Category: New Traditions

New Traditions

French Onion Soup…made easy

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French Onion Soup was introduced to me in my 20s at a restaurant on the Plaza in Kansas City, MO.  It was highly recommended and I have been in love with it ever since.  Thank goodness food processors were invented to help with the teary slicing duty to make this dish.

This recipe is so simple yet so yummy.  I have also added left over roast beef bits if I have them on hand.  Take it for a spin and see if it is a hit at your house!

 FRENCH ONION SOUP

1/4 cup butter or margarine
4 cups thinly sliced onion
4 cans (10.5 ounce) condensed beef broth
1 teaspoon salt
4 to 6 slices French bread (1″ thick)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

  • Heat butter in large skillet. Add onions and sauté’; stirring until golden–about 8 minutes.
  • Combine onion, broth, and salt in medium saucepan; bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, toast bread slices in broiler until browned on both sides.
  • Sprinkle one side of each with grated cheese; run under broiler about 1 minute, or until cheese is bubbly.
  • To serve: Pour soup into a tureen or individual soup bowls. Float toast, cheese side up, on soup.
My Roots · New Traditions

Roasted Eggplant Spread

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Roasted Eggplant Spread

My love of eggplant began when I was a young child.  My mother would peel and slice the eggplant, sprinkle with salt, and let rest on paper towels for 30-45 minutes to remove the bitterness.  She would then flour, salt and pepper the eggplant, and brown the eggplant slices in hot oil.  The hot eggplant slices were then put on a slice of bread and eaten as a sandwich.  I STILL love eggplant this way but have searched for healthier ways to cook eggplant.

This spread is a new favorite.  Rumor has it that the original recipe came from the Barefoot Contessa.

It is difficult for me to resist eating the cubed eggplant straight from the roasting pan but the majority usually makes it to the food processor.  I often eat this as a side dish as well as a spread. Either way…you can’t beat the wonderful flavor of eggplant.  YUM!

ROASTED EGGPLANT SPREAD

2 medium eggplant, peeled
2 red bell peppers, seeded
1 red (or sweet) onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Cut the eggplant, bell pepper, and onion into 1 inch cubes. Toss them in a large bowl with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.

  • Spread on greased baking sheet. Roast for 45 minutes until the vegetables are lightly browned and soft, tossing one time during the roasting process. Cool slightly.

  • Place the vegetables in a food processor. Add the tomato paste and pulse to blend. Add salt and pepper to taste.

  • Optional: serve with crumbled feta cheese on crackers, bread or pita chips.
Holidays · New Traditions

Posole…New Year’s Tradition

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Posole (puh-SO-lay) is a dried hominy stew that I first experienced when I lived in Arizona in the late ’80s.  Having Iowa roots and a true affection to anything corn, I was drawn to this wonderful, comforting Mexican stew.  It’s not that much different from the hominy my Mother served in her Iowa farm kitchen. Posole is known to bring good luck for the New Year, or anytime you need a little luck (or just plain comfort food) in your life.

Bring in the New Year with a little luck and Posole.  Your tummy will thank you!

Dried Posole (hominy)
Dried Posole (hominy)

POSOLE

2 cups dried posole
6 cups water (more as needed)
1 pound lean pork, cubed
1 teaspoon chile caribe
1 tablespoon minced onion
2 teaspoons salt
1 clove garlic
dash oregano
1 teaspoon saffron (optional and I do not use)
avocado slices for garnish

  • Brown pork cubes in a small amount of olive oil until starting to brown.
Browning Pork Cubes for Posole
Browning Pork Cubes for Posole
  • Add water and add dried posole, chili caribe, onion, garlic, oregano.
  • Cover and cook over low heat until done (4+ hours). Check often and add water as needed. Add salt immediately before serving. Garnish with avocado slice.  Serve with guacamole and chips, hot sauce or any other Mexican favorite sides.
Family Favorites · New Traditions

Taco Casserole for dinner tonight!

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Taco Casserole ready for the table

Casseroles are a wonderful invention!  My earliest recollection of casseroles revolves around potluck dinners at the church or school.  When I was working and raising children, casseroles and the slow cooker saved me.  I would mix up the casseroles the night before and refrigerate until I got home from work the following night.  Throw the casserole in the oven and dinner is on its way.

The kids always liked this recipe (less the lettuce and salsa on their servings).  What’s for dinner tonight…Taco Casserole coming up!

TACO CASSEROLE

1 pound group beef, booked and drained
1 can-15 oz. chili beans in sauce, undrained
1 can-8 oz. tomato sauce
2 tablespoons salsa
2 to 4 tsp chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups coarsely broken tortilla chips
1 cup sour cream
8 medium green onions sliced (1/2 cup)
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 cup shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
shredded lettuce and additional salsa if desired

Taco casserole ingredients
  • Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  • After browning/draining ground beef, stir in beans, tomato sauce, salsa, chili powder and garlic powder. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.
  • Place tortilla chips in ungreased 2-quart casserole. Top with beef mixture. Spread with sour cream. Sprinkle with onions, tomato and cheese.
Taco Casserole ready for the oven
  • Bake uncovered 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Arrange additional tortilla chips around edge of casserole if desired. Serve with lettuce and additional salsa.
New Traditions

Black Olive Tapenade Appetizer

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This recipe has become a favorite of my gal-pals and friends for appetizers and potlucks.  Olive Tapenade would be a great appetizer for your New Year’s Gatherings. It is so easy, especially using my favorite dicing tool, the Vidalia Chop Wizard, to make easy work of the dicing, resulting in uniform pieces.

BLACK OLIVE TAPENADE

1 can pitted black (or kalmata) olives, drained
1/4 cup chopped walnuts 
3 tablespoons capers, drained
chopped red bell pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced
assorted crackers, sliced French baguette

Finely chopped the black olives, walnuts and red peppers. Add olive oil, capers, rosemary, Italian seasoning, and minced garlic; stir together.

Spoon into serving dish.  Garnish with fresh rosemary sprig or sprinkle of diced red pepper. 

Optional: spread crackers with goat cheese and top with tapenade.

Holidays · New Traditions

Cinnamon Hard Candy for the Holidays

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Cinnamon hard candy is a holiday tradition that began in my household about 12 years ago. Daughter, Megan, received a bag of candy from a friend and we were instantly in love with it.  We’ve made several batches every year to give to family and friends.  The sumptuous smell of cinnamon lingers in your home for the day. The candy keeps for a long time, especially in the dry Colorado climate.  It’s pretty to wrap up in festive bags for gifts.

Cinnamon Candy Gift Bag

CINNAMON HARD CANDY

1 cup white sugar
1 cup karo syrup
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon oil (usually behind the prescription counter at your grocery store)
1/4 teaspoon red food coloring                                                                     powdered sugar

Ingredients for Cinnamon Hard Candy
  • Combine sugar, syrup and water in a sauce pan.
  • Boil without stirring, over medium-high heat until it reaches hard crack stage (300-310 degrees).
  • Once the candy starts to thicken and turn golden brown, watch carefully or it can scorch.
  • When done, remove from heat and quickly add cinnamon oil and food coloring
  • Pour into a metal pan that has been lined with about 1/4 to 1/3″ powdered sugar.
Cinnamon Hard Candy Mixture poured into pan with powdered sugar
  • Sprinkle powdered sugar on top of candy immediately. Let cool until the edges start to firm up and then immediately begin to score the pieces from around the edges and keep cutting inward, in squares, as the candy hardens.  This makes it easier to break into more uniform pieces once the candy has hardened.
Cinnamon Hard Candy scored in pan
New Traditions

Mini Red Peppers stuffed with herbed goat cheese

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to die for!
Mini Peppers stuffed with herbed goat cheese

Recently I discovered this recipe on the bag of mini peppers I bought at Costco.  I’ve experimented with the recipe and love a variation of this recipe, combining goat cheese with the Savory Seasoning of Tarragon Shallot Citrus.   The sweetness of the red peppers combined with the goat cheese and citrus blend is scrumptious. When the peppers come out of the oven, you can also top with half of pecan (or walnut).  A very simple appetizer for your holiday parties.

Mini Red Peppers stuffed with herbed goat cheese

Mini Red Peppers
Softened goat cheese (or cream cheese)
1/4 cup snipped fresh herbs (chives, parsley, thyme, basil) or Savory Seasoning Tarragon Shallot Citrus Seasoning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Rinse red peppers and cut a slit down the side of the pepper.  Remove seeds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Combine softened cheese and herbs.  Place a heaping teaspoon of the goat cheese mixture in each pepper.  Bake for 20 minutes until peppers are soft-crisp and goat cheese is hot.
  • Optional: Serve with pecan or walnut half (or basil leaf) on each pepper.
Family Favorites · New Traditions

Green Chile…warming the cockles of your heart

cathysmaha2 Comments
Green Chile and Whole Wheat Tortilla

My mother made a very mild, traditional Midwestern tomato chile.  As a child, I was not fond of the chili because of the perceived HUGE tomatoes chunks my mother would add from her stash of home-canned tomatoes.  How I long for her homemade red chile now.

In my late 20s, I moved to Arizona and then settled in Colorado and was introduced to green chile.  Trust me, in Iowa, the spiciest thing you would come across was a pickled pepper!  Green chile sounded like red chile gone bad until I tasted it.  Oh my gosh, it was a spoonful of heaven upon any burrito, relleno, or enchilada that came my way.

I love the smell of fresh roasted chiles at the Farmer’s Markets in the fall.  I can peel and eat them fresh and warm and if any are remaining, I use them in green chile or freeze them (after peeling and seeding) for future use.

One of my favorite green chili recipes is:

GREEN CHILE

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds lean pork, cubed
1 medium onion, cut into large chunks
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
8-10 Anaheim chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup water
flour tortillas, warmed

  • Heat oil in large stockpot. Add pork, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Saute until pork is browned.
Green Chili — browning pork and onions
  • Drain juice from tomatoes into stockpot. Chop tomatoes and add to pork with chiles and 2 cups water. Stir well and simmer covered for 45 minutes.
Green Chile–add tomatoes
  • Whisk together flour and 1/3 cup water until smooth. Add to chile mixture and stir constantly until well blended and slightly thickened.
  • Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with warm tortillas or freeze.

Enjoy a nice bowl of chile with a warm tortilla or use it as a sauce for enchiladas, burritos or chile rellenos.

New Traditions

Cereal Snackeroos

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Cereal Snackeroos

Last month I found myself staring at a new box of Honey-Nut Cheerios in the pantry.  The cereal was purchased for guests who decided they liked yogurt better.  Oh well…surely I can invent a creative treat…result was Cereal Snackeroos.

This treat was a hit with family, neighbors and older folks at an assisted living center.  Get creative…what’s in your pantry?

Cereal Snackeroos

3 cups Honey Nut Cheerios®
3 cups Honey Nut Grahams
1 cup Honey peanuts
1 cup diced orange candy slices (or gumdrops)
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup Karo syrup
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter

  • Mix the ingredients above in a large bowl.  Butter 9×13” pans.
  • In a small saucepan, combine white Karo and sugar.  Bring to boil.  Take from heat and stir in peanut butter.  Stir until smooth.
  • Pour over cereal mixture and toss to coat mixture completely.  Pour into buttered pans and let cool.  Cut into squares.  You can decorate the top of each square with an orange slice, if desired.

Snack on!

New Traditions

Butter Squash and Apple Soup…my new tradition

cathysmaha1 Comment
Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

I am NOT a curry fan but my pantry held a lonely butternut squash and I was in the mood for soup.  Every ingredient was on hand, except for the curry powder.  Pal, Maribeth, to the rescue.

This recipe came from the cookbook, Colorado Classique, by the Junior League of Denver.  WOWZA, is it good!  I was so excited to share the news of this great recipe that I called older daughter, Megan, to extol the virtues of this wonderful fall soup.   This recipe will officially become one of my new traditions.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND APPLE SOUP

Serves:  6

2 onions, chopped
3 tablespoons of butter
2 ½ cups diced butternut squash
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons curry powder
Pinch of grated (or ground) nutmeg
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
½ cup half-and-half or heavy cream
Zest and juice of 1 orange
Salt and pepper to taste
Whipped cream or sour cream and chopped parsley for garnish

  • In a 3 quart saucepan, sauté onions in butter for about 5 minutes or until soft.
Saute Onions
  • Add squash and apples and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Saute Squash and Apples with Onions
  • Add flour, curry powder and nutmeg.  Cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add chicken broth, milk, half-and-half (or cream), and orange zest and juice.  Simmer slowly, uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
  • Puree the soup in a blender or food processor.  Season with salt and pepper and sugar.  Serve hot topped with a dollop of cream and a sprinkling of parsley.

This soup improves with time.  Prepare a day or two in advance and refrigerate until ready to heat and serve.