Ham and Red Lentil Soup with Garam Masala

I'm cleaning out my freezer. Basically this just means I have stuff in there that has been there close to the 3 month mark and it needs to go. Plus, well, the budget is tight this month with me off for 2 weeks and paying for all the summer activities the boys are up to. Man, kids are expensive! You think when they get older and you don't have to pay for daycare that the money will just start rolling in? Not so much...kids are busy! They ruin clothing faster, they hurt themselves and have to go to the ER where you fight with the insurance company because apparently a 2 yr old needs an accident report to make sure he didn't harm himself at his place of work....

ANYWAY - onto the soup:

I made a version of this soup a long time ago and LOVED it - loved it so much I went out and bought a ham and made it again a month later - this is not normal for me. I am a cook that doesn't really have a typical "rotation" of meals. Sure, I do spaghetti and chili in the colder months, a fabulous pasta salad in the spring/summer but for the most part I just love experimenting...with food that is ;)

This soup is basically made from leftovers and pretty cheap ingredients - I actually have garam masala and star anise in my cupboards fairly regularly, so maybe I'm being a big fat liar right now, but they're readily accessible at any grocery store - even down here - so I think you should be good.

So without any further ado...

Ham and Red Lentil Soup with Garam Masal
(phew! that's a mouthful!)

1 leftover ham bone with meat attached - and leftover slices set aside to chunk up and add after you make the broth.
About 12 cups of water - or enough to cover the bone
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
2 bay leaves
5 cloves sliced garlic
1-2" pc ginger, sliced
1 tsp coriander seeds

Add the above to a large stock pot and bring to a boil. Simmer on low about 2 hours or until reduced by 1/3.
Remove bone and any fat and chop meat into bite sized pieces.
(I usually do this the night before so that I can refrigerate the stock and then just take the fat off with a spoon)

1 Tbsp
3 carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 white onion (med - lg), diced
2 Tbsp Garam Masala
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp smoked paprika

3 cups red lentils - less if you like it soupier.

Sautee vegetables in oil 4-5 minutes until slightly soft. Add spices and stir a couple minutes but be careful not to let them burn. Add stock and bring to a boil - lower to simmer, add chopped ham and cook about half hour. Add lentils and cook 15 mn or until cooked through.

Bzz - Scrubbing Bubbles Extend-A-Clean

Ok, so here's the deal - I signed up as a Bzz Agent. What does this mean? It means that companies mail me stuff to try out and post what I think about them. They send me samples, coupons to share with people, etc. I'm supposed to post about it on my blog or on facebook or twitter (I'm not a tweeter) or in person.

So since my blog streams through my facebook anyway, I thought I'd hit you with the review right here and cover both bases!

The product I got first is Scrubbing Bubbles Extend-A-Clean. It's advertised as a bathroom cleaner that has a few advantages. #1 is that it comes with a 1-touch continuous sprayer. The other is that it has active cleaners that work for 4 days after you clean it.

My thoughts? They're mixed.

First of all, the 1-touch sprayer is sort of awesome since I have an enormous walk-in shower that I foolishly decorated with white subway tile. Sure, there are some blue accents in there, but seriously! White! That much white! What was I thinking?!?!? My next bathroom will have mold colored grout and some sort of gray/tan tile. You know, the kind you can pretend you cleaned so your husband doesn't ask you what you did all day. Every day. Because apparently keeping 4 children alive isn't enough. (haha - love you babe!)

I digress.

Back to the continuous sprayer. It was pretty cool. You push the button and a moter just starts working and sprays the cleaning foam all over the place. It was a nice break for my arms. Even though I HAVE been working out. I think this would be sort of awesome for someone older, maybe with arthritis or broken fingers.

The 4 day cleaning? I don't know. Really? How does it do that after I've scrubbed it all off? I don't get it. My shower is pretty amazingly clean right now though. I was impressed.

HOWEVER - the fumes were pretty terrible - I didn't have great ventilation at the time, but even so...it was pretty noxious. I have another refill and I'll probably use it anyway because I'm cheap like that, but to be honest, I don't know if I'd buy it again. Unless it was on sale and I had a coupon. (HEY! I have coupons! $5 off coupons! If you want one, please let me know and I'll be happy to give you one.)

What do YOU use for your shower? Any special tricks? My honest-to-goodness favorite thing to use (can you say favorite when you LOATHE cleaning the shower?!?!) are the Magic Eraser pads. They are seriously magical. But since this is supposed to be about the bubbles, I'll just leave it at that.

Baba Ghanoush for Jess...

We were talking about this at Bunco and I promised I'd post it. It's been a long time since I made this - the last time was for a work party and everyone was afraid to eat it - it's not really a beautiful looking dish - so my husband and I ate most of it ourselves. It's wonderful with pita chips, fresh pita bread and sliced tomato, pretty much anything. I can't remember if I used cilantro or flat-leaf Italian parsley but now I'm curious and thinking I might make it both ways the next time I try it :)

You can leave it chunky or you can give it a whirl in your food processor - I like it better when it's more creamy than chunky, but don't put the herbs in until after if you choose to go that route :)

Hope you like it!

Baba Ghanoush

1 large eggplant

1.5 Tablespoons Tahini (I use Krinos - I've tried a couple but this is the only one I'll buy)

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/3 cup minced shallot

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp high quality EVOO

kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

3 Tbsp chopped cilantro

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Cut eggplant in half lengthwise. Place, cut side down, on shallow roasting pan. Prick the skin a few times with a fork and roast 30 mn or until they're soft. Transfer to a plate and let cool.

3. In a large bowl mix remaining ingredients (except cilantro) until combined. Spoon the eggplant out of the skin and mince. Add to bowl and season to taste. Alternately, put all ingredients in food processor and pulse a few times.

4. Add fresh chopped cilantro and stir to combine or leave on top so it looks pretty :)

Serve with pita bread, chips, veggies, etc.

Lemon Chess Pie...

Happy Easter! Thanks for joining us! We had a great day :)

For those of you that were here today and requested the recipe, here it is.

(This comes from the May, 2010 issue of Cooks Country)

Lemon Chess Pie

Use your favorite pie dough or do like I did and buy the Pillsbury ready made pie crusts in the fridge section - they work perfect in a pinch!

5 large eggs

1.75 cups plus 1 tsp sugar

juice (approx 3 Tbsp) and zest (approx 1 Tbsp) from 1 large lemon

2 Tbsp cornmeal (not coarse ground)

1 stick butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 - 9" pie shell

1. Before you even start the crust: Whisk eggs in large bowl until smooth. Slowly whisk in 1.75 cups sugar, lemon zest and juice, cornmeal, and salt until combined. Whisk in butter. Let sit while you bake the crust. Minimum 30 mn.

2. Place cold, refrigerated (at least 40 mn in fridge and 20 mn in freezer if you made from scratch - otherwise take ready made crust out and go from there) pie crust in 9" baking dish. Poke all over with fork. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Bake shell 8 mn. Remove from oven and reduce temp to 325.

3. As soon as the pie crust comes out of the oven, whisk filling briefly to recombine. Scrape into pie shell and bake 35 mn until surface is lightly brown and center jiggles slightly when shaken. Sprinkle with remaining tsp sugar. Cool completely on wire rack and refrigerate minimum 4 hours or overnight.

4. Serve with fresh whipped cream

Inspiration...

Don't know if any of you have read this - possibly all of you have, but it's something that spoke to me 12 years ago when I was going through a tough time and trying to find peace. I haven't really thought much about it lately, even though I have a 12 year old yellowed, scotch-taped copy of it here, but I was inspired by a fellow blogger today. You can read her post here. It made me re-read it, which made me feel a little peaceful. Hope you enjoy...

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.


Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.


Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.


Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.


Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.


You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.


Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.


With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.


Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

Welcome Back & a Recipe for Mac...and Cheese ;)

Ok, so I've been very sick - for like a month - except for about 5 days between the strep and whatever it was that I brought home from Mexico. Yes, I got to go to Mexico. No, I haven't posted pictures yet. It's about #3 on my list of things to do after I get some paid work done :)

Priorities, right?!?!

Speaking of those, instead of working this afternoon, I'm having a BRAND NEW BABY come to my house! Yeay! For those of you that know me, and for those of you that don't but can see here that I have 4 children, I obviously LOVE babies.

So today my girlfriend and her new baby are coming over. I bribed them with lunch. I even offered to bring it to them so they didn't have to get out of the house, but I think it's that time of the year and her family is starting to go back home, so she's probably itching to get out :) At least I was around that time...of course, 4 kids, yeah...you start to get some MAJOR cabin fever stuck in with them for that long.

Here's the Mac&Cheese recipe - quite honestly, I'm posting it now finally because I hate digging for it every time I want to make it and now I can share it with you too! Yeay!

Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:
4 cups Dried Macaroni
¼ cups Butter
½ small onion, grated
¼ cups All-purpose Flour
2-½ cups Whole Milk
2 teaspoons Dry Mustard, More If Desired (I desire mustard powder...I use more...just heap 'em up!)
1 whole Egg Beaten
1 pound Cheese, Grated (I like to use the sharpest cheddar I can find, maybe 12 oz and then another 4 oz of something softer, like a jack…but all cheddar is really yummy too)

SAVE A LARGE HANDFUL FOR THE TOP

½ teaspoons Salt, More To Taste
½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper

optional: a pinch of cayenne for a little bite (me likey! - some people don't - it's a personal thing)

ALSO - paprika for sprinkling over the top - this is a grandmother thing so I don't normally do it unless I'm serving it to her :)

Instructions:

Cook macaroni until very firm, about 2 mn short. Drain.

In a small bowl, beat egg.

In a large pot, melt butter and then add onion. Cook 2-3 minutes or until soft. Sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn or get too dark. Brown Mac&Cheese isn't quite as appetizing...

Slowly pour in milk and whisk until smooth. Add mustard powder and whisk in. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.

Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth. (This is called tempering - it prevents the eggs from cooking into scrambled eggs when you add it to the hot sauce)

Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.

Add in cheese a large handful at a time and stir to melt.

Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.

Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
Pour into a buttered 9 x 13 baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

My grandmother also sometimes combines cornflakes/bread crumbs/etc. with butter and cheese and puts that on top. Either way is good…

Tortilla Soup

This recipe is from Fine Cooking Magazine - May 2002. I LOVE this magazine - I really want a new subscription but it hasn't been in the budget (it's like $65 for 3 yrs and I haven't been able to justify that...ah well, some day...)

ANYWAY - I made it the first time in 2002 and I have made it countless times since. It's a wonderful, fabulous recipe. Between the heat of the broth, the cool tang of the lime, the smooth avocado - I don't know - it's magic in a bowl...I always quadruple the recipe since we have such a big family and I love soup the next day too - it just melds together...mmmm

My Mom has been bugging me for this recipe - so have my sisters - so I figured I should FINALLY post it here. I emailed it directly to you Mom!

Make it this winter - you won't regret it.

Chicken and Tortilla Soup

Be sure the broth is very hot so that it heats up the ingredients in the bowl and offers a strong contrast with the cool, smooth chunks of avocado. The spice level is very low – just a slight chile warmth – so if you prefer more of a kick, add more chili powder or use a hotter powder. This recipe is easily doubled. Serves tow as a light main course or substantial first course.

1 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil, plus another ½ to 1 cup for frying the tortillas
¼ cup finely chopped onion (from about ½ small onion)
1 Tbsp chili powder; more to taste
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 skinless chicken thighs (bone in or boneless)
Salt to taste
4 cups homemade or low-salt canned chicken broth (I use Pacific brand)
Fresh cilantro; six 2” stems for the broth plus 1/4 cup roughly chopped leaves for the garnish
4 fresh corn tortillas, 6” across, cut into 1/4 “ wide strips
½ cup corn kernels (canned is fine)
½ cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
¾ cup diced fresh tomato

For the garnish:

1 ripe avocado, diced and tossed with a squeezer of lime juice
¼ cup crumbled queso fresco, feta, or ricotta salata
2 dollops sour cream
Lime wedges for serving

1. Put 1 Tbsp of the oil in a large saucepan or small soup pot, add the onion, and cook over medium heat until the onion has softened but not browned, about 3 mn. Add the chili powder and tomato paste and stir with a wooden spoon to mix and cook briefly; take care not to let the chili powder scorch.

2. Season the chicken things lightly with salt and nestle them in the chile paste, turning them once so they’re entirely coated. Pour in about ½ cup of the broth and adjust the heat to a simmer. Cover the pan and cook the chicken, turning once, until it’s extremely tender when pierced with a knife, 30-40mn (add a little more broth if the pan is drying out). When the chicken’s done, remove it from the pan, let it cool a bit, and cut or shred it into bite-size pieces, discarding any bones and bits of fat or gristle; set aside.

3. If there’s any visible grease in the pan, spoon it off, add the remaining broth and the cilantro stems and simmer, uncovered, until the broth has reduced by about 1/3 and is quite flavorful, 20-30 mn.

4. While the broth is reducing, fry the tortillas; see the note below.

5. Divide the shredded chicken, the corn, black beans, tomato and tortilla strips between tow large soup or pasta bowls. Reheat the broth if necessary so it’s piping hot and pour it over the ingredients in the bowls. Serve immediately and let each diner add the avocado, cheese, sour cream, chopped cilantro, and a big squeeze of the lime juice at the table.

Cook the crispy strips:
Line a plate or tray with 2 layers of paper towels. In a small, high-sided saucepan, heat enough oil to come to about 1” depth. Heat the oil over medium heat; when it reaches 375 degrees or when a strip of tortilla sizzles immediately when dipped in the oil, add 6-8 strips of tortilla. With tongs of a long fork, “scrunch” them for a second or tow so they take on a wavy shape. Fry until the strips aren’t bubbling much and have become pale brown, about 1 mn. Transfer to the paper towels. Repeat with the remaining strips.