Getting Back on Track

No more procrastinating. I have to get back on track and get out of this funky mood I've been in for four months. I've been really busy and yet I feel like I haven't done anything constructive. You ever get in one of those moods where you are just mad or dislike everything? Food doesn't taste good, clothes don't feel good, bad hair days, bad face days, ya just want to crawl under and rock and sleep all day days. My two forms of entertainment lately have either been eating or sleeping. I'm one of those "emotional eaters". I get my feelings hurt....I eat. I get upset.....I eat. Depressed......eat. A celebration or a happy occassion......We EAT!!! Ugh!!! I spent the first five months of this year sweating and working my butt off and watching what I eat to loose 15 pounds. It only took two and a half to gain it all back!!! It's September 1st and I am making a vow that starting tomorrow I am going to get back on track and stay on track through the end of the year. Back to exercising, back to working out, back to eating healthy!!!! No more procrastinating! No more excuses! (although I did have some pretty good ones) Cracked my elbow, chipped my thumb, had my heart broken, and broke my toe. All of which were excuses to pig out or not work out.

Fortunately, most of those have healed and life will go on. I just need to stay focused and make healthy choices for myself, physically and emotionally. Now, check out this new cake recipe!!! Ha Ha!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Nutty Gingerbread Cake with Toffee Sauce

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup sulfured molasses
4 large eggs
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp ground ginger
1 cup chopped pecans
Garnish:  confectioners' sugar
Toffee Sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 12 or 15 cup Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray with flour.  In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium speed with a mixer until fluffy.  Add molasses, beating until combined.  Add eggs, beating until smooth.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and ginger.  Gradually add to butter mixture, beating just until combined.  Stir in pecans.  Spoon batter into prepared pan.  Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in cake comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes.  Remove from pan, cool completely on a wire rack.  Garnish with confectioners' sugar if desired.  Serve cake with warm Toffee Sauce.

Toffee Sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add brown sugar, stirring to combine.  Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.  Stir in cream and vanilla; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

This recipe came from the Paula Deen's Christmas magazine, December 2011 issue.  I wanted to try it because A.  I love anything that comes with a sauce and 2.  My Aunt Fern was a huge fan of gingerbread and anytime I see it, smell it or taste it I always think of her and then start to miss her very much.  So I made this cake in her honor even though the taste of gingerbread it not one of my favorites.  While I was mixing this cake I tasted the batter just after I had added the molasses and I almost gagged!  Apparently I don't care of the taste of molasses either!  I was worried that this cake would end up in the trash but once you get all the ingredients mixed together it really is pretty tasty.  The house smelled really good while the cake was baking which was a plus for me.  It makes a dense, pound cake type bundt cake.  The sauce is really good.  Larripon as my mother would say.  You could put this sauce on just about any kind of cake and it would be great on ice cream too.  I personally like it plain, on a spoon!  When you serve this cake you can cut a slice first, drizzle the sauce over the cake and then microwave it for about 25 seconds.  Dee-lish!!!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Pommes De Terre a la Boulangere: Potatoes a la Bakery

3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
4 onion, sliced
2 pounds potatoes, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh thyme sprigs or leaves if using jar thyme
2 cups beef stock

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Melt half the butter and the olive oil in a sauce pan and gently fry the onions until soft and lightly golden, about 15 minutes.  Spread half the onions in the bottom of a casserole dish.  Lay a layer of sliced potatoes on top, season with salt and pepper and scatter with thyme leaves.  Build another layer of onions then a final one of potatoes and finally pour over the stock.  Cover pan with foil and bake until all the liquid has been absorbed, 2 to 3 hours, removing foil the last hour to crisp the top if you like.


I saw this dish prepared on the Food TV channel.  The french girl made it look very easy and it was.  It's very simple and you feel like you are making something extremely 
elegant putting this dish together.  Taste wise, it really wasn't anything extra special, just soft, tender, flavorful potatoes that were rich in flavor from the broth and onions.  


Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Peppers

1 5 - 5 1/2 pound pork tenderloin
2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp minced fresh rosemary
Balsamic Peppers

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Trim fat from tenderloin.  Sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in a roasting pan over medium high heat; add tenderloin.  Cook 6 to 8 minutes, turning often to brown all sides.  Remove tenderloin to a cutting board.  Rub tenderloin with garlic and 2 tbsp rosemary, pressing to adhere.  Return to pan.  Bake, uncovered for 40 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of tenderloin registers 140 degrees (rare) 160 degrees (medium).  Remove tenderloin to a serving platter, let stand 10 minutes before slicing.  Arrange Balsamic Peppers around tenderloin.

Balsamic Peppers
2 large red bell peppers
2 large yellow bell peppers
1 red onion, cut into 8 wedges
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp molasses
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary

Cut peppers in half lengthwise, discard seeds and membranes.  Place pepper halves, skin side up on a large aluminum foil lined baking sheet, flatten peppers  with palm of hand.  Add onion to baking sheet.  Broil 5 1/2 inches away from heat 20 to 25 minutes or until peppers are blackened.  Place peppers in a zip-top plastic bag; seal, and let stand 15 minutes.  Peel skin from peppers, cut peppers into strips.  Whisk together vinegar and next 4 ingredients in a medium bowl; stir in rosemary.  Add pepper strips and onion to bowl; toss well.

The tenderloin and the peppers made for a nice, fancy meal that was easy to prepare
and inexpensive as well.  You can use beef tenderloin with this recipe too but I have always been a fan of a pork tenderloin.  After searing the meat I deglazed the pan with beef stock and made my brown gravy then while the skillet was hot so this saved me time rather than doing it just before I was ready to serve the meal.  My husband always likes to have gravy with meats like this so I just made a simple brown gravy to go along with this meal.  The method of broiling the peppers in the oven then putting them in a plastic bag for 15 minutes was a very handy tip.  The skin came right off the peppers after sitting in the steamy bag for that long.  The balsamic mixture could have used just a scosh more seasoning to me but all in all the peppers were good and the purple onion added a hint of sweet taste to the whole thing.  These recipes came from the Southern Living Christmas Cookbook.

Mexican Lasagna

1/2 lb hot ground pork sausage
1/2 lb ground round
1 15 oz can ranch-style pinto beans, drained
1 10 oz can diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 10 3/4 oz can cream of celery soup
1 10 3/4 oz can cream of mushroom soup
1 10 oz can enchilada sauce
9 6" corn tortillas, divided
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or pepper jack cheese, divided
1 medium tomato, chopped
4 green onions, chopped
1 medium avocado, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook sausage and ground round in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat, stirring often until meat crumbles and is no longer pink; drain.  Return meat to pan; stir in beans and next 5 ingredients.  Cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir together soups and enchilada sauce in a medium sauce pan; cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes or until thoroughly  heated.  Spoon one-third of sauce into a lightly greased 13 x 9 baking dish; top with 3 tortillas.  Spoon half of beef mixture and one-third of sauce over tortillas; sprinkle with half o Cheddar cheese.  Top with 3 tortillas; repeat layers with remaining beef, sauce, Cheddar cheese and tortillas ending with tortillas.  Sprinkle with 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese.  Cover loosely with foil.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Add remaining 1 cup Monterey Jack; bake uncovered 10 more minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes.  Top with tomato, green onion and avocado.

This dish was very good!  It got a thumbs up from everyone as did the Fiesta Salad that I served with it.  The "lasagna" stays together and is very filling and delicious.  It would be a good dish to fix if you needed to feed several people.  It warms up well the next day too!  This recipe came from the Souther Living Christmas Cookbook.

Fiesta Salad

per serving:
1 1/2 cup shredded lettuce
cubed or diced longhorn or Colby jack cheese
diced avocado
diced tomato
hand full of slightly crushed Frito corn chips

Fiesta dressing:
1/2 cup mayo
1 tbsp Chili Garlic Sauce
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place shredded lettuce in salad bowl and generously top with cubed cheese, diced avocado and diced tomato.  Garnish with a hand full of slightly crushed Frito corn chips, top with Fiesta dressing.

Stir together the mayo and chili garlic sauce to combine.  Whisk in 1/4 cup of olive oil adding more for desired dressing consistency, spoon over salad.  Measured ingredients for dressing above will make enough for 3 servings.  This recipe came from the top of my head.  :)  It was spicy but it was delicious!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Rustic Apple Tart

1 large Braeburn apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp apple pie spice
1/2 (14.1 ounce) package refrigerated pie crust
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine apple, 1/4 cup sugar, cornstarch and apple pie spice; toss well to coat.  Roll out pie crust on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Top with apple mixture, leaving a wide border; fold over edges of crust to partially enclose filling.  Brush crust with egg wash; sprinkle with remaining   1 tablespoon sugar.  Bake for 18 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

This was a quick and easy dessert that looked like you spent lots of time on.   I recommend serving this tart hot with a scoop of ice cream on the side.  The apples are well seasoned but they keep some of their crispness so don't expect this tart to taste the same as an apple pie.  It was good but then I'm not the biggest apple fan so for me it was just okay.  This recipe came from the DeenBros Family Holidays magazine.

Butternut Squash Casserole with Pecan Streusel

3 (12 oz) packages frozen cooked butternut squash, thawed (I used one large fresh squash peeled, cubed and cooked until tender)
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup half and half
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
 1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3 tbsps cold butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup chopped pecans


Combine first 10 ingredients in a large bowl; stir well.  Place in lightly greased 11 x 7 baking dish.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine flour and 1/4 cup brown sugar.  Cut in 3 tablespoons butter with a pastry blender until crumbly.  Stir in nuts.  Sprinkle over squash.  Bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.  Let casserole stand 5 minutes before serving,

This casserole was AMAZING!!!  Traditionally, my family
always has sweet potato casserole at Thanksgiving and
Christmas dinner but now that I have tasted this recipe it may just
put the yams out of business!  This is only the second time I have
ever cooked or eaten butternut squash and I have to say that I am
pleasantly surprised by it's versatility, taste and texture.  With all the
spices and ingredients added to this dish it made it taste just as good as our sweet potato casserole but with an added bonus.  The
pecan streusel topping was like icing on the cake for this dish.  It was sweet, with a little bit of nutty crunch.  It was a perfect side dish for the turkey.  Try this one, it's full of Autumn goodness!
This recipe came from the Southern Living Christmas Cookbook.

Two Herb-Roasted Turkey with Bourbon Gravy

1 12-14 pound fresh or frozen turkey, thawed
6 tbsp butter, softened
1 1/2 tbsp minced fresh sage or 1 1/2 tsp rubbed sage
1 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 large onion, cut into wedges
2 celery ribs, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, halved


Remove giblets and neck from turkey, place in refrigerator for use in gravy, if desired.  Rinse turkey with cold water, pat dry with paper towels.  Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a lightly greased roasting pan.  Lift wing tips up and over back and tuck under bird.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees, combine butter and next 4 ingredients in a small bowl; rub 2 tbsp seasoned butter inside turkey cavity.  Place onion, celery and garlic inside turkey cavity.  Rub remaining 4 tbsp seasoned butter all over outside of turkey, legs and all.  Tie ends of legs together with heavy string or tuck under flap of skin around tail.

Bake uncovered for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until a meat thermometer inserted into the meaty part of the thigh registers 170 degrees.  Shield turkey with aluminum foil towards end of cooking in necessary to prevent over browning.

Transfer turkey to a serving platter, reserving drippings for Bourbon Gravy.  Let turkey stand covered with foil at least 15 minutes before carving.

Bourbon Gravy:
Giblets and neck reserved from turkey to make broth
*note:  Substitute canned chicken broth instead if desired
Pan drippings from turkey
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp bourbon

Combine giblets, neck and 3 cups water in a saucepan.  Bring to a biol, cover, reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour or until giblets are tender.  Strain, reserving broth.  Discard turkey neck (and giblets, unless you want to add them to the gravy later)

Add reserved broth (2 cups) to turkey pan drippings; stir until browned bits are loosen from bottom of roasting pan.  Transfer broth and drippings to a saucepan.  Add giblets at this time if you are using them.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered 3 to 5 minutes.  Combine flour and 1/2 cup water, stirring until blended, gradually stir into gravy.  Bring to a boil, boil 1 minute or longer until thickened.  Stir garlic powder and bourbon into remaining gravy.  Serve hot.

My picture does not do this turkey justice! When I made this I used a fresh, whole turkey breast instead of a whole turkey.  It was too close to Thanksgiving to cook a whole turkey but I wanted to experiment with this recipe so I only used the breast.  I had to cut the ingredients in thirds to down size for just the breast portion and it turned out perfect!  This turkey breast was so tender and juicy and the herbs gave the meat a great flavor.  Whenever I cook a turkey at Christmas I just usually rinse it off, butter it and then salt and pepper it really good before I put it in the oven and it makes for a nice, moist bird.  Now that I have tried this recipe I think I will definitely use this from now on.  It was easy to prepare and really enhances the flavor of the turkey.  It was a hit at the Davis dinner table!

As for the bourbon gravy, it was a nice compliment to the meat without having a heavy bourbon taste.  I could slightly taste it because I knew it was in there but if you have some guest who would be turned off by the fact that there is liquor in your gravy, they wouldn't even know unless you told them.  They'll love it!  This recipe came from the Southern Living Christmas Cookbook.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Boeuf Bourguignon

        9- to 10-inch, fireproof casserole dish , 3 inches deep
      Slotted spoon
            6 ounces bacon
      1 Tbsp. olive oil or cooking oil
      3 pounds lean stewing beef , cut into 2-inch cubes
      1 sliced carrot
      1 sliced onion
            1 tsp. salt
      1/4 tsp. pepper
      2 Tbsp. flour
             3 cups full-bodied, young red wine , such as a Chianti
             2 to 3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon
      1 Tbsp. tomato paste
              2 cloves mashed garlic
      1/2 tsp. thyme
      Crumbled bay leaf
      Blanched bacon rind
      18 to 24 small white onions , brown-braised in stock
              1 pound quartered fresh mushrooms , sautéed in butter
       Parsley sprigs

      Remove rind from bacon, and cut bacon into lardons (sticks, 1/4 inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and
       bacon for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water. Drain and dry.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

Sauté the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you sauté the beef. 

Dry the stewing beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon. 

In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sauteing fat. 

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole, and turn oven down to 325 degrees. 

Stir in the wine, and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily. 

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set them aside until needed. 

When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat. 

Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.

For immediate serving: Covet the casserole and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles, or rice, and decorated with parsley. 

For later serving: When cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15 to 20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmer, cover, and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.


This is Julia Childs recipe.  It's the second time I've made it and I have to say that this time was a lot easier than the first.  I was very intimidated making it the first time.  I was so afraid of messing it up and there were a lot of terms and steps that I was not familiar with.  That's one of the reason why I have embraced cooking.  I wanted to learn to be a better cook and I wanted to be able to make a variety of meals instead of the same old thing week after week.  The first time I made this it took me all day.  I used every dish in the kitchen and it took twice as long to clean everything up!  The first time I made this I served it with noodles and the family gave it a thumbs up.  This time I served it with mashed potatoes.  This time it was a lot easier to make since I knew what lay ahead of me.  I may have taken a short cut or two but got the same results, no disrespect to Julia!  I just used bacon, sauteing it in the olive oil and I omitted the bacon rind.  I used it the first time and didn't even notice a difference so just know that you can just use the bacon and be done with that part.  I put more than one carrot in the dish.  I used about three small ones.  I mixed my thyme, basil and tomato paste in with the meat BEFORE I added the wine and beef stock.  I sauteed the mushrooms in butter and braised the onions in the broth but then after I removed the mushrooms from the pan I sauteed the onions in the butter that was leftover from the mushrooms which gave the onions a more browned, caramelized

Orange-Rosemary Chicken with Butternut Squash

1 small orange
1/4 cup butter, divided and softened
2 tsps finely chopped rosemary
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 7-8 pound roasting chicken
1 medium size yellow onion, cut into 8 wedges and divided
1 24 ounce bag small yellow potatoes
2 1/2 cups cubed butternut squash (3/4 inch cubes)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Zest orange to measure 1 teaspoon zest; cut orange into wedges.  In a small bowl, combine zest, 2 tablespoons butter, rosemary, salt and pepper.

Gently loosen skin from breast and thighs of chicken, keeping skin intact.  Rub butter mixture under skin.  Place orange wedges and 3 onion wedges in chicken cavity.  Tie legs together with kitchen twine.  Rub remaining 2 tablespoons butter over chicken skin, salt and pepper outside of chicken.  Place chicken on a roasting rack set in a large roasting pan or a large cast-iron skillet.

Bake for 1 hour.  Add potatoes, butternut squash, and remaining 5 onion wedges to roasting pan; toss to coat with drippings.  Bake for 1 hour longer or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of chicken registers 165 degrees and vegetables are tender; loosely tent with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning if necessary.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

This recipe was from the holiday issue of DeenBros Family Holidays magazine.  This was a fun dish to make as I learned two new tricks or techniques.  First, I have never buttered a chicken between the meat and the skin.  I've seen it done on TV but never tried it myself.  It's really easy and makes you feel like your Julia Childs while your cooking.  Second, I have never cooked with, or even ate for that matter, butternut squash.  I wasn't sure how to prepare it, if I should peel it or just cut it up with the skin on, and I didn't know what it would taste like so I was hoping all of the seasonings I was adding to the chicken would enhance it's flavor.  It was kind of hard to cut up, the one I had was huge!  Also, I had to go to two grocery stores before I found one and then I was lucky enough to get the last one.  I also looked pretty silly in the store when I was holding up various gords and sqaushes asking random old ladies walking by "Is this a butternut squash?"  Anyway, I brought that bad boy home and added him to my dish.  The orange zest and rosemary mixed together smelled amazing and added a delightful flavor to the roasted chicken.  I love any kind of roasted vegetables and so the onions, potatoes and butternut squash was a good marriage of flavors.  I served this dish with a Cesar salad, garlic bread and the mini lemon meringue tarts for dessert.  Yum!!!

Mini Meringue Tarts

1 box of pastry shells (I used VIP Pastry Shells, 8 shells wrapped in pairs, ready to fill and bake) from HEB
2 jars of lemon curd (11 oz jars)
2 tbsps meringue powder, divided
1/2 cup cold water, divided
3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp and 1 tsp sugar, divided
1/4 tsp vanilla extract, divided

Prick bottoms of pie shells and bake in 375 degree oven for 8 - 10 minutes.  Remove and slightly cool.  Fill pastry shells level with lemon curd.

(for first 4 pastry shells)
In a large bowl, combine 1 tablespoon meringue powder and 1/4 cup cold water .  Add 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar.  Beat at high speed with an electric mixer for 5 minutes.  Add 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar and 1/8 teaspoon vanilla.  (I put in 1/4 tsp cuz I like vanilla!)  Beat at high speed with an electric mixer until meringue is stiff and glossy, about 5 minutes.  Spoon meringue on top of lemon curd in pastry shells sealing the edges.

(for remaining 4 pastry shells)
Repeat all of the steps above to make a second batch of meringue for the rest of the pie shells.  Bake in oven until meringue is toasted and brown on the edges.

Okay, confession time.  I have never used meringue powder before.  It works pretty good and you don't have to use real eggs so I guess it's a good investment.  I only made four mini pies with this recipe so I only made the one batch of meringue and it was plenty so if you are going to make all 8 pies you will need to make two batches of the meringue.  It gets pretty fluffy in the mixer bowl so I guess that is why they tell you to make two separate batches.  I've made lots of lemon pies in my day but I have never just used lemon curd for the filling. Turns out, it makes a fantastic filling for lemon pie with just the right amount of tartness.  Who knew!!!  I have made so many lemon pies in the past that when you cut into them they just bleed all over the place and you would have to eat them with a spoon.  Never more!!!  From now on I am making all my lemon pie fillings with lemon curd!  I just love it when I learn something new!

On a personal note, I have to tell you about the time I made a lemon pie and I didn't have cornstarch or something that was needed to make the filling thick.  I figured (now this is back when I was much younger and use to substitute a lot) that baking soda was about the same thing as corn starch, at least it was the same color, so I used soda instead.  The pie looked awesome.  I took it to my sister's house and my mother and sister and I were having lunch so we saved room for pie for dessert.  Now my mother is the kind of mother that would never tell you anything that would hurt your feelings.  You could be busting out of a blouse that was a size too small and she would tell you that you looked great.  You could have on way too much blush and she would complement you on your makeup.  Even if she had to lie she would always tell you something positive instead of the cold hard truth.  Well, this was one time that she just couldn't do it.  We all bit into this pie and my mother made a face that would scare the hair off a cat.  She said "What did you do to this pie?"  "I can't eat it, it's terrible!"  She didn't want to hurt my feelings but she sure didn't hold back on what she thought about it.  We had a good laugh and still refer back to this event whenever we are about to eat lemon meringue!

Monday, November 7, 2011

Queso Potato Chowder

1/4 cup butter
1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 cup finely chopped onion
3 poblano peppers, seeded and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 (20 oz) package refrigerated Southwestern-style hash brown potatoes
1/4 tsp ground cumin
2 (14 oz) cans low-sodium fat free chicken broth
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup half and half
1 cup (4 oz) freshly shredded asadero cheese (can use Monterey Jack cheese)
1 cup (4 oz) freshly shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Toppings:  fried corn tortilla chips, coarsely chopped deli-fried chicken tenders, finely chopped red onion, sliced jalapeno peppers, fresh cilantro sprigs

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add bell pepper and next 3 ingredients, saute 4 - 5 minutes or until tender.  Add potatoes and cumin, saute 5 minutes or until browned and tender.  Gradually stir in broth, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of Dutch oven.  Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 25 minutes.

Whisk together flour and next 2 ingredients.  Stir into potato mixture and cook over medium heat stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until thickened.  Reduce heat to low.  Add cheeses and cook, stirring constantly until cheeses melt and mixture is thoroughly heated.  Serve with desired toppings.
Photo provided by Southern Living


This chowder was pretty good but it wasn't what I was expecting.  The recipe calls for low sodium chicken broth but you might as well use regular chicken broth as I ended up having to season this a lot with salt to give it more taste.  Also, I had no clue what asadero cheese was so while I was at the grocery store I had to Google it on my iPhone to figure out what it was.  Turns out it was sold in the Mexican cheeses section that is close to where they sell sour cream, cottage cheese and cream cheese.  I didn't realize until just now when I was typing this review that I could have used Monteray Jack and it would have probably been better as I found that the asadero cheese didn't melt well and just kind of floated on top of the chowder.  It was a good soup and with some tweaking it could really be a great soup.  To me it needed more spice, more heat.  If I make it again I will definitely make some adjustments.