Corn Chowder

I love chowders. They're warm, satisfying and fill a spot inside like nothing else. It takes something special so make a true chowder. Unfortunately, what I made in the crockpot was not that special. Crockpot recipe out of Mabel Hoffman's Crockery Cookery (pg. 74). Corn, potatoes, onions and broth cooked overnight and then I pureed the mix this morning (got to try out the imersion blender for the first time - very cool). Refrigerated it during the day and then added milk and butter and cooked it for another hour. Spooned it out and dusted it with ground mace. Didn't really care for it much. Since it was pureed, there wasn't anything to make one stop and savor. It was like really really soupy grits. In eating it, it didn't feel satsifying or filling. It felt like a good base just waiting for the chowder parts to be added. Zeb and I were thinking about shredded chicken and some additional vegetables, perhaps another can of corn. Oh, and I put too much ground mace on mine. FYI - ground mace should be used sparingly - it's a very strong flavor.

Spicy!

Last night, Zeb made Thai-Phoun Ribs and Jalapeno Poppers (Smoke & Spice, pp. 74, 386). The ribs were so tender but the star of the meal was the sauce. All sorts of Thai flavors reduced down into syrupy goodness. The poppers were way too spicy for me and even Zeb couldn't handle them for long. Too bad too because they were stuffed with cheddar and cream cheese and looked so yummy. Alas, it was not to be.

For dessert, I made strawberry empanadas (Intercourses). It's one of Zeb's favorite desserts and I've memorized the recipe. It works the best with fresh ripe strawberries so it's a seasonal dessert for us. I've put together more filling than the recipe calls for and add WAY more strawberries. It's so easy! Blend together half a block of cream cheese and 1/4 cup of brown sugar (I sometimes add more brown sugar but it's a sweetness preference). Mix in 1/4 cup chopped strawberries. Using refrigerated cresant roll dough, place 4 rectangles on a greased cookie sheet. Place about 1/4 cup of the filling on one half of each cresant roll square, fold over the other side and crimp the edges. Crumble additional brown sugar on top (brush with melted butter first if you like). Bake according to cresant roll instructions.

Strawberry Pasta

If you're looking for a romantic and (relatively) easy cookbook, I highly recommend Intercourses. Each section is devoted to a different aphrodisiac food. The pictures are sumptuous and the recipes are simple and easy to follow. Even if such foods create only a placebo effect, cooking out of a book devoted to them can still get the blood hot. Plus, the book has little stories and quote dispersed throughout. I've tried about 15 recipes out of the book (all good) and have about 5 more on my radar to try out soon. (Note: I had actually typed out a list of recipes but then the site screwed up when I tried to spellcheck. I'm not doing it again. Sorry!)

Last night, we had Strawberry Pasta (pg. 57). It's basically fettuicine alfredo with pureed strawberries. Very rich and very satisfying.

Country Captain in Cast Iron

Last night I made Country Captain (Cooking in Cast Iron, pg. 72). It was a mix of tomatoes, pepper, onions, garlic, curry and thyme with chicken tossed in for good measure. I served it over rice and topped it with toasted almonds and mango chutney. Sound good? Well, it was too spicy for me. And it didn't help that I didn't finish cooking it until about 10:45. I started to eat and realized that I just wasn't that hungry. Zeb liked it though.

On another note, we've figured out the trick to cast iron - you HAVE to clean it after dinner. There's no letting it sit overnight. If you clean it right away, it's a snap (or so Zeb tells me).

Fish soup

Last night, I made Lingcod Chowder from Dan's recipe. I didn't realize how much soup the recipe made and so I didn't get enough lingcod. It had more potatoes in it than fish. Quite good though - spicy milky broth with different chunks of vegetables in it. I had never worked with lingcod before. I wasn't expecting to find bones and couldn't get them out so I didn't even get to use all of the fillet I brought home. Oh well...

Lack of posts

I have received complaints from all of my (two) readers that I haven't been posting. The thing is...my blog is about home cooking and in the last few weeks, I haven't had the time. Should be getting back in to it soon though.