Friday, January 28, 2011

Grilled Double Bacon, Pepperoni & Onion Pizza



This week I’ve faced my enemies and cowered in their wake. For several days, Housework and Clutter won battle after battle, but I think I’ve clawed my way out of the mess. And tonight, we celebrate with war whoops and grilled pizza.

Grilled Double Bacon, Pepperoni & Onion Pizza

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This is Jesse’s pizza of choice. If I slapped some pig skin on top he’d probably cry tears of joy.


1 (12 to 14 inch) pizza dough, stretched onto a pan, recipe below
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup pizza sauce, recipe below
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella
5 slices thick sliced bacon, cooked and cut into chunks
1/4 cup Canadian bacon, cut into quarters
1/4 cup pepperoni
1/4 cup diced onions
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan Reggiano
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for brushing
Dried oregano
Garlic powder
Salt & pepper
Cornmeal for pizza pan

1. Preheat the grill on high to 500 degrees, with the lid closed. Brush a good quality pizza pan lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle with cornmeal. Set aside.

2. Stretch and roll out the pizza dough until thin, and place on the pan. Brush the top with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and then spoon on pizza sauce.

3. Top pizza with the mozzarella, bacon, Canadian bacon, pepperoni, onions and then Parmesan. Season with oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

4. Set pizza on the grill and close the lid. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until cooked through.

Zesty Old School Style Pizza Sauce
Makes enough sauce to cover three medium, or two large pizzas.



1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce (without sugar)

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon ground sweet paprika

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Fresh cracked pepper to taste

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon white vinegar



Place all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl and stir together.



Makes 1½ cups of pizza sauce.


Pizza Dough
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon honey or sugar
1 cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt

Place water, yeast, and honey or sugar into a stand mixer bowl. Stir to combine and set aside for 10 minutes.

Place the rest of the ingredients in the bowl and knead with a dough hook on low speed for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead by hand on a clean surface for another minute. Pat into a circle.

Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough inside, flipping once to coat with oil. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Makes two large pizzas.

Recipes and photographs by Laura Flowers.


Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Garlic Tomato Hummus with Grilled Pita Wedges



What? I forgot to share my favorite hummus recipe? I’m so ashamed of my procrastination. Or maybe it’s my senility. Can one be senile at thirty-four?

I even have a picture. A two-year-old image from those early food styling attempts. Ok, I’m still attempting I admit it.

I think what happened is I wrote a different hummus recipe for Newman’s Own about the time I wanted to post this one. Obviously, I then became confused and forgot to share. It wouldn’t be the first time!

So, without any further convoluted ramblings here’s that long overdo much loved hummus recipe. Tomato paste gives it a nice full mouth richness and the garlic, lemon juice and cayenne make me never want to stop slathering thick layers of this yummy bean spread over charred pita wedges with sweet red pepper slices on the side.

Missy, where are my cane and keys? I need to buy more garbanzo beans!

Garlic Tomato Hummus with Grilled Pita Wedges
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With a food processor, homemade hummus is five minutes of prep away. Well, five minutes and an hour in the fridge!


1 (15.5 ounce) can garbanzo beans
3 tablespoons roasted sesame tahini (typically found by the peanut butter)
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 to 2 cloves garlic (use one if large)
1 tablespoon good quality tomato paste from a tube
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Rinse garbanzo beans until the foam is gone; strain well. Place beans into a food processor bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and puree until smooth, scraping the bowl as needed.

For better flavor, please give this hummus some time to meld together by covering and refrigerating for an hour or more before serving.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Grilled Pita Wedges
1 package whole wheat or regular pitas

Heat the grill to medium and warm the pitas directly on the grill until light grill marks form, about a minute or less. Turn over and repeat. Remove the pitas from the grill and cut into wedges. Serve with hummus.

Other Dipping Device Ideas
Pita Chips
Sliced sweet pepper strips
Baby carrots
Celery sticks
Broccoli
Cucumber sticks
Zucchini rounds
Sun dried tomatoes
Olives

Recipe and photograph by Laura Flowers.


Saturday, January 22, 2011

Weekend French Onion Soup

What’s better than sautéing a sliced onion in a little butter?

Sautéing five pounds of onions in a lot of butter of course! Besides the toasty buttery caramelizing onion smell, making this soup comes with a bonus. The pungently odiferous eye-watering factor of all those raw onions will drive noisily protesting 9-year-olds into hiding. Leaving you with an afternoon of peace and quiet.

Ahhh peace and quiet. I think I’ll make French Onion Soup again today, and maybe tomorrow too.


Weekend French Onion Soup

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To me, this is weekend food. Although simple to prepare, it’s about a three-hour investment from start to finish. For a special weeknight meal and a deeper flavor, make this soup on a Saturday or Sunday. Then warm it up and do the final prep on Monday or Tuesday.

Soup Prep
5 pound bag yellow onions, cut in half and sliced into 1/4” pieces
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cups water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup dry sherry
4 cups beef broth (Recommend Pacific Beef Broth or homemade)
4 cups (1 quart) chicken broth (Recommend Swanson’s MSG free Organic)

1. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter, salt and sugar over medium high heat until the foam subsides. Add the onions and cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Turn the heat down to low and cover pot leaving the lid slightly ajar.

2. Cook onions for 1 1/2-2 hours stirring about every 15 minutes. Remove the lid and turn the heat to medium high. Cook out the liquid and caramelize the onions until deeply browned.

3. Deglaze pan with water scrapping the flavorful burnt bits from the bottom. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a high simmer. Turn down the temperature until soup is at a low simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes to let the flavors develop.

Final Prep
1 small baguette, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
Shredded or sliced Swiss or Gruyere (Or both. Why not?)
Oven Safe bowls

1. Place the oven rack in the upper 1/4 of the oven and turn on the broiler.

2. Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Remove when toasted. Leave the broiler on. (You can do this in the toaster if you prefer.)

3. Ladle the soup into bowls. Place the bowls on a baking sheet. Place some cheese in the bowls, a couple toasts side by side and then more cheese on top. Broil until the cheese is bubbly and browned.

Note: For a vegetarian version, I'll sometimes make French Onion Soup with good quality or homemade vegetable broth.

It's also quite good with homemade lamb broth in place of beef broth.

Recipe and photograph by Laura Flowers.


Thursday, January 20, 2011

Savory Onion Cheddar Polenta with Roasted Root Vegetables

I suppose these recipes would qualify as side dishes and I can envision them snuggled up to roast chicken, lamb or maybe even a rosemary rubbed pork loin. But over the years as I’ve skirted in and out of being vegetarian, I’ve come to feel that side dishes can be a satisfying and filling meal on their own. So more often than not, I serve this meal by itself.

I’ll leave that choice to you of course. You can also make one dish without the other, serve them side by side, or as I do piling the vegetables atop plated beds of this flavorful polenta.

Roasted Root Vegetables
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This is not a real recipe, but a method. Any combination of root vegetables works, so feel free to add or subtract as you please.


Parsnips
Carrots
Sweet potatoes
Yams
Onions
Beets
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Set out a rimmed baking sheet.

2. Peel sweet potatoes, yams, onions, beets, carrots and/or parsnips if using. Cut into equal sized pieces (as best you can). Place vegetables on baking sheet.

3. Coat vegetables in a generous about of oil, salt and pepper. Toss and spread the vegetables out so they are in a single layer. Do two trays if needed.

4. Bake vegetables for 25 minutes. Flip vegetables over and bake for another 15 to 25 minutes or until tender and caramelized.


Savory Onion Cheddar Polenta
Save yourself the trouble of having extra cornmeal to store and purchase a small amount of polenta in the bulk section.

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup well diced onions
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 quart (4 cups) chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 cup polenta (coarse ground cornmeal)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded aged white cheddar (Local Cougar Gold is my favorite.)

1. In a medium-large pot melt the butter over medium high heat until the foam subsides. Add the onions and salt. Cook until onions are soft. About 5 minutes. Add the broth. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil.

2. Slowly sprinkle in the polenta stirring as you pour. Turn the heat to medium and cook for 20 to 25 minutes stirring frequently until the polenta is thickened and soft to taste.

3. Turn off heat and stir in pepper and cheddar. Serve immediately or pour into a 9x13 inch pan to set. Once cool, cut polenta into squares.

Recipes and pictures by Laura Flowers.


Monday, January 17, 2011

Crockpot Spicy Bison and Pork Chili

Hello…“Dishboy” Scott here. I again have been given the honor of posting to Laura’s blog…so here goes: I have a theory about chili. I think most people tend to like the style of chili that they grew up eating. For me, that was a very “traditional” chili, so it shouldn’t surprise you that this chili recipe I created tends to favor the traditional style. However, it is also my tendency to like big, bold flavors, so I’ve departed from the usual a bit.

I make chili when I need something for dinner but don’t have much time to cook. It is as simple and fast to prepare as any of those “quick” meals that you make…it just doesn’t taste like it! I strongly recommend that you make this as I do, by cooking it all day in a Crockpot. There is something special that happens when you cook tomato-based products like spaghetti sauce and chili all day. You cannot duplicate the taste any other way.

You want to cook this at least until you are getting that heavily caramelized sauce sticking on the side of your Crockpot. I use an oval 5.5 quart Crockpot, and this starts to occur when it has been on high for around 5 hours. Please do NOT be afraid of this caramelized residue…it is the SECRET of awesome chili! Once this starts forming, I scrape the sides with a rubber spatula and stir this back into the sauce on a regular basis. I consider this the Crockpot “equivalent” of deglazing your sauté pan. I try to do this several times, once more caramelized residue has formed.

Crockpot Spicy Bison and Pork Chili
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Laura here. I have to say, together the bison and pork make this chili so rich and deeply satisfying I wish I had a bowl (or two!) of my own right now.


1 pound ground bison (or lean ground beef if you can’t get bison)
1 pound hot Italian sausage
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with roasted garlic
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt

2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans


1. In a large skillet, cook the meat, onions, and garlic until the meat is brown and the onions are tender.

2. Place meat mixture (without draining) and all other ingredients except beans into a large crockpot. Cook on high for at least 5-6 hours, or low for 10-12 hours, stirring caramelized sauce back into the chili.

3. As the chili is nearing completion, it should be easy to skim off any fat with a tablespoon as it will pool on top of the chili as it simmers. Approximately one hour before the chili is finished, drain and rinse the beans, and add to the crock pot.

Recipe by Scott Bader. Pictures by Laura Flowers.


Sunday, January 16, 2011

German Style Ham Or Tofurkey Brat & Cabbage Casserole

It’s windy, rainy and I’m feeling a little anxious about a choice to buy a new house. We found a beautiful, fully restored historic home thirty miles away, but it would mean uprooting my not-so-good-at-change kiddo. The idea of a new school and new friends left her sobbing before we even discussed the issue.

We haven’t made a decision yet, but this comforting dish helped cheer everyone up. Making us feel that no matter what decision we make, it’ll work out in the end.



German Style Ham (Or Tofurkey Brat) & Cabbage Casserole

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Although I prefer ham in this casserole, Tofurkey Brats worked well as a vegetarian option for tonight’s dinner.


3 cups diced ham OR 14 ounce package Tofurkey Beer Brats
12 ounce package whole grain egg noodles
1/2 head cabbage, chopped well
1 cup sauerkraut
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1/2 cup flour
4 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
5 slices Swiss cheese, broken into squares

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13 inch casserole or other similar sized dish.

2. Cook noodles according to package directions in salted water. Strain out water and dress with a small amount of oil to keep noodles from sticking together.

3. Meanwhile, chop the ham in a food processor until it looks like hamburger. Or cook the Tofurkey Brats in the Microwave for 1 minute. Break into pieces into a food processor and pulse until it looks like hamburger. If you don’t have a food processor just chop up either option very well.

4. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat until foam subsides. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in milk, salt, pepper and caraway seeds. Stir frequently until the sauce thickens, about 5 to 10 minutes.

5. Mix the meat or meat substitute, cabbage, sauerkraut and sauce in with the noodles. Pour mixture into the casserole dish. Top with squares of Swiss.

6. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and casserole is heated through.

Recipe & photograph by Laura Flowers.


Thursday, January 13, 2011

Skillet Lasagna with Italian Sausage and Vegetables



At the entrance of my local grocery store there’s a massive tower of Hamburger Helper. Our college students are back in session and need cheap food, right? So I suppose I shouldn’t be annoyed.

But I am. I’m quite irritated in fact. How did “Hamburger Helper” become food anyway? Now, I’m not one of those always-make-it-from-scratch nutters and shortcuts are quite welcome in my hectic life. Food shortcuts. Not MSG loaded chemical shortcuts.

When did it become acceptable to eat non food items? Why did this happen?

Trust me. I know how much cheaper and easier it is to grab a pound of bargain priced hamburger and a box of garbage, but in the end these new adults aren’t doing themselves any favors.

If I could devote my life to helping students cook I would. Maybe I still will. Until then I’ll create copycat recipes with real vegetables, real dairy, whole wheat pasta and organic meat. It may cost more, but what are the lives and health of those I care about worth?

A lot more than a box of chemicals I can tell you that.

Skillet Lasagna with Italian Sausage and Vegetables

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The ingredient list looks long, but this hearty skillet dinner isn’t difficult to make.


8 ounce box whole wheat or regular lasagna noodles
1/2 cup ricotta
1/3 cup shredded Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces thinly sliced mushrooms
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound Bulk Sweet Italian Sausage (not in casing)
8 ounce zucchini, sliced into 1/8” thick half moons
24 ounce jar red pasta sauce (I like Newman’s Own Sockarooni Sauce in this dish.)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Break lasagna noodles in half lengthwise then break each strip into 1 to 2 inch pieces. Cook according to package directions, for whole wheat I cook them up to 5 minutes longer to soften to taste. Strain water out and mix noodles with a small amount of olive oil to keep them from sticking together.

2. In a small bowl, mix together ricotta and Pecorino Romano or Parmesan. Set aside.

3. In a very large skillet add the olive oil and melt the butter over medium high heat until the foam begins to subside. Add mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook for several minutes until the vegetables start to soften.

4. Add the sausage and break it up in the pan, then add the zucchini. Cook, stirring occasionally until sausage is thoroughly cooked through. Turn off heat and strain mixture in a colander and place back into the skillet.

5. Turn the heat to medium. Stir in pasta and pasta sauce and cook for a few minutes until heated through. Stir in water then dollop on ricotta mixture and sprinkle with mozzarella. Swirl in the cheeses. Top with more Romano or Parmesan if desired before serving.

Note: Can’t eat dairy? Want to save some money or cut down on calories? Feel free to leave out the butter and all cheeses. Just substitute another tablespoon of olive oil for the missing butter. At the end, taste for salt and pepper as you might need to add extra to make up for the missing salty cheese.

Recipe and photographs by Laura Flowers.


Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Shortcut Chicken and Noodles



If this dish could carry me into the past I’d be sitting at my first grade lunch table. A long forgotten time when “lunch ladies” did the cooking and chicken nuggets were never on the menu.

I think of other times before mine. Imaginary great grandmothers stretching a Sunday chicken dinner and neighbors sharing a meal together decade after decade.

Our schools might not serve good old-fashioned comfort food anymore, but I’ve got my daughter loving chicken and noodles by making it at home. Sometimes from scratch, but more often these busy days with a few shortcuts.

A rotisserie chicken, canned broth and thick store bought noodles makes quick work of an old nostalgic favorite with little compromise in flavor. A meal worth repeating over and over again,

Shortcut Chicken and Noodles
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A rotisserie chicken and store bought noodles makes this a fairly easy weeknight meal to throw together.


1 rotisserie chicken
1 package homemade style egg pasta or wide egg noodles
4 tablespoons butter
2 large carrots, cut into half moons
2 large celery sticks, chopped
1 onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup flour
2 (14.5 ounce) cans lower sodium MSG free chicken broth

1. Remove chicken from the carcass and discard skin. Shred meat into bite size pieces. Set aside.

2. Cook noodles according to package directions in salted water. Strain out water and lightly coat noodles with olive oil to keep from sticking together.

3. Meanwhile, heat butter in a large skillet over medium high heat until melted and foamy. Add in carrots, celery, onion, thyme, salt and black pepper. Cook until vegetables are mainly softened.

4. Sprinkle flour over vegetables. Stir often for 3 minutes to cook the flour. Deglaze pan with some of the broth. Add the rest of the broth and bring to a high simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until thickened to taste. Add in the chicken and cook until warmed through.

5. To serve, place noodles in individual bowls and top with chicken mixture.

Note: For even deeper flavor, if your chicken has any fat or juice in the bottom of the plastic dish go ahead and throw it in the pot after the flour.

Recipe and photograph by Laura Flowers.


Sunday, January 9, 2011

Migas. A Tex-Mex Breakfast.

Sitting around this snowy Sunday morning with my soymilk laced coffee, fruit and too healthy whole-wheat mini bagel makes me wish I had a big plate of these Migas. Then again, I’d also like my friends Cliff and Mari to come back and make them for me!

My favorite Texas-to-Montana transplant couple recen
tly spent a weekend with us. Now, we always have people visiting, but so far Cliff is the first to throw me out of my own kitchen! “Sit down and relax. Have a cup of coffee.” Mari repeated to me several times. Instead I sort of paced and whimpered, as sitting isn’t exactly my specialty. It was out of exasperation they finally relented and allowed me to shadow Cliff the Cook and take some pictures.

I have to say though, as soon as the migas were plated I forgot all about taking final shots and instead dug into the best darn migas I’ve ever tasted. Cliff makes mine look like a silly imitation of Tex-Mex. Which they are of course. I mean seriously, what was I thinking making vegetarian olive oil based migas anyway?

Cliff has his own blog Somewhere in the Middle of Western Montana, and is in the middle of writing a book about his adventures in the wilds of the west. He’s my version of the ideal person to live in Montana; part stoic mountain man part over educated ex-attorney. His ramblings are funny, masculine and completely himself. I’m looking forward to a signed copy as soon as he’s published.

Well, I suppose I better get back to my not so exciting breakfast. Here’s Cliff’s super delicious recipe in his own words:

Migas

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I got hooked on migas when I lived in Corpus Christi, Texas. When I moved to Dal
las, I couldn't find anyone that made them right, so I had to make my own. I don't always make these the same way. Sometimes I vary the ingredients depending on what I have on hand and how industrious I feel. Most recipes use oil to sauté the tortillas, but if I'm frying or sautéing something, I use bacon grease. Here's my most common method:



8 pieces uncooked bacon
6 eggs;
6 corn tortillas (if they're large, a few more if they're small)
1 medium tomato, coarsely chopped Jalapenos--in this case, pickled is better than fresh because fresh ones won't cook enough. I use Trappey's sliced jalapenos. Take about 6-8 slices and cut them into quarters (or halves, if you prefer)
Garlic powder

Onion powder



In a large frying pan, cook the 8 pieces of bacon and set them aside, leaving the bacon grease in the pan. Tear the tortillas into small bite-sized pieces and sauté them in the bacon grease until they are crispy. Remove the tortillas and set aside (you can leave them in, but they'll get a little soggy when you add the eggs). In a large bowl, combine the eggs, tomato, jalapeno, garlic powder and onion powder and whisk together. I never measure the garlic or onion powder. I just add a couple of healthy shakes of each.



Pour the egg mixture into the frying pan. When the eggs just start to firm up, add the tortillas back in and mix them in as you finish cooking the eggs. I crumble the bacon on top of the migas when they're done. You can also add shredded cheese, but do it while they're still hot in the pan so the cheese will melt.

Options. If you use oil instead of bacon grease, you'll need to add salt, maybe 1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon. If I'm feeling industrious and have everything on hand, I'll add some chopped onion and minced garlic when I'm sautéing the tortillas (let the tortillas get a little crispy first). If you do that, you can skip the powders.

To make these perfect, you should have some refried beans as a side, but I almost never do. It takes too much planning to cook a pot of beans and then fry them up. My migas are usually more spur-of-the-moment.

Recipe by Montana Cliff @ Somewhere in the Middle of Western Montana. Pictures by Laura Flowers.


Thursday, January 6, 2011

Cream of Turkey or Chicken Soup



Yeah I know, these aren’t migas right? Or are they? Hmm…

OK, they aren’t. You see, I was finally ready to share Texas Cliff’s fantastic bacony migas, but found the recipe email had vanished in the great black void of lost messages.

So instead, I bring you Dishboy Scott's Cream of Turkey Soup. I had a heck of a cold not too long ago and Scott brought over this really wonderfully simple turkey soup made from frozen Thanksgiving leftovers.

You can make this with rotisserie chicken if you don’t have any turkey laying around. Either way makes a pot of warm, comforting old-fashioned soupy goodness.

Cream of Turkey or Chicken Soup
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This soup was so welcome that day of the great cold. I hope you’ll enjoy it as well.


1/2 cup butter
6 sticks celery, chopped
8 carrots, chopped
1 1/2 onions, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup flour
6 cups turkey or chicken broth
4 cups water
1 to 2 cubes chicken bouillon, to taste
6 potatoes, diced (You can leave the skin on if you prefer)
Turkey leg or thigh meat, shredded into bite size pieces (or a couple shredded chicken legs and thighs)
2 cups milk
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt butter over medium high in a large pot. After the foam settles down add the celery, carrots, onion and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until carrots start to soften.

2. Stir in the flour and cook for 3 to 4 minutes scrapping the bottom of the pot. Add a bit of the broth to deglaze the pot, scraping up the stuff stuck to the bottom. Add the rest of the broth and water and bring to a boil.

3. Add the bouillon and potatoes. Bring back to a high simmer and cook until the potatoes are softened.

4. Lower the temperature and add the turkey or chicken and milk and heat until warmed through. Salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe by Scott Bader. Picture by Laura Flowers.


Monday, January 3, 2011

Chicken Apple Salad Sandwiches with Ginger



December was so much fun I’m finding it difficult to get back into routine. Sadly, the decorations are packed away and my house is a bland, empty shadow of it’s holiday glittery self.

I’m also paying for all the wonderful, but not so healthy food I enjoyed from Thanksgiving until New Years. Like migas from heaven made with a bacon grease base. On one of the more exciting weekends, my Texas-Montana-transplant-friends Cliff and Mari came to visit and make us their favorite breakfast. Migas.

Now, I make migas at home. Well, I make northwestern migas; chopped corn tortillas fried up with a little extra light olive oil tossed with eggs, sautéed peppers and onions and a light sprinkle of cheese. They’re decent, but Cliff’s migas are a whole heck of a lot better than mine, probably because he’s a real Texan, instead of a wannabe like me. Or maybe it’s the bacon grease that wins.

I’ll share Cliff’s recipe in the next day or so, but be forewarned. It isn’t diet food! Unlike this little sandwich, which I’m going to be eating for the next month while I lumber away on my treadmill.

Chicken Apple Salad Sandwiches with Ginger
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An easy lunch option, serve as a sandwich on good whole grain bread or over a bed of spinach.


12.5 ounce can of chunk chicken breast, drained and rinsed
1 stalk celery
1/2 granny smith apple
2 tablespoons Spectrum Eggless Vegan Light Canola Mayo or Reg. Mayo
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Place chicken in a medium sized bowl and cut up any large chunks with a fork. Slice celery into three long thin strips then cut sideways into a dice. Cut apple into very thin sliced then into bite size pieces. Place celery and apples into the bowl.

2. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and salt and pepper to taste. Serve on bread or over a bed of spinach.

Recipe and photograph by Laura Flowers.


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