Lentil Soup

Until recently I've only intimately known a few soups. Let's see, there's tomato and vegetable (homemade, of course), French-onion (which is probably my favorite), and of course broccoli-cheese (one of the great comfort foods of all time if you ask me.) But bean soups? I wasn't all that familiar with them. There are so many to try: minestrone, Italian wedding soup, and tons of white-bean soups with spinach or kale and sausage (doesn't the sound of that make your mouth water?) In other words there's a whole world of soup out there for me to explore. And that's why this Lentil Soup from Melissa Clark (you know how I feel about her) struck a cord with me.

Y'all ... it was soooo good. Even Cash loved it; every time I turned around to spoon some up for myself he was like a little bird beside me, mouth open waiting for his mama to give him more.



It probably does seem like a strange time of the year for soup. The days are longer and warmer, and the nights are starting to give way to barbecues and pool parties now that Memorial Day is behind us. But when your husband is under the weather and has been living off canned tomato soup for a few days you start to feel bad for him. And you want him to lay off the sodium (have you seen how much is in those soups?) It's a plus that you have a new recipe to try and you have all the ingredients already in the pantry. Score on that one, you know?

I served this with a green salad and Cheddar Cheese Puffs, which omigod you have to make. (I promise to give you the recipe soon.) This is a simple soup that comes together in no time, but it really packs a punch in the flavor department. I'm so glad I bookmarked it all those months ago. It might not be cold outside, but shoot, the A/C is on so go ahead and give the stove a workout. You won't regret it.



This recipe is my submission to My Legume Love Affair, 11th Helping, hosted by Taste with the Eyes. (The Well-Seasoned Cook has the whole bean lineup for your perusal.)



Red Lentil Soup with Lemon
The New York Times, Melissa Clark, January 9, 2008
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3 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of ground chili powder or cayenne, more to taste
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup red lentils
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro.

1. In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.

2. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.

3. Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.

4. Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky.

5. Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder if desired.

Yield: 4 servings.

Chocolate Oatmeal Chippers

I love it when a recipe is versatile. I love that recipe even more when it's filled with chocolate. And that's why this recipe was love at first sight over at Bake or Break. I was craving cookies, but I didn't really have time to stand at the stove and scoop cookie after cookie onto baking sheets. Enter the bar option: As in one sheet of cookie dough, baked to perfection, and cut into squares ready to eat.

Yes. That's exactly what I wanted.



These were a hit at work. I hesitated to take them all with me because although the center of the pan was full of chewy goodness the edges of the pan were crispy crunchies. But ... some of us like chewy cookies and some of us like crispy cookies. In other words: My co-workers didn't leave a single crumb.

So I recommend these to you with the highest praises. (And if you make them as cookies let me know how they turn out!)



These bar-cookies are my submission to Blogiversary Bake Sale at illeatyou. The proceeds from this virtual bake sale go to the World Food Program. (Read more about it at First Giving.) If you're so inclined, please donate through the First Giving link and mention you arrived there from here, Confabulation in the Kitchen!

Chocolate Oatmeal Chippers by Bake or Break, via Nestle

One year ago: Strawberry Preserves, Mama's Strawberry Pie and Strawberry Pecan Bread

Stuffed Pasta Shells with Spinach

I love pasta. I know, I know. Who doesn't? It's easy, it's versatile and it's tasty. But at our house we tend to eat the same things over and over again: penne and spaghetti. And that's fine - Brad and I both grew up on spaghetti with meat sauce, and to tell you the truth it's probably my favorite, anyway. Sometimes, however, you want something a little different. For me one night different was spinach, ricotta and a tasty sprinkle of nutmeg - I love that stuff. Adding nutmeg to pasta was something I really didn't know about until I got into food blogs and started actually reading recipes - not just glancing and clipping them. Nutmeg is such a great addition, and it makes this pasta sing.

Definitely heed one specific direction: Don't overcook the shells or they will fall apart (read: tear) when you're trying to stuff them. Being a novice I learned quickly! And be sure to use your favorite sauce; I used some of my home-canned tomato sauce. I'm excited that tomato season is just around the corner so I can fill the cabinet with some more of this ruby-red yumminess.

You've probably got all of the ingredients for this dish on hand so it's the perfect meal to throw together after work. It's also great for leftovers the next day. What could be better? Not much!

Stuffed Pasta Shells with Spinach. Source: Serious Eats.

One year ago: Freezing Fresh Strawberries (It's that time of year again!)

Chocolate Chip Coffeecake

Let's be honest, here. The only reason we call it coffeecake is so we can eat it for breakfast. And if we do eat it at breakfast we have to make it even more acceptable by pairing it with, of course, a cup of coffee. And you should only have one piece, because you know, moderation is key. But if you make this and have it sitting on the table, and you feel it staring at you all day long that one piece at breakfast isn't going to cut it. So you should do the next best thing: Have breakfast for dinner. So you can eat another piece of this amazing treat. And pair it with whatever you want. Because it's not breakfast anymore.



Kara raved about this coffeecake. Raved. That was all it took for me to try it ; I could tell that she wasn't playing around, but I honestly wasn't expecting it to be this good. I expected it to be a typical, crumbly, kinda dry coffeecake with the fabulous addition of chocolate (instead of fruit or nuts.) But I was wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. This is one of the best things I have ever made or eaten. It ranks right up there with Moravian sugarcake (which I'll tell you all about one day.) We inhaled this in two days. Seriously; ask my hips.



It came together much like muffins: quickly, just a few steps, all that jazz. It baked in no time. It cut beautifully. Brad has asked me to make it every weekend since, but I haven't because, you know, my hips, people. MY HIPS. But all this talk about it is making me want another piece. Right now. I'll be right back....

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake, by Nicole at Baking Bites

One year ago (it was a busy week!): Sugar-free Strawberry Cheesecake, Mark Bittman's Tomato-Onion Salsa, Freezing Fresh Strawberries

Oven-Roasted Potato Wedges with Bacon Grease

That's right. I said bacon grease. But how can I own up to my Southern credentials if I don't use a bit of the stuff now and then? It's divine; it tastes great; and it's easy to use in moderation because a little goes a long way. For instance: Take these thinly sliced, peppery, crunchy-around-the-edges potatoes. In one word? Awesome. (I have two friends who say I use this word a lot. Too often, probably, but in this case it's only fitting.)

Ever since I found this recipe and tried it for the first time it's been revisited at least weekly. We've had these potatoes with fish, meatloaf, egg-salad sandwiches, breakfast (of course), and I made them for Mother's Day - just for my dad. He stopped by our house one day when there were a few of these left on the stove and he's been hooked ever since. I spied a pile of them on his plate at Mother's Day lunch. And I overheard my brother-in-law say that they were really good. And my mom and my sister remarked on their yumminess at their table, too.

I'm telling you. Good stuff. So go. Try them. NOW.

Oven-Roasted Potato Wedges with Bacon Grease, via Serious Eats

My notes: I use sliced red potatoes because I think the more surface crunch the better; I used a whole 5 pound bag of potatoes for Mother's Day and 3 tablespoons of bacon grease (which I keep a container of in my fridge;) and I've never put chives on them, but I think if you make the wedge version it would be a great idea. We prefer ketchup!

Brown Sugar Barbecue Chicken Drumettes

I really don't want to tell you how much take-out we eat. (It's a lot, but don't tell anybody else I told you.) It's just that I'm busy, you guys. I have this blog, which I've neglected more than I should have this year. And then there's our etsy shop - have I told you about it before? It's going swimmingly, thanks for asking, but it's a lot of work! Plus like I said, I have a kid and a house and a husband and a yard too big for its own good. And to top it off? I have a full-time job, which let's be honest here, isn't all that stable.

I'm a newspaper editor. A dying breed of journalists. Did you know that the Newseum doesn't even have a section in it devoted to copy editors? For that reason alone I'll never visit. Sure, we're invisible in the newsroom, but I didn't expect to be invisible to the world. I suppose it's God teaching me a lesson about my ego or something, but I have no doubt that you can find almost any reporter and they'll thank (some unnamed) copy editor for having saved their butts once upon a time.

But wait. I'm totally off-topic. Where was I again? Take-out. Yeah. It's what's for dinner.



So take-out probably isn't on your list of necessities, and it shouldn't be on mine save for the few things I don't make at home: Chinese (maybe once in a while), pizza and often, wings. That's because wings are best made in big batches, and (cough, cough) I prefer the ones that are deep-fried first, which just makes them too difficult to do at home. Or so I thought. These wings were so good and so easy to throw together. I'm telling you guys - Everyday Food rocks. I've only had one failed attempt with their recipes, and I still think that was because the dish didn't play nice with my tastebuds, rather than the recipe being bad.

In this economy - which cross your fingers is improving and all that talk isn't just political drivel - we should all be cooking more. And a lot of studies show that Americans are cooking more - restaurant profits are down and grocery-store profits are up. That's great news. We can cook at home, save money, and spend time with the ones we love. And they'll love you even more if you serve them these wings. I promise.



Brown-Sugar Barbecue Chicken Drumettes
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Printer-friendly version

Ingredients
2 cups ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
salt and pepper
6 pounds chicken drumettes, patted dry (I used both parts of the wing.)

Directions
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together ketchup, sugar, Worcestershire, and vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Set aside 1 cup sauce for tossing raw chicken; use rest for baked chicken.
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees; line two rimmed baking sheets with foil.
3. Divide wings between sheets, and toss with reserved cup of sauce.
4. Bake chicken 30 to 35 minutes, rotating sheets and tossing chicken halfway through. Toss baked drumettes with half cup sauce, and serve with remaining sauce on the side.

Easy Peanut Butter Cups

Three things led me to try this recipe, if you even want to call it such because it's so simple. And they were:

No. 1 - Simplicity.

No. 2 - The heat wave we suffered through last month. Good lawd it was hot down here, and it wasn't even May! What happened to my beloved Spring? I had no desire to turn on the oven, that's for sure. The heat led me to...

No. 3 - Refrigeration. Brad likes his candy, cookies, etc. kept in the fridge. Don't ask me why he does this; I think it's some holdover from living Down East with super-high humidity that leads you to keep everything in the fridge so it doesn't go soft.

The hardest thing about this project is layering the ingredients in the cups. If you use larger cups you'll be done in no time, but you might want to do yourself a favor and double the recipe because these babies won't last long!

Easy Peanut Butter Cups
Adapted from Martha Stewart
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Ingredients
4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons chocolate-covered sunflower seeds or other chopped nuts

Directions
1. Put liners in two 12-cup mini muffin pans. Set aside.
2. Place white chocolate and peanut butter in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave 1 minute then remove and stir. Microwave another 1 to 1.5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
3. Place semisweet chocolate in separate microwaveable bowl. Microwave 1 minute then remove and stir. Microwave another 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Using spoons or plastic squeeze bottles, layer semisweet chocolate and peanut butter mixture in liners, beginning and ending with chocolate. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds or nuts.
5. Freeze pans for 15 minutes to set mixtures. Bring to room temperature before serving. (Unless you like your candy cold, like Brad!)

Ina Garten's Blueberry Sauce

It's almost time to pick blueberries, and that means one thing around here. It's time to clean out the freezer of all the blueberries my dad froze for me last year. Yes there are always the basic recipes - blueberry muffins and blueberry cobbler - but I was craving something else one recent morning. I was craving pancakes, and I was craving fruit. And Ina came through for me, as always.



Do you love Ina as much as I do? Sure, there are other chefs on Food TV that I can watch, but none of them tug at my heart the way Ina does. (Except you, Martha, except you.) I think Ina is so cute, and I adore her kitchen. And the best thing? Her recipes are so easily put together, but they pack a punch in the wow department - no matter how simple the food. Case in point: her blueberry sauce.



I've had blueberry sauce before, but it wasn't homemade. There is a specific pancake house (I'm sure you know which one I speak of) that serves teeth-achingly sweet blueberry syrup. Ina's is so much better. It has that tiny twinge to make your cheeks slightly pucker, but it's rich and smooth at the same time. It also comes together in no time flat, and as you see it's possible to use frozen berries to make it. Plus it's absolutely gorgeous.

And who doesn't like to feel gorgeous?

Ina Garten's Blueberry Sauce