It's Christmas Eve, and it's snowy and blowy and cold. Which is just fine with me, becuase inside it is warm and happy... and there is soup! Actually, Our family's tradition is to have soup every christmas eve. We usually have chili, some other kind of soup, and... always oyster stew for my dad. I think I tried it every year, and just couldn't get into it... bleck. So in case you fall into the non-oyster stew camp like me... here is a warm and yummy comfort-food for your christmas eve celebration. But, really, I recommend it any day of the year! Enjoy, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenders
1 tablespoon olive oil,
2 tablespoons butter
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced or thinly sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 rib celery, diced
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
2 tablespoons flour, a handful more or less… for a thinner ‘soup-like’ base, omit the flour
1 quart chicken broth or stock,
1 small box biscuit mix (I use Jiffy Mix)
1/2 cup warm water
Handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 cup frozen green peas
Dice tenders into bite size pieces and set aside. Wash hands.
Place a large pot on stove over medium high heat. Add oil, butter, vegetables and bay leaf and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Season mixture with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Add flour to the pan and cook 2 minutes. Stir broth or stock into the pot and bring to a boil. Add chicken to the broth and stir.
Place biscuit mix in a bowl. Combine with 1/2 cup warm water, parsley, and fresh ground black pepper (to taste). Mix until just moistened. Drop tablespoonfuls of prepared mix into the pot, spacing dumplings evenly. (or to serve more as a ‘soup’ make smaller bite-size dumplings with teaspoons) Cover pot tightly and reduce heat to medium low. Steam dumplings 8 to 10 minutes. Remove cover and stir chicken and dumplings to thicken sauce a bit. Stir peas into the pan, remove chicken and dumplings from heat and serve in shallow bowls. Best served immediately…
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Roasted Tomato Soup with Toasty Cheese Sandwich Dippers
One of the few things I know for sure Z really really likes is grilled cheese. One of the few things I know for sure about life is there are few things that compliment grilled cheese better than tomato soup. And this is not your Campbell's condensed variety... it's big time yumminess.
Approx 12 Roma tomatoes washed and halved lengthwise
1-2 red bell peppers washed, halved, seeds and center removed
3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 small onion, rough-chopped
olive oil
Salt/pepper (I like using sea salt and fresh ground pepper...)
Italian seasoning (i like to use fresh basil, oregano, and thyme. If you don't have fresh, dried works as well)
bay leaves
1-2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
1/3 cup red wine
1/3 - 1/2 cup heavy cream
Place tomato's and peppers cut side down on a baking sheet with peeled whole garlic cloves. Drizzle it all with Olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Pop it in an oven heated to 450 and roast until you start to see black charring on the tomatoes and peppers. 25-30 mins(?)
In the mean time cover the bottom of a large pot with olive oil and put in the rough-chopped onion, a tblsp of italian seasoning and a bay leaf. Cook the onions until they are soft and have a little bit of carmel color. Add all your roasted tomatoes, peppers, and garlic,chicken stock, and wine, give it a stir to combine, cover and let simmer for as long as you have... 15-20 mins minimum.
remove the bay leaf and discard. Use an immersion blender (or you can use a regular blender... just a little more transfer work) to blend it to a smooth liquid consistency. If you like your soup thinner, you can add more stock at this point.
return the lid and let it simmer until you are ready to serve. Right before serving add heavy cream and stir in til combined... OR you can serve soup as is, with heavy cream drizzled across the top. I also like to garnish with some fresh shredded basil.
8 slices sourdough bread sliced thin (I usually buy my bread at the bakery and have them slice it for me... so much easier that way!)
4 each slices of 2 or 3 kinds of cheese, I almost always use provolone, Z likes pepper-jack, also try muenster, a sharp cheddar, swiss, parmesan (you may have to flake this off yourself, but it's worth it... yummy and nutty!), or sometimes I get a garlic or herb cheese to add in there.
butter
Heat up a griddle to a medium heat. Generously butter both side of the bread (all the way out to the edges please!) when griddle is fully heated place 2 pieces of bread down and let it grill for a minute or so until it is nice and crunchy and just a little golden. flip the bread over and put 2-3 slices of cheese on one piece, and top with the other piece (grilled side down on the cheese) grill for 1-2 minutes, or until desired color, then flip the whole sandwich and toast the other side... serve immediately with a bowl of tomato soup to dip. (repeat to make a total of 4 sandwiches)
ENJOY! :)
Approx 12 Roma tomatoes washed and halved lengthwise
1-2 red bell peppers washed, halved, seeds and center removed
3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 small onion, rough-chopped
olive oil
Salt/pepper (I like using sea salt and fresh ground pepper...)
Italian seasoning (i like to use fresh basil, oregano, and thyme. If you don't have fresh, dried works as well)
bay leaves
1-2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
1/3 cup red wine
1/3 - 1/2 cup heavy cream
Place tomato's and peppers cut side down on a baking sheet with peeled whole garlic cloves. Drizzle it all with Olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Pop it in an oven heated to 450 and roast until you start to see black charring on the tomatoes and peppers. 25-30 mins(?)
In the mean time cover the bottom of a large pot with olive oil and put in the rough-chopped onion, a tblsp of italian seasoning and a bay leaf. Cook the onions until they are soft and have a little bit of carmel color. Add all your roasted tomatoes, peppers, and garlic,chicken stock, and wine, give it a stir to combine, cover and let simmer for as long as you have... 15-20 mins minimum.
remove the bay leaf and discard. Use an immersion blender (or you can use a regular blender... just a little more transfer work) to blend it to a smooth liquid consistency. If you like your soup thinner, you can add more stock at this point.
return the lid and let it simmer until you are ready to serve. Right before serving add heavy cream and stir in til combined... OR you can serve soup as is, with heavy cream drizzled across the top. I also like to garnish with some fresh shredded basil.
8 slices sourdough bread sliced thin (I usually buy my bread at the bakery and have them slice it for me... so much easier that way!)
4 each slices of 2 or 3 kinds of cheese, I almost always use provolone, Z likes pepper-jack, also try muenster, a sharp cheddar, swiss, parmesan (you may have to flake this off yourself, but it's worth it... yummy and nutty!), or sometimes I get a garlic or herb cheese to add in there.
butter
Heat up a griddle to a medium heat. Generously butter both side of the bread (all the way out to the edges please!) when griddle is fully heated place 2 pieces of bread down and let it grill for a minute or so until it is nice and crunchy and just a little golden. flip the bread over and put 2-3 slices of cheese on one piece, and top with the other piece (grilled side down on the cheese) grill for 1-2 minutes, or until desired color, then flip the whole sandwich and toast the other side... serve immediately with a bowl of tomato soup to dip. (repeat to make a total of 4 sandwiches)
ENJOY! :)
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Ridiculously Yummy Cranberry Monster Cookies
This recipe is compliments of Sara, but it is my new favorite cookie to make, and YES, you have to make them that big-- trust me, it's better this way.
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup butter, cubed at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sift the dry goods together into a large bowl. Set aside.
Cream together the butter and sugars, then beat in the eggs. Stir in the vanilla.
Add the dry goods to the wet works a small amount at the time until well combined. Fold in the rolled oats until thoroughly combined. Add in the dried cranberries and both types of chocolate chips.
Use a 1/3 measuring cup to transfer the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Use the floured bottom of a drinking glass to smash the cookies flat. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until lightly brown.
When they have slightly cooled, but are still warm, transfer the cookies onto a cooling rack. Enjoy with a big glass of milk!
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup butter, cubed at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sift the dry goods together into a large bowl. Set aside.
Cream together the butter and sugars, then beat in the eggs. Stir in the vanilla.
Add the dry goods to the wet works a small amount at the time until well combined. Fold in the rolled oats until thoroughly combined. Add in the dried cranberries and both types of chocolate chips.
Use a 1/3 measuring cup to transfer the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Use the floured bottom of a drinking glass to smash the cookies flat. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until lightly brown.
When they have slightly cooled, but are still warm, transfer the cookies onto a cooling rack. Enjoy with a big glass of milk!
Christmasy Cocoa
You just can't find a better and more christmas-y combination than chocolate and peppermint. It also just happens to be Z's favorite combo as well... so when I was making some hot chocolate for us to slurp by the christmas tree, i had to try it out. The result was both yummy AND good for the soul as all hot cocoa is! :)
1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp baking cocoa
3 tbsp powdered sugar
2 tbsp creme de menthe syrup (or liqueur)
4 cups milk
In small saucepan melt chocolate pieces with cream. Add cocoa, sugar, and syrup. Stir until smooth. Slowly whisk in milk and scald (heat until just before boiling point. Serve steamy hot in mugs with marshmellows and a peppermint stick!
Makes 4 mugs of cocoa.
1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp baking cocoa
3 tbsp powdered sugar
2 tbsp creme de menthe syrup (or liqueur)
4 cups milk
In small saucepan melt chocolate pieces with cream. Add cocoa, sugar, and syrup. Stir until smooth. Slowly whisk in milk and scald (heat until just before boiling point. Serve steamy hot in mugs with marshmellows and a peppermint stick!
Makes 4 mugs of cocoa.
Good Taste
I recently decided I needed to start recording the foods I make or eat, recipes I create or gank, and pictures I take of all of the above. Thus the reason and inspiration for this blog. Plus food is so pretty and so interesting and there are limitless combinations and experimentations... I grow giddy just considering the possibilities!
I am pretty excited about it actually. It is a dream of mine that maybe someday someone will stumble across this and find inspiration for their own creations! If that someone is you... be sure to comment and let me know how things went for you... and check back often. For those of you not adventurous in the kitchen there will at least be some drool worthy pictures on here. :)
Enjoy, my friends!
I am pretty excited about it actually. It is a dream of mine that maybe someday someone will stumble across this and find inspiration for their own creations! If that someone is you... be sure to comment and let me know how things went for you... and check back often. For those of you not adventurous in the kitchen there will at least be some drool worthy pictures on here. :)
Enjoy, my friends!
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