Vegetable Soup

  

This is a puréed soup, and it came together in minutes because I used leftovers from the refrigerator to create a quick supper. I usually say dinner, but something this simple doesn’t quite make it to dinner level.

Cooked acorn squash - about a cup

Buttermilk - maybe 3/4 cup

1/3 cup 2% milk 

1/2 cup refried beans

1/2 cup diced canned tomatoes

About 1/3  cup Boursin cheese

Curry powder 

A little onion powder

A heaping tablespoon of chicken bouillon powder

Cooked corn - added later, not puréed

Put everything except the corn into a medium size saucepan and puréed it all with an immersion blender. Heat slowly until the soup bubbles just a little. Add water if the the mixture is too thick, Add the cooked corn, let it heat through, and eat!

This is April and once in a while, there is still a cool enough day for soup. I like to take advantage of these days because it will be a long time before soup season. 

These particular ingredients blended together very well, but the leftovers in your refrigerator might be slightly different. Be bold. What can you lose? These bits of leftovers run the danger of growing mold and being tossed anyway. 

Berry Clafoutis

 Berry Clafoutis

(Kla-FOO-tee)

To start:

Use a 10-inch fluted tort dish - also known as a quiche pan

Coat the bottom of pan with avocado or coconut oil and lightly flour the pan. Tap out excess flour.

Make Batter

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup whole milk or buttermilk

3 eggs

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 cup flour

Pour batter into pan

1 1/2 cups berries - fresh or thawed and well drained.

Sprinkle berries over the top of the batter.

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) refrigerated butter - slice into 8 pats and layer over the berries and batter

Bake in a water bath at 325 for 45 minutes or until top springs back when pressed.

Slice and serve warm with whipped cream. Such a fun breakfast or brunch idea.

Hope is believing that love is bigger than any grimness or bleakness that comes our way.

Anne Lamott

Margarita French Toast

 

I was a little surprised that I had not already posted this one, but here it is. Possible substitutions are listed in parentheses. 



2 oz tequila

3 drops orange extract or 2 ounces orange liqueur (lemon extract)

1 oz fresh lime juice and a bit of lime zest (Rose's lime juice)

1 tablespoon simple syrup (sugar or honey)

3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (half n half)

2 eggs

1 oz Mexican vanilla (regular vanilla or imitation vanilla)

Pinch of cardamom (cinnamon or nutmeg)

Mix eggs and flavorings. Dip bread into the egg mix. Fry in avocado or coconut oil and top with any combination of butter, fruit, whipped cream, and maple syrup - preferably all of them!

Fritter Style Cornbread

This is not a light and fluffy cornbread. It is a dense, moist, and totally delicious treat. You can add butter or honey or both, but the muffins are also delicious all by themselves.

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup corn meal

1/3 cup soft butter

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons diced green chilies or diced jalapenos

1/2 cup cooked corn

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 cup grated pepper jack cheese

Put all ingredients into a glass mixing bowl; stir well, brush the bottoms of a muffin tin, and scoop batter into the tin. This recipe makes 12.

Bake at 375 for 18 - 20 minutes

Cool slightly before removing the muffins from the tin. The cheese can make these stick a bit. Use a plastic knife to separate the muffins from the sides of the wells. Most muffin tins are nonstick, and the plastic will not scratch the coating.

You can also bake this in a cast iron skillet. The baking time will be slightly longer. Test for doneness by pressing the middle to see if it springs back.

We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane. Kurt Vonnegut

Marinade for Roasted Vegetables

Because I like to cook with whatever is in the house, I have formulas for some things rather than recipes. A recipe implies that you should have certain ingredients to make the food taste right or to make it work. Most of the time, that isn't the case. Most things have a ratio that will allow you to substitute a whole array of ingredients. In addition to using up what you have around, formula cookery results in some novelty and discovery. 

We like to roast vegetables rather than steam or boil them because the flavor is concentrated and intensified in the roasting. With some of the water content gone and a bit of caramelization, new flavors emerge. The best example of this is how many people like roasted Brussells sprouts, but do not care for them cooked with any other method.

The sauces can be drizzled over the vegetables in whatever quantity you like. I like to drizzle a little when I first put them in the oven and then again about 15 or 20 minutes before I remove them from the oven.

Formula for Marinade

Tang - wine vinegar, rice vinegar, cider vinegar, lemon or lime juice - about 1/4 cup

Sweetness - honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, jelly - especially pomegranate - about 1/3 cup

Fat - butter, avocado oil, olive oil, ghee, or some combination of those - about 1/2 cup

Liquid - broth, wine, fruit juice, water, beer - about 1/3 cup

Flavoring/Umami - soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, chili pepper flakes or powder, caraway seed powder, dill weed, mustard, coriander, fennel, ginger, garlic, etc. How much of these flavorings you use is totally unique to who's doing the eating. But all of these are generally measured with spoons rather than cups.

There is no reason not to use the same formula for meat marinade, as well.

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.

Jaryd Clifford

Pumpkin Cranberry Nut Muffins

This quick bread recipe has a distinct holiday feeling, but I can also envision serving it at a springtime brunch. Days are getting longer and soon we will be eating on patios and porches again. The cranberries in this recipe give the sweet bread a lively tartness that will complement any breakfast entree.

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup white sugar

1 cup of cooked pumpkin

2/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts or whatever you might have on hand

1/2 cup chopped fresh cranberries (You can use the dried version, if it's not the season for fresh.)

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup soft butter

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons vanilla

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 rounded teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

This recipe will make 18 medium sized muffins. Four or five small loaf pans might be an option, too.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes (muffins) or 30 minutes (loaf pans). Test for doneness by pressing on the middle. It should spring back and feel fairly firm.

The more efficient you get, the more you become a limitless reservoir for other people's expectations.

Jim Benson

Salmon and Sweet Potato Hors d'oeuvres

These make great appetizers; or if you want a light meal, add a salad, and you've got lunch or dinner. I have made salmon cakes with parsnip and potato (also delicious), but the sweet potato is the ultimate complement to the salmon.

6 ounces of cooked salmon (or crab meat)

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato

1/2 cup soft butter

1/2 cup bread  crumbs

1 cup mashed potato flakes

1 large egg (2 medium)

1 rounded tablespoon sautéed garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix ingredients thoroughly with a mixing fork.

Divide into 12 portions and form small patties on a well oiled baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Flip, and bake for 10 more minutes on the second side.

Spicy Sauce:

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon dill weed

2 tablespoons finely minced dill pickle

If you don't want the heat, leave out the red pepper.

Contrary to the cliche, it isn't the thought that counts, but the effort. Oliver Burkeman