I went looking for a minestrone soup recipe the other day as I wanted to have a summer veggie savory soup.  The problem is, none of the recipes were really what I was looking for.
I found one recipe on cooks.com that involved buying two cans of condensed soup, pitching them into a pan, and adding frozen veggies.  While this may be slightly better than just opening the can, it really doesn't count as cooking in my book.  The funniest thing was as this was advertised as "The Best Minestrone" soup recipe ever.  It was quick and easy, but in my opinion, that does not make it the "best".
So after searching for a while, I combined about four recipes and came up with this one:

Minestrone Soup

32 oz Beef Broth Low Sodium
1 TBL butter
1 carrot, sliced
1 zucchini diced
1 onion, diced
1 can white kidney beans
1 cup small pasta such as Ditali
1 can diced tomato or 1 large fresh tomato.
1 can tomato paste
1 bunch of fresh spinach, shredded to equal about two cups
1/4 cup parm cheese to sprinkle on top
Salt and Pepper to taste

Saute carrot and onion in 1 TBL butter.  Then add 32 oz of beef broth, diced tomato and tomato paste. .  Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.  Then add kidney beans, zucchini, and pasta.  Allow to simmer on low for 10 more minutes or until pasta is done to your liking.  The last few minutes add a few handfuls of shredded spinach.  Sprinkle parm over the top and serve with your choice of crusty bread.

Grilled Veggie Taco

So this week I'm going rogue vegetarian.  I'm doing this because, although we have 3-4 meatless dinners a week, my husband is very anti-vegetarian.  So the plan is to cook vegetarian dinners all week, and see what happens.
For the first night, I was planning on cooking tacos.  I then got the idea to just use grilled veggies instead of the usual ground beef.  They really turned out delicious.

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn
2 small zucchini, diced.
1 white onion, sliced
1 package of flour tortillas
2 cups cooked brown rice
2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar

Saute onions and zucchini with salt and sugar until onions began to brown.  Add chili powder and cumin.  Stir, then add beans and corn.  Serve with brown rice on warm tortillas.

Optional Toppings
Cheddar Cheese
Lettuce
Salsa
Sour cream

Fearless Bagels

One of my resolutions for 2012 is to be fearless in the kitchen.  I'm hoping to try out some weird, odd, and impossible recipes this year.  I don't care if it's a flop, I just want to say I've tried.
I got it in my head the other day to try and make bagels.  I thought it might be fun.  I had heard that bagels involved some mysterious double cooking method, so I set out to see what it was all about.
Most recipes for bagels start with a typical dough.  Where it gets weird is what you do after the dough is done proofing.
Basically, you BOIL them.  They look really gross, bobbing in the murky water.  Then you bake them.  I really can't figure out why they have a hole.  Maybe to better fish them out?
Anyway, my bagels turned out great.  I made cheese, Parmesan, and sesame.  By far, I liked the cheese best.  They were almost like Panera's Asiago bagels.  I did learn that the water has to be REALLY REALLY HOT and at a full boil before you do the dunk.  If it isn't, they get kind of flabby and under cooked.
These bagels are from the Food Network.  The are credited to Emeril.  So BAM!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/homemade-bagels-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

• 2 cups warm water, about 110 degrees F
• 2 (1/4-ounce) packets active dry yeast
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
• 5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal 

Optional Toppings:

• 1/2 cup lightly toasted chopped onions (2 teaspoons each)
• Cheese:  Cheddar, Asiago, or Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (about 1/2 teaspoon each)

Directions

Combine the water, yeast, and 3 tablespoons of the sugar in the bowl of an upright mixer fitted with a dough hook. Stir and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Gradually add 4 cups of the flour and the salt, and mix until the mixture comes together.

Add 1 to 1 1/2 cups additional flour 1/2 cup at a time to make a stiff dough, either stirring with the wooden spoon or working with your hands. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and no longer sticky, about 5 minutes, adding just as much flour as needed. (Dough should be heavier and stiffer than regular yeast bread dough.)
Grease a large bowl with 1 teaspoon of the oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until almost doubled, about 1 hour.
Remove from the bowl and punch down the dough. Divide into 12 equal pieces, about 2 to 3 ounces each, measuring about 4 inches across. Form each piece of dough into a ball. Roll each ball into a 4 to 6-inch log. Join the ends and place fingers through the hole and roll the ends together. Repeat with the remaining dough. Place on a lightly greased surface, cover with a clean cloth, and let rest until risen but not doubled in a draft-free spot, 20 to 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Grease a baking sheet with the remaining teaspoon of oil. Sprinkle the cornmeal on another baking sheet.
In a large, heavy pot, bring 12 cups of water and the remaining tablespoon of sugar to a boil. In batches, add the bagels to the water and boil, turning, for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Dip the bagel tops in desired toppings. Flip bagels onto the prepared sheet pan. Bake for 5 minutes, turn over and cook for another 30 to 35 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

Slather that puppy with lots of cream cheese and enjoy!  Made sure you store in a sealed container or a plastic bag, or they will be hard as rocks the next day.

Alek's Meatloaf

 Until a few years ago, I loathed meatloaf.  Swimming in a greasy pool of undesirable colored goop, mushy and unremarkable.  I thought meatloaf was dog food.
My mom can attest to this.  Although she made meatloaf often, I could never ever manage to choke it down.  I'm not saying that her meatloaf was dog food, but somehow the connection in my mind made me psychologically unable to eat anything with "loaf" in it's name.
Then my friend Alek invited us over for dinner.  She served this meatloaf, and as it didn't look gross, I decided to give it a try.  I actually liked it!  I made her give me the recipe.  She said it was her mom's recipe, a little of this, a handful of that, but she put it down for me the best she could.

To this day, I actually look forward to making this for dinner.  I love that I used to despise meatloaf but now it's one of my favorite  things.  Because it's cooked in a large rectangular pan, the gross fat drains away from the meat.  The meat is well seasoned and not to mushy or dry.  Basically, with some mashed potatoes, it just about makes the perfect comfort dinner.
Thanks Alek, for the awesome recipe!  This one is in my recipe bible for life!  Make sure to make a gorgeous batch of mashed potatoes, and if corn on the cob is in season, boil some of that up too!

Alek's Meatloaf
2 lbs ground beef
1 egg
1 small onion, minced
1 stalk of celery, minced
2 clove garlic, mined
1 tablespoon parsley (dry or fresh)
1 1/2 tablespoon Vegeta**
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup ketchup
For sauce - 1/4 cup ketchup and 2 tablespoon brown sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and blend well.  If the consistency is still a little loose, you can add some more bread crumbs.  Shape into loaf in a 2-quart glass  baking dish (about 11x7 inches) or any pan similar in size.  If you're using leaner meat, you can lightly spray the pan with some cooking spray before you adding the meat.  Place in the oven at 375 degrees for about half an hour, then reduce to 350 degrees for another 15-30 minutes to avoid scorching the outside.  If you want to add the ketchup and brown sugar sauce, baste it on now.  Check the middle to see if it's done to your liking - cooking time might also depend on how think you decide to make the loaf.

** Vegeta is an all-purpose seasoning from Europe that is used extensively in Serbia and Croatia.  Typically, you can find it at a fresh produce grocer or an international grocery store.  If you are unable to find, you can substitute Mrs. Dash and seasoned salt for this. Wiki Link to Vegeta

Weeknight Pesto Pasta and Chicken

This is by far my favorite weeknight dinner.  It's one of those great, "OH MY GOD, It's 7 PM and I haven't even thought of dinner dishes."
It has a secret ingredient, which probably most people will scoff at, but that makes it easy and tasty.
DRUM ROLL PLEASE . . . . . . . . . .
The secret ingredient is Papa John's garlic sauce.  You know, that little tub of garlic goodness that comes with your pizza.
This recipe evolved from the days when my kids where about 1 and 2 and both in diapers.  We ate a lot of pizza, and since I was the only one who liked those garlic sauces, they tended to collect in the fridge.  One day, I saw a box of pasta and had a flash of insight.  I could add the garlic sauce to the pasta, thus creating an easy instant sauce.

Weeknight Pesto Pasta

1/2 box bow tie pasta
2 frozen chicken tenderloin pieces
1 bag frozen veg such as a stir fry mix.  I used frozen asparagus and a handful of frozen red pepper
2 Papa John's Garlic Sauce (If you don't have any of those little containers, you can simply use 4 tablespoon butter and 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
4 Tablespoon Pesto Sauce
1/4 cup Parmesan, shredded or grated
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Boil water.  Add pasta.  Cook according to package directions.  While pasta is cooking, brown and cook chicken in a skillet.  Break up chicken while it is cooking into small pieces.  In the last two minutes of your pasta cooking, add frozen vegetables.  Cook about two more minutes, or until vegetables are warm through.
Drain pasta and veggies.  Add garlic sauce, pesto, Parm Cheese, and walnuts.  Add cooked chicken to top.


You can be super lazy, or just vegetarian, and leave out the chicken. It's still delicious.  This is also really good the next day, cold as sort of a pasta salad.

English Muffin Morning

What is better than an English muffin, smoothered in butter and jam?  Or made up as a little brekky sandwhich with bacon and some nice cheddar cheese. 
I've never even attempted to make English muffins at home.  I usually just buy Bay's brand.  They are by far the best commercial English muffins you can buy.
But since I've been on a baking kick lately, I thought, "What the heck?  Let's try to see what madness we can create."
I actually tried several recipes.  I was looking for an English muffin that was light and had lots of nooks and crannies.  The first one I tried came out WAY to dense.  The flavor was good, and the family devoured them, but I knew something was missing.
Searching the internet, I stumbled across Michael Ruhlman's web site and his recipe.  He practically guaranteed light and nooky muffins.  If you are unfamiliar with Ruhlman, he appears on several of Anthony Bourdain's episodes.  If you don't know, I adore Anothony Bourdain.  His wise cracking sarcasm and witty ways entertain me.  Ruhlman is also a noted chef and author in his own right.  Here is a link to his web site if  you want to check it out:  http://ruhlman.com/2010/12/english-muffins-recipe/
The only odd thing about this recipe is the wierd mesurements.  If you look at the orginal it calls for 16 oz of flour or "four fluffy cups".  Like many home cooks, I don't have a scale.  I also don't really know what "four fluffy cups" would equal.  I split the difference and used three cups of flour, and that seemed about right.  Here is Ruhlman's recipe with some of my tweaks to make it easier to understand.


Homemade English Muffin Recipe
This should look like a very thick pancake batter.

• 4 Tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 cups milk
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 3 cups flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder dissolved in 1 tablespoon of water
• cornmeal for dusting

1. Combine the butter and sugar in a small sauce pan, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Add the milk, stir it and remove it from the heat.  Stir in the yeast and the egg.
2. Combine the flour and salt in mixing bowl.  Add the milk mixture and stir till it’s all well combined.  Cover and set aside for 1-1/2 hours, or refrigerate overnight (removing it from the fridge an hour before cooking).
3. Heat a griddle or a skillet over medium heat.  If you’re using rings, butter them.  Stir the dissolved baking powder into the batter.  Dust the griddle or skillet with corn meal.  Scoop-pour about 1/4-cup portions onto the griddle, free form or in rings.  Cook for about seven minutes.  Flip them and continue cooking till done, 7 to 10 more minutes.
4. Allow them to rest for at least 10 minutes before eating.

Yield: 8 to 12 muffins

Just Like P.F. Chang's Spicy Chicken

I usually avoid "clone" recipes.  I find they are a typically a pain in the butt.  Plus, why would you want to spend hours trying to "clone" a candy bar when you can grab the real thing for under $1.
However, due to my recent carrer change, we have not been eating out as much lately.  The guy that owns the Papa John's around the corner from my house has been missing me.
When I was working full time, I would call my husband a few times a week and have him pick up some lovely take out on the way home.  He works by a lot of great restaurants.   However, without my wages earned from driving myself crazy on a daily basis, we have limited our eating out to special occasions. 
My husands really wanted some P.F. Chang's Spicy Chicken, his favoriate dish.  He scoured the internet and kept emailing me recipes as a subtual hint.  I finally relented and told him that if he helped me in the kitchen, I would buy the stuff to make it.
Some of these clone recipes call for wierd ingreatients.  One called for Potato Starch.  I'm assuming it's like corn starch?  But who knows.  Anyway, I picked the one out that looked the easiest for the home cook.  I did tweak it a little by adding vegetables.  The orginal we found on Epicurious, which this is based on, did not include veggies. (see http://m.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/P-F-CHANGS-CHANGS-SPICY-CHICKEN-50004573)
Also I searved this over brown rice, just because I prefer it.  You will need a traditional wok for this recipe.  If you don't have one, I suppose you could try this in a skillet, but I wouldn't guarantee the results.

Just Like P.F. Chang's Spicy Chicken

Ingredients

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chopped garlic (3 to 4 cloves)
3 tablespoons chopped green onions (about 3 onions)
1 cup pineapple juice
2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup vegetable oil
About 1 1/2 lb of chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup cornstarch 3 carrots, sliced
2 small handfuls pea pods
2 cup cooked white or brown rice

Preparation

 

 

1. Make the sauce by heating 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in medium saucepan. Sauté the garlic and onion in the oil for just a few seconds, not allowing the ingredients to burn, then quickly add the pineapple juice, followed by chili sauce, vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce.

2. Dissolve cornstarch in 2 tablespoons water and add it to the other ingredients in the saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil and continue to simmer on medium/high heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until thick and syrupy.



3. Heat up 2 tablespoons veg oil in wok,  stir fry carrots and pea pods until done.  Take veggies out of wok.  Set aside for later.

4. Heat 1 cup vegetable oil in a wok or a medium saucepan over medium heat.

5. While oil heats up, chop chicken breast fillets into bite-size pieces. In a large Ziploc bag, toss chicken pieces with cornstarch until well-dusted.

6. Sauté coated chicken in the hot oil, stirring occasionally, until light brown. Remove chicken to a rack or paper towels to drain for a moment. Pour chicken into a medium bowl, add sauce and veggies and toss well to coat. Serve immediately with rice on the side. 

This is so good.  I couldn't believe how easy it was.  I really tasted just like the restaurant without tons of fuss.  It had a mild to medium heat that was not overpowering.  This would also be great with some oolong tea on the side.  Grab some chopsticks and it will seem like you just dropped bucks on a nice night out.