Cheesy Green Chile and Potato Chowder with Buttermilk Cornbread

Dear Jess,

For some reason I am craving comfort food this summer. All I want is pizza, mashed potatoes with gravy, stews, mac and cheese... the list goes on!

On yesterday's menu:

Cheesy Green Chile and Potato Chowder
adapted from www.eatliverun.com 

3 poblano peppers
1 large yellow onion, small diced
1 green bell pepper, small diced
3 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 stalks celery, small diced
3 slices bacon
2 tsp minced garlic
1 quart chicken broth
2 tsp salt
2 cups milk
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup Jalapeno Monterey Jack Cheese {plus additional for serving}
thinly sliced green onions

First, fire roast the peppers.

To do this, place poblano peppers right over the flame on your burner if you have a gas stove. Flip occasionally until every inch of the pepper is charred. If you don’t have a gas stove, place peppers underneath the broiler on a lined sheet tray {also flipping occasionally} until charred. Once charred all around, immediately remove peppers from heat and zip up in a plastic zip-loc bag. Let sit for 20 minutes then remove charred skin with the back of a knife and roughly chop up peppers.

While your peppers are cooling, fry the bacon in a large Dutch Oven or heavy  bottomed pot. Fry until crispy then remove bacon from the pot and drain on pepper towels. Keep grease in the pot!

Add your onion, bell pepper, garlic and celery to the hot grease. Saute for about six minutes over medium heat until veggies are just tender. Add cubed potatoes to the pot, as well as the poblano peppers, and toss well so everything is combined.

Pour in chicken broth and add the salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 35 minutes until potatoes are very tender {be sure to “test” with a fork or knife…nothing worse than biting into an uncooked potato!}. Add milk and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together so that no flour clumps remain and bring back to a simmer. Simmer for another 10 minutes. (I used my immersion blender for this one, as I wanted something more creamy!)

Turn off heat completely and add cheese to the pot. Stir well so cheese melts. Serve immediately with crumbled bacon, sliced green onions and additional cheese.


Buttermilk Cornbread
from www.allrecipes.com

1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk*
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8 inch square pan.

Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

*To make your own buttermilk, add one tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice to one cup of milk. Let stand for 10-15 minutes.

 I love you and miss you!

Love,

Bacon Appetizers and Muffin Sized Lasagna

Good Morning, and Happy Easter Monday! 

I hope your weekend was wonderful, and you were able to get outside and enjoy the beautiful Spring weather! It was snowing a little bit this morning (in typical April style), but the sun has now come out and it's looking like a cheerful day!

We celebrated my Mom's birthday this weekend, and Jason and I had the whole family over for dinner. Including significant others... this was a total of 10 people! We set up our living room with our 2 tables and had a lovely time!

Kristy came over to help me (which was awesome!) and the night was a success (company, food, atmosphere... everything!)

The Menu:

Bacon wrapped Dates

Hummus and Flatbread (homemade)

Arugala, Mango and Avocado Salad

Bussels Sprout, Parmesan and Toasted Walnut Salad

Muffin Sized Lasagna

Coconut and Dark Chocolate Cups

Baked Apple Halves 

I will be sharing two of these recipes with you today.

Bacon wrapped Dates
from Caitlin, who made them for Jason and me the last time we visited

Pitted Dates
Bacon, cut in half
Goat Cheese
Almonds
Toothpicks (sturdy ones)

1. Place one almond and a chunk of Goat cheese inside the date. Wrap in half a piece of bacon. Stab with a toothpick. Pace in a greased casserole dish.

2. Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes.

3. Serve.

Always make more than you think you will need! Though they sound weird... they are so delicious!

Muffin Sized Lasagna
adapted from tablespoon.com

1/3 pound extra lean ground beef
salt and pepper
24 wonton wrappers
1 3/4 cup (7oz) freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
1 3/4 cup (7oz) grated Mozzarella Cheese (I used marbled)
3/4 cup (3oz) Ricotta Cheese
1 cup Pasta Sauce
Fresh Basil for Garnish (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375F. DO NOT spray muffin trays!

2. Brown beef, and season with salt and pepper. (I added seasonings to my beef.) Drain.

3. Reserve 3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese and 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese for the top of your lasagnas. Start layering your lasagna. Begin with a wonton wrapper and press it into the bottom of each muffin tin. Sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella cheese in each. top with a little meat and pasta sauce.

4. Repeat layers again (i.e. wonton, Parmesan, ricotta, mozzarella, and pasta sauce). Top with reserved Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.

5. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until edges are brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. To remove, use a knife to loosen the edges then pop each lasagna out.

6. Garnish with basil and serve.

 

These are so yummy and so easy to adapt to individual tastes! This recipe makes 12... Kristy and I made 48. Half of the meat we seasoned with Thyme, Basil and Oregano. The other half we used Chili Powder, Cumin and Red Pepper flakes. They taste amazing the next day as well! Very good recipe to have! 

Lots of Love,

Stuffed Fillet Steak, and Savory Cheese and Bacon Muffins

Dearest Jess,

I hope your holidays have been everything you hoped them to be. I found mine to be busy, but perfectly balanced with relaxation. As always, there were many family dinners, and friends in from out of town. It was all wonderful.

Yesterday was my first day back to work since the 23rd. Jason and I had planned a dinner to make on Sunday night, but other things came up, so it was pushed to last night. We got the recipes from this great book that Robin gave me for my birthday. It's called Mix & Match Meals. To fully appreciate this book you really need to go pick one up. When you open it, the pages are split horizontally in three sections. The top one: appetizers, the middle: entrees, the bottom: desserts. So as you pick which one you want for each stage of your meal, you can flip through all the sections separately and in the end have all three recipes open at the same time. This means the process of making your grocery list is greatly simplified.

The Menu: Stuffed Fillet Steak with chili and parsley butter, with Savory Cheese and Bacon Muffins.

I have mixed feelings about this meal. The muffins were surprisingly amazing. If you make them with whole wheat/grain bread crumbs they become a healthier option. The steak was... interesting. I'm not sure I'm a fan of a cream cheese filling for a steak. Maybe if it was whipped with some fresh herbs and spices? Or spinach? Or feta and/or goat cheese instead? It needed something else. The butter I would put more chili flakes in. That being said, it would be delicious spread on some fresh bread.

All in all, it was a pretty plate.

Savory Cheese and Bacon Muffins
adapted from Mix&Match Meals, Page 108 (starters) 
5 1/2 oz (150g) Canadian bacon, sliced
7oz (200g) Cheddar cheese, cut up into small cubes
1 1/4 cups whole wheat/grain bread crumbs
1/2 bunch of scallions, finely chopped
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
salt and ground black pepper
Pam for greasing

1. Fry the bacon until cooked but not too crispy, then cut into bite-sized pieces. Mix together the cheese with the bread crumbs, scallions, eggs and milk. Stir in the bacon.
2. Season generously with salt and pepper, then spoon into 4 buttered ramekins (or into your muffin trays). Bake in the oven at 375F (190C) for about 25 minutes until risen and golden. Serve hot or cold.


Stuffed Fillet Steak with Chili and Parsley Butter
adapted from Mix&Match Meals, Page 64 (Main Course)
4 sirloin steaks, about 8oz (225g) each, cut to a minimum 1 inch (2.5cm) thick
4 1/2oz (125g) light cream cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

for Chili and Parsley Butter
5 tbsp salted butter
1 tsp hot red pepper flakes
2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves


Spinach to serve

1. To make the chili and parsley butter, mix together all the ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Form into a sausage shape, and place in a piece of parchment paper. Roll up into a tube, twist each end of pepper, and chill for 30 minutes.
2. Heat the barbecue until hot. Take each fillet steak and, using a thin pointed knife pierce the side and move the knife from side to side to create a cavity, trying not to increase the size of the opening too much. Place a portion of cream cheese into each opening. Do not over stuff.
3. Grill the steaks on the barbecue over high heat for 3 minutes on each side, turning once. Set on a plate, and let rest for 5 minutes.
4. Serve on top of fresh spinach with a dollop of Chili and Parsley Butter for garnish.

I can't wait to hear about your travels! I hope all is and will continue to go safely.


Love,

Man Food: Sausage & Bean Witches' Brew

Dearest Sally,

First things first, living in a hotel for a week does not actually sound like a luxury for women like us. I understand any frustration you may be feeling. If that is the case remember to find your happy place and improvise.

As you can guess from my lack of posts that I have been a teeny bit busy lately. I can't believe it's almost November! Where did October go? I too am SUPER excited for Saturday. I'm starting to forget what you look like ;)

The following recipe is form the Autumn LCBO Food & Drink and is my new definition of man food. Have you ever looked at something in the magazine and thought, "THAT will be delicious" and then it turns out to be awesome and nothing like you expected? This lamb, sausage and bean stew is just that. There are no vegetables or hidden healthy foods in here. Next football party be sure to put this on the table. It was a huge hit with the 'man-friend' who was salivating as it was simmering on the stove. Perfect for a cold and rainy day, this will keep you satisfied for hours.

I loved your last two posts. I just bought a slow cooker for my classroom and I have a feeling that it will be getting a lot of use over the next few winter months.

See you very soon!

Love,
Jess



King Goblin Strong Ale with Lamb, 
Sausage & Bean Witches' Brew
Adapted from LCBO Food & Drink

2 lb lamb shoulder cut into pieces
2 tbsp bacon or duck fat
3 cups onion
1/2 cup tomato paste
2 tbsp. garlic, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
2 dried bay leaves
5 lg. spicy Italian sausages
2 cans white beans


1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Working in batches, add the cubed lamb and cook until well browned, about 12 minutes.

2. Remove lamb from pot and set aside. Add onions to pot, cook for 5 minutes, add tomato paste, garlic and cloves and cook for 1 minute.

3. Place browned lamb and bay leaves in pot, add just enough water to come to the top of the meats, barely covering. Bring to the boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours then add the sausage, beans and just enough water to come to the top of the ingredients, barely covering. Simmer for another hour, making sure that the mixture doesn't become too dry. If needed, add another 1/4 cup or more of water to loosen the mixture.


4. Before serving, make sure the lamb is tender, if not cook another 30 minutes, adding more water if necessary. Once ready to serve, discard bay leaves. Slice the sausages into thin rounds and place back into the pot. Serve with crusty bread.