French Onion Soup

Nick LOVES French onion soup. He would eat it every day if I could replicate the recipe from 6th Street Bistro in Hood River, Oregon. I don't really like onions, but this soup is SO good and I order it every time we go there, which says a lot! This recipe is from the Pioneer Woman and it was good, it just wasn't 6th Street Bistro good. I have another French onion recipe that I'm going to try and then, when that doesn't cut it, I'm going to beg Nick to go down to Hood River and then I'm going to do some more begging at 6th Street for the recipe. I doubt I'll get, but a girl can try! Again, this one is definitely good, it was just missing a flavor component for us.

French Onion Soup
*From the Pioneer Woman

1 stick butter
4 large or 6 medium yellow onions, halved root to tip and sliced thin
1 cup white wine
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups beef broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
Several thick slices of French bread
Grated gruyere cheese or provolone slices

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat.

Chop up your onions and add to the pot.

Cook, covered, for 20 minutes.

Place soup pot in the oven with the lid slightly ajar to ensure the onions brown. Allow onions to cook for one hour, stirring once so onions don't stick and burn.

Remove the pot from the oven and place on the stove over medium heat. Stir and scrape off the brown flavor bits. Pour in the wine.

Cook for five minutes so that the wine can reduce. Add chicken and beef broths. Stir and add worcestershire sauce.

Mince the garlic and add to the soup. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30-45 minutes.

Meanwhile, butter a few slices of bread and toast under the broiler. Ladle soup into small bowls (or big bowls, depending on how hungry you are!) and add a slice or two of bread.

Top with cheese and place under the broiler. Cook, watching carefully, until the cheese is melted and a little bubbly. Enjoy!

Pizza Rolls

Nick and I were hungry and I didn't feel like cooking the other night. I had spent some time cleaning out our fridge, however, and found some pizza dough that needed to be used. We decided to make our own pizza rolls and we had some very creative ideas! These were fun to make and, although a little messy, would be a great activity to do with kids. You could certainly make your own pizza dough, but I used a Pillsbury roll of dough, which was easy and quick.

Pizza Rolls

1 roll Pillsbury pizza dough (or make your own)
Fillings of your choice, such as:
cheddar and basil
parmesan cheese and minced garlic
shredded chicken and buffalo or barbeque sauce
Chinese chili garlic sauce and monterey jack cheese
roast beef and havarti cheese

Roll out your pizza dough and cut it into equal size squares, about 2-3 inches square. Work the dough with your hands to flatten it out a little bit. Add in a small amount of filling (be careful not to overstuff) and press the open ends together. You might have to work the balls a little bit to get the ends to seal, especially if you are using a saucy filling. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes on a baking sheet sprayed with Pam. Enjoy!

Great Aunt Shirley's Potato Salad

When my mom and I went to Nebraska for our family reunion, we were able to sample a plethora of foods made by family members. A recipe book was put together by my Great Aunt Judy and cousin Nancy, but my Great Aunt Shirley's potato salad wasn't in it. And I needed that recipe. My mom makes a great potato salad, but it's very simple because my dad hates onions, so hers is essentially potatoes, eggs, and a French dressing mix. Aunt Shirley's had celery and dill pickle relish and a really bright and fresh flavor from dill and a few other ingredients. I emailed her and begged for the recipe, which she sent and now I'm sharing it with you. This is the best potato salad you'll ever have. Ever. I promise. (But don't hold me to that promise if you already have a favorite and don't think anything can compare. But this recipe might. I'm just saying.)

Great Aunt Shirley's Potato Salad
*Courtesy of Shirley Roloff

5 pound of russet potatoes (about 14 medium sized spuds)
8 eggs
3/4 cup finely chopped onion (I used 1/2 teaspoon onion powder instead)
3/4 cup finely chopped celery (about 2 ribs)
1 cup dill pickle relish
2 cups mayonnaise
2 cups Miracle Whip
1 cup sour cream dill dip, prepared (Hidden Valley harvest dill dip packet with 2 cups sour cream)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Boiled peeled, diced potatoes in salted water until tender. 

Hard boil your eggs. Let eggs cool in ice water and place potatoes in the fridge while preparing the dressing.

Mix mayonnaise, Miracle Whip, and sour cream dill dip together. Add salt and pepper.

Add relish, onion powder, and celery. Set 2 cups of the mixture aside.

Pour the remaining dressing mixture over the potatoes and toss gently. Chop the eggs and add, tossing gently again.

Add the saved dressing mix and salt and pepper and toss one more time. Refrigerate overnight for the best flavor. Enjoy!

Serves 10-20, depending on how hungry everyone is! Thanks Aunt Shirley!

Zucchini Quiche

I have an unnatural obsession with zucchini this summer, and I didn't even plant any! Next summer, however, lots of zucchini will be coming from my garden. At least, I hope so! This quiche was adapted from All Recipes. I made a few changes here and there and it turned out to be an amazing dish. The hubby was off camping for three days with some friends, so I ate this while he was gone and I was alone with the puppies. I cannot say enough about this dish and will be making it again as soon as I get another deep dish pie crust. The only changes I would make would be to stir all the ingredients together instead of layering them. Also, I only had 2 eggs, so next time I will be using 4, which is how I wrote out the recipe that follows.

Zucchini Quiche
*Adapted from All Recipes

1 9-inch unbaked deep dish pie crust
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 pound zucchini, (3 medium-grate 2 1/2 and slice the remaining half)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded parmesan blend cheese
1 cup ricotta
1/2 cup half and half
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
Dash pepper
Paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grate the zucchini with a box grater.

Sauté zucchini and minced garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until the zucchini is tender; drain.

Spread grated zucchini in the crust of the pie.

Top with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. (I will mix the zucchini and cheese into the ricotta/egg mixture next time)

Meanwhile, sauté remaining half of zucchini, which you sliced, in a little bit of butter on each side until tender. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix ricotta, egg, half and half, salt, basil, oregano, onion powder, and pepper.

Pour over zucchini. Top quiche with sautéed zucchini slices and sprinkle with paprika.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Enjoy!

Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

Lately, I have been so incredibly busy with this:

Yes, he's cute. But he is such a handful! Joey is an 8-week old English springer spaniel and he is BUSY all the time. Our 9-month old golden retriever, Gus, was so much easier to train and was also much more calm. We are even more thankful for him now that we have Joey. They sure have a lot of fun together though and all the work is worth it when you look at this face:

(He went through the sprinkler a few times and wasn't very happy about it!)

Now, on to the recipe. It's been a little tough to cook lately, but I've gotten a few good dishes out, so today I'll be updating the blog with three new recipes. This one was a quick and yummy side dish that I served with a simple roasted pork tenderloin. The parmesan makes for a nice crunchy crust and the garlic olive oil adds a rich, slightly sweet component. There were no leftovers on this one!

Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

10 red potatoes, diced to uniform size
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread your diced potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet.

In a skillet over medium heat, add olive oil garlic. Heat until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add garlic olive oil to potatoes and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss again.

Roast for 30 minutes. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

Roast an additional 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Enjoy!

Asian Lemon Chicken

This dish had so many flavors going on, plus the crunchy texture of the corn flake crust. The only thing we would have changed about this recipe would be to flatten out the chicken a little bit to tenderize it and to give it a more surface area for the corn flakes to adhere to because, let's face it, the best part about this kind of chicken is the crispy part! The flavors were really great though and well balanced, from the soy sauce in the egg wash to the ginger in the crust to the lemon in the sauce and the green onions on top. Another good one that we will re-work a little bit to make it great, in other words.

Asian Lemon Chicken
*From You're Gonna Bake it After All

For the chicken:
4 chicken breasts
1 cup finely crushed corn flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Salt to taste
1 egg white
1 teaspoon soy sauce

For the sauce:
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/3 cup honey
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ketchup
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Line a baking sheet with foil and place it in the oven. Turn the oven on to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, beat the egg white, soy sauce, and a splash of water until frothy. In a shallow dish, combine crushed corn flakes, ginger, and pepper.

Season the chicken on both sides with a little bit of salt to taste. Dip the chicken in the egg wash and then in the corn flake mixture. Place on a clean plate as you're coating the other pieces of chicken. Remove the hot foil-lined baking sheet and spray it with cooking spray. Arrange the chicken on the sheet and spoon the remaining corn flake mixture onto the chicken, pressing as you go to help it adhere. Bake 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

While the chicken is cooking, combine the chicken broth and cornstarch in a saucepan on medium heat. Stir until smooth. Add honey, lemon juice, ketchup, and garlic powder and mix well. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon peel. Serve the chicken with the sauce spooned on top and then sprinkle sliced green onions on top. Enjoy!

Layered Taco Dip

Nick and I went to a friend's barbeque over the weekend and his girlfriend served a 7-layer dip that was SO good! I think Nick ate half of it by himself and we weren't even there that long. I've been thinking about making my own version of the 7-layer dip since I got to sample it over the weekend. My main issue is that most 7-layer dips include olives and tomatoes, neither of which have my vote for deliciousness, so I re-worked it to fit my taste. And it DID get my vote for deliciousness. In fact, I'm thinking about it right now . . .

Layered Taco Dip

3 cans of jalapeño bean dip
3 large or 4 small avocados
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 packet taco seasoning
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 package Mexican cheese blend
Fresh chopped cilantro

1st layer: Spread out 3 cans of jalapeño bean dip on a plate or in a casserole dish.

2nd layer: Mash avocados with lemon juice, salt and pepper and spread the mixture over the bean dip.

3rd layer: Mix mayonnaise, sour cream, and taco seasoning together and spread over the avocado mixture.

4th layer: Sprinkle chopped green onions on top of the sour cream mixture.

5th layer: Spread cheese on top of the green onions.

6th layer: Sprinkle fresh chopped cilantro all over the top of the casserole.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes and serve with chips. Enjoy!

White Corn Soup with Poblano Cream Sauce

As my first attempt at what I consider to be "real" soup (ie not in a can), this one was pretty good. I think next time I will roast the corn first and will add chopped cilantro to the soup after puréeing, along with adding it as a garnish. Overall, this one was filling and fresh, and you can't ask for more in a soup.

White Corn Soup with Poblano Cream Sauce
*From Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice

1 poblano pepper
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 small onion
6 cups white corn (fresh or a mixture of fresh and frozen; save 2-3 cobs for flavoring the soup)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cayenne
Kosher salt and black pepper
Cilantro for garnish

Place the poblano on a baking sheet and broil for 8-12 minutes turning occasionally. You want all sides to blister and turn black. Wrap in a paper towel and allow to cool. Use the towel to peel off the skin. Discard skin and seeds.

Purée pepper, heavy cream, and 2 tablespoons of chicken broth in a blender or food processor.

Transfer to a bowl and rinse out the blender or food processor.

Melt the butter and canola oil in a large stock or soup pot. Sauté the onions until tender, about 10 minutes, on medium heat, stirring occasionally so the onions do not brown.

Add the corn, 2 or 3 of the cobs snapped in half, the sugar, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Reduce heat and allow to simmer until the corn is tender. If you use fresh corn, this will take about 15 minutes. Add another 15 minutes for frozen corn.

Remove and discard the cobs. Working in batches, purée the soup to the desired consistency, being careful of the steam because it will be hot.

Serve in large bowls with a swirl of the poblano cream sauce. Grilled cheese goes well with this soup too!