Good Combinations

This is a working post for those great flavor combos that hit you once, but don't always tend to come to mind.

1. Whole wheat pasta, lemon olive oil, broccoli, chevre
2. Pineapple, jasmine rice, soy sauce, Ginger
3. Ginger and garlic
4. Tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, course salt & ground pepper

Pumporangana Smoothie

In a blender, blend together:

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
12 oz milk
1 1/2 c orange juice
1 frozen banana
1/3 c brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Tips:

1. You can mix and match the spices to your liking and/or availability. 
2. This recipe makes a full blender of the smoothie, so you may want to make half or even a third for an individual serving. 
3. I had leftover pumpkin so I made the above recipe with half a can and it was still great!

Pumpkin Bisque

Ingredients:

2 cups chicken broth
1 cup half and half
1 cup fresh pureed pumpkin or 1 -12 ounce can of pumpkin
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp flour

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in saucepan and bring to rapid boil (careful, it will grow very quickly once boiling), turn heat down to low and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Serves 4

Broccoli Chicken Dijon from Food.com (South Beach Diet)

Ingredients:
1/2 c reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
4 c broccoli florets
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Directions:

1. Mix chicken broth and soy sauce; set aside.
2. Cook and stir broccoli and garlic in hot oil in large skillet on medium-high heat until crisp-tender.
3. Remove from skillet; cover to keep warm.  
4. Add chicken to skillet; cook and stir 3 to 4 minutes or until cooked through.
5. Add broth mixture; mix well.
6. Bring to boil.
7. Reduce heat to medium-low.
8. Stir in mustard until well blended.
9. Return broccoli mixture to skillet; mix lightly.
10. Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Pumpkin Scones with Spiced Glaze – Starbucks Style!

Ingredients:
Scones

2 c Flour

7 Tbsp Sugar

1 Tbsp Baking powder

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp Ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp Ground cloves

1/4 tsp Ground ginger

6 Tbsp Cold butter

1/2 c Canned pumpkin

3 Tbsp Half and half

1 Large egg

Powdered Sugar glaze

1 c & 1 Tbsp Powdered sugar

2 Tbsp Whole milk

Spiced Icing

1 c & 3 Tbsp Powdered sugar

2 Tbsp Whole milk

1/4 tsp Ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp Ground nutmeg

1 pinch Ginger

1 pinch Ground cloves

Directions:

Scones

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. 
2. Lightly oil a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl.  Using a pastry knife, fork, or food processor, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter are obvious.  Set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half and half, and egg.  Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients.  Form the dough into a ball.
5. Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1 inch thick rectangle (about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide).  Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice the dough twice through the width, making three equal portions.  Cut those three slices diagonally so that you have 6 triangular slices of dough.  Place on prepared baking sheet.
6. Bake for 14-16 minutes.  Scones should begin to turn light brown.  Place on wire rack to cool.

Powdered Sugar Glaze  

1. Mix the powdered sugar and 2 Tbsp milk together until smooth.
2. When scones are cool, use a brush to paint plain glaze over the top of each scone.

Spiced Icing  

1. Combine the ingredients for the spiced icing together.
2. Drizzle over each scone and allow icing to dry before serving (at least 1 hour).

Swiss Cheddar Fondue from The Melting Pot

Ingredients:
12 oz Beer
8 oz Swiss cheese, shredded (mild Irish swiss works best)
8 oz Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 c Flour
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp Mustard powder
1/4 tsp Black pepper

Directions:

1. Mix cheeses with flour.
2. Heat beer in fondue pot until steaming.
3. Add Worcestershire, garlic, mustard and pepper; mix well.
4. Add cheese and stir until melted.
5. Use chunks of bread, veggies and apples for dipping in cheese mixture.

“Best Granola Ever” from http://thyme2cook.blogspot.com/2007/01/big-chunky-granola.html?spref=fb

7 c Rolled oats
2 c Coconut, large unsweetened flakes
1 1/2 to 2 c Nuts, either whole, chopped or slivered (optional)
1/2 c Ground flax seed (optional)
1 c Wheat germ (optional)
Mix all of the above in a very large bowl.
Then, in a large microwavable bowl or in a saucepan, mix:
1 cup of canola oil or (2 sticks) melted butter
*1/3 to 1/2 cup honey (I usually eliminate this or use the lesser amount. All of it makes it too sweet for me)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup real maple syrup
*Optional: add a 1/4 cup raw wheat germ and a 1/4 cup ground golden flax seed
Heat second mixture in microwave for about 40 seconds or heat on stovetop until smooth and warmed-through, and stir.
Pour liquid mixture over the dry ingredients and stir with a big spoon until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed and wet.
Bake in 2 9 x 13″ pans or one very large cookie sheet, ungreased.
Bake for 25 minutes at 325
Stir and switch pan positions.
Bake another 15 minutes at 225.
At this time, you could add a cup of dried fruit, such as cherries, craisins, raisins, or whatever.
Stir and switch pan positions.
Bake another 10 minutes at 225.
Turn off oven and leave granola in for one hour.
Take it out, cool, break into desired sized chunks, and store in an airtight container.

Greek Avrolemono Soup with Asparagus & Chicken from Cuisine at Home

Ingredients:
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup dry converted long grain rice
1 cup asparagus tips (4 oz.)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (8 oz.)
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp fresh chopped dill leaves or 1 tsp dried dill
1/4 tsp each kosher salt and ground white pepper
1 small lemon, thinly sliced

Directions:
Combine broth, water, and garlic in a saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Add rice; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer rice for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in asparagus; simmer mixture 10 minutes. Add chicken; cook until chicken is just heated through.
Combine eggs and lemon juice in a bowl. Gradually whisk 1 cup of the broth mixture into the eggs until smooth. Return egg mixture to soup in the pan, stirring constantly. Don’t allow mixture to boil. Season soup with dill, salt, and pepper. Garnish each serving with lemon slices.

Twice Baked Potatoes from Food Network Kitchens

Prep Time:  15 min
Cook Time:  1 hr 20 min
Level:  Easy
Serves:  4 servings

Ingredients:
4 large russet potatoes, each about 3/4 pound each, scrubbed and dried
2 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup sour cream
1 scallion, finely chopped
Freshly grated nutmeg, optional
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the potatoes directly on the rack in the center of the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Pierce each potato in a couple spots with a fork and continue to bake until tender, about 30 minutes more. Remove potatoes from the oven, and turn the heat down to 375 degrees F.
Hold the potato with an oven-mit or towel, trim off the top of the potatoes to make a canoe-like shape. Reserve the tops. Carefully scoop out most of the potato into a bowl. Take care to leave enough potato in the skin so the shells stay together. Mash the potato lightly with fork along with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the butter and sour cream. Stir in the scallion, nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Season the skins with salt and pepper. Refill the shells with the potato mixture mounding it slightly. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the potato filling. Brush the reserved top with the remaining butter and season with salt and pepper.
Set the potatoes and lids on a baking sheet, and bake until heated through, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Quick Minestrone Soup from Kathy Bell

Ingredients:
1 c Carrots
1 sm Zucchini, sliced thin & cut in half
1/2 c Onion, chopped
1/2 c Celery, sliced
2 cans 14 1/2 oz Chicken broth
2 c Water
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (15.5 oz) Kidney beans, rinsed, drained
1 c Shell pasta
1 c Frozen green beans
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Basil
1/2 c Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Combine all ingredients except parmesan cheese in 6 qt saucepan.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat.  Cover and simmer 20-25 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.  Serve with cheese sprinkled on top.

Yield: 6 servings