The Charmed Kitchen

Aunt Josie’s Cabbage Soup

This is a great soup for this time of year. I have some fresh, local cabbage and even used fresh tomatoes to make the tomato sauce. The soup is a meal all on its own, or it can be served with crusty bread. It is simple to make and loaded with flavor. The recipe came to me through my Mother who got it from my Aunt Josie. While I normally make it in a soup pot, it can be make in a crock pot- after the onions and sausage have been browned a little. Ready in no time it is a great solution when you want home made soup but don’t have a lot of time.

Aunt Josie’s Cabbage Soup

1 T. oil
1 c. chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
1 ½ lbs. Cooked smoked sausage, sliced or diced, I use turkey sausage
3 carrots, peeled and cubed
8 cups coarsely chopped cabbage, a small head
1 sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
1 c. tomato sauce
2 qts. Water
1-t. salt or paste type soup base
pepper to taste
3 medium potatoes, cubed
2 T. oil
1/3 c. flour
1 t. paprika

Sauté onion in oil until browned. Add garlic and sausage and cook until sausage is browned. Add vegetables, sauce water and seasonings and cook, covered 15 minutes. Add potatoes and cook, covered, 15 minutes more. In bowl combine oil, flour and paprika and stir until smooth. Ladle some hot soup into flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Repeat a few more times, until flour forms a paste. Pour this mixture into soup and simmer 2 minutes, until thickened. Serves 10-12.

Applesauce Spice Cake

I really love fresh, local apples. I often go apple picking this time of year. I try to stock up on apples when they are in season. At some point, I process some for longer term storage. Some apples are sliced and dehydrated. I usually can applesauce, too. That way, I can enjoy local apples all year long. This cake is one way to enjoy applesauce, homemade or store bought. I used butter in the recipe, but if you used coconut oil instead, the recipe would be vegan.  The spices work so well together. Simple and full of flavor.

Applesauce Spice Cake

2 c. unsweetened applesauce

½ c. butter

2 c. sugar

3 c. flour

1 T. baking soda

½ t. salt

1 t. each cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg

¼ t. cloves

1 c. raisins or chopped nuts

Heat together applesauce and butter until butter melts. Cool down a bit. Preheat oven 375 and grease 9×13-inch pan. Stir all ingredients together bake 30 minutes. Cool in pan.

Apple and Bacon Fritters

This time of year, with apples in season, it is fun to use them in all sorts of recipes. This is one of my favorites. What could be better than combining apples with bacon in a sweet treat? The sweetness of the apples pairs so well with the smoky/saltiness of the bacon.  They make a wonderful dessert or a fun addition to a breakfast or brunch menu. I did add the maple glaze, which also went well with the apples and bacon. But trust me, these fritters are delicious even if  just rolled in powdered sugar.

Apple and Bacon Fritters

2 c. flour

2 T. sugar

2 T. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1 c. milk

2 eggs, beaten

2 T. melted butter

1 c. diced apples

1 c. cooked, crumbled bacon

oil for frying- I used coconut oil

Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Mix together milk with the eggs and butter. Stir in dry ingredients until just moistened and add the apples and bacon. Heat oil to 375. If using gluten free flour heat oil to 350. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Don’t do more than 4-5 at a time. It will take about  4 minutes in total but you need to turn them to brown evenly so 2 minute per side. Drain on paper towels. Dip in maple glaze (recipe follows) while warm or roll in powdered sugar. Makes about 32.

Maple Glaze

1 c. Powdered sugar

1/2 c. maple syrup

a little water if mixture gets too thick

Combine all ingredients and set aside until ready to use.

Apple and Cheese Salad

I had fresh, local apples and was planning on baking something with them. It was too warm yesterday, so I made a salad with some of the apples instead. The salad is pretty basic: greens, apples, cheese and nuts. Tossed with a simple, but very tasty dressing, this salad was the perfect meal for a hot day.  I used cheddar but feel free to use other cheeses.  I also used some fresh mint leaves and chives from my garden.

Apple and Cheese Salad

Dressing:
3 T. white wine vinegar
2 T. lemon juice
2 t. sugar
¼ c. olive oil
3 T. dried minced onion
2 T. water
salt and pepper to taste

1 c. walnuts or pecans, toasted
4-6 cups salad greens, washed and spun dry
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese or ½ c. crumbled feta or bleu cheese
2 Granny Smith or other tart apples
1 T. chopped fresh mint or parsley
1 T. snipped chives or green onions, optional

In container with tight fitting lid shake dressing ingredients together and chill until ready to use. To toast nuts place on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Cool. When ready to serve the salads divide the greens among 4 plates or arrange greens on a platter. Core the apples and cut in slices. Toss apples with the dressing. Place apples on greens, then top with remaining ingredients. Serves 4.

Amy’s Crushed Tomatoes

Canning tomatoes is something I do every year. They are one of my favorites. What made this canning session special, was who was canning with me. My friend Amy, wanted to learn how to can tomatoes. Amy is a great cook, but had never canned before, nor expressed any interest in canning tomatoes or anything else. So what made her want to learn? Pretty sure it was a dinner from the week before. We frequently have dinners with friends and I used a jar of my tomatoes in a dish that night. I let everyone smell them before I added them to the dish. Home canned tomatoes smell wonderful- like summer. Amy was really impressed and asked about canning some herself. So I picked up a bushel and a half of tomatoes at the local farm market the next week, and off we went. A couple of other friends joined in, too. At one point, during the prepping process, Amy wondered if all the work was worth it. We talked about cost and labor etc. Once they started coming out of the canner, she was pretty happy. They looked great. We had a few extra and used them in dinner that night. Now plans are to do tomato sauce, apple sauce and maybe more stuff. For me, this was probably the most fun I ever had canning. Partly, because I normally can alone. so the company was great. It was also special because I got to share an activity I love with a friend, and got her to understand what I have been talking about all these years. We followed the NCHFP recipe for crushed tomatoes. Here it is, in case you want to can tomatoes, too. Invite a friend to join you.

Crushed Tomatoes

Peel and core tomatoes , trim off any bad spots and quarter. Place about 1/4 of your prepared tomatoes in the kettle and cook, stirring constantly over high heat. Use a potato masher to crush tomatoes and extract juices. Once they are boiling add remaining tomatoes, stirring constantly. You don’t need to crush these tomatoes. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. In clean, hot jars add needed acidity listed below. We used lemon juice. You can also add 1 teaspoon of canning salt per quart if desired. Ladle in hot tomatoes, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims clean and adjust lids. Process in boiling water bath. Pints 35 minutes, quarts, 45 minutes. 1,000-3000 ft over sea level add 5 minutes. Twenty-two pounds of tomatoes will yield about 7 quarts of tomatoes.

Acidity and Tomatoes

Tomatoes must be acidified before canning. When canning either whole, crushed or juiced tomatoes you must add either 2 T. bottled lemon juice per quart or 1/2 t. citric acid . For pint use 1 T. lemon juice or 1/4 t. citric acid. You can also use 4 T. (5%) vinegar per quart, but it will alter the flavor and is not recommended. You can add a little sugar to offset the flavor, if you like.

Posted in Cooking

Spicy Cauliflower and Carrot Soup

I had a head of cauliflower I really needed to cook up. I thought of soup right away, I often use cauliflower in soup. Problem was, it has been really warm and I wasn’t sure I wanted a steaming hot bowl of soup. Then I realized, I serve other soups cold, why not this soup?  It was pretty good served cold. The thing to remember about serving a soup cold, rather than hot, is to double check the seasonings. Cold soups tend to cry for a little more salt. I froze some, so when the weather is chilly I can heat some up and serve it hot, too.  Cool, huh?

Spicy Cauliflower and Carrot Soup

3 T. oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small to medium head of cauliflower, cut into flowerets
1 lb. carrots, peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery, sliced
2 c. diced fresh tomatoes or canned tomatoes, I used a pint of home canned tomatoes.
4 c. chicken or veggie stock*
2 T. curry powder
1 T. ground cumin
2 t. smoked paprika
2 t. ginger
Hot pepper sauce, to taste, plus extra for topping the soup
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh chopped basil, cilantro or parsley for garnish, optional

Heat oil in soup pot and cook onions until golden brown. Add garlic and cauliflower and cook another couple of minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the rest of the veggies, the stock and spices and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook soup, covered, until veggies are tender. I like the soup to cook at least an hour so the veggies are really tender. Puree soup until smooth. I use an immersion blender. If you are using a standard blender, and the soup is hot, puree in small batches and remove the middle piece from the blender lid. Place the lid on the blender and cover with a towel. Hot soup will splash up, and you need to be careful not to get burned. Adjust seasonings. Can be served hot or cold and freezes well. Drizzle some hot sauce on soup when serving and some chopped fresh herbs, if you like.

* You might need a little more stock, depending on how thick you like your soup. I often add extra stock at the end.

Succotash Salad

With cookouts and picnics it seems there is always a need for more salads. Sometimes I am in the mood for old favorites. Other times I am looking for something a little different. Here are some salads I have made that my friends and family really enjoyed. If you are looking for a salad for the holiday weekend – or any time – I think you will find one here that you and your family will enjoy.

Succotash Salad

1 lb. lima beans, cooked and cooled

4 ears of corn, cooked, and kernels cut off the cobs

1 sweet pepper, seeded and diced

1 small sweet onion, diced

3-4 T. chopped fresh parsley

Dressing:

2/3 c. apple cider vinegar

1/3 c. oil

1/4  c. honey

1 t. cumin

dash of hot sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Combine veggies and parsley in a medium bowl. In small bowl whisk together dressing ingredients. Adjust seasonings and pour over the Lima bean mixture. Cover and chill for at least several hours before serving. Serves 6-8.

Cucumber and Carrot Salad

This refreshing salad combines carrots and cucumbers in a simple dressing. So easy and fast. Perfect side for your picnic or barbecue.

4 cucumbers, peeled, leaving strips of skin

1 c. coarsely shredded carrots

1 c. thin sliced sweet onion

1/3 c. vinegar- I like cider vinegar in this dish

2 T. Balsamic vinegar

¼ c. oil

1 T. sugar

1 ½ t. salt

Fresh ground pepper

Slice cucumbers. Combine vegetables in bowl. Combine dressing ingredients and pour over the vegetables, tossing to coat well. Chill at least 1 hour before serving, Spoon over lettuce, if desired. Serves 4-6.

Cornbread Salad

 A little different- people always seem to like this salad. Also a nice way to use up stale cornbread.

4 c. crumbled cornbread or corn muffins

1 c. shredded mild cheese

1 sweet red pepper seeded and diced

1 c. diced celery

½ c. diced green onion

4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped

¼ c. chopped parsley

1-1 ½ c. mayonnaise or salad dressing, sometimes I use potato salad dressing or even slaw dressing

2 c. diced fresh tomatoes

1 c. toasted pecans

paprika for sprinkling on the top, optional

Place cornbread and next 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir in dressing until desired moistness is achieved. Chill and stir in tomato and nut just before serving. Sprinkle with paprika if you like. Serves 6.

Note: You can add whole kernel corn also if you like.

Sweet Potato Salad

A nice twist on potato salad.

3 large sweet potatoes

2 c. corn kernels, fresh off the cob preferred but frozen is O.K.

2 ribs celery, sliced

1 sweet onion, diced

1 c. sweet pepper, seeded and chopped

2-3 T. fresh parsley

1/3 c. oil

1 t. Dijon mustard

3 T. apple cider vinegar

1 T. lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

½ c. cashews

In medium saucepan boil or steam potatoes until tender, about 20-25 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and place in a large bowl of ice water. Add corn to saucepan and cook until just tender about 2-3 minutes. Drain corn and add to ice water with the potatoes. Once the vegetables have cooled down drain them and peel and cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Place potatoes and corn in a mixing bowl with remaining vegetables. Combine remaining ingredients, except cashews, in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake well before pouring over the sweet potato mixture. Toss to blend and chill until ready to serve. Add cashews just before serving. Serves 6.

Multi- Bean Salad

1 lb. cooked green beans, sliced

1 can lima beans, rinsed and drained

1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1 medium sweet onion, chopped

1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley

1 c. apple cider vinegar

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. oil

2 T. Italian seasoning- or whatever herb blend you like

1 T. hot sauce, or to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine beans with onions and parsley in a medium bowl. Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the bean mixture. Stir well and chill a couple of hours before serving. Serves 8.

Artichoke and Edamame Salad

1 lb. edamame  (fresh soybeans)*

1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

2 c. cooked corn

1 c. chopped sweet onion

1/3 c. olive oil

1/2 c. cider vinegar

1 t. sugar, optional

fresh chopped parsley

fresh chopped basil

salt and pepper to taste

To prepare edamame steam them, in their pods, until tender, about 8 minutes. Place in cold water. Once cool enough to handle slip the edamame out of their pods. Discard pods and place edamame into a mixing bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and stir to mix well. Chill until ready to serve. Serves 4-6.

* A lot of stores have them in the freezer section. They are in the pods. The pods are not edible. If you don’t have edamame you can substitute fresh lima beans.

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.

Mom’s Macaroni Salad

Since this will be a big picnic and cookout weekend for a lot of folks, I wanted to share this recipe again. I am just in a nostalgic mood, I guess. Along with the breaded chicken recipe I posted yesterday, this is one of those dishes that will always remind me of my Mom, summer cookouts, friends, family and wonderful times.

For summer cookouts we always had this salad. Back in the days when it was called macaroni, not pasta. I loved it then and I love it now. I won’t say I don’t make other pasta salads. I do. I make all sorts of combinations, but this is the salad that brings me home. Mom used mostly mayo, with a little salad dressing like Spin Blend. She felt it gave the salad just a little more zing. She added quite a few hard cooked eggs and I think they add a richness to the salad. My dad would cut up the celery and green onions for her. Mom liked the veggies cut into a fairly small dice in this dish and Dad had wicked knife skills.  I love the image of them cooking together. So here it is- a family recipe wrapped up nicely with some memories, too.

Mom’s Macaroni Salad

1 lb. uncooked pasta, shells are preferred
Salt and pepper
Mayonnaise, about 1 cup
Salad dressing, like Spin Blend or Miracle Whip, about ½ cup
3-4 ribs celery, sliced thin
4-5 green onions, trimmed and sliced thin
8-12 hard-cooked eggs, cooled and peeled

Cook pasta according to package directions, but do not overcook. Rinse with cold water and drain well. Place drained pasta in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Add dressings and vegetables and stir until well mixed. You may want to add more dressing to suit your taste. Chop eggs and stir into salad. Adjust seasonings if needed and chill before serving. Serves 8-10.

Mom’s Breaded Chicken

With the holiday weekend approaching I thought I would share this recipe again. Always brings back great memories of childhood picnics/cookouts with my family. I love this recipe and I hope you do, too.

I miss the big family picnics we had when I was a kid. My Dad and I would go early in the morning to pick out our favorite location and get tables arranged. Then he would start a fire in the grill and make us bacon and eggs in the cast iron skillet. Everyone started arriving soon after that. Well, not everyone. My Mom and one of my aunts would always come a little later. That is because they were finishing up the breaded chicken that was always a part of these picnics. She wanted it to be served nice and warm. It would have been breaded the day before. My mom felt that when you breaded the chicken ahead of time it seemed to help the breading to stick better. I do it the same way today. This isn’t fried chicken. The breaded chicken is lightly browned in a skillet then finished off in the oven. It is crispy on the outside and nice and juicy inside. It is also a lovely memory for me of time spent with family. Here are the directions for how she made it.

Mom’s Breaded Chicken

Chicken pieces, I often use a whole bird, cut into pieces, or just thighs and drumsticks.

salt and pepper to taste

flour

Parsley

Paprika

Garlic powder

eggs

Milk

Bread crumbs

oil

Pat chicken pieces dry. Season with salt and pepper. In a bag, combine flour- about ½ c. per 8 pieces of chicken should be about right. Season flour with a little salt and pepper.  In bowl combine milk and eggs with the rest of the seasonings, including more salt and pepper. I use 1 egg with enough milk to make a thin batter for every 4-5 pieces of chicken. Keep in mind that the size of the pieces matters. Wings will need less batter than legs. Place bread crumbs in a shallow dish or in a plastic bag. Place a few pieces of chicken in bah with the flour and shake to coat, dipping off the excess. Then dip chicken pieces (1-2 at a time) in egg mixture, turning to moisten completely. Then place in crumbs and turn or shake to coat evenly. Repeat with remaining chicken until all of it is breaded.

At this time you can cover and refrigerate the chicken for several hours or overnight if desired. You can also go ahead and cook it right away. Mom suggests you bread the chicken the night before so it will stick better, but hey, you’re an adult, do what you want.

To cook the chicken, heat ½- inch of oil in a heavy skillet and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Foil a roasting pan and then place a rack inside. Once the oil is hot, brown the chicken pieces several at a time, turning to brown evenly. Place the browned chicken on the rack in the baking dish and continue to brown remaining chicken. Place chicken in oven and bake until chicken is cooked and juices run clear when chicken is poked. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the pieces, how much you browned them and how many you are cramming in one pan. Baking time will be about 45 minutes. Check a large piece of chicken, near the middle of the pan to be sure.

This is a real summer favorite and the baking on the rack helps fat to drip off, giving you fried chicken flavor with fewer calories. This chicken can be served hot, warm or cold.

Tiramisu

Tiramisu is one of those desserts that everybody seems to like. I have a dear friend who loves it. I mean really loves it. So much so, that I make it for her birthday every year. Her name is Sue and the running joke is that she calls it Tira-for Sue. Since it was her birthday yesterday, I made it.

Tiramisu is a layered dessert made from ladyfingers, drizzled with coffee, egg custard (zabaglione) and cocoa. There are a lot of variations out there. This happens to be my favorite, and Sue’s. Enjoy!!!

Classic Tiramisu

5 egg yolks
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. Marsala wine (not cooking wine)
1 c. whipping cream
2 T. sugar
1 lb. mascarpone cheese
2 c. strong coffee, room temp.
2 T. sugar
1/2 c. brandy
1 T. vanilla
48 ladyfingers
3 T. cocoa

Make zabaglione (egg custard). In double boiler, over simmering water, beat together egg yolks and sugar until lemon colored. Stir in Marsala and continue cooking, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and will mound on a spoon. This will take about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool down. You can place in bowl in fridge 30 minutes or so. Beat together whipping cream and sugar until stiff peaks form. Beat in mascarpone and chilled zabaglione. Chill 1 hour. Stir together coffee with remaining sugar, brandy and vanilla and set aside. Assemble tiramisu by placing 16 of the ladyfingers in the bottom of a 9×13-inch pan. Drizzle about 1/3 of the coffee mixture over the ladyfingers, about 1 tablespoon each. Top with 1/3 of the cream mixture and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the cocoa. Repeat this process 2 more times until all ingredients are used. Chill until ready to serve. Serves 12.