Eat Like a Rabbit

For a belated Christmas present, my darling aunt and uncle sent us 3 pounds of cheese curds. I spent all this morning searching online for recipes in which to use the young white and yellow cheddar pieces. Finally, it was lunch time and I hadn't been very successful. Cheese curds are most popular as Fried Cheese Curds, which there are tons of recipes for. However, after a eating too late last night, my stomach wasn't up for fried foods at lunch. Instead, I remembered a cheddar cheese soup recipe in my Moosewood Cooks at Home cookbook. However, since It's been weeks since my visit to the grocery store aside from the purchase of bananas, milk, and tortilla chips (which do me little good as I'm out of salsa), I had to adapt the recipe to what I had on hand. And you know what? I really surprised my self. I was quite proud how the soup turned out. I will say, the cheese flavor is rich in the vegetable soup. Although it was quite good, it was a bit heavy on the stomach--although that's a good idea when it's cold out. I don't expect it to be a regular soup in my collection, but that's OK because we live in Florida and rarely get the opportunity for it to be cold enough to warrant eating so much soup.

Cheddar Vegetable Soup

Inspired by Moosewood Cooks at Home

• 1/2 large onion, sliced
• 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1-2 small celery stalks, diced
• 1 small-medium sweet potato, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 2 Tablespoons McKay's Chicken-style Seasoning (vegetarian boullion)
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup cheese curds, diced small

Saute onions in soup pot or sauce pan about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add sweet potatoes, carrots and celery. Stir. Mix seasoning in water and pour into pot. Cover pot and cook about 10 minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft. (The original recipe called for white potatoes. I think they sometimes take longer to cook. Sweet potatoes seem to cook faster to me.) When vegetables are soft, add milk then cheese. The key is to have small cubes of cheese and to add them gradually so they don't clump.

Ladle the soup into a blender. (Be really careful because the blender may splatter when you turn it on. I have a silicone trivet that I cover the blender with so the soup won't splatter and burn my fingers. A towel could work, too.) Reheat soup and serve garnished with fresh herbs as desired. I bet green onions or chives would have been yummy if we had had any. Also, ground red pepper seemed to be a nice addition, too.

Sometimes, the best laid plans aren't enough. Remember how my menu plan for the week included pre-cut vegetarian turkey and zucchini to make a second batch of soup? Well, tonight, for some reason, soup wasn't a good idea. It is a bit warmer in Florida, and I grazed on goodies all day at the office. So, it didn't take me long after getting in my car and starting the drive home to evaluate what was in the fridge and to change my mind. What I loved about the fajita idea was that everything had been prepared already. So, it was a cinch to cook, and I had two huge fajitas on the table within 15 minutes. Moreover, my only dishes were two plates, the sauteing skillet and spatula, the cutting board and knife for the onion (they were only in rings), and two knives and forks to eat with. Thanks to an empty dishwasher, clean-up was even faster than cooking!

Recipe for Veggie Fajitas

• 2 Large/Burrito Size Flour Tortillas
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
• 1/4 large onion, diced or sliced
• 1/4 bell pepper, sliced
• 1 cup vegetarian turkey, cubed or sliced
• 1/2 cup zucchini, cubed
• 1 T Oil, olive or other preferred sauteing

Note: Proportions of veggies and veggie-meat were what I had on hand. The beauty of such a recipe is that you can always add or take away or exchange. There is no wrong as long as you like what you are putting in the dish!

Place a medium to large skillet on medium-high heat. Pour in oil and add onions. Stir until onions soften. Add bell pepper, zucchini, and turkey. Stir to coat with oil. Let sit occasionally to brown sides of veggies and stir again. Veggie-meats do not have a minimum cook time. You only need the food to be cooked through (and the veggies tender, of course). Place tortillas on microwaveable plate. Spread vegetables evenly in center of wrap. Sprinkle with cheese and roll. Microwave 30 seconds to melt cheese OR while the veggies are cooking, place the tortillas on top of the skillet so they catch the heat from the cooking. Turn often to make sure all sides are warmed. Then, you don't have to microwave the finished product.

This is one of Paul's favorite things. I first had it at Christmas and thought it would be a fast and easy protein dish that I had most of the items for.

I was scheduled to feed 12 Saturday afternoon for lunch. Luckily, I was off on Friday. I woke up early prepared to spend the day in the kitchen. The previous day, I created a list of what needed to be done Friday and what could be done Saturday right before the guests arrived. I had already thought up a menu earlier in the week based on what I had in the kitchen.

Pot pie is another recipe that falls under the Mom and Me group. Every time my mom asks me what I want for my birthday dinner, you can bet she already knows and has secretly stashed away the ingredients for this incredible one-dish meal. It is time consuming and requires lots of vegetables and seasonings; so, it is a rare treat. I am always grateful when I can get it. The pie crust recipe is definitely not original. My mom has seen it in a number of cookbooks and collected it from a friend of hers about the time I was born. Not sweet at all, the crust is fabulous for savory recipes, but can easily be adapted to sweet recipes. I have even used it as a crust for apple pie that was amazing. By all means, pot pie falls under fantastic winter comfort food. And my mom's is the best! (This I know for a fact because we have tried the miniature store-bought vegetarian pies. You likely won't see a review of those on ELAR. Believe me the love put into this dish is well worth it.)

One day last week, our office had a free lunch delivered by a drug rep. The menu was Tijuana Flats, a chain Mexican restaurant started by some local college kids that has done incredibly well with its fast food and HOT sauces with funky names. I was very impressed with the amount of food delivered because we are a large office and generally the amount set aside to allegedly serve 50-60 people only feeds 40 or less. So in case you were looking for a casual catering recommendation, this is my vote. Naturally, the salsa isn't special, but it's fresh. The same goes for the guacamole.

Paul wanted some poached eggs to go with some English muffins I got on sale. His mom had a very simple plan for accomplishing the meal. I also acquired some Simply Potatoes on sale at Publix and thought this would be an opportunity to try something new. I love the speed and ease of poaching the eggs in the microwave and how our small Vignelli bowls are a perfect size for accomplishing the task. Paul used our "splurge" item of white cheddar from the imported shelves at Costco and sliced tomatoes on his sandwich and topped the eggs with dill, salt, and pepper. It really was good.

This week, I will feature a series of posts, the inspirations of which came from the fascinating cookbook, The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper. It is more than just a list of recipes. The book also highlights little known facts, dispels myths, and makes specific grocery list recommendations. Perhaps after I highlight some fabulous experiences with the book, you will want to acquire one of your own.

In honor of the Chinese New Year, I served Chinese food for dinner last night. I really like Chinese food. I love the sauces and particularly am a fan of egg rolls even though I try to stay away from fried foods. I like making Chinese food with rice, but when I have an excess of spaghetti or egg noodles, this is a great way to use them without having pasta in marinara or alfredo sauce for a week.

Recipe to Make Stir Fry

• 2 large toes garlic, coarsly chopped
• 1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 medium Carrot, julienned
• 1 cup frozen broccoli
• 2 oz. De Boles (organic) spaghetti style pasta (only because that is what was opened)
• 1/4-1/2 cup sugar snap peas
• 1/8 (or less) teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 6 Tablespoons Pad Thai Sauce from Moosewood Cooks at Home
• Olive oil to cover bottom of a skillet

Boil pasta according to pasta directions. I do not salt the pasta because there is so much salt in the soy sauce. Meanwhile, cover a large skillet with oil. Turn the skillet on medium and add the onions. Microwave broccoli and sugar snap peas 1:30 minutes to defrost. Add carrots and garlic to the onions when they are softened. Add broccoli and peas until warm. Drain pasta and add it to the vegetables. Pour the Moosewood recipe mixture (lime, ketchup, and soy sauce) over the vegetables and pasta. Stir in sauce and two pinches fresh crushed red pepper. Serve hot.

Believe it or not, this recipe is the result of a slight misunderstanding between my mother and I. We both like roasted sweet potatoes. She heard on a cooking show one day that if you brush them slightly with olive oil and cook them at 500' for 20 minutes, they get really crispy. I agreed to give it a shot. However, I didn't realize that she had put the potatoes in the middle of the oven with it set on "Bake". I put mine on the top rack set on "Broil" and turned them at 10 minutes when they started to brown too much.

When so many fresh ingredients are at your fingertips (especially during the winter time) it makes so much since to create a fantastic sandwich that mixes them all together. I enjoyed this so much because it was a fast creation and the flavors were fantastic.

This was a mid-to-late afternoon snack to cover lunch and my dinner on this Sunday because I knew I needed a wise meal before singing at Disney with the choir and new I wouldn't be fed well the rest of the night.

Nothing about this tart was on sale or cheap, but it was beautiful and tasty. I divided the tart into 8 slices, but probably should have kept it at 7 so everyone had enough. I gave ice cream and vanilla yogurt as options for the side.

I was eating the leftovers of this at work and a girl walked in saying "That smells good." Always eager to share my creations, I offered her a bite from the side I had not reached yet. She seemed surprised to be able to say "That's actually good." Thank you very much. I almost think it's my favorite of my own recipes thus far.

This is such a great recipe because it takes something that should taste a bit sweet and makes it more salty with the pesto and creamy white sauce. The entire lasagna lasted Paul and me four meals. So, the price seems quite right and all the time invested seems quite efficient.

This salsa went over so well at the group dinner, that I decided to take the same recipe and make it again in the form of enchiladas. Paul was confused because I used flour tortillas--which made it look more like burritos--instead of corn tortillas. However, it was quite the success because a few people came up specifically to shake my hands when it was done. As was common on those nights, there was a line for the food when I arrived, which gave me no time to take pictures. The above picture was a plate of leftovers we made for someone who was late. On the night of the enchiladas and Spanish rice, there wasn't a bite of anything left except the chips and salsa.

They say Macaroni and Cheese is a comfort food because it reminds people of their childhood. And kids are said to love it. But, to make it feel like an adult food, it's high in calcium, can be fast to make, and is reasonably cheap. Also, it can be a rather frugal investment of money. For example, when Publix has pasta noodles as "Buy One, Get One Free, I stock up. And elbow noodles tend to be smaller so there are actually more of them in the box than, say, Rigatoni. So, it covers more meals.

My mother-in-law sent me this very cool idea. I hope she wasn't thinking she wanted some of these for Christmas because I failed to catch the hint. I hope she was just thinking this would make a nice post on ELAR. The cards are 16 for $34.95. There are two copies of each design, which are well-photographed types of cookies yielding intriguing and beautiful card covers. On some of them, it took me a while to recognize what might be a cookie. This is important for people married to designers, which means food has to look good not just taste good. Attached to the card is a tear-away card to add to a recipe collection to make cookies that look as good as the pictures. I hope they taste as good, too.

Check them out.

I specifically made this pizza to highlight the simpleness of using a soybean-based meat substitute in a meal. The prices for this meal are estimates because the price of the vegetarian food varies so greatly among stores. Certainly, a local speacialty health food store has the potential of being cheaper than a major supermarket.

This post refers to the product in the very front of the photograph. The plate was a sampler platter at a buffet. I created the dishes. Hopefully, recipes for the other dishes will be available soon.

This post focuses on delicious, quick meals and the estimated prices for making them. My goal is to help families prepare healthy menus in spite of the depressed economy.

In a floundering market consumers are looking for good food that is as cheap and nutritious as possible. I hope this post will be the first in a continuous series that focuses on time-saving dishes that don't break the bank while they impact your menu.

I have previously mentioned that applesauce is a annual tradition at our house. The following is my process.

Fried okra is special. Many people don't know what to do with it. And most people have had such bad experiences with it, they are afraid to try it again. We purchased some fresh okra from the Maitland Farmer's Market and it stayed in the refrigerator until I I decided I couldn't run away from it any more. I was going to have to find a way to cook it. I did a bit of research and created my own recipe for fried okra. Paul said he had never had such minimal batter on his okra and that he liked it that way. I was proud because I actually thought the vegetable was edible. Fried foods can find their way into the heart so easily.

Paul said this was the best risotto he ever had. He actually isn't much of a fan of risotto, but quite enjoyed this. I think this is my second favorite risotto ever; my favorite being in a quaint spot in Italy many years ago. You just can't beat the surroundings! But for home products, this is the best and most successful. And I have experimented a few times, which goes to prove not everyone becomes a cook overnight.

The recipes I checked out had many different seasonings to add. I passed on those. Aside from the long cook time, this is very easy.

One of my EMTs said this was his favorite squash. So, I purhased some on Friday. By Saturday, we were eating lunch at some friend's house and were served Spaghetti Squash. He answered all of my questions about preparation. And I excitedly created this fabulous dish on Sunday. With a salad, French bread, and pan-fried scallops, I was in heaven.

The biscuit recipe came from my mother and the gravy recipe came from Paul's mother through her mother-in-law.

I love scrambled eggs. Who doesn't? As a child, I watched my grandparents put chives in theirs and it made me sick. Now, I can't eat my eggs plain. Paul put his eggs on top of his English muffin, poured Cholula Sauce over it, and garnished it with Raspberries. All of my items were neatly separated. The differences between a husband and a wife! I will say, I was out of spinach this day. I missed it.

This was a very simple dessert made at peak season for fresh peaches. I always try to make such things when the oven is always hot from another baking experience. My guests had no complaints about the peaches being unsweetened. The ice cream made up for it. If I had had more time, I think I would have liked to serve the dish with mint ice cream (the mint chocolate chip ice cream recipe without the chocolate chips).

Paul bought me a new cook book that recommended some strudel recipes as show-stoppers. I didn't have the ingredients, but I used what I had on hand and was so excited with the results. I had a few extra pastry sheets and choose to make the Vegeburger Bites, which I have written about before. The purpose for using all the pastry sheets was to clean out the freezer. They are expensive; so I try to buy them from the Pepperidge Farm Thrift Store. I love using them because they taste like I've slaved all day!

I was so proud when I created this recipe. Because our wedding was mostly pink, I had wanted a "pink" pasta sauce. I wish now I had made this creation, then. This sauce was absolutely perfect. I think this recipe is a more elegant alternative to spaghetti sauce, but is healthier than straight fettucini sauce. Also, the mixture makes it great with vegetables. Paul told me to remember how I made it. I hope I always do.

The tubular pasta is a favorite of Paul's called Rigatoni. Because it's larger and hollow, you eat less than you think you do because there is so much air.

This post's guest photographer is Garrett Nudd, an excellent and talented photographer, but an even better friend.

I came across some mini-kabob sticks while in Sarasota for our anniversary. Ever since, I was very excited to make some and did a good bit of research before I finally put the meal together. I served the kabob with steamed brown rice and the Pad Thai sauce from "Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home."

This meal was much easier than I expected, and except for the delay of threading the sticks with my designer-husband, a fast creation as well. I did find a note somewhere in my research to soak the sticks in water before use to prevent splitting. This was my first step of the meal.