Corn Chowder for a Cold Day

I don’t get it. What is wrong with the weather around here? Apparently people who could see the outdoors and don’t work in a windowless basement (like I do) experienced snow, hail, sleet and rain. Just over a week ago was some of the prettiest weather we could have asked for.

I try to be optimistic, but sometimes, it’s just impossible.

So, to warm us all up from the nasty cold weather, I made a big pot of corn chowder. And to make it a little more special, I provided toppings for everyone to choose from.

This is a super-easy, super-quick, super-scrumptious dinner that everyone enjoys. Add a loaf of sourdough bread, and you’ll feel warm to the core.

Corn Chowder
1/2 pound bacon
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 c flour
4 c chicken broth
2 c milk
2 med/large yukon gold potatoes
1 bag frozen corn
salt & pepper

Cut the bacon in 1/2″ pieces, and fry until crisp. Remove bacon from pan. pour out all but about 1/4 c bacon grease. Add onions and saute in bacon grease until softened. Stir in flour and cook for a minute or two.

Add chicken broth and milk. Wash potatoes and cut into 1″ dice. Add to pot. Season with salt and pepper and cook until potatoes are tender.

While potatoes are cooking, whiz 1/2 bag of frozen corn in food processor until mostly smooth. Add milk or water to facilitate if necessary. After potatoes are tender, add pureed corn. Return soup to boil. Season to taste.

Remove from stove and stir in remaining 1/2 bag frozen corn.

Serve and enjoy. Topping suggestions we love include:
Tomatoes, cheddar cheese, jalapeno, green onions and the crisp bacon from the first step of the recipe.

PS: This makes EXCELLENT leftovers!

Austin’s Chocolate Cake

Like most families, we offer the kids their choice of dinner and dessert for their birthdays. And for the past six years or so, Austin’s birthday cake has always been the one that I created in response to his indecision. His two favorite desserts are chocolate cake and french silk pie. And trying to choose between the two for his birthday dessert was causing him to totally stress out.

So I combined the two. Made a chocolate cake with french silk pie filling between the layers. It became an instant classic in our home, and ever since, the combination is known as Austin Chocolate Cake.

The only thing I have struggled with over the years is the icing. Because of the filling, it needs to be kept in the fridge. Which meant that the traditional buttercream frosting just didn’t work. Buttercream is best at room temp.

So last year I experimented with a ganache, and that was the answer. The cake I use is a chocolate wacky cake (otherwise known as a crazy cake or vinegar cake). It isn’t too sweet, has a good chocolate flavor, and is fairly substantial. You could use whatever your favorite chocolate cake recipe or mix is.

My recipe for french silk pie uses raw eggs. I know where my eggs come from, so I have no problem with it, but if you would rather not use raw eggs yourself, you can either use the liquid egg whites that are sold in the little milk-type cartons, or there are even eggs that are pasturized in the shell.

Happy Birthday, Austin!

Austin’s Chocolate Cake Cake:
Cake:
3 c flour
4 T cocoa
1 t salt
2 c sugar
2 t baking soda
3/4 c salad oil
2 c water
2 t vinegar
2 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Butter & flour 2 round cake pans. Mix all ingredients together with mixer.
Divide batter evenly between prepared pans.
Bake 35-45 minutes until done according to the toothpick test.

French Silk Filling
Mix until light and fluffy:
1/2 c Butter
3/4 c Sugar
Melt & cool slightly
2 oz semi-sweet chocolate
Add chocolate to butter & sugar mixture. Mix to combine.
Add:
1 t vanilla
1 egg
Beat until smooth & silky.
Add:
1 egg
Continue beating until smooth, light and silky.
Fold in:
4 oz Cool Whip or equivalent of whipped cream, beaten with 1 tsp gelatin powder to stabilize.

Chill to firm before using for filling.

Eggs + Air = Deliciousness

Even though I disdain Valentine’s Day as a “made-up” holiday, I am willing to use it as an excuse to make a delicious dinner.

The highlight of this year’s valentine’s meal was the souffle at the end.

Paul and I have a very special relationship with souffle. It was the dessert we had at our very fancy, way-out-of-our-price-range, first anniversary dinner. It is now funny to think of how overwhelmed we were by the sheer fanciness of everything.

It was a prix fixe menu. Not wanting to appear too unsophisticated, we ordered iced tea instead of sodas. I have no recollection of what appetizers or salads we had, though I know they were there. For the entrees, I went with the pepper-crusted steak while Paul thoroughly enjoyed the duck. And then we had dessert.

This was the first time ever that we had been required to commit to a dessert before the meal even began. But, as our very kind and patient waiter explained, souffles take time.

The dessert of the day was the Grand Marnier Souffle. We each had one placed in front of us, then the waiter plunged two spoons into the middle of them to make way for a dollop of whipped cream.

We were enchanted and impressed, and loved every moment of it. And ever since then, the souffle has held a special place in our hearts.

At that time, with my limited cooking skills, I never even considered trying to recreate the dish. Eight years ago I was braver and made my first souffle for our 10th anniversary.(Holy Cow! How OLD am I?) It was very egg-y tasting. Think puffy, sweet scrambled eggs. Not a good thing.

But over the years, my cooking skills have continued to improve, and I had a fridge-full of fresh, beautiful eggs that were calling to me. So I tried again, and it worked.

The recipe I used can be found here, so I won’t retype it. The only think I did differently was not using orange oil, since I didn’t have any.

Otherwise, it was really easy. Buttered and sugared the ramekins, and made the recipe up to the point of beating the egg whites. Then, after dinner, it was a simple matter of beating and folding in the egg whites, spooning everything into the ramekins, and baking.

And savoring.

Can-free Tuna Casserole

A few months ago I shared my absolutely delicious recipe for Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas that are made without the dreaded “can-a-soup”. Trust me, make it once, and you’ll never go back.

Now here’s another can-free recipe, this time for a regularly-mocked standby dinner. Tuna Noodle Casserole. It doesn’t take any more time than the canny recipe, you can make the sauce in the time it takes to bring the water to a boil and cook the noodles. OK, it’s not totally can-free unless you make your own chicken broth, but at least it’s “can-a-soup”-free.

And it’s good.

Really, really good.

Can-free Tuna Noodle Casserole

1 pkg egg noodles
2 T Butter
2 T oil
1/2 onion, chopped
mushrooms, sliced (quantity depends on how much you like mushrooms)
1/2 c flour
Salt & Pepper
2 c chicken broth
1/2 c cream
1 T Worcestershire sauce
2 cans tuna (I like the tuna in oil…it just tastes better)
3 oz cheddar cheese, cubed + 1 oz, grated
frozen green peas (again, quantity depends on how much you like peas – substitute a different veggie if you don’t like ‘em at all)
leftover potato chips or bread crumbs

Cook egg noodles as directed on package.
Melt oil & butter together. Saute onion & mushroom until onions are translucent and mushrooms are golden brown. Season with salt & pepper. Mix in flour. Add chicken broth. Cook, stirring often until thickened. Add cream and Worcestershire sauce. Cook until thickened again.

Mix together drained noodles, sauce, tuna, peas and cubed cheddar. Put into a casserole dish. Top with grated cheddar mixed with potato chips or bread crumbs.

Bake at 375 until cheese is melted and casserole is hot.

Enjoy!

Setting the World on Fire … well, my steak at least

When I started really cooking, it was kind of a big deal if I made a meal that had nothing to do with boxes. I remember several years ago purchasing a box of roasted potato seasoning mix. Seriously. I cut up potatoes and then sprinkled this box of seasoning over them. What an eye-opener it was for me when I one day realized that I could use the spices in my own cupboard and achieve the same, if not better, results!

But I would do things like spend hours making Chicken Cordon Bleu, and then serve it with Rice-a-Roni and canned green beans on the side. Or make the most delicious and fluffy mashed potatoes from scratch, and then drown them in a packaged gravy mix.

Now, I’m not so snobby as to say that convenience foods don’t have a place. Even as I type this, I must admit that there are cheap, frozen pizzas in my freezer and canned chili in the pantry (that’s for Paul’s chili dogs). But I have gotten to the point where I realize that for the most part, someone with even a moderate amount of experience in the kitchen can make a meal entirely from scratch that will WOW almost anyone.

It sometimes just takes a bit of bravery.

Last month, I got into a conversation with Temperance, one of the founders of Recipes to Rival. I have been particularly lax in participation of the recipes over the last couple of months. Part of that is because of my crazy life. But I was also a little uncertain of some of the recipes that were chosen. Not that I thought they were bad choices…don’t misunderstand me! It was more the fact that I didn’t know if my family would eat them, and it sure seemed like a whole lot of work for something that was such a gamble.

Basically, I was being a wuss.

But during this conversation with Temperance I realized that I really didn’t have a right to complain if I wasn’t prepared to do something about it. And when Temperance told me that her planned co-host for March’s challenge had to back out, I felt compelled to step up and put my money where my mouth was. So I became March’s Recipes to Rival co-host.

Because it was so last minute, we had a very short amount of time in which to choose a recipe. I wanted something that had a classic technique that would challenge, but not frighten (too badly). Temperance wanted something special for her birthday month. After a couple days of debate, inspiration hit.

Flambe’!


Temperance thought it sounded like a great idea, a quick recipe search found a delicious sounding Steak Diane Flambe’ recipe, and we were set. Ready to light the world on fire. Or at least, beef and mushrooms on fire.

It was fun. I had a hard time getting a good picture of the fire, it doused itself out so quickly, but the results were stupendously delicious. A couple weeks later I flambe’d some mushrooms for dinner and it was just as good.

I guess that means I need to make sure there’s always brandy in the house.

Oh, the sacrifices I make.

But, what this showed me is that while flambe’ sounds scary, it’s really pretty approachable and quite fun. I look forward to an opportunity to Flambe’ For Friends. (Sounds like a fundraising event, doesn’t it?)

Here’s the official link to the Recipes to Rival Steak Diane Flambe’ post, recipe included.

Enjoy!

THE FINE PRINT DISCLAIMER: I do not require that you flambé, if you choose to flambé and burn down your kitchen, don’t sue me. If you choose to flambé try and get a picture (I recommend getting someone to help). Remember when playing with fire keep a fire extinguisher close and never use water on a cooking fire.