The Joys of a Simmering Crock Pot

A few summers back, I saw a recipe for summer corn chowder on the  Southern Living Instagram feed.  This chowder is made in a crock pot and uses fresh corn, two things that I can always get behind.  The taste is full-on amazing, so that’s a third advantage.

I made the soup yesterday and the smell of the crock pot in the afternoon, plus the promise of a supper that could simply be ladled out when we were ready to eat, made for a happy afternoon.

Try it for yourself.  

A Sandwich on Every Plate

I don’t spend all my free moments defining my political goals.  Sometimes I just seek to feed my family.  On Saturday night, already anticipating a busy week ahead, I set a pound of navy beans to soak overnight.  The next day, I made bean and bacon soup.  Together with an assortment of grilled sandwiches, this soup will get us through a busy week.  On Sunday, we had the soup with grilled pear, cheddar, and bacon sandwiches.

On Monday, I made a grilled ham, swiss, and red pepper sandwich and served it with the soup.

Later this week, there will be Camembert and apple sandwiches and then ham, apple, and cheddar.  Sometimes we’ll have soup with our sandwiches.  Sometimes we’ll have salad.  Always, we’ll have a delicious homemade meal without a whole lot of fuss during these busy days.  That’s happy!

Food Friday: Turkey, Brie, Cranberry Panini

I like Thanksgiving leftovers best when they can be turned into something new.  One of my favorite post-holiday treats are the turkey, brie, and cranberry panini sandwiches we enjoy after the holiday feast.

I mix the the cranberry sauce leftovers with dijon mustard and spread a thin layer on a slice of bread, add thin slices of brie cheese, and minced turkey.  I top it with another slice of bread, butter both sides, and grill it on a low flame so that the brie has time to melt while the bread sears.  The result is delicious enough to become a holiday tradition of its own!

Food Friday: Spinach Soup

Spinach soup is one of the most delicious soups I make.  It comes together quickly on a school night and is amazingly good.  It can be served as is, or made fancier, with grilled shrimp or chicken; some roasted red pepper, or chopped fresh tomatoes.  As soon as the weather grows cold, this recipe comes to the top of my must-have list.  I made this bowl last night and I’m looking forward to enjoying the leftovers.  The recipe comes from Pioneer Woman, way back in 2010.  I don't use whole milk and it comes out just fine.  You should make it at once!

Irish Cream

Among the most delicious of my holiday traditions is the making of homemade Irish cream.  I’ll add it to hot cocoa or coffee as a delicious holiday treat.  On Christmas Eve, I’ll leave some for Santa to enjoy.

It's a happy treat when I wrap up a busy December day by enjoying a few minutes with the Christmas tree.  That’s happy (and delicious)!

Food Friday: Cinnamon Apples

In New Jersey, diners are located on nearly every corner.  They have huge menus and serve breakfast all day.  In this state, they are an institution.  In the South, that same role is filled by restaurants collectively known as “ a meat and three.”  That means places where you choose what’s on your plate one item at a time.  Your start with a "meat".  The meat choices are usually a long list of options: fried chicken, pork chop, country ham, sugar-cured ham, chicken fried steak, meatloaf, chicken and dumplings, pot roast……..you get the idea.

The “vegetables” on the "three" list are usually an enormous collection, only some of which are actually vegetables: corn, grits casserole, cole slaw, turnip greens, green beans, squash, black-eyed peas, pinto beans, carrots, crowder peas, cottage cheese, mac & cheese, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes……..and there are always sweet cinnamon apples (also called fried apples).  

Cinnamon apples taste like the inside of an apple pie.  It’s a simple dish of sliced apples, cooked in a smudge of melted butter with brown sugar and cinnamon.  The apples cook down and release their pectin, so the sauce is thick with flecks of cinnamon.  Served warm, they are always delicious.  Leftovers, if you have any, can be served for breakfast with a corn muffin or biscuit, on pancakes, or in oatmeal.

But for supper, they taste like home and fall.  And in our house they taste like your mama loves you.  That’s happy!

Summer Salad

Summer days demand quick, light, delicious suppers.  I like a salad for the summer and there is no end of creative recipes to meet that requirement.  Try these, for example.  The Cup of Jo-organized collection inspired me to make my version of a couscous and spinach salad.    It was easy and delicious, my primary requirements for a summer salad.  This bowl started with a bed of fresh spinach and Italian parsley, still-warm couscous, feta, summer tomatoes, a splash of oil and vinegar, and salt and pepper.

Fresh and delicious; like summer in a bowl.

Food Friday: Boursin Super Power

Homemade boursin, known to us as white cheese, is a long-standing favorite at Sassafras House and I make it fairly often.

Most often, I serve it with little homemade garlic toasts that are also a staple at my house.  I thinly slice a fresh baguette, use a pastry brush to apply melted butter to each slice, sprinkle them with garlic powder, dried oregano and basil, and some salt and pepper.  Then I toast the slices for 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

This week, in addition to enjoying boursin with our garlic toasts, I sliced some small, sweet peppers in half and filled them with my homemade boursin.  I got the idea from Pioneer Woman and it was delicious.

Soup Friday: Garlic Broth with Spinach and Tortellini

Garlic broth is a Moosewood Cookbook recipe that I have been making for years.  It’s easy to make and starts with vegetarian broth (homemade, boxed or in cubes….whatever I have on hand).  I bring 4 cups of that to a simmer and then add 6 cloves of minced garlic.  I let it simmer for 20 minutes and then use it as a foundation for whatever else I wish to make.  

The broth keeps in the fridge for several days .  When you are ready to eat it, warm it up and then get creative.  For mine, I added the hot broth to a bowl of fresh spinach leaves and cheese tortellini that I had cooked separately.   Warm, comforting, and delicious on a cold winter evening.

The broth is versatile and can be the foundation for other soups as well.  It can be mixed with a can of diced tomatoes, pasta, and cannellini beans.  I’ve made it with fresh spinach, tomatoes, and pasta.  I’ve also served it with carrots simmered in the broth with pasta and beans.  Basically, the broth is a base for many warm, winter soups.  Cook some up!

Soup Friday: Chicken Noodle Soup

 My in-house picky eater is not a huge fan of soup, which he has long-considered a food group that he doesn’t eat.  As in....some people do not enjoy tomatoes or onions, but JT does not eat soup.  In the past few years, he’s been more willing to experiment with food in general and soup has been on the table, as it were.  The soup that got him over the hurdle was pre-packaged noodle soup.  It wasn’t exactly gourmet, but it served its purpose.  Even better, he had a look at my homemade chicken noodle soup and allowed that he might enjoy a bowl of that.  It was a chicken soup miracle!

My recipe is simple but not written down.  That way, I can adjust amounts for the number of people who need to be fed.  Whenever possible, I boil the chicken in broth first and refrigerate it over night (I use boneless chicken breasts because I prefer white meat).  Cooking it a day in advance makes the chicken more tender and easier to shred.  The next day, I make a mirepoix of carrots, onions, celery, and garlic and sauté it in a bit of olive oil.  Then I add salt, pepper, and parsley (dried or fresh…..whatever I have on hand); the shredded chicken; and broth.  I bring it to a boil and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes.  Then I bring it to a second boil and add the noodles, cooking them in the soup broth according to the package directions.

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge; the noodles will absorb the broth.  When we want to eat the leftovers, I add a cup or two of fresh broth and serve it up.  Easy and delicious!

Soup Friday: Cream of Carrot Soup

The recipe for this soup is from my friend M, a terrific cook.  When I asked for it she shrugged and said that it changes every time.  I hassled her anyway and got the recipe:

- 1 bag of carrots, peeled (I think she means a 1 lb bag.....that's what I use)

- 1 medium onion, chopped

- 2 ribs chopped celery

- 1 potato, peeled and chopped

- 4 cups veggie broth

- olive oil

- salt

- pepper

- nutmeg

- ½ cup half & half

Boil the carrots, onion, and celery in chicken or veg. broth. Add squash or a large potato or sweet potato. Peel carrots before cooking them so they are not bitter.  Add a bit of salt, pepper, nutmeg and, a tablespoon of olive oil  Once everything is cooked (very mushy) you have to liquify it in the blender until it becomes puree.  Keep adding broth to make sure that it is not too solid. Once you put it back in the pan you will need to add half of cup of light cream or half and half. 

I love the way that this the recipe comes together easily and keeps well in the fridge, making it perfect to make on a weekend and have on hand for a quick re-heated week night supper.  It's tasty well beyond the simplicity of it's ingredients.  I served it with homemade garlic-cheddar biscuits.  

That’s delicious!

Food Friday: All Mexican, All the Time

It’s my birthday week and I decided to treat myself by cooking Mexican food for suppers this week.  Here’s a road map to the feasting:

Sunday supper: chicken tacos

This is a go-to celebration supper at Sassafras House, the original comfort food in our world.  A recipe for my chicken can be found here.

Monday supper: burrito bowl

This bowl came together incredibly quickly and was perfectly awesome.  I used red cabbage and leftover guacamole from the day before.  I also used canned black beans that I warmed and spiced up.  I don’t like plain rice, so I used saffron rice from Sunday’s taco supper supper.  I served the bowl with some warmed corn tortillas.  Tasty, easy, delicious and likely to become a staple in this house, the recipe can be found here.

Tuesday: 8 layer dip

Strictly speaking, this dish is Tex Mex but it fit the theme and it’s my birthday, so it qualified.  Plus, JT loves it.  My 8 layer dip features refritos, sour cream, guacamole, chopped tomatoes (the last ones from my garden), grated cheese, green onions, cilantro, and black olives…..in that order.  There are zillions of recipes for layered Tex Mex dip and if you’ve never made it, try this one.

Wednesday:  shrimp quesadilla

As should be clear by now, Simply Recipes is my go-to website for food basics.  The writer is from Sacramento, California, a place near enough my hometown to ensure that her definition of Mexican food meets mine.  I saw this recipe on the website and give it a try.  Tasty and easy to pull together on a weeknight.  Try it!

This week is proof-positive that I could eat Mexican food every day of the week.  Plus, having a theme for the week sure makes the planning part of cooking easier.  Happy Birthday week to me!

Food Friday: Caramel Pie

Back in my misspent youth, I lived in Nashville where there was a chain of restaurants known as O’Charley’s.  Among other things, they made something called caramel pie.  It was delicious and this week I tried my hand at making it myself.  It’s easy enough to do but it takes time, so this is a plan-ahead sort of treat to be made the day before you intend to serve it.

Ingredients

2 cans of sweetened condensed milk, wrappers removed

1 graham crack pie crust (you could make your own or just get the Keebler elves to hook you up)

whip cream

chocolate chips

chopped pecans

Fill a large pot of water and drop in both cans of sweetened condensed milk —— unopened —— bring the water to a boil and boil the cans for 3 hours.  You will need to check regularly and add water.  After three hours, let the cans cool off completely before you open them.  This will take 2-3 additional hours (and now you know what I mean by plan-ahead).

Once the caramel is done, the pie comes together easily.  Open the cans and pour the thick caramel into the graham cracker crust.  Though it looks like a small can, it is quite densely packed with caramel goodness.

Spread the caramel around the graham crust so that the crust is filled.  Then refrigerate, preferably overnight.  The day you plan to serve the pie, whip the cream.  My whip cream formula is to add 2 tablespoons of sugar to each cup of whipped cream I intend to make.  I whip the cream for about 2 minutes on high…..but keep a close watch, as this process can go awry.

Cut the pie into slices and plate them.  Sprinkle some pecans and chocolate chips on top of each slice.  Place a generous dollop of whip cream on the slice of pie.  

Delicious!

Food Friday: Grandma's Potato Salad

Many of my most favorite recipes an inheritance of my Grandma Mac, who was one hell of a cook.  That lady could put out a spread with her eyes closed and with nary a cookbook in sight.  I learned quite a few of her go-to recipes and every time I make one, I feel her presence.  Most of her recipes were simple, the only complications involved are ones of time.  Her potato salad recipe is a case in point.  The ingredients must be set up to chill for a night before the salad is made.  It is a basic cast of characters and can be expanded or reduced as needed.  To serve 4-6 people, you need this:

- 4 peeled, boiled potatoes

- 2 hard-boiled eggs

- 1/2 an onion, finely chopped

- salt & pepper

- 1 - 2 cups of mayo and a squirt or two of yellow mustard

The potatoes and eggs should be boiled and chilled the night before.  Come the morning you intend to serve the potato salad, mash the chilled potatoes and finely chop the eggs.  Stir together in a large bowl and add in the onion.  In a separate bowl, stir together the mayo, mustard, salt, and pepper to taste.  Don’t skimp on the salt; potatoes usually require more than you expect.

Pour the mayo mixture onto the potato, egg, onion mixture and stir well.  Add more mayo if necessary; the goal is to have a creamy consistency.  Once it’s well-mixed, place the potato salad in the fridge and chill 3-4 hours before serving.

It’s an old-fashioned delicious taste of Grandma’s kitchen.

My New Superpower

At work, my colleague T mentioned a scone recipe that sounded delicious.  I promptly made a batch of my own and then I was off and running, adapting the recipe to include vanilla bean.  For Saturday breakfast, I served it with freshly whipped cream and homemade strawberry vanilla jam that I had made earlier in the week.

Delicious!

Food Friday: Texas Caviar

It is a Southern tradition that a heaping serving of black eyed peas on New Year’s day will help to secure good luck in the new year.  Though I live in yankee territory these days, I love this tradition and always serve some black eyed peas to start the year.  This year’s black eyed peas are a recipe I first learned about when I lived in Tennessee: Texas Caviar.  Over the years, I’ve adapted my version to include black beans, corn, and tomatoes.  You’ll need a big bowl to mix it up some good luck for yourself.

Ingredients

1 can of black-eyed peas

1 can of black beans

1 can of corn

1 can of petite diced tomatoes (I use spicy, if they are available)

1 can of diced Ortega green chiles

1 green pepper, finely diced

1 medium red onion, finely diced 

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced

4 large cloves of garlic, minced

juice from half a lime

1 teaspoon Chili Powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons Ground Cumin

dash (or 2!) of cayenne

¼ cup chopped cilantro

Drain and rinse the black-eyed peas, black beans, and corn.  Drain the tomatoes.  Then get a big ole’ bowl and mix all ingredients together. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Serve with tortilla chips or Fritos Scoops.  It could also be served with quesadillas or in a lettuce wrap.  No matter how you choose to serve it, Texas Caviar is a delicious way to secure your good luck for 2014.  Y’all get to work and make yourself some today!

Food Friday: Irish Cream

A few years ago, I made up a batch of homemade Irish cream.  The recipe isn't mine; I found it on Tasty Kitchen and I follow it exactly as ordered.  After I mix it up, I store mine in a mason jar in the fridge. T and JT refer to it as my moonshine but no matter what it's called, it's delicious.

During the holidays, I add a dollop or two to a cup of coffee or homemade hot cocoa when the mood strikes.  It's a happy addition to my holiday.

Food Friday: Blueberry Syrup

Last week, I made up a batch of blueberry jam and had some blueberries left over.  A normal woman would make some more jam or maybe bake a pie.  Instead, I opted to explore some recipes to make make and can blueberry syrup.  I love fruit syrup and thought that blueberries would be a good place to start.  Successful canning requires organization and precision.  Getting everything measured and ready to go makes the job a while lot easier and is essential.

Ingredients

6 cups of fresh blueberries, washed and stemmed

5 cups of white sugar

juice & zest of half a lemon

1/2 cup of water

Rinse the blueberries, stir in the water and then crush the berries.  I considered using a potato masher and doing this by hand before opting for getting out my stick blender and going to work.  The stick mixer made quick work of the job.

Mix the crushed berries with the lemon juice and the zest and heat over high heat.  Once the berries reach a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. 

At this point, if you have larger chunks of berries, you should press the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, to get smoother liquid.  My berries were plenty squished by my blender stick and I like a little texture in my fruit syrup, so I skipped this step.  

Either way, the next step is to add the sugar and bring the berry mixture to a boil again.  The mixture will begin to thicken.  Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often.  Then turn off the heat and allow the syrup to cool for a bit.

Pour into sterilized jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of the top.  

Secure lids and bands and process for 10 minutes, following the usual canning rules.  In my case, that's 10 minutes in the boiling water bath.

There are canning experts in the world and you look there for instructions.  Try Simple Bites Canning 101 or the Ball Canning website if you want high quality canning play-by-play guidance.

I used 12 ounce jars to store my syrup and this recipe filled three jars (it reduces a lot!).  The leftover syrup also went into a jar for the fridge and was served on pancakes shortly thereafter.  The remaining jars were set aside for a yummy breakfast sometime soon.

Food Friday: Corn, Avocado & Black Bean Salsa

Come warm weather season, I like to have crisp and cool foods in my fridge.  I've plenty of recipes for just such items, but I'm always thinking about a new innovation.  A few weeks ago, I found it in the form of a corn and black bean salsa of my own devising.

The ingredients are simple and, conveniently, are the sorts of things I tend to have in my pantry.  The salsa keeps fresh for at least a few days, though the avocado may get a bit mushy (it stays fresher than you think thanks to the presence of the lime juice).  In any case, it's not likely to last that long.

The Ingredients

one can of black beans, drained and rinsed

one can of corn, drained 

half of a jalapeno, seeded and diced 

3 green onions, diced

5-6 radishes, finely diced

1/2 cup of cilantro, chopped fine (add more if you like the taste)

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

juice of 1/2 of a lime

one avocado, diced 

Mix the first 6 ingredients (black beans through cilantro) until it's well-mixed.  Then add the cumin, salt, and lime juice and mix again.  Just before serving, mix the diced avocado in.

Serve with tortilla chips or scoop Fritos.  Or quesadillas.  Heck, it could be a side dish with grilled burgers or chicken.  I ate a bowl of it as a snack after a baseball game.  This here is a win-win recipe.

Food Friday: Baked Egg

Breakfast on school mornings is always a challenge.  My son doesn't like cereal (!) and doesn't want to eat the same thing every morning.  Though I've been known to purchase a box of Pop Tarts to preserve the peace, I am not a fan of over-processed foods.  My search for a nutritious and yummy breakfast that is easy to pull together led me to develop this easy recipe for a baked egg.  It requires a bit of advance planning, but it's worth it.  

You'll need a buttered baking ramekin for each egg you intend to bake.  The rest of the ingredients are kitchen staples at my house.

Ingredients

- eggs (as many as you wish to bake)

- 1 tablespoon of grated cheese for each egg to be baked (I like Colby cheddar but Monterey Jack or mozzarella is just as tasty)

- 1 tablespoon half & half or heavy cream for each egg you intend to bake

- for each egg, you'll need a sprinkle each of salt, pepper, & cayenne pepper

I grate the cheese and butter the ramekins the night before and then I leave them on a shelf in the fridge.  In the morning, I usually come downstairs for a cup of coffee before my shower and when I do that, I heat the oven to 375 degrees and remove the buttered ramekins from the fridge.  By the time I've showered, the ramekins are at room temperature.

When the oven is heated, crack an egg in each ramekin.  Add the grated cheese, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper and then pour the dollop of cream on top.  Place each filled ramekin on the center shelf in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Let sit for a minute or two when they come out of the oven….that's enough time to make a piece of toast or pour a glass of juice.  The egg will be mostly set with just enough melted cheese and creamy sauce to make it delicious.  If you like a harder egg, bake it for a few more minutes.  

This breakfast is nice and warm on a cold morning and provides enough protein to get the boy to lunch without a growling belly.  Perfect!