Smashed potato soup

This soup was made for my Soup & Sandwich Swap event, which you can read about HERE for more recipes and pictures.

Tricia's smashed potato soup

3-1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes

1/2 cup chopped yellow and/or red sweet pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons bottled roasted garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4-1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup whipping cream, half-and-half, or light cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
Sliced green onions (optional)

In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine potatoes, sweet pepper, garlic, and black pepper. Pour broth over all.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours.

Mash potatoes slightly with a potato masher. Stir in whipping cream, cheddar cheese, and the 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions. If desired, top individual servings with additional sliced green onions. Makes 8 servings.

Read more »

Thai Green Curry Chicken Filling

The following recipe was used for my Steam Buns cooking class. You can read about my class and get other links to recipes HERE.

Thai Green Curry Chicken Filling

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, diced
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1/2 tablespoon Thai green curry paste
1 lb ground chicken
1 can coconut milk
1 cup bamboo shoots, julienned
1/2 cup slivered green onions
salt & white pepper to taste

In a wok or skillet, saute garlic & onions in oil.
Add curry paste and ground chicken and stir to heat.
Add coconut milk and bamboo shoots; stir. Allow the milk to reduce to half.
Remove from heat and stir in green onions, salt & white pepper. Allow to cool before using as filling.

Read more »

Mongolian Beef Filling

The following recipe was used for my Steam Buns cooking class. You can read about my class and get other links to recipes HERE.

Mongolian Beef Filling

2 bunches green onion, cut in 1 inch pieces
1 lb lean beef, sliced thin
salt & pepper to taste
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce

Season sliced beef with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.
Sprinkle cornstarch over beef and toss to coat. Set aside.
In hot pan saute garlic and onion in cooking oil until softened.
Add meat and brown.
Add oyster sauce and soy sauce; stir to coat.
Add green onions and toss.
Allow to cool before using as filling.

Read more »

Project Pastrami...

I love spices... probably too much. I have a whole drawer full of spice jars and another shelf of random spices. I came across this recipe for Pastrami-Style Salmon and thought the spice mix was rather interesting.

Since I didn't have any salmon on hand, I did have some ground turkey to use for dinner. Combining the pastrami spice mixture and ground turkey was truly an experiment that turned out to be delicious! I decided to use this spiced ground turkey and stuffed some large portabello mushrooms and voila... dinner is served. I accompanied my stuff mushrooms with roasted asparagus and tomatoes.

Here's my recipe for Spiced Turkey Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms:

2 large portabello mushrooms
8 oz. ground turkey
garlic, minced
onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
cooking spray for browning turkey
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup feta cheese (I used fat free)

Remove stems from mushrooms and gently brush off any debris.
In a large bowl, combine garlic, onion, sugar, and the spices and mix thoroughly.
In a saute pan, brown seasoned turkey.
Once browned, remove from heat and toss in cheese and green onions.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place mushrooms gill side up and top with the turkey/feta/onion mixture.
Bake stuffed mushrooms in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.

*I'm also submitting this to the "Go Ahead, Honey - It's Gluten-Free" blog event started way back in the wintry depths of February by Naomi of Straight into Bed Cake-Free and Dried. This month, Rachel of The Crispy Cook is hosting and the focus is seasonal veggies. Be sure to check out Rachel's site in early September for the round up!*

Read more »

Salads Get No Respect

This weekend was pretty full of good food, but I feel like my body needs to go into detox. I didn't splurge much at all with the dinner events I hosted over the weekend but I was craving some fresh veggies. So today for lunch, I made a salad.

Don't you hate the rep salads get? Some folks think salads are lame, boring and too healthy to taste good. I'll admit, I had that same thinking until I started being creative with salads. They are a blank canvas to capture flavors, textures, colors... only healthier!

Today my salad consisted of a baked boneless, skinless chicken breast that was marinated in southwest seasoning. I also made a quick mango salsa (fresh mangoes, chopped bell pepper, garlic, red onion, salt & pepper, green onion) to offset the spicy chicken with some sweetness. For texture, I added some slivered almonds. Lastly, all my salads involve a little bit of cheese so I added a pinch of gorgonzola for a bit of tang.

Love and embrace salads... they're good for you!

Read more »

Things You Can Caramelize

What food comes to mind when you think of caramelizing? Let's see... there's onions, shallots, nuts, apples, creme brulee, etc. Have you ever considered tofu?

I know it's a bit odd, but hear me out! Tofu is one of those foods that might require some extra coaxing for folks to try. But perhaps caramelizing them to give them more depth, flavor and color will help you to consider trying this recipe for Caramelized Tofu.

For lunch today we wanted to use up some bok choy and tofu we purchased last week. Thanks to my friend, Elly, she shared the site of 101 Cookbooks with me for a pancake recipe. On the same site, my eyes found this dish. I made some adaptations to use what I had on hand and overall, its a great way to use tofu. It made the tofu both sweet and salty - a great combination for most foods. To pair with this, I served it with steamed vegetable dumplings and a simple homemade ponzu sauce.


Here is my adaption of Caramelized Tofu with Bok Choy:

7 - 8 ounces extra-firm tofu cut into thin 1-inch segments
a couple pinches of fine-grain sea salt
a couple sprays of cooking spray
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup green onion, sliced
3-4 baby bok choy , washed and cut into 1/8-inch wide ribbons
salt & pepper to taste
few drops of sesame oil

Cook the tofu strips in large hot skillet (or pot) with a bit of salt and a sprays of cooking spray. Saute until slightly golden, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in sugar. Cook for another couple of minutes.

In the same pan, add a touch more sprays of cooking spray, another pinch of salt, and dial the heat up to medium-high. When the pan is nice and hot stir in the chopped bok choy. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, stirring a couple times (but not too often) until softened.

Return the tofu to the pan with the bok choy and toss together with salt, pepper and sesame oil before serving.

Serves 2 - 3 as a main, 4 as a side

*I'm also submitting this to the Bookmarked Recipes blogging event, hosted by Ruth of Ruth's Kitchen Experiments. This is a great weekly blogging event so join in the fun or check out the round up every Monday on Ruth's site!*

Read more »

Spanish Omelette

The following recipe was made and shared at my Tapas party. You can read about the event and view links to the other recipes shared HERE.

Spanish Omelette
shared at the event by Ruby
recipe adapted from here

1/2 pint of olive oil
5 medium (40 oz each) baking potatoes, peeled, sliced and lightly sprinkled with salt
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 eggs
Salt
1/4 cup sliced green onions

Heat the olive oil in a 9-inch skillet and add the potato slices carefully, because the salt will make the oil splatter. Try to keep the potato slices separated so they will not stick together. Cook, turning occasionally, over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the potatoes are tender. Drain into a colander, leaving about 3 tablespoons of oil in the skillet.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs with a pinch of salt. Add the potatoes, and stir to coat with the egg. Add the egg-coated potatoes to the very hot oil in the skillet, spreading them evenly to completely cover the base of the skillet. Lower the heat to medium and continue to cook, shaking the pan frequently, until mixture is half set.

Use a plate to cover the skillet and invert the omelette away from the hand holding the plate (so as not to burn your hand with any escaping oil). Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and slide the omelette back into the skillet on its uncooked side. Cook until completely set. Allow the omelette to cool, and then cut it into wedges. Season it with salt and sprinkle with lemon juice to taste (optional). Serve warm or at room temperature.

Read more »

Mejillones a la Vinagreta

The following recipe was made and shared at my Tapas party. You can read about the event and view links to the other recipes shared HERE.

Mejillones a la Vinagreta
(Mussels Vinaigrette)
shared at the event by Teresa
recipe from here

2 1/2 dozen mussels, scrubbed and beards removed
Shredded lettuce
2 tbsp minced green onion
2 tbsp minced green pepper
2 tbsp minced red pepper
1 tbsp chopped parsley
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice
Dash of red pepper sauce
Salt to taste

Steam open the mussels. Put them in a deep pan with the water. Cover the pan and put over a high heat, shaking the pan, until the shells open. Remove from heat and discard any mussels that do not open.
Mussels can also be opened in a microwave. Place them in a microwave-safe bowl, partially covered, and microwave at full power for one minute. Stir and microwave one minute more. Remove any mussels that have opened and microwave one minute more. Again remove open ones. Repeat twice more. Discard any mussels that have not opened.
When cool enough to handle, remove and discard the empty shells. (Mussels can be cooked in advance and refrigerated.) Shortly before serving, arrange mussels on a bed of shredded lettuce on a serving platter. In a bowl combine the onion, green and red pepper, parsley, oil, and vinegar. Season with red pepper sauce and salt. Spoon the mixture into the mussels in their shells.

Read more »

Chicken Salad... eh.

With the roasted chicken I made yesterday, I made a chicken salad. I usually do the usual salad with chopped apples, grapes, walnuts, etc... but wanted to try something different. I found this recipe at Allrecipes.com. It was okay - nothing that wowed me. It did make for a nice light meal though... Here's the recipe for Holiday Chicken Salad from Allrecipes.com:

4 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup chopped celery
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup minced green bell pepper
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
ground black pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise with paprika and seasoned salt. Blend in dried cranberries, celery, bell pepper, onion, and nuts. Add chopped chicken, and mix well. Season with black pepper to taste. Chill 1 hour.

*Update: Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions to use curry in the recipe for a bit more flavor. I reached for it and second guessed using it because I didn't think it would work with cranberries. I should have used it!! Oh well... we live and learn. :) *

Read more »

Bulgar Salad with Corn & Tomatoes

The follow recipe was shared at my Balsamic Vinegar Tasting Event. You can read and view links to other recipes that were featured HERE.

Bulgar Salad with Corn & Tomatoes
shared at the event by Teresa

recipe from Food Network

4 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cups bulgar
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
6 scallions, chopped fine
1 1/2 cups cooked corn (cut from about 2 large ears)
1 pint vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine water and farro in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, partially cover and simmer until farro is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Drain well. While grains are cooking, in a large bowl stir together onion, garlic paste, vinegar, and oil.

Drain grains well and add to onion mixture. Toss mixture well and cool. Add scallions, corn, tomatoes, chives, and parsley, toss well, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Salad may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring salad to room temperature before serving.

Read more »

Drunk & Grilled

Poor little bird.... sitting on a plate, cold and shrink wrapped in plastic. I think it's time to set this bird free! I've had a whole chicken fryer defrosting in my fridge for a couple days and my husband thought it would be fun to have "beer can chicken" for lunch. I thought it was a great idea since a few of my fave blogs featured beer can chicken recently.

There are countless recipes out there for Beer Can Chicken, but my husband decided to take the reigns and wing it (pardon the pun). Of course, there were no specific measurements but here's essentially what he did:

Montreal Chicken Seasoning (McCormick Grills Mates)
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Salt & Pepper to taste
16 oz can of beer
1 tablespoon of olive or canola oil
1 whole chicken fryer

To prep your chicken, rinse and pat dry.
Coat the chicken with the spices to your taste - both outside and inside the cavity.
Drizzle the oil over the chicken and rub to coat.
Drink about 1/4 of the beer and poke holes around the 1/4 top of the can with a small knife.
Carefully place the chicken over the top of the beer can through its cavity.
Place on a medium high grill and cover, allowing it to cook for 45-50 mins. Don't peek!
Before serving, allow the chicken to rest at least 10 minutes for the juices to redistribute.

To accompany our Beer Can Chicken, I served it with some leftover Portobella Mushroom & Spinach Pilaf, marinated tomatoes and a key lime tart. Because I forgot to share the recipe for my Portobella Mushroom & Spinach Pilaf yesterday, here it is:

3 medium sized portobella mushroom caps, stemmed removed & chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small onion, minced
1/2 cup chopped spinach (fresh or frozen)
salt & pepper to taste
2 cups prepared, cooked brown rice

In a skillet, melt butter, add onion and garlic.
While onions soften, rough chop the mushroom caps.
Once the onions become translucent, add mushrooms.
Saute until mushrooms soften and release their juices.
If the mushrooms are a little dry, add a touch of olive oil or another tablespoon of butter.
Add the prepared, cooked brown rice to the skillet* and stir until warmed through & serve.

* I recommend using a nonstick skillet when preparing this to prevent the rice from sticking and to prevent adding more butter/oil when you add the rice.

One reason why I really like cooking a whole chicken is because I can use the leftover meat for other dishes. With the leftover chicken I have, I plan on making a chicken salad and a chicken alfredo lasagna... so stay tuned for those recipes later this week!

**I've also submitted this chicken recipe to the Hungry for Some Chicken blogging event where they are highlighting chicken recipes this month! Check out the Nutiferia site for additional recipes for other foods they've highlighted in previous months.**

**I've also submitted this chicken recipe to the Let Them Eat Chicken blogging event! Read the interesting article about free range chickens on the blog, A Merrier World.**

Read more »

Bacon, Spinach & Cheese Quiche

The following recipe was made and shared at my Chef Spotlight dinner, highlighting Julia Child. You can read and view links to the other recipes HERE.

Betsy's Bacon, Spinach & Cheese Quiche
recipe from Julia Child

2-3 c. sliced onions cooked to very tender in 2 tbsps. olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper, and a little sage.

prebaked 9-inch pie shell in its ring or tin
1/4 c. lightly pressed down, coarsely grated Swiss cheese
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cup whole or 2% milk

10-oz. pkg. of fine fresh spinach
2 tbsps. of shallots or scallions
2 tbsps. butter
1/4 cup cooked bacon

Stem, wash, blanch, squeeze dry, then chop spinach. Saute' 2 tbsps. of shallots or scallions briefly in 2 tbsps. butter, add spinach, and stir over moderate heat for several minutes until very tender. Season carefully with salt, pepper, and a speck of nutmeg.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place the rack in the upper-third level. Spread half the cheese in the bottom of the pie shell, spread on the onions, spread the spinach and top with the remaining cheese and cooked bacon. Beat up the eggs and milk together in a separate bowl and pour it over the onions, filling the shell to within 1/8 inch of its rim if it's straight-sided, not much more than halfway if the shell is slant-sided and the sides seem at all fragile. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until filling is lightly puffed and nicely browned. For serving, slip the warm quiche out of its ring or pan and onto a serving board or platter, or serve from the pan cut into wedges.

Read more »

Wild for Wildfire Salad!

One of my favorite salads comes from a regional restaurant chain, Wildfire. It's a restaurant where I've celebrated some memorable occassions such as past birthdays of mine, family members and friends, and even our engagement party. In fact the last time I went to Wildfire was 2 years ago, which was when we had our engagement party. But back to the salad... Wildfire has an amazing chopped salad. The citrus lime vinaigrette is what completes this salad for me and I remember several years ago, I even called the local restaurant requesting to speak to the chef in hopes of getting the recipe for the vinaigrette. But no such luck.

Forwarding to present day, I was reminded of the restaurant by a friend and all the memories of this salad came flooding back. I checked out their website to see if any changes have been made to their menu. Little did I know that since the last time I've been to Wildfire, they began bottling the citrus lime vinaigrette. I loved so much!

That same day, I made a stop at Wildfire on the way home and picked up 2 bottles of this prized vinaigrette. Tonight, I used it and recreated the Wildfire Chopped Salad... and boy, it definitely hit the spot.

Here's the recipe for Wildfire's Signature Chopped Salad
(which is also printed on the bottled dressing label)

1 bag of mixed greens or chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup chopped roasted chicken
1 avocado diced
1 tomato, seeded & diced
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup cooked bacon, crumbled
1 scallon, sliced thinly
1/2 cup super sweet corn
fried corn tortilla strips, for garnish
1-2 tablespoons Wildfire Citrus Lime Vinaigrette

Toss all ingredients in a large salad bowl.
Serve immediately.

Read more »

For the Crab Rangoon Cups

Here are the recipes for the appetizers I'm serving up 2 hours prior to the Thanksgiving buffet dinner. I figured I'd post the recipes now before the kitchen chaos begins...

For the Crab Rangoon Cups:

1 cup surimi
½ block cream cheese
1 stalk green onions, sliced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ tablespoon sugar
salt & pepper to taste
½ package wonton wrappers
¼ cup canola or olive oil cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients except the last two ingredients.
Place cream cheese mixture into a plastic baggie and set aside.
Prepare muffin pan by spraying the inside of each well with cooking spray.
Place one wonton wrapper over a well.
Using the tart shaper, gently push the wonton wrapper into the well to form a cup.
Repeat until all wells are filled with wonton wrappers.
Take filled baggie and snip a small corner to use as a piping bag. I
n each well, squeeze a dollop of the filling.
Brush edges of wontons with canola or olive oil.
Bake filled wontons in preheated oven for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Read more »

Teriyaki Wings

Here are the recipes for the appetizers I'm serving up 2 hours prior to the Thanksgiving buffet dinner. I figured I'd post the recipes now before the kitchen chaos begins (and I'll post pics of the final products by Thursday)...

Teriyaki Wings

3-4 lbs chicken drummettes
salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder to taste
oil for frying
1 cup Teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
1/4 cup sliced green onions

Preheat oven to 375.
Season chicken drummettes with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.
On a greased baking sheet, placed drummettes and bake in preheated oven for 25-30 mins.
Remove chicken and prepare to fry.
Heat oil and carefully fry each drummette until crispy and browned.
Drain fried chicken on paper towels.In a large bowl add teriyaki sauce.
Toss chicken in teriyaki sauce to coat.
To serve, plate coated chicken and sprinkle sesame seeds & sliced green onion over the chicken.

Read more »

Crab Rangoon Wonton Appetizers

We made these appetizers during the holiday appetizer cooking class I hosted. You can view pictures, the entire appetizer menu and get links to the other recipes from the class HERE.

Crab Rangoon Wonton Appetizers

1 cup surimi

½ block cream cheese
1 stalk green onions, sliced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ tablespoon sugar
salt & pepper to taste
½ package wonton wrappers
¼ cup canola or olive oil cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine all ingredients except the last two ingredients.
Place cream cheese mixture into a plastic baggie and set aside.
Prepare muffin pan by spraying the inside of each well with cooking spray.
Place one wonton wrapper over a well.
Using the tart shaper, gently push the wonton wrapper into the well to form a cup.
Repeat until all wells are filled with wonton wrappers.
Take filled baggie and snip a small corner to use as a piping bag.
In each well, squeeze a dollop of the filling.
Brush edges of wontons with canola or olive oil.
Bake filled wontons in preheated oven for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Read more »

Pineapple Fried Rice

Pineapple Fried Rice

2 cups cold prepared rice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
2-3 stalks green onion, sliced
1 small can pineapple tibits, drained
1-2 tablespoons lite sodium soy sauce
salt & pepper to taste

In a wok or skillet, heat oil.
When hot, add diced white onion, garlic, pineapple and half of the sliced green onion.
Toss and heat until white onions are softened.
Add cold rice, crumbling it with your hands.
Fold rice into the onion/pineapple mixture
Allow rice to heat & crisp up.
Add remaining green onion and toss.
Drizzle in the soy sauce for additional flavor and color.
Add salt & pepper to taste.
Fold or toss rice to fully combine.
Serve when heated through.

Read more »