Irish Potato Chowder

Irish Potato Chowder:

7 Tbs. butter, divided

7 Tbs. flour

1 cup chopped onion

2/3 cup diced carrots

2/3 cups diced celery

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. freeze dried chives

4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

5 cups peeled, diced potatoes ( about 1 1/4 lbs)

3 cups milk

1/2 cup sour cream

1/8-1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce

salt and ground white pepper to taste

1. To make, roux, melt 5 1/2 Tbs. butter in a small sauce pan. Stir in flour until well blended. Cook over low heat, stirring often, for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Melt remaining 1 1/2 Tbs. butter in a soup pot; add onions, carrots, celery, basil, parsley, and chives; cook about 10 minutes, until tender.

3. Add stock and potatoes and simmer until potatoes are tender.

4. Stir in milk; return to simmer and whisk in roux until liquid is thickened and smooth. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add sour cream, hot pepper sauce and season to taste with salt and ground white pepper.

We like to top this with bacon crumbles and shredded cheddar cheese.

Avocado Club Panini

First let me say, sorry it's been awhile. Life has been crazy lately!

Also my camera is broken so I've been taking these photos in "photo booth" so they are not great.

Avocado Club Panini:

avocado-sliced

tomato-sliced

bacon-cooked and drained

Deli Turkey-I used roasted, peppered, use whatever you like

pesto-could use whatever condiment you like

red onion-thinly sliced

good bread

cheese-I used mozzarella, could use pepper jack or whatever you like-sliced

Butter the out sides of the bread, like you would for grilled cheese. On the inside spread pesto. Layer cheese, turkey, avocado, tomato, bacon, red onion, and more cheese. I do not have a panini press so I put it on my grill pan and put another heavy pan on top to press it. I like to put the avocado and tomato in the middle so it doesn't get to warm, and the cheese right on the bread so it gets good and melty.

Homemade Mac & Cheese

This is currently my favorite recipe for homemade mac & cheese. It seems like it calls for a lot of milk, but the sauce really does thicken if you follow the directions.

3 Tbs. unsalted butter

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

coarse salt

4 cups whole milk (I use skim and it turns out fine...)

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

3/4 lbs. shell pasta (any shape you like, and I use a whole lbs.)

4 cups coarsely grated sharp cheddar (close to a lbs.)

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; add onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add flour and 1/2 tsp salt; cook, stirring frequently , until mixture is pale golden, has a slightly nutty aroma, and is the texture of cooked oatmeal, about 5 minutes.

2. Whisking constantly, pour in 2 cups milk; add 2 more cups milk and cayenne and whisk until smooth. Cook mixture, stirring constantly along bottom of pan, until boiling, 6 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens and does not feel grainy when a small amount is rubbed between two fingers, about 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling slated water, cook pasta until al dente; drain throughly and return to pot. Remove sauce from heat and let cool 10 minutes. Quickly whisk in cheese, mustard, and Worcestershire. Pour cheese sauce over pasta and stir to coat.

Fried Rice

Fried rice is a favorite in our house. It is one of my favorites because it is an easy way to use leftover rice, which we always have in the fridge. I don't have a real recipe, I just throw in whatever I have.

In a large pan or pot I cook a few eggs in vegetable oil, the way you would do scrambled eggs. Once cooked I take them out of the pan, break them up a bit, and set aside. In that same pot, saute onion and whatever veggies you want to throw in and saute a few minutes, you don't want them to be mush-a little crunch is good. Throw in some chopped garlic and cook a few more minutes. Tonight I used a red bell pepper and shredded carrot. I then add already cooked rice and drizzle a little soy sauce over and literally fry it until heated through and a little golden brown. At the very end I throw the eggs back in. We had fish with the fried rice tonight that I seasoned with "Black and Red Spice" which is red and black pepper. I also put some of Penzey's "Bangkok Blend" in the fried rice. Keep in mind you don't need much oil for this, just enough to keep everything from sticking.

Here are a few ideas of other things you could put in:

-green onion (add at the end)

-tofu

-shrimp

-left over chicken, pork, or steak

-shredded carrot

-water chesnuts

-chopped bell pepper

-peas

-edamame

-snap peas

-broccoli

Shrimp Curry

This is a recipe we tried for the first time tonight, and greatly enjoyed. It was very, very simple. It more of a sweet curry.

1 cup chopped onions

4 tsp. olive oil, divided

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 lbs. uncooked, peeled shrimp

1 Tbs. curry paste

2 Tbs. water

1 cup light coconut milk

1 stp. curry powder

3 cups cooked brown rice

1. In a large skillet, saute the onions on medium in 2 tsp. oil until carmelized, about 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, in another large skillet, saute pepper strips and remaining oil on medium, about 3 minutes. Add the shrimp, cook for another 2 t 3 minutes, until they are opaque.

2. Puree onions and curry paste with water until almost smooth. Add puree, light coconut milk, and curry powder to the shrimp and peppers. Simmer quickly, just to thicken the sauce. Stir in the rice, cook another minute or two. Serves 4.

I always follow recipe exactly the first time I use it, but on this one there are a few things I would change for next time. I would add more bell pepper, and use a combination of red, orange, and yellow. You can go much lighter on the oil. I would also add a pinch of salt. Snow peas and edamame would be great additions and would add some color (you do eat with your eyes first...). You could add more curry paste if you like it a little hotter.

Banana Bread!

Banana bread is something I grew up with, although I wasn't a big fan until recently! It's so easy, and so tasty. My favorite recipe is my grandma's, but it's a little sweeter than some others.

Grandma's Banana Bread:

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup butter

1 cup ripe bananas-mashed or pureed

3 Tbs. milk

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips (optional, but recommended!)

1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.

Blend sugar and butter together until smooth. Add egg and vanilla, mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add milk to banana.

Alternate adding the flour mixture and banana mixture to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix well after each addition. Scoop into a greased loaf pan or muffin pan with paper liners (fill about 2/3 way full). Muffins take about 10-12mins and about an hour for the loaf, (but you want to check it after about 45mins give or take). You want it to be slightly golden brown and if you push on the center it should spring back, not stay indented, or of course you can insert a tooth pick-it should come out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Can freeze-to do so wrap in plastic wrap, then in foil.

Tuna Puttanesca

A while back, I had tuna puttanesca for the first time. It wasn't my favorite, but I didn't dislike it. When meal planning for this week, I stumbled across a different recipe for tuna puttanesca and thought I should give it a second try. So tonight we had it, and I must say I really loved it second time around! I'm not sure if I just knew what to expect this time, or if I just prefer this recipe over the other. Either way, it going to made more frequently in this house.

According to epicurious.com:

puttanesca sauce; alla puttanesca

[poot-tah-NEHS-kah]
Generally served with pasta, this sauce is a spicy mélange of tomatoes, onions, capers, black olives, anchovies, oregano and garlic, all cooked together in olive oil. A dish on a menu described as alla puttanesca signals that it's served with this sauce. The name puttanesca is a derivation of puttana , which in Italian means "whore." According to one story, the name purportedly comes from the fact that the intense fragrance of this sauce was like a siren's call to the men who visited such "ladies of pleasure."

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/tools/fooddictionary/entry?id=4146#ixzz0qDUdopxy

Linguine With Tuna Puttanesca:

kosher salt

12 oz linguine

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 Tbs. capers, drained

1/2 cup roughly chopped kalamata olives (or black olives)

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, save juice

4 basil leaves, torn, plus more for garnish

1 5 oz. can albacore tuna, packed in olive oil

freshly ground pepper

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until al dente.

2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until slightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the capers and olives and fry 2 more minutes. Add just the diced tomatoes, saving the juice. Cook until the tomatoes are slightly dry, about 2 minutes. Add the reserved tomato juice and stir until sauce thickens. Add the tuna, with it oil, breaking it up with a fork, and season with salt.

3. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water, and return it to the pot. Add the sauce and the reserved cooking water and sauce. Season with pepper and garnish with more basil.