Cleaning out the T'Day Leftovers

This is not the usual Turkey soup or stuffing casserole use of the Thanksgiving leftovers post. I bagged most of the leftovers and tossed them in the freezer - Greg will enjoy a small Thanksgiving feast again one busy night during the holidays, and I'll be glad I froze it!
One thing I didn't freeze was the leftover mashed potatoes. I just don't like the texture of them when they're thawed. So we ate them a few times last week, but I put a different twist on the last couple of servings.
I remembered when I was a kid and stayed with Grandma Regier over the Christmas break from school. She always had leftover mashed potatoes from our big family dinner, and would make them into potato pancakes for breakfast. So that's what I did, only these were a side for our supper of baked steak one night, then breakfast-for-supper the next.
They're pretty simple - just mix a raw egg into your potatoes, then plop them into a hot skillet with a little oil. They take several minutes to crisp up enough to be able to turn them. Just wait for it. If you try to flip them too soon, your pancake will fall apart. Then cook them several minutes on the other side. You want them nice and crispy.
For a little flavor, I added some roasted garlic to the potatoes and then garnished them with green onion the first night. The second night I just went ahead and stirred the green onion into the potatoes before I cooked them.
Now lest you think I tortured Greg by serving these two nights in a row, he actually asked to have them again. :o)

Soup Day! (part 3)

I had two meatless soup recipes that were new to us that I wanted to try.
Both looked good for the freezer as all ingredients freeze well, but since they were new recipes, I only made a single batch of each. Good thing.
The first is a pumpkin soup from Emeril. Greg was channel-surfing one night last week (don't you hate that?! Just pick and show and watch it, for Pete's sake!) and found Emeril making a fairly healthy Thanksgiving meal on the "green" channel. He humored me and left the TV alone while I watched the program. After seeing him make this pumpkin soup, I asked Greg if he would try it if I made some. He said he'd "try" it. That meant he was pretty sure he wouldn't like it, but again, he'd humor me.
So last night for supper I thawed some turkey mignons and warmed up some green bean casserole, along with a crunchy focaccia bread. While Greg grilled the turkey, I whipped up the pumpkin soup.
Emeril's Wegmeyer Farms Pumpkin Soup
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
1 (2 pound) pumpkin, halved and seeds removed and saved
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 plus a pinch freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
31/2 cups vegetable stock
3 tablespoons pumpkin seed oil
15 to 20 small sage leaves, fried
Method:Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the pumpkin cut side up on a parchment lined baking sheet. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Invert to the cut side down, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Place in the oven and roast until the skin is golden brown and the pumpkin is tender, 50 to 60 minutes.
Spread the pumpkin seeds on a foil lined baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake in the oven with the pumpkins for the last 15 minutes of baking time, stirring once to prevent sticking.
Remove pumpkins and seeds from the oven and allow to cool. Once cool enough to handle, use a spoon to scoop the pumpkin flesh from its skin and set pumpkin aside until ready to use. Discard the skin. Set seeds aside for garnish.
Set a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and, when hot, add the cinnamon and allspice and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the onions, carrots, celery and ginger, to the pan. Saute, stirring occasionally, until lightly caramelized, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic, reserved pumpkin and vegetable stock to the pan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook the soup for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
Remove the soup from the heat and process with an immersion blender (*or in batches in a blender) until smooth. Season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pinch of pepper.

I could tell immediately it had too much allspice, but I like to follow a recipe the way it's written the first time I make it, then I know what modifications to make next time. I did try to "doctor" soup with a few drops of white truffle oil in each bowl, but that didn't really help.
If you click on the link above the recipe, you'll be able to view a video of Emeril making this soup and see what he does differently from what's printed in the recipe. I should have watched it last night. The show this recipe was featured on will be aired again tomorrow night on the Planet Green channel.

Now for a much more successful recipe, Creamy Asparagus Soup. To get this recipe I simply Googled for it and looked at three or four before settling on this one.
Creamy Asparagus Soup
Ingredients
2 lbs asparagus
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
5 cups chicken broth
Leaves of 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp dry vermouth
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Method
1 Cut tips from 12 asparagus 1 1/2 inches from top and halve tips lengthwise if thick. Reserve for garnish. Cut stalks and all remaining asparagus into 1/2-inch pieces.
2 Cook onion in butter in a 4 or 6-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add asparagus pieces and salt and pepper to taste, then cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add 5 cups broth, thyme, and simmer, covered, until asparagus is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
3 While soup simmers, cook reserved asparagus tips in boiling salted water until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes, then drain.
4 Purée soup in batches in a blender until smooth. If you want a very creamy texture, you can put the purée through a food mill or press it through a sieve. Transfer to a bowl (use caution when blending hot liquids), and return to pan. (The hand blender meant I didn't have to transfer hot soup from pan to bowl to pan. I didn't strain or use the food mill at first, but after a few bites of strings from the asparagus, I changed my mind.)
Stir in cream. Stir in vermouth and a squeeze of lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (I did add the vermouth and lemon juice, but it's really good without it, so I'm going to say those ingredients are optional.)
Garnish with asparagus tips. Serves 4-6.
Adapted from a recipe in Gourmet magazine.

Folks, this is good! I garnished my lunchtime bowl with a dollop of sour cream. Yum! If you click on the link above the recipe, there are photos, too.

That's it for "Soup Day" for now. The freezer is well-stocked against these chilly and wet days we're having every week. As I sat and sipped my hot soup for lunch, I laughed at the rain!

Soup Day (part 2)

The other two soups I made ysterday are tomato/beef-based, but very different in flavors from each other.
The first one I put together was Meatball Minestrone. I got this recipe from Taste of Home or Country Woman (I don't remember which) many years ago. I finally made it for the first time last April. If you click on the name of the soup, you'll go to the post with the recipe. It is really good! This time I more than doubled the spices and that seemed right for us.

The other recipe is Fagioli Soup. This one came from a forum on a website, but I printed it 3 years ago, so I don't know if it's even available online anymore. I'm sorry I can't credit the person who posted it...
This soup is the one that Greg took to work for his lunch, and the other guys asked him to get the recipe from me for their wives. It smells awesome! At first I was reluctant to mix the Mexican spices with the Italian spices, but it really works.
Fagioli Soup
2 lb lean ground beef (or ground chicken or turkey)
2 lg onions
3 bell peppers (any color works fine - this time I used all green)
3 stalks celery
2 Tbs. minced garlic
1 banana pepper (optional)
3 small cans tomato sauce
2 cans Ro-tel tomatoes (I used mild)
2 Tbs. olive oil
8 beef bouillion cubes (I use a Tbs. or so of Beef Base)
4 C water
salt, pepper to taste
1 Tbs. cumin
1 Tbs. chili powder
1/2 Tbs. Italian seasoning (I was out of this, so instead used some dried thyme, basil from the freezer, and a little extra oregano)
1/2 Tbs. dried oregano
3 cans undrained red kidney beans or 2 cans red beans and 1 can white (I used 3 cans of black beans)
Saute onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic in olive oil. Add ground meat and brown (I brown the meat separately,drain, rinse, then add to the veggies.)
Add Ro-tel, tomato sauce, spices, water, and bouillion cubes. Heat to simmer. Add beans and cook 30 minutes. Serve.

There are a couple more recipes I didn't get to, but plan to make this weekend. Tune in next week for "part 3". :o)

Soup Day! (part 1)

The weather is chilly, blustery, and sometimes a little rainy today. It's perfect Fall weather. For making soup. So I did. Make soup.
I made a few old favorites and some new recipes, all of them destined for the freezer. Today I'll share the chicken recipes.
First up was Tuscan Chicken and White Bean. I got this one from an internet friend who posted it on a Yahoo group. I think it came from the Feb/Mar 2005 issue of Fast and Easy magazine.
This is a quick one to throw together, but it's really important to use fresh sage. I happened to still have quite a bit of sage out in the garden that I cut this morning.
(I know! Fresh herbs still in the garden in NOVEMBER! A little happy dance went on! Hope none of the neighbors were looking...)
If you don't have a fresh sage plant available, try to find it in the grocery. It's expensive, but makes all the difference in this soup.
There are leeks in this recipe, too. Leeks are usually gritty and sandy - make sure you pop those slices into a bowl of cold water for a little while so the icky stuff falls to the bottom.
Here's the recipe:

Tuscan Chicken and White Bean Soup
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 leeks, white and light green parts, cut into 1/4" rounds (2 cups)
1 Tbs. chopped fresh sage (I use 2 Tbs.), or 1/4 tsp. dried sage
2-14 oz. cans reduced-sodium chicken broth (I used my homemade stock)
2 C water
1-15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 lb. roasted chicken, skin discarded, meat removed from bones and shredded

Heat the oil in a soup pot or large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in sage and continue cooking until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth and water, increase heat to high, cover and bring to a boil. Add beans and chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 3 minutes. Serve hot.
6 Servings, 1 1/2 cups each
Per serving: 208 calories; 6 g fat; 15 g carbs; 3 g fiber

The next recipe was easy, but not nearly as quick to put together. This is the first time I've made it, but it's pretty tasty, and I'm sure will freeze great. This is a Paula Deen recipe - that explains the butter...

White Bean Chili
1 pound dried navy beans
5 C chicken stock (again, I used my homemade, but canned is fine)
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) butter
1 Tbs. minced garlic
3/4 C diced onion
1 1/2 C chopped green chiles (fresh or canned) (I only used 2 small cans since Greg's not a huge fan of green chiles in large quantities.)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, finely chopped (I used pre-cooked chicken.)
1 Tbs. ground cumin
1 Tbs. dried oregano
1 to 2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground white pepper (I omitted - just don't have any)
Pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped (I'll add when I reheat)
Rinse beans well, cover w/ cool water and soak for 2 hours. Drain. Place beans in a large pot w/ chicken stock and bring to a boil over high heat. In a saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and chiles and saute for 5 minutes. Add chile mixture to pot w/ beans. Add chicken, cumin, oregano, peppers, pepper flakes, and cilantro. Lower heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately 1 1/2 hours. Serve w/ cornbread, if desired.

The reason I saved the cilantro to add later when I serve this soup is because I've never frozen fresh cilantro in a recipe. My instinct tells me this is best added fresh.
This soup has great flavor even without the cilantro, and I suspect will get better after sitting in the frig for a day.

Okay, so while I typed this, it started snowing outside. I picked fresh herbs from my garden this morning, and now it's snowing. Only in Nebraska...

Cream Cheese Mints

One of my favorite tasty tidbits to go along with wedding cake is cream cheese mints. We're having anniversary cake this weekend, so this week I made three batches of dough, and one afternoon, Greg's mom, Jan, and her friend, Rose came over to make mints.
They're really easy to make, and it doesn't take long to have several hundred done. Here's how we did it:
1 - 8 ounce package of cream cheese (do not use reduced fat or fat-free)

2 pounds confectioner's (powdered) sugar
1/4 tsp. flavoring (I used peppermint. If you use flavored oils, use lots less.)

To mix the dough, I used my kitchen mixer and dough hook. Start out on the very slowest speed and keep a spatula handy to use to keep the powdered sugar inside the bowl. It will want to spill over the edge.

When the dough starts to come together, you can increase the speed of the mixer.

Once there is no more loose powdered sugar, I stop the mixer and turn the dough out onto the counter. Knead briefly.
Now it's time to color the dough. You want to use paste/gel coloring. The liquid will make your dough sticky. Use a toothpick to put the coloring on the dough. Remember that like paint, food coloring gets darker as it dries.

Knead in the color until all streaks disappear. (I wore gloves to keep my hands from being colored, too.)

Once you're happy with the color, put the dough in an airtight container and chill in the frig. (I left it while I ate a little lunch and worked on another craft for an hour or so.)
Now it's time to mold the mints. You'll need granulated sugar and mint molds. (The gray molds in this photo are the same ones used for my wedding mints 27 1/2 years ago.)

Pinch off a small piece of dough. Try to make it approximately the size of the mold, but you can always add a little more, or pull some off if necessary.

Roll the ball in the sugar, this will keep the dough from sticking.

Then press into the mold.

I like to push it in, then use my thumbs to smooth out the bottom of the mint.

Turn the mint out onto waxed paper.Let dry for several hours, then turn over and let the underside dry for a few more hours.Pack in an airtight container, between layers of waxed paper. These freeze well.

Now go make some and enjoy!

Parle Vous...

Cassoulet?

Cassoulet (from Occitan caçolet [kasuˈlet]) is a rich, slow-cooked bean stew or casserole originating in the southwest of France, containing meat (typically pork sausages, pork, goose, duck and sometimes mutton), pork skin (couennes) and white haricot beans.



Awhile back I came across this recipe online, printed it out, and added it to my ever-growing stack of "recipes to try". Finally, last winter, I made it for the first time. Greg and I both really liked it, so it went into the "keep" pile. I have no idea who posted this recipe. I think it was someone on a freezer cooking email group I used to belong to, so my apologies for not being able to credit anyone.

This is a hearty dish, good for Fall and Winter. It's easy and cooks in the crockpot, so there's little effort or mess. Perfect for a busy day. And the leftovers freeze well.



Cassoulet
Layer the following ingredients in a crockpot that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Don't stir. Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8-9 hours.

1 onion, sliced

3 carrots, sliced (I chopped up several baby carrots)

3 cloves, garlic, minced

3 cans Great Northern white beans with liquid


3 tsp. chicken boullion granules (I don't have that, so I used a very generous teaspoon of chicken base.)

1 bay leaf

1 tsp powdered thyme (I ran out to my herb garden and cut some fresh. Just throw the whole thing in - the leaves will fall off and the stems will be fished out later.)

3 sirloin pork chops, cut in half (I used 2 large-ish bone-in regular chops from a 'family-sized' package)
1/2 lb. smoked garlic sausage, cut in pieces (I used lean turkey sausage. Not as strong a flavor, but a little healthier)
1/4 lb. bacon, cut in small pieces (I used about half that much, and cooked it first)

Now put the lid on your crockpot and walk away. Don't stir this until you're ready to eat. And you'll be wanting to eat, since it smells so good as it cooks!

I'll use this as a one-dish meal since everything is included. That's the beauty of it. Only one crock to wash. We all love that!

Comfort Cooking

Goulash
*(Goulash is a dish, originally from Hungary, usually made of beef, red onions, vegetables and paprika powder.[1] The name comes from the Hungarian gulyás (pronounced goo-yash), the word for a cattle stockman or herdsman.) Wikipedia

My mom was a very basic cook - a good cook, but she pretty much made only simple, mostly fast, easy, and economical dishes. She was feeding a family of seven on a limited budget, so we had lots of inexpensive hamburger, macaroni, potatoes, and chicken.

This dish, goulash, was a staple in our home. It's one of the first things I learned to cook, and when it was my turn to plan and prepare meals for the week, it was always on the menu.

There are tons of recipes for goulash, but this is how my mom taught me:

*Put water on to boil for macaroni. Cook pasta as soon as it boils, while the meat is browning. I used ziti here, but we always used macaroni when I was a kid.

*Dice onion and brown with the hamburger. I used about a pound of 90/10 ground sirloin here. I also added a big clove of garlic. (Mom never used cloves of garlic, though she did eventually discover garlic salt, and I always added a little of that.) While the meat cooks, stir and chop it into small pieces. When it is thoroughly cooked, pour into a strainer and drain the fat. Is there anything that smells like my childhood more than hamburger and onion browning on the stove? I think not.

*Drain the pasta and add to the cooked hamburger in the skillet. Oh yeah, we always made goulash in the skillet.

*Now add one can of tomato soup. Yes, I have sometimes made it with tomato sauce instead, but it's not the same. Use the soup.

*Next, I put in a dollop of yellow mustard and a squirt of ketchup. Yep, a dollop and a squirt. This is a recipe you make to taste, so start small and add more if you think it needs it.

I put in a little bit of salt, not much, since I'm using canned soup. Lots of fresh ground black pepper. Stir up, cook on low until heated through, and then enjoy.

When I was high school, I started putting my own personal twists on the traditional dishes Mom had taught me to make. Sometimes really good, other times not so much. One of the favorite changes I made to goulash was to add cheese. Just before serving, I'd put a few slices of Kraft American cheese in the pan and mix it up. Dad and the boys loved it. Tonight I simply shredded a little sharp cheddar over the top. Oh, and I added some chopped chives (from my garden, Tonita).

I don't know what made me decide this afternoon to make goulash for supper. I haven't made it in probably 10 or 12 years, but I'm glad I did. There was a hearty, hot meal on the stove when Greg got home from work.

It was served with fresh cucumber in Ranch on the side. (Mom would have sliced the cucumber and put it in white vinegar with sliced white onion. Yum. But Greg doesn't like the tang of vinegar, so he gets Ranch.)

I know many of my Adams cousins who read this blog have their own personal memories of Mom and goulash. There are tales of her telling stories about gypsies and such in relation to this meal. I don't know about that, but to all of us, goulash reminds us of our childhood.