Jeannie Sprague's Roasted Pumpkin Kabob Salad

Roasted Pumpkin Kabob Salad

Ingredients

• 1 pie pumpkin (about 2 lb.) or 2 lb. butternut or acorn squash
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or salad oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. snipped fresh sage or flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
• 1 tsp. kosher salt or 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil or salad oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 4 oz. semi-soft goat cheese (chèvre) or 6 small fresh mozzarella balls (bocconcini)*
• 2 Tbsp. chopped toasted pumpkin seeds, purchased pumpkin seeds, toasted walnuts or pecans
• 1 Tbsp. snipped fresh sage
• 6 cups mesclun or arugula

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees °F. Halve pumpkin or squash; scoop out and discard fibrous strings and seeds. Peel with a vegetable peeler or sharp paring knife. Cut into 1-1/2- to 2-inch chunks. Thread onto six 8- to 10-inch wooden skewers. Place in a foil-lined shallow baking pan.

2. Combine the 1/4 cup oil, garlic, the 2 teaspoons sage, lemon peel, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Brush half the oil mixture over kabobs. Roast, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Raise oven temperature to 450 degrees F. Brush kabobs with remaining oil mixture. Roast for 15 minutes more or until tender.

3. Meanwhile, in a screw-top jar combine the 1/3 cup oil, lemon juice, mustard, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover and shake well; set aside. Shape goat cheese into 6 balls; roll in pumpkin seeds or nuts and/or the 1 tablespoon sage.

4. Just before serving, place mesclun, kabobs, and prepared cheese balls in a serving bowl. Drizzle with dressing. Makes 6 servings

Jeannie Sprague's Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Cake

Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients

• Nonstick spray for baking
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2-1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 6 oz. bittersweet or semisweet baking chocolate, chopped into chunks (1 1/2 cups)
• 1 1 1/2-lb. pie pumpkin, shredded* or one 15-oz. can pumpkin
• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 6 eggs, slightly beaten
• Molasses Glaze (below)
• Molasses Whipped Cream (below)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. With the nonstick spray for baking, generously coat a 10-inch square tube pan without removable bottom or a 10-inch fluted tube pan. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl set aside 1/2cup of the flour. In a large bowl combine remaining flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. To the reserved 1/2 cup flour, stir in chocolate chunks; toss to coat.

3. In another bowl combine pumpkin, melted butter, and eggs. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir until combined. Add chocolate mixture. Stir until combined. Pour batter into tube pan.

4. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Gently remove cake from pan; cool 30 minutes. Brush with Molasses Glaze; cool. Served with Molasses Whipped Cream. Makes 12 to 16 servings

Molasses Glaze: In a small saucepan melt 1/4 cup butter; stir in 1/3 cup packed brown sugar, 1/4 cup dark-color corn syrup, and 2 tablespoons molasses. Bring to simmer. Cook, uncovered, 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Cool 5 minutes; spoon over cake.

Molasses Whipped Cream: In a chilled mixing bowl combine 1 cup whipping cream, 1 tablespoon powdered sugar, and 2 to 3 teaspoons molasses. Beat with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Spoon into serving bowl. Sprinkle lightly with pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice, or ground cinnamon. Pass with cake.

Alexis Dorny's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup shortening

3 cups sugar

16 oz canned pumpkin

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon nutmeg

12 oz chocolate chips

Cream together shortening and sugar. Add pumpkin, eggs and vanilla. Beat until combined. Sift together flour and dry ingredients. Stir to form dough. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop onto greased baking sheet and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Alexis Dorny's Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons pumpkin

1/4 cup softened butter

3 tablespoons sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon yeast

Combine ingredients in bread machine and process on dough cycle. Punch dough down and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Shape rolls as desired and place on greased baking sheet. Cover and rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.

Cherry's Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

1 can (16 oz) pumpkin puree

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups vegetable broth

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon each kosher salt, cinnamon and allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Place oil, red onion, garlic and seasonings in large pot. Cook on medium-low heat until red onion and garlic brown. Puree the beans and tomatoes with half the vegetable broth. Add pureed ingredients, pumpkin and rest of broth to the pot. Simmer uncovered until thick, about 40 to 45 minutes. Before serving stir in balsamic vinegar. Garnish with pumpkin seeds.

Next Cooking Class Sept 30th!

Hello everyone, are you surprised to see this blog get updated? I sure am! I got the flu, which forced me to cancel a trip so I had time to write this. Imagine what a cool person I could be if I didn't travel! Wait sorry, this isn't my personal blog it is a cooking blog so.. LET'S COOK!

Or not..

September's topic:

BROWN BAG!! See how this could help you...

• Are you tired of your kids complaining that the food you send in their lunch has no trade-in value on the streets?

• Are you burned out on getting invited to a quilting lunch and just stay home and watch your favorite rerun of MASH instead because you don't have anything at home that doesn't require hours in the kitchen?

• When your grandkids come over, do you feel like you have to have costco snacks in the pantry to bribe them (wait, which ones do they like?)

• When you go to play group, do your kids always want to eat Lyndsi or Jo's snacks?

• Do the cafeteria ladies make your kids put their chocolate away (I know, that is none of their business, right?)
  

Well this is the class for you! Come to class and bring something that looks healthy enough to fool even the most astute of lunch ladies!

SEPTEMBER 30th at 7pm MPR (Multipurpose room, I just got that acronym from a cool school in Indiana!)

Lynette Mill's Chocolate Mud Cake

This was the slow cooker recipe. I know, I know, forever ago. But just in time for the slow-cooker season!

Serve with vanilla ice cream

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

6 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup chocolate chips

2/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons + 1/3 cup cocoa

1 tablespoons vanilla

1/4 teaspoons salt

1/ 3 cup milk

1 egg yolk

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups hot water

1. Spray Pam all over slow cooker.

2. Whisk together the flour and baking powder in a bowl. Set aside. Melt butter and chocolate chips in microwave.

3. Whisk in 2/3 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons cocoa, vanilla, salt, milk and egg yolk. Add to flour and stir well.

4. Pour batter into slow cooker and spread evenly. In bowl, whisk together brown sugar, 1/3 cup cocoa and hot water. Stir until sugar is dissolved.

5. Pour mixture over batter in slow cooker, cover and cook on high for 1 to 2 hours.

6. When done, cake is very moist -- floating on a layer of chocolate (sides pull away from pot)

Super Sinful Chocolate Chip Cookies

I had these at a family party last month and they were really and truly unbelievable. Like I literally could not prevent my hand from reaching out over and over again. Soo bad. But so good!

Bertha Mendez’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

½ pound butter

½ pound margarine

1 ½ cup sugar

2 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

3 Tablespoons vanilla

6 cups flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons salt

Approx. 4 cups chocolate chips (I use lg bag of CC from Costco and pour ½ bag in)

1 bag vanilla chips

½ bag of pecans from Costco. I am guessing 2-3 cups?

1. Cream together softened butter and margarine. Must use both, something about the combo of both that makes the recipe!
2. Add sugar, brown sugar and mix
3. Add eggs and vanilla
4. In two separate bowls, measure 4 cups of flour in one, 2 cups in other, set this one aside.
5. In bowl with 4 cups of flour, mix in baking soda and salt.
6. Add flour mixture to butter mixture.
7. Based on the consistency you like, add as much of the remaining 2 cups of flour as you see fit, you may not use all 2 cups. I use all six because I like thicker, rounder cookies, so does Bertha, but do whatever you like.
8. This is the creative part of the recipe. Let your taste guide you. If you like chocolate chips more than vanilla chips, add more or visa versa. You can also use walnuts instead of pecans. I personally think pecans and more cc taste the best.
9. Add chocolate chips, vanilla chips, and pecans. At this point I use my hands to mix.
10. When you are ready to make the cookies, I basically make sure that there is barely enough dough to hold everything in it. If it looks like too much dough, I add more of whatever I have left.
11. Using an ice cream scoop, drop cookies onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 11 minutes.

Salad Night

We are outdated obviously! So just because the blog is behind doesn't mean you can't come to our upcoming Cooking Night on Tuesday: Fruit!

Here is a video clip of Chef Ramsay making his super simple salad--I brought it to share last time.

Other recipes coming soon...

Notes from Enrichment--Crock Pots

Thank you to everyone who made the crock pot recipes!

Recipes to be posted soon:
Lynette Mills' Mud Pie (yum!!!)
Verlene Green's Rice Pudding
Lee Fleming's Apple Sauce

Other notes:

Successful flavor combos:

Russian Dressing
Apricot Jam
Dried Onion

Lipton Beefy Onion Mix (powdered)

BBQ Sauce

Chile Powder
Cumin
Chicken

Dry Italian Dressing Mix
Cream Cheese
Chicken

Sour Cream
Cream of Chicken
Chicken
Grated Parmesan

Favorite Recipes (hopefully to be posted soon!)

Creamy Italian Chicken (Katie Erb)
Pot Roast (Verlene Green)
Enchiladas (Lyndsi Stock)
Chili (Jo Nebeker)
Show You Chicken (Kaitlin DiMartini)
Green Chile Soup (Brandy Tuutau)
Salsa (Holly Yates)

No-Knead Bread

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
NYTimes.com 11/8/06

Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
1 5/8 cups water
(Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.)

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.
Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

-----

This is much easier than it looks! Takes a little planning ahead to make this but is sooo worth it. My white Pyrex dish isn't quite 6-quarts, so I just cut the fully risen dough in half and make two loaves to prevent the bread from popping the lid off. Baking it covered makes the crust so incredibly crunchy while the inside is soft-- yum!

What a Crock!!!

Hola hermanas of the GV Chefs!! Our next meeting is on April 21st and the theme is slow cooker recipes. So easy peasy, just get up in the morning and throw some random stuff into your crock pot so we can taste your creative creations by evening time.

Also I am going to go ahead and throw the themes out there for the rest of the year:

May: Green Salads
June: Fruit (should we narrow it down?)
No cooking for July or August due to busy summers!
September: Pastas
October: Pumpkin
November: Cookies
No cooking club in December because of the holidays but hopefully the cookies we make in November will last through until the end of the year!

Any other topics you would like to see?

Alexis Dorny's Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls

1 tablespoon yeast

1 cup warm milk

½ cup sugar

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

4 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in milk in large bowl. Mix in sugar, butter, salt and eggs. Add flour and mix well. Knead dough by hand or with a mixer with a dough hook (or use the dough cycle of a bread machine).

Dough should be smooth and elastic after 5 to 10 minutes of kneading.

Put in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Roll dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a rectangle about ¼ to ½ inch thick.

Spread dough with softened butter. Sprinkle with 1cup brown sugar mixed with 2 ½ tablespoons cinnamon. Roll up the dough. Slice dough into 1 to ½ inch slices using dental floss. Place on greased baking sheet.

Cover and let rise 30 minutes. Bake at 375 for approximately 15 minutes. Watch carefully! Do not burn! The cinnamon rolls should just be beginning to brown.

Frost rolls as desired while still warm.

Overnight method:

After placing cinnamon rolls in pan, cover with a greased piece of plastic wrap greased side down (touching rolls). Cover with a cloth. Refrigerate overnight.

Take out of refrigerator and place in oven. Fill a pan with boiling water and put in oven under rolls.

Let rise for 30 minutes. Remove rolls and pan of water from oven and preheat to 400. Bake as directed above.

Lynette Mills' Refrigerator Rolls

Refrigerator Rolls

1 cup Crisco shortening

1 cup boiling water

2 packages of yeast

1 cup warm water (put the yeast in to start growth )

½ cup sugar

6 cups flour

3 eggs

1 ½ teaspoons salt

Melt shortening in hot water. Add sugar, salt, beaten eggs and yeast mixture. Hand mix. Add flour one cup at a time, stirring until smooth and elastic. Cover and put in the refrigerator overnight. ( 6 hours minimum or 4 days maximum )

When ready to make your rolls, knead the dough down for a few minutes, then shape into rolls….three small balls to one cupcake space is a good way to shape them. Let the

Kaitlin DiMartini's Zuchhini Carrot Bread

Zucchini Carrot Bread

From: Cherry Field

2 c. sugar

3 c. flour

1 t. salt

1t. baking powder

¾ t. nutmeg

1 ½ t. baking soda

1 T. cinnamon

1 c. vegetable oil

3 large eggs

2 c. finely grated zucchini

1 c. carrots finely grated

1 c. pecans or walnuts finely grated

Combine all ingredients in large bowl, mix well. Pour into two ungreased 9”x5” loaf pans. Bake at 350 F for 1 hour. Cool slightly. Remove from pans. Cool on Racks

*This bread freezes well. If you want to make it fancy for dessert you can cut into layers and frost with your favorite cream cheese frosting. Yum!

Kaitlin DiMartini's Honey Whole Wheat Bread

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

2 cups warm water
2 tsp yeast
1/4 cup honey

add:
2 cups wheat flour
let sit for 10 mins or so.
add:
2 tsps salt
1/4 cup oil
white flour 1 cup at a time, mixing in between.
add flour until you reach a workable consistency, but still a bit sticky.
you can also add powdered milk and an egg if you're feeling fancy.

let rise until doubled (about 1 hour)
punch down.
form into 2 loaves
let rise until doubled (about 1 hour)
bake at 375

25-30 mins

Bread Night (sorry so late!)

Thanks to Ingrid for running our bread night! I heard that fun was had by all and that the demonstrations were wonderful.

We don't have any notes on this evening but I will be posting recipes from that night. I will also post this again but our upcoming meeting is on April 21st. The theme is "What a Crock!" and we will be focusing on slow-cooker recipes.

Gear up your crock pots ladies!

Angels Don't Fear the Bread

For some people, bread is a piece of cake (practically!)

For others bread is scary! Our next topic is tackling bread. If you are an expert at making bread, bring your most trusted recipe and share your success. If you are new to bread-making, come and glean some great ideas from the experts.

March 17th 7 pm Multi-purpose room!!!

Debbie Snarr's Fantasy Fudge

3/4 c. (1 1/2 cubes) butter or margarine
3 c. sugar
2/3 c. (5 oz can) evaporated milk
2 c. (12 oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 jar (7 oz.) Jet-puffed marshmallow creme
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Mix melted margarine, sugar, and milk in heavy 2 1/2 to 3-quart saucepan; bring to full rolling boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. (Don't scrape the sides of the pan as you stir.) Continue boiling for 5 minutes or so on medium heat or until candy thermometer reaches 234 F, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Remove from heat. Being careful not to scrape the sides of the pan, stir in chips until melted. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Pour into a buttered pan. Cool at room temperature; cut into squares.

(Tip: Do not scrape the sides of the pan as you pour it-- it will make the fudge crystally, instead of creamy. Scraping the bottom is okay, but for the sides, turn the spoon over to sort of "push" it out. There will be a lot left in the pan, but the creamy fudge is worth it! After the fudge is poured, scrape the sides into the bowl and eat as "samples.")

Rocky Road Fudge: After all the other ingredients are mixed together, stir in chopped walnuts & mini marshmallows--as many of each as you like. Then carefully pour into the buttered pan.

Nicole Poland's Chocolate Fondue Recipe

Basic Chocolate Fondue

1 bag chocolate chips

Approx. ¼ cup milk

Melt chocolate and milk over low heat, stirring frequently, until smooth. Add more milk if needed.

Optional: Stir in any of the following once the chocolate is melted: caramel, nuts, peanut butter, raspberry jam, mint, etc. Get creative!

Ideas to dip:

Fresh fruit- strawberries, bananas, pears, pineapple …

Dried fruit- apricots, mango …

Pound cake

Brownies

Cheesecake

Cookies

This is an easy way to do a ‘fancy’ dessert and make it however you like it.

Lee Fleming's Chocolate Purses

Melt together in double boiler (or micro if you are way lazy):

-2 big scoops chocolate chips (maybe 8 oz or so?)
- 4 T butter
- 2 T sugar
-1/2 c milk
4-5 T chopped roasted almonds

It should be about the texture of brownie dough so if it is too runny, add more chocolate. If you add more milk it makes a nice smooth sauce for desserts or for garnish (do you call it garnish if it is a dessert?)

Then take the phyllo dough and make purses, triangles, or whatever other shape you want. If you need help, here is a little video I watched on how to do it--> Phyllo purses

Place a 1/8 t of roasted almonds at the bottom and put about 1/2 t of chocolate sauce on top, squish the tops together and bake for about 10 minutes at 375 degrees

Alexis Dorny's Chocolate Blackout Cake

Chocolate Blackout Cake

1 ½ cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup (2 sticks butter), softened

1 pound (about 2 ¼ cups packed) light brown sugar

3 eggs

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ¼ cups cold water

½ cup sour cream

8 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

Preheat oven to 325. Butter the bottoms of 2 9-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper.

Sift together flour and baking soda. Cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the cold water. Mix completely. Add the sour cream and melted chocolate and mix until incorporated.

Divide batter evenly among pans. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until cake have puffed and pulled away from the sides of the pans. Cool the cakes in pans 15 minutes. Cakes will sink to half their height. Remove from pans and cool completely.

Serve with vanilla ice cream. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Night!!!

Thanks to Lyndsi for the following pictures:

Jo, demonstrating that the most fun part of making chocolate is licking your fingers (don't worry she washed her hands after!)






















Brandi showing how to make chocolate lollipops:





















Everyone participating in making chocolate truffles:





















Here is a link to the Hot Chocolate that Alexis brought to the class

Next Enrichment Meeting!

Hi ladies,

We will be holding our next meeting on February 10th at 7 pm, Multi-purpose room. This month's theme: Chocolate:

Nobody Knows the Truffles I've Seen.

Who is interested in doing a demo of chocolate dipping?

Jeannie's Potato Kale Soup

POTATO KALE SOUP

2T butter
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1 clove of garlic minced
7 cups fat free chicken broth
4 cups coarsely chopped and peeled potatoes
1/4 t salt
1 bay leaf
6 cups chopped fresh kale
1 t dried basil

Gruyere or Swiss cheese grated for top of soup

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat, add onion, cook 8 minutes until tender, stir freq. add garlic cook 30 sec. stir constantly. Stir in broth, potato, salt, and bay leaf, bring to boil, cover, reduce to simmer 15 minutes or until potato is tender.

Stir in kale and basil. Cover and simmer 10 minutes or until kale is tender.
Discard bay leaf. Partially mash potatoes. Serve with cheese on top.

Jeannie's Minestrone Soup

ROBUST MINESTRONE SOUP WITH BROWN RICE AND LENTILS

Serves 6

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium leeks (or I’ve used onions), white parts only, halved lengthwise and chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chopped Savoy or green cabbage
1/3 cup uncooked brown rice
1/3 cup dark-green Puy-style lentils (or regular work fine)
1 large bay leaf
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
7 cups cold water or canned vegetable or chicken broth
Chopped fresh Italian parsley, basil, or chives, for garnish
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

In a large, heavy soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the leeks. Sauté them, stirring constantly, until they are tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté, stirring, until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds more.

Add the carrots, celery, tomatoes, cabbage, brown rice, lentils, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and thyme. Stir them together briefly, and then stir in the cold water or broth. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook the soup for 1 hour.

Alternatively, if using a pressure cooker, heat the pressure cooker over medium heat. Add the oil and sauté the leeks until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the garlic and stir briefly; then, stir in all the remaining ingredients except the garnishes. Bring to a boil, secure the lid, and bring to high pressure, following the manufacturer's instructions. Then, turn the heat to low and set a timer for 20 minutes. When the cooking time is up, turn off the heat and release the pressure, following manufacturer's instructions. Continue simmering with the lid off until the soup is thick but still fairly fluid, about 10 minutes more.

Before serving the soup, adjust the seasonings to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into heated serving bowls and garnish with parsley, basil, or chives and grated Parmesan.

- Chicago Tribune Media Services

Alexis Dorny's Chili

Easy & Mild Chili

1 to 1 ½ lbs ground meat, browned and drained (I use ground turkey)

16 oz tomato sauce

30 oz chili beans

30 oz light red kidney beans

season to taste with dried onions, granulated garlic, salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients in large soup pot.

Bring to boil over med-high heat.

Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve over rice or with tortilla chips, shredded cheddar and sour cream.

Ingrid Hall's Carrot Soup with Pesto

Creamy Carrot Soup with Pesto
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup sliced carrots
1/4 tsp dried thyme, crushed
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup cubed, peeled potatoes
1 small bay leaf
2 Tbsp buttermilk
2 Tbsp pesto

In large saucepan cook onion in hot butter for 1 minute. Add carrots, thyme, and garlic; cook about 10 minutes or till tender but not brown.
Add broth, potatoes, and bay leaf. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes or till vegetables are very tender. Remove bay leaf.
Transfer about half of the mixture to a blender container or food processor bowl; cover and blend/process till smooth. Repeat with remaining soup. Return all to saucepan; add buttermilk and heat through. Spoon into soup bowls. Top each serving with pesto; swirl to mix. Makes 4 side-dish servings.

Ingrid Hall's White Bean Chili

White Bean Chicken Chili
3-15 oz cans Great Northern Beans (white)
3 cups chicken broth
1 garlic clove, minced (or 2 tsp garlic powder)
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1-7 oz can diced green chili peppers
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cups cooked, diced chicken breast
2 cups sour cream
2 cups grated Jack cheese

In large stock pot saute onions and garlic for 3 minutes. Add all ingredients except chicken, cheese & sour cream. Simmer for about 2 hours on low heat. Add chicken last 1/2 hour. Just before serving, add sour cream & cheese. Do not boil after adding sour cream & cheese.

Alexis Dorny's Speedy Gazpacho Recipe

Speedy Gazpacho

1 English hothouse cucumber, peeled and cut into large chunks

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks

2 cups (or more) tomato juice

1 can diced tomatoes

1 ½ cups salsa

1 cup roasted red peppers from a jar

½ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Combine all ingredients. Working in batches, process in blender or food processor, using the pulse button to finely chop and blend vegetables (you do not want a puree). Season to taste with salt. Cover and chill for 2 hours. Stir in more tomato juice if needed to reach desired consistency.

Notes from Enrichment January 09

This is the first of our series of Enrichment meetings and thanks to all those who attended!! The notes here include the four topics of our group that we will discuss each month: Season differences in the food, ways to make the food healthy, ways to simplify the food, and ways to incorporate it into your food storage. If you have any suggestions or edits, please leave a comment below.

Seasons
Summer Soups:

• Gazpatcho (cold tomato soup)
• Melon soup (also served chilled)

Fall Soups:

• Squash
• Chili
• Stew
• Chowder
• Potato
• Cheese
• Carrot Pesto
• Clam Chowder
• International/Thai

Healthy
Tips for making your soups healthier:

• Use broth instead of an oil or roux base
• Replace potatoes with turnips
• Add cabbage or cauliflower
  
• Take all that extra zucchini from summer gardens, grate it, then freeze it. Add it to your fall soups for extra nutrients
• Add blended beans to thicken your soup

Simplify!

• Keep chopped veggies in the fridge or freezer
• Make extra soup and freeze it later (except cheese-based or pasta soups)

Storage

• Store dehydrated ingredients you would find in the soup (carrots, onions, etc.)
• Buy beans in bulk and then layer them in jars for storage (17 bean soup, etc.)
  

Jeannie Sprague's Potato Kale Soup

Potato Kale soup

From: Jen Gay

2T butter

1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion

1 clove of garlic minced

7 cups fat free chicken broth

4 cups coarsely chopped and peeled potatoes

1/4 t salt

1 bay leaf

6 cups chopped fresh kale

1 t dried basil

Gruyere or Swiss cheese grated for top of soup

• Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat, add onion, cook 8 minutes until tender, stir freq. add garlic cook 30 sec. stir constantly. Stir in broth, potato, salt, and bay leaf, bring to boil, cover, reduce to simmer 15 minutes or until potato is tender.
• Stir in kale and basil. Cover and simmer 10 minutes or until kale is tender.
• Discard bay leaf. Partially mash potatoes. Serve with cheese on top. Yummy!!!

Jeannie Sprague's Pea Soup

easy split pea soup Bon Appétit | May 1996

Serves 6

Patricia Murray: County Kerry, Ireland (with additions from Allrecipes.com SUBMITTED BY: bluebayou)

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped peeled carrots
1 1/2 pounds ham bone
2 teaspoons dried leaf marjoram

1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups green split peas

8 cups water

1 potato, diced

In a large stock pot, cover peas with 2 quarts cold water and soak overnight. If you need a faster method, simmer the peas gently for 2 minutes, and then soak for l hour.

Melt butter in heavy large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and carrots. Sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add marjoram; stir 1 minute. Add peas, ham bone, then water, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Partially cover pot; simmer soup until pork and vegetables are tender peas are falling apart, stirring often, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Transfer hocks to bowl. Puree 5 cups soup in batches in blender. Return to pot. Cut pork off bones. Dice pork; return pork to soup. Add potatoes and cook additional 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

(Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate until cold, then cover. Rewarm before serving.)

Karen Frostad's Thai Coconut Soup

Thai Coconut Soup

Adapted from http://www.shiokfood.com/notes/archives/000025.html

(check out their tips before making the soup)

*=Optional

• Chicken stock or broth - 1 cup
• Coconut milk - 1 cup
• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Garlic 1 cloves sliced
• Lemongrass - 1/2 a stalk (only the bottom white part (about 6 inches) discard the woody grass part of it)
• Galangal - fresh - 6 slices 2mm thick
• Red curry paste – 1 teaspoon
• *Kaffir Lime Leaves - 2 (this is supposed to be a key ingredient, but I’ve never used it)
• *Thai bird's eye chilies (or Serrano chilies) - 2-3 (big slices so you can avoid them easily)
• Fish sauce - 1 tbsp (The saltiness can vary a lot across brands, so start with less always!)
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp
• *Boneless chicken breast - 50 gm (chopped)
• *Straw mushrooms (or regular button mushrooms) - 4 (sliced)
• Lime juice - 2 tbsp
• *Coriander (cilantro for the Americans) leaves - 2 tbsp

Note: All of the unique ingredients can be found at Indo-China near Kmart and possibly other Asian markets. You can vary the meat and vegetables (try tofu, shrimp, bell peppers, shallots, zucchini, etc.)

With the flat side of a cleaver or a heavy object, pound and bruise the lemongrass so it releases the flavour. Cut into 2 inch segments.

Saute garlic, galangal, lemongrass, and lime leaves in oil for a couple minutes, add chicken stock and curry paste and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 8 minutes. Strain out the flavored broth and discard the galangal, lemongrass, lime leaves.

Add the coconut milk, sugar, chillies, fish sauce to the broth and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Finally, add the chicken and mushrooms and cook till the chicken is just cooked. The moment you see it turning all white on the outside, it's 90% done.

Turn off the heat, add lime juice and garnish with coriander leaves. Test for saltiness and sourness. You should get the earthy flavour of galangal, noticeable amount of saltiness, sweetness from the coconut milk, and a fair bit of lime flavour, with a hint of chilli in the background. If required, adjust with more fish sauce (salt) and lemon juice (sour).

Alexis Dorny's Red Pepper Soup

Creamy Red Pepper Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
6 cups chicken broth
2 (12-ounce) jars roasted red bell peppers in water, drained and coarsely chopped
1 russet potato, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, garlic, and thyme and saute until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, bell peppers, potato and sugar. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium-low. Partially cover and simmer until the potatoes are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Cool the soup slightly.

Using an immersion hand blender, puree the soup in the pot until it is smooth. Alternately, working in batches, puree the soup in a regular blender, taking care while blending warm liquids. Season the soup, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Welcome!

This blog will host the recipes that individuals bring to Enrichment Group. For those who forget to bring a recipe, or decide to contribute one later simply submit it here on the blog--you don't have to be a member, just go ahead and post it!

The first meeting is Thursday January 22nd featuring soups. Our first set of recipes will be posted afterwards and you can track the ingredients and categories with the little label cloud that will show up shortly!