I'm Back....Sort of

I know it's been a while. It's not that I haven't cooking. I have. I just haven't been sharing much of it because my life is just kicking my butt. I'm swamped and over committed (yes, I know it's my own fault), but I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Today is sort of the last day of an over committed schedule. I volunteered Tom and I to organize and cook for a church picnic. In about 45 minutes, we will be heading out to the park.

What else have I been doing? You mean besides my Strong Woman class, a Photoshop class, the church newsletter, shopping and planning the picnic and about a week's worth of the flu....well, as you can see, absolutely nothing. On top of it all, I'm planning, God help me, a new blog, but the new one will be completely separate from this blog, my personal diary blog and my food blog for our local online newspaper. I finally got mad enough and I'm going to start a blog that focuses on all those people out there whose health insurance has been denied or canceled (yes, I'm a bleeding heart Democrat, she's says proudly). Luckily, I'll have a little help now and then from some like-minded people.

So, wish me luck. It won't be long until I'm back in the food saddle again. I've still been cooking and taking photos. Until my next post....

Shredded Beef Tacos...Mmmmmm, they were delicious!

It's Fall and Time for Soup

It has cooled down considerably. Yesterday, the high was in the very low 70's and today is cooler and raining. Even with the rain, I'm enjoying it. This afternoon, I am wearing a long sleeve shirt, long pants and socks. It's been several months since I've worn long sleeves. Next stop, turtlenecks and Ugg boots.

Another thing I like about the onset of cool weather is having a nice hot bowl of homemade soup for dinner.

My mom was a soup maker. Not professionally, mind you, but I thought she made darn good soups. When I was growing up, I came to love the thick soups or chowders she would throw together with just a few ingredients. The seven of us (five girls and our parents) would sit down to dinner and make a meal of a large pot of thick soup and some bread. It was delicious, filling and warmed the tummy.

When Tom and I married over 40 years ago (41 years on the 19th of this month, thank you very much), the only type of soup I knew how to make was thick and hearty, made with beans, potatoes, rice or noodles ~ anything to thicken the broth. The first time I sat down to a meal of soup at my in-laws, I thought I might come away from the table still hungry. The soup pot was filled with a thin beefy broth, a few pieces of meat, some chopped vegetables and homemade "noodles." It filled me up, but it was nothing like I was used to.

Although I now appreciate a nice brothy soup, I still gravitate towards thick, hearty and flavorful. My favorites are clam or seafood chowder, bean soup, wild mushroom soup and the Tuscan soup my sister, Karen, introduced to us when she lived with us earlier this year. This is Karen's favorite soup, her rendition of a soup she had while living in Las Vegas.

Although I really liked her soup...you know me, I cannot leave well enough alone. I had to doctor it up with some herbs and spices to suit my palate. I have also made the soup using two different methods to cook the Italian sausage: 1)cooking the sausage with casings on, then slicing it, or (2) removing the casings before cooking the sausage and breaking it into chunks as it cooks (much like cooking hamburger). I like either method, but I'm lazy and often use method #2 because it takes the slicing step out of the recipe. The photo is of the soup using method #2.

Tuscan Soup
by Terri Powers (adapted from my sister, Karen's recipe)

• 1-1/4 lbs sweet Italian sausage, about 5 (I have also used sweet Italian turkey sausage with great success)
• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 4 medium potatoes (I use Yukon Gold and don't bother peeling them), cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 fennel bulb, roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground fennel
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 bunch kale, stems and center veins removed and roughly chopped
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

In a large pot or dutch oven, add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and (Method #1)cook the Italian sausage links until cooked through, about 6 or 7 minutes. Remove the sausages from the pot to a plate and allow to cool slightly. ~ OR ~ (Method #2) Remove the sausage from the casings and cook the sausage meat, breaking up with a fork, until cooked through. Remove from the pot to a plate or bowl.

Add the bacon to the pot (with the drippings) and cook until done, but not too crisp.

Add the onion to the pot with the bacon pieces and saute until the onion is translucent, about 3 or 4 minutes.

Add the garlic, fennel bulb, potatoes and spices to the pot and cook for about 3 or 4 minutes until the mixture is fragrant and hot.

Add the chicken broth to the pot and bring just to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.

If you have used Method #1 to cook the sausage, slice it now into approximatey 1/4 inch slices and add back to the pot and mix well. If you have used Method #2 to cook the sausage, add it back into the pot and mix well.

Simmer the soup until the potatoes are almost soft enough to pierce with a fork, then add the kale and the cream. Bring back to a simmer and cook for about 5 or 6 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with hot with a crusty bread.

Breakfast Burritos

Burritos for breakfast ?? Oh, baby, you bet!

Before we moved to Conway, Arkansas in 1993, we lived in San Diego County and a couple of weekends a month we would venture out to one of the swap meets.

To the south was Kobey's Swap Meet at the San Diego Sports Arena, the third largest outdoor market on the west coast. It was open Friday, Saturday and Sunday and boasted upwards of 1,000 vendors, some of them permanent and the rest were private individuals selling their garage sale items.

Just north of us was the Oceanside Swap Meet located in the Oceanside Valley Drive-In Theater. Again, some vendors were permanent and other were private individuals.

Both swap meets were open from 7 am to 3:00 pm and admission was only a buck. Tom and I would arrive early and spend hours walking up and down each aisle, scouring each table or shelf for something interesting. After we bought our vacation cabin up at Lake Tahoe, we literally furnished the entire cabin for less than $500 at one swap meet or another: a couch, coffee tables, lamps, rocking chair, dining set, dishes, silverware, pots and pans. You name it, we found it.

We never ate breakfast before leaving home, so by about 9:00 am we had worked up an appetite and were ready to visit a food vendor. Both swap meets set aside spaces for about a half a dozen designated food vendors who prepared food in their large catering trucks ~ the proverbial "Roach Coach" ~ most of which were owned and operated primarily by Latinos. They would arrive by 6:30 am, set up tables, benches and awnings next to their trucks and then tend to their pots of simmering pork and beef, grate copious amounts of crumbly white Mexican cheeses, stack piles of fresh, warm corn and flour tortillas, ready the flats of eggs and cut sandwich rolls for the uninitiated gringos. But first thing in the morning, the aroma of that greasy orange chorizo frying up in an industrial size pan permeated the air. Everything was prepared on site. Burritos were the most popular. They were huge, filled with eggs, chorizo, beans, rice, cheese, whatever your preference, wrapped tightly in paper to catch the grease as it oozed out the bottom. Napkins were not an option; they were a requirement.

When we moved from southern California, one of foods I missed the most was Mexican chorizo. But as Conway's Latino community grew, so did the selection of Latino foods. The day I discovered "my brand" of Mexican chorizo in Walmart, I nearly squealed with delight. I'm easily amused.

Now I always have at least one roll of chorizo in my freezer. My favorite way to use the spicy sausage is in the classic chorizo, egg and cheese burrito. It's tasty, filling and simple to make because you can add things you like: refried beans, black beans, rice, all of which are pretty traditional Mexican fare.

This morning I used chorizo, Egg Beaters instead of eggs and mild cheddar cheese.

Chorizo, Egg and Cheese Burritos (or Huevos con Chorizo)
by Terri Powers for Terri's Table

Makes 4 large burritos

• 4 oz. (1/2 of an 8 oz. tube) Mexican chorizo
• 4 eggs (or 2 individual servings of Egg Beaters)
• Grated cheese (you can use cheddar, jack, but Queso blanco or Queso franco are best)
• 4 large burrito size flour tortillas
• Salsa, optional

Place a small frying pan over medium high heat. Cook the chorizo in the pan, breaking up into small chunks with a spoon as it cooks. Cook until cooked through, about 4 or 5 minutes. Do not drain the pan.

Crack the eggs into a small bowl and whisk with a fork until the yolk and white is well combined (or if you are using Egg Beaters, just pour the two individual serving packs into the pan). Add directly to the chorizo and cook until the eggs are just done. Remove from heat.

Place a large frying pan or griddle over medium heat. Put one tortilla in the pan. Put a couple of handfuls of cheese on the tortillas. Don't put the cheese in the center of the tortilla, but sprinkle it left of the center nearly the full length of the tortilla.

Divide the chorizo and egg mixture into four servings. Spread 1/4 of the egg mixture over the cheese. Immediately roll up the tortilla tightly around the filling and allow to remain in the pan, fold side down, until the cheese is melted.

Remove to plate and keep warm. Repeat the procedure with the remaining tortillas.

Serve hot with salsa, if desired.

Speaking of REAL Mexican food, I just purchased Rick Bayless' book from BarnesandNoble.com and as I glanced through it I started salivating. This is the Mexican food I remember when Tom and I would drive across the border to Mexico and eat at one of the out-of-the way restaurants or from a street vendor. I'm looking forward to making some of the authentic Mexican cuisine.

I also came across a recipe for homemade Chorizo posted by one of my favorite chef bloggers, Gareth Mark, who blogs from Portland, Oregon at Stumptown Savoury. I think I will give his recipe a whirl.

Kitchen Window & A Cooking Update

I don't know why I'm having such a hard time with my food blog. I was so excited a few months ago when I first started my garden. I was ready to share the photos, cook up a storm and post recipes. I was bragging horribly about how great everything was doing. Maybe that's it. I was bragging too much and Karma took over.

What happened? Well, my garden pretty much went by way of the compost pile. The two year old oregano and thyme did not survive the wettest May EVER in Arkansas. The next victims were the squash. Between the bugs, the rain and the unseasonably hot weather, by June I could hear them choking to death all the to my kitchen window. By July the grape tomato bit the dust. The heirloom tomato forced out two blooms, but never fruited so I just ripped that sucker out.

So this is what I have left:

The roma tomatoes are finally doing pretty well. I picked five this morning.



The chives are standing up again, sort of.



We use fresh rosemary nearly every day. Although the bush is in need of some weeding, it is doing fine.



After cutting back all the flowers from the basil a couple of weeks ago, more flowers have emerged. I think I will give them one more good cut before the first freeze sometime in October.



And the parsley. I suppose the third time is a charm. Planted initially in the ground in the garden, it died. I bought more and put it in the pot with the Texas tarragon and the thyme and it took off. But, one night while I slept, little black and yellow worms ate all the leaves and left nothing but bare stems. I picked off every single one of those slimy little suckers and mercilessly mashed each one to a bloody green pulp. It was so gruesome, others apparently decided not to follow their fate. The parsley is now growing back.



The mandevilla has finally started to do what it should have done in May...grow and climb.



The front of the house has fared much better. The crepe myrtle are still blooming like crazy.



And the pampas grass that I planted just over two years ago have grown from the 5 gallon pot size into these gi-normous beauties.



So what's my problem? I have no idea. I have been cooking up a storm, just not excited about posting the stuff. I think it is just time to clear the cobwebs from my head and simply jump in again with both feet.......maybe.

Ardyce's Fruit Cocktail Cake

I'm not much of a dessert lover. I especially shy away from foods that are exceptionally sweet, like pecan pie or brownies. I know, I'm weird, but just the thought of putting all that sugar in my mouth makes my teeth hurt. I much prefer a fairly light dessert like a sorbet, flan or a soft and luscious creme brulee.

However, I made an exception to my own self-imposed rule for this wonderful cake...



Ardyce, my friend and former co-worker, brought this cake to a potluck when we both worked at the local university. I hesitated to try it because it looked ooey-gooey-sweet...not my cup of tea at all. But Ardyce tried and loved what I brought to the table, so I felt compelled to reciprocate. I'm glad I did.

This cake is sort of a cross between a cake and bar. It's super moist, chock full of fruits; it's tender, but dense, and topped with a mixture of brown sugar, chopped nuts and coconut.

Last week, when I was craving something really tasty for dessert and went searching for a recipe that would inspire me, I came across Ardyce's recipe.

I had my piece of cake with a little bit of ice cream (low sugar & fat, just because), but it's delicious all by itself.

Ardyce's Fruit Cocktail Cake
adapted from a recipe by Ardyce Coffey

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 pinches of salt
• 2 - 15 ounce cans of fruit cocktail with syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts, but you could also use pecans)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sweetened, flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 325°. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with oil, Crisco or cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, soda and salt with a small whisk to combine. To the dry mixture add the fruit cocktail (syrup and all) and eggs...


...and beat to combine with a hand or stand mixer. Pour into the well greased baking pan.



In a small bowl, mix the chopped nuts, brown sugar and coconut. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the cake batter.



Bake the cake for about 45 minutes or until done. Remember, the cake will be very moist. And, don't be alarmed if the brown sugar does not fully caramelize at first. The moistness of the cake will eventually dissolve the brown sugar.



Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.