Happy Thanksgiving, all! I think the best part of Thanksgiving, well besides eating your weight in turkey, sides and pie, is that it's so different depending on where you celebrate.
While we all eat "the usual", "the usual" changes vastly region-to-region. Think about it for a second, dressing versus stuffing, giblet gravy versus packaged, lumpy potatoes versus smooth and with peas and onions? The Thanksgiving traditions in Pittsburg are going to be different from Thanksgiving in San Diego, is going to be different from Thanksgiving in New York City, and so on and so on. Yeah, I agree there's probably a turkey on most if not all tables and mashed potatoes in some form but the preparations and fixings all vary.
Well, a staple on every New Mexican's Thanksgiving table, and most definitely nowhere else in the country, is red chile sauce. If you are not a native New Mexican, you may be thinking to yourself, "red chile? What? Do they eat anything that isn't smothered in chile?" To answer your question, no, chile really does cover everything that enters our stomachs in some form or another. The sauce also serves a dual purpose: to replace gravy. I have never liked gravy. Call me Un-American or a traitor or whatever, I don't care. I don't like gravy and I am not ashamed to admit it. It grosses me out. Always have. Always will. Period. End-of-story.
Since Nate and I are hosting Thanksgiving this year, I get to subject people to my bizarre New Mexican traditions. This red chile sauce will cover my mashed potatoes, my turkey and who knows what else! So if you want to try something different on your Thanksgiving table this year, I urge you to give this red chile sauce a try!
New Mexican Red Chile Sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 C red chile powder
1 C water
Salt to taste
In a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat, saute garlic until it begins to release the wonderful cooking-garlic aroma. Blend in the flour using a wooden spoon and allow to cook for a minute until it becomes a light golden color.
Turn the heat down to medium-low and blend in the chile powder. I know what you're thinking: "Lindsey, I live in (insert town name here) and they don't just sell red chile powder here! Why are you trying to get me to make this stuff anyway?!" To which I answer you, ok, calm down first of all. Chile powder is actually easier to find than you would think! I was able to buy a huge bag of it at Aldi in Cary, North Carolina. If you don't have an Aldi near you, you could also order it online from my favorite chile purveyor: Chile Monster.
Now, red chile burns easily so you really have to be careful and blend it in and toast it for only about a minute before adding in the water and salt. I prefer my chile sauce to be a little thicker in consistency so I only added about 3/4 C of my water but if you want yours to be a little thinner than feel free to add in the whole cup, or even less.
Happy Thanksgiving, readers from my family to yours!
Food & Travel With A Dash of Humor and Reality. Instagram: @thehartcooks
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Happy Thanksgiving Eve, readers! I wish you and your family a very happy calorie-filled, no-carb-left-behind Thanksgiving! This evening was very busy for Nate and I. He made roasted sweet potatoes and decorated the house while I prepared Green Bean Casserole (following the tried-and-true recipe on the back of the French Fried Onions can, subbing fresh green beans for canned) and pumpkin cheesecake!
This cheesecake honestly couldn't be easier to make! You mix everything up with a blender and bake it for an hour. That's it. Awesome right? Who wants to worry about complicated recipes when they have a billion other things to worry about? Not me, that's for damn sure.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
3 8oz packages of softened cream cheese
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 C sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
In a large mixing bowl or your handy stand mixer, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Unfortunately for me, I did not allow my cream cheese to soften enough and completely blew the motor on my hand mixer. It was a devastating experience, mainly because I was in the middle of whipping my cream cheese and now had to transfer all my cream cheese into the stand mixer.
Once cream cheese is light and fluffy, mix in pumpkin puree, eggs, and spices until combined. This took about 10 minutes to incorporate everything completely.
Mix in flour and vanilla until combined.
Pour the filling into a prepared crust. The great thing about this filling is it will fill up two 9 inch pie crusts! Who doesn't love two cheesecakes?
I stupidly only bought one graham cracker crust but I thankfully have a pantry-full of graham crackers just aging.
Pie Crust
8 graham crackers
4 Tbsp butter, melted
3 Tbsp sugar
Preheat oven to 350.
In a medium bowl, break up graham crackers. I used a potato masher. It worked well to mash into semi-uniform yet solid-ish pieces. They weren't teeny-tiny like they would be had I used a food processor but it should taste ok.
Mix in melted butter and sugar until the graham crackers start to come together.
Press into a pie pan.
Bake for 5 minutes.
Now for baking the now-crusted cheesecakes:
Bake the cheesecakes at 350 for 1 hour. After an hour, turn the oven off but keep the cheesecakes in the oven.
Allow cheesecakes to come to room temperature before placing in the fridge for 6-8 hours or overnight.
These cheesecakes are heavenly and a nice nod to the traditional pumpkin pie without being drab and boring.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's recipe for red chile sauce!
This cheesecake honestly couldn't be easier to make! You mix everything up with a blender and bake it for an hour. That's it. Awesome right? Who wants to worry about complicated recipes when they have a billion other things to worry about? Not me, that's for damn sure.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
3 8oz packages of softened cream cheese
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 C sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
In a large mixing bowl or your handy stand mixer, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Unfortunately for me, I did not allow my cream cheese to soften enough and completely blew the motor on my hand mixer. It was a devastating experience, mainly because I was in the middle of whipping my cream cheese and now had to transfer all my cream cheese into the stand mixer.
Once cream cheese is light and fluffy, mix in pumpkin puree, eggs, and spices until combined. This took about 10 minutes to incorporate everything completely.
Mix in flour and vanilla until combined.
Pour the filling into a prepared crust. The great thing about this filling is it will fill up two 9 inch pie crusts! Who doesn't love two cheesecakes?
I stupidly only bought one graham cracker crust but I thankfully have a pantry-full of graham crackers just aging.
Pie Crust
8 graham crackers
4 Tbsp butter, melted
3 Tbsp sugar
Preheat oven to 350.
In a medium bowl, break up graham crackers. I used a potato masher. It worked well to mash into semi-uniform yet solid-ish pieces. They weren't teeny-tiny like they would be had I used a food processor but it should taste ok.
Mix in melted butter and sugar until the graham crackers start to come together.
Press into a pie pan.
Bake for 5 minutes.
Now for baking the now-crusted cheesecakes:
Bake the cheesecakes at 350 for 1 hour. After an hour, turn the oven off but keep the cheesecakes in the oven.
Allow cheesecakes to come to room temperature before placing in the fridge for 6-8 hours or overnight.
These cheesecakes are heavenly and a nice nod to the traditional pumpkin pie without being drab and boring.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's recipe for red chile sauce!
Monday, November 21, 2016
Angus Barn
Oh my goodness, readers! Last night I had what may very well be the best meal of my life! To celebrate my in-laws' anniversary, we took a trip to the Angus Barn. I had always heard the food there was delicious and the service was legendary (the servers go through a month-long training and are required to commit to a two-year contract and in some dining rooms are also required to be a Level One sommelier) but absolutely nothing prepared me for what I experienced at the Angus Barn.
There are only two ways I can think of to describe this restaurant (if you can even call it that, it's more like a complex. Or Heaven.) the first is "no matter who you walk in as, you walk out a Republican," as described by my friend Justin Cody or in more precise terms: Parks and Recreation's character Ron Swanson personified.
Eating here is not only eating dinner, it's an experience to not be forgotten. The experience begins the moment you turn into the parking lot and immediately your eyes sparkle with what appears to be thousands of Christmas lights. There are large balls of light hanging from trees and bulbs strung up on the main barn, their water tower and their open-air pavilions. It immediately transports you to your childhood when you would drive around looking at Christmas lights with eyes full of wonder and excitement.
Angus Barn is located at 9401 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh, NC 27617. It is only open during dinner hours and I highly recommend a reservation.
Décor: excellent. Your experience continues when you walk into their beautiful main barn. The décor is western-themed (which makes sense because it's a barn) but in the most upscale way possible. What could easily turn into a chuck-wagon type kitschy restaurant is instead classy and chic. They were decorated for Christmas and walking through each of their several dining rooms almost felt like walking through your grandmother's house at Christmas (well, if your grandmother lived in a fancy barn.) There are subtle nods to western-motifs around the building but nothing feels like you're in a remake of Gone With The Wind. The bathrooms are located in old stables and there is an indoor outhouse located near the Meat Locker dining room.
Service: excellent. The attention to the service is impeccable. Depending on which dining room you are dining in, you are directed from one Hostess stand to the next and you are addressed by name (Mr. and Mrs. Hart for example). After arriving to your table you are greeted by your server who thoroughly explains the evening's specials with wine and beer pairings and treats you as if you were royalty. Our server was excellent. I wish I could remember her name to thank her properly but she was fantastic! Water glasses were always filled, table was always cleared of plates immediately, she was friendly and personable and when a problem arose she remedied it immediately. I can honestly say that Angus Barn definitely has some of the best servers in Raleigh, NC.
Food appearance: excellent. The best part about Angus Barn is it's no fuss or frills. Food is presented to you in the most simplistic but scrumptious way possible. Despite the fact they have an Iron Chef in the kitchen (Walter Royal) the star is the way the food tastes in it's almost purest form: grilled with seasonings.
Food taste: excellent. There was not one thing I ate last night that I didn't fall in love with at first bite. The tables are set with crackers and a pairing of cheese spreads: sharp cheddar and Roquefort-blue cheese. Both are sublime and a perfect beginning to your meal. Next were oysters both on the half-shell and Rockefeller. I must admit that I do not like oysters on the half-shell but Nate and Mama Hart devoured all six while my father-in-law and I shared the Rockefellers. Everything tasted fresh and succulent. Next we ordered our entrees. Nate and his dad shared the 42 oz tomahawk steak. Yeah, you read that right, two men shared a 42 oz steak, each got a soup or salad and each got a side. To say this was a lot of food was an understatement. The steak itself looked like a damn dinosaur leg! We elicited a lot of stares around the dining room when it was delivered to our table but I will say despite the enormous portion the steak didn't lose any of it's flavor or tenderness. It was a beautiful medium-rare and had the most fantastic pure beef-iness you can imagine! I ordered their 7 oz fillet mignon and 9 oz lobster tail combo. The fillet was juicy, tender and perfect. The lobster on the other hand needed some work.
Allow me to digress for just a moment here, I have not eaten a lobster since I was 5 years old. I am now 23. When I was young I traveled the country with my Great Aunt and late Uncle in their motor home. During one of these excursions, I was taken to a fresh-fish market and told to pick a lobster. As a young 5-year-old child I was under the impression that this lobster was going to be my pet. However, as a young 5-year-old child my attention span wasn't very long and I quickly forgot all about my pet lobster. Later that evening while I was munching away at my dinner, my Aunt Bev asked me "how do you like your dinner?" I answered. She then elaborated, "that's the lobster you picked out! Isn't that neat?" I was mortified. I was currently crunching down on what I thought would be my best friend. I had not eaten lobster until last night.
Unfortunately, my lobster at Angus Barn was tough and leather-y. It was cooked far too long. But my skilled server immediately remedied the situation and I was brought a fresh lobster before I could even blink. The fresh lobster was sweet and tender and succulent. I now see what I have been missing for the last 18 years of my life! The clarified butter and the acidic lemon. Gosh I'm salivating just thinking about it.
Each entrée includes soup or salad and a side. I chose the side wedge salad which was everything a wedge salad should be. Crisp iceberg, juicy tomatoes, sharp blue cheese, crunchy bacon and creamy blue cheese. Theirs also included the addition of crunchy pecans. To try to pretend that I was not over-indulging myself, I chose steamed broccoli as my side.
Nate chose French Onion Soup and garlic mashed potatoes for his soup and side. The soup came in a huge bowl and was the cheesiest thing I've ever seen in my life! Literally, it was gobs of gooey cheese and there's nothing wrong with that. His mashed potatoes were smooth and creamy with a great punch of garlic.
Nate's dad chose the soup-of-the-day, which happened to be a seafood chowder. The chowder was tomato-based and contained giant chunks of fresh seafood. It was utterly delicious. He chose sautéed mushrooms as his side and I must admit I didn't try them.
Mama Hart got the 10 oz prime rib cooked rare with creamed spinach and sautéed asparagus. The prime rib was a beautiful pink and juicy served with the traditional fixings. I wish I would've grabbed a bite of it before devouring my steak and lobster. I didn't try her sides either! I'm kicking myself!
Dessert was brought to you on a tray and each dish was described in length. Everything even their 4 flavors of ice cream are made in house. Who can resist fresh made food?! We ordered the Caramel-Bourbon hot fudge sundae. It was a goblet of caramel-bourbon ice cream topped with fresh whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry and engulfed in melt-y hot fudge. Dear God it was sublime! I would return for this alone!
Cleanliness: excellent. Everything was absolutely spotless! Even the bathrooms were beautiful! I actually considered eating in there because it was so beautiful and clean.
Total: 15/15
Everything about the Angus Barn screams decadence. There are several dining rooms, a wine cellar stocked with 27,000 wines. No, that's not a typo. There are 27,000 wines stored in their cellar the most expensive being a $15,000 vintage. The wine list is expansive and contains wines from all around the world in prices ranging from $38-$15,000 with tastes for just about everyone. The restaurant hosts two chef's tables -- one in the main kitchen and one in the kitchen serving the two private dining rooms downstairs. Each private room downstairs has it's own full bar and servers who are "white glove and silent" and are also minimum Level One sommeliers.
The restaurant has a wall of Level One and Level Two sommeliers on staff as well as a slew of fantastic chefs.
Annually there is a Titanic dinner during which guests are served the meal that White Star served on the night the ship sank as well as hosting weddings and other events.
I am extremely thrilled that my new employer is hosting their annual Christmas party there and I will get to enjoy their phenomenal food in just a few short weeks!
There are only two ways I can think of to describe this restaurant (if you can even call it that, it's more like a complex. Or Heaven.) the first is "no matter who you walk in as, you walk out a Republican," as described by my friend Justin Cody or in more precise terms: Parks and Recreation's character Ron Swanson personified.
Eating here is not only eating dinner, it's an experience to not be forgotten. The experience begins the moment you turn into the parking lot and immediately your eyes sparkle with what appears to be thousands of Christmas lights. There are large balls of light hanging from trees and bulbs strung up on the main barn, their water tower and their open-air pavilions. It immediately transports you to your childhood when you would drive around looking at Christmas lights with eyes full of wonder and excitement.
Angus Barn is located at 9401 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh, NC 27617. It is only open during dinner hours and I highly recommend a reservation.
Décor: excellent. Your experience continues when you walk into their beautiful main barn. The décor is western-themed (which makes sense because it's a barn) but in the most upscale way possible. What could easily turn into a chuck-wagon type kitschy restaurant is instead classy and chic. They were decorated for Christmas and walking through each of their several dining rooms almost felt like walking through your grandmother's house at Christmas (well, if your grandmother lived in a fancy barn.) There are subtle nods to western-motifs around the building but nothing feels like you're in a remake of Gone With The Wind. The bathrooms are located in old stables and there is an indoor outhouse located near the Meat Locker dining room.
Service: excellent. The attention to the service is impeccable. Depending on which dining room you are dining in, you are directed from one Hostess stand to the next and you are addressed by name (Mr. and Mrs. Hart for example). After arriving to your table you are greeted by your server who thoroughly explains the evening's specials with wine and beer pairings and treats you as if you were royalty. Our server was excellent. I wish I could remember her name to thank her properly but she was fantastic! Water glasses were always filled, table was always cleared of plates immediately, she was friendly and personable and when a problem arose she remedied it immediately. I can honestly say that Angus Barn definitely has some of the best servers in Raleigh, NC.
Food appearance: excellent. The best part about Angus Barn is it's no fuss or frills. Food is presented to you in the most simplistic but scrumptious way possible. Despite the fact they have an Iron Chef in the kitchen (Walter Royal) the star is the way the food tastes in it's almost purest form: grilled with seasonings.
Food taste: excellent. There was not one thing I ate last night that I didn't fall in love with at first bite. The tables are set with crackers and a pairing of cheese spreads: sharp cheddar and Roquefort-blue cheese. Both are sublime and a perfect beginning to your meal. Next were oysters both on the half-shell and Rockefeller. I must admit that I do not like oysters on the half-shell but Nate and Mama Hart devoured all six while my father-in-law and I shared the Rockefellers. Everything tasted fresh and succulent. Next we ordered our entrees. Nate and his dad shared the 42 oz tomahawk steak. Yeah, you read that right, two men shared a 42 oz steak, each got a soup or salad and each got a side. To say this was a lot of food was an understatement. The steak itself looked like a damn dinosaur leg! We elicited a lot of stares around the dining room when it was delivered to our table but I will say despite the enormous portion the steak didn't lose any of it's flavor or tenderness. It was a beautiful medium-rare and had the most fantastic pure beef-iness you can imagine! I ordered their 7 oz fillet mignon and 9 oz lobster tail combo. The fillet was juicy, tender and perfect. The lobster on the other hand needed some work.
Allow me to digress for just a moment here, I have not eaten a lobster since I was 5 years old. I am now 23. When I was young I traveled the country with my Great Aunt and late Uncle in their motor home. During one of these excursions, I was taken to a fresh-fish market and told to pick a lobster. As a young 5-year-old child I was under the impression that this lobster was going to be my pet. However, as a young 5-year-old child my attention span wasn't very long and I quickly forgot all about my pet lobster. Later that evening while I was munching away at my dinner, my Aunt Bev asked me "how do you like your dinner?" I answered. She then elaborated, "that's the lobster you picked out! Isn't that neat?" I was mortified. I was currently crunching down on what I thought would be my best friend. I had not eaten lobster until last night.
Unfortunately, my lobster at Angus Barn was tough and leather-y. It was cooked far too long. But my skilled server immediately remedied the situation and I was brought a fresh lobster before I could even blink. The fresh lobster was sweet and tender and succulent. I now see what I have been missing for the last 18 years of my life! The clarified butter and the acidic lemon. Gosh I'm salivating just thinking about it.
Each entrée includes soup or salad and a side. I chose the side wedge salad which was everything a wedge salad should be. Crisp iceberg, juicy tomatoes, sharp blue cheese, crunchy bacon and creamy blue cheese. Theirs also included the addition of crunchy pecans. To try to pretend that I was not over-indulging myself, I chose steamed broccoli as my side.
Nate chose French Onion Soup and garlic mashed potatoes for his soup and side. The soup came in a huge bowl and was the cheesiest thing I've ever seen in my life! Literally, it was gobs of gooey cheese and there's nothing wrong with that. His mashed potatoes were smooth and creamy with a great punch of garlic.
Nate's dad chose the soup-of-the-day, which happened to be a seafood chowder. The chowder was tomato-based and contained giant chunks of fresh seafood. It was utterly delicious. He chose sautéed mushrooms as his side and I must admit I didn't try them.
Mama Hart got the 10 oz prime rib cooked rare with creamed spinach and sautéed asparagus. The prime rib was a beautiful pink and juicy served with the traditional fixings. I wish I would've grabbed a bite of it before devouring my steak and lobster. I didn't try her sides either! I'm kicking myself!
Dessert was brought to you on a tray and each dish was described in length. Everything even their 4 flavors of ice cream are made in house. Who can resist fresh made food?! We ordered the Caramel-Bourbon hot fudge sundae. It was a goblet of caramel-bourbon ice cream topped with fresh whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry and engulfed in melt-y hot fudge. Dear God it was sublime! I would return for this alone!
Cleanliness: excellent. Everything was absolutely spotless! Even the bathrooms were beautiful! I actually considered eating in there because it was so beautiful and clean.
Total: 15/15
Everything about the Angus Barn screams decadence. There are several dining rooms, a wine cellar stocked with 27,000 wines. No, that's not a typo. There are 27,000 wines stored in their cellar the most expensive being a $15,000 vintage. The wine list is expansive and contains wines from all around the world in prices ranging from $38-$15,000 with tastes for just about everyone. The restaurant hosts two chef's tables -- one in the main kitchen and one in the kitchen serving the two private dining rooms downstairs. Each private room downstairs has it's own full bar and servers who are "white glove and silent" and are also minimum Level One sommeliers.
The restaurant has a wall of Level One and Level Two sommeliers on staff as well as a slew of fantastic chefs.
Annually there is a Titanic dinner during which guests are served the meal that White Star served on the night the ship sank as well as hosting weddings and other events.
I am extremely thrilled that my new employer is hosting their annual Christmas party there and I will get to enjoy their phenomenal food in just a few short weeks!
Friday, November 18, 2016
Pizza Couscous
Happy Friday, readers! We have made it through another week, congratulations! I hope you're all making your Thanksgiving preparations and starting your Holiday plans (I, for one, cannot wait for Christmas season!)
As you know, this weekend my fantastic in-laws are visiting so there will definitely be some eating-out going on (yay!). However, to prepare our stomachs (and wallets) for the influx of down-home and gourmet eateries, Nate and I have been eating in every night.
Every Thursday Nate, myself and a group of our friends play Team Trivia at a local dive bar. To keep with the theme of saving money, I quickly whipped up dinner for us before we went out and the best part was it took under 5 minutes.
Do you love quick-cooking meals? Do you hate the flavorless mush that is frozen entrees? Do you wish there was a better option than sodium-loaded Ramen noodles? Well there is! BEHOLD: Pizza Couscous (or quinoa).
Pizza Couscous (or Quinoa)
1 box original couscous (or quinoa)
2 C water
1 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 C marinara sauce
28 pepperoni slices, cut into quarters
1/2 C mozzarella cheese
Prepare couscous (or quinoa) according to box instructions. Mine was boil 2 C water over medium heat, add in olive oil, stir in couscous, remove from heat and cover, let sit for 5 minutes.
Once your couscous (or quinoa) is prepared, return to medium heat and stir in marinara sauce and cheese and voila! You have a delicious and filling meal in under 5 minutes.
The best part about this recipe is that you can FINALLY use all those random things in your fridge. That leftover sauce that you don't want to throw out but don't have enough to make a full spaghetti dinner, that small about of cheese you can't use for anything, that pepperoni you bought awhile ago and keep snacking on. Heck, you could even add in some chopped veggies and spices if you wanted to. Or, if you're the traditionalist like me, good ole' pepperoni and mozzarella.
Check back for the restaurant reviews and tasty treats I'll be posting in the next week!
As you know, this weekend my fantastic in-laws are visiting so there will definitely be some eating-out going on (yay!). However, to prepare our stomachs (and wallets) for the influx of down-home and gourmet eateries, Nate and I have been eating in every night.
Every Thursday Nate, myself and a group of our friends play Team Trivia at a local dive bar. To keep with the theme of saving money, I quickly whipped up dinner for us before we went out and the best part was it took under 5 minutes.
Do you love quick-cooking meals? Do you hate the flavorless mush that is frozen entrees? Do you wish there was a better option than sodium-loaded Ramen noodles? Well there is! BEHOLD: Pizza Couscous (or quinoa).
Pizza Couscous (or Quinoa)
1 box original couscous (or quinoa)
2 C water
1 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 C marinara sauce
28 pepperoni slices, cut into quarters
1/2 C mozzarella cheese
Prepare couscous (or quinoa) according to box instructions. Mine was boil 2 C water over medium heat, add in olive oil, stir in couscous, remove from heat and cover, let sit for 5 minutes.
Once your couscous (or quinoa) is prepared, return to medium heat and stir in marinara sauce and cheese and voila! You have a delicious and filling meal in under 5 minutes.
The best part about this recipe is that you can FINALLY use all those random things in your fridge. That leftover sauce that you don't want to throw out but don't have enough to make a full spaghetti dinner, that small about of cheese you can't use for anything, that pepperoni you bought awhile ago and keep snacking on. Heck, you could even add in some chopped veggies and spices if you wanted to. Or, if you're the traditionalist like me, good ole' pepperoni and mozzarella.
Check back for the restaurant reviews and tasty treats I'll be posting in the next week!
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Good morning, loyal readers! I hope that your week-before-Thanksgiving is treating you well. My week is full of meetings, preparing for my wonderful in-laws to visit us (which means deep cleaning the apartment to trick them into thinking we clean regularly) and trying to recuperate from a cold that's been plaguing me for a week.
Yesterday in Raleigh was cloudy, cold and quintessentially fall. I absolutely adored it! It was the perfect day for snuggling in a warm sweater, watching some movies and eating my favorite cold weather food -- soup!
To commemorate this fantastic weather, I made Broccoli Cheese Soup. This very well may be my favorite soup of all time. It's cheesy, it's delicious, it's healthy-ish and if you're at one of my favorite fast food establishments that shall remain nameless but rhymes with "Pantera Fred", can be eaten in a sourdough bread bowl and who doesn't love that?!
This recipe came from a variety of sources. Partly, it was adapted from the Fix-It and Forget-It Vegetarian cookbook. However, the last time I made it in my Crock Pot the cheese was stringy, gooey and lumpy. Frankly it was an ugly and unappetizing soup and I'm not afraid to admit that I threw it out because it was so unappealing. It was also partially adapted from a recipe by Food Network Kitchens and the rest was pure innovation.
Perfect Broccoli Cheese Soup
1 stick unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, diced
1/3 C flour
2 bags frozen broccoli florets
1 C 2% milk
3 C 1% milk
A LOT OF SALT AND PEPPER
Pinch of nutmeg
3-4 C shredded cheese (I used cheddar, swiss and Queso Quesadilla cheeses)
In a large stockpot or your trusty aqua-blue Martha Stewart dutch oven, melt the entire stick of butter over medium heat. I know this sounds like an exorbitant amount of butter and I'm inclined to agree with you but take solace in the fact that at least it's unsalted and let's face it: you're eating soup comprised primarily of cheese. Are calories really a factor here?
Throw in your diced onion once butter is melted and cook for 3-4 minutes or until translucent.
Add in your flour and cook until slightly golden. This shouldn't take longer than a minute.
Pour in your milk. Now, of course you can use 4 C of 2% milk, 2 C 2% milk and 2 C half-and-half, 4 C half-and-half or any mixture of milk you like, really. It's your soup. The mixture I came up with just happened to be what I had in my fridge. Like I said, pure innovation. Stir to combine.
Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. I probably used at least 1 Tbsp salt and probably double the pepper. It's always difficult to season soups in the early stages so just start out small and remember you can always add more at the end. Nothing ruins a soup like over-salting it.
Add in your broccoli florets, cover and simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes. This is where it pays to use frozen broccoli. Now, of course you could use fresh but it will take longer and when it's 7:00 at night, you're cold because you just went running and you're ravenous again, because you just went running the LAST thing you want is your food to take even longer than a measly 20 minutes.
Now to add in the glorious cheese. You can really get creative here and make different flavor profiles. A good rich Jarlsburg, a smoky gouda, a hearty Havarti or the classic: extra sharp cheddar. All would taste fantastic because cheese is the universe's gift to mankind. Add the cheese in batches to melt and mix in.
After the cheese is melted check for seasoning and enjoy! I prefer to have a little bit of texture in my soup so I served as-is but I'm sure it would be just as good slightly blended and broken down.
This soup was filling and frankly phenomenal. The flavor was on point, the consistency was the oh-so-excellent thick enough to coat your spoon but not so thick you couldn't slurp it.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe and check back for more to come! I have some exciting things on my menu for the next few weeks like roasted red pepper pasta, chicken tortilla soup and even a few fun restaurant reviews queued up!
Yesterday in Raleigh was cloudy, cold and quintessentially fall. I absolutely adored it! It was the perfect day for snuggling in a warm sweater, watching some movies and eating my favorite cold weather food -- soup!
To commemorate this fantastic weather, I made Broccoli Cheese Soup. This very well may be my favorite soup of all time. It's cheesy, it's delicious, it's healthy-ish and if you're at one of my favorite fast food establishments that shall remain nameless but rhymes with "Pantera Fred", can be eaten in a sourdough bread bowl and who doesn't love that?!
This recipe came from a variety of sources. Partly, it was adapted from the Fix-It and Forget-It Vegetarian cookbook. However, the last time I made it in my Crock Pot the cheese was stringy, gooey and lumpy. Frankly it was an ugly and unappetizing soup and I'm not afraid to admit that I threw it out because it was so unappealing. It was also partially adapted from a recipe by Food Network Kitchens and the rest was pure innovation.
Perfect Broccoli Cheese Soup
1 stick unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, diced
1/3 C flour
2 bags frozen broccoli florets
1 C 2% milk
3 C 1% milk
A LOT OF SALT AND PEPPER
Pinch of nutmeg
3-4 C shredded cheese (I used cheddar, swiss and Queso Quesadilla cheeses)
In a large stockpot or your trusty aqua-blue Martha Stewart dutch oven, melt the entire stick of butter over medium heat. I know this sounds like an exorbitant amount of butter and I'm inclined to agree with you but take solace in the fact that at least it's unsalted and let's face it: you're eating soup comprised primarily of cheese. Are calories really a factor here?
Throw in your diced onion once butter is melted and cook for 3-4 minutes or until translucent.
Add in your flour and cook until slightly golden. This shouldn't take longer than a minute.
Pour in your milk. Now, of course you can use 4 C of 2% milk, 2 C 2% milk and 2 C half-and-half, 4 C half-and-half or any mixture of milk you like, really. It's your soup. The mixture I came up with just happened to be what I had in my fridge. Like I said, pure innovation. Stir to combine.
Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. I probably used at least 1 Tbsp salt and probably double the pepper. It's always difficult to season soups in the early stages so just start out small and remember you can always add more at the end. Nothing ruins a soup like over-salting it.
Add in your broccoli florets, cover and simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes. This is where it pays to use frozen broccoli. Now, of course you could use fresh but it will take longer and when it's 7:00 at night, you're cold because you just went running and you're ravenous again, because you just went running the LAST thing you want is your food to take even longer than a measly 20 minutes.
Now to add in the glorious cheese. You can really get creative here and make different flavor profiles. A good rich Jarlsburg, a smoky gouda, a hearty Havarti or the classic: extra sharp cheddar. All would taste fantastic because cheese is the universe's gift to mankind. Add the cheese in batches to melt and mix in.
After the cheese is melted check for seasoning and enjoy! I prefer to have a little bit of texture in my soup so I served as-is but I'm sure it would be just as good slightly blended and broken down.
This soup was filling and frankly phenomenal. The flavor was on point, the consistency was the oh-so-excellent thick enough to coat your spoon but not so thick you couldn't slurp it.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe and check back for more to come! I have some exciting things on my menu for the next few weeks like roasted red pepper pasta, chicken tortilla soup and even a few fun restaurant reviews queued up!
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