Thursday, January 29, 2009

French Farmers Soup

French Farmers Soup


I've noticed a lot of (well 2 anyway) of carrot cakes going around lately. I'm thinking of having a carrot cake throw-down of my own.
More about that later.....

I made some soup last night. Which I am submitting to, Deb at Kahakai Kitchen for her "Souper Sundays" post.
I was trying to do 2 things at once time, and while that might work well for most things in a woman's life, multi-tasking is not my strong suit in the kitchen. Because I was also trying to get ready for my book club. So the pictures are hit and miss and of poor quality.
But the bookclub was great! They could all smell my "French Farmers Soup" and commented on it. Soups and cookies make your house smell so good.

I found French Farmers Soup in a magazine...Fine cooking Magazine, October/November 2007. It was included in the article "How to make Hearty bean & Vegetable soups" Without a recipe.
This article gives you a "method" for making a soup.
First of all, one must start with dried beans. So, you do need to include some soaking time in your plan. Soaking 6-12 hours is a standard for most dry beans.
I soaked mine all day on Tuesday, cooked them Tuesday night and refrigerated them. (I thought Wednesday would be a snap and I would be able to get them out in no time while getting ready for my bookclub. And if truth be told, it wasn't that hard. I just didn't get good photos because I was busy making a cheese and fruit and bread tray for the bookclub)

So, I soaked the beans
cooked the beans (with garlic and a bay leaf)




then the article told me to "create" a flavor foundation. and it gave me choices
for the meat: bacon, pancetta, smoked sausage, Italian sausage
for the aromatics: celery, leeks, onions, shallots
seasonings: too many to chose from

Then veggie choices: you can choose from any vegetable you want to.
Add a broth, beef or chicken.
and finishing touch! An acid-- wine, lemon juice, hot sauce.
a sprinkling of a fresh herb
and a topping: olive oil, croutons, grated parmigiano cheese

The recipe also gave you "measuring" guidelines to follow.
3 cups of veggies
1 tbs of seasonings
1 1/2 cups aromatics
1/4 pound of meat.

It was up to me to decide what to mix and match and make for the soup. But...they had a picture of French Farmers Soup. and it looked delicious. I decided to make that one.

I chose baby lima beans. I was a bit hesitant, because my memories of frozen lima beans during my growing up years are not that pleasant. I didn't like the texture of them. but using dried baby ones in this soup....I loved the texture. They were so good! I think it would be a good soup with chickpeas also.


I chose bacon. Because I had it. You can't go wrong with bacon.


I chose a leek and an onion and celery.



and Thyme. and of course some salt and pepper.



carrots and a turnip. Not usually a big turnip fan, but the article suggested this for the French Farmer soup.

Chicken broth (no home made this time. and you could use beef or veggie broth if you'd like)


Add the beans and some broth. (didn't get a photo of this step)

and a splash of wine and some croutons


This soup was really good. And my husband, who is also not a fan of lima beans (he swears that's all his stepmother made) like it also. I actually can't wait to go home and have some this evening.
It is said that soup is actually better in a day or two.

French Farmers Soup

8oz dried baby lima beans
1 med. clove garlic
1 bay leaf
3/4 tsp kosher salt

Sort thru your beans and discard any little stones or clumps of dirt, and then give them a quick rinse. Transfer to a bowl and cover them with enough cold water to go 3 inches above the beans. Soak for 4-12 hours.

Drain and rinse the beans and transfer them to a 3-4 quart saucepan. (I just used my red soup pot--much bigger than that) Add 1 medium (or 2) garlic clove, smashed and peeled, 1 bay leaf and 6 cups of cold water. Partially cover to limit evaporation and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and almost creamy inside. The cooking time will vary depending on how long they have soaked and how old they are. Approximately 1 hour.
Season with salt.
Drain the beans, reserving the liquid and discard the bay leaf.

Heat 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil or unsalted butter in a soup pot. To give the soup a more savory, meaty flavor add some bacon or smoked sausage. (I used bacon) Cook until the fat is rendered, 5-8 minutes. Drain off fat and set bacon aside.
Add the 1 1/2 cups celery, leeks and onion chopped ( 1/2 cup of each). Season with kosher salt and fresh pepper. Cook until they begin to soften, 4-6 minutes.
Add the seasonings of your choice. I used thyme, about 3/4 -1 tsp.

Add the vegetables, stirring to incorporate with the seasonings and aromatics.
I used a mixture of diced/sliced carrots and a turnip to equal 3 cups.
Add 2 cups of broth. Partially cover and simmer until the veggies are just barely tender, about 20 minutes.

Add the beans and 3 cups more of stock/broth and 1 cup of the reserved bean liquid. Return the cooked bacon to the pot. Stir to combine and cook for another 10-20 minutes to meld the flavors.

Taste the soup and adjust seasonings.
Finish your soup with an acid.
I chose white wine ---just a splash.
And when I ladled it into a bowl, I sprinkled on some croutons.

Over all, we really liked this soup. It was a good choice.


Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Okay I get it.

Tonight, as I am sitting in the TV room, I notice my husband come and get the camera off the desk. He had just arrived home from a meeting and I hadn't cooked any supper at all. Soon, he comes out of the kitchen with a plate of burritos. And sets the camera back on the desk. I ask him what he's doing....he says taking pictures of supper to show all your friends that you really don't cook your fancy meals all the time.! Smart Alec!!!

hmmmm....in the picture I notice a hot chocolate packet beside the burritos. LOL That was mine. It's cold. We walked this morning at 5:00 a.m. in 7 degree weather. (I'm on a training schedule for the 60 mile walk) and I haven't gotten warm all day....maybe because it isn't above freezing.


MMM....dinner. Or supper. The evening meal...I get so confused. (sigh)




smart alec!!

and in other news. Today I received this wonderful eco-friendly scrubber. I "won" it from a fellow blogger, Linda at Weekend Cook. I never win anything, so this was quite a surprise. It made me LOL and I loved it. Thanks so much Linda. And also for your nice note which was included. I used to be a great letter writer. Before the invention of the inter-net and once I found the blogging world? Forget it. It's so sad. And that's why it was so nice to get a real live note!!


Also, if you look to your right..... (to the right and down, down, scroll down ) there is a Butterfly award from Honey B! Honey always makes me feel good about myself. I think she is "that" kind of person. The kind who makes others feel good.

Both of these blogs are blogs I love and check them out every day. Thanks so much friends!

And I promise, that I will post again in a day...or two.

Friday, January 23, 2009

news


This isn't a food post. (you can probably tell)

Just letting you know that I have the most clever children ever.
I told you of the adaptation of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" book they gave us on Christmas Eve, to tell us they were expecting twins...

...well today, I am delivered some flowers. with a note that said
"Hi Grandma. I'm a boy" and then another card that said, "and I'm a girl."

Ohhhh!!!! We're so excited we can hardly stand it.

The flowers.
AND...I couldn't resist picking up some little tennis shoes!!





And I have a friend who had twins. Her 88 year old mother gave me these buttons which were her's when her twin grandchildren were born.
How cute! She's 88 and kept the buttons all these years.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Lettuce wraps

Pork Lettuce Wraps with Ginger Sauce


Last weekend we were invited to an "evening with friends" and we were all supposed to bring an appetizer and just as luck would have it, my friend Theda in Tualatin, Oregon had just e-mailed me this recipe for lettuce wraps. She was having them for supper with leftover pork roast. I decided to take them as my appetizer. I think I'll make them for a Superbowl party we've been invited to. There will be enough chips and dips and pizza and jello-shooters, ribs and sausage type of appetizer, but these are so good, just a little bit different and fresh. Fresh is good.
Rich (my handsome husband) thought the butter lettuce was cabbage, so he didn't try one, (he has an aversion to cabbage ??? weirdo) until we got home and I made him one. YES, I actually made him one and took it to him. He would only eat meat and potatoes if it were left to him. I have to get him out of his food box every so often. Anyway, he LIKED them.

In other news, my sister-in-law Cherrie, signed up for the 60-mile, 3-day, breast cancer walk to be held in Seattle in September. That's an ambitious undertaking. Not only do you have to walk "almost" a marathon for 3 days straight, you also have to raise $2300 for breast cancer. I am so proud of her.
I have always been the supporter. I went to New York when my friend Stella ran in the NYC marathon. I supported her (and went sightseeing and shopping while she ran), I support Cherrie and her friends, my son and his girlfriend (now wife) were on the cross-country team in high school...I supported them.
I am a great supporter!! To be fair to me... I have participated in some 5k, 10k and 12k walks. But not for quite some time.
I will be 50 years old in August. Maybe it's time I get off the supporter fence.
I printed out a training program for a 3-day, 60-mile walk. (read it while eating a cookie)
A person would really need to make a commitment....
Anyway....HOORAY FOR CHERRIE.

oh....and guess what her team name is? It's a walk for breast cancer..... Random Racks of Kindness. too funny.

Back to my lettuce wraps!
I set them up so people could make their own, and put on them what they liked. I used exactly what the recipe said, but when talking to Theda, she used the packaged broccoli slaw, which would be a great addition or substitution. You could really just use what veggies you like. They are good. Enjoy.

Wine does not hurt!! (you can see my lettuce wrap plate on the right in the back )
(and my friends were trying to set up a good picture for me...)


Pork Lettuce Wraps with Ginger Sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
1 Tablespoon water
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 scallion, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons grated, fresh ginger
2 pounds thin-cut pork chops, pounded to 1/8 thickness
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 heads butter lettuce, leaves separated
1 bunch cilantro, washed
5 carrots shredded
3 seedless cucumbers, cut into 3-inch matchsticks

Make the ginger sauce by whisking together the soy sauce, vinegar, water, sesame oil, scallion and 1 tablespoon of the ginger. Set aside.
Heat broiler to high. Brush both sides of the pork chops with the olive oil, then sprinkle with kosher salt and the remaining ginger. Broil 2 minutes on each side. Cool and slice thinly.
Arrange the lettuce leaves on a platter and fill each with some cilantro, carrots cucumber and sliced pork.
To eat, drizzle with the ginger sauce and roll the lettuce leaves to close.
Serve with a supply of napkins.

To make ahead; make and refrigerate the dipping/ginger sauce up to 3 days ahead. Prepare the remaining ingredients and wrap separately in Ziploc bags a day in advance.



Thursday, January 15, 2009

uh oh

I arrive home from work today. My husband, Rich is already at home. I see the mail spread out on the counter, some bills opened, junk mail scattered.
He takes my face in his hands......
He gets all serious.....
He says.... "don't buy....."

OH CRAP. Has he just opened the AmEx bill? Seen how good a Christmas we really had. (oh, no, it can't be that, he already knows that)

He says, "don't buy...."

I hear "buy" as a long, drawn out word. In slow motion even. WHAT'S HE GOING TO TELL ME?
We are broke? Don't buy a thing! Don't buy groceries, we can't afford to eat?

"don't buy....."

yes? YES?

"don't buy ......any more chocolate chips!"

He had straightened my freezer. :~)
and found this......

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Apparently we love the booze...Cookbook resolution #2 Hot Buttered Rum Cheesecake


Apparently we love the booze.....Cookbook resolution #2 Hot Buttered Rum Cheesecake
(I keep making things with rum)

My mom is worried. (not about the rum use tho) She calls me every few days and asks "what are you cooking for dinner?" When I (usually) say I have no idea, she frets, "but you have 200 recipes to make this year! That's 4 a week. You better get busy."
No worries mom!....she wants me to succeed, and I'm not trying to fail already, but I did know that this might be a two year resolution. Slow but steady....I'll get it done.

I last left you with Meghan's (one of my favorite sisters-in-law ) choice... I gave her a cookbook title and told her how many pages it had. She picked page 49 for me to make a recipe from.
That will be coming up in a post sometime this week.
But for this post...here is the cookbook I chose:

Betty Crocker's "Fall Baking 2007". #240 in their series. I chose "Hot Buttered Rum Cheesecake", with Brown Sugar Rum Sauce.

And it is now apparent that WE LOVE RUM. I wonder if we have a "rum" dessert problem? We might have to go into Rum Dessert counseling. Rum Cake, Hot Buttered Rum and now this: Hot Buttered Rum Cheesecake.

My thoughts on this recipe?
This cheesecake was denser and heavier than any I had ever made at home before. The cream cheese to egg ratio was very different. When I baked it, I didn't have high hopes. It just felt different.
And....the top was very brown...it did crack, even tho I baked it with a pan of water to stop that. It cracked and got very brown, almost too brown on top. I'm not sure if I cooked it too long, although I didn't leave it in the oven as long as the directions said I could have, but there were a few very, very dark brown spots on the cheesecake.
It looked almost burnt in those spots to me. If I make it again, I'll have to adjust the cooking time or cover during the last part of baking or do some research as to why it browned unevenly. It didn't look as pretty as I would have liked.

When I served it?
Everyone loved it. It was nutmeggy and cinnamonny and rummy. As a rule, I am not as big a fan of flavored cheesecakes as most people. I just like my cheesecake plain or with cherries or strawberries. Not to say I didn't enjoy this, I did, it was just not my favorite. Everyone else was impressed with the flavor and loved it. It did have a real "Hot buttered Rum" feel just like the recipe implies.
Our Friday Night Friends kept some at their house to eat on Saturday.


Hot Buttered Rum Cheesecake with Brown Sugar Rum Sauce

Crust:
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted

Filling:
5 packages cream cheese (8oz each)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons rum
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 eggs

Sauce:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup rum
golden raisins or nuts if you want (I didn't want)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In small bowl, mix crust ingredients. Press firmly in the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan. Bake 10 minutes. Cool Completely.
Reduce oven temp to 325.

While crust is cooling, in a large bowl, beat all filling ingredients except eggs with an electric mixer on medium speed about 1 minute or until smooth. On low speed, beat in eggs until well blended. Pour over crust; smooth top.

Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 25 minutes or until edge is set and center is still soft. Turn off oven; leave oven door open about 4 inches. Leave cheesecake in oven 30 minutes. Remove from oven; cool in pan on cooling rack away from drafts for 30 minutes.

Without releasing or removing the side of pan, run metal spatula carefully along side of cheesecake to loosen. Refrigerate about 3 hours or until chilled. Cover and continue refrigerating at least 9 hours but no longer than 48 hours.

In 1 1/2 quart saucepan, mix sauce ingredients. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened.

To serve, run metal spatula along side of cheesecake to loosen again; remove side of pan. Serve with warm sauce.
Store cheesecake and sauce covered in the refrigerator.


I made my own crust by crushing graham crackers


and used lots of cream cheese

and it was very thick


and plopped onto the crust


and out it came. (looking kind of like a petri dish with mold spores YIKES. but it tasted good...really)

but on the plate it looked pretty good.


I would make it again. Especially for the holidays.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

About baked potatoes.

I have a question. About baked potatoes.
How does one make the "perfect" baked potato? I didn't think this deserved a whole blog post, but wanted to know how you did yours?
With foil? Without? Rubbed with butter or olive oil? In the microwave? Has anyone used those nifty little potato bags that were the rage (on the west coast anyway) at craft fairs this year?
I just gotta know!

How long do you cook yours? An hour? an hour and a half? 350 degrees? 400?
I just gotta know!
When I have a dinner party, I usually do them in foil, but just Rich and me, nada. Plain old skin on--washed of course--no butter or oil.

Last night's potato. Notice no sour cream? I'm on a diet...disregard the pool of butter.
What accompaniments do you put on yours? Butter? Sour cream? Bacon? chives? Cheese?
I just gotta know!


My sister in law Meghan is one of the best cooks around. (I have no idea how she does her baked potatoes )And she's quite witty. She's a bigger foodie than me.
I wish she would start a food blog. Seriously...she's a great cook. And she's not paying me to say this. ( LOL, she doesn't even know I'm saying this ) People ask her to cater every family/friend event, from birthdays to baby showers, to college graduations.
Just so that you "get it", I have her up on a cooking pedestal, so when she requested me to do this, of course I agreed.
"This" being.....
(from Meghan herself)

What if...for your food blog challenge...you make it even harder (not that it isn't hard enough) and every other or every third time, have your followers pick your recipe...do this by numbering your hundreds of cookbooks...they pick a number book and a page number .. and you MUST cook that recipe!? because your challenge isn't daunting enough...heehhee...just a thought!


But now I am having some control issues. It's hard to let go and have others choose my recipe, but I am a good sport. I'm a team player, so, I am going to start with Meghan. It's her idea, and she loves me. Right? Meghan?? I'll do it for her.
Here is my cookbook* for this week: (oh, I didn't read closely, did I? I didn't number my books, but chose one for you)


Beta Sigma Phi's
2007 Comfort Food...All Time Family Favorites.
208 pages.


WOW--KISMET!! I have 208 cookbooks to chose from. And this cookbook has 208 pages for Meghan to choose from. It's a sign....and I'm not even into signs, but what more could it be? LOL
I'll be waiting for Meghan to choose a page for me, and then I'll pick a recipe from that page and show it to you, cook it up this weekend and blog about it.


* once again, disregard pile behind the cookbook. I honestly don't have piles all over...apparently just behind the things I took pictures of this week.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Garlicky Lemon Pepper Chicken


My husband, must have read my blog.
I'm never sure when he does or if he does, but he must have today, because he sent me an e-mail that said:

"you have a lot more than 200"

I am assuming he meant cookbooks. Because this soon after Christmas, he certainly doesn't mean the pennies I have in the bank!
I had to set him straight... I have 208 cookbooks plus assorted notebooks and magazines (which I'm going to toss as soon as I MAKE SURE I have taken out all the recipes I want to try). He just shakes his head at me. He loves me!

I'm not sure if this recipe counts as a "cookbook" for my goal, but it does come from my "file" of recipes to try. (and it's a keeper)
That would make one cookbook down and the file down. Right?

I was actually doing some blog surfing and came across this recipe at The Hungry Mouse-- "The Angry Chef's Garlicky Lemon-Pepper Chicken." It looked great.
It has 3 types of garlic, so ya gotta be a garlic lover. And it is fried, so in not sticking with my new "lighter" dishes....WAIT, that was someone else's goal, not mine, so I can do the fried garlicky, lemon chicken! Hooray!!
And I am ever glad I did. It was so good. There is something so comforting about frying. Seeing all those bubbles just going, making a nice crispy crunchy coating. And the sound of frying! Frying is good for all the senses. None of us do it often anymore. We dare not, because it is not good for us---but once in a while, I think for nostalgic purposes, and because it feels good on our tongues and tastebuds, we need to eat a fried food. And this...this good garlicky, lemony fried chicken just hits the spot.
You should really try it. I loved it. My husband loved it. My son (still at home and in his transistion period/year) loved it too.

Here is the recipe in the new cookbook holder. ( I e-mailed it to myself) (pay no attention to what looks like a messy "pile" behind and to the right of the fancy cookbook holder. It is a figment of your imagination)



And I don't know if anyone noticed, but this recipe was on top when I opened my file to show those recipes when I counted the other day (for my recipe goal count).
I must have REALLY wanted to try it out, because that was not planned.



I will give you the ingredient list, but am going to leave the instructions and tutorial to Jessie aka The Hungry Mouse, as it is her Angry Chef's recipe and no one can blog it like she does. (Honey B and I were just discussing this....she makes us want to eat lots of meat!)
But this way, you can check out the ingredients and see if it's a recipe for you.
And then...I will post some of my pictures. (which pale in comparison to the originals) but you know, it's just kind of fun for me--and my old Kodak--to try and get a decent shot.
But first THANKS Hungry Mouse and Angry Chef! You made dinner tonight, a fun, tasty, treat.

The Angry Chef's Garlicky Lemon-Pepper Chicken

6 chicken breasts (about 4 1/2 pounds)
2 cups flour
1 lemon, juice and peel
1 clove elephant garlic
3 1/2 tablespoons prepared minced garlic
pure olive oil
onion powder
garlic salt
white pepper
black pepper
dried oregano
dried parsley
powdered lemon peel

Serves 6- 8 as a main course.

And now...what you've all been waiting for...MY pictures.

Dear Friends, TWD

Way to go TWD friends! I just love reading your posts.
As you might have noticed, I am no longer doing that challenge. But I love to look at your posts on Tuesdays.
I kind of got caught up in the excitement again right after the holidays. I thought "I can do this now", but seriously... I know me. And it's not for me.

This is me:
I Meant To Do My Work Today
by Richard Le Gallienne

I meant to do my work today,
But a brown bird sang in the apple tree,
And a butterfly flitted across the field,
And all the leaves were calling me.

And the wind went sighing over the land,
Tossing the grasses to and fro,
And a rainbow held out its shining hand
So what could I do but laugh and go?

Translation... I'm lazy? No, that's not it. I plan Christmas parades and Harvest Wine Tastings for a living!! Business After Hours mixers and Chamber of Commerce luncheons...I'm really not lazy, I just got--sidetracked? I'm digressing here. But I feel a tad bit of guilt over having pulled out. Can I still be your cheerleader?

All I wanted to say was CONGRATULATIONS on your 1 year anniversary. I'm always excited to read the Tuesday posts. I hope you all hang in there for many years. :~) I do have the cookbook, so maybe once in a while, I'll post a TWD recipe too.
Happy Tuesday (with Dorrie)!

Taken from my backyard (the rainbows that took me away....) Sept. 30th, 2008

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Cookbook Goal #1 (out of over 200)

Cookbook #1 (out of over 200)
I realize that I am not the first one to do this, make a recipe from every cookbook they own, but it's a good goal, so I'm going to go with it!

I think I'll add to my resolution that as soon as I make a recipe from the cookbook...I need to really think about how bad I need that particular one, and make a decision to keep or donate.
OR I could just be one of those eccentric old ladies, who instead of cats, has cookbooks to wander thru, around and into when they try to find my body one day. Surrounded by cookbooks.... what a way to go. The Mr. would of course, suggest another way as his "what a way to go", but we won't go there.
Yesterday, we took my son and daughter-in-law to the airport and now they are safely back in Connecticut. Expecting twins, going to grad school, and working. I really am in awe of them, as I find it hard to vacuum AND dust in the same day.
Anyway, I am kind of sad today. I'm missing being closer to family. My sons are scattered and my parents are two states away--in the west, those are BIG states--Washington. I'm just a tad bit lonely. So, what do I do to take away the blues?
Cook something.
I started my resolution/goal of making one recipe from every cookbook I own.

First a funny story about my one son in Arizona.
He does like to cook, but he is just now taking an interest in it. He calls me from the store and said "if I buy a pork tenderloin, what do I do with it?"
So, blah blah blah.... I gave him a recipe with a marinade
He calls an hour later.... "Mom, what does it mean--turn to coat?"
I guess the recipe said "turn to coat" with the marinade.
They always ask me such technical questions. I responded with "WHAT"???
Because when I picked up his 4th phone call in 60 minutes, that is all he said..."mom, what does it mean, turn to coat?"
I had to think about what he was asking for a minute before it dawned on me....we were talking about recipes.

On to my cookbook goal.....
I started with this one:


"Southern Living Christmas Cookbook." This one has a 2005 copyright, so it is not to be confused with one of my other cookbooks "Christmas with Southern Living" (2008)
I also decided that I need to cook from my freezer/fridge this year. I have a horrible habit of wasting food, because I don't use it in a timely manner.
I had broccoli in my fridge....I was going to make a veggie tray to have with steaks and baked potatoes when my kids were here, but somehow that got lost in the hectic schedule we all had. The broccoli was only a few days old, so I needed to use it and the recipe that caught my eye was:

Pasta with Broccoli and Sausage.It was good.
The broccoli was crisp-tender and green and the pasta was fresh.
We had only the pasta and some good french bread tonight. I didn't feel we needed much more than that. A salad maybe, but I didn't get around to it.
Also the sausage was reduced fat Hillshire farm.
The fact that we had a fresh green vegetable AND reduced fat sausage made us feel kind of---healthy tonight. (we wont' talk about the heavy cream that went in).
I substituted linguine for the fettuccine, since I couldn't' find any fresh fettuccine at the market today.
The Mr. liked it very much and he is a meat and potato man. His exact words were, "this is really good. Thanks. Some of your experiments aren't."
High Praise! (or a backdoor compliment or insult??)
First you....
cook the broccoli and fettuccine together and drain


saute the mushrooms and garlic


slice the sausage



cook it and add it to the fettuccine
mix with the eggs and cream mixture



cook and add the shredded Parmesan cheese



It's done.


Pasta with Broccoli and Sausage
Southern Living Christmas Cookbook page 113


1 pound fresh broccoli, cut into florets
1 9oz package refrigerated fettuccine
2 Tablespoons butter
1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pound reduced fat smoked sausage, sliced
3 large eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook broccoli and fettuccine in boiling water to cover in a Dutch oven 4 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender; drain, rinse with cold water. Place in large bowl.
Melt butter in a large, heavy skillet; add mushrooms and garlic, and saute 3 minutes or until tender. Add to fettuccine mixture.
Cook sausage in skillet over medium heat 5 minutes or until done; drain and add to fettuccine mixture. Wipe skillet clean with a paper towel.
Stir together eggs and whipping cream and pepper in skillet until well blended. Add fettuccine mixture; toss well. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, 3-5 minutes or until thickened and warm. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and toss.
Serve immediately.

Friday Friend recipe #352

  Making my way thru my  Friday Friend Cookbook , one recipe at a time. What is the Friday Friend cookbook?  I once had about 50 of my close...