Potato Leek Soup

Taken from my Swedish Cookbook, Potato Leek Soup:

4-5 large potatoes (cubed)

2 leeks (chopped)

1-2 cloves garlic (diced)

salt and white pepper to taste

6 cups chicken or beef broth

1 TBS lemon juice

electric mixer/food processor and/or potato masher

• Bring 6 cups broth to boil in large pot
• add diced leeks, potatoes, lemon juice, salt, garlic and white pepper
• simmer for 15-20 minutes
• when potatoes are soft, use an electric mixer or food processor to smooth out most of the lumps
• add more white pepper or salt if needed

I served this soup with a side of sausage I cooked in a frying pan of beer, PBR to be exact. The sausage was a nice accompaniment to the flavors of the soup. I might have gone a little overboard with the white pepper, but it was so good. I also only used 4 beef bullion cubes to 6 cups of water. The electric mixer and a potato masher got all of the necessary lumps out of the soup/stew. No photo, but I will say it was not as dark as the photo in the cookbook, more of a light green. I also cooked with leeks for the first time! The white and light green parts are more mild and less bitter, so I only used them because I was unfamiliar with leeks and the cookbook really didn't explain what parts to use. Hope you enjoy and try it for yourself.

My Mom (and Grandma)'s Homemade Mac and Cheese

I made a double batch of my mom's homemade mac and cheese this week and it was amazing! First let me just say Doubling recipes is hard, especially when you are not an attentive recipe reader. I scan for ingredients and pretend I have done it a hundred times. So I actually did really well ollowing my mom's recipe, until I got to the cheese art (I thought it said 2 BAGS, not cups...so I put in 3 BAGS of shredded sharp cheese)....needless to say it was chessy and amazing. I also decided on diced tomatoes with green chilies so I didn't have to cut up the chilies myself. The cheese mistake wasn't a bad one!

Mom's Homemade Mac and Cheese
1 1lb. box of mac.1/2 stick of butter or maragine1 1/2 tablespoons of flour1/3 - 1/2 cup of milk ( may need more at end)2 cups bag of sharp cheese (or more)cut up green chilis or hot peppers (as many as you like!)1 can of diced tomatoes (pick a flavor you like)Bread crumbs on top of mac n cheese! 1- Cook your mac. Drain and rinse. Set aside.2- In a large pot, melt butter slowly add flour as it thickens with a wisk, take it off the burner and add milk and stir with wisk. Stir.3 - Add cheese and melt. Add mac and stir in the cheese mixture.4- Add tomatoes and peppers of choice to the mixture and stir well.5- Salt and pepper to taste. If it needs more moisture, add a bit more milk if needed.6- Spray a bake dish (8x10) with Pam and add mixture to bake dish.Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until it bronws and bubbles on the side.

Chicken Picata

The other night we celebrated Christmas Part I with a very close friend who is like family. The three of us shared a meal, opened gifts and watched The Grinch (Jim Carey version). The question for me was what can I make with the food I have on hand:chicken, homemade mac and cheese, mozzarella, and breadcrumbs. I am a huge fan of Chicken Picata and found this recipe. I changed it somewhat, partially by accident and partially because I don't ever read the recipe until I am right in the middle of, realizing only then I am without certain ingredients. Mom to the rescue...breadcrumbs can be substituted for flour, who knew? Our meal of a tomato salad (baby tomatoes sliced in half, mozzarella chopped into squares, basil, balsamic vinegar - allow time to set up outside the fridge), homemade mac and cheese, Chicken Picata and Stilton and cranberry cheese and crackers was amazing.

So my adapted recipe is below, I am sure the one above would have been just as amazing.

Easy Chicken Picata

You need:

2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless

capers

butter

lemon/lemon juice

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

breadcrumbs

ziplock bag

chicken broth

salt

pepper

1. Pound chicken with a mallet (2 breasts, skinless, boneless)

2. cut into strips

3. throw chicken in a ziplock with breadcrumbs (Italian style)

4. brown the chicken in a pan with EVOO (about 10min)

5. Place chicken on a plate

6. begin making the sauce: add 2TBS Lemon juice to the pan and 1 cup chicken broth

7. throw in 2 TBS capers and 3 TBS butter

8. salt and pepper to taste

9. simmer until syrupy - its key to use the same pan so the flavor and sauce forms correctly

10. throw the chicken back into the pan and continue to simmer or place on low until ready to serve

11. ENJOY :)

Total Cook Time: about 30min

Prep Time:5-10min