Chicken Vegetable Soup

So Mike and I have actually had 12 whole days together - well he worked for part of that and went hunting, but I still got him :)

So we actually cooked this week, novel idea right?

So first we made chicken vegetable soup - delicious right? right

I had chicken in the freezer and Sunday we pulled that out and went and bought some veggies to go with.

I had spinach in the fridge that also needed using since it was starting to wilt in places...eek! Gotta get those greens in.

So we went to Hyvee and picked up zucchini, mushrooms, canned diced and seasoned tomatoes, corn, and some chicken broth.

It's super simple to make soup folks. Make sure you have some stock of some sort (veggie, beef, chicken, hell - duck stock will work too). Whatever floats your boat right?

So we took some onion, and spinach and cooked that down. Then added in mushrooms, zucchini, corn, and diced tomatoes. We didn't need a lot of stock since the tomato juice and corn juice worked pretty well as the stock. We added Italian herbs and some southwest spice that I have sitting around in my spice drawer.

It ended up tasting pretty great, had it with homemade white bread, from my Bread Bible recipe book. I can't say this white bread was my favorite, the traditional bread machine white bread that I made last week was way better. Less funk in the aftertaste, that makes no sense ha ha. Has a similar taste to Mighty Melt bread though, just wrong texture - getting closer maybe?

Mike went hunting, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday mornings. By Tuesday he was tired, but he got the time in and was able to hang out with some friends too. All in all, that's time well spent. Of course, it's strange to have him pass out by 8 pm every night when I'm used to him staying up till at least 10 or 11. That's what early mornings do to you.

So guys, go out and cook. Make some soup for sure, since it's chilly out there now. Will warm you right up.

A "Lamb" Down Under

Ok so this post has nothing to do with Australia or the land down under. But I thought it was a funny play on words. Ok, maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm delusional today. Who knows. Work is getting to me, causing my brain to have issues with what is actually funny and what isn't. Oh well *continues to eat her combos*

Anyway, what we are really here for is the lamb stew/soup that Mike and I prepared Sunday and have been eating ever since - it made A LOT of stew/soup.

This month has been kind of messed up and his schedule is kind of off so we enjoy what we can. A nice relaxing weekend with him last weekend was just what the doctor ordered. This weekend, it's with family. He has to work - so I guess it's packed lunches and random assortment of dinners for him - we shall see what he sends me through the weekend.

So Saturday we decided this was what we were making and so we went to the only place in town that sells lamb and picked up a few packages of stew bones and steaks. We also grabbed some celery, carrots, snow peas, red onion, mushrooms, and beef stock.

I actually did all the veggie chopping, minus onion and garlic. Which is unusual since Mike usually has the better knife skills. I'm not as fast or precise but as you can see my veggies look pretty good, if I do say so myself *brushes off shoulders with a smug grin*. He is gets the onion honors because onions don't bother him while he chops them up where as Roomie and I cry like little babies. It's bad. I walked by while he was chopping up the onion and my eyes started watering. Yeah, it's that bad for me. He also did the garlic. I can't seem to get that down, the garlic all sticks to my knife and then I get frustrated with it and just kind of chop at nothing.

We both did the unthinkable too while cooking. We both were injured this weekend with bizarre knife injuries. I was cutting cheese on Saturday night for a snack and my finger slipped down the back of the knife toward the tip - was only using a steak knife - so my right middle finger had a nice little slit in it all weekend. Mike was using the Japanese Vegetable knife, which he soon became fed up with and sent home with me. He was chopping the onion and then he noticed blood on the back of the knife. He just said "what?" He evidently cut his finger on the back of the knife. Come to find the back of that knife is sharp enough to cut you if you do it right - much like he did. I think his was his right index or left. I can't remember honestly. I'm sure I'll get a text after this post is published and enlightened to which hand was injured ;)

So despite injury we made it through. After chopping up veggies, oh and red potatoes (not peeled) into little bites size chunks we added the veggies (not potatoes) to the roux we had made from flour and the lamb fat at the bottom of the pan. We then cooked those down till the onions were almost translucent. Then we added about 48 oz beef stock, lamb, potatoes, peas and mushrooms. (since mushrooms don't take long to cook). It was seasoned with Greek seasoning, salt, pepper, cayenne, rosemary, bay leaf and probably a few other things I didn't see. We figured after trying it it was still lacking something...just couldn't figured out what it was. Mike decided that next time we should definitely use Italian seasoning and salt and pepper instead. It was just slightly off. Also, we decided that frozen peas would have been a much better choice than the snow peas. The snow peas just became unpalatable, at least to me. I ended up picking them out Tuesday when I ate stew for lunch.

All in all it was good, a hearty meal which we served with a cheese roll that we picked up at Walmart - go get some. They are absolutely delicious.

Make a stew, it's not hard. Pick a meat of your choice, add veggies that pair well (most any), make a roux with the meat fat or oil and water (look it up online or get a The Great Big Book of Cooking like Mike did.) Then add stock of choosing and simmer until delicious and thick. YUM! Experiment too, add cream, add spices and other combinations of meat. Try anything. Experiment.

So allez cuisine mes amis!

Go out and cook!

Let's have some Chowda!

Well, by let's, I mean Mike and his parents.

Mike took his big monster "The Professional Chef" book with him when he went home for the week. He has been mulling through it and bookmarking pages and recipes he wants to try out. It's fun to watch him get all excited about food and wanting to make it.


Recently he has been going through the soup section of the book. There are some really amazing soup recipes in there. I hope to try the next one.

So he was making a good old fashioned clam chowder for his parents. He was the sous chef according to the text messages I received. His father was helping him out for dinner.

The first picture I received was of an improvised sachet.

So not being at home or not wanting to go spend money to buy a sachet or materials for one he was clever and created his own, mind you he's clever all the time.

He used a coffee filter and stapled it shut with the herbs and spices that were required for this recipe. I couldn't tell you what was inside, but as you can see he was reading about it in the 'great big book of cooking.' I would say this is an inexpensive and easy way to do this if you do not have the actual materials for a sachet. Staples and a coffee filter, something most people have lying around their kitchen. (staples in your junk drawer - we all have one I know all of you do to)

So then he started with the veggies, which I know he chopped up all nice and pretty.

He cooked them down so they would blend with the soup base and have great flavor.

This is the blonde roux before cream is added. Cream is added at the end.

At this point my mouth was already watering.

Soon he was talking of pretzel bread and brats to go with the chowder. He wasn't so sure about pretzel bread and brats but I soon received a text saying "You should make pretzel bread." So at that point it's safe to assume he enjoyed it and that pretzel bread is a new food we should incorporate into our dining habits.

So he grilled and cooked and made delicious food for his parents. Such a good son and man :) I must say that brat sandwich on pretzel bread looks pretty awesome. Going to have to make that at home sometime.

So here is the final clam chowder picture - well sort of, that fish looking blob in there is the sachet of herbs that was boiled with the stock/veggies/clams and cream to infuse the chowder with those flavors.

He said the chowder was good but needed more clams. Can there ever be too much meat in a soup? I don't think anyone ever stocks up a soup/chowder or bisque with enough meat. Think Campbell's chicken noodle soup. Where's the chicken!? You all know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm sure it wasn't that bad but next time he knows, more clams. Kind of like a lot of things - more meat would make this better.

So this weekend I don't think there will be a massive amount of cooking as we are spending Saturday with my grandmother (though she did make German potato salad - hers is the best) and we will be eating out. But maybe Sunday we will whip something up in my small kitchen where all the baking action happens. Then maybe we can bake in his kitchen. Spice things up haha! I do not have the recipe to this - however, it is in the book "The Professional Chef" by The Cuilinary Institute of America. Check it out at your local book store or even on Amazon. It's not cheap so you are going to have to use it to make it worth the money.

Till next time kids!