Soup and Salad

When it's cold outside, I think soup makes a great dinner. For a quick meal, soup and salad or soup and sandwiches are great. I recently tried this recipe for Pasta Fagioli that I found in Cooking Light. It has a good flavor and it's quick to make. It's also fairly low in fat (only 9.2 grams of fat per serving) and calories (319 per serving), so that's even better!

I substituted turkey sausage for the chicken sausage and I cut back on the cheese some as well.

Pasta Fagioli Soup

12 ounces chicken sausage, halved and sliced
3 cups fat free, less sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup uncooked small seashell pasta
2 cups coarsely chopped zucchini (about 2 zucchini)
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) shredded Asiago cheese

Heat a large saucepan over high heat. Add sausage; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add broth and pasta; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 4 minutes. Add zucchini and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. Stir in basil, oregano and beans; cover and simmer for 3 minutes or until pasta and zucchini are tender. Sprinkle with cheese.

Mac and Cheese

I really enjoy a good sized helping of homemade macaroni and cheese from time to time. I like the mac and cheese at Boston Market -- it's very cheesey and I like the rotini pasta they use. I recently found a recipe in the Kansas City Star for macaroni and cheese. I was a little surprised that it called for Dijon mustard, but it added a really good flavor. For two people, this recipe forced us to eat mac and cheese with various main courses for a week, so I might recommend cutting it in half unless you're cooking for a crowd.

Macaroni and Cheese

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup diced onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups low-fat milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
12 ounces extra-sharp aged white cheddar cheese, grated, divided
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
8 ounces cavatappi or other corkscrew-style pasta
2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Place oven rack in bottom third of oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In large saucepan on low heat, melt butter. Add onion and cook until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and cook, stirring about 1 minute; do not brown. Remove from heat and whisk in milk until thoroughly blended. Return to medium heat and cook, stirring, until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in mustard, 10 ounces grated cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg and hot pepper sauce.

Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain but do not rinse. Immediately stir into prepared cheese sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Spoon into 9x13-inch baking dish. Top with remaining 2 ounces grated cheddar cheese and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Bake about 30 minutes or until mixture is hot, bubbling throughout and golden on top.

Poaching

Several months back, I discovered the joys of poaching. I have now poached fish and chicken with multiple combinations of herbs and other seasonings on the stovetop. I really like poaching for fish in particular because there are numerous flavor options and it doesn't take much time at all.

I recently tried poaching in the oven, using a Rachael Ray recipe. It worked well and the fish was delicious. I omitted the cucumber relish in the recipe and simply served with steamed vegetables and rice.

Oven Poached Salmon a la Paige with Dill and
Vidalia Onion and Cucumber Relish

1 tablespoon cold butter
4 portions, 6 to 8 ounces each, salmon fillets
Salt and pepper
Several sprigs plus 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 cups chicken broth or water
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup white vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 small vidalia onion, chopped
1/2 seedless cucumber, chopped
2 radishes, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Rub the bottom of a shallow baking dish with cold butter. Arrange salmon in dish. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Add broth and a few sprigs of dill to the pan. Roast the fish 12 to 15 minutes.

Combine sugar, salt and vinegar in the bottom of a medium bowl. Add chopped onions, chopped cucumber and radishes. Sprinkle in 3 tablespoons chopped dill and toss the mixture to coat in vinegar, sugar and salt.

Remove fish from the oven. Spoon pan juices over fish and carefully transfer to individual plates or platter. Top fish with relish and serve.

From Rachael Ray, 30-Minute Meals, Food Network

Cookies

I like to make cookies, but I'm not big into cutting things out, frosting things or making anything that really requires a lot of labor. I usually make a batch or two of frosted sugar cookies each year and about halfway through the project, I remember why I don't like to make those type of cookies. I prefer the drop-and-bake style of cookies.

Here are two recipes for fairly simple cookies. I've made the Snicker Surprises a couple of times and they are easy to make and usually good for a cookie exchange or gifts. The Monster Cookies are new to me this year. I used this recipe and they came out tasting pretty good, but I have to admit the batter was a little odd, very dry. So much oatmeal...I might cut back in the future. If I could find another recipe for this type of cookie, I might try it instead but this one is definitely passable.

Snickers Surprises

2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 package Snickers Miniatures (13 ounces)

Combine the butter, peanut butter and sugars using a mixer on a medium to low speed until light and fluffy.

Slowly add eggs and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Then mix in flour, salt and baking soda. Cover and chill dough for 2 to 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Unwrap all Snickers. Remove dough from refrigerator. Shape about 1 tablespoon of dough around each candy. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Baking time may need to be adjusted if using more than 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie.

Let cookies cool on baking rack.

Monster Cookies

3 eggs
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 12-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup multi-colored chocolate candies (M&M's)
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup raisins
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.

In large mixing bowl, combine eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter and butter. Mix well. Stir in chocolate candies, chocolate chips, raisins, baking soda and oatmeal. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let stand for about 3 three minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool.

Chicken Pot Pie

One of my favorite "comfort foods" is chicken pot pie. I've seen several recipes for it, but they all seemed more labor intensive than suits me. This recipe from Ina Garten is for Chicken Stew with Biscuits. It reminds me a lot of a good pot pie, but with a fresher flavor due to the parsley.

I prepared this omitting the peas and the whole small onions. I think you get plenty of onion flavor from the two cups added in the outset, plus I don't really care for the flavor of small onions. I also used frozen, sliced carrots instead of fresh. It cut back on prep time and I think it tasted great. I am sure you could substitute store bought biscuits from the refrigerator case, but the homemade biscuits are really yummy.

Chicken Stew With Biscuits

3 whole (6 split chicken breasts -- bone in, skin on)
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 cups chicken stock -- preferably homemade
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 cups medium-diced carrots (4 carrots) -- blanched for 2 minutes
1 pkg frozen peas (2 cups)
1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

For the Biscuits
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 pound cold butter, unsalted -- diced
3/4 cup half and half
1/2 cup fresh parsley -- chopped
1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35-40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chickeninto large dice. You will have 4-6 cups of cubed chicken.

In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter andsaute the onions over med-low heat for 10-15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring until thick.

Add 2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and the heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken,carrots, peas, onions, and parsley. Mix well. Place the stew in a10x13x2 inch oval or rectangular baking dish. Place the baking dish on a sheet pan lined with parchment or wax paper.

Bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make the biscuits. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt,and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddleattachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter isthe size of peas. Add the half and half and combine on low speed. Mixin the parsley.Dump the dough out on a well-floured board and, with a rolling pin, roll out to 3/8 inch thick. Cut out 12 circles with a 2 1/2 inch roundcutter.Remove the stew from the oven and arrange the biscuits on top of thefilling. Brush them with egg wash, and return the dish to the oven.

Bake for another 20-30 minutes, until the biscuits are brown and the stew is bubbly.To make this in advance, refrigerate the chicken stew and biscuits seperately Bake the stew for 25 minutes, then place the biscuits on top and bake for another 30 minutes until done.

From Barefoot Contessa: Family Style by Ina Garten, Clarkson Potter, 2002

Brownies

I love sweets, but I've never been a big fan of brownies. Most of the brownies I've eaten have been thin and just a little too hard. I've tried a few different brownie recipes, hoping to find one that really "wowed" me. This recipe from my mother-in-law for Disappearing Marshmallow Brownies is one of the best I've tried. They are a chewy brownie (I prefer that) and the combo of butterscotch and chocolate is really delicious. I can verify that they disappear in no time at all.

Disappearing Marshmallow Brownies

1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg, beaten
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans In a large heavy saucepan, melt butterscotch chips with butter. Stir in flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, vanilla, and egg. Fold in pecans, marshmallows, and chocolate chips. Spread batter into a greased and floured 9-inch square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes. Do not overbake - center of brownies will still be soft and a little jiggly.