French Onion Soup...

Oh.. Man.. Must blog about the best thing I've made in a LOOONG time. Made French Onion Soup yesterday. I've made it a few times before (last time was Valentines day a few years ago) and it just sounded like a good idea now that the weather is starting to get chilly. I must toot my own horn on this one.. I had two bowls of it last night and another for breakfast this morning.. yummy yummy yummy!! Just a note on the bread/cheese finishing part. I have no idea where my oven proof bowls have gone to so instead I sliced the bread, drizzled with olive oil and toasted in the oven. Then topped with the cheese and broiled until the cheese was melted. Then I just dropped it in the bowl of soup and it was just as good!

French Onion Soup
4 large onions, sliced
1/2 c butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 c red wine
3 Tbs flour
2 qts beef broth
french bread
Gruyere cheese

Saute onions and garlic in the butter on medium heat until they are caramelized (20-30 minutes). Deglaze with red wine. Add herbs. Allow to reduce on medium heat until wine is almost gone and onions are almost dry (10-15 minutes). Lower heat to med-low and add flour. Cook stirring constantly so flour does not burn for 5 minutes. Add beef broth and allow to simmer on medium heat for at least 20 minutes. When ready to serve ladle into oven proof bowl and top with toasted french bread slice and cheese and broil in the oven until golden bubbly.

Salsa!!

Really? I haven't posted my salsa recipe? It's one of my all time favs! I haven't made it for my mom since I've moved back... even tho I've probably bought the ingredients 3x (and had the cilantro go bad... 3x...) Until I FINALLY made it tonight! Now this is my quick version. My all means use fresh tomatoes if you want. Personally I actually kinda prefer the canned..they're a little ... soupier? and I kinda like it that way! lol Add more/less jalapeno, to your taste. Personally I gut it (take out the seeds and ribs) so it's not too hot. As for the 'Adobo' it is a Spanish seasoning. It can be found down the 'ethnic' food aisle with all the other Spanish foods. The name brand of it would be 'Goya'. If you can't find it all it is is salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano (Mexican Oregano.. a little different that your usual Italian variety). Really just a pinch or two of salt and you'll be good. I would invest in the Adobo tho.. you'll find it very useful in a LOT of things! I pretty much use it in place of salt/pepper a lot of times.. or when I'm making something and feel like its 'missing something'

Salsa

2 cans petite cut tomatoes
1/2 can whole kernel sweet corn
1/2 onion, finely minced
1 'handful' cilantro, finely minced
1 jalapeno, finely minced
1/2 lime, juiced
Adobo, to taste

Mix it all up. Eat with chips. :)

Oh yes!

I KNEW there was an actual reason I wanted to post something! SO I'm actually gonna try to blog more.. Maybe not all about cooking things.. I REALLY wanna be more crafty and have been following more and more blogs with SO many great ideas!

ALSO I wanted to share the most awesome website ever.. I do not own or take any rights to it of course, I just absolutely love it! Any time someone asks me for recipe ideas I send them here because it's what I use. http://www.allrecipes.com Go! create an account! You can browse their recipes and add them to your recipe box! As your browsing you can see how their rated and read other peoples comments on them... how they liked it, how they would change it, ext. You can also post your own recipes, comments, ext. I love this website! You can sign up for the 'daily recipe email' which I'll admit most days gets deleted.. but we've all been in that food rut and sometimes that's all you need for some great inspiration! So please! Check it out and enjoy! :)

Oiy..

So.. This post is non food related.. But I just feel the need to right. I've been sick, again. I feel like I'm always sick! And when I'm not sick Javion is!! I got real sick at work on Wednesday.. strangest thing ever and it hit me SO fast! Started with a little bit of a sore throat.. then got some crazy nausea and dizzy spells.. tried working a bit more and my hands started shaking and before I knew it I started seeing spots like I was about to pass out. My chest got tight and I could hardly breath. I sat down for a bit and my boss told me to go take my lunch break. Got a sub and sat out in my car for the hour.. Ate a few bites and started feeling better.. Got back into work and not 20 minutes in it started all over again.. so I would go into the bathroom just to sit down for 5 minutes, pull myself back together, and go out again. Did this for 2 hours and finally broke down and left early. By then I started getting some serious pain in my back so I knew my kidneys were involved some how (when are they not?!) Called my Aunt Luan who's a PA and she told me to go to the ER. Got admitted and put on tons of fluids and antibiotics. Had yet another urine sample done and no evidence of infection but they were sure I had a kidney infection.. and sure enough a little after the anitbiotics started my back pain started to subside. They also think I had some strep too. Had some more ultra sounds done of my kidneys and the cysts are till there and seems like theres at least one more stone.

Those of you who DON'T know my heath history.. I've been dealing with problems with my kidneys since high school. Senior year I woke up one night in the worst pain in my life and went to the ER to find out I had several kidney stones, several cysts, and all around 'abnormal' kidneys. I've moved about a zillion times since then across 3 states ever staying with one doctor for long enough to actually get a diagnosis or a cure. I've had some doctors think its PKD - Polycystic Kidney Disease. I've had others not want to diagnose me with that because usually it's not until your 30-40ish... My last doctor in Utah was calling it 'multiple cystic kidneys'. They say they're not hindering the function of my kidneys, but I'm getting unsure of it. It seems like I'm always in pain now a days.. weither it be just a dull back pain, to a searing stabbing back pain, to UTI type pain.. I'm so sick of it! I want to be healthy! I want to just wake up in the morning and have a good day! And when I'm not sick with kidney stuff I usually have a migraine!

*sigh*

Okay.. My rant is over.

As for cooking things.. been slacking again. Used the slow cooker a bit.. Joe's addited to tacos/sloppy joes. Been buying the powder stuff but making it with ground turkey. I really can't tell the difference.. well actually I can.. becaues it doesn't make me sick! OKAY.. those who know my eating habbits.. I've been known to be a BEEF-A-HOLIC.. but it's changed since the pregnancy. While I was preggo even the thought of the smell of beef made me want to hurl (granted it didn't take much to do that) but I find even now, my son being 8 months old, I am still turned off by a lot of beef things. Now.. a good seared filet sounds great.. but hamburger? Taco? bleeh. And I've found anytime I have beef I get all bloated and just gross feeling! SOO we've been on a turkey fix and I've find it doesn't make me sick! Not asking questions.. Don't care.. just laying off the beef for a bit.. lol!

What was for dinner tonight? Funeral potatoes.. Got the recipe on here already in my Thanksgiving post. Mom never had that recipe before and she even agreed she liked it better than my grandmas :P And it's about a zillion times easier.. Sorry Grandma.. LOVE ya.. but Velveta is gross..

Okay. That is all.

No time...

So with working a full time job and having a 2 hour commute everyday I'm gone 55+ hours a week.. then what time I have at home is spent with Javion.. SO cooking hasn't been as high on my list of things to do.. Mom and I however went to the Clay County Fair and picked up a cook book called "The Busy Womans Slow Cooker Cook Book" ... Now a lot of these recipes are 'a can of this' 'a can of that' type recipes that I'd rather stray away from.. I used to be a very 'from scratch' kinda girl but with the crazyness that is my life this is how it goes!

We had a whole week planned out and what not BUT of course things never go as planned.. But we did make some pulled pork Sunday night that pretty much lasted until tonight. Today before I went to work I prepped up this and Mom was able to finish it up and I was actually able to have a home cooked meal waiting for me!

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

3lbs beef stew meat
2 cans Cream of Mushroom
1 pkg Onion Soup Mix
8oz sour cream
noodles

Place beef, soup, and mix in slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours. When ready to eat add sour cream and serve over noodles.

Other things..

Here are some additional recipes that I've been using in the past days

Rhubarb Jam

4 c chopped Rhubarb
4 c white sugar
1/4 c water
1 pkg Jello

Mix rhubarb, sugar and water in pot and heat over medium heat. Stir frequently until sugar has melted and become a syrup. Continue to cook until rhubarb is tender. Add package of jello. Cool and enjoy

My grandma would make this quite often. The flavor of jello is up to you! The flavors I remember her using the most was blue raspberry and strawberry. I've made two batches this month (there has been rhubarb at the farmers market for $1!) the first was with cranberry jello, and today's with peach. I'm not a big peach fan so that was okay but the cranberry is FANTASTIC!

Gravy

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can water
1/2 pkg Lipton Onion Soup

Mix. Put on anything. Enjoy

Don't know what is is about this but it's SO good. We first did it with pot roast in the slow cooker - but doubled the recipe.. DELISH! Now I find myself cooking meatballs in it, chicken, pork chops.. ANYTHING! It's just so yummy and quick and easy!

Grandma's Pecan Pie

1/2 c pecans
4 eggs
1 T melted butter
1/2 c light Karo
1/2 c dark Karo
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 c brown sugar
1 Tbs Flour
1 c peacan halves
pie crust

Put all ingredents except last cup of pecans into the blender and blend until smooth. Place pecan halves in pie crust and pour filling over. Bake at 350 foor 45 minutes

As this says, it is my grandma's recipe. Family favorite all around. I made 2 pies for the 4th, slightly burnt them, but they were still gone by the end of the night. I also tweeked it a bit to make it my own and tried adding a Tbs of molasses. It made it sweeter and richer.. oh so yummy!!

Opps

HA.. I'm sorry little food blog.. I promise I've been cooking! Life has thrown me a few loops in the last few months... But here I am again! I WILL BLOG MORE! However I killed my camera.. and lost my mothers camera.. SO there may not be many pictures.. but I will blog!

I find myself making Chicken Parmesan today. This was like the first 'fancy' meal I learned to cook when I was like 8 or 9 maybe? It's a go to for me.. Something I always make good, doesn't take much time, and everyone seems to enjoy. I've started to make homemade bread crumbs now.. My mom and I don't eat the heels of the bread so we freeze them. Once I get a bunch I throw them in the food processer.. Instant bread crumbs from something we would have normally trown away. I keep these bread crumbs in the freezer however.. There is still some moisture in the bread an I don't want them to mold.

I normally serve with pasta and garlic bread! Enjoy!

Chicken Parmesan

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 c Flour
2 Eggs, beaten
1 c Breadcrumbs
2 c Pasta sauce
2 c Shredded Itailan blend cheese
salt + pepper
Itailan seasonings
garlic powder

-Start by patting the chicken dry with a paper towel. Then set up your 'breading station' by having flour in one bowl, the eggs in another, and lastly the bread crumbs. Season flour with salt and peper and bread crumbs with salt and pepper, itialian seasonings, and garlic powder to taste.
-Coat the chicken in the flour, then egg, then bread crumbs. Then move to a greesed baking sheet.
-Bake at 350 for 30-45 min until chicken is fully cooked.
-Remove from oven. Top each with pasta sauce and cheese.
-Return to oven and bake until cheese is melted