Random Recipes

I’m baaaack.  Happy New Year! 

Life leading up to Christmas is crazy for everyone, and seemingly doubly busy for musicians.  Hence, I have 4 meals ready to blog about.  I had plans to write the posts over the Christmas/New Year break, but ended up using my time differently.  So here we are, finally getting around to writing about meals I have already made. 

On three different days in October, I made a recipe from the cookbook.  Since I didn’t really do a complete meal, I thought I would combine the three in a random post. 

The first recipe is Mild & Sweet Red Bean Chili (p.46).  I wanted chili, and I chose this recipe because I had all the ingredients and could make it quickly before I went to a party and then played at a wedding.  It ended up simmering quite a bit longer than 30 minutes (more like 4 hours).  I also made the very yummy and very unhealthy store-bought Texas Toast to go with it.  The chili was warm, delicious, and eaten down quickly by my family.  It is a good recipe for those with young children or those who might not enjoy spicy foods, as it lives up to the name of Mild and Sweet. 

One Saturday, I made The Kingsleigh Inn Granola (p.322).  I have needed to make granola for awhile and just haven’t gotten around to it.  I have a recipe that I really like, but decided I would try one out of the cookbook instead.  I did substitute cashews for pecans since I had those and didn’t have the pecans.  I also used sunflower seeds, not pumpkin seeds.  I used Coconut oil and raw honey.  My almonds, cashews, and sunflower seeds had all been soaked and toasted previously.  I over-baked it, so it was a little bit well-done tasting, but other than that, the flavor was quite good.  I will definitely make it again and try to hover over the oven in an attempt not to let it burn.

My third random recipe was a potato soup recipe (Potato-Cheese Soup, p. 49).  It was very easy to make.   I used actual chicken broth rather than cubes.  I loved the fact that it called for red potatoes with the skins on—not only does this add vitamins, but it also keeps me from having to peel potatoes!  Also used in this recipe are leeks.  

If you have never cooked with leeks, I highly recommend that you go get some and try them.  They look like very large spring or green onions.  I was introduced to them about 2 years ago and have incorporated them into my cooking ever since.  My favorite use for them is with potatoes.  (I use them in all kinds of soups and once made a Potato-Leek Gratin dish that was amazing.)  When cooking with leeks, you do need to give them a thorough rinse, and maybe even rinse a couple times as dirt will get down into the middle layers and not come out until you peel off the outer layers or slice up to the dirt.  But a little dirt never hurt anyone, right? 

I usually make my potato soup (well, my mom’s potato soup) with some ham in it.  I also have started adding dill or rosemary.  I don’t normally put cheese in it, though I do top it with cheese frequently.  Adding the cheese to the actual soup was a nice change for the palate.  My family devoured it within minutes. 

And speaking of soup—I made another soup last night.  But I’ll save that for another post on another day.  Happy cooking!