Tricolore Salad

This salad is my twist on California Pizza Kitchen's Tricolore Salad. CPK serves it over the top of a hot baked pizza dough and it's really a fantastic combination. I served it with dinner on Christmas, jazzing it up with some diced beets and hard-boiled eggs. It's really great with slivers of Parmesan cheese instead of the egg, but we had some strong cheese on the meat, so I opted to not use it in the salad. It's really a very simple salad, but pretty and very tasty. To serve over pizza, you can make my dough recipe, top it with some Parmesan (no sauce) and bake until golden brown. Top with tossed salad.

I used quantities here, but just adjust to the number of servings you need. Mine served six.

Pictured before tossing with dressing.

Tricolore Salad

5 oz. baby greens, washed and dried
1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped and washed and dried
1/2 c. diced beets (not pickled)
2 eggs, hard boiled and chopped

2 T. Dijon mustard
1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
1 ¼ c. olive oil
1 T. chopped garlic
2 t. honey
Salt and pepper to taste

What are you doin' New Year's Eve?

If you're in central Ohio, be sure to stop by. There will be lots of food and drinks and plenty of fireworks at midnight.



I'm not offering my usual over-the-top spread, since my mom and my brothers are bringing a few munchy items, but I am making a few favorite treats.

Cowboy Caviar and chips

Guacamole (Green Pea variety or Original, I haven't decided) and blue corn chips

Awesome Spinach and Crab Dip and sliced, toasted baguettes

Tuscan Hummus and toasted pitas

Spicy Nuts

Caramel Puff Corn

Hot Crab Dip

On Christmas Day we attend Mass in the morning, come home and enjoy brunch, gift-opening, and then snack all afternoon on appetizers until dinner. This year I looked for a new Hot Crab Dip recipe -- something really decadent. This recipe was just it. It was a snap to throw together, but the taste was like something that required lots of work. I used backfin lump meat, a step down, price-wise, from lump meat. It tastes the same but is in slightly smaller pieces. Since I was going to stir it into the mixture and not use it in whole lumps, it didn't make a difference; it had the same great crab taste. I buy it in the seafood section at my Giant Eagle.

The recipe came from Simply Recipes and I made it just as directed, except I omitted the almonds for allergies. I served it with some Sociable crackers and Triscuits Thins. It would also be good with toasted baguette slices.

Hot Crab Dip

8-ounce package of cream cheese
1/3 c. mayonnaise
2 t. lemon juice
1 T. water
2 green onions, sliced, greens included
3 T. chopped fresh parsley, or 1 T. dried parsley
1 T. horseradish
1/4 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t. of Tabasco or more to taste
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1 c. fresh lump crab meat (or a can of crab meat)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat together the cream cheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice, water, onions, and parsley until smooth. Mix in the Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, and horseradish. Fold in the slivered almonds and lump crab meat. Place in an oven-proof casserole serving dish.
Bake until bubbly and heated through, about 20 minutes. Serve with crackers or thinly sliced baguette.

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If you like this recipe, you might also like:
Awesome Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Beef Tenderloin with Blue Cheese Butter

For Christmas dinner, I planned a meal of beef tenderloin -- my husband's favorite roast. I normally cook a tenderloin on the grill, but my husband (the grill guy) said he didn't really want to mess with the grill, so I hunted for an oven-roasting method. I ended up using Cook's Illustrated's somewhat unconventional method and it was really good (unconventional, I think, because you sear the roast after it cooks in the oven instead of before). The meat was a little rare for one of the boys, but I could add a little cooking time for the next time we cook a tenderloin ( a rare occurrence, I admit). The ends were done enough for my father-in-law, who likes it well done, and the center was perfect for Doug and his mom, who both prefer medium rare. The rest was fine for me (I ate just a few bites) and two of the boys.

The Blue Cheese Butter was, in my opinion, really yummy. It was a little much for the kids -- if you have picky kids, just leave half of the roast without butter, or serve it on the side. It really kicked up a fairly bland piece of meat ( a beef tenderloin is very tender and very lean, but because of the lack of fat, fairly lame in flavor).

The caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms were tasty, too, but they get cold pretty fast -- next time I'll serve them in a covered dish instead of along side the meat.

The recipe for the tenderloin calls for a 2-pound roast. Mine was four and a half pounds and so I added some time, and waited until the thermometer read 130 degrees.

Beef Tenderloin

1 beef tenderloin (about 2 pounds), trimmed of fat and silver skin
2 t. kosher salt (if using table salt reduce to 1 t.)
1 t. coarsely ground black pepper
2 T. unsalted butter , softened
1 T. vegetable oil

Using 12-inch lengths of twine, tie roast crosswise at 11/2-inch intervals. Sprinkle roast evenly with salt, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let stand at room temperature 1 hour. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees.

Pat roast dry with paper towels. Sprinkle roast evenly with pepper and spread unsalted butter evenly over surface. Transfer roast to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of roast registers 125 degrees for medium-rare, 40 to 55 minutes, or 135 degrees for medium, 55 to 70 minutes, flipping roast halfway through cooking.

Heat oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place roast in skillet and sear until well browned on four sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side (total of 4 to 8 minutes). Transfer roast to carving board. Remove twine. Spread several tablespoons flavored butter evenly over top of roast; let rest 15 minutes. and cut meat crosswise into 1⁄2-inch-thick slices. Serve, passing remaining flavored butter separately.



Blue Cheese Butter

8 T. unsalted butter, softened
5 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
1 T. Worcestershire sauce

Whip butter in a mixer until creamy. Add blue cheese crumbles and Worcestershire and mix until combined (some chunks of blue cheese can remain). Form in a log and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for several hours. Slice crosswise to serve.


Caramelized Onions and Sauteed Mushrooms

1 onion, cut crosswise
8 oz. white mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
2 T. olive oil, divided
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a small saute pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 T. oil and when oil is hot, add onions. Cook and stir, occasionally, until onions are a dark caramel color, lowering the heat about halfway, for a total of about 20 minutes. Meanwhile in a skillet over medium-high heat, add oil and when oil is hot, add mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are softened, about 5 to 8 minutes. When onions are done, stir the mushrooms into the onions and salt and pepper to taste.

Cheesy Grits and Sausage

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To go with our Cheese Braids at brunch yesterday, I made a casserole of Cheesy Grits and Sausage. It was soooo good. It was a heart attack on a plate, but it was soooo good. I told my eldest son we could not eat it more than once a year. Maybe twice -- I could make it for Easter and Christmas.

The recipe came (again) from Southern Living magazine, and I followed the recipe almost precisely. I admit I cut some of the cheese out -- all the fat was really making me nervous. I almost used half the sausage, but I'm glad I didn't because the consistency would not have been the same. Fortunately we ate small servings and I have half saved for another breakfast, probably tomorrow. I doubled up on my fish oil to help my poor arteries. I'm guessing I cut back to two cups of cheese, which was completely sufficient. I also added a 1/2 t. hot pepper flakes, but if you use spicy sausage you wouldn't need that. I used the make-ahead prep directions and used the delay-bake feature on my oven so that the casserole would be ready when we walked in the door from morning Mass.

Cheesy Grits and Sausage

2 lbs. mild ground pork sausage (or half mild and half spicy)
1/2 t. hot pepper flakes
4 c. water
1 1/4 c. quick-cooking grits, uncooked
2 c. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 c. milk
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/8 t. garlic powder
4 large eggs, lightly beaten

Brown sausage in a large skillet, stirring until it crumbles; add red pepper flakes when sausage is almost done. Drain well, and set aside.

Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan, and stir in grits. Return to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; add cheese and next 3 ingredients, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in sausage and eggs.

Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 13" x 9" x 2" baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 1 hour or until golden and heated. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Garnish, if desired.

Make-Ahead: Prepare grits mixture as directed above, but do not bake. Cover and chill overnight. Remove from refrigerator; let stand, covered 30 minutes. Uncover and bake as directed.

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Cheese Braid

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I apologize for being such a lousy blog host lately. Anyone coming here looking for something to cook or bake in the last few weeks has likely been disappointed. I have a huge backlog of recipes to post, and I'm going to try to get them all down in the next week.

Starting with yesterday (and working backward) I would like to talk about these Cheese Braids. I'm a nut for Cheese Danish; I am weak to their power whenever I am around pastries. My children feel the same. I often make these pseudo pastries, but this year decided to go with a bread instead. It was delicious, and since the bread makes four loaves, I sent some home with my mom and brothers on Christmas Eve. I made it Christmas Eve morning and we are still eating it the day after Christmas -- it's just as good leftover. The recipe came from Southern Living magazine. I have a few comments in italics.

By the way, the term braid here is not used correctly (it's not a braid), but don't let that stop you.

Cheese Braids

1 (8-ounce) container sour cream (I used light)
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter or margarine, cut into pieces
1 t. salt
2 (1/4-ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
1/2 c. warm water (105° to 115°)
2 large eggs, beaten
4 c. all-purpose flour
Cream Cheese Filling (below)
Powdered Sugar Glaze (below)

Heat first 4 ingredients in a saucepan, stirring occasionally, until butter melts (I did this in the microwave). Cool to 105° to 115°.

Combine yeast and warm water in a large mixing bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in sour cream mixture and eggs; gradually stir in flour (dough will be soft). Cover and chill at least 8 hours (I let it rise for an hour at room temp and then chilled it for 2-3 hours).

Divide dough into fourths. Turn out each portion onto a heavily floured surface, and knead 4 or 5 times.

Roll each portion into a 12- x 8-inch rectangle, and spread each rectangle with one-fourth of Cream Cheese Filling, leaving a 1-inch border around edges. Carefully roll up, starting at a long side; press seam, and fold ends under to seal. Place, seam side down, on lightly greased baking sheets. Cut 6 equally spaced Xs across top of each loaf; cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Bake at 375° for 15 to 20 minutes or until browned. Drizzle warm loaves with Powdered Sugar Glaze (Braids may be frozen -- glaze after thawing.)

Cream Cheese Filling

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Beat all ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.


Powdered Sugar Glaze

2 1/2 c. powdered sugar
4 T. milk
1/2 t. vanilla


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Weekly Menu

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Such a busy week ahead. High school boy (Joshua) is home -- today was his last final, and college boy (Geoffrey) is home until the 1st as well. Doug will work a few more days and be home. So many people in my hair -- how will I get it done? Delegate!

Peach and my mom and I are going to see the Nutcracker on Sunday and we'll grab dinner afterward -- the boys are on their own. We have quite a few kid-friendly meals on the menu -- they are easy and liked by everyone (at least the kids).

Saturday
Lunch: Sandwiches and chips
Dinner: Pizza, Salad

Sunday
Lunch: Asiago Bagel Breakfast Bake, Yogurt Parfaits (LF)

Monday
Dinner: Walking Tacos, fruit salad

Tuesday
Dinner: Salisbury Steak, mashed potatoes, green vegetable

Wednesday
Dinner: Chicken Sliders, Sweet Potato Fries (LF), buttered corn

* Tried and true
* New to me
LF Low fat

Christmas Menus

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As we put the finishing touches on the Christmas tree last night, my high school boy reminded me that it was one week until Christmas Eve. Aaaaaaah! I've not started baking cookies yet and I've hardly given menus a thought. As I fell asleep last night (which took about 30 seconds after the lights went out), I tried to think about menus, but I was just too tired. This morning, I put some ideas together and I think I have a couple good menus -- we host Christmas Eve dinner for my family, and Doug's parents for Christmas Day dinner. They are very different menus, and I've kept ease of preparation in mind so I don't overdo it.

For Christmas Eve we usually have Italian. Everyone likes it, including all the kids, so it's easy to make sure everyone has something they like. My niece is vegetarian, and I have to avoid tomatoes, so I'm addinng a Roasted Vegetable Lasagna to a typical Italian line-up. The sauce for the lasagna is a creamy mushroom sauce and sounds really yummy. I don't normally try new recipes for company, but we'll have the ziti to fall back on if the lasagna isn't great -- but I think it will be good.

Christmas day will be filled with all sorts of yummy foods that the kids asked for. We like to have munchies during the afternoon because we'll have brunch when we return home from Mass. Dinner is beef, per my husband's request.

Christmas Eve

Baked Ziti (this recipe sans sausage)

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Italian Sausages, spicy and mild, cooked in sauce

Bread (a variety from Panera)

CPK's White Balsamic Provencal Salad

Christmas Cookies





Christmas Day

Brunch

Country Grits and Sausage Casserole

Cheese Braids

Sweetened Strawberries


~~~~~

Munchies

Spicy Nuts

White Bean Dip and crudites

Hot Crab Dip and crackers

~~~~~

Dinner

Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Caramelized Onions, Sauteed Mushrooms, and Blue Cheese Butter

Roasted Asparagus
(this recipe sans sesame seeds)

Rosemary Pan-Roasted Potatoes
(this recipe, skipping the chicken steps)

Bread (from Panera)

Tricolore Salad

Buche de Noel


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Christmas Cookies

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The kitchen in my home may be feeling a little neglected these days. I think it's mostly due to Advent getting away from me, but may be also due to some necessary detachment from food for me. I know my kids are sorely missing dessert these days, but mostly that's due to just plain busyness -- it's hard to bake dessert from the minivan.

I'm ready to get down to business and start baking some Christmas cookies. I normally go way over the top with Christmas cookies and we end up giving them away to any warm body that visits. This year, I decided that I'll do every one a favor and cut back. Then we won't be eating cookies simply because they exist. Each child gets to pick his or her favorite, and I'll make my (new-because-it's-low-fat) favorite and Doug's favorite.

The line-up is:

Frosting Sugar Cookies -- Peach's pick

Icing Thumbprints - Noah's pick

Gingersnaps -- Geoff's (college boy) pick

Chocolate Chip Biscotti - Joshua's pick

Macaroons -- my pick (not yet tried)

Pizzelles -- Doug's pick

If none of these float your boat, here are some other tried-and-true recipes:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Nieman Marcus Chocolate Chip

Pumpkin with Browned Butter Icing

Fudge Cocoa Cookies

Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Bars

Frosted Lemon Cookies

Sunbutter Cookies (can also be made with peanut butter)

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Raspberry Shortbread Thumbprints

Or click here to see all the cookie recipes posted on my blog.

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Burgers and Fries -- Light

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On Saturday night, College Boy was home with Peach and I -- the other guys and dad were at a hockey game, so it was just the three of us for dinner. I had been at the grocery store earlier in the day and Slider Burgers sounded good to me. Most grocery store bakeries sell the little buns for Sliders, making them extra yummy.

There is actually very little meat on a Slider, so it probably wasn't really necessary to use chicken to try to stay low-cholesterol, but I thought it was a good place to test the waters. I don't normally use chicken or turkey to sub for beef in burgers -- the gang just doesn't go for it, but they loved these chicken Sliders. I'm not sure they would be as excited with chicken burgers on the grill -- the method for cooking the Sliders doesn't dry them the way the grill does, but these are wonderful to eat during the winter when you don't really want to brave the cold to light the grill. With a little dab of ketchup and mustard, I really didn't miss the beef at all. The chicken was quite a bit more expensive, however -- I think I paid $3.69 for one pound of Perdue ground chicken at Giant Eagle. It's a good thing they were tiny burgers! You could cook these in a pan with some onions, but I just add onion powder to the mix so the kids don't bellyache.

They were all over the Sweet Potato Fries, too (College Boy said he could eat those burgers and fries every day of his life -- although that's not saying much coming from a college student). I admit they were head and shoulders better than white potato fries. They look a little over-cooked in the picture, but that color is caramelization and that's where the yummy comes from. They were a cinch to make.

Chicken Sliders
serves four

1 lb. ground chicken
2 T. water
1/2 t. onion powder
1 t. Worchestershire
salt and pepper

ketchup
mustard
mayo
pickles

Add water, onion powder, and Worchestershire to ground chicken and mix thoroughly with your hands. Heat a griddle over medium high heat until water drops bounce; lightly oil griddle with vegetable oil (if you are cooking onions with your burgers, add a little more oil to the griddle and throw a handful or minced onions to the deck -- saute until soft before adding your burgers).
Form about a tablespoon (maybe a heaping tablespoon) of chicken into a patty in the palm of your hand -- it's stickier than beef, so wet your hands first. Place the patty on the griddle and repeat with the rest of the meat until your griddle is full. Salt and pepper the top sides, flip and salt and pepper the other side. It only takes a couple minutes for them to cook through. Remove done burgers to a plate and keep warm (cover with foil and place on the stove top to catch some warmth from the oven) while you cook the rest.
When all the burgers are cooked and staying warm, lightly oil the griddle again and toast the buns.
Serve with mustard, ketchup, mayo and pickles.




Sweet Potato Fries
serves four

4 large sweet potatoes, peeled
3 T. vegetable oil
salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Cut sweet potatoes in 1/2-inch fries. Place fries in a bowl and toss with oil.
Place in a single layer on a baking sheet, spreading the extra oil from the bowl around the pan to coat. Salt lightly (you'll salt them again when they are done) and bake on the bottom rack for 20 minutes. Turn and bake for another five minutes or so, until they are golden brown all over. Salt and serve.

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Santa Lucia Bun Bread

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On St. Lucy's Feast Day it is tradition in some countries for young maidens, wearing candle-lit wreaths on their heads, to serve sweet rolls for breakfast in the morning. Last year we enjoyed the same tradition, except we made the sweet buns in the shape of the wreath and put the candles in the buns. The children thoroughly enjoyed the tradition, and tomorrow we will do it again.



I used this Cinnamon Bun recipe, leaving the dough combined (instead of two loaves), and rolling it all out in a 20 by 8 inch rectangle. After placing the brown sugar cinnamon filling on top of the dough, I rolled it up from the long side and cut it in about 12 rolls. I placed the buns in a greased ring pan.



After letting them rise a second time and baking -- about the same amount of time, maybe a little less (20 minutes instead of 30), I then topped the baked rolls with a powdered sugar glaze and we sliced it just like bread. Yum!

For some coloring pages for the little ones, go here, and for paper dolls, go here.

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Weekly Menu

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Not much going on menu-wise. I'm trying to go more low fat and low acid. College boy is home so now we have six around the table again. :-)


Saturday
Lunch: Sandwiches
Dinner: Chicken Slider Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries

Sunday
Lunch: Buttermilk Waffles
Dinner: Pork Scaloppine, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, steamed green beans, rolls

Monday
Lunch: Tuna Melts

Tuesday
Lunch: Soup and sandwiches
Dinner: Baked Steak, mashed potatoes, buttered corn

Wednesday
Lunch: Baked potatoes
Dinner: Chicken Tortilla Soup, warm tortillas

Thursday
Lunch: Sandwiches
Dinner: Snow Pea and Pork Fried Rice, egg rolls

Friday
Lunch: Pancakes
Dinner: Salmon Croquettes and Remoulade, Potato Bundles, steam carrots

* Tried and true
* New to me

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Brother's Bread

I'm feeling pretty poopy about food these days. I mentioned in my last post that I've had to avoid certain foods because of interstitial cystitis, and yesterday, my doctor called me with more good news -- my cholesterol is too high. Whoopee! More diet modifications!

I'm going to try to embrace the foods I can have instead of moping about those I can't have, and hopefully I'll still be able to share with you many yummy recipes (after all, my family still has to eat)! This bread recipe is one I will still be able to enjoy. In fact -- we're having it for dinner tonight. It's a basic dinner white bread, but the extra long bake time, coupled with the vinegar (I think!) gives it a really yummy crust. You don't taste the vinegar, however, it's just a really tasty, dense, white bread.

The recipe comes from Jesuit Brother Rick Curry by way of the Food Network. It was published in The Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking -- an awesome bread cookbook. I halve the recipe to make one loaf, and my remarks are, as usual, in italics.

Brother's Bread

1 T. active dry yeast
2 1/4 c. warm water
1 1/2 T. salt
1 T. sugar
6 to 7 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
Cornmeal
White distilled vinegar

In a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook combine the yeast and water, mixing slowly until yeast is dissolved. Stir in salt and sugar. Mix well. Set aside for 5 minutes.

Beat for 5 minutes, gradually adding flour until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn out on a lightly floured surface. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic, adding flour as necessary to prevent stickiness (or use dough hook in mixer for about 5 minutes).

Lightly oil a large bowl. Place dough in bowl and turn to coat on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. Alternatively, cover with plastic wrap and let rise slowly in the refrigerator for 10 to 12 hours or overnight. (Both times I've made this the first rise was kind of slow -- give it time.)

Line a baking sheet with kitchen parchment or sprinkle with cornmeal.

Punch down the dough. Divide in half, shape into 2 round loaves, and place on the baking sheet. Carve an X in the top of the loaf and spray with vinegar (I brushed it on with a pastry brush). Place in a cold oven and turn the oven on to 400 degrees F for 45 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

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Beef Barbecue

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This recipe is the only recipe that I have from my grandmother, my father's mother. Most of my memories of my grandmother are of her infirm -- with a bad back, perpetually stooped over or sitting on a heating pad. I have very few memories of her in the kitchen, but I do remember that she made me Peanut Butter and Marshmallow Fluff sandwiches, and I do remember this Barbecue recipe.

Unlike most Barbecued Beef, made from a big meaty chuck roast, this recipe starts with ground beef (and so it's very budget friendly). It's a little like Sloppy Joe, but sweeter and with a hint of cloves. It's a great recipe for a crowd, because you can double or triple it -- just use a big pot. My grandmother and my mother always served it with cole slaw -- right on top of the meat, and so that's the way I serve it, also. I made a big pot on Saturday after Thanksgiving, and it was very popular! I always make a pot between Christmas and New Year's as well -- there are always many mouths to feed! This recipe couldn't be easier, so you can mix up a batch and enjoy the smells while you visit with your guests.

Grandmother's Barbecue

2 lbs. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
¼ t. garlic powder
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 c. brown sugar (more or less, to taste)
1 c. water
¼ bottle ketchup (vague, I know, it's about a big cup)
2 t. mustard
2 T. Worcestershire
pinch of cloves
(big or little pinch -- to taste; start with a little and add more if you like it)

Brown beef with onion and garlic powder. Add remaining ingredients and simmer two hours. Serve on buns with Cabbage Slaw.

Menu Suggestions: In the winter I like to serve this with Scalloped Potatoes and a creamy salad like this Waldorf Salad. In the summer I serve it with Potato Salad and fresh fruit.

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Weekly Menu

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I made it through the week without going to the store -- hurray for me! I'm sort of tired of thinking about food, which probably has more to do with my health than food, but I'm letting the kids make lots of decisions about food this week. Because of my health issues, I have had to be careful about what I've been eating these past few weeks. I see a urologist next week, but according to my GP, it's likely I'm dealing with interstitial cystitis, and will probably have to be careful about what I eat for the rest of my life. I am probably suppressing my feelings about the whole thing, but I refuse to sit and be sad that I may never be able to drink coffee, eat chocolate, enjoy a soda, have pizza (among lots of other things) without experiencing some pain. I think if I spend much time thinking about it, I'll end up turning into a big, sorry mess! In the meantime, I'll be making lots of meals that I can modify for myself, and embracing the foods that I can still enjoy. (If you, by some odd chance, are one of the other million people who have IC -- please speak up and tell me how you cope.)



Saturday
Lunch: Skyline chili for the gang
Dinner: Pulled Pork sandwiches, Baked potatoes, buttered corn

Sunday -- Feast of St. Nicholas
Lunch: Sausage Gravy and biscuits, eggs
Dinner: Yankee Pot Roast, mashed potatoes, carrots, steamed cabbage, Corn Bread, Speculatius cookies

Monday
Lunch: roast beef sandwiches
Dinner: Buffalo Chicken Wraps, oven fries, fruit,

Tuesday -- Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Lunch: Baked potatoes
Dinner: Grilled Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin, Mashed Acorn Squash, Baby Greens with Pomegranate Vinaigrette, Butter Brickle Cake

Wednesday
Lunch: Bagels and cream cheese
Dinner: Zuppa Toscana, Brother's Bread, Flan

Thursday
Lunch: Scrambled egg sandwiches
Dinner: Chicken Cordon Blue Casserole, steamed broccoli, rolls

Friday
Dinner: Crispy Baked Cod, Potato Bundles, glazed carrots

* Tried and true
* New to me

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Turkey Noodle Soup

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One fabulous thing about cooking a big turkey, or chicken, is the leftover bones. You can make a big pot of soup from practically nothing, if you just start with some good bones. I didn't even have a whole carcass to start with and I made a wonderful pot of Turkey Noodle Soup for dinner this week.

As soup is often less of a recipe than a process, and I'm sure you've made your own soup before, I will just tell you what I did. I started with four turkey drumsticks that had been fairly well stripped of meat (it looks like the meat is mostly gone, but there is still a lot left -- in between the connecting tissue and small bones). I offered my turkey carcass to my aunt, and so I used the four extra drums that I bought, roasted, and were leftover (I think Peach picked on one of them, but the other three were untouched except except for me stripping the meat for leftovers).

I covered the bones with water in a large soup pot, I placed it on the stove, covered with the lid cocked to release some steam, brought it to a boil and then lowered the heat so the water would simmer for about 90 minutes to two hours.

After the 90 minutes were up, I removed the bones from the water to a platter and strained the broth. I placed the broth back on medium heat and added half an onion, diced, and three carrots, diced. You can add celery here also, but my family balks at celery (puh!). I salted it and peppered it and added 1/2 t. dried thyme. I simmered it until the veggies were tender, about 30 minutes.

While the veggies were simmering, I pulled the rest of the meat of the turkey bones. There is always a little more meat attached that loosens up in the boiling. I diced the meat into little pieces.

After the veggies cooked, I added a couple palmfuls (probably 2 T. total) soup base -- 2:1 chicken to beef (the beef I add for turkey soup, because turkey soup has a deeper flavor than chicken soup). You can also use veggie base for a varied flavor. If you don't have soup base, you can use canned broth, but you may need to salt your broth more. (Sometimes I add a quartered onion, a couple stalks of celery and some garlic cloves to the original cooking water, and then the broth is more flavorful and often doesn't need the base -- I was lazy the day I made this soup.) I added about 1/2 t. onion powder also for a concentrated onion flavor. After the soup base dissolved and I tasted it and adjusted the seasoning (usually just salt and pepper), I added the turkey back to the broth and a cup (or more to taste) of fine noodles, cooking a few more minutes until the noodles were done.

This soup is practically cost-free (what's a half an onion, three carrots and a cup of noodles cost?) since the turkey was leftover from another meal. It's also very low in fat, because the only fat was on the leftover turkey, most of which went into the garbage.


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Cheddar Dill Bread

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Last night for dinner I made a simple (but delicious) pot of turkey noodle soup, and a loaf of Cheddar Dill Bread. It was the second time I've made this bread and it made our simple supper much more fulfilling than a plain loaf would have. Made similar to Monkey Bread, I rolled the cheesy dough into balls, then dipped them in a melted butter/dill mixture. Once baked, you can just pull the bread balls apart, instead of slicing it like a loaf. It was wonderful for dunking into our soup. This bread would also make a yummy appetizer because it is so savory.

For seasoning, I used a Pampered Chef Dill Weed Mix, which is a combination of dill, onion and garlic. But, I have estimated the ingredients separately below, because most people probably don't have this mix in their spice cabinet.

Cheddar Dill Bread
1 loaf

1/2 c. warm milk
1/2 c. warm water
2 t. yeast
2 T. butter, softened
1 T. sugar
1 egg
1/2 t. salt
2-1/2 to 3 c. flour
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 c. salted butter, melted
1/4 t. dill weed
1/8 t. garlic powder
1/8 t. onion powder


Place warm milk, water, sugar, and yeast in mixing bowl.
Add 2 T. butter, egg, salt and 2 c. flour.
Stir with the mixer until dough pulls together.
Knead dough (with a dough hook or by hand)
and add flour, a few tablespoons at a time,
until you get a soft dough, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add cheese in the last minute of kneading.
Put dough in a greased bowl, cover with greased wrap
and let rest for about an hour,
or until almost doubled in size.

Mix melted butter with dill and spices. Punch dough down, and roll bits of dough into balls, a little smaller than a golf ball. Dip balls into butter, and place in a greased loaf pan. Let rest for 20 - 30 minutes, depending on how warm your kitchen is.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Pour remaining butter over the top of the loaf. Bake for 15 minutes longer.

Cool for 10 minutes and then turn out of bread pan. Turn right side up (butter side up) to serve. Serve warm.

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Chicken Tortilla Casserole

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I apologize for being away so long. Admittedly, after Thanksgiving I wasn't cooking anything worth blogging. I was cooking -- I had a houseful to cook for on Friday and Saturday, but nothing new. And I'm feeling sort of ho-hum about all things in the kitchen right now, but I guess that happens after a big feast.

I do have a recipe from before Thanksgiving to post, however. I saw this Mexican Chicken Casserole at Annie's Eats. My kids are all over anything Mexican, so I knew this would be a hit. The flavors and textures were very similar to Chilaquiles, which we all enjoy, but the recipe was so much easier since you start with chips instead of soft corn tortillas -- the frying part is already done. I made a few changes, to accommodate the pantry items and chicken I had on-hand, but it was pretty close to the original recipe. My version is below. Go to the link above for the original. This recipe would be good made with black beans, also -- either with or without the chicken. You could just keep these ingredients on-hand all the time for a quick, delicious supper.

Chicken Tortilla Casserole
serves 6

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (I used bone-in breasts, baked in the oven, but you could poach also)
1 T. vegetable oil
1/4 c. minced red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 T. minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1¾ c. chicken broth
5 c. tortilla chips, broken into large pieces
1 can Rotel tomatoes and chilies, drained
4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro (I would add this if I had it on-hand, but wouldn't buy it just for this dish)

Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a 10-12 inch oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until onion is tender -- do not brown. Add the chipotle, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and chicken broth and bring to a simmer.

Stir in half of the tortilla chips and the shredded chicken and simmer on low for about 5 minutes, until chips are softened. Add the tomatoes, ½ cup of the shredded cheddar cheese, and 1 tablespoon of the cilantro. Stir in the other half of the tortilla chips until they are incorporated and moistened.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and place the pan under the broiler until the cheese is melted and browning, about 2-3 minutes. Top with remaining cilantro and serve.

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Source: Annie's Eats


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