Albondiga Soup! (Mexican meatball soup)

This is a tasty recipe I got from Mary Farradj. Thanks, Mary!!! We're having this for a quiet Saturday tonight before we go see a movie. Gosh, I'm getting old! No bars, no late nights out with friends, I'm just excited to taste this soup!

So here goes:

Mix together in a large bowl:

2 lb. lean ground meat
2-3 chopped or shredded carrots
2 chopped grey zuccini
1-2 chopped jalapeno chilis (optional)
1/2 cup small grain(cal-rose) rice
2 tomatoes chopped
1 potato chopped
1 small onion chopped
2-3 eggs
2 (or more) garlic cloves crushed, and chicken bullion granules for the salt (to taste)-use veggie broth if preffered


Slice tomatoes thin and saute in oil (canola, or what you like), add some chopped garlic,spice with cumin and with the chopped leaves from a few sprigs of fresh oregano.
Also instead of salt and pepper-add about 1-2 tsp. of chicken bullion granules.
When this is blended and well wilted add enough chicken broth to fill your pot 1/2 full. (I use a pot that is big but not too deep)
Put this on to boil. When this comes to a full boil start making meat balls and add them to the broth. Meat balls should be a good size, but remember they expand too. Don't worry about piling them and crowding them in-they'll be good. Lower fire and after cooks for 20 minutes you can add extra chunks of potato, zuccini and carrots to the pot...they are good to eat with the broth and meat balls. Put approx. 3 sprigs of fresh oregano and let simmer for at least a few hours. Longer is even better. Enjoy!

Butternut squash & leek soup

I had a butternut squash sitting on my counter for three weeks, so I thought I'd use it! I am also embarrassed to say I've never cooked with leeks before...and now I'm hooked! They add an earthy, rich flavor to this soup.

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes
4 cloves of garlic
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1/4 cup of water
1 leek
5 cups of vegetable stock ( I use Better than Boullion, so good!!!)
salt and pepper
chopped chives or flat-leaf parsley

Place squash cubes and garlic on a baking dish, drizzle oil over the squash, add 1/4 cup of water to the bottom of the dish, and roast in the oven at 375 for about an hour. While the squash is roasting, sautee chopped leeks in olive oil until golden brown, then set aside.

When squash is done, transfer into a blender (you can do this in batches) along with the leeks and garlic. Add one cup of broth and puree. Place into a warm pot and allow to simmer, adding the rest of the broth, about 15-20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle chives or parsley on top! Delicious, hearty, filling enough to be its own meal. I made grilled cheddar sandwiches with whole-wheat bread, and it paired very nicely with pineapple juice and rum! Can you say yum?

On another note, I'm halfway through with my first sweater! Can't wait to wear it, although it will be June before I finish it, so it may have to wait until the fall.

Fettuccini with asparagus, bacon and cream sauce

I got this recipe from Bon Appetit, and you can find it on www.epicurious.com if you look up "Fettuccini with peas, asparagus and pancetta." I changed the recipe a little bit because I didn't have pancetta, but I had bacon, and I didn't have peas, but I did have spinach.

12 ounces fettuccine or penne
3 ounces pancetta or bacon, chopped
1 1/4 pounds asparagus, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces
2 cups shelled fresh green peas, blanched 1 minute in boiling water, drained, or frozen peas (do not thaw) I didn't have peas, so I just added some spinach.
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil, divided

So you boil the pasta, add the asparagus for a couple minutes before the pasta is done and let cook with the pasta. Next drain in the sink. Place back in the pot, and add the rest of the ingredients. Toss quickly and serve! It was so very good, and we had plenty of leftovers!

My take on Sole Meuniere

Today work was rough, and I'm pulling an all-nighter to get out an expedited transcript for an attorney who is going to trial next week and needs to prepare! So I didn't have much time to cook. The menu:

Sole Meuniere (I didn't have sole, so I used tilapia...)
Brussel sprouts sauteed with pancetta, mushrooms and caramelized onions
Steamed butternut squash with butter and brown sugar

Very easy meal, it can be made in 20 minutes tops. Take the fish fillet, roll it in some flour. Set aside. Throw some pancetta or bacon in a pan, precut into pieces. If it's too dry, add a little butter. Next add chopped mushrooms and chopped yellow onion. Add brussel sprouts, sliced in half. When bacon/pancetta is brown and crunchy and onions are caramelized, cover pan and reduce heat to low. Brussel sprouts take about 15 to 20 minutes to sautee until they are soft with a fork prick.

Next, steam some chunks of butternut squash. I don't need to tell you how to do that....or do I? Let me know if you need help with that. I know I shouldn't tell you this, but the microwave works fine for steaming squash! When fully cooked, slice some butter and a spoonful of brown sugar over it and let it melt.

Next, sole meuniere. Heat up another pan, add vegetable oil, just a tablespoon or so. When ready, place the floured sole on the pan and let cook until brown on each side, really all you need is just a couple minutes on each side. White fish cooks so very fast. Then place on dishes to serve. Add butter, fresh chopped parsley and lemon juice to hot pan to make the sauce. It only needs a minute or so to cook. Then pour over the fish to make a very tangy, buttery, yummy and delicate seafood meal.

I had all of these ingredients in my fridge, and it only took 20 to make this dinner! Daniel loved it! Now back to work!!!

Dirty Risotto, Chicken Saltimbocca and roasted spring veggies for Mother's Day

Oh, my goodness! I really impressed myself tonight with the most amazing dinner I whipped up for my stepmom and sis-in-law for Mother's Day (and the rest of the family, too, but those were the moms!) I made a dirty risotto, a recipe I stole from Giada DeLaurentis from the Food Network. If you search "Dirty Risotto" on www.foodnetwork.com, you will find it. So delicious!!!!! But definitely NOT vegetarian. It has pork and lots of cheese in it. Main ingredients: Arborio rice, chicken broth, white wine, onions, bell pepper, mushrooms, pancetta, spicy Italian sausage, Parmesan and fresh parsley.

Next I roasted spring vegetables from the Farmer's Market downtown, miniature zucchini, squash, carrots and onions with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper drizzled and sprinkled accordingly.

Chicken Saltimbocca: I love this dish because the name makes me laugh! It literally means "jumps in your mouth" in Italian! Too cute. And dangerously delicious. Pound out thinly sliced chicken breasts with a tenderizer. Lay out a slice of ham and a slice of provolone, topped with a basil leaf on each one of the breasts, and then roll up and secure with a toothpick. Next roll in flour. Cook over stove in olive oil and butter until brown and chicken is cooked through. Then set chicken aside. With the drippings still in the pan, add flour to 1 tablespoon of butter to make a thickener. Next add 1/2 cup of chicken broth, white wine and lemon juice from one lemon. Allow to simmer over low heat until thickened. Pour sauce over chicken and sprinkle with capers. To die for! I'm not even joking. It was that good.

For dessert: Strawberry & blueberry cobbler recipe I found in my best friend, "The Joy of Cooking." Do you want to know how good it was? Put it this way: I made an entire Pyrex casserole dish of this goodstuff, and it was gone in five minutes. There were only eight of us!!! We whipped up some fresh cream and plopped spoonfuls on our cobbler. We licked the cream bowl clean, too.

An amazing meal for an amazing woman: Rita!

Black bean soup!

Last night was some down-home cooking! I put a pot of black beans on the stove and let them simmer for 3 hours, added a bunch of goodstuff, and voila! Black bean soup, thick and spicy! Add some homemade cornbread and spinach salad to the mix, and now we're cooking with gas...or electric, if that's what you've got :)

Vegetarian black bean soup:

2 cups of dried black beans
1 can of stewed tomatoes (or you can stew the tomatoes yourself, if you want to do all that work)
1 small can of corn
green bell pepper
vegetable or chicken boullion
onion
garlic
cumin
bay leaf
salt
pepper
cilantro and sour cream as a garnish

Soak your black beans in water overnight. Then drain the water and fill back up with fresh water, about 5 or 6 cups, depending on how thick you like your soup. Cut an onion in half and take the peel off. Do the same for two cloves of garlic. Toss 1/2 onion and garlic and bay leaf into the pot with the beans, and let simmer on medium heat for several hours, I let mine cook for 3 hrs., or until the beans are tender. Get out your food processor or blender and pick out the onion pieces and garlic with some tongs, and throw them in the blender. Also throw a cup of the beans with some liquid into the blender and puree. Remember to put the lid on the blender!!!

Does anybody know what sofrito is? If not, here goes: In a separate pan, heat up some vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon, and sautee the other half of your onion and also a half of the bell pepper in oil. When they are browned and tender, add them to your bean pot, oil included. Next add your stewed tomatoes and corn, boullion, 1 cube, for flavor, salt, pepper, cumin. Take out the bay leaf and throw away. Let simmer for another 15-20 minutes. Add a spoonful of sour cream and cilantro, maybe even a squeeze of fresh lemon juice as a garnish.

Serve this with homemade corn bread and a simple spinach salad tossed lightly in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, and you've got a comfort food night!
I had a Klondike bar for dessert, and I do not regret it one bit. I'm still working on knitting my sweater. On to my second skein!

Enjoy!

First night~

Last night I made an amazing and nutritious vegetable soup with homemade wheat bread. I was trying to copy the Whole Foods vegetable soup, which is so thick and chunky. Normally when I make veggie soup, it comes out too liquidy and brothy. I also found an awesome whole wheat bread recipe on allrecipes.com and made a few loaves a while back and froze them. We pulled out some slices, toasted them, and slathered butter over them hot.

Thick veggie soup:

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cups of chicken or veggie broth (I like to use "Better than Boullion" that comes in a jar...no MSG)
1/2 yellow onion
handful of mushrooms, chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 zucchini, diced
3 red tomatoes, skinned and chopped
1 large potato, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
handful of asparagus sprigs, diced
handful of swiss chard from the garden, ribbon sliced
2 cloves of garlic, pressed through a garlic press, or finely chopped
salt, pepper, basil, thyme, oregano, bay leaf

Add olive oil to a warmed pot big enough for your soup. Add diced onions, allow to become slightly translucent. Add garlic, celery and carrots. Sautee for 5 minutes. Next add potato and broth. Allow to bubble on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Then add mushrooms, zucchini, asparagus and red tomatoes. I like to add the zucchini later because it cooks so fast, and I don't like mushy zucchini. Allow to simmer for another 15 minutes. Add all of your spices to taste. Throw in your chard last. Allow to simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes, until carrots and potatoes are tender to bite. Now for the fun part. Ladle one third of the soup into a blender and puree with the top on, very important!!! Hot stuff flying at your face is no fun! Add the puree back into the pot. This is what make the soup thick. Taste test the broth for flavoring. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle fresh shredded parmesan over the top and serve with toasted bread or grilled cheese sandwiches.

Makes a yummy and very healthy, light dinner! Then you can splurge on ice cream for dessert :) Or popcorn for a movie snack, which Daniel made for me last night over the stove, yum! Popcorn over the stove is the only way. If you haven't done it, try it NOW!

What I knit last night: I'm working on a raglan sweater for myself, which is such a treat because I never knit anything for myself. I'm always giving my projects away. I chose a cheap yarn, Vanna's Choice, from JoAnn Fabric. I was reprimanded by my stepmom for choosing such a cheap yarn, and having finished half the sweater with it, I will put my tail between my legs and say she is right! Never knit a sweater with cheapo yarn. It's so much work to knit an entire sweater. You may as well add life to it by using a good-quality yarn. I'm almost to the point where I need to start forming the sleeves off the raglan and work my way down the body. I'm so excited!!!

Signing off to read a horrendous transcript that's overdue....