Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Tomato Soup

I have no idea where I found this recipe! I first made it for my Dad, who was on a strict diet. The original version was vegan. I have updated it here. My while family loves this, including my husband who doesn't care for either soup or tomatoes! We serve it with grilled cheese sandwiches, of course!

TOMATO SOUP

1 large onion
2 ribs celery
2 T olive oil
2 large cans tomatoes (whole or diced for chunky soup; pureed for smooth, of course it doesn't matter if you're going to blend it anyway)
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (or to taste)
6 WHOLE cloves garlic
1 tablespoon minced parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Cream or milk, if desired, for serving

Sauté the onion and celery in the olive oil in a large saucepan. When the onion is translucent, add the tomatoes, broth, oregano, rosemary, garlic and cayenne. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Transfer half of the soup to the blender, and puree until fairly smooth. If you'd like a chunky soup, add the blended half back to the pot. For a smoother soup, blend the rest of the soup and return it to the pot. (I used an immersion blender and pureed the whole thing right there in the pot).

Add the parsley and salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Taste the soup, and if it is too acidic, add a little agave nectar or sugar, just enough to take the edge off. Ladle into bowls, and stir a little cream or milk into each.

This recipe served 7 people along with grilled cheese sandwiches, with seconds and enough soup leftover for lunch tomorrow. If there's any left over, it freezes well. YUM!!

Monday, January 23, 2012

Italian Chicken

I created this on the fly tonight, and it was very highly rated by all tasters.

Disclaimer: a similar (or even exact) recipe may well exist somewhere; I have not seen it.

ITALIAN CHICKEN

Enough pieces of chicken to feed your family (I used legs and thighs. 10 total)
1/2 cup bottled Italian salad dressing
1 can artichoke hearts, undrained
Grated Parmesan cheese

Skin the chicken. If you skip this step, the sauce will be way too greasy to enjoy.

Put pieces in a baking pan. pour artichoke hearts, including liquid, into the pan and spread them out so everything is level. Pour dressing evenly over all. Sprinkle with cheese.

You will not need any extra salt for this, because of the dressing and cheese. I did not add any extra seasoning at all but you could add what you like.

Bake at 350 degrees, covered, for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more until brown. I turned the broiler on low and it made the cheese delightfully crispy.

Everyone loved it and the younger boys had seconds!

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Mom's Cranberry Pudding

Last night I had a craving and even though it was getting late, and I knew it wouldn't be ready until almost midnight, I had to make this!

Mom may well have made this more often, but in my memory it's always just once or twice a year. After Christmas, and if I recall ALWAYS on the first night she made the turkey soup.

She would double the sauce recipe because that's the best part. I recall that Kurt and I would argue over who got to scrape out the pan with a spoon.

This is Mom's recipe exactly as I wrote it out a few years ago. See notes after the recipe.

Cranberry Pudding

PUDDING:

1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup hot water
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup fresh cranberries, rinsed and sorted

SAUCE:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cream
1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine pudding ingredients and mix well. Pour into a greased metal bowl or mold, covered, in a large pot of water with a ball of foil crumpled under the mold. Keep the water on a simmer and KEEP THE POT COVERED!

Sauce: Mix ingredients. Boil and stir for 5 minutes. Serve over warm or cold pudding. Keep in refrigerator and warm it up to serve later as it will get very thick.


NOTES: One hour is never enough. I looked online and most recipes say 1.5 hours and one recipe said THREE hours! I did an extra 20 min last night and I think 1/5 hours would be perfect.

I use a metal bowl and cover it with foil. I think Mom put wax paper under the foil and then closed the foil on top. That should keep any steam from getting inside.