Beef, Mushroom, Tomato, Rice Soup

This soup turned out to be so flavorful.  Sometimes they don't even when I've added so many good nourishing ingredients so I was delighted at the rich full flavor.

1 Onion diced and sauteed in
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 lb. hamburger fried in the onions
5 cups beef broth
1 quart tomato juice
3 cups dried mushrooms
2 cups precooked brown rice.
1 1/2 t. sea salt

Simmer gently.

I make beef broth by cooking bones slowly in my crock pot for 48 hours.  The broth I used for this was very jelled and rich.  I found commercial  tomato juice in bottles which I'm pleased about.  Sometimes I can my own but not this year. Sometimes I tire of my own cooking but this recipe will be a repeater. I also liked the hamburger in this and didn't mind the texture which is similar to the rice. 

Christmas Morning Hot Chocolate

Scale the recipe up or down from these amounts:


4 C (1 Quart) Milk
2 t. cornstarch
4T Sugar
4 T Cocoa
Dash of Salt


Pour 1/2 C milk into a small saucepan with the cornstarch, sugar, salt, and cocoa.  Heat until it bubbles and cooks for about 30 seconds while whisking.  Remove from heat and let sit for 2 minutes. 


Add remaining milk and heat to 160° while whisking.  Serve in warmed mugs with whipped cream floating on top.


For the whipped cream, I use a very thick (so thick I have to dig it out of a jar) local dairy cream.  In order to whip it, I mix it half and half with milk.  For a several mugs of hot chocolate, I use:


1/2 C Super Cream
1/2 C Milk
1/2 t. vanilla
2 t. sugar
dash salt (for non-commercial milk)


Whip until soft and spoon over hot chocolate.


This hot chocolate has a nice "mouth feel" and is superior to the hot chocolate I make using chocolate chips.

Cheesy Baked Grits for Christmas Dinner

This is especially for niece Heather.

Cheesy Baked Grits is/are a family favorite for our Christmas Dinner. They are delicious hot and also as they cool down on a buffet.

4 C. water
1 C. grits
1 t. salt
1/3 C. butter
6 drops Tabasco hot sauce
3 eggs
2 C. sharp cheddar cheese

Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the grits and salt and bring back to a boil and cook for minute or two. This tends to splatter so I use a hot mit while I stir with a whisk.

Take off of the heat and whisk in the butter and Tabasco sauce.
Have eggs ready to pour in all at once while whisking.
Add the cheddar and whisk that in until smooth.

Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 casserole dish with some kind of cover.

Bake at 275 for 1 hour. Cover the baking dish for 50 minutes, and then uncover it for the final 10 minutes.

If you choose a smaller deeper casserole, then it will need a longer baking time. This casserole re-heats very well too.

I've also used cornmeal and loved it. The basic recipe is quite versatile.

Brian's Old Smokey Chili

My nephew Brian is know for this special chili recipe

Ingredients

¼ Cup Olive oil

½ onion, chopped (chunky)

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 T chili powder

1t paprika

1T cumin

1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 can chopped tomatoes with mild green chilies
1 can black beans
1 can red beans, drained
 ¼ cup corn meal
2 cans green chilies
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 pound ground turkey
1½ t liquid smoke

4 or 5 rings jalapenos rings

¼ cup vinegar
1 large chunk roasted red pepper

Instructions
Start by drizzling one “ring” of oil around the bottom of the pot.
Add the garlic (fresh from the press) and onions. Let them sauté while you drain the garbanzo beans. Stir occasionally. After draining the garbanzos, add in the ground turkey with the onions and garlic. Let it cook and absorb the flavor.

As they sauté, mash the garbanzo the beans on a plate or cutting board until they are a thick paste. Finely chop the jalapeños and carefully mix into the garbanzo paste with the masher. Pour just a smidgen of the jalapeño pickle juice into the meat and onion mix.

Dump in the garbanzo/jalapeno paste and mix thoroughly until the mix is uniform. Turn down the heat, because the chili is very thick. Stir in the chili powder, the cumin, and the paprika. Next, dump in the tomatoes. This will add more liquid to the chili, so you can turn the heat back up. Let the chili simmer for a minute or two. Then mix in the black beans, juice and all. Once they are mixed in, drain the kidney beans and add them in.
Let it simmer for another minute, and then add both cans of green chilies.

Let it simmer some more. Once the juice comes to the top, plop in the brown sugar (lightly packed) next add a little less than ¼ cup cornmeal.

Next, add the vinegar, ¼ cup. Add the remaining oil. After that, add in the 1 and ½ teaspoon of liquid smoke. Let it simmer for a minute again, and then add the finishing touch, the roasted red pepper. Chop it up into small squares.

You are done with the ingredients. Now let it cook until it begins to smell really good (It should already smell good, but after it cooks for a little, A delicious smell almost like barbeque will become more prominent.) This is when you know it is ready to eat.

Extra tips:
- using a rimmed plate is best for mashing the garbanzos, as they won’t spill.
- make sure to mix the jalapenos really well, you don’t want any clumps.
- be sure to get all the green chilies, they really make the chili

-Do not be afraid of the jalapeños, there are so many other ingredients that the chili does not get too spicy.

-Same thing for the chili powder (It looks like a lot.)

-Use a large pot, the last time I made the chili was a double recipe, and I cannot remember if the normal recipe will fit in a small pot.

-Feel free to modify (improve) the chili. I am always happy to have better chili. In fact, I think the next time I make it I will try adding some Texas Pete. I would suggest trying the chili normally before you make many changes, so you can tell me what you think about it. (Please do)
Happy chili making!

Salmon Salad-A Quick Summer Supper-for two

1/2 C. chopped fermented dilled carrots
2 spring onions sliced diagonally
1 Can drained Salmon with all the skin and bones included
2 T. Vinaigrette dressing.

2 Stalks celery sliced diagonally.
1 Red bell pepper cut into sixths, roasted or fried.

2 Eggs- hardboiled and sliced for garnish.
2 Tomatoes sliced for garnish.

Fresh ground pepper over everything.
No salt is needed because the salmon has enough.

Mix the salmon with everything except the tomatoes and eggs. Place on the plate with tomatoes, eggs, and roasted peppers for garnish.

This "recipe" was constructed from the items I had on hand. I do like to keep salmon in the pantry and I always have eggs, celery, and fermented carrots. The onions were from the garden and the tomatoes were very good ones from the grocery, not actually in season and were the red peppers.

If I'd had radishes, they would have gone in and probably a few chopped leaves of spinach for more color. Potatoes would have been very good on the side. I would have fried them with the peppers in coconut oil. I've been enjoying warmer weather cooking which includes cold and hot on the same plate. The salmon salad was cold and the peppers and eggs were warm. A very nice salad composé.

Baked Oatmeal

When I made this recipe for the first time, I thought that it must need liquid added before baking, so I did. I like the results but I've double checked the original recipe from Candace and indeed there is no additional liquid. I like the mistake.

Soak overnight:

3 C. Oatmeal
1 1/2 C. Yogurt
1/2 C. water

Next morning, stir together:

1/2 C. melted butter
2 eggs
1/2 C. Sucanat or organic sugar, possibly maple syrup, or nothing if you like savory.

Add:

1 1/2 t. Baking Powder
1 t.Soda
1 t. Salt
1/2 C. Raisins
4 1/2 C. Milk-(this was not in the original recipe)


8" by 13" glass pan
350 degrees
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Oven Baked Pancake - Sprouted Wheat

1 C. Whole wheat pastry flour ideally made with sprouted wheat .
1 C. Milk
3 eggs
1/2 t. Vanilla
1/4 t. Sea Salt

6 T Butter
1 T Sucanat or unrefined sugar
3/4 C. fruit like blueberries or cherries.

Pre-heat oven to 400 and melt the butter in a 9 x 13 pan while heating.
Mix the first 5 ingredients and pour into hot baking pan.
Sprinkle fruit and sugar on top and return to oven.
Bake for 20 - 25 min.

It is better to use fresh or thawed fruit otherwise the frozen fruit seems too cold to allow proper puffing. This recipe is similar to Yorkshire pudding and the French dessert Clafoutis aux cerises. They all puff in a dramatic way that makes the baking a spectacle.

I serve this with Maple Syrup or cream.

YUM