Category: Yummy

Italian Sausage Soup~

5/25/2014

I’m back into soup. This recipe is from my friend Barbara who got it from her friend Susan. I add more pasta shells, which makes it more of a stew than a soup. I served it with salad and corn bread.

Ingredients:

SUSAN’S ITALIAN SAUSAGE SOUP Serves 6-8

1 ½ lbs. of Italian sausage, in ½ -inch slices
2 large onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
28-oz. can of Italian-style tomatoes, with liquid
42-oz. can of beef broth, unsalted
1 ½ cups of dry red wine
½ tsp. of basil
2 cups of uncooked bow or shell pasta
2 medium zucchini, in ¼-inch slices
1 medium green pepper, seeded and chopped
3 TBS. of chopped parsley
5 oz. of Parmesan cheese, grated

Saute sausage in large kettle until lightly browned. Drain and discard fat. Add onions and garlic. Saute until onions are limp. Stir in tomatoes, breaking them into small pieces. Add broth, wine, and basil. Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool, transfer to a large bowl, and refrigerate. Skim fat from surface and discard. Return soup to kettle. Stir in macaroni, zucchini, green pepper, and parsley. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, or until pasta and vegetables and tender-crisp. Serve with cheese.

This soup can be too dry on the second day. If so, add liquid then.

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Simply Yummy Zucchini Bread

2/15/2014

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I’ve been making this zucchini bread for over thirty years. I found it in Bouquet Garni: A liberal sampling for the fine art of cooking from alumnae of Mount Holyoke College, published in 1978. It’s one of my staples., yummy and simple to make.

3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil (I use canola oil)
3 cups zucchini, peeled and grated (I grate in a food processor)
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour (I use 2 cups white, 1 cup whole wheat)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup grated coconut

Beat eggs until they are foamy; add sugar, oil, zucchini and vanilla; mix well. Combine the remaining ingredients, and add them to the zucchini mixture. Divide batter between two well-buttered 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45-60 minutes.

Thank you Beatrice Beach SZekely ’62, Buffalo, New York.

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Guacamole

7/20/2011

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This is my ten year-old granddaughter’s specialty. Thanks, Abigail, for writing it up, taking the pictures, and emailing it along. And thank you for being willing to share it with all my cottage-by-the-sea friends. It is sooo yummy, simple to make, and good for you, too. I wish you were here.

Guacamole
Ingredients:
1. 1 avocado
2. 1 small spoonful of Dijon mustard
3. 1 teaspoon of lemon juice (optional)
4. 1 half diced tomato (optional)
5. 2 shakes of salt & pepper each

Recipe:
1. Cut avocado in half
2. Take pit out
3. Scoop avocado into bowl
4. Smush avocado with fork
5. Add mustard
6. Add S&P
7. Add lemon juice
8. Add tomatoes
9. Eat with Tostitoes chips
10. ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!

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Broccoli-Cheese Soup

5/13/2011

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Broccoli-Cheese Soup

My sister gave me this recipe from “Cooks Illustrated.” Here is my rendition. This is not the most simple soup in the world to make, but it isn’t complex either. And it is yummy and nutritious.

Heat 2 Tablespoons butter in large pot or Dutch oven.
When foaming subsides, add:
2 pounds broccoli, florets and stems, chopped in 2 inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1 ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
(optional: two medium garlic cloves, pressed)
Cook, stirring frequently for 6 minutes

Add:
1 cup water
1 teaspoon baking soda
Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring once.

Add:
2 cups chicken broth
2-3 cups water

When simmering, add:
2 ounces (2 loosely packed cups) baby spinach
Cook for about one minute until wilted.

Blend mixture. I use a food processor but you can use a blender. Blend to desired consistency. I like the texture of a few small lumps.
Add to the mixture:
1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (3 ounces)
¾ cups Parmesan cheese, grated

Return to Dutch oven and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Add water to adjust consistency of soup
Salt and pepper to taste

You may find that it is a little difficult to find all of the ingredients in the photograph. Here is a clue. I buy herbs and spices, in this case the dry mustard, in bulk. Whenever I can, I roast a chicken for a couple of meals and then make chicken broth.

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Yorkshire Pudding

3/6/2011

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Yorkshire Pudding
Now here is the ultimate comfort food, the comfort being in the pudding itself and in the accompanying roast beef and gravy. And, it’s easy to make.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Put 1/3 stick of butter in a 9x11 pan (I use Pyrex)
Melt in preheating oven.

In an electric mixing bowl
Beat 4 eggs
Add 1 ½ cups four
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
Beat for two or so minutes.

Pour into Pyrex with the sizzling butter.
Bake for ½ hour or until golden brown.

Simple tips~
• I prefer an electric mixing bowl but an electric hand beater will do.
• Yorkshire pudding recipes call for the drippings from the roast beef rather than for butter, but I like to use the drippings for gravy.
• Do not compromise: be sure to use butter.
• I make the pudding before I cook the beef, especially if I only have one oven. It will stay warm on the top of the stove, but then I turn off the oven, stick it back in while making the gravy.
• Do not skimp: I want to have plenty for everyone so if I’m serving more than four people I make two batches, mixing one at a time. I put the first aside in a bowl and then pour each batch into a separate Pyrex and bake at the same time.

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Comfort Brown Sugar Brownies

12/24/2010

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Just seven simple ingredients that I always have on hand.

   Of course all brownies are comforting but these are especially so because after adding the first ingredient to the Cuisinart, it takes only 15 minutes before I am shoving the pan into the oven. How simple is that for comfort on a busy holiday morning?
    I got this recipe for brownies from a friend of my mother’s when I was a teenager and have been making them ever since. My mom, a proud-confessing chocoholic, always made chocolate brownies, the kind where you have to melt the chocolate, which takes time and produces another pan to wash. Ugh. We’d always tried to convince her not to add nuts, but she held strong to her idea that there was a right way, which was to follow the recipe exactly.
    For sure, these Brown Sugar Brownies are simple to make. But it is the taste that is the most comforting, all the way from the yummy batter, to the chocolate bits, to the finished product. Give it a try, unless, of course you don’t like brownies. In that case, how about comforting a friend?

Comfort Brown Sugar Brownies. Yummy

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a food processor mix:
3 eggs
2/3 cup margarine
2 cups light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix in
2 cups flour (if you want a little nutrition, substitute a cup of whole wheat flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
Add
1 cup chocolate bits
Put mixture a 9x11 pan and shove into the oven. (I use a Pyrex pan and spray it with Pam.)
Bake for 20-25 minutes.

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Girl with Cherries, ca. 1491–95, Attributed to Giovanni Ambrogio de Predi

About Comfort Food

Whenever I long for silence, solitude and simplicity, I’m always hoping to find comfort food waiting for me. My comfort food rules are simple.

Comfort Food must be
1) Easy to prepare
2) Taste yummy in my tummy
Comfort Food does not need to be
1) Nutritious (although it often is)
2) Prepared from scratch
Comfort Food can be
1) Fruit and vegetables
2) Fried in bacon fat (my personal favorite)
3) Chocolate
4) Low in cholesterol
5) High in cholesterol
6) Add your personal favorite:_____________

Index
Fresh Tomato Sauce
Broiled Salmon
Baked Zucchini
Ministrone
Italian Sausage Soup
Simply Yummy Zucchini Bread
Comfort Beef Stew
Guacamole
Broccoli-Cheese Soup
Brownies
Comfort Chicken Soup
Comfort Carrot and
Cauliflower Soup Comfort Cheese Appetizers
Grilled Salmon
Mac and Cheese
Meatballs-Made-by-Her
Yorkshire Pudding
Broccoli-Cheese Soup

Italian Sausage Soup~

Simply Yummy Zucchini Bread

Guacamole

Broccoli-Cheese Soup

Yorkshire Pudding

Comfort Brown Sugar Brownies

About Comfort Food

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