Chicken Noodle Soup

Here's la soupe au poulet et nouilles —

Chicken Noodle Soup, elevated to something magnifique . . .

by merely serving it on the dashing Lion's Head Soup bowl . . .

And then, for dessert, Lime Mousse, from the Silver Palate Cookbook.  This is part of the standard repertoire in the Cheney household, and we never seem to tire of it — plus I got to use up the leftover limes from last Sunday's Irish Whiskey Mules.  Bon appétit!

A Valentine's Supper with the Other Woman

 The "Other Woman" is no less than my favorite chef, Ina Garten.  

From the moment I woke up that morning, until the magical Blue Hour, it was Ina, Ina, Ina!

I placed a card table in front of our fireplace . . .

Then, a vase of beautiful red roses, a gift from my husband, on the table, 

Plus a few extra touches, like the flatware with the heart-shaped handles . . .

Some Ikat Heart napkins, and . . . 

Voilà!  The table was set for a romantic fireside dinner for two.

Cheese and crackers are an aphrodisiac, yes?  The little cheese heart was stabbed in the center.  Oh, it doesn't seem fair that its death should be our joy!

To balance things out, I also invited Raymond . . .

Oh, if you could only touch the label!  It feels like velvet.  By now, we have amply established that I'm a wine philistine and continue to choose my wine by the label.  Isn't it pretty?  And it was so delicious!

We wanted a light supper tonight, not a heavy meal that would put us to sleep, so Ina Garten's French Onion Soup, in my new Lion's Head soup bowls were just the ticket!  Some of you may remember my waxing lyrical mentioning them during our trip to Paris three years ago. After three years of thinking about them, I caved in and bought them!

Ina's recipe calls for Parmesan cheese "or the cheese of your choice."  I guess there's some debate among foodies about what constitutes the perfect cheese to use on this humble soup, shocking, I know.  I decided to use Gruyère de Compté because it sounded so French, has a nutty flavor, and melts beautifully.  It is French, not Swiss, and it was available at that famous American fromagerie, Chez Costco. 

The onions were cooked, ever so slowly, over several hours before adding the stock, Cognac, sherry and wine - after which I had to go take a shower and change my clothes, so I wouldn't be exuding allium pheromones, that wouldn't be too romantic.

Then, to end the simple supper, Ina Garten's Chocolate Mousse, so very, very rich!  So incredibly delicious!

I whipped the cream myself so I could control the sugar, I don't like overly sweet desserts.  Shave a little chocolate on top, slice a strawberry . . . and prepare for heaven on Earth!

Even in the midst of a pandemic, love, joy and deliciousness can still be found.  Happy Valentine's Day!

Split Pea Soup and Harry Bosch Season 6 on Amazon Prime . . .

What are you up to tonight?

The Raven: A Non-Fiction Story

Once upon a time, there was a lady that owned a Toyota RAV4, which she named the Raven, that was getting a little long in the tooth - the car, of course, the lady was in her prime.  So, right after Christmas, she took it to the dealer for some thorough maintenance, and spent a bit of money bringing it up to scratch.  The Raven got new tires, new breaks, and a new water pump.  Fluids were replaced, rather like a shot of cortisone on a pair of aging knees.  The car was purring by the time it left the garage.  The lady was very happy.

Then, in early January, the Raven was rear-ended by a young couple, who sober and insured, make it very difficult for the lady to work up a real mad at the accident.  She was frustrated and inconvenienced, but since the couple's insurance paid for the damage, and the car was repaired quickly, the lady was happy once more.

Alas! This saga quickly turned out to be as long as Odysseus' return to Penelope.  That odious little light on the dashboard went on again a few days later!  Oh, that light!  The lady cannot abide that light!  And the timing!  What, with the event that this lady was in the middle of organizing for work, which was already causing so much added stress!  So, off to the dealer she went again and threw herself (and her wallet) at the mechanic's feet, who took mercy on her and only charged her half an arm (she got to keep both legs).

And the lady was happy . . . for exactly 20 minutes.  That's when she discovered that the button for the rear hatch wasn't working.  The button would unlock the hatch, but wouldn't raise it.

Now here was a conundrum:  To whom should she take the car?  Should she take it to the center that repaired the car after the collision, or should she take it to the dealer that she'd left not twenty minutes earlier?  Why, oh, why was she having to deal with these loathsome car problems, she asked no one in particular?  She took good care of her car!  She also didn't have time for this, especially IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER! (This lady does not function well in the middle of winter).

And this is when her very own epic hero, her husband, Lee, whose mother held him by the toes at birth and dipped him in Lake Michigan, giving him everlasting technical abilities, but causing his feet to grow very long, came to the rescue.  Without any prompting whatsoever, when he saw his lady in distress, did what any modern hero would do:  He consulted the Google Oracle.  It turns out that the car has a button, heretofore unbeknownst to anyone who has not read the Owner's Manual, hidden in the glove compartment that had somehow been pressed, deactivating the hatch feature.  That is one piece of literature that the lady had failed to read.

Fearlessly, disregarding all personal safety, our hero pressed the button wit his own bare finger.  He then sauntered back in from the garage with a John Wayne swagger, wearing his most endearing smile.  The lady had no choice but to succumb to his charms.  She gave him a kiss, and looked at him with eyes that promised Galician White Bean Soup, made from scratch.

As for the Raven, at 87,000 he continues to plod along, rather like Rocinante, Don Quixote's faithful steed.

Getting back on the horse: Blogging again.

But the horse never bucked me!  The problem is life.  A demanding job.  A longer commute. Facebook.  Too many things happening!  I've missed blogging dreadfully, and I have so much to share that I'm making a promise to myself not to be gone so long in the future.

Since food is fun, comforting, and emotionally easy to address, I'll start with that:

Here was last night's dinner - Chicken Tortilla Soup.  It was truly delicious.  I followed The Pioneer Woman's recipe, more or less.  I've been turning up the heat in my kitchen a bit more for the last couple of years after reading of all the many health benefits chili peppers offer.  I know, I'm late to the party.  In addition to Vitamin C, carotenoids, and antioxidants, they are great to help regulate insulin in the body, and even helps break up gallstones!

Can you tell I'm getting older?  Now food not only has to taste delicious, but it has to have some redeeming healthy quality, if only to justify it to myself.  My heat tolerance is still low, compared to that of most of my friends, but it's definitely improving.  If you attempt to make this recipe, take it nice and slow with the hot spices, until you find the level of heat with which you are comfortable - and be sure to have some sour cream on hand to cool things down in a hurry!

Our interest in Mexican food was rekindled recently during a visit to Rick Bayless' "Topolobampo" restaurant here in Chicago.  We waited for our table next door at "Frontera Grill" sipping sangría (we are not into margaritas), admiring their alebrije - a Mexican folk art sculpture of a fantastical creature. 

. . . and enjoying the most unusual, but delicious Chef's Choice Guacamole, made with mashed avocado, infused with morita chile, grilled onions, oregano, chorizo and queso fresco.  It was fabulous!

And that was only the beginning because the 5-course meal that followed at Topolo's (as the name is frequently shortened) was inspired.  The courses were described elaborately and presented with flare, but when it came down to it, the food was of the utmost freshness and simplicity.  It took us three and a half hours to finish the meal.  I felt like I was in Europe, in one of those delightful suppers that never seem to end, and in which the conversation flows like good wine.  If you have the opportunity to visit one of Rick Bayless' restaurants, don't miss it!  It's definitely worth it!

Martha Stewart posted the beautiful picture above of  her Leftover Salade Niçoise, and it spoke to me because it reminded me a bit of my grandmother's salad  - Carmela's Salad, of which I have previously written.  I felt like Martha was challenging me to take it up a few notches, so, of course, I had to try making it . . .

. . . even down to making up a batch of my own Roasted Red Peppers.

Voilà!  I omitted the anchovies, because neither my husband nor I will eat them (although I don't mind them in a Caesar Salad Dressing, where their fuzzy texture is obliterated by the blender, another day, perhaps). Everything was Martha-worthy - organic, locally grown, grass-fed, antibiotic-free, pesticide-free, and wild-caught.  We feasted on it for two days.  Challenge met, Martha!

North Carolina Pulled Pork was another new entrée to feature at our table in a recent weekend dinner.  I convinced myself that because it was dressed with apple cider vinegar and honey, it had to be healthy. The pork came out very tender, but we decided we really missed the barbecue sauce, so I'm not sure if I'll be making this one again.

My attempts at healthier eating aren't always successful, but sometimes they are.  Dr. Hyman's Green Breakfast Smoothie, which he touts as probably "the healthiest smoothie in the whole world" has been part of my breakfast for the last few months, and I'm enjoying it! It is actually very tasty, and easy to make with the help of a good Vitamix blender, and my wonderful husband, who prepares the veggies for me.

Since our recent trip to Hawai’i we've welcomed papayas back into our lives.  I don't know why we've ignored this delicious fruit in the past.  My mother was very fond of it.  In Cuba it is generally known as "Fruta Bomba" - Bomb Fruit.  In Havana, especially, the sophisticated town mice would never utter the name "papaya" which in Cuban slang represents the female genitalia.  This article will help explain this Cuban idiosyncrasy.  I guess it's better that it look like a bomb than a part of the female anatomy.  We humans are so sexually repressed!  Ha!  In any case, they've been exceptionally good this year, and we have indulged.  Go buy a papaya before the season runs out!

Ah!  Food!  We can't avoid dealing with it daily.  And what joy it brings when we do it right!

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” —Virginia Woolf

I'm back!

The return of the beans!

Eight months ago, I received some unwelcome news about my health:  I have been diagnosed as a diabetic.  This means, for the first time in my life, medication.  It also means lifestyle changes.  Ugh!  There was no choice but to attempt to rise to the challenge, meaning dietary changes and . . . exercise!  I have been making progress and have seen positive results, but emotionally, I'm just beginning to wrap my head around the whole thing.

My faith has been renewed through this challenge, however.  It's so true that the Lord carries you when you are not sure you can handle it on your own.  The results, so far, are pretty wonderful.  My sugar is completely under control and I've lost about 70 lbs.  I have also joined a gym and have been working with a trainer since January.  I wouldn't describe me as fit by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm making progress.  I definitely feel more flexible, have less pain on my knees and I'm sleeping a lot better!  Of course, the trainer goes on and on about how I'm building muscle and strengthening my core . . . yeah, yeah, yeah . . .  I don't see the muscles yet but I'm going to keep at it.

There have been many, many dietary changes, and, truthfully, it hasn't been that bad!  I've been experimenting a lot in the kitchen.  I tried eating according to the recommendations of the ADA, but the program left me ravenously hungry, and my glucose reading fluctuated wildly between morning and night.  Then I toyed with the Paleo diet, eliminating almost all wheat, soy and just about anything that an agricultural society produces.  The Paleo diet recommends eating like our paleolithic ancestors, i.e. fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whatever meat those early hunters were able to kill.

I thought it was going to be soooo difficult.  No bread?  How could I live without bread?  No pasta?  No beans?  NO BEANS!!!  I grew up with beans!  My mother made a different bean soup every single day!  Like most Cubans, she'd make a thick potage to be served over rice, as part of the daily meal.  On Mondays, it was black beans, on Tuesday, it may have been split peas, on Wednesday, red kidney beans, on Thursday, Spanish Olla, a chick pea soup with sausages . . . and so on . . . no beans . . . ?  Well, for the sake of my blood sugar, I stopped eating them as well.  Surprisingly, I didn't miss the bread and pasta as much as I thought I would, but the beans were another story.

Then, recently I read "The Blood Sugar Solution" by Dr. Mark Hyman, and he provided a fresh perspective on my whole new diet.  For one thing, he's validated a lot of the Paleo principles, so that's good, I didn't have to start from scratch, but he recommends beans as part of a healthy, low-sugar diet because of the fiber and nutritional benefits, and, if eaten correctly, perfectly fine for diabetics.  Yay!  Dr. H is my new hero!

So, I've introduced beans back into my diet, and so far, I have seen no adverse results, and my taste buds are so happy!  Imagine my joy when I found this at the grocery store:

Say, what???  16 BEANS!!!  All together???  At once???  This, I gotta try!  I learned to make beans from my mother, the sorceress.  She never followed a recipe, which was extremely frustrating to me when I was younger, but eventually gave me the ability to improvise in the kitchen.

So, Maria, was in the kitchen this past weekend, concocting a magic potion from these dry pebbles.  It was truly a little bit of this, and a little bit of that . . . and then another visit to the pantry to see what else I could throw in there.  And this was the result . . .

I should call this soup “20-Ingredient Bean Soup” since that's how many different ingredients went into the pot:  1) Beans, 2) Onion, 3) Green Pepper, 4) Garlic, 5) Bacon, 6) Spanish Chorizo, 7) Zucchini, 8) Butternut Squash, 9) Carrots, 10) Spinach, 11) Diced tomatoes, 12) Tomato sauce, 13) Chicken stock, 14) Olive Oil, 15) Oregano, 16) Thyme, 17) Bay leave, 18) Dry white wine, 19) Salt, and 20) Pepper!

Lots of chopping!  Thankfully, my husband is the most wonderful chopper in the entire universe. 

He chopped, I conjured . . .

Here's a closeup . . .

That night, I had also roasted a chicken, but let me tell you, we didn't even touch it.  Both, my husband and I had a bowl of this deliciousness and were quite satisfied.  Then we settled down to watch Game of Thrones and The Borgias, with a very contented tummy.

I'm joining the Foodie Friday link party.

Carrot Hearts

These carrot hearts are the result of too much time spent on Pinterest.  It took me three hours to shape four carrot stalks into little hearts for this chicken stew.  Click here to see them on Pinterest.

But don't they look adorable?  Perfect for February!  I love hearts!

City Tavern Visit and Tablescape

While visiting Philadelphia, we ate at City Tavern.  The original City Tavern dated back to colonial days, and was known to many of the important figures of the American Revolution, including Paul Revere, George Washington and members of the 1st and 2nd Continental Congress.  The Tavern was in continuous operation until 1834.  In 1854 it was demolished to make room for some new stores, but in 1975 Independence National Historical Park completed an accurate replica. 

The new City Tavern offers dishes adapted from the 18th Century.  The staff is garbed in period costumes helping the visitor get a feel for the history of the times.  Here's a link to their website: 

http://www.citytavern.com/

The table was set with blue feather-edged dishes.  The pretty dishes are a reproduction of antique creamware that was widely produced in the 18th and 19th centuries.  The pottery is made from a soft paste clay and glazed in a cream color, with a darker hue used at the edge that bleeds into the cream, giving the dishes a feathery look, from which it takes its name . . .

This one was made in Germany . . .  Doesn't everyone turn their dinner plate upside down . . . ?

Water was served on pewter goblets . . .

But we quenched our thirst with a Shrub . . .  From the City Tavern menu: “Shrub is a drink made from fruit juice vinegar sweetened with sugar and spiked with alcohol or fizzed with soda water.” Ours was prepared with Spiced Rum. It was very light and refreshing.

Then the bread arrived, including slices of Sally Lunn bread, a sweet bread leavened with yeast, Anadama loaves, made with wheat, cornmeal and molasses, and sweet potato biscuits . . . 

My husband had the West Indies Pepperpot Soup, a version of which was supposedly served by George Washington to his troops . . .  I was concerned about how spicy it would be, so I played it safe with some lentil soup . . .  I did try it, though, and it was delicious.  I have the recipe now and hope to make it this coming winter . . .

The main course selection is varied and interesting.  They even offer tofu, which was introduced to America by Benjamin Franklin . . . Tofu . . . who would have thunk . . . ?  We unfortunately had no room left for dessert, so were unable to taste Martha Washington's chocolate cake . . . Ah, well, maybe next time . . .

Going back wouldn't be a hardship - not with such interesting surroundings . . .

The attention to detail was impressive . . .  Here's a closeup of the molding . . .

It would have been fun to pretend for a little while that we had been transported back to that era, but our group was too grounded in this century, with our digital cameras, iPads, smart phones and other electronics, to be able to immerse ourselves fully in the period . . . Of course, come to think of it, I'm not sure that it would have been seemly for me, a mere woman, to cross the threshold at City Tavern in those earlier times . . .  I'm ready to return to the 21st century now . . .

More soup! It's a good day!

I feel like I've been in hibernation for the last few weeks. Truly! I'm on activity time-out until the Spring. I leave for work when it's dark outside, and I leave from work when it's dark outside. At work, we are still dealing with the aftershocks of the re-org that took place at the end of last year. Things are still feeling pretty unsettled and the new roles have not been completely defined yet. This all translates into A LOT OF STRESS! Throw in a little Seasonal Affective Disorder, a dash of yucky weather and a pinch of normal down time, and you now have the recipe for "What ails Maria?" I give this recipe a thumbs down!

So how am I coping? With the help of some good ol' reliables: A little re-reading of old favorites (Bonjour, D'Artagnan, mon ami!), a lot of sleeping, and . . . soup!!!!

The latest medicinal concoction: Great Northern Bean Soup with Butternut Squash.

Over the years, I've made many versions of this soup. Last year, I had a bit of a mishap when I tried making Cassoulet (see blog entry for Feb. 16, 2009) and my crockpot exploded! This time I cooked the beans in the pressure cooker (cooking beans is always an adventure at our house), added pancetta (Italian bacon), Italian parsley and, of course, butternut squash. Now this recipe gets a thumbs up!
I haven't run out of soup recipes yet, thank goodness, because, unfortunately, winter is not over yet. And thank goodness also that my husband happens to like soup . . . almost as much as I do!

GOOD NEWS UPDATE! In November, I blogged about the layoffs at work and I mentioned two co-workers that had serious medical conditions and were about to lose their jobs. Well, both co-workers have found new positions within the company and were able to transition to the new jobs without interruption of their benefits! And, as an added bonus, their health has stabilized and they are doing much, much better! Oh, it's a good day!

Drunken Polish Chili - The recipe

Here's the recipe for Drunken Polish Chili:

Ingredients:

½ lb. bacon
1 lb. kielbasa sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb. ground beef or 1 lb. ground turkey
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon jalapeño pepper (I used the whole pepper; I mean, waste is bad, right?)
1 C. Merlot wine (Lee and I drank the rest of the bottle, same principle)
2 28-oz. cans whole peeled tomatoes, mashed, liquid reserved
2 tablespoons chili powder, or to taste
2 15-oz cans pinto beans, drained

Directions:

In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until evenly brown and crisp. Reserve juices in skillet, and set bacon aside. Brown the sausage in the bacon juices. Set aside. Cook the ground beef or turkey in the skillet until evenly brown. Set aside. Sauté the onion and green pepper in the skillet juices until tender.

In a large pot over medium heat, mix the bacon, sausage, beef, onion, green pepper and jalapeño. Pour in the wine and tomatoes, and season with chili powder. Cook 20 minutes, stirring often. Mix in the beans, and continue to cook and stir 25 minutes.

Yields 10 servings.

Optional: Lighten this further by using smoked turkey sausage. I did use bacon, but I drained the fat. I sweated the veggies in their own juices.


I paired the chili tonight with some jasmine brown rice from Trader Joe's, which is my favorite brown rice in the whole wide world. If you happen to have a Trader Joe's near you, don't miss the chance to pick up some of this wonderful rice; you won't be sorry!

Drunken Polish Chili

What would Superbowl commercials be without a pot of chili to accompany the entertainment? Actually, although I'm very, very fond of soup of all types, especially those that contain beans, I make chili very seldom because a) I like the meat in soup to only make a cameo appearance, not be the star, and b) I don't generally like spicy hot foods. Yes, I know, I was born in Cuba, and grew up with Cuban food, but, in fact, Cuban cuisine is not very hot.

This recipe was given to me by my friend Julie, who assures me that it has won the Chili Cook-Off at her work two years running. The recipe gets its name from two key ingredients: Merlot (Drunken) and Kielbasa sausage (Polish). I lightened it, as per her instructions, by substituting ground turkey for the beef. And here's the verdict . . . Yum!

I am going to have some awesome brown-bag lunches this week! Lentil soup from yesterday and Chili from today . . . I better keep my eye on that refrigerator at work . . .

Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup

My husband, who is not particularly fond of sweet potatoes, had two helpings of this soup!

It was tasty, and came with impeccable nutritional credentials . . . and it just warmed us all the way to our tippy toes . . . Here's the recipe:

1 lb. dried lentils, picked over and washed
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, sliced in thin rounds
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled, minced or crushed
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
6 C. chicken stock
1 T. thyme leaves
1 T. oregano leaves
2 large bay leaves
1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 large sweet potato, cut into 1-inch chunks
Salt and pepper to taste

Sautée the onion, green pepper, garlic and celery in the olive oil until the onion is transparent. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer, covered over low-medium heat for a couple of hours, stirring occassionally, until the lentils are tender and the soup thickens. If the liquid has been absorbed but the lentils are still a bit tough, add additional water or broth, stir, correct seasoning, and continue cooking until the desired consistency is reached. Serve with a crusty multi-grain bread.

Halloween Treats

So maybe I did go a smidgen overboard with the desserts this weekend. Maybe chocolate chip cookies, a rum cake and Cuban vanilla custard were a bit over the top, considering all the Halloween candy floating around the house . . .

But I had all this caffeine in my system and felt like the "Energizer" bunny. Or maybe I was just happy with the special Halloween treat cluttering my kitchen table.

He says he came back for "Halloween Soup" - just good ol' chicken noodle soup made from scratch, a tradition at our house since the kids were little.

Trick-or-Treaters: We are ready for you now!