Pea and Basil Soup with Turkeyball Kebabs

For Shabbat dinner a couple of weeks ago I made this pea and basil soup. It was very easy and light. I found the recipe via foodgawker, of course. I didn't really look at the recipe because I didn't want to make so much. I also made some turkey meatball kebabs because I couldn't think of any way I wanted to use the ground turkey and pineapple we had. We ended up cooking the meatballs in a frying pan first because otherwise they would have fallen off the skewers when we grilled them. I just made the meatballs with turkey, egg, breadcrumbs, and some chopped cilantro.

Ingredients:

1 bag frozen peas

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

water or stock

olive oil

basil

salt, pepper

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and sautee the onion and garlic until translucent. Add the peas and stir to heat through. Add water or stock, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until ready to puree. Puree with an immersion blender, season, and mix in chopped basil just before serving.

We had some tomatoes from my father in law's garden so I mixed them together with some other veggies we had on hand for a quick salad. It has cucumber, chickpeas, feta, and my orange infused olive oil from Croatia.

Chicken Adobo

Made this for dinner a couple weeks ago. Found the recipe on a foodgawker blog. The sauce was very good. I reduced it for a long time until it was very, very thick. I roasted the carrots in the oven with some olive oil, honey and balsamic vinegar.

Ingredients:

1 package bone in skin on chicken breasts
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup apple cider vinegar
2 large cloves garlic, sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup water

Directions:

1. Rinse the chicken with water and pat dried with paper towel. Combine all the ingredients forSauce in a large pot (I used my Le Creuset). Make sure the pot is big enough so the chicken will not overlap each other.

2. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat

3. Add the chicken and reduce the heat to medium low. Cover and cook 30 minutes. Turn the chicken once 15 minute through.

4. Set the broiler to High and transfer the chicken onto a baking pan with wire rack (so the oil will drip down). The skin side facing down first.
5. Broil the chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side.
6. Meanwhile turn up the stove to high and reduce the sauce until it thickens. Make sure it doesn’t burn when the sauce is boiling.

Creme Brulee

Since I had to have a little mini torch, I thought I should find some other ways to use it. This was my first attempt at creme brulee and I was so excited that it turned out so well. I can't wait to make it again and change it up a little bit.

I used Alton Brown's recipe but cut it in half. I didn't want to waste the egg whites so I used the them to make some meringue cookies that day as well.

• Ingredients:

• 1 quart heavy cream

• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

• 1 cup vanilla sugar divided

• 6 large egg yolks

• 2 quarts hot water

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Place the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

All kinds of stuff

I started this blog so that I could have a way to record the recipes I make. I haven't posted anything in months though because of the wedding. Now that things are getting back to normal I'm going to try to post what I remember and keep up with it better.

It's been so long that I don't remember a lot of the recipes that I used. I'm going to put all the photos of the stuff I've made in this post and put any information I

remember.

asian chicken with mushrooms

chicken with onions and mushroom pepper quinoa

pecan crusted fish with chickpea, tomato, feta salad

seared tuna and edamame salad

crusted chicken with roasted potatoes and sauteed vegetables

marinated grilled flank steak, broccoli slaw, and smashed potatoes

mushroom soup with truffle oil

pan fried chicken with mushroom sauce and vegetable crumble

Mulligatawny

I made this last night because the weather was crummy all day and because Blake and I aren't feeling 100%. It sounded good and looked easy in the recipe I saw on foodgawker. I have never had this dish before, but Blake knew just what it was when I served it to him. He liked it, and I ate it for lunch again today. I think the squeeze of lemon over the top really made it interesting and delicious. We ate it just with some buttered and toasted naan.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 white onions, chopped (about 3-4 cups)
2 teaspoons minced garlic, (3 – 4 cloves)
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 teaspoons garam masala
3/4 cup green lentils, rinsed
15 ounce diced tomatoes, with their liquid
32 ounce chicken broth
1/2 cup light unsweetened coconut milk
1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving (optional)
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped, for serving (optional)
salt to taste

Directions:
Cook the onions, garlic, ginger, garam masala, and curry powder in the olive oil over medium high heat for about 8 minutes. Stir in the lentils to coat them. Add the tomatoes and broth, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let this cook for about 30 minutes or until lentils are tender. Puree with an immersion blender. Stir in the coconut milk and blend it through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lemon.

Brie Stuffed Turkey Burgers

I saw some stuffed burger recipes on foodgawker that gave me the idea for this. Blake was going to grill them, but we realized we were out of propane at the last minute and ended up having to cook them on the stove. It took much longer to cook through, so we added some beer and put a lid on it to help them steam. I wanted to put arugula on this for a little peppery flavor, but there wasn't any at the grocery so I compensated by making the apple mixture very hot. Blake made a spicy mayo ketchup spread for the buns. I served these with salad and some sweet potato fries, but they came out a little mushy, so I have to admit I like the frozen kind better.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground turkey breast
salt, pepper
goat brie
apple
onion
cider vinegar
honey
maple syrup
cayenne pepper
buns

Directions:
Slice small chunks of the brie. Make some small flattened patties out of the turkey meat. Thin out the center as much as possible. Add a slice of cheese in the indentation. Work the edges of the turkey over and around the cheese, adding more if necessary. Work into a flattened patty. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to be grilled.

Meanwhile, chop onion and apple. Sautee onion in a small amount of olive oil until very softened. Add the apple and sautee until softened as well. Add in cider vinegar, honey, and maple syrup as well as cayenne. Cook until thickened. Add water if necessary to achieve desired consistency.

Grill turkey patties a few minutes on each side until completely cooked through. Top with apple mixture and serve on a crispy bun.

Broccoli, Sundried Tomato, Goat Cheese Quiche with roasted potatoes

I used the other frozen pie crust I had to make a second breakfast for dinner. This time I blind baked the crust correctly, but may not have baked it long enough. The crust wasn't very crispy on the bottom. It might have helped to wait for it to cool a little more before eating, but as always I had no patience for that. This one was better the next day too.

For the potatoes, I just quartered them and tossed them with olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary and baked them in the oven with the quiche for about a half hour, stirring them up occasionally to make sure they got crispy for Blake.

Ingredients:
frozen pie crust,
1 bunch broccoli florets
handful sundried tomatoes, cut into strips
goat cheese
3 eggs
milk
salt, pepper
mozarella

Directions:
Defrost pie crust, poke with holes and blind bake at 375 for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, blanch broccoli florets and tomatoes in boiling water for a few minutes. Remove to an ice bath and then drain completely. Add the drained mixture to the crust when it comes out. Beat the eggs and mix them with milk and a good amount of goat cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over the broccoli mixture in the crust. Bake for about 25 minutes or until set. Before taking it out of the oven, add some mozarella cheese and broil until browned. Let cool before serving.