Potage Veloute aux Champignons

SO, I know I didn't post last week. See, because I don't work during the day at the jewelry store I mostly end up working on Sundays. Although last Sunday I was in Michigan for a wedding reception for a wonderful cousin of mine. No problem you could say, why not cook these Julia Child recipes during the week? Well, I'm still in school. So two days a week I'm observing and sometimes teaching. This week, I'll be subbing for two and a half days. And really, if I just make the soup on Sunday night, if I were to make the next recipe on Monday I'd have multitudes of leftovers. Oh who am I kidding. I made the french onion soup on Monday. see? I did it anyway.

In the spirit of being in school, let me give you the cliff notes version of me making the soup.

Monday:

Me: So what's the next recipe?

Super G: I've been eyeing the cream of mushroom soup for a long time so I pick that one.

Me: Hmmm. okay. That sounds good.

Tuesday:
Me: Crap. My course advisor wants to come observe me teach again. Okay, let's do it next Tuesday.

Naughty Obnoxious Boy! You are getting a detention!

Secretary #1: So you know, Naughty Obnoxious Boy came in to speak to the principal about how you pick on him.

Me: (poof brain exploded!)

Wednesday:
observe observe observe

Sell big piece of jewelry. Sell another big piece of jewelry. Yay!

Think maybe I should get started on this soup.

Thursday:
Bake cake for teacher I'm observing. Think about getting that soup started. Finish the french onion soup leftovers. yum!

Friday:

Stomach flu and dizziness hits. Whhhheee.

Saturday:

Still recovering from the Friday fun. Sleep most of the day. No desire for cooking.

Sunday:

Yay! feel human again! Work a full day selling a little bit of jewelry. Race through Meijer on the way home and pick up some mushrooms and heavy cream. Throw some tequila marinated pork kabobs on the grill. Eat dinner with the Brain. Chop mushrooms and get the Cream of Mushroom soup started. CRAP!!!! I'm out of eggs (and to be discovered later, cash). Race through WalMart. Grab eggs. Count out a ridiculous amount of change and make mental note to stop at the bank tomorrow. Get back home just as the 20 minutes of simmering is done. Finish the soup.

And yes. There are two kinds of cream of mushroom soup. There's the kind you make tuna noodle casserole out of. And there's this kind. Silky, decadent, delicious. If only I didn't have a mountain of dishes to do before I get to go to bed....

And I welcome any tips on getting soup made lade at night to photograph well!

Check out how Tracy and Super G did!

Mushroom Sauce Pork Chops

I'm stuck in classes most nights and starting in January (or maybe December) I'll have a long term substitute teaching position to replace a pregnant math teacher. The Brain also works long hours for some clients who would test the patience of a saint. Thus our happy little family has become fairly dependent on the slow cooker. It didn't start out so well. In the beginning the slow cooker produced some of the very worst dinners yet. But, now that I've got the lovely Chester Pig in the freezer and found some delicious slow cooker cookbooks, I think I'm getting the hang of it!

This is the Brain's all time favorite slow cooker meal. He's also a really big fan of the Party Beans, but these Mushroom Sauce Pork Chops are his favorite. I think. I know he really really really likes them. I like that some time in the morning I just have to sear the chops and then throw them and a whole bunch of really inexpensive pantry items into the slow cooker and when I get home tired and hungry from school this delicious pork is all ready for me. And this pork is so tender usually just the bones are left in the slow cooker.

Mushroom Sauce Pork Chops

from Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes

4 pork chops

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 medium onion thinly sliced

2 Tbsp quick cooking tapioca

1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup sherry

1 (4 ounce) can sliced mushrooms

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

3/4 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp garlic powder

egg noodles

Trim fat from chops and brown on both sides in a skillet in hot oil. Drain off fat. In 5 quart slow cooker place onion and then chops. If you have a mortar and pestle grind tapioca to a powder, otherwise place tapioca in a plastic baggie and whack away at it with a meat tenderizer. In a bowl, combine tapioca, soup, sherry, mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and garlic powder. Pour over chops.

Cover and cook on low for 8 or 9 hours. Serve over egg noodles.

Greek Week Day 5: Chicken Souvlakia

OK, it's HOT. hot hot hot. This is the kind of day I don't want to cook indoors. So what's a gal exploring Greek food to do? Take it to the grill. Other than the 3 hour marinating time, this has to be one of the quickest, easiest recipes yet! I just had to throw together a marinade, chop up some chicken breasts, wait the 3 hours, and then thread the chicken onto skewers with some yummy vegetables and grill. Fantastic!

I did alter this recipe just a bit. Instead of 12 small mushroom caps, I used 18. Instead of 12 cherry tomatoes, I used 18. I didn't chop the green peppers into 12 pieces. I chopped it into bite size pieces. Maybe my peppers were just big, but 12 pieces would have been very big pieces. And then, I only used 4 skewers instead of 6. Mostly that's because I finally broke down and bought skewers. And there were only 4 in a pack. Despite my alterations, these were very very tasty skewers. I served them with some rice and I think I'll be cherishing the leftovers in leftover pita pockets. Yummy!

Chicken Souvlakia (Souvlakia me Kota)

adapted from The Complete Book of Greek Cooking by the Recipe Club of Saint Paul's Greek Orthodox Cathedral

marinade:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup red wine

1/2 Tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp dried oregano

2 chicken breasts (boned and skinned) cut into bite sized pieces

2 green peppers cut into bite size pieces

18 button mushrooms

18 cherry tomatoes

Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for 3 hours. Using 4 long skewers, arrange alternating pieces of chicken, green pepper, mushroom, and tomatoes. Brush with some of the marinade. Barbecue on the grill for 15 to 20 minutes, brushing with marinade and turning frequently.

Mushroom Casserole

Last time I went to Meijers, the Brain came with me. It was sort of an outing for us. I tried to follow my usual and horribly OCD path through the grocery store sticking to my shopping list as best I can. Straying only in the produce section, but more on that in a minute. The Brain happily went off and grabbed things like hot dogs and buns and tossed them in the cart. He grabbed all kinds of things and we went down aisles that I tend not to go down like the soda and chip aisle and we skipped aisles that I always go down (ahem, baking aisle). I was downright twitchy when we got done.

As painfull as this trip was for me, it turned out to be a good thing the Brain was along. It turns out that we needed the shredded cheese because I got overzealous with the seasoning on some chicken chili. And as it turns out he makes himself a hot dog for a snack and then he's a happy man. The best thing thing the Brain did was throw some pizza crust and the fixings in the cart. Why was that so great? Well I went a little exuberant on the crimini mushrooms. See they were 10 for $10 and the 11th was free. On the 8oz. packages. I had enough sense to not pick up 11 of them. I picked up 6. We ate heavily mushroomed pizzas.

So they are holding up well in the fridge, but I still had 4 packs when we got home tonight and I need to use these babies up. So when I was sitting at work today and the mailman brought my latest order from Amazon, which included the cookbook Healthy Cooking For Two (Or Just You) by Frances Price R.D. I scoured it for mushroom recipes and I came across this Skillet Casserole of Bulgur & Crimini Mushrooms. I thought it was really good. I sprinkled a little parsley on mine. The Brain thought it was ok, and his was plain. We both were surprised at how generous the portion size was too.

Skillet Casserole of Bulgur & Crimini Mushrooms

from Healthy Cooking for Two (Or Just You)

1 Tbsp butter

2 cups sliced crimini mushrooms

2 Tbsp finely chopped onions

2 cups Chicken broth

1/2 cup bulgur

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp salt

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Place a heavy medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and allow it to melt. Add the mushrooms and onions; cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until mushrooms release their juices.

Stir in the broth, raise the heat and bring the mixture quickly to a boil. Then stir in the bulgur, thyme, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and cover the skillet. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the bulgur is tender.

2 servings

Per Serving: 128 calories, 6.8 g. total fat, 3.8 g. saturated fat, 18 mg. cholesterol, 631 mg. sodium, 3.9 g. protein, 14.8 g. carbohydrates, 2.6 g. dietary fiber