Weird, but Surprisingly Pleasant (That's what they called me in high school...?)

This week I decided to really go for something different.  Because Polar Vortex 2: The Rage approaches, it was time for another big pot of soup.  I also wanted to do something that my vegetarian friends might be able to try.  I stumbled on a recipe that involved a few of my favorite things: sweet potatoes, ginger, peanut butter (um...) , honey (whaa...?). It was either going to be terrible or wonderful but at least it was something different.  

Recipe #3: NUTTY SWEET POTATO SOUP

Choice of libation: Trader Joe's Block Red Shiraz.  Slightly complex and a little spicy (though I had been tasting the soup throughout the night, and I might have had cayenne pepper on my tongue the whole time).

Choice of music: Bob Schneider's A Perfect Day (very mellow with a touch of funk (which is what I wish they called me in high school))

I took this picture from far away, not just to get all those awesome ingredients in one shot but also so you can't tell how horrible my knife skills are.

As you can tell, I got a little to enthusiastic using the micro-plane grater on the ginger.   Note the horrible gash on my middle finger.  ALL THAT BLOOD.  

Oh, that's much better.  Now I don't have to worry about bleeding all over the garlic, like that one chick did on that episode of Chopped and then she got eliminated on the first round because the judges were understandably too grossed out to eat her food.  But anyway. Isn't that band-aid adorable?  I did a show that used colorful band-aids and they let me keep the extra ones after the show.  Who says theater actors don't get any swag?  Also, I am obviously not left handed and am trying to show off how adorable my new band-aid is.

No, but seriously, HOW CUTE IS THAT BAND-AID?

Okay, okay, so after sauteing the vegetables, you pour in the diced tomatoes and broth.  This is where I get slightly non-vegetarian because they only had 1 thing of vegetable broth, so I used MOSTLY vegetable broth and 2 cups of chicken broth.  I'M SORRY. I TRIED, OKAY? SHEESH.

Oh crap, my glass is empty and I'm not nearly done cooking! 

Mmm, box wine.  (See how I ALMOST get another shot of my adorable band-aid in this one?)

After getting all that stuff to boil, I had to let it simmer for roughly 20 minutes on low heat. I wonder what Pippin is up to...?

She is hanging with her hedgehog. They are BFF's.  

She really loves the hedgehog. 

Oh.  I think they want to be alone.  Hm.  Back to the soup.

Here is a hint about using an immersion blender.  Do not push the "on" button until it is firmly in the liquid.  Unless you want all your walls to be the same color as your soup.  Also, please pardon my chipping manicure.  I really didn't think about that while taking all these pictures of my hand.

The recipe called for 2/3 cup peanut butter but all the reviews said that the soup didn't need all that, so I used about a spoonful.  A very large spoonful. 

Like I said, honey goes in this too.  I didn't really measure it but I think it was ABOUT 2 teaspoons. That bear's face is kind of creeping me out though.  

Chad really liked the way it turned out. It is actually spicier than I had anticipated, partially because I might have grated  twice the amount of ginger needed and I also am not accustomed to a lot of cayenne pepper.  I think I would make this again and reduce the cayenne, and maybe add some smoked paprika so it's still flavorful but not as hot, because I am a spice wimp.  Also I forgot to buy scallions, which I'm kicking myself for because I love scallions and it would have made it so much prettier.  But at least I have this adorable band-aid.  And box wine.  Bon appetit, everyone! 

This recipe was stolen from www.foodnetwork.com

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced (about 1 cup)

2 medium carrots, diced (about 1 cup)

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)

1 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed (2 cups)

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth

1 (14.5-ounce) can no salt added diced tomatoes, with their juices

2/3 cup creamy natural peanut butter

2 teaspoons honey

1/2 cup chopped scallion greens (about 3 scallions)

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over a medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell pepper and carrots and cook, stirring until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Add the cayenne, black pepper, garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in the sweet potato, broth, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

*Puree the soup in the pot using an immersion blender or in a regular blender in 2 batches and return the soup to the pot. Add the peanut butter and honey and stir, over low heat, until the peanut butter melts. Serve warm, garnished with the scallions.

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

Pizza or Casserole? ...WHY CHOOSE?!

Remember how I said I was going to not do recipes that were variations on macaroni and cheese?  That was clearly a lie.  If you've met me, you had already figured that out and if you haven't met me and you thought this was a tumblr for Patrick Swayze gifs, I'm so sorry but if you find that tumblr, please message me separately because I, too, am searching for that very page.  

Ahem.  

Anyway.  

I had a hankering for pizza but also really wanted pasta. So did my dear friend, Brooke Hills. 

So this is what happened.

Recipe #2:  PIZZA CASSEROLE

Choice of libation: Rosenblum Cellars Vintners' Cuvee Zinfandel (smooth, inoffensive, tastes like...a red wine)

Choice of music:  Shirley Bassey, Greatest Hits (Dame Bassey is, as always, glorious (except for the weird club mixes))

I highly recommend a sous chef that looks like a Disney princess.  She will chop and mince and dice while you spill marinara sauce and red wine everywhere.  Note the piece of bread on the corner of the cutting board, which Brooke used to hold in her mouth to keep from weeping while chopping onions. I always just cry into my food so this was a new technique for me.

You really could put anything in this casserole that you'd want on a pizza. So we started by sauteing red onions, garlic, mushrooms and garlic chicken sausage, seasoning to taste.

We add to the pot some pepperoni, marinara sauce and red peppers = protein and suggested daily serving of vegetables. Nobody needs to know who suggested it.

We started with a layer of pasta, followed by sauce, followed by cheese and then repeated that until there wasn't any more room for things.

Ooh, look at all that whole wheat rotini and mozzarella goodness.  I mean...Fiber and calcium, what could be better for you?  

And more pepperoni...I can't nutritionally justify more pepperoni, but it does make it more pizza-y.

Dang it. I thought this picture peering through the oven window would turn out better.  All it does is remind me I need to clean the oven window. 

We threw it in the oven for about 35 minutes, which made it good and gooey but if you like it a bit crisp and burned on the top, you could probably leave it in for 40 or 45 so. After making sure the wine was okay to serve to Brooke and Chad (taste testing is key for being a good hostess and wife), here's the final result.  Olives are green.  So.  It is basically a salad.  Ta da!  

This recipe was stolen from...

http://www.closetcooking.com

12 ounces pasta

1/2 pound Italian turkey sausage, casings removed

3 cups (24 ounces) pizza sauce or marinara sauce

1/2 cup sliced black olives

4 ounces pepperoni

8 ounces ricotta

2 cups mozzarella, shredded

1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated

1/2 teaspoon oregano (optional)

Cook the pasta as directed on package but stop 3 minutes early, drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the sausage in a large saucepan over medium heat, about 10 minutes.

Mix in the sauce with the sausage and 3/4's of the olives and pepperoni and set aside.

Mix the ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan and set aside.

Place half of the pasta in the bottom of a large baking dish, top with half of the sauce, followed by half of the cheese mixture and repeat with another layer of each, finally topping with the remaining olives, pepperoni and oregano.

Bake in a preheated 350F oven covered in foil until bubbling at the sides, about 20-30 minutes, remove the foil and bake until the cheese has melted and started to turn golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Option: Use your favourite pizza toppings!

SUCCESS!!!

It's a new dawn, it's a new day and where is all the cheese?

Hello!  It's Emjoy here.  You might remember me from blogs like my other blog and that one live journal I kept in college that mainly consisted of angst and Whitney Houston videos. Well this is a different one.  My dear friend, Rachael Anne, is one of the best blogger's out there and in the new year decided to try 52 new recipes, projects and books (which you can follow along at http://the52blog.wordpress.com/).  I loved this idea but am not nearly as ambitious, so I am stealing the part about 52 new recipes.  I occasionally get stuck in a rut and either make different versions of macaroni and cheese, adobo chicken or resort to ordering take out.  And while all of that is lovely, it can get a bit boring, so why not take 2014 to expand my culinary horizons?  And I can always make macaroni and cheese the other 6 days of the week.  Here goes...!

Soup for the Snowpocalypse

If you are on facebook, and you are friends with anyone in the midwest, you may have heard that it's a little cold this week:  bla bla bla, high of -11, bla bla bla, wind chill warnings, bla bla bla, Polar Vortex. Obviously it is a good week to make soup.  Unfortunately, when Chicagoans hear certain phrases like "winter storm," they occasionally go into panic mode assuming they will not see the light of day for along time, which results in this scene at Trader Joe's.  

Even though the store didn't have luxury items...like ONIONS...I decided to forge ahead and try this new recipe.  It was the right thing to do.

Recipe #1:   TORTELLINI SOUP WITH BEANS AND CHARD

Choice of libation: Casillero del Diablo 2012 Carmenere (highly recommended)

Choice of music: Alicia Keys' Girl on Fire album (I liked 2 songs)

Instead of onions, I used a package of leeks which was one of the only things left in the produce section. I couldn't find cans of diced tomatoes. Anywhere in Chicago.  So even though Mario Batali tells us we shouldn't use fresh tomatoes for stewing or soups (he thinks it is a waste of a fresh tomato), I figured he would forgive me just this once since I plan on spending my entire annual income at EATALY (expect a blog post about that at a later date). 

I love recipes where it mostly involves dumping things into a pot. 

Once said things were dumped into said pot, I brought the whole thing to a boil and waited for it to simmer for awhile.  How would I ever pass the time?  Oooh! Leftover cheese!

 Oh, hello, Pippin. Can I help you?

                                 

She needed help playing with her new Christmas toy. She and I played fetch for awhile, but she decided she needed some alone time. So I packed on a mud mask and finished my glass of Carmenere.  There are no pictures of this as I did not want to break the internet.

All in all, it turned out quite well considering.  Happy new year, everyone.  If you need me I will be hiding from the world, sipping hot soup. Or wine. Or ginger tea with honey, and Fireball whiskey. Or...

This recipe was stolen from...

http://www.annies-eats.com

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. tomato paste
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
2 quarts low-sodium broth (veggie or chicken)
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, or 2-3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 (15 oz.) can cannelini beans, drained and rinsed (or 1½ cups cooked white beans)
2 tsp. herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning
1 bay leaf
1 Parmesan rind (optional)
Salt and pepper
9 oz. fresh whole wheat cheese tortellini (or 6 oz. dried)
1 bunch Swiss chard (or other leafy green)
Freshly grated Parmesan, to finish

In a Dutch oven or large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onion to the pan and sauté until just tender, 5-6 minutes.  Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, and red pepper flakes, and sauté 1 minute more until fragrant.  Stir in the broth, tomatoes, beans, herbs and Parmesan rind.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and let simmer 30 minutes.


Stir in the tortellini and chard.  Continue to simmer until the tortellini is cooked through, according to the package directions.  (If using a firm green such as kale, add it a few minutes prior to the tortellini to be sure it is completely cooked.)  Ladle the soup into serving bowls and top with freshly grated Parmesan.