Soups!

Soups 7 & 8 are coming soon with pictures.

They were Mexican Chicken and Classic Chicken noodle. And they were good. :-)

Souper Saturday

# 5 Thanksgiving Soup

I actually designed this recipe from scratch because we did our annual Thanksgiving lunch at UCM and had more leftovers than could be consumed before they spoiled. Or before I told the students that they were no longer in the "leftover safety" range (they think I'm crazy because leftovers are to them good for at least a month).

6 cups of chicken broth (you can use turkey broth if you have it, but chicken makes little difference)
3 cups mashed potatoes
3 cups shredded cooked turkey (light and dark meat mix)
2 cups corn
2 cups cooked cubed sweet potatoes (you made need to make these up depending on what you did for thanksgiving)
2 cups green beans (I just bought a steamable bag of frozen beans, nuked em and tossed em in)
1 T onion powder
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1 cup dried cranberries or craisins
French Fried Onions to garnish

Pour your broth in a large pot and start it heating to a simmer, stir in your mashed potatoes until you have a thicker, potatoey broth texture. Stir in your salt, pepper, and Onion powder. Add in your cranberries so they plump up a bit as it simmers. Add in your turkey and veggies. Simmer for about ten minutes or so. Serve nice and hot with a few french fried onions on top, if desired.

Enjoy a clever way to use most of your leftovers.

# 6 Corn Chowder

This is mostly a barefoot contessa recipe but she loves fat and calories more than I do so I healthified this one a lot but it's still flavorful and very very tasty. I happened to have some leftover smoked ham, but if you wanted to you could just have the deli sell you a few very thick (like 1/4 inch or so) slices of ham lunchmeat and dice it up and use it.

• 2 cups cooked diced ham, or 8 oz of cooked crumbled bacon (both optional)
  
• 3 cups chopped yellow onions (4 large onions)
• 3 tablespoons butter or margerine
  
• 1/4 cup flour
  
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 3 cups medium-diced potatoes
• 5 cups corn kernels
• 1 cup milk
  
• 4 oz sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, heat your butter add the onionsand cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add in 1 cup of chicken stock and allow to get hot.

Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the rest of the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob and blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. (If using frozen corn you can skip this step.) Add the corn to the soup, then add the milk and cheddar cheese. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Season, to taste, with additional salt and pepper if needed.

We made these both today and at first Kel was loving the Thanksgiving Soup, but then he tried to corn chowder and said it may be the best soup yet. So far of all these soups my favorite is the white chicken chili. #3. Which alarmingly I have not posted the recipe for!!! I have it here just a second....

Sorry no picture, but I am sure I will make it soon and I'll catch up a pic then.

It's very simple and all props go to Debbie Whelan for sharing it with Amy who shared it with me.

#3 White Chicken Chili

1 Jar of Great Northern beans or 3-4 cans

2 lbs of chicken breast (shredded)

1 Jar of salsa (about 16oz)

8oz package of pepper jack cheese

2 cans of chicken broth

1 Tablespoon of Cumin

Boil the chicken breast in water until cooked through. Cube or shred up chicken, whichever you prefer. Add all contents together in a Pot or Crock pot. Stir and heat through. For best results let simmer together at least 4 hours. Make sure not to have the simmer heat on the stove too high as you will most definitely burn the cheese and then spend your evening picking out black burned cheese floaties.

The Leanne/Soup Nazi Project

Well friends. I am setting myself up for a culinary challenge, which I hope will go better than the summer of the skewer, which I think we can all admit fell rather flat. This is the Soup Project and the challenge is that I am going to see how many different soups I can make this Fall09/Winter10. My goal out load is 20 so if I make 20 different kinds I will have reached my goal. Secretly I hope to do 30 though. And for your viewing and perhaps cooking pleasure I want to try to blog my way through the soup project. When asked for his comments on the soup project Kel said: "I'm looking forward to immersing myself in a lot of soup." I assume he meant eating it and not bathing in it. We will assume that anyhow.

Tonight I made soup #4. I have already made Chili, White Chicken Chili, and Chicken Tortilla.

SOUP #4
Chicken Pot Pie Soup

This deliciously hearty and thick soup serves 4 and is perfect for a cool, crisp fall evening. I got the recipe idea from one of my favorite restaurants up North, Zoup! They make this soup and it was always Kel's favorite so I tried to replicate it.


2 cups Cooked Chicken (cubed or shredded- I roasted a chicken and used shredded ck from it)
1/3 Cup Flour
1/4 Cup Sauteed Onion (or you can cook this with your chicken)
2 Tbsp Chicken Bullion (crystals)
4 Cups Milk
3 Tbsp Butter, Margerine, etc.
3 Tbsp Chicken Broth
1 Cup Cooked Peas
2 Cups Potatoes, Cubed, Cooked
1 Cup Cooked Carrots, Sliced, Cooked
1/4 tsp Garlic
1 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Cook all your veggies and chicken and have them prepared, measured, and ready to go. In a small bowl mix together your flour, pepper, garlic, bullion. In a Medium Saucepan/Small Pot Melt your butter and add your stock or broth to it. When it's melted add in the flour/pepper/garlic/bullion mixture very gradually stirring the entire time. I like to use a silicone whisk for this. Gradually start pouring in your milk, stirring the entire time. Bring this mixture to a boil gradually- watching and stirring it the entire time. When it's bubbling start mixing in your chicken, and then each veggie one at a time. At this point it is ready to serve.

I recommend serving it with bread, over corn bread, or if you're feeling crazy you can cook a pie crust and crumble a bit of it over top really sealing the whole "chicken pot pie soup" deal.

I ate mine with some of Libby's wheat bread, toasted.

NOTE- The original recipe called for no broth and 6 Tbsp of butter/margarine. I halved the butter and subbed broth to cut down on a bunch of fat and calories. I used Skim milk as well.

Turkey Chili, Baked Beans, and I profess my romance with autumn.

Well fall is here and with fall comes my favorite season of eating followed by the holidays. Here's to burning an extra bajillion calories a day to feed Noelle. Makes keeping the pounds off just that much easier. I am swimming in butternut squash and apples over here at casa de Penny, and that makes me just plain happy as a clam. I also have a lovely little bag of pumpkin spice coffee beans in the cupboard and have been stirring cooked apples into my oatmeal in the morning. All good things, wow I love fall. My heart is happy just thinking about it. I'm a nerd for the colors and tastes. So much so that I need to end this paragraph or it will continue for pages.

Alright, I have now made it my goal to make as many different types of soups in fall 2009/winter 2010 as I can. So far I am only two soups in if you count turkey chili, and I do. I made chicken tortilla and turkey chili thus far. My turkey chili is really way too easy to make and barely worth posting but I may as well post it as a recipe. I am also throwing my home made baked beans recipe because I have had a few requests for it as well.

There will be many more soup postings to come as well as some fall flavors, so if you are looking for soup recipes I will try to share what I am experimenting with.

Ridiculously Easy Turkey Chili
1 lb ground turkey breast (Browned with however you like to season it, I do some minced onion)
1 regular black beans
1 regular can red kidney beans
1 large can chili beans (med or mild or spicy, whatever does it for you)
1 large can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp cumin
3 -5 Tbsp Chili Powder (more or less if you want it)
1 green pepper (adds SO much flavor- do it julienne and the pepper haters can pick it out)
Can of diced tomatoes and/or peppers (optional - Kel appreciates as few veggies as possible in his chili)

Brown meat, add all ingredients in pot or crockpot and allow to simmer so the flavors will marry. This is really easy and non fancy.

Now for another bean dish:

My Mom's Baked Beans Recipe

48 oz Great northern Beans (I hydrate and cook up my own- if you do this instead of using canned make sure to retain a portion or all of your cooking liquid or they will be really thick)
14 oz Ketchup
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 Tbsp Prepared Mustard
Some sausgage (lil smokies, turkey sausage, hot links- how much or little you desire)
Onion if desired ( I recommend at least some onion powder or dried minced for flavor)

I always make a double batch because it keeps in the fridge for a while and one hydrated cooked bag of beans makes a double batch. (If you are up north just grab a big can of randalls great northern beans in the glass jar because they are just as good, canned are just difft I can't put my finger on why)

Basil & Mozarella stuffed Chicken

Well this recipe was created just because I had the stuff in house to make it and it all seemed to go together. I had leftover Mozarella from a party, and the basil was given to me by my wonderful neighbor who grows organic produce and had it leftover after Saturday' farmer's market. It's shown here served with fresh bruschetta and roasted asparagus with garlic. There were Crostini and a much fuller ramekin of bruschetta, but they didn't last until the photo was taken :-). Normally I am an asparagus griller in the summer but the over was already on to do the chicken so I went with it.

So here goes.

Basil and Mozarella stuffed chicken
Chiken Breast- As many as you're doing
Basil Leaves- Chopped, I guess about 2 Tbsp per breast (I eyeball it to taste)
Garlic (1 clove per breast, minced and yes I do like my garlic)
Fresh Mozarella (2 thin half moon slices per breast)
Salt and Pepper to Taste

1) Filet open your chicken breast so they have a pocket like a pita. You will need a nice sharp knife for this and go slow, it's better if you don't slice a hole in your chicken.
1.5) Rub a SMALL amount of olive oil or use spray on your breasts to keep em from sticking to your pan. I suppose you could just grease your pan too... either way is fine.
2) Mix your chopped basil and minced garlic together
3) Put 2 half moon slices of mozarella in each breast
4) Stuff in your basil and garlic mixture
5) Pinch closed but don't worry if a little hangs out, it looks better this way.
6) Sprinkle ground pepper and salt on top of the chicken breasts. (I added some garlic and onion salt too but salt and pepper is minimalistic and just fine)

Bake at 350 for a half hour or until chicken is cooked through. If you want to do the roasted asparagus just add it in for the last 17 minutes (20 is too much 15 is a bit on the al dente side)

If you need the bruschetta recipe I can give you that too but it's basically mixing up garlic, basil and seeded tomatoes with some salt and a smidge of pepper. Think of it as Italian Salsa. Serve with Crostini (recipe for which can be found in Mocktail Party Recipe Post)

Just wait until fall when I unveil my apple stuffed chicken breast recipe. I like stuffing chicken breasts. I feel like I'm giving them tasty and flavorful implants :-)

Leanne's super simple waffle recipe

In my circle I tend to be famous for my waffle recipe, which let me tell you shouldn't be as tasty as it is because there is nothing special about it. I guess the secret must be, yes you really do need to separate the eggs and beat the crap out of those whites.

Light and Fluffy Waffles
2 Cups Milk
2 Cups Flour
1/3 Cup Oil
2 Egg Yolks
1 Tbsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp vanilla (if desired)
2 Egg Whites (stiffly beaten)

Mix all ingredients except whites. Stiffly Beat whites and then fold in. Make in waffle Iron (duh). I usually like to top it with a berry mixture for added health benefits but this is not always feasible in the winter given the jacked up cost of fruit in the chillier months. I have done three berry, bananas and strawberries, blackberries, etc. Whatever strikes you, they're your waffles after all. You can add pecans for extra protein as well (this is what I had the morning of my wedding, ala Grandpa Verkaik). Serve with your favorite breakfast sides, whatever they may be

Above is a picture of what they look like when done, but that may vary given the size and shape of your waffles. Kel is bummed that our waffle iron doesn't have littler squares so I am on the hunt for a smaller square one. May need once given the fact that he doused ours with water this morning instead of simply wiping clean.

Enjoy

Recipes from Mocktini Party

Well the party for the board last night went so very well that I thought it only fair that I share a few of the recipes we came up with for it as I sit here watching Anchorman because I was in the mood to giggle and we canceled our cable. Anyways.

Key Lime Mocktini
2 parts limeaid
1 part creme de coconut mixed with some half and half
a few drops of vanilla
the juice of one key lime

Serve over ice with a graham cracker rim.

Crostini Trio
(these are painfully easy and fairly impressive but make just enough they don't keep well sadly...)
- French Baguettes
- Olive Oil

First you make the crostini- Preheat the oven to 400 Take Baguettes and slice them somewhat thin, on the bias (which means on an angle, this makes for prettier crostini) drizzle a little olive oil and toast them in the oven. Flip them after about 5 minutes as they toast up. You want them crunchy and a little golden but not so much so. You will want to monitor your first batch and adjust the remaining batches according to your oven. Make them a couple of hours before you need to use them you want them cool to be topped.

Artichoke Crostini
- Cream Cheese
- 1 can artichoke hearts, well drained and chopped, sort of in "ribbons" it seems like to me.
- Freshly diced tomatoes (with most of the seeds removed but don't go nuts over it)

Spread some cream cheese on the crostini, I used philadelphia spinach artichoke flavored at the party. Place a bit of artichoke on top of the cream cheese and then sprinkle a few diced tomatoes on it.

Avocado and Shrimp Crostini
- 2 Avocado
- 1 lime
- salt
- cilantro
- small to medium shrimp

Take your avocado and peel and pit it and put it in a bowl. Squeeze 1/4 to a 1/2 a lime for 1 avocado, a whole lime or so if using 2 or three. Add salt to taste. Spread this mixture over your crostini. Place two shimp on top of the avocado and then top with a sprig of cilantro.

Caprese Crostini
- Pre made pesto ( you can make your own or buy it store bought)
- Fresh Mozarella
- Sliced Roma tomatoes

Slice your roma tomatoes, a bit thick but not obnoxiously so. Cut your Mozarella in slices and then half your slices so they fit on the crostini. Basically cut your mozarella so it fits nicely on the crostini. Spread the pesto on your crostini, place a slice of mozarella on it, and then your tomato. voila. Simple stuff.

Italian Mini Sammies
- Foccacia Bread
- Pesto
-Bacon, cooked
- Sliced Roma Tomatoes
- Quality Turkey lunch meat ( I suppose you could use ham or chicken too)
-Provolone Cheese

Cook Bacon and Butter your foccacia bread. In a hot pan toast it on the stove top. You could probably do this in the oven on a high heat, face up too but then the tops would toast as well as the bottoms of the bread. Either way you want to toast up the bread. Allow it to cool, perhaps you could slice tomatoes at this time. Spread the pesto on both sides of the toasted bread. Place a slice of provolone on the bread. Then place three slices of turkey. Tear each slice of bacon in half and place a bacon half slice on each "quarter" of the sandwich. (You will be cutting the sammie in quarters for serving, or if you want to eat the whole thing then don't) Place a slice of tomato on each quarter of the sandwich. Store them for a few hours or less chilled. Cut them in quarters just before serving.

The Summer of the Salsas

I have for a long time been saying that I should start a blog about my recipes and what I am cooking, to promote recipe sharing, which i love to do. So here is is, it starts now. I aimed for this summer to be the summer of the skewer, and while a few tasty skewers and kebobs were enjoyed it seems as though this was the summer I discovered to simple but amazingly delicious and well loved salsa recipes. I am fast becoming stereotyped as the queen of salads and dips. Oh well, life goes on for me. So here are my two new favorite salsa recipes, which are both pretty tasty and no surprise, good for you to boot. Additionally I must add that these two fabulous recipes are compliments of two of my favorite aunts. So thanks Aunt Betsy and Aunt Dawn, keep em coming.

Fruit Salsa

2 granny smith apples (diced)
2 ripe kiwi (diced)
1 lb strawberries (diced)
2 Tbsp sugar

Combine all and serve with cinnamon chips, which can be found at any good grocery store but I have found the yummiest come from Target. You can bake your own by putting tortillas in the oven and then brushing them with water and sprinkling with a cinnamon sugar blend. If you want to use your food processor for this make sure you do one fruit at a time of your strawberries will blend first and you will have a smoothie with apple bits in it. No bueno.

Semi-home made (very chunky) salsa

black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 can bi color sweet corn

Avocado (diced)

Large jar of salsa, or several smaller jars (the less salsa the more chunky, but I would used at least 1 large jar)

2 or 3 bell peppers either yellow, red or orange - diced
diced onion optional

Combine all ingredients and if time allows let chill for a couple of hours before serving. Serve with (no surprise) tortilla chips. This recipe keeps quite well for a week or so in the fridge.