The Charmed Kitchen

Wilted Kale and Bacon Salad

When I was a kid my Mom used to make a wilted spinach salad. I loved it. I used that as inspiration for this dish. I had a big bunch of kale from a local farm market. I also had some fresh local eggs.  I wanted something fast for dinner and wilted salad came to mind. What I ended up having was even better than expected. Smoky bacon, onion and a touch of maple syrup made this a dish I plan on having again soon.

Wilted Kale Salad With Bacon

2-3 slices thick sliced bacon, chopped

1 onion, sliced

4-5 cups kale, washed and torn into pieces

2 T. cider vinegar

1 T. maple syrup

dash of hot sauce

2 hard- cooked eggs, peeled and cubed

In skillet cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and set aside. Remove some of the fat from the pan- leaving about 2 tablespoonfuls. Add onion and cook until golden. Return bacon to pan and add the kale. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until kale in wilted. I don’t mind my kale on the firm side-cook it longer if you like it more tender. Drizzle in the vinegar, maple syrup and hot sauce and stir to coat evenly. Place on a serving dish and top with the eggs. Enjoy!!

Spiced Cider

It’s been chilly lately and I love a mug of hot apple cider to warm up. I made some recently and wanted to spice it up a little. I ended up adding ginger and cinnamon and the result was really good. I always keep ginger in my freezer. It is frustrating to buy a piece of ginger and then find it in the bottom of the crisper drawer weeks later looking like a science experiment gone bad. Freezing it solves that problem. When I want to use it, I just  take it out of the freezer, scrape off the peel and grate or slice off what I need. It keeps pretty much forever that way and I have fresh ginger whenever the mood strikes me.

Spiced Cider

2 cups apple cider

1-inch piece of ginger, sliced

1 cinnamon stick, broken in half

Place cider in a saucepan with the ginger and cinnamon. Simmer gently for 5 minutes- or a little longer if you want a more intense ginger taste. Strain and serve. Serves 2.

Note: Some of the cider will boil off so add a little more if you simmer it longer or keep the pot covered to reduce evaporation. I actually like the more intense flavor when it cooks down a little.

Spice Rubbed Steak

I had a friend over for dinner the other night and we were having steak. I love steak on the grill, but it was a rainy evening and I just didn’t feel like cooking outside. What I decided to do, was use a rub to give the steak more of a “cooked on the grill” taste. I have used this rub on chicken and pork, too. It has a slight smoky flavor from the smoked paprika. Combined with the other seasonings it is one of my favorite rub recipes. I sprinkled some of the mix on the steak and rubbed it in. I let the steak rest about 30 minutes, then broiled it. I also let the steak rest a few minutes before slicing it. It was fabulous!! So, while there is nothing better than the taste of a grilled steak, you can make do when grilling is not an option. Here is the recipe for the mix I used that night. You can also add some of the mix to baked beans.

Barbecue Seasoning/Rub

1/3 c. chili powder
¼ c. salt
3 T. onion powder
2 T. ground cumin
1 T.  paprika
1 T. garlic powder
1 T. brown sugar, optional                                                                                                      2 t. smoked paprika
1 t. cayenne
½ t. each dry mustard and dried lemon peel

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Use with 3 months. Rub on chicken, steaks, etc, before grilling.

Halloween Goo Drink

If you want a fun beverage to serve for Halloween try this Goo Drink. It’s easy to make and will give guests a start. The secret is Jell-o. Make whatever flavor Jell-o you like. Once it is firm, mash it with a fork into pieces. Place some in a glass and add ice and whatever beverage you like. I used cherry Jell-o with sour cherry soda. The Jell-o is invisible that way. When your guests take a sip they get little gobs of Jell-o in every sip. You can also play with color combinations for fun. Grape Jell-o with orange soda looks like little black globs in the drink.  Play with color combinations. You can also do this with Jell-o shots, for the grown-ups.

Mash Jell-o with a fork

Add some Jell-o to the glass before adding ice and soda

Sorrel Soup

If you aren’t familiar with sorrel, you should be. This easy to grow perennial produces clumps of bright green leaves that have a distinct lemon/citrus flavor. There is wild sorrel, but it is so easy to grow, why not free up a little space to grow your own? The cultivated variety is also known as French Sorrel. French Sorrel has large leaves, much larger than wild varieties. It can sometimes be found in specialty food stores and farm markets, but it is not easy to find for sale. One more reason to grow your own. I use sorrel to make soup, but young leaves are great in salads and sauces as well. I make a sauce for seafood with sour cream and sorrel. So good.

I normally have sorrel in my garden, but sadly, the deer got mine this Spring. I was lucky enough to get some from a friend. I knew right away I was going to make soup with it.  This soup is part of my growing up. My Polish grandmother would make it when she got sorrel. She had to rely on wild sorrel, until I started growing it. My mom made this soup, too.

Sorrel soup is a creamy potato soup, with lots of chopped sorrel added at the end. It changes from bright green to an olive green in a minute or two, once added to the hot soup. It gives the soup a green, citrus flavor. I love it.

Sorrel Soup

2 medium onions, chopped
2 T. butter
2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 ribs celery, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
1 qt. chicken or vegetable stock
1 qt. milk or half and half
1/3 –1/2 c. flour
1 lb. Sorrel leaves, washed and spun dry, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

In soup pot sauté onions in butter until tender. Add vegetables, stock and 3 cups of the milk. Simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. In a container, with a tight fitting lid, place the flour with the remaining milk and shake until mixture is smooth. Pour into hot soup and simmer 3-4 minutes. Use more or less flour depending on how thick you like your soup. Toss in sorrel, adjust seasonings and serve. Garnish with snipped chives, if desired. Serves 6-8.

Fresh Sorrel

German Potato Salad

I don’t think there is a potato salad that I don’t like. I make all sorts of versions, depending on my mood, and what I have on hand. When the air gets chilly, I really enjoy making German Potato Salad. Unlike most potato salads, German Potato Salad is served warm. There are a lot of variations on this recipe, but this one is my favorite. I made it for an Octoberfest dinner and it was a big hit.

German Potato Salad

3 cups diced peeled potatoes
4 slices bacon
1 small onion, diced
¼ cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons sugar                                                                                                                  3 T. chopped parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Place the potatoes into a pot, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork. Drain, and set aside to cool. Place the bacon in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Fry until browned and crisp, turning as needed. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add onion to the bacon grease, and cook over medium heat until browned. Add the vinegar, water, sugar, salt and pepper to the pan. Bring to a boil, then add the potatoes and parsley. Crumble in half of the bacon. Heat through, then transfer to a serving dish. Crumble the remaining bacon over the top, and serve warm.

Flaming Ghost Cake

I have posted this recipe before, but thought it might be a good time to post it again. This one is fun for Halloween. You start with a baked 9×13-inch cake. Frost it with chocolate frosting and then use white frosting to draw a ghost on the cake. You can make all sorts of images- cats, bats, pumpkins. When ready to serve the cake, the eyes are set on fire. Fun effect. Kids and grown-ups both will get a kick out of it. Just be sure to have proper adult supervision for the kids. The picture doesn’t do it justice. Very cool blue flames. Don’t forget to turn down the lights!

Flaming Ghost Cake

1 prepared 9×13- inch cake, any flavor, or white cake tinted orange

2 c. chocolate frosting, I prefer homemade

1 c. vanilla frosting, I prefer homemade

3 oz. semi sweet chocolate, optional

2 empty eggshell halves, washed well and dried

2 sugar cubes

Lemon extract

Frost cake with chocolate frosting, then spread vanilla frosting in the shape of a ghost. Melt chocolate in a small plastic bag. When chocolate is melted snip off the corner of the bag and use to outline ghost. Place eggshell halves in cake, round side down where the ghost’s eyes would be. Soak sugar cubes in extract and place in eggshells. When ready to serve light sugar cubes and turn off the lights. Serve 12-16.

Variations: You can use the flaming eyes effect on cat shapes, pumpkins or even bats. Practice drawing the shape on paper before frosting the cake. If you bake a larger round cake the whole thing can be the pumpkin. Just frost it with orange tinted frosting.

Smoky Pumpkin Soup

I was asked to make a pumpkin bisque for a recent party. The soup actually had a lot more than just pumpkin in it. A mix of veggies, simmered with smoky ham, then pureed and finished with half and half, the soup was creamy and full of flavor.  It turned out just great. It makes a big batch, (it was a big party), but it freezes well so you can have some whenever you want.

Smoky Pumpkin Soup

2 qts. Water
2 lbs. uncooked smoked turkey on the bone, or a ham bone with lots of meat
2 onions, peeled and halved
3-4 large carrots, peeled and chunked
1 cauliflower, cut into flowerets
2-3 ribs celery, sliced
1-2 sweet red peppers, seeded and cut up
1 can (about 14.5 oz.), tomatoes
4 c. cooked pumpkin or winter squash (you can use 3-4 sweet potatoes instead)      1 qt. half and half
2 T. Italian seasoning (I use Tuscan, recipe follows)                                                         salt and pepper to taste, plus a healthy dash of hot sauce

Place all ingredients, except half and half and seasonings, in a large pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until vegetables are very tender and meat is cooked and tender, at least 1½ hours and up to 3 hours. Remove meat to cool and add half and half and herbs. Use an immersion blender to puree the vegetables. It does not have to be completely smooth, but it should be close. Adjust seasonings if needed. Cut the meat off the bones and return meat to the chowder. Serves 10+.
Note: I make it in even larger batches because this chowder freezes well. You can add other vegetables like corn, potatoes, green beans or whatever else you have around. I often add cabbage and zucchini. If you want thicker chowder add a potato or two to the recipe. You can also add smoked sausage, if you like. Just remove the sausage, puree the chowder, slice sausage and return to the pot. I also use leftover chicken or turkey and just add a little liquid smoke for another way to get the smoky flavor. This is also a good way to use up a ham bone or leftover ham or turkey ham.

Tuscan Seasoning

½ c. dried basil
½ c. dried oregano
½ c. dried marjoram
3 T. dried minced onion
2 T. dried minced garlic
2 T. dried rosemary
2 T. dried parsley
1 t. crushed red pepper

Use this blend in tomato sauce or other Italian dishes. Also, you can add to vinegar and oil with a little salt, if desired, to make a quick salad dressing.

Halloween Burger Buns

There has been some talk in the news lately about hamburger buns. Seems a fast food restaurant decided to make black hamburger buns for a Halloween promotion. Some people had issue with all the food coloring in them, specifically the black food coloring. I came up with an idea for a Halloween burger bun that I think is better. I used cooked pumpkin in the buns for a little touch of orange color and black sesame seeds on the top. You could certainly add a little orange food coloring if you want them a brighter shade of orange. Turmeric could add some natural color, too. I like them the way they are.

Halloween Burger Buns

1 c. water
1 c. cooked pumpkin or squash
¼ c. brown sugar
2 t. salt
2 pkt. Yeast
4½ -5½ c. flour
2 eggs, beaten, reserve 2 T. for brushing the rolls
Black sesame seeds

Heat together water and squash until warm. Place sugar and salt in large bowl and pour in squash mixture. Cool to lukewarm. Add yeast and 2 cups of flour. Beat at medium speed with mixer for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup flour and eggs and continue mixing. Add flour gradually to form a stiff dough. Knead on floured board for 7-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning dough to coat evenly. Cover with a towel and allow to rise until doubled, about an hour. Punch dough down and divide into pieces. You should get about 18. Shape into rolls. Place on greased baking sheet and flatten a little. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30-40 minutes. Combine reserved egg with a couple of tablespoons of water and brush over the rolls. Sprinkle with the black sesame seeds. Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. Makes 1 ½ dozen. You can certainly make the rolls larger, or smaller, depending on the size burgers you want. For slider sized buns, you should end up with about 30.
Variation: you can also add ½ t. ground nutmeg, 1-2 T. chopped chives or 1 T. parsley flakes or ½ t. cayenne for a little different flavor.