Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings

I am so happy it is Thursday because the week is almost over and it is one of my favorite holidays, St. Patty's Day!  If you need something festive to make tonight make this: Corned Beef Tacos with Cabbage Slaw and Creamy Guinness Sauce.  I made it last year and it was absolutely delicious and a kind of different way to eat all the traditional Irish foods.  This weekend we are headed down to Eugene to visit my fiance's family and go to his grandpa's birthday which always includes lots of green champagne and corned beef which I can't ever seem to get enough of.  It will be nice to get out of town and go to a place that is relaxing and familiar.  Willamette Week put out their "best of" guide for people to vote what they think are the "best of" in Portland and you should go and vote for The Portland Kitchen as the "best nonprofit."  It only takes a couple minutes and is an easy way for you to support such a wonderful cause, here is the link.  Anyhow last weekend we had our neighbors over Saturday night and I adapted this delicious recipe.  Enjoy! Oh and I will talk about our dining experience at Accanto next post.

Serves 5

The Ingredients
1 small sweet onion, diced
2 cups chopped carrots
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
7 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 cup half and half

Dumplings:
1 1/8 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. cold butter, cut up into small pieces
1/2 cup cold milk


The Process
1.  In the bottom of the slow cooker layer onions, carrots, and garlic.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and lay on top of the veggies.

2.  Heat a saucepan with butter over medium heat and melt the butter. Once sizzling whisk in the flour and cook 2-3 minutes until golden, to make a roux. Add 2 cups chicken broth and mix well. Bring to a boil. Cook 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour over the chicken and veggies.  Add the rest of the broth to the crock-pot, cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

3.  After the 6 hours, shred the chicken breasts (this should be easy). Stir in the half & half. Turn to high and cover.

4.  In a bowl combine the dry dumpling ingredients. Crumble in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the milk until the dough is sticky.
Measure out each dumpling using a tablespoon and drop them into the slow cooker, start at the outside.  Cook 1-1 1/2 hours, until the dumplings are cooked and now raw, but soft.  Taste and season more if desired.

Buffalo Style Pork Chops

Last post I was talking about how we were headed to the restaurant Lincoln for a fancy date, well we also ended up meeting Jenn Louis (the chef/owner) and she gave us a complimentary and delicious appetizer (pictured below).  It was scallops, cured salmon, quince, and cauliflower puree and was absolutely delightful.  The other dishes we had (pictured below) were short rib tartare, pork three ways with beans, roasted chicken with shoestring fries, and a vinegary endive salad.  The atmosphere was very nice with large windows, dim lights (in a good way), and awesome music, they played a variety of hip hop including Tupac.  All around our experience was very good and we would recommend checking this place out if you haven't already.  Tonight I am adventuring out to the new restaurant called Rose VL Deli, it was recently opened by the owners of Ha VL which I can't believe I still haven't been too.  I am headed here with my brothers tonight for a long overdue hangout, it sure is hard to create a solid plan with three very diverse schedules.  Now let's talk food, well food that I cooked not that I ate at a restaurant.  I adapted this recipe and made these delicious pork chops which are low carb and follow the primal idea of eating and I paired them with vinegar braised purple kale.  Enjoy!  I might add that my fiance told me I think a total of six times how much he enjoyed these pork chops :)

Serves 2

The Ingredients
2 thick boneless pork chops
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons Frank's Red Hot Sauce
1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
Salt and pepper


The Process
1.  Preheat oven to broil.  Salt and pepper the pork chops.  Heat up olive oil and butter in skillet over medium-high heat until hot and add the pork chops.

2.  Sear the first side until golden brown then turn over and put 1/2 tablespoon of hot sauce on each pork chop.  When the other side is also brown flip them again and turn heat down to medium.

3.  Put another 1/2 tablespoon of hot sauce on each pork chop and continue to let cook until they are fully cooked through, about 5 more minutes.

4.  Now put the pork chops in a pan and sprinkle with sharp cheddar.  But in oven until cheese is melted and bubbly.  Top with the remaining hot sauce and serve!

Kale BLT Salad

This is already a crazy month and it is going to get even busier!  At the end of the month the conference team and I are headed to New Orleans for the Plastics Recycling Conference that we put on.  It is our biggest conference of the year with about 1,800 attendees and while it is a lot of fun it is also a lot of work.  I have somehow never been to New Orleans so I can't begin to tell you how excited I am to get to experience it.  We do work 15 hour days for about 7 days straight so hopefully I won't be too exhausted to get out with my coworkers and explore the city on days that we can.  In the mean time we are all preparing and making sure everything is in place for this huge event and to say everyone is under a little pressure is an understatement.  I am fortunately an assistant at the conference which means I do anything and everything that needs to get done but don't have one specific roll.  The one thing I do find challenging is making sure I can prepare well enough to leave my other work behind for a week, but hey if I can do it for 14 days for Europe this shouldn't be too hard ;)  I was really hoping to have my fiance come down and meet me and we could spend a long weekend there together but then reality set in and we realized it wasn't a very responsible move on our part since we are trying to buy a house.  I know we will hold conferences in the future in New Orleans so there should be plenty of chances to get him down there.  Onto the food, I adapted this fabulous recipe and can't wait to make it again it was so delectable!  The original recipe didn't have enough dressing to my liking so I added more mayonnaise and vinegar, add to your taste preference.

Serves 4

The Ingredients
1/2 preserved lemon, chopped (a little more if you love citrus)
1/3 cup crème fraîche
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
12 ounces slab bacon, sliced ¾ inch thick
8 cups chopped Tuscan kale
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved


The Process
1.  Process preserved lemon, crème fraîche, mayonnaise, and vinegar in a food processor until smooth; season dressing with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until ready to use.


2.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high and cook bacon, turning halfway through, until brown and crisp, 8–10 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels and let cool slightly. Slice crosswise to yield 12 pieces.


3.  Toss kale and dressing in a large bowl until coated; let sit 5 minutes. 


4.  Add tomatoes and gently toss to coat. Divide salad among plates and top each with 3 pieces of bacon.


Bean and Bacon Soup

Today marks a very special day for me, it is my 4 year anniversary with my fiance.  I am so thankful for him and know that our partnership can handle whatever life throws at us because when it comes down to it he is my best friend.  Below is an old picture of us hiking around Oaks Bottom in the first couple months that we were dating.  To celebrate we are headed out of town this weekend to Forest Grove and are staying at The Grand Lodge.  It is a fun old building full of history and it has been beautifully restored.  There is a soaking pool, disc golf, and a theater so there will be no lack of entertainment.  Also near the lodge is the Sake One brewery and tasting room so we will do some sake tasting that is paired with food and then take a walking tour of the brewery.  We did this several years ago for our anniversary and had so much fun we decided it had to happen again.  The other fun thing is that since Christmas is just around the corner The Grand Lodge decorates the entire lodge and is super festive with carolers and all! I love it!  Let's talk food, this soup is a copycat recipe of the Campbells canned soup.  This soup reminds me of my childhood best friend because her parents always had cans of it and we ate it constantly.  I adapted this recipe and immediately time traveled back to 1991.  Enjoy!

Serves 4-5

The Ingredients
8 ounces thick cut bacon
1 cup yellow onion, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, pressed
4 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon bacon fat
3 (15 ounce) cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
2 green onions, chopped
Large pinch salt and pepper
A splash of apple cider vinegar


The Process
1.  Cook bacon on stove top until it is crisp but still a little chewy.  Let cool and chop.

2.  Heat a large pot over medium high heat and add bacon fat.  Then add onions, carrots, and celery and cook for 2 minutes.  Then add garlic, broth, pepper, bacon, and beans.  Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer.

3.  Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the carrots are soft.  Then add apple cider vinegar and salt if needed.  Serve into bowls and garnish with green onions.

Sharp Cheddar and Broccoli Stuffed Chicken

During one of our last days in Paris we assessed what we had seen and what we couldn't live without seeing and that brought us to Musée Picasso Paris.  I had never realized that there was an entire museum dedicated to Picasso, so I was beyond delighted when we decided to go there.  It was in the nice part of Paris and it felt like we were in a movie, sun shining and all.  Below is one of my favorite paintings we saw and of course I bought quite a few fun things in the gift shop before we left.  After Picasso we walked around until we found a fun little place to eat lunch, but during our walk we found this open air market with the most adorable mushroom display I've ever seen (pictured below, note the little skiing guys).  Our lunch was fabulous and I got steak tartare one last time so that I wouldn't forget how delicious it is in Paris.  That last evening we stayed in and made food, I made porcini ravioli with tomato/eggplant sauce topped with fresh tomatoes and goat cheese (pictured below).  I can't even begin to tell you how badly I want to go back to Europe and eat all this amazing food again...  Well in the meantime I'll just keep trying to cook up some wonderful food here at home in PDX.  I adapted this recipe and it is so simple and tasty.  Also I forgot to take a picture of this dish because I was so hungry so the picture credit goes to Center Cut Cook.

Serves 4

The Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast pounded thin
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1  cup chopped fresh broccoli
sea salt
ground black pepper
garlic powder
paprika
1/2  tbsp olive oil
toothpicks


The Process
1.  Preheat over to 350 degrees. If you're chicken breasts are not already thin, pound them with a mallet until thin. This makes the chicken easier to fold in half. Place them in a baking dish.

2.  Coat chicken with sea salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika.
Sprinkle sharp cheddar cheese evenly on top of the chicken breasts. Save a little bit to add to the top after you fold them.

3.  Sprinkle chopped broccoli evenly on top of the cheese. The smaller you chop your broccoli, the easier it stays on when you fold it.  Fold your chicken breasts in half and secure with 2-3 toothpicks each.  Brush the tops of the chicken breasts with olive oil.

4.  Cover baking dish with tin foil and place in the over. Cook for about 20 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.  Remove tin foil and sprinkle chicken with the remaining cheese.  Bake uncovered for an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Ham and Cheese Soup

What a whirlwind life has been, last week I was in Florida for work, often working 15 hour days, but at least I ate very well.  We lucked out and the hurricane never hit us which was good for our conference but I personally wanted to experience one.  It was also amazing seeing one of my best friends and catching up, I sure do miss having her around.  I got back to PDX on Friday and my boyfriend was waiting for me with a dozen roses which was so so sweet and it was very nice to have labor day weekend to catch up on my sleep.  Sunday was pickle fest 2015 with my mom and aunt (pictured below), and we made 55 pounds!  My sauerkraut also just finished up and I have a bunch of fresh kraut to eat up before we leave for Europe.  Speaking of Europe we are now down to 9 days away and for some reason I still can't believe we are going.  I am SO excited!  I will try and get as many posts in as I can before we leave but you know I will have tons to write about when we get back.  I don't think I could make a dish more American than this, and with that said it was super delicious.  I adapted this recipe, enjoy!

Serves 4-5

The Ingredients
2 cups diced yellow potatoes
2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 2% milk
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1-1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1 can peas
Plain yogurt for garnish


The Process
1.  In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes, broth, and onion. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender.

2.  Meanwhile, in another saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add the milk, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cheese until melted. Stir into undrained potato mixture. Add ham and peas; heat through. Serve with a large dollop of plain yogurt.

Sharp Cheddar Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs

What is everyone up to this weekend?  We are headed to Kingfisher near Mt. Hood to go camping with our neighbors.  I haven't ever been out there but there is suppose to be a very nice swimming hole and it is in the forest and that is all I care about.  It has been a very long week and nature is one of the most soothing things to me so I am excited to go out and relax.  But if we weren't camping I would be heading up to Lacy, WA for this awesome mushroom festival I just discovered.  It is called the Pacific Northwest Mushroom Festival and it looks amazing including: cooking demos, tasting, entertainment, farm tours, and of course selling of mushrooms.  Speaking of mushrooms do you know how to best cook with all the different varieties of mushrooms?  Here is a helpful guide that explains how to get the most out of your fav mushrooms.  As you know yesterday was national hot dog day so I felt I had to represent and make a hot dog themed dinner.  Since I don't usually eat things as processed as hot dogs I went on the hunt for some good natural hot dogs, to my surprise I found some really delicious ones (picture of package below).  These are very yummy and definitely take me back to my childhood of eating hot dogs at BBQs and baseball games.  Enjoy!

Serves 6

The Ingredients
6 hot dogs
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
6 slices of bacon
toothpicks


The Process
1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Then put a large skillet over medium-high heat.  When hot add your bacon and cook until it is cooked but still chewy and malleable so that you can easily wrap the hot dogs with it.

2.  Cut slits into hot dogs about half way through the hot dog from tip to tip.  Add cheese to each hot dog.

3.  Next take 1 piece of bacon and 1 hot dog and wrap the bacon around the hot dog securing the ends of the bacon with toothpicks so that it doesn't unravel.  Do this with all the hot dogs.

4.  When oven is preheated place hot dogs on a greased pan and place in the oven.  Cook for about 10 minutes. I served mine with a side of roasted broccoli and it was delicious.

Mini Portobello Cheeseburgers

Today has been a very intense day at work with 4 hours straight of accounting training.  Our company has so many different transactions that there seems to be "an exception" for every rule there is.  This is why I am taking my lunch and writing my blog so late.  I do have a fun night planned though, I am meeting up with two very lovely librarians to enjoy some amazing beer.  My friend Turner has a brother who lives and brews on the east coast, the brewery is Oxbow.  Turner was lucky enough to convince his brother to ship some of this beer to us on the west coast so we finally get to try the infamous beer.  The other person meeting up with us tonight is the most passionate beer man I have ever met.  He lives and breathes beer and even barters with people around the world to taste different beers.  So to say the least I will be in good hands while we enjoy beers and each other's company at Beermongers.  Are you local to PDX?  Do you like Double Mountain Brewery and/or Lardo?  If you said yes to either you should go to this awesome pop-up event that they are putting on in order to help support The Portland Kitchen (look at flyer below).  Ok let's talk food, these burgers were pretty delicious, I adapted this recipe.  I will say choose what style burger you want before making them, you want fancy or traditional?  The original recipe is my traditional and I went fancy adding grilled onions and drizzling balsamic vinegar.  The thing I would change is that I wish I had made a reduced balsamic vinegar glaze because I was looking for a little more sweetness and didn't want to add ketchup to what I had.  Hope you enjoy!

Serves 2 (filling portions)

The Ingredients
6 medium portobello mushrooms
1/2 lb Ground Beef
2 tsp Worcestershire
2 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
dash of cayenne
6 small slices sharp Cheddar Cheese
3 cherry tomatoes (I used yellow ones), sliced in half
6 basil leaves
1/4 of an onion, sliced into rings
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar


The Process
1.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Remove the stems from your mushrooms and scrap out the gills and put them in a medium bowl.

3.  In the same bowl add the beef, Worcestershire, Parmesan, salt, pepper and cayenne. Mix together until everything is combined.

4.  Stuff the mushrooms with the beef mixture.  Place each mushroom in a baking dish, and place in the oven for approximately 10 minutes.

5.  In the mean time heat a skillet up over medium high heat and add olive oil.  When hot add onions and fry on each side until they start to look brown and charred, about 5 minutes each side.

6.  When 10 minutes are up on the burgers take them out and pile sauteed onions on each burger and top each one with a piece of cheese.  Put back in oven for another 10-15 minutes.

7.  While burgers are cooking add more olive oil to the same hot skillet and put all your tomatoes halves cut face down.  Sautee for about 6 minutes, remove from heat and add a splash of balsamic vinegar in the pan so that it somewhat glazed the tomatoes.

8.  When burgers are done remove from oven and top with fresh basil and tomatoes.  This is when I also drizzled a little more balsamic vinegar over the tops of each one. And eat!

Faux Eggs Benedict with Asparagus and Pork Kielbasa

We had a fabulous 4th of July down in Waldport, OR with a bunch of my boyfriend's family.  Ever year we go we have a tradition of going to The Salty Dawg, getting a pitcher of beer, and playing Keno.  My boyfriend's dad is often lucky and usually leaves with a little extra money in his pocket but this year he won $6,000, which was pretty darn exciting.  We also had a wonderful display of our own fireworks and the local Waldport show.  As I'm sure you know I am super bummed out about the Blazers and how we lost almost our entire starting lineup except for Damian Lillard...I don't even know what to expect this next year...a whole new team I guess.  On a different subject I stumbled across this cool project of the first underground garden, seems like a pretty cool idea.  Well onto the food, I came up with this idea by wanting something comforting but not super heavy, so I hope you enjoy it!

Serves 2

The Ingredients

1/2 pound pork kielbasa, sliced
1 bunch asparagus
2 eggs
Olive oil

Hollandaise:
5 egg yolks
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 cup melted butter or clarified butter (add more if you want)
Dash of cayenne


The Process
1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees, in mean time wash asparagus and snap off the hard ends.  On a sheet spread them out and drizzle with olive oil and put in oven for a total of about 20 minutes flipping half way through.

2.  While the asparagus is cooking start boiling water to poach your eggs.  Also heat up a medium skillet and begin to brown the kielbasa, since it is already cooked the browning won't take long.

3. In a small saucepan, beat the egg yolks with a whisk with no heat. Add the lemon juice, mustard powder and cayenne to the egg yolks and whisk again to combine. Very slowly drizzle in the melted butter into the egg yolks while continuing to whisk. Once the butter is combined, place the saucepan over medium-low heat.  You want the sauce to come up to temperature but not boil, and stir occasionally. Just before the sauce wants to start bubbling remove from heat. (you can also use a double boiler to make this process easier).

4.  At this point the asparagus will be done and you can plate it, put half the bunch on each plate.  Then poach your eggs, here is how.

5.  Next layer some kielbasa over the asparagus, then place egg on top and cover the dish with as much hollandaise sauce as you desire.

Paleo Salisbury Steak

Today is my birthday and we have some fun things planned for the evening.  First off we are going to check out Biwa's new sister restaurant called Noraneko, it is a ramen restaurant that is suppose to be stellar.  Then we are headed to OMSI's "after dark" night featuring "seed to cider," which includes cider tasting.  In other news what is everyone doing for the 4th of July weekend?  I'm personally headed to the coast but if I weren't I would probably have to check out the Estacada Timber Festival, looks like it could be entertaining.  Also look at this awesome James Beard Market that is being built in PDX, can't wait!  Onto the food, one day last week I decided I should make Salisbury steak because I've never had it or cooked it.  I adapted this recipe and was a little surprised to say it was better than what people have told me.  Enjoy!

Serves 4

The Ingredients

To make patties:
1 lb. ground beef sirloin
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp granulated garlic
large pinch salt or to taste
large pinch ground black pepper or to taste
olive oil

Onion and Mushroom Gravy:
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms (I used cremini)
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp mustard powder
2 cups beef broth
2 tbsp almond flour


The Process
1.  In a large bowl combine the ground meat mix with spices. Use your hands to work the spices into the meat. Make 4 even sized patties. Heat just a tiny bit of olive oil to coat the pan. Cook the patties for 8 minutes then flip and cook another 8 minutes, or until cooked all the way through. Drain off all the fat from pan, remove the patties and set aside.

2.  In the same pan saute the onions until they begin to soften, then add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Next add the salt, black pepper, garlic, paprika and mustard. Stir until well combined and place the patties back in the pan.


3.  Place the almond flour in a small bowl and whisk in the beef broth. Continue whisking until there are no flour lumps in the broth. Pour the broth mix into the pan, cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce, or gravy, thickens. Serve over mashed potatoes and your favorite green vegetable.

Beef Chili

Can't believe it is Monday again, that weekend went by way too fast.  Our adventure out of town turned out to be amazing, Saturday we were on the river in a boat all day long.  We made several stops to fish and go swimming in a beautiful little spot, below are a couple pictures from this adventure.  Last week I adapted this chili recipe and it was one of the best I have had in a while.  Of course because the chili was so good and because I was so hungry I completely forgot to take a picture of it  The picture you see is from the original recipe and the photo credit goes to Chef Shapeweaver. Enjoy!

Serves 4

The Ingredients
1 lb lean ground beef
1⁄2 cup chopped onion
3 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes, un-drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
3⁄4 teaspoon ground cumin
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
1 (15 -16 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Sharp cheddar cheese to top the chili (optional)


The Process
1.  Cook beef, onion and garlic in 3 qt saucepan until beef is brown.  Stir in remaining ingredients except beans.

2.  Heat to boiling, reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

3.  Stir in beans.  Heat to boiling, reduce heat to low.  Simmer uncovered about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until desired thickness.

Classic Tomato Soup with Goat Cheese

Goat cheese everything is what I say!  It is one of my favorite foods, I love how sour it is much like yogurt.  Anyway last night I went and saw an amazing show, Sleater-Kinney, they have been one of my favorite bands for a very long time now.  My very first time seeing them was also at the Crystal Ballroom in 2002 or 3, I was 18 years old and a freshman in college.  If you don't know much about them this line gives you a taste: "Sleater-Kinney is a key part of the riot grrrl and indie rock scenes in the Pacific Northwest.[2] The band is also known for its feminist and left-leaning politics." In food related news look at this cool new marketplace that is coming to PDX, it is focused around farmers markets and craft fair items!  The foodie world also received very sad news that surrounded the James Beard Foundation Awards, Josh Ozersky passed suddenly at the age of 47, here is a beautiful piece he wrote for Saveur magazine.  As you recall from my last post I was on the hunt for a wonderful tomato soup recipe, lots of people responded with amazing recipes that I will have to try soon, but I ended up using this recipe from Saveur that I adapted.

Serves 4

The Ingredients
2 large tablespoon bacon fat (use butter if you want vegetarian)
1⁄2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 small carrot, halved and thinly sliced
2 tbsp. tomato paste
4 tsp. almond flour
4 cups vegetable stock
3 cups canned diced tomatoes, well drained
1/4 tsp. thyme
3 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
4 tbsp. heavy cream
Goat cheese for garnish


The Process
1.  Turn heat to medium-high and add the butter to large pot. Saute the onion and carrot for 8-10 minutes or until very soft and beginning to caramelize, stirring occasionally.

2.  Add the tomato paste and continue cooking about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetable mixture, mix well and continue cooking for another minute.

3.  Gradually pour in the stock, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Add the diced tomatoes, thyme, garlic and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer soup for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4.  Remove soup from the heat. Add the heavy cream and puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Season to taste and serve garnished with lots of goat cheese


**To make this soup vegetarian:** Omit the bacon and increase the butter by 1 tablespoon.

Steak and Eggs with Caramelized Onions

As a foodie I do lots of research looking into local events, restaurants, and stores and this week I came upon Blind-Tasting Bingo at OMSI.  It looks so amazing, chef Ryan Morgan from Bon Appetit will be cooking all the tasters and people have to guess what they are eating while blind-folded.  Unfortunately I can't go this time but I hope it is a reoccurring event.  I also recently listened to an episode of America's Test Kitchen and it was all about Iceland and their cuisine and I now have a hold on the book they talked about North: The New Nordic Cuisine of Iceland .  I can't wait for our trip to Iceland to try all of the traditional and new foods.  It finally started raining in PDX again, we had so much sunshine for a while that I needed my rain back.  Rain is perfect soup weather which has inspired my dinner plans for tonight.  Onto the recipe, who doesn't love breakfast for dinner?  Created by yours truly.

Serves 2

The Ingredients
2 eggs
2 6oz petite sirloin steaks
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced in rings
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil
Steak sauce (optional)

The Process
1.  Salt and pepper steaks and set aside.

2.  Heat olive oil in a small skillet to medium heat, when hot add onions.  If onions start to brown right away turn the heat down.  These will cook for about 20 minutes.  At about 15 minutes add the balsamic vinegar.

3.  While onions are cooking heat up butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, when hot add steaks.  Cook on the first side for 5 minutes.  Then flip and cook 4 minutes (for a rare steak).  Take steaks off skillet and let rest.

4.  While onions and steaks are cooking and are almost done, heat olive oil another skillet over medium-high heat.  When hot add eggs and cook until desired done-ness, mine were over easy.

5.  Service with steak sauce drizzled over the top of the steak and eggs.

Tomato Artichoke Soup

The other night my wonderful Meredith came over and we adapted this recipe and made this soup.  In other news my month of primal eating is coming to and end but I will keep it up for the most part, except you better believe I am going to be eating real pizza next week!  I'm going to keep up with the lemon water detox too, it really helps wake me up and give me energy.  I am very ready for February because every single weekend is filled with fun events including Valentine's day and heading to the coast at the end of the month.  This will be my last post for the month and what better way than to end it with soup (during soup month)!

Serves 4

The Ingredients

1 large onion (1 ½ cups chopped)
3 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons butter
3 bay leaves
1 15-ounce can artichokes
2 23-ounce jars Muir Glen diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 cup water
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
¼ cup shredded Pecorino Romano cheese
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Pecorino Romano cheese (for garnish)


The Process

1.  Chop 1 large onion and mince 3 cloves garlic.

2.  In a large soup pot, heat 3 tablespoons butter. Sauté the onions, garlic, and 3 bay leaves until the onions are translucent, 5 to 6 minutes.

3.  Meanwhile, drain and roughly chop the artichokes. To the pot, add the artichokes, 2 cans tomatoes, 1 cup water, 1 teaspoon oregano, 2 teaspoons basil, ¼ cup shredded Pecorino Romano cheese, 1/2 cup yogurt, 3 tablespoons honey, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Simmer for 15 minutes.


4.  Remove the bay leaves. Using an immersion blender (or blender if necessary), blend the soup to a smooth consistency. Taste and add additional kosher salt if necessary.(Tip: If reheating, you may need to stir in a bit of milk to achieve the correct consistency; the soup becomes thicker after refrigeration.)

Pizza Chili

As I promised here is my adapted version of this pizza chili recipe.  I can't even begin to explain to you how good this tasted, and yes it tastes just like pizza and will get rid of your pizza cravings.  We have a full weekend coming up which includes making Moosewood's Hungarian mushroom soup for friends on Saturday, and a Super Bowl party for which I am still trying to figure out what to make...any suggestions?  In other news next week is Dumpling week here in PDX and I can't wait to get out and eat them all, here is a list of the participating restaurants.  Speaking of dumplings I am overdue for another dumpling cooking day...perhaps this will happen soon!

Serves 6

The Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1 lb hot Italian sausage
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 small can of sliced black olives
1 package of pepperoni, sliced & diced
4 cups of marinara sauce
2 cups chicken broth
Mozzarella cheese
sea salt, basil, red pepper flakes (to taste)


The Process

1) In a large pot, cook bell peppers, garlic, and onions in a small amount of the fat of your choice until they begin to sweat. Add ground meats and cook until browned.

2) Stir in olives, pepperoni, marinara sauce, and broth. Bring to a boil. Add salt, basil, and red pepper flakes to taste. Allow flavors to mingle over medium heat for 5-10 minutes.


3) Reduce heat and serve in bowls, topped with optional mozzarella cheese.

Turkey Pot Pie Soup

I'm still going strong on Primal eating, dry January, working out a lot, and the lemon water detox.  My body feels great, sore but great, and I think the lemon water is really helping my skin!  I am mid way through the month and am already seeing and feeling wonderful results, I might just have to continue all this into February too!  I'm sure many of you have listened to the podcast Serial, well there are now 3 parts out of an interview with Jay and there is an interview out with the prosecutor.  All of it is very interesting but I still don't think Adnan did it, what do y'all think?  Happy Thursday, the week is almost over and here in PDX it is now super grey and rainy, just in time for the weekend.  Honestly it is perfect weather for dolma making which is finally happening after months of waiting!  Here is an extremely tasty recipe that I adapted, enjoy!

Serves 6


The Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter

1 small yellow onion, diced

1/2 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced

2 celery stalks, diced

1/4 cup almond flour

2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups turkey stock

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

2 carrots, peeled and diced

3 cups shredded leftover turkey meat

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt


The Process

1.  Heat the butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and almond flour and cook for 1 minute. Add in the potatoes, sage, and pepper.

2.  Pour in 2 cups water, chicken broth, and the half-and-half. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes.

3.  Add the carrots and mushrooms and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes. Add the shredded turkey and cook until warmed through, about 1 minute.


4.  Add in the parsley and season with the salt. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary before serving.

Ricotta Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Along with Primal eating and no drinking January I am also trying another detox challenge, the 21 day lemon water challenge.  It supposedly gives you nicer skin but I am more interested in the detox, metabolism boost, and digestion aid.  Here is the link, and I will definitely keep you updated as to how it makes me feel.  This is my first week back the to gym full time since mid December and today I can barely walk.  My weekly workout routine consists of: Monday- cardio kickboxing class (sometimes followed up by a cycling class); Tuesday- 1/2 hour Zumba and lift class; Wednesday- 20min of cycling and Zumba class; Thursday- 1/2 hour Zumba and lift class; Friday- cardio kickboxing.  I usually get in 4-5 days a week depending on how busy I am.  I am also excited because my boyfriend is finally joining my gym which is even more motivation to go workout :)  I'm sure lots of you are also on some sort of new year get healthy kick, so I hope I help motivate whether it is working out to eat all the yummy things or eating healthy most of the time.  Also sorry for the repeat picture...boring.

Serves 4

The Ingredients

2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and quartered

4 cloves garlic, peeled

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cup fresh ricotta

1/2 cup milk

3 Tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon pepper


The Process

1.  In large pot of water boil potatoes and garlic until cooked through, about 25 minutes.

2.  Drain potatoes and garlic and put in medium sized bowl.

3.  Begin to mash potatoes and garlic and then add butter.  Wait for butter to melt and add salt, pepper, ricotta, and milk.  Continue to mash up until smooth then serve.

Ham, Bean, and Sauerkraut Soup

Happy New Year everyone!  We had a fabulous time on NYE, we even walked to the bluffs near our house at midnight and watched all the fire works exploding while ringing in the new year.  It was a beautiful but cold night in PDX which required cozy blankets and lots of champagne.  As I mentioned in the last post my 48 hour soup (ham, bean, and sauerkraut soup) was our planned meal for the evening and it turned out absolutely fabulous, I couldn't have asked for anything more tasty.  I wanted to add the reason why I'm calling it my 48 hour soup is because it took 12 hours to make the stock, 12 hours to chill the stock and skim the fat, another 12 hours to soak the beans and then an additional 10 hours to cook, so technically it is only a 46 hour soup...but 48 sounds better;)  I adapted the recipe from here.  Some of our friends ended up spending the night to stay safe on NYE and the next morning my boyfriend made his famous and ever so delicious Eggs Benedict (pictured below).  We ended the old year and started the new year with amazing meals and I wouldn't want it any other way.  In other news every January I detox and stop drinking for the entire month, this year I have also decided to try the Primal/Wholefood way of eating.  It's similar to Paleo but you are allowed to have dairy, beans (once in a while), and potatoes...which these items are things I truly love and had a hard time giving up on Paleo.  I am trying Primal eating for the month of January and see how it makes me feel, plus it's always a good idea to cut bread, wheat, and refined sugar from your diet.  I am ready for this detox month especially after all of the fatty foods and drinking that the holidays bring.  Enjoy!

Serves 8

The Ingredients

1/2 lb. dry great Northern beans

1 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped onion

1 tsp. caraway seeds

1 tsp. dried thyme

2 bay leaves

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups diced ham (leftovers from ham bone)

4 cups ham bone stock

4 cups water

2 cups sauerkraut, with more for serving

Salt and freshly ground black pepper


The Process

1.  Soak the beans overnight according to the package.

2.  In a crockpot add all of the ingredients but wait to add salt and pepper 'till the end.

3.  Cook for 9-10 hours on low or until the beans are soft enough to eat.

4.  Salt and pepper to taste and garnish each bowl with sauerkraut.

Our New Year's breakfast Eggs Benedict!

Chicken Pot Pie

While many others are already off work for the holidays I still have a half day tomorrow (Christmas eve), but this doesn't stop me from playing with all of my lovely friends!  Tonight I'm headed to a holiday potluck with gifts, music, and dancing...still trying to figure out what to make.  And last night I had one of my wonderful friend's over for some good old comforting chicken pot pie, and yes I usually cheat when it comes to the crust and buy pre-made dough...again I really don't care for baking and that includes making dough.  Two nights ago I also got to reunite with one of my friends who now lives in California and she told me she is moving to Singapore for four months for a school exchange program which is very exciting!  Apparently they don't sell gum there and you get in trouble if you spit gum out on the ground (if someone sees you)...but it is also a very clean place.  In unrelated news I just started listening to America's Test Kitchen podcast and am completely addicted, another good podcast is Serial.  As a result I heard about this awesome book Peace Meals, which I now have on hold and am counting down the days until I can get my hands on it.  I hope you enjoy my wonderful pot pie!

Serves 5

The Ingredients

1 1/2 cups carrots, peeled and diced

1 medium Yukon gold potato, cubed

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 large chicken breast, diced

2 teaspoons sea salt, divided

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups half and half

1 1/2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 1/2 cups broccoli, chopped

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

Cooking spray

1 egg

1 teaspoon water


The Process

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2.  Heat up frying pan and spray with oil, add onions, carrots, broccoli, and mushrooms, saute over medium-high heat for about 6 minutes and set aside.

3.  Then heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the diced chicken breast. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring often, until the chicken is no longer pink.

4.  Sprinkle the flour over the chicken in the pan. Stir until the chicken is well coated with flour.

5.  Slowly pour in the half and half, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for five minutes or until slightly thickened.

6.  Add the carrots, potato, onions, mushrooms, broccoli and remaining salt. Stir gently to combine all the ingredients.

7.  Unfold the thawed puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface. Roll pastry to seal any cracks.

8.  Spray the inside of the cooking dish lightly with cooking spray. Fill with the chicken mixture. Top the dish with the puff pastry. Cut a vent in the top of the pastry.

8.  Beat the egg and water together in a small bowl. Brush over the pastry.

9.  Place the prepared pot pie on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.

10.  Cover the pastry loosely with aluminum foil to prevent burning and cook for an additional 25 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow the cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Tomato Basil and Beef Soup

In my last post I was talking about the health of my grandpa, I'm sad to say that we lost Melvin Anthony Cordie at 12:30am early Friday morning.  He went peacefully and had people he loved surrounding him.  It has been really hard for all of us to process as we just lost the patriarch of the family.  After spending the whole day in Hood River, OR looking at photos and reminiscing about his life I was lucky enough to get away to the coast for the weekend for some much needed reflection.  Today is my first day back at work since the event and it is definitely proving to be difficult so I am blogging to try and distract myself from reality.  I adapted this recipe a while ago but it is a great soup if you need a soul healing meal.   As we are heading full force into fall just remember that every season brings a lot of change and try and appreciate everyone and everything you have.

Serves 4

The Ingredients

30 ounces diced tomatoes

1 cup coconut milk, canned (full fat)

1 Tablespoon coconut oil

1 cup onion, diced

1 pound ground beef

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup chicken broth

1/8 cup pesto



The Process
1.  Add diced tomatoes and coconut milk to a blender and blend until smooth.

2.  Heat a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add coconut oil and saute onions until translucent. Add ground beef and cook until brown. Drain fat.

3.  Stir in minced garlic and salt. Pour in tomato/coconut milk mixture, chicken broth, pesto. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer 10-15 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

 

I love you Gramps!

This is a very old and wonderful picture of the two of us.