Temptation Thursday

What do you get if you divide the circumference of a pumpkin by its diameter? Pumpkin pi.

Hello! I hope you are enjoying your week. Today I would like to share a simple, yet delicious recipe. It is a great side dish, that is sure to please. Enjoy!

What vegetable did Noah not take on the ark? Leeks.


Yam Tsimmes
(Adapted from Wegman's)

Ingredients:

* 2 cups yams, cut into 1" pieces
* 2 cups baby carrots
* 1 cup onions, chopped
* 1 turnip, peeled, cut in 1/2" slices
* 1 parsnip, peeled, cut in 1/2-inch slices
* 12 oz figs, stems removed, halved
* 2 cups chicken stock
* 6 Tbsp brown sugar

Equipment Needed:

* Medium Bowl
* Oven proof casserole
* Aluminum foil

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 350°.
2.) Mix yams, carrots, onions, turnips, parsnips & figs in medium bowl.
3.) Transfer to large casserole dish.
4.) Add chicken broth to vegetables.
5.) Cover with foil and bake 50-60 min, until tender.
6.) Uncover and sprinkle with brown sugar.
7.) Bake 30 minutes more, until well glazed.


Why do potatoes make good detectives?
Because they keep their eyes peeled.

Have a great day and remember: Go Ahead & Indulge!

Tasty Tuesday

"Food, like a loving touch or a glimpse of divine power, has that ability to comfort."
-Norman Kolpas

Hello! It is freezing in my neck of the country, so comfort food is very welcome. Here is a new take on a classic recipe, it is sure to make your day a bit "SPICIER!" Enjoy!

“Food is not about impressing people. It's about making them feel comfortable.”
-Ina Garten


Chicken Pot Pie: Tex-Mex Style

Ingredients:

* 8 cups chicken broth
* 1 cup + 3 Tbsp cornmeal, divided
* 2 green onions, finely diced, divided
* 4 Tbsp butter
* 2 Tbsp Tabasco sauce (I use the green one)
* 2 cups mixed vegetables, (tex-mex style)
* 1/4 cup poblano peppers, finely diced
* 3 1/2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
* 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

Equipment Needed:

* Stockpot
* Large oven-proof skillet

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.) Add broth to pot; bring to rolling boil on medium-high.
2.) Cook 1 hour on low boil, until stock is reduced by half.
3.) Reserve 1 cup.
4.) Add 3 cups of hot stock to large saucepan on medium-high heat.
5.) Slowly add 1 cup cornmeal, stirring constantly, bringing to a low boil.
6.) Cook and stir about 5 min, until mixture is smooth and thickened.
7.) Fold half of the chopped green onions into cornmeal.
8.) Remove from heat; let stand while preparing remainder of recipe.
9.) Place butter and Tabasco in an oven-ready skillet; heat on medium.
10.) Stir in 3 Tbsp cornmeal until mixture is bubbling.
11.) Raise heat to medium-high.
12.) Cook, stirring constantly, 1 min; watch carefully to prevent scorching.
13.) Add vegetables, peppers, and reserved cup of stock to skillet.
14.) Stir to combine.
15.) Bring to a simmer, 4 min, or until sauce thickens.
16.) Turn off heat.
17.) Fold chicken and remaining green onions, stir until well-mixed.
18.) Smooth surface evenly.
19.) Fold cheese into cornmeal/onion mixture & spread over Tex-Mex mixture.
20.) Smooth surface, as if frosting a cake.
21.) Transfer skillet to oven.
22.) Bake 30-35 min, until golden brown on top and edges bubble.
23.) Rest 10-15 min before serving.

Thought of the Day:
"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home."
-Edith Sitwell

Have a great day and remember: Go Ahead & Indulge!

Tasty Tuesday

“We can see a thousand miracles around us every day. What is more supernatural than an egg yolk turning into a chicken?”
-S. Parkes Cadman

Hello! Have the dog days of winter got you down? Well don't let them! Try this slow cooker recipe and it will put smiles on the faces of your entire family! What is not to love? It is easy to make, fairly inexpensive and is truly a comfort food that will warm you to your cockles! ENJOY!

“The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.”
-Arnold H. Glasgow


Slow Cooked Hunter Chicken

Ingredients:

* 1 pkg split chicken breasts w/ ribs, drums & thighs (3 Lbs)
* salt and pepper to taste
* flour (for coating)
* 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 cups mirepoix (diced carrots, celery & onion)
* 6 Tbsp all-purpose flour
* 2 cups dry red wine
* 32 oz chicken stock
* 1 cup white mushrooms, sliced
* 1 can Italian style tomatoes
* 2 tsp Herbs de Provence
* 1 Tbsp tarragon, chopped
* Crusty Italian bread

Equipment Needed:

* 6-8 qt slow cooker
* large braising pan


Directions:

1.) Season chicken with salt/pepper & dust with flour.
2.) Heat oil on medium in braising pan.
3.) Brown chicken pieces lightly on all sides, 8-10 min.
4.) Remove chicken & place in slow cooker.
5.) Discard all but 1 Tbsp oil.
6.) Lower heat to medium-low.
7.) Add garlic & mirepoix to pan; cook 2-3 min, stirring frequently.
8.) Stir in all-purpose flour and mix well.
9.) Add wine and stir.
10.) Slowly mix in chicken stock and bring to simmer.
11.) Pour stock mixture over chicken in slow cooker.
12.) Add mushrooms, tomatoes, and herbs, mix well.
13.) Cover & cook on HIGH 3-4 hours or LOW 6-7 hours.
14.) Remove chicken & arrange on a large serving platter.
15.) Stir tarragon into sauce; season to taste with salt and pepper.
16.) Pour sauce over chicken and serve w/ bread.

(P.S. Dunking the bread in the sauce is DIVINE!)

Thought of the Day:

"People who count their chickens before they are hatched act very wisely, because chickens run about so absurdly that it is impossible to count them accurately."
-Oscar Wilde

Have a great day and remember: Go Ahead & Indulge!

Souper Saturday!

“Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!”
-Lewis Carroll

Hello! In our home we have quite a few traditions and one of them is making Stracciatella soup for Christmas. Stracciatella (from Italian stracciato, meaning, "torn apart") is an Italian egg-drop soup. It is prepared by beating eggs and adding grated Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg and then adding this mixture to boiling broth. It is not difficult to make and very tasty! Enjoy!

“I sick of "soup of the day" it's time we made a decision, I want to know what "soup from now on" is."
-Mitch Hedberg


Stracciatella Soup

Ingredients:

* 1 Tbsp olive oil
* 1 medium clove garlic, minced
* 2 cups mirepoix (diced carrots, celery & onion)
* 2 cartons (32 oz each) chicken stock
* 6 oz baby spinach, cut into fine strips
* 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
* 4 large eggs
* 1 Tbsp nutmeg
* 6 Tbsp Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
* Italian bread

Directions:

1.) Heat oil in large pot on medium until it faintly smokes.
2.) Add garlic and mirepoix, cook for 3-5 min.
3.) Add chicken stock & simmer 5-8 min.
4.) Stir in spinach and parsley.
5.) Crack eggs into mixing bowl.
6.) Break yolks but do not mix or whip.
7.) Gently fold in 3 Tbsp cheese.
8.) Using large spoonfuls, add half egg and cheese mixture to soup & stir.
9.) Egg mixture will cook quickly in hot soup, forming thin strips.
10.) Add remaining egg mixture; stir until all egg is set, 1-2 min.
11.) Stir in nutmeg.
12.) Remove from heat & add remaining cheese.
13.) Season to taste with salt and pepper.
14.) Ladle into bowls and serve with bread.


Though of the Day:

"When you start treating people like people, they become people."
-Paul Vitale

Have a great day and remember: Go Ahead & Indulge!

Souper Saturday!

"Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value."
-Albert Einstein


Hello and Welcome! Today I have another wonderful soup recipe to share with you! Enjoy!


"Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie."
-Jim Davis


Vegetarian Potato, Leek, and Spinach Soup

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

*2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
*1 1/2 Cups potatoes diced
*1 Cup leeks cleaned and diced
*1 1/2 Cups mirepoix (carrots, celery & onion) diced
*2 Cartons vegetable stock
*1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
*1 Cup light Cream, at room temperature
*1 Pkg baby spinach cut into fine strips (chiffonade)
*2 tsp lemon juice
*1 Tbsp thyme, finely chopped


Equipment Needed:

* Stock/soup pot
* Hand blender (you can use a regular blender)
* Saute' pan

Directions:

1.) In a soup pot, soften vegetables in olive oil over medium-high heat, about 5 min. 2.) Stir occasionally, do not brown.
3.) Add vegetable stock to pot and bring to a bring to boil on high.
4.) Reduce heat and simmer 30-40 min.
5.) Carefully puree soup with hand blender in pot until smooth (or carefully pour into blender, puree and return to pot).
6.) Salt and pepper to taste.
7.) Add nutmeg and stir well.
8.) Remove soup from heat.
9.) Temper light cream (pour cream into bowl and slowly add 2 cups of hot soup to cream).
10.) Add cream mixture back into pot.
11.) Quickly saute' spinach.
12.) Add sauteed spinach to soup.
13.) Just before serving stir in lemon juice.
14.) Ladle into bowls and garnish with thyme.


"Do vegetarians eat animal crackers?"
-Author Unknown


Joke of the Day:

Little Emily was complaining to her mother that her stomach hurt. Her mother replied, “That’s because it's empty. Maybe you should try putting something in it." The next day, the pastor was over at Emily's family's house for lunch. He mentioned having his head hurt, to which Emily immediately replied, "That's because it's empty. Maybe you should try putting something in it."



Have a great weekend and remember: Go Ahead & Indulge!

Souper Saturday!

“There is nothing like soup. It is by nature eccentric: no two are ever alike, unless of course you get your soup in a can.”
-Laurie Colwin


Hello - Come on in!

I have a wonderful soup recipe to share today: Squash Soup. Even if you are not a fan of squash, you will love this soup! Squash is not one of my favorites, but I love the taste and texture of this soup. It is smooth, creamy and delightful! Enjoy!

“Good soup is one of the prime ingredients of good living. For soup can do more to lift the spirits and stimulate the appetite than any other one dish.”
-Louis P. De Gouy


Squash Soup

Servings: 5 cups

Ingredients:

* 2 1/2 cups butternut squash, cleaned and diced
* 1 cup mirepoix (finely chopped carrots, celery and onions)
* 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
* 1 3/4 cups chicken stock
* Salt and pepper to taste
* 1 Loaf crusty french bread (sliced)

Equipment Needed:

* 2 quart microwave-safe dish
* Stockpot
* Blender

Directions:

1.) Place squash in 2-qt microwave-safe dish with 1 Tbsp water and cover.
2.) Microwave squash on high 10 min until soft.
3.) Set squash aside.
4.) Add mirepoix and olive oil to stockpot, heat to medium-low.
5.) Cook mirepoix, stirring, about 10 min, until soft but not browned.
6.) Add squash to stockpot and season to taste with salt and pepper.
7.) Pour chicken stock into pot and simmer 10 min.
8.) Remove from heat and let cool 10 min.
9.) Ladle small batches into blender and puree until smooth.
10.) Return soup to pot and reheat on low.
11.) Season to taste with salt and pepper.
12.) Serve with french bread.

"There was a Young Lady of Poole,
Whose soup was excessively cool;
So she put it to boil,
By the aid of some oil,
That ingenious Young Lady of Poole."
-Edward Lear


Joke of the Day:
Why did God create men first? Because we learn from mistakes.


Enjoy your weekend remember: Go Ahead & Indulge!