Saturday, February 24, 2007

S.O.S.

Our area was hit with freezing rain and blowing snow over the past couple of days. Hubby is out of town, and I am home alone with only with the pups and the TV to keep me company amidst the snow drifts. But, WAIT! The satellite dish is snowed over! I have no TV to help me while away the hours! S-O-S!!

My usual plan of attack for removing snow from the satellite dish that is mounted on the side of the second story of our home is to open the spare bedroom window, pop off the screen, and lean out with the broom to clear away the snow and ice that are blocking the signal. However, after the new exterior paint job of last summer, I can't seem to get the window open today. I know that it opened at the time of the painting, but the combination of cold and disuse has left all of those windows stuck. I need a new plan.

Ever resourceful me, trudges out into the snow to locate the long extension ladder that is buried in a snow drift beside the house. I manage to pull it from the snow, maneuver it to the back of the house, and set it in place for climbing to the satellite dish. Grabbing the broom, I start my way up the ladder, but it might as well be Mt. Hood as the snows blow in circles around me. I am petrified with fear about half way up to the gutters. I can't force myself to make the full climb to the snowy dish. Sheepishly, I back down the ladder and decide that it is time to send out a full S.O.S.

I head next door to a young neighbor, but find him also to be not home. I mentally go through the list of possible help, only to realize that many of them are either out in the country in this yucky weather, or out of town with my husband. I consider trying the ladder again, but know that my fear of heights is much greater than my need for TV. I decided to try calling the neighbor across the street and see if her teenage son could answer my S.O.S. They readily agreed. Eventually, my reception issues were cleared, and TV was restored...all of the millions of channels of nothing that left me reading a book, anyway.

All of this frantic rushing around in the blowing snow has created a huge hunger. I haven't been in the mood or had the time to do much cooking during this week of solo living. My meals have consisted of canned soups, cold cereal, and a few defrosted leftovers. Today's panicked S.O.S. left me considering comfort food. Creamy milk gravy spilling over slices of toasted bread is definitely comfort food. Traditionally, crumbled ground beef, sausage, or dried beef are added for flavor and texture. However, some time ago, I stumbled upon a recipe that included diced boiled eggs. It is a hearty breakfast option, or a simple dinner for times when I am alone and in need of comfort food. Hubby still prefers the standard creamed gravy options poured over his toast or biscuits, but when I am on my own, I like the simplicity of the boiled eggs. (And, I usually always have the ingredients for the egg version on hand in the fridge.) After a crazed afternoon in the blowing snow, the S.O.S. has landed on my plate.

Creamed Eggs on Toast
5 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
½ teaspoon salt
3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
3-4 slices bread, to toast
butter

Melt butter over medium-high heat.
Whisk in flour.
When bubbly, whisk in milk a little at a time.
Add salt.
Continue to whisk til thick and bubbly.
Remove from heat and add chopped eggs.
Toast and butter slices of bread.
Lay slices on individual plates and spoon on Creamed Eggs. (Serves 2-4)

Monday, February 19, 2007

I Cannot Tell a Lie

I cannot tell a lie. I didn't chop down a cherry tree. I didn't even do any real baking. I just threw together this Simple Cherry Cobbler recipe from the side of the Sara Lee pound cake box and enjoyed it very much. Just call me the George Washington of quick and easy.


Simple Cherry Cobbler
1 (12 ounce) frozen pound cake
1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling
1/3 cup water
½ teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds, with a few more for garnishing plates

Cut pound cake into 1-inch cubes. Place cubes in a 9-inch microwave safe pie plate.
In a small bowl, combine pie filling, water, and almond extract.
Spoon pie filling over cubed cake and sprinkle with almonds.
Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high 5-7 minutes (time may vary depending on your microwave), or until hot.
Serve warm with ice cream or whipped topping and additional toasted sliced almonds sprinkled on top.
*Fresh Fruit Option: Combine 2 cups fresh blueberries, raspberries, sliced peaches, or pitted cherries with 3/4 cup apricot jam and substitute for the pie filling. (Serves 6)


HAPPY PRESIDENT'S DAY!

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Good Fortune

Hubby's birthday is right around the corner, and I am attempting to pull together an Asian theme for the menu for his party. Now is the time for me to be searching my online sources as Chinese New Year recipes are being promoted for celebrations around the world. Parades, traditional feasts, and other activities are planned to entice happiness, prosperity, and good fortune.

One common practice is to eat something sweet in order to bring forth a "sweet" new year. I can do that with Chocolate Dipped Fortune Cookies. They are a sweet treat that hopefully will bring us good fortune not only for the party, but for everything that is On My Plate for the new year.

Chocolate Dipped Fortune Cookies
1 dozen fortune cookies
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate ships (or white chocolate, if desired)
1 tablespoon shortening

In a small bowl, melt chocolate chips in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between.
Add shortening; stir until blended.
Dip the purchased fortune cookies half-way in the chocolate and place on waxed paper to cool.

Friday, February 16, 2007

OOPS!

I fell for the lure of Blogger's recommendation to "update and upgrade my template." Little did I know that all of the coding that I did to create the Recipe Index would be lost with my upgrade. Lost. Gone. Dead. :~(

So...until I have time to individually enter each recipe again, the Recipe Index will be incomplete. You can still search the archives for past recipes, and I will gradually work to pull the index back together. Right now, I will just kick myself for being so stupid.

I am sorry. I screwed up. Let this be a lesson for you all. Save your work before making changes.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

For the Love of Crab

I adore crab. Give me crab legs, crab appetizers, crab and pasta, crab salad, crab chowder, fake crab, real crab, even krab with a "K". It all makes me a happy girl. So, it isn't any great surprise that the menu for our Valentine's dinner incorporates crab. I suppose that it also isn't any great surprise to learn that Hubby and I aren't going out to eat on this romantic night. In our small town, dining options are limited. And, honestly, just as New Year's Eve is considered "amateur night" for the drinkers, I think that a dinner out on Valentine's Day is just asking for disappointment. Menu prices are usually inflated, cooks and wait persons are running ragged, and the chance of the entire experience leaving you screaming, "For the love of..." is pretty large. I would rather do something special at home. I would rather love me some crab from my own kitchen.

I had picked up a tub of pasteurized lump crab meat during my last run through Sam's Club. Valentine's Dinner seemed like the perfect opportunity to create luscious crab cakes with it. I love good crab cakes, and think that the best recipe lets the sweetness of the crab shine through. I don't want a lot of filler, and don't need heavy seasonings. I want to enjoy the richness of the crab, and Virginia Crab Cakes are the pure heaven for me.

In restaurant menus, crab cakes are often found sitting prettily on top of pasta dishes as a main course. To round out my Valentine's dinner, I zoomed in on a recipe that I had snagged some time ago but hadn't yet tried. Roasted Red Pepper Puree with Prosciutto and Pasta appears to be a great complement for my love of crab. The sauce is rich and flavorful enough to stand on its own with the pasta, but the crab cakes elevate the meal to something even more special. Valentine's Dinner is crab cakes and pasta On My Plate.


Virginia Crab Cakes
2 cups lump crab meat
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
2 large eggs
½ cup heavy cream
1 dash hot sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons grated onions
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a bowl, combine crab meat and bread crumbs.
In a small bowl, whisk eggs well and add cream, whisking.
Add cream mixture, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, onion and salt and pepper to taste to crab mixture and combine well.
In large heavy skillet, heat 1 tbs butter over moderate heat until foam subsides and into it drop half of crab mixture by tablespoons.
Cook crab cakes until golden brown, about 2 minutes, on each side, and repeat with remaining tablespoon butter and crab mixture. (24 appetizer size and 12 main dish crab cakes)

Roasted Red Pepper Puree with Prosciutto and Pasta
4 large red bell peppers
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
8-10 basil leaves, snipped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound dried pasta (linguine, spaghetti, or your favorite)
3 ounces prosciutto, cut into thin strips
½ teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper

Cut the red peppers in half, remove and discard the seeds and inner membranes. Flatten the pepper with the heel of your hand and place skin side up on a baking sheet, repeat with other peppers. Broil the peppers until they are completely charred and blackened. THE SKIN WILL NOT PEEL OFF EASILY UNLESS ITS BURNED! Remove the peppers to a plastic or paper bag and close tightly, place in the freezer until the peppers are cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.
With your fingers, peel and discard the loosened skin from the peppers, rinse under water.
Roughly chop the peppers and combine them with the oil, parsley, Basil and garlic in a food processor.
Spray an 8 inch skilled with cooking spray, and sauté the prosciutto over high heat, just to heat through.
Stir the meat into the red pepper puree, add salt and pepper and taste to adjust seasoning and pour over bed of cooked pasta. (Serves 4)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Deja Vu All Over Again

For quite awhile, friends have been encouraging me to try a new soup recipe. They were sure that I would like its robust curry flavors. They knew that it was so easy that I could make it even on nights that I felt dog tired. They had added it to their own quick and easy menu rotations and savored it frequently. I kept putting them off. I wasn't in the mood for soup. I didn't have all of the ingredients on hand. I didn't know if Hubby would be thrilled with the combination of flavors. I had a million excuses...until last night. Last night, I finally made Senegalese Chicken and Peanut Soup. I had leftovers of a rotisserie chicken on hand, and all of the other ingredients in my pantry. The weather was cold and snowy, yet again. It was a perfect night for a spicy soup.

We loved it. The blend of curries develop an excellent depth of flavor in this soup. The peanut flavor is distinct, but works as a subtle background for the heat. It is GOOD soup. But, it reminded me of something. While I was preparing the soup, the aroma brought back a memory that just perched out of reach in my mind. During dinner, Hubby and I discussed how much we liked the soup, and the flavor just seemed so familiar to me. Today, when I reheated leftovers for my lunch and snapped a photo of the new soup recipe, it hit me. I knew why I was sensing deja vu with this soup. I have a very similar recipe in my own collection.

I had found the recipe for Curried Peanut and Tomato Soup in last February's issue of Gourmet magazine. I fell in love with the simple soup and made it frequently for my own lunches during cold weather. When the weather warmed, the recipe was filed deep in the recesses of my mind. It took more cold weather, friends urging me to try a similar recipe, and nearly identical photos for me to blow the cobwebs from my memory and shake the feeling of deja vu.

Both soups are absolutely delicious. The recipe from Gourmet does use fewer ingredients, and the seasonings are probably more common to most pantries. Chicken could be added, too. But, don't overlook the Senegalese Chicken and Peanut Soup. Its wonderful flavor is worth the little bit of extra effort. I couldn't have thought of a better way to experience deja vu all over again.

Senegalese Chicken and Peanut Soup
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup curry powder
1 tablespoon yellow curry paste
1 quart chicken stock
1 quart diced tomatoes with juice
4 cups cooked chicken, diced
¾ teaspoon sambal oelek chili paste (red chile paste)
1 cup chunky peanut butter
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
the juice of 1 small lemon, to taste

Saute onion, garlic and cayenne in oil until onion is translucent.
Stir in curry powder and curry paste; saute 1 minute.
Add chicken stock and tomatoes in juice; bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.
Add cooked chicken and sambal; simmer for 10 minutes.
Whisk in peanut butter a little at a time until incorporated; add coconut milk and stir to incorporate.
Turn soup to low and add cilantro and lemon juice to brighten the taste; check seasoning. (Serves 6)


Curried Peanut and Tomato Soup
1 medium onion, chopped
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons curry powder (preferably Madras)
1 (14 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes with juice
1 ¾ cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup hot water
¼ cup smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

Cook onion, salt, and pepper in oil in a 2 to 3 quart heavy sauce pan over moderate hear, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
Add curry powder and cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes (with their juice) and broth and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes.
Stir hot water into peanut butter until smooth and add to soup.
Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.
Stir in cilantro before serving. (Serves 4)

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