Root Vegetable Fall

Fall is officially here, which means I'm officially back in blog mode!  It was a very busy summer, which is why you didn't see me much, but I promise I'll be back at it again soon.

Of course my first welcome back post was soup, I mean cmon now!  One of my favorite things about fall (aside from my birthday (in exactly approximately 6 days from now)) is all of the delicious fall flavors.  Personally, fall is my favorite season.  I love all the earthy vegetables, pumpkin flavoring, and of course the breezy cool weather.  

Anyway, last Sunday as the rain started and the patriots lost, I dusted off my favorite cookbook and got to work.  I noticed I had a number of ingredients for the Farmers' Root Vegetable Soup, so I figured I'd cook up a big batch that would last as lunches and dinners for the upcoming week.  The outcome was awesome...rich and flavorful.

(Sorry about these pictures, for some reason they look awful and pixilated (Shan, thats for you)).

Ingredients:
1 large Spanish onion, peeled and diced
5 ribs celery, diced
1 bulb fennel, diced
6 carrots, peeled and diced
3 large yams, peeled and diced into chunks
3 parsnips, peeled and sliced
3 cups turnips, peeled and diced into chunks
1 bulb celeriac (celery root), peeled and cut into chunks
14 cups chicken or vegetable stock (I used chicken)
1 bunch fresh dill
1/4 cup orzo (the original recipe didn't call for this but I thought I'd add a little orzo to make it a meal)
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
Place the onion, celery, fennel, carrots, yams, parsnips, turnips, and celeriac in a large stockpot.

 
Add the stock.  Bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 45 to 50 minutes.  Remove from the heat.  Add the dill, salt, and pepper.

Easiest soup ever!

Pool Parties and Peach Crisp

I realize I'm a little delayed in this post but I've been a very busy chick the past few weeks.
My apologies for the neglect.

Anyway, over the 4th of July, my friend Allison hosted her annual pool party in which she asked me to bring a dessert.  It was going to be a gorgeous weekend and I wasn't feeling something heavy and chocolaty (shocker, I know) so I searched online for the perfect recipe.  When I stumbled upon this in Cooking Light, I knew it would be a hit.

I also knew people wouldn't be very hungry after devouring the other food her mom usually prepares like delicious and perfectly cooked turkey kielbasa bites with yellow mustard.  And her famous raspberry vinaigrette marinated chicken salad with candied walnuts, blue cheese, and pears.  (Are you drooling yet?)  Or beer basted brats w/onions and peppers.  Oh my.

Anyway...back to that crisp I mentioned...

Peach, Plum, and Apricot Crisp


Ingredients

4 1/2 cups sliced peaches
2 cups sliced plums
2 cups sliced apricots
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg
Cooking spray
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 2/5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3/4 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, melted (I used margarine)
4 cups vanilla low-fat ice cream (we had chocolate chip ice cream...yum!)

Preparation

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; let stand 15 minutes.  Preheat oven to 400

Spoon fruit mixture into a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 400 for 35 minutes or until bubbly.  Combine oats and next 3 ingredients (through salt) in a bowl.  Drizzle with melted butter (or margarine), stirring until crumbly.  

Sprinkle oat mixture over fruit.  

Bake an additional 15 minutes or until topping is lightly browned and fruit is bubbly.  Serve warm with ice cream.

I was in such a rush to get out the door and catch the rays, I didn't get any pictures of us actually digging into this deliciousness, but I assure you it lived every bit up to its expectations.  

Brussels, Sausage, and Squash

What up!  Happy pseudo Tuesday people.

I hope everyone enjoyed a lovely Memorial Day weekend filled with delicious food, fun, friends, and family.  I headed out to Atlantic City with one of my best gals.  While I was too busy drinking tanning to take pictures of our food, I did manage to capture a few shots of the fun.

My losings...formerly known as winnings

 Free bloody mary's on the plane?  OK!  (obv we have the essential plane reading materials as well)

Hotel beach umbrella's

Swanky (yeah, I'm pushing it) roof deck pool

That was my weekend, but yesterday it was back to real life and back to the eats!

I got home from work pretty late and wasn't in the mood for anything complicated (nor did I have time to grocery shop) so I went through my fridge and found enough ingredients to make an adaption of Cara's Cravings Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Winter Squash and Apple Chicken Sausage.

I made some slight revisions but it was pretty tasty for a Tuesday.

Ingredients

3/4 lb butternut squash, diced (I used frozen because its what I had)
4 tsp olive oil, divided
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 links jalapeño chicken sausage, diced (I used Trader Joes brand)
3/4 lb brussels sprouts
pinch each of smoked paprika and nutmeg
 

Directions

Place the squash in a microwave-safe dish, add a splash of water, cover, and cook on high for about 2 minutes. (you may want to cook for longer if you're using fresh squash)

Wash the brussels sprouts, remove any yellowing outer leaves, trim, and slice into ribbons.

Heat 2 tsp olive oil over medium-high heat and add the steamed squash with a pinch of salt. Cook for a few minutes on each side, until nicely browned. 

Add the sliced chicken sausage, cook 1-2 minutes more, and then add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Remove from the pan and set aside. 

Add remaining 2 tsp olive oil to the pan, turn the heat up just a bit, then add the brussels sprouts. Season with more salt and a pinch of smoked paprika and nutmeg. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring a few times, until nicely browned in spots. 

Add the squash mixture, toss together and heat through. 

Serve immediately. 

I'm enjoying these leftovers today as lunch while I type this post.  Delicious!

Kitchen Proof

Since I was MIA for almost 3 months with alleged "kitchen repairs", I feel like its only right if I show you my new and improved kitchen makeover!  Unfortunately, I don't have a before picture to show you, but the after pics should wow you enough to forgive me.  Lets do this!

Here's the wide shot.  I know, close your jaw.  Its beautiful.  Seriously though, we tore up the floors, cabinets, counter tops, appliances, lights, and repainted.  So its really a brand new kitchen.

Close up of the stove.  Yes, thats an electric stove top with a warming drawer below.  Yummy.

Kitchen sink shot.  Exciting!

Dishwasher (and my coffee mug that I think matches because it too is stainless steel)

Fridge...sorry, flash went a little crazy here!

And there you have it folks.  Tour de Felcher's kitchen.  More food fun to come.

Aaand, I'm back!

Well hello!  I know, I know, its been a while.  I know you missed me but I've been insanely busy which left very little time for good old home cookin'.  Post marathon, my kitchen went under construction.  We tore up the floors, cabinets, appliances, lighting, everything. (I'll post pics later)  Needless to say I was utilizing my microwave quite a bit more than normal.  Mixed in with the construction was crazy amounts of travel.  Some of the highlights include trips to Kentucky (that's right ya'll), Los Angeles, NYC, Austin, Colorado, and Tampa.

Anyways, I'm back at it in the kitchen and obviously my first project was soup.  Since I've made just about every other kind of soup that there is, I decided to go with a tortilla soup.  Let's just call it a belated Cinco de Mayo festival in the Felcher household.

Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:
2 cans diced tomatoes (with juice)
1 can black beans
1 large onion
1 green pepper
leftover diced chicken breast (you can definitely get away without adding this)
1 package of frozen corn
4 - 5 cups of low sodium chicken broth
2 minced gloves of garlic
1 diced jalapeño pepper
Various spices...I used:
1 tbs cumin
2 tbs of chili powder
a few solid shakes of red pepper flakes
1 tbs of garlic powder
1 tbs of oregano
salt
pepper
cilantro
lime

Garnishes
avocado
tortilla chips
lime
shredded cheese
sour cream (I didnt use any bc I didnt have any but it would have been delicious!)

Directions
In large soup pot, heat olive oil and saute onions and peppers and garlic until soft.

Add spices and let sit for a few minutes until it smells delicious

Add chicken broth, tomatoes (I used the juice of one of the cans too), corn, beans, jalapeños and simmer for a half hour.

Add in cilantro and chicken and a few squeezes of lime juice.

Serve this beauty up and top it with cheese, tortilla strips, avocado, and a lime.

EAT and REPEAT.

Dinner of a Champion

Not sure if I've mentioned this yet, but tomorrow I'm running the Hyannis half marathon...13.1 miles of pure hell bliss.  No, I'm kidding...not about the marathon but about the hell part.  I've been training and I'm ready to go!  Just as long as the snow holds out until I'm done.  Because then it actually will be hell.

Anyway, in an effort to find an excuse to carbo load pump my body with fuel, I cooked myself a little pasta party for one.  Delicious, Nutritious, and Gone.

Ingredients:
1 cup dry pasta
1/3 lb ground turkey
1 cup baby portobello mushrooms
2 Tbs grated parmesean cheese
1/2 cup tomato sauce of your choice
spices for turkey (I used paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat saute' pan over medium-high heat with some olive oil or cooking spray and add turkey.  Add spices and cook until golden brown.  Set turkey aside.

In the same saute pan add a little more oil or cooking spray and add mushrooms and spinach until cooked through and wilted.

In a separate sauce pan, bring water to boil and add pasta.

When pasta is cooked, drain, and add turkey and spinach and mushroom mixture.  Stir in tomato sauce and grated Parmesan cheese.

I also baked up a new batch of granola bars for some morning pre-race fuel.  I've switched up the recipe a bit since the last time I posted, and I think its much better.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup oats
2 Tbs of almond paste
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 package of peanut butter & chocolate chip mixture
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup apple sauce
2 large eggs
2 - 3 Tbs of maple syrup or honey

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix dry ingredients together.  Add wet ingredients.  Pour into baking pan and even out with the back of a spatula or spoon.

Bake for 28 - 30 minutes until slightly browned.  Let cool, and serve!

(Sorry, this iphone pic is beyond terrible)

Wish me luck!

An Oldie, but Goodie

After 60 degrees on Friday, it was disappointing when we dipped back down to 20 degrees over the weekend.  The sudden drop in temperatures made me crave something warm and comforting.  I had been promising some matzo ball soup to one of my co-workers and took this as the perfect opportunity to cook up a big batch.

Now, anyone who knows me knows how much I love my matzo ball soup; and if someone were to tell me matzo balls and cape cod chips were the last two things I would ever eat, that'd be fine with me.  In fact, bring it on.

Anyway, growing up there was always homemade chicken noodle/matzo ball soup around.  It didn't need to be a special occasion for my dad to cook up a pot of soup, and you bet I was always the taste tester.  (Take that elbow to the ribs, Joel)

27 years later, I'm happy to say I've perfected my dads recipe.  In fact, I miiiight say its better, but I wont.  

I like my soup with lots of chicken, hearty veggies, noodles, and the most light and fluffy matzo balls ever.  When time allows I'll make my own broth and balls but on Monday this was not the case so I improvised with store bought chicken stock and matzo ball mix.  

Ingredients:

6 cups chicken stock

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 chicken or split chicken breast with ribs

6 celery stalks

6 carrots, peeled

2 parsnips, peeled

1 onion, sliced

fresh parsley or dill (depending on your taste)

salt and pepper to taste

1 bag of whatever your favorite soup noodles are

1 box of matzo ball mix

Directions:

In large stock pot, heat 6 cups chicken stock and add 3 - 4 cups water.  Bring to a boil, and add bouillon cubes.  

Wash chicken, and place into boiling water.

Add chopped veggies (I like to chop my veggies on the larger side to add texture to the soup)

Cover, and simmer soup for 2 hours.

When chicken is fall off the bone tender (yeah, I said it) remove from soup and place in large bowl.  Using two forks or a fork and knife, remove meat from bones and replace in soup.  I like my soup with white meat only.

Add parsley, salt, and pepper to taste.  Cover and let simmer for 30 more minutes.

While soup is simmering, prepare matzo ball mixture (you can pretty much follow the description on the box).  (I was too busy eating tasting the soup to document this part, but I assure you, its thrilling)

Simmer mballs, covered, for 30 minutes or until they have reached desired texture. (For you first time mballers out there, trust me...light and fluffy is where its at)

Remove balls from heat, and set aside.  I like to reserve the water I cooked the matzo balls in to cook the noodles.  Not only does it have flavor, but the pot is already hot.

Add a few matzo balls and noodles to a large soup bowl and enjoy!

5 seconds later, refill.