I just finished making Cream of Mushroom soup for my summer job at Renaissance camp. Renaissance camp has nothing whatsoever to do with Renaissance faires despite what everybody thinks when they first hear the name. Instead, it is an art and science summer day camp for 6-10 year olds. It is super fun and I am lucky enough to be one of the science teachers there along with Scott (I have been trying to get into Ren camp for years). Those of you who have known me for a while, know that I love to hunt for mushrooms. Eating mushrooms is growing on me but is still not my favorite thing to eat (still, I love eating what I find!). So, over the years, I have become something of a minor mycologist (person who studies mushrooms). I am very excited to be able to share my knowledge with my students tomorrow when I teach a lesson on mushrooms. At the end, I thought it would be a fun reward to let them have some cooked mushrooms. After realizing how expensive it is to buy "wild" mushrooms in the store (much cheaper and fun to find them in the wild but, alas, I do not have the time), I decided I would make a cream of mushroom soup with mostly white mushrooms and a few "wild." Here is the recipe (from allrecipe.com)
Ingredients
5 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon sherry
Directions
1.In a large heavy saucepan, cook mushrooms in the broth with onion and thyme until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
2.In blender or food processor, puree the mixture , leaving some chunks of vegetable in it. Set aside.
3.In the saucepan, melt the butter, whisk in the flour until smooth. Add the salt, pepper, half and half and vegetable puree. Stirring constantly, bring soup to a boil and cook until thickened. Adjust seasonings to taste, and add sherry.
Needless to say, I emitted the sherry. I was a little nervous when it came to purying the mixture as my blender has a major leak. I ended up using my food processor as I could not find the top to my blender and found out that it works great! I had to do it in batches, but it really blends it down well. And it is a lot easier to do this than to work the food mill. The results? Well, I haven't had much (I want to save most of it for the kids), but I surprisingly really like it. And I don't usually like mushrooms or cream of mushroom soup (unless it is mixed in with something else). The only thing I did differently was cook the mushrooms and onions in a little butter to soften them and release some flavors before I added the liquid. I didn't measure the mushrooms or onion, just eyeballed it. Soup is nice like that. Plus, I doubled the recipe to hopefully feed 32 kids. Definitely try it on your own!
(No picture as I left my camera in the car)
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Berry Muffins
This post is brought to you by Derek William and Lynnelle Wing for sharing their honey. Lynnelle and Derek have been beekeeping for the past year or so and generously gave some honey to Scott and I on thursday. After receiving this delicious honey, I decided to search around for a recipe in which I could use the honey to honor them. I kid you not, this is the most delicious honey I have ever tasted! Yum! So, with extra berries almost rotting away in the fridge, I decided on this one:
Berry Muffins (From Simply in Season by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup oil (I used Olive oil)
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen berries ( I used cut up strawberries and blueberries)
Procedure:
1) Mix all the dry ingredients together
2) In another bowl, mix all the wet ingredients (except the berries).
3) Fold in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened
4) Fold in the berries.
5) Fill well greased muffin tings 2/3 full. Sprinkle top with cinnamon sugar. Bake in preheated oven at 400 F for 15-20 min
The recipe didn't include how you told the muffins were done. Fortunately, I have made muffins before and knew that if you insert a toothpick into the muffin and it comes out clean it means that it is done. The muffins themselves came out okay. They were a little bitter to my taste for some reason, although the chunks of strawberries were delicious! Looking at how little they rose (see pictures), I would say I probably need new baking powder as well. But, at least they were relatively healthy as muffins go! They were also a great thing to have for breakfast or a snack and lasted quite a while (the last ones were eaten today). Thanks again to our friends Derek and Lynnelle and their bees, of course!
Berry Muffins (From Simply in Season by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup oil (I used Olive oil)
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen berries ( I used cut up strawberries and blueberries)
Procedure:
1) Mix all the dry ingredients together
2) In another bowl, mix all the wet ingredients (except the berries).
3) Fold in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened
4) Fold in the berries.
5) Fill well greased muffin tings 2/3 full. Sprinkle top with cinnamon sugar. Bake in preheated oven at 400 F for 15-20 min
The recipe didn't include how you told the muffins were done. Fortunately, I have made muffins before and knew that if you insert a toothpick into the muffin and it comes out clean it means that it is done. The muffins themselves came out okay. They were a little bitter to my taste for some reason, although the chunks of strawberries were delicious! Looking at how little they rose (see pictures), I would say I probably need new baking powder as well. But, at least they were relatively healthy as muffins go! They were also a great thing to have for breakfast or a snack and lasted quite a while (the last ones were eaten today). Thanks again to our friends Derek and Lynnelle and their bees, of course!
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| Berry muffins |
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| A close up of whole wheat strawberry blueberry goodness |
Thomas Jefferson Macaroni and Cheese
So... I might have to consider changing the name of my blog as I found an almost perfect Macaroni and Cheese recipe. I give it the "almost" rating as I don't know if there is the "perfect" macaroni and cheese out there. This one was definitely the best one I have made and I would rate it at a 9.5/10. Very good! And I owe it all to my co-worker Chris (who suggested looking up this recipe) and the people at Foodwishes.com. Check out their video:
http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2009/02/life-liberty-and-pursuit-of-cheesy.html
It was amazing. What was most revolutionary (get it, revolutionary?) was the idea of using less pasta! One big problem that I have had with Macaroni and Cheese recipes is that they never ever seem to be cheesy enough for me. So, what does the person in this video suggest but using less pasta! AMAZING! The crust on this is really something to die for. I suggest you go out and try it yourself! Of course, using less pasta means less macaroni and cheese to eat, but it is a worthy trade off. And what, you may ask, does Macaroni and Cheese have to do with our founding father, Thomas Jefferson? Well, he was the one who invented it, according to historical legend. I thank him to this day!
Side note: FYI, I used about 8 oz of pasta (I eyeballed it) and probably more than the 3 cups recommended cheese (Tilamook sharp cheddar [always delicious!]). It was ooey, gooey, cheesy and had a great crust! I definitely know panko is the best for topping but I really liked the cheese part of it as well!
http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2009/02/life-liberty-and-pursuit-of-cheesy.html
It was amazing. What was most revolutionary (get it, revolutionary?) was the idea of using less pasta! One big problem that I have had with Macaroni and Cheese recipes is that they never ever seem to be cheesy enough for me. So, what does the person in this video suggest but using less pasta! AMAZING! The crust on this is really something to die for. I suggest you go out and try it yourself! Of course, using less pasta means less macaroni and cheese to eat, but it is a worthy trade off. And what, you may ask, does Macaroni and Cheese have to do with our founding father, Thomas Jefferson? Well, he was the one who invented it, according to historical legend. I thank him to this day!
Side note: FYI, I used about 8 oz of pasta (I eyeballed it) and probably more than the 3 cups recommended cheese (Tilamook sharp cheddar [always delicious!]). It was ooey, gooey, cheesy and had a great crust! I definitely know panko is the best for topping but I really liked the cheese part of it as well!
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| Before it went in the oven- you can see the beginnings of an amazing crust |
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| Fresh out of the oven |
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| My dinner plate. Yum! |
Calzone
This one is short and (relatively) simple. I have been hankering to make a calzone for a while. When Scott told me Wednesday that he requested dinner brought in to him at work, I thought this would make the perfect portable meal.
Calzone
Ingredients;
1 1/3 cups water
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 cups AP flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast
pesto (see previous blog)
artichoke hearts
olives, sliced
feta cheese
mozzarella cheese, shredded
Procedure:
1) Put first six ingredients in a bread machine and set it on the pizza dough feature.
2) Cut the dough in half and roll it into two circles.
3) Put the pesto layer, cheese and toppings on half of the two circles.
4) Fold the dough over (pinching it tight) and transfer to a 425 oven for about 30 minutes.
This is one of the few times where I prefer a bread machine to anything else. However, the dough came out a little sticky so I might choose a different recipe next time. The calzone came out perfect and Scott said it was his "best calzone ever."
Calzone
Ingredients;
1 1/3 cups water
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 cups AP flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast
pesto (see previous blog)
artichoke hearts
olives, sliced
feta cheese
mozzarella cheese, shredded
Procedure:
1) Put first six ingredients in a bread machine and set it on the pizza dough feature.
2) Cut the dough in half and roll it into two circles.
3) Put the pesto layer, cheese and toppings on half of the two circles.
4) Fold the dough over (pinching it tight) and transfer to a 425 oven for about 30 minutes.
This is one of the few times where I prefer a bread machine to anything else. However, the dough came out a little sticky so I might choose a different recipe next time. The calzone came out perfect and Scott said it was his "best calzone ever."
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| Pesto calzone with mozzarella and feta cheese, olives and artichoke hearts |
Sunday, June 12, 2011
The kind of thing I always order in restaurants
It is amazing how long I can make a meal last. For example, today (sunday 6/12), I am still eating food that I cooked on thursday (6/9). So, what did I make? Whole wheat pasta with pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese and olives. The kind of thing I always order in restaurants. Best of all, it was way cheaper than restaurant fare (especially considering how many meals I have gotten out of it).
Whole wheat pasta with pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese and olives
Ingredients:
A bag of whole wheat pasta (I used the rotini kind)
Olives
Feta cheese
Sun-dried tomatoes
Pesto
(1 cup basil leaves, 1-3 cloves garlic, 1/3 cup pine nuts, 3-6 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/3 cup olive oil)
Procedure:
1) Cook the whole wheat pasta
2) While the pasta is cooking, add all the ingredients for the pesto except the olive oil in a food processor until they are all finely chopped. Add in the oil gradually while the food processor runs until it makes a paste.
3) Drain the pasta and then add in the rest of the ingredients to your flavor.
4) Enjoy with more parmesan cheese if you so desire!
Delicious and easy!
Whole wheat pasta with pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese and olives
Ingredients:
A bag of whole wheat pasta (I used the rotini kind)
Olives
Feta cheese
Sun-dried tomatoes
Pesto
(1 cup basil leaves, 1-3 cloves garlic, 1/3 cup pine nuts, 3-6 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/3 cup olive oil)
Procedure:
1) Cook the whole wheat pasta
2) While the pasta is cooking, add all the ingredients for the pesto except the olive oil in a food processor until they are all finely chopped. Add in the oil gradually while the food processor runs until it makes a paste.
3) Drain the pasta and then add in the rest of the ingredients to your flavor.
4) Enjoy with more parmesan cheese if you so desire!
Delicious and easy!
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| My pasta creation |
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| With farmer's market salad |
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Bagels and a Bowl of Sunshine
It all started when I bought cream cheese for a recipe to cook up at Cazadero. I was going to make a green chile egg dish (delicious, by the way!) and had 4 oz of cream cheese left over. As almost any body with extra cream cheese would think, I thought that the extra would be great with bagels. Of course,we didn't buy bagels so that craving had to stew in the back of my mind for almost a week. Until yesterday.
I came out of my cooking slump yesterday. I haven't been doing much cooking lately for two reasons: One, I have been away from home for work a lot. Two, other people (like my wonderful husband-to-be) have been cooking for me. What luxury! However, I have been meaning to make bagels for a few months now. I went back to my favorite cookbook How to cook nearly everything by Mark Bittman and followed the recipe. Here it is:
Bagels
Ingredients:
3 and 1/2 cups bread or all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast
2 tablespoons malt syrup, maple syrup, molasses or sugar
Neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn, for baking sheet (if needed)
Procedure:
1. Put the flour in a food processor. Add the salt, yeast and sweetener and process for 5 seconds. With the machine running, pour (don’t drizzle) 1 and 1/4 cups water through the feed tube. Process for about 30 seconds, then remove the cover. The dough should be in a well-defined ball, only slightly sticky and very easy to handle. If the dough is too dry, add water 1 tbsp at a time and process for 5 or 10 seconds after each addition. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead for a minute or two longer by hand, adding as much flour as necessary to make a smooth, tough, very elastic dough.
2. Dump the lump of dough into a large bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rise for about 2 hours at room temperature, or up to 12 hours in the refrigerator. If refrigerated, bring back to room temp before proceeding.
3. Deflate the dough ball and let it rest on a lightly floured surface, covered, for about 10 minutes. Cut it into 8 or 12 equal pieces, depending on how big you want your bagels. Roll each ball into a 6 to 8 inch long rope and then shape into a circle. Keep all the balls covered as you work and lightly flour and cover the shaped bagels as well. When they’re done, cover and let rise for about 30 minutes.
4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and heat the oven (if using a pizza stone, put it in during preheating). Drop the bagels, one at a time, into the boiling water; don’t crowd. The bagels will sink, then rise to the surface. Boil for 1 minute on each side, then remove them with a slotted spoon and put on a lightly greased rack to drain.
5. Put bagels either on a pizza stone or a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the bagels are nicely browned. Remove and cool on a wire rack. Keep for 1 to 2 days.
I forgot how much I love working with dough and baking stuff. They were so very much fun to make! I also realized I cannot make a bagel look good if my life depended upon it. Oh well. They tasted delicious. Definitely different from the soft sugary stuff you get from the store. These were chewy on the outside and soft on the inside. Yum! I covered them with sesame seeds and enjoyed them with all the cream cheese I wanted!
Next on my list was a Bowl of Sunshine. What's that, you ask? Well, I am talking about the Bowl of Sunshine soup by David Wells, a gentleman known for making recipes for cancer patients. Scott read about this butternut squash soup and really wanted to try it. After all the cooking he has been doing for me, I decided to reward him by making this soup.
Bowl of Sunshine soup
Notes:
High in powerful antioxidants: Vitamins A (beta carotene), C. Low calorie source. A great potassium and folate source. High in fiber. Excellent for improving circulation, and relieving nausea and indigestion. Bright visual color is appealing and stimulating.
Yield: 10 (12 oz.) servings
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: approx. 2 hours
Ingredients:
1 TB. olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup ginger, peeled and sliced
2-4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup rice vinegar or sake
1 lg. butternut squash, peeled seeded and rough cut
3 quarts H20
3 TB. orange zest (orange part of skin only)
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 bunch scallions, thinly sliced on bias (angle)
Salt and pepper to taste
Procedure:
1) Heat soup pot on medium heat w/olive oil until smoking.
2) Saute onions, garlic, and ginger for 2 to 3 minutes until translucent.
3) Add rice wine and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
4) Add butternut squash and 2 quarts of H20.
5) Simmer slowly for 2 hours.
6) Ladle contents into a blender and puree.
CAUTION: Always be very careful, pureeing hot food in as contents may erupt. You may want to remove the top and cover with a plate. Always leave some space for heat to escape.
7) If needed, you can adjust consistency w/remaining quart of H20.
8) Return pureed mixture to rinsed pot, heat and simmer.
9) Add cilantro, orange zest, and scallions.
10) Season w/salt and pepper and serve.
So, I found out a few things from making this recipe. One, was to make sure the soup was at a simmer rather than just putting the heat on and then leaving and coming back two hours later to realize that no bubble were coming up at all! The squash, alas, did not cook to the consistency I wanted and so it made more of a grainy soup than a coming apart liquefied soup. I was also panicking since my blender is leaking (an immersion blender would be perfect here!) until I realized that I had a food mill. Alas, I lost the instructions for my food mill so I experimented with the different disc sizes. The first one (large) was too large but the second one (medium) was just right. I feel like Goldilocks with that statement. It is a bit inconvenient using a food mill compared to an immersion blender, but I bet it is a lot easier than using a standing blender. Plus, it was just fun to use the food mill again! The verdict? I put in too much orange zest (in my opinion) so didn't really like the soup all that much. I actually stopped eating it about halfway through my first bowl. Plus, I should have cooked the butternut squash more. Scott, however, loved it! And, since the soup was for him in the first place, that's all that really matters!
I came out of my cooking slump yesterday. I haven't been doing much cooking lately for two reasons: One, I have been away from home for work a lot. Two, other people (like my wonderful husband-to-be) have been cooking for me. What luxury! However, I have been meaning to make bagels for a few months now. I went back to my favorite cookbook How to cook nearly everything by Mark Bittman and followed the recipe. Here it is:
Bagels
Ingredients:
3 and 1/2 cups bread or all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast
2 tablespoons malt syrup, maple syrup, molasses or sugar
Neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn, for baking sheet (if needed)
Procedure:
1. Put the flour in a food processor. Add the salt, yeast and sweetener and process for 5 seconds. With the machine running, pour (don’t drizzle) 1 and 1/4 cups water through the feed tube. Process for about 30 seconds, then remove the cover. The dough should be in a well-defined ball, only slightly sticky and very easy to handle. If the dough is too dry, add water 1 tbsp at a time and process for 5 or 10 seconds after each addition. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead for a minute or two longer by hand, adding as much flour as necessary to make a smooth, tough, very elastic dough.
2. Dump the lump of dough into a large bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rise for about 2 hours at room temperature, or up to 12 hours in the refrigerator. If refrigerated, bring back to room temp before proceeding.
3. Deflate the dough ball and let it rest on a lightly floured surface, covered, for about 10 minutes. Cut it into 8 or 12 equal pieces, depending on how big you want your bagels. Roll each ball into a 6 to 8 inch long rope and then shape into a circle. Keep all the balls covered as you work and lightly flour and cover the shaped bagels as well. When they’re done, cover and let rise for about 30 minutes.
4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and heat the oven (if using a pizza stone, put it in during preheating). Drop the bagels, one at a time, into the boiling water; don’t crowd. The bagels will sink, then rise to the surface. Boil for 1 minute on each side, then remove them with a slotted spoon and put on a lightly greased rack to drain.
5. Put bagels either on a pizza stone or a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the bagels are nicely browned. Remove and cool on a wire rack. Keep for 1 to 2 days.
I forgot how much I love working with dough and baking stuff. They were so very much fun to make! I also realized I cannot make a bagel look good if my life depended upon it. Oh well. They tasted delicious. Definitely different from the soft sugary stuff you get from the store. These were chewy on the outside and soft on the inside. Yum! I covered them with sesame seeds and enjoyed them with all the cream cheese I wanted!
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| My lopsided but delicious bagels |
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| The long awaited bagels and cream cheese |
Next on my list was a Bowl of Sunshine. What's that, you ask? Well, I am talking about the Bowl of Sunshine soup by David Wells, a gentleman known for making recipes for cancer patients. Scott read about this butternut squash soup and really wanted to try it. After all the cooking he has been doing for me, I decided to reward him by making this soup.
Bowl of Sunshine soup
Notes:
High in powerful antioxidants: Vitamins A (beta carotene), C. Low calorie source. A great potassium and folate source. High in fiber. Excellent for improving circulation, and relieving nausea and indigestion. Bright visual color is appealing and stimulating.
Yield: 10 (12 oz.) servings
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: approx. 2 hours
Ingredients:
1 TB. olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup ginger, peeled and sliced
2-4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup rice vinegar or sake
1 lg. butternut squash, peeled seeded and rough cut
3 quarts H20
3 TB. orange zest (orange part of skin only)
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 bunch scallions, thinly sliced on bias (angle)
Salt and pepper to taste
Procedure:
1) Heat soup pot on medium heat w/olive oil until smoking.
2) Saute onions, garlic, and ginger for 2 to 3 minutes until translucent.
3) Add rice wine and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
4) Add butternut squash and 2 quarts of H20.
5) Simmer slowly for 2 hours.
6) Ladle contents into a blender and puree.
CAUTION: Always be very careful, pureeing hot food in as contents may erupt. You may want to remove the top and cover with a plate. Always leave some space for heat to escape.
7) If needed, you can adjust consistency w/remaining quart of H20.
8) Return pureed mixture to rinsed pot, heat and simmer.
9) Add cilantro, orange zest, and scallions.
10) Season w/salt and pepper and serve.
So, I found out a few things from making this recipe. One, was to make sure the soup was at a simmer rather than just putting the heat on and then leaving and coming back two hours later to realize that no bubble were coming up at all! The squash, alas, did not cook to the consistency I wanted and so it made more of a grainy soup than a coming apart liquefied soup. I was also panicking since my blender is leaking (an immersion blender would be perfect here!) until I realized that I had a food mill. Alas, I lost the instructions for my food mill so I experimented with the different disc sizes. The first one (large) was too large but the second one (medium) was just right. I feel like Goldilocks with that statement. It is a bit inconvenient using a food mill compared to an immersion blender, but I bet it is a lot easier than using a standing blender. Plus, it was just fun to use the food mill again! The verdict? I put in too much orange zest (in my opinion) so didn't really like the soup all that much. I actually stopped eating it about halfway through my first bowl. Plus, I should have cooked the butternut squash more. Scott, however, loved it! And, since the soup was for him in the first place, that's all that really matters!
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| Bowl of sunshine soup in the pot (after the food mill) |
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| Add a little bit of garnish |
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| The stir fry that we also had for dinner that night (thanks to my wonderful Scott) |
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