Potato and Fish Soup with Cheese

This particular recipe came about as I was trying desperately to think of something to do with the last piece of fish in the freezer. Preferably something that would stretch it out for a few days, right? I did a search and found this recipe at Allrecipes. With a few modifications (like less fish, milk instead of cream and Parmesan instead of Muenster), this turned out pretty darn good.

• 4 tablespoons margarine or butter
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 small onion, chopped
• 4 cups water
• 10 potatoes, diced
• 2 cups half-and-half cream
• 1/2 pound cod fillets, cubed
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Muenster cheese
• salt to taste

Directions
Melt the butter or margarine in a large saucepan, and add the paprika. Saute the onions in this mixture until they are soft. Add the water, bring it to the boil, and add the potatoes. Simmer gently until the potatoes are almost done. Depending on the size of the potatoes it may be necessary to add more water during cooking.

Add cream or milk and the fish; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until potatoes begin to fall apart. If they remain very firm, mash them gently in the pan with a masher or wooden spoon.
Add a little of the potato mixture to the beaten eggs, and then stir eggs into the soup. Remove from heat, and stir in the cheese. Correct the seasoning, and serve at once.

Zucchini Hummus

I ran across this recipe in Relish Magazine while trying to use up some leftover zucchini in my fridge. This stuff was really, really good--make sure you add the right amount of spices for best results.I made a second batch to take to a party full of folks with various food issues, and it disappeared like a bankroll in Vegas.

Zucchini Hummus

1 15 ounce can of chickpeas, drained
1 cup coarsely chopped zucchini
2 garlic cloves (or more)
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 cup basil
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until a creamy paste is reached. Add more seasonings to taste.

Baked Eggs with Bacon and Swiss Chard

I usually try to make a big meal for my husband on weekends, since I actually have time; his favorite is waffles with bacon and eggs. Since it's the holiday weekend, and I decided to do something a little different for breakfast. I altered this recipe from my issue of Bon Appetit; you can use spinach instead of swiss chard.

Baked Eggs with Bacon and Swiss Chard

1 ovenproof skillet
4 slices bacon
1 bunch swiss chard
2 Sara Lee Sandwich Thins (or English muffins), toasted
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons milk or cream

Preheat oven to 400. Cook bacon in large skillet until done; remove from skillet and chop coarsely. Set aside. Saute swiss chard in pan, in drippings, seasoning with pepper. Remove. Wipe skillet clean.
Place toasted sandwich thins in skillet. Mound chard on each sandwich slice. Using back of spoon, make a shallow indentation in each mound. Carefully crack egg into each indentation. Sprinkle eggs with bacon, then bake in oven till whites are set but yolks are still slightly runny, 14-16 minutes. Serves two hungry newlyweds or four regular people.

Oxtail Soup

This was a pretty easy recipe. I dumped some oxtails into my crockpot with some spices and vegetables. It tasted a little bland to me, but that was fine--next time, I'm doubling the amount of spices. I happened to have a loaf of olive bread in the freezer, and this on the side made it fabulous.

1 package oxtails
1 onion, cut into chunks
2 bell peppers
3 potatoes
2 tsp seasoned salt
2 tbsp pepper
1 tbsp rosemary
1 tbsp dried onion

Put everything in the crockpot and cook on low for 10-12 hours. Serve hot with bread on the side.