Vitenamese Pho (with Pork)

If you've ever had Pho, you know how good it is and how you crave it at the worst possible time! If you haven't - well, try this recipe! You'll see that this soup is simple and quick. The secret is in the condiments, served on the side, and added to the pho to taste. It's all about the condiments! Next time, I think I'll find a stalk of lemongrass to simmer in the broth.

Ingredients

3 cups chicken broth

3 cups water

2 scallions (green onions)

1 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled

1 garlic clove

1 tablespoon fish sauce

pork tenderloin, cut into thin slices

1 teaspoon red chili paste

Egg noodles (superfine - Asian type)

Rice noodles (rice stick)

Condiments:

Lime wedges

fresh cilantro

fresh thai basil

bean sprouts

fish sauce

soy sauce

sriracha hot sauce

Sambal Oelek (red chili sauce)

In a large stock pot, add the chicken broth, water, scallions, garlic, and fish sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add the sliced pork. Simmer another 15 minutes or until pork is fully cooked.

In a separate pot, cook the noodles and set aside.

Serve the soup with the noodles and add in the condiments to taste.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

After perusing many recipes online for the perfect cream of mushroom soup, I had enough ideas in my head to come up with my own version. Co-worker tested and approved by 4 out of 4 co-workers!

Ingredients

1 container of button mushrooms

1 container of baby portabello mushrooms

1 large "hen of the woods" muishroom*

3 cups of chicken broth/stock

3/4 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup sherry wine

3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 small white onion, diced

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

olive oil

salt/pepper

Coarsely chop the mushrooms.

Heat a skillet and add approximately 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil**. Add the diced onion to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Sautee the onions until clear, about 5 minutes. Add the diced mushrooms. Sautee the mushrooms until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a stock pot, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk until smooth to form the roux. Allow to cook on low heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and stir until the roux is incorporated. Allow to simmer 5 minutes. Add the thyme and sherry wine.

Add the mushrooms/onions to the pot. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the heavy cream. Simmer another 5 minutes. Remove approximately 2 cups of the soup and puree in a blender or food processor. Place the pureed soup back into the pot. This step allows the soup to become thicker while allowing some chunks of mushrooms in the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Simmer 20 minutes and serve.

* You can use any mushrooms you can get your hands on...mix it up!

** I had leftover bacon grease from breakfast so I used it to sautee the onions and mushrooms.

Acorn Squash-Butternut Squash Soup

Let me preface this by saying - that is not my ugly bowl. I brought this soup to work and this is one of our office dishes.

As you may already know, I belong to a CSA Farm. It's squash season and they've hooked me up with some acorn squash and some butternut squash. Heck, I don't know what to do with it...my husband won't eat it in any way, shape, or form. So, I figure I'd whip up a soup and take it to work to share with my 5 co-workers. Luckily, it was a hit!

Acorn Squash-Butternut Squash Soup

1 butternut squash - peeled and cut into chunks
1 acorn squash - peeled and cut into chunks
3 granny smith apples, peeled and diced
1 onion - diced
1 clove of garlic - diced
3 14-oz cans of chicken broth
1 Tablespoon Butter
1/4 teaspoon Chinese 5 Spice
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 Tablespoon of sage, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Toss the squash chunks in a little bit of olive oil (to coat) and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes at 400 degrees.

While the squash is roasting, melt the butter in a dutch oven or stock pot and sautee the apple and onion for about 10 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic, sage, and the spices (Chinese 5 Spice/Nutmeg).

Add the chicken broth and the squash and simmer for 30 minutes. Place the soup into a food processor and puree until slightly chunky/slightly smooth. You will need to do this in batches. If you have a hand-blender, this would work perfectly.

Season with salt/pepper and serve.

One $4 Chicken. Endless meals.

The $4 roasting chicken is a great thing. I can rotisserie it or roast it...get a good meal out of it. Then I can remove all of the remaining meat and use it for chicken salad, tossed into a salad, or use it for enchiladas. Then I can take the carcass and the giblets and make oodles of chicken stock. This $4 chicken can give me about 8 pints (16 cups) of stock.


Let's do the math. A box of chicken stock is around $3.50 a box. Maybe more. That's about 32 oz. I have about 128 oz just from one $4 chicken. That saves me at least $14.00.



Chicken Stock
1 $4 Chicken carcass and giblets
1 big pot of water
1 onion
3 carrots
3 ribs of celery
3 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
salt/pepper



Simmer all ingredients together for about 6-8 hours. Done.

Jambalaya

I'm revising this post. Since I've started making jambalaya, it's gotten better...and so have my photos. I use a lot of the Creole Seasoning, to give it some heat!

1 lb. boneless chicken

1 lb. shrimp, boiled in Zatarain's and peeled;

1 lb. (hot) smoked andouille

1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
3 - 6 cloves garlic, minced

4 ribs celery, chopped
3 small cans tomato paste
1 28-oz. can tomatoes
8 cups good dark homemade chicken stock
Creole seasoning blend to taste (or 2 - 3 tablespoons);

1/2 package of frozen okra
2 bay leaves
Salt to taste
4 cups long-grain white rice, uncooked

In a sauté or frying pan, brown the chicken, sprinkling with Tony Chachere's seasoning if you've got it; a bit of salt, black pepper and red pepper otherwise. Don't brown if using leftover cooked bird, but you still might want to season the meat. Tear or cut the meat into bite-size pieces.

Brown the sliced smoked sausage or andouille and pour off fat.

In the pot, sauté the onions, garlic, peppers and celery in oil until onions begin to turn transparent.In the same pot, while you're sautéing the "trinity", add the tomato paste and let it pincé, meaning to let it brown a little. What we're going for here is an additional depth of flavor by browning the tomato paste a little; the sugar in the tomato paste begins to caramelize, deepening the flavor and color. Keep it moving so that it browns but doesn't burn.

Once the vegetables are translucent and the tomato paste achives sort of a red mahogany color, deglaze the pan with the about 2 cups of the stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to mix up any browned bits, and stir until smooth, making sure the sautéed vegetables, paste and stock are combined thoroughly. It should be fairly thick.

Add the Creole seasoning, tomatoes and salt to taste. Cook over low-medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the meat and/or seafood and cook another 10 minutes; if you're using seafood, be careful not to overcook it.

Add the rest of the stock, okra, check seasonings, and stir in the rice, combining thoroughly. Cook for about 20-25 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed all the liquid and is cooked through. If you haven't checked your seasonings before adding the rice, it's too late! It's much better for the rice to absorb the seasonings while it's cooking. Check seasoning anyway, then turn the heat down to low-medium and let the sauce thicken up a bit, with the pot uncovered, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. Stir thoroughly to combine all ingredients. When the jambalaya has thickened up a bit and has reached the "right" consistency (you'll know), it's done.

French Onion Soup

After 7 years of Josh asking, I finally made French Onion Soup. It wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought! The secret is in the simmering....the longer, the better! Definitely restaurant-quality!

2 teaspoons olive oil

3 onions, sliced (I used 2 vidalia onions and 1 white onion)

2 shallots, sliced

1/2 teaspoon of sugar

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 cup sherry wine

4 cups of beef broth

2 cups of beef stock (Iused the boxed one)

1/4 teaspoon thyme

2 tablespoons butter

french baguette, sliced

gueryre cheese, sliced

Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven and satuee onions for 5-8 minutes on medium-high heat.

Stir in sugar, pepper, and salt. Reduce heat to medium and cook 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

Increase heat to medium-high and sautee for 5 minutes or until onions are golden brown.

Stir in wine and cook for 1 minute. Add broth/stock and thyme and bring to a boil. Simmer for 1-2 hours. Add butter and allow to melt into soup.

Preheat broiler. Toast baguette slices for 2-3 minutes.

Place soup in oven-safe crocks. Place toasted baguette slices on top of soup. Place a slice of cheese on top of the baguette. Broil for 2-3 minutes or until cheese has melted.

Beef Stew

My family has been making this beef stew recipe for years. It's different from most beef stew recipes because it has a tomato base rather than a beef broth base. I prefer it over the broth base. Even better paired with a piece of buttery, crusty bread!

1 pound of lean stew beef
1 cup of flour
4 small yukon gold potatoes
4 carrots, peeled and cut into coins
1 can of corn, drained
1 can of green beans, drained
1 quart of tomato juice
1 cup of chicken broth
1 onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, diced
1 T olive oil
salt/pepper

In a plastic bag, toss the beef cubes with the flour, salt, and pepper. Remove the beef cubes and shake off excess flour. In a large pot, brown the meat with the olive oil and diced onion and garlic.

Add the tomato juice and chicken broth and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the carrots and simmer for an addtional 15 minutes. Add the potatoes and simmer for 15 minutes more. Add corn and green beans to warm.

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

Melissa gave me a recipe for this soup and it sounded so good. Although, I wanted to make it a bit lighter, so I decided to make this broth-based instead of cream-based. This is a good use for leftover turkey! The soup was so yummy! Lots of hearty veggies paired nicely with the wild rice.

2 cups of leftover turkey, shredded

6 cups of chicken broth

1 cup of water

3 carrots, chopped

1 parsnip, chopped

1 1/2 cups of uncooked long grain and wild rice

1 1/2 cups of assorted mushrooms (I just grabbed the package of mixed mushrooms)

1 stalk of celery, chopped

1 onion, diced

2 tablespoons of olive oil

3 tablespoons of sherry

bay leaf

salt/pepper

In a soup pot, sautee the onion, carrot, parsnip, and celery in the oil for 10 minutes. Deglaze with the sherry wine. Add the chicken broth, water, bay leaf, and rice. Simmer for 15 minutes or until rice is tender. Add the mushrooms and simmer until tender, approximately 5 minutes. Add in the turkey to warm. Season with salt/pepper and serve.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

My friend Jill gave me this recipe several years ago. It's become a staple menu item in our house. Her recipe calls for carrot and zucchini, but Josh doesn't like them in the soup, so I've substituted them.

4 cups of chicken broth

1 cup salsa (I use homemade)

3 chicken breasts, cubed

1 green pepper, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can of Niblets corn, drained

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 teaspoons of orgegano

1 teaspoon cumin

salt/pepper

tortilla chips

cheddar cheese

sour cream

Place the chicken broth and spices in a soup pot and bring to a simmer.

Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink.

Add the salsa and diced peppers and simmer until peppers are tender.

Add the corn and black beans to warm.

Serve over crushed tortilla chips and shredded cheddar cheese. Top with sour cream.

Zuppa Toscana, My Version

Okay...so this is my version of what you can get at the Olive Garden. I've lowered the calories and fat by using turkey sausage and skim milk and the end result is practically the same!

1 pound of turkey sausage

1 large can of chicken broth

4-5 yukon gold potatoes (sliced thin)

1 small onion, diced

1 clove of garlic, diced

1 cup of skim milk

1 cup of chopped kale

Crumble sausage and brown in a skillet.

Place the chicken broth, potatoes, onion, and garlic in a soup pot and simmer for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Add the sausage and simmer 10 minutes more.

Add the kale and milk and simmer until kale is tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Beef Noodle Soup

This recipe has been in the family for quite some time. I remember having it as a child and it is still one of my favorite soups.

1 2-3 pound beef roast

1 head of cabbage

1 quart of tomato juice (I use homemade)

6 yukon gold potatoes (peeled and quartered)

1 pound of carrots (peeled and cut into thirds)

2 stalks of celery

1 onion (peeled and cut in half)

a small bunch of parsley

salt/pepper

Fill a large stock pot about 2/3 of the way up with water. Place the cabbage, beef roast, tomato juice, celery, onion and parsley in the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 4-6 hours (keep the lid on the pot).

After the stock has cooked, strain it through a sieve, reserving the meat. Place the meat back into the stock. Add the carrots and potatoes. Simmer for 20-30 minutes or until carrots are tender.

Serve with extra fine egg noodles.

Chili....that's quick but tastes like it simmered all day!

Over the years, I have tinkered around with how I make chili. I think I've finally gotten it to a point that I'm happy with. The addition of the lager really gives it depth. Plus adding extras in like corn and topping with sharp cheddar gives it many layers of flavor and texture. I just got really tired of beans and meat only!

Recipe:

1 pound of lean ground beef

1 small onion, diced

1 can of dark red kidney beans (sometimes I substitue 1 can of black beans here)

1 can of light red kidney beans

1 small can of Niblets corn

1/2 bottle of lager (I used Lion's Head)

1 quart of tomato juice

1 can of Progresso hearty tomato soup

1 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons oregano

1 clove of garlic, diced

salt/pepper

2 tablespoons of olive oil

cheddar cheese (optional)

In a dutch oven, sautee the onions and garlic in the olive oil until the onions are transparent. Add the ground beef, season with salt and pepper, and let brown.

Add the tomato juice, tomato soup, oregano, and cumin and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the beer and simmer 15-20 minutes more. Chili should be somewhat thick.

Add the beans and corn and let warm. I've also added black beans to this at times.

Top with shredded cheddar cheese.

Yankee Pot Roast

I saw this recipe in the most recent issue of Cooking Light. This isn't my usual preparation for pot roast, but it seemed quick and easy. I still prefer my beef roast with mashed potatoes and gravy!

Cooking Light - Yankee Pot Roast

Josh and I both thought it a little bland. Maybe some ne or even a lager beer would have gave it the extra shot of flavor it needed.

Jambalaya

I've never been to New Orleans, so I can't really say that I've had authentic Creole food. I did, however, have some really delicious Cajun food at a Cajun restaurant in Lexintgon, Kentucky. Since it's even more difficult to find Cajun food in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, I had to figure out how to make this on my own.

I finally found a recipe that sounded really close to what I had in KY.

JAMBALAYA RECIPE

I followed this recipe, pretty much exactly, except I added frozen okra near the end and I omitted a cup of chicken broth because I like this served on top of rice instead of with the rice mixed in. I used chicken, shrimp, and andouille as the meats.

Potato-Leek Soup

I whipped this up one day when I was living with my vegetarian friends. I normally use chicken broth, as in this recipe, but I used vegetable broth when I made it for my veggie friends. It gets rave reviews every time I make it!

4 Cups of chicken broth or stock (vegetable broth is ok too)
3 leeks, cleaned and chopped
5-6 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed. (I prefer the Yukons because they have a buttery texture/taste, cook faster, and have the best texture for this recipe.)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup milk or half/half (whatever you have on hand works)
3 Tablespoons butter

3 Tablespoons of flour
olive oil
salt/pepper

1) In a large pot, coat the bottom with olive oil. Add the butter and allow to melt. Add the flour to make a roux. Whisk until smooth.
2) In a skillet, sautee the garlic and leeks in about a tablespoon of olive oil and cook until leeks have softened.
3) Add the chicken broth to the pot and bring to a light boil
4) Add the potatoes and leeks and allow to simmer until potatoes have softened.
5) Once the potatoes are soft, add the milk.
6) Mash up some of the potatoes with the back of a wooden spoon (leaving as chunky or as smooth as you like)
7) Allow to simmer a few more minutes to thicken.
8) Salt and pepper to taste.

Nutrition Information

Serve with crusty, cheesey bread.

Chicken or Turkey Gumbo

My very good friend, Andi, from Houston, TX sent me her tried and true recipe for gumbo. I've added okra to this as well. This is quoted from an email she sent me, so it's not exact! Enjoy!

Chicken gumbo (or turkey)
Usually i roast a turkey or chicken, serve it up, eat as much as i want and save a tiny bit of white meat but mostly the dark meat since we don't eat that. (some people just use chicken parts specifically for gumbo but i like getting two meals out of it) Pull all the excess meat from the carcass and set it aside. Place carcass or carcasses (if you make chicken gumbo i like to use two carcasses), fill pot with water and canned broth to cover the carcass (4 cans water 4 cans broth might do it but i'm not sure if that's one chicken carcass or two, so you might double it). Bring to a boil then simmer 2 hours or maybe 3 with the lid on until the water is flavored. You want to cook alot of the flavor out of the bones, but if you cook too long you'll decompose the little joints holding everything together and have the worlds tiniest bones and cartilage to sift through, if you try to salvage any of the meat that boils off the carcass.Strain the liquid into a seperate container and set aside.

I usually do the broth/stock the night before i make gumbo.

In a very large stock pot (we're talking not super huge like crawfish boiling or turkey frying but big enough to fit most of the turkey carcass in it when you made the stock). 1 large heaping spoon (we mean the spoon you use to stir or serve spaghetti and things like that not a tablespoon something bigger) of flour, and 1 large spoon of olive oil. Medium Low heat stirring constantly until a mahoghany color. You can't stop stirring be careful of splashups and if you do get splashed run cold water over it immediately.The roux goes through phases, you have oak, peanut butter, walnut color and when you get a distinct reddish brown tint it's mahoghany that's where you want it for gumbo.

When the roux is ready, remove from heat and quickly mix in chopped onion, chopped celery, and garlic. I think i use 1 onion , 4 stalks celery sliced (the heart is the best), the white part of a bunch of green onions, and 3 cloves garlic (again this might all be double i can't recall if this is the small recipe or the large).

You can tweak it. I usually eyeball it gumbo is intuitive not scientific. stir these in, then place it back over the heat and cook stirring frequently in the roux until onions are soft. Add the stock and cook for 2-3 hours (i think covered i can't recall).

30minutes from being done toss in chopped celery leaves, a bunch of chopped green onions green part, 1 bellpepper chopped, and a bunch of parsley chopped. Add back in the turkey or chicken meat (if you add it too soon it'd get tough)serve over steamed rice (i like a little rice and lots of liquid some people like lots of rice little liquid), and you absolutely MUST add gumbo file (sassafrass powder. i like lots of it but at least a little is sprinkled ontop of each bowl in addition that some is sprinkled into the pot).

If you can't find File let me know and i'll send you some. It should be in the spice section Zatarans as an example sells it in a little glass jar. I also add salt and pepper to taste to the gumbo before and when serving. you can add to the pot leftover chicken or turkey gravy made from deglazing the pan (not the mix that sucks), but be careful not to add too much or it gets greasy and nasty (unless you really strain your gravy).