Pork Chop and Cherries

I was driving home and could bear to drive past a sign that said "Fresh Picked Cherries". I can't believe it's that time of year again. But I'll sure be enjoying it!

Recipe to come. I'm too busy eating at the moment. :)

So this was a great idea..

They say that the best roads were paved with good intentions. This was mine. When you are trying a new recipe you can tweek it. But sometimes too much celery can be a bad thing!

I think it would have been better had I used the processed cheese. Velveeta does make most things taste better!

Brocoli-Celery Cheese Soup

Yield:
4-6 servings

Ingredients:
1/2 stick butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large heads broccoli
6 stalks celery, trimmed and chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup half/half
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1lb cheddar cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. In large stock pot, sweat onions, celery and butter until tender.

2. Wash and trim ends of broccoli and then chop broccoli tops. Discard or otherwise use stems. I prefer to steam my broccoli. Add broccoli and chicken broth to pot.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the half/half, cornstarch, pepper, and garlic salt. Add to boiling broccoli mixture, stirring until thickened, about 3-5 minutes.

4. Reduce heat to low-medium low and stir in cheese until melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. I blend with a handheld blender until smooth. However this is a preference thing.

***See recipe here :)

March Madness

I don't know about anyone else but cooking while watching the NCAA tournament can be a bit dangerous. Especially with such close games! Alas, I attempted a recipe that seemed simple enough that even I couldn't ruin it. I modified as follows:

Ingredients
4 eggs
1 large can of pumpkin
2/3 c. white sugar
3/3 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tsp cinnamon
6 tbsp white flour
3 c. milk
1 c. water


Directions
1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Gradually stir until well mixed.
3. Spray a 9-inch pan with cooking spray.
Pour batter into pan. (I also had extra for a smaller pan)
4. Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes
or until knife inserted 1 inch from the center
comes out clean.

**Keep pie chilled after cooking. Note I forgot to take a picture before I dug in and dropped the spare. My bad!

***See recipe

Chipotle anyone?

It's freezing out and I can't watch anymore depressing Olympics. I figured that this would be a quick and easy way to use up some canned food. Plus bean soup in the winter is always lovely.

I adapted several recipes and ended up at this one based on ingredients I had on hand. Including this one

I changed a few things around in this recipe, using cumin and adding coconut milk. Boy those chipotles are hot!

Here’s the recipe as I made it.

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
Extra virgin olive oil
2 cups onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped
4 tablespoons of adobo sauce from jar
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups vegetable broth
1 can coconut milk

1. Heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat in a pot. Add the onion, and cook until clear. Add the garlic, and continue to cook for an additional minute.

2. Stir in the sauce, chipotle, oregano, cumin, and salt. Cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the vegetable broth and one can of black beans, and stir to combine.

3. Blend in whatever you have handy. I used my blender but a food processor or immersion blender would be ideal.

4. Return the soup to the pot. Add the remaining can of beans. Cover, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for approximately 10 minutes. Add 1 can of coconut milk and simmer over low. Serve and garnish as you like.

Madness

I've decided to start this as I've nothing better to do than wait for my latest creation to cool. And as I'm bound to take a photo of it anyway, I figured I might as well join the blogging masses.

Tonight's choice was to make apple/banana bread as I couldn't bear to throw away some overripe fruit. I modified the recipe found here here by shredding the apples and adding allspice to the mix. I also substituted golden brown sugar for dark brown sugar. Doesn't seem to make much of a taste difference though.


Recipe is as follows:

SERVINGS: MAKES ONE 9-INCH LOAFIngredients
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 Granny Smith apples--peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 very ripe bananas, mashed (1 cup)
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
Directions
1.In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter with the brown sugar. Add the apples and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until tender and golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla and transfer the apples to a plate.
2.Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9-by-5-by-4 1/2 inch loaf pan. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, nutmeg and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
3.In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the remaining stick of butter with the granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix until smooth. Add the mashed bananas, orange juice and the remaining 1 teaspoon of vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the apples.
4.Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean; cover loosely with foil if the loaf becomes too dark. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a rack to cool completely.

Make Ahead
The banana bread can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Does anyone actually use fresh juice for their recipes? I always use commercial packaged orange juice and have never found much of a difference either. In any case, this is the result.