Slow Cooker Soup- Taco Cheese Soup

Taco Cheese Soup

http://stonegable.blogspot.com/2010/01/taco-cheese-soup.html

This soup is Paula Deen meets StoneGable! I started out making Paula's wonderful Taco Soup... but I just got a little carried away! I took out a little of this and that from her recipe... and added a pinch of this and a pound of that to make a soup all my own.I ended up with a soup that the 3 men at my table just loved.

This is not a delicate or gourmet soup. If you are looking for a stick to your ribs, hearty, BIG flavor meal-of-a-soup, then this is the one for you. So easy to make, it is almost embarrassing. I got so many compliments from my men... but I didn't tell how little work went into it.

And Paula... if you are reading my blog, I would love to meet you! I am in Savannah again this coming March for the Historic Home and Garden Tour... it's like finding the Mothership! So let's get together for some sweet tea and and a goodie with lots of butter!

And to all of you... "Best dishes from my blog to you"!

Recipe: Taco Cheese Soup (Adapted from Paula Deen's Taco Soup)
2 pounds ground beef 
2 cups diced onions 
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups frozen corn
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes 
1 (14 1/2-ounce) jar mild salsa
1 32oz. box beef broth
2 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix 
1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix 
1 medium pkg mild mexican velveta cheese, cubed
Crisy Tortilla Strips- recipe follows
Sour cream, for garnish 
Grated sharp cheese, for garnish 
chopped green onions, for garnish

 Directions
Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain the excess fat, then transfer the browned beef and onions to a large slow cooker or a stockpot. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, salsa, beef stock,  taco seasoning, velveta cheese and ranch dressing mix, and cook in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours or simmer over low heat for about 1 hour in a pot on the stove(if cooking soup on stove omit cheese and add at the end of cooking time- stir in until it melts) . To serve, top with sour cream, cheese, green onions and crispy tortilla strips.

Tortilla Strips:
3-4 large flour tortilla
vegetable oil
salt

Heat a large skillet. Add 1 inch of oil in skillet and heat to 350 degrees. Cut tortillas into 1/2 inch strips. Add strips in skillet and watch them very carefully so they do not burn.  Turn when brown. They only take a minute so watch them carefully.
Remove from skillet and drain on a paper towel. Salt immediately. Yummy!

Bye Ya'll!

Pumpkin Crème Brûlée: Inside, Outside, Upside Down

http://www.whiskblog.com/2008/10/pumpkin-crme-brle-inside-outside-upside.html

Pumpkin Crème Brûlée three ways. I've wanted to try this for awhile now, and with pumpkin season upon us, I thought this would be a good time to give it a go. Recently, I made traditionalcrème brûlée and a frozen version. This time I tried it "inside, outside, and upside down" inspired by Stan Berenstain and the Berenstain Bears. This was a popular book for me when I was a kid and now for my children too.

Since crème brûlée and crème caramel (which I've posted about twice—here and here—on this blog) are such close cousins, I tried using one recipe to make both.

When I explained this idea to a friend, she was confused by the variations. Here's my explanation:

• Inside = traditional crème brûlée, served in a ramekin with the crackly top.
• Outside = crème brûlée baked in a parchment-lined ramekin and inverted onto a wafer or cookie and served outside the ramekin
• Upside down = traditional crème caramel inverted onto a serving platter

I found it interesting when I had a poll on my blog that crème brûlée won 9 to 2 over crème caramel. My favorite is crème caramel. So with this recipe, you can please everyone.

Recipe

Makes 4 cups of custard

Custard:
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 egg yolks
1 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin purée
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg

Caramel:
1/3 cup sugar
4 tablespoons water
¼ teaspoon lemon juice

Crème brûlée top:
4 tablespoons sugar

To make the caramel: Bring the sugar, water and lemon juice to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until the syrup turns a light caramel color. Pour the caramel into ramekins, and tilt so that it covers the bottoms and sides. Let cool.

Note: If you want to serve the caramel separately as hard and brittle, pour it onto wax paper or a silicone-lined baking sheet and let cool. It will harden. Break apart like you would for peanut brittle. Serve alongside the custard.

To get ready: Preheat the oven to 300˚F.

To make the custard: In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream, milk and vanilla to a boil. Meanwhile, in a heatproof bowl, whisk the eggs, egg yolks and sugar until blended. Stir in the pumpkin purée, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisking constantly, pour the hot milk into the egg mixture; let rest for a few minutes, then strain. Pour the custard into the caramel-lined ramekins.

Place the ramekins in a baking dish. Add boiling water to come about two-thirds up the sides of the ramekin. Transfer the pan to the oven. Bake until a knife inserted into the center of the custard comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Let cool. Chill for 2-3 hours.

To serve as crème brûlée: Sprinkle sugar evenly over top of cooked, cooled custards. Using a torch, move the flame continuously over the surface of the ramekins until the sugar melts and becomes golden brown and bubbly.

To serve as crème caramel: Run the tip of a knife around the edge of the custard to loosen it. Invert a serving platter over the ramekin and quickly turn it over again. Carefully remove the ramekin.

Happy Fall!

Суточные щи. Ставим в пятницу - в субботу наслаждаемся

Это самое самостоятельное блюдо из тех, что мне известны. Оно готовится само. Только не мешай. Более того - даже не помешивай.

Впрочем это блюдо не «оно», а «они». Их Величества Щи. Насколько я понимаю – единственное в русской кухне яство, название которого имеет только множественное число.

( Готовим мы их с вечера )

Том Ям с российскими корнями

Так уж получилось, что мой смелый огородный эксперимент, связанный с выращиванием в суровых условиях подмосковья экзотической травы Лемонграсс, увенчался полным успехом.
Была собрана целая охапка этих сочных, пахнущих мелиссой пузатых стебельков. Ну а где урожай, там и до чревоугодия не далеко  :)
Решили варить тайский Том Ям, благо почти все ингредиенты для этого веселого и острого супчика присутствовали на кухне.

( Варим! )

Prosciutto Ravioli

December 18th, 2009

I love this time of year to cook with friends and family. Assembly line cooking can be a ton of fun especially for people who are intimidated being in a kitchen. This ravioli recipe is super easy because it calls for wonton wrappers- which can usually be found in the produce section of your local market. However, if you’re Italian and pride yourself on making your own pasta don’t use the wrappers. Your family and friends will be insulted and you’ll never live it down!

This is not a heavy pasta dish. The light dumpling packages are filled with creamy ricotta, salty prosciutto and drizzled with a buttery, oregano glaze. If you have never stuffed ravioli before make sure your filling is dry and centered and the edges are completely sealed before it goes for a swim in heavily salted water.  This dish will delight all your holiday guests.

Prosciutto Ravioli

1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, *squeezed dry*4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
2 large egg yolks
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
48 wonton wrappers
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
Freshly grated pecorino

Whisk the ricotta, spinach, prosciutto, egg yolks, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.

Place 1 tablespoon of the ricotta filling in the center of a wonton wrapper. Brush the edge of the wrapper lightly with water. Fold the wrapper in half, enclosing the filling completely and forming a triangle. Pinch the edges to seal. Transfer the ravioli to baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers. (Can be prepared up to 2 hours ahead; cover and refrigerate.)

Melt the butter in a heavy small skillet over medium heat. Add the oregano and stir 1 minute. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.

Working in batches, cook the ravioli in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes per batch. Transfer the ravioli to a large shallow bowl.

Pour the oregano butter over the ravioli and toss gently to coat. Sprinkle the pecorino over the ravioli and serve.

 Recipe via Giada

Recipe For Butternut Squash Ravioli

By: Helen Polaski

Butternut squash ravioli is an excellent pasta dish for diabetics or those who are interested in watching their waistlines. With only 82 calories per serving, and no fat, squash is low in calories yet high in fiber and filled with plenty of good-for-you nutrients.

Butternut squash ravioli can be reduced in calories even more if you use light cream, margarine instead of butter and low-fat cheese. The pasta dough, however, will pack on the calories, so take care how you make the dough or use wonton skins, which are about 15 to 20 calories per wrapper. The following recipe is enough for three servings. One serving of butternut squash ravioli with wonton skins is about 200 calories.

Butternut Squash Ravioli
Ingredients You Will Need:
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons shallots, minced
1 cup butternut squash puree
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Fresh sage leaves, chopped
Fresh parsley leaves, chopped
24 wonton skins, or pasta from following recipe
2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
¼ cup butter, softened

Heat the butter in a skillet, and sauté the garlic and shallots until tender. Add the squash, and mix well. Salt and pepper as desired. Blend in the cheese and cream. When the mixture is thoroughly blended, add the chopped sage and parsley leaves. Place one scoop on one side of a wonton wrapper and fold over, sealing the edges. Cook the pasta in boiling water for about three minutes. Mix the fresh sage into the ¼ cup of softened butter, and spread this sage butter sauce over the raviolis. Serve with garlic toast.

Making Ravioli Pasta
When making ravioli pasta from scratch, you will need several different tools. If you don't have a ravioli pasta maker, opt for a small plastic drinking cup to cut out the pasta. A pasta maker or ravioli maker is ideal, of course, but using the open end of a cup works just as well. Have a bowl of water and a pastry brush on hand to help seal the edges.

Basis Pasta Dough Recipe
Ingredients You Will Need:
2 to 3 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
2 to 3 cups white flour
2 tablespoons water (optional)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (optional)

http://www.life123.com/food/italian-food/ravioli/butternut-squash-ravioli.shtml

This recipe will make about 24 raviolis. Mix the first four ingredients with a fork. Add the flour slowly, 1 cup at a time, or place a mound of flour on a clean countertop, make a well in it and then dump the ingredients into the well. To get the gluten working, knead the dough for about 7 minutes. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin to about ⅛-inch thickness. Cut the raviolis out with the open end of a small glass, place 1 teaspoon of filling on each dough circle and add another circle over the filling and seal. If necessary, add water to the edges to seal.    

About Pumpkin Varieties [Split from SF Board]

Ah, let me put on my gardening hat for a moment here. The reason many made from scratch pumpkin pies are so bad is that not all pumpkins are created equal. Actually, to be precise, 'pumpkin' is NOT a botanically precise term. 'Pumpkin' is a visual designation. Any winter squash can be called a pumpkin if fits our visual criteria for pumpkin: round, ribbed, orange (with a special exception made for the white ones).

Not everything that's called a pumpkin is even the same species! Most of them, the Jack-O-Lantern types, are Cucurbita maxima, but some like Small Sugar are C. pepo, and the ones that are used in canning such as Dickinson are C. moschata, which don't even look like a classic pumpkin. Go to
http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/pl... and scroll down to see a picture of one. Further down the page is Winter Luxury Pie, reportedly one of the best for pie making.

The Jack-o-lantern types have been bred for thin walls that are easy to carve. Taste was not a factor! They make terrible pies because they're watery, stringy, not particularly sweet, and frankly not very tasty. Nothing wrong with the species -- some of the best eating squashes are C. maxima, but Jack-o-lanterns aren't them!

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/344527

Hope this was of interest and not to gardening geeky. I have a passion for winter squashes. They're so beautiful, come in such a variety, and have a wide range of tastes and textures.