Leek and Cherry-Plum Soup

This is a twist on a Scottish meal called Cock-a Leekie.  The sweetness of the plum being infused with cherry juice is a subtle and delightful addition.

Enjoy!

½ cup pearl barley

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped or sliced thin
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning

4 leeks, slices thinly
1 bunch of scallions, sliced thinly

4 pints of chicken stock
2 tablespoons, vegetable soup starter
3-4 bay leaves
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 ounces fresh parsley, minced

6 ounces of dried plums (cherry infused), sliced

1. Cover barley with water in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and simmer for ten minutes.

2. While barley cooks, fry chopped chicken in olive oil and poultry seasoning in a large stock pot. Cook until chicken shows no pinkness.

3. Add leeks and scallions. Fry for 5 minutes.

4. Add chicken stock, vegetable soup starter and herbs.

5. Drain barley and add to stock pot. Bring to a boil. Add dried plums and lower to a simmer. Cook, covered for 30-40 minutes.

 

 

Sea Salt Caramel Topped Shortbread

I am a HUGE fan of shortbread and am willing to try any new recipe even if it requires me to break out my candy thermometer!  I came across this recipe while browsing on PINTEREST but as usual- I made a few changes.  The original recipe called for orange zest in the shortbread and orange flavoring in the caramel…although I like oranges…it really didn’t sound appealing to me so nix the orange.  Also the final decorative touch  said to sprinkle sea salt on the top which I agree would be pretty  but after tasting the caramel- it had enough salt.  So next time I would use the salt measurements I included below and sprinkle salt across the top.  I also tried to include some tips I would have found useful when I was making it, so you don’t make the same errors I did!  All in all- a great combination of shortbread and salted caramel.  Enjoy!

Sea Salt Caramel Topped Shortbread

SHORTBREAD
10 tbsp. salted butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg yolk
1 2/3 cups All Purpose flour

Caramel Topping:
1/4 cup light brown sugar
½ cup sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1+1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 to ½ tsp. sea salt to sprinkle on top

Bake at 350° for 35 minutes

Directions
1. Line a 8×8 pan with parchment paper- fold paper to 8 inches and allow paper too hang over the sides a little.

2. Shortbread: Mix all shortbread ingredients together- it’s very crumbly.  Pour into the lined pan and press evenly into the bottom. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes, or until the top browns slightly on the edges. Allow to cool as you make the caramel topping.

3. Caramel: Combine all the ingredients, except the extract and salt for sprinkling on top, in a 2 quart pan. Stir until combined well. Cook on low to med-low. DO NOT STIR. Use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature. When the caramel reaches 230° F. remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Stir in vanilla and pour over the shortbread. Sprinkle with sea salt.  Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

4. Remove shortbread from the pan by running a knife along the edges of the pan and pulling the parchment paper edges that were left long. Cut shortbread with a long (at least 8 inches) chopping knife (not serrated) to make even pieces. If the knife gets lots of crumbs on it, wipe it between cuts to keep your caramel looking clean. DO NOT STACK PIECES for storage or presentation. Keep chilled until serving. Caramel is soft and can get too sticky if unrefrigerated for long periods of time.

Honey Pecan Bars

Mmmm…

My favorite cookie is a buttery shortbread- simple and rich in taste- this honey bar might be a contender to usurp my beloved shortbread with its chewy texture and sweet, nutty taste.

Enjoy!

Honey Pecan Bars      Bake:  350°   Time:  30 minutes

½ cup of butter, softened
1+1/2 cup brown sugar
½ cup honey
1 egg
1 +3/4 cup flour
1+1/2 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pecans, chopped finely

1. Mix the first four ingredients until well blended. Add the next 5 ingredients. Hand mix in pecans.

2. Spread mix into a lightly greased 9×13 pan.

3. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 15-20 minutes before cutting- bar will puff up and then sink as it cools.

Rosemary Chicken Croissant

I always find myself buying those tubes of croissant dough- mostly because they are always on sale and then I wonder what I’m going to do with it!  So, alas, I find creative fillings and create my own pizza roll/calzone things.

Enjoy!

Rosemary Chicken Croissant                  Bake 30 minutes at 375°
Ingredients:
3 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounce chicken breast
1 purple onion, chopped
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon parsley
1+1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1 tube of croissant rolls

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a frying pan and fry chicken in the oil for 2 minutes on each side. Add onions. Fry until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Pre-heat oven to 375°.

2. While warm, pour ingredients from the frying pan into a food processor. Add all spices and cheese into the processor and pulse all ingredients 5-6 times.

3. Roll out the croissants into a jelly roll pan until they create one large piece of dough. Spread chicken mixture over center of the dough. Bring both sides up to close the croissant. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Slice into long strips and serve warm.

Chicken Salad with Walnuts and Red Grapes

While at a luncheon of salads I tried a chicken salad with grapes and walnuts.  I’m not a huge fan of walnuts but this salad had a good flavor in its core elements.  The original recipe had chicken, celery, red and green grapes and pasta with a mayo and sour cream dressing.  I really enjoyed the texture of this salad which was creamy and light tasting because of the incorporation of sour cream but as I was eating the salad I found myself picking out the pasta and pushing it to the side of my plate so when making my own version I removed the pasta, added onions and bleu cheese to put my own twist on the recipe.

Enjoy!

Chicken Salad with Red Grapes

INGREDIENTS:
1+1/2 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped or a 10 ounce can of chicken
1 cup red grapes, chopped into quarters
½ cup walnuts, chopped roughly
1/3 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup purple onion, minced
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
salt to taste

optional: top with bleu cheese crumbles

DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine all ingredients and toss lightly. Serve immediately or chill and serve.

Vegetable Soup with Chickpeas and Pumpkin

This recipe was inspired by the vegetables and spices I saw in an Algerian dish served over couscous. I thought it might be a little sloppy to serve on a plate so I just converted it into a nice soup.

-Enjoy!

Vegetable Soup with Chickpeas and Pumpkin

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
2 white onions, chopped
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

32 ounces chicken or vegetable broth
28 ounces diced tomatoes
1 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
1 turnip, peeled and chopped
1 small zucchini, peeled and chopped (1 cup)
2 cups pumpkin, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 cup cauliflower, chopped
1 can chickpeas/garbonzo beans, drained and rinsed (15 ounces)
salt and pepper to taste
4-6 cups water
5 allspice balls

1 bunch of fresh cilantro, remove stems, chopped

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a stew pot. Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, coriander and poultry seasoning, sauté 5 minutes more.

2. Add broth and all other ingredients EXCEPT the fresh cilantro.  Cook for an hour until vegetables are soft.

3. 10 minutes before serving, add cilantro. NOTE: try to remove the allspice balls or avoid eating them.

Tuna and Northern Bean Salad

This salad is light, colorful and tasty!  The dressing is strong enough in flavor that just a little is needed (only put the dressing on as you serve it because tuna gets mushy when it sits in dressing too long) for drizzling over the top.

-Enjoy!

TUNA AND NORTHERN BEAN SALAD

SALAD:
1 sweet pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/4 purple onion, minced
1 can (15.5 ounces) Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup grape tomatoes, chopped (about 18-20)
12 ounce can light tuna in water, drained and rinsed
½ cup fresh oregano leaves

DRESSING:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup mayo
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon celery powder
1/4 teaspoon season salt
1/4 teaspoon mild curry
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice

TOPPING:
shredded Parmesan

1. Combine all salad ingredient in a large bowl and chill.

2. Whisk all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and chill.

3. Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of dressing over each portion of salad when serving. Sprinkle shredded Parmesan over the top.

Spicy Tomato and Goat Cheese Spread

It’s tomato season! This is an easy spread to make when guests stop by for a surprise visit. The mildly spicy tomatoes are a great balance to the sharp flavor of the baked goat cheese.  I usually have all these ingredients in my house and garden and I don’t spend a lot of time fussing in the kitchen when I want to be socializing.

On a curious note- I add the ketchup because it acts as a thickening agent- like tomato paste- but it’s just silly to open a whole can of tomato paste for a few tablespoons and the ketchup works great.  Also, I add the extra tomatoes to balance the heat of the salsa- if you like things burning hot- by all means, use only salsa!

-Enjoy!

Spicy Tomato and Goat Cheese Spread

Temperature 350°        Time: 30 minutes

4 ounces goat cheese
1+ 1/2 cups salsa, thick style*
1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons ketchup
tortilla chips, pita chips or bread

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°.

2. Spread goat cheese in the center of a 9×9 pan (should spread to a circle about 3 inches in diameter)

3. Mix salsa, tomatoes and ketchup together. Pour around the cheese in the pan (leave most of the cheese exposed**)

4. Bake for 30 minutes.

5. Serve warm with tortilla, pita chips or spread on cut up pieces of a thick bread (like French, or warmed flat bread).

*Pictured: Meijer’s organic brand garlic salsa. It’s chopped very fine and is thick and flavorful- if you like garlic!

 

 

**Leave cheese exposed and spoon tomato mixture around the cheese

Creamy, Caramelized Onion Soup

Creamy, Caramelized Onion Soup

2 large yellow or white onions, sliced (see picture below for size)
4 tablespoons butter
32 ounces chicken broth
1/4 to ½ teaspoon salt*
½ cup flour
2 cups whole milk
fresh ground black pepper (garnish)
fresh shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Prepare onions (use slicing disc of food processor, if available) Melt butter in a 4 quart pan and add onions. Cook on low to medium-low without a lid until onions are golden colored and caramelized (about 30 minutes).

2. Add chicken stock and salt to the pan and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to simmer.

3. In a small bowl, put the flour and gradually add a small amount of the milk. Blend with a whisk or fork to remove all lumps. Keep adding small amounts of milk and blending until all the milk is in the bowl with the flour.

4. Slowly add the milk mixture to the soup, mixing the entire time. Heat until milk is warmed. Do not boil.

5. When serving, grind fresh black pepper over the top of that serving, and/or sprinkle freshly shredded Parmesan cheese over the bowl of hot soup.

*Some chicken stock is very salty- you may want to start out conservative, taste and add more as needed. You may even eliminate the salt altogether.

sliced onions

after 30 minutes: caramelized onions

 

Potato, Sweet Pepper, and Radish Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

 

A new twist on an old favorite picnic food.  My dad always made this great potato salad that was served warm and had a nice vinegar dressing.  This reminds me of his recipe but with a few fresh veggies to cut the carb consumption and to add a great crunch and flavor.

 

Potato, Sweet Pepper, and Radish Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

INGREDIENTS:

Salad:
4 Yukon or yellow potatoes, diced
4-5 radishes, sliced thin
½ sweet red pepper, chopped (about ½ cup)
1/4 cup purple onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chives, chopped

Dressing:
2 tablespoons, mayo
2 teaspoons, honey
3 teaspoons, Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 tablespoons vinegar*

1. Clean and dice the potatoes (leave skins on). Boil in a pan with water for about 12 minutes. Potatoes should be cooked but still slightly firm and keep their shape. Drain and run cold water over the potatoes.  Set aside.

2. Whisk all ingredients for the dressing together.

3. Combine the potatoes and all other salad ingredients in a bowl and gently toss with the dressing. Serve immediately (will be slightly warm) or chill, if desired.

*I used an Acai flavored vinegar which is very light in flavor.  Regular white vinegar will require less so only use 1 tablespoon.