The (thrifty and tasty) Demise of Cream-of-Chemical Soups

     Because we had to go preservative-free at our house, I've been experimenting with a substitute for the condensed cream soups that I used to use in my recipes.   I've finally found a really yummy and inexpensive replacement recipe.

Cream of Chicken Soup Concentrate
4 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp flour
14.5 ounces chicken broth (that's one can in most brands)
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 teaspoon seasoned  salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour and spices until smooth and bubbly.   Add the chicken broth.  Stir until thick and bubbly.   Mixture will seem a little thin at first but it thickens up after resting off the heat for five minutes or so. If you want to add a bit of chicken to it you can but I'm usually putting it in a chicken dish so I don't.   This yield on this recipe is about 20 ounces which is the equivalent of 2 cans of the commercially prepared stuff.

Dinner with Tim Turnbeaugh

"Absolutely Perfect" Spaghetti Carbonara

My daughter describes this spaghetti carbonara recipe as "absolutely perfect".  It's creamy, smoky, a little salty, a little spicy, and has just a hint of sweetness from the caramelized onions.  Best of all, it's ready for a hungry family in less than 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

8 slices bacon, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

8 oz spaghetti

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

3 quarts water

1 small onion, chopped (I like sweet Vidalia but a red onion works well, too.)

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 eggs

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a large pan, combine the teaspoon of salt, the Tbsp of oil, and the 3 quarts of water.  Heat to boiling, add the pasta, and cook until al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, cook the bacon over medium heat in a large non-stick skillet.  When the bacon is crisp, remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon and put it on a plate covered with a paper towel.  Add the onion to the bacon grease and sauté until soft and slightly brown.  Add the minced garlic to the onion and cook for about one more minute.  Remove from heat and set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, cream, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.  Mix well with a whisk.

When the spaghetti is done, drain it and return it to the pan.  Immediately pour the egg mixture over the hot spaghetti and stir well until the spaghetti is well coated. (Don't worry about using raw eggs; they cook from the heat of the spaghetti).  

Divide the spaghetti between four plates.  Top each serving with 1/4 of the bacon, 1/4 of the garlic/onion mixture, and 1/4 of the parmesan cheese.  Serve immediately.

Chicken Pasta Primavera

I took a good recipe and tweaked it a bit to make a truly yummy (and healthy) one dish meal.  You could use any vegetables you like, but we liked the ones listed in the recipe below.

Ingredients:
1.5 pounds chicken breast
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 Tbsp and 1 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning OR 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried basil, and 1 tsp dried parsley
1 Red onion, thinly sliced
4-6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
3 carrots, julienned
2 yellow squash, julienned
2 zucchini, julienned
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
zest of 1/2 of a lemon
10 basil leaves, chopped
16 oz farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
1 cup grated parmesan cheese


Directions:
Sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken then cut it into bite-sized chunks.  Heat the 1 tsp of olive oil in a non-stick skillet.  Add the chicken and cook over medium heat until cooked through (5-10 min).  Set aside.

Combine all of the chopped vegetables - EXCEPT TOMATOES- in a large bowl.  Add 3 Tbsp olive oil and the Italian seasoning then toss to coat the vegetables.  Place in a 9x13 baking dish and roast in an oven preheated to 450 degrees.  Stir the vegetables every five minutes and cook until the carrots are tender (about 15-20 min.)  Add the tomatoes to the vegetables during the last five minutes of roasting.  

While the vegetables are roasting, cook the farfalle pasta until al dente.  Drain and place in a large bowl.  Add the chicken, roasted vegetables, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, and basil.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve immediately, topping each serving with parmesan cheese as desired. Serves 4-6 people.  Approximately 500 calories per serving.

Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding with Caramel Pecan Sauce

The bones for this recipe came from my friend, Inga Allen.  She used to bring her bread pudding to our nursing unit pot lucks and all who partook went home in a bread pudding glow.  I have tweaked her recipe a bit to make it my own.  Please don't even think about the fat and calories.  As Paula Deen once said, "I'm your cook, not your cardiologist."

Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding
3 medium apples, peeled, cored, and diced
4 Tbsp butter
1 tsp cinnamon
12 cups cubed bread (or biscuits, or doughnuts, or pancakes)
6 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and use cooking spray on the inside of a 9x13 baking dish.  Melt the butter in a skillet.  Add the apples and a teaspoon of cinnamon to the skillet.  Cook over medium heat until the butter melts then reduce heat to low and let the apples soften in the butter and cinnamon, stirring occasionally.
While apples are cooking, place the cubed bread in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine the beaten eggs, milk, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and almond extract.  Whisk these ingredients together until smooth.  Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes.  Mix well until all of the bread is coated and most of the liquid is absorbed. Add the sautéed apples to the bread mixture and fold them in.  Transfer everything to the 9x13 baking dish.  Pour the cup of heavy cream all over the top and then place the baking dish in the oven.  Bake for 1 hour. Serve with Caramel Pecan Sauce.

Caramel Pecan Sauce

8 Tbsp butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Put the butter, brown sugar, and whipping cream into a small saucepan.   Heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil.  Stir in chopped pecans.

Your Sexuality vs. My Spirituality: We Have More in Common than You May Realize

     Today, I was called a “hater”.  Actually, I was called a “bass ackward, redneck, hate monger” to be more exact.  Did I deserve this abuse?  Certainly not!  After all, my only crime is being true to who I am in an environment where being “who I am” waxes unpopular.  So, rather than stooping to less-than-kind behaviors, let’s consider the idea that those who desire to promote their sexuality may share very basic commonalities with those who strive to preserve their spirituality.

     You say you were “born this way”.  I completely understand your feelings.  As a very young child being reared in a home where my mom was an excommunicated, non-practicing Catholic and my father was agnostic, I would lie awake at night wondering why I felt such a void in my life.   Sadness and confusion often accompanied my most thoughtful times because I innately knew that there had to be more to life than spinning around on a planet for 75 years and then being dumped unceremoniously into the ground.  Eventually, I learned to pray and I realized that I was not alone.  I had discovered that a part of me was different from those around me.  I tried desperately to squelch my feelings because my family did not support me and my schoolmates were disinterested in “the weird girl”.  Nevertheless, my feelings could not be denied and finally, as a young adult, I decided to leap headlong into the world of scripture study, prayer, and worship despite the protests of those around me.  You might say that I “came out of the closet” with my spirituality declaring unashamedly that I was different from many of my contemporaries.

     You say, “People don’t understand me”.  Again, we have something in common.  People regularly make fun of my values calling them “antiquated” and  “backward.”   When I choose not to participate in activities that I feel are untrue to my values, people question my motives, demean my alternate choices, and try to convince me that I would be much happier if I would only abandon my silly ideals.  Even some of my family members demonstrate a complete lack of empathy.  My dad’s words, “I will never forgive or understand this nonsense” still ring in my ears some thirty years after my commitment to be true to myself.  “Bible thumper” and “Jesus freak” are worn-out epithets tossed my way and the acts that I consider most sacred are referred to as “chicken ceremonies” in a “building with a giant dunce cap”.  You see, you’re not alone in your experiences; the ridicule is just centered on a different concept.

     You say that society does not support you.  Well, the same is true for me.  I am constantly demoralized with images and words that are highly offensive to me.  The media portrays my kind as something very different than what I strive to be.  My tax dollars are spent on causes that are in direct conflict with my strongest beliefs.  On a daily basis, I am inundated with a barrage of attacks on the core values that I hold dear.

     So, you see, we are not really that different.  In our struggle to be true to ourselves in this crazy world, we all must endure some difficult experiences.  Let’s call a truce.  Let’s start a real dialogue about how human beings should treat other human beings.  You examine your heart; I’ll examine mine, and let’s emerge as better people who are above name-calling and intolerant thought-policing.  We all need each other.  We need the light that shines within each of us to overcome the darkness in the world.