Potato Chowder submitted by blogger "dsmcaron"

Cannot wait to try this recipe as my dear friend Caron raved about. This is also the photo she sent and she excuses its quality.

INGREDIENTS

1 russet potato, peeled and cubed

5 slices bacon, diced OR 3 slices back bacon, diced

1 cooked chicken breast, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

2 tablespoons butter

2-3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 can chicken broth

1/2 cups milk or cream

1 (15 ounce) can creamed corn

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Place potato cubes in glass dish and microwave for 1:30. Set aside. 
2. In a sauté pan, cook bacon over medium heat until heated through, and add chicken and chopped onions. Cook and stir until onions are clear. Stir in Old Bay. Set aside. 
3. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large stock pot over low heat. Whisk in flour until mixture becomes creamy. Continue to cook for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in broth, then slowly whisk in the milk. Mix well in order to eliminate all lumps. 
4. When the mixture is creamy and hot, stir in bacon mixture, cubed potatoes, and creamed corn. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Hot Wing Dip by blogger "The Magic of "Mama"

This is the first of hopefully many shared blogger recipes. This one comes from "The Magic of Mama", please do visit her blog

INGREDIENTS
2-8 ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
1 cup ranch dressing
3/4 cup pepper sauce (such as Texas Pete or Frank's Red Hot)
20 ounces shredded chicken (or 2 10-oz cans chunk chicken, drained)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook in the crock pot.
2. Put the first 2 ingredients into the crock pot. 
3. Once the cream cheese has melted, add the hot sauce and chicken. 
4. Cook for 15 minutes and then add the cheese.
5. Serve the dip with chips. Yum!

Arroz com Pato - Portuguese Rice with Duck

This is one of my favourite recipes I grew up with. My whole family loves it and I yet have to find a friend (adult or kid) I make it to who does not like it either. It is very simple to make just a little time consuming.

INGREDIENTS
1 whole duck
3 cups of rice
1 table spoon of sea salt
4 cloves of garlic
1 chourico

DIRECTIONS

1.  Fill a large pot or your Crockpot with water and add salt
2. Once defrosted (if not a fresh duck), remove giblets from inside its cavity and softly insert it into the pot
3. Cook on low heat for over 3 hours (until the duck's meat easily detaches from the bones)
4. Remove duck from the stock and let it cool a little
5. Meanwhile add the rice onto the broth and cook the rice as you would normally do. Add water if need be
   
6. in a terracotta 9 x 13 pan, rub the cut garlic cloves all over, so to allow its flavours to spread all over the pan
7. Remove all meat and skin  from the bones. I usually keep the two lets intact 
8. Spread the meat all over the pan and cover it with all of the skin
9. Put pan in oven at low broil until all skin is golden and crispy
10. Remove pan from oven, remove the skin and add the rice over the duck pieces
11. Again, cover it with the crispy skin and slices of chourico
12. Put it in the oven at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes
13. Serve with a nice bottle of red wine and black olives
    

Herb Chicken with Chocolate

OK, I know it sounds quite odd, but let me tell you... it is DELICIOUS. This is a recipe I read on  Delicious Living magazine. Due to the fact that I was missing a few ingredients and that there was one part I did not agree with, I decided to change the recipe a little to my liking! Go figure.

INGREDIENTS
8 pieces of chicken (I used chicken 4 quarters and cut them in half)
4 tbsp dried herbes de Provence
1 teaspoon of rosemary
1 tbsp of chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
2 tbsp of olive oil
3/4 cup of chicken broth
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup of maple syrup or honey (This time I used the honey)
1 ounce of dark chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Put the chicken in a glass bowl and rub it with all of the herbs, salt and pepper and let it sit for about 10 minutes
2. In a skillet add the olive oil and once warm, brown the chicken on both sides
3. Add the chicken broth and bring it to a simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes
4. Cover with lid, bring heat to low and let it simmer for about 10 more minutes
5. Meanwhile in a small saucepan, mix the balsamic vinegar and maple syrup (or honey) and cook on medium high until is it slightly bubbling
6. Remove from heat and add the chocolate chips, stir it well until all chips are well dissolved
7. Remove lid from chicken, increase heat to high and add the balsamic - chocolate sauce to the chicken
8. Turn chicken periodically for about 7 minutes, then serve

Just saw the movie Julie & Julia

If this is not a fun movie for those who enjoy cooking! I envy the journey Julie took for a year and what a blast it must have been to follow a woman's life through her cookings! I had heard often of Julia Child, but not having grown up in the States I truthfully did not know much about her. After watching this movie not only do I want to learn more about her and her life, especially from the moment she moved back to the States. I would LOVE to hear people's comments of any memories growing up here in the States and the impact she ever had in your cooking.

Yams and Sweet Potatoes Casserole

Here is another of my re-inventions after trying and reading a few recipes. Above all many people get confused about the differences between yams and sweet potatoes.  Yams are an African vegetable. The yam is a tuber, member of the lily family, while the sweet potato is a member of the morning glory family. Yams are usually sweeter, moister, plumper, denser, and a deeper orange color than sweet potatoes. My tween daughter absolutely HATES this vegetable but... as she is somehow a tad of a sweet tooth... well the sugar does the trick in this recipe and she will actually eat it yet begs me not to remind her what she is actually eating! Makes no sense to me, but ok, I will obey!

INGREDIENTS

6 yams

2 sweet potatoes

2 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup of butter

2 table spoons of brown sugar

1/2 cup of shredded cheese

1/2 heavy cream

salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash both yams and sweet potatoes and cut them into four pieces
   
2. Put then into a pot with water and sea salt
3. Peel the garlic and add it to the pot.
4. Cook on medium until yams and sweet potatoes are tender to the fork
5. Remove them from water and feel the yams and sweet potatoes
6. Add the butter into the pot (previously used to boil the yams and sweet potatoes) and bring heat to low
7. Add peeled yams and sweet potatoes and mash them the same way as normal mashed potatoes
8. Add the heavy cream
   
9. Once you obtain a smooth texture pour it onto a oven safe dish
10. Add half the sugar all over it, then the shredded cheese, then again the rest of the sugar
11. Place in int he oven and put it at low broil for about 15 minutes or until the top is nicely browned

SUGGESTIONS

You can substitute the heavy cream for half and half or even plain yogurt or totally forgo this step. I love eating this with turkey, chicken, duck or any other bird.

Caldo Verde - Portuguese kale soup

This is an old time favourite soup and a classic in Portuguese cuisine. There are a variety of recipes for this soup, but I still prefer the original one, which is as simple as can be. Caldo verde actually means green broth!

INGREDIENTS:
6 potatoes
1 lb of kale or Chinese cabbage
2 quarts of cold water
4 tbsp olive oil
1 chourico
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Wash the potatoes, peel and cut them in thin slices
2. Wash the greens, roll them up tightly and slice them as thin as you can (thsi is very important)
3. In a little hot water first quickly scald the greens - this will make the greens keep their colour
   
4. Take 2 table spoons of olive oil and lightly sautee the potatoes in a large pot
5. Add the water and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are breaking apart
6. Mash the potatoes or mix them thoroughly to create a nice minimally smooth cream
7. Let it simmer again for about 5 minutes then add the kale
8. In a small frying pan lightly sautee the sliced chourico. 
9. Just before serving, quickly mix in the leftover olive oil and the fat from the slices of chourico
10. When serving the soup in bowls decorate them with the slices of chourico
    

Polvinhos assados com batatas - Portuguese baby octopus with small potatoes

I absolutely LOVE this recipe. Apart from being extremely easy to make it is delicious. To those that eat squid, the taste is very similar, so... come on.. dare a little will you? Again a good place to find baby octopus is at local Asian Markets. One of the first times I made this one here in WI, my tween had a friend over. Well let me tell you her facial reactions looking at those little things with their odd looking arms all curled. It took all of us about 5 minutes to convince her to try one. She closed her eyes and boum! She put it in her mouth, quickly chewed it and drank some water. Well, guess who was the one that wanted more octopus and could not stop eating them? She was so proud of herself and could not wait to tell her parents of her latest discovery!

INGREDIENTS
18 small octopus
1 onion with skin on
12 small potatoes
1 cup of olive oil
8 cloves of garlic
1/2 bunch cilantro
salt/pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Boil the octopus in water with salt and the whole onion for about 20 minutes or until tender
2. Boil potatoes in salted water until cooked
3. In a oven-safe ceramic deep dish cover the bottom with 1 cup of olive oil, the garlics and a few leaves of cilantro
   
4. Put it in the oven at 350° F for about 10 minutes
5. Take the oven-safe ceramic and add the cooked octopus and potatoes
6. Put it back in the oven and broil in low for about 15 minutes
   

Stuffed Celery with cream cheese and green olives

Here is another recipe from my husband's side, which I absolutely LOVE and it is so very easy to make.  Now of course both my daughters will lick all of the cream cheese off the celery and give me the rest to eat!

INGREDIENTS

1 celery stalk / bunch
1 8oz. soften cream cheese
1 cup of green olives stuffed with red pimentos
a dash of paprika
salt / pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a bowl mix the cream cheese with paprika, salt and pepper
2. Chop the olives real small then add to the cream cheese
3. Use a potato peeler to  softly peel the outsides of the celery sticks (this way you will not feel the strings when biting on it)
4. Cut the celery stick to about 2 inches in length
5. fill each stick with the cream cheese mixture and they are ready to serve
   

Mid-month: Herbs, Spices and condiments

Very much as the beginning of the month posting about what's in season, I decided to create a mid-month Herbs, Spices & Condiments.

What I like about this topic is how Herbs, Spices & Condiments affects the palette of the cooking as well as the healing powers they have. The smell alone can fill a room with aromas from the past, tastes that grow you hungry, memories from childhood and experiences you may never forget. How often do we go somewhere and tell ourselves or publicly how a smell reminds us of some past times. To start with this section I was debating between an herb and a condiment. I finally decided for an herb I grew up with, not only for its sweet and strong smell as well as for the fact that many people feel that once the cold weather arrives, they have to deal with dry herbs only and that is farm from the case. With Christmas approaching, what better present than to create a mini herbs garden in small pots to your friends or family? So the choice for this month is: 

CILANTRO
ITS STORY

Also known as Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) it  is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. It is also known as Chinese parsley. Coriander is native to southern Europe and North Africa to southwestern Asia. It is a soft, hairless plant growing to 50 cm [20 in.] tall. The leaves are variable in shape, broadly lobed at the base of the plant, and slender and feathery higher on the flowering stems. The flowers are borne in small umbels, white or very pale pink, asymmetrical, with the petals pointing away from the centre of the umbel longer (5–6 mm) than those pointing towards it (only 1–3 mm long). The fruit is a globular dry schizocarp 3–5 mm diameter.
The word derives from Latin “coriandrum” in turn from Greek “κορίαννον”. The Mycenaean Greek form of the word, koriadnon is "similar to the name of Minos' daughter Ariadne, and it is plain how this might later evolve to koriannon or koriandron."

Archaeological and linguistic evidence indicate that the plant, likely a Mediterranean native, was widely cultivated throughout that region, the Middle East, and South Asia by the second millennium B.C. and possibly even earlier.

Nowadays just about anyone who grew up in the diverse culinary traditions of Latin America, the Caribbean, Portugal, northern Africa, the Middle East, the South Asian subcontinent, and most of Asia, cilantro tastes like home.
ITS SMELLS, SCENTS AND TASTES
Can be described as:  tangy, fresh, summery, earthy, , exotic, clean, alive, smooth, grassy, healthy, and savory. Cilantro leaves have pungent smell described by some as "soapy" The stems also have a strong odour and flavour.
CULINARY USES
They are often sprinkled like parsley on cooked dishes, minced or puréed in sauces, soups and curries.
HEALING POWERS
Cilantro is considered an aid to the digestive system.  It is an appetite stimulant and aids in the secretion of gastric juices.
The essential oils of the cilantro leaves contain antibacterial properties and can be used as a fungicide.  Rich in vitamin C.

GROWING CILANTRO INDOORS
When you grow cilantro indoors start with seeds or starter plants. Ultimately, make sure that your plants are 3 – 4 inches apart. It is best to use an unglazed terra cotta container when growing cilantro inside because it allows for greater moisture and air to pass through the plant. Make sure that you have plenty of drainage holes in the bottom of the container so that water can pass through when watering.

Cilantro growing indoors needs more nutrition because the root system range is limited, and can’t access as much soil for nutrients as it would in your garden. The soil when planting cilantro indoors should be a mixture of potting soil and sand to allow water to move more freely. In addition, you can use a fertilizer of liquid fish emulsion or chemical formulation of 20-20-20 to add additional nutrients. Use 1/2 concentrations of the fertilizers bi-weekly during the active growing periods.

Thorough watering is more important than frequent watering when growing cilantro inside. Water the plants until the water comes out the drainage holes in the bottom of the container. Check the soil frequently, but cilantro growing indoors should only be watered when the soil is dry to the touch. This will be more often in the summer months.

To grow cilantro indoors, it is important that the plant have full sun 4 – 5 hours per day. If you also use a growing light, growing the cilantro inside will be more successful.

When you grow cilantro indoors, it is important to harvest it with care. Indoor herbs naturally reach for the light, and can therefore become spindly. Pinch them at the growing tips to force a bushier plant.

Keep in mind when planting cilantro indoors that it will grow less abundantly than when grown outside in your garden. However, with added care and attention to sun exposure, soil mixture, moisture and gentle harvesting, you will be rewarded with this flavorful and aromatic herb year round.

For this posting I grabbed information from the following links:
wikipedia.org
www.culinate.com
www.gardeningknowhow.com

Smoked Cornish Hens with Lemon and Cajun Seasoning

Here is a new one for me. I just finished preparing and will be smoking them tomorrow along with the turkey. I have no idea how they will taste, but cannot wait!

INGREDIENTS

4 organic cornish hens
4 lemons
cajun seasoning
8 slices of bacon
foil

DIRECTIONS

1. Clean the cornish hens and remove the fat from inside
2. Cut edges of the lemons and make a few cuts all over them (so to allow the juices to come out)
3. Insert each lemon inside the cavity of each hen
4. Cut foil enough to wrap each hen
5. Pour cajun seasoning on all sides of the hen, then place the hen with its breast up on top of the foil
   
6. Cover each hen with two slices of bacon
7. Wrap each hen with the foil
8. Leave them overnight in the fridge
9. Once you have the smoker going, put the wrapped hens inside it for 3 hours

Smoked Turkey

So here it is, our Thanksgiving Turkey! We bought an organic turkey from a local farm. I believe this makes a world of difference. Also we always make sure never to buy a turkey heavier than 16 lbs.

BRINE
Leave it in this brine for about 24 hours.
3 litres of water
1.5 cups of sea salt
1 cup of molasses
1/2 cup of honey
1 cup of olive oil
1 cup of soy sauce
3 lemons in slices
LOTS of garlic chopped with skin
2 tablespoons of chillie peppers
1 tablespoon of peppercorn
8 bay leaves
1/3 cup of dry thyme
3 onions chopped
2 oranges

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare the brine 
2. Remove giblets from the turkey (use them to prepare the stock for the gravy
3. Immerse the turkey in the brine and leave in in the fridge for about 24 hours
4. Start the smoker with apple chips and use the brine in the drip pan 
5. Add two peeled oranges inside the turkey then place it in the smoker
6. Let it cook for about 4 hours or until it reaches a temperature of 180 degrees
7. Enjoy this amazing bird!

Crabbies

This is is a recipe I learned from my Mother-in-law. Of course I added a little touch of my own self. These are awesome to always have in the freezer and take them out if you suddenly have people coming over.

INGREDIENTS

1 package of English muffins

2 6.5oz. cans of crabs meat ( I like to use Miller's Select)
1 cup of shredded cheese

1/2 cup of mayo

1 table spoon of paprika

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. lightly toast each English muffin
2. In a medium size bowl add all the ingredients and mix them well until you reach a smooth texture.
3. Spread the paste on each English muffin about 1/4 inch thickness
4. Put all English muffins on a flat dish and put them in the freezer for about 3 hours
5. Remove them from freezer and cut each muffin into four parts
6. Put them in freezer bags and back into the freezer
7. When you want to serve them, remove them from freezer, spread them in a oven safe dish and put them in the oven in low broil for about 15 to 20 minutes
8. Serve while hot
   

Fruits and Vegetables of December

I am starting a new monthly entry. Early each month I will post an entry that has to do with the fruits and vegetable that are in season. The smart thing about eating what is in season is not only cost effective, but also when you will get the better tasting ingredients.

DECEMBER VEGETABLES

Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
Carrots
Collard greens
Turnips - Check the Cream of Turnip
Endive
Celery
Kale
Mushrooms
Potatoes -

DECEMBER FRUITS

Apples
Oranges
Tangerines
Grapefruits

Having had a vegetable garden this year I can testify that picking up Broccoli, Greens and Brussel sprouts early December is extremely rewarding. The Brussel sprouts did not grow to be too big, but were they ever so very tasty. Let's all try to focus on the local fruits and vegetable and enjoy them while in season. If anyone has some recipes to share with any of these ingredients, feel free to send my way and I will be more than glad to post them along with your name.