corn & kielbasa chowder

Yum!

corn and kielbasa chowder

8 ounces kielbasa, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 onions, finely chopped
(I also added about three stalks of celery, chopped)
1 tablespoon butter
1 14.5-ounce can chicken broth
1 large baking potato (about 12 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup half-and-half
1 1-pound bag frozen corn, thawed
Salt and pepper
Chopped fresh dill, for garnish

Heat a deep skillet or a wide 4- to 6-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add the kielbasa and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add the onions and butter to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 6 minutes. Add the broth and potato and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover with a lid and simmer until the potato is tender, about 10 minutes. Add the half-and-half and corn and cook, stirring, until heated through. Using a blender or food processor, puree 1 cup chowder until smooth. Stir the puree back into the chowder along with the browned kielbasa and season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with the dill.

chocolate chip oatmeal muffins

I found the recipe at allrecipes.com. They reminded me of the vegan chocolate chip cookies my sister and I used to make. Really good.

chocolate chip oatmeal muffins

1/2 cup butter or margarine (I used non-dairy earth-balance)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup applesauce
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg. Combine dry ingredients; add alternately with applesauce to the creamed mixture. Stir in oats and chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.

salmon chowder

I love cooking hot soups on frigid snow days. It's been snowing for days straight now, with short let-ups here and there, but I'm tired of being home bound. I refuse to go out in this mess with the kids. Anyway, tonight, we had delicious salmon chowder, served with bread, salad and french beans. Here's the recipe. I haven't decided what to make for dessert yet, but I've decided we need something yummy to celebrate Mike finishing his very last day at Intel today. Congratulations, love!

Christmas Present Granola

A few years ago around Christmas we were visiting my parents' neighbors and their house had a wonderful baking smell. When I asked what it was, she gave me a small bag of her homemade granola. I snacked on it all afternoon and ended up calling her a few hours later asking for the recipe. I brought it back this season and used it as as easy-to-ship Christmas present as well as a stocking stuffer and had a few requests for the recipe. At the risk of giving away my secrets, here goes...

7 c. rolled oats
1 c. wheat germ
1 heaping cup brown sugar
6 cups nuts (I usually use a variation of walnuts, pecans, and sometimes almonds)
2 cups sunflower seeds (optional)
1/2 cup flax seeds
Mix together in a very large bowl.

In a glass measuring cup, mix 3/4 cup oil with 1 1/3 cup water and heat (covered!) in microwave for 3-5 minutes on high. Add 2 tsp. vanilla and pour over dry ingredients. (This may sound obvious, but the oil/water is hot! Be careful, especially if you have little "helpers") Spread mixture into 2 well-greased jelly roll pans. Bake at 250 degrees for 2 hours. Leave in oven until dry, possibly bake for 1/2 hour more if necessary. If desired add coconut, dried cranberries, or other fun mix-ins after baking.

chili with vegetables

We had this chili last night, and it was tasty. I kind of went from a recipe, but I mostly made it up as I went along. It's all approximate- as it always is around here.

2 med carrots
2 celery stalks
1 large onion
a few garlic cloves
1 zucchini
1/2 cup white cooking wine
2-3 jars diced tomatoes
1/3 jar of steak sauce
6-8 slices bacon
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
*(I just eyed all of these and tasted, added more accordingly)
*chili powder
*salt
*cumin
*red pepper (cayenne)
quite a few kidney beans- I added almost half of a 3-lb can.
*fresh parsley

Add first eight ingredients to large pot and let simmer for a while until all of the veggies are tender. While they are simmering, cook bacon in a large skillet. Add bacon to veggie mixture. Cook the ground beef in the bacon drippings (I had to drain quite a bit of grease first). Add to veg. mixture along with seasonings and let cook for a while so all of the flavors can blend together. Add beans and parsley and serve. We put cheddar on ours and served with a little bread. Really good for a super-cold day.

Cranberry Walnut Bread

Just because it's been more than a month since we've posted on here, and I've been meaning to make this for more than a month now-- I love fresh cranberries in baked goods...



Cranberry walnut bread (I doubled this recipe to make two loaves)

2 to 2 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 c. whole raw cranberries
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
Hot water
1 tbsp. grated fresh orange peel
1/2 c. orange juice
1 lg. egg, slightly beaten

Heat oven to 325°F. Grease 9"x5"x3" loaf pan.

Sift flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and soda in large bowl. Combine walnuts with cranberries in a small bowl; take 1/2 cup of the flour mixture and toss is with cranberries and walnuts. Put oil in a measuring cup; fill with hot water to measure 3/4 cup. Mix oil, water with orange peel and juice. Stir into flour mixture with egg. Mix just enough to moisten the dry ingredients. If batter seems too thin, your flour may have been stored under humid conditions; use the larger flour measurement.

Gently stir in the cranberry-walnut mixture. Put in pan. Bake 1 hour or until done.

Black Bean Cakes

As our kitchens become more crowded our postings are become fewer and fewer! But, here my latest freezer-friendly recipe that I adapted for my meal exchange group:

1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained.
1 egg, beaten
1 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cxup shredded Mexican cheese blend
2 TBSP chili powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tspt ground cumin
2 TBSP olive oil

In a small bowl, mash beans. Add the egg, carrots, bread crumbs, cheese, chili powder, salt, baking powder, and cumin. Mix well. Shape into six patties; brush both sides with oil. Place on a baking sheet.

Broil 3-4 in. from the heat for 3-4 minutes on each side. Serve with fresh salsa. Yum!

toasted pumpkin seeds

I usually toast the pumpkin seeds from our carved Jack-o-lanterns, but this year, I tried this recipe, which calls for boiling the seeds in salt before toasting. Added a nice lightly-salted flavor. I love the smell of the whole process- so fall.

pumpkin cheesecake

Made this pumpkin cheesecake last night (I got the link from Simply Serina- thanks!). I cheated and made up my own directions for part of it mostly because I don't yet own a springform pan, and started making it too late in the evening to acquire one. But it still turned out delicious. And since the pan I used was considerably smaller than a 9-inch springform, we have a bunch of the filling left over in the fridge-- enough to make a second small one in the next couple of days.
I didn't used to care for cheesecake, but now it's one of my favorite desserts- as well as anything with pumpkin. And it's much easier to make than I anticipated, so I'll be buying a springform pan or two to make them the proper way in the future.
This stevia sweetened pumpkin pudding is next on my bake list.

eating for fall

Autumn is probably my favorite for in-season recipes. We've been out-of town for a while and have just been negligent of both blogs lately, but I have a slew of fall-foods on our calendar. Last night, we enjoyed our first pumpkin soup of the season- one of my favorites- served with Parmesan cous-cous and broccoli with cheese sauce- and apple crisp for dessert. Tonight, we had gingered kale and tofu over brown rice and green salad with pears (both recipes from Simply in Season). That was one delicious meal.
I'm glad we don't live closer to Whole Foods. The kids and I went there today after the Toy Lending Library- also in shadyside, and that place is hard to get out of. We ended up going through the line twice. My list was only a quarter crossed off though, because they're so pricey on most things. I'm looking forward to a bigger garden next year.