Roasted Butternut Squash and Pear Soup

I've been road testing some new recipes keeping the holidays in mind. I've made this soup a couple of times now and my family gives it a big thumbs up. I fortified this soup with pureed quinoa. I began doing this over the summer when I was trying to encourage my dad to eat. He wouldn't eat any meat, he'd decided that he would choke on the meat so I had to find a protein alternative. I take 3 cups of cooked quinoa, place it in a blender with about a cup of liquid(water or stock) and puree it until smooth. Then I add it to the soup as it cooks. I discovered that the quinoa acted as thickener as well. It worked so well, I've begun to add it to most of my soups especially the veggie variety.

Serves 6-8

2 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
(If you don't want to hassle with that, buy 3 large containers of diced butternut squash. I find mine in the refrigerated produce section)
1 large onion, cut in half and peeled
4 pears peeled,core removed and halved
2 large shallots, halved and peeled
6 cups chicken stock
1tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup heavy cream
olive oil
toasted pecans and crumbled gorganzola cheese for garnish

Preheat the oven to 425. Place the squash pieces in a large bowl, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread out on a baking sheet that is lined with foil or a silpat. Place the pear halves, onions and shallots in the bowl. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a second baking sheet that has been lined with foil or a silpat. Bake for 35-45 minutes until all are tender and browned. Meanwhile cook quinoa according to the package. Place cooked quinoa into a blender with the water and puree until smooth. Put all the roasted items into a 5 quart stock pot. Pour the stock over all, dried thyyme, heavy cream and add the pureed quinoa. Adjust the seasoning if desired. Cook until heated through, stirring often. Pour into serving bowls, garnish with pecans and gorgonzola if desired. ServeS

Beef Stew with a French Flare

I love French food. Whenever my husband and I have a chance to go out for a nice dinner, we always head for the French Gourmet in Pacific Beach. This recipe feeds my French addiction with a minimum of fuss. It's perfect for a fall dinner and can be prepped ahead, placed in the fridge until your ready to start your slow cookers engines.

3lbs stew meat or beef pot roast cut into cubes and trimmed of fat
1 large onion, minced
6 large carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
4 cloves garlic, minced
2tsp dried thyme
1 cup red wine(I used a Merlot)
1 Knorr container of concentrated beef stock

1 1/2 cups beef stock
1/2 cup flour
2 tbsp olive oil
6 slices of bacon, cut into pieces
1 tsp salt(use this in bits on the meat and onions while cooking)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup fresh Italian Parsley, minced
1 bag egg noodles
3 tsp smart balance

Heat the 1 tbsp of oil in a large skillet. Cook the bacon and add it to slow cooker. Pour off all but 1 tbsp of oil from the pan. Return to heat and saute the onions and garlic in remaining drippings. Sprinkle a bit more salt and pepper over all. Add the dried thyme. Cook for about 3-5 minutes. Add this to the slow cooker. Return the skillet to the heat, add the remaining oil. Sprinkle some of the salt and pepper over the stew meat. Place it in a large zip-lock bag with the flour. Zip the bag closed and shake to coat. Remove the meat from the flour and save the flour in the bag. Place the meat in the hot oil and brown on all sides. Just before removing the meat from the pan, pour the remaining flour over the meat and mix in the pan. Let it cook for a few minutes. If the flour sticks to the bottom of the pan, pour some of the remaining beef stock over all. Stir and it will start to look like a gravy. Remove from heat and pour the contents into the slow cooker. Add the wine, beef stock, concentrated beef stock and carrots to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain and return to the hot cooking pot. Add the smart balance and the minced parsley. Toss to coat. Serve the stew over the noodles.

Baked Chile Rellenos

I feel like I haven't posted in forever, and I haven't. Time seems to have gotten away from me again. We just got back from dropping our daughter at college for her senior year. This is the last child to go to college so this trip was bitter sweet. Noel and I made dinner last night for all of her roomies. We decided on a Mexican theme with shredded beef tacos and this casserole as a side dish. There wasn't much left. Good thing Bjorn and I had dinner reservations at a nice restaurant in town.

8-10 canned, fire roasted mild green chilies, drained
4-5 pieces of mild white cheese, sliced
5 extra large eggs, separated
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
14 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 container salsa(I like to heat the salsa through before spooning it over each serving. I usually look for a good quality jarred mild-medium salsa for this)

Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and beat until stiff peaks form. Whisk together the egg yolks, flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and milk together until smooth. Fold the whites into the egg yolk mixture. Gently spread 1/3 of the mixture over the bottom of the baking dish. Cut the cheese into thin strips and stuff them inside the chilies. Arrange the chilies over the top of the egg mixture in the bottom of the dish. Spoon the rest of the eggs over the chilies and smooth until covered. Sprinkle cheddar cheese over top and bake for 30 minutes or until the eggs are set. Serve with salsa.

Quinoa, Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

I wanted to prepare an updated version of chicken divan. I thought quinoa might be a good fit for this dish. I like adding quinoa where I can because it has so many health benefits. I divided this into 1 medium sized casserole for us and a smaller one for my mom. If you don't need that much, divide the ingredient amounts by half.

3 cups cooked quinoa
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
4 cups steamed broccoli florets
1 medium onion diced,sauted
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 8 oz. container of pub cheese or2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2/3 cup SOS mix(recipe below)
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
tabassco to taste
1 1/2 cups Panko crumbs
1/4 minced parsley
1/4 melted butter or margarine

Spray 1 medium casserole and 1 small casserole dish with cooking spray, set aside. Preheat the oven to 350. In a medium sauce pan whisk the chicken stock, SOS mix, salt and pepper together. Turn the heat on medium high. Cook stirring constantly until the mixture begins to boil and thicken. Turn the heat off and stir in the pub cheese and the tabassco, if desired. Saute the onion in the oil in a medium skillet until translucent. Place quinoa, chicken, broccoli and onion in a large bowl. Pour the cheese sauce over all and mix well to coat. Divide the contents between the 2 casserole dishes. Toss the panko and parsley together with the meleted butter or margarine. Sprinkle over the top of both dishes. Bake for 30 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

SOS Mix
SOS Mix is a good alternative to canned cream of ______ soup. It has no preservatives, gluten, salt or artificial anything. This is a powdered base made with powdered milk, dehydrated onion and cornstarch. You can mix this base with any liquid to make sauces wherever you might add canned soup. Oh, and did I mention that this works well in your slow cooker? Here's what you need

1 1/2 cups of powdered milk
1 cup cornstarch
3 tbsp dehydrated onion flakes

Place all the above in a container, cover and shake to mix well.
To Use- add 1/3 cup of SOS Mix to 1 1/4 cup liquid.
Pour the liquid into a sauce pan and whisk in the SOS Mix off the heat.
Turn the heat up to medium/high and bring to a slow boil, mixing continuously, until thickened.
Add salt, pepper, and other seasonings or cheese to make your desired sauce.
Use as in recipes calling for a cheese sauce, white sauce, or canned soup.

Quinoa Salad with Green Grapes and Avocados

This combo may sound odd but it has to be one of the best bbq offerings I've ever had. The quinoa provides an unexpected boost of protein while the fresh ingredients make this salad light and refreshing. Add cooked chicken for a light lunch. There is no mayo so this salad can sit out without the worry of keeping it cold.

Serves 10

3 cups cooked quinoa
1 large english cucumber, diced
5 green onions, diced
3 large avocados, diced
3 cups of halved green grapes
1/2 cup minced cilantro or parsley
4 large green limes, juiced and zested
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp sweet and spicy mustard
1-2 tbsp honey

Toss the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk the last 6 ingredients together and pour over the salad. Toss to coat and serve.

Christmas at the Garrene's

I am reposting my usual Holiday dishes but this year I will not be cooking, in fact, there hasn't been much cooking going on around here for several weeks. We have finally decided to remodel our kitchen. This has been a huge undertaking and we are now in the home stretch. Cabinets are being installed as I write. Hopefully I will have some great photos to post soon. Happy Holidays!!

This has to be my favorite time of the year, hands down. I usually am in charge of dinner on Christmas Eve so I try to keep it simple making much of meal ahead of time. I also try to make Italian food like ravioli's or oso bucco. Christmas day is less hectic with chruch out of the way, we spend a relaxing morning around the tree opening gifts. My parents will stop by for sweet rolls and coffee before heading off to my brother's house. Then everyone will meet back here for dinner. Prime rib is always on the menu with potatoes gratin.
This weekend Bjorn and I are finishing up the decor(inside and out, shopping for gifts and I'm making cookies. The kids come home this in a few days and I want to have as much done as possible. My first grade class is studying Winter Holidays around the world this month. We always conclude the unit by decorating gingerbread cookies. Chris and Noel will usually come to my classroom the last day of school to help my students complete their houses. It's messy but a lot of fun.
Several years ago, I started putting up 2 trees. We have a large one in the living room and a small one in the family room. I wanted to do something special with all the decorations the kids would make each year they were in elementary school. Thus the idea of a small tree was born. I think I enjoy decorating this tree most of all because every year I can take a stroll down memory lane with the kids.

It also turned out to be a nice way to enjoy a tree no matter which room we happened to be in. You can't beat the smell of a fresh pine tree.

Gingerbread Cookies

My class will be decorating Gingerbread Cookies on Friday as the big finish to our holidays around the world unit. Gingerbread is not my favorite holiday cookie to make because I found that no matter what recipe I used the cookies all turned out the same-dry! As I was researching a recipe this week I found that most everyone was experiencing the same problem. I decided I would just have to do some trial and error of my own to see if I could rectify the problem. I am happy to report that I nailed it on my first try. The trick is not to roll dough to thin and I added an extra egg to the dough. I also raised the amount of shortening to 1 cup and swapped half of that for butter to give it better flavor.

Yields about 5 doz. cookies

4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground pepper(optional)
1 1/4 cup molasses
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 softened butter
3/4 sugar
2 extra large eggs

Combine the flour, baking soda and ground spiced in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter, shortening and sugar together until fluffy. Add the molasses and the eggs one at a time. With the mixer on low add the flour mixture and mix until just blended. Place the dough in the center of a large sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap well and flatten into a disc. Place in the frig for at least an hour. Preheat the oven to 325. Roll the dough to just under 1/4 inch. Cut into desired shapes. Bake on a lined baking sheet for 12-14 minutes. Cool completely and decorate as desired.

Simple Glaze

2 1/4 powdered sugar
2 tbsp light corn syrup
1 1/2-2 tbsp plus 1 tsp milk
Food coloring

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Divide into bowls or squeeze bottles and color as desired. Spread or squeeze onto cookies. Let harden before storing.