Not So New England Chowder...

All this chatter about the Superbowl champions, the New England Patriots, puts me in the mood for what else...Chowder.  I love soup, that is no secret here, and I also love chowder. Chowder comes in all different types, New England, Manhattan, Bermuda Fish Chowder, Southern Illinois Chowder, Corn Chowder and my newest favorite Shrimp Chowder!  My side kick chef found a recipe for this chowder and we decided to make it.  Of course we changed it a little to make it our own and what great changes we made to it.  It is so shrimpy, creamy and hearty.  It totally stands up to my favorite chowder at California Grill on Long Beach Island!  It is simple to make and it tastes even better the next day.  So whip out your soup bowls and dig in to some Chowder or Chowda!

Not So New England Chowder

2 tablespoons butter

2 stalks celery (chopped)

1 red onion (chopped)

1 green pepper (chopped)

2 tablespoons corn starch

16 oz. clam juice

2 cups water

2 teaspoons old bay seasoning

1 teaspoon fresh basil (chopped)  

1 1/2 lbs. shrimp (cleaned and devained)

12 oz. frozen corn

2 tablespoon capers

8 oz. mascarpone cheese

Heat butter in 4-6 quart Dutch oven

Add celery, onion and pepper stir and cook 5 minutes over medium heat

Stir in corn starch to coat

Add clam juice, water, old bay and basil

Bring to a boil

Reduce heat

Add shrimp, corn and capers

Cook 6 minutes till shrimp are pink

Remove from heat

Stir in marscapone cheese

Serve hot with grilled cheese sandwiches  

The ultimate decontructed baked potato

Let's talk stuffed baked potatoes.  They are good but are they really that good? All of the goodness lays on top and once you get to the middle and the bottom of the spud it is usually dry and tasteless unless of course if you are making a twice baked potato and that is a whole different recipe.  Back to the baked potato...I find the skin to be tough if cooked too long and it just falls flat in flavor.  So how to make it better?  I know how to make it better - deconstruct it and layer the flavors.  Oven roasted, crispy potatoes topped with meat and cheese and more cheese. A nice twist on an old classic and my version is so worth it and can be made as a main dish, an appetizer or a picky food at a party...fantastic food for Super Bowl XLIX!

T's Deconstructed Baked Potato

1 lb. ground beef
8 red bliss potatoes (sliced evenly)
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for potatoes
1 large onion (diced)
Salt/pepper
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1/2 bottle beer (I used Yuengling beer)
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon jalapeno flakes
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 (15.5 oz.) can small white beans (rinsed and drained)
Shredded cheddar cheese
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Liberally season sliced potatoes with salt/pepper and garlic powder
Coat with olive oil and toss
Lay seasoned potatoes in a single layer on a sheet pan
Bake for 1 hour

Meanwhile heat a medium pan over medium heat
Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and onions
Season with salt / pepper
Add 1/4 of the beer to onions and cook for 6-8 minutes
Add the ground beef
Season with cumin and jalapeno flakes
Add additional 1/4 cup of beer
Cook till meat is no longer pink about 10 minutes
Add tomatoes and beans
Re-season with salt/pepper
Toss all ingredients over heat to medium/low heat
Cover to cook for 10 minutes
Stir occasionally
Remove from heat and stir in desired amount of cheese

Remove potatoes from oven
Allow to cool for 2 minutes
Place potatoes in a single layer on an oven proof serving dish
Top with cheese (if desired)
Top with meat mixture
Top with additional desired amount of cheese
Place in oven for 8 minutes or until cheese is melted
Serve hot

1000 Lentils For Good Luck

Well here we are again walking around saying Happy New Year to one another and can you believe it is the year 2015 - was it not just Y2K  or Prince's 1999?  
What did you do to celebrate this year...we had a quiet one at home with some Sushi and Sake, it is a little tradition my honey and I share on New Year's Eve.  We love it and have been doing it for quite sometime now.  The other tradition we like to partake in it is making a whole LOT and I mean a LOT of lentil soup, this year 30 cups, and taking half and sharing it!  I read a long time ago that eating something round resembling a coin is good luck for the new year and eating pork was also a symbol of good luck so I decided to make lentil soup with sausage each year to combine both for extra good luck and what better way to share the wealth than to share.  Each year I get so excited to make it and deliver it to someone in my inner circle of family and friends.  I usually make enough soup for a 1000 people regardless and this year was my biggest pot ever!  I loved making it and I hope that my friends did too...

Happy New Year everyone  - I hope it is one filled with much love, joy, happiness, health, wealth and good food!

1000 Lentils Soup

7 sweet sausage links

7 hot sausage links

2 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 large onions (diced)
1 16 oz. bag of celery (chopped)
1 16 oz. bag carrots (diced)
Salt/Pepper
1 90 oz. (yes that says ninety ounces) of San Marzano Tomatoes
***24 oz. dried lentils (rinsed and drained)
64 oz. low sodium chicken stock

In a very large stock pot slightly warmed over medium heat
Add olive oil
Remove the sausage from the casing
Add sausage meat to the olive oil and cook over medium heat
Break up the sausage meat into crumbles as it cooks
Cook till no longer pink about 10-15 minutes
While the sausage is cooking remove the whole tomatoes from the sauce and crush with
your hand into a bowl and set aside, reserve remaining sauce
Remove sausage from pot with a slotted spoon reserving the fat
Add onions and season with salt/pepper
Cook for 5 minutes
Add celery and carrots and re-season with salt/pepper
Cook for 5-8 minutes
Add the lentils
Stir to incorporate lentils and vegetables
Add in the crushed tomatoes and the reserved tomato sauce
Stir, stir, stir to incorporate
Re-season with salt/pepper
Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil
Cover and reduce heat and cook on medium/low for 1 hour and 15 minutes
Stir occasionally
After the 1 hour and 15 minutes taste to ensure lentils are tender and adjust seasoning to taste
Remove from heat and serve hot
Refrigerate remaining soup

Gyoza O Boyza!

Gyoza what is the world is a gyoza... In essence it is the it is the cousin of the wonton.  Goyza is made from a thicker dough than a wonton and it is shaped differently when prepared.  Why all the chatter about the goyza...because I had left over wonton wrappers from the open faced, baked crab rangoons I made last week and in keeping the Asian flare I wanted to make wonton soup.  To the Internet I go and look for recipes.  I find a recipe for gyoza and think alright this sounds good so go with it, but of course not without tweeking it just tad. I make them for dinner and not only did my kitchen smell like The Original No. 1 Chinese Restaurant (which happens to be my favorite Chinese food restaurant in northern New Jersey) but they tasted like I placed an order with No. 1!  So delicious and so easy to make.

So I do a little research about gyoza because that is what I think I made last night and low and behold I get a this new found knowledge about gyoza and wontons.  So the recipe said gyoza but I used wonton wrappers so how is that a gyoza?  No idea, so for all intents and purposes my creation is now known in my kitchen as Gyoza O Boyza It's A Wonton!  Enjoy...

Goyza O Boyza It's AWonton
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 cups Napa cabbage (chopped)
1/4 cup onion (chopped)
1 clove garlic (diced)
1/4 cup carrots (chopped)
1/2 lb shrimp (rinsed, peeled and devained)
1 egg
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 (10 oz.) package wonton wrappers
1/4 cup water

In a large skillet heat sesame oil over high heat
Mix cabbage, onion, garlic and carrot until limp
Add shrimp and the egg and cook till shrimp is pink and egg is no longer runny
Remove mixture from heat and allow to cool

Fill Wontons:
Take 1/2 teaspoon of cooled mixture and place it in the center of each wonton
Moisten the outer edge of the wonton and fold in half to seal it
Continue until all wontons are filled and sealed

Preheat vegetable oil in the same skillet used to make the wonton mixture
Cook each wonton approximately 1 minute per side or until slightly browned
Place water in the skillet and cover
Allow wonton to steam until the water is gone about 3-5 minutes

Remove from skillet and serve warm with optional dipping sauce

Optional Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar

Roasted Veggie Enchaladas

I was recently in the mood for something fiesta like in flavor.   I was thinking how about enchiladas I have not made them since I first got married - look out 10 years - and back then what did I know about cooking...not too much but I do remember making enchiladas and my husband loved them.  Ok off to the store for the "enchilada sauce".   Of course it is not just the "enchilada sauce" it is this, that and the other 10 things for a total of $53.50 later...no biggie.

So I say how about roasted veggie enchiladas.  Slicing and slicing I go.  Colored bell Peppers, poblano peppers, onions, squash.  Beautiful colors tossed with olive oil to glisten in the oven.

Ok...wait 30 minutes for veggie perfection and they are perfect!

Lets assemble the enchiladas.  I look at the can on the counter and I read the ingredients AGAIN...I cannot stress enough the AGAIN part because in the store I completely, totally and utterly missed the modified corn protein part as well as the monsodium gludimate part...WHAT...I missed that.  Now i am in fiesta feisty MSG no way Jose not in my kitchen mood I think there is no possible way I am pouring chemicals onto my roasty toasty beautiful veggies.  I walk the can over to the donation bag and make a deposit.  Onto plan B.   Fresh cilantro from the fridge into the blender with a little half/half and whir it up.  Well not only does it compliment the colores of the veggies but it is so vibrant and OH SO delish.

Now we can assemble and return to happy fiesta mood. So my apologies go to my husband...sorry for the processed MSG I gave you ten years ago but this dish came out so good you will marry me all over again and totally forget those "other" enchiladas!


1 Red Bell Pepper (sliced long ways)
1 Yellow Pepper (sliced long ways)
3 Small Poblano Peppers (sliced longways)
2 Onions (sliced)
1 Green Zucchini (sliced long ways)
1 Yellow Zucchini (sliced long ways)
Salt/Pepper
Olive oil
1 handful cilantro
2 Tablespoons of Half/Half
6 Flour Tortillas
1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Jack Cheese
Pam Spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
On a baking sheet lay veggies in a single layer
Season veggies with salt/pepper and toss with olive oil
Roast for 30 minutes
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes

In the meantime blend half/half and cilantro set aside

Assemble enchiladas
Spray a baking dish with Pam spray
Lay out 6 tortillas
Place a little bit of cheese inside each tortilla
Add veggies to each tortilla
Fold and place seam side down onto baking dish
Top with reserved cilantro sauce
Top with remaining cheese
Bake for 20 minutes till cheese is melted