The Charmed Kitchen

Stir Fry Soup

I wanted vegetable soup the other day and as I looked at the veggies on hand- most of them were veggies I would normally use in a stir fry. I ended up making a stir fry with the veggies then adding stock just before serving to turn it into a soup. I don’t know why I never thought to do this before. It was really tasty. The veggies were still crisp, but by stir frying them first they had the wonderful flavor of being sauteed. I finished the soup off with a drizzle of sesame oil and some chopped green onions.

Stir Fry Soup

2 T. oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and sliced

8 oz. pea pods, trimmed and chopped

4 mini sweet peppers, seeded and sliced

4 c. stock- I used chicken- but use what you like

soy sauce to taste

hot pepper sauce to taste

sesame oil

1/4 c. chopped green onions

In soup pot or wok stir fry the onion in oil until browned. Add carrots and stir fry a few minutes longer. Add pea pods and peppers and continue to stir fry until tender-crisp. Add stock and bring to a boil. Adjust seasonings and add sesame oil and green onions right before serving. Serves 4.

Brussels Sprouts Truffles

I have been thinking of making these for some time now. I think these truffles would be a charming thing to serve for garden parties or as a gift for any of the gardeners in your life. Nice for the chocolate lovers, too. Just the right size for a perfect bite of rich truffle. I made my truffle recipe and put it in the fridge to firm up. The recipe follows. Then I took some of the larger outer leaves off Brussels sprouts. I trimmed the bottoms off to make peeling of the leaves easier. You’ll need two leaves for each truffle so be sure to have plenty. I had about 60. I wiped the leaves clean and then melted several ounces of chocolate. I used a pastry brush to brush the insides of the Brussels sprout leaves with the melted chocolate. Once the chocolate had hardened I gently peeled off the leaves and discarded them. Since the leaves were different sizes I rolled out portions of the truffles that would fit the size of the leaves I was using. I pressed the truffle mixture in one leaf and then placed another leaf, of similar size, over the filling.  Normally I would roll the truffles in cocoa powder- but in this case, I didn’t. I wanted the truffles to stick to the leaves and leaving them plain seemed like the best way to do that.  The end result was very cute. Store in fridge until ready to serve.

Chocolate Truffles

1/3 c. Whipping cream

6 T. butter, cut into small pieces

2 c. chocolate chips- or 12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, grated or chopped coarsely

Unsweetened cocoa

Heat cream to boiling in small saucepan. Stir in butter and cook until melted. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate until melted. Place in shallow bowl and chill until firm, at least a couple of hours. Roll mixture into 1-inch balls and roll in cocoa. Sometimes the mixture is quite firm and hard to roll into perfectly smooth balls. You can roll them out as smooth as you can, roll in cocoa and then roll again to smooth out. You might want to give them another roll in the cocoa after that.  Makes about 30.

Leaves painted with chocolate

Peel leaves off gently once chocolate has hardened.

Place truffle filling in a chocolate “leaf” and top with another leaf.

Dill Cucumber Salad

I was having a lamb dinner with a friend last night and wanted a nice, light side dish. A salad, for sure, but I wasn’t in the mood for a tossed salad. I had a couple of cucumbers so I decided to use them. I used a mix of vinegar, oil, salt, sugar and dill. By mixing the salad a few hours before dinner the cucumbers become a sort of fresh pickle. The nice thing about a salad like this is that it keeps fresh and tasty for days. I even like to drain the cucumbers and add them to a sandwich, like a pickle.

Dill Cucumber Salad 

2 English cucumbers, sliced thin

2/3 c. cider vinegar

1/3 c. oil

2 T. sugar

2 t. salt

1 t. dill weed- I used dried- use about 1 tablespoon if using fresh

1 t. parsley

Fresh ground pepper and hot sauce to taste

Place cucumbers in a bowl and set aside. Combine remaining ingredients in another bowl and mix well. Pour over the cucumbers and mix together. Chill salad several hours before serving. Serves 6.

Chocolate Mint Scones

I had gotten some strawberries at the market and wanted to use them in a dessert. Shortcakes seemed like a great idea. I was going to just make a simple biscuit, but looked around at what I had and came up with these minty chocolate scones. I used baking mix- like Bisquick- but I use a home made mix. I also had some sour cream so used that in the dough. The chocolate mint part came from a bag of Andes chocolate chips. These are just like the Andes candies, but in chip form. I have used them to make cookies before and had just enough left in the bag for the scones. The scones are very tender and flaky. Let them cool completely before trying to slice for shortcakes.

Chocolate Mint Scones

1 c. baking mix- like Jiffy Mix or Bisquick- I used homemade

1/2 c. sour cream

1 egg

1/2 c. Andes chocolate mint chips

sugar for sprinkling

In small bowl place the baking mix. In another bowl mix together the sour cream and egg. Mix into the baking mix, along with the chips and stir until mixture turns into a soft dough. On lightly floured surface press the dough into an 8-inch square. Cut in half- then cut across in half again- you’ll have 4 squares. Cut diagonally across each square to form 8 triangles. Place triangles of dough onto ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with a little sugar. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Don’t over bake. Cool on wire rack. Makes 8.

Cut dough into 8 wedges

place on baking sheet

Bake until golden brown

Fig Kolachy

I have fond memories of making these delicate cookies with my Mother. I still make them. I normally fill them with cherry pie filling but have also filled them with blueberry, apple and nut fillings. I wanted to try something different for class last night so I used fig jam for the filling. I made my own, but you could use store bought, if you prefer. You can also finish off the cookies with a light dusting of powdered sugar, if you like.

Fig Kolachy

Dough

3 sticks butter

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 cups flour

Fig Jam– recipe follows

Powdered sugar, optional

Mix dough ingredients together and chill well before using.

Roll out chilled dough into squares or circles. Spoon a little fig filling into the center and pinch 2 ends or corners together. Bake in 350-degree oven for about 12 minutes, or until golden on edges. Cool and dust with powdered sugar. Makes 4-5 dozen.

Fig Jam

1 lb. dried figs
2 c. water
1-2 c. sugar- I used 1 cup, but use according to your taste
Zest of 2 lemons
2 t. cinnamon
Chop up figs and place in saucepan with the water and cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Add sugar, zest and cinnamon and cook until thickened, about 20 minutes. Stir often to prevent sticking. Puree mixture and set aside to cool.

Blueberry Chef Salad

I have really been craving salads lately. Sometimes just having a tossed salad to start dinner is enough. Other times- I want dinner to be the salad. This is one of those salads that is a meal all on its own. Made with fresh or frozen blueberries it is one of my favorites. The dressing is a creamy honey French dressing which pairs beautifully with the berries. I topped mine off with cashews, but you could add croutons if you like.

Blueberry Chef Salad

Dressing:

1/3 c. honey

1/4 c. white wine vinegar or cider vinegar

1 t. paprika

1 t. dry mustard

1/4 t. salt

1/2 c. olive oil

3 cups blueberries

Salad:

6 c. torn salad greens

12 oz. cooked chicken, turkey, ham etc, cut into strips

1 c. cubed cheese

1/2 c. cashews

In blender, combine first five ingredients and start running machine on high. Add oil in a slow stream until mixture becomes thickened. Pour into bowl and stir in berries and chill, several hours if you can. When ready to serve arrange greens on one large platter or on smaller salad plates. Arrange meat and cheese on platter or plates. Spoon over the dressing and cashews then serve. Serves 4-6.

Hummus with Greek Olives

My friend, Jared, was the one who first suggested I add olives to my hummus. Like me, he likes “regular” hummus, too. The addition of olives adds another layer of flavor. Salty, briny and that unique olive taste. Makes sense when you think about it. You are already adding olive oil to hummus, why not add olives, too?  I have a big jar of Kalamata olives (thanks, Costco), so I have been looking for ways to use them.

Hummus with Greek Olives

1 can garbanzo beans, drained- or about 2 c. cooked garbanzos

1 c. Greek olives, drained, pitted and chopped

1/4 c. olive oil

2 T. lemon juice

2 T. tahini (sesame seed paste)

2 cloves garlic

salt and hot pepper sauce to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Adjust seasonings. Chill. Serve with pita bread, crackers or fresh vegetables. Also nice spread in a pita bread with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce. Freezes well.

Cookie Pops

These are a fun and easy dessert to make with kids. Great when you don’t have the time to bake, either. I used white “chocolate” discs, but you can use real chocolate, too.

All you need are vanilla wafers, peanut butter or frosting to stick the cookies together, Popsicle sticks, some sort of chocolate you can melt and candies to decorate. After that it’s pretty easy.  Dip the end of a stick into the peanut butter. Press 2 cookies together on the end of the stick. Press firmly. Melt the chocolate- I used a glass bowl in the microwave,but be careful not to burn the chocolate. Dip the cookies into the melted chocolate until covered. Allow excess to drip off.  Place cookies on wax paper. Decorate your “pops” to look like flowers- I used M&M’s. Allow them to dry/cool then you can just peel them off the wax paper.

You can get M&M’s in so many colors, the “chocolate” discs, too, that color combinations are pretty limitless. You can make them for different holidays or in school colors. Nice to make in hot weather, too, since there is no baking. If there are nut allergies to consider use frosting to stick the cookies together.

Use peanut butter to hold the cookies together

Press together two cookies

Dip in melted chocolate. I used white “chocolate”.

Decorate with candies while chocolate is still soft.

Pear, Feta and Bacon Salad

I love pairing fruits with salty and smoky flavors. In this dish, some beautifully ripe pears were combined with feta cheese and a little bacon.  Adding toasted nuts and a simple dressing finished the salad off so well. This can make a nice lunch  or perhaps a first course at dinner time.

Pear, Feta and Bacon Salad

8- 10 cups mixed salad greens, washed, dried and torn into bite-sized pieces
3 ripe pears, cored and sliced thin
¾ c. crumbled feta cheese
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
½ c. toasted walnuts, but other nuts can be used
5 T. cider vinegar
½ c. oil
Fresh chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
In large bowl place greens. Add pears, feta bacon and nuts. Combine remaining ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake well. Toss over greens and divide into serving dishes. Serves 6-8.

Cauliflower and Broccoli Salad

After a winter of soups and stews I find myself really wanting more salads these days. With the first full day of Spring here, it seemed a good time to share this recipe with you. I make broccoli salad pretty often, but sometimes like to switch it up a little by adding cauliflower. The result is  a salad that has a great mixed of flavors, colors  and textures. The addition of bacon also adds a wonderful smoky flavor. Certainly, feel free to omit the bacon for a vegetarian salad. With or without the bacon, this is a great salad for the warmer days ahead.

Cauliflower and Broccoli Salad

1 small head cauliflower, trimmed and broken into bite- sized pieces

2 broccoli crowns, cut into bite- sized pieces

1 sweet pepper, seeded and chopped

1 c. shredded cheese- I used a sharp cheddar

8- 10 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped

1/2 cup of mayo – or more according to your taste

salt and pepper to taste

Steam the cauliflower and broccoli until just tender/crisp. About 5 minutes in a microwave steamer, 6 minutes in a conventional steamer. Place in a bowl to cool down then combine with remaining ingredients and stir to combine well. Adjust seasonings, if needed. Serves 6-8.