Success or Mess Scratch Soup Week #1 – Cream of Mushroom Soup

The first week I made Cream of Mushroom Soup. I used to eat this a lot as a kid, and still love it! It’s great with crusty bread or oyster crackers. I noticed a recipe on the side of a chicken stock box that inspired me to make my own.

While I didn’t have to call in the troops, it did take a while to cook. I also had some pumpkin bread while it simmered, and I added whipped cream and loved every indulgent bite. Oh, yes I did!

The simmering time can be shortened a little, but the flavors really do best when they have a chance to blend. It’s even better the second night, so plan for leftovers.

We enjoyed this hot and hearty dish during the week, but I’d make sure the house isn’t Grand Central next time I make it. Not because it takes so much preparation and effort, but because it’s just easier to keep an eye on the stove that way. Let’s just say chopping, slicing and stirring between phone calls, doorbells and play-doh pick-up can have you running in circles.

So, clear the decks and enjoy my recipe for Cream of Mushroom Soup that’ll warm you right up.

Ingredients:

5 – 6 cups of chicken stock

12 – 16 oz white button mushrooms (cleaned and sliced thin)

1 small onion diced

3 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon crushed dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1 cup heavy cream

Dash of nutmeg

Directions:

1. Sauté butter, onions and mushrooms over medium heat about 20 minutes or until onions and mushrooms get soft. They should reduce in size and add liquid to the pot.

2. Add the flour slowly and stir until incorporated, about a minute.

3. Add thyme, salt and pepper and stir another minute.

4. Add a cup of stock at a time, to five cups, and bring to a simmer. Simmer about an hour (you can get away with a 30 minute simmer here, but the extra time intensifies the flavors) and add additional stock, up to a cup, as needed.

5. Reduce heat and slowly add cream and nutmeg. Let simmer another 10 minutes over medium-low heat.

Serve with crusty bread or crackers and enjoy!

Six Scratch Soups & Stews in Six Weeks – Success or Mess?

Fall is here and it’s time to launch our next Success or Mess Challenge.

The plan is whip up six soups and stews, from scratch, in six weeks. The ingredients, time and effort that it takes to make these soups will vary. Sounds doable, right? Except this would be in addition to the working, cooking, cleaning and toddler chasing that normally occurs, we’re expecting, AND the house will be a deconstruction zone for roughly two of the six weeks. It’s ambitious, and slightly crazy, I know. But, if you’re a fan of this blog, you know that’s how we roll. I say, savor the season!

The menu is not entirely set, so if you have soup and stew suggestions or other helpful advice, feel free to comment.

Check back later to see how it’s going, and if I’ve had to call in reinforcements. :)

Summer Reads Final Week – A fun series you’ll fall for

Perhaps summer is still sizzling in your area, or frigid temps may be just around the corner. Either way, fall is nearly here, officially, and there is a great summer-kind-of-read that will take you right into autumn.

Janet Evanovich’s book Wicked Appetite is a new Unmentionable Series book, but stars the Diesel you know and love from the Between-the-numbers Plum novels.

Is there another woman in Diesel’s life? Well, here is a little blurb about the new girl. Hit the author’s page for more details and to read an excerpt.

Elizabeth Tucker is freshly transplanted from New York City to Boston's North Shore. With a new job as pastry chef at Dazzle's bakery and an old house inherited from her Aunt Ophelia, her life is pretty much on track …until it's suddenly derailed by a guy named Diesel, a rude monkey, and a ninja cat.

A ninja cat? What's next? I’m ready to curl up with some cider and enjoy what is sure to be a lively romp through the Northeast – perfect for the end of summer. Happy reading!

Summer Reads Final Week - Guest Post Special!

As the summer season fades, our Summer Reads series enters its final week. But before we welcome fall in all its harvest glory, let’s finish this thing right.

This summer I posted all sorts of book suggestions and welcomed your feedback. There have been some great comments and e-mails, and my book list has grown exponentially. J Now, I am pleased to bring you a guest post from an avid reader and long-time friend. When I want to find something good to read or review, I call her…she always gives me the straight scoop. So, here is her first guest post for LITP. Welcome, Debbie!

First off, I’d like to thank Kristen for inviting me to be a guest on her blog. It is very kind of her and I’m delighted to be here.

I’d like chat about one of my favorite authors, David Rosenfelt. Now understand, I have a BOATLOAD of favorite authors, but David is near and dear to my heart as I discovered him (more or less) on my own, meaning, not recommended by a friend or relative. I was introduced to his work when Janet Evanovich sang his praises on a Good Morning America segment several years ago.

David has written a series of books that center around a main character, Andy Carpenter, a defense lawyer living in Paterson, New Jersey with his amazing golden retriever, Tara. Think Stephanie Plum with a legal degree. Not quite as zany, but definitely as entertaining. The reoccurring characters keep the books cohesive and familiar. Whenever I start a new book of David’s, I feel like I’m coming home to a wonderful, goofy family. Let me emphasize that in no way do these books have to be read in order. They all are totally stand-alone. The underlying theme throughout David’s books is dogs. As luck would have it, many times Andy is defending them or their owners.

I encourage you to take a look at David’s web site, www.davidrosenfelt.com and then grab one of his books, a comfy chair, a favorite beverage, and get ready to be transported to a world where there really is a good-guy to champion the “underdog!”

Leftovers Shmeftovers

I was really pressed for time last night. Dinner hadn’t been started when my husband walked in, our daughter was giving a cannibalistic eye to her teddy bear, and I was raising a shoe to bash out my frustration at our last-century fax machine. Home cooked meal? I would say no, except that a flash of an idea popped into my head early in the day, and if we didn’t follow-through our leftovers would become one with the earth again. I don’t like wasting food, but I could hardly stand to eat the same plain pork chops again. Since they were already cooked, I made a very quick maple-dijon sauce (from Cooking Light) and pulled together some veggies on the side. All of it was on the table in 20 minutes!

Even if you only have a few minutes, making a sauce or gravy to spice-up leftovers in your fridge can make a big difference. I’m telling you, it’s the way to go. Try it and see.

The Great Tomato Incident

This year we have an abundant crop of tomatoes. Scratch that, we had a lot of tomatoes. Some of them were chomped away by our local deer population, and a few others became shot-put practice for our toddler. I have to admit, she’s got a good arm. I should have known it would happen – I had just told my husband that we would have so many, we should invite the neighbors to pick their own.

While I look at the caged remains of a great crop, a thought occurred. They probably needed the fruits more than we did. Plus, we had extra. There are some untouched ‘maters that we can still use. And I plan to – after they are cleaned and inspected for teeth marks. Once that happens, they’ll be certified recipe worthy.

If you were lucky enough to escape a wild-animal-buffet-bonanza, I have a suggestion for preparing a simple side dish of grape, cherry or Roma tomatoes.

Tasty Roast Tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 425°

Wash a handful to a pint of small tomatoes

Place them on a foil-lined baking sheet

Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over top, enough to lightly coat

Add pinch each of kosher salt, pepper and garlic powder

Give them a quick toss to distribute the oil and seasonings

Cook about 12 minutes or until the tomatoes start bursting open

Serve and enjoy!

Tasty ‘tizer – Bruschetta goes upscale

If there is an appetizer I want to serve guests this season, it’s the Bruschetta with Black Olive Pesto highlighted in the latest Cook’s Illustrated. This recipe offers a new twist on a classic favorite.

When I tested this recipe, I knew I’d make it again – it was that good. Each bite a mouthful of crunch, mmm, yum! The bruschetta was a delicious combination of creamy ricotta, bold olive pesto, sundried tomatoes, and crunchy bread.

Here is the recipe as I tested it for the Cook’s Kitchens. You can also find it online or in their latest issue along with recipes for Bruschetta with Feta and Roasted Peppers, and Bruschetta with Artichoke Hearts and Parmesan.

Now, if I could just get a friend to make it and invite me over, we’d be set. Enjoy!

From Cook's Illustrated.

Black Olive Pesto Bruschetta with Ricotta and Basil
Serves 4 as a light main course or 8 to 10 as an appetizer

NOTE: Toast the bread as close as possible to the time at which you plan to serve the bruschetta. If you prefer, the bread can be grilled. After trimming the ends, the loaf of bread should yield 10 or 11 slices. To avoid an overpowering garlic flavor, use a light touch when rubbing the bread with the raw garlic.
Because the olives can be quite salty, be sure to use a light hand when seasoning the ricotta.

1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 teaspoon), plus 1 medium clove, whole
½ cup pitted Kalamata olives
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 ½ teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons minced oil-packed sundried tomatoes
Table salt and ground black pepper
1 loaf crusty country bread, about 10 by 5 inches, ends discarded, cut crosswise into ¾-inch thick pieces (see note)
2 tablespoons finely shredded fresh basil leaves

1. Process minced garlic, olives, 2 tablespoons olive oil, shallot, and lemon juice in food processor until uniform paste forms, about 10 seconds, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula once during processing. Combine ricotta and sundried-tomatoes with salt and pepper to taste in small bowl.

2. Adjust oven rack to about 4 inches away from heating element and heat broiler. Broil bread until deep golden on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Rub one side of each slice lightly with whole garlic clove and then brush with remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt to taste.

3. Divide black olive mixture evenly among slices of toast and spread to edges. Top with ricotta and carefully spread over pesto. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with basil, and serve.