Beer Cheese Soup

This soup is wonderful: the sweet milk, the bitter beer, and the salty cheese meld together to make your mouth very happy. The creamy texture is complemented perfectly by the crunch of croutons. So the next time the day is blustery or the night is dark and cold, warm up the people you love with this hardy, simple soup.












Servings: 4-6 (depends on your appetite)
Time: Prep: 10 minutes; Cook: 20 minutes
Hardware: Measuring spoons and cups, a cutting board and knives, a bowl, a large soup pot, an immersion blender (or a food chopper, or food processor), a whisk, a wooden spoon, a ladle, serving bowls
Optional: a small frying pan, a plate covered in a paper towel

Ingredients:

• ½ stick of butter
• ½ a leek
• 2 stalks of celery
• 1 large carrot
• 2 cloves of garlic
• ⅓ cup flour
• 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups broth (chicken or veggie)
• 2 cups of brown ale (I used New Castle)
• 2 cups of milk
• 4 cups of shredded cheddar (the best you can afford)
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Black pepper and sea salt croutons
• 4 pieces of bacon (optional)

1. If you are using the bacon, fry it until it is crisp. Put it on the paper towel covered plate to drain.
2. Slice the leek as thin as possible. Separate it into rings. Place the leeks into a large bowl of cool water and swish around to remove any dirt. Drain.
3. Clean and dice the celery, carrots, and garlic.
4. Place the butter in the pot and melt on medium. Add the veggies to the butter and cook on medium until the veggies are soft, about 7 minutes. Purée the veggies.
5. In the soup pot, whisk the puréed veggies and the flour until it is the consistency of paste. DO NOT allow the mixture to brown.
6. Stir in the mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Slowly stir in the broth and the beer. When the foam has disappeared, turn the soup up and allow it to boil for 2- 3 minutes.
7. Turn the soup back down to medium and stir in the the milk. DO NOT LET THE SOUP BOIL FROM THIS POINT ON!
8. Add a cup of the cheese. Stir until it is completely melted. Continue to add the cheese by the cup, stirring, and melting until all the cheese has been added.
9. Allow the soup to simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring often.

To serve, ladle the soup into serving bowls, place 2 grinds of black pepper onto each serving. Place a few pieces of crumbled bacon and a few croutons in the center of each bowl. Serve right away.

Tex-Mex Pot Pie

I wanted to make a pot-pie, but my husband doesn’t like many of the traditional veggies found in a pot-pie recipe. Carrots? No. Peas? No. Mushrooms? No. So this is my compromise. Everybody wins!

Servings: 8
Time: Prep: 10 minutes Cooking: 35 minutes
Hardware: Measuring cups and spoons, a cutting board and knives, a can opener, a large pan that can be used on top of the stove and in the oven (I use a cast iron frying pan), a wooden spoon, a mixing bowl and spoon, a small bowl and fork

Ingredients:
Filling:

• ½ cup diced onion
• ¼ cup diced bell pepper
• ¼ cup diced celery
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 pounds ground beef
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried cilantro
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup of your favorite chunky salsa (I like Desert Pepper Trading Company)
• 1-10 oz jar of Ro-Tel Diced tomatoes and green chilies-drained
• 1-15 oz can of whole kernel corn-drained
• S&P to taste

 Crust:

• 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
• ¾ cups yellow corn meal
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup whole milk
• ¼ cup vegetable oil

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
2. Open and drain the tomatoes and corn. Set aside.
3. Wash and dice the onion, green pepper, and celery. Peel and crush the garlic.
4. Heat the pan on medium high. Add the veggies, spices, and ground beef. Cook and crumble the ground beef the meat is brown and cooked through (7-10 minutes). Drain the fat from the beef.
5. Return the meat mixture to the medium high pan. Stir in the salsa, tomatoes, and corn. Allow the mixture to come to a boil then reduce the heat. Let the beef mixture simmer while you prepare the crust. Stir occasionally. S&P to taste.
6. Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the mixing bowl.
7. Beat the egg in a separate bowl.
8. Stir the egg, milk, and oil into the flour. Stir until the dry ingredients are just moistened.
9. Spread the cornbread crust over the beef mixture. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cornbread is golden brown.

  Serve warm.

Everybody Wins!

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Gooey Love

Sundays are for relaxing, curling up with a good book, and resting up for the coming week. Sundays are for comfort. Nothing is more comforting than macaroni and cheese.

Servings: 6-8
Time: Prep: 5 minutes, Cook: 40 minutes
Hardware: Measuring spoons and cups, a whish, a wooden spoon, a pot, a sauce pan, a colander, and a 2 quart glass baking dish

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
• ½ stick butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 2 ½ cups grated cheddar cheese
• Cooking spray
• ½ cup bread crumbs

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Cook the macaroni according to package directions.
3. While the macaroni is cooking, place the butter in the sauce pan on medium and whisk in the flour. You are now making a roux. Continue to whisk until the roux is a golden color. This should take about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the onion, mustard, and soy sauce. Whisk until the mixture has no lumps. Slowly stir in the milk. Allow the milk mixture to reach a simmer, but DO NOT BOIL.
5. Add the grated cheese to the milk mixture and allow the cheese to melt. Stir often. This should take about 5 minutes.
6. Drain the macaroni and fold it into the cheese mixture.
7. Spray the baking dish with cooking spray.
8. Place the mac-n-cheese in the baking dish. Sprinkle the crumbs on top of the mac-n-cheese.
9. Bake for 30 minutes.

 Allow the mac-n-cheese to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
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Hint: I often make macaroni and cheese out of the odd ends and pieces of cheese in the fridge. Only 1 ½ cups of the cheese actually need to be cheddar. I have used gouda, Swiss, provolone, parmesan, chevre, and even a little bit of blue before (of course not all at once). Experiment and you might turn something ordinary into something magical.

Red Beans and Rice

Even though it is still very warm in the afternoons, the mornings are beginning to be cool. Football season has begun. School is in session. This means that fall is here. Red beans and rice is a perfect fall dish: warm, savory, filling, and delicious. Warm your body and your heart.


Servings: 6-8
Hardware: A cutting board and knives, measuring spoons and cups, a large soup pot with a lid, a wooden spoon, a potato masher
Time: Soak: 8-24 hours, prep: 20 minutes, cook 2-3 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 pound bag of red beans, soaked and drained
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 3-4 pieces of cheap bacon
• ½ pound cooked ham
• ½ pound smoked sausage
• 1 large onion (1 cup)
• 1 small bell pepper (½ cup)
• 2 stalks of celery
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley
• 2 ½ quarts chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning (I use Zatarain’s)
• ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon Cayenne pepper (to taste)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 bay leafs

3 cups of hot, cooked white rice
Diced green onions and hot sauce

1. Pick over the beans and place them in a large soup pot. Cover them in cold water, place a lid on the pot, and soak them for at least 8 hours or over night. Drain the beans and discard the soak water. Set the beans aside.
2. Wash the onion, celery, and garlic and dice them, the smaller the better. Remove the seeds and white ribs from the bell pepper. Dice it. Wash and chop the parsley.
3. Dice the ham into small pieces.
4. Cut the smoked sausage into 1 inch pieces then cut them in half length wise.
5. Heat the olive oil in the soup pot on medium high.
6. Chop the bacon. Add the chopped bacon to the soup pot to render the fat. Remove when the bacon gets crispy and save it for another dish.
7. Add the ham and the sausage to the fat in the soup pot and allow it to sear, stirring often for 2-4 minutes.
8. Add the onion, garlic, celery, green pepper, and parsley to the soup pot. Turn the heat down to medium.
9. Stir and allow the onions, etc to sweat for 4-5 minutes. The onions should be bubbling, but not browning. Stir occasionally.
10. Stir in the beans and the liquid and bring to a boil.
11. Stir in the Creole seasoning, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Add the bay leafs.
12. Turn the beans to low. Simmer the beans, uncovered, for 2-2 ½ hours or until they are tender. Stir occasionally. You may need to add more liquid while cooking.
13. When the beans are tender use the potato masher to mash up some of them. Stir them and continue to cook until they are creamy, about another ½ hour.
14. Remove the bay leafs.

Serve right away over rice, garnished with chopped green onions. Offer hot sauce to your guests.

Warms your tummy and your heart

Crazy Good Banana Nut Bread

This has not been the best month: summer ended, received some very sad news about a friend, the economy sucks, and the tenth anniversary of 9/11 is very depressing. The world feels as if it were going bananas. When I’m stressed, I cook. Here is my quick and simple version of banana nut bread.

Guaranteed to make you feel better

Servings: 1 loaf
Time: Prep: 10 minutes, cooking: 65 minutes
Hardware: Measuring cups and spoons, 2 mixing bowls, a mixer, and a 9”x 5” glass loaf pan

Ingredients:

• Butter and flour for the pan
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 stick of butter
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 ½ cups mashed very ripe bananas (6-7 bananas)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees°.
2. Grease and flour the loaf pan.
3. In one bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt.
4. In the other bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Stir in the eggs, vanilla, and mashed bananas until well blended.
5. Stir the banana mixture and the nuts into the flour mixture. Do not over mix; it will make the bread tough. Stir until the flour is just moistened.
6. Pour the batter into the loaf pan.
7. Bake 60 to 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then turn it out onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container or plastic wrap for 3 days.

Sunshine Peach Cobbler

My friend Kathy has been bringing peaches to work for lunch all week. I have also seen them for sale in the grocery store. So I have peaches on my mind. The fact that I live in Florida means that I have access to fresh Georgia peaches. Georgia peaches come to market in May and last until around the end of August. Sadly, peach season is ending. So you should make this dessert right away. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait another year to enjoy summer in a bowl.

Servings: 8-10
Time: Prep: 15 minutes, cooking: 55 minutes
Hardware: Measuring cups and spoons, knives, cutting board, wooden spoon, sauce pan, mixing bowl, and a 13”x 9” glass baking dish

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/16 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 cups fresh peach slices-5 to 6 peaches
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 2 tablespoons orange preserves

1. Preheat the oven to 375°
2. Put the butter in the glass dish and put it in the pre-heating oven to allow it to melt.
3. Remove the glass dish from the oven.
4. Combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt; add the milk, stir until the dry ingredients are just moistened.
5. Pour the batter over the butter. DO NOT stir.
6. Mix the corn starch in the orange juice until it dissolves.
7. Put the peach slices, brown sugar, orange juice and orange preserves in the sauce pan and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir constantly.
8. Pour the peaches over the batter. DO NOT STIR.
9. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until it is golden brown.

 Serve the cobbler warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It also tastes great at room temperature.

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Hint, Hint:  Learn how to peel a peach here

Saint Marta's Sauté

Marta was the sister of Mary of Bethany and Lazarus. The name Marta means mistress of the house. When Jesus came to visit, she happily cooked for Him. Because of this she is sometimes referred to as the patron saint of cooks and entertaining. This dish is named in honor of Marta.


Servings: 4
Time: Prep: 10 minutes; Cook: 15 minutes
Hardware: measuring spoons and cups, a cutting board and knives, a large heavy bottom skillet (I prefer a cast iron skillet), a large pot, a colander, a wooden spoon, a serving bowl

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of butter
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 6 ounces of portabelloa mushrooms-two large mushrooms
• 3 ounces sun-dried tomatoes in oil-this is about ½ cup-drained 
• 6 ounce jar of marinated artichoke hearts-do not drain.
• ½ pound (31-35 count) shrimp (You can usually buy these from your fish monger already cleaned. It saves so much time.)
• 2 tablespoons of sour cream
• 4 ounces of crumbled feta cheese
• 8 ounces of uncooked fettuccine
• Salt

We eat first with our eyes

1. Put 4 quarts of salted water on to boil.
2. Mince the garlic. Clean and roughly chop the mushrooms. Chop the tomatoes. Rinse the shrimp and remove their tails. Set aside.
3. Place the butter in the skillet on medium low. Allow the butter to melt. This should take 2 minutes or so.
4. The water should be boiling by now. Place the pasta in the boiling water. Allow the pasta to return to a boil and cook for 11 minutes. Stir occasionally.
5. When the pasta returns to a boil you can start on the sauce. Turn the heat under the butter up to medium and add the garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes, and the entire contents of the jar of artichokes, including the liquid. Adjust the heat until the dish is bubbling. Continue to sauté until the mushrooms begin to give up their liquid. Nothing should be browning. This should take about 5 minutes. Stir this occasionally.
6. When the mushrooms begin to look soft, add the shrimp to the pan. Cook this just until the shrimp turn pink. This should take 2 or 3 minutes.
7. When the shrimp is no longer translucent remove the pan from the heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons of sour cream.
8. Drain the pasta but do not rinse it. Place the pasta in the serving dish and toss with the butter sauce. Crumble the feta cheese over the dish.
• Never rinse pasta.  The outside of cooked pasta is starchy and will quickly absorb the flavor of the sauce you add it to.  If you rinse the pasta, you rinse off the starch.  Also, you should try to get the pasta into the sauce as quickly as possible.  It will soak up the sauce faster.

 Serve immediately. Offer your guests more crumbled feta at the table.