I’m back!!! And I have more soup to share!!

Posted on December 8, 2009 by Denise

I can’t believe it has almost been a month since I’ve blogged! I’m sorry to have been away so long….not my intention, and I hope I’m never gone this long again. I’ve missed blogging!! A lot! So many times I’ve had things to share, but alas…I have been pulled in many other directions. Good directions such as my daughter’s 7th birthday to celebrate and a party to throw! My mother-in-law visiting from almost halfway across the country, Thanksgiving and time with family and friends, my husband’s 40th birthday (the big 4-0), so much cooking and baking and realizing I missed many photo opportunities for my food blog (I’ve spent so much time in the kitchen this past month, but that left me with even less time to blog about it)! With Christmas around the corner, I’m not sure how often I’ll be blogging, but I will try to get in at least 1 post a week.  Hopefully more!

Life is full and rich, and I have really been enjoying spending time with my daughters and husband, but I know I need to carve out some time for Creative Kitchen. I have so many recipes I want to file away here. A thought I twittered the other day (or is that tweeted?) is that FOOD BLOGGING has changed my life for the better. I thought I had experienced taste sensations before, but nothing has prepared me for the onslaught of new kitchen knowledge, new foods, new pairings and the inspiration that has been kindled just by starting this blog!! The friendships that are starting to be formed are such a blessing!  I cannot believe the community of food blogging that is out there.  I guess I never really knew there were so many others out there like me….that felt that cooking was their creative outlet, that love to try new things out in the kitchen, that love to share that passion with others!  The amazing new dishes I’ve been trying, combinations I never would have thought of on my own….my family and I are well fed!  I’ve especially been on a soup kick lately.

The latest soup I just made Sunday night….Zuppa Toscana.  It’s hearty and delicious!!  I had written this recipe down last summer from the internet (unfortunately I forgot where), and as usual changed some things.

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb. ground sausage*
3 large red potatoes, sliced thinly
onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups chicken broth
1 cup half n’ half (or heavy cream)
freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

* I used ground beef from whole foods to make my own sausage and it turned out great!  I browned it in a soup pot with 1 tsp sage, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp nutmeg mixed in first.  We use hormone-free meat and this was a good way to substitute sausage.

Brown meat in soup pot.  Then add chicken broth, potatoes, onion and garlic.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer until potatoes are tender (about 20 min).  Then slowly add cream.  Serve in bowl topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese.  I was out of red potatoes so I subbed about 7-8 medium idaho potatoes which worked well.  I can’t wait to try it with red though.  I also only used 3/4 of an onion (yellow), and I prefer to cook with sweet onion.  Was still tasty!

This soup was so delicious.  The next day I found myself thinking about dinner (leftovers) all day!!  It seems like a good soup to have as part of our Christmas Eve spread (we like to do appetizers) or to share with others at a potluck.  Everyone at our house liked the soup, and I found it incredibly easy to make.  A trick for the toddler….she wants her food asap, and not always do we have the time to cool it down.  This was one of those nights.  I decided to add a dollop of sour cream to mix into her soup to help in the cooling down process…worked like a charm!  She’s one of my biggest soup fans!

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Potato leek soup….WOW!!!

Posted on November 10, 2009 by Denise

Seriously…..

how is it that I’ve never purchased leeks before? or made potato leek soup? I’ve made loaded baked potato soup. I knew I loved potato soups. But there is NO comparison. This recipe is seems surprisingly simple. But I promise…..there is NO catch. It is easy!!

REAL EASY!!!

And if you like love potato soups like I do, well then you must try this soup. It is just that amazing!

Now…moving on….LEEKS?

I knew they were from the onion family. And while I am not a huge onion fan, I know I like them sweet. So I stick with the vidalia onions (sweet onions). They are delicous! And over the years, I’ve discovered I like them on A LOT of my dishes…and in them.

So it was only a matter of time before I would get to making a classic like potato leek soup. And last weekend when I finally braved the produce section to purchase leeks that I’ve been eyeing for some time, I knew the time was coming soon.

Forget that they then sat in my produce drawer all week!! I am a homeschool mom, mom of 3, part-time job mom, mother-in-law coming to visit for 3 wks mom, holidays coming mom….well you get the picture. But really the main reason they sat for so long is they were waiting for a night free to make them and the perfect recipe.

I found several online that all looked the same. Not one really winning me over completely. I think I was scared that it wouldn’t turn out as tasty as I’d hoped, and then it would be my fault for not finding the best recipe out there. Plus they just all looked too simple…not enough ingredients.

So I turned to a trusted companion. When all else fails…..

The Joy of Cooking

This book is the best. I mean it is a culinary must-have that I received from my Aunt Barri & Uncle Jim as a wedding gift. Years and years ago. Back before we had the internet as we now know it, food blogs and when Emeril was the rage. Thanks guys…I still use this gift, and over time it has become more and more important to me!

I looked up leeks and read about them. Actually, my 10 yr old daughter wanted to help me, so she read it to me. As I made the recipe, I really wanted to keep adding to it. But it needs nothing. It really does stand alone in flavor…no additions necessary. But of course you know I have trouble following a recipe, so I added extra potatoes and more broth…I wanted to make sure we had more than enough…with leftovers!

So without further ado…

adapted from The Joy of Cooking:

Potato Leek Soup

3 T butter
3 leeks, washed well & chopped*

6-7 medium to large potatoes**
(all potatoes peeled and diced or sliced)

6 cups filtered water
2 T chicken base (or stock or bullion)
dash salt
1 tsp pepper

1 cup half and half

In a large soup pot, melt butter. Saute chopped leeks in butter till soft, but not brown (about 20 min). Add potatoes, water, chicken base, and bring to a boil. Turn down to 5-6 on stove top so that it continues to boil, but not overly so. Cook until potatoes are tender (20 min). Add salt and pepper. Puree with immersion blender right in the pot, or mash with a potato masher. Or like me, transfer in portions to the food processor, puree and add back to the pot. After all soup has been pureed, add in 1 cup of half and half (original recipe had heavy cream, but this was all I had on hand). I added 1/2 cup at a time, stirred well and then added the rest.

Interestingly enough….before cream…potato leek soup. After cream and eating it chilled….it is transformed into a classic french soup…..Vichyssoise. I found this tidbit, and it is elaborated upon, in The Joy of Cooking. Neat!

*Washing leeks – I’ve heard these are dirty and sandy. So I had prepared ahead of time by watching a segment on leeks with Alton Brown. I had then read up online as well. So I knew the easiest method. Cut off green stems and end of each leek. Quarter them length-wise and lenth-wise again until I have 4 long narrow sections. Then chop the length of each section in small tidbits. I know pictures would be helpful, but I frequently get into the act of cooking and forget to take pictures. I’ve seen some good ones on other blogs. As you do this with each leek, place the chopped leeks into a bowl of water. When all leeks have been reunited in the water, swirl and swish until they are clean. Drain the water and add to the soup pot.

**Potatoes – I had an array of organic potatoes from my grandfather. Thanks Grandpa!!

The Verdict:

We all LOVED this soup!!!! Even my picky eater. My girls wanted seconds and thirds…including the toddler and my husband. It will become a staple around here.

The toddler and 6 yr old like it garnished with shredded mexican cheese on top. The 10 yr old, my husband and I liked it better without. It was so flavorful!!

So….if you are still wary of the leek, don’t be! It was very easy. It’s a hearty, warm you to your toes kinda soup. And if you make it, I guarantee you’ll impress all your friends. Especially with this french version! If you need it vegetarian just use a vegetable broth or stock. All I can say is YUM!! I hope to get a photo up here soon.

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Sausage Lentil Stew…..hubby’s favorite

Posted on November 6, 2009 by Denise

Lentils?

It’s one of those foods you just can’t see yourself craving. Really…what seems exciting about lentils? Definitely not their brownish-green color. My husband especially doesn’t seem like he’d be a fan of lentils, and yet he is. He even suprised himself!

In fact this recipe came about as a request of hubby….he wanted me to try to recreate a soup he had back in law school. So almost 4 years ago I set about trying to figure out the flavor combo he was looking for. I was very excited that I nailed on the first try.

I found the original recipe, Smoked Sausage and Lentil Gumbo at Recipe Source, and after many, many tweaks I consider it my own.

It’s very versatile which allows you to suit it to your tastes. I made it just last night so with any luck I can get a picture up to go with this post.

This sausage lentil stew is the kind of soup that just minutes into cooking has your whole house smelling wonderful. It’s the kind of soup that welcomes hubby home after a hard days work, and has him glad to get out of the dreary rainy day. This was the kind of day it was here yesterday when hubby got home from work. And though I had to be at work, I was glad that my efforts in the kitchen were there to greet him with a kiss.

Sausage Lentil Stew

2 large sausage links, casings removed*
1 3/4 cups dried lentils
1/4 sweet vidalia onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 quarts filtered water
4 tsp chicken base (from Costco), similar to buillion
1 T worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp pepper

*I purchased the sausage from the butcher area at Whole Foods. They have great quality meat, and I purchased 1 chorizo chicken sausage link and one plain or mild chicken sausage link. You can use polish sausage sliced and quartered or any type of sausage you wish.

I sauteed up the sausage the day before, so it was ready to go in the fridge.

In a soup pot, saute the diced onion. After the onion is ready add in garlic, cumin & pepper. Stir around till fragrant. Add in water, chicken base or bullion (or eliminate water if using all chicken stock). Add in rinsed and picked through lentils. Add in sausage and worcestershire sauce. Heat to boiling and then reduce heat to simmer and cover with a lid. Lentils will be ready in 40 minutes, but the longer you simmer the soup the better the flavors meld together.

The original recipe also included some celery and carrots finely chopped and sauteed with the onion. You can do this…it adds great flavor. I just never seem to have them on hand.

As with most soups…the taste is even better the next day. Depending on how spicy you like your soups…add a dash of cayenne pepper. I usually do, but didnt’ last night since we were using a chorizo sausage link. Hubby and I like it spicy, but we try not to overdue it for the kid’s sake. Especially since the toddler was having some.

Hope you try it out….especially if you’ve never had lentils before. You’ll be surprised at how tasty and hearty this soup is!!

4 Comments

Puffy Pancake…journey through time!

Posted on November 4, 2009 by Denise

How many of you have heard of the puffy pancake?  How about a German pancake?  Apple pancake?  The first time I had a puffy german pancake was at the Original Pancake House back in college in the 1990’s.  I think my mother-in-law introduced me to it.  It quickly became a favorite of mine and of my mom.  It was light, puffy and so yummy with butter, powdered sugar and drizzled syrup!  I really never thought I’d be able to recreate it at home.  I mean the thought literally never entered my mind!  And I used to cook back then, but it just seemed to be one of those recipes that would be too complex to attempt at home. 

Flash forward to 2002….I’m finally a stay at home mom (after 5 years of teaching)….a long awaited dream of mine!!  I have a 3 1/2 year old daughter, a newborn and have just discovered The Complete Tightwad Gazette which is a book that revolutionized my life.  Times were tight for us, and this book really helped me to save every penny off our budget.  Yeah, some of her ideas may seem extreme, but you take what you can use and leave the rest.  It’s a great resource that I still use to this day!  Not to mention there are loads of easy, frugal recipes in there.  Create your own muffin recipe, lentils and brown rice – a tasty way to substitute beef in tacos………..and the puffy pancake!!

Wow….was it ever easy to make, and delicious!  My girls were delighted with the large puffs and pools of syrup!  I was stunned it was the same recipe, and that I could now eat it at home!  Eating out wasn’t in the budget at the time…and still isn’t.  Though now I have many other reasons I’d rather eat at home, which is a topic for another post. 

Which brings us to this morning.  I haven’t made the puffy pancake in a long time.  I have a 21 month old in the house (our third daughter), which meant my cooking was scaled back quite a bit during pregnancy and the first 9 sleep-deprived months of her life (my life that is!).  I’ve really gotten back into my cooking groove over the last year, but for some reason I hadn’t ventured into making our beloved puffy pancake.  I hadn’t forgotten about it, but rather had forgotten how easy it is to make…how good it tastes! 

So when a breakfast dilemma ensued this morning (no bread for toast, no homemade granola made for cereal, no muffins made and already had eggs and oatmeal this week), I decided to embark on making the puffy pancake.  The new twist is that this would be the first time I’d created it with our freshly ground whole wheat flour!!  The only thing it affected was the puffs….they were there at the end of cooking time, but deflated after I pulled it out of the oven.  So if you really want those…you’ll be in luck…because most of you will probably be using all purpose flour. 

I also doubled the recipe since four of us were eating it.  I diced up a granny smith apple to make it an apple puffy pancake (german pancake).  I also grated the zest of one lemon to mix with the diced apples.  The mixed in some honey granules (sugar for you) to bring out that zesty flavor of the lemons.  It smelled divine!! 

Puffy Pancake

Preheat oven to 425.  In a 9 x 13 pyrex pan, place 5 T of butter diced up.  Put pan in oven to melt butter while you are mixing up the pancake.  Pull out when the butter is melted. 

In a blender mix:

2 eggs till frothy

add in:
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup flour

blending well after each addition.  Pour into hot pan with melted butter and bake 15-20 minutes until golden and puffy!  Eat sprinkled with powdered sugar, butter, squeeze of lemon and drizzled with pure maple syrup.  YUM!!

To make it an apple pancake simply slice 1-2 apples thinly and place along bottom of pan in melted butter before pouring pancake mixture in.  Then serve with some cinnamon sugar instead of powdered sugar.

Recipe from The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn

*I doubled the above recipe today and used my large white corning ware dish which may be slightly larger than a 9 x 13.  I doubled the ingredients, but not the butter in the pan.  I also cooked it for close to 25 minutes since it was doubled.  The puffs didn’t appear until about 19-20 minutes into the cooking time. 

I also used freshly ground whole wheat flour instead of all purpose.  My apple mixture included 1 apple diced, 1 tsp lemon zest and 3 T honey granules mixed in to bring out the lemon flavor (always make sure to mix sugar in with lemon zest to intensify the lemon flavor).  I also added 2 T of honey granules to the pancake batter to sweeten it up a bit.  This use of whole wheat flour gave it nutritional value and made it a lot more filling. 

So there you have the 15 year saga of the puffy pancake and how it found it’s way into my life, my heart and eventually my kitchen!  Can’t believe I now have 3 girls to share it with. 


11 Comments

Citrus Balsamic Vinaigrette

Posted on November 3, 2009 by Denise

Okay…..sorry to keep you all waiting!!  The consensus is that I need to write more and not worry about the “perfect” post, either recipe or photograph wise.  So in keeping with my new more relaxed posting style, I bring you an easy salad dressing I made for my salads last week. 

And it was so tasty….it was gone before I ever snapped a picture.  Oops!

Citrus Balsamic Vinaigrette

3 1/2 T safflower oil (or other healthy oil like sunflower….just not canola….and evoo is too strong)
1 1/2 T Balsamic Vinegar*
1/4 cup filtered water
dashes sea salt and pepper
1 T honey (or to taste)
1 T orange juice concentrate

Place all ingredients in small (jam size) canning jar with lid.  Shake well.  To just make a balsamic vinaigrette, leave out the orange juice.  You can also replace it with lemon juice or pureed frozen raspberries. 

The dressing will keep in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.  This amount will usually take me through about 5 salads.  Just shake before each use as the mixture will separate.

*Balsamic Vinegar – (a good one I picked up at Whole Foods is Monari Federzoni Balsamic Vinegar of Modena…I also saw it at Publix).  It is very good, but not too expensive.  I was nervous to pick one up since I wasn’t able to get recommendations first. 

I really wish I had known before now how easy homemade salad dressings are!!  Really you must try it!  When I think of all the years I spent either not buying salad fixings due to not wanting to plunk $3 down on a bottle of dressing…..or the 30 minutes spent reading labels trying to find a raspberry vinaigrette without red dye #40!!  Seriously, next time you are at the store…..start reading those labels of the name brand salad dressings.  Some ingredients you can’t even pronounce.  Why do we need all those chemicals in our bodies?

There was SO much wasted time and money!!  And of course my taste buds suffered as well….everything tastes better from scratch!

So sad that like me, most people do not know that the majority (everything) they buy at the store in the form of “processed” food can be made at home!  Not only that…..but it also tastes better, costs less and is better for you!  Can I hear an Amen?

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