The Absolute Best Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 2 medium carrots
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 cups dried red lentils (about 1 pound)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 5 cups baby spinach (about 5 ounces)
  

  Instructions

  1. Peel and dice 2 medium carrots and 1 medium yellow onion. Mince 4 cloves garlic.
  2. Place 2 cups dried red lentils (about 1 pound) in a fine-mesh strainer. Pick through the lentils, discarding any broken or discolored ones. Rinse under cool water until the water runs clear, about 1 minute. Set aside to drain while you cook the vegetables.
  3. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the carrots and onion and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  4. Add the lentils, 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce, and 6 cups broth, stir to combine, and bring to a simmer. Cover and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally until the lentils are tender, 18 to 22 minutes.
  5. Remove from the heat and stir in 5 cups spinach until wilted. Serve immediately.
     
     
     

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 stick butter, cut in half
1 tsp. thyme (fresh or dried)
1/4 c. cooking sherry
1 c. beef stock
2 c. half and half or milk
2 heaping TBSP flour
1tsp kosher salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper 1/2 tsp granulated garlic

Directions:

Sauté sliced mushrooms in 1/2 stick of butter until lightly brown and tender. Add cooking sherry, beef stock, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic. Stir together and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
In medium saucepan, melt 1/2 stick of butter and whisk in 2 heaping TBSP flour. Add approx 2 c. half and half or milk while whisking quickly until smooth and mixture begins to thicken.
Add mushroom mixture and stir until smooth. If needed, add additional stock, milk or half and half to thin. Add additional seasoning to desired taste. Enjoy
Serves 2-4 people

Philly Cheese Steak Casserole

Equipment

• Oven
• Baking Dish
• Skillet

Ingrеdіеntѕ:
1 1/2 роundѕ lеаn grоund bееf
2 bеll рерреrѕ
1/2 уеllоw оnіоn
1 сlоvе gаrlіс
1 teaspoon ѕеаѕоnеd salt (Lawry’s or Mortons)
4 ѕlісеѕ Prоvоlоnе cheese
4 lаrgе eggs
1/4 сuр hеаvу сrеаm
1 tеаѕрооn hоt ѕаuсе

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Directions:
Preheat oven tо 350 dеgrееѕ. Sрrау a 9×9 baking dish with nоn-ѕtісk ѕрrау.
Dісе the рерреrѕ and оnіоnѕ іntо bіtе-ѕіzеd pieces. Mіnсе the gаrlіс.
Add the ground bееf tо a ѕkіllеt and сооk оvеr mеdіum heat, сrumblіng as іt cooks.
When bееf is broken apart, but ѕtіll pink, аdd thе рерреrѕ, оnіоn, garlic, аnd seasoned salt. Cоntіnuе сооkіng, stirring often, untіl bееf is cooked through and vеgеtаblеѕ hаvе ѕоftеnеd a bіt.
Drain grеаѕе from thе ѕkіllеt and роur mixture into thе рrераrеd bаkіng dіѕh.
Tеаr thе cheese іntо ѕmаll pieces and place оvеr the beef mixture. (I like it cheesy so I actually use more Provolone)
Add the eggs, cream, hоt ѕаuсе, and Worcestershire sauce tо a mixing bоwl аnd whisk wеll to combine.
Pour the egg mixture оvеr thе bееf аnd рlасе thе dіѕh іn thе oven. Bаkе fоr 35 mіnutеѕ оr untіl thе eggs аrе ѕеt.
Lеt ѕіt 5 mіnutеѕ bеfоrе ѕlісіng and serving.

 

Orange Drop Cookies.. from Kathy Oakes

Ingredients:

1 cup butter (softened), 2 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 t. baking soda, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1 t. salt, 1 orange grated (zest only), 4 cups flour, 1 cup sour milk.

Directions:  cream butter with sugar, beat in eggs, add baking soda, orange juice, salt and grated orange zest (stir to combine)... add flour and sour milk alternating and roll into a ball.  Scoop out with ice cream scoop or spoon and form a balls.  Place them a on cookie sheet and flatten top a little.  Bake @ 375 degrees for 13 minutes.  Cool completely and frost (optional).  Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Frosting:

1/4 cup orange juice,  1 cup powdered sugar, 2 T melted butter.. Beat together and drizzle over cookies.  May need more powdered sugar if too think or add a few drops of OJ if too thick.

Homemade Beer Batter Bread

Ingredients:


1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
3 cups self-rising flour (you can buy this or make it. To make it its 1 cup flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder. Combine and sift increase the amounts to make however much you need)
3 tablespoons white sugar

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix together the sugar and flour. Add beer and continue to mix, first using a wooden spoon, then your hands. Batter will be sticky. Pour into a 9 x 5 inch greased loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees ) for 50 for 60 minutes. The top will be crunchy, and the insides will be soft. Serve topped with butter or cheese spread.

See super easy and you'll never have to go to the store to buy a mix again because everyone should have these ingredients at home all the time anyways.
 

White cheesecake with chocolate mousse

Ingredients

Curd

• 1 kg cheesecake curd (from bucket)
• 3 tablespoons of flour or pudding, e.g. vanilla, cream, coconut
• 1 large can of 530 g of sweetened condensed milk
• 3 proteins
• juice of 1 lime (or lemon)
• aroma*

Chocolate mousse

• 3 eggs (yolks and egg whites separately) + 3 yolks
• 150 g sugar
• 1 tablespoon of cocoa
• 200 ml 30% cream
• 100 g butter
• 250 g dark chocolate

Finish

• 200 g (1 cup) 12% or 18% sour thick cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Add a note

Preparation

• Warm the ingredients for the cheese mass at room temperature. Heat the oven to 175 degrees. The bottom of the airtight and high (8 cm) springform pan with a diameter of about 24 cm lay out with baking paper, fasten the springform pan letting the paper out of the rim.

Curd

• Put cheese, flour or pudding in a large bowl, add condensed milk, egg whites, lime juice and aroma. Mix with a spoon or blend until smooth. Pour the cheese mass into the cake tin and place in a preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes until the mass is almost solidified (a little longer, about 35 minutes if the cheese was thin and slightly thinner).
• Take out the cheesecake and spread cream mixed with powdered sugar on it. Put back into the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes at the same temperature. Take out the cheesecake and cool. If you do not make the mousse, after cooling the cheesecake remove the ring from the cake tin and put it in the fridge. We lay out the mousse on the cooled cheesecake.

Chocolate mousse

• Pour some (50 g) sugar, cocoa into a metal bowl, add 6 yolks and cream. Place the bowl on the pot with the water gently boiling (about 1-2 glasses). Stir with a wooden spoon until the mass is hot or until it thickens and sticks to the spoon.
• Remove the bowl from the pan and immediately add the diced butter and the broken into cubes chocolate (make sure that no water gets into the bowl). Mix until the ingredients melt and combine with each other.
• Separately, beat the proteins with the rest of the sugar to a stiff foam: first, whisk the proteins without sugar only at low speed mixer then increase the speed of the mixer and beat until the foam is stiff. We gradually add sugar, whipping constantly. After adding sugar, beat for another 2-3 minutes to make the foam shiny and shiny. Proteins combine with chocolate mass (it is best to add the foam to the mousse in 3 batches), mixing very gently with a spoon.

Finish

• Put the mousse on the cheesecake and put in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours or all night. When the mousse is sufficiently stiff, cut the cheesecake with a knife around the sides of the cake tin and remove the rim. Put in the fridge to freeze. Cheesecake can be sprinkled with chocolate chips and served with marinated fruit.

Application suggestion

cherries in syrup (frużelinie) / dark chocolate shavings

tips

* e.g. 3-4 tablespoons of orange, coconut, almond or other liqueur, white rum, white chocolate, vanilla sugar or vanilla extract

 

Guinness Corned Beef and Cabbage

Ingredients

• 2 pounds red potatoes, quartered
• 1 pound carrots, cut into 3-inch pieces
• 2 celery ribs, cut into 3-inch pieces
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 1 corned beef brisket with spice packet (3 to 3-1/2 pounds)
• 8 whole cloves
• 6 whole peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 bottle (12 ounces) Guinness stout or reduced-sodium beef broth
• 1/2 small head cabbage, thinly sliced
• Prepared horseradish

 Directions

• In a 6-qt. slow cooker, combine potatoes, carrots, celery and onion. Add corned beef (discard spice packet or save for another use).
• Place cloves, peppercorns and bay leaf on a double thickness of cheesecloth. Gather corners of cloth to enclose seasonings; tie securely with string. Place in slow cooker. Pour stout over top.
• Cook, covered, on low 8-10 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender, adding cabbage during the last hour of cooking. Discard spice bag.
• Cut beef diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Serve beef with vegetables and horseradish.

Nutrition Facts

3 ounces cooked beef with 3/4 cup vegetables (calculated without horseradish): 374 calories, 20g fat (7g saturated fat), 104mg cholesterol, 1256mg sodium, 25g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 4g fiber), 22g protein.   (Credit goes to Taste of Home Magazine on line)  Saving on my blog for later use.