Taco soup

We just got a slow cooker the other day (Crock-Pot, 5-quart: is that good? I dunno: it's just what BB&B had), and this was the first thing we tried. I got the recipe here, but modified it, partially according to the comments on the recipe, and partially according to what we had.

Taco Soup

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
1 can chili beans (15 oz), with liquid
1 can black beans (15 oz), with liquid
1 can whole kernel corn (15 oz), drained
1 can tomato sauce (8 oz) (update 2/13/11: 8-oz can tomato paste works better)
12 oz or so chicken broth
2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilies (14.5 oz), with liquid
2 tbsp or so of taco or similar seasoning (we had a bottle of Paul Prudhomme's Fajita Magic, so that's what I used)
3 skinless boneless chicken breasts, whole
shredded Mexican cheese blend
sour cream
tortilla chips (we like blue corn, Garden of Eatin' brand, unsalted)

1. Open all the cans and pour them into the cooker. Chop the onion and pepper (not too fine) and put them in. Stir in the seasoning. Put the chicken breasts in and press them down so they're just barely covered by the other things.

2. Cover, turn slow cooker on "low," and cook for 5 hours.

3. Remove chicken breasts and shred them with knife and fork. Return the chicken to the soup, cover, and cook for another 2 hours.

4. Serve topped with sour cream, cheese, and/or crumbled tortilla chips to taste.

Next time I might increase the amount of corn, and maybe even use two onions and/or peppers: more veggies might be good. As for the ways our version diverged from what's on allrecipes: we used more diced tomatoes because our market only had 14.5-oz cans, instead of the 10-oz cans the recipe called for, so it was either have a half a can left over or use it all. We also took a commenter's advice and substituted chicken broth (storebought) for the bottle of beer the recipe originally called for. Also I threw in 1/2 a can of chopped olives because we had an open can in the fridge - but to tell the truth I didn't notice them at all in the finished dish, so next time I'll either skip them or use more or maybe use sliced olives instead of chopped.

We loved this. A perfect hot spicy meal for a cold and wet autumn evening, easy to make, and really convinced us that the slow cooker was worth it. The chicken got incredibly tender. And it made way more than enough for two people: we're looking forward to leftovers tomorrow night.

I'm sure this would be just as good without the chicken and with veggie broth instead of chicken broth. In that case, maybe it wouldn't even need to be made in the slow cooker, just done on the stove in much less time.

snack of the moment

Trader Joe's sells dried mango strips with chile spice on them. They are a nice firm texture and delicious. Best way to eat them: dip them in a little salt and munch away!

Go do this now.
Seriously.

Artichoke and Sun-Dried Tomato Stuffed Chicken Breast

I just finished reading Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, so I'm in a rare mood for cooking. Lorien does an admirable job for us of managing every night, without fail, for the past three or four years, of putting something together for us that is tasty, healthy, and minimally fattening. But since cooking is rare for me and thus less of a chore and more of a treat, I decided to focus just on tasty.

I found this recipe on the food network site by searching for "chicken breast" (because we had some in the freezer). I was surprised it was from Guy Fieri because I didn't know he cooked--I only know him from Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.

Anyway, here's the recipe. It was delicious. I didn't change anything. We served it with some brown rice with rosemary and parsley. I liked it just as well two days later for lunch, so I recommend cooking all four servings and enjoying the leftovers.

More cheeses

We had a party this past weekend, and at it we tried a couple more cheeses.

1. Beemster. I think it was Beemster "Classic." This is a gouda (but from a different region of Holland, thus the different name). It's a really, really strong gouda, very cheddary. Akiko thought it was too strong to eat straight, but I couldn't stop eating it. It has that nice faint crunch a gouda can get from the salt crystals.

2. Morbier. This is weird but good. It's a soft cow's milk cheese - not soft like brie, but soft like Velveeta. It has a streak of vegetable ash running down the center, which I think is responsible for the slightly bitter aftertaste. That's not a bad thing, because it lends a little complexity to the otherwise very straightforwardly creamy flavor. I'm not as wild about this one, probably because it reminds me too much, again, of Velveeta, but it tastes much better, and Akiko and our guests really liked it.

sandwich = awesome

It seems that I have lately been inventing AWESOME sandwiches. Today I used random leftovers and created this:

two slices of whole wheat bread spread lightly with sun dried tomato cream cheese,
one slice of hard white cheddar cheese, leftover turkey pepperoni arranged in a single layer. close sandwich, cream cheese side in. heat up a drizzle of olive oil in a pan, and sprinkle the pan generously with pepper. grill the sandwich in the oil. my cheese didn't melt before the sandwich was properly grilled, so i microwaved it for 15ish seconds.

This was a super super super delicious sandwich. amen.

Acorn squash suggestions?

Two questions.

1) Does anybody else get a funny message when they try to use the search function in the top left of the screen? O webmaster, is there a setting that can be toggled so that we could search by keyword?

2) Does anybody have any suggestions for acorn squash? I usually smear it with butter, sprinkle some brown sugar and cinnamon on it, and bake it, which seems to be the most basic recipe, but I was wondering if anybody had anything unusual they did with it.

Cauliflower Cheese

We saw this on nami-nami and had some extra cauliflower this week so we tried it and really liked it.

1 large head of cauliflower
salted water, for boiling

butter, for greasing

Topping:
200 ml whipping cream or double cream
2 Tbsp grainy mustard (I like Maille's Moutarde à l'Ancienne)
150 g grated cheese (Cheddar, Havarti, Eesti juust - it's your call)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
some fresh herbs (I like dill here)

Cut the cauliflower into florets. Put the florets into lightly salted boiling water and boil for about 10 minutes, until cauliflower is cooked. Drain thoroughly, then place into a lightly buttered medium-sized shallow oven dish.
Mix cream, mustard and most of the cheese in a bowl, season with salt, pepper and herbs. Spoon the cheese mixture over the cauliflower florets and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.
Bake in a preheated 200 C / 400 F oven for about 10-15 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the topping is lovely golden.
Serve.

We did it pretty much as written with a super mild havarti and a little smoked gouda, with dill and Inglehoffer mustard. It was really easy to make and pretty darn tasty. I could hardly taste the havarti, though. I think next time I'll stick with the more flavorful cheeses, because the gouda was great in it and I bet a nice cheddar with some Italian herbs would be great.

Cheese reviews

We tried a couple of new cheese today, and here's what they were and what we thought.

1. Maidservant of the Monster was in the mood for some brie, and we found some called Coulommiers that looked good. It turns out it's a "cousin of brie" and I don't know exactly what that means, whether it's just a geographical distinction or if there's something about the way it's made. And I'd want to sample this side by side with some brie in order to tell the difference. Anyway, it's good: a good basic brie, nuthin' fancy (if brie can be described that way), creamy and salty.

2. Black Mountain. This is a Welsh cheddar; it looks like they sell it in small packs, but we got a wedge, complete with the black wax rind. It's flavored with garlic and herbs and white wine, and it's really good. Quite soft for a cheddar - almost creamy - and very, very flavorful. We just had it plain with crackers; I'd love to try it in other ways. Highly recommended if you're into cheddars.

Hard Rock Munchies

On our way home from a California vacation, we stopped at a Hard Rock Cafe, partly because the one closest to our home has now been closed. I wasn't feeling up to a full meal, so I ordered a couple of sides, and am glad I did.

Fruitapalooza

I have a soft spot for fruit, particularly real fruit juices. This one promised strawberry puree, bananas, and enough other fruits to tempt me. As good as it sounded? Absolutely, particularly with the slice of pineapple on the rim. Worth the price? Perhaps not, but at least the hurricane glass gives us a matched set.

White Cheddar Smashed Potatoes

The menu listing reminded me of other mashed potato variants I've tried and enjoyed. This scoop was tasty and filling, but lacked the real punch that I was expecting; perhaps I should have tried some pepper on it. It was also interesting to feel the texture change as it cooled; the cheese makes it set harder than potatoes do on their own.

Santa Fe Spring Rolls

The absolute star of the show. From their menu:

Stuffed with spinach, black beans, cilantro, corn, jalapeños, diced red peppers and Jack cheese. Served with fresh homemade Hard Rock Salsa and guacamole Chipotle Ranch dressing.

The best of southwestern flavors, but in a smaller wrapper. Of the five spring rolls, I finished all but about two bites before my stomach couldn't take any more, most of them taken with a forkful of the shredded lettuce, olives, and dressing.

Compared with the burger and fries across the table, this meal was light, but it was still more than enough for a lunch. I'll have to consider the sides and appetizers more often in the future.

Pictures!!!

SPAGHETTI SQUASH

Spaghetti Squash!! :)

Lorien, Mike, and I went apple picking yesterday at a farm. It was my first time picking apples and it was a lot of fun! I also picked beets and spinach. I did not, however, pick my own spaghetti squash. Rather, I picked out my own spaghetti squash from among the ones pre-cut in the barn store thing.

Out of all the new things I have tried in the last few months (drangonfruit etc) THIS IS THE BEST!!!! Seriously, I think spaghetti squash is one of my new favorite foods. K, eat it like this:

Cut your squash in half and scoop out the seeds.
Poke the skin with a fork or knife in a few places
Place face down in a baking dish and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 min.

When it is done (pokeable) scoop out the flesh with a fork. It actually comes out stringy like spaghetti!! I threw it in a bowl with a little olive oil, some parmesan, a touch of garlic and salt, and about a tablespoon of tomato paste. AWESOME AND DELICIOUS! I really haven't felt this enthusiastic about a vegetable in a long time :) Enjoy!