Creamy Broccoli and Cheddar soup

• 1 large onion - course chopped
• 2 carrots - sliced
• 2 sticks celery - sliced
• 8 ups of broccoli florets, and stem - peeled and sliced
• 2 liters low sodium beef stock 
• 2 cups water
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tsps salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp butter or margarine

To add before thickening:

• 2 cups grated cheddar.

Roux (Thickener):

• 4 tbsp butter or margarine
• 4 tbsp flour
• 2 cups milk

Melt the 1 tbsp butter in pan, add onion, carrots, broccoli stem, and celery. Cook until softened. Add remainder of the top ingredients (Except cheese), and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until the ingredients are tender.

While the soup simmers, take a small saucepan and start the Roux. Under medium heat add the butter, whisk in flour until smooth, and a light blonde colour. Incorporate milk, whisking again until smooth. remove from heat, and hold till required.

Using a blender, immersion or normal, blend until desired consistency, then return to pot. Add Roux, bring temperature up to a rolling boil, and incorporate the cheese.

Viola!

Loaded baked potato soup

• 5 potatoes ( plus 2 for croutons)
• 2 celery
• 2 carrots
• 1 onion
• 2 tbsp butter
• 6 strip of bacon (all I had available was "readycrisp" so I used butter to flavour the onions and celery, or I would have use bacon drippings.)
• 1 link farmers sausage
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2-3 liters low sodium chicken stock (it depends on the size of potatoes, more for larger, less for smaller, it's a judgement call.)
• 4 tbsp flour and 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup 18% cream
• 2 tbsp corn starch dissolved into 1/4 cup cold water

Melt butter. Add Onions and celery and let them sweat out (turn translucent). Add stock, carrots, potatoes, seasonings, 2 chopped pieces of bacon, and bring to a boil. Let simmer till add the vegetables are soft. Remove bay leaves and blend with a stick blender. Chop the sausage (raw) and add it, along with the remaining bacon, and the cream to the pot.  Bring up to a slow rolling boil, and thicken with Milk and flour, then further (if so desired) with the corn starch mixture (be sure to make sure it is mixed well before adding). Maintain a slow rolling boil for about a minute, stirring continuously, and reduce heat to low and allow it to simmer until you are ready to serve.

Potato croutons

• 2 potatoes
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Lowry's seasoned salt (lightly sprinkled, optional)

Dice potatoes, sprinkle with seasonings, bake until golden brown. (420 degrees for about 40 minutes. Watched closely)

Add a sprinkle of bacon bits, cheese, potato croutons and a dollop of sour cream to finish and serve.

Ginger and lemon Carrot soup.

• 8-10 large carrots
• 1 large onion
• 2 sticks of celery
• 6 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 1 large tablespoon mince fresh ginger (a piece the size of a large thumb)
• 1 large lemon, zest and juice
• 1 cloves minced garlic
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 cup 18% table cream (for finishing)
• 2 cups of frozen peas
• 1 and 1/2 cup diced ham
• 1 and a 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp pepper
• butter (But any oil will do)

Peel carrots. Cut carrots, onion and celery into chunks. Size is only a factor in cooking time, as this is a blended soup in the end.

Add butter to the pan and put the onions in to allow them to become soft.

Add celery, carrots, ginger, lemon zest, stock, and bay leaves, and bring to a slow boil.

Cook until the carrots are tender.

Using a stick blender (or traditional if needed, just be careful to allow steam to escape while blending hot food so the lid and contents don't go flying all over), blend until smooth.

(Return soup to pot if using traditional blender) , add lemon juice and incorporate, then stir in the cream.

add peas and ham, and bring soup back up to a serving temperature. 

I garnished with fresh green onion.

Enjoy!

Lemon Chicken soup.

For the Stock:
1 Chicken - whole
16 cups cold water
2 tbsp peppercorns
1 tbsp mustard seeds
4 large bay leaves
1 carrot (only for the stock)
2 celery stalks broken into thirds (only for the stock)
1 onion - quartered (only for the stock)

For the Soup:
2 carrots peeled and thinly sliced
2 celery stalks thinly sliced for the soup
1 onion - finely chopped
1 cup rice. (Or alternately, 1 cups of Orzo, which is a pasta in the shape of large rice grains.)
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 tsp Salt
1.5 tsp pepper
1 tsp Poultry seasoning

1. Place all the stock items into the pot, and bring it to a slow simmer on medium low heat. Allow to simmer 4-5 hours.

2. Remove chicken, set aside to cool slightly. Strain the stock to remove large particles and vegetable chunks (discard strained material). Place the strained stock back on the stove and add the sliced carrots, celery, onion, and rice. Continue to simmer until the vegetables and rice are cooked, approximately 30 minutes.

3. Take the skin off the chicken, and strip the meat from the bones. Cut the meat into bite sized pieces and place it back in the soup.

4. 5-10 minutes prior to finishing, add the lemon juice.

*NOTE; this is a "from scratch" recipe, so expect to put in some time with it.

Duck Breast with a Blueberry Port Sauce

6 duck breast (skin on)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Blueberry Port Sauce;
2 cups blueberries
1 cup port wine (I used a Late Bottled Vintage, as it was a little sweeter)
1 tbsp Apricot jelly
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
1 tbsp Honey

1. Duck Breast: Score the duck breast fat in a criss cross fashion.

2. To Cook: Place a large frying pan over a moderate-high heat. Season the duck breast with salt and pepper, being sure to rub plenty of salt into the scored fat. Place the duck breast in the hot frying pan fat side down. Cook the breast for 3-4 minutes on the skin side, then turn them over and cook them for a further 4-5 minutes (a little longer if you like the meat well cooked). Remove the duck breast from the heat and allow them to rest in a warm place for 3-5 minutes before serving.

3. Blueberry Port Sauce: Place half the blueberries in a saucepan with the port and jelly. Place the pan over a high heat and leave to simmer for 8-10 minutes until it reduces to a thin sauce consistency. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Dijon mustard and the remaining blueberries. Keep the sauce hot until ready to serve.

4. To Serve: Place the duck breast on serving plates, pour the blueberry and port sauce around the breast.

I served this with Pan roasted potatoes and carrots, and balsamic braised Bok Choy.
I kept both side dishes with basic seasoning (Salt and pepper); but I drizzled a nice Balsamic Vinegar over the  halved Bok Choy, then in a small roasting dish I cooked it in the oven at 425 till it was fork tender (about 15-20 minutes depending on how big they are.)

Servings: 6

Cooking Times
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/6 of a recipe (3.2 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients. 4 of the recipe's ingredients were not linked. These ingredients are not included in the recipe nutrition data.

Tips
Caution;
Duck is easily overdone, so monitor the internal temp to arrive at 140 (remembering that as it rests it will continue to cook some.)

Lasagna Soup

2 tsp. olive oil
1.5 lbs. Italian sausage ( I used links, and cut them into thin slices.)
3 c.      Chopped onions
3 tbsp   Roasted red pepper and garlic seasoning
2 tsp.    Dried oregano
2 tbsp   Dried Basil
1/2 tsp. Crushed red pepper flakes
2 tbsp   Tomato paste
2 cans   Diced tomatoes
2           Bay leaves
6 c.       Chicken stock
1 cup.    Fusilli pasta (or any flour abased pasta like Macaroni)
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces, and brown for about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add Stock, seasonings, tomatoes, and tomato paste, stir to combine. 

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente. Do not over cook or let soup simmer for a long period of time at this point, as the pasta will get mushy. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Slow cooker Beef Stroganoff.

Ingredient lists;
#1.
1/3 C      All purpose flour
1 tsp       Salt
1/2 tsp    Pepper
1/2 tbsp  Paprika

900g       Lean beef stewing meat
2 C         Fresh Mushrooms

#2.
1             chopped Onion
1/4 tsp    Garlic Powder
14 oz      Tomatoes
2 tsp       Beef Bouillon Powder
2 tbsp     Sherry
2 tbsp     Worcestershire  Sauce

#3.
1 C         Sour cream

Combine list 1 in a large ziplock bag.  Coat the beef by adding small amounts to the bag and shaking, until all the beef is coated.
Brown the beef in a saute pan with some olive oil. This is not necessary, but I find that it adds a richer flavour and some colour to the finished product.
Place the beef in the bottom of the slow cooker,Add the onion and the mushrooms on top.

Mix together list #2, and pour it into the slow cooker over the beef, onions and mushrooms.
Cook on high for 4-5 hours, or an low for 7-9 hours.

Add the 1 Cup of sour cream a 1/2 hour before the end of the cooking time.

Serves 6.

Iced lemonade

Ingredients;
Goodhost Lemonade crystals (for convenience)
Ice.

Procedure;
Take 3 cups hot water, dissolve 1 cup Lemonade mix, stir and let cool to use as a "syrup".
Take 1 cup "syrup" and blend with 4-5 cups of ice (I used 4, but I thought it was a little strong. Next time I will use 5cups of ice.)

Makes 2 large glasses.

Enjoy!

Bobs Chili 2.0

Ingredients;


1 lb Ground beef
2 tsp Olive oil

1 Onion
1/4 cup (to taste) Chili powder
1tbsp Garlic (minced)
1/4 can chipotles in adobo sauce (or to taste)
1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper (or as needed)
8tbsp Brown sugar (or to taste)
2 - 540ml 19oz - Cans tomatoes
2 - 540 ml 19oz - Cans of Kidney beans
1 - 540ml Can of 6 bean blend
2 - 398ml 14oz -Cans pork and beans
2 cups Corn (frozen)
1oz Lime juice

Directions;

Open all cans, rinsing the kidney and 6 bean blend thoroughly.
Dice the Onion.
Brown the ground beef and drain.
Bloom the chili powder in residual fat and Olive oil, for 30- 60 seconds on medium heat (watch so it doesn't scorch and leave a burnt taste).
Add tomatoes, and onions, and garlic to the chili powder.
Add everything else.
Bring to boil.
turn to lowest setting and simmer for 1-2 hours (no chance of overcooking) to let the flavours marry throughout.

Be sure to let it cool at least 15 minutes prior to serving. Make APPROXIMATELY 5 litres. (Never actually measured.) LOL

Bob Klassen.

Simple Sweet and Sour sauce.

Ingredients;
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups water
1/3 cup vinegar
2 tbsp ketchup
4 tbsp corn starch
4 tbsp cold water for corn starch
1 can pineapple, juice removed

Procedure;
1. Add water, vinegar, brown sugar, and ketchup to a saucepan.

2. Bring to a boil while whisking to dissolve and incorporate everything.

3. Mix together the corn starch and the 4 tbsps of corn starch into a slurry.

4. Add the pineapple to the mixture.

5. Slowly add the corn starch slurry, stirring constantly, until it reaches the desired consistency.

6. simmer for 1 more minute.

7. Serve.

Servings: 6-8
Yield: 3 cups

Cooking Times
Preparation Time: 2 minutes
Cooking Time: 7 minutes
Inactive Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 9 minutes

Beef and Veggie Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 pound stewing beef
• 500ml beef stock
• 250ml red wine
• 1 cup quartered mushrooms
• 1 diced onion
• 1-2 coarsely chopped leek
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 2 coarsely chopped carrot
• ½ tsp thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 coarsely chopped celery sticks
• 3 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• olive oil
• 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  

Instructions

1. OPTIONAL; in a saute pan using the heated olive oil, brown the stewing beef prior to putting in the slow cooker. Use the wine to deglaze the pan, and then add it to the rest of the liquids.
2. Mix all the wet ingredients, spices, and flour. Pour a small amount of the liquid in the bottom of the cooker, the place “optionally browned” beef in bottom, veggies on top of that, and pour the remainder of the liquid mix over the top of it all.
3. Cover and let cook for 5-7 hours on low, or 4-6 on medium/high.
4. Serve with you favorite side dish, or you can add 4 or 5 peeled potatoes in with the vegetables for a complete slow cooker meal. (Make sure to adequately salt and pepper the potatoes, as they absorb those flavours.)
   

Bob's Beet PLUS Borscht

Ingredients:
o 3 tbsp vegetable oil
o 2-3 bay leaves
o 1 tsp black peppercorns
o 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
o 1 small package of fresh dill, finely minced tips, divided in two (half to put in the soup while cooking the other to add to the soup when serving, Also chop the stems and put them in at the beginning so the have time to soften.)
o 1 chopped onion
o 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
o 1 stalk chopped celery
o 1 large small sliced carrot
o 2 cup chopped red cabbage
o 2-3 medium potatoes peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
o 1 cans of beets, diced into bite sized pieces (1cup fresh or frozen)
o 1 can (small) chopped tomatoes
o 4 litres beef broth (The key here is to have enough to make it as “soupy” as you personally prefer it)
o 1 link Farmer sausage - sliced into medallions
o 1 cup boneless pork shoulder picnic (when you remove the bone keep it and add it to the soup while cooking for added flavour. NOTE - Trim off excess fat and skin to keep it as low fat as possible.)
o Vinegar to taste (about ¼ cup)
o Salt and Pepper to taste
o Sour Cream (in each bowl you dish out)

Directions:
1. Heat vegetable oil to medium in a large soup pot. Add onions and celery, let the vegetables sweat, but not brown, stirring occasionally (about 10 minutes or until translucent.) Add the garlic about a minute before you are ready to add the liquid.

2. Wrap the bay leaf, peppercorns, mustard seeds, in a piece of cheesecloth (or use a strainer ball) and tie it securely with a piece of string. (A bouquet garni) and add it with the broth.

4. Add the broth, the tomatoes (if using), the Sausage and Ham and the rough, stem-end portion of the dill (it will soften and incorporate itself). Stir everything to combine and bring up to a boil. When the pot begins to boil, reduce heat to medium low and let simmer slowly for 2 hours.

5. With 45 minutes left in the cooking process add the sliced cabbage, carrots, potatoes, and vinegar, and let simmer for the remaining time.

6. To serve stir in the remaining tip-end minced
fresh dill. Top with a tablespoon of sour cream.

Mushroom Orzo (with chicken)

Mushroom Orzo (with Chicken)

Ingredients
• 1/2 cup butter, divided
• 8 pearl onions
• 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup white wine
• garlic powder to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• 3 regular boneless skinless chicken breast sliced thinly


Directions
1. Melt 1/2 the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onions, and cook until golden brown. Mix in orzo, mushrooms, and remaining butter (At this point I also add thinly sliced pieces of chicken breast). Cook and stir 5 minutes, until butter is melted and mushrooms are tender.
2. Pour water and wine into the skillet, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook 7 to 10 minutes, until orzo is al dente. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and parsley to serve.

**The chicken is actually an addition to the recipe because let's face it, I'm a meat man, and a meal without meat seems somehow just wrong.  LOL

Bustin' my chops.

Here's a simple little recipe to help keep your "center cut" pork chops tender and juicy.  Brining your pork chops for a couple of days before you grill or fry them can make an unbelievable difference in both tenderness and juiciness, and although it takes a little advanced prep, I assure you that it is well worth the effort.

1/8 cup salt
1/8 cup sugar
500 ml of boiling water
500 ml ice
(To total 1 litre of Brine, for 4-6 chops)

Dissolve the salt and sugar in the boiling water.  Add the ice to the solution to cool it down so as to not start the cooking process on the chops.  Cover the chops fully with the brine (an excellent method for this is to use a zip top bag with as much air as possible removed, much like marinating you want the brine to be in as much contact with the meat as possible.)

Let the chops sit in the brine, in the refrigerator, for 2-3 days (if you use the zip top method, be sure to put them in a bowl in case of leakage).  After the brining time, rinse and cook as desired. 

This is an extremely effective at ensuring excellent grilled pork chops, as grilling can easily dry out a pork chop if you don't watch it like a hawk.

Spicy Thai inspired peanut noodles.

I saw someone make something like this on TV one time, and I REALLY wanted to try them.  I could never find the recipe for the show I watched, so I decided to give it a shot from memory and here's what I came up with.

360g Soba Noodles

Sauce
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup Soya Sauce
3tbsp Sesame Oil
1 tsp Garlic
1/2 tsp Ginger
1-2 tsp Hot Chili sauce (I used 2 tsp of "Sriracha HOT chili sauce", and it was quite spicy)
3 tbsp Brown Sugar
3 Green Onions slice about 1/4 inch on the diagonal
(And if the mixture seems too thick, you can thin it down with some warm water, but just enough to make it easy to coat the noodles.)

Mix the sauce together (Be careful it will splatter when adding liquid to the peanut butter, so be gentle until the peanut butter loosens up and starts to accept the liquid). 
Cook the noodles according to package directions.
Coat Noodles with the peanut mixture.

This recipe is good hot, or room temperature.

Enjoy!

Satay meat marinade.

I created and used this Marinade on both chicken and pork for one meal (marinated individually of course), and it had the exact Asian flavours I was looking for once I grilled the meat.  (This was a throw together recipe where I had an idea of what I wanted, and the results worked out very well!)

1/2 cup Soy Sauce
1 tsp Ground Ginger
1 tsp Garlic
1 tbsp Sesame Oil
1/4 cup Lime Juice
4 tsp Brown Sugar

Mix together and pour over thinly slice meat (Pork, Chicken, or Beef), making sure that all surfaces come in contact with the marinade.  The easiest way to do this is to use a large zip top bag; place the meat and the marinade in the bag and seal it without removing any excess air, next massage the meat and marinade together so that all the solid surfaces come in contact with the liquid, finally remove as much air from the bag as possible and let it marinate for an hour.

Skewer the meat (because thin slices will tend to fall through the grill without them), and grill them until they are done (cooking times very depending on the thickness).  I served these with Costco's "Thai Kitchen sweet red chili sauce", but honestly the flavour from the marinade was so nice it really did not need a sauce.

Enjoy!

Raspbery Iced Tea.

Ingredients

6 quarts water

2 & 1/4 cups sugar 

1 package (600g) frozen unsweetened raspberries (which I have substituted blueberries and strawberries to change the flavour of the tea.) 

15 individual tea bags

1/8 cup lemon juice

Directions In a large kettle or Dutch oven, bring water and sugar to a boil. Remove from the heat; stir until sugar is dissolved. Add the raspberries, tea bags and lemon juice. Cover and steep for 5 minutes. Strain; discard berries and tea bags. Transfer tea to a large container or pitcher. Refrigerate until chilled. Serve over ice.

Of the 3 flavours I've tried so far (Raspberry, Blueberry, and Strawberry), The consensus thus far is that the Strawberry is the best. Strawberry takes a little mashing to get the water fully flavoured, but if you let them boil a little it's nothing to mash them up.  Give it a quick taste after the sugar and berries have steeped for a few minutes, and if it's not strong enough just leave them in longer, or mash them up a bit more.

 

Simple multi use Salad Dressing, (potato or coleslaw).

4 tbs (large) Mayonnaise
1-2 tsp mustard
1-2 tsp Lime juice
1-2 tsp Lemon juice
3 tsp Sugar (or to taste)
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)

For coleslaw add;
A dash celery seeds (to taste)

For my Grainy mustard potato salad add;
2 tbs Whole grain Dijon mustard
Cayenne (to taste)
and sprinkle with paprika when served.

Grainy mustard potato salad

This is definitely a "mustard lover's" dish, but even the not so mustard enthusiastic (like my Wife and Daughter) thought it was good.

Ingredients:
Potatoes - 5 medium Reds (waxy potatoes hold up better in an application like this.)
Eggs - 4-6 hard boiled or as many as preferred.
Onion - 1/4 of a large onion, 1/2 a smaller one.
Green onions - 2-3 stalks

Dressing:
Grainy Dijon Mustard - 2 tbsp
Regular prepared mustard (French's) - 1 & 1/2 tbsp
Mayonnaise - 4 generous tbsp
Lemon juice - 2 tsp
Lime Juice - 2 tsp
Sugar - 3 tsp (or to taste)
Cayenne - just a dash (to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
A Sprinkle of paprika when served.

Procedure:
- Peel, and cut potato into bite sized pieces (the size you want in the finished product). I don't usually time this, I simply check my potatoes frequently until they are just fork tender and won't fall apart when I mix the salad (Generally this only takes 5-10 minutes). I also cool my potatoes down quickly to stop the cooking and maintain a firm chunk in the end product.
* Tip - If you have really nice potatoes you can leave the peel on for a more rustic looking salad. This adds the vitamins and minerals that the peel offer, and also another visual interest to the dish.

- Hard boil the eggs for 10 to 12 minutes, and as soon as they are done cool them down as quickly as possible to eliminate the "sulfur ring" that can turn the edges of the yolk grey. I usually runs my eggs under cold water for a few minutes, and I throw in some ice cubes to speed up the process.

- Finely dice the onion, and chop the green onion.

Mix the dressing ingredients together in it own bowl, this gives you the freedom to adjust the flavour to your own preferences. I recommend adding the mustard last, and do so in increments until you find the taste you find most to your liking. If you prefer less of the sharpness of mustard, cut down on the regular prepared mustard and substitute it with mayo and a little extra lemon and lime juices. You can also tone down the mustard if you feel it's too much by adding more mayo to it as well. Finish it off with salt and pepper to taste.

Mix it all together, let sit for a couple of hours to allow the flavours to come together. Serve with a sprinkle of paprika and Enjoy!


My Potato Salad with a touch of paprika on top, and Sweet Chipotle Ribs. :-)  (Added at Maria's request.)

Chipotle Lime Butter

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (1 cup, or 1/2 a pound of butter)
• Zest of 1 lime
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tsp salt (5 ml)
• 4 tbsp finely chopped cilantro (60 ml) (I substituted parsley)
• 3 chipotle chillies in adobo sauce, seeds discarded and flesh finely chopped.
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil (30 ml)
• Salt and pepper, to taste


This is best done well in advance of the meal preparation so it has time to set up again in the refrigerator. Combine the butter, lime zest and juice, salt, coriander, and chipotles in adobo sauce in a mixer. Beat the butter until the ingredients are well combined. Lay out a length of plastic wrap on a clean counter. Lay the butter in a line along one edge of the plastic wrap roll the plastic wrap around the butter, forming a log by twisting the ends. Remove any air pockets using a small pin. Refrigerate the butter to harden. Or you can use ice cube trays (H/T my buddy Darren) for individual portions, or freezer containers for a multi use option.

I use this compound butter over steak, but it can be used to add a kick to any meat.