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Showing posts from March, 2009

Caldo Verde (Portugese Kale Soup)

I don't have any sort of story behind this soup, except that I always fancied it. I believe I first experienced this soup while working at the hospital, and was brave enough to enter the cafeteria where my choice was this or a chicken noodle soup that had what appeared to be pink chicken, need I say more about what my choice was. After that I always had a soft spot for this soup, not only because it saved me from what could have been a delightful case of salmonella, but it was quite tasty. I still could not help but wonder what it was really supposed to taste like, because let's face it, the hospital cafeteria is not the best place to have a taste test. I decided to finally hunt down a recipe from John Villa. It's a versatile dish: Serve it as a one-course meal at lunch or as a light supper in the evening. What's crucial when preparing it is that the kale is cut into extremely fine slices; that's what creates the soup's distinctive

Granola

I am not really a tree hugger making my own granola, BUT I did buy some the other day and looked at the label, and thought why are all these ingredients in something that is supposed to be au naturale? Well, I took care of that didn't I? I browsed the pantry and found a container of Organic rolled oats which I don't know why I even had because I am not one to stand over a pot of old fashioned oats for a half hour in the morning but I am glad I had them. Then, I grabbed the different nuts, at which point I wished I had some sort of sunflower or sesame seeds because that would be a great addition but I got over it. I also added the chocolate because as much as I would like to pretend that I can consume plain granola over plain yogurt and be satisfied ,I really can't, so with some dark chocolate I can now be happy. The great thing about making your own granola is you can add whatever you like!! If I had more ingredients in my pantry I would surely add pineapple, sunflower seed

40 cloves of garlic Chicken

That is not a mistake, and no I am not scared of Vampires, au contraire I love them ever since Twilight so don't let the amount of garlic scare you away. This produces a sweet mild garlic flavor which is perfectly balanced with the white wine and cognac which how can you resist? I followed this recipe exactly exceptt for the whole chickens because I have issues with cutting up the whole chicken into pieces so I bought an equal amount of breast on the bone and legs so the dirty work was already done for me, yeah I'm a baby. 3 whole heads garlic, about 40 cloves 2 (3 1/2-pound) chickens, cut into eighths Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 2 tablespoons good olive oil 3 tablespoons Cognac, divided 1 1/2 cups dry white wine 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons heavy cream Directions Separate the cloves of garlic and drop them into a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds. Drain the garlic and peel. Set a

Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup!

The title never grabbed my attention because I am not really into thick soups but now that I am trying to eat like normal people do (this means no rice krispie treats for breakfast, danish for lunch and a fattening pasta dish for dinner). This recipe comes from Ina Garten and it got rave reviews, so I decided to try it and since it is so healthy I was hoping I would like it!! Well, we all loved it!!! It is really filling, it is a meal on it's own and you can add anything to it. Serves 6-8 people 4 split (2 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on Good olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 cups chopped onions (2 onions) 1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks) 2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots) 4 large garlic cloves, chopped 2 1/2 quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomato