Food I Would Serve Jesus - Fall Edition: SOUP!

Welcome to Fall!  In honor of the changing of the seasons to my favorite time of year, and also celebrating the Feast of St. Padre Pio, I bring you....SOUP!

Yesterday I was craving Italian soup, and couldn't find a recipe for what I wanted...so I made it up as I went along, stopping at the store only to get the main ingredient: ground Italian sausage.

The soup was comprised otherwise of the items I already had on hand and needed to use, and so, with this monastery-like "spirit of poverty", I dedicate my new invention to my dear St. Padre Pio - I would serve it to  him and to Jesus without reserve!

Italian Sausage-Tomato Soup:

1 package sweet ground Italian sausage - Johnsonville
Chicken broth - I used a box of Swanson's 1/3 less sodium
Vidalia onion
1 can diced tomatoes, garlic and basil flavor (I had DelMonte on hand)
1 fresh perfectly sweet tomato (from Aldi's)
thyme
fresh basil
oregano
garlic
celery salt
rosemary
tomato sauce (well, I didn't have any so substituted leftover pizza sauce)
red wine vinegar

Directions:

Start to heat the chicken broth in a soup pot while browning the sausage and chopped onion in a sauce pan. "Break" it up as you go so you don't have huge misshapen meatballs. Drain excess fat, then carefully add the meat/onion mixture to the broth. Open the can of Italian diced tomatoes, add to the pot, along with the other chopped fresh tomato - as many as you'd like. Add the tomato sauce and herbs according to taste. Cover the pot and simmer, but stir and taste-test occasionally for balance.  I also added additional water to the broth, and salted with celery salt.

When you're satisfied with the flavor, add some kind of pasta. I had Orzo in the cupboard so used that, but any pasta would be fine - take care not to overwhelm with the pasta unless that's what you're going for. I wanted a very "brothy" soup, something perfect for dipping a hard roll into.

Serve with crackers or bread of your choice, garnish with Parmesan cheese and a fresh basil leaf.

Enjoy!

A few notes:

If you can, cook this in a slow-cooker so you can really give the flavors a chance to blend. I simmered on the stove for a couple hours, but I'm picky that way. You could simmer uncovered for a much shorter period of time and it would still be very tasty!

As this soup is very basic, you could turn it into a hearty stew by adding other garden vegetables, substitute the pork for ground turkey - the sky's the limit! (Not that turkeys fly or anything).  :-)

Perhaps I'll re-post my French Onion Soup recipe soon, complete with a photo of the finished product. Anyone interested?

Calling all Cooks! Need help with sauerkraut!

I happen to HATE sauerkraut. My Dad (the full-blooded Swede that he was) LOVED it, so I can still remember the nauseating stench that wafted through our house whenever he made it. And I was even coaxed into trying it a couple times. YUCK!

I've since tried it as an adult...YUCK!

But there was ONE way that I liked it: in a dip. There is a wonderful dip recipe, involving a mixture of corned beef, cream cheese, swiss cheese, Thousand Island dressing, and sauerkraut. At Allrecipes.com, I found a review that mentioned using the sweet/mild bavarian kraut, so that's what I picked up.

But here's my question...some reviewers mentioned draining/rinsing the kraut. I will certainly need to drain this stuff, but does it also need to be rinsed? Is that always true? Or does it depend on what kind of kraut is used (the basic putrid bag stuff or the sweet/mild bavarain also-likely-to-be-putrid-but-less-so-stuff)?

Any advice out there from any kraut lovers with lots of kraut experience?

UPDATE: Thanks to Just Me and Adrienne and Melody, the dip is now complete. And it's very good. The stuff I had last spring was better, but this is good enough to make you choose it over a lard IV.

Here's the recipe I used:

INGREDIENTS
1 (16 ounce) jar sauerkraut, drained/rinsed [I used the sweet/mild bavarian in a bag]
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened [1/3 less fat Philadelphia]
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
2 cups shredded cooked corned beef [combination of 1/2 lb deli and some Budding ]
1/4 cup thousand island dressing


DIRECTIONS
In a slow cooker, combine the sauerkraut, cream cheese, Swiss cheese, corned beef and thousand island dressing. Cover, and cook on high for 45 minutes if you're in a hurry, low for longer if you're not, or just until hot and cheese is melted. Stir occasionally while cooking. Serve with cocktail rye or crackers.

I toasted cocktail pumpernikle rye slices, and also used some Ritz Garlic/Mozzarella crackers. Yummy either way! And you can't even TASTE the kraut!

This is an easy, high-fat, salty dip you can serve for...anything. The fact that it's made in a slow cooker makes it even better. It might kill you, though.

Sunday Dinner

So I've been studying all day, but I have a small confession to make...the TV has been on and so I've also been watching movies. I'm amazed I learned a few things. But really, the last part of my studying was just perusing the Pontifical Bible Commission's texts to answer some questions, the answers of which are buried in the text. And I simply can't find it. Finally I gave up...I'm so frustrated right now that I realize I've overdone it for the day. Maybe I'll get some more reading or research in after dinner. We'll see if my brain recovers or not.

And speaking of dinner...tonight I'm making French Onion Soup. And what's really cool about this soup is that it's made in the slow-cooker.

Here's the recipe:

* Onions (surprise!)
* beef broth (I recommend low sodium)
* 2 T flour (white)
* 2 t. sugar (any kind, so long as it's real)
* 1 1/2 t. salt (I use blessed salt)
* butter or olive oil

Slice the onions. The recipe calls for about 3 cups, I recommend more. Cook the onions in butter slowly with a cover over them, approximately 15 min., but what you're going for is the release of the sugars in the onion. I think.

In the meantime, add the quart and a half or so of beef broth to the slow cooker and turn on high. It's best to time this so that the broth is warm or hot by the time you add the onions.

When you deem the onions "done", add the flour, salt, and sugar to the pan, mix them together. (this is very important!). Then add the mixture to the warmed broth.

I also like to add a shot of Worchester Sauce, some majoram, thyme, and maybe other beef-broth-friendly condiments as available. Really; you can play with this soup a little bit, just don't overdo it.

Bring to a simmer, then cook on "low" for 6-8 hours.

When ready to serve, toast some bread and melt swiss cheese over it. Serve the soup and place a piece of the toast over the soup.


I've made this soup before, and can honestly give it my highest rating:

This is food I would serve Jesus if he came to my house for dinner. Unless He was allergic to onions, in which case I'd serve him something else. It would just be wrong for our Savior to die in my livingroom due to anaphalaxis.

To explain this, my highest rating, I must define it as such: "Food I would serve Jesus" is so good that I would not be ashamed to offer it to my Lord. So, if that is true, then it is something I would be pleased to serve ANYONE. Because if it's good enough for Jesus....

I haven't come up with any other categories because so far the recipes I've posted here are worthy of sharing. In order to maintain integrity, I promise to share the next tanker that comes along and deem it "Food I would not serve Jesus."

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Tonight I am making Chicken Tortilla Soup. Soups are so easy, and this one is filling, but is as fattening or non-fattening as you make it. Also, please note that this can be made Vegetarian; the substitutions are obvious, but I'll detail them at the end.

This soup is as spicy or mild as YOU make it.

Ingredients:

* Skinless chicken breasts
* 1 fresh tomato
* 1 -2 cans diced tomatoes; (I use Ro-tel cilantro-lime and diced chiles flavor. Use the same 2 or mix the flavors...either way it's good. The latter is spicier)
* 1 small or medium chopped onion
* spices: cilantro (fresh is best!), paprika, celery salt, fresh garlic, fajita spices....check your cupboard! Any and all Mexican spices will work, all according to your taste.
* Salsa - add your favorite. I love using Mrs. Renfro's Roasted Garlic salsa. It is on the mild-to-medium side of spiciness, but cooks well into the soup. I recommend using what you have in the house or just buy your favorite.
* sour cream
* shredded cheese - purchased Mexican blend, or cheddar, monterrey jack, nacho, etc.
* Tortilla chips or Tortillas **
* Fresh avocado
* Serrano pepper or jalapeno - diced, seeds removed

* Secret Ingredient: Tiger Sauce. (Carried by Cub Foods, which is under the umbrella of SuperValue)


1. Chicken - either buy chicken tenders or cube a package of boneless/skinless chicken breasts. (note: you may also cube chicken after it's cooked)
2. Put chicken in pan, cover with water. Make sure chicken is completely submerged, and extra water is ok...it will cook off.
3. Bring to boil. When chicken appears to be done, remove pan from heat, remove chicken from water. Important!: Reserve the water - this is your broth (or base). **
4. Add the canned diced tomatoes, your chosen flavor.
5. Add chopped onion and chopped fresh tomato, cilantro, and chosen spices
6. Simmer.

**** HINT: You may simmer for an hour or more, or less time; if you like your onions to be crispier, either add them later or cook less. You may play with the time; all the ingredients are cooked so if all you do is heat and serve, you'll still have a good, flavorful soup. I prefer a longer cooking time so that I can play with the ingredients and the flavor. This would be a good crock-pot soup for that reason.

7. When you have determined that the soup is "done", remove from heat. You have two choices:

* blend the soup to smooth it out. I use a hand mixer, but a blender can also be used.
* serve as a "chunky" soup. If you serve as "chunky" see next step.


8. Add the cubed chicken and cook for a few minutes to reheat it.

9. Serve soup immediately over tortillas. Add sour cream, avocado, and cheese as condiments.



HINTS ***

** Tortillas: If you use fresh tortillas, you will need to create your own chips. Cook the tortillas in a spray of vegetable oil in a fry pan or grill, then break up into chips. Otherwise, just purchase pre-made chips. Old Dutch is common, Doritos will add a different flavor.

** For a milder soup, omit the serrano pepper, use mild or no salsa, and choose a brand of diced tomatoes without spice. You may also use more fresh tomatoes in lieu of the canned stuff.

** VEGETARIANS AND VEGANS: In lieu of making chicken and stock, just use Vegetable stock. All of the ingredients listed above are made organically. I'm not sure about Tiger Sauce, so check the label.

*** ADDITIONS: You may add corn, celery or other veggies to this soup.

Please make suggestions or addtions in the combox.

As it is, this is soup I would serve Jesus if He came to my house. And anyone else. It's not terribly expensive, it's easy, adaptable, and gosh darn it, people like it!


!Buen Provecho!

Recipes and Condiments and Grocery Stores - OH MY!

Have you ever stared into your refrigerator wondering if a particular mixture of condiments with flavors and spices from around the globe can come together and "pop" into a legitimate meal?

I decided that it can't, and who wants to waste perfectly good sauces and syrups and spices on an experiment that makes no sense?

It's a rainy day here in Minnesota (FINALLY! HOORAY!), and although that makes it a great day for napping, it's also wonderful for cooking and using the oven. Because this rain is also a cool rain so it inspires me to think of fall things like soups and dips and the like.

So I wondered what I would make:

Garlic Soup? Maybe
Roasted Red Pepper Soup? Hmm...maybe.
Beef Stroganoff? - Never did it before, but I'm craving it and feeling adventurous
Seafood dip with fresh French or Italian bread from the deli bakery? - Maybe. I need to use up some ingredients.
Angel Hair Pasta with Pesto, onions, and fresh tomatoes? Caprese?

So a-shoppin' I went. Normally I do my grocery shopping early on a Saturday, and this afternoon, was reminded as to WHY.

Because there was NO BREAD at EITHER of the grocery stores I went to. NONE. There was sliced Vienna bread. Not what I needed or wanted. There was Garlic Artesan bread. Too heavy for my needs. There were roll and a tiny baguette with poppy seeds. Nope.

So Garlic Soup is out. And so is the seafood dip. I guess the ingredients will have to pend for another day or so.

I turned my focus to my needs for Roasted Red Pepper soup. It's an easy soup, and Serrrano peppers were available, but the fresh red and yellow peppers were in DISMAL condition. I considered it, but that thing so so bruised and nicked, I could not in good conscience even make it into a soup...unless they'd be willing to give it to me for free. Fat chance.

So soup is out unless I want to scoop it from a can.

So that leaves either pasta which I have at home, but don't want, or beef stroganoff. I picked up some stew meat, I have lots of hamburger, so I got some fresh onions, some mushrooms, I have green onions, I picked up garlic, and I can make beef broth from a bullion. And I picked up sour cream and egg noodles.

Wish me luck. I'm not really much of a cook. It's not that I can't cook, it's just that I'm normally uninspired. Usually stuff turns out well, but there have been a few flops in the past. I pray this is not one of them. Can I still do this half in the pan and half in the crock, esp as I'm using stew meat? It's tougher than the sirloin that some recipes recommend, and I don't want to go the cheap route and use hamburger and cream of mushroom soup...although I may.

So we'll see what happens. If it works, I'll share the recipe. Stay tuned!

UPDATE:

Adoro's Beef Stroganoff:

Cubed Stew Meat
Egg Noodles
1/2 - 1/3 C. Chopped Vidalia Onions
Chopped Green Onions
Sliced Mushrooms
Chopped Garlic
1 C. Sour Cream
1/4 C. Flour
1 Bay Leaf
1 1/2 C. beef broth
Garlic Powder
Salt/Pepper to taste
Thyme
Rosemary
Basil
Cinnamon
Allspice
Various other spices - to taste and according to whatever's in the cupboard
Butter
Worcesteshire Sauce
White or red wine. (Note: NEVER cook with wine you would not actually serve)


In large frying pan,melt the butter or vegetable oil, brown the beef with the onions, mushrooms, and garlic.


Add beef broth and spices. Simmer 1 hour or until meat is tender.


Cook egg noodles according to directions and amount needed.


When beef mixture is ready, add sour creme and flour mixture, stir, and cook down. Add a little water if necessary.


Serve. Enjoy.


* Egg Noodle substitutes: Mashed potatoes, Gnocchi, other pasta or starchy edible material.


I would serve this meal to Jesus if He came to my house. Probably with egg noodles, but if he made a request I'd acquiesce.

The Taste of Summer

I don't know what it is about summer; there is something about hot weather that makes me want to eat tomatoes and cucumbers and basil. Now that I know what basil is.

My family lived in Illinois (near Rockford) until I was ten, and I can remember many hot, humid summers spend reluctantly helping Mom weed the garden, or joyfully playing with my friends in the woods and vales and yards that surrounded us.

One summer mid-morning, we decided we were hungry, and we all seemed to agree that the best possible snack was one of the invitingly-ripe tomatoes that were maturing on vines all over the neighborhood.

So while Mom worked in other areas of the yard and garden, we asked if we could snack on the tomatoes growing on the vine. She told us we could so we carefully selected those that appeared the most lucious.

I remember being somewhat surprised by my thirst for these juicy red-orange gifts from God. I did not, as a rule, like vegetables, and cooked tomatoes made me gag. But that day, I developed a very strong taste for that which grew on the vine, and lead others to join me in this wonderful endeavor. We proceeded to pluck the ripe orbs directly from the vine, wipe them on our shirts, and bite into their juicy goodness right there as we knelt in the dirt. It is one of my favorite childhood moments, and if I could do an oil painting, the memory is so strong that I would indeed paint a child enjoying a summer tomato while surrounded by summer heat and humidity in the comforts of the home garden with freshly churned dirt and bees buzzing around contentedly.

After enjoying what Mom's garden had to offer us, we decided we were still hungry and went inside for some water and to seek other snacks. There were a few tomatoes on the counter by the sink, so we ate the rest before moving on to my friend's house and garden, where they (thankfully for their mom) had fewer ripe vegetables.

Then we were done, and when lunch rolled around, we weren't interested. I wonder why?

For some years, I'm not sure tomatoes gripped me so strongly. I remember my cousin introducing me to a "tomato sandwich" several years later; this consisted of bread, mayo, and a tomato, and on a hot day, it really hit the spot. Mom and my Godmother, my cousin's Mom, thought we were nuts, but we were completely happy with our choice.

I'm not sure when it happened, exactly, but at some point, I realized that tomatoes taste like summer. They do, they really, really do. There is something about fresh Minnesota summer tomatoes that brings childhood into the present, and the present into eternity in the enjoyment of a flavor given to us directly by God.

A couple years ago, I attended a party in which a friend brought Gazpacho, which, of course, I found to be absolutely DIVINE as it is tomato-based. I'd never had a cold soup before, but this stuff was wonderful! Last summer I found a recipe and made it maybe once, but it lasted for awhile (being that I'm single), and because of the labor, I didn't make it again. The ingredients alone were far too complicated, but the soup was great!

Recently, though I discovered a new way to make Gazpacho; while making pasta and other appetizers.

So, without further ado, I will present to you my mid-summer recipes tailor-made for tomato and basil lovers.

*

The other day, I saw a sale involving Classico Pesto, and decided to give it a shot. I've tried other brands (Alessi) and found it to be salty and miserable, but figured another company deserves a chance. For some reason, the idea of Basil and Tomato pasta was appealing to me.

A few years ago, when I first moved into my townhome, some friends came over to celebrate my birthday with me and we made various types of pasta. Italian appetizers were of course also involved, my favorite of which was cherry tomatoes cored and filled with home-made basil pesto.

I couldn't get ENOUGH of those little things!

So last weekend, I made this appetizer and ate a whole little carton of tomatoes filled with basil.

But then there's the question: what do do with the cores and the juice? Coring tomatoes is a messy endeavor. But, having remembered my previous gazpacho experience, I simply cut the cherry tomatoes over a small bowl and caught the juice and the cores. By the time I was done, there was a certain amount in the bowl, to which I added some of the pesto, and some cucumbers, and some spices, white wine, and some red wine vinegar...and put it away in the fridge.

Then I just cut up some larger tomatoes, tossed it with the basil pesto, and served it with angel-hair pasta.

YUMMY!

I also plan to cut up a baguette, slather it with pesto and chopped tomatoes and melt pasta on top. Thanks to my dear neighbor Lisa for that suggestion, which can actually be done on the grill, although I've never tried it.

And of course, I just love tomatoes sliced with a little celery salt sprinkled on top. There's nothing like it in the world.

You may be wondering what I did with my mini-gazpacho? I ate it, just that little bowl, and it was wonderful. Today, I made a larger bowl, doing the same thing. I use the left-over angel-hair pasta noodles, but this time I heated some sliced and chopped red onions in a little olive oil and garlic, and when they were ready (still a little crispy), I added the pesto sauce from the fridge along with the chopped tomatoes, just to heat everything a little. It was tossed with the pasta. I also had some cherry tomatoes I had to use up or they would go bad so I made the appetizers and from the core both of the large tomatoe for the pasta and the little ones, they went into a bowl. I added some low-sodium V-8, cucumber, and a few onions. Some Cholula red sauce (it's like tobasco but more flavorful), a touch of Tiger Sauce, red wine vinegar, pepper, pesto and more basil, thyme, majoram, pepper, celery salt, and it now resides in my refrigerator to provide dinner for me tomorrow night. A light dinner, but given all this heat, a perfect dinner.

So long ago, when Mom discovered the garden bereft of tomatoes, the counter bare of her new harvest, and the neighbor's garden robbed, she was met with a dilemma. What to do with a child who didn't normally eat vegetables but who had one day gone overboard? We'd raided the gardens with permission, given by unsuspecting parents. And we were eating healthy foods as opposed to ice cream, or cookies, or the like!

In the end, we were only lightly scolded. Mom was happy we ate the tomatoes but asked, that, next time, we just not eat them ALL.

She was a very good Mom, still is. She doesn't like tomatoes as much as I do, though.

Grilling Salmon

Please pray for me; I'm grilling salmon for the first time.

Some time ago, my brother's boss went fishing in Alaska, and they vacuum-wrapped and froze their catch. He gave some to my brother, who in turn, gave some to me. I gave one fillet away to a neighbor at Easter, because I can't possibly eat all this fish. Part of being single...I know when the portions are too large, and fish doesn't tend to do as well as a leftover.

But last night I got brave and took out a fillet, cut it in half, and marinated it in a mixture of a ginger-garlic-teriyaki sauce mixed with a sesame marinade (I've used this mixture on steak...yummy!), and I just placed it on the grill.

Not wanting it to burn or spend half the day waiting for the charcoal to cool enough, I cut down on the charcoal...and I think I used too little.

I was going to grill this stuff for dinner, but then I realized that if I mess this up, I won't have time to fix my problem, thus I'm doing it for lunch. Brats and corn on the cob for dinner, along with fresh veggies and dip!

:-)

If it turns out well, I'll be bringing a salmon wrap with me to work tomorrow. :-)

Please pray I don't give myself food poisoning through this experimental endeavor....


UPDATE !

OK, I just had my lunch. If Jesus came to my house, I would not be ashamed to serve him grilled salmon! Besides, based on what the Bible says, Jesus was a fan of grilled fish. And he'd probably be way too nice to mention the overcooked parts.

The marinade formed a very nice glaze. I had been planning to also grill asparagus with the same glaze, but I forgot about it, so my salmon was served with fresh uncooked sugar snap peas and ranch dip.

No wine; I don't have a wine in the house that can stand up to the strong flavor of salmon, even with the sweet glaze.

OK, back to what I was doing before...thanks for indulging me.