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Creamy Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

While having some potato soup at a local establishment, Mom mentioned the Broccoli Cheddar soup that we used to get at Marie Calendars. Since the weather seemed to be getting colder, I thought a Creamy Broccoli Cheddar soup would be prefect. Though you can find it at various restaurants, if you don't get there when the soup is freshly made, you can end up with a thick gummy mess that you could basically cut with a knife. And I find most of the soups you tend to get at chain restaurants these days are way to salty for my taste. And lets be honest, just how "fresh" are these soups or are they coming from a can because half the time I don't really taste the broccoli.

But which cookbook had recipes for the soup? I decided to use one of my favorite tools to find a recipe in my vast array of cookbooks...Eat Your Books* (more on that later). Sure enough, I found several books with the recipe. But quite a few of them asked for flour, potatoes or other fillers to be added. I wanted something that would showcase the flavor of the broccoli more. So I chose the recipe from The Cooks Country Cookbook..it seemed simple and something I could make with ease. It still had plenty of cheese and some cream, but it was made with fresh broccoli.

I was a little worried about this soup at first. It seemed much thinner than most of the broccoli cheddar soups I've had, but that turned out to not be such a bad thing. The flavor of the broccoli stood out much more than the cheddar cheese and together the soup had a wonderful fresh flavor you don't get from canned soups or those chain restaurant versions. This reheated very well (none of the coagulated mess) and my Mom said it even tasted good cold!

The preamble to the recipe states that what makes this soup so good is using the stalks of the broccoli for more flavor. It is a bit more work to peel the stalks, slice them up and make what they call a "broccoli stock" first, but I think it makes all the difference in the flavor of this soup.

Again, super simple and easy to make, perfect soup for these cold and rainy spring days we seem to be having. And healthy. Cuz it has fresh broccoli in it. Which negates any bad influence from the cream and cheese. Right?

CREAMY BROCCOLI AND CHEDDAR SOUP
(The Cooks Country Cookbook)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 pounds broccoli, stalks peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices, florets chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese, plus extra for garnish
Salt
Cayenne Pepper

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the broccoli stalks and cook until bright green and just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, increase the heat to medium-high, and simmer until the stalks are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the florets, cream, and nutmeg and simmer until the florets are tender, about 5 minutes.

Puree the soup in two batches in a blender until smooth, return to the pot, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the cheese until melted and season with salt and cayenne. Serve, garnished with extra cheese. (The soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat over medium heat until hot, but do not boil or the cheese will separate.)

Taste the soup before adding any salt; both the cheese and the chicken broth can be quite salty.

Serves 6

Note: To thicken this up a bit more you could always just add more cheese. And for a more pronounced cheese taste, you might use a sharper cheddar or half sharp half mild.

Note: I think some crumbled bacon would go well as a garnish here (of course right??)

I really did like the flavor of this soup and will definitely make it again.

*Eat Your Books is a service where you can list all the cookbooks you own, and then be able to use their search engine to find recipes. All I had to do was type in "Broccoli Cheddar Soup" into my "library" list of cookbooks and it gave me 20 different recipes, the cookbook it could be found in, and an ingredient list of what was needed for the recipe. That way I could rule out recipes that had potatoes or flours, two ingredients I didn't want in my Broccoli Cheddar Soup. They do not post the actual recipe. What this meant was that I didn't have to pull out a ton of cookbooks just to find the one recipe I needed. Think of the service as a giant index that covers all the cookbooks you own.

 

Cheddar-Corn Spoonbread

 

I've never actually made any sort of spoonbread before. I've always worried about whipping up egg whites.  In other recipes I've either not whipped them enough or over whipped them which has effected the outcome. Anything close to a souffle has also always been put in the same category of things I'm afraid to do...like work with yeast or make anything that requires a candy thermometer. I figured this was a good recipe to get me closer to doing one of those cooking things I'm afraid of.

This recipe came from the Everyday Food Special Summer Magazine August 2011 (large format issue).I actually made this last August when corn around here was in season and you could find it at your local Farmers Market. I used the corn that came with our CSA. Though I did like the dish it was just 'okay'. To me it seemed to lack any real cheesy flavor. We had some white cheddar that I bought special for this dish but it had a very mild flavor which I think was the main problem. Next time I will probably buy a better white cheddar.

Though Mr. L thought there was plenty of corn taste in this, I didn't think the corn was sweet enough.
We have since canceled our CSA as most of the fruits and vegetables we got from them seemed very tired and worn when we got them. I'm thinking this would taste a lot better with fresher corn.

Though we did enjoy the Cheddar-Corn Spoonbread I felt this recipe could have been so much better than the final result. This is one of those recipes that I believe is only as good as the ingredients you put in. Definitely a better cheese and fresher corn next time.

But, even though this didn't come out perfect? The leftovers? Ahem, Try frying them. Just a quick fry in a little bit of oil. Totally works. Not that we would do anything so decadent....

CHEDDAR-CORN SPOONBREAD
(Everyday Food)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish
2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups corn kernels (from 2 ears)
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
coarse salt
cayenne pepper
3 ounces sharp white cheddar, finely grated (1 cup)
4 large eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 2-quart baking dish. In a large saucepan, combine butter, milk, corn, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of cayenne. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture is slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cheese. Let cool just until warm to the touch, 15 minutes. Stir in egg yolks until combined.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and pinch of salt on high until soft peaks form. Witha rubber spatula, stir one-third the whites into corn mixture until combined, then gently fold in remaining whites. Pour into dish.

Place dish in oven, reduce heat to 375 degrees. Bake until browned on top and slightly loose in center, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Serves 6 at 276 calories a serving.

Note: I'm sure one could use thawed frozen corn when fresh corn isn't in season.

Again, this just needed a slight punch up in flavor...fresher corn or a sharper cheese...to elevate the recipe to perfection. And though it might seem a bit complicated for a novice, it was actually pretty simple to put together.

 

 

Zucchini Pizza

I admit, when I first saw this on Pinterest I passed right on by. I just didn't think it would taste that good. But as everyone and their Mother's Uncle seemed to be pinning it, I took a closer look. Seems the original recipe came from one of my favorite bloggers...Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen so I pinned it thinking I'd probably never use it.

Fast forward about a week to a co-worker giving me some extra zucchini that had been growing in his yard. One of them was those nice round, ball like zucchini that I've actually never cooked with before. The Pizza Zucchini recipe was still stuck in my mind so I decided to give it a try.

I was actually very surprised by how good this turned out. The zucchini didn't turn mushy as I had feared and even though it was pretty simple to put together it had great flavor. I didn't exactly follow Kayln's directions (she grilled hers, I used my broiler) but this will definitely be something I make again.

ZUCCHINI PIZZA
(Kalyn's Kitchen)

For Kalyn's recipe go here.

You will need the following:

Globe zucchini
Pizza Sauce (or doctored tomato sauce)
Cheese
Pepperoni
Olive Oil

Note: My zucchini was larger than the one shown on Kalyns blog. I cut a bit off the top and bottom of the globe zucchini and then sliced it making four rounds. I brushed both sides with olive oil and then broiled the slices until tender (I did turn them over once).

Note: I didn't have any pizza sauce but I did have a bit of leftover tomato sauce. I added some oregano and a bit of this and that to make my own pizza type sauce. I just spooned some on top of the broiled zucchini.

Note: I used some pre-shredded four cheese mix that I had in the fridge. I probably added more than normal on top of the sauce as I like things cheesy. I also added a bit of cheese on top of the pepperoni.

Note: I used presliced rounds of pepperoni (Hormel brand). You can also use turkey pepperoni to make this a "meatless" meal.

Note: Once I'd added the toppings, I broiled for only a few minutes to melt the cheese and heat up the toppings.

Since we had a big zucchini, we had this as dinner with a salad. I can see using smaller rounds of zucchini and making this as an appetizer.

For a detailed recipe go to Kalyn's blog here. As she states in her post, this is one of those recipes that once you have the basic idea you can just wing it. Loved that it helped me use some leftover tomato sauce I had no idea what to do with!

See's Scotch Kiss Sweet Potatoes

When I first came across this recipe on The Food Gal's site, I admit, I started to cry. Not because she had posted a beautiful photograph (it was) or because it sounded like a great recipe (it is)...I cried because it brought of flood of wonderful memories back of my beloved Grandma.

See's Scotch Kisses were her favorite candy. I don't think she ever bought the candy herself, it was my Aunt who would bring her a stash of the goodies every year around Christmas time. Grandma would get all giddy and do this little dance she used to do anytime she really liked something. And those Scotch Kisses are very tasty. A thin wrap of caramel around a soft marshmallow center. They were so good in fact, that at one point my Aunt had to start giving Grandma those treats in secret, because otherwise, the rest of the family would seek them out and devour them before Grandma would get her fill. So when I saw the recipe on Food Gals site, I knew that, even though Grandma wouldn't be there to join us, this was the recipe I would make to take to Thanksgiving dinner with my family.

I too, had to "hide" the Scotch Kisses and protectively stand over the dish until it went into the oven. Some members of my family (that means you Dad) hovered like vultures, waiting for me to turn away so they could sneak one of the Scotch Kisses from the top of the sweet potatoes. As it is, I could have sworn I added two extra Kisses to the top of the recipe and I believe I was missing one by oven time.(You can see a photo below on how the dish looks with the unwrapped Scotch Kisses on top.

Now, as far as whether to use sweet potatoes or "yams". Depending on who you talk to, there are no real "yams" here in the US (except for certain ethnic grocery stores). But if you walk into most grocery stores, you might find sweet potatoes to be white and yams to be the nice golden orange that makes up most "sweet potato pies/souffles/bakes". I used what my store had marked as "yams" which were really soft flesh orange sweet potatoes.

If you don't know what a See's Scotch Kiss is see photo below. And just to be clear, buy more than 14 of the kisses. In fact, get a pound, or two. Your family will thank you and you will then be able to present the dish without missing Scotch Kisses that were stolen from the top (and if your kids normally won't even touch yams or sweet potatoes, give them one of the Scotch Kisses and then tell them that's what the topping is of this dish. You may just get them to try it).

SEE'S SCOTCH KISS SWEET POTATOES
(from Food Gal with some changes)

14 See's Scotch Kisses
4 large sweet potatoes (approximately 4 cups mashed)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) plus 1 Tablespoon butter at room temperature
3 Tablespoons Dark Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons Myers Dark Rum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon zest from one orange

Bake whole sweet potatoes/yams in a 350 degree oven approximately 40 minutes or until they are tender.

When done, and while potatoes are still warm, peel and put potatoes in a large bowl, add butter and brown sugar and mash with electric mixer or potato masher. Add rum, salt and orange zest. Blend well.

Put mashed sweet potatoes/yams in a greased one-quart casserole. Scatter unwrapped Scotch Kisses on top of sweet potato/yam mixture in casserole dish. Bake in oven until Scotch Kisses have melted and are golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Serves 6-8

Note: I used 14 Scotch Kisses to Food Gal's recipe of 12 because I wanted to really cover the top of the casserole. I should have used more to make up for the ones that went missing before baking.

Note: I didn't need to use a vegetable peeler to peel the yams. I just used a paring knife and the skins almost came off without effort.

Note: I just used a potato masher to mash everything together and then just a big spoon to blend.

This is definitely a sweeter version than most with the added brown sugar and the Scotch Kisses on top, but, since I really don't like yams and I ate this, I'm thinking the added sweetness was worth it. And for the record, yes, this dish reminded my family of my Grandma, and I think that's what Thanksgiving is all about.

 

 

Grilled Corn Salad

As I mentioned in my last Current Cookbook post...Sometimes it's hard to decide which recipe to make from a cookbook. This time it was pretty easy. I picked this recipe from the Big Summer Cookbook  because...well...even though I have grilled corn a zillion times, I've never done anything else with it other than eating it out of hand. I chose to make this dish because any time a recipe has asked for corn kernels and has given a choice of either cooking the corn and scrapping the kernels off or using canned or frozen corn...I've used frozen corn. I know I know. The horror. Bad foodie. But this time, after picking up some great fresh Brentwood Corn (and listening to mister blowhard in that voice that carries all over the farmers market drone on about how good it is) I decided that I was going to cut the kernels off and make a dish! Go me! Yeah, little happy cooking moments LOL.

Now in the back of my mind, I've always remembered a tip somewhere that the easiest way to cut kernels from a cob of corn is to use your bundt pan. Stick the end of the cob in the middle hole of the bundt pan  and as you cut the kernels they fall into the bundt pan. The pan also catches all the juices and you're able to move your knife all the way down to the end of the corn cob without the counter or dish getting in the way. This little tip worked perfectly for me (though Mr. L thought I was crazy when I said I had to get out the bundt pan to do the job). I will say, don't cut off the tip or stem end of the corn cob before you do this as either one helps lodge the cob into the bundt pan hole. And why do I feel I need a cigarette after explaining that? Get your minds out of the gutter!

The ingredient list in this recipe does something which I hate. It states "juice of one orange" and "juice of one lime". Lately I can get anywhere from 1/2 teaspoon to 1 1/2 Tablespoons of juice out of one lime from the market. Not sure if it would really make a difference in the dish, but I honestly wasn't sure if the amount of juice I put in was correct. Next time I also think I need to keep the corn on the grill longer to get more smokey flavor. This was super easy to make though and it made a great accompaniment to some grilled steaks we served that night.

GRILLED CORN SALAD

6 ears of fresh corn, shucked
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large ripe tomato, roughly chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup pitted and sliced black olives
1/4 cup sliced scallions, white part and some green parts
Juice of 1 lime
Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Preheat the grill, then turn the heat down to medium. Brush the corn with some of the oil. Place on the grill and cook turning frequently, 5 to 7 minutes or until the kernels are golden brown.

Into a serving bowl, cut the kernels from the cob. Add the tomato, olives and scallions.

Place the citrus juices, basil, and remaining oil in a blender. Pulse until smooth and add to the salad. Toss to coat and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6

VARIATIONS - Serve this salad over freshly picked field greens or lettuces. You may also add 1/3 cup finely crumbled blue cheese when you toss. Add 1/4 cup finely diced red sweet pepper for color. If you like the spiciness of Southwest cooking, mince a serrano pepper and add to step 2.

Note: I didn't even bother getting out the blender. I just cute the basil into bits and then whisked all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.

Note: I didn't use any of the variations but I think I little serrano pepper would be perfect in this next time.

Note: My favorite flower combo is a blue vase with yellow flowers so I loved the look of the yellow corn in this blue dish. Not sure about the photo since it was taken under the light above the stove and looks washed out, but the Grilled Corn Salad itself, even without the blue bowl, made a pretty presentation.

Obviously, cutting kernels of corn off the cob is an easy thing to do and I'm not sure why I was so intimidated about doing it before. Now all I can think about is finding some corn to grill so I can make some awesome corn chowder!

Balsamic Zucchini

  This Balsamic Zucchini dish was the recipe I chose to participate in this months gourmet, unbound. I realize there are plenty of other summer vegetables available this time of year that I could have cooked, but I liked the idea of doing something different with zucchini. The recipe came from the July 2004 issue of Gourmet.

Though I enjoyed this dish, it wasn't something that made me stand up and go "awesome". It was a perfect side dish to our dinner, it had a good taste, but I wasn't "wowed". I did like the crunch the combination of the Parmesan cheese and pine nuts gave to the zucchini. I also liked the fact that the zucchini didn't get mushy.

Simple to make, nice flavor and I admit, a nice change from just steamed, plain roasted or fried zucchini. If I was going to make this again I think I'd use my "expensive" balsamic instead of my "regular" balsamic vinegar, maybe that would kick it up a bit. I also think I needed to put it closer to the broiler to get more of a char on the top of the zucchini than I did.

BALSAMIC ZUCCHINI

4 lb medium zucchini, cut diagonally into 3/4-inch-thick slices
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Regiano (1/2 cup)
1/3 cup pine nuts, (1-oz) toasted and finely chopped

Preheat broiler. Toss zucchini with oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Arrange zucchini in 1 layer in 2 shallow backing pans (1 inch deep). Broil 1 pan of zucchini 3 to 5 inches from heat, without turning, until browned in spots an beginning to soften, 4 to 6 minutes.

Drizzle 2 tablespoons vinegar over broiled zucchini and shake pan a few times, then continue to broil until most of vinegar is evaporated, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese over broiled zucchini and broil until cheese is melted, about 1 minute more.

Cook remaining pan of zucchini in same manner. Cool to room temperature and serve sprinkled with pine nuts.

Serves 6 as a side dish.

Note: Per Gourmet, Balsamic Zucchini (without pine nuts) can be made 3 hours ahead and kept at room temperature or chilled, covered. Sprinkle with pine nuts just before serving.

Note: I cut the recipe in half and had plenty for two with leftovers.

Note: Make sure to keep the slices of zucchini pretty thick. I had cut a few smaller pieces and they got mushy.

Note: Not sure I would like this at room temp or cold. We ate it almost right out of the oven.

Other dishes in the Gourmet June 2004 edition that are bookmarked: Blueberry Buckle; Watermelon, Arugula, and Pine Nut Salad; Oven-Roasted Tomatoes; Honeydew Lime Popsicles; Tahini Chicken Salad; Grilled Leg of Lamb with Rosemary Salt. All these recipes can be found at Epicurious.com.

Scalloped Spinach

I like spinach. When I eat out I order spinach salads. I'll have spinach on pizzas. I order creamed spinach as I love it with a good steak. But when it comes to making spinach at home as a side dish, it's usually just served plain with maybe a bit of lemon juice or vinegar. I figured maybe it was time to put a little pizazz into my home cooked spinach. I was actually looking for a creamed spinach recipe when I came across this Scalloped Spinach recipe in the Lost Recipes cookbook. Not quite creamed spinach but it sounded interesting so I thought I'd give it a try.

This Scalloped Spinach is actually a pretty simple and easy recipe. And though it's not as creamy as  standard creamed spinach, it satisfied the craving I had to do something a bit different with some fresh spinach. I liked the taste and the nice crunch of the cracker top.  I did cut the recipe in half, but I left the full amount of bacon (come on folks, it's me here). I also added almost all the original requirement of cracker crumbs and butter on top as I thought it would give the dish a wonderful crunch (which it did). This would be a perfect side dish with some roasted chicken too.

This was nice enough to serve to company. Though there was some juice swimming around the bottom of the casserole dish, it didn't seem to effect the dish as a whole. Mr. L really liked it and told me I could make it again (a sure sign he approves of a dish!)

SCALLOPED SPINACH

4 slices bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 eggs
2 cups cooked chopped spinach (2 bunches fresh or two 10-ounce boxes frozen-SEE NOTE)
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup cracker crumbs, such as saltines
2 Tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 by 3-inch casserole.

Cook the chopped bacon in the skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Add the onion and fry until tender but not browned, about 3 minutes.

Beat the eggs in a large bowl, then add the cooked spinach, flour, and milk; stir until well mixed. Add the cooked bacon and onion and mix together. Pour into the casserole and cover the top with the cracker crumbs. Dot with butter and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until browned. Serves 4

Note: I cut the recipe in half, except for the bacon (I used the full four slices), the cracker crumbs (I used about 1/2 a cup) and the butter (I used 2 Tablespoons).

Note: I used two 5-oz containers of fresh baby spinach from the produce section. I cooked the spinach using the same method given in the Baked Eggs With Spinach and Mushrooms recipe which resulted in about a cup of cooked spinach. Both Mr. L and I agreed, it just wouldn't taste very good using frozen spinach.

Note: I used regular saltine crackers.

Really enjoyed this dish. It looked nice in it's little casserole dish when I brought it to the table and it looked pretty once it was plated next to the main entree.

Cold Asparagus With Sesame Mayonnaise

Back in the day, my Grandma W used to make cold asparagus with a mayonnaise dressing all the time. I remember that it was also a popular dish if we went out to  brunch somewhere. It's been years since I've had cold asparagus so this recipe from the Lost Recipes cookbook by Marion Cunningham brought back some nice memories. 

I always forget how sometimes just using a few simple ingredients can make the best dish. This recipe calls for just fresh asparagus, some mayonnaise and a bit of sesame oil. This was quick, easy and the perfect spring side dish. It's also a good "make ahead" dish and is great for taking as leftovers to work the next day.

COLD ASPARAGUS WITH SESAME MAYONNAISE

2 pounds asparagus
1/2 to 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/3 cup mayonnaise

Wash the asparagus and cut off the tough, woody bottoms of each stalk and discard.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and drop in the asparagus. Depending on how thick the stalks are, cook for 2 to 5 minutes. To test for doneness, pick up a stalk with tongs: It should just droop slightly. Be careful not to overcook. With tongs, remove the asparagus from the water and let cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.

To make the sesame mayonnaise, mix 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil into the mayonnaise and stir well to blend. Continue to add more oil until the flavor suits you. Serve each portion of asparagus with a scant teaspoon of mayonnaise on the side. Serves 6

Note: These were pretty big asparagus. Since it's the end of the season those nice thin spears are long gone. This worked just fine with the big spears though I did have to cook them a bit longer than recommended. You do need to watch these because they go from "slightly drooping" to "extremely limp" in no time.

Note: I am not responsible if your mind goes into the gutter here.

Mushroom Tart

This turned out much better than expected. It was simple to make, it tasted great and I was able to use some leftover mushroom mixture for two other meals. Go me for doing better on my "use up stuff in the fridge before it goes bad" campaign. It wasn't exactly quick or fast but it was easy. Notes say that you can cut this into bite sized pieces for perfect hors d'oeuvres for a cocktail party.

One thing I always have a problem with is rolling out puff pastry to a nice rectangle. I say it's impossible to get a nice rectangle. Thankfully they tell you to "trim" the edges to get that nice rectangle. Mine might have been a lopsided nice rectangle after trimming but dang it, it was still a nice rectangle! (alas, I have no photos to prove it).

This calls for soft goat cheese but because Mr. L doesn't like goat cheese (I know, the horror, but I married him anyway) I only put it on half of the Mushroom Tart. The recipe comes from the Martha Stewart Everyday Food: Great Food Fast book. And I know I harp on this a lot, but if you don't have it and need to make some good meals quickly, this is the book you need to buy to have on your bookshelf. 

I had a ton of leftover mushroom/onion/spinach mixture. I'm sure I could have put it all on the tart but I decided to save it for later use. My fault as I didn't measure the vegetables exactly. Turned out to be a great idea as I as able to put the mixture to good use. I took some and topped toasted French bread for a quick bruschetta appetizer the next day (I just brushed the bread lightly with a bit of olive oil and some kosher salt). A bit of the mixture went into some scrambled eggs for Mr. L's breakfast (would have worked great in an omelet) and I took the leftover goat cheese, added some kalamata olives and some italian dressing and had myself a side dish to go with some chicken for lunch. So I guess I'm saying don't measure, make some extra topping and have at it!

MUSHROOM TART

Flour for rolling out puff pastry
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (from a 17.3-ounce package) thawed
 according to package instructions
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
2 packages (10 ounces each) white mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 package (10 ounces) fresh baby spinach
2 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to a 16 by 10 inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place the pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score the dough to form a 1-inch boarder. Using a fork, prick the dough inside the boarder every 1/2 inch. Bake until golden, rotating the pan once, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, toss the onion with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Season with salt. Cover and cook over medium heat until the onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir. Continue cooking with the cover on for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Set aside.

In a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the mushroom; cover and cook until tender and all  liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Fold in the spinach; season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes more. Drain any liquid.

Top the dough with the mushroom-spinach mixture. Scatter the onions and goat cheese on top. Bake until the cheese is lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Serves 4

Notes: It took a lot longer for the mushroom mixture to cook "until all liquid has evaporated". I actually ended up draining the last remaining liquid.

Notes: The goat cheese never "browned" but the tart itself started to so at the 15 minute mark I still took it out of the oven.

Definitely make this again. It was a perfect light dinner for us.

Stewed Green Beans With Bacon

I'll make a confession here. I've been eating green beans with bacon since I was a wee tot. Come on...it has bacon in it, what's not to love? The two together are a perfect match. The confession though, is I usually just add bacon to my canned green beans. Yes, canned green beans. Back in the day, you didn't find fresh green beans at the market 365 days a year. And if you did, there was some work involved. Sitting around stringing the damn things. Canned was so much easier and quite frankly, I loved them, but when Mom added some bacon? it took the canned beans to a whole new level. YUMMY.

As for that famous green bean casserole made with soup and canned fried onions usually served during the holidays? Loved it too, but I've never actually made it myself.

When it was decided that I would be in charge of the green beans for Thanksgiving I panicked. Do I make the standard traditional casserole that folks either love or hate? Do I try something a bit avant  guarde and make something completely off the wall? Or do I do something simple? Well simple won out and Stewed Green Beans with Bacon showed up as the veggie side at Thanksgiving. Since it was not only simple but tasty, it showed up again at Christmas. It came from the November 2008 issue of Everyday Food Magazine.

There is some labor involved. Cutting the ends off the green beans takes a bit of time, but once I got into the rhythm of it, it went pretty quickly. I made this twice each time using a different type of bacon: one was thick apple smoked and the other was standard, regular Oscar Meyer. Both worked well and tasted great in this dish.

This heats up really well. For Thanksgiving, I made it a day ahead and just reheated before dinner. I, of course, added a TON more bacon than called for.

STEWED GREEN BEANS WITH BACON

6 slices bacon, thinly sliced crosswise
2 1/2 pounds green beans (stem ends removed) cut into 1-inch lengths
1 can (14-.5 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
coarse salt and ground pepper

In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, cook bacon over medium, until browned, 10 to 12 minutes.

Add green beans, broth, and 2 cups water; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and cook until green beans are very tender, about 1 hour.
Season with salt and pepper. (To make ahead, refrigerate, up to 1 day).
Serves 8. (88 calories a serving-more if you add as much bacon as I did)

Note: I used Better than Bouillon instead of canned broth, so I didn't add much salt during cooking. I also added a pound of bacon to my first batch but then cut it to just half a pound for my second batch.