If you can't find andouille sausage or want to make it even more low-fat, you can use any smoked sausage. I've done it with Healthy Choice smoked sausage with great results.
Sunday, November 27, 2005
What's for Dinner? 11/27/05
This recipe is my favorite way to help use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Since we split a Turducken with the teacher from work, we didn't have as many leftovers as usual, but we still had enough - this dish only calls for 2 cups. I started making this after Thanksgiving the year the recipe came out, so this is year number 4 for us. I like it because the cajun flavors, especially the andouille sausage, are nothing like what we normally (save for this year) have for Thanksgiving dinner and therefore doesn't scream "leftover turkey"!
If you can't find andouille sausage or want to make it even more low-fat, you can use any smoked sausage. I've done it with Healthy Choice smoked sausage with great results.
If you can't find andouille sausage or want to make it even more low-fat, you can use any smoked sausage. I've done it with Healthy Choice smoked sausage with great results.
Virtual Cookie Swap!
Sorry I didn't get the post out yesterday. I had to attack some household duties and had already spent quite a bit of time on the computer - guilt attack.
So, now that Thanksgiving is behind us, it's time to focus on Christmas! Can you believe it? Time is just flying for me.
I'd like to keep the rules, if you can call them that, really simple. Simply post recipes for the cookies you are baking (or perhaps have already baked) this holiday season. If you don't have time to bake, feel free to post your favorite cookie recipe(s). I think it would be great if everyone could also try and review a new cookie. Again, there are no absolute requirements here, but it would make it interesting to read and for us as bakers. Also, please include any traditions about baking during the holidays or any stories about or behind your recipes.
That's it. Pretty simple, really. I don't think there's a need for a hard and fast cut-off, but just for the sake of it, let's say that the cut-off is the 20th - after that point it's crunch time and we'll all be busy with other things. Still, if you have something to add, don't let that date stop you.
I'm not sure exactly how I'll post the recipes yet, but I'd prefer if you email them to me at lindrusso AT yahoo DOT com. That will help me keep them more organized.
I don't think I'll get around to baking this weekend. I still can't taste much. It's been quite depressing to eat dinner, not being able to taste a thing. Last night we ordered out, but I really need to cook something healthy tonight, so I guess I'll just have to suck it up. Still, I refuse to bake if I can't taste! I may head to the doctor tomorrow - this thing just isn't clearing up and may need antibiotics.
So.....ready, set, bake! I wish we could transport tastes and smells over the internet too!
Edited to say: In your email, you should give me a link to your posted recipe on your own blog. Sorry! I wasn't thinking clearly before! However, if you do not have a blog, you can email me your recipe and I'll collect them and post them here for you. I want everyone to be able to participate, blogger or not! Please try to include a picture whenever possible. Thanks!
Also, I'll try to post results as they come in, flagging new entries and perhaps bumping the post to the top as I add new recipes. That way we can drool as the weeks go by instead of having to wait so long.
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Would you cook if you couldn't taste anything?
My sinuses are really bad right now. They've been keeping me up at night with a sinus headache and lots of congestion. Unfortunately, I can't take a decongestant at night because it keeps me awake, so I just prop myself with and extra pillow and that helps quite a bit.
One of the annoying side effects of extreme congestion is that I have now lost my sense of taste. I'm not at all inspired to cook if I can't even taste it! That makes me wonder about the the poor souls out there that have this condition permanently - do they cook? I can't imagine it.
Not being able to taste came in quite handy last night, however. We went to see Harry Potter and stopped by Fire Mountain (which we did not realize is party of Ryan's) for dinner afterwards. Big mistake. We didn't expect great things, but we weren't expecting it to be a buffet. Yuck. Even the salad bar was disappointing. That's a deal-breaker for me. If I can't even retreat to a decent salad bar, it's pretty bad. Needless to say, we won't be returning. Sadly, this place seems to be very popular - mediocre food on the cheap - that's what seems to draw in the crowds. Sigh.....
The plans were to make Turkey Jambalaya (a CL recipe), our traditional post-Thanksgiving dinner and to start making cookies. However, if my sense of taste does not return, I don't know if I'll do either. What's the fun of making cookies if I can't taste them??? Especially since I want to try several new recipes - I simply must be able to evaluate them, no?
At any rate, I'll post the official beginning of the Cookie Swap later today. I don't know when I'll get baking, but we do have our cookies picked out and the ingredients purchased. Yum!
One of the annoying side effects of extreme congestion is that I have now lost my sense of taste. I'm not at all inspired to cook if I can't even taste it! That makes me wonder about the the poor souls out there that have this condition permanently - do they cook? I can't imagine it.
Not being able to taste came in quite handy last night, however. We went to see Harry Potter and stopped by Fire Mountain (which we did not realize is party of Ryan's) for dinner afterwards. Big mistake. We didn't expect great things, but we weren't expecting it to be a buffet. Yuck. Even the salad bar was disappointing. That's a deal-breaker for me. If I can't even retreat to a decent salad bar, it's pretty bad. Needless to say, we won't be returning. Sadly, this place seems to be very popular - mediocre food on the cheap - that's what seems to draw in the crowds. Sigh.....
The plans were to make Turkey Jambalaya (a CL recipe), our traditional post-Thanksgiving dinner and to start making cookies. However, if my sense of taste does not return, I don't know if I'll do either. What's the fun of making cookies if I can't taste them??? Especially since I want to try several new recipes - I simply must be able to evaluate them, no?
At any rate, I'll post the official beginning of the Cookie Swap later today. I don't know when I'll get baking, but we do have our cookies picked out and the ingredients purchased. Yum!
Thursday, November 24, 2005
The Menu
Although it's just the four of us, I usually go pretty much all out for Thanksgiving dinner. I would probably make more if it were for family, but it is still quite a bit of food for just 4. I wouldn't have it any other way. We have started a tradition of having our champange and appetizers as lunch - that way we can indulge in our favorite traditions without getting too full for dinner (by trying to cram appetizers in too close to dinner). It's a fun tradition!
Normally we would have the traditional turkey, usually prepared using a Martha Stewart recipe (minus the stuffing and gravy - we have other recipes for those). However, this year it's the Turducken. We'll let you know how it turns out. We're cooking the whole thing here and the teacher we are splitting it with will come collect his cooked half tomorrow.
I have to say that I love the lighting in my new kitchen. The sun can be intense at times (which makes me worry about how hot it will be in summer, but hopefull the sun will be higher in the sky), but the brighness is much more conducive to nice photos. And I even have to admit that the green countertops provide a pretty soothing background color. But don't get used to it...they are going as soon as I can line up a contractor!
Normally we would have the traditional turkey, usually prepared using a Martha Stewart recipe (minus the stuffing and gravy - we have other recipes for those). However, this year it's the Turducken. We'll let you know how it turns out. We're cooking the whole thing here and the teacher we are splitting it with will come collect his cooked half tomorrow.
I have to say that I love the lighting in my new kitchen. The sun can be intense at times (which makes me worry about how hot it will be in summer, but hopefull the sun will be higher in the sky), but the brighness is much more conducive to nice photos. And I even have to admit that the green countertops provide a pretty soothing background color. But don't get used to it...they are going as soon as I can line up a contractor!
The rest of the menu:
~Appetizers~
Served with:
Mumm Napa Brut Prestige 
~Main Course~
Turducken
Served with:
7 Deadly Zins
~Dessert~
Certainly not the healthiest menu in the world, especially since I forgot to buy the green beans, but I throw health issues out for the holidays. It can't hurt once in a while!
I will add the rest of the recipes as the day goes on or sometime tomorrow.
Enjoy your holiday.
Turducken and the rest of the story...
I'm sure that many who read this blog are cooks and therefore know what Turducken is, but for those you who don't, it's a Louisiana tradition that started, supposedly, in about 1995 - so as far as traditions go, it's a fairly recent addition.
If anyone caught Nightline last night, there just so happened to be a little piece on Turducken (it's the first piece on the video feed, if you care to watch it). Yes, I was up that late, getting a jump start on the cooking for today so that today could be fun and not harried. It worked too - I was done with most of our cooking by 1:30 - the only thing left to make is cranberry sauce. Nightline also had a piece on the war or debate on fresh cranberry sauce versus canned. We're having both. DH has a hard time letting go of the canned memories of childhood, but he also recognizes that homemade is darned good (the boys are coming around too, especially if they can help make it).
According to Nightline, the Hebert brothers claim to be the inventors (or to have inherited the recipe from a customer) of Turducken. However, Paul Prudhomme says he has been serving this dish at his restaurant, K-Paul's, for years. Just in case you don't already know, a Turducken is a boneless chicken stuffed inside a boneless duck, stuffed inside a boneless turkey. It is layered with stuffing - in our case, a seafood stuffing. Strange? Definitely. However, DH has wanted to try one for years since seeing a special on Food Network.
We did not order our Turducken from Hebert's (they were more expensive). We ordered ours from Tony Chachere's. Or at least I think so - but I can't find where to order it on their site??? Actually, I should say that a teacher at the school where I work ordered it. He's very into the Louisiana/Cajun culture, loves New Orleans and Mardi Gras. We, too, share a love of New Orleans and Mardi Gras, so this teacher and I have bonded. As we talked about Louisiana and such, the subject of Turducken came up. Since he and DH have always wanted to try one, we decided to order one and split it since it's not only expensive, but also since we each have small families.
So, the Turducken is in the oven and I took some decongestant so that hopefully I can enjoy the smell of it cooking. I'm not sure if I'll like it - I doubt I'll like duck - but I figure I can pick around the dark duck meat easily enough. And the stuffing sure sounds good.....
Next up, the menu. I'll list everything on the menu, adding links to the actual recipes as I have time........
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
If anyone caught Nightline last night, there just so happened to be a little piece on Turducken (it's the first piece on the video feed, if you care to watch it). Yes, I was up that late, getting a jump start on the cooking for today so that today could be fun and not harried. It worked too - I was done with most of our cooking by 1:30 - the only thing left to make is cranberry sauce. Nightline also had a piece on the war or debate on fresh cranberry sauce versus canned. We're having both. DH has a hard time letting go of the canned memories of childhood, but he also recognizes that homemade is darned good (the boys are coming around too, especially if they can help make it).
According to Nightline, the Hebert brothers claim to be the inventors (or to have inherited the recipe from a customer) of Turducken. However, Paul Prudhomme says he has been serving this dish at his restaurant, K-Paul's, for years. Just in case you don't already know, a Turducken is a boneless chicken stuffed inside a boneless duck, stuffed inside a boneless turkey. It is layered with stuffing - in our case, a seafood stuffing. Strange? Definitely. However, DH has wanted to try one for years since seeing a special on Food Network.
We did not order our Turducken from Hebert's (they were more expensive). We ordered ours from Tony Chachere's. Or at least I think so - but I can't find where to order it on their site??? Actually, I should say that a teacher at the school where I work ordered it. He's very into the Louisiana/Cajun culture, loves New Orleans and Mardi Gras. We, too, share a love of New Orleans and Mardi Gras, so this teacher and I have bonded. As we talked about Louisiana and such, the subject of Turducken came up. Since he and DH have always wanted to try one, we decided to order one and split it since it's not only expensive, but also since we each have small families.
So, the Turducken is in the oven and I took some decongestant so that hopefully I can enjoy the smell of it cooking. I'm not sure if I'll like it - I doubt I'll like duck - but I figure I can pick around the dark duck meat easily enough. And the stuffing sure sounds good.....
Next up, the menu. I'll list everything on the menu, adding links to the actual recipes as I have time........
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Let it snow!
And Happy Thanksgiving!
As predicted, we are getting lake effect snow today - not a ton, but enough. Lake effect snow is unique in that it can look like a blizzard one minute and then the sun is shining the next. The boys and Bailey had a great time sledding today. We live on a golf course and have one of the 18 holes right in our backyard. It is banked nicely on our side, so we don't see it which is nice, and it also makes for a pretty darned good sledding hill. The boys went sledding, with Bailey in hot pursuit each and every time they went down the hill.
As predicted, we are getting lake effect snow today - not a ton, but enough. Lake effect snow is unique in that it can look like a blizzard one minute and then the sun is shining the next. The boys and Bailey had a great time sledding today. We live on a golf course and have one of the 18 holes right in our backyard. It is banked nicely on our side, so we don't see it which is nice, and it also makes for a pretty darned good sledding hill. The boys went sledding, with Bailey in hot pursuit each and every time they went down the hill.
The "view" from our eat-in kitchen during the white-out part of lake-effect snow.
If you look closely, you can see the 2 boys and Bailey out in the snow.
I like the way the snowflakes are visible in this picture (this looks out the back of our kitchen)...
So that's my "Room with a View". Our kitchen has a great view of the woods and the golf course. Our old house had a decent back yard, but no real view. It's very nice not having any houses to one side - just views - and NOT of the side of our neighbor's house! Next post today.....Turducken and The Menu.
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Is it Thanksgiving or the middle of January?
We have snow here in Indiana. This is the second year in a row that we've had a white Thanksgiving. Don't get me wrong, I like snow, but in small doses and only when it's expected, not too early and not too late. Picky, aren't I?
Now last year we only got a few inches of snow. This year we could get walloped. Counties to the west of us are looking at 8 inches, some counties are even calling for 18 inches! I'm not quite sure what we're supposed to get here, but I've sent DH out to get our snow shovels out of storage just in case since we're just east and south of the counties under the winter storm warning - you just never know. There's also a wind advisory, so even a small amount of snow could create big problems if there is a lot of blowing and drifting.
Snow does, however, make for great cooking weather. Tomorrow's Thanksgiving and we're not going anywhere and no one is coming here, so it can snow like heck and it won't ruin our plans.
I love our quiet Thanksgivings with just the 4 of us (or 5 if you count Bailey) - it's become a tradition. We don't travel to see anyone else and no one comes to see us (not that we wouldn't welcome guests if they chose to come, of course). It's nice to putter in the kitchen with the boys, knowing there are no deadlines and if anything goes wrong it's no big deal - it's just us. No pressure or stress, just time to spend together, talking, cooking and just being.
Tomorrow.........Turducken..........the rest of the menu..........and giving thanks.
Now last year we only got a few inches of snow. This year we could get walloped. Counties to the west of us are looking at 8 inches, some counties are even calling for 18 inches! I'm not quite sure what we're supposed to get here, but I've sent DH out to get our snow shovels out of storage just in case since we're just east and south of the counties under the winter storm warning - you just never know. There's also a wind advisory, so even a small amount of snow could create big problems if there is a lot of blowing and drifting.
Snow does, however, make for great cooking weather. Tomorrow's Thanksgiving and we're not going anywhere and no one is coming here, so it can snow like heck and it won't ruin our plans.
I love our quiet Thanksgivings with just the 4 of us (or 5 if you count Bailey) - it's become a tradition. We don't travel to see anyone else and no one comes to see us (not that we wouldn't welcome guests if they chose to come, of course). It's nice to putter in the kitchen with the boys, knowing there are no deadlines and if anything goes wrong it's no big deal - it's just us. No pressure or stress, just time to spend together, talking, cooking and just being.
Tomorrow.........Turducken..........the rest of the menu..........and giving thanks.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Moving Madness, Part II
The chaos continues, but we only have one carload left! Woohoo!!
We've been going non-stop since Friday, putting over 100 miles on the car with all the trips back and forth. We're all exhausted and more than a little sick of it all, but it's all good.
I've missed blogging, but just about the only breaks we've been taking have been are for meals and some days, barely even that. Heck, even going to work the last two days has been a welcome break!
I have managed to cook two meals in our new house so far - marinara sauce and meatballs from the freezer (I really need to keep more freezer meals on hand - it's awesome to have a homecooked meal with so little effort) and tonight I did yet another variation on the Easy Layered Beans and Rice - a healthful and welcome alternative to fast food that was so very tempting while in the throws of utter exhaustion (especially now that we live toward the end of town with all the fast food and restaurants). Cooking was a very welcome retreat from the moving drudgery.
Tomorrow we close on our old house and will offically be moved. The unpacking begins in earnest, but it is always much more relaxed to unpack than to pack. I'll look forward to the puttering, rather than the frantic loading and unloading. The kitchen is mostly put together - at the top of my priority list, of course - but there are still a few things to get in place so that I'm not constantly rummaging through bags to find what I need.
I'm off to get my hair cut and colored tonight - it was tempting to cancel and just stay home, but I wouldn't mind getting away from the chaos for a while and just sit and relax without a box in sight to make me feel guilty or unproductive.
I am looking forward to getting back to blogging regularly again, so stay tuned for Turducken, a Cookie Swap and a Room with a View..............
We've been going non-stop since Friday, putting over 100 miles on the car with all the trips back and forth. We're all exhausted and more than a little sick of it all, but it's all good.
I've missed blogging, but just about the only breaks we've been taking have been are for meals and some days, barely even that. Heck, even going to work the last two days has been a welcome break!
I have managed to cook two meals in our new house so far - marinara sauce and meatballs from the freezer (I really need to keep more freezer meals on hand - it's awesome to have a homecooked meal with so little effort) and tonight I did yet another variation on the Easy Layered Beans and Rice - a healthful and welcome alternative to fast food that was so very tempting while in the throws of utter exhaustion (especially now that we live toward the end of town with all the fast food and restaurants). Cooking was a very welcome retreat from the moving drudgery.
Tomorrow we close on our old house and will offically be moved. The unpacking begins in earnest, but it is always much more relaxed to unpack than to pack. I'll look forward to the puttering, rather than the frantic loading and unloading. The kitchen is mostly put together - at the top of my priority list, of course - but there are still a few things to get in place so that I'm not constantly rummaging through bags to find what I need.
I'm off to get my hair cut and colored tonight - it was tempting to cancel and just stay home, but I wouldn't mind getting away from the chaos for a while and just sit and relax without a box in sight to make me feel guilty or unproductive.
I am looking forward to getting back to blogging regularly again, so stay tuned for Turducken, a Cookie Swap and a Room with a View..............
Friday, November 18, 2005
Moving Madness!
Actually, moving is going quite well, but no matter how well it goes, it's a lot of hard work and more than a bit of chaos. Therefore, very little time for posting these days. Cooking has been, of course, minimal, and will continue to be minimal until probably Monday. Tonight will be leftovers night to help clear out the fridge.
I hope to post about the Cookie Swap sometime early next week (if I don't get a chance this weekend and it's quite likely that I won't) before Thanksgiving.
Back to moving madness. We both took the day off of work so that we can spend the day - without kids - moving. When they were little, not having them around meant we'd get a lot more work done, but my oldest has been extremely helpful in unloading the car while I unpack, so I may wish I had him around to help after all. But I must admit that I won't miss the youngest bouncing his basketball all around the new house even after repeated requests to knock it off. I'm going to have to confiscate that thing!
Hope to be back up and running soon and maybe at least post a picture of Bailey in our new house for the WDB this weekend.
One more thing.....just a little Thanksgiving preview.......anyone ever heard of Turducken?
I hope to post about the Cookie Swap sometime early next week (if I don't get a chance this weekend and it's quite likely that I won't) before Thanksgiving.
Back to moving madness. We both took the day off of work so that we can spend the day - without kids - moving. When they were little, not having them around meant we'd get a lot more work done, but my oldest has been extremely helpful in unloading the car while I unpack, so I may wish I had him around to help after all. But I must admit that I won't miss the youngest bouncing his basketball all around the new house even after repeated requests to knock it off. I'm going to have to confiscate that thing!
Hope to be back up and running soon and maybe at least post a picture of Bailey in our new house for the WDB this weekend.
One more thing.....just a little Thanksgiving preview.......anyone ever heard of Turducken?
Sunday, November 13, 2005
What's for dinner? (11/12/05)
It was a windy but very nice day here, so yardwork was the order of the day. Probably our last yardwork in our present house. We mowed and clipped and tidied up.
Since it's still reasonably seasonable (ie. not freezing and snowy), we grilled strip steaks. No recipe for that, but I will include the recipe for horseradish sauce that my husband likes to make to serve with steak or filet. I found the rice we serevd at Fresh Market when I was there last weekend. I cooked it in the rice cooker by sauteeing a bit of onion and garlic in olive oil and then adding the rice and chicken broth. The rice blend, which contains Texmati brown rice, red rice, rye berries and barley, was very flavorful and perfectly cooked. Rice Select is quite pricey, but it was worth it for this unique and nutritious blend. We served the meal with Ménage à Trois Red Blend by Folie à Deux. We had tried the white blend before and did not like it, but we like the red blend quite well. Again with the name thing, I guess.
Green Beans with Balsamic
Since it's still reasonably seasonable (ie. not freezing and snowy), we grilled strip steaks. No recipe for that, but I will include the recipe for horseradish sauce that my husband likes to make to serve with steak or filet. I found the rice we serevd at Fresh Market when I was there last weekend. I cooked it in the rice cooker by sauteeing a bit of onion and garlic in olive oil and then adding the rice and chicken broth. The rice blend, which contains Texmati brown rice, red rice, rye berries and barley, was very flavorful and perfectly cooked. Rice Select is quite pricey, but it was worth it for this unique and nutritious blend. We served the meal with Ménage à Trois Red Blend by Folie à Deux. We had tried the white blend before and did not like it, but we like the red blend quite well. Again with the name thing, I guess.
Grilled Strip Steaks with Horseradish Sauce
Green Beans with Balsamic
Saturday, November 12, 2005
WDB #9
No cooking today - between basketball, a Tae Kwon Do tournament and then shopping for the new house, there definitely isn't time.
But there is time for a quick dog post.
No, Bailey isn't doing laundry, but we thought we could maybe at least teach him to recycle. Once he got over his fear of the Tide bottle, he pranced happily around the house with it, tail a-wagging. However, he did not get over his fear of the recycling bucket. Sigh.............
But there is time for a quick dog post.
No, Bailey isn't doing laundry, but we thought we could maybe at least teach him to recycle. Once he got over his fear of the Tide bottle, he pranced happily around the house with it, tail a-wagging. However, he did not get over his fear of the recycling bucket. Sigh............. Sweetnicks is taking off on vacation this weekend, so WDB #9 will be hosted by Stephanie from Dispensing Happiness.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Wild Mushroom Bisque
This is a recipe that I found in Martha Stewart Living and then did some tweaking. The original recipe called for twice as much oil and butter, cream instead of half and half and, apples and turnips. Call me unadventurous, but putting apples and turnips in this bisque did not appeal to me at all. I have to admit, though, I'm curious to try it....but not curious enough to invest the time and money (wild mushrooms are expensive!).
Other changes I made were to reserve the soaking liquid from the dried mushrooms (why waste such a flavorful broth??) and adding a touch of truffle oil. This soups smells soooo good while it's cooking. Wild mushrooms cooking and truffle oil are two of my favorite cooking smells.....almost an aphrodisiac.
Speaking of wild mushrooms being expensive, you can use any wild mushrooms you like and combine them with regular button mushrooms - even a small amount of wild mushrooms, especially along with the dried, can add a lot of flavor.
Wild Mushroom Bisque
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms (or any other dried mushroom)
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter or olive oil
5 shallots, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 white onion
4 leeks, trimmed of roots and greens, washed well and sliced (it's good without leeks too - DH is not crazy about them, so I often skip them altogether)
1/2 lb. shiitakes, stemmed and sliced
1/4 lb. chanterelles
1/4 lb. honey mushrooms
1/4 lb. cremini, sliced
1/4 lb. oyster mushrooms, torn into pieces
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 sprigs fresh thyme (I often use dried thyme - about 1/2 teaspoon)
1 bay leaf
1-2 cans vegetable stock
1/2 cup madeira or dry sherry
1 cup or less half and half
a splash of truffle oil (optional)
Soak porcini mushrooms in warm water until soft, about 20 minutes. Reserve mushroom liquid and squeeze mushrooms gently, chop coarsely and set aside. Pour mushroom liquid into another vestle, being careful to leave the sediment behind.
In a large saucepan (or Dutch oven) over low heat, melt butter/add oil. Add shallots, garlic, onion and leeks, cook until soft, about 20 minutes. If at any point there doesn't seem to be enough oil to keep things from sticking, add a little wine or broth and continue to cook. Add all mushrooms except porcini and cook for 5-10 minutes, until slightly soft. Season lightly and add leaves of thyme sprig. Add bay leaf and cover with stock (you may not use it all). Simmer for 30 minutes, adding porcini in last 10. Remove from heat.
Remove bay leaf and puree soup in a food processor in small batches. (Or, use your immersion blender.) Place in a clean pot and reheat gently. (I just had to include that instruction from Martha's recipe because it cracks me up. Why in the world would you need a clean pot???) Add sherry, half and half and remaining thyme leaves. Add more stock if soup is too thick. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve in warm bowls with chives as garnish.
Delicious!
Virtual Cookie Swap?
I was just reading about the cookie swap going on over at Cooking Light (started by Sweetnicks) and as much as I'd love to participate this year, with the move just before Thanksgiving, it's probably a bad idea.
But then I thought maybe we could do a virtual cookie swap (where we'd exchange recipes only) here! Anyone interested? If there is enough interest, I'll come up with some guidelines and host the swap here.
Please let me know if there is a similar event going on elsewhere in the food blogging world. I don't want to compete with an ongoing or already established event.
Just an idea...............
No posts for 4 days???
Wow - time flies when you're busy.....
While I have been doing some cooking this week, it hasn't been all that interesting, so therefore the lack of posts. Last night we had breakfast for dinner - always a big hit - and I made mini-muffins using the Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread recipe for a breakfast at school. Along with the muffins, I brought in grapes and clementines.
Stay tuned tonight for Wild Mushroom Bisque - an adaptation of a Martha Stewart recipe. It's been a very long time since I've made this soup but I picked up some shiitakes and chanterelles at Fresh Market when I was there this past weekend (the mushrooms still look good, thank goodness) and am excited to make it again. Since Fresh Market is 40 minutes away, I don't get there very often and it's a treat when I do. Nowhere near as nice as a Whole Foods or Central Market (we lived near Austin, TX for a few years), but beggars cannot afford to be too choosey.
Until later.......
.....editing, later on....to add that our wine tonight will be/was 3 Blind Moose Cabernet Sauvignon. Much as I chose the Voga Italia because of the unique shape of the bottle, I chose this wine because of the unique name. It's actually quite good and I believe it was around $10.
While I have been doing some cooking this week, it hasn't been all that interesting, so therefore the lack of posts. Last night we had breakfast for dinner - always a big hit - and I made mini-muffins using the Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread recipe for a breakfast at school. Along with the muffins, I brought in grapes and clementines.
Stay tuned tonight for Wild Mushroom Bisque - an adaptation of a Martha Stewart recipe. It's been a very long time since I've made this soup but I picked up some shiitakes and chanterelles at Fresh Market when I was there this past weekend (the mushrooms still look good, thank goodness) and am excited to make it again. Since Fresh Market is 40 minutes away, I don't get there very often and it's a treat when I do. Nowhere near as nice as a Whole Foods or Central Market (we lived near Austin, TX for a few years), but beggars cannot afford to be too choosey.
Until later.......
.....editing, later on....to add that our wine tonight will be/was 3 Blind Moose Cabernet Sauvignon. Much as I chose the Voga Italia because of the unique shape of the bottle, I chose this wine because of the unique name. It's actually quite good and I believe it was around $10.
Monday, November 07, 2005
Pumpkin!
We have a science night at the school this evening, so I'm keeping the menu simple and kid-freindly - we're having tacos. Since there's no real recipe to post for that, I thought I'd share some pumpkin recipes that we have tried and enjoyed. If only I had the time to cook (and the metabolism to eat) everything that I write about here!Sunday, November 06, 2005
What's for Dinner? 11/6/05
I had ambitions of baking today, but with all of my other more practical ambitions, baking took a back seat. A bit disappointing, but it was also nice to get a few chores done. Hopefully I'll have chance to bake sometime this week.
In my efforts to use up things in the freezer, I decided to make a soup that uses smoked sausage. It's an easy soup to throw together - it's also low-fat and delicious. I love a low-fat soup that is also hearty and satisfying. Soups seem to lend themselves particularly well to cooking that is nutritious and full of flavor without being loaded with fat. Hurray for soup!
In my efforts to use up things in the freezer, I decided to make a soup that uses smoked sausage. It's an easy soup to throw together - it's also low-fat and delicious. I love a low-fat soup that is also hearty and satisfying. Soups seem to lend themselves particularly well to cooking that is nutritious and full of flavor without being loaded with fat. Hurray for soup!
Pear slices
WDB #8 - Baby, er, uh, Puppy Pictures
I don't have any updated photos to share this weekend and am not feeling inspired to take one - maybe because it's a cloudy day and the house is dark. Too bad - it would have been nice to get a fall photo of Bailey - of course it would have probably been of him eating leaves, his favorite outdoor snack. It's also very windy today, so suddenly we have clogged gutters and a yard that needs raking.
So, instead, we'll reminisce a little. We got Bailey in April of 2004 when he was four months old. At that time everyone kept commenting that he was going to be very large because his paws and his head looked very large in comparison to his body. Turns out he was just disproportionate - he weighs in today at a modest 70 or 75 pounds. Maybe his weird body shape is why he was still with the breeder at 4 months. Those who passed him over missed out on a great dog. Sure, he's a big wimp who's afraid of his own shadow, but he's got a heart of gold and lots of personality.
So, instead, we'll reminisce a little. We got Bailey in April of 2004 when he was four months old. At that time everyone kept commenting that he was going to be very large because his paws and his head looked very large in comparison to his body. Turns out he was just disproportionate - he weighs in today at a modest 70 or 75 pounds. Maybe his weird body shape is why he was still with the breeder at 4 months. Those who passed him over missed out on a great dog. Sure, he's a big wimp who's afraid of his own shadow, but he's got a heart of gold and lots of personality.
Here is Bailey on the day we brought him home....
Bailey definitely acts like a cat at times, but here he even looks a bit feline - dog or lion?
You can check out the rest of the canine crew over at Sweetnicks later on tonight.
Friday, November 04, 2005
The calendar says it's November....
...but if feels more like summer. It hit 70º here today and it was just gorgeous. To add to the beauty of the day, I was told I had the afternoon off from work - something I was not at all expecting. Definitely a good day. The boys and I went out to get their hair cut and then went out for frozen custard.
I was originally planning to do some sort of shrimp scampi for dinner, but the warm weather made me think of the grill, so shrimp scampi turned into shrimp and vegetable kabobs. Of course now that we're ready to grill it's dark and chillier, but still decent weather for grilling.
The recipe I'm using is written for vegetable kabobs, but we're throwing in some shrimp. As a side, I am trying a copycat recipe for Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice in my rice cooker. I like the taste of the boxed mix (I like it okay, but my son loves it), but I try to stay away from prepared things when I can, so I decided to search the internet and see what was out there. The recipe I found was very surprising! The only ingredient I could think to definitely use was seasoned salt, but the recipe I found used much more than that - things like turmeric and ginger and cumin. I don't know how much it will taste like Uncle Ben's but it sounded good in and of itself.
I have to also mention the wine we're serving with dinner - something I should do more often. Today I had enough time 
to browse the wine section in the grocery store, so I searched for wines on sale. What I found was not on sale, but I was taken in by the bottle. I do that sometimes - it's hard to decide what new wines to try, so sometimes I'll try something new based entirely on the name or the shape or color of the bottle. Seems as good a way as any to try something new. The wine we're drinking is Voga Italia Pinot Grigio. The wine itself is unremarkable - decent, but ordinary - the kind of wine I would buy if it were on sale. So, the wine is just okay, but the bottle is pretty cool.
I was originally planning to do some sort of shrimp scampi for dinner, but the warm weather made me think of the grill, so shrimp scampi turned into shrimp and vegetable kabobs. Of course now that we're ready to grill it's dark and chillier, but still decent weather for grilling.
The recipe I'm using is written for vegetable kabobs, but we're throwing in some shrimp. As a side, I am trying a copycat recipe for Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice in my rice cooker. I like the taste of the boxed mix (I like it okay, but my son loves it), but I try to stay away from prepared things when I can, so I decided to search the internet and see what was out there. The recipe I found was very surprising! The only ingredient I could think to definitely use was seasoned salt, but the recipe I found used much more than that - things like turmeric and ginger and cumin. I don't know how much it will taste like Uncle Ben's but it sounded good in and of itself.
I have to also mention the wine we're serving with dinner - something I should do more often. Today I had enough time 
to browse the wine section in the grocery store, so I searched for wines on sale. What I found was not on sale, but I was taken in by the bottle. I do that sometimes - it's hard to decide what new wines to try, so sometimes I'll try something new based entirely on the name or the shape or color of the bottle. Seems as good a way as any to try something new. The wine we're drinking is Voga Italia Pinot Grigio. The wine itself is unremarkable - decent, but ordinary - the kind of wine I would buy if it were on sale. So, the wine is just okay, but the bottle is pretty cool.Thursday, November 03, 2005
3 eggs.....
That's what I had to work with for baking last night - 3 eggs. I had two schools to bake for and therefore, 2 batches of baked goods to make. My plan was to make 2 pans of Blondies and call it a day. Alas, there were only 3 eggs left in the fridge and I did not feel like running to the store. So....I started sifting through my recipes to see what I could make using only 3 eggs. I settled on 1 pan of Blondies and a batch of Giant Chocolate Chunk Cookies. This way, I could send a bit of each to each school without looking too skimpy.
I love this recipe for chocolate-chip cookies. It's a variation that Val over at the Cooking Light boards posted of Anna's recipe over at Cookie Madness. Follow that??
I used to be a Toll House only girl, but I finally started branching out and trying new recipes last year. I love the flavor of Toll House, but I find that Toll House are more soft than chewy and I am really fond of a chewy cookie. I also love the heartier, more substantial cookies that I've had at various bakeries. The Giant cookies have a great buttery flavor, but are not super soft - they are crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. I don't make the cookies giant - I prefer regular-size cookies. The batch I made only made 24, so sadly (but also fortunately) I was not able to sample very many. The recipe I am including here will be doubled for a more typical batch of 48.
Check out the recipe below - it includes a variation for using toffee chips and macadamia nuts too.
I love this recipe for chocolate-chip cookies. It's a variation that Val over at the Cooking Light boards posted of Anna's recipe over at Cookie Madness. Follow that??
I used to be a Toll House only girl, but I finally started branching out and trying new recipes last year. I love the flavor of Toll House, but I find that Toll House are more soft than chewy and I am really fond of a chewy cookie. I also love the heartier, more substantial cookies that I've had at various bakeries. The Giant cookies have a great buttery flavor, but are not super soft - they are crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. I don't make the cookies giant - I prefer regular-size cookies. The batch I made only made 24, so sadly (but also fortunately) I was not able to sample very many. The recipe I am including here will be doubled for a more typical batch of 48.
Check out the recipe below - it includes a variation for using toffee chips and macadamia nuts too.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Culinary Confessions
Tonight was a quick and easy dinner of hamburgers on the grill, corn and sweet potatoes. As I mentioned earlier, my menus will probably be meat-heavy the next few weeks as we try to empty out the freezer to reduce the amount of foods we'll have to move.
As promised, here's the recipe for BLONDIES that I'll be making tonight for our two schools - we're bringing in treats for the teachers to help get them through parent/teacher conferences.
Thanks to Sweetnicks, I found out about some fun going on over at Cooking with Amy. They are revealing their deep, dark secrets about food, cooking, anything culinary.
I'm sure this list will grow as I think of them, but a few that come to mind easily:
I like Cool Whip better than real whipped cream.
I love Cheetos - those awful, but oh-so-tasty, processed little orange things.
Sometimes my fridge gets out of hand.
I have to wear gloves when hand-mixing ground beef for meatballs. Or when doing anything that involved prolonged contact with raw meat.
I hate, hate, hate almond extract. If I go to a cookie exchange, anything made with almond extract must be separated from the rest of the cookies so that the other cookies don't get tainted.
I cannot for the life of me make candy. If you have to boil anything to a certain color or temperature, I'm pretty much guaranteed to fail. Even the caramel I melted from a package slid off my apples this year.
I like those little sausage and Velveeta cheese appetizers. Mmmmmm....
I'm a cookie snob - real butter, not shortening (although a mixture of the two is acceptable, sometimes).
Cottage cheese makes me want to gag. I also can't eat yogurt.
I won't use minced garlic from a jar, but I have started using minced ginger from a jar.
I eat things in pairs (2 pieces, one for each side of the mouth). If they are colored, like M&Ms, I eat them in pairs of the same color. If they are different lengths, like french fries, I eat pairs of similar lengths.
I'm sure there's much more, but certainly I've embarassed myself enough.........
As promised, here's the recipe for BLONDIES that I'll be making tonight for our two schools - we're bringing in treats for the teachers to help get them through parent/teacher conferences.
Thanks to Sweetnicks, I found out about some fun going on over at Cooking with Amy. They are revealing their deep, dark secrets about food, cooking, anything culinary.
I'm sure this list will grow as I think of them, but a few that come to mind easily:
I like Cool Whip better than real whipped cream.
I love Cheetos - those awful, but oh-so-tasty, processed little orange things.
Sometimes my fridge gets out of hand.
I have to wear gloves when hand-mixing ground beef for meatballs. Or when doing anything that involved prolonged contact with raw meat.
I hate, hate, hate almond extract. If I go to a cookie exchange, anything made with almond extract must be separated from the rest of the cookies so that the other cookies don't get tainted.
I cannot for the life of me make candy. If you have to boil anything to a certain color or temperature, I'm pretty much guaranteed to fail. Even the caramel I melted from a package slid off my apples this year.
I like those little sausage and Velveeta cheese appetizers. Mmmmmm....
I'm a cookie snob - real butter, not shortening (although a mixture of the two is acceptable, sometimes).
Cottage cheese makes me want to gag. I also can't eat yogurt.
I won't use minced garlic from a jar, but I have started using minced ginger from a jar.
I eat things in pairs (2 pieces, one for each side of the mouth). If they are colored, like M&Ms, I eat them in pairs of the same color. If they are different lengths, like french fries, I eat pairs of similar lengths.
I'm sure there's much more, but certainly I've embarassed myself enough.........
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Hectic!
It's been a busy couple of days between Halloween and a sick kiddo. Last night was all about Trick or Treating - no time for a real dinner. Tonight was about getting DS to the doctor, getting home late and getting something really quick and easy on the table (soup and sandwiches).
Hopefully I'll be back to cooking tomorrow. Not only dinner (no idea what yet), but I need to make treats to bring in for a teacher/staff in-service on Thursday at our school and for the teachers at the middle school where my oldest attends - they are also having an in-service and I got roped into making them treats by way of the PTO. I think I'll do some kind of bar cookie - that would be an easy way to crank out 2 batches. Blondies, perhaps. I have a yummy recipe using toffee chips and coconut.....so check back tomorrow for the recipe.
Until then, I'm going to try to keep my eyes open long enough to get the kids in bed.....
Hopefully I'll be back to cooking tomorrow. Not only dinner (no idea what yet), but I need to make treats to bring in for a teacher/staff in-service on Thursday at our school and for the teachers at the middle school where my oldest attends - they are also having an in-service and I got roped into making them treats by way of the PTO. I think I'll do some kind of bar cookie - that would be an easy way to crank out 2 batches. Blondies, perhaps. I have a yummy recipe using toffee chips and coconut.....so check back tomorrow for the recipe.
Until then, I'm going to try to keep my eyes open long enough to get the kids in bed.....
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