Crabby Cauliflower Chowder

There is no other way to put it. Beginning in December and continuing through most of March, the weather here in Ohio rots. It's cold, snowy and grey and the chill reaches my bones even when I'm safe indoors.  In order to warm me up I like cooking and of course eating soup. I found the base recipe for this chowder on the recipe card carousel located in the produce section at Giant Eagle, but added a few ingredient to make it a tad heartier and more flavorful.

Ingredients

2 cups cauliflower florets chopped -- about 1/2 of one small head. Frozen is fine too..

15 oz. can of chicken broth 

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup grated carrots

1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

2 teaspoons of lemon zest
2 Tablespoons of parsley
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning (optional)
2 cups of half and half

2 Tablespoons of flour

8 oz package of imitation crab flakes -- I like TransOcean Crab Classic
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

• In a large saucepan, combine cauliflower, broth, onion, carrots, red pepper and lemon zest. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 6 to 8 minutes or until cauliflower is crisp-tender.
• Stir together half and half and 2 Tablespoons of flour. Stir into cauliflower mixture and bring to a boil and stir. Soup will begin to thicken. If desired, add another Tablespoon of flour to the soup to make it thicker; add water or more broth to thin it out.
• Chop crab meat into smaller pieces if necessary, then gently stir into the soup mixture. Heat through and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve immediately.

Servings

Serves 4 to 6

A Broken Oven Tip

How do you make this chowder even better you ask? Well, by adding some more carbs and fat of course. Sprinkle with some garlic croutons and cheddar for an extra filling variation.  I'm sure bacon or ham would be pretty good too! 

Tuscan White Bean Stew

My little Lila is the most adventurous eater of the three kids, so if I want to try a new recipe I'll make it for lunch instead of dinner first.  That way I get to eat something other than macaroni and cheese, Lila gets to try something new and we both can enjoy a delicious mommy-daughter lunch.  When choosing these lunches I prefer meals that freeze well so it won't go to waste if I'm the only person who ends up eating it. Lila loves beans and she loved this Tuscan Bean Stew lunch which meets the freezer criteria and is also a hearty healthy, high fiber, cold weather dish to boot. If your family has a more sophisticated palate than mine, serve the stew with crusty bread and a Cesar salad for a savory vegetarian dinner.

Ingredients
2 cups dried Great Northern beans, picked over, rinsed, soaked overnight and drained
6 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
3 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 cups vegetable stock or broth
2 cups garlic croutons
1 1/2 cups of grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Combine white beans, water, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the bay leaf in a large soup pot and bring to boil .
• Reduce the heat to low, partially cover and simmer for 60 to 75 minutes or until the beans are tender.
• Drain the beans, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Discard the bay leaf.
• Place the cooked beans into a large bowl and save the cooking pot for later use.
• In a small bowl, combine the reserved cooking liquid and 1/2 cup of the cooked beans. Mash with a fork to form a paste. Stir the bean paste into the cooked beans.
• Return the cooking pot to the stove top and add the olive oil. Heat over medium-high heat.
• Stir in the onion and carrots and saute until the carrots are tender-crisp.
• Stir in the garlic and cook until softened.
• Stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, the pepper, chopped rosemary, bean mixture and stock.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the stew is heated through.
• Top with 1/3 cup croutons and 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.

Servings
6 - 8

Heart Attack Hot Dogs

These hot dogs are fill with nitrates, processed cheese, tons of carbs, fatty bacon and are absolutely fabulous -- I say in my best Oprah voice Growing up, Autumn Sundays were dedicated to football. We'd watch the Browns play at 1:00 pm, then find a 4:00 pm game to watch and would eat dinner during halftime. These quick dinners would be simple yet delicious and often times would be a special treat we wouldn't get very often. One them being these hot dogs. Mom would serve them with a side of Lay's Potato Chips and Lawson's Chip Dip. Mmmm mouthwatering memories. 

Ingredients

Oscar Mayer Classic Cheese Hot Dogs

Thick sliced bacon

Your favorite barbecue sauce

Hot Dog Buns -- be sure to get the good kind, because these are pretty thick.

Directions

• Wrap each hot dog in one slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick.
• Coat each bacon wrapped hot dog with barbecue sauce and place on a foil lined broiler pan or baking sheet.
• Cook hot dogs under the broiler on low for about 10 minutes turning and recoating with barbecue sauce half way through broiling.
• Hot dogs are finished when bacon is crisp.
• Remove tooth pics.
• Place in a hot dog bun and serve.

Servings

As many as you like!

A Broken Oven Tip

If you can't find the Oscar Mayer Classic Cheese Hot Dogs, wrap the hot dog in regular Kraft American Cheese Singles then wrap in the bacon. My dad always like to add a little chopped onion -- which I think is a fabulous idea.

Honeyed Pear Georgini

Here is me attempting humor again. I do not own a panini maker so I make them on my George Foreman Grill and call my hot sandwiches Georginis. I was inspired to make this sandwich when one of my sorority sisters posted on her Facebook page she was making a pear and something or other Panini -- "Hi Patti!". Since I had some goat cheese left over from another recipe and had some pears laying around, I decided to experiment a bit. While other experiments have failed miserably, this one was a total success and perfect for a friendly lunch.

Ingredients
1 ripe pear sliced
1/2 inch thick slice of goat cheese 3 inches in diameter.
Ciabatta bread approximately 5 inches square sliced horizontally and cut in half
2 Tablespoon of honey or more to taste
1 Tablespoon of salted butter

Directions

• Butter all sides of the Ciabatta bread.
• Spread cheese on one side of bread and top with pears.
• Drizzle pears with honey and top with the other slice of bread.
• Place on George Foreman, Panini maker or grill pan and cook until golden brown, cheese melted and pears warm.

Servings
1 Sandwich

A Broken Oven Tip
Add a few slices of prosciutto or turkey for a heartier sammy. Some roasted asparagus would add some nice flavor too. Not a fan of goat cheese? Substitute it with Brie or Swiss.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

I've learned a few lessons working on this blog. One of them being how food can trigger memories.  Lots of recipes in this blog do that for me. They remind me of home, a special people, a blessed event or just a good time. When I found this recipe the first memory that came to my mind was sitting on the patio at Pete & Dewey's Planet in downtown Cleveland, drinking a beer, preparing to go to an Indians game during the mid-nineties when the Tribe was a perennial playoff contender -- which feels like a 100 years ago. The memory I now have of Barbecue Chicken Pizza is finding our dog Henry on the kitchen floor eating the left over pizza, foil and all. Have I mentioned I hate my dog? No? Well, I do!
 
Ingredients
3 cups of cooked cubed or shredded chicken
1 1/4cups barbecue sauce -- We like Sweet Baby Ray's Original Sauce for this recipe.
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
12 inch pre-baked pizza crust
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend without the seasoning (Colby, cheddar, Monterrey Jack)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• In a large bowl mix together cooked cubed or shredded chicken and barbecue sauce.
• Spread chicken mixture evenly over pizza crust, then top with cheese and onions.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Servings
8 slices

A Broken Oven Tip
Looking for a hearty appetizer for a party?  Make bite size pizzas using mini bagels or sliced baguette.

Butternut Squash Bisque

I started making this butternut squash soup about 10 years ago and it is a perennial fall favorite of mine. Three reasons I love this soup is it's easy to make, the ingredients are cheap and it tastes soooo good on a cool fall day.  The only drawback is it has cream cheese in it so it doesn't freeze well, but honestly you'll want to eat the entire batch at once so no freezer worries needed.

Ingredients

2 to 3 lb butternut squash 

Olive oil
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
4 chicken bouillon cubes
8 oz. package of cream cheese, cubed

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 
• Halve squash lengthwise, discard the seeds, lightly brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
• Place the squash inside down onto a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until tender.
• Remove from oven. Let squash set until cool to the touch. Scoop out the squash from the skin, place in a bowl and set aside.
• In a large saucepan, saute onions in margarine until tender. 
• Add squash, water, bouillon, marjoram, black pepper and cayenne pepper. 
• Bring to a low boil, lower to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
• Turn off heat and allow soup to cool completely.
• Puree squash and cream cheese in a blender or food processor in batches until smooth. Return to saucepan, and heat through. Do not allow to boil.

Servings
6 to 8

Broken Oven Tip
Add a bit of spiced flavor to the soup by sprinkling the squash with cinnamon and nutmeg before roasting.