Creamy Tomato Blue Cheese Soup

There is a wonderful bookstore in Memphis called Davis Kidd that I love to visit. They have a great children's section, author signings, and a really comprehensive selection of books. There's a little cafe attached called Bronte Bistro. They have a yummy everyday menu, and their gimmick is to use recipes from cookbooks they sell as their daily specials. There are a few other locations if anyone else is lucky enough to be near one!

Anyway, they have the most delicious tomato blue cheese soup and I had been trying in vain to recreate it at home. I probably tried 3 or 4 iterations using a hodgepodge of online recipes, going back for tastings, and always coming up with something that wasn't creamy enough, or tasted to blue cheesy, or was too chunky. Recently I stumbled upon an old friend's blog and discovered that she was attempting to do the exact same thing and was also having only modest success! But smart cookie that she is, she and her husband ASKED the restaurant for their recipe! Genius. As it turns out, I was on the right track, but I was missing ONE key ingredient. Want to guess what it was? (Answer at the bottom!)

2 T butter
1 yellow onion
1 T minced garlic
1 c flour
1.5 quarts water
2 (32oz) cans diced tomatoes
1/2 lb bleu cheese

2 T salt
1 t white pepper
1 c heavy cream

Melt butter, dice onions and saute until translucent along with garlic. Add flour to make roux. (Careful not to burn) Whisk water into roux until smooth. Add diced tomatoes, bleu cheese, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and turn off heat. Add cream. Puree with hand blender or food processor. Serves 10-12.

Note: This is a fun use for the immersion blenders that everyone got for Christmas this year! (Thank you, Robin, for mine!)

(Answer: I was missing the flour! I never thought to make a roux first, and none of the other recipes I found online did this!)

Award Winning Pumpkin Pie

Makes one 9-inch pie; Serves 8

FOR THE GINGERSNAP CRUST

• 1 1/2 cups ground gingersnaps (from about 25-30 cookies)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine gingersnaps, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Stir in melted butter.
3. Press mixture into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch metal pie dish. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes. Bake until crust is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool.
4. Increase oven temp to 425 degrees F.

FOR THE PIE (from the Libby’s can)

• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 eggs
• 1 (15 ounce) can LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can Evaporated Milk

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs lightly in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. *whip fervently for a fluffier pie* Pour into pie shell.
3. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees F. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F.; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. (Do not freeze as this will cause the crust to separate from the filling.)

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 tbsp - 1/4 cup of sugar, to taste
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• other spices – I like to add chai tea or hot cocoa mix

1. Add the cream, and whip quickly with a wire whisk or in a mixing bowl until the cream is slightly thickened. Add the sugar and any flavorings. Continue to whip until cream forms soft peaks.

Christmas Cookies

     My best friend used to make these cookies in high school. I am sure they are not all that rare because they are made with three perfect ingredients but I have yet to experience them outside of the hills of Happy Valley!

Ritz Christmas Cookies

--Ritz Crackers (I used reduced fat because obvi this is going to be a big difference in total calories consumed when you look at the other ingredients used.)
--Peanut Butter (if you use the organic runny kind be prepared to lick a lot of peanut butter off of your fingers once you are done making these cookies)
Bag of milk chocolate (preferably a good brand)

1. Spread peanut butter between two ritz crackers and make a sandwich. Repeat with about 2 sleeves of ritz crackers.
2. Prepare a few plates with waxed paper or parchment paper.
3. Melt chocolate in a double boiler (filled with boiling water).
4. Dip one end of the sandwich in the chocolate.
5. Place cookies on the parchment or waxed paper and cool in the refrigerator.

      This recipe was given to me by my mother who got the recipe from the mother-in-law of one of my other best friends from high school. These cookies are pretty simple and smell like Christmas in all its glory. Oh and if you are anemic (ahem, my pregnant friends... molasses has iron in it so gobble these up).. enjoy!

Nanny's Spice Cookies

3/4 cup shortening (I substitutes butter because I try to avoid using crisco unless I am making a decorative icing).
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. molasses
1 egg or 1/4 cup applesauce
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground cloves
3/4 tsp ground ginger

1. Melt butter in microwave until soft.
2. Inlarge bowl combine butter and sugar. Add egg until blended. Add molasses and blend again.
3. In separate bowl, combine flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and ginger. Stir into the sugar mixture until well blended.
4. At this point you can place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least an hour.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll cookies into balls and place on cookie sheets. Bake for 9-10 minutes depending on whether you want them to be soft or crunchy.
PS. These cookies freeze well.

Baby It's Cold Outside - Beef Fajitas with Mango Salsa

I was a bit in denial regarding our first big snow in Oberlin and decided to cook something nice and summery to see if Mother Nature might change her mind. No luck with the weather, but the meal and leftovers have been delightful. Also, this was WAY more fun to make with my newly sharpened knives. I am a chopping, dicing, slicing maniac. :)

Modified from - Weight Watchers Make it in Minutes
Makes 4 Servings

INGREDIENTS
1 mango, chopped (I used pre-cut store bought mango, way easier)
1 tomato, chopped
1 tomato, thinly sliced w/juicy seeds removed
1 tbsp finely chopped red onion
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 lb flank steak, cut into thin strips (I hate touching meat, so I bought pre-sliced fajita beef, again, way easier...)
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp canola oil
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
4 tortilla
- the recipe also calls for a bell pepper (thinly sliced) and a jalapeno (seeded and thinly sliced) but I forgot to thaw some out so we went pepper-less.

INSTRUCTIONS
1 - Combine mango, chopped tomato, chopped onion, cilantro, 1/4 tsp salt, and lime juice in a non-reactive bowl. Ta-da - salsa is done. If you do this a little early that's okay, it will taste even better after sitting a bit.
2 - Combine steak, chili powder, coriander, and oregano in a bowl - coat the meat in the tasty spices.
3 - Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add the steak, sliced onion, Worcestershire sauce, and remaining salt (and peppers if you're using them). Cook, stirring occassionally, for about 6 minutes.
4 - Add sliced tomato and cook until steak is done, about one minute more.
5 - Assemble your tasty "take that winter" fajitas on the tortillas. We put the salsa directly on the meat but the recipe called for it on the side. We also had red beans and rice to make it a more substantial meal.

Portuguese Kale Soup

This recipe is from Emeril. I changed a couple of minor things (mostly due to what I had in my kitchen at the time!). I needed to use up some kale and I didn't think I would like this at all. I wound up pleasantly surprised!

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 bay leaves

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 cup sliced onions

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 1/2 pounds chorizo sausage, sliced in 1/2-inch slices (I couldn't find chorizo, so I just used spicy smoked sausage and it worked out alright)

3 quarts chicken stock

4 cups kale, rinsed, stemmed, and cut into 1-inch strips

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 pound diced new potatoes

In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the bay leaves, crushed red pepper flakes, and onions. Saute the mixture for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chorizo, stock and kale and bring the liquid up to a boil. Stir in the Essence and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Reduce the heat to a simmer, add the potatoes and cook until the potatoes are fork tender, about 30 minutes.

Apple, Butternut Squash, Sweet Curry Soup

Here's the recipe for those who have been asking... I prepared this delicious soup for C's baby shower on Saturday. I think it was a big hit!

Apple, Butternut Squash, Sweet Curry Soup
Recipe snagged from my college friend via Facebook.

1 roasted butternut squash
4 small-medium apples (de-skin, core, and slice)
1 large onion
3 large garlic cloves
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 cups chicken stock
2 Tbs salted butter
1 1/2 Tbs sweet curry powder (any curry will do, but I like the sweet)
fresh ground black pepper & salt to taste

Roast butternut squash in oven at 375 degrees until soft when speared with a knife. In butter, cook onion and garlic in a large stock pot until translucent/just starting to brown. Add apples and cook until they start to soften. Add de-skinned roasted butternut squash, cream, stock, curry powder, salt & black pepper. Stir just to combine. Remove from heat and transfer to blender. Blend until smooth (or you can leave it more chunky if you prefer). Return to pot to warm before serving. Makes just over a half gallon of soup.

Suggestion: Recipe easily doubled. I doubled all items of the recipe, with the exception of more onion and curry. Also, an immersion blender is the best option, otherwise transferring the contents of the stock pot to the blender is a pain.

Chicken Asparagus Casserole

"Chicken Asparagus" is what my family calls comfort food. My brother and I would ask my mom to make this for special occasions when we were growing up, though it's easy enough for a week-night meal. It's something I crave fairly often and Zach enjoys it, too!

Ingredients
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunky pieces
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 bunches fresh aparagus, steamed
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

• Sprinkle salt and pepper over raw chicken. Saute in oil over medium heat for 6 minutes.
• Place cooked asparagus in greased 9-inch square pan.
• Place cooked chicken on top of asparagus
• Mix together soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and curry powder. Pour over chicken and asparagus
• Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

*Adapted by me and my mom from Well Seasoned Cookbook