Soup for the French (and Americans)

My wonderful wife enrolled me in the "Knife Skills" class at the local Culinary Center. I'm thinking she wanted to protect my digits. Sure, I learned a lot about chopping veggies, but I also got a wicked recipe for French Onion Soup. I'm not a FOS fan, but this one (after a few tweaks) had me sold.

Fantastic French Onion Soup

Ingredients:
4 medium yellow onions (thinly sliced and quarted)
4 cloves of garlic
Thyme - 3 fresh sprigs (finely chopped)
1/2 cup white wine
1 quart beef broth
4 tbsp butter (divided)
1 tbsp flour
½ tsp black pepper

French bread
Gruyere Cheese

Melt the butter in a stockpot or large pan over medium heat. Add the onions and salt and pepper to taste. Cook the onions for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in 1 tbsp flour and 1 tbsp butter for about a minute. Add the white wine and stir while simmering for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour beef broth into pot and season with a 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper. Bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 30 minutes.

In serving size crocks, pour soup and top with French bread sliced to 1/2" thickness. Top with 2 to 3 tablespoons shredded Gruyere cheese, and place in 350 degree oven for 12 - 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Brined and Fried - The only way to go!

After years of “settling” for the traditional oven roasted turkey, a few years ago we finally tried two well-known tricks for the perfect tasty and juicy bird. The first is to fry the turkey. I won’t go in to detail on that here for simple liability reasons, but there are many great resources on how to do this safely. The #1 tip is not to overfill the fryer with oil so it spills over to the flame when you drop the bird into the boiling oil. If that happens, bad things will surely follow.

Instead, I’ll pass along my tried and true brine recipe. You can tweak this to your taste, or you can pick up a brine packet and add it to salt water. But the key is to get turkey in to a briny overnight bath. Do this, and you’ll get a truly tasty and juicy turkey!

Brine Ingredients:

* 1 gallon vegetable stock

* 1 cup kosher salt

* 1/2 cup light brown sugar

* 1 tablespoon black peppercorns

* 2 teaspoons candied ginger

* 3 springs rosemary

* 3 springs sage

* 3 springs thyme

* 1 gallon heavily iced water

Tools required:

* 5 gallon bucket and lid

* hammer

In a large stock pot, combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, and candied ginger over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. When the salt and brown sugar is fully dissolved, add the rosemary, sage, and thyme and from the heat. Allow the brine to cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until ready to use.

At least 8 hours, and up to 15 hours in advance, combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. After removing the innards, drop the thawed turkey breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh the bird down to make sure it is fully covered. Using the hammer, seal the lid on the bucket, and set in a cool area for 8 to 12 hours. If possible, flip the turkey once through the brining process.

About 1 hour prior to cooking, remove the turkey from the bucket, drain the water from the cavity, and pat dry. Allow the turkey some time to fully dry and approach room temperature prior to placing in the fryer or oven.

Ooey Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 3.4 oz package instant vanilla pudding
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips

Beat the sugars with the butter until creamy. Blend the pudding, eggs, and vanilla in to mixture.

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt, and blend into mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Drop spoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheet, and bake at 375 for 8 to 10 minutes.

No Fail Lasagna

Last week was Italian night for our regularly scheduled Sunday Bravo Crew Potluck. Always a good time with good food. My goal after that night was to grab the other recipes, including Rick’s wickedly good salad, Jerry’s Cowboy Spaghetti, Mac’s tasty pasta, David’s Strawberry Pineapple dessert and on and on and on….. Off the hook good food for sure! Thinking we should do this every four weeks! erves 10

Serves 10

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin

1 pound ground Italian sausage

6 ounces tomato paste (1 can)

30 ounces ricotta cheese (2 containers)

4 tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped  (divided)

2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped (divided)

Salt and black pepper, to taste

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

6 cups Basic Marinara

12 oz (Twelve 4”X6” noodles) oven-ready lasagna

1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded

Grated Parmesan and mozzarella, for topping

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Pre-heat a pan with olive oil over medium heat, and add onion, garlic, bay leaves, 2 tablespoons parsley and 1 tablespoon oregano. Cook 5 minutes. Add the beef and Italian sausage cook until brown, or about 15 minutes. Drain grease, remove the bay leaves, and return to the pot. Stir in the tomato paste completely. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, add the ricotta, 2 tablespoons parsley and 1 tablespoon oregano. Add the eggs and ½ cup parmesan, and mix well.

To prepare the lasagna: Coat a 13 by 9-inch pan with ¼ cup of marinara. Arrange 4 noodles lengthwise (1/3 of the total) side by side (slightly overlapping if necessary) over the sauce. Spread ½ of the meat mixture over the lasagna noodles. Add 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the meat, spread to the edges of the pan. Sprinkle ½ of the shredded mozzarella on top of the ricotta. Top ¼ cup of the marinara sauce and spread evenly. Repeat with the next layer of 4 noodles, ½ meat mixture, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses and ¼ cup of the marina. To finish add the remaining 4 noodles, ¼ cup of marinara and top with grated mozzarella and Parmesan to taste.

Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Remove from the oven and let the lasagna rest for 15 to 30 minutes. Cut into 10 rectangles and serve topped with marinara and a side of your favorite bread.

Basic Marinara for a Million Uses

Marinara Sauce

Makes ~1 quart

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 yellow onion (medium), finely chopped

2 medium carrots (diced)

1 ½ teaspoon minced garlic

½ cup red wine (divided)

1 (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes

1 (14 oz) can petite diced tomatoes

1 (6 oz) can of tomato paste

1 teaspoon fresh basil (chopped)

1 teaspoon fresh oregano (chopped)

1 teaspoon Italian parsley (chopped)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil over medium heat, and add the onion and carrots and cook until soft or about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for additional 1 or 2 minutes. Add ¼ cup of red wine and cook until the liquid is almost gone, or about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, and add the tomatoes, herbs, salt, and pepper. Simmer over low heat for approximately 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and blend the ingredients with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the tomato paste, ¼ cup of red wine , and cook an additional 15 minutes and remove from the heat. Use as desired.

A Pizza Tasting for some Special Friends

My incredibly sweet, beautiful, talented, and awesome niece recently asked if I would cater a dinner for a team of her staff members. I was floored, and then flattered. To imagine that she would trust me with this was off the charts cool. We discussed the menu for a while, and I suggested a pizza tasting. I liked the idea as it would carry the conversation over a couple of hours of sampling different foods and it would pair well with our favorite beverage - wine. As I was working on the menu, I liked the concept even more as it allowed me to be more creative with the evening. I started with some homemade hummus to allow me time to hide behind the prep work.

Below is the menu for the evening. Click on the items to see the recipes. They use this basic pizza crust.

Appetizer – Homemade hummus

Served with sea salt flat bread and pita chips

Pizza 1 – Pizza Margherita

Fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil

Pizza 2 – Pizza Blanco

Roasted garlic and cambozola cheese with fresh rosemary

Pizza 3 – Spinach Chicken Alfredo

White sauce with fresh baby spinach and grilled chicken

Pizza 4 – Fancy Pig Pizza

Prosciutto & pancetta with caramelized onion

Pizza 5 – Spicy BBQ Chicken Pizza

Slightly spicy take on a traditional pie

Pizza 6 – Fresh Berry Pizza Tart

 Mascarpone Cheese with mixed berry compote

Pizza 7 – Chocolate Soup Pizza

A slightly sweet crust with a variety of chocolate toppings –

S’Mores, Almond Joy, Peanut Butter Cup, and Peanut-ty M&Ms

Homemade Hummus

Abbey LOVES hummus. After 3 attempts, she's told me that mine is "as good" as store bought. I'm taking that as a compliment.

2 garlic cloves

2 cups canned chickpeas (liquid reserved)

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)

4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 to 1 ½ lemon)

3 tablespoons chickpea liquid (or water)

1 tablespoons EVOO

Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (2-4 dashes, if desired)

In a food processor with blending blade mince the garlic, and add the remaining ingredients and process until it has a coarse puree consistency. You may want or need to add an additional teaspoon or two of olive oil and salt to get desired consistency and flavor.

Serve immediately, or chill for later use. Serve with pita chips, warm pita slices, or warm salted flat bread.

(Naked) Pizza Margherita

1 pizza dough ball

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic (minced)

3 Roma tomatoes (sliced to approx. 1/4” thickness)

Kosher salt

1 (8 ounce) ball of fresh mozzarella (drained and slice to ¼” thickness)

Fresh basil leaves (½ to 1 bunch, to taste)

Preheat oven and pizza stone for one hour at 500 F. Place the olive oil and garlic in a small bowl and let set 5 minutes for flavors to combine. Roll out the pizza dough and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt to taste.

Place the pizza on the pre-heated stone and bake the dough for approximately 5 - 7 minutes, until dough starts to crisp. Remove from the oven and add a second coat of olive oil and top with mozzarella and tomato slices. Add basil leaves to taste and return to oven for 3 to 5 minutes to melt the cheese.

Remove from the oven and top with additional basil (chopped or torn to small pieces). Let set for 3 to 4 minutes before slicing.

Pizza Blanco

1 pizza dough ball

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 bulbs of garlic, (tops cut and oven roasted)

4 oz wedge of Cambazola cheese (cut to ¼ to ½” pieces)

Kosher salt

1 or 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (stripped from stem)

Preheat oven and pizza stone for one hour at 500 F. Place the olive oil and garlic in a small bowl and let set 5 minutes for flavors to combine. Roll out the pizza dough and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt to taste.

Place the pizza on the pre-heated stone and bake the dough for approximately 5 - 7 minutes, until dough starts to crisp. Remove from the oven and add a second coat of olive oil. Top with cheese pieces and sprinkle with rosemary. Return to oven for 3 to 5 minutes to melt the cheese. Remove from the oven and serve with the roasted garlic. When eating, remove a clove of the roasted garlic and spread on top of the pizza.

Spinach Chicken Alfredo Pizza

1 pizza dough ball

10 to 12 oz of sliced (¼" thick) grilled chicken breast

2 cups baby spinach (washed and dried)

1 cup grated mozzarella

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt

Alfredo Sauce -

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup heavy cream

¼ cup grated parmesan

Salt (to taste)

Preheat oven and pizza stone for one hour at 500 F.

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat, and add garlic and crushed red pepper. Cook 2 to 3 minutes to combine flavors. Add the flour and mix well while cooking for 2 minutes. While stirring with a wire whisk, slowly and continuously add the heavy cream. Add a pinch of salt to taste, reduce heat and let simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken. Remove from heat and set aside.

Roll out the pizza dough and brush with olive oil. Spoon about 2/3 of the sauce on the pizza. Top with chicken slices. Spoon remaining sauce over chicken slices, and sprinkle ½ of the spinach leaves over the pizza. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top of the entire pizza.

Place the pizza on the pre-heated stone and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until crust and/or cheese starts to brown. Remove from the oven and add the remaining spinach leaves. Remove from the oven and let set for 3 to 4 minutes before slicing.

Fancy Pig Pizza

The title only makes sense if you know my daughter, Rachel. She first tried Prosciutto at her Uncle David’s house, and she has since called it fancy ham. Having discovered Pancetta, the obvious name became fancy bacon. Thus the name, Fancy Pig. (Chef's note: Because the pancetta and prosciutto are naturally salty, I would advise that less is more. AND you will not want to add salt at any point in the cooking process.)

1 pizza dough ball

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup marinara

4 oz pancetta (cooked, but not crisp)

3 slices Parma prosciutto

1 cup provel cheese (or substitute provolone and mozzarella)

1 tablespoon butter

2 large or 3 small shallots (sliced thinly)

Marina Sauce -

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon salt

1 onion (diced)

1 large (or 2 small) carrot, diced

1 (15 oz) can crushed tomatoes

1 (15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes

Preheat oven and pizza stone for one hour at 500 F.

To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat, and add the onion, salt and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook about 5 minutes until onions begin to wilt. Add the garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add the carrots and sauté until the carrots are soft. Remove from heat add the crushed and diced tomatoes. Reduce heat to low, and return the pan to the burner. Let simmer about 30 to 45 minutes. Using a submersible hand blender, blend the marinara to combine the tomato and carrots. Alternatively, you can use a countertop blender in two batches after the sauce has cooled. Set aside.

In a small pan, melt the butter and add the shallots. Cook until the shallots are soft and golden brown in color, about 8 minutes. Set aside on paper towel to absorb excess butter.

Roll out the pizza dough and brush with olive oil. Spoon about 2/3 cup of the sauce on the pizza. Top with pancetta, prosciutto, and shallots. Spoon remaining sauce over pizza and top with the provel cheese.

Place the pizza on the pre-heated stone and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until crust and/or cheese starts to brown. Remove from the oven and let set for 3 to 4 minutes before slicing.

(Slightly) Spicy BBQ Chicken Pizza

1 pizza dough ball

10 to 12 oz of shredded grilled chicken breast

½ cup grated gouda cheese (creamy, not aged)

½ cup grated mild cheddar

1½ cup BBQ sauce

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat oven and pizza stone for one hour at 500 F.

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, and add BBQ sauce and crushed red pepper. Cook 10 to 15 minutes to heat through and combine flavors.

Roll out the pizza dough. Spoon about ½ of the sauce on the pizza. Combine the chicken with the remaining sauce and spoon evenly over pizza. Sprinkle the gouda and cheddar cheeses on top of the entire pizza.

Place the pizza on the pre-heated stone and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until crust and/or cheese starts to brown. Remove from the oven and let set for 3 to 4 minutes before slicing and serving.

Fresh Berry Pizza Tart

1 pizza dough ball

Vanilla sugar (to taste – I use Penzey’s)

8 oz marscarpone cheese

1 tablespoon heavy cream

½ vanilla bean

1 ½ tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (½ lemon)

2 tablespoons sugar

Fruit Compote -

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2/3  cup fresh blueberries

½ cup fresh blackberries

1/3 cup fresh raspberries

¼ cup strawberry jam

½ cup sugar

Preheat oven and pizza stone for one hour at 500 F.

For the compote, melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add the berries, jam and sugar and stir until warmed through. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the berries burst, or about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds from the inside. In a mixing bowl, combine the marscarpone, cream, vanilla seeds, lemon juice, and sugar. Set aside.

Roll out the pizza dough and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle a light coat of vanilla sugar on the dough, and place on the pre-heated stone and bake for 5 - 7 minutes, or until dough starts to crisp. Remove from the oven and spread the cheese mixture evenly on the warm crust. Drop spoonfuls of the compote on the dough (you will use about ¼ of the compote, reserving the rest for ice cream, smoothies, or other frozen treats). Place the pizza back on the stones for about 3 to 5 minutes, or until cheese and compote starts to bubble. Let rest for 3 to 5 minutes and serve as is, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Chocolate Soup Pizza

The idea here is to get creative with your favorite cookie or candy sweets. I opted for ¼ Peanut Butter Cups, ¼ Almond Joy, ¼ Peanut-ty M&Ms, and ¼ S’Mores. I precooked the pizza dough, and topped each quarter with toppings. I returned the pizza to the oven to finish it.

1 pizza dough ball

Vanilla sugar (to taste – I use Penzey’s)

Cinnamon Sugar (to taste)

1 tablespoon melted butter

      Toasted slivered almonds

      Sweetened coconut

      Toasted sweetened coconut

      Chocolate Chips (or plain Hershey chocolate bar pieces)

Peanut-ty M&Ms

      Cocktail Peanuts

      Plain M&Ms

S’Mores

      1 tablespoons butter

      1/3 cup crushed graham crackers

      1 tablespoon sugar

      Plain Hershey chocolate bar pieces

      Small marshmallows

Preheat oven and pizza stone for one hour at 500 F.

For S'Mores - Melt the butter in a microwave. Add the graham crackers and sugar and mix well. Set aside.

Roll out the pizza dough and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle a light coat of vanilla sugar and cinnamon sugar on the dough, and place on the pre-heated stone and bake for about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with your favorite toppings.

Peanut butter cups - lightly spread plain peanut butter on the crust, and sprinkle with chocolate chips and peanuts.

For Almond Joy - Place chocolate on the crust and top with almonds and sweetened coconut. Top with toasted coconut after your remove from the oven.

For M&Ms - sprinkle plain M&Ms on the crust and top with peanuts.

For S'Mores - layer graham cracker mixture on crust. Top with chocolate and marshmallows.

Place the pizza back on the stone for about 5 - 7 minutes, or until chocolate melts, and in this case, the marshmallows brown. Let rest for 3 to 5 minutes and serve as is, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

For Almond Joy - After toasting the almonds and coconut on a baking sheet in the oven or in a dry pan on the stove top, set aside to cool.

Peanut Butter Cups

      Peanut Butter

      Chocolate Chips (or plain Hershey chocolate bar pieces)

Cocktail Peanuts

Almond Joy

Basic Pizza Dough

My always amazing and generous wife thought I would enjoy taking a pizza class at the Culinary Center of Kansas City. She was right. The class was taught by Chef Cody Hogan. If you live in KC, you know about Lidia's. Chef Hogan is Lidia's exceutive chef, and one very cool dude. He shared his favorite pizza dough recipe with us. I'll share it with you, but preface this by saying if you don't take the class, it won't be the same!

Pizza Dough

Based on the dough from

The Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook

Yield: enough dough for about 6 pizzas

Sponge Ingredients:

2 teaspoons dry yeast

3/4 cup lukewarm water

2/3 cup bread flour

Dry Ingredients:

4 cups unbleached white flour

1/4 cup rye flour, whole wheat flour or buckwheat flour

1teaspoon salt

1/3cup olive oil

To make the sponge:

Dissolve the yeast in 3/4 cup lukewarm water and stir in the 2/3 cup bread flour. Allow this mixture to sit until quite bubbly, about 30 minutes.

To make the dough:

Mix together the all-purpose flour, rye flour, and salt in another bowl.

Stir 1cup cold water and 1 cup of these dry ingredients into the sponge. Mix thoroughly and let sit for another 30 minutes.

Add the remaining dry ingredients and the olive oil and knead, by hand or in an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook. Knead until the dough is soft and elastic, about 5 minutes. It may be necessary to add more flour if the dough is too wet, but add only enough flour to form soft, slightly sticky dough. Very soft, moist dough makes the best crust.

Allow to rise until doubled; about 2 hours. If you have the time, this dough has more character if it is allowed to rise in the refrigerator overnight or at least for eight hours.

After the dough has doubled, fold it down and divide it into six pieces (or less for larger pizzas).Shape in to balls and allow to rest for about 1hour, covered, at room temperature. (This is a good place to freeze individually wrapped pieces of dough for future use. Allow to thaw thoroughly before using.) The dough can be rolled or stretched into the desired shape and thickness.

Brats and Burgers at the Ritz

Most of you know that I am active in Saving Grace Productions, I mean the Visual Art Ministry, at United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. Love this group! Great team, and an awesome small group. I am blessed to have them as friends. Earlier this year Peggy signed me up to take my Mac & Cheese to share prior to service. Since then we are trying to have a mini-potluck every 6 weeks or so.

This past weekend is round 2, and since Jeffrey Sheets was heading out off for Colorado, we made it a “camp out” theme. Thinking burgers and dogs, I had to have a creative way to share these and yet keep them warm. I opted for bacon cheeseburger version of the Chorizo Puffs and created a Brat in Blanket. By request, here are the recipes.

Bacon Cheeseburger Puffs

Makes 8 puffs

1 lb ground sirloin

2 strips cooked thick cut bacon (cut in to 4^ths)

½ small onion (finely diced)

Cheddar cheese (sliced or grated) about 3 oz

1 can Pillsbury Crescent sheets (seamless version of crescent rolls)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper (to taste)

2 tablespoons Steak seasoning (I use Penzey’s Old Chicago)

1 egg, beaten (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 F

Spray a small pan with non-stick spray, or add 1 tablespoon oil and heat on medium. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Transfer to paper towel lined plate and set aside to cool.

In a mixing bowl combine the ground sirloin, steak seasoning, Worcestershire, onions, salt and pepper. Mix well. Taking about 1 oz at a time, pat until thin in pairs about 2 to 3” in diameter, but keep separate. Cut or shape the cheddar cheese into 1’ squares by ¼” thick. Place the cheese in the middle of one patty, and place the other patty on top. Shape the patty into 2” squares, with your thumb place a slight depression in the middle of the top. Repeat this until you have 8 patties.

Either on the grill or a griddle, cook until medium (slightly pink in the middle) temperature. Place on paper towel lined plate to cool.

Open the crescent sheet and stretch until solid rectangle. Cut the sheet into 8 equal size rectangles. Place a patty and bacon square into a crescent section, and seal tightly. For a nice appearance, place the square patty on the crescent piece at a 45 degree angle. If you fold the sides up, and pinch tight, you should have a cross-seam on the top. Brush with egg wash if desired.

Place on parchment lined baking sheet, and place in oven for 15  to 20 minutes until top is golden brown.

Serve with favorite toppings (ketchup, mustard, relish, etc.)

Brats in a blanket

Makes 15 pieces

5 brats

½ onion (sliced)

Pepper jack cheese slices

2 cans American ale or lager

2 can Pillsbury Crescent sheets (seamless version of crescent rolls)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Sale and pepper (to taste)

1 egg, beaten (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Heat the beer in a medium saucepan until boiling. Pierce the brats multiple times with a fork. Place the brats and onions in the boiling beer. Cook over medium boil for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a grill or griddle, and cook about 3 minutes on top and bottom. This will add a slight crispness to the skin. Remove to paper towel lined plate to cool. Once cool, cut each brat into thirds. They should be very slightly pink in the middle or no pink at all.

Open the crescent sheet and stretch until solid rectangle. Cut the sheet (width-wise) into strips that are about 50% wider than a brat section, and cut each strip in half. It should be just wide enough to wrap the brat section and leave a pinch of dough on top and at each end. Place a brat section and slice of pepper jack (cut to the length and width of the section) into the middle of each crescent section, and seal tightly. You should have a small seam protruding from the top and ends. Brush with egg wash if desired.

Place on parchment lined baking sheet with the seams pointing up, and place in oven for 15  to 20 minutes until top is golden brown.

Serve with favorite toppings (ketchup, mustard, relish, sauerkraut, etc.)

Something Soft and Creamy

Abbey had her wisdom pulled on Tuesday. Four extractions total. If you have been there, you know it’s not fun.  Last Monday I made a double batch of a creamy bacon potato soup to prep for it. That turned out pretty darn good. Then yesterday I had major dental work done as well. Just as the dentist finished with one filling, and prepped for a new crown, she noticed a problem with an old crown right next to the other two. She pulled that crown, and as she started to do the prep for a replacement crown, I quickly realized that the Novocain was wearing off. Another shot (or two) later, and she was back it. She felt really bad about all the shots and drilling, and this morning, I just felt pretty bad.

So with my sore mouth, and Abbey ready for something with a little more substance than the potato soup, I had visions of mac and cheese. Not the Kraft from a box kind, but something a little closer to homemade. Lacking the ingredients for my awesome Prosciutto & Bacon version, I decided to raid the pantry and see what I could come up with. I had to get creative, but the end product was surprisingly good.

Slam Dunk Mac & Cheese

Serves 6

1 lb pasta (Rotini, shells, bowtie, or similar)

2 tablespoons butter

1 ½ cup milk (or sub 1 cup milk and ½ cup heavy cream) divided

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground mustard

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ cup chicken stock

1 cup grated gruyere cheese (or whatever you have on hand)

1 can (10 ¾ oz) Healthy Request Cheddar Cheese soup

1 can (10 ¾ oz) Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom soup

½ cup bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400 F

Cook pasta to al dente firmness, drain and set aside.

In large pan over medium heat, melt butter and add 1 cup of milk, nutmeg, ground mustard, and cayenne. Stir until heated through, and add chicken stock and gruyere cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Add both cans of soup and ½ cup of milk (or cream). Cook until soups are blended and heated through (or just starts to bubble), stirring frequently.

Remove from heat and combine with pasta, stirring until well combined. Place in coated casserole dish and top with bread crumbs. Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes.

Potato Soup

Two things to consider before you start.

1. Do you want it all creamy and smooth, or with small chunks of potato.
2. Do you have a submersible hand blender, or a counter top version?

The answers to these will determine how you start. Most recently I used 4 small golden potatoes along with 2 medium russet potatoes. I peeled the golden potatoes, and one of the russets (I like the look of a few chunks with the skin on).  I boiled them in chicken stock in separate pans, cooking the leeks with the golden taters. I blended the golden potatoes, and then combined the mixture with the pan of russets. Add the milk and or cream and you are in business.

Lastly, if you are not a fan of cooking with leeks, try shallots. Nice flavor and not as strong as an onion or as much work as the leek.  For a twist, add diced cooked ham or bacon (or both) to the mixture after it’s been blended, and cook for about 10 minutes.

Basic Creamy Potato Soup

Serves 6

2 tablespoons butter

2 large leeks, diced (rinsed well to remove grit, pale green and white parts only)

5 medium potatoes, peeled and diced (see notes above)

1 quart chicken stock, divided in half

½ cup milk (or heavy cream)

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the leeks, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until tender or about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes. Boil the potatoes until tender and they just begin to fall apart, about 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer ½ the potatoes and stock to large mixing bowl if using handheld blender, or the pitcher of a full-size blender. Blend until the mixture has a smooth, creamy consistency. Pour back in to the pot with the remaining potatoes and stock.  Add milk (or cream) and cook until heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with cheese, chives, and/or bacon bits as desired.