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Entries from January 1, 2009 - February 1, 2009

Sunday
Feb012009

Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

Soup%20001[1] Recipe by guest author, Heather Forsyth.


In my part of the world January is a challenging time to eat locally.  My calendar of what's available when shows me meat, mushrooms, eggs, pecans and spinach.  I'm feeling a little like a caveman with all the meat we've been eating lately, and I've had about all the souffles and spinach salads I can eat for awhile, too.  So I looked at the pound of beautiful shitake mushrooms I got through my local coop lately and hatched this recipe.


Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup



  • 8 oz. (1/2 lb.) fresh mushrooms, preferably Shitake, sliced
  • 2 green onions, sliced, both white and green parts
  • 3 T. butter
  • 3 T. flour
  • 3 c. vegetable or chicken broth, maybe a little more
  • 1/2 c. wild rice, or wild & brown rice mix (cooked)
  • 1 c. cream, go as light or as heavy as your conscience or your waistline dictates
  • 2 T. sherry, or white wine if you don't have sherry, but sherry really is the thing here


Saute the mushrooms and green onions in butter in a saucepan until tender.  Stir in the flour.  Add the broth gradually, stirring constantly.  Bring just to a boil, then reduce heat to low.  Stir in the wild rice, cream, sherry, and salt and pepper to taste.  Continue cooking until just heated through, stirring frequently.  Serves about 4.  (I happened to have some fresh chives so I sprinkled some on top for a pretty and tasty garnish.)


Note 1. Wild rice isn't really local (to me) but when I have to outsource, I try to make it something that packages simply and ships easily.  Rice is one of those cheat ingredients for me.  And cream of mushroom soup just doesn't have that stick to the ribs quality on its own without something like rice to give it some heft.  I think the woodsy flavor of wild rice goes especially well with the earthy, almost flowery flavor of shitakes.


Note 2. Vegetable broth is not all created equally.  Homemade is best, of course, but most people don't have the time or inclination for that.  If you can get it, the next best thing is "Better than Bouillon."  It comes in a jar.  It's sort of a thick paste, like miso, and you make broth with a ratio of about 1 tsp. to 1 c. water.  It is way, way better than those dried cube things.

AuthorHeather Forsyth | Comment2 Comments | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Friday
Jan302009

Instant Chili

Easy, fast chili recipe designed for the lazy chef by Trevy Thomas.

There are many ways to make chili, but few are as quick and
easy as this.  Definitely better than
buying ready-made chili, this homemade style is good, fast, and leaves room for
plenty of variations.  Switch the beans
around for your favorite kind, leave out the corn, add fresh avocado, try a
splash of beer rather than wine.  It's
hard to go wrong with this fast lazy-cook friendly version.

Instant Chili


  • 1 pound ground beef

  • 1 medium onion, chopped

  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped

  • Splash red wine

  • 1 14-oz. jar salsa

  • 1 14-oz. can black beans, rinsed & drained

  • 1 14-oz. can kidney beans, rinsed & drained

  • 1 14-oz. can corn, drained

  • 1 or 2 green chlies, chopped

  • 1 28-oz. can chopped tomatoes

  • 2 teaspoons cumin

  • 2 teaspoons chili powder

  • Salt & pepper

Saute beef, onion and garlic until beef is browned.  Drain. 
Pour splash of wine into pot, and return beef mixture.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add salsa, beans, corn, chlies and
tomatoes.  Stir.  Add cumin and chili powder, salt and
pepper.  Let simmer 30 minutes.  Serve with chopped fresh cilantro, sour cream
(or plain Greek-style yogurt), grated cheese and sliced olives.

AuthorTrevy Thomas | CommentPost a Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Wednesday
Jan282009

Easy Homemade Pizza

January2009 005A quick and easy pizza recipe from guest author Helen Poore.


I was at a party the other night and apparently the new social game is to have cards with questions on them that each guest has to answer. I'm not sure why just good food, drink and conversation isn't enough these days, but being the polite person that I am, I went along.  My question was "if today was your last day alive, what would be your final meal".  What I really wanted to say was "a pack of cigarettes, a strong manhattan and pills that would keep me alive"  but, I didn't, instead, I said the first thing that came to mind, pizza.  I love pizza. 


The hardest part about making your own pizza is the dough, so I went to the local pizza restaurant and asked if I could buy just the dough.  To my surprise, they said yes!  So, here is my easy, lazy make it yourself at home pizza recipe.  If you can't find fresh pizza dough, the one in the refrigerated case in the grocery store is actually pretty good.


Easy Homemade Pizza


preheat oven to 375




  • pizza dough




  • 1 tablespoon olive oil




  • 1 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes (I like Rosa)




  • 1 tablespoon basil




  • 2 garlic cloves, minced




  • 1 bag shredded Italian mix cheese




  • toppings of choice



drizzle 1/4 tablespoon olive oil onto cookie sheet and roll out dough to cover pan then drizzle another 1/4 tablespoon olive oil over dough


Meanwhile, pour remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in skillet and sauté garl ic.  Add undrained crushed tomatoes and basil and heat until hot.  Spread the sauce over the dough and bake for 15.  Remove from oven, add whatever toppings you like, sprinkle entire pizza with cheese and continue baking for another 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. 

AuthorHelen Kenney | Comment7 Comments | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Tuesday
Jan272009

Cheese Souffle

CheeseSouffle. Photo: H. Forsyth An easy (really!) cheese souffle side dish recipe from Heather Forsyth.

 

When I was a little girl, this was my favorite dish.  It’s what I always wanted for special ocassions.  Sometimes we would have it as a side dish to accompany a meaty main course, but more often we’d just have the souffle and a salad and call it dinner.  This is my mom’s recipe, which came from her mom.  Unlike “modern” souffle dishes, this one is easy and fairly forgiving and doesn’t call for a host of glamorous ingredients.  If you’ve always wanted to try a souffle, this is a good one to start with.  In fact, as souffles go, it’s pretty down home.

Cheese Souffle Recipe


  • 1/4 c. butter (1/2 stick)
  • 3 T. flour
  • 1 c. milk
  • 1 c. grated cheddar cheese
  • 3 eggs, separated
  • 2 T. minced onion
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1/8 t. paprika

Preheat oven to 375 and butter generously a 6 c. souffle dish (any casserole dish with tall, straight sides will work).  Blend flour and milk in a saucepan over low heat, add butter and chese and cook, stirring constantly, until cheese is mleted and mixture is smooth and thick.  Beat egg yolks and add milk mixture slowly, keep stirring!  A wisk is good for this. 

Then stir in the onion, salt and paprika.  Beat the egg whites until stiff and almost dry.  Fold the egg whites into the cheese mixture. (There’s nothing mysterious about this — just dump the egg whites in, and then blend the two mixtures together gently using an up and over motion.  The egg whites will deflate a bit, don’t worry.)  

Pour this int o your prepared dish, place the dish in a plan of warm water, and bake for about 45 minutes.  Don’t open the oven door until close to the end of the baking time.  It needs steady heat.  The soufflewill puff up and become very brown, firm to the touch, and just a bit jiggly.   Serve straight up with a salad or green vegetable.  See?  Easy!

Cheese Souffle on Foodista
AuthorHeather Forsyth | CommentPost a Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Saturday
Jan242009

Chocolate Gravy

I reviewed a book recently that was all about making your
own hot chocolate.  Sometimes I love my
job.  Included in the book is a recipe
for Chocolate Gravy, which is a way to turn chocolate into a sauce poured over
hot biscuits for a morning snack.  If
you're counting calories, it would probably be a full-day meal, but we do what
we have to do.  On those days when you
need a bit more indulgence, this can be your breakfast of champions.  If you're just looking for a way to mix
chocolate into booze, another recipe excerpt can be found at the full
review.

Chocolate Gravy

Excerpted from Fred Thompson's Hot Chocolate


  • 1 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

  • 3/4 cup sugar

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

  • 2 cups whole milk

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

  • 6 leftover biscuits, lightly toasted


  1. Whisk the cocoa powder, sugar, and flour together in a
    medium-size saucepan until well blended. 
    Slowly whisk in the milk.  Bring
    to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.  Reduce the heat and simmer until slightly
    thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.  Remove from
    the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

  2. Slightly crack the tops of the biscuits, place on serving
    plates and pour the "gravy" over them.  Serve at once.

Serves 3 to 6

AuthorTrevy Thomas | CommentPost a Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
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