Somewhat Tarascan Bean Soup

by hvsupperclub

Heirloom Bean – Rancho Gordo by Steve Sando

This is a simple Mexican bean soup made with tomatoes, stock and pureed beans that is easy to make and very, very tasty.   Cranberry beans give the soup a lovely texture and taste.  The recipe called for blackening the tomatoes in a skillet lined with aluminum foil.  That sounded a little weird to me,  so  I put the foil on a baking sheet and set the tomatoes on it and  broiled them until they were a slightly blackened.  I  do agree with the recipe that topping the soup with crunchy fried tortilla strips, ancho chiles and queso fresco makes it additively good.  Velvety and so satisfying, this was dinner two nights in a row.  A “9” for sure.  I only have one complaint – I sort of burned the top of my mouth eating the soup.  You know how you  can burn your mouth when you eat very hot pizza and the cheese is just a little too hot for your own good.  Well – I  got that same pizza burn gobbling up the soup before it could cool down a little.  That hasn’t happened in a long time.

xo, Spicy Diva

Potato and Herb Gratin without Herbs

by hvsupperclub

The French Slow Cooker by Michele Scicolone
The chicken was such a success; I decided to try a potato recipe from the same book.  Very simple to do and perfectly cooked and kind of tasty.  The flavor didn’t jump out but it was nice to have a different approach to spuds.  So few ingredients, so easy to toss together and completely “Hands Free” at dinner time prep.  It wasn’t till this morning that I realized I had left out the main herb in the recipe.   It called for 3 herbs, 2 Tbl parsley, 1 Tbl fresh thyme, and 1 tsp. chives – I forgot the parsley.  Well – that could have made a flavor difference.  We’ll see next time.  Another revelation this morning – why do I think I have to start the slow cooker exactly 6 hours before I want to eat?  The last two days I tried to start the food by 12:30 to be done by 6:30 but both days I was behind schedule.   It was closer to 2 when I finally plugged the cooker in and that meant it wasn’t ready until 8.   One of the best things about the cooker is that it will keep things warm for hours after the food has finished cooking so I could have put the food on in the morning and it would have been done and ready whenever I wanted it.   I am definitely a Slow Learner about the Slow Cooker.

We did have Martha’s Hot and Sour soup for lunch – maybe it is only a “9”, but oh my, it is wonderful.  This is the 3rd time I’ve made it – so that is pretty amazing for me.

xo, Spicy Diva

Sunday Roast Chicken with Potatoes, Lemon, and Thyme

by hvsupperclub

The French Slow Cooker by Michele Scicolone

Recipe
Definitely a Slow Cooker Sunday – it was bubbling away all day and the house was filled with wonderful aromas.  I made a big pot of vegetable broth first in the slow cooker and then I started the chicken.  The chicken was a hit –so easy to do – it looked and smelled amazing the whole time.   The chicken could have been a little more browned but it was so moist and juicy and perfectly cooked. The potatoes and vegetables were also amazing.  Snack Man gave it an “8” but said he might go higher if I gave him a second helping – which I did.  I usually don’t like to see a slow cooker recipe that calls for an additional step of cooking something on the stove afterwards but it took just a minute to heat up the pan juices and add some cornstarch for nice gravy.   A definite do again, even if it isn’t a Sunday.

Lunch today will be the famous Hot and Sour Soup from Martha Stewart’s “Great Fast Food” and I will add the leftover chicken (there actually isn’t much left over) to Snack Man’s for a special touch.  I’m just finishing breakfast bean tacos and coffee but I’m already hungry for lunch and this spicy delicious soup.

xo, Spicy Diva

Pan Fried sole with Capers and Lemon

by hvsupperclub

Fast Entrees by Hugh Carpenter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wonderful Again
This is a definite “go to again” recipe.  Petrale Sole was one of my dad’s favorite dishes and I think of him whenever I have this dish.  So simple to prepare-I love that you can coat the fish and then put in the fridge until you do a quick fry when you are ready to eat.  Snack Man and I both continue to give it a “9” every time I make it.  The other reason I love this dish is that the next day I always make fish tacos with the left overs.  I don’t know how I first decided to try the tacos because this is not the type of fish I think of for fish tacos – but it makes the most wonderful tacos.  I had them for breakfast and tossed it with some of the over cilantro yogurt sauce from last week.  I loved the tacos.  Snack Man opted for a regular granola and yogurt breakfast.  I guess morning fish tacos might be an acquired taste – but I am always up for them.

Hardly a cooking tip – but I did discover that rodents have teeth that never stop growing – that means they have to chew constantly to grind them down.  OK – so maybe they have an eating disorder but do they have to chow down on my squash inside my house.  I don’t think so.  My back door remains locked and barred each evening and so far all is quiet each morning.

xo, Spicy Diva