This recipe comes from The Splendid Table from NPR. I get their emails (maybe weekly?) and sometimes the recipes sound really good! I figured I would give this soup a try. We had it last week when it was cold and rainy, and it was really the perfect night for soup. There’s really not much to it. Like, literally. It’s basically broth. I suppose you could jazz it up with some pasta or something. I think it’s a great soup for, say, if you are sick on the couch. This is a good “sipping” soup. It’s really good, but again, there’s not much there. I substituted vegetarian chicken broth for the real stuff. With this we enjoyed some crusty olive bread and a green salad.

rating: 8

Marche Wedding Soup
Stracciosa in Brodo
From The Italian Country Table: Home Cooking from Italy’s Farmhouse Kitchens by Lynne Rossetto Kasper (Scribner, 1999). Copyright 1999 by Lynne Rossetto Kasper

Serves 6 to 8

Lacing hot broth with a blend of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, egg, lemon zest and spices transforms a pot of good-tasting liquid into an elegant event. The creamy mix firms into threads. The soup is a close relative of Rome’s Stracciatella and a favorite opening to wedding feasts in central Italy’s Marche region. Eggs and meat broth are old symbols of celebration. Begin almost any meal with the soup, as long as cheese and lemon are not important flavorings in any other dish.

• 10 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth (or homemade if you have some) (I used vegetarian chicken broth)
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• Shredded zest of 1/2 large lemon
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1. In a 4-quart saucepan, simmer the broth and wine 5 minutes, partially covered. Season to taste.

2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, blend the eggs, water, cheese, lemon zest, nutmeg, and about 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

3. Take the soup off the heat. With a fork, gently stir in the egg mixture with long slow strokes until it firms into pale shreds floating in the broth. The long strokes lengthen the shreds slightly. This should take 10 to 15 seconds. There will be a moment when the Parmigiano and lemon release their fragrances – enjoy it. Quickly taste the soup for seasoning and serve it while it’s still very hot and fragrant.

I had chicken cacciatore once when I was younger, and I remember it being SO good. I decided to attempt this recipe with the Morningstar Farms fake chicken (Chick’N Strips). At first I was going to just throw the strips into the recipe, but then I thought, why not really treat them like they are real chicken? So I dipped them in the flour mixture like it says. They were good that way! I also left out the carrot, celery and parsley. I hate when you only need a little bit of an ingredient for a recipe, and you have to buy ALOT of it (the rest of the carrots and celery would go bad in my fridge). Does that make sense? Anyway, when Toby took the first bite of this dish, he asked “is there any booze in this?” I guess you could really taste it. Another thing- this ended up almost like a pasta sauce. I thought, we can’t just eat this like soup, so I boiled some egg noodles and served it on top of that. That turned out well. Oh, one more thing…at the very end I added about 1/2 cup of heavy cream.

rating: 8

Chicken Cacciatore
(from www.myrecipes.com)

Ingredients

* 1/4  cup  all-purpose flour
* 1 1/4  teaspoons  kosher salt
* 3/4  teaspoon  black pepper
* 1  3 1/2- to 4-pound chicken, cut into pieces (I used Morningstar Farms Chick’N Strips)
* 1/4  cup  olive oil
* 1  medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
* 1  carrot, diced (I omitted)
* 1  celery stalk, diced (I omitted)
* 4  cloves garlic, finely chopped
* 3  sprigs fresh thyme
* 1  bay leaf
* 1  28-ounce can plum tomatoes
* 1/3  cup  dry red wine
* 1/4  cup  fresh flat-leaf parsley,roughly chopped (I omitted)

In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper. Rinse the chicken and pat it dry with paper towels. Working in batches, lightly coat the chicken with the flour mixture, shaking off any excess.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat. Add some of the chicken to the pan and cook until browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; set aside. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

Add the onion to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Crush the tomatoes in the can with a large spoon and stir them into the vegetables along with the wine and the remaining salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Add the chicken, reduce heat, and cover. Simmer for 45 minutes, turning the pieces occasionally. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the parsley.

My grandmother makes the best broccoli casserole, and whenever we have family get-togethers, she makes it because she knows I love it so much. This broccoli casserole uses Panko, which are Japanese breadcrumbs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panko). This was pretty simple to put together, and it smelled so good while it was baking! This was really good (although it was no Grandma’s casserole), but the important thing here: Liam loved it and asked for seconds and thirds. He’s almost 3. So- that says alot about this recipe, I think. I will quote him: “This tastes good!” I served this with some veggie meatball subs (I am trying to eat down the freezer and fridge).

rating: 8

Zesty Broccoli Casserole
(from www.myrecipes.com)

Ingredients

* 3  (10-ounce) packages frozen broccoli florets, thawed
* Cooking spray
* 1 1/2  cups  fat-free milk (I used Silk plain soy milk)
* 2 1/2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
* 1/2  teaspoon  salt
* 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
* 3/4  cup  (3 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
* 1/2  cup  (4 ounces) fat-free cream cheese, softened
* 1  cup  fat-free mayonnaise
* 3/4  cup  chopped onion (about 1/2 medium)
* 1  (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, rinsed, drained, and sliced
* 3/4  cup  panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
* 2  teaspoons  butter, melted

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Arrange broccoli in an even layer in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; set aside.

Combine milk, flour, salt, and pepper in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add cheddar and cream cheeses; stir until smooth. Stir in mayonnaise, onion, and water chestnuts. Spoon cheese mixture evenly over broccoli.

Place panko in a small bowl. Drizzle with butter, and toss. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture evenly over cheese mixture. Lightly spray breadcrumb layer with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until mixture begins to bubble and breadcrumbs brown.

Ok, so they can’t all be winners, right? Basically this is a cheese souffle. I really should not have attempted this recipe, since I had an needy toddler running around, and the recipe was on my laptop, which was across the kitchen, and I would have to read out the recipe to myself a sentence at a time. Whew! This “puff” did not rise all the way to the top of the dish like it should have. I think I may have overmixed it while adding the egg whites. In any case, it TASTED good. This one bad experience will not ruin souffles for me in the future. I will bounce back from this and give them another try.

rating: 6

http://www.bhg.com/recipe/grains/cheddar-polenta-puff/
Ingredients

* 4  egg whites
* 1-1/2  cups fat-free milk (I used Silk plain soy milk)
* 2  tablespoons finely chopped red sweet pepper
* 1  tablespoon thinly sliced green onion (I omitted)
* 1/4  teaspoon salt
* 1/8  teaspoon ground red pepper
* 1/3  cup cornmeal
* 1  egg yolk, slightly beaten
* 1/4  cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1/4  cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese (1 ounce)*
*   Nonstick spray coating

Directions

Allow egg whites to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large heavy saucepan combine milk, sweet pepper, green onion, salt, and red pepper. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture just begins to bubble. Slowly add cornmeal, stirring constantly. Cook and stir over medium heat about 5 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat. Stir half of the cornmeal mixture into the egg yolk. Return mixture to the saucepan. Stir in Parmesan cheese and cheddar cheese until melted.

Lightly spray a 1-1/2-quart soufflé dish with nonstick coating; set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat egg whites with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Gently fold about half of the beaten egg whites into the cheese mixture. Gradually pour cheese mixture over remaining beaten egg whites, folding to combine. Pour into prepared soufflé dish.

Bake in a 375 degree F oven about 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean and top is golden brown. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Last Friday I noticed that I had 4 sad-looking bananas on my counter. They were too far gone for me to eat them in cereal, so I thought, YES, I have an excuse to make banana bread! So I looked online for a recipe, and found one pretty quickly that even used stuff I already had in my pantry! Score! This recipe is pretty fool-proof. I did add a teaspoon of vanilla and some chopped-up walnuts and pecans. This bread is so moist and flavorful. I had 2 slices (what?) and then cut the loaf in half to give to two neighbors. I can’t have food like this in my house- too dangerous. This will be my go-to recipe for banana bread from now on.

rating: 9

Banana Banana Bread

(from www.allrecipes.com)

I’ve always been scared to work with puff pastry. It’s intimidating! But not anymore. I’ve had a box of puff pastry in my freezer for wayyyy too long, and I finally got up the nerve to cook with it. Let me just start out by saying that THIS RECIPE IS AWESOME. I mean, really, how can you go wrong with heavy cream, brie, and puff pastry? Some substitutions I made: instead of parmigiano-reggiano cheese, I used plain old Parmesan. Instead of cremini mushrooms, I used baby bellas, since Wegmans was out of the cremini. For the cooking wine, I used cooking sherry. This dish, although it might not look it, is relatively quick to prepare (under a half hour). I bet if you didn’t want to shell out the $ for the brie you could use another soft cheese (or you know, it actually tasted really good even before I added the brie). Toby really liked this, and said that it was “really good” and it’s “something different”.

rating: 9.5

Mushroom Not-Potpies with Cheesy Parmesan Crust
(from the magazine Everyday with Rachael Ray)

* 1 sheet puff pastry (9-inch square), thawed but cold
* 1 egg, beaten with a little water
* 1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese (I used plain Parmesan)
* 2 baking potatoes (1-1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
* Salt
* 4 cups chopped kale or Swiss chard (I used kale)
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 2-1/2 pounds cremini mushrooms, halved (I used baby bellas)
* 3 cloves garlic, chopped
* 7 sprigs sage, thinly sliced
* Pepper
* 1/2 cup Marsala or cooking wine (I used sherry)
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 8 ounces ripe brie cheese, rind discarded, cut into small pieces

1.Preheat the oven to 425°. Roll out the puff pastry into a 12-inch square. Set aside four 2-cup bowls; invert 1 bowl onto the pastry and cut out 4 rounds. Place on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and brush with the egg. Sprinkle with half of the parmigiano-reggiano cheese. Bake until golden, 12 minutes. Let cool.
2.In a large saucepan, add the potatoes and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, salt the water and cook until tender, 7 minutes. Add the kale and cook for 2 minutes; drain.
3.In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons EVOO and the butter over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 12 minutes. Add the garlic and sage; season with salt and pepper. Cook until the garlic is slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and cook until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Add the cream and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and fold in the brie and remaining parmigiano-reggiano until melted. Stir in the potatoes and greens. Fill the bowls with the mushroom mixture and top with the crust.

I tried a recipe VERY similar to this one back in October of last year. It’s funny, go look at the pic of that dish. It looks *pretty much* exactly the same as this pic, except the fork is on the other side of the plate! Anywho, Toby reads the parenting magazines we get on his train ride into work, and he came home with this recipe torn out and told me to make it. I told him I had made something similar before, but he wouldn’t listen. MAKE IT he cried! So I did. Well, it’s a very pretty pasta sauce, that’s for sure. It lacked something, though. It just was a little bland, and I had to add…wait for it…HOT SAUCE. Me! Toby got it out and added practically a half cup to his, and I reached for it and he said “careful!” I put literally one drop in mine. It jazzed it up a little but it wasn’t what it needed. Oh well. With this, we enjoyed a salad and some garlic bread.

Pumpkin Penne
(from the Nov.. 09 issue of Parents magazine)

1 12-ounce box whole-wheat penne (I used plain)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I used veggie chicken broth)
1/2 cup fat-free evaporated milk
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
fresh parsley, chopped (I used dried)
1 1/2 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain and return to pot, covering to keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat oil on medium. Add shallots, cook and stir until tender, about 3 minutes. Whisk in broth, evaporated milk, pumpkin, spice, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Toss pasta with sauce. Spoon into bowls and top with parsley and cheese. Makes 6 cups.

I love creamed spinach, and Toby has finally come around to loving it too. He doesn’t normally care too much for spinach, but creamed spinach he loves. BUT- he is very particular about his creamed spinach. The spinach can’t be too crunchy or “lumpy”. I decided to make some Morningstar Farms Riblets (before they discontinue them! Grrrrr), and needed a couple of side dishes, so I picked Crash Hot Potatoes (I think my favorite side of all time), and I needed something green, so I picked this recipe. I used Silk soy milk instead of regular milk, and they tasted fine. One thing- I only used two plastic tubs of the baby spinach (Wegmans was out of the bags). I felt silly buying four tubs, and as a result, I ended up with too much sauce. But there are worse things in life! This is a very quick dish to pull together, and it’s fab. We will keep this one.

rating: 9

Pioneer Woman’s Creamed Spinach

(from www.thepioneerwoman.com)

serves 6 to 8

1 stick butter
8 tablespoons flour
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 cups milk
Salt & Pepper to taste
Pinch of ground nutmeg
3 tablespoons butter
24 ounces baby spinach

Melt 1 stick of butter in a pot. Sprinkle in flour and whisk together. Cook over medium heat for five minutes or until light golden brown. Throw in onion and garlic and stir together, cooking for another minute. Pour in milk, whisking constantly, and cook for five minutes while you cook the spinach.
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a separate pot. Add spinach in increments until all incorporated, and cook until wilted but not soggy, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Season the cream sauce with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add spinach to the cream sauce, stirring gently to combine.

Serve immediately.

I am seriously bummed that Morningstar Farms discontinued their veggie hot dogs. We searched high and low for a good dog, and that one was just excellent. So it’s back to the ol’ drawing board I guess. When we were at Wegmans last weekend, we saw that Tofurky now has veggie dogs, so we tried their plain version (they also had something spicy, and then one other, I think). So I needed a nice little side dish for these dogs. And it couldn’t be TOO much, because Toby had a soccer game at 7:30, so he couldn’t eat a whole lot. So I tried these fries. The recipe calls for 4 potatoes, but once I got 2 sliced up, I decided that would be enough for us. I might have used a little too much olive oil, but these were really good! And the aioli, well, it kind of just tasted like mayo to me, but that’s ok. Mayo is good, too.

rating: 8.5

Oven Fries with Garlic Aioli
(from the Dec. 08 issue of Real Simple magazine)

2 pounds russet potatoes (about 4), scrubbed and cut lengthwise into 1/2″-thick wedges
2 tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp paprika (preferably smoked)

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes, oil, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Roast until golden and crisp, 45-50 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, and /4 tsp salt. Serve the potatoes with the aioli for dipping.

I love Moussaka. When I saw this recipe I thought, hmmm, that sounds very interesting. I used Quorn Grounds for the ground beef,  and totally left out the chives. I needed a recipe that I could make ahead and refrigerate, because I had a doctor’s appt. out of town, and I knew I might be back home kind of late. I needed something that Toby could just pop in the oven if he needed to. So I made the basic part of the recipe around 2pm (the corn and ground beef part), and then combined the cottage cheese and egg and put that in the fridge. I told Toby what to do if I was terribly late. Amazingly I made it home around dinner time, and was able to just top the dish with the cottage cheese mixture and then the other cheese and I baked it for about 20 minutes. I was a little scared to try this. Cinnamon in “ground beef”? Come on! But it was good! REALLY good! And different!

rating: 8

Corn Moussaka
(from www.tastykitchen.com)

* 15 ounces, weight Canned Corn, Drained
* 1 pound Ground Beef (I used Quorn Grounds)
* 1 Tablespoon Flour
* 8 ounces Tomato Sauce
* ½ teaspoons Garlic Salt
* ¼ teaspoons Cinnamon
* 2 whole Eggs, Slightly Beaten
* 1-½ cup Cottage Cheese, Drained
* 1 teaspoon Chives (I left out)
* ¼ cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
* 1 cup Shredded Mozzarella (4 Oz.)

Spread corn in an ungreased shallow 1-1/2 quart casserole dish. In a skillet, brown ground beef; drain. Add flour; cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in tomato sauce, garlic salt (you can use a minced clove of garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt), and cinnamon; pour over the corn. Spread evenly and bake in a 350-degree oven for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine eggs, cottage cheese, and chives. Spread over the meat mixture. Top with Parmesan and mozzarella. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes more.