Fried Chicken and Cheesesteaks

French onion soup is one of my FAVORITE things to order in a restaurant. But a few years ago, I also started making it at home. It isn't hard, but it does require patience, and attention. First, slice a whole pile of onions. I normally cut them in half, and then slice into half moons. Note that my pot was almost full at the beginning. (I don't remember exactley but about 8 of those great big softball sized sweet onions would do) Start a soup pot over medium heat. Add a little oil to the pan, and start cooking. Stir occasionally. We're trying to both soften the onions and release a lot of liquid. Keep stirring every few minutes. Note the brown bits I just stirred up. Every time you stir make sure to stir every bit of the bottom of the pot. Eventually it will become a dark caramel color. Keep cooking, and keep stirring. Once it gets to this stage I add a little liquid each time I stir (apple cider, water, or chicken broth). We still want to get the color a bit darker, but don...

Preheat oven to about 375. Place in a roasting pan: 3 squash, cut in half with seeds removed (I used two butternet and 1 acorn squash), cloves from 1 head of garlic, peeled Roast until the squash flesh is tender - test by stabbing with the tines of a fork. To avoid shreiks of burning flesh (YOUR burning flesh), allow to cool about an hour before peeling. Set aside cooked, peeled squash. Chop 1 large onion or a handful of shallots. (onions will suffice if you didn't get shallots from a CSA share) Sautee in a large soup pot with a few tablespoons of butter. Add about 1/2 pound of shredded carrot, and a few stalks of chopped celery. If you did NOT add garlic to the roasting squash, add some minced garlic now. Add chicken broth or stock - about 4 cans/8 cups. (tip: for a "hurry up" version of this soup, you could also add canned pumpkin - obviously the unsweetened variety - instead of roasting whole squash) Grate 1 large piece of fresh ginger (2 or 3 inches square). Retai...

I love mussels. I love them even more when I can get a frozen package of two pounds of cooked mussels in their shell for 4.62 at the Super Walmart. (If you are using fresh mussels, please read my instrustions and precautions here ) To heat the already cooked mussels: Boil a pot of water, and heat the mussels in their inner plastic bag. For the yummy, yummy sauce: Heat pot over medium heat, add 3-4 tablespoons olice oil. Chop about 8 shallots (or 1 large onion), and add them to the pot. Chop 3-4 cloves of garlic, throw them in too. Add a few tablespoons of butter, some salt, pepper and a cup of white wine. Add two tomatoes, diced, or one can of diced tomatoes. Then you need to add broth. I used the seafood broth concentrate from Penzeys mixed with more wine :) Open the mussels and add them, with the liquid in their bags, to the mix. Serve with a crusty baguette!

This is NOT the same as the slow-cooked-all day miracle that is shrimp and grits. But it was pretty tasty. The 20 minute time was accomplished by: 1. using already slow-cooked grits in a package from my beloved Trader Joes: 2. using frozen already cut peppers and onions from BJ's: 3. Microwaving things. 4. Using thawed already cooked shrimp (bought on sale, of course!): 5. Using marmalade from a jar. (ok, if you factor in the time MAKING marmalade, this would be 500 minute shrimp and grits. But that was back in March. It doesn't count). Microwave the frozen onions and peppers until they are cooked. Meanwhile pull the tails off the shrimp and set aside. Open the tube of cooked grits, and pour into a bowl. The grits go into the microwave after the onions and peppers. In a pot, pour about a cup of white wine, 1/2 pint of marmalade, cajun seasoning (a tablespoon?), a tablespoon or two of molasses, and bring to a boil, then immediately turn down. Add pepper/onion mixture and keep st...

My CSA share this week included fresh lima beans. I've never cared for them much. I remember swallowing them like pills as a child. But I thought I should give them a fare try. I had some cubed pancetta and prosciutto (the local farmers markets sells the bits too small to slice at a lower price - like cheese ends, only expensive Italian hams) First, start a pot boiling with water for your pasta. Send your children or husband out to shell the lima beans. I started by chopping two small onions into thin half moons. Into the hot pan they went, after a bit of oil: Add the proscuitto and some onion to the pan to brown, then turn to low: I soaked some dry mushrooms. Dry mushrooms are a great thing to have in your pantry, because they last for years, and can be used in small quantities. Pre soak them to add like a dish to this - just cover with warm water. If adding to soup, you can throw them right in. I started the pasta (1/2 pound) in the water, and then added the lima beans: I added...

Someone asked me recently if I could do a meal in twenty or thirty minutes. So I decided to set the timer and see if I could! Ingredients: 1 onion 2 bell peppers 1 bag (16 oz.) frozen turkey meatballs 3 large tomatoes handful of fresh basil salt, pepper oregano, garlic, thyme 2 rolls, or 4 slices of toast First I set the timer: Then I started the pot on the stove, and added some olive oil. I peeled an onion, chopped it in half, and sliced the halves into slices: Into the pot went the slices. Then I roughly sliced the bell peppers: Meanwhile, the meatballs went into a bowl and into the microwave. (just to warm - these were fully cooked ones. I think these came from Aldi. Other stores carry similar products) Stir the onion and peppers, and season with salt and pepper. Then chop the tomatoes: Add the tomatoes to the pot, along with about 2 teaspoons of oregano, 1/2 teaspoon of thyme, and a few cloves of garlic (or the frozen or dried equivilant). I cut the meatballs in half. Then add them...

I'm still trying to find all my kitchen tools after moving, so the leftovers are long ago consumed for each recipe this week, but hopefully still useful! Note: the pictures are from a double batch of this recipe. 1 - 1.5 pounds italian sausage (I used hot - it made for a zippy final product) 4 or 5 zucchini and/or yellow squash, cut into bite size chunks 1 large onion, diced 16 oz ricotta cheese 2 small cans tomato sauce 1 15 oz can diced tomato, drained basil, oregano, rosemary, parsley (dried or fresh) garlic powder Brown the italian sausage in a large pan. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon into a bowl, and discard the liquid from the pan. Add a few tablespoons of oil to the pan, and add the onion. Cook until soft, stirring occasionally. Add squash, and continue to cook. Salt and pepper to taste. If using fresh herbs, wash them, remove the leaves from the stems, and roughly chop them. Stir into sausage along with tomato sauce and drained diced tomatoes. Stir in cooked onio...

Crust: 1 loaf French bread Sauce: 2 small cans tomato sauce (or 2 cans tomato paste and some water) basil, oregano, salt, pepper, thyme, garlic, onion cheese: mozzarella (add any other varieties you like: havarti, asiago, parrano, romano, parmesan, cheddar) toppings: sky is the limit! I used zucchini, salami, tomatoes, chicken and carmelized onions on this batch Cut the French bread in half horizontally, and then in halves lengthwise. Lay on a baking sheet. Make sauce (or open a jar of pizza sauce - we won't tell!). If you have pesto in the fridge, just mix a couple of tablespoons of that into the tomato and forget the spices. Spread the sauce on the bread. Add cheese(s) and toppings. Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes.

Last night's dinner (this is a rather inprecise recipe, but I don't think the exact quanitities will matter much): ~ 1.5 pounds boneless chicken breasts ~ 12 oz fresh spinach ~ one slightly mushy green pepper, bad bits removed (if you only have a fresh one, I suppose it will do) ~ 1.5 cups chopped artichoke (frozen, fresh or from a jar) ~ one large onion, chopped ~ garlic - fresh minced, from a jar, or frozen minced cubes from Trader Joes ~ 8oz. block cream cheese ~ a few tablespoons of pesto, homemade or from a jar ~ olive oil ~ salt & pepper ~ romano, parmesan or a similar flavorful hard cheese Sautee spinach in a bit of olive oil until fully wilted - turn a few times while cooking: Set aside the surprisingly small quantity of spinach which results. In the same pan, sautee the onion, and when that is almost cooked (translucent) add the chopped pepper and garlic. Once the vegetables are soft, turn the heat down to medium, and add the cream cheese. WATCH THIS CAREFULLY, sti...