Chicken Tortilla Soup

I love soup and chicken tortilla is one of my favorites.  I usually make Tyler Florence's version found here.  There are a few things I particularly love about it-- it's totally from scratch, you fry your own tortilla chips, and, since it takes forever and a day to make, you feel like you've really accomplished something once you get to sit down and eat it.

That being said, my mom recommended Rachel Ray's recipe.  I tend to avoid most things Rachel Ray, but it was a Thursday after work, I really wanted soup, and my mom *really* loved it.  It was seriously good!  A couple of things I love about this version-- it is so easy to make without making you feel dumb (the charred corn is an excellent ingredient) and I've now discovered chipotle in adobo peppers.  Where have you been all my life, sweet-smokey-spicy deliciousnesses!?!  It calls for 2, but they were so tiny I put about half the can.  Then I tasted them.... If you don't care for super spicy, just put the two.  Half the can was perfect for my spicy tastes.  The only other thing I did differently was that my grocery store did not have any blue corn chips.  Since I wasn't going to stir in 4 cups like she recommended anyway (holy calories, Batman), I just used a couple of regular tortilla chips as garnish with my cheese, sour cream, avocado, and cilantro (because those are all fat-free, right?!).  Super easy and super good.  Thanks, Mom!

Casserole Break

I've been on a casserole break the past couple of weeks.  The first casserole-free week was because I felt like I needed something a little healthier.  That week it was baked chicken, baked potatoes, and roasted broccoli and cauliflower.

A little note about the broccoli-- my brother makes amazing roasted broccoli.  Apparently he douses it in olive oil, salt, pepper, and sometimes other herbs and garlic.  Then he puts them in a hot oven until they're tender and brown.  Mine never turn out as good as his, but I much prefer this over steamed. So tasty!

A note about these plates.  Ugh.  When my brother moved off to college, my mom went to the outlet to get him dishes and this was the most masculine option.  He hated them.  I hate them.  Are they Santa Fe inspired or what?  However, those heinous black and white dishes my food is normally on belong to the bf.  He moved into a new place, went to Target, those were the cheapest, so he got them.  I hate those too.  Well, one of them broke so we only had 3 plates in the house and that wasn't cutting it.  My mom donated the Santa Fe ones to him.  I'm quite certain I'm in china hell.

That's MY plate. Because I pick out pretty dishes.

This week there was no casserole because the bf suggested the most Southern meal imaginable-- meatloaf, mashed potatoes with gravy, mustard greens, and cornbread.  Hello, delicious.

I more or less make Paula Deen's Basic Meatloaf.  However, as you can see on my plate, it's more like meat-scoop than meat-loaf.  I'm always starving and cut it before it's ready.  It still tastes yummy.

I make mean cornbread and mustard greens, too.  The cornbread is more or less the White Lily recipe and the mustard greens are Rachel Ray's.  Mashed potatoes are always a hit.  I like mine nice and chunky, so I boil the potatoes, drain, add cream and butter, and mash by hand.  Mmm, Southern soul food!

Lasagna

Lasagna was this week's one-potter by request.  For the longest time I didn't believe in making homemade lasagna because Stouffer's is so darn good (and I'm not ashamed to admit I'll still eat those single servings they have if I'm alone).  Once I made a fancy Mario Batali version that involved homemade pasta and a bechamel sauce that nearly killed me- oww my arm!  These days, it's all about my easy little concoction.

What you need:
1. My Brother's Spaghetti sauce
2. Cooked lasagna noodles
3. 2 lbs. ricotta + 4 egg yolks + 1 1/2 cups of Parmesan + salt and pepper
4. 2 cups of mozzarella

Start by making the spaghetti sauce from my previous post.  As that's simmering, cook your noodles.  I suppose you could use those "no boil" noodles, but I kind of hate them.  In my experience, parts always stay crunchy and I miss those old-fashioned crinkled edges.  Mix the 2 lbs. of ricotta with 4 egg yolks (or 3 whole eggs... it doesn't really matter) and 1.5 cups of Parm and some salt and pepper.  Then start assembling!  I've never purchased a rectangle pan large enough, so I swear by those disposable ones you get for $2 at the store.  Plus, you don't have to wash it!  Easy cleanup!  Put some sauce in the bottom so it doesn't stick followed by a layer of pasta topped with the ricotta mixture then mozzarella cheese then sauce.  Repeat and be sure to end with pasta + sauce + the remaining mozzarella.  Bake in a 350 oven for about 30 minutes!

We enjoyed ours with salad and bread.  I'm always too impatient to let the lasagna set properly, so I end up getting a "scoop" of lasagna instead of a perfectly layered square.  It'll look prettier when I have leftovers tonight, I am sure!

Not a One Potter - Grilled Salmon

I had a very quick, easy, and healthy dinner this week.  Grilled salmon, baked potatoes, and roasted asparagus.  However, I have a confession... I put the baked potatoes in the microwave.  I'm so ashamed.  I needed dinner on the plate in about 10 minutes, so I didn't have time to do it the right way. The great thing about dinners like this is that you can cook them for just 1 or 2 people.

The asparagus was tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper and went into the oven set at 400 for about 10 minutes.  The potatoes were thrown in the microwave for about the same amount of time.  I put olive oil, salt, pepper, some Montreal spicy steak seasoning (I swear by the stuff), and lime juice on the salmon and cooked it on my grill pan for about 8-10 minutes.

I would've been really proud of myself for eating so healthy, but I cooked this after I left a bridal shower where I gorged myself on chips, salsa, guacamole, and cheese dip.  Because of that, I only ate about half of my dinner.  This was OK because the boy got to eat the other half of my potato, which pleased him and I had leftover salmon for the most perfect birthday lunch.

Crock Pot Gumbo

While I enjoy Cajun food, it's typically not something I cook too often.  My brother is the Cajun expert, so I usually enjoy it when he makes it and never have to put forth the effort myself.  But for some reason, a big pot of gumbo was sounding good to me last week.  Gumbo is a food of love and if I cooked gumbo for real on a weeknight, we'd be eating around 10pm and that just wasn't going to cut it.  So I ran to the store on my lunch break and decided to make a mediocre crock pot version.  It would still have gumbo ingredients and the same general feel, but without the hours of love a delicious, authentic pot would require.  If you're from Louisiana, do not judge me. I know this is not the real deal Holyfield, mmkay?

What you need:
-Chicken (I used 1 lb of boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they were cheap)
-1 lb of sausage
-1/2 lb of shrimp
-Frozen okra
-Can of tomatoes
-Chopped onion, bell pepper, celery
-Chicken stock
-Flour
-Oil
-Seasoning (I used salt, pepper, cayenne, and Emeril's Essence)

I hope I remember what I did... Let's see...

First I made a dark brown roux using 1/3 cup of flour and 1/3 cup of oil.  Just put it in a sauce pan and stir and stir and stir some more until it gets the color you want it to be.

Next, I seasoned the chicken with some salt, pepper, Essence, and cayenne and put it into the crock pot.  I poured about 2 cups or so of chicken broth in and stirred in my roux.  Then I dumped in my chopped onion, bell pepper, and celery.

Next came the can of tomatoes, which I don't think goes in "real gumbo," but whatever.  I turned the crock pot on low and went back to work.  It simmered for probably 5 or 6 hours?

Once I was home from work and facebooked about how delicious the house smelled, I poured in the okra.  I also tasted for my seasonings and likely added more salt, pepper, Essence, and a lot more cayenne.  I like it spicy!

Then while the rice was cooking, I added the shrimp.  (I'd let the okra cook for about the last 45 minutes and the shrimp for about the last 20-30 minutes.)  Time to eat!

 

It wasn't as good as my brother's, but it totally worked for a quick weeknight meal!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Fall finally arrived in Atlanta and brought with it a little cold for yours truly.  When I feel the sore throat and sniffles coming, all I can think about is soup.  So I ran to the store after work, checked the items off my list, and made myself a gigantic pot of homemade chicken noodle soup (and cornbread, because I'm country and that's what we do and because the boy is a big fan).  It hit the spot for days.  When you're sick, there's nothing like it with a glass of OJ.

I use Emeril's recipe found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/simple-chicken-noodle-soup-recipe2/index.html A few things I do different:
-I use old-fashioned egg noodles instead of vermicelli
-I use a whole carton of sliced mushrooms
-I use way more than 1/2 cup of diced onions, carrots, and celery

Why?  I don't really know.  I have a whole onion, why not use it all? Then you bought whole bags of carrots and celery... why not use more of those too?  And before you know it, you have something that no longer resembles soup because you have too much "stuff" and not enough liquid.  So I always try to make more stock than it calls for and have an extra store-bought container on hand, just in case.  As a result, I still have soup in my fridge after having served and eaten approximately 25 bowls. :)  So, I'm sure if you followed Emeril's directions, you'd be just fine!  It's delicious even when you aren't sick.

My Brother's Spaghetti

I feel a little silly doing a post about spaghetti since it's something everyone already has a recipe for, but I think my spaghetti is particularly heavenly so I will share.  This is actually my brother's spaghetti recipe and I'm not sure where he got it from.  However, once I had his spaghetti and got his recipe, I've never looked back.  It's traditional, easy, and delicious.  What more can you ask for?

Ingredients:
-Olive oil
-1 large onion diced
-1 package of sliced white mushrooms
-A few cloves of chopped garlic
-Crushed red pepper flakes
-1 large can of diced tomatoes, drained
-1 large can of tomato sauce
-1 small can of tomato paste
-1 tablespoon of each: oregano, basil, thyme
-1 lb ground beef
-Fresh basil
-Pasta (duh)

In a large pot, saute the chopped onion in olive oil until they begin to sweat.  Season with salt and pepper as you do this.  Add in the mushrooms and saute until they begin to brown.  You may need more olive oil.  I usually add a bit more salt and pepper, seasoning each layer as I go.  Add in the garlic and as much crushed red pepper as you like-- I add a lot.  Saute for a minute or two, careful to not brown the garlic.  Next add in the diced tomatoes for a few minutes, then comes the can of sauce.  I like my sauce thick and meaty, so I add the whole small can of paste, but you might like to use a little less.  Once it starts to bubble, add one tablespoon of dried oregano, dried basil, and dried thyme.  Taste for seasoning and adjust as you see fit.  Reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes or so.

Once your sauce is simmering, brown your ground beef and get your (salted) spaghetti water boiling.  Add the drained ground beef to the sauce to simmer while you cook your pasta.  My brother and I prefer linguine pasta, but I used angel hair when I made it last night.  To finish it off, I toss in a bunch of chiffonade basil and serve atop the pasta with a little Parmesan and more crushed red pepper flakes.  I like it spicy! Of course a salad and garlic bread are also necessary.  Yum!