Butternut Squash and Bacon Soup

This time of year is perfect for the fall squashes, and, I've been craving butternut squash and bacon soup for about a month now.  So, this week's food adventure is one of my favorite soups.

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash
8-10 slices of bacon
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 small to medium onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream
2 cans chicken broth (I think it's 14 oz., but it's the most common sized can.)
Real butter, unsalted - about 2/3 stick

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

2.  Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise.  Scoop out the strings and seeds and discard.  Puncture the meat of the squash in several places.

3.  Place skin side down in a baking dish with a little bit -- I use just enough to cover the bottom of the dish -- of water.  Lay strips of bacon over the squash and put small pats of butter on the bacon. Place in preheated oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until squash is fork-tender. 

4.  While squash is cooking, fry the remaining bacon.  Drain on paper towels, and cut or break into bits.

5.  Remove from oven and allow to cool enough to be handled.  Set the bacon aside for later use, but keep separate from the other bacon you have cooked.  If the bacon did not get crispy, you may wish to fry it a little more.

6.  Take a tablespoon or two, if needed, of bacon grease from your frying pan and pour it into the bottom of a soup pot.  Over medium low heat, saute the thyme with the chopped onions until the onions are translucent. 

7.  Scoop chunks of squash into the pot until done.  Allow to simmer with the onions, stirring frequently, for about 5 to 10 minutes.  If it gets too thick too quickly, add a little chicken broth to moisten.

8.  Add the remaining broth and bring to a boil.

9.  Remove from heat and allow to cool enough to handle.

10.  Pour into blender and blend until smooth.

11.  Return to the soup pot, add the bacon you cooked with the squash and bring to just beginning to boil, stirring often. 

12.  Remove from heat.  Stir in cream and serve immediately with a crusty bread.



Notes:

*  Butternut squash is difficult to slice in half lengthwise, so I recruit Tony for this job on a regular basis.  I did it once and determined I was lucky to have all of my fingers afterwards. 

*  The holes you puncture in the squash help the bacon grease run into the meat of the squash and increases the bacon flavor of the dish.  I put the butter on top of the bacon because it too picks up bacon flavoring and runs into the squash.

*  You can vary the ingredients with the size of the squash, and don't have to only use butternut squash for this soup.  I've made it with pumpkin as well and had great success.  A plus to pumpkin is that you get seeds to eat and will have enough fresh pumpkin baked up that you can freeze it and make the soup again later with a lot more ease.  I have tried it with yellow squash, but you can't get rid of the seeds and, while it tasted okay, the texture was not okay.

*  I like it creamy.  So, I use about 4 oz. of the cream.

*  Because of the cream, it doesn't freeze well.  And, it doesn't really microwave well without a lot of attention paid to it, i.e. 1 minute, stir, 1 minute, stir, etc.  Fortunately, it's a really yummy soup and we seldom have much, if any, left over.

*  If the bacon isn't cooked to crispy, it is not a welcome texture in this soup.  Trust me on this.  Soft, invisible bacon is bad.

*  I used fresh thyme from the garden.  I don't really know the proper exchange, so I just grabbed a handful of sprigs.

Ratings:

Sandy's rating:  5.00 stars

I love this soup.  It takes a bit of time to make, but it is such a treat.  And, it's not that normal sweetened squash that everyone serves.    The bacon flavor and the natural sweetness of the squash and onions are all you need.  I may have to make this again very soon!

Tony's rating:  4.0 stars

It was definitely good.  For the holidays, it is one of the most perfect dishes you can make because it just tastes like the holidays.

Cost:  about $26 - $27

0.78 lb onion - $1.01
4.92 lb butternut squash - $9.79
small carton heavy whipping cream - $2.29
chicken broth - .96/can
thick sliced bacon - about $9
crusty French bread - 2.49

We had the thyme and butter, but that would add about $5 to this if.

Pizza

The heart wants, what the heart wants. And that would be Pizza.

At the Publix deli they have this awesome prefab pizza dough. Good stuff and a breeze to prepare. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Get it nice and hot. In the meantime, turn our the dough. I like to use this little pizza pan. I use a little olive oil on the pan to get the crust crispy, and it keeps the dough from sticking. 

You know the deal. Put on sauce and herbs. I like to use basil, oregano, garlic, crushed red pepper and rosemary. Next, grate some fresh mozzarella. I use about 8 oz of cheese.  Cover with your toppings. Tonight we are having Italian sausage and black olives. We dust the crust with some parmesan cheese and top the pie with some fresh feta cheese. Yum!

In the oven you go! I have a convection oven and will leave it in for 13 minutes. Time to eat.

Tony's Rating: 5.0 stars

This was the best. The crust was crazy good, like a garlic flatbread. Absolutely divine. The flavors all came together and it had a Mediterranean flair. Fit to be a last meal. Pair it with some merlot and finish it off with a cannoli. Pure perfection.

Sandy's rating:  5 stars

I absolutely love homemade pizza.  You always get what you want that way.  This pizza came out nice and crispy with a lot of full flavor.

Bean and Bacon Soup

It's getting a little colder outside and that means it's the perfect time for soup!  This week, I'll make an old favorite:  bean and bacon soup.

Ingredients:

1 lb. bag of navy beans, soaked and already cooked
3 cups of chicken broth
2 carrots, diced
2 sticks of celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
6-8 strips of bacon
a handful of parsley

1.  Fry up about half the bacon and set aside on a paper towel.   Pour about half of the bacon grease into a container and set aside.  Cut the remaining bacon in to small pieces for later.

2.  Saute the chopped onion and garlic in the remaining bacon grease.  When done, transfer to a large pot.

3.  Put the onions, carrots, celery, beans and small pieces of bacon in 3 cups of water and 3 cups of chicken broth.  Add a handful of parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for approximately 35-45 minutes.




4.  Sprinkle with bacon crumbles when serving.

Notes:

*  I substituted beef broth for chicken broth because I had some I needed to use.  I don't think this changed the flavor noticeably.

*  I was out of garlic, and substituted garlic salt.  I missed the garlic.

*  We worked late the day this was made, and I tried to combine the cook time for the beans and for the soup.  I don't believe that worked out very well, and won't do it again.

Sandy's rating:  3.75 stars

I don't know if I added the bacon grease too early or if the idea of combining the cook time of the beans with the cook time of the soup created the problem, but the texture of the soup just wasn't right.  It had a nice bacon flavor, and the beans were done, but the liquid was too thin.  I usually make bean and ham soup, and don't run into this problem.   I'm just not sure it's the bacon.

Tony's rating:  3.0 stars

The flavor was good, but it was a bit watery.  Next time I wouldn't add the bacon grease.

Cost:  about $10

I threw out the receipts, but this is a relatively inexpensive dish, except for the bacon.  And, it makes leftovers.

~Sandy

Chicken, Herb and Goat Cheese Wantons

Hey Foodies! Its Food Adventure Time again! Tired of the same old shit? Yeah, me too. We are going to mix it up a bit and try something new. This week's science experiment is...

                                       Chicken, Herb and Goat Cheese Wontons

I saw these wanton noodles at Publix and they peaked my interest. It said you can use them for Ravioli, Tortellini, Crab Rangoon and Wontons. Sounds good enough for me, but let's put a twist on it. Super easy to make. Thing you will need:

1 Chicken breast
1 pack of wonton wraps
Oil for frying
fresh herbs
1  8 oz pack of goat cheese.

Preheat your oil over a medium-high heat. We want to get the oil super-hot. Once it starts smoking, it's ready. In the mean time, make up your wontons. It is a bit tedious, like making meatballs, but the reward is worth the trouble.

I grilled my chicken breast on my trusty George Foreman grill. I love that thing. I use it all the time, for everything. Once it was cooked, I cut it up into cubes so I could break it up and stuff my noodles with it.

I used a butter knife to spread my goat cheese in the wonton. You want about 3/4 chicken and 1/4 goat cheese ratio. Sprinkle some fresh herbs from the garden on there, and you are ready to get folding. This is the part that takes the most time. Get a friend to help with the assembly line. Some drinks in the kitchen help, too.

My oil is starting to smoke. Time to flash fry these bitches. It takes about 5 seconds in the fryer. Use tongs to make sure both sides are evenly cooked. But, be quick about it. Don't want to burn these bad boys. And, please be careful doing these. Do not try this at home. ;)

Food is done. Time to eat. I made a honey mustard sauce for dipping.

Tony's Rating : 5.0 Pure Dynamite! It was like a party in your mouth. The  Wontons were puffy and crunchy, but still a little chewy, too. Delightful. The grilled chicken tasted like a chicken Rangoon nugget. Crazy good. I made a huge plate of these things, and me and the old lady scarfed 'em down like nobody's business. Can't wait to try again with Crab, Pork or Shrimp. Good Shit!

Sandys Rating:  4.5 stars

These were excellent.  The only thing I regret is that we forgot the green onions!  The chicken, goat cheese and fresh herb combo was excellent.  And the wontons were cooked perfectly.  I can imagine these cooked so many different ways now.  Dessert wontons....mmmm.

Until next time my friends. All men must dine!

Jambalaya

This weekend just felt like it needed some Cajun food.  So, I cooked up some Jambalaya for the 'Bama game.  The beauty of Jambalaya is that you can modify it to suit your tastes, like I did to another recipe for this.

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp. butter
6 oz. tasso or cure 81 ham, diced
6 oz andouille sausage, or good pure smoked pork sausage, diced
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1 1/2 c. chopped onions                                            Seasoning mix:
1 1/2 c. chopped celery                                             4 whole  bay leaves
1 c. chopped green bell peppers                                1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic                                             1 tsp. white pepper
2 c. uncooked rice                                                     1 tsp. dry mustard
4 c. chicken stock                                                      1 tsp. cayenne Pepper
2 c. stewed tomatoes. strained                                   1 tsp. gumbo file
                                                                                   1/2 tsp. ground cumin

                             1/2 tsp. black pepper
                             1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1.  Mix ingredients for seasoning mix in small bowl and set aside.

2.  In a large pot, melt the butter over high heat.  Add tasso and andouille; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add onions, celery, bell peppers, seasoning mix, and garlic.  Stir well and continue cooking until browned - about 10 to 12 minutes; stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pan well.  Stir in stewed tomatoes.

3.  Stir in the rice and cook for 5 minutes, stirring and scraping the pan bottom occasionally.  Add the stock, stirring well.
                                                               

4.  Bring the mixture to a boil; add shrimp; reduce heat and simmer until rice is tender, but still a bit crunchy - about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally toward the end of the cooking time. 

5.  Remove bay leaves and spoon onto heated plates.  Mmm-mm, good!

Notes:

*  The only difference from this and the original recipe is the stewed tomatoes and shrimp.  Really, with jambalaya, you can use whatever you choose as long as it has a lot of rice.

*  The ham comes in 8 oz. packages, so I use the full package.  I just the entire package of andouille sausage as well.

*  This makes a lot of food.  Be prepared for leftovers, lots of leftovers.

Sandy's rating:  4.5 stars
This dish is sinful.  Not to spicy, but far from bland.  The shrimp and the smoky flavors of the sausage and ham go together really well.  And, the rice soaks up all of the flavors cooked in the pot, making for a very nice dish.

Tony's rating:  4.0
It was really good this time because it wasn't as peppery as normal.  It was creamy, had a little heat.  Had a creole flavor.  Good stuff!

Cost:
rice - 1.09 / bag
shrimp - 9.99 /  lb
andouille - $4.99
8 oz. diced ham - $3.99
onion -  .69
green bell pepper - .99

We had all of the spices in our cabinets already, as well as stewed tomatoes, chicken bouillon to sub for broth, and garlic.

Total:  $22.00

Stuffed Steak Sandwiches

Hey guys! Food Adventure time again. Today I am terribly sad by a death in the family. I do not feel like eating or cooking. But, I have to eat. So it better be good and easy . Lets try this. Stuffed Steak Sandwiches.

This is all stuff I had laying around my kitchen. So it required no work whatsoever. Things I used were my artisan bread and our stuffed steak from a few weeks ago.

 All I did was thaw and slice the bread, put on a little A-1 to give it some zing.

Chopped up the stuffed steak after a few minutes in the microwave, add a slice of munster for good luck.

Pop it in the oven for 10 minutes at 350. Time to eat.

Tony's Rating: 3.0 It was good, the steak was good and the bread was good too. But I just did not feel like eating today.

Sandy's rating : 3.5 stars
This might have even been better were my taste-buds not all out of whack right now.  It was good and it filled my belly.

Until next time my friends.. All men must dine! ~Tony

Lasagna

Hey Foodies! It's that time again. It seems like forever since I had some baked pasta. Life is too short not to eat Lasagna.

Pretty basic actually. Start to boil your water and get that skillet hot. In the meantime, prep your materials. Here is what you will need:

1 box of lasagna
2 jars of sauce
16 oz of large curd cottage cheese
1//2 pound of ground beef
3 cloves of garlic
1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 medium onion
8 oz pack of fresh mushrooms

Put your Lasagna noodles in the water to boil for about 5 minutes. It does not have to be fully cooked, it will finish in the oven. Cook the ground beef with your mushrooms and onions until it fully reduces. I like to add a little red wine and oregano. Strain and drain.

For your first layer of lasagna, lay the bottom layer covering the pan entirely with noodles. Next, cover bottom layer of lasagna with the cottage cheese. Smooth until layer is even.



With your second layer of lasagna cover the cottage cheese with the 2nd batch of noodles. Now, mix your sauce with the drained meat and vegetables. Stir well and cover second layer with the sauce.

Final batch of noodles goes on the meat sauce and gets covered with cheese. Preheat oven to 350 and cook until cheese starts to brown. For me it was about 40 minutes. Slow and low is the way to go. Food is ready!! Lets eat.


Tony's rating 3.5 stars
It was very good. But just average.I like it a little spicier with red peppers and Italian sausage. Maybe that will be my next food adventure.

Sandys Rating: 4.0 stars

I liked it.  It was basic lasagna with good flavors.  The sauce we used said spicy, but instead it was really sweet.  I think I would've liked it better not quite so sweet.

Until next time my friends. All men must dine. ~ Tony

White Chicken Chili

It's finally Fall.  Who cares if it's ninety degrees outside?  There's football on the television, and that dictates certain kinds of food.  This Saturday, it dictated white chicken chili.  One of my favorites!

Ingredients:

2 large chicken leg quarters
4 cans of great northern beans, drained
2 cans original Ro-tel (no salt)
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
5 small green jalapeno peppers, chopped
3 cloves of garlic
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. black papper
1/2 tsp. white pepper
4 c. chicken broth

*Warning:  This dish is very spicy.

1.  Start with grilling the chicken over low heat, on the second rack, for about an hour.  Flip after 30 minutes.  This will give it a good grilled flavor, but not burn it.  Then, set it aside to cool while you put the rest of the chili together.

2.  Heat vegetable oil in big soup pot and sautee onions, jalapenos, and garlic until onions are translucent.  Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.

3.  Sprinkle in seasonings - chili powder, black papper, white pepper.


4.  Add beans and Ro-tel.  Return to a boil, hen reduce to simmer.  Simmer for 15 minutes and taste to see if you need to add more seasonings or more water, depending on your heat tolerance. Then boil another 15 minutes.

5.  While vegetables and seasonings are simmering together, remove the bones, cartilage and skin from your cooked chicken and discard.  Chop meat into bite-sized pieces.  Add the chopped chicken to the simmering vegetables and seasonings for the last 5 minutes.


6.  Top with sour cream and chopped chives, and serve.

Notes:

* Normally I cut up a chicken breast and sautee it in the pan with onions, jalapenos and garlic.  I will not do that again.  The grilled leg quarters really added a nice flavor to the chili.

* Please do not use the jalapenos if you are not tolerant of the heat.  And, if you wear contacts, remember to wash your hands thoroughly before touching your eyes.

* I use the no salt added varieties and don't factor salt into this recipe at all.  You may need to add it to suit your tastes.

* I like the great northern beans because of the size and texture, but you could use any white bean you prefer in their place.

* I cooked enough to make sure I had left overs.  If you're just looking for dinner for two, you could cut the recipe in half.

Ratings:

Sandy's rating:  5.0 stars

I love chicken chili, but the grilled chicken in this really made it something special.  It gave it a bit of a smoky flavor that went really well with the chili powder.  Can't wait to have it again.

Tony's rating:  5.0 stars

Not your moms chili. The grilled chicken gave the chili a nice smokey flavor. Sandy always makes it spicy, too. Perfect for cooler weather and football.

Cost: under $15
Ro-Tel - $1.44/can
great northern beans - $0.91/can
onion - $0.69/lb.
vegetable oil - $2.99
chicken leg quarters - about $5 for a 10 lb. bag

We grew the jalapenos, and the remainder of the ingredients are staples in our home.

Italian Stuffed Steak

For this week's Food Adventure we went digging through Southern Living's Annual Recipes for 1988 and found this treasure of a recipe in October's section.  It isn't a quick fix recipe, but it is something you could make on the weekend and freeze to reheat later in the week.

Ingredients:

2 (3/4 lb.) lean, boneless top round steaks
1 1/2 c. water
3/4 c. uncooked risotto
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
vegetable cooking spray
1/2 c. diced onion
1/2 c. diced green pepper
1/2 c. diced sweet red pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. dried Italian seasoning
1/4/ tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 (8 oz.) cans no-salt added tomato sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. dried whole fennel seeds
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese

1.  Trim fat from steaks; place each piece of meat between two sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound to 1/4 inch thickness, using a meat mallet.  Overlap edges of meat to make one large piece.

2.  Combine water, risotto, and turmeric in medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25-30 minutes or until tender; set aside.

3.  Coat a skillet with cooking spray; place over medium heat until hot.  Add onion, diced green and red pepper, and minced garlic; saute until tender.  Remove from heat.

4.  Add risotto, minced parsley, and next 3 ingredients; stir well.







5.  Spread stuffing mixture in center of meat within 1 inch of sides.

6.   Roll up jellyroll fashion, starting with the long side.  Secure at 2-inch intervals with string.  Place seam side down in a shallow roasting pan.





7.  Combine tomato sauce and next 4 ingredients in a small bowl; stir well.  Pour over steak roll.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, basting occasionally.  Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes, basting occasionally.

8.  Transfer steak to a serving platter.  Let stand 15 mintes; remove strings, and slice steak roll.  Spoon remaining sauce over meat and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Yield:  6 servings

Notes:

*  The top round steaks we bought were already trimmed of fat and sliced thin so we did not do step one.

*  We didn't use real risotto, instead we sauteed some garlic and onion with rice in butter and gradually added water and milk to get the creamy consistency.  It worked well.  I would probably make some extra to have a a side with the dish.

*  We rolled the steaks individually, not as one large roll.  I think it was more interesting this way, but it only made 7 due to the number of steaks in the packaging.  There are 3 in the freezer for a later date.

*  Because we rolled each small steak individually, we used toothpicks, which are much more manageable than string.

*  I don't buy Italian seasoning.  I didn't have everything that is usually in it, but I substituted half oregano and half basil for any amount of Italian seasoning.

*  We used a lot more garlic than it calls for.

Rating:

Sandy's rating:  4.0 stars
I really enjoyed this dish.  It tasted very much like meatloaf.  The meat was more tender than I expected after cooking for that long.  I think I would like a little more stuffing in it next time, possibly some spinach added to the stuffing as well.  I don't think I would ever make this as one roll like the recipe suggests, but I do think I would make it again.  It's definitely something you need to have the time to make.

Tony's rating:  4.5 stars
It tasted like meat loaf. The best meatloaf I ever had, but meatloaf none the less. I am interested in trying different variations. Maybe an Asian version with ginger and teriyaki or maybe a Italian version with cheese and garlic.

Cost: ~$15

top round steaks ~ $8
rice - $1.09
onion - .69
sweet red pepper - 1.99
green bell pepper - .99
tomato sauce - .89 a can

The remainder of the ingredients are staples in my kitchen and we didn't need to purchase them this time.

Artisanal Black Olive Bread

Hey Foodies! Well the store was completely out of bread because people are freaking out over the hurricane. Well, lucky me, that means I get to make my own bread. Tons of yeast and flour at ye olde Publix and I had a can of olives at the house. So, let's rock this shit before the power goes out. I present to you the incredible Artisanal Black Olive Bread.

Good thing I got all day, because this literally takes all day. So, get up early and get started. First, let's make the sponge starter. You will need:

1 cup of bread flour
1 cup of water (between 100 and 110 degrees)
1/4 oz of rapid rising yeast.

Mix that up real good and let it sit covered for 2 hours.


Now let's make our dough. add the rest of the ingredients:


2 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt
2 tablespoons of honey
4 cups of bread flour
1 cup of sliced black olives
2 cups of warm water (between 100 and 110 degrees) Not too hot!  You don't want to kill your yeast. It is a living thing. You want that dough to rise, yo!

Mix it up! For about 5 minutes, and let it sit covered for 3 hours.

Now, it's time to turn it out. Pour the dough on a lightly floured surface and turn out into a round shape. I used my pizza tray for this experiment. Press gently with your palms of your hand to release the gas in the yeast. Give it some love.  =) And, let it sit for another hour and a half. I told ya it was going to take all day.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle your bread with olive oil to make it crispy and dust with flour to make it pretty. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Check often not to over bake. Let Cool 20 minutes before serving. It's hot. You don't want to burn your mouth. It's done! Lets eat.

Tony's Rating: 4.0
What can I say, it's the best bread I've made yet. Perfect with soup or salads, but good on its own. We just tore it apart with our bare hands and started chowing. So good! Comfort food of the highest order and it only cost about 4 dollars to make. We had to buy the bread flour.

Sandys Rating: 5.0 stars
This is the best bread he's made to date.  It was both pretty to look at and yummy to eat!  It really hit the spot on a cooped-up, rainy day!

Time to hunker down. Till next time.. All Men Must Dine!