Leek and Potato Soup with a Grown Up Grilled Cheese

If you haven't noticed by now, I tend to go into too much detail when it comes to describing things...so that's why a picture of my fingers and some dirt between the layers of the leek ended up on the blog. It is to show someone working with a leek for the first time how to cut and clean it properly. Don't worry, in the future I won't show any pictures about field dressing a dear, mainly because I don't know how to do it. =)
To clean a leek:
Cut the bottom off of the leek. Cut the green top portion that you won't be using off and discard. Take your knife and slit the leek down the side from top to bottom, penetrating all layers of the leek to the center. Fan the layers out a little. Turn it upside down and rinse under cold water. All of the dirt and sand should rinse off. Remove the outer layer of the leek and discard. It will not blend like the outer layer of an onion.

Not so long ago, I discovered Sweet Cooked Ham in the deli case. Since then, I've used it in omelets, muffuletta sandwiches and for this meal, it found its way into what I call a Grown Up Grilled Cheese.

Grown Up Grilled Cheese
2 slices of sourdough bread
2 slices of Sweet Cooked Ham (thin, but not see-through)
1 thick slice of swiss or cheddar cheese
butter

Place a non-stick skillet on a burner turned to medium/ med-low heat. Allow skillet to warm up. Smear butter on all sides (4) of the bread. Assemble the sandwich with the cheese and ham. Cook in the skillet 3 minutes on the 1st side, maybe 2 minutes on the 2nd side. Remove from heat when a golden brown crust forms. Serve and eat immediately.

Leek and Potato Soup

3 leeks washed and sliced (mostly white, but some green)
½ of a medium onion – diced
3 or 4 carrots – diced
1TBSP olive oil
1 tsp butter
3-4 medium potatoes – cut into small pieces (or 5 red potatoes)
1-2 qts chicken broth
1 bay leaf
dash of freshly ground pepper
¼ tsp of salt
Pinch of herbes de Provence

Heat up a lined soup pot for 1 minute. Add olive oil and butter. Add leeks, carrots, and onions; stir thoroughly. Reduce heat to med-low and allow veggies to sweat in their own juices for 3-4 min. (sometimes I add a little broth ¼ cup at this point). Add 1 qt broth, bay leaf and freshly ground pepper. Bring just to a boil; reduce heat to medium and cook 10 minutes, or until potatoes are done (soft when pressed against the side of the pan with a fork).

Remove the bay leaf and put veggies with broth into a blender (or use a hand emersion blender) and puree the mixture. Return to the pan. Taste for seasoning. Add salt, maybe additional broth (if mixture is too thick for your liking) and a little Herbes de Provence. Serve warm.

***This freezes well in a large portion or in lunch-size portions.

Post Thanksgiving Tex Mex Soup and an Avocado

After a long Thanksgiving weekend away, I was ready to be home and eat something from my own kitchen. Tired, but hungry, and hearing the usual chorus of "What's for dinner tonight?" led me to the freezer. I found some leftover smoked BBQ pork that I had frozen in chicken broth. I've tried to save smoked BBQ in a Ziploc, but it doesn't freeze well-too dry. However, if the meat is frozen in a liquid, it obviously retains both its moisture and flavor. This recipe could work well with leftover turkey, too.
So, after some mixing and tasting, this is what I came up with for our dinner... My husband made some cornbread to accompany the soup. It was just the right addition to the meal!
And after the recipe, I've shared my solution for removing the pit from an avocado without sustaining a knife wound.

Post Thanksgiving Tex Mex Soup

1 1/2 qts of Chicken broth
1 can of black beans (drained)
1 can of corn
1 package of Turkey Kielbasa
2-3 cups of leftover meat (chicken, turkey, or pork BBQ)
1 1/2 cups V8 juice
1 can mild Rotel
2/3 can regular Rotel
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp or more of Cumin
pinch of oregano

Place chicken broth, cooked meat, and V8 juice in in a large dutch oven. Slice Kielbasa down the middle longways and then into quarter-inch slices. Add slices to the broth mixture bring to a gentle boil. Add spices and corn. Cook for 20 minutes. Add black beans. Cook another 10 minutes, taste and adjust spices according to desired level of heat. If too spicy, dilute it with another cup of chicken broth. Garnish with avocado and fresh cilantro.

Garnishes:
avocado
cilantro
crushed tortilla chips
shredded cheese
sour cream


How to choose (and safely cut) an avocado
If an avocado is solid green and hard, it will be ready in 2-3 days. If it is solid black, it is probably ready. A perfectly ripe avocado should be black (with maybe a tinge of green) and firm, but barely give when you squeeze it. If the skin mashes in and you feel an air pocket between the skin and avocado's flesh, it is past its moment of usefulness.

To cut it, hold it in one hand, and your knife in the other. Make a circle all the way around. Put the knife down, squeeze and gently pull apart. Cut the half without the pit in half. Here is what I discovered about the side with a pit. Place the pit against the palm of your hand, use the knife to cut through the skin on the outside of the avocado. Gently tug one side from the pit. It is now in fourths. Use your hands to remove the pit from the other side. Previously, every time I tried to remove the pit by whacking it with a knife (As seen on TV), I caused an injury. So instead of giving up avocados, I created a different removal method. Now I have happy fingers and a happy tummy. I hope you do, too!

Green Beans with Almonds (haricots verts avec amandes)

How many people do you know that don't like green beans? Maybe they have never eaten them fresh, or perhaps they thought they were fresh, but were a stringy variety or were old. A good solution would be French Style Green Beans. A little pricier? Yes. But they get devoured around our table and there aren't any of those embarrassing thread-like strings dangling on the edge of your dinner plate.
In Middle Tennessee, I have found that a pre-measured package of French Green Beans works best for this cooking method. Good, quality beans can be found year-round at Publix (8oz bag $3.29) or Harris Teeter (1lb bag $4.99). I use only 1/2 pound at a time for a family of 4. Oh yeah, and they have an expiration date on the package, too.

If you want to sound sophisticated when serving your French Green Beans, tell everyone that in France they are called haricots verts avec amandes. (air-ree Ko Vair uh-vek ah mahnd)

Green Beans with Almonds

1/2 lb French style green beans
1-2TBSP olive oil
1/2 medium onion finely chopped
1/4 c less of sliced almonds
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the ends off of the green beans. Wash and place in a 1 inch of water in a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat for 6 minutes. remove from heat and leave the lid off of the pan. (I remove 12 or so beans for my 4 year-old's plate before I add these to the onion/almond mixture.) In a skillet, saute the onions in the olive oil. Transfer the green beans to the already cooked onions. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and almonds. Warm and toss in the pan over med/low heat. Serve immediately.

Carrot Souffle

Carrot Souffle must be the most requested dish made by my four year-old. He enjoys it and I enjoy knowing that he is getting a large serving of vegetables. Most Southerners grew up with Sweet Potato Casserole, but the ones I had growing up were always stringy. Not carrot souffle! Also, when I cook it, I make enough to freeze for 2 more meals. Last night when we ate it, I asked my husband to calculate the calories with one of his apps. It only has about 120 calories per 1/2 cup serving! I like to top it with pecans and of course our little one and Daddy like it topped with marshmallows. Also, I've found that a 1lb bag of organic carrots purchased at Trader Joe's or Wal-Mart is just as cheap as a bag of conventional ones.
The recipe below yields about 10 cups. If you cook the entire amount all at once, it will fit into a 2 1/2 quart baking dish. Or you can fill 1 loaf pan 2/3 full and bake for dinner. With the remaining unbaked amount, fill 2 disposable aluminum pans that are 4 1/2 x 9 inches 2/3 full. Cover with plastic wrap and a layer of foil. Put a label on top with the date. This will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer, I guess. Our extra ones never last long. Hopefully this carrot dish will be one that your family will want to eat and not be forced to eat. You can use it as a baby food or adapt it for someone who is dairy free/soy free by using Earth Balance Butter Flavor Spread.

Carrot Souffle
4lbs of large carrots peeled, cut in half and sliced down the middle at the thicker end.
6 tbsp butter at room temp
pinch of salt
6 eggs
3 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 c sugar

Cook carrots in water with a pinch of salt until they are tender (12-15 minutes). Have the water barely cover the carrots. Set aside 1/2 c of the water they were cooked in and drain the rest. Puree the carrots in a food processor or blender. I use the puree setting on my blender. If it is a little difficult, add the butter and a little of the reserved cooking water. Pour pureed carrots into a large mixing bowl and add the eggs, sugar and vanilla. Add the butter if you have not. Mix well. Pour it into a greased baking dish. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Remove, add desired topping and return to oven 5 minutes. Stay close to the oven so that those marshmallows don't burn!
If recreating the traditional sweet potato casserole topping, combine 2 parts each of brown sugar, flour and pecans with 1 part butter. Mix and put on top of the carrot mixture at the beginning of the bake time.

Winterize Your Home and Have Happy Feet

It is the most unfashionable time of the year. The time where I remove my house slippers from under the bed, where they have been out of sight. I grew up with parents that wore slippers and always said that I wouldn't do that. Well, I've had to do what I said I would not. Poor blood circulation runs in the family and my feet were numb for a few hours today, so today I broke out the slippers and began to think about winterizing the house.

It is supposed to get down as low as 23 tonight in Middle Tennessee. If you have a crawl space and have not done so, you will want to close the exterior vents. While I was closing mine tonight, I looked down and noticed that one of the garden hoses was still connected to the spigot. Oops, I quickly disconnected that! There is always a little water left inside of a hose and it could freeze the pipes, crawl space OR concrete slab foundation.

Here are a few other recommendations:
-If you go out of town, don't set your thermostat any lower than 55 degrees. This will help your bill remain low and help your pipes not to freeze.
-Change the HVAC air filter now and once a month. The system will work harder during the cold months.
-Check the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
Your home is most likely your biggest investment-Protect it!

This next tip has nothing to do with recipes or real estate, it goes in the rambling category. For that impossibly dry winter skin...I found a cream by necessity that works wonders on cracked feet. This sounds strange, but it is Palmer's Cocoa Butter Massage Cream for stretch marks. $4 at Wal-Mart. You can't beat that. Rub a dime size portion to your feet after getting out of the shower and try to wear socks for an hour. Laugh now, thank me later!

Enchiladas

If you went to college with me or eat at my house often, chances are that I've made enchiladas for you. This is a recipe that I grew up with. I didn't know that other kids in my town didn't have Mexican food on a regular basis. That's what you get with a momma from California. She exposed me to Mexican food because she cooked it in our home with what was available in Tennessee during the 1980's. Those good ol' Old El Paso brand products still exist!

Recently, I went to a BBQ and came home with a whole smoked chicken and a Boston Butt. While I enjoy BBQ, frozen cooked meat doesn't freeze well on its own. In order not to waste this delicious smoked meat, I put parts of the porker and chicken into enchiladas. They freeze well, and after they cool off, I wrap 2 at a time in plastic wrap. Then I wrap the pair in aluminum foil and label them. Later on, just pull them out, unwrap both layers, throw them in the microwave for a few minutes. There you have a fast and filling lunch in a hurry.

Red Sauce Enchiladas
1 pkg of 10 taco size flour tortillas ( I like Ole brand)
2 cans ( 10 oz each) red enchilada sauce (Old El Paso brand*) Wal-mart carries mild, med and hot varieties. I like medium. Watch what you buy!
1 lb ground beef OR ground turkey OR shredded pork- cooked and drained
1 8 oz brick of Monterey Jack cheese -grated
1 8 oz brick of extra sharp Cheddar - grated

I have found that 1 lb of meat and the above amounts of cheese and sauce are just right when evenly divided by 10. I have begun to decrease my cheese a little and small handful leftover is fine, too.
Make sure you have an ample amount of counter space to use for the assembly process. Spray 1 9x11 baking dish with Pam. Preheat oven to 350. Down the middle of each tortilla, place a strip of 3-4 TBSP of meat, a small handful of each cheese and 1 TBSP of red sauce. Roll it up and place in the greased baking dish. When all 10 are rolled up in the dish, pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Use a spoon or butter knife to run in between each enchilada. You want sauce to go between each enchilada. If not, later on they will be more difficult to remove from the pan. Bake for 25-35 minutes. The closer to 35 minutes, the crispier the enchilada.


Green Enchiladas
1 lb or more shredded chicken
2 cans (10oz each) Green enchilada sauce
1 8 oz brick of Monterey Jack cheese -grated
1 8 oz brick of extra sharp Cheddar - grated

Follow directions from above.