Okay, so I'm moving this weekend and I just got hit by Denver's "Blizzard of 2006." This creates two (culinary) problems: All my dishes are packed and all my food is at it's bare minimum, and I can't go out and buy anything as all the supermarkets have been closed down.
Last night we had a little less than a half chicken breast and some assorted foods, and we wanted to make some warm soup to get through the night. We really didn't have enough broth, but we have a fridge full of wine from a going-away party earlier in the week, so I thought I could make a tasty liquid. As I'm cooking I realize that I have a can of crushed tomatoes, and I realized that I'm saved. Yes, saved.
While watching her show makes me want to die, Rachael Ray usually has some recipes that can be easily changed to fit your situation so that you, too, can have a tasty meal with some pantry staples (and really, we're down to just the pantry duct tape at this point!).
So, one of our favorite Rachael Ray recipes is her *sigh* Italian Sub Stoup. We had recently altered the recipe to make an Italian sausage stoup for an appetizer party, so I decided to save the day and make a delicious concoction that I probably wouldn't have thought of without her.
I took the 3/4 of a box of broth, juice-box sized box of stock, some leftover wine, and the crushed tomatoes to create a hearty base. I then added some cooked chicken, two carrots, garlic, half an onion, and bit of green pepper to create a "stoup." We added the last of our croutons and parmesan cheese and had a delightful and healthy meal (when our alternative was about 1000 crackers). It's not so much Rachael Ray's exact recipes, but really her methods that will come in handy in a pinch.
But please, do yourself a favor and DON'T watch her talk show.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
The Usefulness of Rachael Ray, and other Snowbound Thoughts
Friday, November 03, 2006
Sweet potato pizza with gorgonzola and onion
In the past two years that we've lived together, my husband and I have made pizza pretty much every Friday night (with a few exceptions). Most of the time we just have plain cheese, though we have been known to go Hawaiian (frozen pineapple chunks and prosciutto/bacon/ham) on occasion. Red onion and roasted red pepper is another favorite combination. But tonight I went a little crazy - sweet potato, onion and gorgonzola cheese. Mmmm.
Preheat the oven to 500°F (or as close as you can get it). Slice two medium sweet potatoes into 1/4" thick slices, toss with olive oil and salt, and 'roast' on a cookie sheet about 10 minutes, as the oven is preheating.
Stretch out your dough - homemade or premade will do - on a cookie sheet, or if you have a pizza peel, use that instead. Spread out the half-baked sweet potato, half an onion (red is preferable but either works) cut into rings, and about 1/4 c. of crumbled gorgonzola. Bake about 15 minutes in the lower rack of the oven, until the dough has browned. Let cool a couple minutes before slicing and enjoy.
Monday, July 10, 2006
Winging It
This past weekend, my husband and I were invited to our neighborhood's barbeque at the pool. On the invitation were the famous potluck words- Bring a dish to share.
Sounds easy, right? Not when your brain wants to go beyond the potato and macaroni salads that seem to overtake the classic American neighborhood BBQ. I wanted to make something different, but I wasn't sure what that would be.
For our housewarming party, my friend Anne made a fantastic Buffalo chicken dip that had me eating leftovers for two days. I decided to make that, along with Paula Deen's fabulous and easy Snickers pie (I'll have to post the recipe when I get home from work).
Buffalo chicken dip
1-10 oz can shredded white meat chicken breast
1 c ranch dressing
8 oz brick of cream cheese, softened
1 c hot sauce (use more or less to taste)
2 c shredded cheddar cheese, divided
*Note: it is quite easy to subsitute any and all of these ingredients with their lower fat/calorie counterparts- it still tastes wonderful (I think it's the hot sauce).*
Preheat the oven to 350. Mix everything but one cup of the cheddar cheese and pour into a smallish casserole dish. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the mixture is bubbling. Stir, and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Put back in the oven for about 5 more minutes or until the cheese has formed a crust on top.
Serve with Fritos/Tostitos (the blue corn ones are particularly nice) and celery sticks.
