Matt’s Potato Soup

My stepson Matt came over on Sunday and brought a recipe he learned in school for potato soup. This recipe comes from one of those chain restaurants themed for good food and friends on a Friday night. (wink wink)

Matt made the soup with a little help from me. My husband Rich and nephew Johnnie were supervising. LOL!

The soup is rich, delicious and very filling. This recipe calls for baked potatoes so remember to prepare those ahead of time. We put four potatoes into our soap instead of three.

Ingredients
1 carrot finely diced
4 ribs celery diced
1 onion diced
1 quart chicken stock
½ quart heavy cream
2 c. milk
3 large baked potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tbsp. garlic powder or 1 clove of garlic minced
small bunch parsley, minced
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Roux
½ stick butter
4-6 tablespoons flour

Garnish
Chopped scallion
Crumbled bacon
Shredded cheddar cheese

1) Add butter to pot. Melt and then add carrot, celery and onion. Cook until soft.

2) Add flour and stir to combine. It should make a chunky paste also known as roux.

3) Add all dry seasonings, then add chicken stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Simmer for 15 minutes.

4) Add diced baked potato and milk and cream. Simmer for 15 minutes.

5) Add salt and pepper to taste.

Put soup in bowl and add garnish to top.

Ina Garten's Baked Shrimp Scampi

Sunday night, I made Ina Garten's Baked Shrimp Scampi. This recipe is to die for! It doesn't take long to make and the flavor will knock your socks off. It tastes like a combination of shrimp scampi and baked stuffed shrimp. The only issue I have with it is that it does use one whole stick of butter. (No wonder it tastes so good!) So, pick a time when you are not dieting to indulge in this scrumptious dish.

You can find the recipe on the Food Network web site or in her Back to Basics book.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/baked-shrimp-scampi-recipe/index.html


NOTE: I got some feedback on this recipe --it calls for to much butter. A friend tried making it with 1/2 the amount of butter but says it didn't turn out that good. For those of you fearful of ingesting a whole stick of butter, fear not. The beauty of this dish is that all the butter settles to the bottom of your baking dish, creating a buttery and protective bath that keeps the shrimp tender and juicy. When you remove the shrimp, you'll see an ocean of cooked butter left behind. If you are a butter lover, then you can scoop it up and pour it back over the shrimp, but honestly it won't need it.

King Crab Bisque

Christmas Eve, we returned home from visiting family to find a package at our door from FishEx.com. We opened it to discover a dozen gigantic king crab legs. I've never seen crab legs this big in my life! They were well over a foot long each and several inches wide.

After stuffing ourselves with this succulent crab meat for days, we needed a change. I was craving a rich bisque with a nice sherry flavor to it. Here's a recipe I worked from.

King Crab Bisque: Recipezaar
http://www.recipezaar.com/King-Crab-Bisque-195554

Recipe #195554 25 min prep time

Ingredients

8 tablespoons butter
8 tablespoons flour
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (I added additional 1/2 teaspoon)
3/4 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper (I added additional 1/2 teaspoon)
2 garlic cloves, minced (used forzen garlic cubes)
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups heavy cream
3 cups 2% low-fat milk (I used whole milk)
1 lb king crab meat (I added and extra 1/4 pound of meat)
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup fresh parsley
3 tablespoons sherry wine (I added an extra 1 1/2 tablespoon)

Directions
In a large sauce pan add olive oil, onions, celery and garlic. Heat on medium until onions are translucent. Add butter and melt, then add flour, salt and pepper and make a roux.
Once the rue is golden brown add the milk and cream; blend well. Crumble crabmeat and add to the sauce pan. Slowly bring mixture to a boil and simmer for a few minutes.
Add the sherry and serve garnished with parsley and a dash of paprika.


Notes: I added an extra ½ teaspoon of salt and ground black pepper plus 1 ½ tablespoons sherry. I used two frozen garlic cubes which I melted into the butter before adding the flour. I also sprinkled a teaspoon of paprika on top of the soup while still in the pot.

Pining for Panettone

OK, Martha inspired me. She also made it look easy and I got caught up in the fantasy that I could actually replicate her sickly perfect desserts.

On a recent show she and a guest created homemade Panettone. The recipe had many steps, but looked doable- so I went for it.

The recipe is Panettone Casalinga and here’s the link: http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=ba535f872814e110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default&rsc=ts_Homepage_Homepage
I had many issues with this recipe and my first attempt was a disappointment. The recipe calls for letting the dough rise for two hours between the last two steps. I did this but I had a few issues. The dough was incredibly sticky and almost impossible to work with get into the molds. I did use instant yeast rather than the regular yeast. I also put my dough into the paper molds you can buy at Chef Central and other specialty stores.

I was shocked when after only 20 minutes I could smell my panettone burning. I rushed to the oven and found the tops dark brown and smoldering a bit. I checked the inside of the of bread with a toothpick and it was still raw. I covered the tops with foil and reduced the heat from 375 to 350. I baked them for the full 45- 50 minutes.

After letting the panettone cool for an hour, I wrapped them in plastic wrap. The recipe said to store them in the refrigerator. The next morning my panettone had shrank to the size of a fruit cake. The bread was still delicious but it was also a bit dry on the inside. I was told my in-laws that it needed more fruit- real Italian panettone has more fruit.

On my second attempt I did a few things differently. This time I did use regular yeast. I let my sponge dough rise for about two hours rather than the 45 minutes called for in the recipe. I also let the dough rise about 3 hours in each of the following two steps resulting in a much fuller dough. I increased the candied orange slices from ¾ cup to 1 full cup and I also add ¼ of candied citron I had left over.

I started the oven on 350 instead of 375 to account for the paper molds. Regardless of the changes- my panettones again browned very quickly, but this time I was watching. After the first 20 minutes the top was perfectly brown but the inside still not cooked. I covered the panettone with foil on top and reduced the heat to 325. I kept them in the oven roughly 40-45 minutes. The toothpick test came out a little sticky but not wet. I figured these babies would cook a little more as they cooled.

This time I let my panettones sit and cool over the course of 4-5 hours. After that I wrapped them in plastic wrap and then cello wrap for giving. They held up- looking beautiful! Tonight we are giving them as gifts to family members.

Butterscotch Crunchies

If you're short on time and you need a holiday cookie these are easy to make, take little time and the best part... no baking required!

I like to add extra cereal because these tend to be a little too sweet for me. If you use the larger package of morsels please do add more cereal amd nuts so the flakes are very thinly coated. These harden up quickly once they chill in the refrig.

Ingredients

1 pkg Nestle’s Butterscotch Morsels (11 or 16 oz)
2 ½ cups Total cereal (small box will make 2 batches)
¾ cup peanuts (dry roasted recommended)

Melt morsels over hot (not boiling) water in a double boiler. Add cereal and peanuts and stir until coated. Drop on waxed paper and chill.

I found this recipe on a card buried in a recipe book from when I was a kid. I have no idea where it came from, but it's one I turn to year after year.

Sugared Nut Drops

These tasty little cookies look like tiny snowballs when finished. The combination of nuts and powered sugar makes them delicious!

Ingredients

1 cup butter softened
½ cup confectionary sugar
1 tsp vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
2 ¼ cups sifted flour
½ cup finely chopped walnuts
confectionary sugar

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Place butter in large bowl and beat at moderate speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar, vanilla and salt. Beat thoroughly. Gradually add flour. When well blended add walnuts. Shape a teaspoon of mixture into balls. Place 1 ½ apart on cookie sheet. Bake 25 minutes. Cool slightly. Roll in confectionary sugar. Cool.

Source: This recipe came to me from my cousin Ally.

Cherry Jubilation Over Vanilla Ice Cream

OK- this recipe isn't healthy at all, but damn, it sure tastes good and it's really fun to make if you want to entertain your guests.

This is a version of Cherries Jubilee I picked up at a buffet. (Yes, Rapunzel does hit a buffet every now and then.)

Ingredients

Premium vanilla ice cream
1/2 bag of frozen cherries
2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
2-3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup or more brandy of your choice (some people prefer a cherry brandy, but I've tried VSOP or Grand Manier would be great too!)

Serves 4

One hour before making this dessert, place 1/2 bag of frozen cherries in a bowl and let them defrost at room temperature.

Heat non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Add butter and melt. Add brown sugar and melt into butter. Add cherries and stir until warm.

Turn off flame. Pour brandy over mixture (about 1/2 cup). You can light the brandy using the flame from your stove or use a stick lighter to ignite the brandy. As alcohol burns, gently shake pan to disburse flame throughout cherries. Once flame had burned out, add orange juice to taste. Put heat back on a reduce mixture until sauce thickens a bit. Let cool slightly.

Set-up four dessert bowls (or I like to use clear glass coffee mugs). Add two scoops of vanilla ice cream to each. Spoon cherries over ice cream and serve right away. The ice will melt fast under the hot cherry mixture, so it's best to let the cherries cool down a little. The mix of the creamy melting ice cream and cherries is decadent!

Garnish with your favorite little cookies or a chocolate biscotti. YUM!