Split Pea Soup

My winter of soups continues.  The latest, Split Pea Soup, was the simplest and tastiest.  You layer everything in the crock pot, set it, and forget it!  DO NOT STIR because you need to maintain the layers so the peas will get soft.  

I made a couple minor changes, and I am glad I did.  I did NOT add any salt or pepper and the soup ended up being perfectly seasoned.  It is almost too salty due to the ham.  And speaking of ham, I used an entire ham steak with a bone.  I cooked the bone and removed it at the end.  I also used all my parsley which did not affect the flavor, only added some colorful flecks.  And finally, I threw in a couple sprigs of thyme.  

After 5 hours I stirred the soup and knew it was finished cooking.  I left the lid off for 20 or so minutes to thicken a bit.  This soup is wonderful and re-heats beautifully.

Pizza!

I made homemade pizza today and it turned out deliciously!  I used this recipe for the dough and made the following variations, as recommended by other reviewers.

I reduced the water to 3/4 cup and I added 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp thyme and 2 tsps of Italian seasoning to the dough. Next time I will use a little less Italian Seasonings as this really is a dominate flavor.  I also let the dough rise several hours.  The crust could have been crisper and next time I will pre-heat the pizza stone as well as cook at 400 degrees.

Chrstmas Dinner 2011

Christmas Dinner 2011 was held at benjy's on Washington Street.  All were in attendance except for Lauren and Carol.  

I must say... this is now my favorite restaurant.  Everything was wonderful.  The staff was the nicest and most accommodating that I have ever encountered.  This is a VERY trendy bar and restaurant where I would not have been surprised if the staff were rude and uptight, especially since this is such a happening, "place to be seen", Washington Avenue hot spot.  I shall share examples of the awesome staff as I recount the evening.

 Mary, Janet and I arrived first and started at the upstairs bar.  At 6:30 pm, it was packed.  There was plenty of seating and standing areas and an outdoor patio.  The menu featured happy hour drink and appetizer specials.  Mary and I had the blood orange margaritas that were delicious!  The drinks were a bright orangey pink color, very sweet and with a hint of tequila.  YUM.  The waiter brought us water with our drinks, which is uncommon in a bar, but very appreciated and a nice touch.

At our reservation time of 7, the maître d' came upstairs to find us and told us we could have a table or a booth.  He seemed to really care which we preferred.  When we went downstairs and met Tonya he told us the booth was almost ready.  Upon sitting we were gives a triplet of munchies:  sugared cranberries, two types of sliced pickles and a wonderful flat bread.   Each item had us guessing as to how it was prepared and the waiter was happy to tell us.  He said the sugared cranberries were raw cranberries soaked in simple syrup (he told us that simple syrup is sugar and water HAHA) and then rolled in plain sugar and air dried on trays and "thrown in Tupperware".  The berries were tart and sweet and delectable.  The pickles were mild and the flat bread was very thin and crisp and like nothing I have ever had.  It was an usual pairing of treats but all delicious.

For dinner, Mary and I ordered the crunchy nut chicken which was 2 slices of a chicken breast coated in nuts (when asked, the waiter mentioned about 10 nuts) and served with potato gratin, asparagus, corn reduction and a balsamic vinegar sauce.  It was very very good and a huge portion for only $16.95. 

CRUNCHY CHICKEN
nut crusted + marbled potato gratin
+ sweet corn reduction 16.95

Janet had the:

HOUSE RICOTTA RAVIOLI
local shrimp + lump crab + forest
mushrooms + piquillo cream 17.95

I did not sample the ravioli, and the plate was beautiful with large shrimp piled high.

And Tonya had the:

RED WINE BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS
jalapeño-potato cream
+ warm brussels sprout salad 22.95

Tonya shared some of her ribs with me and they were AMAZING.  So very tender and flavorful.  The brussels spouts were delicious as well.  Next time, I will order the ribs.

A manager took our dessert orders and this was part of the entire restaurant staff working as a team.  I often saw others helping the waiters get their orders in ASAP to ensure food arrived quickly, which it did.  For dessert, I had read in reviews that Mom's chocolate cake was the one to order.  I like chocolate, but it is not my favorite desert.  I asked the manager about the banana pudding and if it was worth it.  Because yes, I have been places before and asked about desserts and was steered away from one, ordered it anyway, and was very disappointed.  Why would a restaurant have a sub-par offering on the menu?  The manager told me "get the banana pudding".  I did.  Mary ordered a challah bread pudding with white chocolate ice cream and Janet and Tonya ordered the chocolate cake.

When the desserts arrived, the waiter brought an extra chocolate cake for me and Mary to share!  How wonderful and totally unexpected!  The cake had two huge pieces, so I know Tonya or Janet would have given Mary and me a bite (we all shared our entrees).   Instead, Mary and I enjoyed our desserts as well as the cake.

The banana pudding, pictured below, had a silky, sweet meringue and the pudding tasted as if it had some peanut butter in it.  It also had peanut butter cookies rather than vanilla wafers.  On the side were two homemade peanut butter cookies and two homemade chocolate chip cookies.  All were wonderful.

The chocolate cake was divine with a ganache like chocolate icing with pecans and it was served with homemade vanilla ice cream.  

I highly recommend benjy's.  The staff is wonderful, the food is reasonably priced and delicious and there is great people watching of the young and hip of Houston's inner loop.

Molasses Crinkle Cookies

The recipe I used for Molasses Crinkle Cookies is on the back of the jar of Grandma's Molasses.  However, I could not find it on the Internet.

This was a super easy recipe that only requires a spoon for mixing.  The dough is chilled and then you form balls the size of walnuts and roll in sugar.  Finally, sprinkles of water cause the cookies to crack and crinkle.

I used a small ice cream scoop that is about twice the size as recommended in the recipe.  I made 2 dozen cookies and the recipe says it makes 4 dozen.  These are delicious and have a soft texture.  The spices blend together beautifully.

Molasses Crinkle Cookies

3/4 cup softened shortening (use the baking blocks)

1 cup light brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup molasses (spray measuring cup with Pam for easy pouring)

2 1/4 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cloves

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

sugar for rolling

Mix shortening, sugar, egg and molasses.  Stir in remaining ingredients. Chill dough.  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Roll dough into balls the size of walnuts and then roll in sugar.  Place balls on greased cookie sheet and sprinkle with water for a cracked surface.  Bake 10-12 minutes.

Golden Potato-Leek Soup with Cheddar Toasts

I am still in my soup making mode.  This recipe for Golden Potato-Leek Soup was easy to put together on a work night.  I did not make the cheddar toasts as the soup was my focus.  

I made some slight variations due to quantities of my available ingredients.  I used twice as much thyme sprigs because I LOVE THYME!  The vegetable broth I bought came in 32 ounces, so I used it all and did not add any water.  I also had a cup of whipping cream so I added it all and I believe the soup came out perfectly.  I left some potato chunks and the soup has a creamy texture that was not too thick and very smooth.  Before I added the cream I was concerned that I had just created a starchy, inedible mess.  Once the cream hit the warm potato mixture it came together beautifully and I was very pleased.  Delicious!

Butternut Squash Soup

I have never made pumpkin or squash soups and with a blistery cold front dropping temperatures, I thought this would be the perfect time to try a soup recipe.  Cook's Illustrated's Great Butternut Squash Soup sounded perfect.  The modifications I made were to add some diced onion, since I had some left over from another recipe and I added 4 thyme sprigs rather than 2 since I love thyme.  I had a difficult time peeling the squash, so I mostly peeled it after it cooked.

The soup tastes very fresh and creamy with a delicate flavor.  Yum!

Butternut Squash Soup

serves 6 to 8

2 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch cubes (about 7 cups)

2 tbs unsalted butter

1 leek, white and light green parts only, quartered lengthwise, sliced thin and washed thoroughly (about 1 1/2 cups)

4 cups vegetable broth

1-2 cups water

2 springs fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

pinch cayenne pepper

Place squash in a bowl, cover and microwave until paring knife glides easily through flesh, 14 to 18 minutes.  Transfer squash to a colander set in a bowl and drain 5 minutes.  Reserve liquid.

Melt butter in Dutch over medium high heat.  Add squash, leek, and 1 tsp salt.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until squash pieces begin to break down and brown bits form in the bottom of the pot, 10 to 13 minutes.

Add 2 cups broth and scrape bottom of pot to loosen brown bits.  Add remaining 2 cups broth, reserved squash liquid, 1 cup water, thyme sprigs, bay leaf and cayenne.  Increase heat to bring to a low boil and then reduce heat to medium and simmer until leeks are fully tender, 6 to 7 minutes.

Remove and discard bay leaf and thyme sprigs.  Working in batches, process soup in blender or use immersion blender, until smooth.  Return soup to pot (if using blender) and thin with up to 1 cup of water to desired consistency.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

Walnut Sweet Potatoes with Cranberries

I found this recipe for Walnut Sweet Potatoes with Cranberries in an HEB circular.   I love making sweet potato casseroles and I want recipes that do not include marshmallows.  This one sounded different because of the cranberries.  It was easy to make and very tasty.  The cranberries add a bit of tart sweetness.  I followed the recipe exactly though I used an 8 x 8 inch pan.  My 4 potatoes would not have made 2 layers in a 9 x 13 pan.