It’s going to be another chilly January day. The wind is howling through the backyard, banging the playhouse shutters, rearranging outdoor furniture and reminding me that I may have one too many sets of wind chimes out there. This is the perfect day for homemade soup! My favorite combination is a bowl of tomato soup paired with a grilled cheese sandwich. Such a comforting meal and both can be made extra special with these homemade recipes. For tonight’s dinner I’ll be making a super easy tomato soup that has several dimensions of flavor. No canned soup can compare and because it’s made with common ingredients it’s quick and easy. My favorite grilled cheese bread is made with V-8 vegetable juice. It does require a bit of time for mixing and rising, but the flavor is outstanding plain or in a sandwich. Brighten this winter with soups that warm the heart as well as the tummy!

Homemade Tomato Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped bell peppers

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 (15oz) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes

1 (15oz) can tomato sauce

2 cups chicken stock

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon sugar (optional)



Heat the olive oil over med heat. Add onions, bell pepper, celery and sauté until soft (7-10 minutes). Add tomatoes, sauce, chicken stock, bay leaf, salt, pepper and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. If soup is too thick, add water to desired consistency. Total time: 30 minutes

Serves 4



V-8 Bread

2 cups V-8 vegetable juice

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon basil, scant

1 teaspoon oregano, scant

1/4 cup ketchup

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

1/4 cup warm water

1 (2-1/4 teaspoons) package yeast

7 cups all-purpose flour



In small bowl, combine warm water and yeast. Set aside. Heat V-8 Juice and butter until butter is melted. Add sugar, salt, herbs, ketchup, and cheese. Cool to lukewarm. In large bowl (I use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment) measure 3 cups of flour then add yeast mixture and lukewarm tomato mixture. Beat until smooth. Gradually add more flour (approx. 4 cups) until you have soft, workable dough. Knead 8 to 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled (1 1/2 hours). Punch dough down and divide in half. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Shape into two loaves and place in well greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled again (1 hour). Bake at 350° for 25 to 35 minutes.

Yield: 2 loaves

Blue Moon





This New Year's Eve was a special one for me. It's special for a couple reasons, actually. I'll admit that I'm not the horn-blowing, champagne-clinking, fella-smoochin' type. I rarely stay up late enough to see Dick Clark do the countdown. In fact, the last time I rang-in the New Year was for the millennium. Although I was not prepared for the Y2K catastrophe, I felt the need to stay awake for one if it should happen.

This year, ten years later, I began to get excited about having some drinks & ringing in the New Year for real. 2009 wasn't a good year for us financially & I was really ready to say goodbye to it. We spent the evening with good family friends, eating steak & shrimp, drinking happy drinks, playing Rock Band, singing bad karaoke (although I began to sound better as the night waned on), blowing horns, throwing confetti & counting down.

The other reason this year was special was because there was a blue moon.
The second full moon in a month is called a blue moon. December 31, 2009's blue moon was coupled with a partial lunar eclipse & the next time a blue moon will fall on a New Year's Eve will be in the year 2028. At that time a full lunar eclipse will occur. I'm usually an Absolut vodka gal, but in this case I needed to bring a gluten free vodka. Amazingly, I found a gluten free vodka made right here in Idaho out of our famous Idaho russet potatoes.
To celebrate, I made & enjoyed a version of a drink from Blue Ice American Vodka. The original recipe is called a Blue Ghost but I changed it up a bit & renamed it to fit the occasion. This drink is smooth & so beautiful! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!


Blue Moon Special
1 1/4 ounces blue ice american vodka
1 ounce blue curacao
4 ounces Sprite (or 7-Up)
1 lime (a squeeze for drink & a slice for garnish)
1/2 cup crushed ice

Fill a 6-8 oz glass with crushed ice.
Add vodka, Curacao & soda.
Give the lime a squeeze over the drink.
Garnish with a slice of lime & serve.

For the love of honey... or, I can Can-Can!

Maybe it's coming from a crafty family, or just me, but I've always loved homemade gifts. As a kid I enjoyed them but I'm not sure I really appreciated them properly until I started making them myself. Of course, some of the best homemade gifts are edible. So when I came across a recipe called Love Honey, I knew it would make a great gift.

I've always wanted to learn how to can and preserve my own food. There's just been one little thing holding me back...I'm scared. Scared of the equipment, scared of the hot water and most of all I’m scared of glass jars exploding in hot water! Luckily, this recipe did not require anything but a jar with a screw-top lid. We went right to the store so I could purchase the required jars and get started. The choosing of the jars was a little more complicated than I had imagined. We found two styles that seemed small enough, based on the fact that one recipe makes one cup of honey, and both pretty in their own way. Since I photograph everything and want the product to show through the glass, we opted for the smooth-glass with an interesting shape instead of the fancier etched glass jar.

Upon returning home and opening the package of jars to sterilize them I realized, with extreme horror, that we'd accidentally bought jars that don't have screw on lids, but actual canning lids! It was late at night (when all my good ideas come to me... like painting the kitchen purple) and I'd already torn off the cardboard box, so now I felt obligated to use them. The torn packaging, when pieced back together, had minimal instructions for the canning process.

A couple years ago I came across a recipe for Banoffee Pie. I love the holiday movie, set in Great Britain, titled Love Actually. And in it there is a scene about banoffee pie. I wonder every time I see it just what is banoffee pie? Well, here it was and I almost felt silly when I found out it was simply banana and toffee. I had to make it, of course. I remember making toffee in high school Spanish by boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk on a hotplate so I figured this would be just as simple. Well, it is when you don't forget about the 4 cans on the stove. Apparently, it's like running your car without replenishing the oil. When you let all the water boil out you get exploding cans. They didn't spray all over the kitchen, but were horribly disfigured and I was only able to get enough caramel out of the three I could open (scraping around the blackened areas) to make one of the two pies. My favorite large pot, in breast cancer pink, was ruined. The pie tasted amazing, so all was not lost, but the fear of ruining another pot was something that dawned on me now as I stared at these canning jars.

I've already spent many hours online researching canning methods, recipes, rules and especially the dangers, so I felt more or less the same about doing it as I had in the past. The difference now was I had the jars and the product sitting in front of me. I didn't have the canning pot or the special tongs but even so, I decided it was time to face my fears and finish what I'd started.

I winged it according to the simple instructions on the box and using my largest non-stick Dutch oven for the boiling water bath. The most trouble I had was not having tongs that would grip the wide mouthed, 2-inch tall jars. I used two pancake spatulas to pick up and lift (juggle) the jars out of the boiling water. I don't recommend this method however, it worked.

According to the recipe we now leave the honey to cure for three or four weeks. Luckily, my math skills are far below my writing skills so we ended up with at least two and a half cups of honey leftover after filling the four canning jars. This I poured over a double batch of spices in an old pasta sauce jar and planned on keeping and testing myself. The honey has become my number one favorite flavoring in everything from oatmeal to coffee (instead of cream and sugar). I can't wait until Christmas so I can get the reactions of my family. The flavor seems to mellow as it cures, but it comes on sweet followed by a potpourri of holiday spices and then finishes with a perfectly melded flavor.
This recipe is so easy but is really something special. I hope you give it a try!

UPDATE: 1/14/2010
Email from a friend: "I really liked the honey. I had it on my oatmeal and it had just the right amount of sweetness and the spices were mellow and not overwhelming, a lovely blend of both sweet and spice. When things are too spicy I get heartburn, but this didn't come close. I'm still looking forward to toast with it."

It's called stuffing for one reason....

There are many discussions on the internet as to whether it's called stuffing or dressing, but as I read through the histories and opinions of each author I formed a theory of my own. It's called stuffing because I can't help but stuff myself with it. Sure, I'll have a bite of turkey on my plate, some mashed potatoes and gravy, maybe even some veggies, but those are all just for show. If it wouldn't look strange, I'd just leave the bird frozen and serve up stuffing every year. I've never actually felt the desire to call it dressing either. I'm sure it's all in how we're raised, tomato/tomatoe, but even so, I can't recall one time when I've seen anyone lean back from the table, loosen their waistband and happily sigh, "Ah, I'm dressed!"
When I was young I loved the holidays at grandma and grandpa’s house. Grandma made the best stuffing ever! Until I found out what it was made of. I know a gizzard and a few kidneys shouldn't change my opinion of it but I've got a squeamish side. I wasn’t about to give up on my stuffing habit though, so I went on the search for a perfectly turkey-less turkey stuffing. After several years of acceptable, but similar, recipes I found one in the Christmas 1997 issue of the Taste of Home magazine. Over the years it has evolved into my version below, which has become a staple on our holiday table. Don’t be afraid of the rye bread. The 3 to 1 ratio of light to dark rye creates a balance that doesn’t overpower the dish, it’s just enough that friends and family recognize it as something extra special you've done with your stuffing. Feel free to substitute all light rye if the dark is too strong for your family’s tastes and any apple is fine, but I personally prefer the crunch and tartness of the granny smith. It has lots of flavor, lots of texture and is good stuffed or baked alongside the turkey. I hope you enjoy this as much as my friends and family do!

Rye Bread Stuffing
1 lb day-old light rye bread, cubed
1/2 lb day-old dark rye bread, cubed
1 lb Jimmy Dean brand sage flavored sausage
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 large granny smith apples, peeled and chopped
1 cup chopped celery
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh minced Italian parsley (or dried parsley flakes)
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons rubbed sage
3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3-3 1/2 cups chicken broth

Instructions: Toss bread cubes in a large bowl. In a skillet, cook and crumble sausage just until cooked through. Remove to paper towels to drain. To same skillet, add onion, apples, celery, garlic and butter. Saute until apples and vegetables are tender. Add both the onion mixture and sausage to bread. Add nuts (if desired), seasonings and enough broth to moisten. Cover and refrigerate until ready to bake; stuff turkey just before baking. Bake any additional stuffing separately in a greased 2 quart casserole dish. Or bake all stuffing separately in a greased 13x9x2 baking dish. To bake stuffing separately, place in greased dish, cover and bake at 325 degrees for one hour; uncover and bake for 10 minutes longer.
Serves 10-12 (11 cups of stuffing)
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 70 minutes

Well, it's October again and that means its breast cancer awareness month. No doubt we've all been affected by cancer in some way. I've lost two friends, one in real life (Dec 2005) and one online (Oct 2009) to breast cancer. I don't want this to feel like a depressing column though. Both of these women were positive about their fate and honest about their experiences. They found a way to let others into their hearts to share the laughing, smiling or crying. Simond and Ellie will be greatly missed but the marks they made on our hearts will always be with us.

Every October on Recipezaar we tag recipes to make that have the word pink in the title or contain a pink ingredient. I've made several already and have another 5 to go.... for now. I'm sure I'll keep tagging more recipes throughout the month but we definitely started off with some real treats. We had a drink to toast the courageous women who battle this disease every day and a bright and cheerfully unique cheesecake.

Pink Daiquiris



Pink Lemonade Cheesecake

Taking Food For Granted…?

Yeah, I’m guilty. There are some foods that I give very little thought to. They seem so common or ordinary that my mind never stops to give them their proper due. I’ve realized that tacos are one of those foods. On just about every major intersection you can find a taco restaurant and mobile taco stands (trucks), or taqueria, are frequently seen in parking lots around town; always busy during the lunch hour.

I remember late one night during high school when my friends and I drove through a taco restaurant. I ordered the craze of the moment for all four of us; BLT soft tacos. It was a genius idea; a soft flour tortilla wrapped around crunchy fresh lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese and crispy fried bacon pieces all smothered in a ranch dressing. We’d been eating them nearly every day since they were introduced, hoping to contribute to sales enough that the taco chain would make them a regular menu item. We’d spent the evening at a football game and dance and were really ready to dig in. Until out of the loudspeaker, the words you never expect to hear at a taco joint… “I’m sorry, but we’re out of cheese.” There is nothing like a crazed taco fan that has just been told she can’t have them. I politely… okay, sarcastically (I was a teenager, after all)pointed out that there was an Albertson’s right across the street and that I was pretty sure they’d have cheese in stock. Amazingly, this tactic did not get us BLT tacos and shortly thereafter they were discontinued. When I look back I see this incident should have been the beginning of my taco reverence, but it wasn’t going to happen for another 20 plus years.

Last month we were preparing for my daughter’s third birthday and for family to be in town for two weeks. We’d been eating some quick and easy meals for several days while getting the house and party stuff ready, including tacos, but the night before everyone was to arrive I really needed to clean out the refrigerator to make room for the food we’d be buying the next day. While tossing miscellaneous food items from the fridge I realized I still had a lot of taco fixin’s. The recipe I’m sharing with you today is the result of cleaning out the fridge, but not wanting my family to know that’s what I was feeding them. I found a can of black beans in the pantry, a container of tomato sauce where I’d only needed two tablespoons from the can for a previous recipe (it hadn’t been frozen in ice cube trays yet) and the last remaining chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. Chipotle peppers start out as jalapenos but after being dried and smoked they become less spicy and provide a rich, smoky-sweet flavor to your recipes. It doesn’t take much chipotle to jazz up the same old soup or stew and I usually open a can and store the leftovers in the fridge in a small recycled maraschino cherry jar. The resulting recipe garnered rave reviews and gave me a new appreciation for the taco. They’re quick, convenient, versatile and delicious. It’s no wonder humans have been filling tortillas with everything from eggs to fish for centuries. I hope you enjoy these delicious, protein-packed tacos as much as we did and feel free to change up the meat to cooked and shredded pork, chicken or turkey and the veggies to whatever is on hand.

Tink's Spicy Beef & Black Bean Tacos
1/2 head lettuce, shredded
2 carrots, shredded
1/4 head purple cabbage, shredded
4 green onions, sliced into 1/4 sections on the diagonal
1 lb ground beef (I use lean chuck roast that I grind up into hamburger)
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 cup white onions, diced
1 chipotle chile in adobo, diced
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
6-8 tortillas (I use tomato and basil flavored but flour tortillas were fine too)
sour cream (optional)
cheese, shredded (I used pre-shredded Mexican 4-cheese blend)

Directions:
1) In large bowl, toss together lettuce, carrots, green onions and cabbage. Set aside.
2) Brown beef in skillet until almost no pink remains and drain grease (if needed). 3) Add garlic, onion and chipotle chili. Cook and stir until no pink remains in beef.
4) Add tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, salt and black beans. Stir to combine and simmer until heated through.
5) Warm the tortillas between paper towels or in tortilla warmer in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
6) Top tortillas with sour cream, salad mixture, cheese, beef and bean mixture; fold and enjoy!
Serves 4-6
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

One of my fondest memories growing up is the reaction my best friend had about my mom's fried rice. She was so addicted to it she would randomly request that mom make some. I have been craving it lately but knowing that it needs to be done with "yesterday's" leftover rice gets me every time. (If fresh rice is used it will stick together in a mushy mess instead of separating out into individual dry pieces.) Well, as luck would have it I spaced when making rice a few nights ago & instead of loading the rice cooker with 2 cups rice & 4 cups water I put in 4 cups of both! So I added another 4 cups of water & wow... that was a lot of leftover rice! So, last night I combined what I could remember of mom's fried rice with what I had on hand & my family loved it. We ate this for a main meal but usually it's served as a side. The first bite I took really did take me back 25 years! I hope you enjoy it too! :)


Fried Rice with Bacon (Oriental Style)

1 lb bacon
4 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
salt & pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 minced garlic cloves (or to taste)
6 green onions, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces on a diagonal (5 for stir fry & 1 for garnish)
1/2 cup carrots (pre-shredded or 1-2 carrots finely diced)
3/4 cup frozen mixed vegetables (the small diced size)
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granule (I used a leftover packet of chicken flavored seasoning from Ramen noodles as well as 1/2 packet of the chili flavor)
2 tablespoons water
5 cups cooked rice (brown or white, but be sure it's refrigerated till cold)
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
3 teaspoons sesame oil

Trim most of the fat from bacon & chop meat into bite-sized pieces. Fry in large skillet until almost crisp. With slotted spoon, remove to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Set aside. Leave 1 teaspoon (or less) of the bacon grease in pan but wipe out any more than that & reduce heat to medium low.
Lightly beat eggs, milk, salt & pepper together, then add to hot pan & scramble. Breaking up into small, 1/2 inch or so, sized pieces & cook til dried but not browned. Remove to small bowl & set aside.
To pan, add olive oil, garlic, 5 of the sliced onions, shredded carrot & frozen veggies. Stir fry for about 2 minutes.
Sprinkle bouillon (or packets) over veggies then add the 2 Tablespoons water & stir to dissolve.
To pan, add rice, soy sauce & sesame oil. Stir fry for about 3 minutes or until rice is evenly coated with the soy sauce.
Stir in bacon pieces.
Gently stir in scrambled egg.
Garnish with last sliced green onion.
Serve with additional soy sauce, sesame oil or chili oil.

Makes 4 main dishes or 6 side dishes.
15 minutes prep
30 minutes cooking