Dumplings (for soup)

I use this for chicken soup but it could go in most anything you want:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp butter
• 1/2 cup flour (maybe more)

Mix ingredients together, adding enough flour to make it the consistency of thick ketchup.

Dip a spoon into the soup that is softly boiling, then scoop a small amount of dumpling mix & dunk it in the soup.

The dumpling should immediately fall off the spoon & plump up.

Repeat until mix is gone.

My Parents' 39th Anniversary Menu

Last year was my parents 39th anniversary and I decided to cook them dinner. I did 4 courses - soup, seafood, meat, dessert. Here it is below. Next week is their big 40th and I've decided to do an elaborate 8-course tasting menu. I don't have a clue if I can pull it off but I'll be posting the menu as well as all of the recipes on here.

First Course: Creamed Garlic Soup w/ crostini & fresh squeezed lemon juice

Second Course: Seared Bay Scallops, fennel puree, fleur de sel

Third Course: Country Pot Roast w/ turnips, carrots, potatoes & pan gravy

Fourth Course: Autumn Apple Spice Cake w/ caramel sauce, champagne

It was a massive hit, especially for my first try at a full menu made from scratch. It can only go up from here!

You can help your own hamburger

Lately I've been cooking on the cheap. I was thinking you might be too. So I've gone back and marked meals that were really affordable to make.

Got ground beef? got pasta? You don't need sauce. You don't need Hamburger Helper. We're in a recession. Do it this way and spend about $1.25 a serving.

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 lb ground beef, browned & drained
• 1 can stewed tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup small pasta (I used mini bowties)
• lemon pepper
• dried basil
• dried oregano
• dried parsley or chervil

Saute onions & garlic in olive oil until translucent.

Brown ground beef & drain.

Add ground beef, tomatoes and sprinkle with lemon pepper.

Prepare pasta separately, strain, then stir in.

Add herbs to taste.

Zucchini Soup w/ Pasta

Guys, I'm serious about soup. This is my 20th soup recipe on this blog. What can I say? I love comfort food. This one came out tasting a little bit like Campbell's, which is weird. But at least you're getting your veggies.

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 1 qt. chicken stock
• 2 large zucchini
• 1/2 cup tiny pasta
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 tbsp dried chervil (parsley will do, too)
• salt & pepper

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions, and saute till translucent. Stir in garlic and saute an additional minute or two.

Add the stock to the pan and bring the mixture to a boil.

Meanwhile, grate the zucchini and stir into the boiling stock with the pasta. Lower the heat, cover the pan, and simmer for 15 minutes until the pasta is tender.

Add chervil, lemon juice and season to taste with salt & pepper.

Variations - I read that you can also use cucumber but I can't really picture it. Also, consider stirring in a little sour cream.

Chicken w/ Garam Masala

Modified Indian recipe. I go heavy on the garam masala (it's mild) and extra light on the cumin (because it can easily overwhelm a dish. This cooks up in 5-10 minutes.

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 two-inch piece fresh gingerroot, grated
• pinch (PINCH!) cumin
• 1 tbsp garam masala (or more)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 6 tbsp hot water
• salt & pepper

Rinse chicken, pat dry & slice thinly.

Heat oil in a large skillet, add onions and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring. Remove onions from pan & set aside.

Add chicken to pan & cook over high heat, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes or until browned all over.

Stir in garling, gingerroot, cumin, garam masala as well as salt & pepper to taste.

Cook 1 minute, then stir in cooked onions, lemon juice & water.

Cover & cook over low heat about 10 minutes or until chicken is tender.

Serve hot over jasmine rice.

*Garam Masala is a blend of common indian spices. It differs regionally but the basic combination usually includes: peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, anise & coriander.

(picture from Flickr)

Potato & Fennel Soup w/ Garlic

Made this up today based on what was in the fridge. I'm stoked because it comes out to about $1 a serving and money is tight these days. You could vary it any way you want to incorporate leftover produce (spinach, carrots, etc.). Here's what I did:

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 leek, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 bulb fennel, chopped
• 1 tbsp marjoram
• 4 cups potatoes, peeled & cubed

Heat oil and 2 tbsp of the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot.

Add onion and celery and saute until onion is translucent.

Add garlic & saute about 2 minutes longer.

Add fennel & leek and saute for another 4-5 minutes.

Add potatoes along with marjoram and enough water to cover potatoes (about 3 cups). Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until potatoes are fully cooked (took about 20-25 minutes). Stir occasionally.

Once potatoes are cooked, turn heat off, mash potatoes up a bit with a potato masher and stir in milk & remaining butter.

Salt & pepper to taste.

Oatmeal Cinnamon Chip Cookies

This is a Hershey's recipe, but it's so good I wanted to share:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2.5 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 2/3 cups(10oz package) Hershey's Cinnamon Chips (yes they really do have these)

Heat oven to 350.

Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a bowl until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Combine flour and baking soda; add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in oats and cinnamon chips (batter will be stiff).

Drop by heaping teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Makes about 4 dozen.