Chicken Tortilla Soup

Last year I got a hankering for chicken tortilla soup.  Lacking a favorite recipe I took to the interweb and googled it.  I found multiple recipes, and finally settled on one.  I made minimal changes and this has turned into one of my favorites.  This is the perfect season for soup so read on.

Ingredients:

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can corn

1 can beans (I prefer black beans)

chicken broth - I use one of those 32 oz cartons

cooked chicken

diced onion

garlic

1/3 cup grits

1 can diced chiles

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp oregano

grated cheese

tortilla chips

sliced avocado

sour cream (optional)

diced green onion

 Chop onion and garlic and saute in olive oil.

You may also use a couple of tsp of bottled grated garlic - whichever floats your boat.

Add the diced chiles.  The original recipe called for the small can of diced chiles.  I prefer the large can.  Just toss the whole thing in there, juice and all.

Ooops..forgot to include the spices in the picture of ingredients.  My darling daughter got this Chili at a spice shop near her apartment in (sadly) another city.  Sadly because my daughter is adorable AND the spice store smells divine. 

I like to add the spice to the sauted onion, garlic and chiles mixture.  I love the way the colors look in the pot.

While your mixture is cooking, open and drain all of the remaining canned items: beans, corn and tomatoes.  You can add the tomatoes without draining if you prefer.  Again, I like the blend of colors with all three ingredients in the colander.

Add your chicken to the mixture.  I vary the method I use for the chicken based on what I have on hand and what I'm going to use for that pot of soup.  If I have leftover chicken from another meal I'll use that.  Sometimes I chop a chicken breast into small piece and cook that up and toss it in the soup.  Or you can simmer some chicken in some of the broth, cool and shred it for the soup.  Then you can add the chicken stock into the soup so it doesn't go to waste.  If you choose this method, simmer the chicken on low so it doesn't become too rubbery.

To all this add 1/3 cup of grits.  The original recipe called for hominy.  Being a Southern girl I always have grits on hand, but rarely have hominy on hand, so I made the substitution.  One advantage is that this will thicken the soup making it more like a stew.  If you prefer the hominy, use a full cup.

Add the drained corn, beans and tomatoes.



Add the broth and let the soup simmer for a short time.  The grits will begin to absorb some of the liquid, so add more broth if you need to.  Stir periodically so the grits don't cook onto the bottom of the pot.

The finished product. Actually this soup is just a vehicle for all the fun stuff you can put in it.  Serve small bowls of tortillas, grated cheese, chopped or sliced avocado, and chopped green onions for the toppings.  If you like you can also add a dollop of sour cream.  There's plenty of winter left so get cooking!

....and good luck with that...

Ah, another year has arrived and with it the superstition of food for good luck.  Here in the South an annual ritual - allegedly guaranteed to bring good luck - is to have black eyed peas on New Year's Day.  I've been adhering to this little superstition for a number of years and so the afternoon of December 31st found me pushing a cart down the grocery store aisles in search of a nice can of black eyed peas.  When I got to the canned veggie aisle there was nary a can of BEP to be found.  Harrumph.  So it goes when you wait until late afternoon to do your shopping.  What to do?  Being an inventive sort I thought to look for dried peas.  Nope...not a bag in sight.  Hmmm...do I take my chances and forego consumption of the legume of luck or do I go to another store and procure a can?  Would it really matter (yes, I know the answer to that and I don't need you to tell me).  What happened if I ate MY black eyed peas but family and friends didn't eat theirs?  Would my luck be affected as well?  So many questions and not a can of peas in sight.  Resolved that it didn't matter I continued my shopping, eventually meandering over to the frozen food aisle.  A thought occured to me...maybe some inventive soul has bagged some FROZEN peas...so I took a peek.  Sure enough on a top shelf, just barely within reach of my short self, was a bag of frozen BEP.  Eureka!  All thoughts of whether or not it matters to eat or not to eat them disappeared.  I had my bounty.  Since this wasn't the usual canned peas I normally bought I decided I needed to see if I could fancy them up a bit.  So, I looked up some recipes online and found one that looked easy enough that even I couldn't muck it up.  So here is my NYD BEP recipe.  Even dear hubby liked them and he doesn't often comment on the veggie selections.  I think the only thing I would add to this another time is a little chili or cajun spices to liven them up a little more.

Black Eyed Peas

Ingredients

1 chopped onion

1 bag frozen black eyed peas

1/2 - 1 cup diced ham

1 can chopped tomotoes

salt/pepper to taste

pinch garlic powder

other herbs/spices to taste (I think I tossed in a pinch or two of savory)

olive oil

Heat olive oil in large pot.

  

Chop and saute onions

Add your spices after the onions are cooked and translucent.  I like to add them so they'll heat up in the pan.  I think it brings out more of the flavor.

Add diced ham and heat through

 Add full can of diced tomatoes, juice included.

 Add black eyed peas and then simmer for a bit.

Always keep a bit of onion aside for sprinkling on the top.  My grandfather, "Pop" never had his black eyed peas without some chopped onion on top for extra flavor.  Happy New Year, y'all and good luck with that...

Sausage Spinach Roll Ups

This is a recipe I got from my friend Gail Klaveness in Dallas. We were members of the same book club.  Gail made these for a book club meeting once and they were a big hit. She was kind enough to share the recipe.  The book club, The Easy Readers, is still going strong.  I'm honored to be an alum of the group and to still be included in their email trails.  I just wish I could make it to monthly meetings.  It's a wonderful group of very interesting women with some great perspectives.  They also had some killer recipes.  John used to insist that we just got together for the food.  With food like what we prepared, what's wrong with that?

This particular recipe is a great one to make for pot lucks, something quick for guests to grab on a busy holiday morning, or just any occasion.  I guarantee you'll be taking home an empty plate wherever you take these.  Bon Apetit.

Sausage Spinach Roll Ups

You will need:

1 lb ground sausage (original recipe calls for hot, I prefer mild...o.k. I admit it, I'm a wimp)

8 oz grated mozzarella

1/4 cup parmesan

1 egg, beaten

1 box frozen spinach

2 rolls of Pillsbury french bread loaf (uncooked)

 Ingredients gathered and ready for the preparation

Remove bread dough from can. Lightly flour a bread board (or whatever surface you're using). I used Wondra this time. It's a very fine flour, normally used for making gravy, but it works well for this too. Let the dough sit for a few minutes so it approaches room temperature. Then CAREFULLY unroll it onto your floured surface. This is a little tricky, so be patient.

While your dough is sitting and warming a little more, prepare your other ingredients.

Brown the sausage in a skillet and then drain.

Cook and drain your spinach.  The original recipe calls for frozen spinach, but you can use whatever you like: fresh, frozen or canned...that's all up to your particular tastes.

Take the beaten egg and pour most of it into the drained spinach mixture. Save a little of the egg for brushing on the top of the finished loaf.

Once you have drained the spinach, place half of the mixture on the rolled out dough.  Sprinkle 1/2 the parmesan mixture on top.

 Add half of the spinach and egg mixture.  Spread it around so it's fairly evenly distributed.

 Add half of your mozzarella, again spreading it around so it's evenly distributed.

 Roll up your loaf.  This is also a little tricky because the dough is going to want to break.  Just take it slow and be careful.  Gently pull and roll as you go.

 Once you have your loaf rolled up, brush half of the remaining egg on top and then score the top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until the top is brown and it's heated through.

Voila!  The end result.  Serves 8 people per loaf.

This is what the inside looks like.

 I felt obligated to do a taste test for you.  I can report that it was yummy as usual.  Here, I'll go have another bite just in case I missed tasting it for anyone. 

Lib Slack's Potatoes Au Gratin

This is my grandmother's recipe for potatoes au gratin...or as we like to say around these parts, "rotten taters".  My grandmother was a dyed-in-the-wool southern cook who last used a measuring spoon during the Depression.  She taught me to make these the same way she did...by eyeballing the ingredients.  Measure if you must, but I'm not quite sure the end results will be the same.

You will need the following ingredients:

 Potatoes, peeled and sliced

Sliced onions (yellow or white, doesn't matter)

Butter

Grated cheese (a sharp blend is best)

Milk

Flour

Salt & Pepper

Your first step is to peel and slice the potatoes and the onions and to grate the cheese.  Once you have done this and have assembled your ingredients and your casserole dishes you're ready to put it all together.

 Grease the inside of the casserole dish.  I normally make at least one large and then prepare a smaller casserole dish in case there are extra ingredients.

 This sweet little casserole dish is from Whynot Pottery and is the perfect size for two. 

 Layer the ingredients.  Start with a layer of potatoes.

 Add some of the sliced onions.

 Next dot the potatoes and onions with a little butter.

 Sprinkle a little flour, salt and pepper over the mixture.

 Next, sprinkle grated cheese on top.  Don't make it too thick.  Some of the other ingredients should peek through.  You will be using lots of cheese in the entire dish, so don't put an excessive amount on each layer.  The end result will be plenty cheesy.

 End with a sprinkling of cheese.

The last step is to pour milk over the top, so it drips down between the layers.  Use enough to come 1/3 to 1/2 way up the layered ingredients.  I use 1 percent.  You can use skim, 2 percent or whole milk, whichever is your preference.  Don't use something heavy like 1/2 & 1/2 or cream.  I've tried that and it doesn't improve the taste. 

I did have enough to make a small casserole full...which delights my significant other.  That means he'll have leftovers when the guests are gone.

Cover with casserole lid and bake at 350 degrees for at least an hour.  Test to make sure the potatoes are soft and cooked through.  If the dish gets too soupy you can pour off some of the liquid...just be sure not to toss your potatoes into the sink!  Remove the top of the casserole dish and let the top brown towards the end of cooking.  Depending on the depth of the dish (and sometimes the alignment of the stars or so it seems) I will cook it for up to 1.5 hours.  Just do whatever it takes to get it done and nicely browned on top.

This is the finished result.

I normally serve these with a ham dinner.  I make them at least twice a year, but not too more often...they're quite rich and best used as an occasional treat.

Hope you enjoy some of your own.

Happy Feasting.

Dick Cavett - rediscovered

What a treat today to find Dick Cavett as a story on CBS Sunday Morning.  I have often wondered what happened to one of the brightest interviewers of our time.  He is still around, still smart and still contributing to intelligent discourse.  Turns out he is one of many bloggers for the New York Times' Opinionator Blog site.  I particularly enjoyed his take on the Quitta from Wasilla.  Enjoy: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/14/the-wild-wordsmith-of-wasilla/?scp=1&sq=Opinionator%20+%20Dick%20Cavett%20+%20Sarah%20Palin&st=cse
Dick, I can promise you I'll be back to catch up on your writings.  It's like reconnecting with an old friend.

Wednesday...a poem



• I can’t wait for Wednesday and the silence of the phone.
• No incessant ringing and the politicians’ drone.
• I’ll be unencumbered by the shrieking of the ads
• That play on t.v. and on radio; they’re driving me quite mad.
• I will treasure all the silence; I will revel in the quiet
• I can’t wait for the non-ringing, yes I really want to try it.
• I will thank the stars above for bringing to an end
• Yet another endless cycle of the politicians ginned-
• Up promises of votes they’ll make on issues big and small
• That they tell us will improve the lives of not just one but all.
• So bring on the silent Wednesday, and give my ears a rest.
• Then take the promises that each has voiced and put them to the test.

Taking the Waters

A couple of hours west of Charlottesville, hard up against the West Virginia line, is Bath County.  In Bath County you will find two little side-by-side towns, Warm Springs and Hot Springs.  Both names are quite descriptive because, well, they have them...springs.  Warm ones.  Not only are they warm springs but they're warm HISTORIC springs.  To wit, the one and only Thomas Jefferson soaked in these very waters in the 1800's.

At the Jefferson Pools you will find two wooden, octagonal structures, each housing a pool of spring fed warm water.  98 degrees of warm, slightly sulphuric smelling mineral water and it feels divine. 

My friend Pat, her daughter and my daughter (also old friends of ten years' standing) took off for what we hoped would be the cool of the mountains around mid-morning.  We drove through some scenic Va countryside and ended up at the pools just before 1.  We went in, paid our fee, and were rewarded with an hours' soak in that lovely mineral water. 

I had been up that way before with another friend a few years before.  The Jefferson Pools must have fallen on hard times since then, though, because they were more than a little down at the heels.  What used to be quaint and rustic is now close to falling down around our ears.  The facility is now owned by the far more elaborate Homestead and I do hope they have plans to improve the condition of the baths, what with the mold, the rotting boards and the general state of disrepair.  These places have the potential to be quaint and charming, but look like they are barely going to hold up for the next hour.

After "taking the waters" - or so it was called in Jefferson's time - we drove down into town and found The Homestead in all her glory.  We found parking and went on a brief tour. Then we availed ourselves of some pleasant alcove in the lobby and proceeded to partake of afternoon tea...served daily at 3:00 p.m.  It was a lovely interlude. 

After tea we were back on the road and made our way over to Staunton.  We found a nice little restaurant housed in an old mill.  We were attracted by their advertisement of the best ribs in town.  They weren't kidding.  Those things were quite tasty.  Come on over and I'll give you a ta...  oops.  Can't.  I ate them all and they were delish.

After a great and relaxing day there is only one thing left to do.  Night all.  I'm going to bed.