Ssssssss....oup!!!

I love soup. Love everything about it. I Love eating it, but I love making it even more. I'm actually surprised I haven't posted any soups yet (have I?). LOL
I make soup a lot in the fall & winter, mostly to clean out the fridge, freezer and cabinets of things that are taking up space. And I typically call it my "pantry special".
Tonight though I decided to make a soup based on a few recent inspirations. One being the potato, kale and vegetable soup I had for lunch today, and Two being a recent conversation with some co-workers regarding the fact that Bacon makes everything better.
So, I decided to make a bacon-kale-vegetable soup. And, to add a little whole grain to the situation, I decided to add some Qinoa.
Here goes... (I should mention that I did not add the white beans in the picture).

boil quinoa...

cook Bacon until it's nice and crispy. Mmmm! 

 

chop veggies (aka the Trifecta!)

add to bacon

Chop Kale, being sure to remove stems, then add to pot...

add broth, and cook at a metium-high heat for a while. I let mine cook for about an hour...

add Quinoa...

and Enjoy!!!

And remember: soup is a Very Easy (and quick) way to make a delicious meal with all kinds of great flavors. So don't be afraid to play around with different ingredients- even if they are just leftovers!

Until next time... Enjoy!





Where have you been Carrie?!?

Here. I've been here. Not cooking, but here.
Typically, I cook and post on Sundays. However, the last few Sundays have been a little crazy! Painting (a little something I do for fun), travelling (girls weekend away) and things of the such.
So, I apologize for slacking in the cooking department.
But, going forward I decided I will post what I did Instead of cooking.
So, here are my last two Sundays for your viewing Pleasure. Painting, and my weekend away at Meredith Bay, NH

Painting.

Ugly. Brown. Panelling.

lots and lots of primer.

 getting there...

Girls weekend away

oooh... and lets not forget the hot tub!

on the mountain. overlooking the lake.

and it lit up. in lots of different colors. it was pretty spectacular!

Thanksgiving!!!

This year, as always, my family gathered around my Aunt Kathy's table for turkey day. And, as always, the feast was spectacular! Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, oven onions, turnip, butternut squash, corn, green beans, cranberry, and rolls. Then, for dessert: pumpkin trifle, apple pie, and lemon crumb tart.
I tried to snap as many photos as I could, but apparently that was getting annoying, and I was in everyone's way (as usual), so this is all I got.
What was my contribution to the day you ask? A cheese and cracker platter (not photographed). LOL
Hope all of you had as wonderful of a day as I did!
Love, Me

My dad. Turkey carver extraordinaire! <3

Where are you Carrie?!?

Fear not. I'm here.
I haven't posted anything in a while, I know. But I will be soon, I promise! So please stay tuned.
Thanks.

my little improptu dinner party

All I wanted to do tonight was go out for a drink after work. But, since no one was around I then decided that all I wanted to do was go home, relax and have a glass of wine.
That was, until, my great friend Giovanna invited herself over for dinner. Which I was totally excited about! She was going to be in my area, so I told her I would whip something up for her. And boy did I!!!
Lemon shrimp with spinach and shallots over angel hair, and a(nother) fig and pear tart (with the leftovers from Sunday).
little did I know both shrimp and figs were two of her favorite things. Nice.

Here goes....
I'll skip the tart since it's in my last post. Only difference today: more mascarpone cheese and more figs.
So, on to the shrimp!
Steam- one large bag of fresh spinach. This only takes a few minutes, and you should stir/toss it frequently.

then, chop a couple shallots (warning: these Will make you cry), then sautee them with a smidge of olive oil

Now, while all that is cooking, clean and prep the shrimp. I like to buy fresh shrimp that are already deveined, so I just have to peel them and rinse them. After doing that, I tossed them with the zest of one lemon.

OK, so... when the shallots are done, remove them from the pan (so they don't keep cooking), then throw the shrimp in. Cook them until they are all light pink, then add the spinach, shallots, and one can of chicken broth (I prefer the low sodium stuff).

When it was all done, I tossed it with some angel hair pasta (which I boiled while this was all cooking), and some grated Parmesan cheese.

Yummmyyyyyyy!!!!!





Sunday night dinner for the powerless...

If you didn't already know, we got a new grocery store around here a few weeks ago. Nice little place called Wegmans. Took a trip out there yesterday to see what it was all about.
Mistake number One- going there on a Saturday afternoon, right before a blizzard.
Mistake number Two- going there without a list, just to "check it out".
I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. I mean, this place is MASSIVE! And, when filled with tons of crazed pre-storm shoppers, it was also Insane! But, once I could get past the crowds, and my murder-suicide thoughts, things were good.
I started in produce.
Decided I would make a roast beef with winter veggies, so I loaded up the card with tons of random things: parsnips, turnips, butternut squash, mushrooms, brussel sprouts, onions, garlic, asparagus, heirloom tomatoes, strawberries, apples, pears, figs... just to name a few.
Then it was on to the meat department.
Got myself a lovely little top of the round, and a big package of chicken breasts that were on super sale.
Then I spent about another hour perusing the store, checking everything out, until I found myself at the end, in the liquor section. And, of course, I had to take advantage of this area, so I grabbed a giant bottle of Sangria, which I had for dinner with some cheeses and olives I got too.
And by the way- this may be, by far, some of the best sangria I have ever had. Plus it was only $13.99 for this big bottle. And if you know me, you know I love (and make my own) sangria. So this is a great review.

Now we get to Sunday. Or, as I like to call it- cooking day.

I got a call from my mom shortly after I woke up, asking if I had power (which I did) because she didn't- most people around here didn't thanks to yesterday's storm. So I decided to invite them for Dinner since I had all this food, and a nice warm house (with a TV we could all watch the Pats game on). And so I began tackling all this produce.

First order of business- dessert.

I decided to make a fruit tart with the figs and pears I bought yesterday.

Now, I have never cooked with fresh figs before (making this the first "new to me" ingredient of the day), but I love eating them so I knew I couldn't go wrong. And I also knew they would go great with pears.

Then I thought, I need another flavor. Something different. So I decided to put some almond paste and mascarpone cheese into the mix.

And so, the prepping began...

I mixed the almond paste and mascarpone (my second and third "new" ingredients) in the food processor with a little sugar and vanilla extract until it was nice and creamy. Then I put a thin layer on top of a pie crust. This would become a delicious base for my fruits.

Next: the fruits.

Pears (cored and sliced), and figs (stems cut off, then quartered), layered on top of the crust.



Once they were all layered nice and pretty, I folded the crust over the edges, then popped the whole thing into the oven. 400* for about 40 minutes.

OK, now while that is baking, I move onto dinner.

First step- peel and chop all these veggies and get them into a roasting pan. Garlic and white onion go first.

And, if you have never used garlic before, and plan on chopping it, or roasting the cloves like I am about to, here's a tip: whack the bulbs with the side of a large knife. This will Instantly free it from it's peel, making it far easier to work with. But you must know- this also releases all the oils in the garlic, which will make things a little sticky and fragrant. But it is a nice quick way to skin the cloves.

Next: turnip and parsnip (my fourth and fifth "new" ingredients of the day). Both peeled and chopped. Hint: chop these into smaller pieces because they take the longest to cook.

Then, purple potatoes (yes, I said purple. They are so Delicious, and added some much needed color to the mix), butternut squash (my fav!), brussel sprouts and mushrooms.

     

Little salt and pepper, and into the oven. 425* for about an hour or so.

P.S.- if you want to really Roast these, they need to be much further apart on a cookie sheet. The way I am cooking them, they will really steam/bake more than roast. Although, I did put them on broil near the end so they could crisp up a little.

Next- the beef.

This is really simple, it's just one ingredient: Top Round Roast. I got a 3 pounder.

I pan-seared it on all sides, then popped it into the oven. 20 minutes/lb. at about 325*. The veggies were about done at this point, so I lowered the temperature for the meat.

Sooo.... this is about when my Mom & Dad showed up, and I totally lost track of everything and stopped taking pictures.

I know... sorry.

But luckily I remembered to snap a few after dinner, before I packed it all away, so here you go!

Needless to say, dinner was a Huge hit, absolutely delicious, and by the time Mom & Dad got home their power had come back on. Great news! 

God I love Sundays...