Made Butternut Squash Soup

iphone photos are what happens when you forget your fancy camera on the kitchen counter before leaving town.  I did have fun being creative with mac photo booth though!  I am really hoping this soup turns out as good as it tasted at my sister-in-law's house last week.  Thanks for the taste-test, ET!  It was AMAZING and I have built it up to B so I better deliver.  Between Cabbage Rolls last night (sorry no post) and Butternut Squash today I am taking some risks.

1 butternut squash peeled, seeded and diced
1 tbsp. olive oil and extra for roasting
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 c. diced onion
3/4 c. diced carrot
3 c. chicken stock (or vegetable if you prefer)
1/2 c. heavy cream
Nutmeg to taste
Salt & pepper to taste

Peel, seed and dice the butternut squash.  Drizzle with olive oil and roast in a 400 degree oven for 30-45 minutes, until soft.  After roasted, set aside.

 Not time for the nutmeg yet but I got excited about shaving fresh nutmeg.  The smell is incredible!

Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tbsp. butter over medium heat.  Stir in onions and carrots and cook until until tender.

Pour 3 cups chicken stock.  Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste and bring to a boil.  Make sure veggies are tender.

In a large food processor, puree the roasted squash.   

Add the stock mixture to the food processor and blend until smooth.  Make sure your food processor is big enough to handle the amount of liquid.  I have an 11 cup and it was perfect.

Pour the full mixture back into your stock pot and add the 1/2 cup cream.  I actually used milk and then added a large serving spoon of cream.  Heat but do NOT boil.  Serve warm.

Breakfast Skillet with Green Onion Home Fries

This recipe just came across the Madeley kitchen via the Williams Sonoma catalog and of course I had to try it.  I fell in love with a similar Williams Sonoma dish this time last year and made made Toad In The Hole for Christmas morning.  This Breakfast Skillet dish is definitely worth the effort and process to enjoy on a cold Saturday morning, fireside or on a Friday night with special friends as we did this weekend.  Thankful to celebrate the coming of Christmas in our home, serving those we love!

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

2 tbsp. vegetable oil (I used EVOO)

1 1/2 lb. small red potatoes, boiled until just tender, drained and quartered

4 green onions, white and light green portions, thinly sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 lb. Mexican chorizo (fresh from the butcher, not links)

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 large bunch Swiss chard, stems and ribs removed, leaves cut into 1/2" strips

1 red bell pepper, roasted, seeded and cut into 1/4" strips

1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese

8 eggs    

 Another first for me…Swiss Chard.  I think this is a very pretty vegetable and I kind of felt sophisticated with it sitting in my basket as I wheeled around Whole Foods.  I thought about my friend, Merritt, who would have been so proud of me taking on this hearty veggie.  It was fun to cut up too…rinsed off and let air dry.  Cut off the stems and then cut the rib out of each leaf center prior to cutting my 1/2" strips.  Piled into a bowl until I was ready to cook them down.

I was so distracted with the breakfast skillet that the only pictures we took were of the potatoes boiling and the finished product.  Sorry about that but here is how to take on the potatoes and whip them up so you can focus on the skillet.  Boil your potatoes then….

In 10" nonstick fry pan over medium-high heat, melt butter with 1 tbsp. oil.  Add potatoes, cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes.  Add green onions, salt and pepper; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minutes.  Remove from the heat; cover with foil.

Position rack in upper third of oven, preheat oven to 500 degrees.  In 12" nonstick fry pan over medium-high heat, cook chorizo, crumbling with wooden spoon, until browned, 5-6 minutes.  Drain on paper towels.  Wipe out pan, return pan to medium-high heat, warm 1 tbsp. oil.  

Was not really sure how to roast a red bell pepper but this seemed to work.  Warmed a few dashes of olive oil and stirred the strips until soft and browned on the outside.  

Cook yellow onion, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes.  Add chard; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes.  

Add chorizo and bell pepper; cook 1 minute.  Stir in cheese; season lightly with salt and pepper.

 Crack eggs over chorizo mixture, spacing them evenly; season with salt and pepper.  Transfer pan to oven; bake until eggs are just set, 5-6 minutes.  My sweet hubby and photography assistant was also the egg cracker…I was too nervous about the shell. 

Serve immediately with home fries.  Serves 6.

What I would do next time:

Boil potatoes until tender and not soft, too soft and they will come apart when in your skillet

Made Mom's Vegetable Bread For Thanksgiving

Growing up, this was my Thanksgiving request that my Mom make.  Butter, bacon, biscuits…now I know why it was a favorite for all of those years.  The recipe might need a name change though as it could be perceived as healthy in name only.  Grab your favorite bundt pan and get started - great for a family gathering!

2 sticks butter

3 cans butter milk biscuits

1 c. green bell pepper, chopped

1 c. onion, chopped

1/2 c. chives, chopped

1/2 lb. fried bacon, crumbled

1/2 c. parmesan cheese

Saute pepper, onion and chives in butter.  Quarter biscuits.

Cook the bacon in the oven at 400 degrees until crisp, approximately 20 minutes.

Pour pepper and onion mixture over biscuits and toss.  Add bacon and cheese.

Stir to fully coat biscuits. Pout into ungreased bundt pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Cool for about 5 minutes, invert onto a round cake plate and serve warm.

A note from Mom: Don't make ahead of time and refrigerate…It doesn't work as well as the butter hardens and the entire mixture sticks to the pan.

Made Roasted Salmon with Green Herbs

I saw this in a Barefoot Contessa cookbook this summer and am just now getting around to trying it.  Finding that my salmon meals are better the sooner I cook the meals from when I buy the fresh ingredients.  So all of this is fresh from Whole Foods and our garden, which always excites me!!

The below recipe serves 6 but tonight I was only cooking for 2…

1 (2-2.5 lb.) skinless salmon fillet

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1/4 c. good olive oil

2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 c. minced scallions, white and green parts (4 scallions)

1/2 c. minced fresh dill

1/2 c. minced fresh parsley

1/4 c. dry white wine

Lemon wedges, for serving (if you want to be fancy)

I so loved chopping the parsley, dill, green onions and squeezing the lemons.  The scallions are out of our garden and originally came from my Grandparents garden in East Texas.  We transported one of the bulbs on our last trip and they are growing so nicely.  If anyone reading this wants to try this recipe in the next few days we have herbs to spare….give me a shout.
 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Place salmon fillet(s) in a glass, ceramic, or stainless-steel roasting dish and season it generously with salt and pepper.  Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice and drizzle the mixture evenly over the salmon.  Let it stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.

 In a small bowl, stir together the scallions, dill and parsley.  I love the beautiful green color!

Scatter the herb mixture over the salmon fillet(s), turning it so that both sides are generously coated with the green herbs.  Pour the wine around the fish fillet.  Roast the salmon for 10-12 minutes, until almost cooked in the center at the thickest part.  The center will be firm with just a line of uncooked salmon in the very center.  Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes.  If using one fillet, cut the salmon crosswise into serving pieces and serve hot with lemon wedges.

Perfect for your next dinner party or an easy weeknight dinner for you and your spouse or a deserving roommate!!

Made Bridal Luncheon Recipes

As promised the recipes from Rebecca's Bridal Luncheon.

Autumn Salad

Better to have too much than not to have enough!  I doubled the vinaigrette and pecans and bought extra at least two of the produce listed.  We fed 22 at the shower and had leftovers if that tells you anything.    

Mixed greens

Red onion rings, thinly sliced

Avocados, chopped

Granny Smith Apples, thinly sliced

1, 16oz. container, crumbled goat or blue cheese (I used feta b/c it is the Bride's favorite)

Glazed Pecans

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. olive oil

1/4 c. lime juice

1/4 c. rice vinegar

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 shallots, minced

2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

Put all the ingredients, except olive oil in blender.  Mix then pour oil in a thin stream through the top of the blender.  

Glazed Pecans

1 egg white

1 tbsp. water

1/2 tsp. salt

1 lb. pecan halves

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

I prepared the pecans the night before as to save time the morning of the shower.  In a large mixing bowl, beat egg white, water, and salt until frothy.  Once frothy, add pecans.  Stir in sugar and cinnamon and smell the goodness!!  Pour onto greased, foil-lined pan and bade at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  Don't forget the Pam and foil for your baking sheet or you will be sorry…

Just before ready to serve mix all of the veggies, fruit, pecans and toss in the vinaigrette.  This is a beautiful and bold salad that everyone will love!

Hawaiian Sandwiches

This recipe was also doubled and we ended up with 36 sandwiches.  Sam's carries the 24-pack so you would be set with two packs of 24 if you are making for a larger group.  

1/2 lb. swiss cheese slices

1/2 lb. ham slices

1/2 lb. turkey slices

2 pkg. hawaiian rolls (12 pack)

Butter topping

Grease 9x13 pans for baking and preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Slice through each roll, which will make it easy for assembly.  Alternate 1 slice of swiss, ham and turkey and fold over to fit into the roll.  Stick a toothpick in the middle to keep together.  Continue this process until all meat and cheese is used.  Place all rolls in greased pans.   

Poppy Seed Topping

1 stick butter

1 tbsp. poppy seeds

4 tbsp. sugar

2 tbsp. dry onion flakes

1 tbsp. honey mustard   

After rolls are assembled and in the baking dishes, brush the poppyseed topping over the top of each roll and along the sides of the pan, completely covering each roll.  

Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes until golden.  Serve warm.

Tomato Caprese Kabobs

Cherry tomatoes

Marinated mozzarella balls

Fresh basil leaves

Mini skewers

On each skewer, alternate cherry tomato, mozzarella ball and fresh basil.  It is that simple!!  

Roasted Red Pepper Cheese Dip

2 large red bell peppers
2 large, unpeeled garlic cloves
1, 8oz. block fat-free cream cheese
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 - 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

Preheat broiler.  Cut bell peppers in half, lengthwise.  Place peppers, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten peppers with hand.  Add garlic to baking sheet and broil 4 minutes.  Turn garlic over and broil 4 more minutes or until blackened.  Remove garlic from baking sheet; set aside.  Broil peppers an additional 2 minutes or until blackened.  Place peppers in a zip-lock plastic bag and seal; let stand 15 minutes.  Peel peppers and garlic; discard skins.
Place roasted peppers and garlic in food processor; process until smooth, scraping sides of bowl for the excess.  Add cream cheese; process until smooth.  Spoon mixture into a bowl and stir in vinegar, slat and crusted red pepper.  Serve immediately with raw vegetables or chill. 

Puppy Chow

9 c. rice chex

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 c. peanut butter

1/4 c. butter or margarine

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

In a large bowl, measure cereal and set aside.  In a 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on high for 1 minutes.  Microwave 30-45 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth.  Stir in vanilla.  Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.  Pour into re-sealable, easily accessible container.   

Stash Chai Tea

We served hot, Stash chai spice tea and it was wonderful!  

Can't wait for the next party to host and recipes to make!!

Made A Bridal Luncheon for Rebecca

This past weekend a group of my friends from college gathered to shower, with love and "lunching",  our sweet, Rebecca, who will be getting married just after the New Year.  It was a special day to love on Rebecca, her family and other friends who gathered.  Before we get to the food, take a peak at our setting on this beautiful fall day in Dallas.  These girls know how to pitch in and throw a shower!

Chocolate brown, burlap tablecloths covered three, 60-inch round tables outside on the patio.  Each of the three tables was uniquely set with three different place-settings, a fall-colored floral centerpiece and cookie favor.

The stunning arrangements were created by our Elizabeth who always puts so much time into flowers for our showers.  A few of us have taken on specific jobs throughout the years and I am happy to participate in the food.  So here we go…

Rebecca's Bridal Shower Luncheon Menu

Autumn Salad

Hawaiian Sandwiches

Tomato Caprese Kabobs

Sliced Vegetables with Roasted Red Pepper Cheese Dip

Fresh Strawberries

Stein's Petit Fours

Puppy Chow

Cucumber Water & Hot Chai Tea

After a little prep work on Sunday we all pitched in to put the final touches on our menu items.  B snapped a few shots of us in the kitchen.

 Carroll and I basting the sandwiches with the poppyseed topping

 Alicia and Elizabeth assembling the kabobs.

Pastries were not to be risked by cooking on our own…love the classy monogram!

What was left of the Hawaiian Sandwiches….just enough to give the family-in-law a taste test!!

Hostesses with The Bride, Rebecca: Me, Alicia, Rebecca, Emily, Elizabeth, Carroll

What I would have done different…

Made the day longer to spend with our sweet friend!!

Luncheon recipes to come in the next post...