Artichoke Portobello Soup

 

On a 92° day, when I nearly succumbed to the heat while out on the deck transplanting plants in preparation for bringing them indoors, you wouldn’t think I would spend my afternoon making soup, but I did. I was recently provided with a complementary copy of Kneader’s Bakery and Cafe Cookbook, thanks to both the publisher and Melissa’s Produce. I’ll be reviewing this book in the near future, but, intrigued by the recipe for Artichoke Portobello Soup, I had to make it. I altered the recipe a bit, because it had more steps than need be. For example, the original recipe calls for you to make a roux outside of the soup and stir it in. Why?  I didn’t bother. I also thought it needed more mushrooms than it called for, plus in my local market they come three to a pack. This is a unique and delicious soup. I made it in my new GreenPan (that has significantly changed my cooking life in a very positive way), and it took no more than 20 minutes. It freezes well, so give it a try, and be ready to have a company worthy soup as well as one you will enjoy during the cold, gray days of winter.

Artichoke Portobello Soup

 Adapted from Kneaders Bakery & Cafe Cookbook

½ c. butter, divided
½ c. sliced green onions
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 ribs celery, sliced
3 Melissa’s portobello mushrooms, chopped
1 bay leaf
½ t. dried thyme
½ t. dried oregano
1/8 t. cayenne pepper
4 c. chicken broth
1 10-14-oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained & sliced
3 T. flour
1 c. heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 1/4 cup butter. Sauté the onion, carrots, and celery until they begin to caramelize, about eight minutes. Add chopped mushrooms, and sauté an additional 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the bay leaf, time, oregano, cayenne, and artichokes. Add the remaining ¼ cup butter, stirring until melted. Sprinkle flour over vegetable mixture, continuing to stir until it is fully incorporated. Stir in broth, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Slowly add the heavy cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the broth is slightly thickened and is heated through. Remove bay leaf before serving.

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Chi Chi’s Enchilada Casserole

 

I have long been aware of the existence of Chi-Chi’s restaurants I’ve just never been to one. This is a recipe that I found online associated with the restaurant, and I had to give it a try. It was excellent! So much so that I decided to find where the location of the closest restaurant was to where I live so that I could give it a try. The joke turned out to be on me, they have closed the restaurants nationwide. Oh well. At least I have this recipe, and now you do too.Chi Chi’s Enchilada Casserole

2 T. butter

1 T. flour

6 flour tortillas

3 c. half and half

½ t. white pepper

1 t. chicken bouillon

¼ t. Old Bay Seasoning

1 c. pepper jack cheese

½ c. chopped scallions

½ lb. cleaned, deveined medium shrimp, cut into thirds

1 6-oz. can lump crab meat

1 c. shredded cheddar

1/8 t. smoked paprika

 Preheat oven to 380°F. Spray a 1½-qt. baking dish with PAM; set aside.

 Place butter into a medium saucepan, whisking until melted.  Add flour and whisk for 1 minute. Add half and half, white pepper, chicken bouillon, Old Bay Seasoning, and a few gratings freshly ground black pepper. Mix until well combined. Once it begins to simmer, add pepper jack cheese and turn the heat off. Continue to stir until the cheese is well incorporated into the sauce.

 Transfer 1/3 of the cream mixture into your prepared baking dish, another 1/3 into a cup or other such vessel, and leave the remaining 1/3 in the pan to which you will now add the scallions, shrimp, and crab. Mix gently to coat. Turn the heat to medium and continue to cook for 1½ to 2 minutes or until the shrimp is pink. Once done, turn off the heat. If it’s a bit dry, you can add 1 tablespoon of milk.

 In a 10” sauté pan, warm one tortilla at a time, filling each as you go, and gently placing into your baking dish atop the sauce, seam side down. Pour the remaining sauce over the top, and top with cheddar cheese. Slightly sprinkle some paprika over the top.

 Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or cheese has melted.

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Buttery Garlic Mushroom & Rice with Spinach

 

I love a sexy side dish, don’t you? One that is quick, easy to put together, good enough for company, absolutely delicious, and good for you as well. This recipe is adapted from one that I found online; the original did not have spinach in it. I think the spinach is a nice addition, not just because it adds a touch of color to the combination of rice and mushrooms, but also because it’s good for you. Consider adding any vegetable of your choice if you don’t have spinach on hand, or even if you do. This is a side dish that is good enough to serve as a main.

Buttery Garlic Mushroom & Rice with Spinach

Inspired by South Your Mouth

 12 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced

3 T. Melissa's minced garlic

1 c. Basmati rice

½ t. freshly ground black pepper

1 T. fresh thyme or ½ t. dried thyme

2 10-oz. cans beef consommé

1 large handful fresh baby spinach

 Sauté mushrooms in butter in a large skillet* over high heat for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Add garlic, rice, pepper, and thyme, reduce heat to medium then continue cooking and stirring for 5 minutes.

 Add mushrooms along with the beef consommé; bring to a boil. Add spinach. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Adjust the heat accordingly to maintain a gentle simmer.

When ready to serve, fluff with a fork then garnish with chopped fresh chives if desired.

 *I have been using this Smart Skillet for the past month and LOVE it!

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Shades of Autumn Tablescape

 

A friend recently alerted me to a wonderful YouTube channel called “The Tartan Topiary.” It is hosted by Mary, who uses her channel to beautifully review home and gardening books. If you haven’t seen it, give it a look, because it is wonderful! The downside is that, because her reviews are so lovely, you may find (like me) that you are going to want to buy every one of those reviewed books.

 I always try to control myself, but sometimes it’s not easy. Case in point, she introduced me to the books of Ted Kennedy Watson, and I fell in love. I was particularly enamored with his Guide to Stylish Entertaining. One of his suggestions (and Mary took this up on her episode about this book) is to decorate a table with only one color. I decided that I was going to do that with my first fall table, choosing the color green, my favorite. I wasn’t so sure how this is going to work out, and it was a bit of a challenge, but I am in love with the results.

I started simply with the forest green tablecloth and woven placemats. I added scalloped-edged wooden chargers from Pier One, as well as Italian ceramic charges with a green border. I reused both square black plates, and black flatware from last week’s table.While not visible initially, removing the small wreath and fabric pumpkin reveals a pumpkin-shaped plate that can be used for salad or dessert.

  

The green water glasses I inherited from my mother, as I’ve mentioned so many times in the past. I also inherited her beautiful crystal. I wasn’t sure how something as elegant as these wine glasses from Rogaska in the “Gallia” pattern would work at this table, but they give it a touch of elegance, and nice sparkle.

 

The plaid napkins from Pottery Barn tend to go with everything.At center I have iron candlesticks, purchased years and years ago from a local shop, and green tapers surrounded by faux pumpkins in white and pale green in various sizes.

I’m very happy with the results here. It blends in so lovely with all of the green plants in the Conservatory, that I may just leave this up until it’s time for Halloween.

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This post is linked to: Tablescape Thursday 

Chewy Pecan Bars

 

A number of years ago, and by a number I mean that it could be 10, it could be more, who knows? The time flies by so quickly I have a hard time keeping track. Anyway, back in the day, the Archway Cookie Company used to offer, in their collection of cookies, pecan cookies. They were similar to a chocolate chip cookie without the chocolate chips. Those were my favorite of all of the cookies they made, so naturally they were discontinued. This pretty much happens with all of my favorite products, don’t get me started.

I was wondering about those cookies the other day and started googling for recipes. I didn’t come up with exactly what I was looking for, but I managed to combine enough recipes that I found, providing me with the results that I was hoping for. I prefer a crunchy rather than chewy cookie, so I baked mine for the full 35 minutes, probably more like 37. If you would like your cookie crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, you might want to opt for the lower end, say 28 to 30 minutes. Once you get started, it’s hard to stop eating these.Chewy Pecan Bars

1 c. butter, melted
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 t. vanilla extract
1 t. butter flavoring
2 large eggs
2 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. kosher salt
1 c. pecans, rough chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9” x 13” straight-sided baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on both of the long sides. This will facilitate easy lifting from the pan after the cookies have been baked and cooled. Spray foil with Baker’s Joy; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the melted butter and two sugars until smooth and creamy. Stir in vanilla extract and butter flavoring. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add flour, baking soda, and salt, and beat until incorporated; do not over mix. Fold in pecans.

Transfer batter to the prepared pan and smooth out. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown and the edges are crispy. Remove from the oven to a wire rack and let cookies cool completely before removing from pan and slicing into squares.

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Pasta with Spinach, Olives & Feta

I have been a journal keeper for the past 30 years, maybe longer. You can imagine how many spiral bound books of all shapes, types, and sizes, that I have filled throughout the years. The other day, while cleaning a bookcase, I decided to take a number of them down (comprising the years 1997 through 1998), and read them. I was struck by how frantically busy my life was at that time, wondering how on earth I managed to get everything done that I did, and still stay sane (although that is open to debate). I had written about an evening that the late Mr. O-P and I spent with friends. We used to socialize with two other couples. Sadly, of the six of us, I am the only one left. Our best friends at the time, I suppose, were Lenny and Stef. They were fun, whimsical, and serendipitous. I remember one afternoon Steffie called, said she wanted to try a new recipe, and invited us over for dinner. Two hours later we were relaxing with cocktails on their patio while she stirred up a pasta dish in the kitchen. I had forgotten all about that evening until I read about it in my journal. I also wrote that I loved the dish and wanted to ask for the recipe, but upon learning that Mr. O-P didn’t care for it, I didn’t pursue it.

I had described the recipe as pasta with spinach, olives, and feta. I got to wondering about that, so I googled those ingredients and came up with a number of different recipes. This one is a combination of all of them, and while I don’t remember at all what that dish tasted like in 1997, I will say that I quite enjoyed it when I had it last night.

Pasta with Spinach, Olives & Feta

8 oz. farfalle
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. Melissa’s minced garlic
1½ T. capers
½ c. kalamata olives, pitted and halved
2 handfuls fresh baby spinach, chopped
1 4-oz. container feta
Freshly ground black pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, in a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, and garlic. Stir in capers, olives, spinach, feta, and black pepper. When pasta has finished cooking, drain and immediately dump it into the bowl with all of the other ingredients. The heat from the pasta will wilt the spinach. Toss to coat, and serve immediately. Leftovers can be refrigerated to enjoy later.

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CATAN: The Official Cookbook, Reviewed

  

I​nitially, when I was offered this book for review, I was going to pass. After all, I had never heard of the game CATAN, so what could I possibly have to say about it that would be of any use to anyone? Never before has that old adage, Don’t judge a book by its cover, been more suitable than it turned out to be here.

  CATAN: The Official Cookbook is a WONDERFUL cookbook, full of beautiful photography, and delicious recipes. Before I get into the meat of the cookbook, so to speak, I’ll add that my number two son pointed out that CATAN was mentioned in The Big Bang Theory. If you are a TBBT fan like I am, you probably remember the episode where the guys were playing cards and Sheldon needs wood.  I’ll say no more.

Now to the book. It features 187 pages of the most delicious collection of recipes that I have seen in a long time. The photography is beautiful, the text is written large enough so that you can see it across the room (something I find handy), and a photo accompanies every recipe. The photos are so vibrant and beautiful that you’re going to want to lick the page.In keeping with the theme, a hexagonal box in the upper right hand corner of every recipe tells you how many people it serves, as well as how many minutes you will be devoting to prep time. The hexagonal box is indicative of the shape of the game.At the beginning of each recipe is a little blurb to tie it in with the game. The recipes themselves are easy to read with the ingredients set off to the left in a yellow box, the instructions on the right. I like this layout.There is a wide variety of recipes to please all tastes, with (thankfully, you don’t always see this) a comprehensive index in the back.The book is divided into five parts.

Game Night Snacks

Food for the Road

Adventurous Feast

Hard Won Desserts

Cheers for Victory

 Take a look at the recipes they have to offer, and tell me that you won’t have a difficult time deciding what to make first.

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 Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of CATAN: The Official Cookbook from Ulysses Press in exchange for an honest review.