Empty the Freezer Gumbo

Our big plan to initiate the chocolate fondue pot this weekend was OBE. This was also the weekend before Mardi Gras and normally I make a King Cake, but that, too, died on the vine. We just have too much going on preparing for the move, which is only 10 days away, and some things have to give. We needed some down time, so we decided to relax and take care of a few things around the house. However, we couldn’t let Mardi Gras slide by without some sort of celebration, so we made a gumbo that used up some more stuff from the freezer.

I haven’t eaten much spicy food in the last year. Anything spicy made me miserable when I was pregnant and now it makes our baby miserable, so we went very easy on the spices and made a mild gumbo that I could safely enjoy, and then Michael doused his bowl with hot sauce. However, I’ve listed the full amount of spices in the recipe.
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Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup

It’s official—we’re moving. Over the Christmas holiday we learned that Michael has a new job in the DC metro area, and now we’re in the midst of selling a home and looking for another. I’m excited about returning to that area and I think it will be very good for our family, but right now it is a *lot of work* and I don’t see that changing much in the next few months. Frankly cooking is not very high on the priority list at the moment, not when the house has to be kept immaculate for potential buyers to come visit. Oh, and our three little boys need some attention every now and then (every two or three minutes).

I never really gave this much thought until now, but all of this prepping to show the house has made me realize that I often make a real mess in the kitchen. I mean, some days it looks like a kitchen bomb went off. Read more

Ajiaco Bogotano (Colombia)

For me this is the ultimate comfort food, and it’s also my favorite food from my years overseas. It’s a great weekend soup, but it’s also a celebration meal for the Bogotanos who often make very large pots of this soup for festive occasions such as Christmas. They typically serve the soup in black bowls just like the one in the photo, sitting in a basket because the bowls are rounded, not flat, on the bottom. Sides include rice, capers, and avocado. I’ve missed the wonderful ajiacos I enjoyed in Bogotá, so this year I wanted to have it as part of our Christmas celebration.

There are several versions of ajiaco in Hispanic culture. Ajiaco Bogotano has chicken, three different kinds of potatoes, corn on the cob, and the herb guascas. The potatoes are papas criollas, sabaneras, and tocarreñas, or yellow, red, and white potatoes respectively. Of the three, the papas criollas are the most important Read more

Turkey Noodle Soup

Leftovers are as much a part of Thanksgiving day and weekend as the Macy’s parade, football games, and Christmas shopping. The turkey sandwiches taste delicious the first day or two after Thanksgiving, but we start getting tired of them by Sunday. After that, we make soup and pot pie.

If I had my act together, I would have put that turkey carcass right into a pot and made some stock on Thanksgiving day, but this year was just crazy with the new baby and I completely forgot. (All I want for Christmas is a full night’s sleep…) So last night I made do with some purchased chicken stock and threw the leftover turkey and gravy—yes, gravy—into the pot along with some simple ingredients for our turkey noodle soup. I’ve never added the leftover gravy before, but it just seemed to make sense since it is infused with the flavors of the roast turkey. It thickened the soup a bit and added some depth of flavor that I really liked. The boys each devoured two bowls a piece, so I think this one worked out well. Read more

Corn Chowder

It is officially autumn, and although the weather has not yet turned chilly in our part of the country, I’ve already started thinking about our winter soup kitchen. I love creamy soups, and this corn chowder adapted from The New Basics cookbook is no exception. It’s loaded with corn and potatoes, and the flavor is brightened with the addition of chopped red bell pepper and cilantro garnish.

You can use either fresh or frozen corn. If you use fresh corn, choose ears with kernels that burst open with milk when you press on them with your fingernail. Avoid ears with wrinkled or dry kernels. Use a sharp knife to remove the kernels from the cob. Stand the ear vertically in a shallow pan and cut straight down allowing the kernels to fall into the pan. Then use the dull side of the knife to scrape Read more

Cream of Baked Potato Soup

It’s cold and raining today…perfect for a hot, comforting bowl of cream of potato soup. I must confess that this recipe is always changing. I’ve tried for many years to perfect it, and I have found myself constantly tweaking the ingredients or preparation. But no matter how I make it, we never seem to have a problem making this soup disappear. This takes some time to prepare, but it’s time well spent. Because I have played around with this recipe so much, I’ve kept track of a number of variations that have also worked well, which I have listed below.

[Updated January 15, 2008]

Equipment

microwave
6 to 8 quart pot
sharp knife
potato masher or stick blender Read more

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