Potato and Ham Cheddar Cheese Soup

This recipe probably precedes the processed Velveeta chunk cheese that has made cooking creamy, cheesy soups so easy. I say probably because I don't feel like looking up the exact date that Velveeta hit the market. My Mom was making this soup in my childhood and I don't recall ever seeing that in the local grocery store.  But enough about Velveeta as it is not an ingredient in this soup... real cheddar, milk and fresh vegetables give this soup its flavor and creamy goodness.  When I say real cheddar, I mean "grate it yourself." I have found that pre-shredded cheddar, while great in a lot of recipes, doesn't work as well when it's the main ingredient like it is in this soup. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in preservatives and just doesn't blend in the same manner as the hand-shredded block cheese.

Another reason I opt for the block cheese is that shredding the cheese with a hand grater was my job as a child on nights that my Mom cooked this soup.  My Mom was super strict when it came to just about everything, and snacking was one those categories that fell under strict guidelines.  The snack rule meant: we couldn't.  But while grating the cheese, I could take quick little bites from the bowl and my Mom wouldn't know, or at least she didn't say anything.  Grating cheese meant I could eat my favorite treat: cheddar.

My Mom's hand-written recipe & the grated cheddar in the back

 My Mom always said that you could tell how good a recipe was by how messy the pages of the cookbook were.  You might not notice all the mess on the soup page, but you can see that this recipe book has had a good amount of use.  Well-deserved use.  My Mom is an amazing cook.

Ingredients:

1/2 C butter
3 C water
1/2 C flour
4 C milk
4 C shredded cheddar
2 C diced ham
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 C sliced celery
1 C sliced carrot
1/2 C diced onion
salt & pepper & Tabasco to taste


First, slice your veggies (potatoes, celery, carrot, and onion).  Add the 3 C of water to a Dutch oven (large pot) and add the sliced veggies.  Heat to boiling, reduce heat, cover and simmer until potatoes and veggies are tender.

While the veggies are simmering, shred that cheddar and prepare your milk and flour.  You'll need everything handy and ready when making the roux because a seconds delay can destroy your roux!

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Gradually add the flour, stirring until smooth. Add the milk and increase the heat to medium. Stir constantly until thick and bubbly. Add the cheese and stir until melted.

Check that the potatoes are ready to go, meaning that they are soft and the desired texture for your soup.  If your veggie pot is ready, slowly add your cheese mixture to the Dutch oven with the vegetables.  Stir to combine.  Add ham, hot sauce, salt and pepper.  Keep on low until heated to the desired temperature.  Be careful to not boil or you will ruin the soup.

Serve and enjoy!

Salmon Balls

Yes, I know the name of the recipe causes middle school students (and teacher alike) to snicker, but this was what my Mom called the recipe that she, no doubt, took from a Betty Crocker Family cookbook years before I was born. Salmon Balls.

Salmon Balls

This is a recipe from my childhood, but modified as my mom used the pink canned salmon and had my sister and I  drain the can, then sift through the bones. She used sprinkle dill and  jarred lemon juice. Fresh ingredients weren't an 80's trend. I'm sure that was just "the time."  The first time I was a kitchen assistant to the canned salmon, I was certain that what Mom was about to serve would be an epic fail, but truthfully, her "old school" recipe was pretty delicious.  As I grew in the kitchen, it wasn't hard to imagine how this 80's dish could grow with the times. Fresh ingredients and the packaged salmon transformed this into something you could serve to guests.

What you will need

For the first step, you will need:

Pink Salmon (3)

Bread crumbs (maybe a 1/2 C)

Sour Cream (3 oz)

Egg (1)

Dill sprigs (to your tasting)

Chives or green onion, diced

Lemon (Cut in half and juiced)

Spices of your choosing (garlic powder, onion salt.... whatever you feel compliments salmon)

Mix the above together and form into  balls or patties.  Pour some oil (I only had peanut oil when I made these, but I prefer olive oil) into a pan and brown your balls!  

Making them crispy

Now for the remaining ingredients:

Sour Cream (13 oz, or the remaining container of your 16 oz)

Water (1 Cup)

Chicken bouillon (1 TBsp)

After you have made the salmon balls crispy on both sides, drain balls and wipe your pan clean of oil. Add the ingredients above and bring to a simmer. Add the salmon balls and heat until warm.  Serve with lemon and dill!  Delish!

Putting it together

Dinner is served

Typhoon Chili

We were supposed to be pounded by a super typhoon today, but we just have a bit of rain.  Nevertheless, it's a day for the indoors and with the cooler temperatures, the crock pot emerges.

My son loves my chili.  I concocted my staple recipe off of various vocal sharings: nothing concrete. But I think the salsa might be the secret.  One thing I absolutely love is not letting Gabe know that I'm making chili until he smells the crock pot a'heating.  He is always so happy when he figures out what we're having for dinner.

Aside from the cooked ground beef (1 lb), onion (1/2 C diced) and garlic (1 clove diced - jar is fine), you'll need the following ingredients:

3 cans Chili beans (I use Bush)
2 cans Rotel (or any diced tomatoes)
1 packet Chili season pack (McCormick for me)
1 TBsp Brown sugar,
Dash Tabasco,
2 TBsp mustard,
1 TBspWorcestershire, and
1/4 C salsa

- I don't actually measure anything, so feel free to leave the measuring spoon in the drawer and guess at it. You can always add a bit more as it simmers through the day, so do a taste test after a few hours of heating.

First I brown the meat, onions, and garlic. Drain. A tip for draining the meat - turn off the stove top and move the meat and onion mixture to one side of the pan and place a paper towel on the other side. Tip the pan ever so slightly and the paper towel will soak the grease. This also eliminate pouring grease into your trash can or sink (never do that!)

Line your crock pot with Reynolds Kitchen Slow Cooker Liners for easy clean-up. Then add the rest of the ingredients to the crock pot and cook it on low for 6 - 9 hours.  If you need to accelerate the speed, cook on high for 4 hours.  Serve with cheese, sour cream, cilantro and corn bread.  Yum!

Pigs in the Blanket - Polish Style

Polish "Pigs in the Blanket"

I have a lull in grad school right now... that three week coveted break.  Sadly, I was waiting for my down time to write my 92 year old Nana a letter.  Instead I wrote her eulogy last night.  This was my favorite dish that she ever made for me and thankfully, she taught me and my sisters how to cook this. It is amazing, and I will think of Nana each and every time I make it.

Pigs in the Blanket... Polish Style. Regina Lingel - Polish Style.  Na zdrowie!

When I tell my son or  friends that I'm making pigs in the blanket for dinner, they don't sing praises  because I'm shoving a hot dog in some dough.  No, it's not simple like  that. This is my Nana's recipe for beef remoulade.  I promise it's good  enough to serve to dinner guests, and the leftovers make great  lunches.

I don't recall the cut of meat that I  used when I lived in the states, but here in Japan, I buy thinly slices cuts of sukiyaki beef (three packages). Ensure you have plenty of string for tying  the blankets. You can find good cooking string at the 100Y shop.

- Season strips of meat of meat with garlic  salt
- place one piece of bacon on each strip of meat.  Top with a slice of yellow onion.
- tie each piece so it looks like  this above
- brown beef in a large pan; I put bacon and water  and beef broth in the pan to help the meat to not stick
- put in  the crock pot
- cover all meat with your choice of gravy; I use  Heinz Savory Beef gravy and the leftover gravy that I store in the freezer
- simmer in the crock pot for 8 hours or more.
Ensure all the piggies are covered in the gravy so they don't dry out.

- Serve with beef flavored Rice-aroni.   Toast your Grandmother. Cherish Family. Enjoy!

Christie's Wild Rice Casserole

I went "home" this summer, meaning I went to FL to be with family. My sisters chose to have much bigger families than me... Lots of kids (ok, two or three children each) and a husband and dog! So their evenings are a little more rushed than mine. Christie swears by the casserole. And she freezes them to throw in on those last minute game nights. She served me one of her frozen casseroles last July, and we truly gobbled it up! I recreated it last night. I chose the lazed kitchen prep and made just one on a Saturday night, and it was a hit. A big hit! Even late night guests were impressed when trying it late at night.

What you'll need:




4 pieces of chicken (breasts or thighs)
1 box long grain wild rice mix (cooked)
1/4 C butter
2 celery ribs
1 medium onion
1 8oz can sliced chestnuts
2.5 cups cooked chicken
1.5 C cheddar, divided
1 can cream of mushroom
1 8 oz SC
1/2 C milk
Salt/pepper
Croutons

First, I prepared the rice and it set aside in a throw-away pan, sprayed with Pam. Then I boiled the chicken. I love dark meat, so I used chicken thighs. After salting the water, I added the chicken. I do not cube it; but I did put a slice in the middle. Chicken was ready to go in 30 minutes. While it was boiling, I had prepped the rest, which just means that I  sauteed the onions and celery in butter to soften, and sliced and diced and mixed the ingredients in the throw-away pan.



Add the soup, sour cream, milk and cheese, top with crushed croutons and bake at 350 for 35 minutes. I am using my Japanese convection oven, but my gas oven would have worked just as well. Throw away pans, while not visually appealing, appeal to those who don't have the luxury of a dishwasher.  That still happens, you ask?  In Japan, yes...






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Location:Honcho 3-Chōme,Yokosuka,Japan