Friday, May 27, 2016

Rhubarb Crumble


Ingredients:
3 cups diced rhubarb
1 cup white sugar
3 T flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup oats
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup butter




Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.
In a large bowl, combine rhubarb, white sugar, and 3T flour. Stir well and spread evenly into bottom of baking dish.
In another bowl, combine brown sugar, oats, and 1 1/2 cup flour. Stir well then cut in the butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over rhubarb layer.
Bake for 40 minutes.

Potato Leek Soup


Ingredients:
3T butter
4 leeks, white and light green parts, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2lbs potatoes, peeled and chopped
7 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 sprig thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup heavy cream
                                                                     chives, chopped, for garnish


Directions:
Melt the butter over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the leeks and garlic and cook, stirring regularly, until soft and wilted, about 10 minutes.
Add the potatoes, broth, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes until potatoes are very soft.
Remove the thyme and bay leaves. Puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Add the heavy cream and bring soup to a simmer.
Garnish with chive and serve.

From: Once Upon a Chef

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Roasted Pepper and Tomato Soup

Ingredients:
2 T butter
1 yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
2 T flour
28 oz crushed tomatoes
4 bell peppers
2 cups chicken broth
2 T chopped basil
1 tsp thyme
salt and pepper
1/2 cup half and half, if desired

Directions:
Remove seeds and stems from peppers. Lightly brush with olive oil and roast in the oven until skin blisters. Let cool slightly then remove skin. Set aside.
Dice the onion and garlic. Saute in a large pot with the butter over medium heat until onions are soft and transparent.
Add the flour to the pot and continue to stir and cook for 2 minutes until a paste forms. Remove from heat once golden.
Add the crushed tomatoes, roasted peppers, and flour paste to a food processor. Blend until smooth then return to soup pot.
Add the chicken broth, basil, thyme, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine and heat until soup begins to simmer. Once simmering, turn off the heat and add in the half and half. Adjust seasonings as needed.
Garnish with basil, serve and enjoy!

Kale and Radish Salad with Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:

Dressing
1 T sesame seeds
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 T olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T capers, drained
2 T lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
salt and pepper

Salad
1 large bunch kale, stems removed and torn into bite sized pieces
1 grilled chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 radishes, sliced thin
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 cup sliced almonds
salt and pepper

Directions:
Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing. Adjust seasonings as needed.
Placed the chopped kale in a large bowl and toss with 2 T of the dressing until all the leaves are covered. Toss in the remaining ingredients and drizzle with more dressing.
Serve and enjoy!

Friday, May 13, 2016

Corn and Crab Bisque

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup chopped shallots
42 oz chicken broth
3 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
4 earns corn, kernels cut from cob
1/2 cup half and half
3 T flour
1/2 cup milk
16 oz lump crab meat

Directions:
1. Heat butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the shallots and cook until translucent. Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Stir in garlic, bay leaves, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Stir corn into boiling broth. Simmer about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low.
2. Remove 1 cup of soup and set aside to cool. Place into a food processor and pour in half and half. Pure for 30 seconds. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, stir together the flour and milk. Slowly stir into the simmering soup. Stirring constantly, simmer for 1-2 minutes. Then add in the pureed mixture.
4. Reduce heat to low and stir in crab meat. Cook until warmed through.

Strawberry Bread


Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh strawberries, sliced
2 cups sugar
3 cups plus 2 T flour
1 T cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
Put strawberries in a bowl and mix with 1 tablespoon of sugar.
Stir together flour, remaining sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
Whisk eggs in another bowl then stir in oil. Pour over strawberries. Fold strawberry mixture into flour mixture until blended.
Divide batter into loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour. Let cool 10 minutes then turn loaves onto a cooling rack.

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Salad

Ingredients:
2 medium eggplant(3 cups cubed)
6-7 medium tomatoes(3 cups cubed)
5 T olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
3 T red wine vinegar
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
4-5 basil leaves, torn into small pieces

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with foil.
Slice eggplant into 1'' slices then quarter. Toss with 1 1/2 tsp olive oil and 1/8 tsp salt. Place on baking sheet.
Cut tomatoes into 1 in. cubes and toss with 1 1/2 tsp olive oil and 1/8 tsp salt. Place on second baking sheet.
Place both sheets in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove and let cool.
Place eggplant, tomato, vinegar, and remaining olive oil in a bowl and toss. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
Top with basil and parmesan cheese.

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Ingredients:
1 large cucumber
4-6 tomatoes
red onion
olive oil
red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Directions:
Chop the tomato and cucumber into bite sized pieces. Thinly slice the onion. Mix them all together in a bowl and add oil and vinegar to taste. Season with salt and pepper.

Vegetable Frittata



Ingredients:
4 T butter
2 cloves garlic
4 1/2 cups assorted vegetables(peppers, onions, zucchini, tomatoes, etc.)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
8 eggs
1 cup shredded cheddar

Directions:
Melt 2 T butter in an oven proof skillet and cook garlic, vegetables, and seasoning, stirring occasionally. Cook until tender.
Beat 2T melted butter, eggs, and 3T butter until foamy. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese.
Reduce heat to low and add egg mixture to vegetables. Cook until almost set. Top with remaining cheese and broil 2 minutes until cheese brown and bubbles.

Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 sticks butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup walnuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325. Grease two loaf pans.
In a bowl, mix together eggs and sugar. Add in zucchini, butter, and vanilla.
In another bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and powder, and salt.
Add dry ingredients to sugar mixture and blend until just combined. Add in the nuts.
Divide into loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour.
Let cool 10 minutes then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Friday, May 6, 2016

Mini Blueberry Cheesecake Cups

Ingredients:
Crust
2 cups graham crackers, crushed
1 stick butter, melted
3 T salt
Cheesecake
16 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
Topping
3 cups blueberries
1 cup sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line mini muffin tins with paper cups.
In a bowl, combine graham crackers, 3 T sugar, and butter. Press crumbs into the bottom of each cupcake liner and set aside.
In another bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Add in sugar and salt while beating. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated. Stir in vanilla and heavy cream and mix well. Allow to rest 10 minutes.
Place blueberries and 1 cup sugar into a pot. Heat on medium high until blueberries soften and liquid forms, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain. Set aside.
Scoop batter into prepared cups and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and refrigerate 4-8 hours.
Scoop blueberry filling on top of each cup and serve.