Fish Chowder

It took me a while to find a soup that was "different" enough to get me out of my current soup rut, yet still make both Andrew and I happy.  While I was searching around on the Crockpot Lady's blog, I found what I was looking for.  This fish chowder is easy to put together, cooks in the crockpot, and tastes delicious.  I purchased the "sale fish" that day - tilapia fillets - and used frozen shrimp, so the cost wasn't prohibitive.  Hearty and satisfying without being too bad for you, this would be a great meal for Fridays during Lent or any day of the year.


Fish Chowder
adapted from Crockpot 365

1 lb. white fish, cut into 2" cubes
3 c. chicken broth
3 Idaho potatoes, cubed
1-1/2 c. frozen corn
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large carrots, cut into half moons
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper to taste

2 c. frozen shrimp
1 c. heavy cream

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.  I left the skins on the potatoes, which seemed heartier - exactly what I was going for.  You could easily cut up all the veggies the night before, place in the stoneware insert, cover with the broth, and store in the fridge overnight.  In the morning, add the fish and put the insert into the slow cooker.  Reserve the final two ingredients (shrimp & cream) for later. 

Cook on low for 8-10 hours.  About half an hour before you're ready to serve, stir in the cream and shrimp and turn the slow cooker to high.  Serve garnished with fresh parsley and grated cheese, if you like.

Creamed Corn

Last year, I printed out a recipe from cdkitchen, planning to make their Creamed Corn for Christmas Eve dinner. I ended up making so many other dishes that I didn't need another vegetable. I've held onto the recipe all year. Having never made a creamed vegetable, it was definitely something I wanted to try. After all, it does combine three of my favorite things - cream, cheese, and corn!



I don't know if you've ever used cdkitchen, but it can be difficult to navigate. Though they have an extensive recipe collection arranged by category, the search function...stinks. I can't even find the original Creamed Corn recipe I printed out last year, so I've opted to type up the recipe for you below.

I had two ears of corn left over from earlier in the week, and I wasn't sure whether that would be enough. The recipe that serves 9 calls for three 16-oz bags of frozen corn. I wanted to third the recipe (since it was just Andrew and I eating). I chopped the kernels off the cobs and measured - sure enough, I had 16 ounces there. It's amazing how much corn is on one cob. (This does make me rethink the number of ears I eat in a sitting though.)

All right, let's get to the recipe!



Creamed Corn
serves 9

3/4 c. butter
3 tbsp. AP flour
3 - 16 ounce packages frozen corn kernels
if using fresh, 6-8 ears ought to do it
1-1/2 pt. half-and-half
1-1/2 pt. heavy whipping cream
1-1/2 tsp. salt
2-1/4 tbsp. granulated sugar (I omitted this)
1-1/2 c. grated Romano cheese (I used a 5-cheese Italian blend)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter and whisk in the flour to make a roux. Allow this to cook for a moment to get rid of the raw flour taste, but try not to let it brown.

Add the corn, half-and-half, whipping cream, salt, and sugar if using. Stir and heat until mixture begins to thicken. I didn't want to smush the corn, so I left it in clumps - it broke up on its own in the heat of the cream.

Stir in the cheese. Yummy!

Pour into a 2 quart casserole dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Honestly, if you don't have time to bake it, don't. There's no magic happening in the oven. If you were to turn the heat off and let the creamed corn stand on the stove uncovered for two minutes, I think the same thing would probably happen. (It would thicken!)

This, like that amazing zucchini I made recently, is another less healthy way to get your veggies. But this creamed corn would make a fantastic side dish at Thanksgiving, on your Sunday dinner table, or for any other special occasion. It's not something we'd eat often, but for our Saturday date night, served with fantastic steaks, carmelized onions, and roasted asparagus, Creamed Corn was a big hit.

Corn Chowder with Kielbasa

This is Andrew's favorite soup in my arsenal. His family loves it too, which always makes me feel so flattered. I make it often, just so I can get the compliments! The corn and kielbasa may seem like an odd combination, but the sweet crunch of the corn and the tangy spice of the kielbasa meld beautifully.

A lot of this recipe is based on what I have on hand, how many people I need to feed, and how hungry those people will be. If I am making dinner for Andrew, I bulk up the amount of kielbasa, because I know he likes it and appreciates the protein. If I want some of the bacon for breakfast the next morning, I use half of it. If I don't have any on hand, I skip it. This is a forgiving recipe, so feel free to substitute, add, subtract, mess around with the herbs, and make it your own.

Corn Chowder with Kielbasa

1 medium onion, diced

2 large potatoes, peeled and diced

2-4 cloves garlic, minced2 tbsp. butter

1 lb. bacon

2 bags frozen corn

4 c. chicken broth

3 c. milk/cream (your choice - I usually do a mix)

1-2 pkg. kielbasa

Salt

Pepper

Ground Sage

Additional Herbs/Spices (I suggest red pepper flakes, tarragon, and fresh parsley)

Cut the bacon into chunks - I like to take half a pound at a time and cut it crosswise into pieces about an inch long.

In a large stockpot, cook the bacon until it is crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon pieces. If you do the whole pound, you may want to do two batches. Drain the bacon on a plate lined with paper towels. Discard the all or at least the majority of the bacon grease.

Add butter, potatoes, and onions to the stockpot. Salt and pepper liberally. Sauté until onions are translucent. Add chicken broth to pot. If you feel this will not be enough soup (make sure to account for the milk you'll be adding), add 1-2 cups of water. Add the frozen corn, ground sage, and any other dried herbs you wish and bring to a simmer. Allow soup to simmer for 10-15 minutes, then drop the heat back to low.

While the soup is simmering, cut the kielbasa into bite-size chunks. I like to cut it on an angle so I have funny little pieces instead of perfect coins, but I'll leave that up to you. Toss all the kielbasa into a pan over medium-high heat and cook as desired. I like my kielbasa to have a nice char to it, so I cook it until the edges are blackened and it's crispy. Drain the grease and set aside.

Use an immersion blender to puree about half the soup. If you don't have one, you can dump half the pot into your regular blender. Just be careful to cool it a bit before blending so you don't end up with a boiling hot mess.

Stir in milk/cream (fat free half and half works too) and add the bacon back into the pot. If you're going to eat the soup right away, heat to desired temperature over medium-low heat.

To serve, ladle out bowls of corn chowder and have everyone top their soup with chunks of kielbasa. To store, I like to keep the soup and meat separate unless I'm going to put them in small containers for lunches, in which case I combine them.

This chowder is easy to make, hearty, and delicious. It's a great meal to eat while you're cuddled up on the couch watching TV!

What I like best about it is that it's tough to mess it up. My measurements are all based on what we like. If I have onions I need to use, I'll chop up a second one. If I have a couple ears of leftover corn on the cob (which I did this time), I cut the corn off and toss that in. Sometimes I want it to be spicy, so I'll add some red pepper flakes to the onion/potato sauté and then hot sauce to the finished soup. It's all about what makes you happy. And I promise, this soup will definitely do the trick.

Throw Together Pasta: Version 1

I make a lot of pasta, and when I use a recipe, I always try to post it with photos. What you don't get to see, dear readers, is the behind-the-scenes magic that occurs when it's 5:30 on a weeknight, I'm starving, and I've already put on my pajamas. In these situations, there's only one thing to do - make something happen for dinner using only the contents of my pantry.

This may be an acquired skill, but it is certainly something I'm excellent at. I've decided to try to start sharing my pantry meals with you, in the hope of inspiring last-minute greatness at your dinner table.


Throw Together Pasta: Version 1
The Veggie Version
Co-Chef: Kristi

Pasta

1 lb. pasta (whatever you've got!)
1 sweet potato, julienned
1 ear leftover corn on the cob, kernels removed
1 medium zucchini, julienned
1 medium onion, sliced thin
5 cloves of garlic
red pepper flakes
EVOO


If you aren't good at chopping or you are lazy and don't have the energy to hunt for your mandolin, feel free to roughly cut the veggies into chunks about the same size as the pasta you've chosen. We almost always have penne rigati or rigatoni, and I like to keep everything in the dish as uniform in size as possible.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a handful of salt and the pasta. Cook according to the al dente timing on the box.

In a large pan over medium heat, saute onions and garlic in EVOO until soft. Add sweet potato and cook until it begins to slightly soften. Add the corn, zucchini, and red pepper flakes. Continue to saute veggies until all are heated through and slightly softened, not mushy.

After your pasta is cooked and drained, return it to the large pot. Pour the veggies and pesto over the pasta, toss to combine. Top with any grated/shredded cheese you've got on hand.


Pesto

herbs from your best friend's garden (we had a large fistful each of parsley and chives)
2 cloves garlic
small handful of raw walnuts
salt, pepper, EVOO
splash of cream

You can make this ahead of time if you must, but part of what makes this pesto so great is that it's fresh. This is "throw together pesto" - so you're using what's on hand...NOT going to the store to buy pignoli (pine nuts) or spending $5 on basil because it's not fully grown into your garden yet.

I used my rocket blender to make this, but feel free to utilize your food processor or full size blender. Stuff the herbs into the blender, add raw garlic, walnuts, and about 2 tbsp. olive oil. Pulse pesto until it isn't moving anymore - now you need to add more EVOO. If you have a regular full size blender or a large food processor, you can stream in the oil, otherwise, you will have to stop, add more, check it, and repeat until you get the right consistency. Once the pesto is fully combined, add a lovely splash of cream to loosen it up a bit more and make it a bit richer.

Variaions
-If you want this meal to be vegan, just omit the cream in the pesto and don't top your pasta with cheese
-If you want this meal to fall into a raw diet, steam all the veggies and serve over quinoa, smothered with pesto (since it's a raw sauce)


This pasta turned out great. Kristi and I loved the kick from the red pepper on the veggies and the raw garlic in the pesto. The sweet potato added a lot of body to the dish, the corn added crunchy freshness, and the zucchini was a bright pop of color and clean flavor. You could add curry powder in place of the red pepper if you wanted to give it an Indian twist - curry would mesh really well with the sweet potato.

The point of my throw-together pastas is to try new combinations and not let anything go to waste. Basically, incorporate all your leftover meats and veggies, and make up a sauce that works. If you know the methods for simple sauces, you can create anything you want based on what's in your pantry. I've got another version waiting in the wings (hey, I make it a lot!) so keep your eyes peeled.

Creamy Corn & Shrimp Risotto

It's been quite some time since I made risotto, despite it being one of my favorite comfort foods. Tonight, I was definitely in the mood for some major comforting. Even though my menu plan read "Cream of Broccoli Soup" for tonight, I had to switch it up to make myself happy. I still made the soup, which Andrew ate for dinner, so now I have tons of leftovers!

Creamy Corn & Shrimp Risotto

1-1/4 c arborio rice

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. butter

4 c chicken stock

3/4 bag frozen corn (equals about 12 ounces)

1/2 c. cream (I used fat-free Half & Half)

12+ cooked cocktail shrimp, peeled and cut into thirds

fresh parsley, chopped

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add chopped onions and cook until they begin to soften. Stir in garlic and butter. Salt onions and garlic and allow to cook until onions are translucent. Add rice to the pot and stir to coat in oil and butter. Toast approximately five minutes prior to adding any liquid - this really brings out the flavor of the rice.

In the meantime, bring 4 cups of chicken stock to a simmer on another burner:

I set my stove up as above, with the chicken stock behind the rice pot. Off to the right, I put my spoon rest. I use a 1/2 cup measuring cup to move stock from the back pot to the front, then set it on the spoon rest when I'm not using it.

Begin by ladling 1/2 cup of chicken stock into the rice. Stir the mixture, then allow the rice to absorb the liquid before ladling in the next 1/2 cup. If you have a good white wine on hand, feel free to substiute one cup of white wine for the first cup of chicken stock. The rice will absorb the wine and take on a more intense flavor.

When you have about a cup of stock left, stir in the frozen corn with the final cup of liquid. Once this round is fully absorbed, stir in cream and shrimp. Salt & pepper to taste, and garnish with fresh parsley.

This risotto came out soooo good. The rice was creamy, the corn was crunchy and delicious, the shrimp were perfectly cooked, and the parsley added a beautiful bright freshness to my bowl. I would definitely make this again. The only bummer was that I didn't have more shrimp! Risotto can easily become a main course when you add meat and vegetables to it, so don't be afraid to experiment.

Ciao Italia - The Feast of the Assumption

One of my very best friends came to visit me the weekend of August 14-17. Erin and I have been close since high school, and she is the first of my Connecticut friends to make the trek out since I moved to Ohio. Erin’s visit coincided with the Feast of the Assumption – always a time for celebration in Little Italy’s all over the country, and Cleveland is no exception. During the four day “Feast”, over 100,000 people travel to Cleveland’s Little Italy to pray, shop, and EAT. They close Murray Hill for the duration of the four days, and all the local restaurants set up tables lining the avenue.

We went to the Feast on Friday night, and feast we did. Before we met up with the rest of our party, I had devoured a bowl of penne pesto and Erin had eaten a bowl of cavatelli marinara. We met up with Ann, Vern, Jimmy, and Katelynn, and proceeded to Feast! While Erin and I took a breather, Jimmy chowed down on a lamb wrap, Katelynn balanced a huge bowl of pasta with meatballs, and Andrew and Vern went in search of sausage sandwiches, but changed their mind when they saw the stromboli tent. Andrew, Ann, and Vern opted for the strombolis – by far the longest line at the Feast – beautiful “stuffed sandwiches” made from dough wrapped around various toppings. The guys took a break to smoke cigars while us girls ventured into some of the galleries and little shops lining the street.

I am a huge fan of corn on the cob, as anyone who knows me can attest, so I jumped at the chance to wolf down an ear of roasted corn. It was perfectly buttered and salted by a man who, when I apologized for having to break a $20 on a $3 ear of corn, told me “Being beautiful means never having to say you’re sorry”.



Ann and Erin were thrilled with their waffle ice cream sandwiches – two Belgian waffles stuffed with a brick of delicious vanilla ice cream – and Jimmy and Katelynn opted for a gigantic elephant ear. On the way out, we indulged in gelato – I chose lemon, Erin picked raspberry, and Katelynn opted for the watermelon. Homemade gelato is getting easier to come by as it gains popularity in the US, but this was some of the best gelato I've come across.



It was great fun to show Erin around Little Italy...all in all, the Feast was a fab time, as usual. It’s always a crazy crush of people, difficult parking, and scary toilets, but the food makes it worth the trip!

Chipotle Pretzel Chicken with Southwest Corn Saute

One thing I will say for myself is that I am inventive! When it comes to pulling together dinner with very little direction, I can usually come up with something delicious. All I knew I wanted for dinner tonight was chicken, so I thawed two boneless skinless breasts. I didn't want to do another herb rub, so I thought I'd bread them, but I wasn't too keen on typical bread crumbs. I spied a bag of pretzel rods in the cabinet, and my recipe developed from there.





Chipotle Pretzel Chicken

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 pretzel rods, crushed
1 tbsp. chipotle seasoning
1 tbsp. Adobo seasoning
2 tbsp. dried minced onions


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix all ingredients (excluding the chicken breasts) on a small plate. Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry with paper towel. Rub chicken breasts with olive oil and dip in the pretzel "breading" mixture. Press the pretzel crumbs into the chicken if they do not properly adhere. Place on baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.


This was an experiment that turned out very well. The pretzels created a great crunchy texture, and the chipotle gave the chicken a big kick. If you don't care for the spice, you could easily reduce or eliminate the chipotle.



Southwest Corn Saute

crushed red pepper flakes
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 tbsp. Adobo seasoning
1 bag frozen corn
olive oil


Lightly coat the bottom of a medium saute pan with olive oil over medium high heat. Add red pepper flakes and let simmer for 2-3 minutes to infuse the oil with pepper. Add onions and saute until translucent. Add garlic and Adobo seasoning and cook until garlic is soft. Without defrosting, add corn to pan and cook until fully heated through.




The lingering heat from the chipotle was enhanced by the salty crunch of the pretzel coating. The spice was unexpected, but delicious. The corn saute is a favorite of mine - I love to use frozen vegetables in creative ways. I served the chicken on a bed of wild rice pilaf, framed by the corn saute. The mild rice was a nice backdrop to the spiciness of the other foods. The low heat from the chicken and the spicy heat of the corn were well balanced by this simple rice side. This was easy to put together, impressive in looks and flavor, and definitely something different to do with chicken!