Beer Cheese Soup

Very simple, just combined some leftover hollandaise with ham (made from a packet, added julienned ham, had it on eggs Benedict last week, needed to either eat it or throw it away!), and some leftover cheese sauce from the baked penne and cheese. I added some beer and more grated cheddar. Heat, serve.

Baguettes

In a large bowl, combine dry yeast, flour, sugar. Add warm water, whisk, and set aside to let yeast do its work. When bubbly, add oil, flour, salt. Mix well, knead. Let rise until doubled. Form into baquettes by rolling out into rectangle, roll tightly. Let rise. Run a sharp knife over the top of the loaves before baking. Bake in a hot oven. I put a saute pan on the bottom of the oven and tossed in some ice cubes when I put the bread in. Halfway through, I switched the pans on the racks in the oven so as to evenly cook.

Baked Penne and Cheese

Make a roux with butter and flour, add milk, heavy cream. Saute shallots and garlic in bacon fat, add to bechamel. Add a bit of chicken stock to the bechamel, along with a bay leaf, a pinch of nutmeg, dollop of dijon mustard, and smoked paprika, cook over low heat. Add cheese. I used pepper jack and Velveeta cheeses.Pour over cooked whole wheat penne. Bake til bubbly. Served it with Keilbasa.

Whole Wheat Scones

I adapted this recipe from one by Alton Brown:
1 cup AP flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (his recipe calls for all white flour)
4 t. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
1/3 c. sugar
6 T. butter (his recipe calls for butter and shortening combination)
3/4 cup milk (his recipe uses cream, I didn't have any)
1 egg

Mix dry ingredients, cut in butter. Measure milk, put an egg in the cup, beat lightly. Add wet to dry, mix. Pat out onto a floured surface and cut. I put some butter on top (would have brushed with milk, but used the last bit of it in recipe), then sprinkled them with turbinado sugar. Bake at 400, until nicely browned (I forgot to time it).

Squash with Garlic and Sage

Toss cubed butternut squash (or any other winter squash) with canola oil, diced garlic, and sage (or poultry seasoning), salt to taste. Bake until caramelized.

Roast Chicken

Chicken on sale, wing tips, neck, and veggies in a stock pot, cover with cold water, simmer. I use this stock to make gravy.
Compound butter: butter, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Put this butter under the skin of the chicken, right on top of the breast meat. It will melt throughout the chicken as it roasts, imparting a wonderful flavor.
More seasoning on top of the bird.
Make an aluminum foil ring for the bird to sit on, allowing the fat to drip down into the pan.
Stuff the inside of the bird with more celery, onion, and carrots.
Roast to 180 degrees, use an instant read thermometer. Let it rest when it comes out of the oven, long enough to make the gravy from the drippings and get the rest of the meal on the table.
Carve and serve.
Put the carcass and any other bones (especially the wings) back into the stock pot, along with the vegetables from the inside. Cover with more cold water, simmer. This makes a great stock! Refrigerate, the fat will rise to the top and solidify. Remove and strain the stock. Put it into ice cube trays to freeze, then put into storage bags, return to freezer. Take out a cube or two as needed.

Spicy Shrimp Stir-Fry

Sliced onion, celery, carrot, water chestnuts, celery, diced ginger, dried red chili peppers (whole); saute in a small amount of vegetable oil and sesame oil. Add shrimp and red garlic chili sauce (you know, the one with the chicken), seasoned with 5 spice powder.
I also made a chicken chow mien: diced chicken, celery, onion, garlic, carrots, water chestnuts, bean sprouts. Seasoned with 5 spice, and a liquid binder of soy sauce, water, and cornstarch.
Can serve with rice, noodles.

German Chocolate Cake

A friend of mine needed to supply some cakes for an Oktoberfest celebration in our community. I volunteered to bake one. I followed a recipe that I got online, very similar to many recipes. The cake kinda sunk in the middle, I wasn't really happy with it. We gave it to some other friends (after having a slice to check it out, research dontcha know). I then went and got a cake mix and.... canned frosting.... yikes.... for the cake I sent to the Oktoberfest!

Parmesan Chicken Tenders w/Spaghetti

Chicken tenders were marinated for a bit in a simple oil and lemon juice combination, with oregano. They were pan fried in a small amount of vegetable oil, topped with parmesan cheese just before serving.
I used squash instead of pasta, steaming spaghetti squash in the oven. Cut it in half, seed, salt interior. Place cut side down in a baking dish, add about an inch of water. When done, use a fork to scrape the strands of squash into a serving dish.
Sauce: saute onion, garlic, diced carrots, diced mushrooms, crushed red pepper flakes, fennel seed; add peeled, seeded and dice tomatoes. Add beef stock. Simmer and reduce. Season to taste.

Macaroons

O.K., I succumbed to temptation. I basically followed the recipe on the back of a coconut package. These are very easy: coconut, sugar, a small amount of flour, eggs, vanilla (cuz I didn't have almond) extract. et voila!

Another Diet Breakfast...

Simply poached eggs with Canadian bacon on whole grain toast. Served with a steaming cup o' joe.

Pork Loin Chop w/Sweet Potato "Fries" and Spinach

Saute the boneless chop in a small amount of vegetable oil. Remove from pan, keep warm. Add diced onion and mushrooms to the pan, saute. Add some beef stock (home made), reduce. Serve over chop.
Saute onion and mushroom (hey, they were on sale and need to use them up!) in a small amount of vegetable oil, add bit of water, lots of fresh spinach; steam/saute.
Julienne a sweet potato; spray a sheet pan with canola oil, spread potatoes on the pan, spray them with a light film of canola oil; bake in a hot oven.
Serve it with a whole grain boxed rice pilaf.

Scrambled Eggs w/Vegetables

I am on a diet; this is brunch a couple of days ago. Saute spinach, mushrooms, red onion in a small amount of vegetable oil. Add two beaten eggs; scramble. Added one slice swiss cheese.

Beef Stock

I purchased some "bones for soup" this month, so made stock. Put bones, celery, carrots, and onion on a sheet pan; roast. Partway through roasting, smear tomato paste onto the bones and vegetables; continue to roast. When colored nicely, put into a pot and cover with cold water; simmer. I simmered this for awhile on the stove. Strain. Refrigerate, fat will rise to the surface and solidify. One can further strain the stock, but I didn't bother. I used it in a variety of of ways, with pork loin chops, spaghetti sauce, and as braising liquid for a piece of beef.

Pizza Tomatoes

Yes, You read that correctly, this is a stuffed tomato, not a tomato pizza; I made it last night while making a "man pizza" for my husband. I have gone on a diet you see, and "man pizza" is not on it. This is what I made for myself.
One tomato, halved, seeded, sprinkled with sea salt and Parmesan cheese.
Hamburger: brown the burger with paprika, Italian seasoning, fennel seed, crushed red pepper flakes, dried onion; drain. Fill tomatoes.
Lay a slice of red onion and a low-fat mozzarella on top, bake in a hot oven. (alongside the pizza)
I served it with raw spinach. I forgot I had it, otherwise would have chopped it and added it to the hamburger as I filled the tomato halves.

Milk 'n' Cookies

Felt like making cookies, so here's what I did:
Spooned some natural peanut butter and shortening (O.K., these are half healthy) into a bowl, added brown sugar, creamed. Added two eggs, some vanilla. Mixed well. Added some wheat germ, white flour, and oatmeal. Added some salt and baking soda to the flour when mixing it in. Dropped by teaspoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet, baked at 350 for about 10 minutes.

Corn Chowder w/Spanish Shrimp & Chorizo

This was a dish that took a bit of time to prepare, with several components. Wondering what I should cook for dinner, this last week before payday, I looked in the cupboards, and freezer and came up with this. Using some frozen easy peel shrimp, and a link of some natural cured chorizo (used in the paella last month, stuck a link in the freezer), I thought that a nice bowl of hot, and spicy corn chowder would be in order. We had spent the weekend at the lake sailing, on the mountain hiking, enjoying the last of summer, and woke up yesterday morning to snow on the mountain. Yes, a bowl of something warm would be good.


I scoured the internet for some ideas and this is what I came up with:
Component 1: the "nice" veggies; small dice potato, celery, onion. Simmered the potatoes in salted water, then when partway done, added the celery and onion, and frozen corn. Towards the end of cooking, I crumbled up some red chili leftover from farmer's market, it had dried out sitting in a bowl on the counter. Cook until potatoes were just barely tender. (they will finish cooking later) Save the cooking water.


Component 2: pureed vegetables; package of frozen corn (from farmers market), clove of garlic, the rough cuts and ends from the nicely diced potatoes, celery, and the other half of the onion; covered with salted water, simmer. Added the cooking water from the diced veggies. Added oregano, marjoram. Simmered the "heck" out of it. Strained, saving the liquid, and put the solids through a food mill.







Component 3: Stock; let the stock settle, took the broth from the top. Cleaned the shrimp, putting the shells into the stock, simmer. Strain.



To make the chowder:
Diced salt pork, render. When crispy, add the nicely diced, parcooked veggies to the pot. Stir to evenly coat, let saute for a minute. Add the stock, add more water if needed. Stir, scraping the bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the pureed vegetables, finish with whipping cream. Taste for seasonings.

Spanish Shrimp and Chorizo:
Made a paste with: garlic clove, oregano, dried chili flakes, salt. Added smoked and regular paprika to make a paste.




Heated oil in a saute pan, when hot, added paste. Tossed in sliced chorizo (cured, not fresh), and shrimp. Saute until done, this took just a few minutes.
Use to top chowder.
I served a crusty, buttery dinner roll I made earlier in the day, reheated in the oven while making the chowder.

Peachy Pear Tarts

Easy peasy... diced canned pears, with a sauce made from the apple juice the pears were canned in, sugar, cornstarch, peach jam, spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves). Made some pastry (just regular pie crust with a bit of sugar added), put in muffin tins. Spooned a bit of filling in, topped with a mixture of oatmeal, sugar, and butter. Bake. Was very good with a quality, plain vanilla ice cream.