Today is another re-visit day. Way back (ok, just last month), I first met Champa...
Champa is a transplanted Indian (the Asian sub-continent India). She has lived in the US for 12 years and whatever you might think about a vegetarian specialty blog needs to be checked at the door when you visit her blog. Looking over the page on eRecipeCards that features all of her submissions (click HERE), you will see lots of breads, cakes (an AMAZING sounding coconut fudge) and yes, an occasional green bean recipe (that would taste amazing with this infused oils).
Champa is working very hard on her food styling and food photography. That is her photo to the left. If you click on the photo, you will see the original post I took my inspiration from.
She gives the secret to those wonderfully flavorful infused oils that you can now make at home and save a TON of money.
I loved and continue to love the rosemary oil I made from her recipe. I am constantly amazed at her photo styling and photography skills. She is indeed a topnotch blogger and I always look in on her new posts.
Which brings me to this recipe...
Had a little get together last night and needed to whip something up fast. And when possible, always best to use a recipe that calls for ingredients I try to keep in stock in my pantry.
Cream Cheese...Check
Onion...Check
Jalapenos...Check
Olive Oil, Cilantro and a little Salt
Check... Check and Check!
And, you can add or swap out so many different choices...
A Cajun Spice makes a hot spiced cheese dip
Want a more vegetable dip, add some minced red bell pepper and Celery
If exotic and sweet interests you, Pineapple and a little mango
Want an herbal dip, add some Herbs de Provance
Click this photo to see Champa's
Original recipe for her dip.
So many choices!
But I made Champa's recipe in the exact measurements she gave. So, you need to click the photo to the left or these blue letters to see her Onion Cream Cheese Spread!
Thanks Champa, great recipe, very fast to put together for those quickie parties and very very tasty!
And everyone else, take a jump over to "Versatile Vegetarian Kitchen",take a look through her blog and tell her "Hi" from me.
And for a quick look at what she blogs, click on the logo link image to the right. You will see all the eRecipeCards that Dee has submitted to eRecipeCards.com. You can add her recipes to your eRecipeBox (once you have a free to set up account). See how useful the site is and how easy it is to find new favorite bloggers!
These posts continue to highlight bloggers and recipes that I have found on "eRecipeCards.com"...
So, last night, it was chicken for dinner! Found a wonderful FAST delicious recipe on eRecipeCards.com from a really talented blogger. I even got to use the last zucchini from my garden (don't be too impressed, I only got 3, but big plans for next year). In fact, once I had the Chicken and the Zucchini, everything else was pantry staples. Very economical, very tasty and makes a nice presentation.
The recipe does call for "thin chicken cutlets". Instead, I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts and my handy meat pounder. Just a simple matter of placing a piece of the chicken between two sheets of waxed paper and pound away until the meat is flat and even thickness. Makes it so easy to roll up.
The stuffing, cheese and the moist zucchini is perfect for a roll up dish. As it oozes and melts into the chicken it keeps it tender, moist and juicy. No over cooked, hockey puck dried out junk here! Loved this recipe.
And, in fact, since I had all the ingredients, this is another of those recipes I made no changes (other than the pounded chicken).
Click this photo to see Gina's original Post
When I make substantial changes to a recipe, I am more than willing to print out the "new" take with an "inspired by" tag. For this little gem, I just want to point you in the right direction. The photo to the right is actually Gina's original photo of her dish. If you click the photo, or the blue letters that read "Chicken Rollatini Stuffed with Zucchini and Mozzarella Ala SkinnyTaste.com", the magic of the internet will take you to her original post and this delicious VERY EASY dish.
Click Gina's logo to visit her site
And while you are there, take a look around Gina's website. SkinnyTaste.com has been around for awhile, 2008. Here'a quote stating her goals...
On Skinnytaste, you'll find healthy dishes that don't sacrifice any of the flavor that can be found in their full-fat origins. Gina knows all the food she prepares for Skinnytaste is tasty and satisfying, because after all, this is the same food she cooks on a daily basis for her friends and family, and they are some of her toughest critics!
Noble goals indeed! She is a very active Weight Watcher blogger, meaning everything I have seen, she always posts WW points (like this recipe which has an INCREDIBLE only 4 point total per serving!!!). And believe me, there was no sacrifice of taste. I did my time in WW, I never ever had a 4 point main course with this much taste! Would probably still be trying if I had.
Gina is a wonderfully talented food stylist and photographer. Take a look down her sidebars and you will see dozens of her "greatest hits" that show off her talents in the kitchen as well as behind the lens. Beautiful food, healthy choices and delicious recipes. I'll be adding Gina to my sidebar and visiting her every post!
So, if I have tweeked your interest in Gina and her SkinnyTaste.com Blog, head on over and say HI for me!
And for a quick look at what she blogs, click on the logo link image to the right. You will see all the eRecipeCards that Gina has submitted to eRecipeCards.com. You can add her recipes to your eRecipeBox (once you have a free account). See how useful the site is and how easy it is to find new favorite bloggers!
These posts continue to highlight bloggers and recipes that I have found on "eRecipeCards.com"..
And Sausage... Sorry Gary, I added Some spicy sausage to your recipe. It paired well with the sweet of the honey, the creaminess of the brie and surprising extra taste of caramelized red onions!
What a winner! The pizza and the blogger!
Click the Header Logo to go to TVFoodandDrink.com
Today's blogger, Gary of the TV Food and Drink blog, has a fun read blog. He does blog food on occasion (like this pizza idea), but he also blogs quite a bit of TV. His reviews and capsulations of reality TV shows are usually much more fun to read than to watch. He occasionally breaks into scripted shows (like his recent take on Person of Interest), but you are more likely to get the low down on Dancing with the Stars Nancy Grace's wardrobe malfunction!
Click the drink photo to see Gary's Drink Posts
He writes a personal blog with glimpses into his life. he is a Southern California guy, living with a lazy overweight cat (aren't they all???), who does indeed work in the TV business. He does have a gentleman friend (MG) he cooks for, a fascination with classic (and not so classic) movies, hip 50's and 60's crooners, and he can take the BEST photos of drinks I have ever seen...
Gary recently ventured into the world of podcasting...
Is available for a listen on his blog post (click the blue letters).
He does a few series (like the Dancing with the Stars reviews (saves me time), his cat abusive "Am I Fat" series of pictures of Z (his cat). And recently he has started a Pizza and a Movie series, where I picked up this gem (the pizza... not so much the movie)!
He started out innocently enough with an obscure Hitchcock film, Stage Freight (and a wonderful sounding Greek Pizza with Pancetta). next, in a failed attempt to justify his favorite Bond, he treated us to The Spy Who Loved Me and a spicy adaptation of a Hawaiian pizza he calls, Hula Heat Pizza. Next Gary ventured just a tad left of center with 50's horror classic, The Black Scorpion and a Chicken BBQ Pizza with Prosciutto. He took a horrendous turn to the dark side with a review of BERSERK, Joan Crawford's last movie. Personally I think he just wanted to show this video he made of himself and MG enjoying the best part of the movie. Not since the 3 AM guests on a Jerry Lewis Telethon in the 60's have we seen such talent ...
Plus, any Oscar-winning actress who’s willing to deliver the line, “Presenting Phyllis Allen… and her intelligent poodles!” with not a shred of embarrassment is a winner in my book.
Them were the days... Oh, and his Prosciutto Arugula with Fontina Pizza sounded much better than the movie deserved. Which brings us to #5 in the series, his vegetarian Honey Brie and Onion Pizza (and a few clips of the 1942 live action The jungle Book).
Click this photo to see Gary's recipe for his Honey Brie and Onion Pizza
And this is my version.
Once again, I only made one change, so no sense in me copying Gary's recipe.
MEAT... it's what we do in Kansas. I browned a pound of spicy sausage and used it as the base. I did caramelize my red onions and I made a home made pizza crust, as Gary's post suggested. Gary's pizza uses red pepper flakes to add the spicy kick, I just love the mix of heat and sweet in this pizza.
Gary always does several "in-process" photos of his pizza (Like the one to the left). His easy to follow directions and tips would make a pro of a first time pizza maker!
Maybe a ground swell of support for "Billy Jack", the greatest movie of all time as a choice for his next Pizza and a movie night!!! Gary, if you are looking for a goof factor, look for a very young Howard Hessman (WKRP in Cincinnati) as the drama teacher at the Indian Freedom School). And, in case you were looking for a tie-in to the rest of your pizza and a movie series, here's a direct quote from the movie...
Bernard, I want you to know... that I try. When Jean and the kids at the school tell me that I'm supposed to control my violent temper, and be passive and nonviolent like they are, I try. I really try. Though when I see this girl... of such a beautiful spirit... so degraded... and this boy... that I love... sprawled out by this big ape here... and this little girl, who is so special to us we call her "God's little gift of sunshine"... and I think of the number of years that she's going to have to carry in her memory... the savagery of this idiotic moment of yours... I just go BERSERK!
So, tie in to Berserk, and granted, Howard Hessman is no Paula's Dancing Poodles (what could be), it's the logical choice.
And if he takes our advice on this movie, imagine what crap we could make him watch... it could become our little Skinner box project.
So, if I have tweeked your interest in Gary and his TV FOOD AND DRINK Blog, head on over and say HI for me (and mention "Billy Jack")!
And for a quick look at what he blogs, click on the logo link image to the right. You will see all the eRecipeCards that Gary has submitted to eRecipeCards.com. You can add his recipes to your eRecipeBox (once you have a free account). See how useful the site is and how easy it is to find new favorite bloggers!
These posts continue to highlight bloggers and recipes that I have found on "eRecipeCards.com"..
My favorite lunch/snack or a very easy appetizer party food!
And a great use for one of my beloved Rotisserie Chickens.
Today's blogger you have met once before, way back in mid August, I mad a "Sausage Spaghetti Pie ala Recipe Roundup" that I thought was AMAZING! Tricia of the Recipe roundup blog is a terrific read. Real food for her real family is what she posts. Currently she is participating in a 100 days to Christmas Countdown. Not just recipes, but DIY crafty ideas. Always a great read!
Also currently (well, for a couple of more days anyway, until the 30th), Tricia is hosting a wonderful fun giveaway. A metal and fabric folding basket/tote. Perfect to slip under your car seat for those quick trips to the store. Be stylish and be green. No more plastic bags!
Just click the image of the tote to the left and you will find the blog post of her giveaway!
But today, for me, it's a quickie simple lunch/snack. Here's you a hint about quesadillas... If you have to shop for them, you are thinking too hard. This dish is made for leftovers. Whatever you got, add a little cheese, and you have it!
Me, I used...
1 cup shredded Chicken
1/2 cup diced Onion
2 TBS BBQ sauce
2 TBS Salsa
2 TBS chopped Cilantro
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 Corn Tortillas
and a little oil for heating the tortillas
Could not be easier... Frying pan over medium heat, just a tiny bit of oil and heat. Add a tortilla, heat until just starts to brown
remove and heat the second tortilla
On the freshly heated side of one of the tortillas, spread the ingredients evenly around. Put the hot side of the second tortilla on top of the ingredients. return to the frying pan and heta until it starts to brown and the inside is melting.
Flip and heat the final remaining side of the tortilla cut into wedges and you are done!
Serve plain, with a dab of sour cream, more salsa, avocado... Whatever you got!
Thanks again Tricia, terrific ideas, recipe and I still LOVE your blog!
This recipe has been added to my growing list of "52 Uses For a Rotisserie Chicken" (Now close to 100!)...I am so confused... $5.49 for a fully cooked, fully seasoned Oven Roasted, Rotisserie Chicken. Yet shop in the raw meat department and most raw chickens are at best $8 each and usually far closer to $10. Anyone have an answer??? Me either. So, I can either rail against the machine, or learn to embrace the beauty that is the $5 chicken! In this pin are recipes I have made, and recommend. MORE than 52 (I just can't stop).. You get the idea. From Scratch Pizza to Chinese Take Out recipes, Lots of Soups and Chili... Appetizers to Main Courses (Still can't find a dessert, but I am looking). More than enough ideas for that store nought bird to shine with just a little extra work
Come and find me on Pinterest... Any of my "52 Ways to cook" Boards are worth following. If you like this post, please take a second and "Pin" this to your own boards... Better yet, if you are part of a foodie group board please take a second and add this post to your group pins... best way to show your Love!
And BTW, if you are not yet part of a group board, drop me an email at Contact@eRecipeCards.com and request to be added to my group board... FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGERS! (be sure to include your pinterest ID when you write) Once you are added, any pins you add will be seen by 10s of THOUSANDS of followers of the board (and growing daily).
Rules, only 2...
In order to join you need to start following the group board as well as at least one of my boards.
And you must ONLY pin original sources, posts from food related bloggers only. If you are a blogger, this is a great way to have thousands of potential readers see your work, If you are a fan of bloggers, a great way to share your favorites... Come and be a part of ... FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGERS! on Pinterest
The little hearts are very easy to do. Use heavy cream, make dots in the soup. Then take a toothpick and drag through the dot. the top indents and the bottom makes a tail and the whole thing looks like a heart!
But as much fun to look at, it is better to taste!
Rich, thick, hints of cumin, but the sweet of the carrot and the acidic tang of the tomatoes makes this just delicious beyond words.
I made two very tiny changes in this recipe.
First, the recipe calls for 4 cups of vegetable stock. First, I do not have any vegetable stock, but each week I make a chicken stock. My chicken stock is made with onion, carrots, asparagus, peppers. So, it has plenty of veggie taste, as well as the chicken. I use what I have and wasn't going to buy a new stock when I have a freezer with about a gallon of stock ready. OF Course, if you are a vegetarian or want to make this a vegetarian dish, please use a vegetable stock instead.
Click the photo to see Karen's original recipe
Second, I like a thick heavy slightly chunky soup. Think bisque. The recipe calls for 4 cups, which made Karen's soup thin in texture (not in taste), and smooth. I only used 2 cups of stock. My soup had bits and pieces and was a thicker soup.
Purely a case of personal taste.
So, once again, such minor changes, basically making a tomato and carrot bisque from her soup recipe, I am just going to post the link to her page. A wonderful use for seasonal vegetables. I made a BIG batch, enjoyed a rare vegetarian meal and still had plenty to freeze. I froze them in 2 cup containers, just right for a quick lunch for me or as a starter course for dinner for 2.
Click the header logo to see Karen's blog, Lavender and Lovage
And, you have heard me talk about Karen of the Lavender and Lovage blog. I am fascinated by her story and the dribs and drabs that are leaking out about her life that I read in her blog. She is British, owns a B&B in south west France. Her blog is just enough slice of that intriguing life to keep me coming back for more.
Click this photo to see my first post about Karen,
Lavender and Lovage and her
Herb and Salmon Vegetable Pie
I first discovered Karen from her submissions to eRecipeCards.com. Beautiful photography and equally delicious sounding recipes.
I was drawn to her Herb and Salmon Vegetable Pie. Made, LOVED and blogged about that recipe a few weeks ago (follow the blue letters or click the photo to see that post). On that post, you will see my first impressions of Karen. Since then, I have continued to follow her blog, and have now found one of my most bewitching blogging buddies!
Click this photo to see Lavender and Lovage's
100th post and Anniversary Giveaway details
And, I was intrigued to find that dispute the professional look of her blog, the seasoned practiced way she writes and the absolutely stunning photos she shares of her food, she is a young blogger. She has just passed her 100th post! I would have sworn that she was one of those seasoned pro bloggers with 4 or 5 years under her belt instead of 4 or 5 months.
To celebrate this anniversary, she has selected some amazing items for a giveaway contest. She has really gone above and beyond by including US, EU and UK readers! And even more above and beyond, not just one giveaway, but she is offering 3 winners a chance!
Who wouldn't want to get a tin of British biscuits (cookies), pots of jam, teas and an adorable British shopping bag to make the clerk at the Piggly Wiggly jealous of your viral globetrotting friends.
So, click the photo of the goodie bag, click THESE BLUE LETTERS to see her blog, the 100th post and details of her contest. Enter (just a comment gets you an entry, tell her hi from me).
And, while you are there, go ahead and glance through a few of her posts. You may just get hooked and find a new favorite!
Oh, and I have one more picture of my soup... came in a close second as to which look I was going to use...
You are going to have to really squint to see it, but I was inspired to make this soup from a post I saw on Stuffed Jacket Potatoes by Searching for Spice.
Click the Photo to see the Original
Post, Stuffed Jacket Potatoes
How I got from this (photo to the left is from Corina's original post, Stuffed Jacket Potatoes (click the blue letters or the photo to see her post)) is a very long story, but the short version... I wanted soup.
But look at all that's in Corina's potato... Bacon (you knew I was drawn to that), Green Onions, cheese and more creaminess with cream cheese! Her's is the dish made famous in bars and pubs.
My version is just right for a cold Fall day.
Keep Scrolling down for this easy to follow recipe...
And with just a little imagination, your jacket potatoes, turned into a soup, can be turned into a fun little party with a soup toppings bar!
Green Onions
Parsley
BACON, BACON, BACON, BACON, BACON
(I Like bacon)
Asparagus
Red Onions
Blue Cheese Crumbles
This is what I had for my party... Anything I left out?
But, I am ahead of myself.. First, the soup...
Well, first the reason I wanted soup more than Corina's perfectly fine jacket potatoes...
I OWN A ROBO-STIR! As seen on TV, set it and return and your soup is done!
Well, not exactly. But, set it, do some other prep work and take a look at it every few minutes, continue slicing and dicing come back, take a look, go back to the cutting board, come back, stir the pan just a bit, finish peeling and cutting the potatoes, dicing an onion and your have a roux.
A roux is a wonderful things for a soup. They add a rich nutty aroma, another layer of complex tastes that make your soup just a tad better. A roux also works as a thickening agent. They are easy to make, but time consuming and labor intensive. Once a roux is started, best not to leave the stove at all. A Roux is equal parts fat (oil or butter is most common, butter works best if you are going to use this to thicken a soup. Oil is fine if you want a thinner end product), slow cooked until it darkens and starts to smell nutty. The key to a roux is to constantly stir. It takes about 10 minutes to get a really quality roux, stirring constantly. Like I said, labor intensive.
So, a corn starch slurry has been used in many home soups to thicken them up. Loosing that incredible extra smell and taste that only an authentic roux adds.
So, recipe is coming, but here's a video of my ROBO-STIR in action. Feel free to fast forward. I did do a bit of mixing by hand, but for the most part, my new little buddy did all the work. Just to make it more entertaining, I turned my iPod up so you could hear Thriller (Michael Jackson). During the time it took me to make the video, I was able to peel 7 potatoes, dice a whole onion and dance to the infectious rhythm of the 1st truly great music video!
Sure, I had to get it started, but really, it was a terrific time saver!
Now, I was able to find this at a garage sale for $1. They sell on TV for $20. I am not sure I believe the commercial (OK, I am sure I do not). I would never use this for a thick stew or heavy soup (like this became). But, for a roux, with supervision, it is a time saver!
Alright, let's get to the soup recipe... THICK and creamy, with lots of cheese. I love this soup. Now, normally I do not peal my potatoes. Lots of nutrients and good stuff (not to mention fiber, i am old, I need my fiber) in the peels. But, for a potato soup, unless you want a brown icky color, you need to peel them. Again, making this for just me, or just me and Jackie, I would probably leave the peels on. But, for the potato soup bar party, naked taters.
For the Roux...
4 TBS Butter
4 TBS Flour
For the Soup
1 medium size Sweet Onion, small dice
7 medium size Russet Potatoes, peeled, halved and cut into 1/4 inch slices
4 cups Chicken Stock
2 cups Heavy Cream
8 ounces good melting Cheese (I used a White Cheddar), shredded
8 ounces Sour Cream
2 TBS "Not Your grandmother's Herbes de Provence",
Can substitute a fresh herb mix of your choice
For the "Bar"
1/2 pound Bacon, diced
1 pound of Asparagus, about 3 inches of the tips, then cut each into 1 inch bits, save a few whole pieces as garnish
Green Onions, sliced thin, white and green bits
Minced Parsley
1/2 Red Onion, diced
And I had a bit of Blue Cheese that was going to go bad in a week or so. This was perfect to use that up!
Feel free to substitute your own favorite herbs, like dill for this. Or make your own combinations, like dill, garlic and rosemary. But if you want to be lazy, just make a batch of this, use it often and really spice up your life.
As to the Soup...
First, make a roux... Melt the butter over even, low heat. Add the flour slowly and stir CONSTANTLY. Do not let it burn. After about 10 minutes, you will see the roux darken and smell a delicious nutty aroma. For this soup, because I wanted it as white as possible, I stopped the cooking process after about 7 minutes. I got the delicious odor, and the roux did darken a bit. The longer you cook a roux, the darker it would get (and richer flavor). But, for this, I wanted a light colored roux.
Once you have the roux as you like, add the onions and stir. At first, the roux will coat the onions, but gradually, the liquid texture returns. Stir occasionally for about ten minutes until the onions are translucent.
Move the onion roux to a large soup pot. Add the chicken stock and heat to gentle boil.
Allow to simmer gently for 1 hour. Then add the cream, Sour Cream, and cheese. Return to simmer for 15 minutes.
While this is simmering, dice the bacon and fry until crisp.
Remove the bacon and allow to drain. Add the asparagus to the bacon fat and fry for a few minutes. Not too long, you still want the asparagus to have a bite to it.
Remove the asparagus and fry the red onion in the bacon fat for a few minutes.
Set up your potato soup bar with bowls of treats, ladle the soup and pick your favorite toppings!
Soup from Scratch is one of the great kitchen joys. The house smells amazing and the soup warms to the bone. From broth to chowder, vegetarian to loaded up chili... Even a great idea for a party (love the Potato Soup Bar idea). Come take a look, sure to have something you might like to try. All recipes have been tested and WORK!
Come and find me on Pinterest... Any of my "52 Ways to cook" Boards are worth following. If you like this post, please take a second and "Pin" this to your own boards... Better yet, if you are part of a foodie group board please take a second and add this post to your group pins... best way to show your Love!
And BTW, if you are not yet part of a group board, drop me an email at Contact@eRecipeCards.com and request to be added to my group board... FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGERS! (be sure to include your pinterest ID when you write) Once you are added, any pins you add will be seen by 10s of THOUSANDS of followers of the board (and growing daily).
Rules, only 2...
In order to join you need to start following the group board as well as at least one of my boards.
And you must ONLY pin original sources, posts from food related bloggers only. If you are a blogger, this is a great way to have thousands of potential readers see your work, If you are a fan of bloggers, a great way to share your favorites... Come and be a part of ... FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGERS! on Pinterest
Today is another re-visit day. Way back (ok, just last month), I first met Champa...
Champa is a transplanted Indian (the Asian sub-continent India). She has lived in the US for 12 years and whatever you might think about a vegetarian specialty blog needs to be checked at the door when you visit her blog. Looking over the page on eRecipeCards that features all of her submissions (click HERE), you will see lots of breads, cakes (an AMAZING sounding coconut fudge) and yes, an occasional green bean recipe (that would taste amazing with this infused oils).
Which brings me to this recipe...
