Must Write this Recipe Down: Sinful Potato Soup

My honey-man's number one complaint about my cooking would be this:  I'm always making up my own recipes - - and I never write them down.  After tonight's dinner, it was demanded that I write this one up and pronto.

SINFUL POTATO SOUP:  Makes enough for 4-6 people.  To be prepared the day/night before you intend to eat it, so that the stock and seasonings are well infused into the potatoes... Note the actual ingredients have been bolded to help identify the needed items for one's shopping list.

4-5 large Shepody potatoes = you need 8 cups, thinly diced = also amounts to about 2 lbs.

The Specifics on the Dicing: Cut the potatoes lengthwise into 3/4"-thick, fry-like long pieces, about 12-16 per potato... Keep these long pieces all stacked atop each other and then cut them together crosswise into 1/8"-thick, thinly diced pieces . . . think small Scrabble pieces!  But be careful with your knife!
The Specifics on Shepody Potatoes: Larger and more elongated potatoes are easiest to cut/dice the aforementioned way.  In terms of potato quality, the potatoes for this recipe need a sturdy yet thin skin, and they also need a texture that will retain some firmness when cooked in liquid... Red potatoes lose their skins too easily, while the skins of Russets and Idahoans are too thick/rough. Furthermore, Reds, Russets and Idahoans, they are all too grainy, too starchy in texture, better for baking or for potato salads. A 'white' potato is best for this soup. If one can't find Shepody potatoes, Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn can substitute, but their smaller, rounder shape make them more difficult to dice like mini-Scrabble pieces.  For the total cooking geek (that would be me): Try this LINK re: Shepody potatoes.

As you're dicing up the potatoes, keep the diced potatoes barely submerged in 3-4 cups of cold water plus 1 teas. either Rice vinegar or White distilled vinegar to both prevent browning and to help the potatoes retain their shape during the cooking. The vinegar is a trick I learned via Cooks Illustrated. Once done with the dicing, throw the potatoes along with their water into a 5-6 quart stock pot on medium heat. Keep in mind that later on you'll need to be able to cover this pot with a lid and store it overnight in your refrigerator.

Immediately add 32oz of chicken stock - I use salt free, free range organic stock; I swear good stock makes all the difference!
As you prepare the rest of the following ingredients, allow the potatoes and stock to reach a gentle rolling simmer - - but do NOT bring it to a full boil!  Reduce the heat once the mix begins to boil. Hard boiling bursts the starch cells of the potatoes, resulting in a mushy, grainy soup texture -- another lesson learned via Cooks Illustrated.


3 small/regular shallots or 2 large shallots, finely minced = aim between 1/4 cup n' a 1/3 cup
Note: Shallots provide a nuttier flavor than onions and they nearly dissolve into the soup.
1/2 teas. white pepper
1 teas. freshly ground/cracked pepper (rainbow mix with green, red, white and black is best)
1/4 teas. red pepper flakes
1 teas. kosher salt (or to taste)

Place all the above ingredients into the pot with the potatoes and stock on medium-low heat for a gentle, rolling simmer, stirring maybe 2 or 3 times over the duration. The pot should be left uncovered, allowing the liquid to reduce.  I must repeat:  DO NOT BOIL! 

From the beginning of the cook time, to end when you'll turn off the heat, the potatoes should simmer for about 40 minutes, give or take, just until tender - - but NOT long enough for them to fall apart if stabbed with a fork. You can easily do other things about the kitchen while the stuff simmers. There's no need to watch over the pot.

Let the pot cool to a slightly warm temp - - cool enough that placing it in your refrigerator won't devastate the temperature of your fridge. So yeah, once significantly cooler, cover the pot and keep overnight in the fridge.  NOTE of REASSURANCE:  Don't worry if it doesn't smell all too great just yet.  It will be amazing once fully created!  I promise!

About 30 minutes before you want to serve your soup, place the pot on medium heat, still covered so as to help speed the re-heat, stirring maybe once or twice until it reaches a strong simmer - - we still don't want any uber bubbling boil here! Did I mention NO BOILING?! Once a steady simmer is reached, reduce the heat for a gently rolling simmer for about 10-15 minutes and then turn off the heat. Let it cool for about 5 minutes.

Next, you'll want to mash about 1 cup's worth of the potatoes somehow... either strain out some with a slotted spoon and mash 'em with a fork and return them to the pot, OR do what I do:  I have a long handled potato masher and I simply stick it down into the pot for 2-3 smashes into the pot's bottom. 

This last part requires a whisk: First dump in 1/2 c. real sour cream - - the full fat, tangy kind; this is no time for wimpy 'lite' sour cream people! Quickly whisk-mix it in and allow it to bring down the temperature of the pot.
Next, throw in an entire 8 oz. block, plus 4 oz. more, of cream cheese. Oh yes! And whisk, whisk, whisk until all the cream cheese has melted.  It may look a bit chunky/curdled at first, but keep whisking it and will smooth out as you continue to whisk at it. Shouldn't take more than 5 minutes, give or take.

Serve with a lil' Tabasco sprinkled on top each serving, or with some cheese shreds, or some freshly ground pepper.  Buttered, toasted sourdough bread is fabulous -more like essential- for dipping!

Pho, Pho, Pho

I've rediscovered pho! Mmmm... spicy pho! For a second lunch in a row now, my sinuses are wide open, perfectly clear!

Only this Size in Ootah

Found this sitting in 'Drafts,' sent via Blackberry, from our July 4th weekend:

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

'Ends & Pieces' Fruit Leather No More?

I actually had an "oh my all that's holy nooooo" moment standing in the middle of a Trader Joes aisle last weekend: They no longer stock their bagged "Ends & Pieces" all natural fruit leather (and the sobbing ensues).

Honestly, I do not know what I'm gunna do without it! My baby girlie LOVES the stuff! And because it's ALL NATURAL --absolutely nothing but real, unadulterated fruit, with no other ingredients added-- I have zero guilt letting her eating every day for her heading-for-home snack in the car, and whenever else she pipes up, "Fruit leather please?"

It will cost 5-6 times more to buy the real fruit leather in individual or boxed strips, rather than a nice bulk bag of mixed odd 'ends and pieces'. And our girlie goes through an entire bag of this stuff nearly every week!?! So yeah, a $4 bag of all natural fruit leather (and that's with tax included) versus strips costing $0.50 to $0.75 each, when she eats what amounts to two or more strips in just ONE SITTING nearly EVERY DAY!

We're talking the difference between spending $16 per month or, now, possibly $70 per month in fruit leather to maintain her typical intake?!? I think we're going to have to discover a new favorite snack. *sigh*

P.S. I will never consider 'Fruit Roll Ups', nor any day-glow selection of 'fruit chews' a solution to my new found dilemma here. None of them come near the real food quality of TJ's natural fruit leathers. Instead, they're all loaded with added sugars and artificial colors and whatever else; they're more like a food experiment or a desert at best. Fine for a treat, but not a daily snack in my book. My mum would roll over in her grave otherwise.

My Honey-Man's Gorgeous Chicky

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Makin' Cuppycakes for Mah Sweet Potato Girlie

Today's my furlough day for the month of March - - and it's the day before my daughter's FIRST BIRTHDAY!?!? - - I just cannot believe she's gunna be a year old tomorrow!? Holy Hannah!!! - - how the heck did that happen so freakin' fast, someone please tell me??!?

My honey-man has said this to me several times before, but this past year, it's really taken on greater meaning for me: One's concept of time completely changes once you have children.

Before I had my lil' sweet potato, a single day could drag on and on - - a week could feel like an eternity. I have been able to distinguish how time is, indeed, altered whenever we have the angel boy-O with us, here in Vegas and before, when I'd see him in California - - Here and gone is always how it feels, even during the summers when we have him for a few solid weeks. The time just flies by. And now? It's every day! Every week! Every month! Here and gone! It's just absolutely unbelievable to me that an entire year has flown by since our girlie came out and into the world!

And man, can I say I had NO IDEA how absolutely freakin' fantastic she'd be? - - She totally rocks my world, my baby girl, oh yes, she does!!! She is the coolest lil' thing ~ And the last couple of weeks have been phenomenal! She's just flying past developmental milestones, and each and every day, she does something new, and she's always showing us what a smart lil' cookie she is. And she's a total stinker too! Boy, she sure likes to test things out, particularly mommie's patience! I love it though - - I totally love the gleam in her eye as she watches my growing frown as she chooses which food item she will next hold over the edge of her highchair tray, to release it and let it fall to the floor... she doesn't even watch any of it fall --she watches ME and my face to see how I'll respond! I love bein' her mommie and although it's been kicking mah butt, man, my life is forever changed. I knew this would be the case, intellectually I knew, but wow, boy did I underestimate the transformation.

I'm making cupcakes right now to bring to her classmates and teachers tomorrow. Honestly, I don't think I could possibly be any happier right now in this very moment (unless I were 10 lbs lighter) - - yeah, I'm home on a furlough day, no less, and the economy really sucks, and there's LOADS of uncertainty ahead for all of us, and yeah, there are horrendous things happening this very minute all over the world; there's a gazillion valid complaints worth mentioning as part of this world and the reality that is life, but I'm way, way, waaaay too delighted with the 'cherry chip' cupcakes I'm baking to simply honor my baby's arrival into this world 364 days ago, to celebrate her and her first birthday. I'm all vehclempted.

Bring on the Cranberry Fluff!

Hmmm, Dohhnuts

Food-related Travel Notes for the someday-future:

The Elvis inspired Memphis Mafia donut from Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland, the Pink Feather Boa from Top Pot Doughnuts in Seattle, and either the Roasted Pistaschio glazed or the fresh Raspberry glazed donuts from The Doughnut Plant off 43rd and 9th in Manhattan.

Fried Chicken n' Waffles, oh Yes!

While my parents were in town for my sister's MSW graduation, they were staying at the Palazzo on the Strip. There was one day during which I was there for both lunch and dinner, and both times, we ate at the Grand Lux Cafe. Hearing 'cafe', I'd thought we'd be eating some casual, simple cafe food... Um, there were truly 'cafe'-esque options on the menu, yes, but it was no ordinary, simpleton experience. Everything was extraordinarily scrumptious, even the fried chicken with waffles was superb! -- I would know, as I had it for lunch AND dinner, it was so freakin' good!

My honey-man had a fabulously nummy broiled pork loin with an apple, cranberry and peach chutney, and a vegetable saute and both garlic mashed potatoes and yummy mashed sweet potatoes

I don't remember what this was called, but it was loaded with fresh grapefruit and avocado and my father loved it

And behold, my nutty pecan fried chicken atop a perfect Belgian waffle with an uber yummy honey butter sauce (not pictured) and warm, pure maple syrup. The waffle had a perfect buttery crispness to its outside, yet a perfect inner texture, light and airy and soft, but not too dry = perfect!

Cookies By Who?

The day after we came home from the hospital, a rather LARGE bouquet of rather LARGE (and uber adorable) sugar cookies was delivered to our home - - a bouquet of cookies? - - yes, it was a definite first for us! I'd heard about these "Cookies By Design" creations, and although I'd seen a couple promotional pictures before --always cute and well presented-- I had always been really skeptical as to how tasty a cookie that's sturdy and thick enough to be stuck on a stick could ever be... Man, I'm tellin' ya, these cookies were delicious! And OMG, more than ample, for sure!

Once we removed the cookies from their sticks and stashed 'em in a Tupperware the following day to keep them fresh, we were able to satisfy our daily cravings for something sweet for over a week! BTW: The bouquet was too large to store in any of our kitchen cupboards, so we'd first had to stash the entire thing atop the dryer in our laundry room, so our kitties wouldn't be able to paw or nibble at it in the night.

Thank you so much, Suzanne & Jason,
for the nummy and generous treat!

Well, Hello There!

Nothing edible can ever be left out to thaw or to merely sit upon our kitchen counter, for as soon as we leave the room, it will become kitty fodder. Consequently, foods that aren't meant to be stored in the refrigerator [e.g. artisan breads, baked sweets, aged or thawing meats, cooling pots of soup/stew, etc.] are often get stashed in the microwave overnight or a kitchen cabinet... This one, well, this one was a surprise to me:

I'd never before opened one of our cabinets to discover a raw roasting chicken plated for thawing! It actually startled me - - and then I nearly lost my bladder, laughing so hard.

RIP, My Dearest Amish Friendship CAKE Starter

I don't know what happened. Something like this has never, ever happened to me before in my long 9 years of keeping Amish Friendship CAKE starter. It was time to feed my starter and I was planning to make a cake with it last Friday night, just before we were to spend the evening with some of our friends, but I took my container of starter from the fridge and this is what I found:Moldy and ruined! I had to dump it all down the drain... not sure when I'll 'start' another starter. Last time, I had to start over, I was nearly heartbroken. Right now, I'm pissed off. We'll have to wait and see.

Why I Love Mah Honey-Man ~ Reason 33

Because he didn't insist upon going out for my birthday, although he, and my aunt and uncle, had both offered to take me to dinner tonight. All I really wanted was some quiet time at home alone after we'd been away for 12 long days, and then some homemade mac n' cheese.

So I made my mum's mac n' cheese for our din-din, and my aunt and uncle came over with presents and an angel food cake and some pink birthday candles. Oh, and earlier in the day, I had wanted to go see a particular movie, another birthday wish my honey-man dutifully fulfilled as well [and that guilty confession, I'll save for a later post]. OH! Annd my honey-man also did allll our laundry today! He must love me.

It was a nice, low-key birthday. Thanks, baby!

Puhleeze Pass Me the Cranberry Fluff, RiGHT nOW!

It's that time of year again! And although we're just a week away from Thanksgiving, I want me some Cranberry Fluff RIGHT NOW!

I've got a lil' nasty green-gunky cold right now. I've definitely had worse, but my body aches, and I haven't been sleeping well the last couple nights [SIDE NOTE: Although poor sleep is nothing new these days, now that I'm sleeping with a pillow between my legs, I can no longer enjoy my two favorite sleeping positions: Back and Stomach. And just last night, dis' wee babe in my belly kept thumping and bumping around in there until 2am!?!]... not sure I can get myself to the grocery store tonight. I may have to send my sweetest second in command, armed with a lengthy grocery shopping list, including food stuffs for next week's Thanksgiving 's cooking event! But really, all that could wait until the weekend or next Monday. I just really want me some Cranberry Fluff! No mind that we've run out of skim milk and eggs and bananas and lunch meat and... I just need the ingredients for some Cranberry Fluff!

Did I mention already that I want some Cranberry Fluff?

P.S.Right HERE is a blog post featuring a picture of cranberry fluff, and HERE is the recipe!

Resisting the Urge

BE FOREWARNED: Multiple massive run-on sentences...

So, the latest development in my lil' world of pregnancy is this: My appetite has gone through the freakin' roof!!! Over the past weekend, as this realization was coming to fruition, I was a very bad girl...

My honey-man stepped through our front door, saw all the empty grocery bags lying on the kitchen table, and as he saw me, as I turned to see him, as I announced I had a guilty confession to share, he then asked, "Whaaat did you dooo?," and then he immediately supposed I'd gone crazy purchasing more ice cream than we could possibly need or want (which rarely happens, no more than an annual basis)... "Oh no, it's much worse than that." And I turned to open the freezer door for him to behold my shame; I had made the mistake of going grocery shopping while I was hungry, jonesin' for starchy, fatty comfort foods, and I'd come home with an obscene combination of microwave meals! TRANSLATION OF 'OBSCENE': I bought 15 of 'em! Oh yes, FIFTEEN. SIDE NOTE: In my defense, I spent only $20 bucks, which, actually, one could argue is a better indication of something else, and the health implications aren't good.

SOME BACKGROUND INFO: Other than a few convenient frozen items from Trader Joe's, we DO NOT buy microwavable TV-dinner type stuff; it's never to be found in my mental grocery list, nor in our freezer. And right now? We're set for the next couple months (as long as I'm able to reign in my appetite). Although there were 5 Lean Cusine meals amongst the mix (mind you, all but one of those is some kind of pizza!), the rest are Marie Callender's pot pies (about 600 calories a pop!), and there are five evil, evil, evil, most delicious, Stouffers mac n' cheese meals (BTW, I require lemon pepper sprinkled on those!)... okay, okay: Ohhhccasionally, always the result of a weak, weak, very hungry moment, I will bring home a Stouffers mac n' cheese, which is then eaten within 30 minutes of walking in the door, but this does not happen often, not even on a quarterly basis.

BTW, a part of me blames this past weekend's transgression upon my Grammie Joanie and Gpa Billy, who introduced me to Stouffers mac n' cheese, while I was attending BYU in Provo, UT. I'd drive up to SLC, to get away from zoobie-land, and if unannounced, Gpa Billy would offer me a Stouffers mac n' cheese... That's how it began. Look at me now!?!

P.S. As an afterthought, what I should have done was take a picture of the inside of our freezer. That would have said it right there!

Gimme Some Cake!

Here are my birthday cakes... The taller of the two was made from an angel food cake box mix, and the shorty was our from-scratch effort. We made TWO angel cakes for 2 reasons: #1) In order to compare the box mix to the one made from scratch, and #2) we needed 2 cakes to have enough for 19 people (was kind of an impromptu birthday party), not counting any babies [and #3, we needed the box mix as our back-up, in case we royally screwed up the first!].

And the winner?

First let me explain that the reason the homemade angel cake is smaller than the box mix version is we had issues with my tube cake pan, which we didn't figure out until after we'd filled it with our batter.... as the pan leaked, we lost about 1/6 of the batter! So, we took it out of the oven and gently dumped the batter back into the mixing bowl, and while my honey-man ran off to Kmart to buy us a new tube pan (my hero), the batter began to liquefy during the wait... BUHT, in the final taste test, it won over the box mix, hands down! We had 7 people try both ( 4 of which, didn't know which was which) and it was unanimous.

Googling for Cranberry Fluff

So, I get the site meter report for this blog emailed to me once a week, k? Well, normally, it just gets checked off for 'Trash' without my ever opening it for even a mere glance, UNLESS, in the subject line, I see an unusual surge in the number of my average daily site visits. One of the last times it'd happened (and it's been a long time), it was because of my "I Hit a Cow" story. And one of the times before that, it was because I wrote a post about my Popa-sahn and Katherine McPhee.

So yeah, the average daily number of visits to my blog this week? There's been a definite surge.

And this time? Apparently, I'm the #3 Google search result for Cranberry Fluff [RECIPE HERE]!?!

How appropriate.

And how cool is that?!?

(I am such a nerd, I know, I know.)

Time for Cranberry Fluff!

About a month ago, when I'd gone to Trader Joe's for some of our grocery favorites and I saw that they had fresh cranberries in stock, as soon as I was home, as I walked in the door, I excitedly announced to my honey-man "THEY HAVE CRANBERRIES ALREADY! CRANBERRY FLUFF, HERE WE COME! I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL TURKEY DAY!!"

So far, though, despite three different trips to Trader's since the discovery of their fresh cranberry stock, I've picked up a package each visit, tempted to throw it in the cart and run home to make me some Cranberry Fluff right now, before Turkey Day...and each time, I've put the package back down. Three strikes yer out!?

Well, ya know what? This is my chance for Cranberry Fluff [RECIPE HERE], man! Next trip to Trader's, I'm gunna throw a package (or two) of fresh cranberries in the cart and make us some Cranberry Fluff, whether it's in time for Thanksgiving Day or not!

Food, Glorious PARISIAN Food!

I've been home from my trip for a few days now, and so far, this is all I've compiled for a post about my 2 weeks' stay, off in Paris and London... pictures of my food while in Paris! (This post is obviously for Daly!)

But honestly, someone asked me what I loved most about Paris, and my first thought was to gush about the Parisian palette! Other than the crepe place we tried our very first night there (owned and operated by an Armenian, who's 7 yr old son took our orders and often had to correct his own father's French), everything was delightfully delicious... and I had croissants every day I was there (as was also the case in London, but don't get me started on London fare just yet)!

My very first breakfast in Paris... (equivalent to my entire caloric needs for the entire day!)Gorgeous, golden, fresh pastries sold in the mornings on Rue ClerJust a few doors down from our flat...I didn't try every kind, but every one I did try, each was fabulous!

This fellow, he very patiently helped correct my French when I'd asked him for 3 flats of raspberries for 5 Euros... yes, three flats of 'em! Our 2nd night, we made dinner at the flat, and we chose ripe raspberries on top of Moellieux for dessert!A little goes a long, long way in Paris; very, very satisfying!Lunch at the Eiffel Tower at "Altitude 95" [Whatever that's supposed to mean, I never found out - - wait! NO! I remember... the restaurant is located 95 meters above sea level... (big whoop, right?) The food was amazing.]This is a piece of cheese, baked with 2 apple slices to absorb the salt... and it was delicious!It's possible I may have had too many of these,
but each one was like a rich lil' tasty work of art.This is REAL quiche Lorraine - - and it was absolutely to die for!
(if one could die for quiche)OMG = IT WAS ALL SO FLIPPIN' GOOD!Some pretty inventive stuff...Um, can you say "yum?"
This was my first lunch in Paris - and very, very French, it was - at the Cremerie-Restaurant Polidor. If my brain had been on at the time, I would have also taken a picture of the Tarte Tatin I ate there - - it was the very best thing I devoured in all of Paris during my stay.

More quiche! This with goat cheese, red peppers and zucchini!

My last breakfast in Paris ~ and that's a farm fresh egg I'd scrambled!

Foiled Again!

My long-time-had Amish Friendship CAKE starter had recently died a dreadful death, due to my own negligence (sniff, sniff) ... and so, I had made the promise to start fresh and create a new batch of starter...

After 8 days' time, only 2 left to go before I could make some yummy Amish Friendship CAKE with it, my Otis (I didn't actually see him do it, but it had to be Otis!) nibbled the starter's Ziploc bag!?! NEVER EVER have either of the kitties attacked the Amish Friendship CAKE starter, not ever!?!?

And to do so now? When I was trying to start my starter, anew? and with only 2 friggin' days left?

Fooey. Lil' fuzzy bastards.

Must. start. over. AGAIN.