Bowl of Berries

Another week, another soup.  I am loving this weekly soup thing.  It’s cheap, easy to make, and always leaves leftovers.  Scottie and I went for a run on Monday night so I thought I could make this even cheaper (and tastier) by making my own broth.  I am addicted to making broth, I know I am strange.  But I love the fact that I can make delicious broth out of scraps essentially.  Because we made many turkeys over Thanksgiving (4 in total) I stashed the bones in the freezer so as to not waste the deliciousness.  In my Le Crueset I plunked in one turkey carcass (what a weird word) along with a carrot, 2 celery stalk, half an onion, and pepper.  Sometimes I will add bay leaves or leftover herbs but I used the bare minimum for this one.  I covered it all with water and got it to a rolling boil.  Then I lowered it to simmer while we ran.  And 45 minutes later, strain out the bits and we have broth!

This made soup making uber easy at this point.  I re-arranged the directions below to accomodate the already boiling broth.  So I threw in the rice to get going, I knew that would take the longest and figured I could saute the veggies while the rice started working.  Scottie, my master chopper, perfectly chopped the onion, celery, carrots and garlic.  I sauteed them in a bit of olive oil then into the pot they went.  He then cut the chicken breasts into a small-medium dice, I wanted everything to be truly bite sized so you didn’t get a huge hunk of meat in a bite.  Once those were browned they went into the pot to finish cooking.  In total (not including broth making) this took about 40 minutes to make.  Sure you could throw everyting in at once, but I think sauteeing everything separately added fantastic flavor.  This also makes a ton of soup, we had it again last night with grilled cheese sandwiches and still have a bowl or two left for lunches.

Warm, filling chicken and rice soup on the cheap…you can’t beat it.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
3 large celery stalks, finely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
12 cups (3 quarts) low-sodium chicken broth (or homemade!)
1 1/2 cups wild rice blend
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, medium dice

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 10 minutes.

2. Add broth and rice, season with salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, covered, until rice is tender but still has some firmness, about 25 to 30 minutes.

3. Add chicken, and season with freshly ground black pepper. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.(I choose to brown the chicken separately in a pan sprayed with PAM because poached chicken weirds me out.) Remove from heat, add extra salt and pepper, taste, and enjoy.

Ok so it’s Tuesday- whatever

Sunday- lasagna with garlic bread
Monday- Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Tuesday-Jaycee meeting- left Scottie to make Taco Salad for himself
Wednesday-leftovers
Thursday-Roasted Chicken, potatoes, and green beans
Friday-Make your own sushi night!
Saturday-Black Bean Tostados
Sunday- Super Bowl! If we don’t go somewhere, I will make some chili and buffalo chicken dip

I think everyone has had to sacrifice some things during our current economic times.  Though I am very thankful to still have a job, I feel I am among the minority.  So I have really tightened the belt and buckled down with the budget.  Scottie and I have been eating in MUCH more then we were in the past, and gone are the days of a two bottle of wine dinner with appetizers, entrees, and desserts.  We only do that with our parents now :)  But I think it has certainly been a lesson, we have been trying new recipes, eating better in general and appreciating the chance we do get to eat out.  I still get a Papa Spud’s delivery but only every other week or so, to ensure we eat everything and actually want everything. I am stocking up big time on  meats when they go on sale so in case there is a slow week we aren’t stuck with mac and cheese for the week.

I have kept the house at a steady 65 degrees and sometimes dropping it down to 63 and putting a sweatshirt on or wrapping myself in a blanket.

And today, the ultimate sacrifice…I downgraded my beloved digital cable with DVR to standard cable…tear.  Last night I spent two hours watching saved shows, especially those on stations I won’t get anymore.  The only thing I will really miss is BBC America, there is always something interesting and entertaining on, even if it is Gordon Ramsey for the umpteenth time.  I will miss the DVR as well because I can never remember when shows are on and sort relied on it when there was absolutely nothing on TV, I could always catch up with a recent Oprah or John and Kate Plus 8 (yes I do watch it occasionally, guilty pleasure.) I almost went all the way to basic cable but let’s face it, I can’t really live without the Food Network and TLC, a girl needs some pleasures in life.  I also cancelled my internet because frankly I rarely use it at home.  I think Scottie used it more actually.  But he has internet so if I need it on the weekends or to work from home, I can just use his…plus I spend 8 hours behind a computer at work and really want nothing to do with it at home.  This sacrifice will save me between $50-60 a month but will make life a bit easier when bill paying time comes around.

So I am proud of my new frugality.  I have always been a bargain hunter but I have bene really kicking it into high gear.  I definitely think twice about my daily purchases but in the end I think it will all be worth it.

Each week I try to incorporate a soup in the menu planning. It is usually pretty budget friendly and is perfect on a chilly winter night. I have had some successes and some failures (a minestrone soup with no flavor, a chicken chili that turned into tortilla soup) but this one can definitely go into the winner column.

Scottie loves Broccoli Cheddar soup but I thought adding bleu cheese would be a nice twist, plus I had some on hand to use up. I looked at a few recipes online and found many of them to come from overseas, I am surprised this concept has not caught on more over here. My only suggestion would be to use a nice pungent bleu cheese, otherwise you don’t taste it as much. I also found the cheese flavor to be more pronounced the next day so eating leftovers or making it ahead would work perfectly.

I think you could easily add any cheese of your choice to this and I do plan to make a more traditional Broccoli Cheddar soup for Scottie using this recipe.

To accompany the soup I made a Monte Cristo type sandwich, ham and cheese in the middle of bread slathered with cream cheese and chutney, then grilled. You could use any chutney you want but I love the way the sweetness lends a lovely note to the sandwich and really makes it different.

Broccoli Bleu Cheese Soup

1/4 cup butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 small broccoli head, chopped
6 tablespoons flour
i quart chicken or vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup bleu cheese cheese, crumbled
Salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a medium size saucepan, add the vegetables, and fry gently for 5 minutes until soft but not browned.

Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in the stock and return to heat. Bring to a boil, stirring continuously until the soup thickens. Allow to simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.

Cool soup slightly and puree with a boat motor or in a blender., I like to leave afew chunck of broccoli. Return soup to pan, add the milk, and heat gently. Stir in the Stilton, salt and pepper until melted.

Do not allow soup to boil at this point, it will curdle.

My dear Friend Jamilyn is going to Uganda for the next 6-12 months for an amazing opportunity to work with teachers and children and live like the locals.  She had quite the going away party on Saturday night and I made the cake.  I was quite excited as it has been a while since I made a cake, especially one of this size.

I started it Thursday night, doing a bit of baking each night and then decorating it on Saturday.  It actually turned out to be quite manageable and I actually enjoyed myself!  I know I am weird.  I did feel a bit of pressure because I knew a lot of people would be there tasting it and of course I had to make use two new cake recipes but I was quite happy with the outcome.  The cakes were more dense then I usually make but I knew I needed it to be a bit more substantial to hold the three tiers.  The assembly went quite smoothly, I went through almost 4 pounds of butter for the cakes and buttercream, thank goodness BJ’s sells it in bulk!

I made the top and bottom layer vanilla buttermilk and the middle was a chocolate butter cake.  The middle chocolate layer was frosted with a chocolate fudge buttercream and the whole thing was iced in a bright green tinted vanilla buttercream.

Mashed potatoes or buttercream?

In hindsight it probably would have made more sense to ice each layer and then stack them but I realized that halfway through the process.

Then I realized the buttercream looked a tad like guacamole.

But it did darken a bit and with the final decorations it looked more festive.

The topper is a “mud hut” which is a to scale (ok not so much) replica of what Jamilyn will be spending her nights in.  I don’t envy those digs.

Aftermath

As you can see the cake was enjoyed by all.  The top layer, I was told, will be wrapped and saved for when Jamilyn returns, though who knows if someone dug into it after I left

Regardless, I wish you much luck in your adventure Jamilyn!  I have not doubt that you will do a fantastic job and I can’t wait to hear all of your stories!

This is not a new recipe but I have proclaimed this my favorite dish ever. I love the spicy and sweet broth from the curry and coconut milk and it pairs so well with a meaty piece of halibut.  I always serve it with rice and some sauteed greens.  I put it all in my new Japanese style bowls from the tea shop and ladled the broth over all of it.  It is so damn good!  I have most of the ingredients on hand so it’s easy to whip up when I have a craving.

This is also a note to my Mother that- You need to make this right now!  Make it this weekend, it will warm you up with this crazy cold weather we are having!

Thai-Style Halibut with Coconut-Curry Broth
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 shallots, finely chopped, about 3/4 cup (I didn’t have shallots or onions so I used the whites of the scallions and a couple cloves of garlic)
2 1/2 teaspoons red curry paste*, or 2 teaspoons curry powder (use the red curry paste! It is the best!)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon, plus more for seasoning
4 (6-ounce) pieces halibut fillet, skin removed
Steamed spinach**
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 scallions, green part only, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cooked brown rice, for serving

*Available in the Asian section of most supermarkets
**Steam or microwave 5 cups of washed baby spinach for 2 minutes

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until reduced to 2 cups, about 5 minutes.

Season the halibut with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Arrange the fish in the pan and gently shake the pan so the fish is coated with the sauce. Cover and cook until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 7 minutes.

Arrange a pile of steamed spinach in the bottom of 4 soup plates. Top with the fish fillets. Stir the cilantro, scallions, and lime juice into the sauce and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Ladle the sauce over the fish and serve with rice.

Now that I am not working a second job I am thoroughly enjoying a “normal” life of coming home and cooking dinner.  Though unless Scottie and I run before dinner, we are usually left with a night full of mindless TV, which actually gets pretty old.  So I have been taking on little projects like re-organizing my binders of random recipes, cleaning out the linen closet and baking.

One night last week we both had a hankering for chocolate and I remember these little gems which I had not made in quite some time.  These chocolate chip cookies are unlike many cookies because they are quite light, in color and texture.  I find they leave less of an after taste which I really like.  I could eat just one and be quite satisfied.  Though as you can see in the picture, Scottie enjoyed 4, not including the ones off the baking sheet that he considered “too doughy.”  Yes, it is important to underbake these a bit so I leave them on the baking sheet for about a minute before transferring to the cooling sheet.  If you are not a fan of doughy cookies, wait until they are completely cooled but if you are like me and enjoy a bit of rawness mixed in with melted chocolate…don’t burn your fingers while removing them straight off the sheet

Angel Cookies
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
6 oz. chocolate chips

Mix together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Set aside. Beat together the butter, shortening and sugars. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Slowly mix in the flour mixture. Add chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Take them out of the oven before they look completely done and before they get brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Almost every Sunday, Scottie and I head to the grocery store to stock up on things for the week.  By the time we leave, I have already researched the menu for the week based on what’s on sale and what produce I am getting delivered for the week.  Since we are in “money saving mode” (who isn’t these days!) I am a big fan of the menu and using leftovers for other meals throughout the week.  Plus it usually alleviates an over crowded fridge.  Usually.  Luckily the past fews weeks have brought on a ton of great deals at Harris Teeter, Scottie and I have 8 packages of boneless, skinless chicken breast, probably 4 bags of shrimp, 2 london broils, 2 whole chickens, plus lots of halibut and salmon from Alaska between our two freezers.  It will be nice to not buy meat for a while and just buy perishables!

So I thought I might as well start posting the menu as a reminder to myself and a resource for other.

Monday- Grilled London Broil with a sauce TBD, grilled corn, sweet potato fries
Tuesday-Fajitas with peppers and onions and leftover london broil, whole wheat tortillas, Mexican style rice, maybe this recipe
Wednesday-Jaycee dinner- Scottie on his own
Thursday-Broccoli and Bleu Cheese soup, maybe a grilled Monte Cristo sandwich
Friday-Appetizer Night! Coconut Shrimp with Sweet Chili Mayo, Buffalo Chicken Tenders, maybe some Potato Skins
Saturday-Jamilyn’s Going Away Party!
Sunday-Maybe Guy’s Mojito Chicken, recipe here

This New Year Scottie and I decided to stay at home and cook a nice dinner. With all of the traveling we did for the holidays it was nice to just sit at home and watch HGTV until the ball dropped. FYI- there is NOTHING on TV worth watching before 10pm on NYE, I did re-watch Elf and we watched many episodes of “Property Virgins,” “My First Place”, and “House Hunters” but I was rather happy to watch Carson Daly for a while.

Anywho, because neither of us wanted to spend a ton of money (scratch that- we didn’t want to spend ANY money) on the night we created a menu based on items we already had; steak in the freezer, sweet potatoes from the Papa Spud’s delivery a few weeks back and some spring mix that was dying to be paired with bleu cheese. Scottie bought some wine and bubbly and I bought heavy cream for dessert…cheapest NYE ever! And one of the best I think. There is something to be said for being warm and toasty by the fire as opposed to in a cramped scummy club with a bunch of drunk strangers. Not my idea of fun.

We ate dinner late, and pulled out dessert around 10:30 because I just couldn’t wait anymore. The recipe made two perfect heart shaped creme brulees and I got to use my handy mini torch which is always fun. The middle was super creamy, it had a really nice mouth feel. It was not as dense at some others I have had but I like the simplicity of the recipe and I think it will lend itself well to other flavors. Next time I may steep some lavender flowers in the cream and may even try a chai flavored custard.

As far as resolutions this year, the only one I am making it to be a happier person. That’s a pretty broad resolution but it covers lots of areas for me. I have some mini goals I have set for myself this year that kinda fall under the “happiness” category but I tend to get down in the dumps when I look at other’s lives and compare mine to theirs. It isn’t at all healthy and I am making a conscious effort to change that.

Lemon Creme Brulee for Two
From Emeril

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 cup heavy cream
2 egg yolks

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup of the sugar and the lemon zest.

In a small saucepan heat the cream over medium heat until warm. Do not allow cream to boil. Whisk in the sugar-zest mixture, remove the pan from the heat and allow mixture to cool. Transfer to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 to 3 hours to allow the lemon flavor to infuse into the cream.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

In a saucepan, reheat the cream mixture until warm, making sure the mixture does not boil. In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks lightly and then drizzle in the warm cream, whisking to combine. Strain the cream mixture into 2 heart-shaped ramekins or other 6-ounce, shallow ramekins and place in a small baking dish. Add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake the custards in the middle of the oven until just set, 35 to 40 minutes. Carefully remove the ramekins from the water bath and let cool on wire racks. Chill, uncovered, at least 4 hours or up to overnight.

Preheat the broiler and remove the ramekins from the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes before proceeding.

Sprinkle the 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar evenly over each of the custards. Transfer the custards to a baking sheet and broil about 1-inch from the heat, until the sugar is caramelized, 1 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Scottie's Firework Display