Fruit Salad

This Fruit Salad is the brain child of my Mother. I am not sure where she came up with it. But it sure was good. You can find the jars of fruit in the refrigerated section near the bags of salad greens and jar salad dressings. The fruit juice from the jar fruit keeps the bananas from browning. Genius! And the coconut, well it was delicious. I think this salad should be called a Tropical Fruit Salad.

Fruit Salad

Serves: 6 to 8

Ingredients

1 jar mixed fruit, drained

1 jar mandarin oranges, drained

2 banana, peeled and sliced

Sweetened flake coconut

Directions

Drain almost all liquid from jar fruit. Slice one banana in a serving bowl, top with one jar of fruit. Sprinkle fruit with some coconut. Slice second banana, top with other jar of fruit and more coconut. Toss salad to combine just before serving.

Parsnip and Fennel Soup with Dill

I made Parsnip and Fennel Soup with Dill last night. I found the recipe on Pinterest, it had been posted from Real Simple magazine. It was very good! The parsnip and dill were the true stars of this soup. The only thing I would do differently is I would puree half of the soup in the blender as the recipe said or puree the whole pot. I used a stick blender to puree half and it sort of beat up the other veggies. It would be prettier if I had followed the directions. One more thing in the photo I saw on Real Simple, the soup was much lighter in color. I used a dark vegetable stock and my soup was darker than the photo. If you know of a lighter stock I suggest using it in this recipe.

By the way, I am working on getting those Christmas recipes posted. So stay tuned.

Parsnip and Fennel Soup with Dill

Source: Real Simple

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 leeks (white and light green parts), sliced into half-moons

2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1⁄4-inch pieces

1 large bulb fennel, cored and cut into 1⁄4-inch pieces

Kosher salt and black pepper

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces

5 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth

1 small baguette, split horizontally

2 ounces grated Gruyère or Swiss cheese (1⁄2 cup)

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

Directions

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, parsnips, fennel, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the potatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes.

Transfer half the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Return it to the pot.

Meanwhile, heat broiler. Place the bread, cut-side up, on a baking sheet and sprinkle with the cheese. Broil until the cheese melts. Cut into pieces.

Sprinkle the soup with the dill and serve with the cheese toast.

Tip: The soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutritional Information: Calories 477; Fat 13g; Sat Fat 5g; Cholesterol 22mg; Sodium 914mg; Protein 19g; Carbohydrate 70g; Sugar 8g; Fiber 8g; Iron 5mg; Calcium 249mg

Merry Christmas everyone!

I am off to Mom and Dad's to make Seafood Gumbo and Potato Salad for Christmas eve dinner. This Christmas my sister works a later shift. So we have a Christmas brunch planned. Below is our holiday menu. I will post recipes and photos real soon. I hope you and your loved ones have a very Merry Christmas full of love, happiness and cheer.

Christmas Eve

Seafood Gumbo

Potato Salad with Olives

Assorted candies and desserts

Christmas Brunch
Baked Ham
Asparagus Fritatta
Scalloped Potatoes
Creole Cream Cheese
Fruit Salad

Eggnog Pudding with Creme Brulee Topping

This dessert will save you a few calories over the holidays. You can make it after dinner and about the time you are ready for a sweet treat it is ready for you. I got the idea from a recipe I saw in a Richard Simmons Food Mover Cookbook.  The original recipe was called Creme Brulee a la Free. They use white chocolate pudding mix and it served twelve. I cut the recipe way back in size and changed up the flavor. I guess you could call it Mock Creme Brulee. But the texture is still more pudding like, so die hard Creme Brulee fans may be offended. Whatever you call it, it is sure to provide that satisfaction of breaking into that crisp caramelized sugar crust. The possibilities are endless for other flavors too. I myself have made chocolate, vanilla and butterscotch. I hope you will give it a try.

Eggnog Pudding with Creme Brulee Topping

Serves 2

1 - four serving box of sugar free vanilla pudding

1-1/4 cups skim milk

1 tsp rum extract

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp brown sugar

Whisk in pudding mix and spices into milk or use a mixer. Add extract and mix until no longer grainy. Pour into 2 ramekins. Put in refrigerator to set about 30 minutes. Just before serving combine sugar and brown sugar. Sprinkle each with sugar mixture and be sure to cover the top of pudding evenly. With a culinary torch brown sugar. Serve!

Marinated Onions and Blue Cheese

Food on Fridays at Carole's Chatter is all about onions this week. The first recipe to come to mind was a salad my Mom served with steak and potatoes on very special occasions. This just may be the stinkest recipe I will ever post. She served Marinated Onions and Blue Cheese on an iceberg lettuce wedge. Mom said she use to get this salad at a steak house in New Orleans. She found a similar recipe in a Cookbook Encyclopedia from Redbook she had. I remember this set of books always being in the bookcase. If fact they are still there. Although, this is the only recipe I remember her using from the books. The onions actually get quite sweet after they marinate for two days. Don't try to rush the process, they really need the time to marinate and mellow out.

Shown here garnished with a little more blue cheese

Marinated Onions and Blue Cheese

Makes 6 to 8 servings

½ cup olive oil

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp salt

Dash each of pepper and paprika

½ tsp sugar

¼ cup crumbled blue cheese

2 cups thickly sliced large red or yellow onions

Mix oil, lemon juice, seasonings, and sugar. Stir in cheese; pour over onions, cover, and chill for at least 2 days.

Linking to:

Carole's Chatter: Food on Fridays

Cream of Red Pepper Soup

Red bell peppers were on sale recently at my grocery store. These peppers were also some of the largest peppers I have seen. They were about 3" in diameter and 5" or 6" long. I decided to make Cream of Red Pepper Soup. I have also seen Rachael Ray cook a lot with Fresno Chilies. So I bought one for an experiment. She says it adds a fruity heat to recipes. She often uses it in place of red pepper flakes. I use a lot of red pepper flakes, maybe I would like the Fresno chili? I have to admit when I first tasted the soup for seasoning. I was a little disappointed. I could not tell there was a chili in the soup. But after the soup was finished and I sat down to eat, I was very happy. The soup was not spicy, you do not feel the burn on your tongue. What you will find is a nice warming sensation in the back of your throat. I bought three more Fresno Chilies at the store today. More experimenting to come. Below is a photo of the soup with a ham and colby jack quesadilla. It was a great combination.

Cream of Red Pepper Soup

Servings 4 to 6

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

4 extra large red bell peppers, deseeded and chopped

1 red Fresno chili, deseeded and chopped

3 shallots, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried basil

3 cups vegetable stock

3/8 cup fat free half and half

Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

In a 4 qt soup pot sauté the shallots, garlic, and red bell pepper in the olive oil for 3 minutes. Add the herbs, salt, pepper and stock. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes covered. Take off the stove and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Or pour the mixture into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Return to soup pot and add half and half, do not let it simmer or boil after adding half and half. Taste for seasoning; adjust to taste, then serve.

Linking to:
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
The Chicken Chick: Clever Chicks Blog Hop

Chicken Tortilla Soup

When I was in Georgetown, Texas my co-workers and I would live for the day when The Ice Cream Parlour had Chicken Tortilla Soup as a special. One of us would go pick it up and bring it back to the store. They served it in a large foam cup. We would sit at the desk with a foam cup of soup and a Route 44 Sonic tea with lime. It was the perfect lunch. Sadly they closed for renovations and we could not get it for over a month or two. That is when I developed this recipe. I since moved away and I understand The Ice Cream Parlour is long gone. But I am happy to relive those memories through this recipe. It is warm, full of tender chicken, corn, onions and tomatoes. I serve it over baked corn chips and 2% cheese today. But feel free to use your favorite chips and cheese, but please don't forget the cilantro. It really adds that Mexican flare to the soup.

Chicken Tortilla Soup 

Servings:  6

Ingredients

1 lb uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast 

2 tsp olive oil
1 med onion, sliced in half moons 

10 1/2 oz canned tomatoes with green chilies, with liquid   

14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes, with liquid   

14 1/2 oz canned yellow corn, with liquid 

4 cups fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth 

1/4 tsp ground cumin 

3/4tsp seasoned pepper 

1 tsp Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning 
3/4 tsp kosher salt, or to taste

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped 

Tostitos baked tortilla chips 

2% Mexican blend shredded cheese 

Instructions

Place chicken in a 3-1/2 quart pot, cover with water and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. At the first sign of bubbles lower to temperature to low. Poach chicken for 30 minutes. Discard cooking liquid and shred chicken. Set chicken aside. Rinse pot and return to heat.

Sauté onion in olive oil until they start to get transparent. Add tomatoes, corn, broth and seasoning. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Add chicken and cilantro. Simmer until chicken to warmed through. Taste for seasoning, adjust to taste. Serve over corn chips and a tablespoon of Mexican cheese blend.

Linking to:
Carole's Chatter: Food on Friday - Corn
Memories by the Mile: Tuesday Trivia-TEXAS and Link Party
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky