Creamed Spinach Soup

My daughter keeps asking me to make creamed spinach. First, she asked for creamed spinach soup. She even found a recipe I should try making. Then she asked for creamed spinach like I did last year. My husband thought she was crazy. To ask to eat something green is a sign of craziness. To please my daughter, I made creamed spinach soup. I really liked it. My son loved it. My husband thinks the craziness must have been inherited from the children's maternal side.

Creamed Spinach Soup
1 lb. fresh spinach
4 cups chicken broth
1 scallion, minced
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp flour
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 cups half and half
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pot, place the spinach, chicken broth, and scallion. 
2. Bring the spinach to a boil over medium high heat.
3. Reduce the heat to medium low.
4. In a small saucepan, melt the butter in the olive oil over medium heat.
5. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Cook for 1 minute.
6. Add the cream cheese and whisk. Cook for 1 minute.
7. Stir in the half and half. Mix until incorporated.
8. Add the cream cheese mixture to the spinach pot.
9. Stir and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
10. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Recipe inspired by Allrecipes.

One year ago...........................I made Lasagna French Bread Pizza.
Two years ago.........................I made Bourbon Cookies.

Did you already know...........
-Spinach originated from the Middle East.
-Spinach was the first commercial sold frozen vegetable.
-In 1929, spinach became very popular to kids with the debut of Popeye.

Mint Flourless Brownies

For my son's birthday, my son wanted brownies instead of cake. As you can tell on this blog, I don't make a lot of homemade brownies. I looked through different recipes and decided to make this one. There is a taste scale I use to find out if my husband liked them. First, I ask if he liked them. If he says yes, he then tells me how many of them he ate. My husband said he ate three of them. He would have eaten more if I had omitted the mint. Three bars translated the brownies are good.

Mint Flourless Chocolate Brownies
2 cups mini semi sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup butter, cut into cubes
3 Tbsp water
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy cream 
1/2 cup Andes mints, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Line a 9x9 baking dish with parchment paper. 
3. Spray the dish with nonstick cooking spray.
4. In a medium saucepan, melt the semi sweet chocolate chips, butter, water, and 1/2 cup sugar over medium heat. Stir constantly until the chocolate has melted. 
5. Remove from heat and set aside.
6. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and 1/4 cup sugar until thick.
7. Stir in the vanilla extract.
8. Fold half of the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture until incorporated.
9. Fold in the remaining egg mixture until thoroughly incorporated.
10. Pour the batter into the baking dish.
11. Bake for 35 minutes or until the center has risen and the edges have become firm. 
12. Allow the brownie to cool completely on a wire rack.
13. Cover the brownies and refrigerate for 4 hours.
14. In a small microwave safe bowl, heat the heavy cream for 30 seconds.
15. Add the Andes mints to the heavy cream. Let stand for 2 minutes or until the chocolate has melted.
16. Spread the melted mint ganache over the chilled brownies.
17. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before removing from the baking dish.

Recipe adapted from Toll House Nestle Cookies Cookbook. 

One year ago...........................I made Lasagna Roll Ups.
Two years ago.........................I made Fried Meatball Sandwich. 

Did you already know.............
-There are over 30 varieties of mint.
-Mint is named after the Greek river nymph Minthe. 
-Minthe was turned into a plant by Hades jealous wife.

Chicken Pot Pie

My Mom use to make chicken pot pie often. My sister makes it for supper for her girls a lot. I'm unsure why I don't. It could be my husbands adverse fear of peas. We once had a family member make it for us and she had omitted the peas. I figured I would do the same and make my husband happy. However, I figured I would do most of the prep the day before to make it easy on me. The day before I made this chicken for supper. Since I normally roast vegetables with the chicken, I went ahead and used the same type of vegetables. I just chopped additional vegetables in preparation of making this dish. I also made the pie crust and stored it in the refrigerator. The chicken had lots of flavor which added a nice touch to the dish. My husband loved this dish. The pie crust had flavor. The kids ate it up. Anytime I have leftover chicken/turkey, I may just be making this dish again.

Chicken Pot Pie
3 celery stalks, finely diced
3 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
2 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 (8") pie crust


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a large pot, melt the butter in the olive oil over medium heat.
3. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Saute for 2 minutes.
4. Stir in the chicken.
5. Sprinkle the flour over the chicken and vegetables. Gently, mix to combine.
6. Add the chicken broth and stir.
7. Add the milk and stir. Cook for 5 minutes.
8. Season with thyme, salt, and pepper. 
9. Pour the mixture into a deep dish pie pan or casserole dish.
10. Roll out the pie crust so it will be slightly larger than the casserole dish.
11. Place the pie crust over the chicken mixture. Cut slits on top of the pie crust.
12. Bake the pot pie for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
13. Allow the pot pie to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks Cookbook.

One year ago..............................I made PB Nutella Oatmeal.
Two years ago............................I made Agent P Sandwich.

Did you already know..................
-Chicken pot pie consists of chicken, gravy, and vegetables.
-Meat pies have been around since Roman times.
-Early pot pies were cooked on open hearths. 

Blueberry and lemon Breakfast Rolls

I heard a bird singing the other day so I'm sure spring will arrive soon. I am very hopefully even if the ground is still buried with lots of snow. I even warned the kids that they had better enjoy the snow because soon it will be mud season. Yes, we have mud season here in Maine. It is what happens when the snow disappears. In anticipation for the arrival of Spring, I made blueberry and lemon cinnamon rolls. They came out pretty good. My daughter loved them. My son really loved the icing. 

Blueberry and Lemon Breakfast Rolls
Rolls
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 (1/4 oz.) packages of instant yeast
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 eggs
2 tsp salt
5 cups all purpose flour
4 cups bread flour

Filling
3 cups frozen blueberries
3 cups sugar
2 Tbsp lemon zest
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup unsalted butter, melted

Icing
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest

Directions:
Rolls:

1. In a large pot, boil the potatoes in water until tender about 10 minutes.
2. Remove 3 cups of the potato water and set aside.
3. Drain the potatoes and mash. Place in a large bowl and set aside.
4. Allow the potato water to cool to 110 degrees F.
5. Add the yeast and 1 tsp of sugar to the cooled potato water. 
6. Allow the yeast to sit for 5 minutes to proof.
7. Add the yeast to the large bowl with the potatoes.
8. Add 3/4 cup sugar, the melted butter, eggs, and salt. Whisk the mixture together.
9. Add 3 cups of all purpose flour to the potato bowl and stir until incorporated.
10. Add 4 cups of the bread flour and mix until incorporated. 
11. Add the remaining all purpose flour and mix until the dough is no longer very sticky. (More flour may be needed.)
12. Cover with greased plastic wrap and leave in a warm place until the dough doubles in size about 1 hour.
13. Punch down the dough and recover. 
14. Place in the refrigerator overnight.

To make the filling:

1. In a medium bowl, gently combine the blueberries with the sugar, lemon zest, and flour. Set aside. 
2. Grease 2 9x13 inch disposable pans with butter and nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. 
3. Remove half of the dough from the bowl and place onto a floured surface.
4. Roll the dough into 1/4 inch thick rectangle.
5. Spread the melted butter over the dough.
6. Sprinkle the blueberry filling over the top of the dough.
7. Starting on 1 of the long side of the dough, carefully roll the dough tightly to the other side to form one long cylinder.
8. With a sharp serrated knife, cut the roll into 2 inch slices.
9. Place the slices with the cut side down into the greased pan. Leave about an inch apart between each slice. 
10. Allow the rolls to rise for an hour in a warm place until puffy.
11. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
12. bake the rolls for 20 minutes or until light brown.
13. Remove the rolls from the oven. Set aside.

To make the icing:

1. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. 
2. Spread the icing on top of the rolls while warm.
3. Serve immediately or once cooled. 

Recipe adapted from The Pastry Queen Cookbook.

One year ago..............................I made Chicken Cutlets.
Two years ago............................I made Tiramisu.

Did you already know..................
-The Spring Equinox is also called the Vernal Equinox.
-At Spring, the Earth's axis is tilted towards the sun.
-The Number of hours of light and darkness occurs before the Spring Equinox.

Jambalaya

I know I live in Maine and there is an abundant of seafood but I normally don't serve it in meals. My husband and son love seafood. If we are eating at a restaurant and there is fried Maine shrimp, my husband will order it every time. He says Maine shrimp is more tender. We even have clam and lobster festivals in Maine. So, I figured I would make some jambalaya with Maine shrimp. I was surprised we had a hard time finding my husband's desired shrimp so I cheated and went with cocktail shrimp. I really liked this dish since it is a one pot meal with heat. It was very popular at my house.

Jambalaya
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
3 celery stalks, diced
8 oz. sausage, cut into cubes
5 oz. chicken breast, cut into bite sizes
2 bay leaves
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 (28 oz.) diced tomatoes
2 (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 cup water
3/4 cup rice, uncooked
1 cup cooked small shrimp
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add the onion, garlic, bell pepper, and celery. Saute for 5 minutes.
3. Add the sausage, chicken, bay leaves, and cayenne pepper. Cook for 5 minutes while stirring often.
4. Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and water.
5. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Stir in the rice. Allow to boil.
7. Lower the heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes or rice is cooked.
8. Stir in the shrimp and allow to cook for 5 minutes.
9. Remove the bay leaves before serving. Season with salt and pepper.

Receipt adapted from Epicurious.

One year ago...................................I made Macaroni and Cheese.

Two years ago.................................I made Butterscotch Fondue.

Did you already know....................

-In 2014, the shrimp fishing was banned in Maine.
-The last ban on shrimp fishing in Maine occurred over 35 years ago.
-As shrimp mature, male shrimp change their sex to females.