Soup for Supper

Image via Wikipedia As fall becomes more persistent, my mind and my taste turn toward soup.  It is warm and invigorating on cold days and it's easy to make.  Canned soups come in a huge variety from vegetable to meat based, and dehydradeted soup bases add even more variety.

If you happen to have vegetable leftovers in the fridge, you can add them to your soup to make an original recipe of your own.  A can of soup with some crackers or toast will make a nice supper for one or two.  If you have company, you can quickly stretch one serving to accomdate two or three by adding a cup of cooked noodles and some chopped meat.  Sprinkle a topping of cheese or bread crumbs, and bake for 30 minutes at 350--Voila! You have a casserole.

You can also make most vegetables into soup.  Leftover beans, potatoes, carrots, and onions are prime examples.  

To make bean soup, cook a tablespoon  or more of chopped onion in a tablespoon of oil or bacon grease until clear.   Add a dash of garlic powder.  Continue to cook on low, and add the beans, 1 cup or less for one serving.  Stir the beans to prevent sticking.  Add water or broth a little at a time and allow the mixture to thicken slightly.  Serve with crackers or croutons.

Potatoes, carrots, and onions can be made into soup with similar treatment.  Leftover mashed potatoes can be thinned with milk or vegetable broth to achieve a suitable soup consistency.  Add cornstarch or flour paste to get a smooth velvety texture.  Add a tablespoon or two of shredded cheese and enjoy.

Carrots should retain their color and shape.  Add water, broth, or milk, and thicken with cornstarch or flour.  Simple!

Traditional onion soup is simple and slow.  Brown onions in oil until very brown and tender.  Be careful not to burn.  Leftover onions from pot roast can be added to raw ones after they have begun to brown.  After they are very brown, add 1 can of beef broth.  Do not thicken.  Pour the soup over a crusty, toasted slice of bread and top with mozzarella cheese.  Ummm good.

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Casserole and a Salad

Image via Wikipedia To reduce the time you spend cooking, you might prepare two dishes at the same time and save one for later.  This also reduces waste.  From one 5 oz. can of tuna, you can create a casserole for one and Tuna Salad.

Cook 2oz. any shape of macaroni.  Drain the water from the cooked pasta and add 1/2 can of undiluted cream soup, celery, mushroom, or chicken.  Add 1/2 can of the tuna.  Stir and place in a oven proof dish.  Top with shredded cheese.  Bake in a hot oven for ten minutes. 

Place one egg in a small boiler and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and cover with a lid.  Mash the 1/2 can of tuna in a small bowl.  Add chopped onion to taste, 2 tablespoons of pickle relish, the chopped egg when it is done, and 1 tablespoon of Miracle Whip or dressing.  Store in a covered container in the fridge.  Serve with crackers or bread or in a lettuce leaf with a slice of tomato.

Place the extra 1/2 can of soup in a covered container for later use--a cup of soup or another casserole.

Tastes and Smells of Autumn

For all the new cooks, reluctant cooks, and solitary cooks out there, autumn is a difficult time of year.  The grand array of holidays and the multitude of reasons to make gorgeous food is astonishing.  So what can you to enjoy the taste and aroma of autumn food without cooking all day?

First, take a small pan and put a cup of water in it.  Sprinkle some cinnamon or cloves or both on top and heat the water for a few minutes.  The aroma is wonderful.

If you are having guests and want something to serve, bake-and-serve cookies are good.  You can buy them in a roll of dough or portioned pieces.  Cook them for about 8 to 10 minutes.  Great!

For something more adventurous, try your own cinnamon rolls.  Buy frozen hot roll dough.  Allow the dough to thaw slightly. 
Place 1 cup of sugar, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons of butter in a cake pan.  Allow the mixture to melt in the oven, about five minutes, or until sugar is dissolved.  Optional:  You may add coconut or nuts.  Turn off the oven.  Stir. Take the pan out of the oven and allow to cool until it will not burn you.  Turn the rolls over in the sugar mixture until each piece is completely coated.   Return the pan of rolls to the oven until they are risen, perhaps an hour.  Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.  Serve immediately.  Enjoy!

Tricks for New Cooks

I think when I began this blog, I was concerned about people who were living alone, but who had a history of cooking and understood terms.  It occurs to me now that there may be people who are living alone, but don't understand much about food preparation.  I'll try to let you in on some cooking secrets.

Food that is canned is already cooked.  Canned food only needs to be seasoned and heated to be appetizing.  You may want to thicken or even drain the water in canned vegetables, but they are edible straight out of the can.  If you are only preparing enough for youself, buy the smallest amount available.  To vary your diet, use vegetables in salad.  Add pickle relish, mayo, mustard and chopped ham to canned peas, green beans, or potatoes.

Canned tuna, salmon, and sardines can be eaten right out of the can, or you can add other ingredients and make a cold salad or a casserole or croquets.  These items also come in a plastic package.  They are drier and more flaky that they are in the can.  I like them better.  Chicken is also packaged this way.

If you live in a dorm room or don't have access to a kitchen, food preparation becomes more challenging.  It is possible to hard cook an egg in a microwave, but you face the potential of an explosion.  Try the hot plate instead.  To hard cook an egg, place it in enough  salted water to cover and bring it to a boil, then cover with a lid, remove from heat and allow it to remain for 20 minutes.  Rinse in cold water before you crack the shell.  The salt and cold water help the egg peel cleanly.

Scrambled eggs can be prepared very nicely in a microwave.  The trick is to stir or whisk them often during the cooking.  Otherwise, they become tough and rubbery.

Be cautious about a hot plate and microwave.  They are useful, but also tricky.  Read the instructions first! 

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Biscuits, Homemade, Canned or Frozen?

Image by Getty Images via @daylife Canned biscuits have been around for a long time, and they work very well.  They are good with a meal or to cut in half or thirds and cooked for dumplings.  But they are still not the same as the homemade biscuits made from dough.

Using frozen ones from the grocery store are an excellent choice.  You can remove how ever many you want from the package and place them still frozen in the pan and then directly to the oven.  In less than thirty minutes you will have a golden brown gem ready for butter or honey.

The third choice for biscuits is biscuit mix.  There is an advantage over the canned or frozen ones.  With the mix you have options to add things to the dough.  Add a little sugar in the dough and you can have a cobbler crust.  Add an egg and milk and you can make  pancakes.  If you add a little melted butter, some sugar and an egg you have shortcake.

To create these lovely delicacies, you have to be a little adventurous.  You might need to read a recipe and then adjust amounts and ingredients accordingly.  The trick is to make enough for one or two servings, and most of the recipes make enough for 4 to 6 or even more, so you have to think small and proportionately. 
Making biscuits with mix is easy, just add enough milk or water to made a dough. 

To make cobbler,  add sugar, a spoonful will do the first time you make cobbler.  Put the fruit in a ramiken and add the dough on top. Bake it till it's brown.   Voila! You made cobbler.  Add sauce or ice cream to taste.  You might think it needs more sugar next time.  Biscuit dough is not like pie crust.  It rises and it is not thin.  It needs plenty of juice in the fruit. 

If you want to eat cobbler for two or three days, use two or three ramikens for individual servings.  Use only one to two spoons of dough per 1/2 cup of fruit filling since it rises.  If you want to put half the dough on the bottom and half on top, you have a double crust cobbler.  Remember the dough rises, so you will have twice as much when it is cooked as you had when it was dough.

A Cup of Tea

It's almost autumn, almost cooler weather, almost end of harvest.  It is a sad time when the growth ceases and the world recedes for sleep.  But for some of us, those of us who love the cooler weather and the need for warmer meals, autumn means a cut of hot tea to comfort and soothe.

I have a friend who always had the tea kettle at the ready when I visited, but I am a cold drink person.  I have learned to honor her delight with tea.  When the weather is cold or there is a chill in the air, something warm is welcome. 

Tea is a delight.  It is available in a great many flavors and textures.  Get a package with several flavors and try them all.  If you really find your favorite, then you can buy with certainty.  Otherwise, the Earl Grey or Orange Pekoe and Pekoe are proven classics.  Tea can be embelished with additives--lemon, cream, sugar, or sweeteners.  With experimentation, you can find your niche.

Remember that tea contains an ingredient that acts much like caffeine.  It gives that added lift to your morning wake-up or afternoon slow-down.  Some teas also contain other benefits like antioxidants.  They are highly advertised, so research for more information.

Why don't you come over for a cut of tea?

Bunuelos Are Great!

I first heard about bunuelos many years ago when a friend told me about the fried cookies her neighbor made from any kind of left over dough.  When she made biscuits and had dough she couldn't get in the pan, she made the thin cookies for the children.  She rolled the dough thin and fried it in deep grease.  After she drained it, she dusted it with granulated sugar and cinnamon.

Later I found a real recipe for this dessert. It was almost like biscuit dough, but with an egg and two tablespoons of sugar added to the dough.  Buneulos are similar to Sopapillas.

My most recent recipe has two eggs and 1/2 cup sugar, but it begins as a simple dough like biscuits.  If you don't want all the biscuits in a can, bake what you want to eat with a meal and fry the rest for bunuelos.  You can also use pieces of yeast dough to make bunuelos.  Follow the same procedure.

Roll or pat out the dough until thin and fry it in clean oil until crisp turning once or twice.  Sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar.  Store in a cookie jar.

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