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.

Quick Chicken Salad

"Hey, honey, I'm coming home for lunch. Do we have anything to eat?"

I looked at the chicken salad I'd just made five minutes ago. "Yeah. I think you'll be fine."

Served over spinach and basil leaves, this was the perfect light lunch (especially with my bruschetta on the side). Use whatever spices you have handy and will taste good with chicken. Oh, and he cleaned his plate; you may want to double this recipe just to be safe. It tastes even better the next day.

Chicken Salad


1 cup chicken, chopped or shredded
1/2 cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
1/4 cup green onions
1/2 tsp dill
1/2 tsp celery seeds
2 tsp garlic flakes
1 tsp onion flakes
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt

2 slices of bacon, browned and crumbled

Mix all the ingredients together in a container except bacon (chicken should be coated with mayonnaise, but not swimming in it). Add more seasonings to taste. Serve immediately, topped with bacon, or refrigerate for a day. Serves two diet minded people or one very hungry spouse.

10 Most Useful Kitchen Implements

After The Big Wedding (tm), I went on a shopping spree with the gift cards I was so generously given by friends and family. ( I LOVE shopping with other people's money.) I was thrilled to finally have a chance to buy the things I'd been drooling over for months. So in the spirit of kitchen cameraderie, I give you...

10 Most Useful Kitchen Implements

1. Tongs, one long, one short. Because trying to flip over fried foods with your fingers and a fork is ALL BAD.
2.   Food processor. Ever tried shredding a block of Parmesan by hand? Trust me, you don't want to. And that stuff in the green container can be nasty.
3. Microplane. You'll wonder how you got zest off a lemon without it. Nuff said.
4. Sharp chef's knife It's big enough to cut up a chicken, and sharp enough to do it in seconds. Believe it or not, you're more likely to hurt yourself with a DULL knife than with a sharp one, because you're pressing harder.
5. Dishwasher. Read the directions, load it correctly, and multitasking will get a whole lot simpler.Or just make your spouse/roomie/child do 'em.
6. Sturdy cutting board. Get a wooden one for veggies, plastic for meat. Whichever you use, make sure it's thick and fairly heavy. Your cutting board should not resemble your pet's place mat.
7. Upright mixer. You can beat everything from eggs to batter, and it beats the heck out of a fork (sorry, bad pun)
8. Spatulas. Sometimes you just need to get the last 1/2 cup of batter out of a bowl. Get the good ones without the wooden stick handle, they won't fall apart.
9. Vertical chicken roaster. This allows the fat to drain off the chicken into the bottom of the pan. the chicken skin gets crispier, the chicken cooks faster, and you can put vegetables around the base before it roasts. Mmmm, potatoes and onions a la schmaltz...)
10. Storage containers. Whether you buy Tupperware or recycle yogurt tubs, you should have a place to put your leftovers. And taking them to work the next day saves you money and time! Cha ching!
Lemme know what your favorites are!

Coconut Rum and Tea...I mean Coke

I met up with my friend at a local coffee shop earlier this evening to do some writing (OK, blogging). I forgot, however, that there are negative consequences to drinking coffee at nine at night. So after cleaning the kitchen and washing, putting away and starting a new load of dishes, as well as fixing the broken spice rack, I decided I needed some additional help to get to sleep. So I experimented with what we had left in the house.

Apparently, rum and cinnamon spiced tea was a really crappy combination. So I went with a classic, with a slight alteration.

Coconut Rum and Coke

2 ounces coconut rum
2 ounces Coke (Coke Zero, in this case)

Pour ingredients into a glass. Mix, and drink. Serves one hyperactive blogger.