Crunchy Kale

I wanted to add my recipe for Crunchy Kale which was quickly devoured last week. It is SO EASY!

1 bunch curly kale, stems removed and chopped to desired bite size pieces
garlic salt
black pepper
EVOO
optional: balsamic vinegar in a spray bottle

Wash the kale and pat dry with a paper towel. Add a little olive oil to a saute' pan on medium heat. Toss in the kale and sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. (If you are going the balsamic route, you can spritz a few sprays on the kale right in the pan, otherwise you'll have to toss the kale in balsamic prior to cooking - but a little goes a long way. You could use a salad spinner to get the excess off.) Saute' the kale until it is crunchy. It may brown a little, but this is ok, just keep an eye on it. You could also put the pan under the broiler or even bake in the oven, but again you have to keep an eye on it.

-Andi

Soup Night - Northeast Jackson Style

I guess this is really more of Hoosier style (my native land)...but since I got 10 of my soup nazi friends to come to Northeast Jackson...that's a feat in and of itself.


Corn Chowder
adapted from the Better Homes and Garden Cookbook. It's in the "Fast" category, and seemed to be a hit.

Ingredients:
Large bag of frozen sweet corn (28-30 oz.)
1 cup cubed, peeled potato (use the red potatoes and you'll thank me later)
1 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup water
4 teaspoons instant bouillon granules (or four of the packets - good idea to dissolve them first)
pepper to taste (it's up to you how much to use..the recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon)
3 1/2 cups of milk
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour

Directions:
In stock pot, combine frozen corn, potato, onion, water, bouillon and pepper.
Bring to boil; reduce heat.
Cover and simmer about 10 minutes until corn and potatoes are tender. Stir occasionally.
Stir in 3 cups of the milk and the butter.
Combine the remaining milk and flour in a separate bowl, then stir that into the corn mixture.
Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. (about 20 minutes)
Cook and stir, one minute more

Serves 10 people.

(Not sharing my blueberry cobbler recipe just yet.... ;) )

-Dawn

Double Soup Night, part 2

When I went to Scotland in 2007, we ate a lot of soup. My favorite is the Potato Leek Soup we had at the Scone Palace. (that's pronounced "Scoon") The Scots eat a pretty light lunch, usually soup and maybe a sandwich. And they know how to do soup well. So it was pretty difficult finding a recipe that matched that wonderful dish we had on that cold day in Scotland. This is as close as it gets and was awesome! It's a "creamy" soup that has no cream in it... but then again, I used red potatoes instead of all-purpose potatoes, because they have a higher sugar content which makes the soup taste better.

Enjoy.. Dawn

Potato Leek Soup

(Adapted from The Joy of Cooking, 75th Anniversary Edition)

Makes about 8 cups

Melt in a soup pot over low heat:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Add and cook, stirring until tender but not browned, about 20 minutes:

6 medium leeks, chopped

Stir in:

1.25 pounds potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

6 cups chicken broth

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are soft. This takes about 30 minutes. Puree in the blender until smooth. For a finer texture, push through a sieve. Season with salt & pepper if you like.

Double Soup Night

Last night was the biggest crowd yet, with 2 rooms needed to for us to sit at. Here is one of the soups served. Pretty easy--just takes awhile to peel, seed and then dice the tomatoes. I used what was getting old too fast from Flying M Farms.

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup (courtesy of Allrecipies.com)
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Rich-and-Creamy-Tomato-Basil-Soup/Detail.aspx?src=etaf

• 4 tomatoes - peeled, seeded and diced
• 4 cups tomato juice
• 14 leaves fresh basil
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup butter (I didn't put this much in)
  
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Place tomatoes and juice in a stock pot over medium heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. Puree the tomato mixture along with the basil leaves, and return the puree to the stock pot.
2. Place the pot over medium heat, and stir in the heavy cream and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Do not boil.

Quatro de Mayo

This week I am making chicken enchiladas in honor of Cinco de Mayo, just a day early. I will have some chopped cilantro and green onions for garnish, but it would be nice if someone would bring some sour cream too. I have plain yogurt that might do the trick.

Here is the recipe - I got this from FoodNetwork.com, where I get most of my recipes. I am editing a little because I cut a few corners.

Ingredients:
1 rotisserie chicken
salt & pepper
cumin
garlic powder
Mexican spice mix (like taco mix)
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1-2 cans chopped green chiles
1 can chopped chipotle chiles
1 can stewed tomatoes
1/2 tsp. flour
corn tortillas
canned enchilada sauce (I use green and red)

Shred rotisserie chicken and set aside. Saute onion and garlic in a little vegetable oil or olive oil, then add corn and chiles. Stir well to combine, then add canned tomatoes. Add shredded chicken to mixture and sprinkle with taco seasoning, cumin and garlic powder. Add flour to thicken the sauce. *Edited to add: I had to add a can of green enchilada sauce because this was not very sauc-y otherwise!

Coat the bottom of 2 13x9 in. pans with enchilada sauce, and then either dip tortillas in more sauce OR you can dip them in a little hot oil on the stove to make them pliable. Oil is the traditional way, but it is HOT and messy, so use care. Spoon a little of the chicken mixture in each tortilla and roll up, placing seam side down in the pan. **OR you can just layer the tortillas when you get tired of dealing with gloppy, falling-apart ones. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven until cheese melts. Garnish with cilantro, scallion, sour cream and chopped tomatoes if you wish.

-- Andi

First non-soup Soup Night

Tonight, we'll be eating my easy spinach lasagna. This is how complicated it is:
1. mix frozen chopped spinach with container of ricotta cheese
2. alternate layers in the following order: sauce, noodle, cheese mixture, sauce, noodle, cheese mixture, sauce, mozzerella cheese
3. Bake at 350 for about an hour
4. serve

Yep, I slaved for all of you.
-Katie

Soup Night 2.0

So this can be our new Soup Night blog. Everybody feel free to post recipes, ideas for future soup nights/soup group adventures, etc., etc., ad infinitum.