Thursday, December 4, 2008

I've been trying out new recipes!


For dinner today I tried out a new soup Recipe that I found in a Magazine I like to read: Real Simple. I liked it.
Squash and White Bean Soup
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 - inch pieces (4 cups)
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 15-oz cans cannellini beans, rinsed ( I used white beans)
1 bunch spinach, thick stems removed

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes

Stir in the squash, thyme, 5 cups water, 1 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the squash in tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the beans and spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted and the beans are heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.

The recipe included some biscuits but I found a recipe online at allrecipes.com that I used

Cheese Biscuits

1 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c. milk
1/2 c. cheese
Preheat oven to 400.
Mix together and fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake for 15 minutes. Super Easy!
Adam really liked these even though the soup wasn't his favorite.

Yesterday I made some Christmas cookies out of the Real Simple magazine (I told you I've been trying out recipes!)

Pecan Snowballs
1 c. pecans
1 c. unsalted butter at room temperature
1 3/4 c confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pure almond extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 c. all-purpose flour

Heat oven to 350. Spread the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for 8 minutes. Let cool and roughly chop. ( I chopped them finely in the Cuisinart so that Kael could eat them)

With an electric mixer, beat the butter and 1 c. of the sugar until fluffy. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts and salt. Gradually add the flour, mixing until just incorporated. Mix in the pecans.

Shape the dough into tablespoon-size balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Transfer half the balls to a second parchment lined baking sheet, spacing them 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until lightly golden, 18-22 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes.

Place 1/2 c. of the sugar in a large bowl. Toss the warm cookies in the sugar and return to the backing sheet. Sift the remaining 1/4 c. of sugar over the cookies before serving.

This picture shows what Kael is like while I am cooking. First he is happy then bored and then desperate to be picked up!