Roasted Cauliflower Soup ala ~DKBB~

Roasted Cauliflower Soup ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe from food.com)

2 heads cauliflower

3 garlic cloves, left whole

2 shallots, chopped in larger pieces

2 Tbsp. olive oil

3 cups chicken stock or broth

1 cup water

½ tsp. dried thyme leaves

1 bay leaf

2 cups heavy cream

Fine sea salt, to taste

White pepper, to taste

• Preheat oven 425° F.
• Cut cauliflower into 1-inch flowerets (about 10 cups).
• In a large baking pan, toss cauliflower, garlic, and shallots with olive oil to coat and roast in middle of oven about 30 minutes, or until golden brown, turning frequently and removing any garlic and/or shallots if they are done sooner.
• In a 4-quart pot, simmer chicken stock/broth, water, roasted cauliflower mixture, and herbs for 30 minutes or until cauliflower if very tender.
• Discard bay leaf, and in blender puree the soup in batches until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), transferring batches to a bowl.
• Return pureed soup to pot and stir in cream, salt, and pepper to taste.
• Heat over moderate heat until just heated through.

(Note: You can easily alter the proportions of stock, water, and cream to taste.)

Chicken Piccata ala ~DKBB~

Chicken Piccata ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe from Giada De Laurentiis)

 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half (so you have 4 total pieces)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

All-purpose flour, for dredging

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided

5 Tbps. Extra-virgin olive oil, divided

¼ to ½ tsp. rosemary (crushed if dry, minced if fresh)

¼ tsp. ground thyme (optional)

¼ tsp. white pepper (optional)

Juice of ½ lemon

½ c. chicken stock

¼ c. brined capers, rinsed and drained

⅓ c. fresh parsley, chopped (optional – for garnish)

• Season chicken with salt and pepper; dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 Tbsp. butter with 3 Tbsp. olive oil; when butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes; flip and cook other side of chicken for 3 minutes; remove cooked chicken and transfer to plate.
• Melt 2 more Tbsp. butter for add other 2 Tbsp. oil; when butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes; flip and cook other side of chicken for 3 minutes; remove cooked chicken and transfer to plate with other 2 chicken pieces.
• Add lemon juice, chicken stock, capers, rosemary and thyme and white pepper (if desired); return to heat and bring to a boil, scraping up all brown bits from the pan for extra flavor.
• Taste liquid for seasoning and adjust as desired.
• Return chicken pieces to pan and simmer for 5 minutes; remove chicken to serving platter.
• Add remaining 2 Tbsp. butter to sauce and whisk vigorously; pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley if desired.

Serve with rice or potatoes.

Curry Chicken Stew ala ~DKBB~

Curry Chicken Stew ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe from tasteofhome.com)

2 cans (14.5 oz. each) chicken broth

1 can (10.75 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 tub Knorr concentrated chicken stock -or- 1 heaping Tbsp. Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp. curry powder

¼ tsp. salt

½ to 1 tsp. cayenne pepper

¼ to ½ tsp. white pepper

5 Tbsp. dried minced onion

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 medium yellow pepper, diced

4 green onions, chopped (for garnish, if desired)

Hot cooked rice 

• In a large bowl, combine the first nine ingredients and mix well.
• Place chicken breasts and yellow pepper in a 5- or 6-qt. slow cooker; pour broth mixture over all.
• Cook, covered, on low for 4 to 5 hours.
• Remove chicken breasts and cool slightly; shred meat and return to slow cooker; heat through.
• Serve with hot rice, placing 1 cup of rice into each soup bowl, then filling the bowl with the stew.
• Garnish with chopped green onions, if desired.

Stuffing Waffles w/Turkey and Gravy ala ~DKBB~

Stuffing Waffles w/Turkey and Gravy ala ~DKBB~

Here’s an ingenious use for leftover stuffing, turkey and gravy!

Leftover stuffing (cooked* or uncooked)

Chicken broth

1 egg, beaten

• Warm the leftover stuffing up a bit.
• Add egg; add chicken broth as desired to make mixture pliable and mixable.
• Heat your waffle iron; place a ball of the mixture on each section of the waffle iron; close the waffle iron and cook (4 to 7 minutes should do it).
• The “waffles” may not hold together real well, but they will be crispy and hot.
• Place thinly sliced turkey on each waffle and top with hot turkey gravy.
• You can add cranberries as a garnish if you desire.

* Cooked stuffing will require a bit more chicken broth to make it pliable and mixable.

Quinoa Breakfast Hash Browns ala ~DKBB~

Quinoa Breakfast Hash Browns ala ~DKBB~

(adapted from Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming)

1/3 cup quinoa (I used a tri-color blend of quinoa for mine, but any kind will work)
2/3 cup water

(or you can use leftover cooked quinoa)
3 cups peeled and grated raw potato (or 3 cups thawed shredded hashbrowns)
2 large eggs

¼ cup onion, minced -and/or-

¼ cup green pepper, minced -and/or-

1 small can green chilies* (well drained­) -and/or-
2 to 4 Tbsp. crumbled cooked bacon -and/or-

2 to 4 Tbsp. crumbled cooked chorizo or sausage

1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 Tbsp. butter (or you can use bacon grease)
2 green chopped onions (for garnish)

• Combine the water and the uncooked quinoa in a pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover the pot and reduce heat to a simmer for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, turn the heat off and leave the covered pot on the burner for another 6 minutes.  Gently fluff the quinoa with a fork and allow the quinoa to cool. (Or, skip all this if you are using leftover quinoa.)
•  In a large bowl, mix the cooked quinoa with the eggs, grated potato, pepper, and salt.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat and melt butter (or bacon grease) in the pan. Scoop ⅓ -½ cup of the mixture into the pan and flatten out the hash brown patty with the back of a spatula. Cook the hash browns for 5-7 minutes on each side until golden brown. Repeat process with the remaining mixture. 

* If you choose to use green chilies and/or chorizo, you might want to use Southwestern Style Egg Beaters (instead of 2 eggs).

Mom's Million Dollar Fudge ala ~DKBB~

Mom’s Million Dollar Fudge ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe from Lyola Brown)

This was a Christmas tradition, and a Christmas favorite, in my house when I was growing up. It is a tradition in my house now as well. Enjoy!

4 cups sugar

1 can evaporated milk

1 cube (1/2 cup) butter

Cook the above ingredients in a heavy pan for 8 to 10 minutes, making sure all the sugar has dissolved.

1 large Hershey bar (the really big kind – use either regular milk chocolate or Special Dark chocolate)

16 to 18 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow cream

• Break the Hershey into small pieces in a large bowl.
• Add chocolate chips and marshmallow crème to bowl (you can add chopped nuts here, if desired).
• Pour the heated mixture over all the ingredients in the large bowl and stir until all is melted (this will take a while).
• When all has cooled a bit, pour into a large greased pan (11x7 works, or 9x13).

 When completed cooled, cut into small squares. Store in refrigerator.

Tater Tot Casserole ala ~DKBB~

Tater Tot Casserole ala ~DKBB~

1½ to 2 lbs. hamburger

½ onion, chopped

Salt

Pepper

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

½ to ¾ cup milk

½ to 1 package crisp tater tots

• Preheat oven to 375° F.
• Brown hamburger with onions, adding salt and pepper to taste, drain.
• Combine soups and milk, mixing well.
• In large casserole dish, layer hamburger, soup mixture, and tater tots, then repeat layers, ending with tater tots.
• Bake uncovered for 1 hour.