kbecker57

Chicken tortilla soup

I love this recipe and have been making it for over 10 years. It seems like a lot of ingredients, but don’t let that scare you, I promise it is easy! The most time-consuming (and tedious) task is picking the cilantro leaves.
Hominy is similar to corn, and can usually be found in the international goods aisle of the grocery store, with other canned vegetables. I could not find it today at Whole Foods so I just added more regular corn.

I’ve always made it according to the recipe (aka on the stove), but this time I decided to try it in the slow cooker, which saves a step of having to cook the chicken separately. I’ve included directions below both for the stove-top and the slow cooker.

Getting my ingredients ready

You can easily make this vegetarian by omitting the chicken and substituting vegetable broth for the chicken broth.

Chicken tortilla soup
Source: Allrecipes.com circa 2001
Serves: 4

Ingredients
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano

Onion and garlic saute

1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 can (10.5 ounces) chicken broth
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup whole corn kernels, cooked
1 cup white hominy
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chile peppers
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cut into bite size pieces (raw chicken if using slow cooker)

A bowl full of goodness

Optional toppings: crushed tortilla chips, sliced avocado, shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, chopped green onion

Directions (stove-top)
1. In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in chili powder, oregano, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5-10 minutes.
2. Stir in corn, hominy, chiles, black beans, cilantro, and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Ladle soup into individual serving bowls and top with crushed tortilla chips, avocado slices, cheese, sour cream, and chopped green onion.

Directions (slow cooker)
1. In a medium fry pan, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft.
2. Place all ingredients, except cilantro and optional toppings, in slow cooker.
3. Cook on high for 1 hour, then turn to low for 4-5 hours.
4. Remove chicken, shred it, and place back in slow cooker. Cook on low for 1 hour more, then stir in cilantro.
5. Ladle soup into individual serving bowls and top with crushed tortilla chips, avocado slices, cheese, sour cream, and chopped green onion.

Spicy pecans

I made these last weekend to go with a little playoff football action…they tasted even better with a Pats victory!

Mise en place

I tend to use pecans because I usually have a stash of them in my freezer. I would omit the salt if using salted nuts.

Sweet and spicy

Spicy pecans
Source: Union Squre Cafe bar nuts (via Joe and Ed)

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups pecans (or nut of your choosing)
2 T fresh rosemary leaves, coarsely chopped (or 1 tsp dried rosemary)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spread pecans on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes (just until you start to smell them).
3. In a large bowl, mix rosemary, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, salt, and melted butter. Add warm nuts and toss thoroughly. Serve warm.

Poblano corn chowder

Last summer we got so many poblano peppers that I needed to find something to do with them. I found this recipe, fell in love with it, and was excited to make it again when we got poblano peppers from the farm. Unfortunately I’m still waiting for those peppers! I didn’t think I could wait until next summer, especially since it’s a nice hearty soup for winter, so I made it anyway.

To enhance the flavor, I roasted the chopped chiles and thawed frozen corn before adding them to the slow cooker.

Toss the chiles and thawed corn with 1 Tablespoon olive oil and toss to coat.
Place in a single layer in a roasting pan and bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Poblano corn chowder

Slow cooker goodness

Source: Adapted from Key Ingredient
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients
4 cups chicken broth
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 cans (about 14.5 ounces each) cream-style corn
1 large potato, diced small (about 2 cups)
2 large poblano chiles, seeded and diced (about 2 cups)
1 package (10 ounces) frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 links of chorizo sausage (about 1/2 pound), casing removed and crumbled
1 cup cream (light, heavy, or soy)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions
1. Stir the broth, sugar, canned corn, potato, chiles, thawed corn, and sausage in a 6-quart slow cooker. Place chicken breasts in slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour, then turn down to low for 4-5 hours (or until chicken is cooked through).
3. Remove chicken breasts, shred, and return to slow cooker. Stir in the cream and cilantro. Enjoy!

Lemon-basil lasagna rolls

Happy new year! I rang in 2013 with some great friends and this is what I cooked for our New Year’s Eve dinner. You know you have good friends when they trust you enough to try a new recipe for the first time on them. We rounded out the meal with bread and a salad. Our menu also included trying to eat 12 grapes at midnight…las doce uvas de la suerte, the twelve grapes of luck (a New Year’s Eve tradition in Spain).

I couldn’t find fresh basil, so I substituted 1 Tablespoon of dried basil. I also omitted the 1 teaspoon of salt that was in the original recipe…that is a lot of salt and seemed unnecessary. The original recipe called for 16 noodles and 2 Tbsp of ricotta filling per noodle, but since I decided to cook the whole package of noodles (20 noodles), I cut the amount of filling to about 1 Tablespoon, which may have changed the noodle-to-filling ratio too much.

Noodle prep

I really liked the lemon zest and I am sure it would be even better with fresh basil. I would make it again, but I’d probably try to jazz it up a bit, possibly by layering some spinach leaves on the noodles or elevating the sauce with vegetables (onion, garlic, peppers) or meat (ground beef or turkey). The sauce from my spinach-artichoke lasagna recipe would probably work very well.

Lemon-basil lasagna rolls
Source: Candice Kumai via People magazine
Serves: 8

Ingredients
1 pound lasagna noodles (1 box, not the pre-cooked ones)
1 jar (2 1/2 cups) marinara sauce, divided
1 container (15 oz) part-skim ricotta cheese
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1 cup julienned fresh basil, plus more for garnish

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions until al dente; separate and lay flat on cookie sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray to prevent them from sticking together.
3. Cover bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish with 1 cup marinara sauce.
4. Blend ricotta, zest, oregano, and basil in a medium bowl.
5. Spread about 1 Tbsp ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle; roll each tightly to form a compact spiral.
6. Arrange rolled noodles neatly in baking dish and cover with the remaining sauce. Bake covered for 30 minutes.
7. Garnish with additional basil.

NYE dinner

December RC – First Printer

December RC was quite an adventure, and I dedicate it to our dear friend Eric, who is one of the founding RC members. I still remember hatching this idea with him, and seven years later we’re still going strong. Though he can’t make it in person since moving to DC, he is with us in spirit every month.

I can’t lie, I might have had a sneak preview of First Printer, well maybe two sneak previews. But neither of the previous times were quite as memorable. The evening started out with the restaurant having no record of the reservation Rob made over a month ago. He had reserved the “vault”, a private space in the back, but since they claimed to not have our reservation, the vault was booked by a book club. Luckily they were still able to accomodate us at a regular table, and the server tried to redeem them by buying our first round of drinks.

For appetizers we ordered the hushpuppie of the day (which were salmon, and just ok), the mussels, and the fried chicken and waffles. We also got some $1 Island Creek oysters. They serve $1 oysters after 10 PM and our server said she could “pretend it was after 10″…I think she was still trying to win our favor after the reservation mix-up. I liked the idea of the mussels in theory (Pretty Things Jack D’Or, house ground chorizo, garlic confit, tomato confit, charred cipollini onions, and grilled bread), but in reality they weren’t my favorite…though others at the table seemed to really enjoy them. The chicken and waffles (buttermilk fried chicken, maple bourbon butter, homemade marmalade), which is an entree, was probably the highlight of the meal for me. That was some pretty delicious fried chicken.

Sweet and salty fried goodness

For my entree I was sold on the lobster roll after being informed that the restaurant has a lobster tank, so anything with lobster is super fresh and cooked to order. The lobster roll was tasty, but nontraditional (there was mustard in it) and impossible to pick up to eat.

Lobster roll with two ginormous pieces of bread

Other entree orders included

Pan Seared Atlantic Cod & Root Vegetables (rainbow carrots, yellow ahd chioggia beets, turnips, parsnips, daikon radish)
Pan Seared Scallops (butter bean, edamame succotash & piquillo pepper vinaigrette)
Grilled Shrimp & Grits (sharp cheddar grits, spiced lobster jus) — they fly the grits in from South Carolina, and apparently they should also need to fly in some salt
Sweet Lobster Chowder (fresh local lobster, new potatoes, corn, chive)
Vegetable Conscious Flatbread (mascarpone spread, roasted mushrooms, caramelized onions, charred peppers, augula, and chili oil) — this is what I’ve had both previous times I was here, and I’m two for two in thinking it is weird that it is called “Vegetable Couscous”

The excitement really started when the fire alarms went off, which might be a fairly regular occurrence based on the not surprised reaction of the staff. Luckily we were just about finished with our entrees, though not our wine. Since everyone in the restaurant had to go outside and wait for the fire trucks to come, they gave us paper soup cups so that we could finish our wine outside while we waited for the alarms to get turned off. Two fire trucks arrived with several fire-people and yet they could not seem to figure out how to turn off the alarms. By this time we had finished our wine and wanted to leave so we settled our check outside, and they did not do anything to compensate for the inconvenience of the fire alarms.

Fire trucks!

The damage:$52 per person (complimentary first round of beverages)

The rundown:
First Printer
15 Dunster Street, Cambridge

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

4.5 pounds of chocolate chips…thanks Costco!

I have a confession, I could probably be fine without raisins in my life. But I do love oatmeal cookies, so we usually make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Another pretty delicious variation is to use butterscotch chips instead of chocolate chips. We’ve tried out a few different recipes over the years, and this year we used the recipe that was on the Quaker oatmeal box. This year I also discovered Denise’s obsession with Costco…six cups of oats did not really make a dent in her ten pound box of oatmeal!

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
Source: Quaker

Oatmeal chocolate chip goodness

Ingredients
1 3/4 sticks of butter (1/2 cup [1 stick] plus 6 Tbsp), softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt (optional) – Denise did the mixing so I’m not sure if we included the salt
3 cups oats
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.

3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add to butter-sugar mixture and mix well. Add oats and chocolate chips and mix well.

4. Drop dough by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

5. Bake 8-10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack and cool completely. Store tightly covered.

Molasses cookies

We started to make this recipe in 2009, and they’ve become a regular. The recipe is from Sofra Bakery & Cafe, when it was published in the Improper Bostonion (I think)…thank you Ana Sortun! Some of the directions were a little confusing as written, such as “chill dough until it reaches room temperature, about 2 hours”. Huh? We decided to chill the dough in the refrigerator…and let it chill while we worked on a different batch of cookies.

Delicious molasses cookies

Molasses cookies
Source: Sofra Bakery & Cafe
Makes: about 4 dozen

Ingredients
3/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup molasses
1 cup sugar, plus additional sugar for cookies
1 large egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
3. Combine oil, molasses, sugar, and egg in bowl of a stand mixer. Paddle on medium speed until smooth. Be careful not to incorporate too much air. Mix 15-20 seconds (or vigorously by hand).
4. Add dry ingredients and mix until well-combined, about 20 seconds. Chill dough in refrigerator, about 2 hours. If preparing dough in advance, freeze it so the oil doesn’t separate.
5. Roll dough into about 1-inch balls and coat with sugar. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet and gently press cookie until slightly flattened. Bake 12-15 minutes. Cookes will appear underdone.

Double chocolate chip cookies with walnuts

We decided to bring this recipe back from 2006, except we updated it to include walnuts. Unfortunately a lot of these cookies broke when they got packed up, so I’m not sure I’d make them again…perhaps that’s the way the cookie crumbles when you play around with the recipe.

Mixing it up

Double chocolate chip cookies with walnuts
Source: Nestle

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
1 cup chocolate chips
~3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture.
3. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by rounded teaspoon onto baking sheets.
4. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until cookies are puffed and centers are set but still soft. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Finished product, before they all broke!

Sugar cookies

It is hard to pick favorites, but these might be a close second (M&M cookies will always be my first favorite). I love the hint of lemon and the sugar coating. We mixed in some green sugar with the sanding sugar to give them a bit of holiday flair.

Sugar cookie deliciousness

Old-fashioned sugar cookies
Makes about 3 dozen
Source: Adapted from Martha Stewart Cookies, 2008

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Sanding sugar

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
2. Put sugars and zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add butter; mix until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute. Mix in eggs one at a time, and then the lemon juice. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture.
3. Roll cookies into balls, then coat with sanding sugar. Place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.
4. Bake cookies until golden, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks using a spatula; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

Cranberry pistachio cornmeal biscotti

We usually try a new recipe or two every year, and we also started making biscotti a couple of years ago. It’s a little more labor-intensive than the other recipes, so it’s a good one to start off the day off. Last year we made chocolate pistachio and this year we decided to try a new recipe.

Pretty biscotti

Cranberry pistachio cornmeal bicotti
Makes about 2 dozen
Source: Martha Stewart’s cookies, 2008

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped pistachios

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with rack in center. Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.
2. Put butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until smooth. Add sugar and mix until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs one at a time, until well combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture all at once; mix until just combined. Add lemon zest, cranberries, and pistachios, and mix until combined.
3. Transfer dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pat into a log that is about 14 by 3.5 inches. Bake until firm, lightly browned, and slightly cracked on top, 30-35 minutes. let cool on sheet on a wire rack, about 15 minutes.
4. Transfer log to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake cookies, rotating sheet halfway through, until they begin to brown at edges, 15-18 minutes. Let cool on sheet on a wire rack. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks.