It's Over 90 Degrees Out...

And I'm going to post a soup recipe. Why? Because that's the way I roll. And truthfully I made this back in the winter time.

It may very well be one of the best soups I've made. The hubs and I, being true blooded midwesterners, adore Amish and Shaker foods - including their noodles.And while we can't really find Amish noodles out here, we can still enjoy the Amish foods that we love.

I found this recipe for Shaker Chicken Noodle Soup on Isn't Everything in the Kitchen Trial & Error?  It was  simply wonderful.  The link here goes to the recipe, but since lately many recipes I've just linked to have gone missing from websites & blogs that have gone defunct, I've decided to copy it here and make my edits/tweaks.


shaker chicken noodle soup
13 cups chicken stock, divided - I made my own by stewing a chicken first and then adding in some water.1/4 cup dry vermouth or sherry1/4 cup unsalted butter1 cup cream, to lighten it up I used light cream1 cup diced celery1 cup diced carrot12 ounces dry egg noodles - I used Simply Smart ones for a little higher fiber option2 cups cooked diced chicken - again, I used shredded chicken from my stewed chicken1 1/2 cups water1/2 cup all purpose flour
Seasoning - I seasoned with some salt, pepper, thyme, garlic powder, and sage. DELICIOUS!

1. in a small saucepan, combine 1 cup stock, vermouth, and butter. bring to a simmer and cook until reduced to about a quarter cup, about 20 minutes. the mixture will darken and be thick and syrupy. remove from heat and stir in the heavy cream. set aside.

1. Pre-cook your noodles and set aside. You'll mix these in cooked at the end. I like this method instead of cooking them in the broth.

1. coat the bottom of a stock pot with olive oil and set over medium heat. saute the celery and carrot until softened, about five minutes. add the remaining 12 cups of chicken stock and bring to a boil. and then stir in the chicken until heated through and bring back to a boil.

1. whisk the water and flour until no lumps remain. add a ladle of hot broth to the mixture and whisk to combine. 

1. while continuously stirring the soup, add the flour and water mixture. cook, stirring continuously for about 2 minutes, or until slightly thickened. do not let the soup boil. 

1. stir in the reserved reduced stock, vermouth, butter, and cream mixture. taste and season with salt and pepper. serve immediately and do not let the soup boil. leftovers reheat perfectly.

Spaghetti & Meatball Soup

I found this incredible recipe on Gina's Skinny Recipes and wow it did not disappoint! And if you haven't visited this blog yet, you must - it's a great source for low fat/cal and healthy recipes. Truly, one of my favorite blogs!

This soup was so easy to throw together and for this spaghetti and meatball loving girl, it certainly hit the spot on a lighter note for me! I did alter a bit, just using pre-made turkey meatballs that I had made and put in the chest freezer - so I just had to have them heat in the soup. And the hubs is a huge fan of wagon wheel pasta, so I replaced the spaghetti noodles for the mini wagon wheels and it was so fun! Instead of using the boxed broth too, I used some of my frozen turkey stock from the freezer and water.

Great, quick, easy meal - great for a cold night this winter. Do make it!

See the recipe from Gina's site - I made it as is with those tweaks so I'll refer you there!

Now That's Down Home Cooking

I'm not a big chicken eater, but I do still love me some chicken n' dumplings and so does the hubs. However, the hubs grew up with cut dumplings, I grew up with fluffy Bisquick dumplings. So it's always a toss up as to what to make in our house.

This time, I opted to do the dumplings that the hubs likes and used the same recipe I used last time from All Recipes.

It's a good recipe, but I just wish the dumplings were a bit lighter and fluffier. So if anyone can recommend a different strip dumpling recipe that doesn't make the dumplings so tough and more light and fluffy, that would be greatly appreciated.

For my chicken stew, I actually stew a chicken all day with carrots, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and bay leaves. Once the chicken is tender, I take it out piece by piece and de-bone, de-fat and shred it up. I then strain the broth and get all of the flavor-adders out. I then return the chicken to the pot, add the carrots back in, some peas, mushrooms, you name it - and then come the dumplings - either strip or Bisquick. It's delish!

Strip Dumplings

adapted from All Recipes

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/4 cup shortening

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup milk

In a bowl, combine flour,s alt and poultry seasoning; cut in shortening until crumbly. Combine egg and milk; stir into flour mixture just until combined. On a heavily floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut into 1-in. strips; cut strips into 2-in. lengths. Place gently in your stew and cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes

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A Quick & Easy Weeknight Dinner

This meal could not be any easier. I mean 3o minutes start to finish is just perfect for a weeknight meal.

And this meal makes a TON of food, so be prepared to freeze some leftovers - they freeze wonderfully and reheat so well for lunches during the week at work.

I had some mini ravioli in my freezer that I was going to make my traditional tortellini and vegetable soup with - but then came across this recipe and figured I'd try something new. I did make some alterations to the recipe so I'll post it as I made it here.

Mini Ravioli and Meatball Soup

Adapted from Tasty Planner

1 T Olive Oil

1 lb. frozen meatballs - I used Ikea meatballs, you could use turkey, beef, whatever you have on had.

1 onion, chipped

3 cloves of garlic chopped

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

3 cans beef broth + 1 cup water (I added the extra water to add some extra broth since I added veggies and used more than 1 large package of ravioli)

2 cans Italian herb-flavored diced tomatoes with juice

1 pkg. fresh or frozen mini cheese ravioli

2 zucchini chopped in to half circles

In a large stock pot heat your oil and add your meatballs and brown them on all sides. Remove the meatballs and then add in some more oil and your onion, garlic and pepper. Then add in your zucchini to start to brown. Once things get tender and lightly browned, add in your broth, water and tomatoes and bring all of that to a boil. Add your meatballs back in and simmer for 10 minutes. Then add in your mini ravioli and simmer another 8-10 minutes, until the ravioli are cooked through and tender.

Serve with some bread and sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese!

A fresh and light soup

Great in the winter, will be wonderful in the spring and delicious in the summer and fall with that fresh cabbage from the garden.

I found this recipe for Chickpea Rice Soup with Cabbage on Post Punk Kitchen and really what prompted me to make this was how beautiful the soup looked in her bowls in the photos. It looked rich and creamy without the addition of dairy product. It looked filling and delicious and so colorful.

The soup was so hearty and satisfying. I enjoyed the addition of the rice to the soup, but the hubs felt he would have liked it without the rice. So next time, I'll make the rice on the side and we can just spoon it in to our bowls as we'd like.

Instead of boiling the rice in the soup, I made rice in the rice cooker and then scooped some cooked rice in to the finished soup. It did take a way from the creaminess a bit of the rice breaking down in the broth, but it made it hold up really well for leftovers without the rice getting pasty and mushy.

I also used a short cut and instead of shredding the cabbage I used a bag of coleslaw mix to make life easier.

Do add the fresh dill as well at the end, it really brings a wonderful flavor that brightens the dish up!

Made the recipe pretty much as is aside from what I just mentioned so just follow the link above for the recipe.

MUST EAT TURKISH FOOD!!!

The Hubs and I got back from our great vacation and all I've been dying for is Egyptian, Moroccan, Turkish and Greek foods.

While in Turkey, the hubs and I had this incredible grilled eggplant salad and I immediately sought a replica recipe. I came across two great Turkish blogs, the first of which I'll highlight tonight - and I love both of them equally, and yes they both had the eggplant salad recipe I was seeking.

The first Turkish Food Blog called Hayriye's Turkish Food Blog is filled with some incredible recipes. If you like ethnic foods, you have to check this blog out!

I bookmarked a pile of the recipes on this blog and made the first one a few weeks ago - I loved it, the hubs, not so much. I think it was more the flavor he didn't like than the actually style of the dish.

I will certainly make this one again when he travels for work.

Meatballs in Sour Sauce
As posted on Hayriye's blog above - as I made it below.

Isn't that paprika on top so pretty!!

Meatballs - now instead of making the recipe for meatballs here, I used frozen meatballs. GASP I know. But it made it a great fast, meal on a weeknight and really it still tasted so good because all of the joy of this recipe is in that delicious broth of the soup with the sour lemon and the mint and egg.... YUM!

For the soup

1 cup yogurt - non fat plain
1 Tbsp flour, heaping
1 egg
5-6 cups cold water
½ lemon’s juice
1 Tbsp salt to taste
½ tsp dried mint
2+2 Tbsp canola oil
½ tsp paprika

Hot cooked rice

Place 2 Tbsp canola oil and flour in a pot. Then, sauté over medium heat till flour turns pinkish. Stir in cold water. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add meatballs and salt. Cover the lid halfway and cook for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix yogurt, lemon juice and egg. Pour two ladles of hot soup into this mixture stirring constantly. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
In a small frying pan sizzle the remaining canola oil and stir in dried mint and paprika (I did this in a dry non stick pan and it worked fine - less oil!). Once you smell the nice combination of mint and paprika turn the heat off.
Drizzle the mixture over the soup and serve hot.

Now I served the soup with hot cooked rice in the bowls and it really made a hearty and lovely addition to the meal and I would recommend that to anyone.

Cincinnati Chili - Not from a Packet

So, my mom grew up in Cincinnati and passed her fondness of Cincinnati chili on to all of her children - which we all passed it on to our spouses. And now that we live out East it's quite impossible to find Cincinnati chili packets in our markets.

Since we were out of packets and needed to have our beloved chili on New Years Day (you know it is essential to indulge in Cincinnati chili on New Years Day while watching as many college bowl games as you can!), I had to opt for making a recipe on my own (GASP!).

I had bookmarked a recipe on Coconut & Lime for a slow cooker Cincinnati chili. So I made it, but on the stove top.

The spices weren't that far off, what we are used to is a bit more tomato-y and has a different chili seasoning. I did make some modifications to this recipe to make it as I would our normal Cincinnati chili so I'm linking to her recipe above but putting it how I made it below. It was still good and we enjoyed it, but I know I can find a closer replica.

But in the meantime, my wonderful sister in law sent me multiple packets of the good stuff for my birthday - now that's what I call a great birthday present!! Chili packets, via US Mail - how great is that?!

Steph's Modified Cincinnati Chili Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs ground beef

1 can tomato paste

2-3 clove of garlic, minced

1 onion chopped (I did the onion and garlic in the mini chopper together, since in true Cincinnati Chili there are not pieces of onion, more just flavor)

2 T cocoa powder

1 1/2 T Worcestershire Sauce

2-3 T chili powder (we started with 2 but upped to 3 after tasting)

1 t allspice

1 t cinnamon

1 T crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 t cloves ground

1/2 tsp salt

8 cups of water

I tossed the seasonings first with the onion and garlic and let that heat in the pot a bit to get the flavors going. Then I added in the beef and browned that while breaking it up in to very fine pieces. Then I added the tomato paste and water and stirred. I let this simmer on low for the day and then we enjoyed over elbow mac with some green onion and shredded cheese. TASTY... but still needs some work to make it more authentic.

Is it Sizzling in here or is it just me?

Back in November the Hubs and I went up to Boston to our favorite Asian Market and picked up what I thought was the type of rice used in sizzling rice soup. Turns out - I was wrong. They are actually rice cake snacks and boy were they DELICIOUS as a snack. However I already had a sizzling rice soup planned for dinner, so we opted to test these out in soup and it worked so great! They didn't make quite the sizzle, snap, pop sounded I had wanted but the texture in the soup was so good. I did find a few recipes online in the meantime on how to make sizzling rice and will try that for next time.

I had some fresh locally caught sea bass (thanks to the hubs!) defrosted and opted to do an Asian fish sizzling rice soup.

It was SO good and we will most certainly make this again. I served with a cucumber salad with rice wine vinegar and sugar.

No recipe - made it up as I went along but will happily share with you!

Asian Fish (sorta) Sizzling Rice Soup

1 recipe for sizzling rice or any type of crispy Asian rice snack

3/4-1 lb. thick cut sea bass cut in cubes

1 T canola oil

4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1-2 T reduced sodium soy sauce

2-3 green onions chopped finely

2 tsp. siracha chili sauce

1-2 tsp. fish sauce

1-t tsp. rice wine vinegar

dried seaweed to taste

In a small skillet add the canola oil and lightly fry the cubes of fish for about 30-60 seconds per piece - just until there's a light fry coat on them but they aren't cooked through. Remove and let drain on a paper towel.

In a pot, mix the stock, onion, chili sauce, fish sauce and rice wine vinegar, adding soy sauce to taste for your sodium preference. Once it starts to simmer, add in the fish and then let that simmer for another couple of minutes, just to finish cooking the fish pieces and let them release some of their flavor. Add in some seaweed pieces, if you'd like, and then place in bowls. Top with your sizzling rice.

Oh yeah... I already made this!

I'm sitting here making my menu for next week and going through my reader. Again, another Joelen recipe piqued my interest and I opened it up and realized, I already made this! AND IT WAS GOOD!!!

I made this when we had our first little spurt of cool nights, you know before we hit 90 again! And now that we're in the 50s at night, I'm thinking this should be made again next week.

This is a great take on hearty and warm chicken noodle soup. And yes, of course, I made changes so that's what's here - Joelen's recipe as is is at the link above.

Really the only change I made is, well, I'm still not eating chicken unless it's ground, so I made mine with Tofu. I know you're all rolling your eyes or scratching your heads. "Chicken is healthy and easy and good." Maybe for you but not to me. I don't like chicken, I realize I never have! So why bother eating something I don't like? I keep trying again and again, but it's now been about 7 months since I've eaten chicken and I have to tell you, I don't miss it!

So when I get recipes that call for chicken, I break it up and make mine with Tofu or beans and the hubs with meat. It's working fine and great and no problems.

So I divided this recipe in two in two separate small pots and put tofu in mine and chicken in the hubs. We both loved ours, it made TONS of food and was a great, warm and satisfying meal.

Spicy Asian Chicken Noodle Soup
recipe adapted from America's Test Kitchens
Via Joelen's Culinary Adventures

6 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons Asian chili sauce
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces (if you're making 2 pots, do 1 chicken breast and a half of brick of lite firm tofu)
2 packages of dried ramen noodles
3 scallions, sliced thin
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, minced
4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
pinch of red pepper flakes for garnish (optional)

Bring broth, soy sauce, mirin, ginger, and chili sauce to a boil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add the cut up chicken breasts to the pot and simmer, covered, over medium-low heat until chicken is cooked through.

Open the packages of ramen noodles and discard the seasoning packet included. Place the dried ramen noodles into the broth and cook, stirring occasionally, until they're just about cooked. Stir in the scallions and cilantro and serve in bowls.

Garnish each bowl additional fresh cilantro leaves and a drizzle of 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil. If you like things on the spicy side, sprinkle a few red pepper flakes for garnish too!

Turning Japanese...

And a little Chinese too I guess!

I decided to wing it the other night for dinner... I had Tofu to use up in the fridge, some Vegetarian Goyza in the freezer and some edamame kicking around too.

I made a killer Miso Soup! I mean SO good!!! I will completely make this again. The dumplings I pan fried and then steamed and boiled up the soy beans - easy dinner.

Ok, so here's my Miso Soup Recipe

1 package lite extra firm tofu cut in to small cubes

1 box plus 1 can fat free and low sodium chicken broth or veggie broth

2 sheets of nori, cut in to small pieces

2 green onions, sliced thin - greens and whites

1 T Ginger Miso Salad Dressing (from Whole Foods or another brand)

1-2 T rice wine vinegar (depending on your love of vinegar)

1-2 T reduced sodium soy sauce (to taste)

Place broth in pot and whisk in the miso dressing then add the vinegar and soy sauce. Add in the green onion and nori, let simmer for a few minutes. Then add in your diced tofu and let simmer on low for 5 minutes until the tofu is warmed. ENJOY!!!

Please remove your shoes before eating...

Because we're eating Japanese tonight!!!

HA! Just kidding!

We made this incredible dinner the other night - I will certainly make this again and again.

The original recipe can be found here on Eatingwell.com but I did make some adjustments. My alterations are below - note the things I omitted are NOT in this recipe - so if you want to make it as is use the linky - if you want to try my version, use below.

Japanese Chicken-Scallion Rice Bowls

2 cups cooked rice divided between the 4 bowls (ok let's be honest, it's just the hubs and I and he ate 2 servings so that means there was one left for lunch)

1 Cup reduced sodium chicken broth (you could really use a whole can, I ended up adding some extra water)

2 t soy sauce

2 T mirin - rice wine vinegar

2 large egg whites

1 large whole egg

8 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast cut in to 1/2 inch pieces

6 scallions, trimmed and sliced

1 sheet dried nori, cut up in to small pieces - if you don't do nori - just skip it!

1. cook your rice and set aside

2. pour broth, soy sauce and mirin in to a mid sized pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat.

3. Stir in the egg whites and whole egg in a small bowl. set aside. Add chicken to broth and let simmer a few minutes. Then gently pour in your egg mixture without stirring. Sprinkle in the scallions and nori when the eggs start to firm up.

4. serve the broth mixture over the rice. Note this is not a soup, but a brothy rice bowl. so you won't have tons of broth.

I think all together this meal took about 15 minutes from start to finish. This is added to our Fast Fridays rotation now.

How Can This Be Bad?!

Bacon

Cream

Mushrooms

How can that be a bad combo right?

It's not - don't worry - I'm not misleading you.

This is by far one of the easiest and tastiest soups I've made this season so far - recipe courtesy of my friend Pam.

Do make this! You won't regret it - your thighs might, but your taste buds will not. But in actuality you can lighten this up quite easily - which is what I did. I also don't like big pieces of mushrooms in my mushroom soup, so I took the immersion blender to the pot before serving it up to chop up the mushrooms roughly.

Creamy Bacon Mushroom Soup

10 strips diced bacon - I only used 4 or 5 strips - just enough to top our bowls with
1 Pound(s) sliced fresh mushrooms
1 chopped onion
3 Clove(s) minced garlic
1 Quart(s) whipping cream - I used light cream
14 1/2 Ounce(s) can chicken broth - used fat free
5 Ounce(s) package shredded Swiss cheese
3 Tablespoon(s) cornstarch - I don't use cornstarch, I use potato spuds to thicken soups up. I still combined it with the seasonings though and then added it all at once.1/2 Teaspoon(s) salt
1/2 Teaspoon(s) black pepper
3 Tablespoon(s) water

In a soup kettle or large saucepan, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels; drain, reserving 2 T drippings. In the drippings, saute mushrooms, onion & garlic. Stir in cream & broth. Gradually stir in cheese until melted.

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch, salt, pepper & water until smooth. Stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook & stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Garnish with bacon.

Doesn't this look sinful??

Ooo La La!

My friend from the What's Cooking board on the Nest (Carrie) made this recipe and posted it on her blog and it was right up my alley.

WONDERFULLY good!

I did make some slight alterations and I'll add those below. This is a great crock pot meal and wonderful for a winters night. It's also a nice variation on beef stew - one that isn't just potatoes and beef and peas.

French Onion Beef

(From: Pillsbury Pot Pie and Casserole Booklet & Carrie's Sweet Life)

• 1 1/4 lb. boneless beef round steak (I just used stew meat)
• 1 pkg (8 oz.) sliced fresh mushrooms (I doubled)
• 1 lg. onion, sliced separated into rings
• 1 can (10 1/2 oz.) condensed french onion soup (I also had to add a can of beef broth and some water to have enough liquid for cooking for the day)
• 1 pkg. (6oz.) 10-minute herb stuffing mix (I just used bagged stuffing mix from Peppridge Farms because it's what I had on hand.)
• 1/4 c. butter or margarine, melted (Omitted)
• 1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese (omitted - but I did use some of the leftover shredded asiago I had on hand and we each topped our own)

Spray slowe cooker with cooking spray. Cut beef into 6 serving size pieces. In cooker, layer half each of the beef, mushrooms, and onions; repeat layers. Por soup over top.

Cover; cook on low heat setting 8 to 10 hours.

In medium bowl, mix stuffing mix, butter, and 1/2 cup liquid from slow cooker; toss to mix. Place stuffing on top of mixture in cooker. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 10 minutes longer or until stuffing is fluffy. Sprinkl with cheese. Cover cook until cheese is melted.

Perfect Fall Night Meal

Well, totally forgot to take a picture of this one - oops!

So that just means I get to post about it the night I ate it instead!

Made this meal from Epicurious. It's a make when you get home meal - but I bet you could do it in the crockpot, but really - it was so easy and good the way it was. I didn't alter ANYTHING. Next time we both agreed we'd add more apple and onion though and perhaps use 1 lb. of pork instead of 2, since we're not huge meat eaters. Serve with some wheat egg noodles - DELISH!!

Hmmm in read this now I realized I forgot to put the sugar in - you know what, it was sweet enough as it was with the apple and carrot. I also remember I didn't use 6 T oil. Just 1-2. And I did add in a few dashes of cinnamon and that made for a wonderful flavor. So in retrospect, guess I didn't make this exactly as is... ha!

Rich Autumn Pork Stew with Beer

Epicurious

• 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut in 1 1/2-inch bits
• Salt and pepper
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 4 medium carrots, diced
• 2 medium apples, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup diced canned or fresh tomatoes
• 2 cups chicken broth (bouillon)
• 1 bottle (12 ounces) beer
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• Cooked buttered egg noodles
• 
  

1. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Heat 4 tablespoons oil in a heavy casserole over medium-high heat. Brown the pork well in batches. Remove to a bowl.

2. Wipe casserole clean and heat the remaining oil over low heat. Add onions, carrots, and apples. Stir until softened, 10 minutes, adding the garlic in the last 3 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients except noodles. Return pork and any juices to the casserole.

3. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, stirring, until the meat is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Discard bay leaf; adjust seasonings. Serve over egg noodles in shallow bowls.

Just Wing It!

I will be the first to admit I'm an avid recipe follower. Not because I don't trust my cooking abilities, but because, well by the time dinner rolls around, I'm tired and lazy and just want to make things as easy as possible.

But tonight I didn't really have a gameplan and decided to just wing it with what I had moderately planned for.

I had taken out a leftover cooked Asian Flavored Pork Tenderloin from the freezer to defrost. I really didn't know what to do, since I wasn't jonsing for our usual lettuce wraps with our leftover tenderloin.

I also had some nice veggies to use from the farmers market before they went bad.

So I opted for a Asian Pork and Ramen and Zucchini Noodle Soup.

The results were REALLY good and we were both really satisfied with the flavor, textures and fillingness of the meal.

Asian Pork, Rame and Zucchini Noodle Soup.

2 packages ramen noodles - any flavor

1 can beef broth

1 pork tenderloin, cooked and shredded or diced

2 golden zucchini, shredded long wise to be like noodles

4 green onions sliced

2-3 tsp. fresh ginger minced

2 cloves garlic crushed

1 shake of red pepper flakes

1/2 package cole slaw mix

soy sauce to taste

In a large stock pot, combine 1 can beef broth and 8-10 cups water, depending how many veggies you're going to add. Add in ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes and green onion and bring to a boil.

Prepare your veggies and meat. Toss in the veggies and cole slaw mix and meat to the simmer in the stock pot. 10 minutes before you're ready to eat, add in the ramen noodles and 1 flavor packet. Serve when noodles are done and top with green onion.

The Hubs Favorite for dinner

The hubs is a big fan of Mushroom Barley Soup and Beef Barley Soup. Me, not so much. I don't like soups with beef in them. And I never did find a good recipe for Mushroom Barley soup that intrigued me.

He was really in the mood for it for dinner, so I found a recipe I thought sounded like something I'd enjoy and gave it a shot.

It was really good! Easy, tasty, hearty and good. A great winters night dinner or even a cool spring night.

We did freeze some as well and it has re-heated well too!

Mushroom Barley Soup recipe from Epicurious.com

1 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms or other dried mushrooms such as porcini, morels, or chanterelles if desired
1 cup boiling-hot water if using dried mushrooms
6 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1/4 cup olive oil
3 medium onions, chopped fine
2 pounds white mushrooms, sliced thin
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup medium-dry Sherry
5 cups chicken broth
5 cups water
1 cup pearl barley
8 carrots, sliced diagonally 1/2 inch thick
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

In a small bowl soak dried mushrooms (if using) in the boiling water 20 minutes and transfer to a cutting board, reserving liquid. Discard stems of shiitake (if using) and slice mushrooms thin. Strain reserved liquid through a fine sieve lined with a dampened paper towel into another small bowl.

In a heavy kettle (at least 5 quarts) cook garlic in oil over moderate heat, stirring, until golden. Add onions and cook, stirring, until pale golden. Add white mushrooms, dried mushrooms (if using), and soy sauce and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated. Add Sherry and boil until evaporated.

Add broth, water, strained mushroom-soaking liquid, barley, carrots, and dried herbs to mushroom mixture and simmer, covered, 1 hour. Season soup with salt and pepper. Soup may be prepared up to this point 4 days ahead (cool uncovered before chilling covered.)

Just before serving, stir in parsley.

Happy St. Patrick's Day Soup!

Traditionally, I make corned beef and cabbage each St. Patty's Day. However, this year things were a bit crazy.

I hadn't been feeling well, the hub's family left that morning while we were at work from their visit with us, and we do NOT like Corned Beef and Cabbage in the crockpot - so I couldn't do a boiled dinner on a week night.

I wanted to find something though that would give us a similar feeling for St. Patty's Day dinner and I came across this recipe on Epicurious.com. Again, Loving this site for recipes lately - don't know why it took me so long to get on the Epicurious bandwagon.

This was SUPER easy, tasty and will be a make again in our house.

I did make some slight alterations to the recipe that we really enjoyed.

Served with some nice Irish Soda Bread, it was a good St. Patty's all around!

Bacon and Cabbage Soup
Epicurious.com

1 (1/3-pound) piece Irish bacon (available at specialty foods shops) or Canadian bacon (We used Canadian Bacon and I used a whole pound of CB)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice (I used 4)
5 1/2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth (I ended up using about 6 cups of stock and still adding water - again I was trying to make more than the recipe)
4 Turkish bay leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 small head Savoy cabbage, cored, thinly sliced, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I used pre-shredded bagged cole slaw mix with the red cabbage and carrots as well and it was so much easier and added some nice color)

In small saucepan, combine bacon and cold water to cover. Cover, bring to boil over moderate heat, and skim foam from surface. Reduce heat and simmer 7 minutes. Drain and cool, then cut into 1-inch chunks. Set aside. (Omitted this step, just diced the Canadian Bacon and added it near the end of the cooking process to warm)

In 6-quart heavy stock pot over moderate heat, melt butter. Add onion and sauté, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add potatoes and sauté 2 minutes. Add stock, bay leaves, salt, and pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat to moderately low, cover, and simmer until potatoes are soft, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add cabbage and simmer 5 additional minutes. Discard bay leaves. Working in 3 batches, in blender purée soup until smooth (using caution when blending hot liquids) *NOTE* We did not puree it, we went for simplicity and rustic and it was so good to have all of the different pieces in there!. Return to pot, stir in bacon, and rewarm if necessary. Ladle soup into bowls and serve.

Warm, Satisfying, Flavorful

I love ethnic foods. I recently read an article in Cooking Light that when people are trying to loose weight and eat ehalthy the things they crave most are ethnic foods because of the diversity of flavors.

I would find that to be very true.

On Superbowl Sunday, I made this soup for dinner rather than our normal chili that we make. I know Superbowl Sunday and I'm just posting this - I'm behind and I"m sorry!

It was so good and satisfying.

From Cooking Light Jan/Feb 2008.

Tom Yum Goong (Spicy Thai Shrimp Soup)

1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp
9 1/2 cups water, divided
1/2 cup chopped peeled fresh galangal (about 2 ounces) - this is similar to ginger, I just used ginger - and I used dry and just used a tablespoon.
1/2 cup (2-inch) pieces peeled fresh lemongrass (about 4 stalks) - again I used a tsp. of dried lemongrass, I don't love lemongrass.
6 fresh or frozen kaffir lime leaves - this is the same as lime leaves, or the zest of the lime, we used zest of two limes.
1/2 cup canned straw mushrooms, quartered
2 tablespoons roasted red chili paste (such as Thai Kitchen) - omitted
1 tablespoon fish sauce - omitted
2 Thai chiles
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
6 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted unsalted peanuts
4 lime wedges

Peel and devein shrimp, reserving shells. Combine shrimp shells and 6 cups water in a Dutch oven; bring to a simmer. Cook 1 hour. Strain broth through a sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Combine broth and remaining 3 1/2 cups water in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Add galangal, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves to pan; simmer 10 minutes. Strain broth mixture through a sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Return broth mixture to pan. Add mushrooms, chili paste, fish sauce, and chiles; bring to a boil. Stir in shrimp, green onions, and cilantro; cook 3 minutes or until shrimp are done. Discard chiles. Stir in fresh lime juice. Ladle 2 cups soup into each of 4 bowls; sprinkle evenly with peanuts. Serve with lime wedges.

Stew - The Wonder Food

We love stew - it's easy to make, you can't really mess it up and it's a one bowl wonder meal.

We had a 1 lb. package of veal stew meat in the chest freezer for a while now and I had no clue what to make with it.

I found this recipe on BensBabe blog from the Nest What's Cooking Board.

This was out of this world delicious!

Lemony Veal and Artichoke Stew, adapted from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes for Two: For the Small Slow Cooker

Makes 2 Servings

(we had 2 extra servings of leftovers as well!)

1 lb. veal stew meat cubed

2 T flour

pepper and salt

1 small onion sliced thin

1 clove of garlic, minced - we used 4 - we love garlic!

3/4 cup reduced sodium, fat free chicken broth

1/4 cup lemon juice

3-4 small red potatoes, diced

1/2 can drained artichokes quartered - i used frozen ones from Trader Joe's

1-2 T fresh parsley and basil - I totally forgot to even add these and it was still REALLY good!

Heat skillet over medium heat. Toss the veal with the flour, salt and pepper. Add the meat to the hot pan and brown on both sides. Remove and place in slowcooker. Place the potatoes and artichokes in the crockpot as well (NOTE: add the artichokes about 20 minutes before you're ready to eat - otherwise they totally breakdown and you loose them in the stew). Add the onion to the pan drippings and cook for a few minutes - until softened. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute. Add the broth and lemon juice and bring to a boil, scraping up the bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour over the meat and vegetables in the crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours. Add parsley and basil and cook for 20 minutes before serving.

Hearty Fall Dinner

We had this last week for dinner - or maybe two weeks ago, I don't remember. It was so tasty, filling, and delicious!

Slow Cooked Harvest Beef and Vegetables

2 1/2 Pound(s) beef stew meat

1/2 Teaspoon(s) salt (I omitted this)

1/2 Teaspoon(s) garlic pepper

3 Cup(s) baby carrot

1 Pound(s) cut into chunks red potato

1 cut into wedges onion

15 Ounce(s) Italian style diced tomatoes

1 envelope beefy onion soup mix

1 Teaspoon(s) dried basil

1 1/2 Teaspoon(s) marjoram

1/4 Cup(s) flour

1/3 Cup(s) beef broth

Place beef in slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt and garlic pepper, toss well. Add carrots, potatoes, onion, tomatoes, soup mix, basil and marjoram, mixing well. Cover and cook 8-10 hours on low setting until beef is very tender. If desired, thicken stew by blending 1/4 cup flour into 1/2 cup water. Stir into beef mixture. Cover, cook on high 10-20 minutes or until thickened.