Ron's Picks Vol 1 - Chapter 1... Again

Simply Soup

Wow, it has been truly been one of those weeks... quite a while ago, LMGI received a wonderful request from Allison, who says, "Can you suggest a good soup recipe that makes a lot and freezes well? I've thought of veggie and chili, but wondered if there was something else creative and kid-friendly."

Allison, I'm so sorry it has taken me forever and a day to respond, but the answer is YES! I happen to absolutely love soup, and if there is one thing I've got it is soup recipes. Now, I am missing the kid portion of the equation so I'm going to do my best to suggest what I am guessing are kid-friendly recipes...

The first recipe is my taco soup recipe, and this one is a keeper. It takes all of 20 minutes to make, freezes perfectly and actually tastes good too! I'm gonna guess kids will like this because it has so many optional toppings for making something unique. Do your kids like tortilla chips? Crumble a few up and put on top. Do they like cheese or sour cream? Throw that on top as well. Don't like a thing? Leave it all off! It is so easy :-)

The second recipe is an easy favorite around our house, but, honestly, I've never tried to freeze it before. I was hoping to get around to making a batch and test freezing it this past week, but that was one of many things I didn't get done this week... However, freezing or no freezing this is an awesome stew and definitely kid-friendly. This recipe is Pampered Chef's Favorite Meatball Stew.

Without further ado, here are the recipes:

Taco Soup

1 pound ground beef
3 cans diced tomatoes, no salt added
3 cans beans, any kind (I use pinto, black and kidney), drained and rinsed
1 can corn kernels, drained
1 cup water
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 pkg. dry ranch mix
Crumbled tortilla chips, sour cream, green onions, shredded cheese (optional)

Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat and drain. Set aside. Combine remaining ingredients in a large saucepan, and mix to combine. Stir in ground beef and cook over medium heat until heated through. Top with toppings, if preferred.

* Freezing tip - although you can absolutely cook this as is (minus any toppings) let cool to room temp and freeze, I suggest making the soup without the ground beef and freezing. Without meat in the soup, this will easily last up to 3 months in your freezer. To serve, just reheat and add some freshly browned ground beef and toppings. If you choose to freeze with the beef already added, this should last about 1 month in the freezer.

Favorite Meatball Stew
From Pampered Chef

1 cup coarsely chopped carrots

1/2 cup chopped onions

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 pkg (16 oz.) frozen, fully cooked meatballs

1 jar (12 oz.) home-style beef gravy

1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 pkg (11 oz.) refrigerated bread sticks

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add carrots, onions, mushrooms and garlic; cook and stir for 3 minutes.

2. Add meatballs (no need to thaw), gravy, tomato sauce, peas and thyme; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Pour mixture into a large, oven-proof casserole dish. Remove bread stick dough from package; do not separate. Using a serrated knife, cut dough evenly into 12 slices. Place slices in a slightly overlapping circular pattern over meatball mixture, leaving the center open. Bake 27 - 30 minutes or until stew is bubbly and bread sticks are golden brown.

*Freezing tip - If you choose to freeze this stew, I would cook through step 2, then cool to room temp and freeze. To serve, thaw and proceed to step 3. Cook as instructed.

Allison, I hope your boys love these soups and you and your family stay warm this winter!

P.S. sorry for the major lack of photos in this post. As I said, this week allowed for no extra fun in the kitchen. More pics next time, I promise!

With Love From Tennessee

So, my sister-in-law is a dating machine. I'm talking every time I blink this girl gets asked out. How does she do it you ask? I wish I knew her secrets, but I bet it has something to do with the homemade goodies she thinks to send to her man-of-the-moment. LMGI's newest request comes from my dear SIL, who says, "What is something that I can bake to send a guy I am dating (who isn’t Southern) that has to travel to California frequently? It has to travel/mail well and remind him of Tennessee."

What a lucky guy!


Well I thought long and hard about this, and after ruling out a bottle of Jack Daniels (because what kind of message does that send?!), I came up with two homemade goodies perfect for shipping.

This beautiful pile of cookie goodness comes courtesy of one of my favorite recipe mavens, Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks

Heidi's Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies are the perfect gift to send a new dating partner. First of all, who doesn't love chocolate chip cookies? Secondly, not only does the mesquite flour remind you of BBQ and therefore the South/Tennessee, but it also provides that little somethin' somethin' that man-of-the-moment just won't be able to get out of his head. Perfect!

The second recipe I'm going to recommend my SIL include in her box of homemade goodies would be Cooking Light's Spiced Pecans. How delicious do these little gems look? Nothing gets more Southern than pecans, and they are perfect for the traveling man who might need a little snack (read: romantic reminder) while plane hopping.

Mary, hope these recipes serve 'ya well!

Heidi's Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies (recipe below)

Cooking Light's Spiced Pecans

Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies
From 101 Cookbooks

2 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour

1 cup mesquite flour, sifted if clumpy

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder

3/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temp

2 cups natural cane sugar

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups rolled oats

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips



Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, position racks in the upper half of the oven, and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy, then beat in the sugar until of a consistency like thick frosting. Beat in the eggs one at a time, incorporating each fully before adding the next and scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times. Stir in the vanilla until evenly incorporated. Add the dry ingredients in 3 increments, stirring between each addition. At this point, you should have moist, uniformly brown dough. Stir in the oats and chocolate chips by hand, mixing only until evenly distributed.

Drop 2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie onto the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart and bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown on both top and bottom. Don't overbake these; if anything underbake them. Cool on wire racks.

Makes 2 to 3 dozen chunky, medium-large cookies.

Day of the Dead

I trust we all made safely through Halloween with many a treat and just a few tricks...

And now, a mere two days later, it is time to celebrate Dia de Los Meurtos or Day of the Dead (which is Friday, Nov. 2). Day of the Dead is a fascinating Mexican tradition that combines native Aztec and Roman Catholic practices and beliefs. One of my favorite parts of this tradition is the making of beautiful tiny sugar skulls with names of the departed on them, and then a relative or friend eats the skulls. So different and so pretty at the same time.

In honor of Day of the Dead, I am planning a little celebration with some close friends for Friday evening. I want something both low-key and slightly authentic feeling for the evening. I'm having eight people total for dinner and since our tiny table only seats four, I'll be serving this menu up buffet style.

My Dia de Los Meurtos Menu:

Bobby Flay's white salsa and tortilla chips (recipe below)

Dead Man's Bread (recipe below)

Chicken in Pipian Sauce

Mexican Flag rice

Calabacitas con Chile (Zucchini and Chile) (recipe below)

Pumpkin in Syrup (recipe below)

Don't forget the margaritas!

Now for the recipes:

Bobby Flay's Sour Cream Salsa

2 cups sour cream
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 jalapeno chiles, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve cold with tortilla chips.
*note - this gets better if you let is sit in the fridge for an hour or two before serving

Dead Man's Bread
From Frida's Fiestas

7 1/2 cups flour, sifted
2 cups sugar, plus additional for dusting
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter
2 packages active dry yeast, dissolved in 5 tablespoons warm milk
12 small eggs
1 tablespoon lard
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

Mound the flour in a bowl and make a well in the center. Place the sugar, butter, yeast, eggs, lard, cinnamon, vanilla and milk in the well. Work into a dough and knead until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too soft, knead in more flour.

Shape into a ball, grease and flour it lightly, and place in a greased bowl. Let stand in a warm place for 2 1/2 hours or until doubled in size. Cover with a towel and refrigerate overnight.
Shape the dough into balls the size of a peach. Decorate the tops with strips of dough to look like bones. Place the rolls on a greased baking sheet and let rise in a warm place for about 1 1/2 hours or until doubled.

Dust with sugar and bake in a preheated 350 degree over for 30 minutes, or until the bottoms sound hollow when tapped.

Calabacitas con Chile (Zucchini and Chile)
Mexican Family Favorites Cook Book

2 pounds zucchini, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
3 fresh tomatoes, chopped
4 to 5 cooked and chopped green chiles
salt and pepper to taste
dash garlic powder
2/3 cup shredded jack cheese

Cook zucchini over medium heat until tender. Drain. In a skillet, heat oil and saute onion. Add tomatoes, green chiles and seasonings. Stir well and cook over reduced heat for a few minutes. Add cheese and cover. Cook for one to two minutes until cheese is fully melted.

Pumpkin in Syrup
Frida's Fiestas

1 1/2 cups water
4 pounds (10 1/2 cups) dark brown sugar
1 pumpkin (about 10 pounds)

Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring often to make a syrup.
Peel the pumpkin, cut into chunks, and remove the fibers and seeds. Score the pulp in diamond shapes.

Arrange the pumpkin chunks in a large enamel saucepan, place the first layer skin side up and the remaining layer skin side down. Add the syrup, cover and cook over medium heat for about 2 1/2 hours, until the pumpkin is well soaked in syrup and has turned a deep caramel color.

A Little German, A Little Scottish, And A Whole Lot of Breakfast

The title of this blog implies that a simple meal, with little or no forethought, could potentially have far reaching implications. Maybe it is as simple as solidifying a friendship, closing a business deal or perhaps leaving a lasting impression on your children, but those seemingly insignificant implications are well worth a little planning.

A perfect example of this is LMGI's newest request from Jaden of Steamy Kitchen, and I am honored to receive a challenge from one of my favorite bloggers! Jaden writes, "Here's a request:a family supper to introduce our little kids to their father's German-Scottish heritage.

no wait.

let me change that: a German-Scottish family supper that our family can create into a yearly tradition.

My MIL is German, FIL is Scottish. They have wonderful traditions and rituals that the family still partakes in regularly. I'd love to create a family tradition that revolved around a supper menu. Something that ties the kids back to their roots. "

Now this is a great request and a challenge. German and Scottish and it needs to become a tradition? No pressure there!

Happily, this menu seemed to plan itself. The minute I started to think of a family mealtime tradition, my mind immediately went to my family's own little tradition. You see, every New Year's Day morning, since before I can remember, my parents (who don't drink and therefore can fathom getting up and cooking on NYD) would wake up early and cook this enormous and beautiful German apple pancake. The recipe came from The Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas.

This may seem like a small or silly tradition, but even now, with most of the kids out of the house (there are four of us), we all still come home (albeit hungover as hell) on NYD and share a German apple pancake with my parents.

So, Jaden, I hope you don't mind, but I've slightly modified your request to become a traditional brunch instead of dinner. I love the idea of coming home and sharing a breakfast with family at any age. It seems so intimate, something only a family could do.

Since, I happen to know from first hand experience that this German apple pancake ROCKS and it is coincidentally German, this has to be a part of the menu. Unfortunately, Thomas' exact recipe is not online, but the version I linked to below is the closest I could find to my parent's recipe.

With the German part of the menu taken care of, now we face the Scottish side. I'll admit, I'm not terribly familiar with Scottish food, but when I found this recipe I knew I had dish number two.

Scotch eggs basically consist of hard-boiled eggs that are peeled, encased in sausage meat and bread crumbs, and then deep-fried. I know people, I know - healthy they are not, but, hey, this meal is meant to be eaten once a year, not once a week.

And can I just say, those eggs are soooo good. I'm talking eyes-roll-back-in-your-head-as-you-moan-with-pleasure good.

As rich and decadent as this menu sounds already, I hate having a meal with only two dishes in it. So, depending on how big your appetite is, you can either take this last dish or leave it...

Since Jaden and her family live in South, I thought it only appropriate to add a bit of Southern to the meal. Yep, you guessed it - grits. A perfect temperament to the sweetly sugared pancake and salty eggs. Now, I'm not going to provide a recipe for grits, but I will say do yourself a favor and buy Logan Turnpike Mill stone-ground grits. They are unbelievable; you barely need butter.

So, in total, Jaden's German-Scottish meal that will hopefully become a family tradition is

German Apple Pancake

Scotch Eggs

Logan Turnpike Mill Grits

Jaden, I hope you will make this a NYD brunch tradition in your family. There is nothing better than a little sugar and a little grease to cure a hangover, and it is the perfect time to gather and celebrate family.

Cheers!

Halloween Fondue

Oh what fun! LMGI has already gotten its first email request! Jennifer writes, “Please plan the following menus for me… within the hour please ;-) Christmas formal affair, Thanksgiving potluck and Halloween fondue.”

Oy vey. Well, not so much within an hour (I do have a real job after all) and not all three, but I DO have a fun Halloween fondue menu to share. Now, Jennifer didn’t elaborate if this was a sit-down or buffet-style dinner, or the number of people, so I will assume this is a sit-down dinner for four.

When planning this menu, I focused on using seasonal ingredients (apples, pecans, pumpkins), and I thought about the purpose of the dinner – to celebrate Halloween. Finally, we can’t forget Jennifer’s request for fondue either.

Originally, I was thinking of this pumpkin soup recipe cooked directly in the shell, and then I thought, hmmm, what if we cooked the fondue directly in the pumpkin shell? How festive would that be?!



Happily, a little research offered up the perfect recipe.

Now all that is left is maybe a nice salad to start with and dessert. I believe it is a necessity to offer a variety of Halloween candy when throwing a Halloween dinner party, but to be a bit more grown-up about it, perhaps we should offer a real dessert as well…



This brown sugar and chocolate chip pound cake with maple-espresso glaze from October's Bon Appetit should do the trick. Doesn’t it just sound autumnal?

So, in total, my Halloween Fondue menu for Jennifer is

Roasted Apple Salad (recipe below)
Pumpkin Cheese Fondue
Brown Sugar & Chocolate Chip Pound Cake with Maple-Espresso Glaze
Halloween Candy

In terms of beverage pairings, I would recommend a slightly dry Riesling to go with these savory autumn flavors. Right now, all the liquor stores will be marking their favorite picks for Thanksgiving, most of those will go well with this menu also. For dessert, coffee is a must with this pound cake. Don’t skimp on the beans, fresh coffee is the best.


Roasted Apple Salad with Candied Pecans and Blue Cheese
Serves four

2 apples, Golden Delicious apples hold up well to baking
1 Tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon sugar
1 shallot, minced
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon dry mustard
¼ cup sherry vinegar
5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
½ medium red onion, thinly sliced into rings
1 head each of endive, watercress and frisee
Blue cheese crumbles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice apples and then combine with the red onion rings, the melted butter, and the sugar in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a baking sheet and roast until tender, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In another bowl, whisk together the minced shallot, honey, dry mustard and vinegar; then slowly whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

In your serving bowl, combine greens and drizzle with enough vinaigrette to lightly coat. Top with roasted apples and onions and spoon remaining vinaigrette over the apples. Top with blue cheese crumbles and candied pecans.

Candied Pecans

5 cups pecan halves
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon ginger
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons canola oil

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Place nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast until fragrant, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the sugar, salt and ginger in a small bowl and set aside.

Combine the honey, 2 Tablespoons water and oil in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and add toasted pecans. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until all liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Transfer mixture to a bowl, add sugar mixture and toss to combine. Spread nuts in a single layer on parchment paper to cool.

*Pecans will keep for one week if stored in an airtight container.

Happy Halloween!

M.F.K Fisher and The Menu

"It has long been an amusing trick, played by such gastronomical wits as Paul Reboux, for instance, to plan menus for imagined occasions: A May-Day Luncheon for Six Nubile Virgins About To Be Queened, A Light Midnight Supper for Three Stage-door Johnnies and an Actress Called Frankie, or An Intimate Dinner Prepared in the Full of the Moon by an Aging Private Secretary for her Boss.

All such ambiguously labeled meals are, of course, concocted with one end in view, whether on paper or in reality. They must, by their combinations of flavor and color, light and shade, lead to the accomplishment of some desired fact. There is no doubt in my mind that they will, for I believe firmly that hearts as well as heads can be turned through subtle cookery."

- M.F.K Fisher, Little Meals With Great Implications

Two simple paragraphs and I fell in love with planning menus. You see, I've always been excited by cooking. Loved trying new recipes, experimenting with an unfamilar ingredient, even simply shopping at the farmer's market, but to plan a menu has always been the best part.

There is something so enticing about starting with an end result in mind - a casual dinner with friends, impressing the boss, etc. - and working backwards to create the perfect meal.

In this blog, I hope to share my menus, those planned just for me and the husband, and those planned for large parties. Of course, I'll include the recipes too. After all, what good is a menu without recipes to go along for the ride?

I hope you'll visit me frequently; I've so many good stories to share. There was my salmon dinner party recently, my all local dinner, and, of course, we must plan for Thanksgiving sooner rather than later. Are you planning a dinner party? Stumped on what to serve? Please email me with details and I'll be happy to suggest a menu.

I suppose I can't leave you without a menu for this first post. To continue with the original inspiration for this blog, in M.F.K Fisher's short story Little Meals With Great Implications, Fisher describes a February evening at home with her two young daughters making valentines.

"We will drink our soup slowly from solid little brown casseroles which cannot possibly tip over, and sip cool milk from silver mugs. And for dessert each will eat a heart-shaped open sandwich of dark, moist whole-grain bread, sweet butter, and red currant jelly..."

Potage Bonne Femme

As printed in A Stew Or A Story; An Assortment of Short Works by M.F.K Fisher

3 tablespoons butter

5 good springs parsley

4 leaves of green lettuce

1 small onion

1 pint (or less) of sorrel

dash of salt, pepper, grated nutmeg

2 tablespoons flour

2 quarts good veal stock

a little chervil if possible

4 egg yolks

1 cup cream, heated

Melt butter in a generous kettle, add finely chopped parsley, lettuce, onion, sorrel and add seasonings. Cover and let wilt ten minutes without scorching. Add the flour, mix well, and gradually add the boiling stock. Add the chopped chervil if available, cover, and let boil moderately for another 10 minutes. Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks, gradually add the heated cream, and stir well. Add this liaison to the soup, taking care that it does not boil, and serve at once, either as it is or strained through a fine sieve.