Buffalo Chicken Soup - Buffalo Wings in Liquid Form

Am I the only one who thinks it is strange to pay millions of dollars to men who run around on a field kicking/throwing/catching a ball, and yet we pay our teachers peanuts to tutor and care for the rising generation of Americans??? It just doesn’t make any sense to me.

But, here’s what I do love: I do love getting together with friends and family. And I do love eating waaaay too many calories of decadence. I do love a steamy, spicy bowl of soup on a winter day. And I love the flavors of Buffalo Wings. A few years ago, I even made a pilgrimage to the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, where Buffalo Wings were invented.

So to me it seemed a natch to make a soup that has those flavors all in one bowl. Hence, Buffalo Chicken Soup.

This soup is actually good for you if you use low fat Greek yogurt in place of sour cream.

It is so good, it’s even worth watching a little football on the side.

Check out some of our yummy noshes for Game Days past.

Fabulous food blogger Sarah at Sarah’s Cucina Bella did a fabulous roundup of superbowl foods by other bloggers, to which we say: CHEERS!

General Snackiness:

• Chili Cheese Dip on Sarah’s Cucina Bella
• Brown Butter Garlic Snack Mix on Sarah’s Cucina Bella
• Roasted Garlic and Artichoke Bread on Sarah’s Cucina Bella
• Hot Spinach Artichoke White Bean Dip on Sarah’s Cucina Bella
• Italian Gorgonzola Bread on Sweetnicks
• Roasted Asparagus Wrapped in Ham on Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Ginger Spice Mixed Nuts on The Perfect Pantry
• Bacon-Wrapped Apple and Sausage Bundles on Recipe Girl
• Roasted Pancetta and Herb Butter Crostini on Family, Friends and Food

Chilis:

• Autumn Vegetable Chili on Sarah’s Cucina Bella
• Turkey Chili on Sarah’s Cucina Bella
• Meat-Lovers Chipotle Chili on Sarah’s Cucina Bella
• Texas Chili on Soup Addict
• Steak Chili on Food for My Family
• Chili con Carne on The Foodies Kitchen
• White Chicken Chili on Cinnamon Girl Recipes
• Chipotle Sauce Chili with Apple and Black Beans on VeganYumYum
• Cincinnati Chili on Framed Cooks
• Spicy Vegetarian Chili on Joy the Baker

3 tablespoons butter
3 cups diced celery
2 cups  diced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup all purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup cayenne pepper sauce (I like Frank’s)
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1/2 cup Greek yogurt

Garnishes: blue cheese crumbles, diced chicken, hot sauce, Greek yogurt

In a large stockpost, saute celery and onions over medium high heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until softened.

Add garlic and saute another minute. Stir in flour and cook another minute or two, until flour is absorbed.

Add chicken stock and hot sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in chicken and Greek yogurt.

Serve warm. Garnish as desired.

Potato Crusted Halibut Fillets on a bed of Sauteed Celery Ribbons

Let’s say you’re like me and want to love white fish, just because it’s so darn good for you. But let’s say you also love fish oily, crunchy, battered.

I am the kind of cook who can take a perfectly healthy fish fillet and turn it into something decadent. Say, with an oily, crunchy battered coating . . .  dipped in Tartar sauce . . . hmmmmm . . .  Okay, sorry, daydreaming here . . .

White fish is has so many health benefits, it’s true.

Sure, you can batter and then deep fry most any food to add a delicious golden brown crunch to it. But let’s just say we want to think outside the old deep fryer for just a sec.

Rock Star Chef Ann Burrelll made halibut with a potato crust, and it looked like the perfect blend of golden crunch and healthy fish. I couldn’t wait to sink my fork into this dish.

If you want crunchy fish fillets without the hassle of 3-step battering and deep frying, this is a  technique that will knock your socks off: Crispy instant potato flakes add the perfect crunch to any fillet, especially white fish fillets. Dry herbs mixed into the potato flakes add flavor, too.

All you do is season the fillets with a little S & P, dip them into egg wash, press them into a mixture of instant potato flakes and herbs and then shallow fry them. That’s it. Really.

All the health, with just a little of the naughty crunchiness!

– posted by Donna

POTATO CRUSTED HALIBUT FILLETS

2 tablespoons dried herbs, and combination (I like a little rosemary, parsley and thyme)
1 cup instant mashed potato flakes
4 fillets (4 ounces each) halibut or other white fish
Salt and pepper
1 egg mixed with 1 teaspoon water
Vegetable oil for frying

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix together the herbs and potato flakes and spread on a small plate.

Sprinkle the fish fillets with salt and pepper. Dip one side of fillets in egg mixture and then press into potato mixture. Set on a plate, potato crust up, while oil is heating in a skillet.

Heat a large skillet to medium high heat. Add about 1/4 inch deep oil. Place fillets in pan, potato side down, and fry to a golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Turn fish fillets over and then place skillet in oven for about 10 minutes, until fillets are cooked through.

Serve immediately.

Check out other bloggers adding a healthy-ish crunch to white fish:

Baked White Fish with Pine Nut Crust, Kalyn’s Kitchen
Panko Mustard Crusted Fish, The Perfect Pantry
Easy Baked Fish, A Recipe a day
Thai Crispy Fish, She Simmers

Eggs in Avocado Slices for a Festive Breakfast to Remember

Holidays are a time for indulgence. A time to relax with a leisurely breakfast shared with friends and family.

So. I am on the lookout for festive breakfast foods that will be memorable and worthy of a special occasion. I had great luck with my Flower Power Eggs a few weeks ago.

Eggs in Bell Pepper Rings

So, I decided to try my luck using an avocado slice. These Avocado Egg Rings are just the ticket. Creamy. Flavorful. Unusual. Memorable. And a bonus: they can easily be made red and green with a little sprinkle of green onion and red bell pepper garnish.

It was very recently that I discovered that avocados are delicious when gently cooked. Creamy and flavorful – they take on an almost custard-like texture.

Make these part of your Christmas morning this year – or your next Saturday breakfast for friends. Or a Meatless Monday with a bang! You may just start a new breakfast tradition.

I saw this idea on an episode of The Next Iron Chef, where heavy hitter Jeffrey Zacharian made eggs and avocados, so I decided to try this at home. It works like a dream.

There isn’t a “recipe,” really, all you do is this:

Heat a non-stick skillet to medium low heat. Lightly spray with oil. Slice an avocado with the skin ON lengthwise, forming one thick slice in the middle. (You will have some leftover avocado pieces – so, Hey! Make some bonus guacamole if you want! Guacamole for Breakfast? Why NOT? It’s the Holidays!) Remove the seed and use a small cookie cutter to make a hole in the center of your thick slice. Place the avocado slice in the pan. Crack a medium sized egg into the center of the hole. Cover and cook for a minute or two, until the egg is as you like it. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Then, just sit back and wait for the oohs and ahhs!

Breakfast is a good way to get the uber-healthy green fruit into our diets. The California Avocado folks have some brilliant ideas for avocado breakfasts. And I love the breakfast burrito done by Avocado Central.

Other foodies enjoy avocados in the morning:
Avocado Eggs benedict, Confections of a Foodie Bride
Avocado Breakfast Panini, Broke Ass Gourmet
Scrambled Eggs with Avocado, 80 Breakfasts
Guacamole Omelette, Poor Girl Eats Well
Breakfast Bowls with Avocado Sauce, Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen
Avocado Waffles, Well Fed, Flat Broke

– posted by Donna

Do-It-Yourself Stacked Enchiladas

I never met an enchilada I didn’t like.

So I love to make enchiladas for a feast for family and friends. They are the perfect blend of spicy, cheesy, savory goodness rolled into a tortilla.

Several years ago, I discovered an easy way to make enchiladas for a crowd. They are so simple, you can even make them on a weeknight. And they are perfect for  a large crowd. Even during the holidays.

And, I love this style of making enchiladas for one more reason: EVERYBODY PUTS THEIR OWN ENCHILADA STACK TOGETHER. HOOOOooooRAY! There is never any whining about what’s in the enchiladas, because each person chooses! Vegetarian? Sure. Vegan? No Problem! Carnivore? Join right in! Fabulously easy. And they are a festive holiday food, what with the red sauce and green onion/cilantro topping with white crumble cheese like a dusting of snow on top.

This is a fabulous and festive event! Just set out bowls of grated cheese(s) – we like cheddar and Monterey Jack, spiced cooked diced or shredded meats (shredded rotisserie chicken is one of our favorites) and anything else you like to fill your enchiladas with. Then, saute corn tortillas until just soft in butter or oil. Stack them on a plate. Have a pan of simmering enchilada sauce on the stove and let everyone set one corn tortilla on their plate and then slather it with sauce. Top with desired filling(s). Repeat as many times as you like to make a huge stack of spicy southwest yummyness! Then, let each person microwave their stack of southwest goodness for a minute or more. For garnishes, set out some diced tomatoes, queso fresco, diced cilantro, sliced green onions and anything else you like to top your enchiladas. Instant and easy Christmas or New Year’s fiesta!

Happy Hollydays Everyone!

-posted by Donna

Other inspiring stacked enchiladas out there:

Maria’s Roasted Vegetable Stacked Enchiladas at Two Peas and Their Pod
The Framed Cooks made Stacked Chicken Enchiladas effortlessly.
Check out the Homesick Texan’s West Texas Stacked Enchiladas. 

From our first Thanksgiving: A full Tofurky feast in all its glory.

I knew we HAD to be related when I found out we shared a favorite holiday: yes, the foodiest holiday of all, Thanksgiving!

Donna, we’ve come a long way since our first Thanksgiving together, haven’t we? This was the very first big holiday I got to attend with the rest of your family. I remember being a little worried about being the vegetarian in the midst*. Luckily, even the most traditional turkey dinner includes a veritable cornucopia of hearty sides that are naturally vegetarian, provided that the cooks make note to avoid adding meat products when they’re not central to the dish (i.e. using vegetable stock instead of chicken, etc), and provided that the diner is willing to forego the gravy if necessary. I remember reassuring you that I’d have plenty no matter what, but if we really wanted to go all out, there was always Tofurky.

Yes, for those who haven’t had the pleasure, it’s a stuffed tofu loaf that comes in a box complete with veggie gravy, tempeh drumsticks, and even a Tofurky jerky wishbone. Donna was both generous and game, and set out to procure a Tofurky for me. Lo and behold, it turned out that Tofurky was actually a local product, produced exactly where Donna lived at the time: Hood River Oregon.

We prepared it with love, to the amusement of her other kids (two of whom later became vegetarian themselves), joking that we should create a competing brand, Fauxturkey. And a holiday tradition was born. Little did we know that years later, Donna and I would co-author a tofu cookbook, kicking off our more formal foodie collaboration. Though I no longer eschew meat altogether (as long as it’s well-sourced whenever possible), Tofurky will always have a funky little place in my heart.

Without further ado, let us share some of our favorite recipes from our favorite holiday. Have a wonderful, delicious Thanksgiving, everyone!

BUTTERFLIED TURKEY WITH SPICY POMEGRANATE GLAZE

AWARD-WINNING SALSA WITH CRANBERRIES AND CLEMENTINES

 THANKSGIVING CANDY TURKEYS (Be sure to watch the video!)

ROASTED PUMPKIN & GARLIC SOUP WITH PARSLEY, SAGE, ROSEMARY & THYME

SMOKY CAULIFLOWER AND POBLANO GRATIN

PUMPKIN POLENTA with SPINACH, PECAN AND CRAISIN TOPPING

*Is no longer fully vegetarian, but still loves to eat much “vegetarian food”, as it’s some of the healthiest and most inventive stuff around.

Risotto alla Carbonara

I love it when the need for a dish creates the dish itself. Necessity is always the mother of invention, ‘mother’ being the key term in this particular case. A mom in our circle of friends recently had her second baby, and had smartly registered on MealBaby to ensure that a regular rotation of nourishing food arrived on their babymooning doorstep.

On MealBaby, you can be as general or as specific as you like about your dietary needs and preferences. In my friend’s case, I thought risotto sounded like a great comfort food for them, but they need to make sure a good amount of protein is in every entree. So I started wondering about what kind of meat would be the most harmonious in a risotto. Bacon came to mind – and then the idea struck: what about a risotto . . . . rendered in carbonara form?  Did I dare???

The first time I made this, I tried it with turkey bacon, and thought it was already a resounding success (the family agreed). The second time, I decided to go all the way, with full-on 100% bacon bacon. And all I have to say is that unless you have a dietary reason to avoid any of the admittedly decadent ingredients herein, you must, MUST make this, preferably as your autumn weather begins to make its turn into the coming chilly months.

There are a few points within this recipe where you choose your own adventure.  First, the bacon question. Should you use regular pork bacon, it will render enough that you can then saute the onion and rice in the leftover fat. If you use turkey bacon, though, you’ll want to start off heating  the pan with a little oil, and possibly add a tiny bit more after you remove the cooked slices. Next, you can choose whether to add the yolks into the full pan of risotto at the very end, OR, and only if you’re serving it immediately and piping-hot, you could top each serving with its own perfect egg yolk. Especially pleasing if you’re using the fresh and richly-colored yolks from backyard chickens. And finally, though this might go without saying, it’s worth emphasizing that you’ll want to taste, taste, and taste before including any additional salt; between the stock, the Parmesan and the bacon, you could easily overdo it without even trying.

RISOTTO ALLA CARBONARA

12 ounces bacon (or12 ounces turkey bacon plus 1-2 tablespoons olive oil)
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups arborio rice
1 large onion, diced
1/3 cup dry white wine
3 egg yolks (or one per serving, if you’re choosing the all-out presentation)*
about 1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and more for serving if derised
Salt to taste (I can’t stress that enough)

In a very large medium-hot skillet, saute the strips of bacon for about 10-15 minutes, until nice and crisp, turning frequently. In a separate saucepan, heat the stock to just below a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Set the cooked bacon strips aside and let it cool before you chop them into bits. Reserve the rendered fat, as we’re going to saute the diced onion in that goodness. Once the onion softens, add in the rice and stir until well-mixed and well-coated.

I’m in the camp that believes that for a real risotto, the first liquid to hit the pan should be a bit of wine. Just about a third of a cup (a good “glug”) should do it. I love the aroma of the resulting  steam that rises from the pan – and was heartened to know there is an functional explanation for its necessity beyond tradition and yummy smells: it not only adds its own flavor, but enhances the other flavors present in the dish.

Back to the stovetop! From here on out is the ritual of adding a ladleful of hot stock and stirring, another ladleful of stock and stirring, ladleful of hot stock and stirring. Once the rice reaches al dente firmness – usually about 20 minutes or so – slow down on the stock (and it’s okay if you run out, too, you just might need a ladle or two of hot water to finish the job), and add the egg yolks at this point unless you’re presenting the risotto with individual egg yolks atop each dish (remember, in this case it must be served hot, hot, HOT). Stir in the cream, the Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, and yes, finally, the bacon.

Take a moment to anticipate this. Decorate your plates withe extra flourishes of parsley and cheese, and taste for salt (multiple times, preferably). Commit to extra exercise the rest of the week, a regimen of salads, perhaps a juice fast for a day or two. It IS worth it.

– posted by Anne

My life improved about a million percent when I discovered that you could make pizza on the grill (or flatbread, or crostini, or garlic bread, or pretty much any bread that requires toasting).

When it is summer, nothing is better than grilling, I say!

I was thrilled to see a veggie pizza on my Secret Recipe Club blog for this month – Searching for Spice.

Corina from the UK has a lovely recipe for Vegetable Pizza on her blog – she said it is her first-ever homemade pizza! – and with my garden overflowing and my desperate attempt to keep up with it, I knew this is the recipe I had to make for this month’s Secret Recipe Club.

I was intrigued by her method of rolling out the dough by using not flour but OIL. Seemed strange at first, but then I thought that this would add a crispiness to the crust as well as making rolling easier. It worked like a charm, without adding more flour to the dough and making the dough tougher. Thanks, Corina, for this fabulous trick! I never would have guessed this is your first attempt at homemade pizza crust – it is delightful!

I changed up the sauce and just brushed Corina’s delightful crust with olive oil and herbs, sprinkled on some Parmesan and the grilled pepper rings and the result: OMG Deeeee-lish End-of-Summer Pizza on the Grill!

Happy Meatless Monday, Everyone!

– posted by Donna

First, heat up your BBQ grill.

Put your dough on an oiled pizza stone.

Spoon on the Olive oil and herbs.

Seriously, you just can't have pizza without Parmesan, can you?

Then, throw on grilled pepper rings and you're done!

PIZZA CRUST From Corina at Searching for Spice

Makes 2 big pizzas and serves 4

1 tsp dried fast action yeast

300g strong white flour

1 tsp sugar

15g olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp milk powder + 160 ml water OR 160ml milk

How to Make Pizza Dough

1. Put all the ingredients in the breadmaker. As when I make bread, I put the yeast in first and then the flour and then the other ingredients as the yeast and salt should be kept separated. Set the breadmaker to the dough programme and leave. Mine took 45 minutes. I then left it in the breadmaker to rise again for about an hour.

2. Take the dough out of the breadmaker and knead briefly. Divide into 2 balls. At this point the dough can be frozen or kept in the fridge for a day. Wrap in cling film first before freezing.

3. Lightly oil a baking tray. Roll the dough out. As it may keep shrinking back, be patient and keep working on it. Press it down onto the baking tray to make it as large and thin as possible.

(NOTE: At this point, I departed from Corina’s instructions and just heated my grill to “Screaming Hot” setting, then cooked it on a pizza stone that had been heated on my grill.)

Check out more fabulous Secret Recipe Club August Recipes:

Dutch Baby Kitchen Magic

Once in awhile, I get lucky enough to enjoy a weekend of tea parties, toenail painting and Dutch Babies.

My darling 6-year-old niece Thaya showed up last weekend with a backpack full of little girl treasures: glittery fingernail polish; stickers and paper scraps; floppy cuddly stuffed animal friends.

Thaya brightens our home with constant cheery chatter and occasional pleas like : “Let’s Make Dutch Babies!” she squeals.

And then my kitchen fills with laughter, cracking eggs, poofs of flour. I get to see the world with six-year-old eyes again for a moment in time.

The iconic American dish Dutch Babies are, like six-year-olds, full of magic and wonder. You whisk together eggs, flour, milk and pour the mixture into a hot buttered skillet and slide it into the oven, Then, in amazement, you pull out a puffed brown cloud. Magical!

I hope every child in the universe gets to make a Dutch Baby at least once. Life is just better with Dutch Babies. It just is.

DUTCH BABY PANCAKE

4 Tbs unsalted butter
4 large eggs
½ cup all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup half-and-half

For the topping:
4 tablespoons melted butter
Juice of 1 lemon
Powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Place a large cast iron skillet in the oven until very hot. Melt the 4 Tbs butter in the skillet. In a blender, whir together the eggs, flour, salt and half-and-half.

Pour the batter into the skillet over the melted butter. Slide the skillet into the oven, and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove the puffed pancakes from the oven, transfer them to a plate or shallow bowl, and pour on butter, sprinkle on lemon juice, and dust with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

Other adventurous Dutch Babies:

Dutch Baby, Never Enough Thyme
Chocolate Dutch Baby, Shutterbean
Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Dutch Baby, Go Dairy Free
Dutch Baby, Just a Taste
Blueberry Dutch Baby, Smith Bites

– posted by Donna

Lower-fat Zucchini Shirred Eggs Baked in Ramekins

Shirred eggs are delicious and creamy on their own, but they are a little on the bland side. Just eggs baked in cream, basically. So, I decided to experiment with adding produce from our garden. I tried Swiss chard, spinach – but honestly, they were nothing to write home about. Then, I thought about slicing zucchini into paper-thin planks and use them like you would a leafy green to cradle the eggs. This was the winner by a landslide!

The roasted zucchini adds a subtle garden freshness to the eggs and dairy, and improves on the one-note flavor of the baked eggs. I also healthified it even more by using lower fat dairy than is usually called for – and a teaspoon of half and half instead of a tablespoon of cream.

In the early ’70s, I remember laughing out loud the first time I heard of a thing called “Zucchini Bread.” WHat?! Zucchini in Bread?! Absurd. Ridiculous. And then I tasted it. I was in shock for days. And  I never looked at zucchini the same way again.

This recipe is one of those recipes. You will look at zukes in a different way.

If you need to get rid of some zucchini, I highly recommend baking it with some eggs. And what the heck, you could even serve it as a Meatless Monday entree!

If you need more inspiration to get rid of zukes, I highly recommend South Beach Food Blogging Goddess Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen – 20 Zucchini Recipes. Can’t go wrong with anything Kalyn makes!

ZUCCHINI SHIRRED EGGS

Total time 30 minutes
Serves 6

1/2 cup low fat ricotta
1/2 cup low fat plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick planks
7 large eggs, divided
2 tablespoons half and half
Salt and pepper, used sparingly

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the ricotta, yogurt, Parmesan and one egg, and spread 2 tablespoons in the bottom of each of 6 one-cup ramekins.

Take two planks of zucchini and place them around the inside edge of each of the ramekins. Crack one of the remaining eggs into each ramekin. Drizzle one teaspoon half and half around the top of each egg. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how firm you like your egg yolks.

Happy August, Everyone!

]]> http://www.apronstringsblog.com/entrees/zucchini-shirred-eggs-recipe-meatless-monday/feed/ 10 http://www.apronstringsblog.com/entrees/pesto-pecan-chicken-3-ingredient-entree/ http://www.apronstringsblog.com/entrees/pesto-pecan-chicken-3-ingredient-entree/#comments Fri, 29 Jul 2011 06:00:28 +0000 Anne http://www.apronstringsblog.com/?p=3700

Pesto, presto.

Here’s a short, simple, yet highly scrumptious one for Friday: The title essentially gives you the recipe. This was a gem I found in Rozanne Gold’s “Low Carb 1-2-3″. Kind of a dry name, but honestly, the recipes are anything but! As long as you have a jar of prepared pesto on hand, it really is 3 ingredients. And feel free to make your own pesto – I love to do so, myself, but if you’re in a time crunch, it’s a big help. Use a Parmesan-free pesto and it’s not only low-carb, it’s also paleo-friendly.

PESTO PECAN CHICKEN

4 ounce jar pesto
3/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste (these don’t count as official ingredients by the 1-2-3 standard, which makes sense to me)

Preheat oven to  425.  If the breasts you’re using are very thick, you may want to pound them flatter first – I like to do so between 2 sheest of wax paper. Lay breasts in baking dish. Spread a thick layer of pesto on top of each breast, then press the pecans gently into the pesto, covering each breast as completely as you can.

Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes covered, then 15 minutes uncovered (otherwise pecans may get too well-done). Ms. Gold then recommends drizzling any pan juices over the top.  This is also a fabulous leftover dish, either reheated OR cold.

Revel in your new easy weeknight fix!

– posted by Anne