Apple Beet Ginger Soup October 10, 2007

It has been a while since I have posted any recipes. Life has been busy, we moved, got a dog, I got a new job. And in the whole hula-baloo, my cooking passed to the wayside. But it is back and hopefully with a vengance.



I had never worked with beets before, but the recipe sounded good and easy enough, so I gave it a shot. Husband loved it. He said he would eat it 4 out of 5 days. Just be careful, this soup stains, so I wouldn’t feed it to children.

Ingredients

5 beets, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 onion, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups unsweetened apple juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp ginger

Combine the first four ingredients in a large pot. Boil for 15 minutes. Puree the mixture. Add in the salt, pepper, and ginger. Serve.

Chicken and Potato Dinner March 6, 2007

Ingredients
2 Tbsp margarine
4-cups Ore Ida Potatoes O’Brien
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 tsp flour
2-cups chicken, cooked, cubed, and seasoned with chili powder
½-cup milk
½ tsp black pepper
1-cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Melt margarine in a skillet over medium heat. Add the potatoes and pepper and cook for 8 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and cook 1 minute. Add chicken, milk, and black pepper and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Sprinkle with cheese and allow the cheese to melt. Makes 4 servings.

Homemade Sloppy Joes

I love Manwich Sloppy Joes. I don’t know what it is that makes them so delicious, but I could eat them everyday. That being said, I decided to make my own, at home sloppy joe mix, convinced that it couldn’t be as good as Manwich. The end result, the at home sloppy joe mix was pretty good, but still hard to beat the yumminess of Manwich that comes out of a can.

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
4 Tbsp brown sugar
1 ½-cup tomato sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp allspice
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
4 buns

Add oil to a skillet and cook beef over medium high heat until fully cooked. Combine sugar, allspice, and cayenne pepper and sprinkle over the cooked beef. Reduce the heat to medium and add in vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and garlic, cook for 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and paste. Stir to combine. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve. Makes 4 servings.

Chicken, Mushroom, and Tomato over Rice March 1, 2007

I got the base for this recipe from Real Simple magazine. I however, felt that their recipe was lacking some flavor, so I changed it to fit my and husbands tastes. Husband gave this dish a 5 out of 5 days. I’m not sure if it was because the meal was so delicious or just because he looked particularly ravenous and he would have even given Bake Cow Tongue a 5 out of 5.

Ingredients
2 4-oz boneless, skinless, chicken breast
1 Tbsp Montreal Seasoning
1 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1/3-cup chicken stock
1-cup rice, uncooked
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning (dried basil and oregano)

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the chicken with the Montreal Seasoning. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chicken in the skillet and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until almost cooked the whole way through. Remove the chicken to a plate. Put the mushrooms in the skillet and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, and chicken stock to the skillet. Cook 2 minutes. Put the chicken back in the skillet and place the skillet in the oven. Roast until the chicken is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the rice according to the package directions. Once cooked add the Worcestershire sauce and Italian Seasoning to the rice. Serve rice with chicken, mushrooms, and tomatoes on top. Makes 2 servings.

Curry Pumpkin Soup February 20, 2007

This soup would make an excellent addition to any Thanksgiving dinner. It can even be enjoyed all winter long, as it is a hearty, warming soup. It is probably also one of the easiest soups I have ever made.

Ingredients
1 Tbsp margarine
½-cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
¾ tsp curry powder
¼ tsp ginger
¼ tsp cumin
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 ½-cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 15 oz can pumpkin
1 12 oz can evaporated milk

In a large pan over medium heat melt the margarine. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add in the curry, ginger, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir to coat the onion with the spices. Stir in the broth and pumpkin and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Add in the evaporated milk, stir to combine and puree the mixture. Makes 4-5 servings.