MISC – Page 201 – Chasing MY Life WHEREVER it Leads ME

Grown Up Mac & Cheese with updated Danish Cube Steak

GROWN UP MAC & CHEESE
12 ounce package pasta
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon Frank’s hot sauce
3/4 cup sharp white cheddar cheese
3 ounces bleu cheese crumbles
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain Well.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add salt.
In a small food processor pulse bleu cheese crumbles until fine. Set aside.
Add flour and whisk constantly over medium heat until smooth.
Gradually add milk, whisking constantly.
Add hot sauce. Bring to a slow boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and whisk in all cheeses, salt and pepper to taste until smooth.
Mix pasta and cheese mixture together until well blended.
Scoop into a casserole or ramekins.
Bake 15-20 minutes.
Top with chopped chives.

DANISH CUBE STEAK REVISITED
3 ounces bleu cheese crumbles
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup minced green onions
6 pork cube steaks
1/2 cup panko crumbs
2 tablespoons butter

In a small food processor blend together the mayonnaise, bleu cheese crumbles and green onions until smooth.
Coat steaks on both sides with mayonnaise mixture.
Dredge through panko crumbs.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add cube steaks and brown on both sides.

Stuffed Flank Steak – Simple Saturday

Hi everyone! Martha here from Seaside Simplicity doing a quick fill in for Joanne today. This is one I posted just a week or two ago over at my blog. Since it’s the only blog worthy meal I’ve posted in awhile I thought I’d share it here too!

When the kids said “ugh, pizza again?” I knew it was time to get in the kitchen and cook a decent meal – true story, they really said that!

I wanted to make them something at least a little bit impressive, but it still had to be something fairly quick and easy. As I wandered through the grocery store I saw some beautiful stuffed flank steaks – a little over priced to buy them already made but simple enough to make myself at home and less expensive that way too.

Stuffed Flank Steak

Butterflied flank steak

Italian seasoning

Fresh spinach

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Lay out the flank steak (they will butterfly it for you at the meat department if you ask nicely 🙂 Sprinkle the steak with Italian seasonings, spread with a layer of mozzarella cheese and a layer of baby spinach, tuck ends, roll up and tie with kitchen twine about every inch or so. Slice between twine and lay steak pinwheels over a bed of spinach in a baking pan. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until done to your liking. Give it a quick broil before removing from the oven to get all that cheesy goodness browned up just a bit. Remove and let rest for a few minutes.

Dinner is served!

This was so simple! I will definitely be making it again and probably often. I love that it can be made up ahead of time and just popped in the oven on those busy weeknights, and it’s definitely company worthy too!
.

Stop by and visit me at Seaside Simplicity, I’m having a Mardi Gras party this weekend!

Fire Day Friday: Fire Roasted Wings

Who likes chicken wings? Raise your hand.

I’ll share a secret, chicken wings on the grill are even better!

Here’s how I do mine. This is about technique over any kind of recipe. It is easy to do and easy to remember, my son learned to do these at 9 years old. We call them 30-20-10 wings.

Set your grill up for indirect heat at 375f degrees. I know I say “direct heat” and “indirect heat” all the time. But here is HOW you do that:

Then season your wings. Salt and pepper. A BBQ rub. Whatever you feel like. Then roast them on the grill for 30 minutes.

Flip them and roast 20 minutes.

Toss them in the sauce of your choice. Buffalo sauce. BBQ sauce. Terriyaki sauce. Whatevs. Cook for 10 more minutes just to firm up the sauce.

Serve with a cold beverage and enjoy the evening.

So just remember 30-20-10. When you get around to trying this, I think you’ll find it works!

The next time I post here, I hope to share some new secrets. Because by this time tomorrow I will be in Las Vegas attending Kingsford University and learning from Pit Master Chris Lilly, of Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ and you probably have seen him on Food Network.

Big Bob Gibson’s Chris Lilly at the 2010 Big Apple BBQ Block Party from Anthony Quintano on Vimeo.

Excited? Hell yeah!

PAN SEARED CHICKEN BREAST with APRICOT RUM GLAZE ~ CLASSIC GOOD EATS

PAN SEARED CHICKEN BREAST with APRICOT RUM GLAZE
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons rum
1/4 cup white wine
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup apricot pineapple jam
8-12 dried apricots, finely sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large skillet.
Salt and pepper both sides of chicken pieces.
Brown chicken, turning once, until cooked through – about 4-5 minutes per side.
Remove from skillet and keep warm.

Reduce heat and add onion, sauteing until tender.
Add apricots, rum, wine, lemon juice and vinegar, simmering until reduced by half.
Add jam, blend well and simmer to desired consistency.
Serve over chicken and white rice with fresh kiwi.

MARDIS GRAS KING CAKE via SERIOUS SPRING COMMITMENTS

Last Monday Martha got us thinking about serious spring commitments over at THE MOTIVATION STATION and I wanted to expound on that theme with a little background of the season and the holidays within it and a great recipe to finish off the indulgences before our fast/lent begins. You don’t have to be religious or Catholic to join us.

A king cake (sometimes rendered as kingcake, kings’ cake, king’s cake, or three kings cake) is a type of cake associated with the festival of Epiphany in the Christmas season in a number of countries, and in other places with Mardi Gras and Carnival.

The “king cake” takes its name from the biblical three kings. Catholic tradition states that their journey to Bethlehem took twelve days (the Twelve Days of Christmas), and that they arrived to honor the Christ Child on Epiphany. The season for king cake extends from the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Twelfth Night and Epiphany Day), through to Mardi Gras day. Some organizations or groups of friends may have “king cake parties” every week through the Carnival season.

Related culinary traditions are the tortell of Catalonia, the gâteau des Rois in Provence or the galette des Rois in the northern half of France, and the Greek and Cypriot vasilopita. The galette des Rois is made with puff pastry and frangipane (while the gâteau des Rois is made with brioche and candied fruits). A little bean was traditionally hidden in it, a custom taken from the Saturnalia in the Roman Empire: the one who stumbled upon the bean was called “king of the feast.” In the galette des Rois, since 1870 the beans have been replaced first by porcelain and, now by plastic figurines; while the gâteau des Rois Also known as “Rosca de Reyes” in Mexico.

In the southern United States, the tradition was brought to the area by colonists from France and Spain and it is associated with Carnival, which is celebrated in the Gulf Coast region, centered on New Orleans, but ranging from the Florida Panhandle to East Texas. King cake parties in New Orleans are documented back to the eighteenth century.

The king cake of the New Orleans Mardi Gras tradition comes in a number of styles. The most simple, said to be the most traditional, is a ring of twisted bread similar to that used in brioche topped with icing or sugar, usually colored purple, green, and gold (the traditional Carnival colors) with food coloring. Cajun king cakes are traditionally deep-fat-fried as a doughnut would be, and there are many variants, some with a filling, the most common being cream cheese and praline.

It has become customary in the New Orleans culture that whoever finds the trinket must provide the next king cake or host the next Mardi Gras party.

Some say that French settlers brought the custom to Louisiana in the 18th century where it remained associated with the Epiphany until the 19th century when it became a more elaborate Mardi Gras custom. In New Orleans, the first cake of the season is served on January 6. A small ceramic figurine of a baby is hidden inside the cake, by tradition. However now, the tradition is giving way to the baby being supplied and the customer placing the baby were ever they wish in the cake. Whoever finds the baby is allowed to choose a mock court and host the next King Cake party the following week (weekly cake parties were held until Mardi Gras).

The classic king cake is oval-shaped, like the pattern of a racetrack. The dough is basic coffee-cake dough, sometimes laced with cinnamon, sometimes just plain. The dough is rolled out into a long tubular shape (not unlike a thin po-boy), then shaped into an oval. The ends are twisted together to complete the shape (HINT: if you want to find the piece with the baby, look for the twist in the oval where the two ends of the dough meet. That’s where the baby is usually inserted.) The baby hidden in the cake speaks to the fact that the three Kings had a difficult time finding the Christ Child and of the fine gifts they brought.

The cake is then baked, and decorated when it comes out. The classic decoration is simple granulated sugar, colored purple, green, and gold (the colors of Carnival). King cakes have gotten more and more fancy over the years, so now bakeries offer iced versions (where there’s classic white coffee cake glaze on the cake), and even king cakes filled with apple, cherry, cream cheese, or other kinds of coffee-cake fillings.

King Cake is traditionally served with chicory coffee’ as Coffee’ au lat’. It is best eaten warm and if you must break tradition, it can be eaten with ice cream, preferably chocolate.

King cakes are available at bakeries all over South Louisiana, but only after January 6 through Mardi Gras Day.

Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday” (in ethnic English tradition, Shrove Tuesday), referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which started on Ash Wednesday. Related popular practices were associated with celebrations before the fasting and religious obligations associated with the penitential season of Lent. Popular practices included wearing masks and costumes, overturning social conventions, dancing, sports competitions, parades, etc. Similar expressions to Mardi Gras appear in other European languages sharing the Christian tradition. In English, the day is called Shrove Tuesday, associated with the religious requirement for confession before Lent begins.

MARDI GRAS KING CAKE (makes 2 cakes)

PASTRY
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
2/3 cup warm water
1/2 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

FILLING
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup melted butter

FROSTING/GLAZE
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon water

Scald milk, remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup of the butter. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water with 1 tablespoon of the white sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
When yeast mixture is bubbly, add the cooled milk mixture.
Whisk in the eggs.
Stir in the remaining white sugar, salt and nutmeg.
Beat the flour into the milk/egg mixture 1 cup at a time. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil.
Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
When risen, punch down and divide dough in half.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Grease 2 cookie sheets or line with SILPATS or parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl combine the brown sugar, ground cinnamon, chopped pecans, 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup raisins.
Pour 1/2 cup melted butter over the cinnamon mixture and mix until crumbly.
Roll dough halves out into large rectangles (approximately 10×16 inches).
Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough and roll up each half tightly like a jelly roll, beginning at the wide side.
Bring the ends of each roll together to form 2 oval shaped rings.
Place each ring on a prepared cookie sheet.
With sharp knife make cuts 1/3 of the way through the rings at 1 inch intervals. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.
Push the doll into the bottom of the cake.
Decorate with beads.
Frost while warm with the glaze.

Lasagna Roll Ups

Lasagna is a versatile meal that can be prepared ahead of time, freezes beautifully, and is great way to use up leftover marinara or pasta sauce. It is delicious whether vegetarian or meat filled. Lasagna is popular with all age groups, and is packed with nutrients like calcium, B vitamins, and lycopene among other yummy goodness. A fun “twist” on traditional layered lasagna are Lasagna Rollups.

LASAGNA ROLL-UPS
12 oz. lasagna pasta noodles cooked al dente
16 oz. container of Ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/2 tsp dried Italian herbs like oregano, thyme, rosemary mix
Salt and pepper
3 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese – (I use a mix of both Fresh buffalo mozzarella and aged mozzarella)
1/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
2 1/2 cups marinara or meat ragu sauce – (jarred or homemade is fine)

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.
Cook noodles to minimum time listed on package until al dente, drain well.
Prepare filling- In bowl, mix 16 oz of Ricotta cheese, two eggs, dried herbs, pinch of salt and pepper, 1 teaspoon of Parmesan, and 1/3 cup of shredded mozzarella until thoroughly mixed.
Place 1/2 cup of sauce at bottom of roasting pan.
Assemble rollups- On work surface, place 3-4 tablespoons of Ricotta filling towards the end of the noodle, add 1-2 teaspoons shredded cheese, and then roll up into a “wheel”. Place into roasting pan in rows. Repeat and complete filling the pan with rolled and filled pasta, then cover with sauce. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese over all the pasta. Cover pan with foil and bake for approximately 25 minutes, remove foil, and bake for additional 3-5 minutes until top cheese golden.
Buon Appetito! I hope you enjoy and thank you so much.

A Labor of Love… a new found recipe and research that wasn’t done in vain…

I was really hoping to jump back into cooking this week, but the doctor hasn’t released me so hubby is going to try to make my recipes as he refuses to let me overdo in ANY way. LOL This should be interesting! What a week for my camera to be in the shop.

One of the things I’ve been doing ~~while being forced to do nothing physical~~ is trying to go through all the stacks of magazines and recycle! If I have to sit still this seems so logical – except now I’m growing a stack of pages torn from magazines for recipes I must try!

I was going through an 1993 Country Living, yep 1993, and found a recipe for Lemon Cookie Cups. The title sounded awesome and they called it a variation of classic lemon bars. I decided to do an internet search and after much thought I am altering the original recipe from Country living and picking favorite ingredients from the dozens of other recipes I found to brew up a new recipe and am introducing:

BLISSFULLY DECADENT LEMON CHOCOLATE LUSH CUPS ~ makes 24 cups

CRUST

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add flour and beat until well blended. If dough is soft add an additional tablespoon of flour.
Cover and refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
Either line your muffin tin with liners or spray extremely well with PURE.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Divide dough evenly, about 1 tablespoon, into the 24 cups.
Using your lightly floured fingertips gently press dough into the bottom and up the sides of each cup.
Bake 15 minutes.

FILLING
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 large egg
1 (8-ounce) cream cheese, cubed & softened

In a small food processor process all ingredients until smooth, scraping sides of processor bowl occasionally.
Spoon 1 tablespoon filling into each prepared muffin cup.
Bake at 350° for 23 minutes or until edges are brown and filling is set.
Remove cups from pans immediately; cool on a wire rack.

TOPPING
8 ounces good-quality milk chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream

Put chocolate into a heatproof bowl.
Bring cream to a simmer in a saucepan.
Pour over chocolate. Let stand for 10 minutes, then whisk until smooth.
Let cool, whisking occasionally. For piping, immediately transfer to pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain round tip.
Use immediately.

Now pretend that I have a camera this week, but since I don’t I went in search of pictures on google images that came close to making you feel like you were eating and seeing this decadent dessert.

or these

or even these

Now combine all 3 pictures, inhale deeply and smell the rich smooth lemony cream and luscious chocolate as they touch your tongue and your taste buds to combine and begin to explode and you are beginning to taste what we are eating. I promise a real picture soon!

CHOCOLATE LEMON LUSH CUPS

BLISSFULLY DECADENT LEMON CHOCOLATE LUSH CUPS ~ makes 24 cups

CRUST

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add flour and beat until well blended. If dough is soft add an additional tablespoon of flour.
Cover and refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
Either line your muffin tin with liners or spray extremely well with PURE.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Divide dough evenly, about 1 tablespoon, into the 24 cups.
Using your lightly floured fingertips gently press dough into the bottom and up the sides of each cup.
Bake 15 minutes.

FILLING
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 large egg
1 (8-ounce) cream cheese, cubed & softened

In a small food processor process all ingredients until smooth, scraping sides of processor bowl occasionally.
Spoon 1 tablespoon filling into each prepared muffin cup.
Bake at 350° for 23 minutes or until edges are brown and filling is set.
Remove cups from pans immediately; cool on a wire rack.

TOPPING
8 ounces good-quality milk chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream

Put chocolate into a heatproof bowl.
Bring cream to a simmer in a saucepan.
Pour over chocolate. Let stand for 10 minutes, then whisk until smooth.
Let cool, whisking occasionally. For piping, immediately transfer to pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain round tip.
Use immediately.

Now pretend that I have a camera this week, but since I don’t I went in search of pictures on google images that came close to making you feel like you were eating and seeing this decadent dessert.

or these

or even these

Ambitious WEEKLY MENU

I’m still on restricted duties, but am going to try and at least cook this week. I’ve missed cooking more than just about anything during this time down!

Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie

	DATE	BREAKFAST	LUNCH	DINNER
Monday	2/28	YOGURT & FRUIT	SANDWICHES	PAN SEARED CHICKEN with APRICOT RUM GLAZE
Tuesday	3/1	TOAST & FRUIT	LEFTOVERS	FRIED CHICKEN AVOCADOS
Wednesday	3/2	YOGURT	SOUP	BAJA CHICKEN HASH
Thursday	3/3	FRUIT	CHEESE FRUIT	BUFFALO BLASTERS & GORGONZOLA BURN SAUCE
Friday	3/4	OATMEAL	C.O.R.N.	FRIED MACARONI & CHEESE
Saturday	3/5	OUT	leftovers	CHICKEN PASTA IN GARLIC CREAM TOMATO SAUCE
Sunday	3/6	SCRAMBLED EGGS & BACON	TAILGATING FOOD	CHICKEN & SPICY GUMBO

Hurry Up Chicken Pot Pie

Hurry Up Chicken Pot Pie
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (about 2 breasts)
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups instant biscuit mix
1 cup milk
1 stick melted butter

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a greased 2-quart casserole dish, layer the chicken, eggs, carrots, and peas. In a separate bowl, mix the soup and chicken broth together and season with salt and pepper. Pour mixture over the layers of chicken & vegetables. In separate bowl, stir together the biscuit mix and milk and pour this over the casserole. Drizzle melted butter over the biscuit mix topping. Bake until the topping is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.

Modifications:
-I used 1/2 bag of frozen peas and carrots.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the chicken. I boiled mine but you could also use rotisserie chicken.

Cut up the chicken and lay it out in a 9×13 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.

Slice up 2 hard-boiled eggs and sprinkle over the chicken.

Add a 1/2 bag of frozen peas and carrots on top of the chicken and eggs.

Mix the cream of chicken soup and 1 cup of the chicken broth. Pour it over the chicken and veggies.

Mix the biscuit mix and milk. Pour it over the top.

Melt the butter and pour on top.

Into the oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Here’s what you’ll end up with:

Additional Notes:
*I used a 9×13 baking dish but I wish that I would have used 2 cans of cream of chicken soup instead of only one.

*I think, too, that if you didn’t want to mess with the Bisquick you could easily open up a can of biscuits or croissants and place them on top and just let them rise right on the chicken mixture.

*You can use canned veggies instead of frozen. Just drain and rinse well.

*Add any veggie you like (corn, onion, green beans, etc)

*Baking time may vary. If you use the biscuit mix, stick a fork or toothpick in to make sure it is done.

Another email for your consideration while I recuperate…

A friend of mine opened his wife’s underwear drawer and picked up a silk paper wrapped package:

‘This, – he said – isn’t any ordinary package.’

He unwrapped the box and stared at both the silk paper and the box.

‘She got this the first time we went to New York , 8 or 9 years ago. She has never put it on , was saving it for a special occasion.

Well, I guess this is it.

He got near the bed and placed the gift box next to the other clothing he was taking to the funeral house, his wife had just died.

He turned to me and said:

‘Never save something for a special occasion.

Every day in your life is a special occasion’.

I still think those words changed my life.

Now I read more and clean less.

I sit on the porch without worrying about anything.

I spend more time with my family, and less at work.

I understood that life should be a source of experience to be lived up to, not survived through.

I no longer keep anything.

I use crystal glasses every day…

I’ll wear new clothes to go to the supermarket, if I feel like it.

I don’t save my special perfume for special occasions, I use it whenever I want to.

The words ‘Someday….’ and ‘ One Day…’ are fading away from my dictionary.

If it’s worth seeing, listening or doing, I want to see, listen or do it now….

I don’t know what my friend’s wife would have done if she knew she wouldn’t be there the next morning, this nobody can tell..

I think she might have called her relatives and closest friends. She might call old friends to make peace over past quarrels.

I’d like to think she would go out for Chinese, her favorite food.

It’s these small things that I would regret not doing, if I knew my time had come..

Each day, each hour, each minute, is special.

Live for today, for tomorrow is promised to no-one..

If you got this, it’s because someone cares for you and because, probably, there’s someone you care about.

If you’re too busy to send this out to other people and you say to yourself that you will send it ‘One of these days’, remember that ‘One day’ is far away… or might never come….

No matter if you’re superstitious or not, spend some time reading it. It holds useful messages for the soul.

Don’t keep this message.

This Tantra must leave your hands within 96 hours.

Veggie Tales by Kris: Soup’s On!

Well, it’s still winter. Might as well make soup!

Butternut Squash Soup… & a Simple Salad

I’ve been getting a lot of use out of my Immersion Blender. I just love it. So simple now to make wonderful thick soups without the use of fattening cream or burning myself to death by pouring hot mushy veggies into a blender 1 cup at a time! This recipe is great because I love how savory it turned out. I am not a fan of the Butternut Squash Soups of the world that taste like pumpkin pie. You won’t find cinnamon or nutmeg in this version!

Savory Butternut Squash Soup

What you’ll need:

2 tbs olive oil

1 large yellow onion (diced)

3 garlic cloves (minced)

1 inch fresh ginger (peeled and minced)

1 butternut squash (skin peeled, seeded and cubed)

2 medium-large yellow potatoes (peeled and cubed)

1 teaspoon dried sage (add more to taste)

2 tsp fresh chopped thyme (add more to taste or as garnish)

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

About 6-8 cups chicken or vegetable stock

(the goal is to have enough to cover the vegetables in your pot so it depends on pot size. You can just add water if you run out of stock but do mind your seasonings if that is the case!)

What you’ll do:

Heat oil in a large soup pot. Add in onions and cook until softened- about 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger. Cook another 5 minutes (don’t let them burn!). Add squash, potatoes and herbs and a little salt and pepper to start. Cover the vegetables with the stock/water. Just until it covers the top veggies. Bring soup to a boil and let simmer for 30 minutes covered, or until the veggies are soft. Turn off heat. In meantime make the salad below. When soup has just cooled a bit (but still hot) blend the soup until it is a nice smooth consistency.

The Salad

So simple. Just finely shop cucumber, red onion, and cherry tomatoes. Add to some chopped romaine. To get your protein add your favorite beans. I love butter beans! I used a lovely red wine vinaigrette to dress this one.

Category: MISC