Wisconsin Chili

Wisconsin Chili

This is one of my favorite comfort food recipes passed down to me from my Grandma Johnson. I remember her making it often throughout the year, even on Christmas Eve, and especially on cold and rainy days. Since my Grandma raised 5 kids on a pretty tight budget, Mom says they ate this a lot growing up.

It really isn't a traditional chili at all, but it is an easy and inexpensive meal to prepare (especially for a lot of people) and it is even better warmed up the next day!

Ingredients (makes 6-8 servings)

1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbs olive oil
1 1/2 c. dry large elbow macaroni
1lb. ground beef
3-5 celery stalks, chopped
2 cans red kidney beans
46 oz. tomato juice (I like V-8 Spicy blend)
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. red pepper chili flakes
salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Chop onions and celery into small bite size pieces.
Cook elbow macaroni according to package directions, but cook the pasta 1-2 minutes less than done.
Heat olive oil in a dutch oven or large pot, add onion and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Add the ground beef, salt pepper, oregano and red pepper flakes and cook until beef browns.
Toss in the chopped celery, kidney beans and stir for a couple of minutes.
Gradually add in the tomato juice. Let simmer over low heat for 20 to 30 minutes and serve.

Note: There have been many attempts to improve, alter, add to, enhance or change this recipe, the options are endless, but this is the way I like it best, simple!

Sweet Potato Chicken Soup

Even though October can be one of the hottest months of the year here in San Diego, there has been a noticeable change in the air signalling Fall is upon us. It's not quite time yet, but I am looking forward to breaking out my sweaters!

October is easily my most favorite month of the year. Not only because it is my birthday month : ), but I also love Halloween and pumpkins and all the delicious warm soups and casseroles that are popular this time of year.

Mark made this soup for me the other night. I was thinking this would also be good if you substituted the roasted sweet potato with roasted pumpkin.... anyone want to try it and let me know how it goes?

Sweet Potato Chicken Soup

printable version

makes about 6 servings

2 cups shredded pre-cooked chicken
1 large sweet potato, diced
4 slices thick-cut smoked bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, roughly chopped
2 cups raw spinach
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 cup chopped carrots
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 25-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
24 ounces low-sodium chicken broth

Preheat oven to 450. Dice the sweet potato into bite sized pieces and put in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir to coat. Place in a roasting pan and roast for about 30 minutes stirring about half way through.

Preheat a large dutch oven on medium heat. Add chopped bacon and fry until brown and crispy. While bacon is frying, chop the vegetables and prep chicken. When bacon is done, remove and drain on a paper towel.

Keeping heat on medium, add onions, mushrooms and peppers to bacon grease and saute until soft, about 7 minutes. Add garlic, spinach, paprika and cumin and stir for 60 seconds. Turn heat down to low and add the roasted sweet potatoes, chickpeas, celery, carrots and chicken. Pour in chicken stock and simmer for 30 minutes.

Right before serving, add bacon back into soup. Garnish with parmesan cheese and serve with crusty bread. Season with salt and pepper if needed. 

Ham, Kale and Bean Soup

I don't know how official it is, but I heard that January is National Soup Month. Why not? It's hard to pick just one to start with..... but we managed.

We co-hosted a fabulous New Year’s Day party this year where we enjoyed the company of some fantastic friends and family and we got to feast on some amazing food. Extra bonus, we received some yummy hostess gifts and somehow we even ended up with a substantial portion of leftover honey baked ham……

If you live in Santa Barbara and you are a foodie, you probably know my cousin Krista. She is the editor of Edible Santa Barbara, one of the most impressive food magazines on the stands today. Krista and her husband Steve have worked hard to create an amazing publication including recipes, articles on gardening, organic farming, wineries and so much more, click here to explore.

Krista and Steve gifted us with a fantastic hostess gift from Shepherd Farms in Carpenteria. I have not been there yet, but I can say that Sheperd Farms makes a fantastic organic dried “Herbs de Provence”. This particular blend includes sage, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, oregano and bay. I can only imagine the possibilities, soups, sauces, marinades, eggs, salads.........

Inspired by our gifts and the desire to eat something that is NOT stuffed, fried or drenched in butter or alcohol, we threw together the following ingredients to create this delicious and healthy Ham, Kale and Bean Soup. Remarkably quick, mostly healthy and incredibly delicious!

Ham, Kale and Bean Soup

Makes 4-6 servings
printable version

1 ½ cup cooked ham, chopped 

3 medium carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, diced

½ onion, chopped

1 leek, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

1 can pinto beans

1 can cannelloni beans

2 cups chopped kale

5 cups vegetable stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Herbs de Provence (or blend of dried herbs)

In a large pot or Dutch Oven heat olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onions and garlic and saute until tender about 10 minutes.

Add the ham, beans, vegetable broth and season with salt, pepper and Herbs de Provence. Bring to a light boil and add kale. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until kale is cooked to desired tenderness.

You can't get much easier than that! Enjoy with a nice piece of crusty bread, or better yet, a grilled cheese sandwich!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Since ALL of our friends and family are avid readers and followers of "I Don't Cook, But My Boyfriend Does!", we are often sent recipes to try in hopes that they will make it to the blog.Well, here is a good example of that.

It's weird, of all the soups we have posted over the years, Chicken Tortilla Soup has somehow never graced our recipe index before now. I can not explain it, we love SOUP, we love CHICKEN and we love SPICY soups, and this my friends is all that, and more. It's AMAZING!!

Thank you Bill for sending us this delicious and VERY SIMPLE recipe, a definite keeper!

Chicken Tortilla Soup (serves at least 8)
print version


4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
8 cups chicken broth (= 2 of those cartons)
8 corn tortillas, sliced into pieces
1 med. onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
2- 14 1/2 oz. cans diced tomatoes w/ jalapenos
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 bay leaves


In a large stock pot: (we used a 6 qt. dutch oven)
- 6 Tbsp. oil over high heat
- add tortilla pieces, fry until crispy and set aside on paper towel to absorb oil
- add onion, cilantro, & garlic- saute
- add tomatoes and all juices from the cans- bring to a boil
- add broth, cumin, chili powder, & bay leaves- bring back to a boil
- reduce heat to simmer *see note below
- add chicken breasts (raw, even frozen is fine) & cayenne pepper
- simmer (approx. 15 min. if frozen breasts)
- remove bay leaves
- take out breasts, check for "done-ness", shred, and put back into pot.

Top with:
-avocado
-fresh cilantro
-sour cream
-shredded cheese
-tortilla chip pieces

You will have plenty for left-overs! Great to make in advance and let it sit on the stove, or easy to reheat.

It's a very flexible recipe, i.e., you can use more or less tortillas or chicken etc...  Adjust spiciness with more or less cayenne.

* Note: We roasted 2 jalapenos and 1 serrano pepper for about 15 minutes, removed most seeds, chopped and added just before adding the chicken, it added a nice roasted flavor!

If you like this recipe, you might also like this recipe for Shrimp Fra Diavolo that Bill also shared with us!

Favorite Soups and Stews to Warm You Up!

As you can see from my lack of posts lately, I have been in a blogging funk.

It's certainly not because we have not been cooking some great stuff, we have made some fabulous meals lately,  I just haven't felt like writing.

Since we write this blog as a team, my partner in crime is stepping up and giving me that extra "shove" that I need. By that, I mean Mark has come up with a 'blog menu' of dishes that he will prepare with the specific intention of posting. The list includes some exciting and exotic dishes featuring some unusual spices and ingredients, I am sure you will be intrigued too!


In the meantime, here are a few of our most popular soups and stews to help inspire and keep you warm during these cool and rainy days.

Butternut Squash & Red Pepper Soup

White Bean Chicken Chili

 Mushroom Barley Soup

Egyptian Split Pea Soup

Albondigas

Check back soon, new and exciting dishes are on the way! I'm getting inspired just thinking about it!

Smashed Potato Leek Soup

I have been craving potatoes all the time lately. Sweet potatoes, red, yellow, russet, fries, mashed, blended, you name it, I want it. 

Honestly, I don't think I have ever eaten Potato Leek Soup before, but for some reason I wanted "us" to make it. I'm glad I did, because it turns out I love it! 

We combined several different recipes and made up some other parts. We like our soup a little chunky and not pureed like most recipes called for. With a little extra cooking time on the stove, and a little "smashing", it turned out perfect.

Smashed Potato Leek Soup Recipe (Printable recipe)

Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

1 yellow or sweet onion

4 garlic cloves minced

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 large leek

2 bay leaves

1 tsp crushed thyme

1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced

8 medium-sized potatoes

1 cup white wine

4 cups of Vegetable broth, or just enough to cover the potatoes

1 tsp salt

8 oz half and half

¼ cup fresh chopped parsley

Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions:

Wash and peel the potatoes, and set aside.

Roughly chop the onion, then dice by hand or quickly chop in a food processor. Add onions and garlic to Dutch oven or large soup pot with the olive oil over medium heat. Stir frequently

Meanwhile, wash the leeks and chop them up in 1/4 inch slices, using the white and light green parts. Finely mince the rosemary and thyme.

When the onions have become translucent, add the leeks, bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary, cook for about 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.

Dice the potatoes and add them to the pot when the leeks are soft. Add the white wine and then the broth until the liquid level just covers the potatoes. Add a teaspoon of salt and then bring it all to a boil.

Turn down the heat until the soup is at a steady simmer, cover it and let it cook for about an hour and a half. 

Once the potatoes are falling apart and the base looks creamy, slowly add the half and half, and mash the potatoes against the side of the pot till you have a nice creamy consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste and increase heat for the last 15 minutes. 

Garnish with chopped fresh rosemary and/or parsley and serve with some good crusty bread. Enjoy!

Mushroom Barley Soup

Many of you are probably already familiar with the Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen. Mark has been a fan of it's recipes for years, in fact, it may be the reason he fell in love with cooking in the first place, (thank you Mollie!).

You just gotta love mushrooms. With over 38,000 varieties in the world, they are low in fat, sodium and cholesterol and they provide many other nutrients our bodies need. And if you are trying to get more fiber in your diet, barley is an excellent source.

This recipe is so simple yet very hearty and filling and perfect to warm you up on a cool day. We like to make a big heaping pot full on the weekends and eat it all week. Sometimes we vary it up and add carrots and leeks, a nice touch!

Moosewood Mushroom and Barley Soup

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pearl barley, raw

6 1/2 cups stock or water (try making your own veggie stock!)

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons tamari soy sauce

4 tablespoons dry sherry

3 tablespoons butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup onion, chopped

1 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced (we used both portebella and cremini)

Fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

Cook barley in 1 1/2 cup of the stock or water until tender (cook it right in the soup kettle).

Add remaining stock or water, tamari and sherry.

Sauté onions and garlic in butter. When they soften, add mushrooms and 1/2 tsp salt.

When all is tender add to barley, being sure to include the liquid the vegetables expressed while cooking.

Give it a generous grinding of black pepper and simmer 20 minutes, covered, over the lowest possible heat.

Note: This soup is best served with a nice crusty loaf of bread for dipping!

White Bean Chicken Chili

White Bean Chicken Chili

This might be my new most favorite chili. It is hearty, filling, and explodes with a earthy, tangy Southwestern  flavor, a nice twist to a traditional "comfort food" favorite.

While I was out doing enduring the nightmare hustle and bustle of holiday shopping, shipping, and driving, my better half was at home preparing a warm, healthy and delicious dinner. This is a wonderful meal to come home to after a stressful day!

White Bean Chicken Chili (makes 4 servings)


Ingredients: [printable recipe]

2 cups chopped or shredded pre-cooked chicken
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 roasted jalapeno peppers
2 roasted poblano peppers
1 medium onion, cut into large chunks
2 stocks celery, with green tops if possible

6 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander

2 (15-ounce) cans Cannelloni or white beans
1 cup black eyed peas, (cooked separately for 1 hour)
1 can low-sodium chicken broth
Juice from 1 lime
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Instructions:

Start with roasting your poblano and jalapeno peppers for about 30-40 minutes, you don’t have to, but it really makes a big difference in the overall taste, we highly recommend this step!

Start cooking the black eyed peas according to package directions. They usually take about 1 hour, so you can do this earlier or, cheat and buy a can!

We bought a herb roasted pre-cooked whole chicken at the grocery store, they are pretty good and convenient. After a little work, we got about 2 cups of shredded meat. Or you could cook a pound of boneless skinless chicken breast, chop or shred it, set aside.

In a food processor, combine the onion, garlic, and 1 stock of celery (with green top), pulse until you have a consistency of chunky salsa. In a large stockpot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil on medium high heat and add the garlic, onion and celery, cook until vegetables turn translucent, about 6-7 minutes.

Once the roasted peppers have cooled and peeled, add them to the food processor and pulse for just a few seconds until roughly diced, again, we’re looking for the consistency of chunky salsa. Add that mixture to the pot and stir to combine, reduce heat to medium low.

Add the coriander, cumin, salt and pepper, and let simmer for a few minutes, gradually add the chicken stock, add the Cannelloni beans, the other stock of celery chopped, and when the black eyed peas are soft enough, throw them in too. Let simmer on low heat for 10 to 20 minutes to let flavors blend and the base to thicken.

About 10 minutes before serving, add the chicken, chopped cilantro and lime juice. Top it off with more cilantro, some crumbled queso fresco cheese and serve with warm corn tortillas or cornbread.

This Chili always tastes even better reheated the next day!

Decadent Crab Chowder

I really wanted to write something special for our 100th post on I Don't Cook, But My Boyfriend Does!

I wanted it to be extraordinary, unique and brimming with mouth-watering photographs, and everyone would rave and talk about the recipe for years to come........

Since I am not the one actually doing the cooking, I emphasized to my boyfriend husband that this post has to be special, he suggested crab, one of my favorite ingredients!

He is awesome. He knew exactly how to prepare that cute little red crustacean (I couldn't even touch it to take its picture), and turn it into a delectable and decadent chowder. The end result is a very rich but smooth, herbal and creamy base, with the perfect amount of buttery, decadent crab meat, like heaven. The heat level can be adjusted according to your taste, but I suggest you keep it low and enjoy the flavor of the crab meat.

We weren't sure what to call this dish, is it a crab bisque, or chowder? According to my new favorite reference book, The New Food Lover's Companion, it could be either. Since a bisque is traditionally pureed, and ours is all chunky, we decided to call it chowder.

So, here it is, our 100th post. Thank you for all your support and for your comments, we really appreciate them all! We have some great ideas for future posts and we look forward to sharing much more, enjoy!

Decadent Crab Chowder (printable version)

Ingredients: (for 2 large servings)

1/2 lb Dungeness crab meat (or the meat of 1 whole crab)

2 tbsp minced shallot

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp flour

2 cups fish stock

1 cup half-and-half

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp red pepper flakes

Chopped parsley (for garnish)

Salt and pepper

Grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Clean and remove the meat from the dungeness crab. Set aside. The best meat is in the legs and claws. It takes patience, but it's worth it!

Place a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add butter and shallots, stirring frequently until the shallots are softened for about three minutes.

Add the flour and gradually add the fish stock and lemon, simmer while stirring for about three minutes. Add the cayenne, red pepper flakes, parsley and thyme.

Turn down heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook for fifteen minutes, allowing the flavors to develop. Reduce the heat to low, and add in the cream, salt and pepper, stir well.

Slowly add in the crab meat leaving the pieces intact as much as possible, cook for about five minutes, or just until the cream and crab are warmed through. Turn off the heat and serve immediately.

Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped parsley.

Egyptian Split Pea Stew II

Egyptian Split Pea Stew
Recipe from A Beautiful Bowl Of Soup by Paulette Mitchell

This is by far one of our most favorite soups/stews. In fact, we have posted it before, but I think this recipe deserves another mention, besides, the first photo was pretty lame, I like this one a lot better!

If you are looking for a hearty, vegetarian, easy and affordable stew, this is it. As much as I would like to describe the full rich flavor, the complex texture and soul satisfying warmth of this dish, my words fail to describe, it can only be understood by smell, touch and taste.

For those of you that like a little meat in your stew, go ahead and add some bacon. It is amazing!

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup coarsely chopped onion

8 cloves garlic

4 cups vegetable stock

1 1/2 cups dried split peas

4 large ripe tomatoes

8 cups stemmed and coarsely chopped fresh spinach

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leafed parsley
2 tbsp snipped fresh dill, or 1 tsp dried dill
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and the garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add 3 cups of the vegetable stock. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Stir in the split peas. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the split peas are tender but not mushy, about 50minutes. During the last 15 minutes, stir in the remaining 1 cup  vegetable stock,  the tomatoes, spinach, cilantro, parsley, dill, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Taste, and adjust to your liking.

Basic Vegetable Stock

Have you noticed how expensive plain vegetable stock is in the grocery store? Making your own vegetable stock is a great way to clean out the refrigerator. Don't limit your stock making ingredients to whole vegetables. Start saving peels and trimmings while you cook. Your stock will be strained before being used, and all those unattractive peels will be gone, but they will add tons of flavor to your stock.

• 1 large chopped onion
• 2 or 3 large chopped carrots
• 3 or 4 stalks celery (include the leafy top parts as well)
• 6 to 8 chopped garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

Other suggested vegetables (and vegetable scraps) to use are: onions, garlic, potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, celery, carrots, mushrooms, corn (empty corn cobs can also add lots of flavor to stock), parsley, green beans, beets, bell peppers, scallions, green onions, shallots, fresh basil, thyme, cilantro, and oregano...pretty much anything.

A good rule of thumb is to have about half solid ingredients to half water. Add a tablespoon or so of ground black peppercorns and 2 bay leaves. Cover the ingredients with the water, bring to a boil and let simmer for about an hour. Cool and strain to remove all pieces of vegetables.

Use immediately for your favorite recipe, such as the Egyptian Split Pea Soup, or freeze in ice cube trays for future use. It's a great way to add a little healthy flavor to many dishes.

Cioppino (Seafood Stew)

Classic Seafood Cioppino

Mark wanted to make me something special for my birthday this weekend,  so I chose Cioppino. A hearty Italian seafood tomato based soup, Cioppino can include a variety of ingredients. We chose lobster, shrimp, scallops and clams.

If you prefer, you can also add crab meat, mussels, squid, any kind of fish such as halibut, sea bass or salmon,  the possibilities are endless. To keep it authentic, keep the shellfish in the shells. The traditional fish stew is said to have been derived by the Italian fishermen in San Francisco in the 1800's. The name comes from ciuppin, a word meaning "to chop" or "chopped" which described the process of making the stew by chopping up various leftovers of the days catch.

Ingredients:

6 large garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 bay leaves

1 tsp dried oregano, crumbled

1 tsp dried hot red pepper flakes

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

1 green bell pepper, diced

3 tbsp tomato paste

1 1/2 cups dry red wine

1 (32-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes, drained, reserving juice, and chopped

1 cup bottled clam juice

1 cup chicken broth

1 lb Dungeness crab, whole

12 small (2-inch) hard-shelled clams (1 1/2 pound) such as littlenecks, scrubbed

½ lb skinless red snapper or halibut fillets, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

1 lb large shrimp (16 to 20), tails and bottom segment of shells left intact and deveined

1/2 lb sea scallops, tough muscle removed from side of each if necessary

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

Directions:

Cook garlic, onions, bay leaf, oregano, and red pepper flakes with salt and pepper in oil in an 8-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and boil until reduced by about half, 5 to 6 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juice, clam juice, and broth and simmer, covered, 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

While stew is simmering, hack crab pieces through shell into 2- to 3-inch pieces with a large heavy knife. Add crab pieces, lobster and clams to stew and simmer, covered, until clams just open, 5 to 10 minutes, checking every minute after 5 minutes and transferring opened clams to a bowl with tongs or a slotted spoon. (Discard any unopened clams after 10 minutes.) Lightly season fish fillets, shrimp, and scallops with salt and add to stew, then simmer, covered, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf, then return clams to pot and gently stir in parsley and basil.

Serve Cioppino hot in large soup bowls with fresh sourdough bread.

Note: You might want to cover your clothing with a large napkin or bib, this can get messy!

Albondigas Soup

Comfort food for any culture!

One of most favorite soups in the world is Albondigas Soup. In case you don’t know what that is, it is a traditional Mexican soup with a broth base, seasonal vegetables and spicy meatballs. In any culture, it is the perfect comfort food after a long, cold day.

I wish I had a wise Mexican grandmother to teach me how to make the traditional authentic Albondigas, (or sopa de albondigas) but I don’t. So, with the help of 6 cookbooks and the internet, I think I came up with a sufficient version. Of course I will undoubtedly tweak this recipe, add a little of this or maybe some of that, until it is perfect. In the meantime, here is how I made my first Albondigas soup.

For the Meatballs:

1 ½ pounds ground beef

½ cup finely diced onion

¼  cup finely diced celery

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 eggs

½ cup uncooked rice

2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs

1 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

salt, ground black pepper

For the Soup:

8 cups chicken stock (I use low sodium)

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 potatoes cut into bite sized pieces

½ cup thinly sliced carrots

½ cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped fresh Roma tomatoes

5-6 whole cloves of garlic

1 tsp red chili flakes

1 bunch cilantro

1 lime
Fresh corn tortillas

How to prepare

---

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine beef, onion, ¼ cup celery, garlic, cumin, eggs, rice, parsley, oregano, and bread crumbs, and salt and pepper. Mix well. Form into 30 small meatballs. Place on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Set aside.

Place the cut potatoes in a pot of boiling water and cook until just tender, but not too soft. Drain and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large stock pot. Add carrots, remaining ½ cup celery, and garlic.

Sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, chili flakes, and the potatoes.

Add the chicken stock and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add meatballs and continue to simmer on low heat until ready to serve.

Serve hot and garnish with cilantro and lime and corn tortillas.

Butternut Squash & Roasted Red Pepper Soup

This soup was one of my first posts back when I started this blog, and we haven’t made it since. Since the weather is cooling and it seems everyone is making some kind of squash these days, I thought it would be a good time to make it again.

This time, we switched up the ingredients a little bit. I did not like the quality (or the price) of the sweet potatoes in the store, so I skipped it this time. I also had 2 red bell peppers that needed to be eaten, so I added those. Otherwise, it’s pretty close to the original recipe, which I have to admit I like a little bit better, but this variation is pretty darn good too!

Ingredients:

1 lb. diced and peeled butternut squash
2 red bell peppers
1 cup chopped carrot
1 medium red onion
1 large tomato
1 tbsp ground coriander
Pinch of red chili flakes
4 garlic cloves finely minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bay leaf
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Salt and pepper
Grated Parmesan
Fresh parsley, chopped, to serve

Directions:

Roast squash, red bell peppers, tomato, onion and garlic in oven for about 20-30 minutes. See how to roast vegetables here.

In a large thick bottomed pot or dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the squash, roasted red peppers, carrots, onion, garlic, coriander and red chili flakes. Cook on medium heat, without browning, for about 5 minutes, or until soft.

Pour just enough stock to cover the vegetables. Add the bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 35 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Remove the bay leaf and transfer all to a blender. Puree until smooth, return to the pot. Add more stock or water to attain the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and fresh chopped parsley.

 Enjoy!

Top Ramen

I don't make Mark cook for me EVERY night. Every now and then, I volunteer to cook. It's never anything fancy and sometimes is barely edible, but I try.

For some reason I have been craving Top Ramen. Yes, you remember, the college years staple food found in every dorm room and bachelor pad across the land.

Fine on it's own, but it doesn't hurt to doctor it up a little. Here's some ideas:


Make as directed on package. Just after adding noodles, add one or more of the following ingredients:

Shrimp
Chicken
Beef
Cilantro
Parsley
Shallots
Onions
Garlic
Red pepper flakes
Fresh Basil, or any fresh herbs
Diced peppers
Peas
Spinach
Tomatoes
Olives

If you feel like getting a little more creative, check out this blog,  ALL Ramen recipes and some pretty interesting ones too.......The Official Ramen Homepage

Charger Chili

With ingredients like this laying around, I was inspired to make chili.

But Mark went to the Charger game. I was on my own.

This is what I threw in the pot:

1 lb. ground beef
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic
2 tomatoes
1 jalapeno pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 ancho chili pepper
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
1 bottle dark beer (I chose Stone IPA Ale)
1 Tbsp. Oregano
1 Tbsp. Basil
2 tsp. Cumin1 tbsp. *(more or less) chili flakes
2 tsp. *(more or less) chili pepper
salt and pepper to taste

* This is where Marks experience comes in handy. In his absence, I WAY over spiced this dish. I like it hot, but not this HOT! It turned out inedible, way too spicy. What to do?

The next day, Mark simply added a can of diced tomatoes and some diced parsley. Presto! It is almost perfect!

Happy New Year!

If I had to pick my favorite dish of 2009, it would be the Spicy Butternut Squash Soup. It might be the most flavor satisfying soup we have made.

OK, with the food part of this post out of the way, I would like to wish all of you a very happy, healthy and fulfilling new year!

If you haven't heard, Mark and I recently became engaged! All kinds of excitement going on, and the number one question people ask me?? So, are you going to change the name of your blog to "I Don't Cook, But My Husband Does!"? I am still thinking about that........

In the mean time, we have a bunch of things going on, parties and entertaining and probably some healthier and DIETING recipes, so please check back often!

Egyptian Split-Pea Stew

Recipe from A Beautiful Bowl Of Soup by Paulette Mitchell (see Amazon list to the right)

This is by far one of my most favorite soups/stews. I always yearn for it when it gets cold, (it really does get cold in California!).

BTW, this is one of those dishes that tastes even better the next day!

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup coarsely chopped onion

8 cloves garlic

4 cups vegetable stock

1 1/2 cups dried split peas

4 large ripe tomatoes

8 cups stemmed and coarsely chopped fresh spinach

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leafed parsley
2 tbsp snipped fresh dill, or 1 tsp dried dill

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and the garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add 3 cups of the vegetable stock. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Stir in the split peas. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the split peas are tender but not mushy, about 50 minutes. 

During the last 15 minutes, stir in the remaining 1 cup  vegetable stock,  the tomatoes, spinach, cilantro, parsley, dill, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Taste, and adjust to your liking.

The book recipe suggests to serve with basmati rice and garnish with yogurt, I like it just the way it is, maybe some saltine crackers......

Turkey Chili

What could be better than a bowl of hot chili on a cold night? This recipe is so good, you won't even notice that you are eating (healthier) ground turkey, not beef.


This recipe was originally from Simply Recipes and just slightly modified.

• 2 cups chopped onion
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped fine
• 1 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 (35 oz) cans stewed tomatoes, crushed
• 2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans, drained
• 1 (15 oz) can of corn
  
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 2 Tbsp chili powder (we used 4 Tbsp, we like it hot!)
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1 Tbsp dried hot red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp salt, plus more if desired to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 to 4 cups of shredded, cooked turkey meat
• Sugar

• Garnish with shredded cheddar or parmesan cheese, chopped red onion, and I like Fritos too!

Instructions

1 In a large, 8-quart, thick-bottom pot, cook the onion and green pepper over medium high heat, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add a bit more olive oil if needed.

2 Add tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, corn, beans, oregano, salt, pepper, and cooked turkey meat. Bring mixture to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for an hour.

3 Salt to taste. Add 1 to 3 teaspoons of sugar to take the edge of the acidity of the tomatoes if desired.
The chili may be made in advance and chilled for 2 days, or frozen for 2 months.

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, chopped red onion. Serve with corn bread or warm tortillas.

Makes about 12 cups. 

Spicy Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

We made this FANTASTIC soup a couple of weeks ago. It was easy and so full of flavor, perfect with a toasty grilled cheese sandwich on a cool Fall evening.

Spicy Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Soup

* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 red onion, peeled and diced
* 1 tablespoon ground coriander
* Pinch of red chili flakes
* 3 garlic cloves finely minced
* 1 tomato, blanched, peeled, seeded and diced
* 10 oz diced and peeled butternut squash
* 7 oz diced and peeled sweet potato
* 6 oz diced and peeled carrot
* 1 bay leaf
* 4 cups water (or 2 cups water and 2 cups chicken stock)
* Salt and pepper
* Grated Parmesan
* Fresh parsley, chopped, to serve

In a large thick bottomed pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When warm, add the onion, coriander and red chili flakes. Cook on medium heat, without browning, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until soft.

Add the garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute, then add the tomato and cook for 2 extra minutes.

Add the rest of the vegetables and cook for 4 minutes, stirring.

Cover with the water or stock. Add the bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.

Remove the bay leaf and purée the soup. Add more stock or water if necessary.

To serve, sprinkle fresh Parmesan cheese and parsley. Enjoy with crusty bread on the side.