Roasted Poblano and Corn Chowder

This is another soup staple in my house.  It's very spicy but in a good way thanks to the poblanos.  If you'd like it less spicy, reduce the simmering time.  You can also add a pound of chopped potatoes to take down the heat. You can turn this dish into an entree by adding 1 pound of shrimp or crab meat towards the end of the simmering time.

Ingredients
3 medium poblano peppers

1 red pepper
Olive oil for roasting peppers
4 tablespoons butter, divided
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
4 large cloves fresh garlic, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups vegetable stock (If available, I use lobster stock)
2 cups half & half (whole milk also works)
2 (16-ounce) packages frozen corn kernels
Salt to taste
black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Lightly coat peppers with olive oil and place on pan for roasting. Place pan under oven broiler until peppers are charred (about 5 minutes); turn over and char other side. Remove peppers from oven and place in paper bag; roll top of bag to trap steam. Allow peppers to sit for 10 minutes.
2. Remove steamed peppers. Set aside to cool. Peel, remove stem and seeds, and chop.
3. In a large, heavy soup pot, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add celery, garlic and onions and cook till translucent, about 5 minutes.
4. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter till melted. Reduce heat to low. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, careful not to let the flour scorch.
5. Turn up heat to medium-high and slowly add the vegetable stock, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Add half and half.
6. Bring mixture to a rolling simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. 
7. Add the poblanos, corn and red pepper.  (If you plan to add potatoes, add them at this step as well).  Adjust heat to a slow simmer and cook uncovered for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Note: the longer it simmers the spicier it becomes. 
8. If you plan to add seafood, add about 15 minute into the simmering time.
9. Season with salt and cayenne pepper to taste. 
10. For a creamier texture, remove 2 cups of the soup after cooled and puree in a blender, food processor or using an immersion blender.  Stir pureed mixture back into the pot and heat through before serving. 

This recipe tastes great with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt added when serving.

Italian Sausage and Spinach Lasagna

This lasagna is in regular rotation in my house. I adapted it years ago from a recipe I found in Bon Appetit magazine.  I usually make 2 batches at once and freeze one before baking for times when I want home cooked meal but don't feel like putting in the effort. It goes great with any red wine.  And it's probably understood, but you can increase the cheese to your liking.

Ingredients
  1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 pounds hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1 15 oz. container ricotta cheese
1 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
3 tablespoons milk or cream
dried basil and oregeno
ground black pepper
9 uncooked lasagna noodles
3 cups shredded Italian style cheese (I usually use a combination of Mozzarella and Asiago, provolone also works really great in this recipe)
1 batch of Tomato Sauce 

Instructions 

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add sausages and saute until brown, using a fork to break the meat into coarse pieces, about 5-7 minutes.  Add tomato sauce and simmer 5 minutes. 
2. Whisk ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, eggs, cream, basil, oregano and pepper in a large bowl. 
3. Spoon 1 cup sauce over bottom of a 13x9x2 baking dish (I use glass or aluminum).  Place 3 noodles over sauce in a single layer.  Spread 1 cup sauce over noodles.  Spoon 1 cup ricotta mixture over sauce.  Sprinkle 1/4 cup parmesan and 1 cup Italian shredded cheese over ricotta mixture.  Repeat layering with 3 noodles, 1 cup sauce, 1 cup ricotta mixture, 1/4 cup Parmesan and 1 cup Italian cheese.  Arrange remaining noodles over cheese.  Spoon 1 cup sauce over nooldes.  Sprinkle remaining cheeses over lasagna.  Dollop remaining ricotta mixture on top fo lasagna.  Spoon 2 1/2 cups sauce around ricotta dollops.  
4. Tightly cover with foil.  Bake lasagna 50 minutes; uncover and continue baking until noodles are tender and lasagna is hot and bubbly, about 25 minutes.  Let stand 15 minutes before serving. I often serve with any leftover sauce on the side. 
5. When I freeze this dish, I usually allow to defrost during the day in the refrigerator, then cook as stated above.  If I don't defrost, the initial covered baking stage can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour longer.

Vegetable Soup

This vegetable soup is a great and tasty way to eat light and get in a serving of vegetables.  It's more of a method than a recipe--I alter the vegetables depending on what's on hand and the season.   You can add meat, brown rice, or cubed potatoes to make it more substantive.  The ingredients that stay the same in every version are the celery, cabbage and onion.

Ingredients
6 cups broth
1 tbs olive oil
1 large onion diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cabbage chopped
2 tbs tomato paste
Your choice of other non-starchy vegetables (I usually opt for mushrooms, tomatoes, carrots and squash, or a bag of frozen vegetables if I'm lazy; about 2 cups total)
a handful of fresh basil leaves, sliced
dried oregano
Kosher salt

Instructions

1. Add olive oil to a large dutch oven and heat over medium high heat.  Add onion and celery, and cook for about 5 minutes until onions are translucent.  Add garlic and cook for approximately 1-2 minutes. 
2. Add all remaining ingredients except fresh basil and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for at least 15 minutes until the carrots are tender. 
3. If using zucchini, potatoes or rice, add after 15 minutes and cook until they are the desired texture.  
4. Stir in fresh basil then remove from heat.

Really Easy Mashed Sweet Potatoes

I love sweet potatoes, but I find that most recipes for mashed sweet potatoes taste more like pie filling than a vegetable side.  I came up with this simple recipe that can be made sweeter if desired, but tastes great as is (especially to sweet potato lovers).

Ingredients
3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup brown sugar 
2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. Steam sweet potatoes for 20-30 minutes until tender (do not boil...they will fall apart in the water)
2. Melt butter in a large sauce pan. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. 
3. Remove from heat.  Add sweet potatoes to pot and mash into cream mixture using a fork or potato mixer.  Combine ingredients and return to stove to rewarm
4. Add additional or different seasonings as desired.  You can substitute honey, lemon and ginger for the cinnamon and nutmeg combination.

Bammie's ?? Birthday Cake

My grandmother loves desserts, the richer the better.  The amount of butter and eggs in her pies would make Paula Deen blush.  So every year for her birthday I push the limits and try to come up with a cake recipe that satisfies her sweet tooth (even if it completely violates her dietary restrictions).  This year, I decided my new chocolate-cinnamon-coffee obsession, topped with 2 different types of cream cheese frosting and toasted pecans and gold sprinkles would do the trick.  Here's how it all came together:

The Cake
This cake itself is actually not all that bad for you.  If you topped it with a low cal topping or some dark chocolate you might actually be able to call it heart healthy.  I have yet to try it this way, but it's a nice thought.

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup boiling strong coffee

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If using layers, grease and line the pans with parchment paper. If using a 9 X 13 pan, grease and dust with cocoa powder. Sift together the cocoa, flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Turn mixer to low and alternately beat in the flour mixture and the buttermilk, mixing just until incorporated. Be careful not to over-mix.  Add the boiling coffee and beat for one full minute.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

The Frosting(s)
I decided to top this cake with a cream cheese frosting, then decorate with a chocolate version of the same frosting.   I made a double batch of the recipe below, then added a half cup of cocoa powder to what remained after the cake was frosted.

• 1 cup butter
• 12 ounces cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 6-8 cups powdered sugar

1. Cream butter, cream cheese and vanilla together. 
2. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly.  Turn the mixer to high after every other addition to whip frosting.  Add powdered sugar until desired texture (I usually add about 6 cups, but sometimes as many as 8 when I want a sturdier frosting).
3. To convert to chocolate, add 1/2 cup of cocoa powder after completely mixed.  Add milk or cream 1 tablespoon at a time if a thinner texture is desired.  For a deeper chocolate flavor, melt 2 1 ounce squares of unsweetened chocolate, allow to cool, then fold into the frosting.  This is a great foundation for coloring frosting black or brown since you don't have to add as much food coloring.  I added a couple of drops of black food coloring to give this cake some depth.

Toasted Pecans
Toasted pecans have a more complex nutty flavor.   Be careful not to burn.  They only take about 10-15 minutes, but I check after 5, and then again every 2 minutes or so.  I used chopped pecans for this cake.

1. Preheat oven 350.
2. Spread pecans in one layer on a non-stick cookie sheet.  I usually line the cookie sheet with a Silpat liner.
3. Place the pecans in the oven, tossing after 5 minutes.  Toast until they are crisp and aromatic, about 10-15 minutes. 
4. Allow to cool completely on the cookie sheet before handling/eating. 

Assembly
This cake came together pretty easy.  I leveled the cakes and frosted it with the vanilla cream cheese frosting (I used round pans).  Then I sprinkled the top with pecans, and pressed them into the side of the cake.  After that, I generously dusted with gold sanding sugar--it adds a nice complexity with the coloring of the pecans.  And finally, using a pastry bag and a star tip, I piped a border around the top and bottom of the cake using the chocolate cream cheese frosting.  There's enough frosting to also pipe on a message or make other decorations.  Leftovers can also be frozen in an air tight container.

Tastes Like Chicken

I used to be a hard core boneless skinless chicken breast fan until I started whole roasting chickens.  Not only is it economical, but it also yields a result that is a lot more tender and tastier.  Typically, I'll roast 2-3 chickens at a time using my turkey roaster so that there's adequate space between them.  This leaves enough chicken to enjoy the first day or two, then make into chicken wraps or tacos, chicken pot pie, chicken salad and just about anything else you can think of that uses chicken.  Depending on how many people you're feeding, preparing 2-3 chickens this way can give you a quick and easy recipe starter for several weeks. I debone, shred and freeze any chicken I don't think I'll eat within a day or 2--just because it's cooked doesn't mean it can't go bad.

Great chicken starts with selecting the right bird. First, never go over 5 pounds--I usually buy one that's 3 1/2 to 4 pounds.  Second, it is well worth the cost to buy an organic free range chicken.  I often get mine at Costco (they sell 2 in a package).  If you don't buy into the organic free range hype, just be sure to buy a chicken that isn't weighted down with lots of fillers (like salt water).  Also, skip on pre-seasoned birds.

Below is a method I use to whole roast chicken.  I mix up the seasonings depending on what's on hand (e.g. substituting seasoned salt for kosher, or using all rosemary instead of a combination of fresh herbs).   The key is to always use something juicy (lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit wedge), a few sprigs of fresh herbs, and a combination of butter and olive oil on the skin to make it crispy and brown.

Ingredients 

• 1 3-5 pound chicken, rinsed and patted dry inside and out (the neck, liver and giblets can either be boiled to make stock, or placed in the bottom of the roasting pan and reserved to season other dishes later)
• 1 tablespoon melted butter, 1 tablespoon olive oil, combined
• 1 lemon, pierced all over with a fork
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 fresh sprig each of thyme, rosemary and sage
• kosher salt and black pepper
• dried herb blend (optional, I often use an Italian blend or herbs d'provence) 

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. 
2. Gently loosen skin around chicken breasts.  Rub chicken all over with butter and olive oil combination, including under the skin surrounding the breasts. sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper and herbs. 
3. Salt and pepper the inside of the chicken.  Stuff with lemon, garlic clove and sprigs of fresh herbs.  Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and place breast side down on roasting rack, tucking wing tips underneath.
4. Place the chicken in the oven and roast at 425 for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, lower the temperature to 350 and continue roasting until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 165, approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.  (I own this thermometer  From Williams Sonoma.  Even though it often calculates the time incorrectly, it always gets the temperature right and screams "your food is done".  I place it in the chicken and leave it to avoid opening the oven door).
5. After removing from the oven, allow to rest at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving.