Jane Austen on PBS

I've posted a discussion on the new Jane Austen movies on Masterpiece Classic on my blog. Stop by if you want to discuss. www.ckanselmo.blogspot.com

Soup Recipes from The Cox

Pureed Carrot Soup with Nutmeg

2 Tbsp butter, extra virgin olive oil, or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, 3 medium shallots, or 1 medium leek(white and light green parts only), chopped
2 Tbsp dry sherry or white wine
1 1/2 pounds (about 8 medium carrots) peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced thin (about 4 cups)
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 tsp salt
ground white pepper
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1-1 1/4 cups whole milk
2 tsps minced fresh tarragon mint, chive or parsley leaves

1. heat butter or oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; saute until golden (they carmalized the onions), about 5 minutes. Add sherry and carrots; stir-cook until sherry evaporates, about 30 seconds.
2.Add stock, salt, pepper to taste, and nutmeg to saucepan; bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer; cover and cook until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.
3. Ladle carrot mixture into blender. (The Cox used a braun hand mixer type thing and blended it in the pan) Add 1 cup milk; blend until very smooth. Return soup to saucepan; cook over low heat until warmed through. If soup is too thick, stir in additional milk to thin consistency. Adjust seasonings. (soup can be refridgerated for 3 days and reheated just before serving)
4. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with minced herb and serve immediately.

Variations

Pureed Broccoli soup with basil
Follow recipe for Pureed Carrot Soup with Nutmeg, replacing carrots with 2 pounds broccoli, stalks discarded and florets cut into bit-sized pieces to yield 5 cups. Omit nutmeg and cook broccoli until tender, about 10 minutes. Thin with 1/2 to 3/4 cup milk and garnish soup with 2 tbsp minced fresh basil leaves.

Pureed Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger (this is what we sampled on Wed night)
Follow recipe for Pureed Carrot Soup with Nutmeg, replacing carrots with 1 medium butternut squash (about 2 1/2 pounds), which has been halved, seeded, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes to yield 5 cups. ( The Cox like to roast the squash first; Coat pieces in oil and lay out on cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 1 hour or until fork tender) Substitute 1 tsp ground ginger for nutmeg and cook squash until tender, about 15 minutes. Thin with 3/4 to 1 cup milk and garnish with minced fresh parsley or chives.

Pureed Cauliflower Soup with Coriander
Follow recipe for Pureed Carrot Soup and Nutmeg, replacing carrots with 1 medium head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), stems discarded and florets cut into bit-sized pieces to yield 5 cups. Replace nutmeg with 1 tsp coriander and cook cauliflower until tender, about 12 minutes. Thin with 1/2 to 3/4 cup milk and garnish with minced chives or parsley.

Creamy Potato Soup with Chives
Follow recipe for Pureed Carrot soup with nutmeg, placing carrots with 2 large russet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice to yield 4 cups. omit nutmeg and cook potatoes until very tender, about 20 minutes. This with 1 to 1 1/4 cups milk and garnish with minced chives.

*unsweetened coconut milk can be used as a milk substitute if you want.

We only tried the butternut squash one, which was really good.

Cox's Cooking Tips

lists of things that you should always have on hand in the kitchen

Pantry:
Canned diced tomatoes
Tomato sauce
tomato Paste
Canned Chicken, beef and vegetable broth
Jarred Marinara Sauce
Creamed Soups (chicken, mushroom, celery)
bullion cubes
pasta- a variety of shapes
Pice
Tuna fish (other canned meat such as chicken)
Onions
Garlic
Vegetable oil
Extra Virgin Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Dried herbs (leaves)-basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano, dill, herbs de provence, red pepper flakes
Dried spices- cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger
vanilla
kosher salt
black peppercorn

Fridge:
Fresh herbs- basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley
mixed greens
butter
soy sauce
eggs
cheese
lemon

Freezer:
Ground beef and/or turkey (1 lb segments)
Chicken breasts
store bought pie crusts
bag of mixed berries
mixed vegetables
nuts
grated cheese
bread

tips that we learned last night at the Enrichment Mtg.

Fresh lemon juice: squeeze lemon juice into ice cube trays in desired amount and freeze, then dump frozen cubes into a ziploc and keep in freezer. Remove as needed.

Only need 1 TBSP of Tomato Paste: Instead of wasting the rest of can; drop paste in 1 TBSP droplets onto make shift foil like pan and freeze. Once frozen, dump into a ziploc and keep in freezer. Remove as needed.

When freezing ground beef, flatten the 1 lb segment in ziploc bag so it lays flat. This makes it easier to defrost and stack in the freezer.

Christmas Gift Idea

Melissa Hatch in the ward has this great power jumperstarter that we have had to utilize multiple times! Carl and I are buying these for our parents. These portable jumpstarters are meant to jump your car battery without needing a second car, plus they include an air compressor, light, and many have ac/dc outlets so they can be used as a portable generator for emergency or just camping convenience! Costco has one in the store that is $70, but you can get them on ebay for anywhere between 30 and 70. If you search under Ebay motors, there are some there that no one is bidding on since ebay motors isn't widely used and doesn't come up under the basic search. There are also some Xantrex brand ones that have pretty good ratings. Anyway, I hope that this helps you guys out with an idea!

Items for Sale

I am clearing out some things that we don't use anymore. Since we live in an apartment we can't do a yard sale. So I thought I would offer them here before I craigslist them.

Double Jogging Stroller - a little dusty - $20 OBO


Oster Breadmaker - $10 OBO



Double Stroller - almost new - navy blue/white check - can turn the seats so they face each other or are in tandem - $50 OBO


Disney Collectibles - $10 OBO

Call me if your interested.
Kristen

Thanksgiving Leftover Shepherds Pie

Need something new to do with those Thanksgiving leftovers? This shepherds pie is super easy and super good. Make it as big or as small as you want!

Combine in casserole dish:

Leftover turkey, shredded

Leftover stuffing
Leftover veggies (or frozen mixed, heated)
Leftover gravy

Top with:
Leftover mashed potatoes

Cheddar cheese, shredded

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until heated through. If desired, put it under the broiler for 30 seconds to give the cheese a brown, crispy crust. Serve with salad and/or leftover cranberry sauce.

Barley, Black Bean and Corn Burritos

This is a nice easy crock-pot recipe. We love it because it tastes good and it's a healthy meal in one.

Place all of the following in the crock pot:
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
1 c uncooked pearl barley
2 c vegetable broth (Better Than Bullion is my favorite!)
3/4 c frozen corn-kernel corn
1/4 c chopped green onions
1 T fresh lime juice
1 T ground chili powder (I have never added this because I'm not a spice lover)
1/2 t ground red pepper (this either:))
1 garlic clove (But I make up for it with this! I love garlic!)
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro (add this last)

Cook on low for 4-5 hours

Put a 1/4 c or so of the above mixture in each tortilla and add the following:
flour or wheat tortillas
cheddar cheese
lettuce
sour cream