It's officially soup weather

The upside to gloomy, rainy weather is... soup!  

If you're in the market for something easy and comfort foodish, I have just the thing.  My sister Amy came up with this and she said I could share it with you.  She calls it Potato Soup with Italian Sausage, and here's how it goes: 

Potato Soup with Italian Sausage

About 5 cups of cut up potato

1 can cream of potato soup

1 block cream cheese

4 cups chicken broth 

1/2 teaspoon season salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

A little garlic powder

Sautéed and crumbled Italian sausage

Mix all in crock pot and cook about 5 hours, then mash potatoes to consistency you want them, stir and serve.
I like to sauté some garlic in butter and use stale bread to make croutons to go on top. Yum!  (That's Amy talking right there, not me).


And here's how it looks:

Thanks for sharing with us, Amy!

Tomato's Best Friend

It's summer and you know what that means...  tomatoes, fresh off the vine.  A perfect little gift from heaven.  Does it get any better?  Why yes, I believe it does!  If you've never experienced the glorious, creamy creation called burrata, you will want to do so now.

Burrata is a delicate little pouch of deliciousness - the outer shell is made of fresh mozzarella while the inside is filled with a mixture of mozzarella curds and  and cream.  The name burrata means "buttered" in Italian.  Go figure.

I'm sure there are lots of ways to prepare or serve it but we're on the, "if it ain't broke don't fix it" program.  I'll let you know if we venture out.

Here's how we do it:

Dice a few perfectly ripe tomatoes.  Add fresh basil.  Drizzle with a little good quality olive oil.  Just lovely.

 Add a splash of balsamic. Toss gently.  Just lovely. Oh, did I already say that?  Sorry.  Add a little salt and pepper if you like.

Slice some crusty French bread.  Might as well pour a glass of wine while you're at it.  You'll want to be ready when the burrata makes it's debut.

Open The Burrata.  Go ahead and make fun - the cheese will get the last laugh.  (Does it look like an old man whistling, or is it just me?)

Cut the burrata in half and gently place it on the tomatoes, add bread, and prepare to be transported to another dimension.  See how creamy the inside looks?  Yum. We generally end up eating this for our dinner, which explains the massive bowl, not to mention the fact that one burrata ball serves 2 in our house.  I guess you could share it with other loved ones.  We've convinced our children that burrata tastes like brussel sprouts.  Yucky. And being the kind and loving parents we are, we will not force our children to eat things that make them say, "yuck".  Most of the time, anyway.

Now go try this!  

P.S.  Always check the date on the burrata before you buy it.  You will be sad if you get it home and discover it's not the freshest ball on the block.  True story.

The Crabbiest Crab Cakes

I'm pretty picky about my crab cakes, in a purist sort of way.  These were pure crabby goodness.

This recipe comes to you straight from my phone.  About this time last year I was getting a pedi, and catching up on my reading, when I came across this recipe for crab cakes in House Beautiful.   So I took a picture of it.  I'm happy to report that it's still on my phone, which is the only reason you're hearing about it now.  The girlfriends and I tried it out at the beach last year and I'm hoping it makes the cut again this year.

Crab Cakes with Basil Buttermilk Dressing and Marinated Tomatoes and Corn

Crab Cakes:

1 1/2 lb. lump crab meat

1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs

2 T. mayo

1 lg egg white

1/2 lemon, juiced

s & p

Mix all ingredients till just blended.  Shape into 6 (they say 6 but we made smaller ones - just make them till it's all used up... I can't remember how many we made.)

Put on a plate, cover, and chill in fridge.

Tomato & Corn Topping:

2 ears fresh corn 

2 vine ripened tomatoes, quartered

2 cups grape tomatoes, halved

1 T. Old Bay seasoning

2 T. fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

"one fat T. tiny fresh basil leaves" (I'm not making this stuff up!)

s & p

Roast unshucked corn in 350 degree oven about 30 minutes.  According to the recipe, it "will steam in it's own jacket and will be super sweet and tender".  I'm sure we grilled ours, which is always good and doesn't heat up the kitchen.  Let cool. Decob.

Cut tomatoes into not too small pieces (I know...they already told us to cut them once).  Toss with corn, oil, Old Bay, lemon juice, olive oil, basil, s & p.  Chill about an hour.

Buttermilk Basil Dressing:

1/2 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. mayo
1/2 c. sour cream
1/4 c. fresh basil leaves
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
few drops of fresh lemon juice
salt to taste
Combine all ingredients in blender.  Puree till smooth.  Chill, but pull out of fridge about 15 minutes before serving so it's room temp.

Cook crab cakes.  Heat 3 T olive oil over med heat.  Saute about 4 min per side or until nice and crisp.

Assemble:  Spoon dressing on plate. Top with crab cake.  Spoon tomato/corn mixture over top.

So very yummy.  

The Lemon Drop

Or, when life gives you lemons...

What better way to usher in the long weekend than with a refreshing beverage.  I recommend our friend, The Lemon Drop.  I do love lemons, and happen to have a stash still hanging on my tree in the backyard.  

I know, I know - lucky me!

I'm posting this as my first installment in Friend's Faves.  That's because my friends and I, we know how to make this baby the right way.  There's a right way, and there's a wrong way.  The right way involves merely 3 ingredients - 4 if you count ice.  No more, no less.   I'm not kidding.

Cheers and happy Memorial Day weekend!

The Lemon Dropper's Lemon Drop

Makes One

juice of one fresh lemon

one generous shot Citron vodka

one T. superfine sugar

Shake in ice-filled shaker till good and frosty.

Strain into a sugar-rimmed martini glass.

Cheers!

If you can't make it... don't fake it.

Aunt Charlotte's Bread Pudding

                                      

What's so great about bread pudding?  Well, let me tell you.  This is comfort food at it's finest.  So simple.  So yummy.  Humble, almost always on hand, ingredients. Feeds a small crowd.  If you've never tried it, trust me, you will want to do so as quickly as possible.  

Adding fresh lemon sauce and a few berries means bread pudding gets to come out and play in the summer.  Or, you can drizzle a little rum sauce over it for an instant seasonal wardrobe change.  Every time I make this somebody asks for the recipe, so I thought it would be the perfect next installment in my Family Faves series. 

This is how it's done...

Humble Ingredients: 

One loaf french bread. 

3 T. melted butter

4 cups milk

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

Tear the bread into pieces and put in buttered 9x13.

Mix butter and sugar.  Add milk, eggs, vanilla.  Pour over bread and let it soak it.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Seriously.  Could that be any easier??

While it's baking, make a batch of lemon sauce or rum sauce.  They are both divine, so I suggest the Labor Day rule.  After Labor Day, go with the rum sauce.  Before Labor Day, it's lemon all the way.

Lemon Sauce
Whisk in small saucepan:
     3/4 c. sugar
     5 T. cornstarch
Add:
     1 1/2 c. boiling water
Cook over med-hi heat till thickened.
Remove from heat and whisk in:
     4 T. fresh lemon juice
     2 T. lemon zest
     1 T. butter

Rum Sauce (not pictured)
1 c. sugar
1 stick butter
1 sm. carton whipping cream
1 shot rum
Combine in sauce pan and heat, stirring, till sugar melts.


Thank you, Aunt Charlotte.  Hope you don't mind my poaching and posting your family favorite.  Love ya!

Family Faves Part 1: Birthday Shrimp

Shrimp.  Garlic.  Lemon.

I call this Birthday Shrimp because it's the dish I always asked for for my birthday meal.  Technically, the name of it is Italian Broiled Shrimp.  (Sadly, I didn't make the potato deliciousness that usually went with it.)   I'm giving full credit for this recipe to my mom - I have no idea where she may have gotten it, and even if she didn't invent it, I figure she has squatter's rights based on how many years she's been making it.


Birthday Shrimp / aka Italian Broiled Shrimp



2 pounds raw shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. butter
Drawn Butter Sauce







Drawn Butter Sauce

1/4 c. butter
2 T. or more chopped garlic
2 T. flour
1/2 t. pepper
1 C. hot water
2 t. lemon juice
1/4 c. parsley

Melt butter in saucepan. Saute garlic. Stir in flour & pepper.  Add hot water and stir 5 min.  Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Stir in parsley.

Dry shrimp. Dust with flour.  Put oil and butter in broiler pan and heat till butter melts.  Add shrimp.  Broil till shrimp are just done.  Pour butter sauce over, stir to coat.  Broil 3-5 minutes till sauce starts to look bubbly and little brown bits start to appear around the edges.




Just lovely.

This is really good with pasta, but I didn't have any fresh on hand.  A big hunk of garlic bread makes a perfectly good substitute.

Slow Cooker Korean Beef

This was a bit hit with the hubby and kids.  I love it when I find a crock pot recipe that doesn't make me touch raw meat.  I'm ok with browning and all that, but no touching is way better.

I found this inspiration on a blog called Confections of a Food Bride.  Her recipe calls for short ribs and shreds the beef for tacos.  It also includes a yummy-sounding Cucumber Slaw, which I'll definitely try later.

Here's my version...














For recipe purposes, I'm calling the beef "stew meat".  I used some unmarked, carefully packaged for the freezer, squares of beef.   I made a couple of modifications, so check out the Confections version if you want to see the original or are interested in the slaw recipe.

5 lbs. beef - short ribs, stew meat, whatever you like
1 bottle low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tsp chopped garlic
6 T. rice vinegar
2 T. sesame oil
2 T. olive oil
1 cup water (optional)

Whisk all ingredients except water (and beef, haha).  Put the beef in crock pot and pour the sauce over.  If the liquid level looks low, add some water.

Cook on low for 6-8  hours.

Remove meat for the children who say "yuck" to spicy food, then add sriracha to the sauce and give it a stir.  Or just drizzle it on the plates of sriracha lovers.

Chopped Champ

I’ve been chopped.

The mystery basket:  Marshmallows. Blueberries. And pretzels.  (Did you use a Ted Allen voice in your head?)
My opponent:  A 10-year old boy.

We love playing family Chopped.  It’s all good fun.  We work together, we vote, we eat our creations, we win some we lose some.  But last night... I was in it to win it.  I love my kid and all but I really wanted this one.  While “he” was busy drizzling syrup, I was busy grinding pretzels for a butter/sugar/pretzel crust.  While “he” was strategically placing blueberries in each and every pretzel opening, I was busy whipping up a filling of cream cheese, melted marshmallows, and heavy cream.  While my plating involved topping off with a few blueberries and a pretzel crumble, “his” plating was kicked up at least 3 notches with the addition of Trix, strawberries, and peanut butter pretzels.

Clearly, he won hands down for Presentation.  He also smoked me in Taste and Most Creative Use of Mystery Ingredients.
I present to you... The Jones Family Chopped Champion and his winning creation, "Dreamy Goodness".

 

For what it's worth, my next cheesecake crust will involve pretzels.  I'm just sayin'...  And if you're in a pinch for something sweet, that marshmallow + cream cheese + heavy cream combo ain't too shabby, either.  I'll be making that again.  Obviously, not under the hot lights of kitchen stadium, but I'll definitely be whipping up another batch to go with my just-delivered-yesterday 28 pounds of Oregon blueberries.

Congrats on your win, son!  I love that you love cooking!

                    

Nigella's Chocolate Guiness Cake with Irish Cream Frosting

Guiness.  It’s not just for St. Patrick’s Day. 

I have a new favorite chocolate cake recipe and... it's made with beer.  Keep an open mind, kids - you'll be so glad you did.  It’s divine. It’s moist, not overly sweet, and has to be the easiest cake I’ve ever made.  And it’s begging me to make it again.  Like, now.

Thank you Nigella via Miso Bakes via Pintrest for the thread that led me to…Nigella's Chocolate Guiness Cake.  Did I mention it’s divine? 

It made 24 cupcakes, which I baked for about 15 minutes – used the Touch the top/Wait for the spring back timing method.  Don't tell anybody, but I inhaled one right out of the oven.  Then I offered one to my kid but made him give me a bite first.

I shamelessly jacked Miso’s idea for a Bailey's spiked frosting, but made my own cream cheese version.  It goes something like this:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 T. butter, softened

½ cup heavy whipping cream

¼ Bailey’s Irish Cream

1/3 cup powdered sugar

Cream the cream cheese & butter together in a mixer.  Add heavy cream, mix till smooth.  Add Bailey’s, then the powdered sugar.  You can add more cream or powdered sugar to get the consistency you prefer for your own frosting.  Taste it to make sure it's ok.  Be sure you save some for the cake.

You can easily adapt these to any holiday by enhancing them with the appropriate color bling.

Braised Rosemary Chicken with Pears

I made this for dinner last night.  My son called it Heaven Chicken.  When dinner was over, there was very little evidence it ever existed - plates (and the pan) were practically licked clean.  

You can easily change up ingredients and amounts to suit your taste and family size.

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

2-3 firm pears, cut into large chunks.

½ cup white wine

1 cup chicken broth

¼ cup Dijon mustard

sprigs of rosemary

Preheat oven to 350.

Rinse chicken and pat dry.  Season with s&p. 

Heat 2 T. butter + 2 T olive oil in large fry pan or dutch oven.   

Brown chicken on both sides, remove to a plate.  

Toss pears in pan and cook for about 3 minutes or until browned and caramely.

Remove pears and set aside.

Deglaze pan with ½ cup dry white wine, add 1 cup chicken broth.  Stir till all the yummy bits let go of the pan.  Whisk in mustard.

Pour any juice from the chicken back in and stir. 

If your pan is large and has a cover, you can use it for baking.  If not, pour sauce into large dutch oven.  Place chicken on sauce in a single layer.  Top with a few sprigs of rosemary.  Cover and bake for 15 minutes.  Gently place pears on top of chicken, and bake for another 20 minutes or until chicken falls off the bone.  Never mind.  There are no bones.  You know what I’m talking about.  

Serve with rice or potatoes & something green.  You'll want something green on that plate, especially if you intend to photograph it.

Bourbon Glazed Corned Beef and Cabbage

The basis for this recipe is classic James Beard, circa 1965. I found it on Epicurious (it’s still there if you want to check it out) many years ago and have been making a modified version of it ever since. The original recipe is a 4 forker and has about 150 reviews. Using some suggestions by said reviewers, along with a few tweaks of my own, I present to you my twist on this classic. Thank you, Mr. Beard, for your inspiration.

Bourbon Glazed Corned Beef & Cabbage

Serves 6.

5 lb corned beef – the kind with a spice packet

5 carrots, peeled and quartered

3 onions, peeled and quartered

1 medium cabbage, cut into wedges

1 pound red potatoes (or more)

1 can Guiness stout

Plus…

1 large citrusy scented candle. Trust me, you’re gonna need it.

There's some timing involved, so if you’re like me and need reminders for practically everything, you could make yourself a schedule – sounds a little obsessive, but it helps keep things straight. You can use a 1-hour per pound guideline if you choose a larger or smaller cut of meat.

Bring meat to a boil in large pot of water. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about an hour. Occasionally, skim the foamy stuff off the top, and throw it far, far away. Add the spice packet and Guiness and simmer for another 3 hours.

During the last half hour of meat cooking, add the potatoes, carrots and onion.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Now go light that candle.

Remove the meat and place on baking pan. Add cabbage to veggies and continue to cook for 30 minutes, or till tender. Brush meat with glaze and bake for about 30 minutes. Dab on more glaze during baking. More is better.

Sweet Bourbon Glaze

1  cup brown sugar

½  cup apple juice

2 T. mustard

½  cup bourbon

Slice meat and serve with veggies and bread.

Happy St. Pat's! 

Clumpy Granola Goodness

My granola saga has a happy ending! I've been on a quest for a blend that's not too sweet, light and crisp, super nutty, healthy, and chocked with clumps.  

After concocting just the right mixture of  oat/nut/seeds, and conquering the "pour over", the final, untamed frontier that cost me many batches in the testing was... The Clump. In my quest I found 3 basic clumping theories:  egg whites (ick) , applesauce (eh), and... pressing.   Pressing - oh yeah!! Umpteen batches later, I finally did it. I made clumps!

I'm a fresh fruit kinda girl so dried fruit is not represented. You can always add whatever suits your fancy.  I'm also not big on precision measuring, and I think a little more here/a little less there probably won't matter. Granola is definitely not an exact science so tweak away.  


Here it is...

 Clumpy Granola

The Oats/Nuts/Seeds
1 c. quick oats
1  c. regular oats
1 c. regular oats pulsed in processor
1 c. almonds - slivered, sliced, etc.
1 c. pumpkin seeds
1/2 c. sunflower seeds
1/2 c. flax seeds
1/2 c. cashews (pieces, but big ones)

Change it up if you like.  I found a 1:1  oats to nut/seed combo works best.
Mix and spread onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

The Pour Over
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup coconut oil

Heat and whisk in small saucepan till well blended. Stir in 1/2 tsp vanilla and a little salt.

Pour it over the nut seed goodness and mix it all up.

The Trick
Now, here's the kicker. If you want clumps, which I highly recommend, take a metal spatula and Press It Down. Then press it down again for good measure. 

Pop it into a  325 (or reduce the temp if your oven runs on the hot side) degree oven for 30 minutes, or till nicely browned. You'll want to rotate the pan halfway thru the baking.  If you're not into clumps, give it a stir when you turn it.  

Take it out and top with about 1/2 cup of large  coconut shreds.

 Step away from the granola! Let it cool completely - about an hour - and wait for the magic to happen. When you can't stand it any longer, break off a big hunk! Yeah, baby.  That's what I'm talking about.

Now go get yourself some fresh berries, Greek yogurt, and crumble some of this goodness on top.  Man, I could eat this every day. Enjoy!