Chicken and Chickpea Soup with Lemon

This soup is perfect for cool spring evenings -- light and fresh! It uses pre-cooked chicken, so it's a snap to throw together.

2 TBSP olive oil
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3 medium carrots, sliced
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 cups pre-cooked shredded chicken
zest and juice of one lemon
2 TBSP finely chopped fresh cilantro

Saute onions in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and seasonings; cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in carrots and broth. Add chicken and chickpeas. Bring to a boil and simmer 10-15 minutes, until carrots are tender. Stir in lemon juice.

In small bowl, stir together lemon zest and cilantro. Sprinkle over soup before serving.

Roasted Butternut Pasta Sauce

I would describe this sauce in one word: exquisite. So without further ado:

1 medium butternut squash
1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 tsp dried rubbed sage
coarse salt and ground pepper
4 garlic cloves, peel on
1 cup half-and-half
pasta for serving

optional toppings:
toasted chopped walnuts
finely chopped fresh sage
grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375. Trim ends of butternut squash and halve lengthwise. Peel with a vegetable peeler and halve lengthwise again. Scoop out seeds and cut into 2-inch chunks. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Toss with oil and sage; season generously with salt and pepper; scatter garlic around squash. Roast until squash is very tender -- about 40 minutes, tossing once halfway through. Remove from oven and transfer squash to a blender or food processor. Squeeze garlic out of peels and into blender. Add 1 cup water and blend to puree. Add half and half and continue to process until smooth. Thin with up to 1 cup water, if necessary. (I left it quite thick.)

Serve over warm pasta, such as a short pasta, ravioli, or tortellini. Don't skimp on the quality if going the ravioli/tortellini route. You may want to thin the sauce with a little pasta water. Top with any of the optional toppings.

This sauce may be frozen for up to 3 months by sealing in an airtight container with 1 inch of head space. To thaw, place container upside down under hot tap water to release the frozen block of sauce, then place block in a large saucepan; cover and reheat over medium-low, adding water to thin if necessary.

This would make a fantastic butternut bisque if thinned a bit more with water and chicken stock.

THE coconut cake

i'm only posting this because certain friends promised to "worship" it and "treat it with the reverential respect it deserves"

Triple Coconut Cake

cake and icing calls for 3 cups sweetened, shredded coconut, toasted*

2 sticks butter

2 cups sugar

1 T vanilla

4 large eggs, separated

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup toasted coconut

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Set out butter, eggs, and buttermilk to come to room temperature.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325 and toast the coconut on a rimmed baking sheet for 10-15 minutes, stirring often, until lightly toasted.  Transfer to another baking sheet to cool.  Prepare 3 8-inch round baking pans by generously coating with shortening and flour, shaking out excess.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and mix to combine.  Add egg yolks one at a time, beating between each addition and scraping sides of bowl as necessary.  

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.  

Beginning and ending with dry ingredients, alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk to the mixing bowl, beating thoroughly between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl.  Add coconut and mix on low.  

In another bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy, then add cream of tartar and beat until stiff peaks form.  Carefully but quickly fold into the batter by hand.  

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pans for even baking.  Test with a toothpick in the center of each cake.  Let pans cool for 10 minutes before unmolding the cakes.  Let cakes cool completely on wire racks, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to assemble. (Preferably overnight).  

Icing:  

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 stick butter, softened

2-2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup toasted coconut

Cream together cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Add powdered sugar and mix until frosting forms.  Fold in coconut.

In a separate bowl:

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 - 1/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

Whip cream and then mix in sugar and vanilla.  Fold into cream cheese icing and assemble cake.

Garnish cake with the remaining 1 1/2 cups coconut.  

Worship.  Eat.  Smile.  

Vegetable/Fruit Serving in Muffins

These are yummy (even for me) and my kids love to eat them at breakfast. I usually freeze them and pull them out each morning and let them defrost on the counter or microwave them.

1 box lemon cake mix
3 eggs
1 apple shredded
1 banana mashed
1 carrot shredded
1 celery stalk minced
1 medium zucchini shredded

Do not add any water. Add 1/2 the oil the mix calls for. I use cupcake papers, but you don't have to. Bake as directed on mix.

Pasta w/ Peppers & Mozzarella

This salad was so yummy and if I hadn't been so tired all day and fallen asleep right before dinnertime, I would have rememberd to make some chicken which would have complemented it very well. I figure that at least I made something!!

12 oz short pasta (like gemelli or penne)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced (i only had one and it was fine)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 bunches arugula, thick stems removed (about 6 cups)
12 oz of small balls fresh mozzarella, cut in half
kosher salt & pepper

-cook the pasta. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, drain the pasta, and set aside. Wipe out the pot. (i should have read on when i was making this b/c you'll end up needing a pretty big pot b/c you add all ingredients in at the end!)
-Heat the oil in the pasta pot over medium heat. Add the bell peppers and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are tender, 5-7 mins. (i also added a can of garbonzo beans here for some protein and it was yum!)
-Add the arugula, mozzarella, cooked pasta, reserved pasta water, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook, stirring, until the arugula is just wilted, about 1 minute.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Sorry, I made this and forgot to take the picture. Cydney asked me for this recipe a little while ago and since it has been cold, I thought it would be a nice one to add. I made homemade chicken noodle soup (except I used dried egg noodles--yuck) for the first time when I was teenager and it was one of the first times I realized that homemade is SO much better then from a can or box. I have kind of been tinkering with this recipe ever since. It is pretty basic and easy to make--what most people might say "just like my mom's", but well, since my mom doesnt really cook...it is what I imagine this comfort food should be like.

Chicken Noodle Soup
1 medium onion, chopped
olive oil
1-2 carrots, peeled and diced
1-2 celery, peeled and diced
corn (optional--I will to add it sometimes)
thyme
pepper
bay leaf
2 chicken breasts
6-8 cups chicken broth

For noodles:
1 cup flour
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt

Mix together until crumbly. Add about 1/4 water, until you can make a dough. Roll out and cut into noodles Heat olive oil and sautee onions. Add everything else except noodles and boil about 15-20, until chicken breasts are cooked. Take out chicken and dice it, put it back in. Remove bay leaf. Bring back to boil. SLowly add in noodles until cooked. Adjust seasons-eat.

Thanksgiving PUNCH

wanna punch your friends and relatives this thanksgiving?
here's a yummy-sounding recipe from the National Honey Board:

Holiday Party Punch

2 cups boiling water
3/4 cup honey
4 cups cranberry juice
2 cups orange juice
1 cup lemon juice
1 quart ginger ale
ice cubes
sliced citrus fruit for garnish (optional)

Combine boiling water and honey, stirring to dissolve. Chill. In large punch bowl, combine cranberry, orange, and lemon juices. Stir in honey mixture. Just before serving, add ginger ale, ice cubes, and fruit garnish. Makes about 12 servings. (13 cups, or about 3 quarts)