Navy Bean Soup

Soup weather is back and I'm thrilled. After eating out for a week, I look forward to getting back to eating some lighter fare. Soup is perfect for that. It warms the body and feeds the soul.
I like to have plenty of leftovers to eat for lunch or to freeze for another day. So if you want a smaller portion, halve the recipe. Serve with cornbread and honey butter.

2 smoked turkey sausages, cut into small pieces(Hillshire Farm)
2 onions diced
3 cloves of garlic minced
5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into pieces
2 cups of diced celery
3 quarts chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dry thyme leaves
1/2 cup white wine
salt and pepper
8 15oz cans of white beans drained and rinsed
1/3 cup of corn starch
3 tablespoons olive oil

In a large stock pot heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned. Add the onions, garlic, carrots, celery, bay leaves, thyme and cook until onions have softened. Add the chicken stock and 3 cans of the beans. Season with salt and pepper to taste and bring to a boil. Meanwhile puree the remaining beans in a food processor with 1 cup of water until smooth. Add the corn starch and process again until well blended. Pour the pureed beans into the soup. The soup will begin to thicken once it returns to a boil. If you want a thicker soup, add a few large spoonfuls of corn starch to a small glass of cold water and pour it into the soup.

Cornbread

This is best made in a cast iron skillet. But if you don't have one, you can use an oven safe skillet too.

Serves 8

1/4 cup butter
1 egg
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1 1/4 cup buttermilk

Heat oven to 375. Place a 10 inch non-stick skillet with the butter in it, in the oven to melt and heat skillet. Meanwhile, place the cornmeal,flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a bowl. Stir to combine. Add the egg, oil, and buttermilk to the dry mixture and stir until combined. Start with one cup of buttermilk and if the batter is too stiff, add the extra 1/4 cup. Remove the skillet from the oven and pour the batter into the hot skillet and return to the oven for 25 minutes. Serve warm with honey butter

Off to College-Oregon or Bust!!

We're leaving this week to drop our daughter off at college.Our living room looks like a Bed, Bath and Beyond store has exploded in there. I've forgotten what the furniture looks like! The last 4 recipes I have posted will be what I am planning to fix upon our return. This is going to be a huge change as I now have to scale my cooking down to just 3 of us(we still have one remaining child at home). I have a feeling my parents will be on the receiving end of a lot of leftovers as I struggle to stop cooking for the hungry masses. I will post photos when I prepare these dishes for my family. As my friend Tigger likes to say TTFN(Ta-Ta For Now!)

Leek, Bacon, and Mushroom Risotto

Risotto is a great dish for a weeknight meal. My husband will make us a salad while I stir away.
This dish can make it to the table in about 30 minutes. While making this tonight, I decided to
add some lowfat cream cheese. The cheese added a tangy creaminess that was a perfect partner for the mushrooms.

Serves 4

1 large leek chopped, white and light green parts only
6 cups chicken stock
4 slices of bacon cut into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves
1 1/2 cups Aborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups sliced mushrooms
4 oz softened lowfat cream cheese
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
juice of half a fresh lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Bring the stock to a simmer in a medium sauce pot. Meanwhile in a large 5 quart sauce pot, cook the bacon on medium until lightly browned. Add leeks and mushrooms, stirring until softened. Add the rice and increase the heat to medium/high. Cook rice until it begins to turn translucent around the edges, about 1 minute. Add the wine and stir until it evaporates. Add the salt and pepper while the wine is evaporating. Add 1 cup of stock, reduce the heat to medium/low and stir until the stock is mostly absorbed, about 2 minutes. Repeat this process, gradually adding more stock until all the rice is al dente. You may not need all the stock and the rice will look rich and creamy. Stir in the cheeses and turn off the heat. Cover and let the risotto rest for 2 minutes. Remove the lid, stir in the lemon juice and serve.

Cashew Chicken

It is so expensive to eat out but who wants to give up good Chinese take out. Well you don't if you have this recipe on hand.

Serves 4

4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons dry sherry(don't use cooking sherry)
2 teaspoons fresh peeled and minced ginger
3 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 cup chicken stock
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 cup unsalted cashews
2 green onions thinly sliced
cooked white or brown rice

In a medium bowl toss the chicken with the sherry, ginger,corn starch and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes. In another bowl combine the rest of the soy, vinegar, sugar, and 2 teaspoons corn starch and set aside. In a large skillet heat the oil over medium/high heat. Add the chicken and its marinade and cook until golden. Add the cashews and green onion. Stir constantly until onions have just begun to soften. Whisk the sauce to recombine and add to the skillet. Stirring to coat the chicken. Cook until the sauce thickens. Serve over rice

Salad with Apples and Red Onion

I like to serve this salad as an accompaniment to Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage.

Serves 4

1 pound of fresh baby spinach leaves
1 small crisp apple cored, quartered and sliced
1/4 of small red onion thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon grainy mustard
1 tablespoon honey
salt and pepper to taste

Put the spinach, apple and onion in a large salad bowl. In a small mixing bowl whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, salt and pepper. Pour over the greens and toss to coat.

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage

This is one of my favorite fall meals. I only make it in October and November, probably because I most associate pumpkin with those months. But don't wait until then to try this.....it's that good!
Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound of sweet Italian sausage, squeezed from the casings
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium onion chopped
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs of fresh sage leaves minced
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup fat free half and half
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound of cooked pasta
Parmesan Cheese

Heat a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add the oil and sausage. Cook the sausage breaking it apart as it cooks. Remove the sausage to a paper lined plate and drain off any fat. Return the pan to the heat. Add the sausage back to the pan, along with the onion and garlic. Add the bay leaf and sage. Cook until onion is translucent. Add the wine and let it reduce to about half. Add the chicken stock, the pumpkin,salt, pepper, the nutmeg and cinnamon. Bring to a rapid simmer. Reduce the heat and add the half and half.Simmer on low until mixture thickens about 5-10 minutes. Drain the pasta and pour into a large serving bowl. Pour the sauce over the top and sprinkle with cheese. Serve

Apple-Cinnamon Upside Down Cake

You'll need a firm but ripe apple for this cake. You could use Empire, Gala or Granny Smith. This old-timey cake makes a nice finish to Sunday supper.

8 tablespoons butter plus 2 more to drizzle over apples
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
juice of half a lemon
3 large apples, peeled,cored and cut into 6ths
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a spring-form pan well with cooking spray. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over the bottom of the pan. Layer the apples into the sugar, arranging them into a neat circle. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the apples. Melt and pour the 2 tablespoons of butter over the apples. Set aside. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter and granulated sugar until fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs and continue to mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the baking soda, baking powder and flour. Turn the mixer to low and begin to mix. Slowly pour the buttermilk into the bowl and mix until just combined. Spoon the batter over the apples. Using a spatula, spread the batter evenly over the apples. Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool cake for 30 min

utes. Run an knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake. Invert the cake onto a serving platter and release the sides of the pan. Gently remove the bottom. Serve with whipped cream or ice-cream.

Soup and Sandwich Night

What a strange week this has been. The weather was extremely hot for most of the week and then the great blackout occurred on Thursday night. We spent the evening sitting out in our driveway visiting with neighbors and listening to the car radio of updates. Thank goodness the weather changed that evening and the temp dropped about 25 degrees. The electricity is back on and the weather is in the low 70's. I'm having a 3 day weekend and I'm ready to cook so let's have soup and sammi's for dinner. Tonight it's Cream of Broccoli Soup(a light version) and Chicken Cheddar Melts.

Cream of Broccoli Soup
Serves 6

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion diced
salt and pepper to taste
6 cups chicken stock
1 large head of broccoli, peeled and trimmed and roughly chopped(about 3 pounds)
1 large baking potato,peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup fat free half and half
1/4 cup lemon juice

In a large sauce pan heat the oil over med/high heat. Add the onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook until soft about 5 min

utes. Add the broth, broccoli, potato. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer until the broccoli and potato are tender. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender(fill it no more than half full) and return to the pot. Stir in the half and half and lemon juice. Adjust the seasoning one more time.

Chicken Cheddar Melts
Serves 4

!/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 cloves of garlic chopped
salt and pepper to taste
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, split horizontally
1 large loaf of bakery bread split horizontally and cut in half
4 ozs of thinly sliced deli ham
1/4 cup apricot perserves
4 ozs of white cheddar cheese grated(about 1 cup)

Heat broiler with a rack set about 4 inches from heat. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
In a small bowl mix together the vinegar, mustard, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place it in a zip lock bag and add the chicken breasts. Marinate for about 10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place on the baking sheet. Broil with out turning for about 4-6 minutes. Transfer to a work surface and discard pan juices from the baking sheet. Place bread pieces on the baking sheet. Spread apricot perserves onto each piece of bread. and layer with chicken, ham and then the cheese. Broil for about 4-6 minutes more until the cheese is melted.

Spanish Chicken and Brown Rice

This is similar to Paella but without all the different proteins. I love cooking with brown rice but hate the 45-50 minutes it takes to cook. I have found an easy fix for that. In the morning, measure out the rice you need for your recipe into a bowl and cover with water. Let it soak all day and drain off the water just before cooking. This will cut your cooking time in half. It should now take about 20-25 minutes to cook the rice.

Serves 6

1 package of boneless, skinless chicken thighes
5 links of cooked sausage, sliced( I use a chicken sausage or you could use linguesa, or a polish variety)
1 onion diced
4 cloves of garlic minced
1 large red bell pepper diced
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 cup dry white wine or sherry
1 1/4 cup chicken stock
1 cup brown rice
1 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
Heat the oil in a large skillet with a lid. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper and brown in the oil. Remove the chicken from the pan and add the onion, pepper, garlic and sausages. Cook until the veggies have softened, season with salt, pepper and smoked paprika.
Add the wine and let it evaporate. Pour in the tomato sauce and the stock. Stir in the rice. Add the chicken back to the skillet. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer, cover and let cook for 55-60 minutes, unless you have soaked the rice ahead of time, see above. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, stir in the peas. Cover and let the dish finish it's cooking time. Turn off the heat and let is sit covered for 10 minutes before serving.

Warm Brownie Pudding

Brownie pudding happens to be my daughter's favorite dessert. She would rather have this on her birthday instead of a cake. She leaves for her first year of college in a few weeks so I thought we'd have this tonight for dessert. When I was a kid, I recall my mom making this from a mix. Of-course it is no longer available so if this brings back memories of your childhood, now you can relive it through this wonderful comfort food.

Serves 12

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup of dutch process unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon instant coffee crystals
pinch of salt
3 1/3 cups of warm water
3 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa(dutch process)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
1 stick butter melted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans(optional)

Preheat the oven to 325 and spray a 9x11 inch baking pan with cooking spray. In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, 1/2 cup of cocoa powder, instant coffee, salt, warm water and
3 tablespoons of vanilla. Whisk and bring to a simmer over low heat. Turn off the heat. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, 1/2 cup cocoa powder and baking powder. Whisk to incorporate. Add the buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla. Mix until a thick batter forms and fold in the nuts if desired. Gently press the batter into the bottom of your pan. Pour the warm syrup over the top. Bake for 40 minutes. The brownie will have risen to the top with the sauce on the bottom of the pan. Serve warm with a generous serving of whipped cream on top.

Pizza on the Grill

This is a fun way to make pizza and you take the mess outside. Do this during a party and you will be a huge hit! You can prep a variety of toppings ahead of time and let your guests make them to order. You can do this two ways, with or without a pizza stone.

Serves 4 hungry people

24 oz of pizza dough(cheat and pick up your dough at the local pizzaria or your grocery store)
8 oz of marinara(either make your own or buy your favorite
8oz fresh mozarella(get the kind stored in liquid)
6-7 fresh basil leaves minced
pepperoni(or whatever you like on a pizza)
cornmeal

Heat your grill to screaming hot. If using a stone lay a piece of foil on the grate and then lay the stone on top of the foil just before lighting the grill.Roll or press out your dough to the desired size. If I'm making several pizzas, I will lay them out on a cutting board with layers of waxed paper between each layer. Then I can pile them on top of each other.
For a crisp pizza, roll the dough out thin. Sprinkle the top of your heated stone with cornmeal and lay a piece of rolled out dough on top. Close the lid and let the dough begin to crisp up on the bottom about 3-5 minutes. Open the lid and flip the dough over. Now put your toppings on the crisp side. Go easy on the sauce. Close the lid and continue to bake your pizza about 5-7 minutes more. Open the lid and using a spatula, check the bottom to for browning. Continue to cook with lid closed until the cheese has melted and bubbly. If you like a chewier crust, roll your dough out thicker and skip the part where you cook one side before putting on the toppings.

Pizza without a stone- Heat the grill and oil the grates well lay the dough directly onto the grate and let the bottom begin to crisp. This takes a just a few minutes. Flip the dough and quickly place on the toppings. Close the lid for about 1-2 minutes. Checking for doneness. If the dough is browning too fast, move to a cooler part of the grill and continue to cook until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Ribeye Steaks with Maitre d'Hotel Butter

Once in a while I crave a good steak. I discovered that my grocery store will do a thin cut on the steaks which are perfect for those of us who are watching their red meat intake. Maitre d'Hotel Butter is butter that has been softened and a variety of herbs have been stirred in before placing back in the frig for hardening. You can serve this on chicken and fish. Try using it to make shrimp scampi as well.

Serves 4
4 thin cut ribeye steaks.
balsamic vinegar
1 stick of butter softened
cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 small green onions, diced
1 small clove of garlic

2 hours before serving, soften the butter. Place the parsley, green onions and garlic clove in a food processor and dice fine. Add to the butter with enough black pepper to taste. Using a spatula mix until combined. Place at one end of a piece of wax paper. Roll up into a log and twist the ends to close. Place in the frig until firm. Half hour before cooking,pour enough balsamic vinegar over the steaks to marinate. Turn once after 15 minutes. Heat your grill. Just before cooking, remove steaks from the vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Grill to desired doneness. While steaks are resting, slice the butter into rounds. To serve place each steak onto a plate and top with a slice of butter.