Creamy Chicken and Artichoke Soup

Hallelujah, the snow came back today.  So I made soup.  I’ve been waiting.  I was seriously getting ready to just start grilling burgers and making potato salad in anticipation of summer, but winter came back today, thankfully.

Did you know January was National Soup Month?  I didn’t until the end of the month.  I am usually a day late and a dollar short with things like that.  I have got to get some sort of food calendar.  Is that a thing?

Anyway, like I was saying, I made soup.  I am a fan of soup, as long as it is a somewhat creamy soup.  Broth based soups remind me of being sick.  The soup I am going to show you today is my Creamy Chicken and Artichoke Soup.  It is broth based, but don’t worry, I still find a way to make it creamy.  It is the perfect soup for a cold winter’s day.

Since 2014 is the year of the vegetable for me, I start this soup with a few of them.  Actually, I always have, but this fits right in with my New Year’s Resolution, so I’m bragging.  I soften onion, garlic, carrots and celery in a little bit of butter and oil.

Once the veggies are a little soft and sweaty (but not browned!), I add in some salt and pepper, a bay leaf, chopped artichoke hearts and chopped leftover chicken.  Then, I pour in some really good chicken stock.

I like to use artichoke hearts that are packed in water.  They are still salty, buttery and delicious, but they don’t have that oily heaviness that hearts packed in oil have.  I chop mine up a bit just to make them more bite sized, and to make sure they spread throughout the soup.

I like to use leftover chicken or a rotisserie chicken that I have bought at the grocery store.  If you don’t have leftover chicken, either baked, grilled or even sautéed, you can totally just grill a few breasts just for the soup.  I like to keep it easy, so I use leftover or store bought.

Are you wondering what I mean by good chicken stock?  I just mean that I look for a box that says “stock” as opposed to “broth”.  I think that stock has a richer flavor.

I let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes with the lid on.  This gives all the veggies, especially the carrots, a chance to become tender.  It also lets all the flavors meld together.  Once the soup has simmered sufficiently, I add in some orzo.  I let the orzo boil in the soup for about nine minutes.

Finally, after the orzo is al dente in the soup, I add about four ounces of cream cheese.  See?  I told you I would make it creamy!  The cream cheese melts in and thickens the soup, but it also makes it creamy and just a bit tangy.  The flavor of the cream cheese is amazing with the chicken and artichoke hearts.  This isn’t any ordinary chicken soup!

This soup is best eaten right away as the orzo will soak up the broth in any leftovers.  But you know what you are left with?  Creamy chicken pasta….and that ain’t half bad…..

I garnish with crunchy bread sticks and scallions, but I’ll leave the garnishes up to you.  Happy belated National Soup Month!

Creamy Chicken and Artichoke Soup

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup carrots, diced

1 large onion, diced

1 cup celery, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons salt

1 ½ teaspoons black pepper

1 or 2 bay leaves

14 ounces artichoke heart quarters (water packed), chopped

12 ounces chicken breast, cooked and chopped

8 cups chicken stock

1 ½ cups orzo

4 ounces cream cheese

In a large stock pot, sauté carrots, onion, celery, garlic and butter and olive oil.  Cook vegetables over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add salt, pepper, bay leaves, artichoke hearts, chicken and chicken stock.  Simmer soup over medium heat for 20 minutes, covered.

Bring soup to rolling boil.  Add orzo and return to boil.  Continue cooking soup over medium heat for 9 minutes. 

Once orzo is cooked, add cream cheese and stir until melted.

Serves 8

Roasted Autumn Vegetables

Well, kids….it’s that time of year already.  Thanksgiving is right around the corner.  This year, let’s plan ahead.  This year, let’s be the ones who have our menus planned and ready to go way ahead of time.  Who’s with me?

Is anyone still there?  Ok, good.  Today, let’s talk side dishes.   I think that veggies never really get their due on Thanksgiving, unless you are counting a potato.  I’m not.  Mashed potatoes are a great part of Thanksgiving, but everyone has a recipe for that.  Today I want to talk about real veggies.  Like carrots, squash and Brussels sprouts.

I have a recipe for Roasted Autumn Veggies that everyone will love.  Even non-veggie eaters (like me!).  When veggies are roasted, they get sweet and caramelized.  The taste totally changes.  I combine halved Brussels sprouts, baby carrots, cubed butternut squash and red onion with balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, black pepper and a smidge of sugar.  When these veggies are done roasting, they are super sweet and tender.  To make ‘em even better, I top them with crumbled gorgonzola cheese, dried cranberries and candied pecans.  I never knew vegetables could be so delicious until I had these.

To start, I preheat my oven to 400 degrees, pretty hot really.  Then, I put about three cups of each of the vegetables that I am using into a large bowl.  You can really choose any hearty autumn veggie for this….parsnips, sweet potatoes, turnips, beets, etc.  Just make sure that your veggies are all relatively the same size.  I chopped my onion and halved my Brussels sprouts.  I cheated and opened a bag of already cubed butternut squash and left my baby carrots whole.  If everything is pretty much the same size, it will all cook evenly.

To the bowl, I add about a quarter cup of olive oil, two teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons black pepper.  I also sprinkle on about a tablespoon of sugar.  Yes, I know I said these veggies get sweet when they are roasted, but the sugar helps a bit too.  Sprouts can be bitter, so the sugar really brings out that hidden sweetness.

Next, I stir together a half of a cup balsamic vinegar with a quarter cup of soy sauce.  I pour a quarter cup of this mixture directly on the veggies.  Once the veggies are mixed, I pour them on a baking sheet and let them roast for about forty minutes.

While the veggies cook, I let the soy/balsamic mixture reduce to a thick syrup.  All I do is let it cook in a small sauce pan over medium high heat for about ten minutes.  If it is at a full boil, it will reduce pretty quickly to a thick delicious syrup.

When the veggies are done roasting they will be a beautiful golden brown and super tender.  I top the veggies with crumbles or gorgonzola, dried cranberries, candied pecans, and then I drizzle on the balsamic syrup.  Perfection. Thanksgiving perfection.

 

If you have any veggies left over, you can make my Harvest salad.  I top greens with the leftover veggies (cold), chopped leftover turkey and a chopped green apple.  Then, I top the salad with my cranberry vinaigrette made with leftover cranberry sauce.  This is the perfect lunch the day after Thanksgiving.  Doesn’t a salad sound good when you are still a little bit full from the day before?

Roasted Autumn Veggies

3 cups Brussels sprouts, cleaned and halved

3 cups baby carrots

3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed

3 cups red onion, chopped

¼ cup olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoon black pepper

1 Tablespoon sugar

½ cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup soy sauce

1/3 cup candied pecans

1/3 cup dried cranberries

¼ cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place veggies in a large bowl.  Add olive oil, salt, pepper and sugar.  Mix well.

Stir together soy sauce and vinegar.  Add ¼ a cup of this mixture to veggies.  Mix well.

Pour veggies onto a sheet pan.  Roast at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until golden brown and tender.

While veggies cook, pour remaining soy/balsamic mixture into a small sauce pan.  Boil over medium high heat for about 10 minutes, or until mixture is reduced to about 2 tablespoons.

Transfer veggies onto serving platter.  Top with candied pecans, dried cranberries and gorgonzola cheese.  Drizzle with balsamic syrup.

Serves 8-10

Cranberry Vinaigrette

¼ cup cranberry sauce

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

Blend all ingredients together in a blender until well blended.

Makes about 1 cup.

"Plate Lunch".....Hawaiian Style

Aloha.  I want to go to Hawaii.  I am just throwing that out there in case one of you is going soon and would like to take me.  Just putting it out there in the atmosphere.  I used to go a lot when I was little.  My dad worked there for a short period of time too.  I was a lucky kid.  As an adult, I haven’t been since my honeymoon, almost twelve years ago.

I still dream about Hawaii even though I haven’t been for a long time.  The beach, the weather, and mostly….the food.  I love Hawaiian food.  Are you familiar?  Hawaii has lots of seafood, lots of Spam, lots of Asian influences, Portuguese sausage (at McDonald’s for breakfast!) and a little something called a “plate lunch”.

A “plate lunch” is a standard in Hawaii.  It is essentially, a meat, which is your main, two scoops of white rice and a scoop of macaroni salad.  Probably not the best thing for you, but so crazy good.  The meat, or seafood, is always delicious and the macaroni salad is different than a typical mainland macaroni salad.  It is a little bit sweeter, I would say.

Hawaiian restaurants that serve this kind of deliciousness have popped up all over the mainland.  When I lived in California, I had several to choose from.  I don’t have as many choices here in Nevada, but no big deal…I’ll make my own.

For my plate lunch, I am going to show you how to make Kalua pork, my macaroni salad and for dessert, a yummy Pina Colada Cupcake!  First, let me explain Kalua pork if you are unfamiliar.  Kalua pork, also called Kalua pig is named after a traditional cooking method, or “Kalua”.  It means to cook in an underground oven.  Basically, a pig is salted, stuffed with hot rocks, wrapped in banana leaves and buried in the ground.  The pig cooks underground for a long time, like six hours.  When it comes out and is unwrapped, the meat is smoky and tender.  It falls apart it is so tender.

Clearly, I won’t be digging a hole in my backyard and burying a pig.  I think my Homeowner’s Association frowns on that.  I am going to make do with my slow cooker.  I guess I could bury the slow cooker, but the electricity would be a problem.

I start with a four to five pound pork butt.  I chose a boneless version because that is what looked goof that day.  Bone in, bone out…it doesn’t matter.  Just make sure you have a nice fatty butt.  I rub the whole thing with liquid smoke and kosher salt.  You can use any salt, really.  Hawaiian sea salt would be great, but any will work.

Once the pork has been rubbed down, I set it in my slow cooker that has been lined with banana leaves.  (These actually aren’t as hard to find as you would think, and they really do add an authenticity that can’t be beat.  I found mine at an Asian grocer in the frozen section.)  I wrap the leaves around the pork to make a banana leaf package.  Then, I let the cooker go for 10 hours.

When the meat comes out, it will fall apart.  I discard the leaves, shred the meat and return it to the smoky cooking liquid.  This meat is crazy, knock your socks off, good.  It will make you want to Tahitian dance, twirl fire and maybe even surf.  And so easy!  The slow cooker does all the work!

And just in case you were wondering, the banana leaves are totally optional.  But you really should go to your local Asian grocer.  I could wander around for days.  The food is amazing.

As for my macaroni salad….it is a pretty basic recipe.  I boil macaroni noodles until they are totally done.  No al dente here.  A good Hawaiian macaroni salad has fat, fully cooked noodles.  The drained noodles get mixed with chopped celery, bell pepper, carrot and red onion.  I also stir in chopped Canadian bacon and shredded cheddar cheese.  The dressing is mayo, milk, cider vinegar, sugar, salt and black pepper.  It is reminiscent of the dressing that goes on a broccoli salad.

The whole this gets mixed together and chilled.  It is perfect next to a mound of Kalua pork and white rice.  I topped my pork with a Guava Pineapple Teriyaki sauce I found at the Asian market.  Seriously, go there.  You will love it.

 

Doesn’t this make you want to put on a grass skirt?

Finally, the cupcakes.  Have some of you been waiting for this only?  For my Pina Colada cupcakes, I use a white box cake mix.  I add three whole eggs as opposed to egg whites only, melted butter instead of oil and pineapple juice instead of water.  I also throw in a couple of teaspoons of rum extract.

I bake the cupcakes according to package directions and let them cool.  As for my frosting….I use butter, powdered sugar, milk or heavy cream and pineapple jam.  I look for a really stiff pineapple jam.  Play with the jars in the store.  Throw them around, tip them over, see what looks stiff and thick.  I’m kidding of course.  You will get thrown out.

I blend the softened butter with the pineapple jam and powdered sugar in my standing mixer.  How much milk you add depends on how stiff your jam is.  I needed about a quarter cup.

This gets spread over the cupcakes, and then for the crowning glory, I dip each frosted cupcake in sweetened flake coconut.  Yum!  So tropical and so yummy! 

 

Who wouldn’t want this on a hot summer night?  Or any other night?

If you would like to take me to Hawaii, let me know soon.  I will have to practice my hula.  If not, make these recipes and we can all pretend.

Mahalo.

Kalua Pork

4 to 5 pound boneless pork butt (or blade roast)

½ cup liquid smoke

2 tablespoons kosher salt

Banana leaves

Line slow cooker with defrosted banana leaves.

Rub pork evenly with liquid smoke and salt.  Place in slow cooker on top of banana leaves.  Fold leaves over the top of pork, forming a “package”.

Cook on low for 10 hours.  Remove meat from cooker, shred and return to pot and cooking juices.

Serves  6 to 8

Court’s Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

1 pound elbow macaroni, boiled till done and cooled

½ cup carrots, chopped

½ cup celery, chopped

½ cup bell pepper, chopped

1/3 cup red onion, chopped

½ cup Canadian bacon, chopped

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup mayonnaise

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

¼ cup milk

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Mix elbow macaroni, carrots, celery, bell pepper, red onion, Canadian bacon and shredded cheese together in a large bowl.

Is a small mixing bowl, whisk together mayo, vinegar, milk, sugar, salt and pepper.  Pour half over macaroni salad.  Mix well.  Wait 10 minutes to pour over remaining dressing.  Mix well and chill.

Serves 12

 

Pina Colada Cupcakes

1 box white cake mix

3 eggs

1 stick butter, melted

1 ¼ cup pineapple juice

2 teaspoons rum extract

Frosting:

1 stick butter

½ cup pineapple jam

3 cups powdered sugar

¼ cup heavy cream or milk

1 cup sweetened flake coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat together (with a hand mixer) cake mix, eggs, butter, juice and rum extract for about two minutes.

Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full.  Bake according to package directions.  Let cupcakes cool for at least 2 hours.

For frosting:

With a hand mixer, beat together softened butter and pineapple jam.  Once that is blended, slowly blend in powdered sugar and cream/milk.  Beat until desired consistency is reached.

Frost cupcakes evenly.  Place coconut in a shallow dish.  Dip each frosted cupcake into coconut.

Makes 22-24 cupcakes

BBQ'd Ceasar?

There are three things that I can’t cook to save my life.  I’ll admit that right here, right now.  Perfect white rice, hard boiled eggs and pork chops.  I am happy to report that one has been crossed off the list.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I can now cook a mean pork chop.  Rice and hard boiled eggs remain ever elusive….

You read that right.  For all the things that I can cook, I have never been able to master the art of the pork chop.  They always sound like such a good idea.  “What’s for dinner?”  “Pork chops!”  It was always a disappointment.  A few weeks ago, hubs asked me to try and grill pork chops.  I said I would try, but we would probably end up at Taco Bell.  We didn’t. 

Have you heard of brining?  I knew that this was something that TV chefs like to do, especially with turkeys.  The theory behind brining is that by soaking your meat in a liquid mixture chock full of sugar and salt, your meat will absorb the flavors and become super tender.  I knew I had to try this because my pork chops end up somewhere between a tennis shoe and cardboard.

I came up with my own briny mixture.  I knew the basics were liquid/salt/sugar.  For my liquid, I used beer!  I also used some water, dried garlic, onion powder and pepper to mix in with the beer, salt and sugar.  I figured the beer would add more flavor than just water.  I was correct.

This differs from a marinade in the sense that the meat really swims in this mixture as opposed to just soaking in a bit of flavor/moister.  I used a really big sealable bowl to brine my pork chops.  They can really “swim” in this kind of bowl.

I used 4 bone-in pork chops.  I threw everything into my resealable bowl and let the chops swim in the brine for 4 hours.  They did this in the fridge.  This is a cold swim, not a hot tub.  You could let your chops swim all day while you are at work, but I wouldn’t go more than about 8 hours, or less than 3.

While the chops soaked, the salt and sugar worked on the cells in the meat, breaking them down.  This makes the meat super tender.  You may now refer to me as “Bill Nye, the Science Guy”.  What’s that you say?  Somebody is already called that?

I grilled my chops on my BBQ.  As the BBQ heated up, I took the chops out of the brine and dried them off with paper towels.  Don’t worry, the chops won’t be super salty when they are done.  I promise.

My chops weren’t super thick, so they grilled pretty quickly.  It took about 2 minutes each side to sear them.  Then, I put the lid on and let them finish cooking through, about 5 minutes.  At the end, I basted my chops with Gourmet Rooster Carolina Style BBQ sauce, which is a mustard based BBQ sauce. 

Eureka!  Juicy, tender pork chops!  The brine really works.  The chops tasted smoky and delicious, with a slight hint of beer and mustard.  Like I said above, they don’t taste salty or too sweet from the brine.  They ended up fantastic! 

Now…..what to serve on the side…what to serve, what to serve?  How about a grilled Caesar salad?  Yep, you can grill lettuce.  And croutons.  This way, you don’t have to cook inside and outside, and the grilling imparts a wonderful smoky flavor to the lettuce and croutons.

For my salad, I used romaine hearts because I need it to hold together on the grill.  A bag of salad will obviously not work.  I also used garlic olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Gourmet Rooster Carolina Style BBS sauce (again!), egg (I used egg beaters to prevent a horrific case of salmonella in my family), asiago cheese, and salt and pepper. 

Let’s start with the croutons.  I sliced a baguette in about ½ inch slices.  I brushed both sides with garlic olive oil and sprinkled them with salt and pepper.  These will grill super-fast!  If they are on direct heat, they will get brown and toasty in under a minute.  You have to be on it….don’t walk away!

Then, you need to get the romaine hearts on the grill.  I sliced them in half, lengthwise.  I brushed the halves with garlic olive oil, then sprinkled them with salt and pepper.  And yes, you can use regular old olive oil if you want.  Or vegetable oil.  Or coconut oil.  The choices are endless.

These will cook on the grill for about 3 to 4 minutes each side.  Just enough to get a slight char on them and wilt the leaves a bit.  This goes fast too.

Earlier in the day, I like to make my dressing.  In my blender, I put enough egg beaters to equal one egg, garlic olive oil, a clove of garlic, lemon juice, Gourmet Rooster Carolina Style BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper.  Normally a Caesar dressing would contain anchovies but my husband is adamant that I not use them.  If he isn’t watching, I throw them in.  Anchovies add a nice nutty, salty bite.  But the husband is not so adventurous. 

This gets blended together until it is smooth and pretty thick.  It will keep in the fridge until you need it.

Once the lettuce is done grilling, you can either serve it whole, or you can chop it up once it cools.  I usually choose to chop it up.  Then, I cover the grilled lettuce with parmesan cheese and dressing.  I also top my salad with grilled croutons.  Since I happen to have a grilled pork chop handy…. I also chopped that up and added it to the salad.  However you want to serve it….You will love this salad.

 

The grilled lettuce is smoky and delicious, the croutons are garlicky and crunchy, and the dressing is crazy good.  As for the pork chops, like I said, not too salty or sweet, but perfect!

Happy Father’s Day to all of you dads out there!  If you need a present for dad, come see me at the Summit Farmer’s Market on Saturday or the Sparks Farmer’s Market tomorrow night!

Beer Brined Pork Chops

4 bone-in pork chops

1 bottle of beer

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup salt

1 cup water

1 tablespoon minced, dried garlic

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

½ cup Gourmet Rooster Carolina Style BBQ Sauce

In a large bowl, combine beer, water, salt, sugar, garlic, onion powder and pepper.  Submerge pork chops in mixture.  Place lid on bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, but no more than 8.

Pre-heat grill.  Take chops out of brine and dry off well.  Sear chops over high heat for about 2 minutes per side.  Move chops to indirect heat and continue cooking until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Baste chops with BBQ sauce at the end of cooking.   Let rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 4.

Grilled Caesar Salad

One bag of romaine hearts (4 hearts)

One baguette

1 cup asiago or parmesan cheese, grated

1/3 cup Garlic olive oil for brushing on lettuce and bread

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Slice baguette into ½ inch slices.  Brush evenly with ½ the garlic olive oil and sprinkle evenly with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.  Place on grill over indirect heat.  Grill until brown and toasty on both sides, about 1-2 minutes.

Slice romaine hearts in half, lengthwise.  Brush evenly with remaining garlic olive oil and sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper.  Grill, over direct heat, for about 3 minutes per side, or until lettuce is slightly charred.  Remove from grill and set aside to cool.

Chop lettuce if desired and top with cheese, BBQ dressing and croutons.

Serves 6

BBQ Caesar Dressing

1 clove garlic

¼ cup egg beaters or other egg substitute

¼ cup Gourmet Rooster Carolina Style BBQ Sauce

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

¼ lemon juice

½ cup garlic olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Makes about 1 cup.

Pot Roast Sandwiches and Tater Salad! Yum!

A few weeks ago, I was in California visiting family, and I happened to go to a deli that had “pot roast” sandwiches.  I was so excited!  Until I got my sandwich.  I was picturing a gooey, gravy laden, cheesy hot sandwich.  You know, like pot roast your grandma used to make…..simmered all day with carrots, onions and potatoes.  What I got was a cold sandwich with what looked like sliced roast beef on it.  I guess perhaps it was pot roast at one point.  Pot roast that was cooled, drained of gravy and sliced thin?

I knew then and there that I was going to go home and make the best possible pot roast sandwich I could.  One that was exactly what I didn’t get at the deli.  A gooey, cheesy masterpiece was what I was after.  I practiced a few times.  I read every pot roast recipe I could find on Pinterest.  I took random polls over the phone (No I didn’t).  I think I came up with a pretty phenomenal pot roast sandwich.  It made a mess when I ate it….and I think that is a pretty good indicator.

Like I said, I read every recipe for pot roast that was on Pinterest.  Some had liquid, some didn’t, some had exactly five pepperoncini placed atop the roast, and some had butter thrown in.  I took some helpful hints from some of these, and came up with a recipe all my own.  And no, I didn’t carefully and artfully arrange pepperoncini atop my roast.

I started with a beef chuck roast that actually said on the package “Great for pot roast!”  Well, perfect.  I knew I was going to use my slow cooker, so I browned my roast on all sides in a large pot first.  I am a firm believer in browning my meat before it takes a long bath in the slow cooker.  I think this adds flavor and texture.

I set my browned roast on a bed of thinly sliced onions because onions are a must for pot roast. Now it gets fun.  Well, fun for me anyway.

I sprinkled a package of mushroom gravy mix over my roast, and then a package of dry ranch dressing mix.  I also added two tablespoons of butter, and then I covered the entire thing with one bottle of beer.  Any kid will do.  I used pale ale, but use what you have. 

I let this cook all day on low.  When my roast was about thirty minutes from being done, I added a pound of fresh sliced mushrooms to the slow cooker.  This gives the mushrooms a bit of time to cook, but not too much.  They can’t stand the hot tub all day like onions can.

When the roast is done, it will literally fall apart when you try to take it out of the pot.  I shred the meat with two forks and then return it to the slow cooker to absorb all the yummy juices.

I serve my sandwiches on soft, fluffy rolls topped with melted provolone cheese.  Every sandwich gets roast, tons of mushrooms and tons of onions.  I think my sandwich has everything I was looking for at the deli in California.  It was gooey, warm, dripping with juices and melty cheese, and all together fantastic.  And anything made in the slow cooker is an automatic win since it is virtually no work.

 

What to serve on the side….hmmmmmmm.  How about Grilled (or roasted) German Sweet Potato Salad?  This is one of my favorites.  It is packed with sugary grilled sweet potatoes, bacon, green onions and a tangy mustard dressing.  And no mayo…….Yes, this salad is perfect for summer parties. 

If you happen to have your grill going, by all means, slap your sweet potatoes on there.  But, if you used your slow cooker for pot roast, you probably don’t.  This salad is equally good with roasted sweet potatoes.  I promise.

I start by par-boiling the sweet potatoes.  This just means that I threw them in a pot with water and boiled them until they were fork tender, about 20 minutes.  I didn’t peel them or cut them for this step.  I put the whole potatoes in cold water.  Once the water came to a boil, I set the timer for 20 minutes.

Once the potatoes cooled enough that I could touch them without getting third degree burns, I sliced them into wedges.  Then, I coated them with a bit of olive oil.

From here, the potato wedges can go straight onto the grill, or straight into a hot oven.  If you are grilling the wedges, it is about two minutes per side.  The skins might char a bit….no big deal, just toss that part.

If you are broiling them, same idea, just flip them after two minutes.  Then go another two.

When the potatoes were done grilling, I chopped them into bite sized pieces and mixed them in with some cooked bacon and green onions. 

The dressing for this salad is Gourmet Rooster Carolina Style BBQ sauce (a mustard based BBQ sauce), sugar, apple cider vinegar, olive oil and salt & pepper.  This all gets whisked together and poured over the potatoes, bacon and green onions.  The warm potatoes soak up the dressing and are filled with flavor.  Sweet potatoes are perfect with mustard!  And bacon!

This salad gets better the longer it sits.  It is perfect for a potluck because it can sit on the table and nobody has to worry about getting food poisoning from rotten mayo.  I love mayo as much as the next guy, probably more, but I think this salad is the perfect potato salad.  And I know this salad is perfect with a pot roast sandwich!  Try it!  You’ll like it.

 

Perfect Pot Roast Sandwich

2 tablespoons oil

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

3-4 pound chuck roast

1 onion, sliced

2 Tablespoons butter

1 package dry mushroom gravy mix (.75 ounce)

1 pacakge dry ranch dressing mix (.4 ounce)

12 ounces beer

1 pound white button mushrooms, sliced

4 to 6 large sandwich or hoagie rolls

6 slices provolone cheese

Brown roast (in oil) on all sides in a large deep pot, about 3 to 4  minutes per side over high heat.  Sprinkle roast with salt and pepper.

Layer onion slices in the bottom of slow cooker.  Place roast on top of onions.  Sprinkle gravy mix and ranch dressing mix over roast.  Add butter and beer.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

When roast is 30 minutes from being done, add mushrooms.  Cook remaining 30 minutes.

Remove roast from slow cooker and shred meat.  Return shredded meat to slow cooker.

Split rolls in half and layer provolone cheese over bottom halves.  Broil in oven until cheese is melted and rolls are slightly browned, about 4 minuites.

Top bottom half of rolls with roast, mushrooms, onions and cooking juices. 

Makes 4 to 6.

 

Grilled Sweet Potato German Potato Salad

4 large sweet potatoes

½ cup green onions, diced

10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 tablespoons Gourmet Rooster Carolina Style BBQ sauce

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

½ cup olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon

Par boil sweet potatoes in a large pot filled with boiling water  until fork tender, about 20 minutes.  Let cool, and slice into wedges.  Coat wedges with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.

Grill wedges over direct heat for about 1 to 2 minutes per side or broil in oven for 2 minutes per side.  Let cool and chop into bite sized pieces.  Add grilled potatoes to green onions and bacon.  Combine remaining ingredients to make dressing and pour over salad.  Serve warm or cold.

Serves 6

Comfort for the Sickies....

So we are trying to shake the sickies over at my house…..How about you?  We’ve all had a horrendous cold, or something along the lines of that.  When I am sick, I crave soup.  Not because of its supposed healing properties, but because I find it comforting.  Especially if I have a stuffy nose or a sore throat.  However, when I am sick….I don’t want to put any time into cooking.  I need something quick and easy. 

Today I am going to show you how I make my super quick and easy Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup.  This soup is so easy, you could easily bust a batch out while fighting a fever, helping your kid blow their nose, or even after a hard day at work.  This soup is warm, sweet and savory at the same time, and it tastes rich….but it is actually pretty healthy.

I start by roasting butternut squash and a peeled green apple in the oven.  And no, I don’t cut my own butternut squash.  That’s hard, y’all.  I buy the already cubed squash that is near the bagged salads at the grocery store.  It is already diced up for me in pretty teeny tiny pieces.  I take those pieces and thrown them on a baking sheet with my peeled diced apple.  I drizzle some olive oil over the tops and then sprinkle on some salt and pepper.  This roasts for about twenty minutes at 400 degrees, or until the squash and apple are browned and delicious.

In the meantime, I toss some diced onion and a clove or two of garlic into a soup pot.  I sauté this until the onion is soft and translucent.  Then, I add some dried sage and stir that all around too.  I toss in the roasted squash and apple and some salt and pepper.  Finally, I add some chicken stock and let this all come to a boil.  See?  This soup is super simple with just a few ingredients….but I promise, it will be amazing.

Once the soup has simmered for a few minutes, it is time to blend it.  I use my immersion blender, but you could use a blender or a food processor….whatever is easiest for you.  I like my soup to be velvety smooth.  I think that this type of soup should be, but really, it’s your call.  The last step is to stir some nonfat plain Greek yogurt into your blended soup to really make it smooth and creamy.  You could use heavy cream, but why not lighten it up?  You can’t taste the difference.

I top my soup with some dried cranberries and crunchy walnuts.  This is, of course, optional.  But I find that the crunchy nuts are the perfect topper to a creamy soup.

What goes best with a steamy bowl of soup?  A sandwich, of course.  I like to serve my soup with a grilled turkey, cheese and apple sandwich.  This way I use up another apple that I already bought for the soup.  I like to keep this sandwich light too.  Let me show you what I use.

I like to layer Laughing Cow Swiss Flavored spreadable cheese on some healthy wheat bread.  Have you had it?  It’s only On top of that, I layer on turkey, thinly sliced green apple and arugula.  I grill this sandwich in a skillet with just a touch of butter.

 

Yum!  Nothing better than a hot bowl of soup and a yummy cheesy sandwich!  It didn’t make our colds go away, but it sure made me feel better about the never ending stream of coughing, nose blowing, not sleeping etc. that is going on around here.

Have a great weekend everybody!  I’ll see you back here next week.

Roasted Butternut and Apple Soup

12 ounces butternut squash, (I use Mann’s diced and peeled)

1 green apple, diced and peeled

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ a white onion, diced

1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage

1 teaspoon salt, divided

½ teaspoon black pepper, divided

3 cups chicken stock

½ cup nonfat plain Green yogurt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spread squash and apple on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.  Roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until squash and apple is browned.  Set aside.

In a soup pot, sauté onion, garlic and sage in remaining olive oil.  Sauté over medium heat for about five minutes, or until onion is soft and translucent.  Add salt, pepper and roasted squash and apple to the pot.  Stir in chicken stock.  Bring soup to a boil over medium heat.  Let simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

Blend soup with an immersion blender until smooth.  Add yogurt and heat through.

Serve with dried cranberries and walnuts.

Serves 4.

Grilled Turkey, Apple and Cheese Sandwich

8 slices honey wheat bread

4 Laughing Cow Swiss Flavored Spreadable Cheese wedges

12 ounces sliced deli turkey

1 green apple, sliced thinly

1 ½ cups arugula

Butter for grilling

In a large skillet, melt about 2 teaspoons butter.

Layer spreadable cheese, turkey, apple and arugula evenly over 4 slices of bread.  Top each sandwich with remaining 4 slices of bread.

Grill sandwiches in melted butter over medium high heat, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Serves 4

Soup's On!

One of the things that I like to do most when it is super cold out, is put on snuggly warm pajamas, and eat a big ‘ol bowl of warm soup.  And I’ve gotten to do a lot of that lately.  My warm California blood is having a hard time with these freezing temperatures.  Actually, I am just being a wimp.  I have been in Nevada for 3 years now, so I really can’t blame anything on “warm California blood”.  Regardless of why, I still love a good bowl of soup.

My husband, on the other hand…not a fan.  Every time I tell him we are having soup for dinner, he asks “and what else?”  Literally, every single time. Apparently he is a firm believer in soup only as a “starter”. So I decided to create a soup recipe that is a bit more filling then your typical soup.  You know, a real meal-in-a-bowl type soup.  And that will be the first recipe I show you today….my tortellini and beef soup.  It is hearty, filling and crazy delicious.  My second recipe I am going to show you is a favorite of mine since I was little, Creamy Potato Soup.  But mine sneaks in some extra veggies….

My Tortellini and Beef soup has ground beef, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, spices, beef broth, frozen tortellini and a surprising ingredient….spaghetti sauce.  Yep, this soup gets it tomato flavor, and texture, from a jar of spaghetti sauce.  I mean, why not?  Spaghetti sauce has tomatoes, garlic, onion, spices, etc.  What about that wouldn’t be amazing in soup?  Plus, this soup is pretty quick to make.  It is totally do-able on a busy weeknight.

I start by browning the ground beef in a big soup pot.  Once the ground beef is all crumbly and brown, I remove it from the pan, but I leave the some of the fat.  How much fat you have depends on what kind of ground beef you use, but no matter what kind you use, you will have some fat in the pan.  I throw the onion, carrot, celery and garlic into the beef fat and let the veggies get all soft and sweaty.  But not brown!  This takes about eight minutes.  Oh yeah, I also season with salt and pepper.

Once the veggies are softened, I pour in my beef broth and a whole jar of marinara (spaghetti) sauce.  I usually use a plain marinara sauce, but you can go crazy here.  I also add in a couple of bay leaves.  Once this comes to a boil, I add my bag of frozen tortellini and let ‘em go until they are cooked.  This goes pretty quickly. 

I use cheese tortellini, but you can use whatever you want.  I’m not the boss of you.

Once the tortellini has cooked, all that needs to be added is the cooked ground beef.  Once that is all heated through, it is ready to eat!  I top mine with parmesan cheese and shredded basil because I am super fancy.  Or because I happened to have some in the fridge.

 

This soup is meaty, cheesy, rich and delicious, but most importantly, my kids love it.  And my husband doesn’t go hungry after eating this.  I am pretty sure your family will love it too.

My next soup, like I said above, is one of my all-time favorites.  It’s Potato Soup.  I love potatoes, I love soup, and I love anything creamy.  This fits the bill on all accounts.  Plus, I use an amazing shortcut that makes this soup also a really do-able weeknighter.

I start with the exact same ingredients that I use in the Tortellini and Beef soup….onion, carrots, celery, garlic and bay leaves.  But before that can happen, I have to start with an ingredient that really everything should have in it….bacon.  I sauté about four or five slices of thick cut bacon.  Once that is cooked, I remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon, and leave about one tablespoon of fat in the pan.  This will give the soup a really good smoky flavor.

The veggies get sautéed in the bacon fat, just until they are soft and translucent, about eight minutes.  I season the soup during this, but be careful….the bacon has already left a good bit of salty flavor.

Once the veggies are softened, I add chicken stock.  Then, my secret ingredient.  Instead of peeling and chopping potatoes, I use a bag of Ore-Ida Steam and Mash potatoes.  I cook them in the microwave, according to the package directions, and add them to the simmering soup.  I feel like these potatoes are my best secret weapon.  Essentially, they are potatoes that have been peeled and par-boiled, then frozen.  You could really use them in anything, and they are a perfect time saver. My hat’s off to you, Ore-Ida.

After I add the potatoes, I let the soup simmer a few more minutes, and then I blend it with my immersion blender.  You can also use a food processor or a blender.  I blend this soup until it is pretty smooth.  Once it is blended, I add some heavy cream and let that heat through.  Finally, the soup is ready to be served with cheese, green onions and the reserved bacon for topping.  Yum!  Doesn’t it sound amazing?  And it is so easy!

You don’t have to use cream if you are anti-cream.  You can use half and half, fat free half and half, cream cheese, or even Greek Yogurt.  But the extra creaminess really sends this soup over the top.

 

I hope you try on or both of these soups….They will keep you warm!

Tortellini and Beef Soup

1 pound ground beef

1 small onion, diced

½ cup celery, diced

½ cup carrots, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

1 jar marinara sauce (24 ounces)

4 cups beef broth

1 bag frozen cheese tortellini (19  ounces)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

Garnish:

Parmesan cheese

Fresh basil, shredded

In a large soup pot, cook ground beef until crumbly and brown, about 5-8 minutes over medium heat.  Remove ground beef from pot, leaving about 1 tablespoon of fat in the pot.  Set beef aside.

Add diced onion, celery, carrots and garlic to pot.  Sauté until veggies are soft and translucent, about 8 minutes.  Season with salt, pepper and bay leaf.  Add marinara sauce and beef broth.  Bring soup to a boil.  Once soup is boiling, add tortellini and boil an additional 6 minutes, or until tortellini is cooked.  Add ground beef back into the pot and heat through.  Remove bay leaves.

Serve topped with parmesan cheese and basil.

Serves 8

 

Short-cut Potato Soup

5 strips thick cut bacon

1 small onion, diced

½ cup celery, diced

½ cup carrots, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

4 cups chicken broth

1 package Ore-Ida Steam and Mash Potatoes (1 lb. 8 oz.)

½ cup heavy cream

Garnishes:

Shredded cheddar cheese

Green onions

Sour cream (optional)

In a large soup pot, cook bacon over medium heat until browned, about 8 minutes.  Remove bacon from pot leaving about 1 tablespoon fat in the pot.  Set bacon aside.

Add onion, celery, carrots, garlic and bay leaves to the bacon fat in the pot.  Sauté over medium heat until veggies are soft and translucent, about 8 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Add broth and bring to a boil.  Let soup simmer while potatoes cook (see below).

Cook potatoes in microwave according to package directions.  Add cooked potatoes to boiling broth.  Cook about 5 minutes, over medium heat. Puree soup with immersion blender until desired consistency is reached.  Add heavy cream and heat through.

Serve topped with reserved crumbled bacon, shredded cheese and green onions.