Italian Wedding Soup

The love for soup continues (despite the fact that it definitely feels more like Spring here in Southern Arizona)!

I saw this recipe for Italian Wedding Soup on the blog Food, Fitness, Fashion and I immediately bookmarked it. Well, that was back in SEPTEMBER and I'm just now getting around to making it. Sheesh!

This turned out great! It was really light and yet still filling, thanks to the pasta and meatballs. Alex wasn't a huge fan of it but he's not really a soup kinda guy....he'd rather have something manly like chili. :) He did admit that he really liked the meatballs though....surprise, surprise! (not!)

Anyway this was really good! Make it!

Gotta run now because I'm actually blogging from the Tucson airport as I wait on my flight to Houston. I think we're getting ready to board. Woohoo! Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Italian Wedding Soup
Source: adapted slightly from Food, Fitness Fashion

1 lb. ground chicken or turkey breast (I used chicken)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons egg whites
1/2 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
2 cups whole wheat elbow macaroni
4 cups baby spinach
10 cups low sodium chicken (or veggie) broth
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon marjoram
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the first 5 ingredients together in a large bowl, using your hands to incorporate well. Scoop out a teaspoon of meat and roll the mixture into mini meatballs with your hands. Repeat until all the chicken has been rolled into mini meatballs.

Pour the broth into a large pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and add the meatballs. Let the meatballs cook in the broth for about 6 minutes.

Add pasta and let it cook for about 10 minutes (or however long it takes for your pasta to cook). Once pasta is tender, add the 4 cups of spinach and let it wilt (about 2 minutes). Serve and enjoy!

Seafood Gumbo

Soups or otherwise warm and comforty {it's a word...stop giving me the red squiggly line Blogger} foods are all I've been wanting lately. It's not even terribly cold here in Arizona and it's certainly not snowing, but I still crave the warmth of a soup.

Before I forced myself to revise it to include a little more variety, my menu plan looked a little something like this:

Sat: Seafood Gumbo

Sun: Tortilla Soup

Mon: Corn Chowder

Tues: Beef Stew

You get the idea. Kind of ridiculous, right?! I edited my menu plan to only include two soups, but one of the ones that made the cut was Seafood Gumbo.

I recently watched an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay in which he made authentic "Nawlins" Seafood Gumbo. Not only did it make me want to get on a plane and fly to Nawlins, it also made me want to eat Gumbo RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE.

Instead of RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE, I had to settle for tomorrow since I had to give myself time to buy the needed groceries.

The recipe I used comes from a cookbook that I haven't used much in the past, but that I am suddenly LOVING now. It's called Peace Meals and it's a cookbook by the Junior League of Houston. I've made so many things from this book in the past few weeks! It has a lot of slightly more "fancy pants" recipes in it that are still very approachable for a non-chef like myself. {If you're interested, you can buy the cookbook from Amazon here.}

My quest to make authentic seafood gumbo was somewhat stunted by the fact that I could find neither seafood stock nor file powder in my grocery store. :(

The good news, though, is that it still turned out delicious (although much less authentic) with chicken stock and no file powder. :)

Seafood Gumbo

source: Peace Meals

serves 6 to 8

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

1 Tbsp chopped fresh garlic

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

2 dried bay leaves

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

6 cups (1.5 quarts) seafood stock (or chicken stock if you can't find it)

1/2 pound crab claw meat

1 pound shrimp, cooked and peeled

12 lightly sauteed oysters

gumbo file, for garnish

diced green onions for garnish

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium-high until hot but not smoking. Gradually whisk in the flour. Cook for 20 minutes or until the roux is the color of peanut butter, whisking constantly. Add the celery, onions and bell peppers. Cook for 10 to 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender; the roux will cool slightly as the vegetables are added and darken as the vegetables release their natural sugars. Stir in the garlic, thyme, bay leaves, tomato paste and cayenne. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Add the stock. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Add the crab, shrimp and oysters and cook until heated through (a couple minutes). Discard the bay leaves. Garnish with file and green onions.

Chicken & Chickpea Soup

I just realized I haven't posted a dinner recipe in entirely too long and I know why. It's not what you probably think...

The truth is, I have lots of dinner recipes that I've been wanting to share with you, but I've been HATING my food photos. So much so that it makes me not even want to blog about it because I'm a big believer in eating with your eyes first. It gets dark so dang early so by the time I go to take my photos I have exactly zero natural light. No natural light makes for verrrrry dismal photos and I just don't feel right about putting up dismal photos on a regular basis.

I mean, the other night I made Coq au Vin and I have yet to blog it because I'm so depressed about the way the photos look. COQ AU VIN!! I should not be embarrassed to blog about Coq au Vin!

But I am.

I've been dropping lots of hints at the Mister to help me make a Light Box so my photos will turn out better whether it's day or night, but alas...I still don't have a light box.

For the time being I've been trying to make do by re-photographing the leftover food the next day, in better light, and that's exactly what I did with this Chickpea & Chicken Soup.

(Unfortunately the Coq au Vin didn't re-photograph well either....damn you fancy but unphotogenic French dish!)

This soup certainly deserved a second photo shoot because it was so darn delicious! I'll take the extra time for a reward like this soup any day!

And it was no surprise that it was delicious, since it hails from one of my favorite food blogs, How Sweet It Is. (Jessica is a girl after my own heart with her deep love for all things bacon and chocolate.)

My changes are noted below.

Chickpea Chicken Soup

Source: How Sweet it Is

serves approximately 6-8, depending on your serving sizes

4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 red pepper, chopped (I used a green pepper...doesn't matter)

1 cup mushrooms, roughly chopped (I omitted the mushrooms because my husband dislikes them)

2 cups raw spinach (I used baby spinach)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used leftover cooked chicken from a roasted chicken I had made earlier in the week)

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1 cup chopped carrots

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 25-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (I just used a normal-sized can of chickepeas...15 oz. I think?)

24 ounces low-sodium chicken stock (I used 32 oz of chicken broth (one large box) to make it more soupy)

Preheat a large pot on medium heat. Add chopped bacon and fry until brown and crispy. While bacon is frying, chop vegetables and prep chicken. You have 3 options for the chicken – you can either bake it while the bacon + veggies are sauteing, you can pan-fry it while the bacon + veggies are sauteing, or you can use pre-made/leftover shredded chicken in the soup. Either way, take the time while the bacon is frying to get the chicken ready. (Like I said above, I used leftover shredded chicken)

Once bacon is done, remove and drain on a paper towel. Keeping heat on medium, add onions, mushrooms and peppers to bacon grease and saute until soft, about 5-8 minutes. Add garlic, spinach, paprika and cumin and stir for 60 seconds. Turn heat down to low and add chickpeas, celery, carrots and chicken. Pour in chicken stock and simmer for 30 minutes.

Right before serving, add bacon back into soup. Garnish with parmesan cheese and serve with toast if desired. Season with salt and pepper if needed. I found I needed no extra salt.

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And just because I feel like I haven't embarrassed my husband on here in a really long time either, I present you with this photo:

Yes, that's a headlamp on his head. He was grilling steaks outside and it was dark and we don't have an outdoor light so he resorted to this. He's cute AND resourceful! :)

Victory Soup

I foresee myself being forced to make this soup again 3 more times in the next 3 weeks.

Reason being, my husband is extremely superstitious about Aggie football.

For example, as we were watching the A&M vs. OU game tonight, he refused to take off his shoes and socks until the end of the game because he was afraid it would change the tide of the game. Um, what?

Another example, he was drinking Shiner Bock beer during the first half when we were winning, then during the 3rd quarter he switched to St. Arnold and we started sucking, so he switched back to Shiner. Interesting coincidence? Nope, not to my husband.

And since we did end up winning against #8 OU tonight (WHOOP!), I foresee him demanding I make this same Chicken Taco Soup for the final 3 games of the season, in order to avoid "jinxing" our beloved Aggies.

Luckily, I will have no objections to this request, since this soup was delicious AND easy. That's a winning combo in my book!

This recipe was given to me by a coworker, which I tweaked to better suit our needs a bit. Trust me when I say, it is SO good! My favorite part is the extra flavor that the ranch & taco seasoning packets add to it.

Chicken Taco Soup

Source: no idea who the original recipe comes from, but I got it from a coworker

-1 tsp Olive Oil

-1 Onion, chopped

-2 Bell Peppers, chopped

-1 can Ranch-style Beans

-1 14.5 oz can Stewed Tomatoes

-1 can Rotel with Green Chiles

-3-4 cups of cooked, shredded Chicken (you could use any leftover chicken for this but we roasted 3 whole, bone-in chicken breasts at 425 degrees for about 45 minutes)

-1 packet reduced-sodium Taco Seasoning

-1 packet Ranch Dressing mix

-4 cups reduced-sodium Chicken Broth

-1/2 cup Frozen Corn

Toppings: plain greek yogurt (or sour cream), sharp cheddar cheese, chopped avocado, Fritos corn chips (or tortilla chips)

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a soup pot. Add bell pepper and onion and saute until tender.

Add all the rest of the ingredients and stir well to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30-45 minutes. (Side note: You could also easily adapt this for a slow cooker....just toss all ingredients in and cook on low for 6-8 hours)

Serve soup with toppings as you please. Enjoy!

Recipe makes enough for 6-8 servings, at least. We have tons of leftovers!

Oh and before I go, I just have to share this pic of my pup.

Lately, with the sun going down so early, I've resorted to taking food photos in our mud room, since we get the best bright light in there. In that room we have a little doggie door and my pup likes to stick her head through and check on what I'm doing when I'm in there.

You know, cuz she's too lazy to come all the way through the door.

And one more thing, these:

Are amazing. They're from Target, if you're wondering.

That is all.

Vote for Soup

Other soups want you to believe that they are the best choice for your Fall comfort meal, but they are liars.

Other soups say that they are quick and easy, but the facts are that they are not.

This soup may seem simple and plain, but it is actually very flavorful and delicious.

But most importantly, this soup is emphatically endorsed by The Hubster.

So please, vote for White Bean Soup with Kale & Sausage tomorrow. You won't regret it!

This message brought to you by Cupcakes & Combat Boots.

:)

Anyone else sooooooooooo tired of all the election commercials?? Geez...I'm glad tomorrow is election day because I've had ENOUGH of them.

This recipe was adapted from one for White Bean Soup with Kale & Chorizo in the latest edition of Cooking Light. The major change that I made was subbing in smoked Italian hot sausage for Spanish chorizo, since my grocery store doesn't carry Spanish chorizo.

I honestly couldn't believe how much the Hubs loved this....he kept complimenting it over and over. I thought it would be a little too "light" and "kaley" for him, but I was clearly wrong!

And the very best part of this recipe, it came together in less than 30 minutes! Score!

Seriously, make this soup. It's really surprisingly awesome!

White Bean Soup with Kale and Sausage

Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

-4 ounces any smoked sausage (we used hot Italian), finely chopped

-1 cup onion, chopped

-4 garlic cloves, minced

-5 cups lower-sodium chicken broth

-2 (15-ounce) cans organic cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

-5 cups kale, stripped from stems, rinsed and torn into pieces

-1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

-1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Preparation

1. Heat a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage to pot; sauté 1 minute. Add onion and garlic to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender.

2. Add broth and beans to pot; partially mash beans with potato masher. Bring to a boil. Stir in kale and spices; cook over medium heat 10 minutes.

90 Degree Comfort Food

Tonight's meal was very Fall-ish.

Which kind of feels like blasphemy when the weather outside is still in the 90's everyday.

But, BUT, the weather has recently transitioned in low 90's instead of high 90's (or 100's)!! Here in Texas that's basically Fall. So that called for some Fall-like food.

Pumpkin Chili!!

This recipe was given to me by one of my friends and I knew I wanted to make it immediately. Pumpkin + Chili just sounds comforting.

Pumpkin Chili

Source: unknown

• 2 pounds ground beef (1 lb ground beef & 1 lb ground turkey breast)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
• 1 (46 fluid ounce) can tomato juice
• 1 (28 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes with juice
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 cup white sugar

In a large pot over medium heat, cook meat until brown; drain. Stir in onion and bell pepper and cook 5 minutes. Stir in beans, tomato juice, diced tomatoes and pumpkin puree. Season with pumpkin pie spice, chili powder and sugar. Simmer 1 hour. Makes 8 servings.

We served it with cornbread on the side and topped with cheese, avocado & plain greek yogurt.

Alex's only complaint with this chili was that it wasn't spicy, but he just added hot sauce to his portion and was happy. It makes a TON of chili, so I plan on freezing smaller portions of it for reheating later. Chili is very freezer-friendly!

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Rewind to last night now. Last night's dinner was a recipe I spotted on one of my favorite blogs, Carrots 'n Cake.

Soy Glazed Fish with Sauteed Summer Squash (click link for recipe from Real Simple)

It was pretty good. My only real complaint with it is that the excess sauce on the pan BURNED (badly) while cooking. Next time I know not to dump all the sauce on the fish....just enough to coat it.

Also be sure you follow the directions and only add the sauce in the last 2 minutes of cooking...I ended up cooking my fish for about 4 more minutes after adding the sauce (because it wasn't done) which probably contributed to the burning of the sauce.

OH! And big news: Alex, Mr. I Hate Squash, actually admitted that the squash side dish wasn't half bad. Hellz yeah!

Anyone else watch the premiere of Biggest Loser? What did you think?

Personally I kind of liked the new way they "tested" contestants and made them earn their spots. I thought it weeded out the quitters and cop-outs, which is nice. My current favorite contestant is obviously the military wife...I can't remember her name. We shall see how the season plays out!

P.S. Grrrrrr I am really hating Blogger these days. I don't know WHY it keeps f-ing with my font sizes but it pisses me off! I can't even fix it because it shows up just fine in my window but then I hit "publish" and it freaks out. SO ANNOYING. Anyway, sorry about the randomly changing font sizes...

Chicken Tortilla Soup with a Side of Drunk {What's for Dinner? 3/2/2010}

Soooo you may have noticed that I did not update this What's for Dinner last night. My husband made me margaritas to go with our Tortilla Soup and I got a leeeeeeeetle bit tipsy. And then at about 8:30 I told Alex I was going to watch the rest of American Idol in bed. The next thing I remember I was waking up at 11:45 with my contacts adhered to my eyeballs and my makeup smeared all over my face. {I remember the college days when I could drink a LOT more than I did last night and party until dawn...now I have a couple sips of alcohol and turn into a sloppy narcoleptic. I'm getting old.}




Anywhoooooo, this Chicken Tortilla Soup was really great! {As if you're going to trust a drunk's opinion, right?!} Here is the recipe and we followed it pretty much exactly. The only problem with the recipe was that it made enough to feed an ARMY! Seriously. I have a GINORMOUS slow cooker and it filled it up. The recipe says it makes 6 servings but I think they meant 60 servings. {Okay, maybe not that much but you get the idea.} It was definitely way too much for just the two of us. We're going to be eating Chicken Tortilla Soup for lunch for weeks now....but I'm kind of okay with it because it's so good! :)

Fat Tuesday Gumbo {What's for Dinner? 2/16/2010}

Hubs & I in front of Golden Gate

I love fresh seafood!

Well hello there! We're officially back from a wonderful mini-vacation to San Francisco and Sonoma. I'll fill in the blanks on the trip later when I have more time and when I'm not still trying to recover from vacation-exhaustion, but for now I'm just going to get right back into "What's for Dinner" business.

For dinner tonight we made "Half Hour Chicken Gumbo" in honor of it being Fat Tuesday. It was fine for a quick version of gumbo but it definitely didn't compare to my momma's gumbo. ;-) It was somewhat flavorless but with a little extra seasoning and some hot sauce it tasted much better. The only alteration to the recipe we made was to add some crab meat...yum!



P.S. I like my gumbo served over polenta instead of rice. I wonder if I'm the only weird person who does this?? My husband thinks it's weird but I think it's delicious!

What's for Dinner? 1/13/2010

1/13/2010
Chicken Noodle Soup (click to the left on the link for the recipe)
Great chicken noodle soup recipe! We went the lazy route and just used a store-bought rotisserie chicken for the "cooked chicken".

Garlicy Baguette Slices
Other than overdoing it on the olive oil (ahem...Alex...cough cough) these were perfect with the soup.

What's for Dinner? 1/7/2010

Venison Chili a la Alex
Alex just made up the recipe for this and he's too lazy to type it up, so sorry about that. He says he might be willing to give it out by request. :)

And more "Communion Cornbread"

And "Layers of Love Brownies" are cooling as we speak for dessert.

Perfect football watching food. ROLL TIDE!**

**Please note, I know I "should" probably cheer for University of Texas since they are also in the Big 12 and they are also from Texas. But....I can't. It just goes against every bone in my Aggie born, raised and graduated body. My apologies (but not really). :)

What's for Dinner? 1/6/10

Crockpot Pork Stew served over Brown Rice
This recipe is a bit more work than I normally like for crockpot recipes. Crockpot recipes to me should be "throw in the pot and go" so it annoys me when they require you to brown off the meat first or saute the veggies first. However, my husband is still on block leave after his deployment so he had the time to do all the prep work today.

I do have a sneaking suspicion that you could skip the steps of browning the meat and sauteing the veggies {if you're really lazy like me}. I think if you upped the cooking time to 8 hours on low the veggies would soften enough and the raw meat would brown. I'm going to try it next time we make it. I'll let you know how it goes.

Also, next time we'll use a different cut of pork. The boneless pork butt that we had in the deep freeze was just waaaaayyyy too fatty for our liking. Plus, the slow cooking of the meat means that you can still get the tender, juicy meat factor even with a super lean cut of meat, like tenderloin.

To wrap it up, this was a great stew for a cold night and we'll definitely make it again {with the aforementioned changes to the recipe}.



"Communion Cornbread"
FYI, if your cornbread mix package expires in 2008 and it is now 2010, it will not "be fine" like you and your husband think it will. It will instead look like this:And your husband will dub it "Communion Cornbread" because it did not rise at all and is basically unleavened cornbread. It still tastes fine, but it's not ideal. I recommend heeding the expiration date on cornbread mix. :)