So Much GOOD SQUASH

It is Autumn again, and time for new soups to be crafted.

This year I am starting with a base of cooked down kale and broccoli, chopped up finely and straining out the water once the veggies are mushy.  It's good to drink or hold for stock later.

Then, add a gob of diced butternut squash, quartered and diced zucchini squash and yellow squash, carrots, celery, and onions diced.  Cook them until al dente and add diced chicken breast and 1/4 x 1 inch strips of apple smoked bacon extra thick bacon.  The stock should cover the compote completely.  Of course sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste as well as three heaping tablespoons of minced garlic in oil.

Simmer all of this in a stock pot or cast iron soup pot until the chicken is cooked through.  Add cilantro and then a mix of Bisquick and low fat milk (1 - 3 respectively). Plate it up and be sure to have some fresh dill to top it off with.

And, of course, BISCUITS are implied!!!

"Borscht, More Borscht" - Goethe

Ok, I'll come clean.  Goethe did not say, "Borscht, More Borscht" on his deathbed.  What he said was, "Light, more light." But, if I used that title, you would have no idea this was a post about BORSCHT.  Duh.

I must be on a mid-winter Balkans food-kick as yesterday I made stuffed cabbage (halupki) and today I am making Borscht.  I am excited to be able to use the beets I canned from the Amish folks this summer.  Elmer Stoltzfus and his family have great vegetables and they come to town Saturdays and Wednesdays (which, now that I am working close to home I can get to both days! Yeah!).  Their beets are no different.  I canned them in a water and garlic broth, not pickling.

I am using Mollie Katzen's sensational recipe from the Moosewood Cookbook (which has just had its 40th anniversary in print).  We won't talk about that, since I clearly remember buying it after it had just come out.  Mollie is a cook extraordinaire (and is in my top CHEFS/foodies category with Peter Reinhardt, Chef Jacob Burton, and Vincent Waugh).  She is also a WOW of an artist.  Her cookbooks have been adorned with her art since day one and has made them that much more a part of foodie culture - from the 60's forward.  She is top-shelf in both food and art categories and is a SUPER GIVING person who has helped shape a whole healthy food zeitgeist in our modern era.  Thanks, Mollie!!!

At any rate - you will have to get the recipe from her cookbook, as I won't divulge a fellow-foodie's secret recipe.  But, I will share that there are carrots, cabbage, beets, potatoes, onions, dill, tomatoes, caraway and more in the recipe.  And, I will tell you it is simply delish!!!!!  So, be sure to get the book today and grab the ingredients and get cooking.  http://www.amazon.com/Moosewood-Cookbook-Katzens-Classic-Cooking/dp/1580081304 (available in Kindle digital edition if you click the link to the 40th Anniversary edition in the upper left quadrant).

Also, be sure to take the optional tip ingredient (RAISINS) and add them!!!!

A Monte Cristo of a Different Mother

I love trying to take the middle class challenge every week and see if I can use up the items that are left in the refrigerator before I go shopping again.  Lately we have been able to stretch it two weeks between shopping ventures which is nicer, but it amps up the challenge.

Today I am going with an asiago cheese monte cristo with whole grain bread, pepper encrusted smoked turkey, a second helping of cheese - this time goat cheese - some spring mix greens, and caramelized red onions.  I dipped the sandwich in egg whites and then grilled in a lite coating of olive oil.  Mmm good.

I love having a couple of days to just play before the new job starts.  Of course it doesn't hurt to have been sick and stuck at home at the same time.