Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Creamy Vegetable Soup

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Creamy Vegetable Soup
From Susan I.
Serves 8-10

1 large cauliflower
2 C grated carrots
Broccoli as desired
2-3 C diced potatoes
2 C chopped onion
4 C chicken broth
2 chicken boullion cubes
1 t basil
1 t thyme
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 C butter
3/4 C flour
1 quart half 'n' half
8 oz cream cheese, cut into 1 inch pieces

Cut veggies into small pieces, put them in a large pot, add broth, bouillon and spices. Cook on medium until tender. Set aside without draining.

In a separate pan melt the butter, add flour and cook about 1 minute, forming a roux. Slowly add the half 'n' half and cook, stirring constantly until thick. Add cream cheese and stir until the cream cheese melts. Combine with veggie mixture and cook, stirring occasionally until warmed through.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Zebra Cake

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From The Whimsical Cupcakes
Makes one 9" round

1 C granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 C milk
1 C vegetable oil
1 t vanilla
2 C all-purpose flour
2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
3 T Double Dutched Dark Cocoa

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly spray a 9x2 round baking pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with a circle of parchment, and spritz again. Set the pan aside.

In the bowl of your mixer, blend the sugar and eggs until lightened, about 2 minutes. On low speed blend in the oil, milk and vanilla until well combined and smooth.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to remove any lumps. Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients. Combine on medium speed 1-2 minutes or until the batter is smooth and lump free. Be sure to scrape down the bowl halfway through mixing.

Remove 2 cups of the vanilla batter and place it in the measure you used for the liquid ingredients. Sift the cocoa over this batter, and stir well to combine. Be sure to use a sifter to avoid cocoa lumps in the batter.

Spoon about 3 tablespoons of vanilla batter into the center of the cake pan. Next, spoon 3 tablespoons of the chocolate batter into the center of the vanilla batter. This causes the vanilla batter to spread out. Continue to alternate batters, in bulls-eye fashion until all batter is used. You will now have thing rigs of each batter on the outer edges of the pan, thicker rings towards the center.

Bake the cake in the center of the preheated over for 35-45 minutes, or until the cake is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, and then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Dust lightly with confectioners sugar or frost.

Grilled Tuna Kebabs

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From Simply Recipes
Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds tuna, swordfish or sturgeon steaks
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 small onion
6-10 large button mushrooms
2 lemons, cut into wedges
1/2 C olive oil
2 T chopped onion
1 T chopped fresh rosemary
1 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
2 garlic cloves

Cut all the fish and veggies into similar-sized pieces.

To make the marinade, puree the onion, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor. Drizzle in the olive oil while pureeing, continue to puree until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Coat the fish and veggies in the marinade. Set in the fridge for at least an hour and up to overnight.

When skewing the fish and vegetables, pierce the fish against the grain, and select pieces of veggies that are close to the same size as your fish. This is important because if the pieces are different widths, some things will be charred and others undercooked.

Alternate pieces of fish with pieces of various veggies, leaving a little space between everything. Don't crowd the skewer, or the parts that are touching will cook too slowly.

Prepare the grill for high, direct heat. Clean the grates and wipe them down with a paper towel that has been dipped in vegetable oil. Lay the skewers on the grill. Don't move them until the fish pieces are well browned on one side, about 3-6 minutes. Then using tongs, carefully turn the skewers over and cook them until they are seared on the other side.

Serve hot or at room temperature. Drizzle with lemon juice or serve with lemon wedges.
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