Roasted Red Pepper Soup

I made this yesterday for dinner and it also turned out good.  I was surprised at how low in calories both of those soups were without using the thickeners.  For this soup, I held the red peppers over the burner of the stove until they were charred.  Then I put them in a bowl and put a plate over top to let them steam.  The only thing about both of these soups was that I would have liked them thicker.  To the garlic soup I added more potatoes and to this soup I probably would add another pepper or less broth.  Anyway, that's what I've been working on here.

30 Clove Garlic Soup

I made this soup for supper tonight and I'm very impressed.  I've seen recipes like this before where you use all this garlic in chicken and it comes out really mild.  I was curious about the soup so I made it.  I have to admit I've been in a cooking slump lately and even though I've tried different things, none have been good enough to post, until now.  It was also the first time I roasted a whole head of garlic.  The house smelled delicious!  No vampires here, that's for sure.  The recipe also said it had a soothing effect and also helped if a cold was coming on.  I don't know about that but it was tasty.  The next soup on the menu is Roasted Red Pepper Soup.  I'll keep you posted.

Flour or Corn Tortillas

Flour or corn  -  that is the question, at least, on the Top Chef show from last week, where someone failed to specify which one she wanted and she got the wrong one.  I didn't realize there was such a controversy over which tortilla to make enchiladas with.  I've made them and probably used flour since I stopped using corn for tacos.  We didn't like how crunchy they got and broke up before we could eat them.  So since then I always buy the flour, until this weekend.  I wanted to make a new dish with my turkey leftovers called Turkey Taquitos.  It called for corn tortillas so I bought white corn tortillas.  I thought they might be different so I felt it was worth a try.  Well, I found them to be very difficult to roll up, they cracked very easily and they seemed to absorb way too much oil when I cooked them.  They were definitely crunchy but not like those old ones I used for tacos.  Then I had an idea to use them in my quesadilla maker with the same ingredients.  Big mistake!  It's been awhile since I used it and forgot that it said not to use corn tortillas.  I still have a little filling so I might make a regular quesadilla with my flour tortillas.  I guess I'm not up on all the Mexican food formalities and what I use where.  I do know what I like and I guess it's back to the drawing board for me.

Update on Pie

Yesterday I mentioned that I was trying a new recipe for pie crust.  First here's a little history of my pie making skills.  I used to play around when my mom made pies and use some of her crust to make a potpie size with strawberry jam.  Needless to say it didn't turn out.  The first pie I made by myself was when my mom and brother went out to CA to visit my sister.  I was to stay home and take care of my dad, not that he needed me to do anything but I was there.  I was in a mood to cook and do all those domesticated chores so I decided to make a pie.  My mom never had a recipe but from watching her all those years I figured I could handle it (I mean I was in college, for goodness sakes).  Well, it did not end well and my dad said even the birds wouldn't eat it when he threw it out.  For a long time after that I let the pie making up to my mom.  After she was gone I looked for a recipe and made my first good pie  -  the rest is history.  Anyway I've always used shortening but wanted to try this recipe of Martha's with butter.  On the pro side, it was much easier and faster using the food processor and it was also much nicer to roll out and handle.  On the con side, it didn't brown as nice as my other recipe and it certainly didn't taste as rich as I thought it should having 2 sticks of butter in it.  It was flaky like my other and otherwise a good pie.  I used the Granny Smith apples which cooked up well, maybe a little too much for my liking.  Those apples are very delicious though!  So my conclusion is to try the food processor method but measure, chill and cut up the shortening like the butter using Martha's recipe.  I'm sure I'll be making more pies so I'll keep you posted.

Smokey Sweet Potato Soup

I recently found a couple recipes for Sweet Potato Soup and wanted to try it sometime.  One was a creamy soup and the other chunky with broth so I combined the best of each and made it this afternoon.  I decided to make the creamy version which used no milk or thickeners, just the potatoes.  I used leeks, celery, garlic, an apple, ginger and a chipotle pepper from one recipe and from the other I added spices (smoked paprika, cumin and cinnamon).  After using my immersion blender to puree it, I added a little salt and pepper but it didn't need much since the smokiness made it taste good.  I liked it but I might be the only one eating it.  That's ok with me now that I'm getting into having soup almost every day for lunch.  I'm also feeling more like cooking now that the weather is cooling off a little.  Of course, we're still having leftovers from the party on Sat. but we'll finish those up soon. 

Toaster Oven Recipes

Boy do we like this little toaster oven! I'm shocked that we've gotten so much use out of it so far. The tube biscuits I made in it the first night we got it were the best ever, even my husband said they were good. This week we made the frozen battered fish fillets in it and they really turned out great. It helped to do them on the rack for even cooking. Last night I made chicken in it. First I made 3 chicken thighs in it, just seasoned with salt and pepper, like my husband likes. At the end, I had to raise the temp to 425 because they weren't browning as quick as I thought they should. As for my chicken tenders, I marinated them in my olive oil, soy sauce and smokehouse maple seasoning for about an hour, then put them in the toaster oven after the thighs were done. I cranked it up to broil at that point and they were perfect - nicely browned but still moist and tender and very flavorful. I still have a couple left that I'll probably use in a salad this week. I have some more ideas I'll be trying so I'll keep you posted.

Kids in the Kitchen

It's not all about kids in the kitchen - they grow up and sometimes they cook better than the parents. I'm feeling that way about my son after spending New Year's at his place and tasting his home-smoked pork shoulder. I have to admit that I'm all about having someone else cook for me and I was very impressed. My son was probably the last of my three that I would have expected to take a shine to cooking but it's happened. I recall the first real cooking experience he had which took place the summer I was in school. He developed a recipe called Eggs are Andy. I can't remember exactly how he did it but I'm sure he will. At Christmas each of the kids would make some sort of candy to give as gifts and while the girls were making Seafoam and Peanut Butter Balls, I had him make White Chocolate Peppermint Bark. He could crush the candy canes, melt chocolate, spread it in a pan, break it apart and put it into bags. He did a great job! He's certainly expanded his repertoire from baked hams to turkey to pigs-in-the-blanket to soup to "his famous pumpkin pie" to the culmination in my opinion, outdoor smoked meats. This is where he's left his poor mother on the sidelines. The pork I thought was cooked to perfection, though he thought it could have been cooked longer. I was eyeing up the ring of smoke (I think that's what it's called) right under the outside. This is key in any of the real barbecue shown on Food Network or Travel channels. I'm pretty sure in the not too distant future, I will be the one calling him for his cooking tips and tricks instead of the other way around. Maybe it's true what they say about the apple not falling too far from the tree and the littlest apple named Audrey just got her first EasyBake oven for Christmas.

Christmas Cookie Marathon

I just finished my annual Christmas cookie marathon which this time also includes candy. There were some new ones on the list this year that I hope are good. Also a suggestion from my husband about putting orange extract in the sugar cookies. It tastes pretty good but my attempt at saving some time and doing slice and bake sugar cookies didn't hit the mark in my opinion. My slice and bake always turn out misshapen. A new one called Coconut Tea Cookies turned out good and very delicate. I was a little disappointed in my truffles this year but I did make the orange for the first time. It hardened up a little too quick so the verdict is still out on those. I tried to continue my desire to use up some of my pantry stash with my cookies. The coconut is gone but I can't seem to get rid of that almond bark no matter how hard I try. I thought I'd give some to my daughter for her peanut butter balls, but by the time I asked her, she had already bought her own. I'm also trying to improve on things for next Christmas so my marathon doesn't need to take place 2 days before Christmas. Unfortunately, my freezer has been too full to store any cookies that were made ahead of time. I guess that's all something to work on for next year. Merry Christmas Eve!

Christmas cookies

Here's another Christmas tradition that I think we all love and that's making cookies. My mom had a few favorites that she only made at Christmas. One was her Hungarian nut rolls with the cream cheese dough and another were called Ones, which were deep fried dough strips dusted with powdered sugar. Both are simple to make but my family has never been interested in either. My husband doesn't care for the cream cheese and the kids don't like nuts. I've never made the Ones because of deep frying, despite being unhealthy (I know we're talking Christmas cookies) but I thought it was too much trouble. It seems no matter what I make, I'm the one eating most of them in the end! Anyway, I already made a batch while we were at the cabin the last time and gave some as gifts. It was a recipe I found in the paper that week and since it was the only one I had all the ingredients for, that's what I made. They were peanut butter sandwich cookies and they were good. It was a simple recipe with lots of pb and a filling with more pb and pb chips, which I had just bought at Ollies. I made three different versions of them as I thought the sandwiches were a little too big. So I did some single cookies drizzled with chocolate and others dipped half-way in chocolate. I should have given them all away because I ended up eating the rest once we got home. So that's kind of my plan for this year's cookie making (no, not the eating part) that I'll make some different ones that I've found in the paper in addition to some old stand-bys. I'll let you know what seems to be the hits.

Hits and Misses of Thanksgiving Dinner

I just watched a "Hits and Misses of Holiday Decorating" on HGTV so I thought I'd do one for my dinner. The hit I thought was my cranberry salsa. Melissa D on Food Network did this a couple weeks ago and I wanted to try it. Cranberry sauce is one thing that never gets used up, as much as I try. My husband is really the only one eating it that day and it just sits in the fridge until I throw it out. I just used a little of it to try but it's with regular cooked sauce that you add whatever you would normally put into salsa. Of course I didn't have the jalapeno but I did have some chipotle cubes that I used. Mine ended up pretty spicy so next time one would be sufficient. I also added onions, cilantro and lime juice - it was tasty and a good way to get more of those cranberries into your system. So that was the hit (IMHO) and the miss was probably the gravy. All I can think of was that the broth from the turkey was not that strong because it was bland and not very appetizing. I must have had a premonition at the grocery store when I stocked up on the jar gravy on sale. So there you have it everyone - my list of hits and misses. Live and learn - wooo, I think I feel another blog about 3 words coming on.

Microwave Hardtack

A major milestone in the hardtack making endeavor happened this weekend. I finally conquered the microwave! This has been no minor obstacle and has been over a year in the making. Last year I found a recipe for microwave hardtack and tried making it. I've always made the candy the way my mother did - on a gas stove with a candy thermometer and cutting it with a pair of scissors and rubber glove. I've experimented with other things but always came back to the same routine. This process is time-consuming to say the least with a batch taking about 30 min., that's as long as I don't burn it. Equipment is critical for my candy making, also. The pan must be no bigger than 2 quart (1 is better), heavy or copper bottom (for heat distribution) and have a straight side (for proper placement of the thermometer). I've been using my candy thermometer for as long as I can remember and my gloves have to be tight enough to pull the candy out and cut it. My first attempt at microwave candy was a disaster with it boiling over and burning. I was also trying some candy molds for the first time. I found that the mold would not hold my batch of candy. The second attempt was better but it still burned. The third attempt worked, did not burn, filled 2 molds and hardened like it was supposed to. The only change I will make is to put more candy oil in the microwave batch. I can now make a batch of candy in less than 10 minutes! I think my mother would be proud.

Old Cookbooks

Boy, it doesn't take me long to come up with a blog idea when I start looking through cookbooks. I have a recipe for Chicken Pot Pie Soup and I saw another recipe for rivels (kind of like mini-dumplings) that I thought would go good with it. I looked online and found it was a German/Amish recipe so I got out my Amish cookbook. There, right inside the front cover was the name A. Markievich which was in my son's handwriting. I wondered for a minute why he would have written in my cookbook, especially back then, when he thought more about eating than cooking. Then I remembered - when he was in middle school and taking a class on PA history, I made a bunch of funnel cakes and took into his class. I recall that I had everything planned according to what time I was supposed to bring them in on one of my days off from preschool, when I got the phone call that they were ready sooner. I scrambled, finished them up, put my daughter in the car and delivered them to his class. He must have taken the cookbook into his class, therefore the name inside. I used the recipe again when I was a grad assistant when we also studied PA and it was a big success. Unfortunately, those were in my deep frying days which are long gone. Now if I get a funnel cake it's at a fair and few and far between. It does make for some delicious memories though.

Fresh Basil

The last couple days I've been trying to use some fresh basil I bought at Erie Co. Farms the other week. That and the fresh dill (for those green tomato pickles) were cheap - 99 cents each for a big bunch. I made a pizza Fri. night and cut up some basil and that tasted good! Needless to say, I still have tomatoes and after I used some up yesterday making chili, I thought I'd do some sauce with the leftover paste tomatoes. I cooked it down and plan on adding garlic and basil (my sister's recipe she brought back from Italy) and have spaghetti tonight. I didn't add the basil right away because I was worried most of the flavor would go up in steam. If it turns out well, I might end up making more sauce to freeze. This was pretty easy, without the hassle of peeling those tomatoes. I just washed , cut and pureed them in the food processor. I still am not too impressed with this version of paste tomatoes but I'm not in a position to be too picky. I guess I just need something to do with them as long as they keep ripening. That's been one of the problems with paste tomatoes - they are slow to ripen and they drag the season out way too long.

Canning, Again

This has got to be my last entry about canning! I'm down to the green tomato recipes so you know I've hit rock bottom. We still have tomatoes and I can only imagine how much longer we will. In fact, the girl that does the foodie group on the Internet has asked if anyone will contribute to an article about canning. I thought for a minute but all enthusiasm for it has disappeared, all that's left are the tomatoes. If she would have asked about 3 weeks ago, I would have been on board and loving it, but now - NO! I have filled my two long shelves reserved for canned goods in the utility room and moved to the vertical shelves. It'll give me a reason for clearing away some to the tools and pans needed to make some space but I'm at the end of my rope. I even think we need to redo one of the boards on a long shelf that's just barely on the side support. I'm worried it could come crashing down. Just the thought of all my hard work ruined turns my stomach. Anyway, it's supposed to be hot today so better get to work and get my last of my salsas done.

Peppermint Mocha

I just received a notice from Giant Eagle that the seasonal Coffeemate creamer will soon be available in the stores. Ya-hoo!! The Peppermint Mocha is my all time favorite, so much so that the last time everyone was home, I used my new (thrift store) carafe to make a batch of my own version. It turned out pretty good but there was too much leftover chocolate just sitting in the bottom of it. What a waste! As long as I can get the real thing I'm good but if I need to make my own again, I might try a little hot chocolate mix thrown in instead of the chocolate squares. That little bit of chocolate just seems to mellow out the whole experience. I used to do the same thing with the coffee spoons - dip a plastic spoon in melted chocolate then sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Those were fun to make and give as gifts and they looked so pretty,too. Heaven knows I have enough of the chocolate, white and milk, stockpiled to make a bunch. It would be nice to get rid of some of that and make room for something else. As you can tell, Christmas seems to be right around the corner, in my mind anyway.

Good Fall Meal

I'm finally getting back into cooking, at least for awhile. I made stuffed peppers on Thursday which turned out really good, especially with my sweet-sour sauce that I also use for stuffed cabbage. It's funny that growing up, when my mom would make stuffed peppers, I would always slide the pepper off and offer it to someone else. Now I long for an extra pepper and think that's the best part. I also made more to freeze and eat later. I wanted a bread to go with it so I made a recipe for Potato-Chive Rolls that I've been dying to try. The dough turned out great and overall I'd say the rolls were a success. I did cloverleaf rolls besides a small loaf and all we ate was the roll. Those are frozen for later, also. My mom's favorite way to do rolls were the cloverleaf where you make 3 small balls in a muffin tin. They are a convenient size and easy to break apart. I probably won't make them again as they weren't flavored with the chives as well as i had hoped. I have another recipe, tried and true, for brown and serve rolls that are the best I've ever made and even more convenient. This was just the kind of meal I like on a fall night with a home cooked feel and using a bunch of stuff from the garden.

Canning is in my blood

Well, I've put a week in of canning, accomplished alot but I'm ready to move on. For the past year, I've been fielding attempts by my husband to buy more canning jars, saying I'm not into it much any more. We had numerous opportunities to get more jars what with his aunt's and mother's houses but I put him off. Wouldn't you know this week I had to buy some. I thought that might be grounds for divorce but he took it in stride. This was a chance to try something different and I did that in my mild and hot versions of chipotle salsas. They taste pretty good so I might do one more batch. I probably have another batch of regular juice I can do if not more. Looking back through my stash in the utility room, I noticed that 2007 must have been a great year for tomatoes. I still have some ketchup from then and I remember I made taco sauce that year. I enjoy seeing the fruit of my labor but I'm tired of the tower of boxes that hold my canning supplies littering the kitchen, such as pressure canner, squeezo, stock pots, bowls and basket with tools. At least I'm able to do this at my leisure and not squeeze it into a weekend.

Tomatoes

I've been busy these past two weeks, what with cleaning, painting, taking care of car recalls, shopping, delivering invitations and spending some time with friends before the official end of summer. There has not been any down time to speak of and the last thought on my mind was squeezing some canning into my schedule. Now comes the last real day to myself to finish stuff up and I'm faced with a garden full of tomatoes that are just screaming for attention. Next week proves to be very warm and I doubt if they will fare well until I get back from my trip. My husband can only eat so many sandwiches with a slice of tomato on them and he won't have time to do anything with them. I thought, before I retired, how nice it would be this year to can my tomatoes and even try something different since I'd have the extra time. I guess I really did a lot on weekends while I was working because some years I made salsa, juice, ketchup, soup and even dried tomato halves. So, as I talked to my husband this morning about what to do with some, we decided to lighten the crop a little this weekend by giving some away and by the time I get back, it should be replenished. That sounds like a plan I can live with.

Kosher salt

For the past few days, it seems like all I've been hearing or reading about is kosher salt. The September issue of Woman's Day magazine has stated they will only be using kosher salt in all future WD recipes. Kosher salt contains half the sodium as table salt - a fact I didn't know. Everyone is eyeing the sodium content in foods these days, especially because of it's link to hypertension, but am I prepared to cut it out of my diet completely - NO. I believe the link concerns the fluid retention and if that can be handled in other ways then there is no need to eliminate salt. Even all the Food Network stars use salt because it improves the taste of food. My daughter made a delicious tomato salad with kosher salt, oil and basil - quick, easy and tasty! I made salt potatoes with small Yukon Gold potatoes and a bunch of kosher salt - also tasty. The salt is much coarser than table salt but I can work around that. I guess I can have my cake and eat it too.

Brownies

Well, I have 5 more days before retirement. I've even started making some of those recipes I've been talking about for so long. Yesterday it was the brownie recipe using a can of black beans. I know it sounds pretty yucky even knowing that black beans are tasteless. Others have told me no one can tell the difference but I was still hesitant. I did chicken out somewhat and made my glazed mint brownies. I figured that would mask any unfamiliar taste. I took them into work and they were well received even after finding out what was in them. The mint part really helped though. To be perfectly honest, I didn't care for the texture. They also didn't raise like the usual brownies but they were very moist. I can now safely throw the recipe away and not look back. I hope this will be one of many.