When we go grocery shopping, we always go with a budget and a list which means we generally have the week's meals planned out. Sometimes, things that weren't on the list sneak into the cart. This time I grabbed a cauliflower with no ideas for it... if nothing else, I knew it'd get thrown into the roasted veggie mixes (we eat baked chicken and roasted veggies once or twice a week for dinner).
I don't know why, but I decided I wanted cream soup, and I've never actually made a cauliflower soup, so it seemed like the thing to do. The cheese was a last minute idea since I remembered we had them in the fridge, and I'm glad I did! This soup came out great... I really liked it.
I can't even tell you why, but I've had Billy Joel running through my brain... which then, instantly makes me think of the Gimmes. So Me First and the Gimme Gimmes doing "Only The Good Die Young" (because they didn't eat their cauliflower). -jen
6 tablespoons butter + 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, separated
1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
3 medium carrots, diced (about 1.5 cups)
2 celery stalks, diced (about 1 cup)
1 poblano or green pepper, seeded and diced (about 1 cup)
1 medium head cauliflower, roughly chopped
3-4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup flour
2 cups heavy cream
1.5 cups shredded Asiago cheese
1 cup shredded Cheddar or Cojack cheese
2 teaspoons sherry
several dashes Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
a few dashes of cayenne pepper or Sriracha sauce (optional)
In a large stockpot, saute onion, carrots, celery and pepper in 6 tablespoons of butter over a medium-high heat until vegetables are softened, 5-7 minutes. Stir in cauliflower, garlic, thyme, marjoram and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil, then simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes. (At this point, I like to use a stick blender or regular blender to blend about 2/3 of the soup, smoothing it out a little but I like to leave a few chunks. You can leave everything whole, or blend the whole thing, whatever you prefer!)
Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, melt remaining 1 stick of butter. Stir in flour and cook over a medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, to make a roux. Remove from heat. When the cauliflower in the broth is tender (and blended, if you're blending any), add the roux and the heavy cream. Bring back to a boil, then simmer, stirring frequently until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the cheese, one handful at a time, stir until completely melted before adding next handful. Add sherry, Worcestershire, salt and pepper to taste, and cayenne or Sriracha, if desired.
I garnished mine with some of the shredded cojack and some diced scallions I had in the fridge.
A while ago, we posted a recipe for Refrigerated Dill Pickles, which came out great. But a few weeks ago, we saw something on TV where a deli made it's own rye pickles. They sounded awesome, so I set out to make some and decided to go with caraway seeds (which are often used in rye bread).
I'm a dill pickle junkie and tonight makes 48 hours of pickling for my rye pickles. I took a bite to give 'em a try and clapped a few times like a dork in my kitchen. These might be the best pickles I've ever had. These suckers are potent with just a little spicy kick to 'em. It took me about 10 minutes to prepare the pickle juice and cut up the cucumber. Might cost you a little to get the initial ingredients unless you have a massive horde like us. But once you've got 'em, you can make a lot of jars of pickles for not much money at all. Beats paying $4 for a jar of Claussen!
This recipe was serious and heavy. And I truly felt, in my heart of hearts, it needed some serious and heavy music. So... you know... Me First And The Gimme Gimmes doing the best Ghost Rider In The Sky since John Belushi. Actually... this is a really great live video. So check it out. -jen
1 cucumber, sliced into spears (seedless is better, but regular works too)
In a 1-quart jar, add salt, Accent, caraway seeds, peppercorn, pickling spice, mustard seed, pepper flakes, dried shallots and garlic. Twist the dill sprigs into a wreath shape and lay atop the spices. Add both vinegars. Pack the jar with the cucumber spears and add water until cucumber is covered. Place the lid on and shake it all up. Refrigerate for at least 2 days. (I like to rotate the jar a few times, flipping it onto it's top for a while.)
This is the only new recipe I made for Thanksgiving this year. It was a weird, rare holiday for us... we stayed home and just had dinner for two. Usually we spend it with family, or we host it at our house for friends. But we were invited to dessert and partyin' at a friend's house afterwards, so we told her we'd bring dessert. I was inclined to make something pumpkin-based, but she said her roommate was making a pumpkin dessert. So in a panic, I looked through my pantry and decided to go with peanut butter, pecans and cream cheese because that's what I had. Admittedly, I got a little inspiration from a well-known indulgent southern cook... but I changed up her boring recipe, and it came out awesome. (Plus, her cooking times were jacked up and anyone who would have used her recipe would have been eating her "cookies" with a spoon.) Mine is like a peanut butter cup crossed with cheesecake. WAY easy, too!
I'm not sure why, but I decided to go with some Gimmes for this recipe. Peanut butter is always "fun" for me, and so are the Gimmes. It was so hard to choose which song I wanted to use! But what says peanut butter more than sailing? Duh. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes playing their live cover of "Sloop John B". -jen
Prepare a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine all of the crust ingredients. Press dough into the pan, making sure it covers the entire bottom evenly and goes up the sides just a little. Bake for 15 minutes until lightly browned and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar and vanilla, beating until smooth with an electric mixer. Incorporate eggs one at a time. Fold in by hand 1 cup pecans and chocolate chips and spoon over partially baked crust, smoothing it out until it's even. Bake for 40-45 minutes until edges begin to brown and the center doesn't look wet and jiggly. Let cool completely before cutting and serving.
Ha! I tried to make it fancy... but it looks pretty globby. I'm still working on the pictures, man! I only have a point-and-click camera and some shitty kitchen lighting!
