Sweet Potatoes with Ginger Maple Syrup

I love the spiciness of fresh ginger

I think I've finally recovered from Thanksgiving (unfortunately ending up with a migraine today).  It was such a fun week, with my sister and her husband coming into town for Thanksgiving with friends here in DC on Thursday, and then all of us traveling up for a Turkey Day encore with family in New Jersey on Friday. 2 in a row - Woof.  A lot of great food, drink, family, friends and festivity - I just love this Holiday.

Our friends Alex & Elisa hosted at their new home on Thursday, where I had my first rotisserie turkey, and it was amazing. Flavorful, moist and tender. I've got to get their secret for it. Friday I was able to try my Grandmother's recipe for dressing (excellently prepared by my Aunt Keri) for the first time - sagey, sausagey, and oh so good.  Definitely going to be adding that to the mix the next time I make the Thanksgiving spread.

I didn't do anything fancy for either meal - on Thursday I contributed some canapés (one of the recipes here), and made three different versions of potatoes - mashed potatoes, savory sweet potatoes, and sweet sweet potatoes.  On Friday, it was an apple tart and my favorite pumpkin pie (recipe here).

The sweet sweet potatoes (i.e. candied yams, etc.) are a staple at a lot of thanksgiving tables, but never at mine growing up - we're more of a savory family. So, I decided to take a whack at making these sweet and delicious, but with a little something different. Here's what I cam up with.

Ingredients:

Maple Syrup at the source

• 1 1/2 cups of pure Grade A Vermont maple syrup
• 1 4 inch length of ginger, peeled and cut into strips
• 4-5 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large dice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 stick of butter, melted
• Brown sugar
• S&P
• Candied pecans (my sister made these, so I'll have to get her recipe!)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

To start, prep the ginger, and put into a saucepan with the maple syrup. Turn the heat onto low and let the ginger steep in the syrup, stirring occasionally and making sure that it doesn't boil, approximately 15-20 minutes or until the syrup tastes nice and spicy

Meanwhile, prep the potatoes, and place into a large bowl.  When the syrup is ready, remove the ginger and discard, and pour it over the potatoes along with the melted butter.  Sprinkle with the cinnamon, S&P and toss to coat.  Pour into a buttered glass baking dish, large enough so that the potatoes aren't stacked too high.

Sprinkle with a little bit of brown sugar, and then bake until the potatoes are fork tender, and the sauce is beginning to caramelize. I can't remember how long this actually took - I'd start the timer at 15 minutes, and check every 5 minutes after that until done.

Serve with a sprinkle of chopped candied pecans on top.  Next time I make these, I'll probably get some of that yummy crystalized ginger, and sprinkle that on top too, to really kick up the ginger-ness of the dish. 

Thanksgiving - Family & Food: What Could be Better?

The Original Eating Keatings!
Clockwise from top left: #1 Keri,

#2 Pat, #3 Maureen, #5 Kathleen,

#6 Laurie, #4 Nancy

As far as the modern definition goes, I have a big family. Blame it on the Catholics and the rhythm method. Blame it on the Irish. Blame it on the booze.  Or better yet, all of the above.  In any event, I LOVE my big family and wouldn't trade them for the world. My Dad is the oldest of seven awesome siblings, and my Mom is in the middle of six girls (they're the namesake Keatings).

Yes, six daughters!!  You might pity my grandfather for having so many girls, but you would be wrong.  Each and every one of them is a Daddy's girl, and he just LOVEs his girls. It's kind of crazy - they all look the same, sound the same, and are an amazing example of a true family unit. Sure, there are tiffs here and there, but when it comes down to it, they love each other, they love their husbands, their kids and/or pets, their parents, and they bring so many amazing things to the proverbial table (and the actual table, too).  

Grown Ups! L to R:#5, #3, #1,

(bride Liza), #2, #4, and #6

The next best thing about my amazing aunts, is my fantastic cousins. In a big family like ours, it's hard for outsiders to keep track of who's who.... so we use things like "I'm number three's number one" - translation: my mother is the third child, and I'm her oldest child. 

I'm getting ready for a mini-reunion with some family - my Sister and her husband are coming up from Georgia early next week, and then we're all heading up to south Jersey to meet up with Keating daughter #1, Keri, and her family - which includes Favorite Uncle, Jay,  my three awesome cousins Eliza, Margot, & Sarah (Eliza - pictured at her wedding on the right - just welcomed a new baby boy into the family!!!) and their guys. We'll be celebrating Thanksgiving a day late together, and I can't wait, especially to meet the new baby!  I'm still trying to decide on what to bring food-wise..... that will likely take some serious brainstorming this weekend. 

Come home soon, Ryan!

Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday.  I really appreciate the fact that this is a holiday that has been relatively uncorrupted by materialism, and that it stays true to its roots of appreciation, and gathering with those you love.  The awesome spread of food is a definite bonus though.  While this year will be great, I'll be missing my parents and littlest sister back home, as well as my west-coast family that I normally spend the holiday with.  Perhaps most importantly, our whole family will be missing my little sister's husband, Ryan, who is in the Army and currently deployed in Afghanistan.  I'll definitely be keeping all of our troops who are far from loved ones in my thoughts, but will be keeping Ryan especially in mind.  Come home safe, and soon, Ryan!!  

Butternut & Acorn Squash Lasagna

Squashy goodness

I'll admit it - I'm having a full blow love affair with fall foods, particularly winter squash.  I didn't do any blogging this summer, but I assure you that I was crushing on summer squash and zucchini nearly as much during that whole season.  Now that the temperatures have dropped, those hard skinned, awkwardly shaped gourds are all over my kitchen (as well as some decorative ones around the house, too.)

This lasagna has been inspired by a couple different recipes - one from Giada and one from Martha, but it ended up being my version.  Most of those versions were leaning too much on the sweet side of things for my taste.  So here's a more savory version that is sure to please.

Squash Filling:

• 1 medium sized butternut squash, 2 acorn squash - seeded, halved, rubbed with EVOO, sprinkled with S&P, and roasted at 400 degrees until fork tender.
• 2 medium sweet onions, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 T butter
• 1 tsp dried sage
• Pinch of cayenne pepper 
• S&P to taste

Remove the squash from it's skins after cooking.  Mash with a fork until smooth. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pan and sauté the onions over medium-medium high heat until they just begin to color, approximately 15 minutes.  Turn heat to medium low, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until they reach a light caramel-y color.  Add the garlic, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Next, add the sage, cayenne, and S&P.  Turn heat off, and add the mashed squash.  Mash and stir well until all ingredients are well combined.  Taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary. Set aside until ready to assemble the lasagna.

Cheese Filling:

• One 2lb container of Ricotta (either party skim or whole milk)
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• Scant 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
• S&P to taste

Mix all ingredients very well, and refrigerate covered until ready to assemble the lasagna.

Béchamel Sauce

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 4 cups whole milk, warmed.
• 1 heaping tsp fresh finely chopped basil
• Pinch of nutmeg
• S&P to taste

In a large saucepan, melt the butter.  Once melted, sprinkle in the flour. Whisk the mixture vigorously until smooth.  Let cook over medium heat, whisking very frequently, until the mixture starts to release a nutty smell and just starts to darken in color.  At that point, begin to add the milk in a small, steady stream, whisking furiously.  Make sure that all lumps are whisked out as you go.  Once the mixture reaches a thick liquid stage, you can add the rest of the milk more quickly, but you must continue to stir it.  Let the mixture continue to heat until it reaches a low simmer and thickens, about 5-7 minutes.  You want it to have a nice, thick, saucy consistency. Then, add the nutmeg, basil, S&P.  Taste, and adjust for seasoning. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside until ready to assemble the lasagna. 

For a quick video tutorial on making a béchamel sauce, look here. 

Other Ingredients:

• 1 box of no-boil lasagna noodles (I prefer Barilla brand. The no-boil noodles save a ton of time and turn out great!)
• 1 lb of shredded mozzarella cheese (I like Sargento brand)

To assemble the lasagna:
In a large glass baking dish, spoon enough sauce into the bottom of the pan to coat the entire bottom.  Next, add the lasagna noodles, with a very slight overlap between them. Top with a layer of the squash mixture, then more sauce on top of that.  Add the next layer of noodles, then a layer of the cheese filling, sprinkle with shredded mozzarella, and then with more sauce on top of that.  Keep alternating layers until you reach near the top of of the dish.  Finish with a layer of noodles with the béchamel sauce on top, sprinkled with shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan.

Bake your lasagna according to the package instructions for the noodles - the Barilla brand goes into a 375 degree oven, covered with foil for 50-60 minutes, or until bubbly. Then, uncover and finish baking just until the cheese is melted and bubbly on top.

Let rest until it's warm, and serve. It's quite rich, so a small slice should probably do the trick. The hubs and I enjoyed it with a simple arugula salad on the side.

Pasta with Roasted Acorn Squash and Marscapone

Squash and tomatoes, ready to roast!

I'm convinced that nearly everything tastes better roasted.  Roasted garlic, roasted tomatoes,  and roasted squash are the stars of this show.  The roasting process both intensifies and sweetens the flavors of the veggies, and when combined with the creamy Marscapone cheese and the woodsy tarragon and earthy sage, makes a delicious, rich and satisfying sauce.   It's almost mac & cheese-ish with how creamy it turns out, but with far fewer calories!

Ingredients:

• 2 acorn squash, cut into eighths (quartered and halved again) and seeded
• 1 heaping cup grape tomatoes
• 1 head garlic
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/4 scant tsp ground nutmeg
• 1-2 cups chicken broth
• 3 dollops Marscapone cheese
• 1 T chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 T chopped fresh sage
• 1 lb tube style pasta, such as Cellentani or Penne 
• EVOO
• Coarse Kosher Salt & Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Cloves exposed, rubbed
with EVOO, ready to wrap
and roast!

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  While it heats, prepare your veggies for roasting.  Rub the squash with EVOO and sprinkle with S&P.  Toss the tomatoes with a little bit of EVOO, S&P. For the garlic, cut the top off so that the tops of the cloves are exposed. Rub the entire head with EVOO and then wrap in a piece of aluminum foil.  Place the squash cut side up in a glass backing dish, and sprinkle the tomatoes on top of the squash.  Place the foil wrapped garlic in a corner of the dish.  Put in the oven and roast for 30-35 minutes.  Check the garlic, the cloves should be soft.  Check the squash, it should be fork tender.  The tomatoes are done whenever the squash is done. 

While the veggies are roasting, take your chopped onion and sauté in large sauce pan (large enough to hold the pasta later on) over medium low heat in EVOO with a little bit of salt and pepper until it just starts to caramelize, approximately 20 minutes. If it starts to burn at all, turn the heat down lower.

Bring your pasta water to a boil.

When veggies are done, add tomatoes to the pan with the onion, and scoop the squash from the rinds and fork mash in a bowl.  Remove 5 cloves of the roasted garlic (save the rest wrapped in foil in the fridge to use for another recipe or delicious garlic bread), and rough chop it and add to pan with onion.  Sauté all together for 2-3 minutes, then deglaze with the white wine, making sure you scrape up all the good caramelized bits from the pan.

Add the fork mashed squash to the pan, and season with nutmeg and S&P.  Add enough chicken broth to make the squash and veggies form a thick sauce.  Turn the heat to low and let simmer.

Cook the pasta according to package directions for al-dente pasta.

Rich, thick & creamy!

When the pasta is almost done cooking, add the dollops of Marscapone and the chopped herbs to the sauce.  Mix well, and continue to simmer.

When pasta is done, drain and do not rinse.  Add into pan with sauce, and let cook on low for 2-3 minutes to allow flavors to marry and permeate the pasta. Serve with a bit of parmesan on top.

Best Pumpkin Pie EVER. Period. The End.

YUMMMMMY!
Photo courtesy of foodnetwork.com

My best friend, Angie, called me today looking for a pumpkin pie/pumpkin cheesecake recipe to take to a dinner she was going to tonight.  I was happy to instantly have a fantastic recipe to share with her.  I wish I could take credit for this amazing deliciousness, but is owed entirely to Paula Dean.

I've made this for Thanksgiving and other fall festivities for the past few years, and everyone loves it.  Even people who say they don't like pumpkin pie.  A couple of notes about the recipe - this makes a ton of filling, and I've found it's more than enough to fill my pie dish. I like to take the extra, and put it into buttered ramekins to bake up little individual "pumpkin cheesecake soufflés."  Also, the recommended cook time is not accurate - it actually takes much longer.  Just keep baking until  a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the pie.  I wish I had a correct cook time to share, but I've never actually tracked it, I just know it takes longer than the recipe says it does.  If your crust starts to get too brown while you're waiting for the pie to finish, just crimp some aluminum foil around the crust and you should be fine.  Lastly, the recipe says "optional" to the ground ginger, but I think that the ginger adds a delicious and slightly unexpected flavor note, so don't skip it!

So, Angie, what did you think???

Paula Dean's Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional
• 1 piece pre-made pie dough
• Whipped cream, for topping

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place 1 piece of pre-made pie dough down into a (9-inch) pie pan and press down along the bottom and all sides. Pinch and crimp the edges together to make a pretty pattern. Put the pie shell back into the freezer for 1 hour to firm up. Fit a piece of aluminum foil to cover the inside of the shell completely. Fill the shell up to the edges with pie weights or dried beans (about 2 pounds) and place it in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the foil and pie weights and bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is dried out and beginning to color.

For the filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. Add the sugar and salt, and beat until combined. Add the eggs mixed with the yolks, half-and-half, and melted butter, and beat until combined. Finally, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger, if using, and beat until incorporated.

Pour the filling into the warm prepared pie crust and bake for 50 minutes, or until the center is set. Place the pie on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Cut into slices and top each piece with a generous amount of whipped cream

My Dad's Quick Apple Cake

My Dad & his girls.
From left to right: Riley, Olivia, Me!

Growing up with a stay-at-home Mom who's a professionally trained chef, my Dad rarely got a chance in the kitchen.  If left to his own devices, he can broil a mean Stouffer's french bread pizza, and makes a pretty good burger, but his truly creative ventures in the kitchen were pretty limited.  Two things he's known for in our family are his "Black Beans & Rice" as well as this Quick Apple Cake. When I was a kid, we lived in an awesome neighborhood that had lots of get togethers.  For pot lucks, my Dad would make this recipe, and it was always greatly enjoyed by everyone

I would say that my Dad is a foodie (although he just barely makes the cut since he would actually prefer PB&J over Lobster, which I do NOT understand).... he has an amazing palate and definitely knows and appreciates great food. This is sentimental, but true (so don't gag yourself with your wooden cooking spoon)... he's the best Dad a girl could hope for, so even if he couldn't cook worth a lick, I'd still love him. Here's his Apple Cake recipe, which I changed just a tiny bit - I made it last night and it's just delish.  The hubby and our dinner guests loved it too.  Tastes great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

Slice of Autumnal Apple Amazingness!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 stick  plus 1 T unsalted butter
• 3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into thin wedges
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup plus 1 T granulated sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup fresh apple cider
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a medium sized glass baking dish with the 1 T of butter.

Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan and cook over medium low heat until golden, (this gives it a nice nutty and rich flavor... as if butter weren't rich enough already!) about 10 minutes, and remove from heat to let it cool slightly, but not solidify.

While the butter is melting, toss the apple slices with lemon juice, 1 T sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Spread the apples in the baking dish.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir the remaining sugar into the melted butter, then whisk in the milk, cider, and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs and add the mixture to the dry ingredients.  Whisk thoroughly to make a smooth batter.  Pour evenly over the top of the apples (don't worry, it will seep into all the nooks and crannies) and sprinkle the top with some granulated sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown & crispy.

Inventing a New Thanksgiving Side Dish, Take 1

Close, but no cigar.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, and the food that my family makes that day is something I look forward to all year. Seriously, all year (I will be sure to blog about that meal later on).  With the exception of a few people in the bunch, we're generally not much into sweets, so candied yams have never been all that popular, but they do make an appearance (something that green been casserole will NEVER do).

Today I was thinking about how I could take something like candied yams, and make it more to my liking, so I started to brainstorm.  I knew that if I was going to make anything sweet, I would want to have a savory component in the dish to counter that flavor note.  So, what I came up with was oven roasted sweet potatoes, goat cheese, and honeyed pecans with sage and crispy shallots.  They came out very pretty, and the hubby liked them, but I wasn't totally jazzed with the overall result.  Kind of reminded me of someone who's very attractive, but as you get to know them you find out they don't have much substance and aren't actually very enjoyable.

Whenever you make up a new recipe, you take the risk that it won't come out super well.  Don't be deterred!  Having a dish come out to an "ehh...." review isn't a bad thing.  There's nothing like room for improvement.  So, to all you aspiring home cooks, just keep chugging away!  You learn each time you cook - so take note of what you do: what you liked, what you didn't like, and improve it the next time around.

With that said, no recipe just yet. I'll work on this and hopefully have one to share, soon!

Beer Braised Chicken Stew with Baby Bellas & Fire Roasted Tomato

Now that's what I call stew!

I am in the midst of my full blown love affair with fall food, and tonight is the first night of the season that I made a nice slow cooked meal.  Stews are a wonderful way to make a big batch of food that's perfect for leftovers - in fact, oftentimes they taste even better the next day.

The one problem that I have with stews, is that too many people make pasty, ugly, grayish-brown stews.  Cornstarch thickeners, unidentifiable proteins & vegetables bits with gloppy sauce... no likey!  This is so easily avoided by using the right blend of veggies, and carefully cooking all of your ingredients in stages.  This might take a bit longer, but it is so worth it - each ingredient is cooked properly to bring out its best, and then added back in at the end. Below, you'll find a recipe that I made up tonight where the broth is a lovely orangeish-red brew of umami deliciousness, with tender chicken and a great blend of veggies who's flavors really sing.  I served it with toasted english muffins and a simply dressed green salad on the side.

Ingredients

• 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into stew size pieces
• 8 baby bella mushrooms, sliced (each mushroom is slightly larger than a golf ball. If you can't find baby bellas, use your choice of mushroom - white button would be fine)
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 shallot, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 parsley stems, leaves removed and set aside. 
• 1 bottle of beer (I used Sam Adams Oktoberfest)
• 1 32 oz box of reduced sodium chicken broth
• Flour
• Paprika
• Dried Thyme
• Ground Nutmeg
• S&P
• EVOO
• Butter

Directions:  

In a large dutch oven, melt 2 T butter, and add enough EVOO to just cover the bottom of the pan.  Take your chicken pieces, and season with S&P and sprinkle with paprika, a bit of ground nutmeg, and 2 T of flour (the flour helps the broth thicken later on). Toss to coat.  Cook the pieces of chicken over medium high heat until golden, but not necessarily cooked through.  Make sure not to crowd the pan so that the meat browns and doesn't steam, so this will take a couple of batches.  Remove chicken, and set aside.

Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan and cook over medium heat until they release their liquid. Season with S&P, a generous sprinkle of dried thyme, and a small sprinkle of ground nutmeg.  Continue to cook until nicely browned and cooked down.  Remove, and set aside. 

If necessary, you can add a bit more EVOO & butter at this stage. Add your diced onion, season with S&P and cook over medium heat until completely translucent, and just starting to brown, approximately 5-7 minutes.  Add your shallots and garlic, and cook until translucent, approximately 3-5 minutes.  Add your sliced carrots.  Sauté over medium heat for another 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently.  

Add the beer, chicken broth, and the parsley stems. Scrape the bottom of the pan to release all of the caramelized cooking goodness.  Bring up to a low boil and then add the chicken and mushrooms back into the pot. Cook at a low boil for about 10 minutes so that the alcohol cooks out.  Remove the parsley stems, and add the can of tomato.  Turn temperature to low, cover, and cook for 20-30 minutes.  This is when all the flavors marry, and the beer does its job of tenderizing the chicken.  At this point, you can taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. You can either serve now with a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley on top, or continue to cook uncovered until it reduces to your liking.

What's your favorite kind of stew?

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Sage

Voila!

Technically speaking, fall has arrived in Washington, DC.... although you'd never know it walking around outside today.  Temperatures hovering around the mid 80's!  I simply love fall - the crispness of the air, halloween, thanksgiving, birthdays, my wedding anniversary, the colors of the changing leaves, and most of all, fall food!

Even though it doesn't feel like fall, the bounty of this lovely season has begun to show up in the market, and I couldn't resist the mounds of butternut squash in the produce section.  Squash is an awesome food - so many different types, and so many things you can do with it - mash it, roast it, stuff it, turn it into soup, add it to cakes and quick breads, etc. etc. etc.  I came up with this butternut squash soup recipe last year, and I hope you give it a try!  It's slightly time consuming because you have to wait for the squash to roast, but the active cook time is pretty quick and overall, it's a cinch.

Ingredients:

• 1 large butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks.
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 1 heaping T dried, crumbled sage
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cayenne (this provides the spice - but you can omit if you wish)
• 1/4 tsp ground thyme
• Scant 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1 32 oz. box Chicken Broth
• 1 cup lowfat milk
• 1 cup water
• 3 T butter, diced, plus 1 T butter.
• S&P
• EVOO

Directions:

Above: Pre Roast.  Below: Post Roast.
See how the color intensifies?  That
means the flavors have, too!

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Put your squash chunks into a large glass baking dish.  Drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle with S&P.  Toss to coat.  Take your diced butter and dot it over the top of the squash.  Put in oven to roast. I don't have an actual time on this - but it takes at least 30 minutes.  Every once in a while, open up the oven and stir it around to help it brown well and to distribute the melted butter.  It's done when the squash evenly mashes under a spoon, and it has some nice golden brown coloring to it.

While the squash is roasting,  take your diced onion and sauté it in a stock pot or dutch oven in a bit of EVOO and the remaining T of butter.  Season with S& P and cook until it is tender a bit caramelized. Turn off the heat as soon as it's done, and wait for your squash.

When the squash is done, remove it from the oven and add it directly to the pot with the onions.  Add in the entire box of chicken broth, and turn your stovetop on to medium heat.  Using a flat wooden spoon, mix well and scrape up all the caramelized goodness from the bottom of the pot.  Add the milk & water, and all of your spices.  Side note - if you aren't crazy about the taste of curry, still use it in this recipe.  It's a very small amount that adds complexity to the flavor profile and leaves your tastebuds wondering, "hmm... what was it that made this SO good?"

Caramelized onion goodness.

Bring the mixture to a low boil and let it cook for about 5 minutes.  Then, turn off the heat, and using an immersion blender, blend to a nice smooth consistency.  If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a normal blender.  HOWEVER, it is VERY important that you never try to blend a hot liquid!  It will explode all over the place.  Trust me, I speak from experience (I was making pea soup and had scalding green goop all over the ceiling, cupboards, counter, floor, and myself, not fun!!). If you are going to use a traditional blender, let the mixture cool to room temperature before blending, then reheat prior to serving. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

I like to serve with a small dollop of nonfat greek yogurt to add a bit more creaminess, as well as a sprinkle of cayenne for a little more spice.  You could also sprinkle with some fresh chopped chives and chopped toasted cashew. Or a dollop of créme fraiche. Or whatever you feel like.   It's nice to have some nice crusty bread on the side for dipping.  Enjoy!

Football Season

"Foos-ball? Buncha overgrown
monsters man-handlin' each other... "
-Mama Boucher, the Waterboy

Like many of you, my husband, Ian, spent the majority of the day with his eyes glued to the TV.  Yes folks, college football was the order of the day.  Admittedly, I'm not a huge football fan. While I like to see UW do well,  I don't have a favorite team, I have no clue who won the Super Bowl last year, or who won the college championship (What is that even called?). What I DO like about football season, is the social aspect.  Getting together with friends to watch a game can be a lot of fun - I guess I like any reason to entertain.   Football season is also a great opportunity for slow-cooking foods like casseroles, soups, stews, chili, etc - more on that later on.

 In honor of the start of the season, I thought I'd share a super easy dip recipe.  This is a big-time crowd pleaser, especially for the guys. By no means lo-cal or healthy, but really tasty. If you need something to take to a tailgate or to someone's house, I hope you give this one a whirl!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

• 1 1/2 cups chopped/shredded chicken breast.  Super easy if use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, or just bake off or poach some chicken breasts
• 3/4 cup hot sauce (I like to use Texas Pete or Franks Red Hot - you can use more if you like things really spicy, or a little less if you don't like things too spicy)
• 1 block cream cheese
• 3/4 cup ranch dressing
• 1 bag of shredded cheddar cheese (I like to use Sargento's medium cheddar)

In a sauce pan, combine the chicken breast and hot sauce.  Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Then add the cream cheese and ranch.  Continue to cook, stirring constantly until the the cream cheese is totally melted. At this point, add half of the bag of cheddar cheese.  Stir to mix well.  Take the dip mixture, and pour into a glass baking dish, then top with the other half of the cheddar.  At this point you can either let the dip cool and then refrigerate for later, or put it right into the oven. Regardless of whether your serving it now or later, you do need to bake it at 350 degrees until the cheese on top is all melted and bubbly, obviously this takes longer if you're heating it from the fridge temp.

Serve with sliced baguette, celery sticks, and Ian's favorite - Fritos scoops.

And for my college buddies... GO HUSKIES!!