Creamy Carrot Soup-Secret Recipe Club

Time again for Secret Recipe Club where I get to visit someone’s blog, pick a recipe from there and share it here.  This month the blog I visited was Why I Am Not Skinny.  Isn’t that a fun name?  This blog is written by Maxie, who is a South African living in Belgium.  She shares great recipe and fun restaurant reviews with really awesome photos that make you very hungry.

One of my favorite restaurants where I live is Black Angus Steakhouse so I thought It was interesting that there is a Dale’s Black Angus Restaurant in Cape Town, South Africa.  Although my Black Angus is quite upscale, it appears that the Cape Town Black Angus may be even more so.

The challenge with picking a recipe from a European blog is that matter of recipe ingredient conversion which I am not very good at.  Maxie does have imperial measurements for at least part of many of her recipes.  I am anxious to make the 137 Year Old Dutch Apple Cake and love the idea of Banana Chocolate French Toast for breakfast.

The recipe I picked to make and share is Carrot Soup from Maxie’s post 6 Carrots, 1 Onion Soup……Close Enough.  I love cooked carrots (hubby does not) and have thought about making carrot soup from time to time, but had never actually done it.  I liked this recipe because of the added potatoes, and it looked simple and easy, which it was.

Since I was making soup just for myself, I halved the recipe but am giving Maxie’s full recipe.  I used my immersion blender to blend the soup right in the saucepan.  The soup was very good “as is”, but would also make a great “jumping off point” for the addition of some spices ( I am thinking curry powder next time I make this) and some cooked, crumbled bacon or diced ham for a heartier main dish.  I loved the wonderful orange color, and will be making this again from time to time.

Creamy Carrot Soup
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
a blob of butter (I used a heaping tablespoon)
10 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
4 to 5 potatoes, peeled and chopped
6 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in large saucepan.  Add onion and garlic and cook over medium heat until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.  Add carrots and potatoes.  Cover with chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer about 20 minutes until carrots and potatoes are tender.  Blend until smooth using an immersion blender or carefully pouring into a blender jar (this may need to be done in batches).  Season with salt and pepper.  Maxie suggests serving this with fresh bread slathered with butter.  This seems to make 4 or so generous servings.

If you think that you would like to join in the fun of Secret Recipe Club, you can find information about it here.

An InLinkz Link-up

Baked Egg Rolls, Regular and Mini-Secret Recipe Club

Amy’s Cooking Adventures was my assignment for this month’s Secret Recipe Club post.  Amy has been blogging here since 2010 and has another blog, Amy's Confectionery Adventures which she started in 2012.  The are both filled with wonderful recipes.

Recently, Amy, had been bravely and eloquently sharing her thoughts and feelings concerning the stillbirth of her daughter, Sarah Catherine, last December.  I have been touched reading them and know that the posts will be of help to others who are experiencing similar heartache.

A bunch of recipes have been added to my ever expanding “to-make” list.  Since I like to make homemade seasoning mixes, the Homemade “Lawry’s” Seasoning Salt is right at the top.  The list is long, but just a few of the others are Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Cauliflower with Bacon, Easy Thai Noodles; and since I am a cookie junkie, The Best Cookie Ever!

I have actually made two recipes.  The egg rolls I am posting today and the Sweet and Sticky Baked Chicken.  I made the chicken for dinner last Sunday.  (I used legs and wings.)  The chicken with potato salad and baked beans made a delicious summer meal.

I knew when I saw the Baked Egg Roll recipe that it was what I wanted to make and post for Secret Recipe Club.  I like to occasionally make a Chinese-inspired meal at home.  I have never made egg rolls because I am lazy and don’t like to do the deep frying.  I also think that the deep frying overshadows the flavor of the filling. When I read that the egg rolls could be frozen and baked later, I was sold.  I could make the egg rolls ahead and add them to any meal that I wanted.

Since I don’t like hand shredding and was too lazy to get out my large food processor, I cut the carrots into chunks and cut them up into tiny pieces in my Ninja chopper/blender.  This worked really well.

The day that I made the filling, I had used up all my green onion, so I added dried, minced onion to the soy sauce mixture and used that instead.  That was OK, but I would use the green onion if I had it.  Next time I make these I may add some finely chopped celery and red pepper.  The filling can be made a day or two ahead and refrigerated.

In her post, Amy, links to Steamy Kitchen for the photos on how to roll an egg roll.  When I was there I noticed that Jaden uses a mixture of 1 T. cornstarch or flour mixed with 1/4 c. water to seal the egg rolls wrappers instead of the beaten egg.  I think that is a good tip to know if you are low on eggs or making egg rolls for someone who cannot have egg.

I apparently did not put as much filling in the egg roll wrappers as I should have, as I had an whole sour cream container of filling left over when I had used the entire package of egg roll wrappers.  Since I had a package of wonton wrappers on hand, I decide to make mini egg rolls.  I was able to get about 35 mini egg rolls with the filling that was left over, so one recipe of filling would easily do two packages of wonton wrappers.  I think they turned out cute and would be great of make and have on hand for a party.

I still had a bit of filling left over when I got tired of rolling mini egg rolls, so I zapped the filling in the microwave and wrapped it in a lettuce leaf to eat it.  I was very good that way, too

Make this filling (used ground chicken or turkey if you are not a pork person), then make egg rolls, mini egg rolls, or lettuce wraps.  You won’t be sorry.  Thanks, Amy, for sharing a great recipes that I will be trying to make and keep in my freezer at all times.

Baked Egg Rolls
from Amy’s Cooking Adventures
1/4 c. reduced sodium soy sauce
2 T. rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 T. brown sugar
1/2 T. ground ginger or 1 T. grated fresh ginger (don’t be afraid of this amount, I thought that it might be too spicy, but it was just right)
2 T. vegetable oil
1 small Nappa cabbage, shredded, about 4 cups (I used all the cabbage I bought which was about 6 cups)
2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded (about 1 c.)
salt and pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced (about 1/2 T.)
1 lb. ground pork
5-6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 to 2 pkgs. egg roll wrappers or wonton wrappers
1 large egg, beaten

Combine soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar and ginger in a small bowl.  Mix well to dissolve brown sugar.  Set aside.  Heat the vegetable oil in a medium frying pan until hot.  Add cabbage and carrots.  Season lightly with the salt and pepper.  Cook for about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, pork and soy sauce mixture.  Cook, breaking up the pork, until the pork is cooked through and the liquid has reduced.  (I cooked mine until there was only about 2 T. of liquid remaining when I moved the pork mixture to one side of the frying pan.)  Stir in the green onions.  Spread mixture in a 10x15-inch baking pan or a cookie sheet.  Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes.  Once cool, press the mixture with paper towels to eliminate any excess moisture.  Place 2 to 3 T. of pork mixture slightly off center and toward the corner  of an egg roll wrapper or a wonton.  Tuck the nearest corner over the filling and make half a turn.  Bring the two side corners toward the center.  Brush the remaining corner with the beaten egg, roll tight toward the corner and seal.  Repeat with remaining filling and wrappers.  To freeze, place on a foil-lined baking sheet and freeze.  When frozen, transfer to a freezer bag.  Cook from frozen state, no need to thaw.  To bake immediately, brush egg rolls with the beaten egg.  Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven 10 minutes for mini egg rolls and 15 for regular egg rolls.  Increase time to 15 and 20 minutes if egg rolls are frozen.  Serve with you choice of sauce and/or hot mustard.

You can find the details for joining in the fun of Secret Recipe Club here.

An InLinkz Link-up

Oriental Fried Ramen-Starving Student’s Survival

My granddaughter calls Oriental Fried Ramen Starving Student’s Survival.  That is because this recipe can feed four people for less than $2.00, and she is a starving student in California.  It is a "go-to" recipe for her.

I like to have fried rice as a side dish when I make something Oriental.   Since hubby doesn’t really care for rice, I often make this dish instead.  Use your favorite ramen noodle flavor in this.

Like all recipes for fried rice, you can use whatever veggies that you want in this dish or whatever you happen to have in the fridge.  I rarely make this exactly the same way twice in a row.  I do almost always use onion and red pepper.  This particular time I used carrots and snow peas.  I also sometimes add chopped nuts.

Although I include eggs when I make this, they can be left out, and almost any kind of cooked meat (even bacon) can be used to make it more of a main dish.

The recipe is loosely based on a recipe I found at  - http://busycooks.About.com a number of years ago.

Oriental Fried Ramen
2 pkgs. Ramen noodles, flavor of choice
3 c. boiling water
1 T. vegetable oil
1 t. sesame oil (optional)
1/2 c. chopped onion (regular or green)
1/2 c. chopped red pepper
1/2 c. carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch matchsticks
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 c. frozen peas (or chopped snow peas or sugar snap peas)
2 T. soy sauce
2 eggs, beaten
1 to 2 c. chopped cooked meat or poultry

Break ramen noodles into six or eight pieces and place in a medium mixing bowl.  Sprinkle with the contents of the seasoning packets.  Pour boiling water over noodles and let set while preparing rest of ingredients.  Heat vegetable oil and sesame oil in a medium skillet.  Add onion, red pepper, carrots and garlic.  Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until tender-crisp, about 7 minutes.  Drain noodles well and add to skillet.  Add soy sauce and mix until well blended.  Cook and stir noodles 1 or 2 minutes.  Push noodles to the side of the skillet and pour eggs into the center.  Cook eggs, scrambling and cutting into small pieces as the eggs cook.  Mix eggs with noodles.  Add meat or poultry if using and heat through.  Serve as a side or main dish as desired.  Makes 4 servings.

Linking to these great parties:
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Time to Sparkle

Pork Stew with Dill Dumplings

Happy Monday.  Welcome to my new followers.  Thank you all for stopping by my blog and reading my posts.  It is so nice to have you here.  Hope that you find the information I post useful.

Although it is still warm here, I recently was hungry for stew.  Pork is more tender than beef so it cooks more quickly.  This makes it a good choice for making stew in the summer.  Pork Stew with Dill Dumplings fits the bill.

Either pork shoulder or loin may be used, but the shoulder will be slightly more flavorful.  As with all stews, the vegetables can be changed to suit personal preferences.  Although I usually use frozen peas for this dish, the stew in the photos has drained, canned peas in it.  I had some of those left over in the fridge that needed to be used up.

Pork Stew with Dill Dumplings
1 to 1 1 /2 lbs. boneless pork, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 c. flour
1 t. paprika
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper, coarse ground if possible
2 T. or more vegetable oil
3 medium/large potatoes (about 1  1/2 lb.) peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 c. coarsely chopped onion
2-3 medium carrots (1 c.) cut into 1x1/4-inch matchstick pieces
1 red pepper, coarsely chopped
2 ribs celery, cut into 1/2-inch bias slices
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can (14 oz.) low-sodium chicken broth
1 c. frozen peas
Dumplings
1 c. flour
2 t. sugar
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 t. dried dill weed
1/3 c. milk
2 T. vegetable oil
1 egg

Place flour, paprika, salt and pepper in a plastic bag and shake to combine.  Add pork cubes and shake until the cubes are coated.  Heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven.  Add pork cubes, but do not let them touch.  (You may need to do this in two batches.)  Brown cubes on all sides.  Remove and set aside.  Continue until all cubes are brown, adding more oil if necessary.  Return pork to Dutch oven and add potatoes,  onion, carrots, red pepper, celery, bay leaf and garlic.  Stir in remaining flour.  Pour in chicken broth and stir well.  Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 30 minutes.  While stew is cooking, prepare dumplings.  In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and dill weed.  Stir to mix well.  Combine milk, vegetable oil and egg in a small bowl.  Add to flour mixture and stir just to  moisten dry ingredients.  Add peas to stew and bring back to a low boil.  Drop dumpling mixture by tablespoonsful into hot stew.  Cover and simmer 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and serve.  Makes 6 servings.  Store dumplings and stew separately if there are leftovers.

Linking to these great parties:
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Make the Scene Monday
Monday Funday
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Busy Monday

Hoisin Noodles with Veggies

Sunday I felt like doing something Oriental inspired for dinner  As usual I had round steak in the freezer so decided to use that and make some Teriyaki Beef (recipe coming).  I wanted to make a chow mein or low mein (I am not sure exactly what the difference is) type of side dish to go with the meat.  We were already planning to have deep-fried asparagus so I had the veggie covered.

I looked in my cookbooks and on the internet and couldn't find exactly what I wanted so I used bits and pieces from several recipes and came up with my own version.

Like most things of this type, lots of different ingredients could be added.  Water chestnuts come to mind.  I did not use them because hubby isn't that fond of them, and he was going to be eating leftovers from this for two nights.  This time of year, I would add some chopped asparagus if I was making it just for me to eat.  Chopped green beans and snow peas are other things I would probably add if I had them available.

I posted two DIY Hoisin Sauce recipes yesterday for those who might not have that available and wanted to make this.

I served this with the Teriyaki Beef, but any kind of chopped cooked meat or poultry would turn this into a main dish, so it is a good use for leftovers.

Hoisin Noodles with Veggies
8 oz. Chinese noodles or spaghetti
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into match-stick pieces
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red pepper, sliced horizontally
quarter of a small head of cabbage, thinly sliced
2 ribs celery, thinly sliced on the bias
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced or 1/2 t. dry ginger
2-3 T. vegetable oil
1/4 c. low-sodium chicken broth or water
1/4 c. hoisin sauce
2 T. low-sodium soy sauce

Heat water and cook Chinese noodles or spaghetti according to package directions.  Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.  Heat 2 T. oil in a large skillet until hot.  Add carrots,  onion, red pepper, cabbage and celery.  Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 10 minutes until crisp-tender.  Remove vegetables and set aside.  Add another tablespoon of oil to skillet and heat.  Add spaghetti, garlic and ginger.  Cook, stirring,  for two to three minutes until spaghetti is lightly browned.  Return vegetables to skillet.  Combine chicken broth or water, hoisin sauce and soy sauce until well blended.  Pour over spaghetti and vegetables.  Heat and stir until liquid boils and is slightly thickened.  Transfer to a serving bowl.  Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Linking to these great parties:

Full Plate Thursday

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Montreal Pot Roast

I fix pot roast quite often as it usually makes enough for several meals, and hubby can eat the leftovers on the nights that I work.  One of the things I do to vary a pot roast is to use different seasonings on it.  One of the seasonings that I use often is the Sorta Montreal Steak Seasoning that I posted recently.  It gives the meat a little bit of a kick.

I use a Corning Ware casserole dish (that I have had forever) which can be used both on the top of the stove and in the oven.  A Dutch oven can also be used.  If neither of these is available, brown pot roast in a skillet and transfer the meat to a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Most of the time, I serve pot roast with mashed potatoes and gravy as that is hubby's preference.  My preference is to cook the vegetables with the pot roast so I do that from time to time.  Hubby doesn't eat cooked carrots as a side dish, but he will eat them in stews, soups, casseroles, and when cooked with a pot roast   If the vegetables are cooked with the meat, pot roast is an easy-to-do, mostly hands-off, one-dish meal, and that is something I really, really like.

Montreal Pot Roast
1-2 T. olive or vegetable oil
3 lbs. boneless chuck roast, or other pot roast meat
1-2 t. Sorta Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 t. beef bouillon granules or broth base
6-8 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
6-8 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch x 1 1/2-inch sticks
2 medium onions, cut into wedges
2 to 3 ribs celery, cut into 1-inch chucks
1 c. water, divided
1/4 c. flour

Heat oil in a range-top/oven-proof casserole, Dutch oven or a skillet.  Rub all surfaces of roast with the seasoning.  Place in hot oil and brown on all sides.  Remove from heat.  If using a baking dish, transfer meat to it.  Add tomato sauce.  Fill sauce can with water to rinse out and add to tomato sauce.  Add beef bouillon and stir a bit to blend the water, tomato sauce, and bouillon.  Cover and place in 350-degree oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  Add potatoes, carrots, onions and celery to the casserole or Dutch oven, arranging the vegetables  all around the meat.  Cover, and continue to roast in oven another 45 minutes to 1 hour until vegetables are tender.  Remove meat and vegetables from the liquid.  If using a baking dish, pour the liquid into a medium saucepan.  Add 1/2 c. water and heat until boiling.  Mix 1/2 c. water and 1/4 c. flour together until smooth and stir into pot roast liquid.  Stir and cook until gravy is smooth and thickened.  Serve gravy with pot roast and vegetables.  Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Linking to these great parties:

Full Plate Thursday

Fantastic Thursday

Hawaiian-Style Vegetables-Improv Cooking Challenge

Today is the day to post our recipes for this month’s Improv Cooking Challenge hosted by Kristen over at Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker.  (Note, Kristen’s is in the process of changing servers so I will be back with a link as soon as I know the blog is back up.)

The ingredients Kristen chose this month were peas and carrots, a pretty common combination.  I chose to go a somewhat traditional route with these, but used snow peas in my recipe.

Many, many years ago Birdseye made a frozen vegetable and pineapple combination called Hawaiian Vegetables.  It had carrots, green peppers, onions, water chestnuts and pineapple with little cubes of frozen sauce that melted and glazed the vegetables as they cooked.  Although I don’t really like green peppers, I did love this particular dish.

I decided this was a good time to try to replicate that recipe.  The only brand I can find that makes 8-oz. cans of pineapple tidbits is Dole.  Pineapple chunks may be used, but they will need to be quartered.  They carrots need to be very thinly sliced, no thicker than the snow peas.  I like to slice them on the diagonal.  Since I didn't use them, I have listed the water chestnuts as optional.

Hawaiian-Style Vegetables
1 can (8 oz.) pineapple tidbits in their own juice
1 T. butter
2 t. brown sugar
1 c. very thinly sliced carrots
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1 c. snow peas
1/2 to 3/4 c. very thinly sliced red pepper (I used about 1/4 of a very large pepper)
1/8 t. salt
1/3 c. thinly sliced canned water chestnuts
1 T. cornstarch
1/3 c. water

Drain pineapple, reserving juice (there should be about 1/3 c.)  Melt butter in a 1 1/2-qt. saucepan and add brown sugar.  Stir in carrots, onion,  and snow peas.  Cook, uncovered, over medium heat 4 minutes, stirring often.  Add red pepper, pineapple juice and salt.  Cover and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often.  Add reserved pineapple chunks and water chestnuts, if using.  Cook about 1 minutes longer until vegetables are not quite as tender as you like.  Add cornstarch to water and mix well.  Add to vegetable mixture, stirring constantly.  Cook over medium heat until sauce is clear, thickened, and boiling.  Remove from heat, turn into a serving bowl and serve immediately.  Makes 4 servings.

Maple Mustard Roasted Carrots-Eating the Alphabet

The letters for this month’s Eating the Alphabet challenge hosted by Brenda at Meal Planning Magic is “C or D".  This is a blog hop using veggies, fruits, grains or legumes to help us find more recipes for eating healthy.  I decided that carrots would be the vegetable I would use this month.

I like cooked carrots, hubby not so much; so I usually make them just for me. Roasting is my preferred method for cooking carrots as it seems to bring out their sweetness.  The maple/mustard flavor combination is one I have used in the past so I thought I would try it with carrots.  Hubby tried them and said that they were OK which is big praise from him.  I, myself, loved them and will be making this recipe often.

Since there are just the two of us, I only made an 8x8 pan full.  If I was feeding a family, I would double the recipe.  Although I used regular carrots, peeling and cutting them up, a lb. of baby carrots could be used instead.  Cut the baby carrots so they are all about the same size if necessary.  The flavor of this recipe can be changed up some by using different flavors of mustard.

Maple Mustard Roasted Carrots
8 or so medium carrots, peeled and cut into about 1 inch chunks (enough to fill a 8x8-inch baking dish) or 1 lb. baby carrots
1 T. olive oil
3 T. pure maple syrup
1 1/2 t. Dijon mustard or mustard of your choice.

Place carrots in a greased 8x8-inch baking dish.  Drizzle with the olive oil and toss until carrots are well coated.  Place pan in a 350 degree oven.  Roast about 45 minutes, turning every 15 minutes, until carrots are crisp tender.  Combine maple syrup and mustard in a glass measuring cup and mix until very well blended.  Pour over carrots and mix well.  Roast another 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes until as tender as desired.  Makes 4 servings.

If you would like to join our eating adventure, Brenda has a information and a sign-up form in this post.

Ingredient Spotlight-Stovetop Rotisserie Chicken

The Ingredient Spotlight today over at Eat at Home is cooked chicken or turkey.  If I have roasted a chicken or a turkey, I do usually have left overs to use up.  Sometimes, however, I want to make a recipe that calls for cooked chicken or turkey, and I don't have any on hand.  So, occasionally, I make cooked chicken just to store in the freezer for such a time.

I like the flavor of store bought rotisserie chicken but not the price or the fact that they are usually small so don't yield much meat.  I have been experimenting with trying to make rotisserie flavored cooked chicken on the stove top.

I have a recipe for Simmered Chinese Chicken in which the chicken is cooked in a flavored sauce that infuses the chicken with a slightly teriyaki flavor.  I wondered if doing somewhat the same thing using rotisserie seasoning would infuse a bit more flavor into the chicken.  So this is what I tried, and I did end up with lots of cooked chicken meat with more flavor and several cups of really flavorful broth.

This same method could be used with chicken breasts or thighs.  Just adjust the time cook for only 20 to 30 minutes.

Stovetop Rotisserie Chicken
1 whole chicken (4 to 5 lbs. is the size I like to use)
1 t. salt
1 t. paprika
1/2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. thyme
1/2 t. garlic powder
14 to 1/2 t. coarse ground black pepper
1 –2 T. olive oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 ribs celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 peeled carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 clove garlic, sliced
2 bay leaves
1 qt. water

Combine salt, paprika, onion powder , thyme, garlic powder and pepper.  Mix well and rub on all surfaces of the chicken and also inside the cavity.  Heat olive oil (you want enough to cover the bottom) in a Dutch oven over medium heat.  When hot, add chicken and brown 3 to 4 minutes on all sides.  You may have to hold the chicken up with a meat fork to brown on the wing sides.  When chicken has browned add onion, celery, carrots, garlic and bay leaves.  Pour water over everything.  Bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer.  Simmer 1 to 1 1/2 hours until chicken is tender, turning chicken over several time so all sides cook in the liquid.  Remove chicken and set aside to cool.  Pour liquid through a strainer and place in a container in the refrigerator to cool.  When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove skin and bones.  To freeze chicken divide into recipe amounts and put in freezer bags.  Remove fat from broth. Rewarm broth to pouring consistency, if necessary.  Pour 1 cup of broth over the chicken in the freezer bags.  I usually get about 6 cups cooked chicken and 3 cups of broth when I make this.

Linking to these Great Parties:
Ingredient Spotlight
What I Whipped Up Wednesday
Show and Share Wednesday
Wow  Me Wednesday
Back for Seconds Social
Whatcha Work Up Wednesday
Whimsy Wednesday
Work It Wednesday
Whatcha Whipped Wednesday
Cast Party Wednesday
Wednesday Whatsits
Whatever Goes Wednesday
Look What I Made
Whole Foods Wednesday

Secret Recipe Club-Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

My assignment for November for Secret Recipe Club was the blog It's Yummy to My Tummy.  This blog was started by Heather in 2010.  She chose an apt name for her blog.  It is loaded with delicious recipes, all of them  "yummy to the tummy."

I went through every post in her blog and found many great recipes to try like Baked Doughnuts (I must finally use my new doughnut pan),  Cheese and Fruit Danish,  and Grandma’s Cinnamon Rolls.  Several that are great for this time of the year:  Tootsie Roll Fudge, S’Mores Fudge, and one that is a big weird Soda Pop Jell-O Salad.

When I finally made a choice, I chose Chicken and Gnocchi Soup because I am always looking for new soup recipes, and I had cooked up some of my Stovetop Rotisserie Chicken (post to come on Wednesday) so I could have cooked chicken on hand.  Because I wanted a greater quantity of soup, I increased the recipe by half.  My recipe amounts reflect that.

Parmesan gnocchi was the only gnocchi that I could find at my grocery store.  The gnocchi had a packet of cheese and herb seasoning with it so I did add it to the soup.

I was pretty sure that I would not be able to get the spinach by my hubby, so my solution was to use a bag of frozen spinach, put a small amount in my bowl when the soup was served, and  put it in the microwave for 1 minute or so.  This worked very well, I had my soup with spinach, and hubby had his without.  Of course, I had to add my ever-present red pepper.  I have listed it as optional.

This was a very good soup, and I will be making it often so I am going to have to start making my own gnocchi.  I also think that this would be good made with tortellini.

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup (adapted from It's Yummy to My Tummy blog)
4 T. butter
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
3/4 c. finely diced celery
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 c. finely diced onion
1/2 c. finely diced red pepper (opt.)
1/3 c. flour
2 cans (14 oz.) chicken broth (4 c.)
1 c. shredded carrots
3/4 t. thyme
1 qt. half and half
1 c. whole milk
1 1/2 c. diced cooked chicken
1 1/2 c. spinach, chopped
1 1/2 lb. gnocchi, cooked according to package directions
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter and olive oil together in a soup pot.  Add celery, garlic, onion and red pepper.  Cook until veggies are beginning to get tender, about 10 minutes.  Stir in flour and blend well.  Slowly stir in chicken broth, carrot and thyme.  Cook gently until veggies are tender.  Stir in  half and half, milk and chicken.  Bring to a gentle simmer.  Cook about 5 minutes.  Add spinach and cook a few more minutes or until the spinach starts to wilt.  Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese if desired.  Makes  6 to 8 servings.

Go and spend a little time at It's Yummy to My Tummy.  You will be glad you did.

Linking to:  Ingredient Spotlight

Vegetable Beef Soup

Shame on me, I forgot my weekly Welcome and Thank You to my new followers and readers so here it is today.  Welcome new followers and Thank You to all who take the time to read my blog.  I am truly humbled that anyone would spend some time from their busy lives here.  I always endeavor to write posts that will be useful.

The days are getting a little colder, so when I think about something to make for lunch soup comes to mine.  From time to time our local newspaper prints recipes that have been sent in by readers.  This soup recipe was submitted by Amy Olander.

I, of course, have changed the recipe some from the original.  This is somewhat like a sloppy stew and  makes a large pot which will feed hubby and me for several days.

Vegetable Beef Soup
adapted from a recipe by Amy Olander
2 c. cubed potatoes
1 c. diced carrots
3/4 c. diced celery
1 c. diced onions
6 c. water
1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained of excess fat
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c. diced green or red pepper
1/2 c. barley
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 t. dried parsley or 1 T. snipped fresh parsley
1 large bay leaf
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
3 whole allspice
1 t. sugar
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

In a large sauce pot combine potatoes, carrots, celery and onion.  Cover with water.  Bring to a boil and simmer until vegetables are just tender.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer at least 30 minutes.  Remove bay leaf and allspice before serving.  Serves 6 to 8.

Linking to:  Trick or Treat Tuesday
Show Me What You Got Tuesday
Tuesday Talent Show
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Tuesday at the Table 
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Terrific Tuesday
Take-a-Look Tuesday
Get Your Craft On
Hunk of Meat Monday

Eating the Alphabet-Curried Leak and Veggie Spread

Here it is time for another Eating the Alphabet post.  This month we are doing K or L.  I chose L and decided to make something with leeks.

I have not used leeks often, but after searching for recipes using leeks and developing a couple myself, I will use them more.  I sort of went on a “leek kick” and will be posting a couple more recipes using leeks soon.

For today’s post, I chose Curried Leak and Veggie Spread.  I saw a recipe over at allrecipes for a Leek Dip.  It sounded good, but by the time I got done, what I made did not resemble that original recipe at all.

To prepare the leek, slice it into thin slices and chop fine.  Put into a bowl of water and swish around to remove any grit or dirt.  Remove from the water and rinse in a colander.  Turn into a clean towel and squeeze to remove excess water.

If you don't like curry powder or fennel seeds, use another herb or just leave them out.  I just happen to like curry, but this is perfectly good without it.

To serve this, I like to split pita bread, cut it into triangles, brush it with olive oil, and toast them in a pan on the stove or in the oven.  This is also good with any kind of cracker or melba toast.

Note:  The veggies in this will begin to release their water so this is best eaten in a day or three.  After that, you are apt to have a dip.  Still good, but no longer spreadable.

Curried Leek and Veggie Spread
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese (I use 1/3 less fat), softened
1 c. creamy salad dressing like Miracle Whip (low fat is OK)
1/2 c. sour cream, I use low fat
1 leek, white and light green park, finely chopped
1/4 c. sliced green onions
1/2 c. finely chopped red pepper
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1/2 c. finely chopped carrot
! T. lemon juice
1/2 t. curry powder
1/2 t. fennel seed
salt and pepper to taste, if desired
6 strips bacon fried crisp and crumbled or 1/4 c. ready-cooked real bacon bits

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and mix very well.  Place in a covered container and place in refrigerator.  Chill at least 2 to 3 hours to allow the flavors to blend.  Makes about 2 cups.  Serve with pita bread triangles, crackers or melba toast.

For Eating the Alphabet each month we post a recipe starting with a specific letter of the alphabet.  Next month the letters will be M, N, and/or O.  I invite you to join in the fun.  It is hosted by Brenda from Meal Planning Magic.  Just hop on over and sign up.

Check out the links below to see what the other "Eating the Alphabet" bloggers have posted this month.

Eating the Alphabet-Carrot Cake Carrots

This is my second post today as this is the second month of Eating the Alphabet which is being hosted by Brenda at Meal Planning Magic and posts on the 15th of the month.  This month we are doing C and D.  Help me out here, is there a "D" vegetable.  I like many "C" vegetables:  celery, cabbage, corn, cauliflower, and carrots so It was difficult for me to choose which veggie I would post about today.  I finally decided to make a dish with carrots.

I love cooked carrots if cooked properly.  I think most people who do not like cooked carrots have been subjected to too many overcooked ones.   Carrots should be cooked just until crisp, tender.  This doesn’t take as long as one would think.

Cooked carrots are naturally sweet, and I can eat them with just a little salt and pepper.  Most people, I think, like a little sweetness added to their carrots.  Today I am sharing a recipe that just , maybe, maybe, will be something even a non-carrot-eating person might try.

The addition of the coconut may be a bit of overkill, but I think it adds a touch of fun to the dish; and couldn’t we all use a little extra fun when we eat.

The original recipe has been in my computer recipe files for many years, and I have adapted it to take less butter and sugar to more carrots so I don’t feel so bad about taking a perfectly healthy vegetable and making it not quite so healthy.

The carrots can be cooked ahead, refrigerated overnight, the butter, brown sugar, and spices added and baked the next day.

Carrot Cake Carrots
1 1/2 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into about 2 1/2-inch long sticks
salt
3 T. butter or margarine (butter is best)
2 T. brown sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 c. chopped toasted pecans
3 T. toasted coconut

Place carrots in a saucepan and add water until it just barely comes above the carrots.  Add a pinch of salt.   Bring carrots to a boil and cook 3-4 minutes until just crisp tender.  Drain carrots.  Melt butter in same saucepan, add brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Transfer carrots to a ovenproof casserole dish.  Add pecans and mix well.  Sprinkle the coconut over the top.  Cook in a 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Makes 6 servings. 

If you would like to expand your vegetable recipe repertoire, check out the links below to see what others have made this month.  It is not too late to join in the fun. The information for joining is here.  Your are free to sit out any month if necessary.

Improv Challenge-Ginger Glazed Carrots with Pecans

Carrots and ginger are the ingredients for February’s Improv Challenge being hosted by Kristen at Frugal Antics of a Harried Housewife.  Since I love to make side dishes, I decided that is what I would go with for this challenge.  I teamed the carrots and ginger with butter, brown sugar, and pecans.  I can almost say that even “cooked carrot haters” might eat this dish.

I like to use baby carrots cut in half vertically but regular carrots cut into 2-inch sticks will work also.  If any of the baby carrots are thick, cut those into quarters.  I cut the pecans into lengthwise slivers also.

The carrot mixture can also be turned into a small casserole and heated in a 350-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes.  Watch carefully and stir once or twice.

Ginger Glazed Carrots with Pecans
1 lb. baby carrots
3 T. butter
3 T. brown sugar
1/2 t. ginger
1/2 c. vertically chopped pecans
Dash freshly ground pepper
Finely chopped green onions for garnish if desired

Cut carrots in half lengthwise and cook in boiling, salted water until crisp-tender.  Drain well.  Melt butter in the same saucepan that carrots were cooked in.  Add brown sugar and ginger and cook until sugar is melted.  Add pecans and cook over low 5 to 7 minutes, watching carefully and stirring often until pecans are well coated.  Return carrots to saucepan with butter/sugar/pecan mixture.  Cook over medium heat, watching carefully and stirring often until carrots are heated through.  Makes 4 servings.

The ingredients for the Improv Challenge for March are potatoes and cheese (any kind).  To learn more about joining the challenge, head on over to Kristen's blog for the details.

Cooking with the Journal-Nutty Carrots

 

Here is a quick little side dish recipe that I have used often.  People have liked this who were not particularly fond of carrots.  The slight sweetness, the tang of lemon and the crunch of the nuts usually wins them over.

The original recipe called for carrots cut into matchsticks.  Now I most often use baby carrots and just halve or quarter the larger ones.  If doing match sticks 4-5 cups will be needed.  This is also a good way to dress up canned carrots.  Just drain them, heat and toss with the remaining ingredients.  Two cans of carrots will be needed for the full recipe.  Just halve the glaze ingredients and nuts if using 1 can.

Any kind of nuts can be used.  The original recipe called for walnuts, but I have used almonds, pecans, hazel nuts and even cashews.  Each one provides a slightly different taste.  Do be sure to toast them.

I have altered the original directions and now use the microwave to make the glaze.

Nutty Carrots (originally called Walnut Carrots)
Cooking for Company
Farm Journal Books, 1968

2 lbs. baby carrots
1/2 c. butter or margarine
2 t. honey
2 T. lemon juice
1/4 t. grated lemon peel
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. freshly ground pepper
1/2 c. coarsely broken nuts

Halve or quarter larger baby carrots so that they are all roughly the same size.  Cook in boiling, salted water just until crisp/tender, about 5 minutes.  Drain well.  Put butter along with honey in a 2-qt. glass measuring cup, cover and microwave at 50% power just until butter is melted, about 2 minutes.  Stir well and add lemon juice, lemon rind, salt, and freshly ground pepper.  Pour over the carrots.  Mix well and toss with walnuts.  Turn into serving dish.  Makes 8 servings.

Linking to Tasty Tuesday

Ingredient Spotlight-Thyme Enough Casserole

This casserole is a nice dish to take to a potluck or other gathering.  It comes from a Chex recipe booklet that was put out when Chex were still made by Ralston Purina.  You can use whatever combination of vegetables that you prefer in this.  It just needs to be around 3 cups.  I usually use frozen mixed vegetables.  You can also use other herbs of your choice.

Thyme Enough Casserole
4 T. butter or margarine
2 1/2 c. Rice or Corn Chex cereal crushed to 1 1/2 c.
1/4 t. dried thyme
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 c. diced celery
1/4 c. finely chopped onion
1/2 t. salt
dash pepper
1/2-1 t. fresh thyme (may use 1/4 to 1/2 t. dried thyme if you don't have fresh)
1 can (10 3/4 oz..) condensed cream of mushroom or chicken soup or 1/3 c. Cream Soup Mix and 1 1/4 c. water.
1/2 c. chicken broth or water
1 1/2 c. cooked sliced carrots (canned, frozen or fresh)
1 1/2 c. cooked cut green beans (canned, frozen or fresh)

Melt butter in large skillet.  Remove 2 T. and combine with Chex and 1/4 t. dried thyme.  Mix thoroughly.  Set aside.
In remaining butter sauté garlic, celery, and onion until celery is tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes.  Add salt, pepper and fresh thyme to taste, soup and water.  Blend well.  Stir in carrots and green beans.  Turn into a greased shallow 1 1/2 qt. baking dish.  Top with reserved Chex mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly and top is lightly browned.  Makes 6 (3/4 cup) servings.  Can easily be doubled.

I am linking up to Eat at Home's Ingredient Spotlight-Fresh Herbs

Tomorrow:  Skipping through Blogland and Stopping at Figgs and Such