Taking a Leek...

I love this soup; it's more of a chowder, really, and it is a bit healthier than a typical potato-leek soup because of all the cauliflower!  It has been chilly here, so it's a great supper to warm your bones!

Potato-Leek Chowder

Ingredients:

2-3 large leeks
3 cups of cubed potatoes
3 cups of cauliflower florets
5 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of milk
1 14.5-oz can creamed corn
Salt & pepper to taste
Bacon, crumbled

1.  Clean the leeks well and remove all dirt; cut off the dark green tops so that only the white section is left.  Slice the whites thinly, using enough for 3 cups of leeks.
2.  Saute the leeks in a bit of oil for about 10 minutes, until softened.  Do not brown; set aside.
3.  Fill a pot or deep skillet with broth, potatoes and cauliflower; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer about 25 minutes or until potatoes are softened.
4.  Using a blender or food processor, puree the potato-broth mixture until smooth.  Return to pot.
5.  Stir in the leeks, creamed corn, salt/pepper, and milk.  (I didn't use any salt and about 1 tbsp of seasoned pepper.)  Warm until heated through.
6.  Serve warm, and garnish with crumbled bacon.  (I used a lot of bacon!)

Brulee a la Mango

Compliments of my Martha Stewart Living magazine...  This dessert is fantastically simple and delicious, and actually pretty healthy for a dessert!

Mango Brulee

Ingredients:
2 mangos
8 tbsp turbinado (raw) sugar
1 lime, cut into wedges

1.  Halve the mango on either side of the pit.  (To do this, I slice in the middle until I hit the pit.  Then I cut 1/8" to the right of that and repeat until I can slice all the way through; that leaves the pit, but you get a flat surface on that one half.  That is important because it won't crust if it's not flat.)
2.  Preheat the broiler to high (mine goes to 450F); line a baking sheet with foil.
3.  Arrange the mango halves on the foil; sprinkle 2 tbsp sugar on each half.  Be sure to make a good layer that covers the mango thoroughly.
4.  Broil on high until the sugar is browned and hardened; it takes me approximately 10 minutes.  (I watch for it to stop bubbling, and then it usually starts to harden.)
5.  Serve warm with lime wedges.

Stuffed Dates

This has been a recent discovery of mine in several restaurants, so I had to try it at home!  I plan on trying several variations (regarding cheese types and possibly the bacon types), but it is a very fast, easy snack, and I really like it!

Ingredients:
--10 dates (I like the fresh, non-pitted ones, and get as many as you can eat!)
--Goat cheese (again, can use any type of goat cheese you want, or other types of cheese!)
--Prosciutto or regular peppered bacon
--1 tbsp coconut oil
--1 tbsp seasoned pepper

1.  Slice the dates along one side, lengthwise, and remove pit.  Stuff with sliver of goat cheese.
2.  Wrap the date in a slice of prosciutto.
3.  Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat.
4.  Add dates, sprinkle with pepper, and cook until prosciutto is crisp and cheese is gooey (approx 5 min).
5.  Drain on paper towels and serve!

Fried Hominy

I made this today as a little football game snack before the burgers were done.  So, I just have to say, "Beat the hell outta Arkansas!!!"  WHOOP! 

Anyway, this snack reminds me of CornNuts; you know, that crunchy corn-like gas station snack food.  :)  The flavor I made is sort of a Mexican variety, but you could definitely adjust the seasoning.  Another idea I want to try: add a packet of ranch dip mix after cooking and toss.  (My husband loves ranch!)  Another note:  I use the canned hominy to save time, but you can also start from scratch and soak the dried hominy (like you would with beans).

Ingredients:
--2 cans of golden hominy
--Some oil for frying (I prefer peanut oil for larger batches, coconut for small ones)
--1 tsp garlic salt
--1 tsp ground pepper
--1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
--1 tsp dried oregano
--1 tsp cumin
--1/2 tsp chili powder

1.  Mix last 6 ingredients in a condiment bowl.
2.  Heat oil in a deep pan or deep fryer; add enough to cover the hominy.
3.  Deep-fry the hominy for 5 minutes, or until it is a crispy golden brown.
4.  Transfer to a dish with paper towels, and drain the oil off.
5.  Toss while still hot in a bowl with the seasoning mixture and enjoy!

Sushi

An easy appetizer to make at home; the hardest part is finding somewhere that sells sashimi-grade seafood! This is based on a dish from my favorite sushi place here in Denver. I could eat a ton of this!

Ingredients:
Sashimi-grade tuna
Fresh, thinly-sliced jalapenos
Coarsely-chopped cilantro
Bottle of ponzu sauce

Slice the tuna into thin strips and arrange on a plate or tray. Pour the ponzu sauce over the tuna; garnish with jalapeno and cilantro. Serve!

Parmesan Crisps

This is a good, easy snack that I use in place of chips.  I love to eat these with a good pesto - my fave is sun-dried tomato with the rosemary crisps!

Ingredients:

--Parmesan cheese (I also blended some asiago in here)

--Various herbs for seasoning (I used cayenne, coarse-ground black pepper, and rosemary)

1.  Preheat the oven to 300F.

2.  Shred the parmesan cheese (and asiago, if you're using it).

3.  Take a tablespoon-sized amount and spread thinly on a baking pan covered in parchment paper.  (The thicker the mound, the chewier the finished product will be - I like mine to be a little holey when it's finished.)

4.  Sprinkle the top with the seasoning.

5.  Bake for 5-6 minutes or until the cheese is melted and gooey.  Cool parchment paper on wire racks until completely cooled and crispy.

She's gone country

Hey y'all,

This is my most favorite BBQ side dish -- easy and delicious. I made it for a BBQ I am going to today. I Laurelize it up a little bit by using sweet & spicy Southwestern-style mustard or spicy dijon to add kick but it's good no matter what kind of dijon you use. To cut back on cals you can skip the "add bacon grease" to dressing option and use light mayo. But don't skip the bacon altogether, that's just not very Texan :-)

Texas Country Potato Salad (a la Paula Deen)

Ingredients

6 strips bacon

1 pound small red potatoes, unpeeled

2 green onions, sliced

1 boiled egg, chopped

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper

Directions

Cook bacon until crispy. Drain, reserving a few tablespoons of the grease, and crumble. Set aside.

Slice potatoes into bite size pieces and place in a large saucepan. Cover with cold water. Add some salt and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and let the potatoes cool

In a separate bowl, mix mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, few tablespoons of bacon grease, salt, and pepper for dressing.

Toss potatoes, onion, and egg in dressing. Add bacon. Serve chilled.