Creamy Chipotle Tomato Soup

So we made grownup grilled cheeses tonight - multi-grain bread, sharp cheddar, bacon, sliced tomato, and Dave wanted tomato soup to go with it.  I was going to just pick up some tomato soup, but everything was either, you know, Campbell's, or super expensive.  Like $4 a serving.

This is what I came up with.

16 oz. Chicken Broth
32 oz. can of Crushed Tomatoes
1/2 packet of Chipotle Taco Seasoning
dollop of Heavy Cream (less than 1/4 cup)

Heat Chicken Broth and Tomatoes over medium heat until bubbly.  Add Chipotle Seasoning and reduce heat to low.  Add Heavy Cream.  Add more Chipotle Seasoning if desired.

Cookie Dough Bites (Homemade Candy!)

So I decided I want to add a few more new candies to the homemade candy arsenal.  We already do Double Coconut Eggs, Peanut Butter Eggs, Buttercreams in several flavors, Peppermint Patties and Cordial Cherries.  I came across a recipe for cookie dough bars the other day and thought that might be a fun addition to the list, rolled in balls and dipped in chocolate instead of cut into squares.

I picked up mini-chips and threw them together, but I thought I could taste the flour too much, so I added more vanilla and some Korintje cinnamon, since I usually double the vanilla and add a bit of cinnamon when I made chocolate chip cookies.  But it still wasn't right.  It was good, but not what I was looking for.

Last night I tried again.  I wanted something that had the texture of a buttercream and the taste of the Nestle Tollhouse dough.  I started with my buttercream recipe and added the things that make a Tollhouse cookie so distinctive - the brown sugar, vanilla and of course semi-sweet chips.

I'll probably add these to the assortment of candies I make at Christmas time.

Here we go!

1 12oz bag Mini Chips

2 sticks Butter (at room temperature)

1 cup Brown Sugar (packed)

3 cups Powdered Sugar

1/2 cup Cornstarch or Arrowroot Powder

lots of Vanilla Extract (a Tablespoon or so, to taste)

a light sprinkle of Cinnamon (optional)

Candy Melts or additional Chocolate for coating.

Cream Butter and Brown Sugar until fluffy.  Add Powdered Sugar and Arrowroot (or Cornstarch) 1/2 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly in between each 1/2 cup.  Add Vanilla and Cinnamon.  Blend again.

Add entire bag of Mini Chips.

Refrigerate 15 minutes to make dough easier to handle.  Roll into bite size pieces.  Melt Candy Melts or Chocolate according to package instructions.  Coat each piece and place on wax paper to let coating set.  Place in refrigerator to speed setting.

Enjoy!

Caprese Ravioli

I love delicious handmade food.  I love delicious food that takes hours to prepare.  But you know what?  I also love delicious food that only looks/tastes like it took hours to prepare.

I made a recipe from some awful talkshow the other day.  (The Chew, maybe?  I don't know, it has Mario Batali and Michael Symon.)  But anyway, it was delicious.  And they used wanton wrappers instead of making pasta from scratch for the ravioli and it worked out really well, except you have to be SUPER careful of them sticking to each other.

What I love best about this recipe is that you can go totally nuts and make everything from scratch, hell, even the pasta if you wanted to, or you can do what I did, and stop by Wegman's on your way home and pick it up already half made.

So, let's get started!

1 package of Wonton Wrappers (approx 1/2 lb, otherwise you'll need 2 packs)

Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic cut in half inch or smaller pieces (about 1/3 cup)

1/4 cup Basil Pesto

8 oz. Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese

1 Egg

1 Tbsp(ish) of Water

Mix Pesto and Ricotta until a uniform brilliant green,  Taste it, if the pesto flavor doesn't come through to your liking, add more.

Beat Egg and Water in a small dish or cup to make an Egg Wash for sealing your ravioli.

Working on wax paper or parchment so you don't make a giant mess, layout a single layer of Wonton Wrappers with a bit of space in between.  (I worked with 6 at a time.)  

Place roughly 1/2 tsp of Pesto Ricotta mixture on each Wonton Wrapper.  Top with a small piece of Roasted Tomato.  Brush Egg wash around outside edge of Wonton Wrapper and gently fold in half, pressing lightly on the edges to seal the delicious fillings in.  (I fold mine on a diagonal because I like the shape, you probably only need egg wash on two sides of the Wonton if you do it this way.)

Set finished raviolis to the side in single layers on more wax paper or parchment.

Boil gently in a large pot of water until the raviolis float.

While ravioli are boiling, heat olive oil or more pesto in a skillet.  As raviolis cook, transfer directly into warm oil/pesto and toss lightly to coat.

Garnish with pine nuts, fresh basil, more roasted tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, etc.  

If you're like me, and you went nuts and doubled the recipe, freeze them in single layers for later.

Enjoy!

Tzatziki Salad

So I got a basic Tzatziki recipe a couple of years ago, but instead of making it as a dip, I stirred in all kinds of delicious things and put it inside of mini pitas.  Awesome, absolutely fantastic.  Also delicious if you use cucumber slices as chips and scoop up piles of it.

If you don't know what Tzatziki is, it's a yogurt based sauce with dill and garlic and lemon that you might come across in a Greek Restaurant or pita place.  It's super flavorful and surprising and wonderful.

16 oz Plain Yogurt, Greek Yogurt or Goat's Milk Yogurt
4 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
4 -6 minced Garlic Cloves (trust me, fresh is worth the effort)
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
Fresh or Dried Dill to taste

1 medium Cucumber, chopped
1 handful Sun-Dried Tomatoes, cut in small pieces
6 oz crumbed Feta Cheese
1 cup sliced or chopped Assorted Olives (I like the Olive mix from Wegmans.)

Whole Wheat Mini Pitas, Sliced Cucumbers or other chips or crackers to serve with.

To Make Tzatziki:

Combine Yogurt and Olive oil in food processor or with whisk.  Stir in Lemon Juice and Garlic and mix thoroughly.  Add Salt, Pepper, and Dill and stir again.

To Make Salad

Once Tzatziki is well blended stir in Cucumber, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Feta and Olives and mix well.


Stuff in Pitas, spoon onto Cucumber slices or scoop up with chips or crackers.

Enjoy!


Notes:

• You can use Garlic Powder, but fresh tastes SOOOO much better.  Likewise, fresh Dill is better than dried for this.
• Tonight we tried this with Smoked Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and it was fastastic,  The earthy flavor of the smoke makes a lovely counterpoint to the brightness of the garlic and lemon.
• If you don't have a Wegman's (and you really should, everyone should), you can use an assortment of green, black and kalamata olives.

Sweet and Spicy Bulgar Wheat Salad

2 cups Bulgar Wheat
1 whole Cucumber
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Fresno Hot Pepper
2 slices of Honeydew
Pomegrate White Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbsp Butter
Salt, Pepper to taste

Prepare Bulgar Wheat - combine 2 cups Bulgar Wheat, 4 1/2 cups of water, salt, pepper, butter in a saucepot, cook over medium-high heat until water is absorbed and Bulgar Wheat is tender.

While Bulgar Wheat cooks, dice/chop the Veggies and Honeydew.  Finely chop the Hot Pepper.  Cut the Cucumber, Honeydew and Bell Pepper into roughly 3/8" chunks.

Once Bulgar Wheat is cooled at least partially, mix in Honeydew and Veggies, season with Vinegar to taste.  (We used a little over a 1/4 cup.)

Note:  I think you could effectively use any light, sweet vinegar, but believe it or not, Pomegranate is what we had laying around.  Rice Vinegar, Plain White Balsamic, other Fruit Infused Vinegar would work well.

Hippy Trick: Vinegar Bath

Alright, so it's not a great picture, it's from my crummy cell phone, but bear with me here.  If you've found this post, you have internet and that means you have to have heard of using white vinegar for cleaning.

But did you know how easy it can be?

I hate very few things in this word, but one of the is mineral build up, on everything, because I have city water.  The tub faucet, the shower head, the kitchen sink sprayer, even my big stock pots I use for waterbath canning.

Easy fix?  White vinegar!

The picture above is my sink sprayer soaking in a glass of white vinegar.  I don't have a pic, but upstairs, the shower head is wrapped in a plastic baggie full of vinegar.

Let it soak a couple hours, good as new!

As for the stockpot?  2 Tablespoons of white vinegar every time I waterbath.  No more build up!

Just as Easy as the Box Mac and Cheese

So, I had been doing really well posting recipes on a pretty regular basis, but as some of you may know, I've been dealing with some health problems - fighting with anemia and recovering from a related surgery.  I'm still a lot more tired than I should be most days, but I"m starting to get my feet back under me and the fact that the weather is starting to turn warm is a huge help.

Tonight I decided to make Dave mac and cheese, which I haven't made except out of a box since before my battle with anemia started.  And I think it's about time I shared the recipe.

I've often thought that a great mac and cheese doesn't need to be super complicated to be delicious.  So many of the recipes I've found online call for eggs and breadcrumbs and flour and so on and so on.  Now, I'm all for a crunchy crust on top or the addition of some bacon, but mac and cheese doesn't need to have 20 ingredients.  Without further delay, here's the recipe, which as I told Julie years ago, works just like the box stuff!

1 lb. of pasta (I like gemelli instead of plain elbows)
1 stick of butter
1 12 oz can of evaporated milk
4 cups of shredded cheese (I like mozzarella or a mix of mozzarella mild cheddar)

Prepare pasta according to directions on package,  Drain thoroughly.

Stir in evaporated milk and butter until noodles are well coated.

Add cheese gradually, stirring well after each cup or so until add cheese is added and mixed throughout.

Salt and Pepper to taste.

* Recipe can be easily halved, or doubled (I've done both.)

* Consider using Extra Sharp Cheddar for some bite with a little Monterrey Jack mixed to help it stay creamy.


If you find any other good combinations, please let me know!