Grandma's Kitchen Table

Eating with Ellie: Shotgun Wedding Soup

       The second recipe I made for the Eating with Ellie group is Shotgun Wedding Soup and is found on page 68 of Ellie Krieger's cookbook Weeknight Wonders. You can also find the recipe online here. 

       Ingredient list:  onion, garlic, olive oil, ground chicken or turkey, salt, pepper, chicken broth, parsley, Parmesan, eggs, and spinach. 

       It's soup weather here in Indiana (of course if you love soup as much as I do, it's always soup weather here in Indiana regardless of the outside conditions), days where it's cold/rainy/snowy/icy (you choose and it's probably happening here now) and a good bowl of soup just seems to warm you right up. 

       This recipe is a take on Italian Wedding Soup but is a little faster and easier in that you don't need to make the little meatballs, you just brown the meat and you are good to go.  All the ingredients are easily available and the soup comes together in a short amount of time, so if you are hungry for soup at 11:00, you can be enjoying it well within the hour, start to finish.  I will make this again, it's light, refreshing, and comforting all at the same time. 

       If you wonder how the others did this week, click here to follow their post links.  You can also find the recipe schedule for the coming weeks there. Please come and join us at any time, just leave the link to your post that week so we know where to find you.  :-) 

Wednesday with Donna Hay: Spinach, Feta, and Pine Nut Baked Risotto

       My ninety-second recipe with the Wednesday with Donna Hay group is Spinach, Feta, and Pine Nut Baked Risotto, was chosen by Chaya, and is found in Donna Hay's recipes online here.

       The ingredient list: arborio rice, chicken stock, Parmesan cheese, butter, salt and pepper, spinach, feta cheese, and pine nuts.

       My good friend Jerry, who is also my guru on all things Italian, is never really truly convinced that one can bake risotto.  Being the lover of all things Italian that he is, I think you could say that he is firmly in the camp of stovetop risotto where one stands and stirs and cooks it all slowly and methodically for 30-40 minutes.  And that kind of risotto is wonderful, no doubt about it.  That said, I am hoping Jerry (and the rest of you out there) will go online to this recipe and give it a try.  I'm looking for converts.  I'm looking for Jerry to maybe say maybe this is just as good.  Maybe. 

       This recipe could not be easier, as you can see from the directions, you combine the stock and rice into a baking dish, cover, and bake.  Get that, cover and bake...you can walk away from it and it will be just fine, no babysitting required.  The cheese, butter, seasonings, spinach, feta, and pine nuts are inspired...so delicious in combination like this.  Hands down, a terrific, you-will-want-to-make-this-again-and-again recipe. 

       I made the recipe as stated, however, two things:  I heated the stock before adding to the rice (2 minutes in the microwave) just to make sure it had a nice start, and I divided everything in half so that I wouldn't have risotto for a solid week as I could tell this makes a lot of risotto.  Halving the recipe worked just fine.  Really, go try it, you won't be disappointed.  

       Wonder what the others thought?  You can find that by clicking here. Next week is Sarah's choice, Slow Cooked Beef Ragu  found online here.  Join us and leave a link to your post at the new website on Wednesdays, no commitment required.

Tuesdays with Dorie Baking Chez Moi - Brown Butter and Vanilla Bean Weekend Cake

         This week's recipe for Tuesdays with Dorie is Brown Butter and Vanilla Bean Weekend Cake, found on pages 6-7 of Dorie Greenspan's Baking Chez Moi book.  

       Ingredient list:  flour, butter, baking powder, salt, sugar, vanilla, eggs, cream, and rum. 

       One of my favorite things about this book of Dorie's is that each recipe comes with a little story, some little tidbit about the recipe, some fun little bits of information to make the recipe more interesting, more approachable, and giving it a sense of history.  In France, a "Weekend Cake," according to Dorie, is a cake that can stay tasty for four days so that over the weekend friends and family can help themselves to a slice whenever they like.  I also found interesting that she says that "cake" in France tends to be in this loaf form and the gateaux "cake" is our idea of round fancier cake.

       As you can probably tell from the ingredient list, this is not a fancy cake that takes hours of preparation and assembly, it's just a nice simple plain delicious cake made with ingredients you probably already have on hand. The optional additon of rum guaranteed that my not-too-fond-of-cake husband would be willing to "eat up" on this one, that rum flavor giving it an extra punch of sassiness.  Definitely worthy of a repeat.  We think it would be delightful with fruit and whipped cream as well...although truly it's just great on its own. 

       Check around with the other bakers and see how they did with the recipe this week.  The blogroll can be found here.

        Come and bake with us from Dorie Greenspan's Baking Chez Moi cookbook:  the next assignment is:  Marquise au Chocolat, found on page 357 for February 10.  We will be making the Pink Grapefruit Tart on page 138 for February 24th. The Tuesdays with Dorie group information for joining the group, recipe selection, and general information can be found here.

Eating with Ellie: Shrimp with Spinach, Garlic, and Smoked Paprika

       A few years ago I belonged to a food blog cooking group called CEiMB, see my posts here or the general ones here, which cooked with Ellie Krieger recipes.  I loved that group and making Ellie's recipes as her recipes are always healthy and delicious.  (There are still recipes that I learned then that I make over and over again and have become favorites.) 

       Expressing my desire to regularly cook with Ellie's recipes again, three other CEiMB faithfuls and I decided to start cooking and blogging Ellie's recipes, starting with her newest book Weeknight Wonders.  We are calling the new group Eating with Ellie (EwE for short).  Margaret, Peggy, Chaya, and I, along with newbies Gaye and Glennis, are setting out to increase the variety and nutrition in our weeknight dinners.  We'd love to have you join in at any time, leave your post link at our new site, here, and enjoy cooking fresh, healthy, quick meals using Ellie Krieger's recipes with us. 

       The first recipe we made is Shrimp with Spinach, Garlic, and Smoked Paprika and is found on page 170 of Ellie Krieger's cookbook Weeknight Wonders. You can also find the recipe online here. 

       Ingredient list:  shrimp, garlic, spinach, olive oil, paprika, salt, and cayenne pepper. 

       This recipe was incredibly easy for a weeknight and something I would be extremely happy to order and be served at a restaurant, a wonderful recipe.  The whole thing takes less than 15 minutes, if even that.  The flavors compliment each other very nicely so that the shrimp flavor is still front and center with the paprika and the teeny bit of cayenne just playing support roles. I decided to serve it over spaghetti as I had some leftover from a previous meal, so warming that up in a bit of boiling water made the whole meal come together super fast for a weeknight meal where time is of the essence and fussy time-consuming preparations are just not happening. 

       If you wonder how the others did this week, click here to follow their post links.  You can also find the recipe schedule for the coming weeks there. Please come and join us at any time, just leave the link to your Ellie post that week so we know where to find you.  :-) 

Wednesday with Donna Hay: Eggplant with Tomato, Basil, and Parmesan Risotto

       My ninety-first recipe with the Wednesday with Donna Hay group is Eggplant with Tomato, Basil, and Parmesan Risotto, was chosen by Margaret, and is found in Donna Hay's cookbook New Food Fast on page 93.

       The ingredient list:  eggplant, olive oil, chicken stock, tomato puree, red wine, arborio rice, basil, Parmesan cheese, and pepper. 

       For years I have heard people say that risotto requires some time commitment, standing over the stove stirring constantly for at least 40 minutes or so...but that it was well worth it.  I wasn't convinced, so I've never been in a mood to devote that amount of time to standing over a pot and stirring, until this week when the recipe chosen turned out to be risotto and I either had to buck up and make it or skip it.  I thought long and hard about skipping as I am the only one in the household who cares for eggplant.  Being in a food blogging group, however, has expectations that come with it, i.e. that one will participate if at all possible and that one will try new and different recipes with maybe some ingredients one doesn't normally think one will like.  So, I grabbed a book, figuring I could read and stir at the same time, and before I knew it...risotto!  And, if you are wondering, yes, it was worth it. 

       The recipe all came together quite easily and I was surprised by a couple of things.  First, that I was able to tell when it was done...I was a little worried about that part as I wasn't sure I would be able to tell and therefore go from creamy risotto to mush in very short order.  It helped that DH had listed the amount of liquid to incorporate, but still, I wasn't totally sure that would be the case. The second surprise was how much I like the taste of it and that it did indeed taste creamy.  If you haven't tried making risotto before due to fears such as mine, sally forth, you will be surprised at what you can make on your stovetop all by yourself. 

       Since there is such a variety of ingredients you can incorporate into risotto, I will just say here that this combination was wonderful, full of tomato/wine flavor with the salty Parmesan cheese to set it off nicely.  Pairing the risotto with the eggplant was excellent, sometimes eggplant can be a little dull without the proper accompaniment, so this worked well.  I also liked the tang of the little creamy cheese on the side, an extra little treat. 

       Wonder what the others thought?  We have a couple of new members to our little group, Peggy and Glennis, so Margaret fixed us up a fancy new website where you can go and click on the links if you would like to see what the others made of this recipe.  You can find that by clicking here.  Next week is Chaya's choice, Spinach, Feta, and Pine Nut Baked Risotto found online here.  Join us and leave a link to your post at the new website on Wednesdays, no commitment required.

Wednesday with Donna Hay: Chinese Barbecued Pork

        My ninetieth recipe with the Wednesday with Donna Hay group is Chinese Barbecued Pork, was chosen by Gaye, and is found in Donna Hay's cookbook Modern Classics 1 on page 116.

       The ingredient list:  hoisin sauce, soy sauce, honey, sherry, Chinese Five Spice blend, and pork neck (I used ribs because where are you going to find pork neck around here, despite being in the middle of pork country, and even if I could score some pork neck, would we want to eat it?).

       The sauce ingredients are definitely delightfully spicy, flavorful, and delicious, the Asian taste is wonderful with pork.  I like Chinese Five Spice Powder (star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, and fennel were in my blend) and am always happy to have a chance to use it.  I think you could use this sauce on chicken with equally delicious results. 

       The process could not be easier from mixing up the sauce, marinating the meat, and cooking it all in the oven. The recipe recommended serving it with a steamed green vegetable and rice so that's what we did...the whole meal was definitely worthy of a repeat.  

       Wonder what the others thought?  Gaye's post is here.  Margaret's post is here.  Next week is Margaret's choice, Eggplant with Tomato, Basil, and Parmesan Risotto found in Donna Hay's cookbook New Food Fast on page 93.  Join us and leave a link to your post, no commitment required.

Tuesdays with Dorie Baking Chez Moi - Granola Energy Bars

       This week's recipe  for Tuesdays with Dorie is Granola Energy Bars, found on pages 328-329 of Dorie Greenspan's Baking Chez Moi book.

       Ingredient list:  old-fashioned oats, slivered almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, dried raisins, dried apricots, dried cranberries, coconut, salt, brown rice syrup, butter, and vanilla. (No pumpkin seeds here so I just doubled up on the sunflower seeds instead, Dorie says you can use any combination of seeds and fruit that you like, so I "liked" not going out into the cold icy snowy weather just to score some pumpkin seeds at the market and instead used the seeds I had on hand. I figured you would all approve, well at least all of you in the it's-winter-and-freezing-out-there-conditions zone.) 

       These are wonderful little bars to make and eat.  Use fresh ingredients because when you end up with your bars, you can truly taste all the separate flavors and you want them nice and fresh tasting.  The recipe could not be easier, especially for those who just like to line up the ingredients and mix them all together and bake with minimal fuss and mess. 

       Mark is going to love having these all week for breakfast, being the no-mess-no-fuss-no-big-commitment breakfast-eater that he is on weekdays.  Definitely a repeat, probably one of those recipes I'm printing off and taping to the inside of my cabinet for easy and frequent access.  Yes, indeed, I recommend you make these soon. 

       Check around with the other bakers and see how they did with the recipe this week.  The blogroll can be found here.

        Come and bake with us from Dorie Greenspan's Baking Chez Moi cookbook:  the next assignment is:  Brown Butter and Vanilla Bean Weekend Cake, found on pages 6-7. The Tuesdays with Dorie group information for joining the group, recipe selection, and general information can be found here.

Wednesday with Donna Hay: Brocconcini-Stuffed Meatballs with Tomato Sauce

       My eighty-ninth recipe with the Wednesday with Donna Hay group is Brocconcini-Stuffed Meatballs with Tomato Sauce, was chosen by Sarah, and is found online here. 

       The ingredient list:  milk, bread, ground pork, fennel seed, chili flakes, garlic cloves, salt, pepper, brocconcini (little tiny balls of fresh mozzarella cheese), olive oil, tomatoes, sugar, red wine vinegar, finely grated parmesan to serve. 

       This recipe came together nicely with a few surprises.  We don't usually make pork meatballs so those were a good surprise and wonderfully flavored with the fennel, chili, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Kicked up and nicely spicy.  There was also a surprise in the middle, the brocconcini, which was fun with melty deliciousness, although that kind of cheese doesn't have a huge flavor profile, but it did round out the spicy flavor from the meatballs. And it looked oozy and melty which is always a good thing with cheese.

       The sauce, which is usually my most flavorful part of meatballs, actually was not so in this recipe, it was delicious, but it was not spicy or highly spiced.  The flavor of the sauce was more simply a fresh tomato flavor with a slight tang from the vinegar and just a bare hint of sweet from the sugar.  Interesting.  It paired well with the meatballs, each complimenting the other. 

       I served it on spaghetti because if I didn't serve it with pasta, the guy factor here would ask where the pasta was and feel deprived.  So spaghetti and meatballs it was, with a unique twist, one that was enjoyed by both of us on a cold winter's night.  Definitely a repeat.  

       Wonder what the others thought?  Gaye's post is here.  Margaret's post is here.  Sarah's post is here.  Next week is Gaye's choice, Chinese Barbecued Pork, found in Donna Hay's cookbook Modern Classics 1  on page 116.  Join us and leave a link to your post, no commitment required.