Robin'sTaco Beef Soup

Ole Ole! Another great 'go-to' recipe for those who want to make something simple yet satisfying after they come home from work. I didn't time it, but I think it takes less than 1/2 hour to make!

Robin Maxey comes from a branch of our family known to us as "The Robinson Clan".  This branch of the family has a lot of energy. Robin just posted a picture on Facebook of herself repelling down a 350 ft. cliff in Moab. She's also done a lot of running--like in the N.Y. Marathon. The rest of the family is the same--Aunt Fizzy climbed half-dome with us when she was about 66. And she went skydiving at ...I think 75? So, they need good food to keep going!

"This chunky soup is like a taco in a bowl" says my cousin Robin. She made this for her children all the time when they were growing up. What can I say? A good cook's work is never done!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. ground beef
1/4 C chopped onion
1 1/2 C water
1 16-oz can stewed tomatoes
1 16-oz can kidney beans
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1/2 envelope (2 T) taco seasoning mix
1 small avocado, peeled, seeded and chopped
shredded cheddar cheese
corn chips
Dairy sour cream

In large saucepan cook ground beef and onion 'till meat is browned; drain off excess fat. Add water, undrained tomatoes, undrained kidney beans, tomato sauce and taco seasoning mix. simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Add avocado. Pass cheese, corn chips, and sour cream to top each serving. Makes 6 servings.

Note: Robin sometimes adds a can of jalapeno salsa to give it some "zip". I would add it a little at a time and taste as you go!

Sarah's Rich Chocolate Cheesecake

Christmas is an opportunity for my whole cooking family to try new recipes. We pot-luck everything, and usually two or three people bring a dessert along with another course. So, we have a dessert buffet!

 My sister Sarah brought this chocolate cheesecake for one of these buffets. We all tasted it and fell on the floor. fainting at the dense, chocolate richness of it.


Ingredients:

25 Oreo cookies, crushed fine
6 T butter, melted
1 1//2 pounds cream cheese, softened
1 C sugar
3 eggs
8 oz. semisweet chocolate,
melted and cooled
2 t cocoa
1 t vanilla extract
2 C sour cream

For the crust: Mix ingredients thoroughly and press into a well-buttered 10-inch springform pan. Chill. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy and smooth. Add sugar and beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in chocolate, cocoa, and vanilla, beating well after each addition. Add sour cream and continue beating until very smooth and well blended. Pour into crust. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a crack form on top. Cake may appear t be too liquid, but it will become firm when chilled. Cool to room temperature, then chill for at least 5 hours.

Note: I used 4 oz. Ghirardelli bittersweet baking chocolate and 4 oz. Nestle baking chocolate. Ghirardelli has a fine reputation for being a good bittersweet, but I find that using only bittersweet makes for a cake that isn't sweet enough. Valrhona and Callebaut are also renowned, but they're too expensive for moi! You can always use just Nestle or Guittard semisweet if you like...works fine! This is really great served with whipped cream on top (just whip 2 cups cream till peaks form, adding 2 T powdered sugar at the end along with 1 t vanilla extract). Or, serve it on the side. I like to decorate the top with a pastry bag, but it's not necessary.

Cheddar-Chive-Bacon Biscuits

These are like geodes--ugly on the outside, beautiful on the inside. Honestly, bake them and crack one open. The first thing that will hit you is the steam. It is warmly aromatic and fills the kitchen with a delectable scent. The cheddar and the bacon all combine with a soft buttery chive biscuit in a way that is...sort of miraculous! I love soup, and I feature lots of recipes for them on my blog. If you make soup, be sure and make these too. They freeze really well in freezer bags. I have them on hand for a night when I need a small miracle... Recipe by Kelsey Nixon on "cookingchanneltv.com".

Ingredients:

7 slices bacon or use 5-6 t Hormel Real Bacon Bits
3 C flour
3 T sugar (I used only 2 T--like 'em less sweet)
4 t baking powder
1 1/2 t salt
1 t baking soda
3/4 C (1 and 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces or grated
1 1/2 C shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 C chopped fresh chives
1 C buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a skillet, cool bacon until crisp and brown. Transfer to paper towels (I put mine on paper towels on top of a paper bag 'cause I have granite counters) and drain. Chop and set aside. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. Using a food processor, pastry cutter, or fingertips incorporate the chilled butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the cheese, fresh chives, and cooked bacon or bacon bits. Mix to distribute the ingredients evenly. Add the buttermilk and stir until just moistened. This is important. If you overmix you will get a tough biscuit. 

Using 1/3 C of dough for each biscuit, drop the biscuits with a measuring cup on the baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake the biscuits until golden brown on top, about 15 to 20 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean ( I use a strand of spaghetti as a tester). Serve warm with butter on the side for those who want it (they don't really need it).

Fudge Cookies with Toffee and Cherries

Every Cookie-Monster out there should make these! One of my favorite cookies in the world, these are crisp on the edges, chewy on the inside, very chocolate-y, with the unusual addition of toffee pieces, and dried cherries.

Lauren found these fudge cookies. They were originally from "The Sweet Kitchen" cookbook. I'm on a diet right now so I after I made these, I schlepped them over to the guys in the garage band next door. They had a cow over them. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Smith!" It was great. Note to self: If you want appreciation, deliver baked goods to teenage boys...

Ingredients:

2 1/4 C flour
1/2 C cocoa
1 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 C butter
1 C dark brown sugar
3/4 C sugar
2 large eggs
1 /2 t vanilla
1 C dried sour cherries (or Cran-cherries)
8 oz. (1 C) semi-sweet chocolate cut into chunks or chocolate chips
1 C English toffee pieces for baking, such as Heath or Skor bits.

Note: In some stores toffee pieces are seasonal --I found them at Safeway year-round

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Sift the flour, cocoa, b. soda and salt together into a bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat in vanilla. Stir in flour mixture in 3 additions, blending until the dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in chunky ingredients and mix until evenly distributed. I find this part of the job easier with a wooden spoon rather than a mixer, as I can better see what parts of the batter need more cherries or bits. Dough may be frozen up to 4 months after this, but it won't last that long. If you're like me, you'll be snitching little pieces of the dough right out of the freezer. So you'd better bake the cookies soon!

Drop the batter by heaping tablespoons onto baking sheets. Place in center of oven--switching positions halfway through (turn the pan around so back is to front of oven). Bake 15 minutes, until BARELY set in the center and just firm around the edges. Trust me on this--they will look undercooked. Cool on tray 3-5 minutes, then transfer to rack or paper on counter. Best eaten warm, with ice-cold milk!

Artichoke Soup from Duarte's Restaurant

Having Artichoke soup from Duarte's is a Northern California Bucket List item. The restaurant itself is a little hole in the wall in the historic Portuguese American town of Pescadero. Been there since 1890--and kind of looks it!  The nice thing about that is that it is California casual. Great for large families. My three-year old niece stood up in the booth the whole time and everyone just smiled Their artichoke soup is famous! Deceptively simple and fragrant, it grips you by the nose, and makes you sit down to eat. There is something about the thyme...

Note: Most Artichokes come from fields in Monterey County--over an hour south of Duarte's on Hwy. 101, on the way to Monterey and Carmel. We always go past large spike-y artichoke fields. They look like a teenager's hair in the morning. If the hair was as green as chlorophyll...This is the original recipe as given to " Via" magazine reporter Jeannette Ferrary by Ron Duarte in the year 2000. I believe Ron has since then changed the recipe to use half milk and half cream. Much lighter now...

Ingredients:

4 C water
1 T lemon juice
1 T oil
4 garlic cloves--crushed (2 large, 2 small)
3 lbs artichokes (3-4 medium)
2 C chicken stock
1 1/2 C. half and half (I increased this from the original recipe by 1/2 cup)
1 t ground pepper
salt to taste (start with 1/2 t.)
1 sprig fresh thyme or t tsp dried thyme

Bring water to a boil with oil, lemon juice, and two large, crushed garlic cloves. Add the artichokes and cook 45 minutes. Remove hearts and puree in food processor or blender with the stock, remaining 2 SMALL cloves of garlic, salt and pepper. Optional: slice whatever is left of the tender ends of the artichoke leaves into thin strips. Reheat soup with leaves, half-and-half and thyme. Let the soup simmer gently for 20 minutes before serving. Recommended accompaniment: "Cheese, Onion and Bacon Biscuits" coming in next blog...

Lemon Bars from Gayle's Bakery

Lemon Bars: luscious, tangy Lemon-Meringue Pie-ish filling with a buttery short-bread crust. Totally difficult to eat with your fingers but we manage to do it somehow! A few friends and I volunteered to help out at a wedding last year. The Father of the Groom made about 200 Lemon Bars for the dessert. I was, as the Brits say, 'gob-smacked'!
Firemen can bake!

After trying two recipes that didn't work (their lemon filling turned out too liquid for my taste), I found this in Gayle's Bakery "The Village Baker's Wife" cookbook. Works like a charm. DO remember to follow the recipe exactly, tho. Do not over-process the crust--15 seconds is 15 seconds. Also do take them out of the oven when the filling is light brown, or at least with light brown 'pimples' on the top. It's important to bake the bars till they are done...



Ingredients:

Crust:
1 C 8 oz. cold butter
1/2 C powdered sugar
1/4 t. salt
2 C flour

Filling:
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 C flour
4 eggs
2 C sugar
1/4 C freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)
2 T grated lemon zest (after squeezing lemons, use them for grating just the yellow off--no white (it's bitter). You may need to use an additional lemon for this step.
Extra powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. To make with a food processor: Cut the butter into 1/2-inch pieces and return it to the refrigerator. In bowl of the food processor fitted with the metal blade, place the powdered sugar, salt and flour. Pulse until well blended. Add the chilled butter and toss with your hands to coat the pieces with flour. Process the mixture until it looks like a fine meal, about 15 seconds.

OR to make the crust by hand: cut the butter into 1/2-inch pieces and return to the refrigerator. In a bowl, combine the powdered sugar, salt and flour. Add the chilled butter and toss to coat it with flour. With a fork or pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture looks like a fine meal, about 15 seconds.

While the crust bakes, make the filling. Combine the baking powder and flour. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with a hand-held whisk until they are well mixed. Add the sugar and beat until it is fully incorporated. Add the baking powder and flour in small amounts, beating after each addition. Whisk in the lemon juice and zest. Pour the filling over the hot crust and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the filling has set and is golden brown. Let the bars cool in the pan on a wire rack. When completely cool, dust with powdered sugar and serve.

Saltimbocca with Polenta

Who doesn't like Italian food? I have been made an honorary Italian by so many Italian Americans, I can't even count 'em.  My mom used to make chicken saltimbocca and we loved it! This is a lighter version, but just as good. Saltimbocca is traditionally made with veal, but you can make it with chicken or pork too. I've made it here with pork. Honestly, any meat stuffed with fontina cheese and prosciutto ham will be fantastic. The key is to brown it thoroughly in the pan and to not skimp on the cheese. This is beautiful served in pasta bowls on top of polenta swimming in sauce. Don't forget the sage leaves! Yield: 6 servings, only 404 calories per serving. From "Cooking Light" magazine ...

Note: Feel free to substitute boneless, skinless chicken breasts for the pork chops, still yummy!

Ingredients:
6 (4-0z) boneless center-cut loin pork chops, trimmed (cut off all the white stuff)
6 very thin slices prosciutto (about 2 oz.)
6 large sage leaves
3/4 cup shredded fontina cheese
1/4 t freshly ground pepper
1/8 t salt
2 T flour
1 T Olive Oil
1/2 C dry white wine
1 C fat-free less-sodium chicken broth
1 t thinly sliced sage

Polenta: (or use your own recipe: the one for corn mush on the Albers corn-meal box is fine)

2 C 1or 2% reduced-fat milk
1 14-oz. can fat-free less-sodium chicken broth
1 C instant polenta
1/2 t salt

Directions:

To prepare pork, place each chop between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap: pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Arrange one proscuitto slice over each chop; top with one sage leaf and about 2 T cheese. Fold chops in half to sandwich filling and secure with wooden toothpicks or bamboo skewers that have been broken in half (to shorten). At this point, trim off excess pieces of meat to make the rolls look somewhat uniform (food tastes better if it is presented well). Save the excess pieces for a stir-fry another time.

Sprinkle both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge stuffed chops in flour. Heat olive oil in large nonstick skilet over med-hi heat. Add chops, cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove shops from pan, set aside.

Add wine to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; cook until reduced to 1/4 C. Add 1 C broth and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/2 C (about 5 minutes). Stir in 1 t sliced sage
Reduce heat to medium. Return chops to pan; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, turning once. Remove wooden picks from chops.

To prepare polenta, bring milk and 1 can broth to a boil. Gradually stir in polenta and 1/2 t salt. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook two minutes. Arrange 1/2 cup polenta on each serving dish or plate. To with a chop and drizzle with 4 t sauce and a sage leaf or two. Serve immediately!