WHAT'S IN THE PANTRY , can save you money

My hubby and I are playing a money saving game,that will give us more than we need for our Christmas shopping. He's not much of a saver but, got real excited about THIS post. Of course.....he's a guy and immediately thought we should make this a competition.So, not having a real income but, having a functioning household budget I have to be a little more creative with my savings.My first thought was to check the pantry and the freezer and see what I can come up with that would keep my from spending my grocery money and having a little extra to tuck away in the fund.This is only week 2 but, he has managed to put away $2 more than I.............Hmmmmmm patience little grasshopper.

My son attended a Christmas party and rescued the turkey carcass. His host was too tired to properly clean and rescue any remaining meat. My son knew I could handle this project and told his host to pop it in a plastic bag and I would be happy to dispose of it for him. My children are well trained to put enormous guilt on their friends when it comes to wasting food,and then offering them my help.After boiling down the carcass for broth I had 4 containers of turkey meat. Also in the freezer was a small bag of homemade cheese tortellini . Can you feel a plan coming together yet?

In the fridge I found carrot onion and celery which I sauteed in a little bacon fat.Once the veggies where tender I put in the turkey chunks and the broth..........took it to a simmer and let it blend for 1/2 hour.

Checked the fridge for a little color and found baby spinach that I added along with the tortellini and thyme for added flavor.

when all was simmered to perfection :-) I had enough for 4 servings.  

Topped with homemade croutons and my husband was most impressed.No,I missed the photo with the croutons you can stop looking for them.Of course, you can do this with any leftovers. I've even simmered a beef bone,added ramen noodles and pea pods with a little onion and bok choy  .Do you make leftover soup? What's your favorite?Well, I have no intention of losing this contest so hubby better not look in the mirror he just might see ........ the hobbit.

It's almost here........Are you ready?

Are you cooking like  crazy right now........I know Christmas/comfort. It's a perfect match,isn't it? This should be such a fun time of year,but, somehow I make an almost impossible list than even Santa can't handle.While trying to decide what to make for the holidays I scan to see what my blogging friends are doing and by the time I've spent an hour or two oowing and ahhing over all their plans I'm just about ready to have a good cry.
Really....am I the only person out here who can't make 13 different cookies and 5 specialty candies for my family to enjoy?

But then I look out my window at the newly fallen snow and see my neighbors house looking like the perfect Christmas card, my heart melts and my blood pressure drops a few notches and I am reminded that I just have to be me.Although I love a good cookie I have to say that my true comfort food is ........

                                                                   
                                                                   SOUP........I think there is nothing more comforting than a hot bowl of soup.This week I made RED LENTIL WITH LEMON.When life gets a little stressful, this soup can really lift your spirits.There are many variations to this recipe,however I think this comes under the heading of "if it ain't broke,don't fix it" simplicity is an important thing to remember during the holidays.
Gather these ingredients:

4TBLS EVOO  
2 LARGE ONIONS CHOPPED
4 GARLIC CLOVES MINCED
2 TBLS TOMATO PASTE
2 TSP GROUND CUMIN
1/2 TSP KOSHER SALT
PINCH OF CAYENNE
2 QUARTS VEGGIE BROTH.........OR CHICKEN
2 CUPS RED LENTILS
2 LARGE CARROTS  PEELED AND DICED
JUICE OF 1 LEMON
1/3 CUP CHOPPED FRESH CILANTRO

Saute onions and garlic in Olive Oil till just tender
Stir in tomato paste,cumin,cayenne salt and pepper and continue to stir till  you have that wonderful aroma of onions and spice rising up from the pot.  Oh yeah ...... now you're cooking.Add your broth,lentils and diced carrots.Bring to a boil then slowly simmer till tender. 20 to 30 minutes.At this stage I use my emulsion blender to puree the soup.Stir in lemon juice and chopped cilantro and enjoy!! After consuming 1 or 2 bowls of this soup you should be ready to get back to your holiday list and probably check everything as "done"
Hmmm,have you thought of having it for breakfast?..........said the Hobbit

It's all about the soup

Modern medicine, amazing isn't it. Can you just see your grandfathers face if you told him to get a new knee? My pepere already thought we were all from another world,this would surely put him over the edge.

Here he is with his therapist Jamie and Willem checking on his flexibility. The goal is 130 degrees. Not a problem, he has surpassed that and is heading for new territory. And to what do we own this miracle to?? Great surgeons? Above average hospital care?Caring therapist? Well they did their part,but, I think it was all about my soup.

You doubt me??? Then you just have to try this soup and see if it doesn't make you feel on top of the world.......Really! Every one involved in Jiggy's care has told me the more weight he loses the better his recovery will be. In some cases the body takes up to 24 months to heal completely,so,we could see improvement for the next 2 years. Soup has played an important role in our everyday activities through most winters ,but especially this year. Everyone has had changes in there lives lately and I truly believe soup is the crutch we need to lean on.

This soups takes no fancy steps and can be made in a jiffy.

2 TABLESPOONS BUTTER (no salt)

1 LARGE ONION

1 POUND OF CARROTS

1 PEELED LARGE SWEET POTATO

1 PEELED LARGE BAKING POTATO

1 HEAD OF CAULIFLOWER

2QTS OF WATER OR VEGGIE BROTH

SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE

MINCED FRESH DILL

1 CUP OF SOUR CREAM

Put everything in a pot a (not the sour cream) and simmer till everything is tender. Puree 1/2 or all the veggies Return to the pot .Add the sour cream and stir to blend,heat to serving temp and season if necessary with salt and pepper. A dollop of sour cream and an additional sprinkle of dill when serving is up to you.

You'll have about a gallon of soup,so,pass it around. I sell my soups in the winter time but, this one is going to an elderly neighbor. She's my #1 taster. Hope to get back soon. Have so much to share but, my schedule is crazy right now. Miss you all.....................said the hobbit

It's still soup time

Like many of you out there,winter means warm comfort food for me. The mercury is still struggling to get out of the single digits ,and some rodent named Phil claims that I will be in this state for another 6 weeks.

Well that's ok. I'll be in my kitchen doing one of my favorite things. Every winter we get our hours trimmed down at the Barn .This year was no different. However, my hours were cut in 1/2 and that gave me even more time to spend in the kitchen.
I like trying new recipes but,in between ,I go back to my favorites and sometimes add a new twist.Of course ,I don't think I'm the only one doing this, there has to be at least a few dozen people doing the same recipe at the same time. What do you think? Are duplicate events happening to different people at the same time?Ok ,way too deep for me. Back to the simple life.

Today was BROCCOLI soup day.First thing I do is gather all my ingredients in front of me. That way if I have to substitute anything I should know ahead of time. My recipe was found at Canadian Living.I often visit this site because I think New Englanders have a lot in common with Canada especially Quebec.

Next I chop or measure or weigh out whatever needs doing.The ingredients are

1 large stalk of broccoli (chopped extra kale left in fridge

2 cloves of minced garlic (more like 4) we love garlic

1 chopped onion

2 tbsp Canadian Cheddar (who are you kidding 2 tbls?) 2 cups shredded

1/4 cup long grain rice

3 cups chicken stock (had 4 on hand)

3 cups milk (used a cont light cream)

2 tbls
freshly squeezed lemon juice ( used the whole lemon)

s&p

pinch of hot pepper flakes

Broccoli flowers were set aside.Stalks were peeled and chopped. In the chicken stock went the stalk,kale onion, garlic ,rice and hot pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and simmer gently till rice is done. It was about 20 min. Add the broccoli floret's and cook another 5-10 min.

As you can see this lemon served a zesting purpose on the previous day and was looking a little naked.Trust me the juice was fine.


Now your ready to puree the soup Don't forget to do this a little at a time.I've been know to add too much in the container and I practically scorch myself.Return everything to the pot along with the lemon juice and light cream or milk.When it's hot I remove from heat and stir in about 1 1/2 cups of grated cheddar,the sharper the better.

This is where they used the cheddar.Just a teensy bit on top before serving. I agree a little sprinkled on top adds to the presentation,however 1 1/2 cups in with the soup will leave you licking the bowl..............................said the hobbit

Time to make the soups

Some of you may not know, that every year, I make soup which I deliver to my customers once a week. It usually makes winter just fly by,makes people happy and gives me that little spending money we all like to have.

This year I discovered several soups that started with roasting the veggies. It is amazing what that does to the taste. When I tell people how the soup was made,they insist I'm keeping some cook's secret from them. So, here's my recipe for ROASTED PUMPKIN SOUP,

give it a try and let me know if this isn't a most comforting soup.The recipe makes 4 qt.It's a great way to keep in touch with the neighbors. Go ahead,pass it around.

5-6 LB PIE PUMPKIN

2-3 CUPS CHOPPED ONION

3 CUPS OF MUSHROOMS (I used shitake this time but its up to you)

3 LARGE GARLIC CLOVES

OLIVE OIL

S&P

3QUARTS VEGGIE BROTH

Cut and seed the pumpkin .I cut the pumpkin in 1/2 then did 1in. half circles
Toss this in a bowl with the garlic ,onion and mushrooms and about 1/3 cup of olive oil. This mix should be roasted at 400 degrees till pumpkin is easy to pierce.Check after 20 min. and go from there. Once the pumpkin has cooled, remove from skin and puree ALL with some of your broth.

I used veggie broth because was making this for my vegetarians,however I have learnt that any broth will do if you have chicken or beef feel free to give that a whirl. Return to your qt pot and add remaining broth till you feel it's a consistency that you like for soup. S&p to taste and serve with a crusty piece of bread.

A bonus to making this soup are the seeds. I soaked them in warm water to remove all that fuzzy slime.Then I put the seeds in a salt bath and let them soak overnight. Drain put on a cookie sheet and in the oven at 300 degrees for about 30-40 min. Just make sure they are good and dry. You don't want them to mold in storage.

It made 3 snack packs that my husband has been nibbling on. It is a salted snack so I can't allow him to have this all the time but, once in awhile is ok.................said the hobbit

Please sir ,more chicken

Back from my trip and so behind in everything.There still a chill in the air so, a second soup was made This one is call Creamy mushroom and Chicken soup

This was a late contender in my little soup business and everyone raved about it. It has a surprising amount of veggies that are hardly even noticed because it's so creamy and delicious

You will need:6Tbsp butter

1 chopped onion

3Tbsp flour

s&p

6 cup chicken broth

1 lb sliced mushrooms

3/4 cup sliced celery

3/4 cup sliced carrots

2 cups quartered baby red potato

1 cup yellow squash

1 -1/2 cup frozen corn

2 tsp thyme

2 cup light cream

3/4 cup grated Parmesan

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

Now don't be afraid to substitute .Soup recipes should never be written in stone.I often cook for people who are gluten intolerant so flour as a thickener is out.In its place I use arrowroot or corn starch which would be mixed with a cold liquid and added to the finished soup.When you use flour, you should sprinkle it on the sauteed veggies allowing it to cook for about a minute or two then add your broth.

So now you add your butter to the pot saute the mushrooms and onions add the flour s&p if you are using it pour on the broth and bring this to a boil.Toss in your veggies and herbs.If you don't' like thyme you can chose rosemary or basil or even oregano. Lower your heat to simmer and wait for all those veggies to be cooked .I had an extra zucchini so that was thrown in the pot.Once your sure the carrots and potatoes are cooked stir in the cream Parmesan and the chicken.I didn't have cream and wasn't about to go to the store .I did have some half&half and some whole milk so I used that instead. This makes about 15 servings

In our family soup is always around.Even Jiggy

(the hubby) can reheat this if I'm not around. However he usually insist on waiting for me to eat with him, so, that's not the real issue for having it ready

Some of you might think I have forgotten to keep track of my spending for March. You would be correct. I totally forgot to post about it March was a little better. I spent $109.85 or 3.55 a day.Total for the year is now $286.95.This month we didn't send Jiggy to the farmers Market for shrimp and lobster.May will bring that total right up there since my meat will be included at that time.Well it's great to be back and I still have so much to tell you about my trip .Oh yeah the chicken story continues.........said the hobbit

How far can a chicken go?

I've been asked how I can stretch my grocery dollar so far so, I thought we'd follow this chicken and see just how far it goes.This is one of my local chickens.I just took it out of the freezer to thaw since I need a good chicken broth for my soup.Today I will be making escarole soup,also known as Italian Wedding soup.As you can see locally grown chickens are very large.It's sitting on a standard size stove and practically takes up all the space.This chicken was raised to about 9mo.before slaughter.Just amazing how big they are. The meat is very tender and there is plenty of it. First step ,after thawing was to pop this chicken in a large pot with s&p.bay leaf, white wine,(1/2 cup) celery,carrots and onions.I bring this to a boil and then let it simmer for about 45min. Then I shut the heat and let it sit in the broth covered for at least another hour.

While this is happening I prepare the teeny tiny meatballs for the soup.I mix egg,milk,breadcrumbs,basil s&p,garlic Parmesan cheese and finely minced onion with ground beef. This is sauteed in olive oil and then set aside to drain while the soup is completed. I suppose you can make the meatballs any size you like as long as they fit on your soup spoon.That's a teaspoon in with the meatballs and I usually get about 60 meatballs out of a lb of ground beef. Also remember that they will get a little larger after sitting in the hot broth.

A little more oil in the soup pot and I'm ready to saute my onions .I use about 2-3 depending on the size. Then we add a minced garlic and toss in a head of chopped escarole which I stir in till wilted.

By this time the chicken has been completely cleaned to the bone and the meat has been set aside for later use. I strain the broth and pour about 6 cups into my onion/escarole mix.I let this simmer with the rind of a chunk of Parmesan.I'm fortunate to have access to this.If it's not available to you just add grated cheese before serving. It will be fine. Oh yes don't forget to put the meatballs in.I leave this on the lowest heat possible for another 20-30mins.

Then I add 1/2 cup of orzo and cook till done. If the soup appears too thick for your liking don't hesitate to add more broth. Also if you haven't any orzo on hand and no one will be checking up on you to see that you followed this recipe to a T,there is no reason that you cannot break-up any kind of pasta into bite size pieces.

So that's the story on the beginning of this chickens odyssey.Remember we haven't touched the meat yet so we have a ways to go. This soup should yield about 8-10 servings.Add a crusty bread and you have a good lunch for several days. Next stop my favorite chicken salad. I can hardly wait.............. said the hobbit

new Beginnings

Well, my little friend Champignon and I have something to tell you. We have decided to start a business of our own. I know many of you will say this is a bad time to get into such a venture ,but, hear me out. As many of you know I have been cooking at Tuttle's Red Barn for the past ten years. No I am not leaving!!!However when fall comes around I always long to cook

nice,warm comforting soups. I beg and plead but, with so many chores around the barn and preparations for the holidays there's just too many things already on the to-do list. No time for soup-making! Until now.......

So it is with encouragement from my friend Lucy Tuttle, that I venture out to cook the soups on my own.

The plan is to make three different soups on Wednesday of each week and to deliver them into my peoples home or office by Thursday. Of course I plan on using local meats and vegetables and my homemade broths will be sodium free. Nothing but the best for my people!

My first 3 soup are *turkey noodle

*cream of tomato

*Italian wedding soup

At the cost of $9 a quart they'll have warmth and comfort in a nice little bucket. That's right the Hobbit found a cute little qt. bucket with a handle and all.

Well I guess there's nothing more to say if you need me you know my e-mail. Just in case Some of my local people are reading this it's doverptchef at yahoo dot com Well that's all for now just one more thing to do................................said the Hobbit