Fiesta Soup

    

   Well, I'm finally coming around to writing again, and glad to be. There are so many yummy goodies to share this time of year. As the air gets cooler out and our heat cranked up indoors, food in general seems to beckon more loudly than ever (and, unfortunately drown out the calls of the gym. shame.). I've lately been most enjoying soups and teas and lattes and sweet potatoes and oatmeal and pretty much anything that warms me from the inside out. I've welcomed a new guest into my little home in the last couple weeks, one I've been entertaining the thought of for a couple years now. Lila is her name. She's a marvelous house guest, a bit messy and not well aware of personal boundaries, but sweet as pie. I picked her up at the Humane Shelter on Thanksgiving weekend and am absolutely agog. She's a 3 month-old Shepherd-Lab mix with a stubborn will and gentle disposition. We have a love-hate relationship at present, as she is not very conducive to my work-sleep schedule. At every odd hour she demands a trip outdoors, which, though quite necessary, is not the most pleasant when bundled so nicely under the covers, knowing a 16-degree wind awaits. I got little sleep today (back on night shift) due to the bone-knawing, paper-tearing, tail-wacking, and hourly pounces on the face by my new friend wanting her lazy playmate to wake up! (evidently i still have some training to do...). However, despite these inconveniences, I will say that having her has slowed me down a bit and is causing me to breathe more deeply and enjoy little moments. I've actually come to treasure the earliest morning bathroom trip to the yard when I can sit on my swing and breathe in the crisp air, listen to the quiet that only comes with 3am, and watch the frost twinkle in the moonlight. I do rather enjoy it. All this, to say two things: One, I've not been cooking as much as I normally would due to the demands of this little companion. And, two, being dragged into the cold so often is making me all the more hungry for a warm something in my belly. Which brings us now to...Fiesta Soup. I just named it. Let me tell you about it...

    I found this recipe in some magazine a few years ago and have adopted it and loved it every winter since. There are so many reasons to love it. First, it's about the easiest soup you will ever find. Mix up some canned beans and corn, throw in some salsa and broth, heat it up, chop up a few toppings of choice, and you've pretty much got your soup! 10 minutes max, really, including prep time. Can you beat this? And, really, what must follow is that it's totally okay that it doesn't take long to make it because it's still so good. In other words, you're not losing flavor by not stirring over a stovetop for an hour. It's a simply tasty soup. The main characters, I suppose, are the beans and corn. They take up the most space, at least. The beans give it some meatiness. The corn, a sweet snap to each bite. Then, the salsa. I love that you just throw in salsa. It gives a bit of heat to the dish (that is, if you choose the hotter option). The best part, in my opinion, is the freshness of the toppings: avocado, cilantro, green onion, sour cream, lime, cheddar cheese. Yum! This makes it. I load it with all of the above (especially the green stuff) and it lends a wonderful cool, crisp contrast to the heated soup it covers. Thirdly, this soup is great for you! I use light sour cream and the cheese is optional. I had it tonight without any and it was fabulous. I like to scoop tortilla chips into it and eat the chunkier bites like a dip. And then I usually throw in an apple on the side. Lovely. I hope you like it as much as I do (and for you cilantro-haters out there, just leave it out. it won't be nearly as good, but do what you must. :).

Fiesta Soup*

serves 4

adapted from a recipe by a guy named "Bart" in a magazine. that's all i got. :)

ingredients:

1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (15 oz) whole kernel corn, drained

1 cup chunky salsa (i used medium heat)

1+1/2 cups chicken broth (or try vegetable for a fully vegetarian dish)

juice of 1-2 small limes

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

4T chopped green onions

4 big dollops sour cream

a couple big handfuls fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

2 avocados, diced

salt and hot sauce, to taste

directions:

1. In a large microwave-safe bowl (or, if only dishing up one serving, use whatever you want to store the extra soup in, then you can just serve it into your serving bowl when ready to heat your portion), combine the first four ingredients (and hot sauce if you think you need it). 

2. Cover and microwave on high for several minutes or until heated through. 

3. Pour into 4 serving bowls and top each with equal amounts of the remaining ingredients. Serve it up and enjoy with tortilla chips. That's it!

*By the way, I should explain the name. I thought about calling it Black Bean Soup, but it's not really that, but so much more. And then I considered Tortilla Soup, but that usually involves chicken and more tomatoes, so that wouldn't do. And then I thought maybe just Black Bean and Corn Soup, but, how drab is that. So, Fiesta Soup came to mind. It claims it as a tex-mex type soup and lets every ingredient play an important role in the party. Perfect.

Meet Lila. :)

"Anything" Blondies

     What a week. I've started a new job (working with babies and toddlers now. eek!) and feel as if I've been in a whirlwind of change and doubt and fear and whatever else one might feel during such a transition. It's in these times that I so long for familiarity and comfort. This weekend brought respite, thankfully. And, now, I begin this new week with a hopeful and courageous outlook (I've had all weekend to work on this.). I'm forging on---to conquer! In the meantime, it can't go without mention that I'm certainly enjoying my fair share of chocolate, one worldly comfort I put to good use. On Sunday we had another dessert need at church and I knew, immediately, what I would take. I've had my eye on these babies...

     I'm a fan of any recipe you can adapt to your preference. For instance, bran muffins...I love that one day you can add walnuts and raisins. Another, chocolate chips and dried cherries. And another, just bake 'em up plain. All from one base recipe. That's marvelous. Blondies are this way. I've never had a great recipe for them and have actually not made them much. However, I do believe these are the ones. One of my most favorite cooking websites is called smitten kitchen. The author produces consistently creative and yummy foods, along with frequent photos of her a-dor-a-ble little boy. I impatiently wait between posts for her next one. That said, this is her recipe for a fantastic pan of Blondies. I see nothing to change. They're simple, require one bowl, only a few ingredients, offer endless variations of add-ins, and come out pretty much like one giant doughy chocolate chip cookie in a pan. What could be better? 

     *One note I'll add is that I made this batch with half dark brown sugar and half light brown sugar. I thought the molasses taste was a tad stronger than most would want it. So, next time, I'll probably go 100% light brown sugar (the molasses added to the dark brown sugar is what differentiates it and gives it a bolder flavor, by the way). This time around I threw in three different types of chocolate: semi-sweet, dark, and white. I named them "Triple Chocolate Blondies." Um, yeah. They were killer. Next batch I'm definitely mixing in some toasted walnuts. Go crazy.

"Anything" Blondies

borrowed from smitten kitchen

makes about 3 dozen

ingredients:

1 cup butter, melted

2 cups light brown sugar (unless you love dark, then go for it)

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups all purpose flour

 try any of these mix-ins (or try some ideas of your own):

-2 cups chopped, toasted nuts

-2 cups chocolate chips (any type!)

-1 cup mashed banana

-4 tablespoons coffee powder

-1 cup dried fruit

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Butter a 9x13 pan.

3. Mix melted butter with sugar and beat until smooth. 

4. Beat in eggs, then vanilla.

5. Stir in salt and flour (stir minimally all along!) and any add-ins you would like.

6. Pour into pan and bake for around 20-25 minutes (mine took 22), or until fairly set in the middle (meaning a toothpick inserted in the center doesn't come out looking like the batter in the bowl. though, you do still want them on the doughy side. at least i do.). Cool on rack before cutting. 

Tomato Soup + Goat Cheese Biscuits

   I've been desperately wanting to make a decent pot of soup lately, but, for the last few weeks have had zero success. This one, though, is wonderful. My Guatemalan-living, food-loving friend, Rachel, came over the other day to have lunch and watch the The Sound of Music cast reunion on Oprah (i recorded it. such nostalgia. we had a few sniffles over the reality that the movie isn't real life and that Gretel isn't nearly so cute now...but no need to dwell on such things. Julie Andrews is such a classic. i so want to be her.).

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/media/blogs/popculture/2009/04/how_do_you_solve_a_problem_lik.html

   For this such occasion I decided I would make this tomato soup recipe I've had on my list to try for a while. I made a nice big batch of it which I've been enjoying over the last several days (it's even better after the first few). I've decided I'm a chunky soup person. Most of the soups I enjoy fall into this category. I love chili, black bean, french onion, gumbo, tortilla, to name a few...all with a good bit of texture. So, naturally, my tomato soup should follow suit. It was suggested that this one be blended in a food processor before eating, but I held off and am so glad I did. The texture is just right--not too thick, not too runny. It's a fairly light soup (especially if you omit the milk/cream), but the tomato chunks make it seem a bit heartier. It's delicious in every way. Rachel and I loved it. I think you will, too. 
      I also knew I'd need some bread-ish side to accompany the soup (ya gotta have something to dip in it!), so I decided to make the same biscuits Joy the Baker baked with hers (i borrowed both her recipes this time. www.joythebaker.com, that is. she's hilarious and so raw. i love her.). Goat Cheese Biscuits. Yum-my. They were fabulous. I had a healthy portion. I couldn't taste the cheese in them as much as I would have liked, but they were delicious, nonetheless. And, really easy! I actually had never made biscuits before and was delighted at how simple and painless the process was. Delightful, all of it.

 Chunky Tomato Soup

serves at least 10, i'd say

adapted slightly from Joy the Baker

ingredients:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, finely diced (optional, really. didn't make a huge difference to me.)

1-2 cloves minced garlic

course sea salt and fresh black pepper, to taste

splash of red wine vinegar (around 1 Tablespoon)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

5 Tablespoons tomato paste

1 dried bay leaf

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon dried basil

30 ounces low sodium chicken broth

2 cans (28-ounces each) peeled, crushed/diced tomatoes in juice (with basil, if available...i used 1 can of crushed and 1 diced, though i'm honestly not sure there's a huge difference. the crushed had bigger chunks, i think)  

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2- 3/4 cup whole milk or cream, optional

6 ounces fresh spinach, optional (Julie gave me the idea to do this. I love it, Julie!)

directions:

1. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add oil, carrot, onion, and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is translucent and the carrots become softer, a little over 5 minutes.   

2. Add the vinegar and stir everything up for another minute or so.  

3. Reduce heat to low and stir in flour. Add tomato paste and stir for another minute until well-combined and thickened. Add chicken broth and bay leaf, and stir.

4. Add the tomatoes (juice and all) to the pot, breaking up the bigger tomato chunks with your fingers as desired. Bring to a boil.

5. Stir in Italian seasoning, basil, and sugar, then let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

5. Stir in milk or cream, and spinach. Let simmer for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  

Goat Cheese Biscuits

makes about 9 biscuits

borrowed from Joy the Baker

ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

4 tablespoons (2 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for the pan

2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, to top the biscuits

4 tablespoons (2 ounces) goat cheese, crumbled (i used one of the herbed logs sold in stores--yummy.)

1 cup buttermilk

directions:

1. Move an oven rack to the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven to preheat as well.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Using your fingers, incorporate the butter and goat cheese until the flour gets a bit crumbly (Joy says it should get pebbly. Mine didn't really, but turned out fine.). 

3. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk. With a fork, mix together the buttermilk and flour until all of the dry flour is incorporated.

4. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the microwave and set aside.

5. Remove the cast iron from the oven and place one tablespoon of butter in it, spreading it around to grease the entire pan, including the sides.

6. Spoon the batter, by the 1/4-cup into the hot skillet. It's okay for the biscuits to touch. They're supposed to. :) Brush them with the melted butter.

7. Bake for 14-16 minutes, until slightly golden in color, and remove from the oven.  Let sit for a couple minutes before serving warm. 

Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

 I'm so tired of seeing that shrimp and grits post. An update is long overdue. I have actually been cooking in the last month, and haven't been avoiding posting either; rather, the true story I am sad to report is that I have suffered a series of unfortunately and miserably failed recipes. Just awful: Butternut Squash + Apple Soup, the first attempt with my new food mill...baby food; Basic vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting...flavorless and dry as a bone; Berry Streusel Muffins intended to be eaten in celebration of a coworker's engagement...streusel that ended up more like burnt caramel stuck to the pan. Depressing. A friend of mine mentioned the other day that it bothers her when cooking blogs speak only of successes, so I figured I would lay out my recent failures before you. So, there you have them...The ugly mess-ups. Cooking certainly does a job at trying one's patience. Not everything turns out as you intend, as in life (something i'm slowly and not painlessly coming to terms with). It's just the reality. But, i digress...onto these cookies (which are a success).
   I don't usually love, love Oatmeal cookies (likely because they don't typically contain chocolate), but have tweaked these a bit and think they're lovely. I'm visiting my sweet friend, Karla, tonight, and decided I'd take a treat for her and her family. I made these in two batches: One with chocolate chips (for her kids) and one with craisins and walnuts (for the adults). Both are great. Another option is to stir in a couple tablespoons of peanut butter (smooth or crunchy) to the batter before adding the oats...They make a great batch of Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies. So, take your pick!

Oatmeal Cookies

yields about 2 dozen large cookies

adapted from Quaker

ingredients:

1/2 lb. butter (2 sticks), softened

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 cups old fashioned oats

1-1/2 cup add-ins: any combo of raisins, 

        craisins, walnuts, chocolate chips...

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars until creamy.

3. Add in eggs and vanilla. Beat well. 

4. In smaller bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt...Add to butter mix and mix well. 

5. Stir in oats and add-ins, mixing well. 

6. Drop by very heaping tablespoons (or using a cookie scoop--my preference) onto ungreased (or parchment paper-lined) sheet and press cookies down with your hand.

7. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are a golden brown. Let cool for a minute, then enjoy with a glass of cold milk (required).