The Charmed Kitchen

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 you can also use frosting to stick the cookies together.

Peanut butter used to affix cookies

Press together firmly

Dipping the cookie

Setting up on wax paper until firm

Easy Chicken Florentine

I was asked last week about using leftovers. Someone suggested I do a class on using them up. As I went to make dinner tonight I saw some leftover cooked chicken and an open container of half and half so I decided to share with you what I did. Since the chicken was already cooked the cook time was really short. While cooking the pasta I prepped and cooked the rest of the dish- about 15-20 minutes in total.

Easy Chicken Florentine

1 onion, sliced

oil

3T. flour

1/2 c. half and half or milk

3/4-1  c. chicken stock

6 oz. fresh spinach- about 6 cups

6 oz. cooked chicken, sliced

salt and pepper to taste

hot pepper sauce

hot cooked pasta

While pasta is cooking saute onion in oil in skillet until lightly browned. Toss flour into onion mixture and stir to coat. Add half and half or milk and stock and cook, stirring until mixture comes to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook 1 minute longer. Add spinach and cook until spinach is just wilted. Add chicken and heat through, stirring occasionally. Season to taste. Drain pasta and place on serving dish or individual plates. Spoon over the spinach mixture and serve. Makes 2-3 servings.

Adding flour to onions

Cooking the sauce

Adding the chicken

Elderberry Spice Tea

Needing something to warm me up today so I decided to make some elderberry tea. Should really call it an Elderberry Spice Tea. I started with a couple of cups in water in a saucepan then added 1/2 cup of elderberry syrup, a cinnamon stick, some pieces of nutmeg, cloves, fennel seeds and a dash of cardamom. Let it come to a simmer and cooked it over low heat for 5 minutes. Strained it and ready to go. Super yummy and supposed to help fight off germs!!!! All medicine should taste this good . 🙂 You can sweeten it with additional honey- but it really does not need it. Feel free to swap up the spices. You could also add citrus peel, red pepper flakes, rose hips, turmeric, vanilla, allspice- well, you get the idea.

Simmering tea

Fresh Kale

Its the time of year when we look to enjoy more comfort foods. Soups, stews, chowders. Many of the “winter” greens are perfect for these dishes. Often greens like kale, collards and chard are well suited for the longer cooking dishes of winter. I love kale but I must admit I get into a rut with it this time of year. I make a big pot of soup and end up adding handfuls of washed and chopped kale during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Very tasty, but I want more. I decided to share some of my favorite winter green recipes with you over the course of the next few weeks. I would love to hear from you. If you have a favorite recipe for greens that you would like to share- I would be delighted to post it.

Kale and Bean Stew

1½ lb. kale leaves, center ribs removed

3 T. oil

1 c. chopped carrots

1 c. chopped celery

1 c. chopped onions

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 c. dry white wine

2 (15 oz.) cans beans, rinsed and drained- I like butter beans

4-5 cups Vegetable or chicken stock

1 t. dried savory or thyme

1 bay leaf

1 T. white balsamic vinegar

2 T. fresh chopped herbs

Blanch kale in boiling water for 1 minute. Rinse under cold water. Drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop kale leaves coarsely. Heat oil in pot over medium heat. Cook vegetables and garlic until tender but not browned. Add wine and simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Add 4 cups of the broth, beans, savory and bay leaf and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Add kale and simmer 5 minutes more. Add more stock if stew is too thick. Add vinegar, fresh herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6.

radish “mice”

You know its time for me to go back to work when I have time to play with my food. I made some radish “mice” today. They are easy to make and kids love them. Just make sure someone who is old enough to handle a knife does the slicing part of this activity. It is not a job for younger kids. They can, however, do all the assemble parts. You can add cloves for eyes if you like.

Radish Mice

Radishes

Cloves

Choose radishes with the longest root pieces to be your mice. The roots will be the tails. Set them aside cut thin slices from the extra radishes. These will be the ears. You will need 2 per mouse. In the mouse radishes cut a small slice off one side so the “mouse” will lie on its side. Cut a slit in the top of the radish near the non-root side. Slip in the thin slices to form the ears. Add cloves for eyes and nose. Use these to decorate salad plates and party trays but don’t give them to little children because they could choke on small pieces.

slices for “ears”

waiting for ears

Making a slot for the “ears”

Ready for “eyes”

Broccoli Soup

I have to admit it- I love broccoli. Love it steamed, in salad, stir fried.  Still it is nice to try it as something other than a side dish.This soup will make it easy to get more veggies in your diet and it takes pretty good, too. I left it as is today, but you can also puree it for a different effect. No matter how you finish it off- it is yummy- but then I love broccoli.

Broccoli Soup

1 lb. Broccoli

2 leeks, trimmed, washed and cut in 1 inch pieces

1 T. butter

1 clove minced garlic

1/8 t. red pepper flakes

3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

6 c. chicken or vegetable stock

¼ t. nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

Peel broccoli stems and cut into 1- inch strips. Cut flowerets into small pieces. Cook leeks in butter 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer, covered 20 minutes. Adjust seasonings and serve as is or puree if desired.. Serves 4-6.

Note: If you like your broccoli less cooked just add it 5-10 minutes after the rest of the ingredients.

Vegan Tomato Soup

I can already imagine what my meat loving friends are thinking. “Why bother?” Seriously this is awesome soup that even a die hard carnivore can love. On Christmas Eve I was given the task of preparing the vegan portion of the meal. The mains for the 2 vegans was not an issue. I cook meatless quite often. It was the fact that the soup course was also to be vegan for the 20 plus guests expected for dinner. Not just dinner- Christmas Eve dinner. The pressure was on. The hostess, Amy McWilliam, was thinking of a creamy tomato soup- made with either coconut or soy milk. I decided to do a rich vegetable base and then puree it with canned tomatoes. As I progressed I added spices to create a soup with layers of flavor to it. That really is the secret- and not just in vegan cooking. I didn’t use any “milk” in the end. It didn’t need it.  I ended up with a soup that was very well received- even by Amy’s father-in law who had also just enjoyed prime rib.  I decided to make it today- mostly because I wanted to make it again before I forgot what I did. Here is the recipe. I hope you give it a try. You might be surprised at just how much you like it. The side benefit is this is a great way to get a few more veggies in your diet.

 Vegan Tomato Soup

1/4 c. olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, chopped

4 c. mixed vegetables, chopped- I used carrots, celery and cabbage, but use what you have and like

2 c. peeled, chopped sweet potato, about1 large- you can use white potatoes if you prefer

4 c. water

1 bay leaf

1T. sweet paprika

1T. Italian Seasoning

1 t. smoked paprika

1 t. cumin

1/4 -1/2 cayenne pepper

salt to taste

1 qt. canned tomatoes

fresh basil for garnish, optional

In soup pot saute onions in oil until just getting a little color on them. Add garlic and cook a couple of minutes longer. Add remaining vegetables, water and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, until the vegetables are very tender- about  20-30  minutes. Add seasonings and adjust to your taste. remove the bay leaf. Add the tomatoes and puree the soup in batches in a blender or use an immersion blender. Once soup is smooth adjust seasonings, if needed. Warm soup before ladling into bowl. Garnish with basil, if desired. Makes about 4 quarts. Freezes well.

Note: When blending a hot soup in a blender remove the plastic insert in the middle of the lid and cover the lid with a towel. Hot liquids will splash up when the blender is turned on. The reason I don’t add the tomatoes until the soup is cooked is to cool the soup down a little to make blending easier.

Simmering the soup

Home canned tomatoes

Blending the soup

Warm Bread Pudding

This time of year I think we are all looking for a little comfort. One of my favorite comfort foods is bread pudding. You don’t need and exact recipe and you can toss in extras like fresh or dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips or toasted seeds. Spices add extra flavor, too. Have fun and be creative. For the recipe I made today I added extra raisins to a raisin Challah bread.

Bread Pudding

1 loaf Challah bread, cubed

4 eggs

2 c. milk- you can use regular milk, half and half or even a non- dairy milk. I used a mixture of almond milk and evaporated milk. You can even use a little fruit juice if that is what you like

1/4 c. sugar- or to taste. The almond milk I used was a little sweet so I cutback on sugar

2 t. vanilla

2 t. cinamomn

1/2 c. raisins

Place bread cubes in a large bowl. Combine remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour over the bread cubes and toss until evenly coated. Place in a buttered casserole dish and bake, covered in a 350-degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 15 minutes or so- until top browns up a little. Serves 6-8.