Author Archives: lambyknits01

Creamy Tomato Soup

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Quick Post: As a kid, I hated tomato soup…but that was the condensed kind, so I had every right! 😉 Because of that bad experience, I have only recently tried tomato soup again. I was a little obsessed with Panera’s creamy tomato soup and adult grilled cheese, and decided that I needed to recreate that meal at home. This batch makes quite a lot of soup, but it freezes beautifully! My kids loved this and agree that I need to make it again 🙂 Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Creamy Tomato Soup –

  • 2 TBSP olive oil or butter
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 – 28 ounce cans of whole peeled tomatoes (San Marzano or other good quality is best)
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
  • 1 tsp. raw sugar
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • Parmesan cheese, optional

*Special Equipment – immersion blender, food processor or blender

Directions –

1. Heat up oil or butter in a medium stockpot over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic (if using), stirring constantly, until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes.

2. Add tomatoes, their juices, thyme and stock. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

3. Remove the thyme, and carefully puree the soup. ( I used my immersion blender in the pot, while using the pot lid as a shield 😉 It worked great!).

4. Whisk in cream; season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with Parmesan if desired.

Challah

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I had a hankerin’ for some rich, fluffy French toast, but there is a shortage of bread in my house. I failed miserably (twice) trying to braid the dough, so I baked off two 8×4 loaves instead. The dough held up well to being manipulated more than I intended 😉 With its medium density, and tight crumb it soaks up custard like a sponge without falling apart; and the resulting French toast is creamy and not too sweet. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Challah – adapted from Williams-Sonoma

  • 2 packages (5 tsp.) active dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water (105° to 115°F)
  • 1/2 cup sugar (*I used vanilla sugar*)
  • 3 eggs, plus 1 egg, beaten, for glaze
  • 5 cups all-purpose flour (625 grams)
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room
    temperature

Directions –

To make the dough with a stand mixer, in the 5-quart bowl of a mixer, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the sugar, 3 eggs, 4 1/2 cups of the flour, the salt and butter. Place the bowl on the mixer, attach the dough hook and knead on low speed, working in the remaining flour as necessary to keep the dough from being too sticky, until the dough is smooth and elastic, 5 to 7 minutes. Do not be tempted to add too much flour. The dough should stay soft and will become less sticky with kneading. Remove the dough from the bowl.

Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles in bulk, about 2 hours.

Line a half-sheet pan or rimless baking sheet with parchment paper. Punch down the dough. Using a plastic pastry scraper, scrape the dough out onto a clean work surface. To make a 4-strand braid, cut the dough into 4 equal pieces with a sharp knife or a bench scraper. Using your palms, and starting in the center and working outward, elongate 1 piece by rolling it gently against the work surface with even pressure until you have formed a rope as long as the prepared pan. Repeat with the remaining 3 pieces.

Line up the 4 strands in front of you horizontally. Cross the strand farthest from you across the other 3 strands so that it is nearest you. Cross the strand that is now next to it across the other 2 strands away from you. Position the outside strands so that they are away from the center ones, and position the center 2 strands perfectly horizontal. Bring the strand nearest you down between the 2 horizontal strands. Bring the strand farthest from you up and across to the opposite side. Again, bring the strand farthest from you down between the 2 straight strands. Bring the strand nearest you up and across to the opposite side. Starting from the strand nearest you, repeat the braiding until you reach the ends of the ropes. Pinch them together at the top and at the bottom, and tuck the strands under at the ends.

Place the braided loaf on the prepared pan, cover with a dry kitchen towel, and let rise again in a warm, draft-free spot until the loaf doubles in size and is spongy to the touch, 45 to 60 minutes.

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 350°F.

Brush the braid gently with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the seeds. Bake the braid until it is nicely browned and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Makes 1 large braided loaf.

Perfect Au Gratin Potatoes

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The name says it all – these really are perfect! They are the easiest potato side dish I have ever made and I’m finding new excuses to make them. We enjoyed these alongside this roast chicken and these garlicky green beans. The leftovers heat up nicely too – if there are any! Thanks for reading, enjoy 🙂

Perfect Potatoes Au Gratin – adapted from The Pioneer Woman

  • 4 whole Russet Potatoes, Scrubbed Clean
  • 2 Tablespoons Butter, Softened
  • 1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream
  • 1/2 cup Whole Milk
  • 2 Tablespoons Flour
  • 4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
  • fresh thyme to taste (my addition…so yummy)
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions –

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Smear softened butter all over the bottom of a baking dish.

Slice potatoes, then cut slices into fourths.

In a separate bowl, whisk together cream, milk, flour, minced garlic, salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

Place 1/3 of the potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour 1/3 of the cream mixture over the potatoes.

Repeat this two more times, ending with the cream mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown and really bubbling. Add grated cheese to the top of the potatoes and bake for 3 to 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Brined, Roasted Chicken with Herb Butter

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Yum! This was worth the effort and my neighbors, aka The Guinea Pigs, loved it too. It is way better than your average roast chicken and perfect for company. I prepared two, four pound chickens for dinner and we all enjoyed the white meat. It was the most succulent and tender meat I have ever had – like buttah! 😉 I’m going to use the dark meat for chicken noodle soup once I make the chicken stock with the bones. If there is any meat left, then M can have it for his fave chicken salad sandwich. I will make this again for my family when I’m feeling extra generous…or I just want really amazing roast chicken. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Brined and Roasted Chicken with Herb Butter – heavily adapted from Ad Hoc at Home via Jun-Blog

Brine:

  • 20 cups water, divided
  • 3/4 cup Kosher salt
  • 5 TBSP sugar
  • 1 bunch thyme
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • 6 cloves garlic, halved at equator
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • 5 bay leaves
  • 2 TBSP peppercorns
  • 2 whole chickens

Herb Butter:

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature (freeze the leftover herb butter)
  • 1 TBSP fresh, chopped rosemary
  • 1 TBSP fresh, chopped thyme
  • Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper

*special equipment –

brining bag, or a two gallon Ziploc bag, kitchen string, probe thermometer, roasting pan or half sheet pan

Directions –

Add all the brine ingredients and half the water to a large pot. Bring to boil, and stir to dissolve salt, then remove from heat and chill completely. Once brine is cold, add the remaining water and chicken then refrigerate for 12 hours or overnight.

Meanwhile, prepare the herb butter – in a small bowl, mix together the softened butter and fresh herbs. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Next, remove the chicken from the brine, rinse and pat dry. If you have time, let chickens dry uncovered in the refrigerator for a few hours. Truss chickens and coat generously with the herb butter, (I only used a few tablespoons per chicken). Add salt and pepper to taste and place in roasting pan, insert probe thermometer into the thickest part of one of the breasts. Roast the chicken until the thermometer reads 160-165 degrees, (about 70-75 minutes with my convection roast setting).

Once the desired temperature is reached, loosely cover with foil and let rest for 15-20 minutes. Carve, serve and enjoy!

Lettuce Wraps

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My family loved these – well, the DH liked the flavor but there are a few ingredients in these that he could do without. When I decided to make these, I knew that was a possibility so I cut back on those foods: water chesnuts and red bell pepper. I wanted a higher meat to extras ratio anyway so it worked out really well. I will make these again, but on those nights when M isn’t around for dinner 😉 Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Chicken or Pork Lettuce Wraps – adapted form Serious Eats

6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup hoisin sauce (about a 10-ounce container)
4 tablespoons oil, divided
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
1 pound ground chicken or pork
1 red pepper, finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 medium red potato, finely diced
1 8-ounce can sliced water chesnuts, chopped
Black pepper, sea salt and chili flakes to taste
Romaine lettuce leaves, or Bibb lettuce

Directions –

In a small saucepan or skillet, combine half the garlic and the hoisin sauce. Over medium heat, reduce the sauce until thickened and beginning to turn syrupy, 2-5 minutes depending on the pot used.

In the meantime, in a large (12-inch) skillet, heat half the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion, ginger, and remaining garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, until golden and soft. Add pork and break up with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all the moisture has evaporated and the pork is cooked through and tender.

In a second skillet, heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat until shimmering and add the carrot and potato. Cook until almost tender, then add pepper and water chestnuts and cook for a few minutes longer. Add this mixture to the pork along with the reduced hoisin sauce. Stir well to coat the pork and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Set out the pork and serve with lettuce leaves.

Best of 2012, Part 1

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Happy New Year! I decided that since I have had this blog going for some time now, I should go back into the archives and share with you all which recipes are my favorites. In addition, I want to showcase a couple of my most popular posts from this year. I would never guess that my blog would have so many visitors in such a short amount of time. Thanks to Pinterest and a few other blogs; one recipe receives hundreds, and sometimes a thousand or more hits a day!

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Alfredo, Shells, Chicken, Broccoli and Cheese – It’s the picture that sells this one, for sure! (I really need to get my camera fixed). As soon as I uploaded this to Pinterest, it hasn’t stopped being my most popular post. This is probably the easiest and most customizable recipe I have here, and thankfully the people who have tried it enjoy it. To date, it has been pinned over 107,000 times!!

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Roasted Garlic Bread – Hands down, this is the best garlic bread! Everyone loves it! To date, it has been pinned over 10,000 times – not exactly a close second, but impressive for being viewed only 13,000 times!

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Carrot Ginger Dressing – I double this recipe whenever I make it and it would be a mistake not to. The vibrant orange screams “healthy”,  and is perfect for your simple salads.

That’s it for now! I have over 20 favorite recipes from last year and I may have to narrow that down a bit 🙂 Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Vanilla Almonds

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(Happy New Year! I meant to post this a couple of weeks ago…but I was visiting family)

I was inspired to make these after watching one of my favorite cooking shows. I knew I would need some quick teacher gifts for the kids (I hope they like almonds!), and some snacks for the party we’re hosting today. I tried a few and I am happy to report that they are really tasty! Our friends loved them and I even had some recipe requests for them 🙂 Thanks for reading, enjoy.

Vanilla Almonds – adapted from Kelsey’s Essentials

  • 1 egg white
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 4 cups whole almonds
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Beat the egg white with the vanilla extract, add the almonds and stir to coat. Combine the sugar, salt, and cinnamon and combine with mixture. Place in a single layer on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees F for 20 minutes. Remove and cool on wax paper and break into clusters.

Chocolate Mint Brownies

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These were amazing and everyone loved them! 🙂

Chocolate Mint Brownie Bites – adapted from The Pioneer Woman

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
50 whole mints, such as Andes
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 whole eggs
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon mint extract
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a mini muffin pan generously with baking spray.

Melt the unsweetened chocolate in a bowl in the microwave. Remove from the microwave and stir in 8 mints until all melted. Let cool slightly.

In a mixer with the paddle attachment, cream 1 stick of the butter with the sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time. With the mixer on low, drizzle in the cooled chocolate mixture slowly, mixing until it’s combined. Add the flour and mix thoroughly. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, add the mint extract and then mix again.

Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, scoop the batter into the prepared mini muffin pan. Bake until done, 11 to 13 minutes. Turn upside down out of the pan and allow to cool.

Combine 25 to 30 mints in a bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the chopped bittersweet chocolate. Microwave and stir until melted and smooth.

Dip the brownie bites in the chocolate, concentrating on the top “cone” part. Allow to set for a few minutes. Chop the remaining mints and sprinkle them on the top. Set in the freezer for 10 minutes if you need them to set right away. Yum!

Hot Chocolate for One

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Sorry it’s been so long since my last post…I made this several weeks ago to remedy a craving for some real hot chocolate. I didn’t want to make a huge batch so late at night, so this was perfect. I tripled it so my kids could enjoy it too – they loved it! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Hot Chocolate – adapted Jeyashri’s Kitchen

  • 1 TBSP good quality unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 TBSP vanilla sugar
  • 1 TBSP hot water
  • 1/2 cup half and half
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • a pinch of salt

Directions – 

1. Place all the dry ingredients in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid and pour the hot water over all. Twist lid on and shake vigorously.

2. Pour contents into a small sauce pot over medium-low heat. Pour in the dairy and stir until combined. Heat gently until the desired temperature is reached. Pour into your favorite mug and top with marshmallows or whipped cream.

Turkey, Bacon and Avocado Sandwich and Baked Fries

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If you need a recipe for leftover turkey, look no further! This is was such a tasty sandwich, and these baked fries are a new favorite! They were crispy on the outside and perfectly tender on the inside. My family didn’t even notice or care that they weren’t fried. Thanks for reading, enjoy! 🙂

Roast Turkey, Avocado and Bacon – adapted from Food Network

  • Roasted, sliced turkey breast
  • Bacon, cooked and drained
  • Avocado
  • Tomato
  • Fontina cheese, sliced

Directions – 

1. To assemble the sandwich: spread a thin layer of the remaining butter on 1 piece of the bread. Place 1 slice of the cheese and several slices of the turkey breast on unbuttered side of the bread. Peel and slice the avocado, and season with salt and pepper. Add avocado slices, crispy bacon slices, tomato and another slice of fontina cheese to the top of that. Sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Slather the remaining piece of bread with the butter and place on unbuttered side out, on top of the bacon.

2. Heat a cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and let it melt, swirling the pan around to coat. Put the sandwich in the pan and weigh it down with a heavy pot or can (or wrap an ordinary brick in aluminum foil and set it on top to compress the sandwich.) Toast for 1 minute, turn the sandwich over before the bread begins to burn. Repeat with remaining sandwiches. Cut the sandwiches in half and serve.

fries

Baked Oven Fries – adapted from Annie’s Eats 

  • 1 1/2 to 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
  • 5 TBSP vegetable, canola or peanut oil, divided
  • 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Directions –

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place the potato wedges in a large mixing bowl. Cover with hot water; soak for 10-30 minutes. Put 4 TBSP of the oil onto a heavy, rimmed baking sheet. Tilt the sheet side to side to evenly coat the pan with oil. Sprinkle the pan evenly with the salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Drain the potatoes. Spread the wedges out on layers of paper towels and pat dry. Wipe out the empty bowl and return the potatoes to the bowl and toss with the remaining oil. Arrange the wedges on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 5 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the bottoms of the potatoes and becoming golden brown, 15-20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 10 minutes. Using a spatula and tongs, flip each potato keeping them in a single layer. Continue baking until the fries are golden and crisp, 5-15 minutes. Rotate the pan as needed to ensure even browning.

3. When the fires are finished baking, transfer them to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.