Curried Summer Squash Soup

I had a lot of summer squash and I wanted something new to try with it. This is a spicy Indian inspired soup & a great way to try summer squash & The puréed soup is delicious cold on a hot summer day.


Curried Summer Squash Soup

5 cups yellow summer squash chopped
2 Roma tomatoes  chopped
1 medium onion chopped
3 cloves of garlic minced
2 TBS tomato paste
1 quart chicken stock + 1 cup water
1 cup chopped basil leaves
1 lime
2 TBS olive oil

For the spice mixture
2  tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon 
1/8 tsp cayenne 
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

In a heavy bottomed pot heat oil to med high. Sautée the onions & spices about 5 
min until soft but not browned. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook another 
minute.
Add the squash, stock & water.
Bring it to a boil then reduce to simmer covered about 20 minutes.
At the very last add the chopped basil & a squeeze of lime

You can serve it as is or purée.  If you purée do it in small batches in a food 
processor. Hot liquid can be dangerous in a food processor or blender.

Here is the chunky version

Cheddar Scallion Cornbread

 This cornbread is just right. Not to grainy and not to cake like.  It took me many tries to get it just right. When I made this for my Dad he said it was the best cornbread he had ever eaten in His whole life. For a 70 year old man who is not easy to please, especially with food...Id say I nailed this one. give it a try!

This guy was half gone before he got his picture taken

Cheddar Scallion Cornbread 

Dry ingredients
2  1/2 cups all purpose bread flour
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal (self-rising)
2 TBS sugar
2 TBS baking powder
2 Tsps kosher salt   

Wet ingredients
2 cups milk
3 extra large eggs
12 TBS melted butter. Plus more for pan & reserve 1 TBS to drizzle over the top.
1/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup chopped scallions
10 oz sharp cheddar cheese. Grate about 1/4 cup for the top and cut the rest 
into small cubes & stir those into the batter. This gives you pools of gooey 
cheese throughout rather than the cheese disappearing when it bakes

Whisk the dry ingredients & the wet ingredients separately. Then stir to 
combine. Don't over mix here some lumps are just fine.
Butter a 10" cast iron skillet. Pour in the batter and smooth then sprinkle the 
cheese and drizzle the rest of the butter over the top.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40-50 minutes until cooked through.
Put the skillet on a sheet pan in case of any spills. Your skillet will be 
filled to the brim!
Let it set for about 5 minutes before cutting. Then enjoy deliciously cheesy 
cornbread!

Chili Lime Pork Chops

I did not start out with plans to blog about this.  I was going to just grill a pork chop and have a salad for dinner.  As my meal ideas came together, I knew I had to share!

Chili Lime Pork Chops

4 boneless pork chops

For the marinade:

1/2 cup soy sauce
2 TBS of fresh lime juice
2 TBS grated ginger
2 smashed garlic cloves
6-8 scallions ( just crush them with the back of your knife)
1 hot chili chopped (use more or less depending on how hot you like) I like it 
HOT so I used a whole one seeds and all.

Mix all your ingredients and marinate the pork chops at least 4 hours.
Grill on med-hi heat 4-5 minutes per side. Only turn them once, or they will be 
tough.

While they are grilling you can boil the marinade as a sauce. The last cpouple 
of minutes throw the scallions on the grill. Let your meat rest for about 5 
minutes & you'll have juicy flavorful chops!

Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms - Souffle Style!

The egg whites make this filling light and airy.  I had so much fun coming up with this recipe.  It is big on flavor and pretty low calorie as well. They are a real WOW when people try them!  I hope you like them too!

Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms - Souffle style!

12 large crimmini mushrooms
3/4 cup blue cheese crumbled
1/4 cup Parmesan grated plus more for tops
2 beaten egg whites plus one yolk (room temp)
3 cloves garlic minced
1-2 tbs seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 chopped chives
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tbs fresh parsley
1 tbs butter melted
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
Pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper

Remove stems from mushrooms and save.  Hollow out the centers.
For the filling, add the minced garlic to butter and melt. Let cool
Mix the cheeses & egg yolk along with the other ingredients except for the egg 
white.
Beat the egg whites with cream of tartar to firm peaks. (about 6 minutes)
Fold in about 1/3 of the whites to the filling to lighten, then gently fold in 
the rest of the whites.
Spray the mushroom caps with olive oil cooking spray and season with s&p.
Turn the mushroom caps over and put a heaping filling in each one.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until puffed and golden.

Left overs can be frozen and re-heated

Not so everyday foodie!

I dreamed of a job where I could just test recipes all day long.  So that I could learn and then teach and share my knowledge. Well, I didn't have a job like that so I just created one.  I started testing recipes and then posting them. Here I will test recipes and share them with you!