Budget Cooking...Comfort & Gourmet!

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Monday, November 30, 2009

Ginger Chicken Soup

This is an awesome recipe. It is more medicinal that your typical chicken soup recipe because of the ginger! Can you just feel it clearing your sinuses already?
I can!



Rather than buy a cooked bird, I bought an oven ready roaster



It is so worth your time to fill the house with the good roast chicken smell.









De-Bone the Roasted Chicken



Rough Cut/Pull Apart Chicken



Ginger & Garlic in Mini Food Processor





Using prepackaged Soup Mix from your market's Produce section is convenient.







While the bird is roasting, chop your veggies.



It made more sense to me to add the hardest veggies 1st. I also didn't want to scorch the garlic

Add Parsnips to the hot oil





Cubed Turnip
(A great way to sneak in veggies/minerals)









Add the Frozen Peas






Serves 4
Hands-On Time: 25m
Total Time: 55m

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 5-inch piece fresh ginger, minced (3 tablespoons)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 medium parsnips, peeled and chopped (1 1/2 cups)
1 medium turnip, peeled and chopped (1 1/2 cups)
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped (1 1/2 cups)
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced (2 cups)
2 32-ounce boxes low-sodium chicken broth (8 cups)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 rotisserie chicken, meat shredded (2 cups)
1/3 cup frozen peas, thawed
3 scallions, trimmed and sliced

Directions
1.In a large saucepan or stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the ginger, garlic, and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add the parsnips, turnip, carrots, celery, broth, and salt and bring to a boil.
2.Simmer, covered, until the vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
3.Add the chicken, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
4.Remove from heat, stir in the peas and scallions, and let sit, covered, for 1 minute.

Got this recipe from
Real Simple

Will Make this week & post photos.
Update:




12/02/09 Unless you are a HUGE fan of ginger, it may be overwhelming to this dish.
I found it to be a little bitter. I didn't follow the recipe exactly. I had a sick little one home from school so I decided to try this. I wasn't able to make it to the market to get parsnips or rotisserie chicken, so I had to use what I had in the pantry. I was able to get turnip, ginger & scallion from a local Jamaican market.
I will make this again. Perhaps with 1 less tablespoon of ginger. Not sure if that will make a difference. Out of the 5 people in my family, 2 really enjoyed it, I thought it was ok & the 2 sick folks (hubby & kid) didn't like it. Hubby said "this soup will put some hair on your chest). LOL Oddly enough, they were the ones for whom I made it & needed it most to cure their bug.

12/05/09 Hubby REQUESTED this soup again! It's helping to clear his congestion.
It looks like this recipe will be added to the winter recipes.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Better Brownies (Dairy Free! NO CASEIN)



1/2 C Vegetable Oil
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup unsifted all purpose flour
1/2 cup Hershey's Cocoa
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Blend Oil, Sugar, & Vanilla in large mixing bowl. Add Eggs. Mix well using spoon.
In a seperate bowl, combine Flour, Cocoa, Baking Powder & Salt. Gradually Add to the egg mixture. Stir in Nuts.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 20-25 minutes or until brownies pull away from the edges of the pan.

I would LOVE both of these perfect Brownie Pans!





Perfect Brownie Pan





Baker's Edge NonStick Brownie Pan

I will post step by step pics of this later!

Cheesy Bacon Oven Frittata



Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, or Dinner! This dish is perfect for anytime.








INGREDIENTS

6 eggs
4 oz Evaporated Milk
1 1lb Beef Bacon, chopped
8 oz cheddar cheese
2 oz parmesan cheese
1 onion halved & sliced
3 shallots sliced
1 bunch scallions, sliced & seperated (bottoms/tops)
2 garlic cloves pressed
fresh cracked black pepper
1 sprig fresh thyme


DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat Oven to 425 Degrees F
2. Coat Baking Dish with PAN-EASE
3. Slice Onions, Shallots & Scallions Bottoms (Set Aside)
4. Press 2 Cloves of Garlic
5. Dice Bacon
6. Add Bacon to HOT pan. Render Fat. Remove Bacon from Pan. Set Aside.
7. Soften Onion Mixture in the Rendered Bacon Fat
8. Whisk Together Eggs, Evaporated Milk, Pepper, Fresh Thyme Leaves & Parsley
9. Add Onion Mixture to Baking Dish
10. Layer Bacon & Cheese On Top
11. Pour Egg Mixture Over Everything
12. Shake Grated Parmesan On Top
13. Garnish with Green Onion Tops
14. Bake at 425 for 30 mins.
15. Reduce temperature to 325 & bake for an additional 10 minutes.
You want the center to SET, but you don't want the top to be burned.

Slice Into Wedges. Serve with Cornbread Muffin Top & Pineapple Strawberry Smoothie

Coat Baking Dish with PAN-EASE



Dice Bacon



Add Bacon to HOT pan. Render Fat. Remove Bacon from Pan. Set Aside.



Slice Onions, Shallots & Scallions Bottoms (Set Aside)





Add 2 Freshly Pressed Cloves of Garlic



Soften Onion Mixture in the Rendered Bacon Fat



Whisk Together
Eggs, Evaporated Milk, Pepper, Fresh Thyme Leaves & Parsley













Add Onion Mixture to Baking Dish
Layer Bacon
& Cheese On Top





Pour Egg Mixture Over Everything





Shake Grated Parmesan On Top

Garnish with Green Onion Tops







Bake at 425 for 30 mins.



Reduce temperature to 325 & bake for an additional 10 minutes.
You want the center to SET, but you don't want the top to be burned.



Slice Into Wedges. Serve with Cornbread Muffin Top & Pineapple Strawberry Smoothie





MMMMM