Winter has arrived in North Idaho, we had our first real snowfall. You know what that means, Soup, Soup, Soup. Nothing like a hot bowl of soup on a cold and wintery night. This Soup Saturday had me trying one of my favorite soups but I have never tried to make it from scratch before. Here goes nothing!
For my first attempt at this yummy soup I chose French Onion Soup by the Cozy Cook. What caught my attention on this one was she used Gruyere cheese on baguettes, feels fancy.
I followed this recipe to the letter. I had no substitutions or alterations. For the wine I used Free Reign Pinot Grigio. It has a crisp apple, fruity taste with a dry finish. The Gruyere I got from Imperfect Foods. Its flavor and texture are very similar to Provolone.
This has sooo many onions. It takes a long time to break all these down. I definitely stirred more than every 10-15 minutes. I have a stirring compulsion, I cant help it. I dont feel that my over stirring caused any browning issues however. It’s such a slow process on this one.
In making the cheesy baguettes, I did not brown them as much as she did. I like mine on the soft cheesy side.
Overall this was a success. It was full of flavor, great beefy broth. It turned out a bit too sweet for my taste though. Next time, I would not add the 2 sweet onions and just use maybe half of one and the remaining all yellow instead and I think the wine was too sweet too. I would use a Chardonnay instead. I loved the cheesy baguettes on it, probably my favorite part of this dinner, especially when they soaked up the yummy broth.
Whatever Wednesday had me trying out some new steaks from Imperfect and a new recipe for oven roasted baby potatoes. Both were successes and made for an excellent meal!
Lets start with the potatoes, as these take longer than the steak to cook so you would need to start these first. OVEN ROASTED HERB AND GARLIC PARMESAN POTATOES by Mom on Timeout. Now she grows her own Yukon potatoes which she used for this and even though I live in Idaho, I do not grow my own potatoes so I used new pototes that I buy at Costco. Any little, baby or new potatoes will work for this, mine is a mix of both Yukon and Red. They were even a little soft but that did not effect it at all so this is a good recipe to use when you have some older potatoes you need to use up.
Fresh herbs are definitely a must for this one too, it makes a huge difference. I have actually started buying the little containers of herbs like Rosemary and Thyme and then freezing what I don’t use. When I need them again, I just pull them out that morning or at least a couple hours before to thaw. Maybe one day I will grow my own and just have fresh herbs on hand at all times.
These turned out to be the best roasted halved potatoes I have ever made, the hubs agrees. They were nice and browned, crispy on the outside with creamy middles. Just perfect!
While the potatoes were roasting, its time for the steaks. Now, I had seasoned these earlier in the day, and put them uncovered in the fridge to dry out a little. This isn’t necessary but it does help with browning. For my seasoning, I used Traeger Anything Rub, Killer Hogs The A.P., and Killer Hogs TX Brisket Rub. The Anything Rub is a mix of salt, pepper, garlic, onion, jalapeno, and lime. The A.P. is an all purpose seasoning, good for literally anything, mix of salt, black and red pepper, garlic, and coriander. The TX Brisket Rub I love to use on beef, its a mix of salt, garlic, onion, and pasley. You can get all these seasonings at Amazon or Walmart.com if you cant find them at your local store. Be careful not to be too heavy handed when using all 3 because they all include salt.
I grilled these steaks at 425 degrees for about 5 minutes a side. They were thinner so this cooked them to a Medium doneness. Let rest for at least 10 minutes.
To finish the dish off, I added just a simple salad of Spring Mix with croutons and feta crumbles, topped with an Italian dressing. This was a super simple, easy meal to make, less than 30 minutes, and it was amazing! Definitely one to satisfy any meat & pototes man, like mine! Enjoy!
Meatless Monday this week had me trying out a couple new products. First and most importantly, Crispy Jack Patties from jack & annie’s. These are breaded patties made from jackfruit to be an alternative to chicken. I picked these up from Imperfect Foods. My local supermarket didn’t have my normal GF hamburger buns so I had to try a different brand, Ener-G.
For the jack patties, I chose to grill them on my Traeger, which I have named the Midnight Meat Train. Per the directions on the box, you keep them frozen until time to cook. I set the grill to 425 degrees and cooked for 10 minutes on each side. I then add my cheese while they’re still on the grill. I wanted to go with a spicy flair so added a slice of Pepperjack cheese with American. Leave on only long enough to melt the cheese, otherwise too long and it will melt completely off, speaking from experience.
While the patties were grilling, I through some frozen seasoned fries in my airfryer. They usually take about 10-13 minutes, in the rotating basket. I find this gets them the most crispy.
I perfer to toast my buns a little too. I only like to toast the inside, leaving the outside soft and fluffy still. I used to put them on the grill but they would go from soft to burnt in the blink of an eye. Just like making smores, you turn away for a second and its on fire, lol. So, I just spead a tiny bit of butter and put them inside down in a frying pan just until browned.
Sliced up some tomatoes and lettuce and topped with my fav vegan soy free mayo. Added the fries and a little fry sauce and it was off the dinner table, aka my bed, to dig in.
I am very happy to report that I was extremely satisfied! Who knew jackfruit made such a tasty alternative to meat, lol. I dont know if I would say that they taste like “chicken” but they were good non the less. The texture was that of breaded chicken nuggets. The pepperjack added the perfect amount of kick. The GF bun was not as good as my normal brand but they were still a hell of a lot better than those frozen pucks most places sell. With most glutten free breads, my biggest complaint is the density, like a brick, a bad brand will be so grainy from the rice flour too. These were a little dense for my liking but did not have that grainess. I used just your average pub bun for the hubs sandwhich, we perfer Seattle International Baking Company Sourdough Pub Buns. He declined the GF bun, can’t say that I blame him. I am just thrilled I got him to go along with no meat on Mondays, my “meat and pototes Montana man”. He is such a trooper, always open to being my culinary guinnea pig. I will say though that he loved this sandwhich! Definitely would make these again!
It has officially been a month that I have been using Imperfect Foods for the majority of my groceries. I love the ease and simplicity of it, especially the delivery. I live in a rural area that food delivery of any kind is not available so I am jacked about this.
A few weeks ago I signed up with Imperfect Foods. I love the thought behind it but wanted to try it out for myself and see if it makes sense for us. If it wouldn’t provide decent enough produce, or if it was more expensive than I normal pay for groceries, or if I am still having to go to the local grocery store, then that doesn’t make sense to continue. So far, I have been happy with it.
My first order.
Pros:
Less trips to the grocery store.
I get an email when it’s time to shop.
100% customizable basket.
No plastic produce bags or grocery bags.
Helping fight food waste.
I can skip a delivery anytime if I am not going to be home.
Cons:
Some items have been small in size. Making it harder to plan in advance.
Some items have been wilted and must be used right away.
Due to holidays my delivery date has been different every week. Also making it harder to plan ahead.
Overall, my cons have been no big deal and I am able to adjust my weekly menu around it. I have been loving being able to shop for my groceries online on Saturday and then plan out my menu for the week on Sunday. I try to leave my basket with what they have picked for me as much as possible. I know that what they put in is what needs to be eaten to avoid going to waste so I really try to work around that. I have made adjustments though if I just don’t need any more potatoes or carrots etc, or they keep trying to give me chicken. It does have this awesome option though to remove an item from my basket and never select it again, or you can add items to put in every week, like green leaf lettuce. It is a great way to try new foods too. I tried baby broccoli for the first time (will detail below). Whatever the hubs and I don’t eat, we feed to our reptiles and feeder insects. Variety is key for everyone.
Grilled Sea Bass with Roasted Green Beans and Potatoes by Cooktoria. Just a simple season on the fish (salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning) and grilled on the Traeger. The beans, I followed exactly as the recipe states. These were really good and I think paired well with the fish but would be good with almost any meat.
Ground Beef Enchiladas by Yellow Bliss Road. I made these in both corn and flour tortillas. Both turned out very yummy. This is a super simple enchilada recipe that anyone could make for a weekday meal. I left out the green onions only because I didn’t have any on hand. I used cheddar cheese instead of cheddar jack. I’m all about use what you got. Topped with lettuce, and Coconut sour cream.
Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana by Unbound Wellness. I do not have an Instant Pot but I have a similar pressure cooker that I used for this one. The recipe does provide a stove top option if you don’t have either. I used a Mild Italian sausage, turkey broth instead of chicken, and russet potatoes instead of sweet. I didn’t have fresh parsley so I used dried as well, about 1-2 tsp. This is another great cold weather soup to make!
I just love Kale. A little trick with Kale is to chop and then rinse it. When kale is chopped it releases an enzyme that creates a bitter taste, when we rinse it after chopping, it washes that enzyme and bitterness away. Wah lah! Yummy tasting kale!
Here we made two different cookies for Christmas. One for the hubs and one for me.
Classic Snickerdoodles Cookies by Cake Whiz. For these, no adjustments were made. I will be honest, I ate some and oh my are they good. Hard to keep them to a minimum. 😋
Fluffy Frosted Eggnog Sugar Cookies by Vegan Guide to the Galaxy. For the flour, I used Bob’s Red Mill GF 1-1 Baking Flour. The “eggnog” I used So Delicious Coconut Holiday Nog. For the butter, I used Country Crock Plant Butter with Avocado Oil. The recipe says to be careful not to overcook and they are so right to keep them nice and soft. Wait till the cookies are totally cooled before frosting or it will melt. I kept these in the fridge for the first day until the frosting set as my house was a little too warm.
Christmas Dinner for Two!
First up are cocktails! A Pomegranate Gin and Tonic for me. 1.5 oz of gin, 2 oz Pomegranate juice, 2 oz tonic water, and a squeeze of lime. A Whiskey Sour for the hubs. 1 oz whiskey, 1 oz water, 1 oz simple syrup, 1 oz lemon juice. I added an orange peel and maraschino cherry.
Appetizers: Stuffed Mushrooms. Carefully pop stems off 10 mushrooms and dice stems into smalls pieces. Carefully scrape gills off with a spoon. Saute 1/4 lb hot Italian sausage with diced mushrooms bits, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 Tbsp butter, and 1 Tbsp soy sauce until sausage is cooked. Spoon filling into each mushroom cap, melt 1 Tbsp butter and pour into each on top of filling. Top with shredded Parmesan cheese. Bake in oven at 350 for 20-25 min, until mushroom has shortened and cheese melted.
Smoked Prime Rib – The day before season with Salt and pepper, fresh rosemary, thyme, and parsley, and Traeger Prime Rib Rub. We smoked the roast for 1 hour, I prefer using a Mesquite as it gives it a really good Smokey flavor. Turn Traeger all the way up to 475 – 500 and cook 10 min a side to render the fat and create a crust. Then turn down to 300 and cook until internal temperature is 135 -145 depending on your preference. This will take a long ass time, be prepared for at least 6 hours for a 3 lb roast. But oh so worth it!
We accompanied this with a double baked potato (recipe listed in I Love Potatoes) and Roasted Brussel Sprouts. I like the little ones best, cut in half and put in bowl. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Dump out onto a sheet pan, cut side down. Roast in oven at 400 for 15-20 min.
I had a cauliflower in the fridge that was about to go bad, so in the essence of sustainable cooking I decided to make Two Ingredient Cauliflower Tortillas by Paleo Gluten Free Eats. I will say that these were not worth the trouble in making. And were only good the first day I made them, tried again another day after being kept in the fridge and they were hard and brittle. I had some left over Chorizo and Potato Taco filling (recipe in I Love Potatoes) that I put on these, topped with coconut sour cream and salsa verde. I will stick to my corn tortillas.
Cajun Asparagus and Sausage Skillet by The Simple Supper. I used russet potatoes instead of red, I left out the bell pepper, and added sliced zucchini. The Cajun seasoning, I would use your judgment on how spicy you want, 2 tsp is a lot, if you want just a little you can just dust it instead. I added the zucchini right at the end with the asparagus to just heat through but not make soft.
Prime Rib Quesadillas by Little House Big Alaska. When you left over prime rib and it’s Taco Tuesday. I used corn tortillas but everything else I followed. Made some homemade Guacamole by Will Cook for Smiles to accompany them with some coconut sour cream.
Oven-Baked Blackened Mahi Mahi by Wanderlust &Wellness with Roasted Broccolini by Don’t Go Bacon My Heart. So I only have one oven and these were at different temps so I cooked the fish on the Traeger instead. It didn’t get it quite as “blackened” but it was still very good. You could use a cast iron pan and cook it on the stove top but I didn’t want to smell my house up. 😄 The broccoli was so good too. There were a few thicker stems that I wish I would have peeled to soften them up but definitely will be making again.
Grilled Ribeye steak with a Cucumber, Tomato, Avocado Salad by Cooktoria. The steak is just another super simple one. Seasoned with just salt and pepper and grilled on the Traeger until internal temp reaches 145. The salad was so good too. My avocados were a little more ripe than I wanted for this but you will have that some times, you just gotta roll with it. Instead of using grape or cherry, I needed to use up my vine ripened tomatoes. This was nice and light and fresh, perfect to accompany a heavy protein. 👌
