The Spice of life

Quick-bake Cheese Scones & Hearty Vegetarian Soup

nobody@vox.com(Camilla) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 09:53:10 -0800

A couple of years ago, I was inspired to make a butternut squash and celery soup, and thankfully I posted the recipe, as my husband came home with butternut squash soup the other day and I needed to make a lighter lunch for us and a friend this afternoon.

With a few modifications, such as using a whole butternut squash instead of a half, adding my new favorite spice peperoncino (chilli pepper), yellow onion instead of red (I had a real liking for the red ones at that time) and also some fresh celery leaves in the soup) I pretty much used this recipe:
Butternut Squash and Celery Soup as my base.

But the fun part was making the bread. Scones don't require yeast, just baking powder, which makes them very quick and easy. But they also taste the best just out of the oven, so no making ahead.

Ingredients: (makes about 20)
4 dl vetemjöl (eller grovt grahamsmjöl, eller hälften av båda)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp bakpulver
1/2 cup canola oil (or if you really fancy... 1 stick/50 grams softened butter, not melted)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup grated parmesan
2 tsp fresh or dried Italian herbs

Preparation:
Mix together all the ingredients, either in a food processor or by hand. Roll and slightly flatten buns on a baking tray (I always use parchment paper to line it), makes the clean-up so easy), bake in 200C/370F for about 10 minutes or till golden color. Can be eaten as is, or halved with your favorite spread, or butter.

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Make-ahead Chicken Salad with A Christmas Twist

nobody@vox.com(Camilla) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 03:41:49 -0800

About three years ago, our friend Rick made this great Christmassy chicken salad, and as I had a couple of parties to to go last weekend, I remembered it. Rick sent me his recipe, and with some minor modifications of my own, I got some really nice complements. So I won't forget it again, I will post it here. Thanks RICK!!

This salad serves about 6 people, if served with bread. It is easy to double up, which is what I did. Dressing it ahead of time makes the flavors blend nicely, so if you need to make this salad the night before - no problem. You can prepare it in stages as well, with roasting the chicken and chopping and covering the vegetables the day before, and just toss it together and dress it a few hours before serving.

The abundance of our Christmas Book Club...

Ingredients:

3 large chicken breasts
2 cloves fresh garlic (finely chopped or minced)
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme or dried Italian herb mix
2 tbsp good olive oil
1-2 cups of white cooking wine (amount depends on your roasting dish)
1/cup of chopped scallions or green onions
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 big green & crisp apple

For the dressing:

1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbsp mayonnaise
Zest and juice from 1/2 lemon
2 tsp spicy mustard
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Peperoncino (chilli pepper)

Preparation:

Start by roasting your chicken breasts on the bone at 350 F/180 C with olive oil, minced garlic, a sprig of thyme, salt and pepper to taste in a 1/4 inch bath of white wine. Roasting the chicken is the big secret and can be done the day before. Roasting doesn't dry the meat out like boiling it or other cooking methods, and I kept it covered throughout. Check when done by cutting into the thickest piece with a small sharp knife. If the meat is white, it is done. Cool.

Remove bones, skin and any fat and cube chicken. Mix together with the chopped vegetables. Pull the remaining thyme leaves from the stem and lightly mince and mix in. Stir together ingredients for the dressing, and season after taste. If you have other favorite spices, add and make it your own, you can also add a little more garlic. Like Rick says "You want the dressing to be nuanced not rise up and yell at you."
Decorate & serve chilled with some celery leaves and pecan halves.

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Grandma’s Homemade Chicken Soup

nobody@vox.com(chefability) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:04:53 -0800

There is nothing quite like a hot, soothing bowl of homemade chicken soup, especially when your sick or when the weather starts getting cold. I am sure many of us have fond memories of Mom or Grandma fixing up a hot bowl of chicken soup when we were younger. Remember how comforting it was and how good it made you feel? I sure do and I look forward to making chicken soup at least once a month during the cold days of winter. I am going to share with you one of the most delicious recipes for chicken soup, passed down to me from my Grandmother. It is quite easy to make and I promise you will enjoy this again and again…

I rarely follow exact measurements while cooking, so the ingredients below are approximated. Please forgive me in advance..

INGREDIENTS

2 Large Chicken Breasts on the Bone, Skin on

3 Large Celery Stalks Sliced (Reserve Leaves)

3 Large Carrots Sliced

1 Medium Onion Chopped

3 Cloves of Garlic Crushed

2 Medium Russet Potatoes Cubed

1 Cup of Small Pasta for Soup (Orzo, Ditalini)

Water

Chicken Stock

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Grated Italian Cheese (Optional)

Bouquet garni of Thyme, Sage and Rosemary (Instructions Below)

DIRECTIONS

Step 1 - Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the chicken breasts skin side down and brown.

Step 2 - Add water and chicken stock to the pot. Add a 50/50 mixture of water and chicken stock. The chicken stock gives the soup a boost in flavor. Add enough liquid so that the chicken is completely submerged, plus a little more.

Step 3 - Add celery leaves, garlic and Bouquet Garni (instructions follow). Bring liquid to a boil, then cover and simmer. Cook chicken on a low simmer until you can easily pull the chicken off the bone. One chicken is done, remove it from the pot and place it on a large plate. Remove the garlic and bouquet from pot and discard.

Bouquet Garni Instructions/Description

A bouquet Garni is just a fancy French name for a bundle of herbs that can be added to stocks, soups and stews. When translated to English it means: “garnished bouquet”. It is very easy to make. You can either tie the bundle together using strings or you can wrap it in cheesecloth. I like to use the cheesecloth as it keeps the herbs contained so that they do not fall off and become part of the soup. If you don’t mind the herbs in the final soup, you can wrap it with string. This bundle of herbs will impart a deliciously rich flavor to the broth.

Step 4 - Add the onion, potatoes, celery and carrots to the pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender.

Step 5 - Add your pasta and cook along with vegetables until pasta is al dente.

Step 6 - While the pasta is cooking, pull chicken from the bone and shred into bite size pieces. Add the chicken to the pot and stir.

Step 7 - Serve. Top with grated cheese if desired. Enjoy!

Visit Chefability.com for more great cooking recipes.

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Butternut Squash and Celery Soup

nobody@vox.com(Camilla) — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 17:09:51 -0800

'Tis the season for butternut squash and pumpkin here in the US, and although this is a reasonably new vegetable to me for that reason, I am quickly growing to love its versatility. This recipe came about a day when I walked past a place that served potato and celery soup, and when I came home my husband had bought butternut squash... an interesting twist.

1/2 butternut squash
4-6 celery stalks
1 large red onion
3 cloves garlic
olive or canola oil
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary (thyme works just as well if you prefer)
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon of saffran (if you have it)
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
allspice, curry powder and salt to taste
1 cup whole milk (or cream if you prefer)

Slice the butternut squash (removing the seeds and the peel), and the celery stalks. Chop the onion and the garlic, and fry this in some oil together with the chopped rosemary and ginger on low heat until the onion is somewhat tranpsarent. Add the squash and the celery, and pour on the broth. It may look like there is not enough liquid but this is quite OK. The squash contains a lot of liquid and you don't want the soup too thin once pureed. Cook together for 30 minutes.

Mix the vegetables (pour off excess liquid if needed) in a food processor or blender until completely blended. (If you double the recipe, you will need to mix it in two rounds at least). Replace into stock pot, heat up and add enough milk to achieve the right consistency. Add spices to taste. If you think it's too bland - spice it up! For example I have used french dijon mustard (without seeds) and chili powder for a bit more of a 'kick'.

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Baked Seitan

nobody@vox.com(Method) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 04:16:20 -0700

seitan

Have you heard? I've got a new blog! Go check out this baked seitan recipe on (never home)maker: http://neverhomemaker.blogspot.com/2009/12/make-your-own-seitan-how-to.html

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quick & easy tofu marinade

nobody@vox.com(Method) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 07:03:21 -0700

tofu

Didn't you hear? This recipe has moved to my new & improved blog (never home)maker!
Just follow this link: http://neverhomemaker.blogspot.com/2009/11/quick-easy-tofu-marinade.html

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Cooking,Take two.

nobody@vox.com(christina's little world) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:07:26 -0800

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Tessa and I decided our show Cooking with Dumbasses was a hit and would take a second round last night, this time guest starring Robby Boudreaux (aka husband) and Jason (aka one of the best friends).

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This time we went for a box. Boxes are pretty damn hard to mess up. Strawberry Cake and Cream Cheese icing. Also this time around my helping was at a bare minimum and I mostly made videos/ watched football/ danced. I made everyone make videos with me too. It's amazing what I can get people to do for/with me. They love me. So here you have it, Cooking with Dumbasses II. (With a sort of intermission,if you will, to..dance.)

We have ingredients. Meaning we can cook. Obviously.

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And I am a mean sprayer.

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She's so sexy pouring the mix.

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And oil. I'm gonna be honest and admit Tessa is a sweetheart and handed this to me so it looked like I was doing something useful. I wasn't.

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I'm skipping a few steps here. We mixed it, I swear. Almost finished!

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It was so good this time! I'm proud even if I had no part in making the cake and spent my entire time being the camera woman. Or dancing.

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Dance break! This was my favorite part of the night. 'Icing on the Cake.' Yeah? I get excited everytime I watch this, even though Jason laughed and told me I was supposed to be still and not bounce around. Oops.

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Yummy cake and friends to be absolutely ridiculous with. Definitely a good night. Tune in for Cooking with Dumbasses III. Cooking a real meal should definitely be interesting.

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Crazy Steve Goes Out To The Public

nobody@vox.com(Crazy Steve's Pickles) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:53:08 -0800

Well it's

official. Crazy Steve got his first public appearance in Metuchen, NJ over the weekend. Over 600 people got to sample our concoctions and we sold more than 160 jars of our pickles and salsa! I just want to thank all of you that have helped out and purchased our products this weekend and in the past few months. Thanks for your comments and critique of the varieties and flavors. Its really great!

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Beach Weddings in Koh Samui Thailand

nobody@vox.com(koh samui beach resorts) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:16:05 -0800

Working closely together with an experienced wedding planning company on the island who have created many memorable weddings over the years, we can customize our basic wedding package for you depending on budgets and the number of guests. Our basic Beach Weddings in Koh Samui Thailand package consists of the following based on 2 people, the Bride & Groom, including services of the wedding planners and tax & service charge:

Direct contact with wedding planner from conception, to planning, to realization
Pre wedding meeting at venue
Onsite, on day wedding coordination and supervision
1 Night’s Beach Villa Accommodation
Traditional Thai long drum procession
Modify vows to include personal sentiments
Professional digital photography
and many more sweet surprises!

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A picklin' fool

nobody@vox.com(anthrogrrl) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:52:02 -0800

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After watching a couple episodes of Good Eats with Alton Brown, I decided to try my hand at making pickles. Not real kosher dill pickles, which are the kind I actually prefer -- those require actual fermentation and that scares me a bit. No, I decided to try a batch of his sour refrigerator pickles.

The recipe was quite simple. Add the following ingredients to a saucepan:

1 c. water

1 c. cider vinegar

1/2 c. champagne vinear

1/2 c. sugar

2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. whole mustard seed

1/4 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. celery seed

1 tsp. pickling spice

Bring these to a boil and then let simmer for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. When done, add the hot liquid to a clean, airtight glass jar that contains 1/2 yellow onion and 2 medium cucumbers, both thinly sliced, and 4 crushed cloves of garlic. When it is completely cool, put in the fridge. The pickles will last up to 3 months.

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Now, I ran into a couple small problems. I looked all over town for champagne vinegar, and couldn't find it, so I substituted white wine vinegar instead. I have no idea how much of a difference this makes. Then, I discovered that my jar was quite large, and that the sliced veggies weren't covered by a single batch of liquid. So I made a second batch of liquid and only added one more medium cuke, and everything seemed to work out ok. Alton Brown's recipe specifies that the liquid should go to the top of the jar, and obviously mine didn't, so I am hoping this will not lead to any bacterial complications. I used antibiotic dish soap on the jar, and I hope that was enough. Not to mention, they are disappearing pretty rapidly. *smile*

The final result was quite different from my usual pickle, but I still think they're pretty good. They are kinda halfway between a sweet and a dill pickle, but nice and crunchy, which is part of what I like so much about kosher dills. This makes them ideal for T, who is a sweet pickle fan, but not so much for me. Also, the cider vinegar is quite noticeable, and adds to the sweetness. I think next time I will experiment with a different mix of vinegars, reduce the sugar and possibly increase the salt a little, and maybe leave out the turmeric, just to see what that does. Interestingly, the cucumber peels turned my garlic cloves blue, while the turmeric turned everything else yellow.

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