2 of a white onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2-1 whole tomato, finely diced (I would have used a whole one, but I didn't have one.)

Now, throw all of that into a large pan and fry it up. While that's simmering away, put these ingredients into a small saucepan on medium heat:

• 1 cup of ketchup
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 1 1/2 tbsp of brown sugar (honestly though, I just eyeballed the amount. Just add enough to taste.)
• 1 tsp of dry mustard
• Splash of Balsamic vinegar (ohgodsogood)
• Splash or two of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 shallot, finely chopped

When the meat's done and the sauce is bubbling away, pour it into the meat and let it simmer on a low heat for 5-10 minutes. Serve on some toasted hamburger buns and enjoy this sweet/savoury take on a classic dish. I'll never buy Manwich again :)

Life of its Own Meyer Lemon Meringue Tart

Meyer Lemons. I have been hearing about these things for ages now from popular chefs and foodies. I wondered what the fuss was all about. A lemon is a lemon, no?

No. A Meyer lemon is something quite special. It's strangely sweet - no bitter lemon face. In fact, as I was messing with this little dessert, I was able to suck the juice from the rind with delight and enthusiasm. They are luscious, a burst of delight. I mean, just look at them:

So when my daughter discovered a little bag of these in our local grocery store, I decided to splurge a little and try them out. I had no idea what I was going to do with them, but I'd figure something out. At first, I found this list of 100 things to do with Meyer Lemons, courtesy of the LA Times, but last night when I was in the mood to do a little experimenting, I didn't want to do a full-on meal. I was thinking of a dessert or something. Then I stumbled onto this simple recipe for Lemon Curd. Sounded pretty simple and would probably give me a good idea of how these things taste. Who doesn't like curd? ;)

So I followed the recipe while chatting to my dad (that's how easy the recipe is - no hard concentration necessary :)) and even though I didn't have a thermometer to check the temp, I trust my abilities enough to know when it's done.

So I zested, juiced, whipped in the eggs, and set my bowl on a saucepan of softly boiling water and added the stick of butter.

Next I just whisked until the butter melted, let it gor for a couple minutes, whisked, let it go, whisked, let it go until it thickened. It took about 8-10 minutes.

Then I pushed it through a sieve to remove most of the zest and I was left with a perfect lemon curd. Oh I was so pleased - and absolutely floored at how gorgeous this tasted.

The recipe made enough to fill 3 ramekins. I covered them with plastic wrap (putting the wrap right onto the curd because I wasn't sure if it would form a skin or something) and put them in the refrigerator overnight so they would continue to thicken.

As I was showing them to my daughter, I caught a glimpse of some McVitie's digestive biscuits we have (thanks sweetie!) and I mentioned to her that I should have put them in the ramekin before adding the curd, and she said, why not put then on top anyway? Genius! And they fit perfectly! Suddenly I have a sort of ghetto tart :)

Then I thought, why not make a meringue while I'm at it? So I did, because that's how I roll.

And then 10 minutes later, I had these lovely looking Lemon Curd Meringue Tart things that I didn't set out to make at all.

I love it when that happens.

 

Stephanie's Sumptuous Stew

It is currently 10 degrees F outside and the wind is howling. Today was a perfect day for my crockpot beef stew. This isn't a recipe I found online or anything. It's something I've fiddled with over the years to get it just how *I* like it. It's not difficult to make, and there aren't many ingredients to it, but once it's done... ohhhh man, it is perfection.

Oh yeah - there's no celery in it. Like I said, perfection :)

Ingredients:

• 2 packages of good stew meat
• 2-3 large Idaho potatoes
• 1-2 large yellow onions
• 1 package of baby carrots
• 2 packets of McCormick's stew seasoning
• 1 cup of flour
• 1/3 cup of vegetable oil
• Salt/pepper

Directions:

Set your crockpot on low and add the baby carrots.

Chop up the potatoes and onions into bite-size pieces and add to the crockpot.

In a large frying pan, start heating the veg oil on medium-high heat.

In a large ziplock bag, add the flour, and about a TBSP and a half of salt and a teaspoon of pepper (but really, I usually just eyeball it.) Also, shake some of the stew seasoning from one of the packets in for the hell of it.

Add the meat into the bag and zip it, then shake the crap out of it to make sure each piece of meat is covered in the flour mix.

Now you're going to brown all of that in the oil, so stick your hand in the bag and grab a handful of meat and add to the frying pan. Keep doing that until it's all in. It doesn't matter if you get a goodly amount of the flour in with it. This is a good thing.

Just brown the meat. You are not cooking it all the way through, so it's fine if you still see some pinkness in it. It will finish cooking in the stew and become so fall-apart tender you won't be able to stand it.

It doesn't need *constant* attention, but keep an eye on it and flip the meat around occasionally so it browns evenly. In the meantime, add the rest of the opened stew seasoning packet to the crockpot, and cover the veg with hot water. Give it a stir.

When the meat is finished, scrape all of it and all the yummy flour cracklings to the crockpot.

Stir it up, then add the second stew seasoning packet and cover everything with more hot water. Stir it again, and then leave it alone for 6-8 hours :)

After all that time, and after the smell of it has driven you mad, you will end up with this gorgeous pot of stew:

The flour from the meat is the key to thickening this stew. No need to do the corn starch/water trick to thicken it now. This is the perfect meal for a cold, cold day like today. Serve with some hot biscuits or cornbread and I promise you, you will be in heaven.

Enjoy! And hey, if you're on facebook, why not become a fan of Mmmm Good? :)

Carmel Pecan Lollies

I was intrigued by this recipe on the Kitchn blog. I have been wanting to try making candy - but something easy to start off and these seemed to fit the bill. So I bought a candy thermometer and gave these a whirl. I liked the idea of Fall flavour like carmel, cloves and cinnamon, especially after Thanksgiving.

Now, this is my first time with something sticky and fiddly and while the Kitchn is right that these are pretty simple, I think practice is in order to learn how to get that perfect carmelized sugar. Mine was lighter than expected even though I let it get to the correct temperature. Also, I'm going to note some mistakes I made that were rather messy.

Ingredients/Tools Needed:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tablespoons apple cider (reduced to 2 teaspoons)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• Pecans
• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• Candy thermometer
• Parchment paper or wax paper
• Heatproof liquid measurement cup
• A pastry brush kept wet in a cup of water

Directions:

In a large bowl, fill with cold water and ice. This will be needed to stop the sugar/syrup/carmel from cooking once it reaches the right temp.

Lightly spray a sheet of parchment paper with the cooking spray and lay out the popsicle sticks (start with 10) (Note #1: don't put them too close together)

In a small saucepan, put the three tablespoons of apple cider on medium heat and bring to a boil, reducing it until you're left with 2 teaspoons. Set this aside. (Note #2: I put the reduced cider in a little cup and just rinsed/reused the saucepan for the syrup)

Add the sugar, cornsyrup, water, and cream of tartar to the saucepan, stir it a little bit, and then on medium-high heat, bring it to a boil. With the candy thermometer in it, let it boil until it reaches 250 degrees farenheit. Every now and then, take your wet pastry brush and dab the sides of the saucepan.

Once it reaches temp, remove from heat and set it  gently and carefully in your ice bath until it stops cooking. (Note #3: Don't leave it in there to add the other ingredients or it hardens too fast. Once it stops boiling, take it out of the ice water.)

Carefully add the cider reduction, cinnamon and cloves and mix quickly. Then transfer to the heatproof measuring cup and begin to pour small dollops of it over the top of each popsicle stick. (Note #4: You have to be fast because man, this is messy. I used a spoon to help regulate how much to pour on each stick... eventually. But I had a few funky-shaped lollies before I learned that lesson.)

Quickly put a pecan in the center of each dollop, and then cover it with more sugar stuff.

Let them set for a good 20 minutes before you even think of trying one. I'm not sure if these are supposed to get rock hard like a proper sucker. The first batch remained quite bendy after setting for hours. But they are edible (and yummy!) and can be wrapped with plastic wrap to protect them.

These are pretty interesting, delicious and fairly easy to make. But personally, I think I need to learn a little more about working with sugars and syrups before I try them again.

 

 

Comforting Crowdpleasing Cornbread

This recipe ended up in our family's cookbook and we've been making it for years. I believe it came from an old 'Days of Our Lives' (American soap) cookbook my mom picked up somewhere eons ago. It's a great dish as a side, for Thanksgiving, for office potlucks - anything. It's also versatile in that it good hot or cold. I've been known to have some for brekkie now and again :)

It's total comfort food, I admit, but sometimes, you just need something rich, warm and yummy. It's like an edible hug. With that, on with the recipe!

(But first - Like us on Facebook!)

Ingredients:

• 2 boxes Jiffy cornbread mix
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup of milk (I use skim)
• 1 can of cream corn
• 1 pint of sour cream (I usually use a lighter sour cream unless I'm really bummed, then I go all out.)
• 1 bunch of scallions
• Shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Mix the cornbread mix, eggs, milk and cream corn in a bowl until it's all well mixed. Pour the batter into a 9X13 greased pan.

Spread the sour cream in a thin layer over the top (you can thin it with a tiny bit of milk if necessary).

Next, layer the scallions all over it.

Finally, layer cheese over the top.

Bake it for 35 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean in the center. Let it cool for about 20 minutes before serving, and enjoy!

Curiously Amazing Asparagus Penne

One night, I was out of ideas for new and interesting things to try making for dinner. One of my problems is that with my daughter now away at college during the week, culinary journeys for one is kind of annoying. On the other hand, I could cook with ingredients I can't use when she's home. Like mushrooms. Or asparagus. She's on the fussy side of eating - although to give her some major props, she's learning to open up her pallette and try some new stuff. Like asparagus.

So, I was flicking through my Epicurious app on my iPhone - mostly out of desperation. I rarely come across a dish that looks interesting to the solitary diner in cooking apps or websites. Most of the stuff I see (when I'm not looking for a specific recipe) is OTT and too "foodie" for me. But, I decided to search under pasta dishes and I came across this beauty of a dish: Fettucine with Peas, Asparagus and Pancetta. It appealed to me. I don't know why, but I knew I'd be making some tweaks of my own. No peas for one thing, and pancetta is hard to find in the land of the Applebee's here in the Midwest. So I went with a good smoked bacon. I also didn't really fancy fiddling with fettucine and I thought the shape of penne would compliment the sliced up asparagus.

Have I mentioned that I love asparagus yet? No? Well I do. Asparagus, mushrooms and pineapple. If it was nutrionally possible, I would eat nothing but those three things. Oh and steak. Okay four things.

Anyway, I have made this dish twice now and I love it. It's quick to throw together, it tastes unusual and fresh - amazing oddly, quite hearty as well. What's more? My daughter loves it. Even the asparagus. Though the first time I used two bunches of asparagus and she asked me to cut it down to one next time. "Less asparagus mom, and MOAR BACON." Who am I to argue with more bacon? :)

Ok, here's the dish as I made it tonight, which was just about perfection:

Ingredients:

• Penne pasta - reserve about a cup of the pasta water when it's done boiling
• 1 bunch of good asparagus (or two if you don't have a fussy kid)
• Smoked, thick-cut bacon
• 1 bunch of spring onions
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• Fresh Basil
• 1 small carton of cream
• Zest of one lemon
• Juice from half of that lemon
• A handful of fresh grated parmesan

Directions:

Start the Penne boiling, and stir occasionally. Be sure to salt the water and add a bit of olive oil too. Keep an eye on it while you're cooking the other stuff though, don't over cook it. Drain, then set aside.

Cut up as many slices of the bacon as you want into bite-size pieces and fry them in a large pan. When they are done, set them onto a paper towl to drain.

I kind of like to have everything chopped, zested and ready to go before I start cooking. Just makes it a bit easier. I like to say "Mise en place" as well.

The picture above is: lemon zest, asparagus cut in small, diagonal bits, spring onion separated into the lighter half and the darker half, minced garlic, and freshly chopped basil.

When the bacon is done, add the asparagus into the pan (drain off excess grease, but leave some to flavour the asparagus) and cook for a few minutes until it is a lovely bright green. Then add the lighter half of the chopped spring onions and the garlic to the pan, and cook for another few minutes. Then remove from the heat.

Now here's where it all comes together quickly.

Into the pasta, add the darker spring onions (the uncooked half), the basil, the lemon zest, the lemon juice and the cream.

Give it a good mixing up.

Now add the bacon and the parm, mix really well. Get that gorgeous cream coating everything. If it seems a bit dry, add some the reserved pasta water you've set aside and a glug of olive oil. Not too much though, because it should be a really creamy, thick consistency.

Plate it up, garnish with a little more parm and nom it the hell up because damn, it's good. When we first tried it, we were both a little surprised at the freshness of it because of the lemon - what a fantastic addition to this dish to give it that extra nudge from serviceable dish to OMG MOAR!

Enjoy!