U.S. Senate Bean Soup

This is a variation of the famous hearty navy bean soup served for decades at the cafeteria of the U.S. Capitol. It has become a cherished soup icon.
Notice that the amount of fluid called for in the recipe is 6 cups; 3 cups of water or vegetable stock AND 3 cups chicken stock. Additional water is needed for the pre-soaking of the navy beans. A ham hock is most desired, although diced ham can be substituted. However, the simmering of the ham hock imparts a richer, full-bodied flavor not only from the attached meat but from the bone. Using diced ham will alter the ultimate flavor. This recipe is a good way to use up leftover mashed potatoes.

• 1/2 lb. navy (or small white) beans, dried
• 3 c. water or vegetable stock
• 3 c. chicken broth
• 1 lg. ham hock (you can substitute 1 c. cubed or diced cooked ham, but flavor will be altered)
• 2 med. onions, diced
• 1/2 c. celery, diced
• 1/4 c. bell peppers, diced
• 1 c. mashed potatoes
• Salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Cover the beans with water and soak overnight. Drain and rinse well.
Place the beans in a large heavy soup pot or pan and add the water, chicken broth, ham hock (or cubed/diced ham), onion, and bell pepper. Slowly bring to a boil over medium-high heat, skimming any fat or "foam" that rises to the surface.
Reduce the heat and simmer until the beans are soft, approximately 2 to 3 hours. Whisk in the mashed potatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste (optional). Simmer for 15 more minutes.
Note: For parents who simply don't have the time to jump through all the hoops necessary to make this soup, you might try substituting a few can of drained small white or navy beans for the dried beans, thus eliminating the time needed for the soaking and simmering of the dried navy beans. Cut way back on the total cooking time, and, in theory, it should be a close duplication. However, I've not ever done this, so I may be off base and the soup won't be nearly as delicious. But, give it a try if you'd like. It could be amazing!
Serves 4-6.

A variation on this U.S. Senate/U.S. Capitol navy bean soup recipe: U.S. Capitol Bean Soup (Senate and House of Representatives) recipe found on SoupSong.com. This recipe varies from the one directly above, but you may be interested in trying it (this version does not use bell peppers). Since I will likely never taste the original navy bean soup, I have no idea which recipe most closely mimics the one served in the Capitol, but both are good recipes.

I'll take two and a large soda to go...

Ronald Reagan’s Hamburger Soup

(Recipe from PR Newswire, March 11, 1986)
Original Source: SoupSong.com

There’s been speculation that this first made news after President Reagan innocently announced his liking for fancy French soups… and was immediately accused of being elitist. Whatever.

It’s definitely a homespun, plain soup, and not as bad as you might think when you see that there’s hominy in it. This corn product—with an Algonquin Native American name—was an important food to early U.S. pioneers. It’s a nice firm little ball in the soup—almost dumpling-like. Serve the soup as a lunch meal to 4-6 people with lots of cornbread, cold milk, and maybe a big American pie for dessert.

Here’s the recipe… note the non-elitist allowance for canned foods and bouillon cubes.

2 lb. lean ground beef
2 T. butter or margarine
2 c. diced onions
2 cloves chopped garlic
1-1/2 c. sliced carrots
2 c. sliced celery
1 c. diced green peppers
3 qt. (12 c.) beef broth, beef stock, or water with 8 beef bouillon cubes
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
16 oz. (1 lb) chopped tomatoes (canned or fresh)
10 oz. canned hominy, drained


Brown ground beef in butter (or margarine) in 6-quart sauce pan or soup pot. Add onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and green peppers. Simmer 10 minutes with the pan covered.

Add beef broth/stock or water with bouillon cubes. Add chopped tomatoes and black pepper. Simmer soup on low heat for 35 minutes. Add drained hominy. Boil hamburger soup for 10 minutes more.

Makes 4 quarts.

Serves 4-6.

Fried Egg Sandwich

The most classic of the bunch

Ingredients
1 egg
1 teaspoon olive oil
salt and pepper
2 slices bread
1 teaspoon butter
1 slice cheddar cheese

Toast the bread. Meanwhile, fry the egg in olive oil, as in this recipe, seasoning with salt and pepper. When the egg is nearly done--I like to leave the yolk oozy--remove the toast from the toaster, spread them with butter and the slice of cheddar. Top with the egg, which will melt the cheese, and eat.

http://www.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/

Just in time for that Christmas dinner

KITCHEN SINK MASHED POTATOES
Yield: 6 servings
• 2 pounds red potatoes
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Pinch pepper
• Optional: chopped chives or curly-leaf parsley
Procedure:
1. Scrub potatoes under running water to get rid of dirt and potato eyes.
2. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add potatoes one at a time and cook until tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. Strain pot in sink, and cool potatoes slightly before handling.
3. If desired, peel potatoes. (If they’re too hot to handle, run them under cold water right before peeling.) Return potatoes to pot, and return pot to stove. Add butter and garlic cloves. (The heat from potatoes will melt the butter.)
4. Turn burner on low heat, (this will keep potatoes warm while you’re adding cold ingredients). With a potato masher, mash butter and garlic cloves with potatoes until desired consistency – anywhere from really chunky to almost completely smooth.
5. Using a wooden spoon or whisk, stir in heavy cream and chicken stock. Add cheese, garlic and onion powders and salt. Continue stirring until cheese is melted. Add pepper to taste. Optional: Fold in or top with chopped chives or curly-leaf parsley. Serve immediately, or cool and place in refrigerator for up to 2 days.
– Cynthia Furey

Good Idea: How to Really Reheat Pizza in a Skillet or on a Griddle

I've reheated leftover pizza in a skillet before, but I'd never thought of flipping it and cooking the cheese side, too.

I could simply flip the pizza over. The crust would brown and the cheese would not only melt, it would become crispy and caramelized like a frico, making the leftover pizza into something possibly better than the real thing.

Wish I had some leftover pizza in the fridge to try this with. Guess that's an excuse to order some.

Where was this when I was in college?

Skewer it, it's football tailgatting time....

My football motto is on any given Saturday, if Michigan wins, Ohio State and Notre Dame loose, that makes for a good weekend!

For those who's teams lost, don't let that dampen your tailgating experience, I say-skewer it and enjoy these recipes.


Spicy Beef Kebabs

Ingredients:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless beef sirloin
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
Special equipment: 4 (12 inch) metal skewers or wood, soaked ahead of time

Directions:

Cut beef into 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inch cubes and place into a large mixing bowl. Set aside

In the bowl of a food processor combine the garlic, paprika, turmeric, cumin, salt, pepper, and red wine vinegar. With the processor running drizzle in the olive oil.

Pour the marinade over the meat and toss to coat. Place in the refrigerator in an airtight container or a seal able plastic bag and allow to marinate for 2 to 4 hours.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Thread the eat onto the skewers leaving about 1/2 inch in between the pieces of meat. Place on the grill and cook, with lid lowered , 2 to 3 minutes per side, 8 to 12 minutes in all. (8 minutes for rare and 12 for medium) Remove from the heat to aluminum foil, wrap and allow to rest 2 to 3 minutes prior to serving.




Grilled Tomato Kebabs

Ingredients:

1 pint cherry tomatoes
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Heat a charcoal grill with coals, spread them out in one dense layer and brush the grill with oil. Place the cherry tomatoes on skewers, threading them through the stem of the tomato. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place on grill, turning once until seared on the outside but still firm on the inside, about 5 minutes.

Now thats storage...

Flourless Double-Chocolae Pecan Cookies

3 cups confectioner's sugar
3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
(spooned and leveled)
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (or other type of nut)
4 large egg whites, room temperature.

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, cocoa and salt. Stir in chocolate and pecans. Add egg whites and stir just until incorporated (do not overmix).

2. Drop dough by 1/4 cupfuls, 3 inches apart, onto two parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets. Bake until cookie tops are dry and crackled, about 25 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer sheets to wire racks and let cookies cool completely. (To store, keep in an airtight container up to 3 days.) Makes 12

Note: These are large cookies so I would suggest making them a little smaller. If you do that then they won't need to cook so long.

(Oh my gosh they're good)

From the gotta have one of these things department.....

Imagine it's raining out, blowing and cold, yet you have a real hankering for a good porterhouse steak, what to do, what to do. Grill at your table of course. I hope you have more luck that I convincing my wife that I wont fill the house with smoke and grease. She still has fond memories of my attempt at grilling using the broiler last month.




New electric grill that takes true grilling to the table. With SteakHouse Grill, food products cook without coming into contact with their fats as is true with traditional grilling. The uniquely designed grill cooks in vertical position and excessive juices drain into the special tray, cooking healthier and tastier foods, and preventing the formation of annoying smoke. Ariete

A thousand cucumbers?

From Helen Symons's recipe box to your pantry.....
Click to enlarge



Nice to see you have options for only 400 pickles.....

Name that devise.....

Leave a comment as to what you think this is and what it could be used for. A handsome prize for the winner!

A fitting first recipe....

Turkey Chipotle Chili with Peper Jack Cheese Corn Cake Toppers...



Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, corn oil or vegetable oil
2 pounds ground turkey breast
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 rounded teaspoon chili powder
2 chipotles in adobo, chopped, found on Spanish/Mexican foods aisle or, 1/2 cup hot chipotle salsa may be substituted
Salt
1 cup Mexican beer
2 cups chicken stock
1 (28-ounce) can chopped stewed tomatoes
1 can red kidney beans, drained
1 (8 1/2-ounce) package corn muffin mix (recommended: Jiffy Mix) prepared to directions on box for corn cakes
1 1/2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese, 8 ounces
2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Heat deep skillet or wide pot over medium high heat. Add oil and turkey. Crumble meat as it cooks, 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, chili powder, and chipotle. Cook another 5 minutes. Season with salt. Add beer and cook another minute, stirring to loosen any bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the stock, tomatoes, and beans and bring to a bubble. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Heat a nonstick griddle pan over medium high heat. Mix batter and cheese together. Rub grill with butter, nesting the butter in a paper towel to hold on to it. Ladle the batter to make 3-inch cheese and corn cakes. Cook 3 minutes on each side, until golden. Transfer them to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Serve bowls of chili with cheese-corn toppers -- like a spicy, corn topped chili pot pie.


I will be trying this out this weekend, and will let you know just how good it is!

Update 1: I cooked this yesterday and found it to be very good. If you like your chili hot and spicy this will be for you, if you prefer your chili a bit more mild you can use 1/2 the requried chipotle salsa, and add either a 4oz or 8oz can of tomato sauce. That will cut down the intensity of the heat.

Secondly, I did not like the corn cakes as the recipe called for. The pepper jack cheese was hardly noticable, a better solution would be to just make the corn muffins as the Jiffy box indicates, and serve them with the chili. They will compliment the heat of the chili with the sweetness of the corn, a very nice combination.

Update 2: This is just as good on day 3 as day 1.


Overall: I liked it....




Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray