Proof that my hubby is totally lame: He apparently has a debilitating fear of landlords. He claims that talking to landlords on the phone gives him mini panic attacks and I’m better at it any way. At least those were his excuses as to why I should try to haggle with our new potential landlord to bring down the price of the rent he’s charging. This from a guy who works in journalism. I thought journalists were supposed to be good at talking to people and getting information and all that? Well, I argued that he’s “much better at cleaning our really messy bedroom” than I am and going into our really messy bedroom gives me mini panic attacks. So, he said he’d clean the bedroom if I talked to the landlord. Well I talked to him; I even got him to lower the rent by $50, and yet our bedroom remains dirty. I think I totally got gypped. Sorry, that might not be totally P.C., I think I got totally screwed. He didn’t even clean the bathroom this weekend and I helped him clean the living (both of which are his responsibilities). Hmm… perhaps the Playstation should have remained broken… Maybe I should pull a page out of my dad’s book and put it up until all his chores are done.
The first official day of spring was this past Saturday, and it was beautiful. It was sunny and blue skies all day long with a balmy 75 degrees. Today it was a not exactly balmy 48 degrees and gray and rainy. Bleh. It’s supposed to be beautiful again tomorrow though. With all this week off, I was really looking forward to taking the dog on long walk everyday. Instead I hid inside and flipped back and forth between Star Trek, The Next Generation and Anthony Bourdain. Woot. At least it was a perfect day to try out my new recipe. I have several recipes I’m looking to try this week and one of them was potato soup. I love rich creamy potato soup, but it’s so calorie laden… Well, I came up with this lighter version which is perfect for a damp rainy night. To make it real loaded baked potato soup (and a little healthier) I added some cooked, cut-up broccoli florets to mine as well as the cheese and bacon. But, it definitely stands well on it’s own and would be good paired with a salad. (No, Tyler didn’t eat any broccoli with his).
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
serves 4
3 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and cubed
½ a large Onion, chopped
3 cloves Garlic, minced
3 cups Chicken Broth (approximate)
½ cup Fat Free Sour Cream
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to Taste
½ lb Turkey Bacon, cooked and crumbled
Shredded Cheddar Cheese, Chopped Chives, Cooked Broccoli Florets as Toppings
Heat a little olive oil over medium heat in the bottom of a large soup pot. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently until onions are soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook for another minute or 2. Turn the heat up to medium high and add in cubed potatoes. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in just enough chicken broth to barely cover the potatoes and bring to a boil. Cover and lower the heat and allow to simmer until potatoes are fork tender, approximately 15-20 minutes.
Remove the pot from heat. Mash the cooked potatoes lightly with a potato masher. Remove approximately half of the potato chunks and set aside. Using a blender or an immersion blender, blend the remaining potato mixture until smooth, add back in the chunks. Stir in the sour cream. Serve hot with shredded cheese, crumbled bacon and your favorite toppings.
Showing posts with label Soups and Stews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Soups and Stews. Show all posts
Monday, March 22, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Luck o' the Irish
Lunch: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Dinner: Beef and Beef Irish Stew and Bread
After yesterday’s bread debacle, today has seemed like a breeze. Perhaps I have the luck of the Irish with me. (I did wear green, the fear of being pinched at the frat house was too great) I got here, made sandwiches and soup, threw together some stew and cut up the bread I got from Wal-mart this morning. So far there have been no major mishaps, snafus or concerns. Right now I’m just sitting around waiting for the stew to be done enough for me to leave it on warm for the next several hours. In fact I should be done and on the road by around 2:30. That’s a record for me. Of course, I don’t usually start dinner until 2 most days because I don’t want it to end up soggy or gross from sitting in a warming oven for 3 hours. But tonight’s dinner is stew and bread. I’m fairly sure it won’t hurt the stew (or the bread) to sit around for awhile.
I was planning on making cookies today if there was going to be time. While I do happen to have plenty of time, I find I’m rather short on eggs. Apparently the guys have gotten into the milk, the eggs and the mozzarella cheese. I guess they were hungry for omelets last night? I don’t really mind not having to make cookies (it gives me time to write this), but I know there are going to be some very disappointed guys this week. They get very up in arms over desserts. I have a feeling someone will be tarred, feathered and run out of town tonight when it’s discovered that there will be no cookies this week. I hope they take pictures.
Beef and Beer Irish Stew
Serves 25
12 lbs Stew Meat
15 Carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
8-10 lbs Potatoes, roughly chopped
2 med Onions, roughly chopped
24 oz Tomato Paste
8 cloves Garlic, Crushed
2 quarts Beef Stock
4 ½ cups Dark Beer (Guinness or Amber Bock)
1 tbs Thyme
Salt
Pepper
1 cup Flour
Vegetable Oil
Preheat oven to 300. On the stove, heat oil in a large dutch oven. Mix salt and pepper with flour and dust the stew meat. Brown the stew meat on all sides in the hot oil. You may need to do this in 2 batches. Remove meat and add onion, garlic and tomato paste. Sauté onions until tender, about 5 minutes. Add beer and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Return the meat to the dutch oven and stir in the beef stock, potatoes and carrots. Cover tightly and bake for 2 to 3 hours or until meat is tender. Serve with rye bread (or soda bread, if you dare).
Dinner: Beef and Beef Irish Stew and Bread
After yesterday’s bread debacle, today has seemed like a breeze. Perhaps I have the luck of the Irish with me. (I did wear green, the fear of being pinched at the frat house was too great) I got here, made sandwiches and soup, threw together some stew and cut up the bread I got from Wal-mart this morning. So far there have been no major mishaps, snafus or concerns. Right now I’m just sitting around waiting for the stew to be done enough for me to leave it on warm for the next several hours. In fact I should be done and on the road by around 2:30. That’s a record for me. Of course, I don’t usually start dinner until 2 most days because I don’t want it to end up soggy or gross from sitting in a warming oven for 3 hours. But tonight’s dinner is stew and bread. I’m fairly sure it won’t hurt the stew (or the bread) to sit around for awhile.
I was planning on making cookies today if there was going to be time. While I do happen to have plenty of time, I find I’m rather short on eggs. Apparently the guys have gotten into the milk, the eggs and the mozzarella cheese. I guess they were hungry for omelets last night? I don’t really mind not having to make cookies (it gives me time to write this), but I know there are going to be some very disappointed guys this week. They get very up in arms over desserts. I have a feeling someone will be tarred, feathered and run out of town tonight when it’s discovered that there will be no cookies this week. I hope they take pictures.
Beef and Beer Irish Stew
Serves 25
12 lbs Stew Meat
15 Carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
8-10 lbs Potatoes, roughly chopped
2 med Onions, roughly chopped
24 oz Tomato Paste
8 cloves Garlic, Crushed
2 quarts Beef Stock
4 ½ cups Dark Beer (Guinness or Amber Bock)
1 tbs Thyme
Salt
Pepper
1 cup Flour
Vegetable Oil
Preheat oven to 300. On the stove, heat oil in a large dutch oven. Mix salt and pepper with flour and dust the stew meat. Brown the stew meat on all sides in the hot oil. You may need to do this in 2 batches. Remove meat and add onion, garlic and tomato paste. Sauté onions until tender, about 5 minutes. Add beer and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Return the meat to the dutch oven and stir in the beef stock, potatoes and carrots. Cover tightly and bake for 2 to 3 hours or until meat is tender. Serve with rye bread (or soda bread, if you dare).
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Cheese Platitudes
Lunch: Chicken Nuggets, French Fries, Carrot and Celery and Ranch Dip
Dinner: Spaghetti Burgers, Pasta Salad and Salad
Word to the wise, don’t piss off the chef. If you’re drunk and feel the need to write a treatise on how there’s too much cheese in the fridge on the whiteboard outside the kitchen, don’t. Just don’t. Unless you really want to piss off the chef and she then decides to no longer serve cheese. You might find yourself being chased down by your fraternity brothers with pitchforks when they find out there will be no more bacon (or chicken) mac and cheese. Yes, that’s right, on coming into work today I found a drunken message on the whiteboard outlining why one brother thought there was an excessive amount of cheese in the fridge. Really? Of all the possible culprits… you choose cheese? Of course, I was just a little miffed about the whole thing. I especially liked the notes after each platitude saying “CHEF DO NOT ERASE”. They put little boxes around them to make sure they were noticed. The best part, though, was that in each bulleted point they made sure to point out the expiration date of the cheese and whether or not it was processed. They even underlined the fact that the mozzarella I buy is “highly processed”. Ok… at least none of the cheese was expired. They might have room to complain if there was a fridge full of expired cheese that didn’t get used. But complaining that there were several pounds of cheese in the fridge and that some of it was “highly processed”? I thought I was cooking for a fraternity, not some sorority with recovering processed cheese addicts. Why is there so much cheese (and cheese product) in the fridge? Because that’s how much the guys eat. I didn’t erase the sign; I brought the steward down to see the board. He seemed a little flabbergasted. Seriously? Cheese? He apologized and promised to thoroughly shame the culprit. I kind of wish I knew who it was so I could throw Cheez Whiz at him. I bet he would cry.
I had another surprise today on coming into work. All of the chicken noodle soup I made yesterday was gone. Food being gone is not necessarily news around here, but you have to understand, I made a substantial amount of chicken noodle soup. And, it wasn’t just any kind of chicken noodle soup, homemade chicken noodle soup with homemade broth. I spent all day boiling chicken and vegetables, then picking the chicken thighs and cutting up new vegetables etc etc and ended up with around 28 quarts worth of chicken soup. In case you’re wondering, that’s around 7 gallons of soup. It wasn’t even very soupy as it was chock full of chicken and noodles (and corn and carrots). When I talked to the steward he said that everyone loved the chicken soup, and that they thought it was magic because they kept going back for more and… finding more. It was like magic soup. I tried the soup, and it was pretty magical. Homemade chicken soup takes some time to make, but it blows that mushy canned stuff right out of the water. In fact, my homemade chicken noodle soup is the reason my husband eats soup today (not to brag or anything…). Of course, there are always some dissenters in the group. Apparently the guy who wrote the cheese platitudes didn’t like the soup. How much more natural and unprocessed can you get than homemade chicken noodle soup?
Kristen’s Chicken Noodle Soup
Serves a whole lot of people, a small army or 23 really hungry frat boys
1 ½ gallon water
1 ½ gallon chicken broth
18 lbs chicken thighs
1 tbs Lawry’s Seasoning Salt
3 tbs Old Bay Seasoning
6 Bay Leaves
1 tbs black pepper
1 tbs ground sage
1 tbs celery seed
16 medium carrots
1 bunch of celery
3 large onions
3 lbs of corn
3 lbs egg noodles
Put the chicken in a large stock pot and cover with chicken broth and water. Stir in Lawry’s Seasoning Salt, Old Bay Seasoning, bay leaves, ground sage, black pepper and celery seed. Cut 5 carrots, celery (celery leaves and all) and 1 onion into large chunks and put in the pot. Bring the broth to a boil and then cover and simmer for 1 hour. Using tongs, remove chicken from the broth and set aside to cool. Strain the vegetables out of the broth, and then skim the grease off the top of the broth. (Note: You can make the broth a day ahead and put it in the fridge at this point. The grease will harden over night and you can skim the hardened grease off the top easily). While the chicken is still warm, remove the skin. If you’re having trouble getting the skin off the chicken, warm it up in the microwave for a minute. Pick all of the chicken off the bones and shred it. Chop the remaining carrots and onions into bite-sized pieces.
After you have skimmed the grease from the broth, put it back on the stove. Bring the broth to a boil and add the noodles, carrots and onions. Cook the noodles for the time indicated in the directions. Add in the shredded chicken and frozen corn. You may need to add a few extra quarts of water at this point and adjust the seasonings. Simmer for 10-15. Serve with warm bread.
Dinner: Spaghetti Burgers, Pasta Salad and Salad
Word to the wise, don’t piss off the chef. If you’re drunk and feel the need to write a treatise on how there’s too much cheese in the fridge on the whiteboard outside the kitchen, don’t. Just don’t. Unless you really want to piss off the chef and she then decides to no longer serve cheese. You might find yourself being chased down by your fraternity brothers with pitchforks when they find out there will be no more bacon (or chicken) mac and cheese. Yes, that’s right, on coming into work today I found a drunken message on the whiteboard outlining why one brother thought there was an excessive amount of cheese in the fridge. Really? Of all the possible culprits… you choose cheese? Of course, I was just a little miffed about the whole thing. I especially liked the notes after each platitude saying “CHEF DO NOT ERASE”. They put little boxes around them to make sure they were noticed. The best part, though, was that in each bulleted point they made sure to point out the expiration date of the cheese and whether or not it was processed. They even underlined the fact that the mozzarella I buy is “highly processed”. Ok… at least none of the cheese was expired. They might have room to complain if there was a fridge full of expired cheese that didn’t get used. But complaining that there were several pounds of cheese in the fridge and that some of it was “highly processed”? I thought I was cooking for a fraternity, not some sorority with recovering processed cheese addicts. Why is there so much cheese (and cheese product) in the fridge? Because that’s how much the guys eat. I didn’t erase the sign; I brought the steward down to see the board. He seemed a little flabbergasted. Seriously? Cheese? He apologized and promised to thoroughly shame the culprit. I kind of wish I knew who it was so I could throw Cheez Whiz at him. I bet he would cry.
I had another surprise today on coming into work. All of the chicken noodle soup I made yesterday was gone. Food being gone is not necessarily news around here, but you have to understand, I made a substantial amount of chicken noodle soup. And, it wasn’t just any kind of chicken noodle soup, homemade chicken noodle soup with homemade broth. I spent all day boiling chicken and vegetables, then picking the chicken thighs and cutting up new vegetables etc etc and ended up with around 28 quarts worth of chicken soup. In case you’re wondering, that’s around 7 gallons of soup. It wasn’t even very soupy as it was chock full of chicken and noodles (and corn and carrots). When I talked to the steward he said that everyone loved the chicken soup, and that they thought it was magic because they kept going back for more and… finding more. It was like magic soup. I tried the soup, and it was pretty magical. Homemade chicken soup takes some time to make, but it blows that mushy canned stuff right out of the water. In fact, my homemade chicken noodle soup is the reason my husband eats soup today (not to brag or anything…). Of course, there are always some dissenters in the group. Apparently the guy who wrote the cheese platitudes didn’t like the soup. How much more natural and unprocessed can you get than homemade chicken noodle soup?
Kristen’s Chicken Noodle Soup
Serves a whole lot of people, a small army or 23 really hungry frat boys
1 ½ gallon water
1 ½ gallon chicken broth
18 lbs chicken thighs
1 tbs Lawry’s Seasoning Salt
3 tbs Old Bay Seasoning
6 Bay Leaves
1 tbs black pepper
1 tbs ground sage
1 tbs celery seed
16 medium carrots
1 bunch of celery
3 large onions
3 lbs of corn
3 lbs egg noodles
Put the chicken in a large stock pot and cover with chicken broth and water. Stir in Lawry’s Seasoning Salt, Old Bay Seasoning, bay leaves, ground sage, black pepper and celery seed. Cut 5 carrots, celery (celery leaves and all) and 1 onion into large chunks and put in the pot. Bring the broth to a boil and then cover and simmer for 1 hour. Using tongs, remove chicken from the broth and set aside to cool. Strain the vegetables out of the broth, and then skim the grease off the top of the broth. (Note: You can make the broth a day ahead and put it in the fridge at this point. The grease will harden over night and you can skim the hardened grease off the top easily). While the chicken is still warm, remove the skin. If you’re having trouble getting the skin off the chicken, warm it up in the microwave for a minute. Pick all of the chicken off the bones and shred it. Chop the remaining carrots and onions into bite-sized pieces.
After you have skimmed the grease from the broth, put it back on the stove. Bring the broth to a boil and add the noodles, carrots and onions. Cook the noodles for the time indicated in the directions. Add in the shredded chicken and frozen corn. You may need to add a few extra quarts of water at this point and adjust the seasonings. Simmer for 10-15. Serve with warm bread.
Monday, February 8, 2010
There Are No Hamburgers In Barbeque
Lunch: Chicken Patty Sandwiches, Chips and Oranges
Dinner: Brunswick stew and Rice
Today has, so far, not been much of a “Monday”. Of course, I’m still at work and haven’t braved the traffic home yet. But, so far I can’t complain and that’s saying something because I had to get groceries today. Ok, I only had to get half of the groceries as I got the Kroger half yesterday. Still, Sam’s Club was blessedly empty and I got in, got out and got everything that I needed and was even under budget. Staying in budget has been a constant struggle this semester. With such a low budget, it’s been tough coming up with menus that will satisfy the frat boy’s desire for a meat-filled mini feast that’s still budget friendly and varied. If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s make the same thing week after week. Any way… I’m a little off topic. There were no major snafus making lunch and the guys seemed to enjoy it (even if it was sort of a cafeteria-ish lunch). It is 2:45 and dinner is almost ready. Of course, the Brunswick stew recipe is rather dump, cover and leave. It almost belongs in that Man a Can a Plan Recipe Book.
Brunswick stew is a very Southern dish. I’d never heard of it before coming to GA. Then, when it was explained to me, I was told it was made with squirrel and rabbit. It might have once been made with small rodent and there are probably places where you can find it prepared that way, I just don’t go there. Banjos scare me. No, Brunswick stew is generally made with shredded pork and/or chicken. Everyone you meet has a different recipe for it. It is most frequently to be found in real barbeque joints. In case you don’t know the difference. To any good southerner, barbeque refers as much to the sauce as the preparation of the meat. To a Southerner, a barbeque is not a get together with friends where you serve hot dogs and hamburgers off the grill. That is called grilling. No, barbeque consists of slow-cooked, smoked meat that is accompanied by barbecue sauce. There are several different variations to this sauce, a South Carolina sauce is generally mustard based while a North Carolina Sauce is thinner and spicier. Kansas City sauce is the kind most typically found on grocery store shelves, it’s thick and sweet and not as sharp or spicy as other sauces. Georgia sauce is somewhere in-between. It’s usually thinner and more vinegar based with hints of sweetness. This is just the kind of sauce I like. Again, I’m off on a tangent (although anyone who’s had real south barbecue will forgive me for wanting to clarify). The backbone of most Brunswick stew is pulled pork, a southern barbeque staple. Pulled pork is a Boston butt that’s been smoked slow and low until it’s falling-apart tender. The meat is then pulled apart to form long, thin shreds of pork. This makes the stew thick and super hearty. A good Brunswick stew is almost thick enough to eat with a fork.
Brunswick Stew
Serves 26
1 large Onion, chopped
2 Green Bell Peppers, chopped
4 cups Frozen Okra
6 pounds Barbeque Pulled Pork
6 cans Rotelle Tomatoes
1 bulk-size can Tomato Sauce
4 cups Frozen Corn
2 quarts Chicken Broth
2 teaspoons Salt
2 teaspoons Pepper
1 ½ cups Barbecue Sauce
1 ½ tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
4 cups Canned Chicken, shredded
Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.
Note: Barbecue Pulled Pork can be found in bulk (4 pounds each) at Sam’s Club or can be found in small tubs at any grocery store. You can also use left-over pulled pork from last week’s Jamaican Pulled Pork. While it isn’t traditional smoked pulled pork… it certainly works.
As Always, I have tried most of these recipes at home before cooking them for the guys, if you would like a more family friendly sized recipe… let me know and I’ll give it to you (free of charge too! ;-) )
Dinner: Brunswick stew and Rice
Today has, so far, not been much of a “Monday”. Of course, I’m still at work and haven’t braved the traffic home yet. But, so far I can’t complain and that’s saying something because I had to get groceries today. Ok, I only had to get half of the groceries as I got the Kroger half yesterday. Still, Sam’s Club was blessedly empty and I got in, got out and got everything that I needed and was even under budget. Staying in budget has been a constant struggle this semester. With such a low budget, it’s been tough coming up with menus that will satisfy the frat boy’s desire for a meat-filled mini feast that’s still budget friendly and varied. If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s make the same thing week after week. Any way… I’m a little off topic. There were no major snafus making lunch and the guys seemed to enjoy it (even if it was sort of a cafeteria-ish lunch). It is 2:45 and dinner is almost ready. Of course, the Brunswick stew recipe is rather dump, cover and leave. It almost belongs in that Man a Can a Plan Recipe Book.
Brunswick stew is a very Southern dish. I’d never heard of it before coming to GA. Then, when it was explained to me, I was told it was made with squirrel and rabbit. It might have once been made with small rodent and there are probably places where you can find it prepared that way, I just don’t go there. Banjos scare me. No, Brunswick stew is generally made with shredded pork and/or chicken. Everyone you meet has a different recipe for it. It is most frequently to be found in real barbeque joints. In case you don’t know the difference. To any good southerner, barbeque refers as much to the sauce as the preparation of the meat. To a Southerner, a barbeque is not a get together with friends where you serve hot dogs and hamburgers off the grill. That is called grilling. No, barbeque consists of slow-cooked, smoked meat that is accompanied by barbecue sauce. There are several different variations to this sauce, a South Carolina sauce is generally mustard based while a North Carolina Sauce is thinner and spicier. Kansas City sauce is the kind most typically found on grocery store shelves, it’s thick and sweet and not as sharp or spicy as other sauces. Georgia sauce is somewhere in-between. It’s usually thinner and more vinegar based with hints of sweetness. This is just the kind of sauce I like. Again, I’m off on a tangent (although anyone who’s had real south barbecue will forgive me for wanting to clarify). The backbone of most Brunswick stew is pulled pork, a southern barbeque staple. Pulled pork is a Boston butt that’s been smoked slow and low until it’s falling-apart tender. The meat is then pulled apart to form long, thin shreds of pork. This makes the stew thick and super hearty. A good Brunswick stew is almost thick enough to eat with a fork.
Brunswick Stew
Serves 26
1 large Onion, chopped
2 Green Bell Peppers, chopped
4 cups Frozen Okra
6 pounds Barbeque Pulled Pork
6 cans Rotelle Tomatoes
1 bulk-size can Tomato Sauce
4 cups Frozen Corn
2 quarts Chicken Broth
2 teaspoons Salt
2 teaspoons Pepper
1 ½ cups Barbecue Sauce
1 ½ tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
4 cups Canned Chicken, shredded
Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.
Note: Barbecue Pulled Pork can be found in bulk (4 pounds each) at Sam’s Club or can be found in small tubs at any grocery store. You can also use left-over pulled pork from last week’s Jamaican Pulled Pork. While it isn’t traditional smoked pulled pork… it certainly works.
As Always, I have tried most of these recipes at home before cooking them for the guys, if you would like a more family friendly sized recipe… let me know and I’ll give it to you (free of charge too! ;-) )
Monday, February 1, 2010
The Mondays
Meh… I’ve really got a case of the Monday’s. While I do enjoy my job, it is still a job and there are times that I simply don’t want to do it. I most certainly did not want to get up at 6am so I could stand be standing in the cold at the bus stop at dawn only to find the bus was 10 minutes late. I didn’t really want to walk a mile from the bus stop to work in the cold. I really didn’t want to have to track down someone with a key to open the pantry when I found it locked this morning (why don’t I have a key?). Then I had to make chicken quesadillas, which seemed suddenly very irksome and boring. It was definitely a case of the Mondays. I felt better after I went for a long walk around lunch time (a good start to my “mini French” diet/ new routine/lifestyle). After all the hullabaloo and stress over work the past few weeks, I’m glad things are getting back to a somewhat functioning “normal”. But, life at a frat house is never really normal. There are constant surprises and quandaries (why, for example, don’t they like strawberry Jello? I made a whole tray of it and they didn’t touch it. Perhaps I should have made jigglers and cut them into shapes…) There was also a nearly full case of beer in the fridge. This is truly a quandary because generally on Monday there’s only an empty cardboard case that the beer came in residing in the fridge. There was, however, an empty pan that contained the dregs of the chicken and dumpling I made last Thursday night. Apparently they really liked it, despite the fact that it was chock full of veggies. I’ll have to put up that recipe later on this week.
It is now nearly 10pm and I’m feeling like the Mondays might be spreading and become the Tuesdays… After all the bus home was 15 minutes late and then there was a big pile up on I-20. And if all that didn’t make the trip home long enough, on the way to dropping people off at one of the stops on the way home, we watched a large truck turn over on the on-ramp. No one was hurt, but the truck completely blocked the on ramp meaning that the bus had to take an alternate route and we got in 45 minutes late. Also it’s Monday night, Tyler’s big TV watching night which means I’m hiding in the bed room with head phones on. I hate 24; I think it’s stupid and really loud. Is it wrong of me to wish that our surround sound would mysteriously get “sick” every Monday night?
I did get to try a new recipe today, Italian Meatball Soup from the Pioneer Woman. As any good soup, it is a little time-consuming. If making it in bulk, it really requires a lot of chopping (4 cups each of potatoes, onions, celery, and carrots and 2 small cabbages) I also made home-made meatballs for it rather than cheating and getting the frozen mini meatballs. While I doubt the guys will appreciate the hard work of homemade meatballs, I don’t think the soup would have been nearly as fantabulous without them. They had lemon juice in them, very different but very tasty. Because I have the Mondays, I’m going to cheat a little and just post a link to the site. Because I’d never made it before, I didn’t really deviate from the recipe. I tried a little of it before I left, and it was heavenly. Fate will determine if the guys liked it, but it certainly filled the whole lodge with the most fabulous beefy, oniony homey smell (good smells in a frat house are none just a rarity but really unheard of). It hit levels of nirvana when I pulled the dinner rolls out of the oven. So here is the recipe in all of its glory: Italian-Meatball-Soup
Note: I did change how much meat was in the soup. I made a quadruple batch of the soup, but doubled the meat for that. So, if you quadruple the recipe it calls for 3 pounds of ground beef, well I did about 6.5-7. I feed frat boys. If I’m going to convince them to eat a soup full of cabbage and carrots, it better have meat in every bite. It worked out rather well and made for a very hearty soup. I also had to up the dose on all the other meatball ingredients. So, to recap I quadrupled the soup ingredients and octupled the meatball recipe. (Ok, octuple is a word, I double checked it at dictionary.com, so why is my spell check saying it’s wrong?)
It is now nearly 10pm and I’m feeling like the Mondays might be spreading and become the Tuesdays… After all the bus home was 15 minutes late and then there was a big pile up on I-20. And if all that didn’t make the trip home long enough, on the way to dropping people off at one of the stops on the way home, we watched a large truck turn over on the on-ramp. No one was hurt, but the truck completely blocked the on ramp meaning that the bus had to take an alternate route and we got in 45 minutes late. Also it’s Monday night, Tyler’s big TV watching night which means I’m hiding in the bed room with head phones on. I hate 24; I think it’s stupid and really loud. Is it wrong of me to wish that our surround sound would mysteriously get “sick” every Monday night?
I did get to try a new recipe today, Italian Meatball Soup from the Pioneer Woman. As any good soup, it is a little time-consuming. If making it in bulk, it really requires a lot of chopping (4 cups each of potatoes, onions, celery, and carrots and 2 small cabbages) I also made home-made meatballs for it rather than cheating and getting the frozen mini meatballs. While I doubt the guys will appreciate the hard work of homemade meatballs, I don’t think the soup would have been nearly as fantabulous without them. They had lemon juice in them, very different but very tasty. Because I have the Mondays, I’m going to cheat a little and just post a link to the site. Because I’d never made it before, I didn’t really deviate from the recipe. I tried a little of it before I left, and it was heavenly. Fate will determine if the guys liked it, but it certainly filled the whole lodge with the most fabulous beefy, oniony homey smell (good smells in a frat house are none just a rarity but really unheard of). It hit levels of nirvana when I pulled the dinner rolls out of the oven. So here is the recipe in all of its glory: Italian-Meatball-Soup
Note: I did change how much meat was in the soup. I made a quadruple batch of the soup, but doubled the meat for that. So, if you quadruple the recipe it calls for 3 pounds of ground beef, well I did about 6.5-7. I feed frat boys. If I’m going to convince them to eat a soup full of cabbage and carrots, it better have meat in every bite. It worked out rather well and made for a very hearty soup. I also had to up the dose on all the other meatball ingredients. So, to recap I quadrupled the soup ingredients and octupled the meatball recipe. (Ok, octuple is a word, I double checked it at dictionary.com, so why is my spell check saying it’s wrong?)
Monday, December 14, 2009
Picky Picky Picky
Sorry for another soup entry, but it’s been rather dismal weather here. It’s been foggy and rainy and just plain blah. Plus, my husband loves soup. A fact I find hilarious, as when I first met him he said that he hated soup, all soup. Perhaps I should tell you a little something about my husband. He is one of the world’s pickiest eaters. If he tried something once when he was younger, and didn’t like, it and anything sort of like it are relegated to the land of things Tyler won’t eat. And let me tell you, just a quarter of what’s in that land could feed the world for at least a year. Soup, all kinds and forms of soup, were residents of that land. I couldn’t figure this out. All soup? How is that even possible? The truth was, he didn’t really like canned soup. He’d never had homemade soup. So because he didn’t like Campbell’s chicken and stars, all soup was out.
I don’t really skip for joy over canned soup either, but I was lucky. My mother is an excellent cook who tries all sorts of new things, and is an excellent maker of soup. It also helped that picky wasn’t tolerated at our house. You ate what was on the table, and if you didn’t like something, you had to take at least a bite of it anyway. While there are some critics of this method, it does have its good points; after all, our tastes change as we grow. I hated sausage when I was little, and though it’s still not my favorite I’ll eat it sometimes and I’ll even cook with it. I have an excellent recipe for sausage kabobs… Well, that’s not how my husband was raised and it drives me nuts. I love variety, and nothing makes me happier than getting in the kitchen and trying something new. It has been a trial with Tyler, but he’s slowly coming around. For the curious, here’s a list of things he was sure he hated when I first met him that he now either loves or at least tolerates: any kind of soup (he will now eat turkey noodle, chicken noodle, chili, and Italian chicken and sausage soup), barbeque (I know, the ultimate man food right?), fresh green beans, zucchini, homemade spaghetti sauce, pork chops or pork tenderloin, summer squash, mashed potatoes (actually any kind of potato that wasn’t fried), hummus or Greek food, and lasagna.
P.S. I love you Tyler, even if you don’t like veggies!
Easy Chili
Serves 5
1 ½ pound Lean Ground Beef
1 med Onion, chopped fine
2 cloves Garlic
1 can Diced Tomatoes, 15 oz
1 can Tomato Sauce, 15 oz
1 can Chili Beans, 15 oz
1 can Kidney Beans, 15 oz drained
1 tbs Chili Powder
2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Ground Cayenne (Optional)
2 tsp Dried Oregano
Salt to taste
In a 5 qt dutch oven or soup pot, brown hamburger with onions and garlic. Drain and return to pot. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer covered for 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally.
The seasoning measurements are really more suggestions. I tend to like a spicy chili, so I use more chili powder and cayenne than I put in the recipe. I find this recipe is one of those taste as you go sort of things.
I don’t really skip for joy over canned soup either, but I was lucky. My mother is an excellent cook who tries all sorts of new things, and is an excellent maker of soup. It also helped that picky wasn’t tolerated at our house. You ate what was on the table, and if you didn’t like something, you had to take at least a bite of it anyway. While there are some critics of this method, it does have its good points; after all, our tastes change as we grow. I hated sausage when I was little, and though it’s still not my favorite I’ll eat it sometimes and I’ll even cook with it. I have an excellent recipe for sausage kabobs… Well, that’s not how my husband was raised and it drives me nuts. I love variety, and nothing makes me happier than getting in the kitchen and trying something new. It has been a trial with Tyler, but he’s slowly coming around. For the curious, here’s a list of things he was sure he hated when I first met him that he now either loves or at least tolerates: any kind of soup (he will now eat turkey noodle, chicken noodle, chili, and Italian chicken and sausage soup), barbeque (I know, the ultimate man food right?), fresh green beans, zucchini, homemade spaghetti sauce, pork chops or pork tenderloin, summer squash, mashed potatoes (actually any kind of potato that wasn’t fried), hummus or Greek food, and lasagna.
P.S. I love you Tyler, even if you don’t like veggies!
Easy Chili
Serves 5
1 ½ pound Lean Ground Beef
1 med Onion, chopped fine
2 cloves Garlic
1 can Diced Tomatoes, 15 oz
1 can Tomato Sauce, 15 oz
1 can Chili Beans, 15 oz
1 can Kidney Beans, 15 oz drained
1 tbs Chili Powder
2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Ground Cayenne (Optional)
2 tsp Dried Oregano
Salt to taste
In a 5 qt dutch oven or soup pot, brown hamburger with onions and garlic. Drain and return to pot. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer covered for 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally.
The seasoning measurements are really more suggestions. I tend to like a spicy chili, so I use more chili powder and cayenne than I put in the recipe. I find this recipe is one of those taste as you go sort of things.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Homebound
Ok, so the change in backgrounds was not what I’d intended to do. To be honest, I really don’t like this Santa background. But, something went screwy with my old background. I used a template from one of those free template sights, and something happened. One day it was fine, the next day the background was all screwy. Oy! So, I had to change it to something temporary until I figure out how to make my own templates. This bright red is really getting on my nerves. It isn’t me. It doesn’t say Kristy, nor does it say Gourmand cooking.
Yesterday I ran around like the proverbial chicken with my head cut off. Since poor Dora (the Ford Explorer) is still out of commission my husband and I are sharing a car. I don’t like to share. I had the car yesterday so I could run a bunch of errands. It meant I had to get up early on my first day of Christmas break so I could take my hubby to work. It also meant that I needed to get everything possible done before 5 when I needed to go pick Tyler up from work. And most importantly, it means I’m homebound when he has the car. I loathe going out when I don’t have to. We live out in the country, 15 minutes from the middle of nowhere. So, there is no 10 minute trip to the store. When I have the luxury of coming and going at will, I generally prefer to stay home unless it’s absolutely necessary. That being said, it’s day 1 of being homebound and I’m going stir crazy. I’ve thought of at least 5 things I need to get at the store and I’m bemoaning the fact that I can’t take the dog to the pretty neighborhoods downtown (downtown Covington, not Atlanta) for a walk despite the fact that it’s overcast and grey. And no, I can’t take the dog walking here. There is no sidewalk, and we live off of a narrow, busy, winding road. So I’m sitting in the dark, cuddled under a blanket with my cat slipper on doing nothing. (In case you were wondering, no, that wasn’t a typo. My cat is sleeping on my feet, and so I refer to him as a cat slipper)
Since it is cold and dreary outside, I’ve decided to make Chicken and Sausage Soup for Tyler and me. I made it for the boys earlier this week, and now I’m making it for us. This soup came about because Tyler and I went to Medieval Times last year. They had a tomato soup. When I make a can of condensed tomato soup, I mix it with milk. Tyler thinks that’s gross. The tomato soup they had tasted like it had been made with broth. Tyler actually ate it. This got me thinking… Maybe a tomato/ broth based soup would be good. Tyler said if I made it, I should put in sausage, and it grew from there. Now, it’s a particular favorite with my husband.
Kristen’s Italian Chicken and Sausage Soup
Serves 6
Shredded Chicken from 1 Roast Deli Chicken
1 pound Italian Sausage, cooked and cut into slices
2 can Tomato Purée, 15 oz
6 cups Chicken Broth
1 ½ pounds New Potatoes
1 ½ cup Frozen Corn
1 medium Onion, chopped
3 cloves of Garlic, minced
1- 1 ½ tbs Italian Seasoning
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1 tbs Butter or Oil
1 Zucchini, chopped into bite-sized pieces (optional)
Microwave the potatoes until they just begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Chop the potatoes into bite sized pieces. Heat the butter/ oil in a 5 quart stock pot. Sauté the onion and garlic until the onion is transparent and tender. Add the remaining ingredients, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, cover and lower the heat. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Serve with shredded parmesan.
* If you don’t want to pick a whole deli roast chicken, you can used canned chicken or any other cooked chicken cut up or shredded.
Yesterday I ran around like the proverbial chicken with my head cut off. Since poor Dora (the Ford Explorer) is still out of commission my husband and I are sharing a car. I don’t like to share. I had the car yesterday so I could run a bunch of errands. It meant I had to get up early on my first day of Christmas break so I could take my hubby to work. It also meant that I needed to get everything possible done before 5 when I needed to go pick Tyler up from work. And most importantly, it means I’m homebound when he has the car. I loathe going out when I don’t have to. We live out in the country, 15 minutes from the middle of nowhere. So, there is no 10 minute trip to the store. When I have the luxury of coming and going at will, I generally prefer to stay home unless it’s absolutely necessary. That being said, it’s day 1 of being homebound and I’m going stir crazy. I’ve thought of at least 5 things I need to get at the store and I’m bemoaning the fact that I can’t take the dog to the pretty neighborhoods downtown (downtown Covington, not Atlanta) for a walk despite the fact that it’s overcast and grey. And no, I can’t take the dog walking here. There is no sidewalk, and we live off of a narrow, busy, winding road. So I’m sitting in the dark, cuddled under a blanket with my cat slipper on doing nothing. (In case you were wondering, no, that wasn’t a typo. My cat is sleeping on my feet, and so I refer to him as a cat slipper)
Since it is cold and dreary outside, I’ve decided to make Chicken and Sausage Soup for Tyler and me. I made it for the boys earlier this week, and now I’m making it for us. This soup came about because Tyler and I went to Medieval Times last year. They had a tomato soup. When I make a can of condensed tomato soup, I mix it with milk. Tyler thinks that’s gross. The tomato soup they had tasted like it had been made with broth. Tyler actually ate it. This got me thinking… Maybe a tomato/ broth based soup would be good. Tyler said if I made it, I should put in sausage, and it grew from there. Now, it’s a particular favorite with my husband.
Kristen’s Italian Chicken and Sausage Soup
Serves 6
Shredded Chicken from 1 Roast Deli Chicken
1 pound Italian Sausage, cooked and cut into slices
2 can Tomato Purée, 15 oz
6 cups Chicken Broth
1 ½ pounds New Potatoes
1 ½ cup Frozen Corn
1 medium Onion, chopped
3 cloves of Garlic, minced
1- 1 ½ tbs Italian Seasoning
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1 tbs Butter or Oil
1 Zucchini, chopped into bite-sized pieces (optional)
Microwave the potatoes until they just begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Chop the potatoes into bite sized pieces. Heat the butter/ oil in a 5 quart stock pot. Sauté the onion and garlic until the onion is transparent and tender. Add the remaining ingredients, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, cover and lower the heat. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Serve with shredded parmesan.
* If you don’t want to pick a whole deli roast chicken, you can used canned chicken or any other cooked chicken cut up or shredded.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Monday Monday... so crazy
Monday Menu: Lunch: Meatball Subs with Cheese, and Potato ChipsDinner: Pork Chili Verde with Tortillas and Rice
Yup, it’s Monday, and in college land that means quick tell the chef what we forgot to tell her last week! So rather then spending today easing into the week, I got the rude wake up that… oops we forgot to tell you that there would be 40 people eating every night this week instead of the usual 25-30. Oh, and while you’re out, we’ll need a meal for Friday too ( which I don’t normally fix). Every job has it’s hazards, mine is slipping in spilled beer and not getting the information I need to successfully complete my job. Oh well, they are only frat boys after all. Perhaps I should note, a meal for 40 college boys is equivalent to a meal for 50 regular people.
After making lunch, I scurried around trying to get everything I needed for an extra 10 people per night. But thanks to my superhuman shopping skills, I got almost everything I needed and got dinner on the stove in time. I am now just waiting for everything to get done. If you would like the recipe in a more family friendly size... just let me know.
For those interested here is the recipe:
Chili Verde
Serves 50 (or 40 college boys)
13 lbs Boneless Pork Butt, cubed
2-3 cups of FlourBacon Drippings from 2 pounds of Bacon*
4 large Onions, chopped
16 cloves of Garlic, minced
3/8 cup Mexican Oregano
¼ cup Cumin
68 ounces of Diced Green Chili Peppers (the canned kind)
11 cans of Chicken Broth
6 cans Tomatillos
4 lbs Frozen Corn
Salt and Pepper
Season the pork with salt and pepper and dust with flour. Heat the bacon drippings (or oil) in a large pan. Brown the pork on all sides. The pork will need to be browned in several batches to prevent crowding in the pan. Meanwhile, drain canned tomatillos and puree. When all the pork is browned, remove and sauté the onions and garlic until the onions are tender. Put all ingredients into a large pot and simmer until pork is tender, approx. 1 hour.
*Note: I am using the bacon for something else later in the week, ¾ Cup of vegetable oil can be used instead, but bacon dripping just give it a little je ne sais quoi
Yup, it’s Monday, and in college land that means quick tell the chef what we forgot to tell her last week! So rather then spending today easing into the week, I got the rude wake up that… oops we forgot to tell you that there would be 40 people eating every night this week instead of the usual 25-30. Oh, and while you’re out, we’ll need a meal for Friday too ( which I don’t normally fix). Every job has it’s hazards, mine is slipping in spilled beer and not getting the information I need to successfully complete my job. Oh well, they are only frat boys after all. Perhaps I should note, a meal for 40 college boys is equivalent to a meal for 50 regular people.
After making lunch, I scurried around trying to get everything I needed for an extra 10 people per night. But thanks to my superhuman shopping skills, I got almost everything I needed and got dinner on the stove in time. I am now just waiting for everything to get done. If you would like the recipe in a more family friendly size... just let me know.
For those interested here is the recipe:
Chili Verde
Serves 50 (or 40 college boys)
13 lbs Boneless Pork Butt, cubed
2-3 cups of FlourBacon Drippings from 2 pounds of Bacon*
4 large Onions, chopped
16 cloves of Garlic, minced
3/8 cup Mexican Oregano
¼ cup Cumin
68 ounces of Diced Green Chili Peppers (the canned kind)
11 cans of Chicken Broth
6 cans Tomatillos
4 lbs Frozen Corn
Salt and Pepper
Season the pork with salt and pepper and dust with flour. Heat the bacon drippings (or oil) in a large pan. Brown the pork on all sides. The pork will need to be browned in several batches to prevent crowding in the pan. Meanwhile, drain canned tomatillos and puree. When all the pork is browned, remove and sauté the onions and garlic until the onions are tender. Put all ingredients into a large pot and simmer until pork is tender, approx. 1 hour.
*Note: I am using the bacon for something else later in the week, ¾ Cup of vegetable oil can be used instead, but bacon dripping just give it a little je ne sais quoi
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)