Yep, that’s an empty bowl. The soup was so good I didn’t get a chance to photograph it! But, I can tell you how easy it is to make. AND the umami flavor hits you on all your senses. You only need 5 or 6 ingredients and 5-10 minutes and you have a great lunch or snack or a quick breakfast or dinner. Yes, I said breakfast! Ya know, breakfast doesn’t have to be poptarts or cereal to be a “quick” one any more. I like my goat’s milk plain yogurt, a piece of fried polenta, leftover homemade thin crust pizza, rice and egg, baked oatmeal, breakfast squares, etc….,but this is wonderful and simple! Read the rest of this entry »
Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted anything, I was under the weather. Glad to be back with y’all! This is a really pleasing and very easy soup to make for a cold winter day. An immersion blender and a heavy soup pot are what you need. You can see that I have a cast iron soup pot. That came into my life in about 1978. A friend of my MIL ask me if I had a good soup pot as we were talking recipes. I said no, she had her son go out to garage sales and buy this beautiful cast iron pot. It is old and smooth and heavy. It is a treasure. You can tell the older cast iron as it is smooth inside and outside if it has been seasoned well. This goes for cast iron skillets, too. If you ever find one at a garage sale, BUY IT!
You can make the soup totally vegetarian/vegan by using vegetarian broth instead of chicken/turkey broth-just make your own! OR, if you find a store bought vegetarian broth that you like, use that. Just throw in all the veggies you like into the basic mix and blend! Add some sauteed vegetables near the end and you have it.
Actually, using the broth, leeks and potatoes as a base, you could add any vegetable and spice you like for a delightful soup! Read the rest of this entry »
Adapted from The Noble Pig
White cheddar cheese soup is a real treat and is really easy to make. When we lived in Austin, the Driskill Hotel was the acknowledged leader in the cheese soup competition. The Upper Crust bakery also had a contender. I couldn’t find either of their recipes, so I went looking and found this one. Neither was as good as this recipe. It goes together in minutes, with a rich, hearty flavor and texture. We think you will like it. I adapted the recipe to our tastes, but you can find the original recipe at the link at the top.
Read the rest of this entry »
Finding a good commercial enchilada sauce is really difficult. Even the Hatch brand is tepid at best. So, we decided to make our own green enchilada sauce, and it turned out to be really good, not only as a sauce, but also as a salsa. The consistency is chunky, unlike the commercial offerings, and has many layers of flavor. We like our sauce to be savory and mild, as the really hot stuff masks the flavor of the enchiladas. We think you will enjoy it.
Tags: cooking, Food, Mexican food, Recipes
This recipe has developed over the years, and it it really easy to make. I first found a version of it in a Prevention magazine; very, very plain-kidney beans and no greens, ick! They did not know SW cuisine, so sad. So, I had to take it up several notches. Eat it with Mexican, TEX-MEX or SW food. OR eat it alone for lunch at work or with a steak, pork or chicken for dinner. Enjoy! Read the rest of this entry »
I hope everyone had a great new year! We had the most fabulous dinner with champagne for NYE.
Chicken enchiladas with homemade tortillas, cooked and shredded light (breast) chicken meat, and a lovely and flavorful homemade roasted tomatillo and green chilies sauce, with sour cream, scallion and cilantro condiments.
Yellow rice with saffron, turmeric and chicken broth.
Wonderful pinto beans.
Isn’t it interesting that most of the time one can make the dishes they crave the most? Sweetie and I love the occasional Mexican (Tex/Mex) meal. Can’t get it where we live-must fix it ourselves. So, we do!
You may have to leave a comment to talk Sweetie into giving you his recipes for these wonderful dishes!
Best Wishes to You for 2010! Read the rest of this entry »
I guess I am on a ‘grain’ kick lately because everything I make for dinner has pasta or rice in it! Frugality rules! This dish is especially nice to take to a gathering. It is easy to make and easy to eat and tastes really good! You can make it in stages and add some meat or sausage or poultry if you want-it just gets better. I took it to a potluck last night and had one serving left. I fought for that one serving. Yeaow! Read the rest of this entry »
We bought an 11 pound turkey, cooked him in a Paper Bag and got wonderful things! We have been eating off him for two weeks!
Turkey, sliced light and dark meat – Dinner for four
Turkey Gravy – 2 Quarts
Sandwiches for 2- sliced turkey meat, dressing, cranberry sauce, mayonnaise, and a little gravy
Turkey Hash
Turkey Bow Tie Soup
Clarified Turkey Broth from the roasted carcass, water and liquid that cooked off the bird – about 6 quarts
Turkey Tetrazinni (recipe below the fold inspired by Posie Gets Cozy)
YUM!!! This recipe turned out wonderful! The flavors melded and it swam in a great bechamel sauce. Read the rest of this entry »
This dish is really a nice side dish for this time of year. Brussels sprouts are in season now and you can buy the smaller ones for a sweeter flavor. Don’t skip washing them a couple of times. Adding the nutmeg really brings out the flavor of the caramelization. You could even add some minced red onion for a little different take. We had these tasty babies for Thanksgiving and they were a pleasure and a snap to make. Something to think about for a big dinner or you could add them to a stir fry or over a pasta with shrimp or crumbled bacon, onion and cheese. Or-or-or!!! Read the rest of this entry »
We are very lucky that we have lots of outlets to buy “la vita locavore”. Our local farmer’s market, several locally owned grocery stores and the “Meatshop of Tacoma” are all good. We are having a small scale Thanksgiving this year as we are far from family. We did get to participate in preparing a meal for the local homeless camp. Um, I guess the camp IS their home. Most just don’t have enough money at one time to get into an apartment or they are just a little scattered and can’t work well. We had our first Iraqi vet in the camp this month. I am so scared that will become more and more the norm here.
I look around my house and family and friends and think how lucky we are to have what we have, a roof over our heads and backup of family and friends if we need it.
Thank you all for looking at this site. I really appreciate each one of you that are looking for good food and how to cook it. This year is dedicated to our friend, drchelo, I miss her so much.
Oh, this cranberry relish-the cranberries came from our local oyster farm-they were selling the fresh cranberries for the benefit of the local library. 
Cranberry/Ginger Relish
1 C ginger tea
1/2 C orange juice (either fresh or ….)
1 C white sugar
3″ piece cinnamon stick
Boil and cook down until semi-thick.
Add 2-3 C fresh cranberries (add some orange zest if you want)
Cook on a medium low heat until tender, thickened and some of the cranberries are popped. Let sit until cooled. Refrigerate overnight. Serve the next day. OR just make it early in The Day. It is really good. Enjoy!!!