"DINNER" ... ((FEBRUARY 2015 ))

OK, so before anyone says I don't know what the date is.....let me assure you, I do.

What I didn't know, because the sticky label I had on my foil wrapped package in the freezer fell off, is I still had a corned beef purchased last year when the prices were reasonable.....



Boy, did it taste good! Just what we wanted on a cool evening.

Hot and sour soup.

OMG Beth that is a beautiful plate of food.

and YOUR hot & sour soup is one of my favorites.....don't know why I've never made it.

Oh, now I remember.....not a fav of Dane's and it seems like a lot of work to make just for me when I can get a decent one at a good Chinese (real deal) restaurant.

But I wouldn't refuse a bowl of yours if I lived next door!

Here is a picture of the beach the other day. Making Julia Childs French onion soup tonight. Not sure I like the taste so far." />

Well, Julia's recipe was awful and I poured it down the sink. I am not sure what the problem was: maybe the beef stock, maybe the wine, the onions. I don't know.

Sounds good to me Jimmy..I did not cook mine first, Just let the hot soup cook them.

Bugster2 wrote:Well, Julia's recipe was awful and I poured it down the sink. I am not sure what the problem was: maybe the beef stock, maybe the wine, the onions. I don't know.

That is to bad. I do not remember making hers.I need to look up my recipe.

Second time around I made Tyler Florence's recipe. It was better but not good enough. Canned stock is not cutting it but homemade stock is really cost prohibitive nowadays. I did find an old Julia Child's recipe for making canned beef stock taste like homemade. I am going to give that a try. Maybe I will change the onions too.
Does anyone have access to Cook's Illustrated website? I am curious to see what they picked out for best tasting beef broth/stock.

Bugs, when I make French onion soup I use a combination of boxed beef and chicken stock. Also, I only use 'winter' Spanish onions (the ones with the dry skins on the outside). The 'sweet' Texas Sweet or Walla Walla onions have too much water and don't seem to ever get really caramelized for me.

I brown my onions with some sprigs of thyme and don't add any salt until later in the recipe so the additional moisture isn't drawn out of the onions.

Then I add Kitchen Basics brand chicken stock and beef stock. I like the flavor. A lot of times I'll suppliment with a quart of my homemade chicken stock, depending upon how much I have available.

I like to then cool down my pot of soup in a sink full of ice water and chill overnight in the refrigerator. The next day the flavors seem so much more 'onion-y' ~ just heat & continue.

I don't usually put a lot of weight to what Cook's Illustrated picks as best tasting.....they seem to pick an awful lot of stuff that's only available on the Eastern half of the country, most notably from New York state.

I use this ^^^^ Oddly enough it is rated the best.However I am sure there is just as good out there.

Oh....and I don't use broth, only stock. I like the extra flavor of all that's used to make it.

French Onion Soup:

5 yellow onions, sliced thin
5 cups of beef  stock (I use Swanson Low Sodium brand in a box)
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 teaspoon sugar
salt & pepper


In a large Dutch Oven, heat your butter on low heat and add your sliced onions to the pot.
Add the sugar, salt and pepper to the onions.

Cover the pot and sweat the onions on very low heat for about 25 minutes.
Keep an eye on them, stirring them, and making sure they are not browning.
The onions will reduce by about half.

Now add your thyme sprigs, beef  stock and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered for about 1 hour.

toasted thick slice, from a baguette
grated Gruyere cheese for the topping,broil 10 minutes.

Thanks guys! I have never tried Swanson's stock nor the other brand. I am going to buy some today and see what they taste like.

Funny thing about onion soup: the variations are endless. One recipe uses Vidalia, another red onions, another brown. The there is wine. Some use white, red, sherry, calvados, cognac, brandy. Some use thyme. Others nothing. Julia uses sage. The trick is to find the right combo. Some use a mix of chicken and beef broths. OY! This is going to cost a fortune to find out. I can see we will be having FOS every week for a while. Then we won't want to see it ever again and all of that work will be for nothing.LOL.

Sometimes I put a glug of cognac before serving.....

Sometimes I see people with their carts filled with those ramen cups and I wonder if they have hit on hard times or if they just like them. I can eat them once in a while but never as a steady diet.

I pass on them. To much salt.

DD#1 has spent her entire 'motherhood' life being sure her children (now 10 1/2 & 14 yrs. old) have nothing but the best nutrition. She makes homemade meals, soups, breads, etc. ~ very few sweets. Good for growing bodies.

When the children have a chance to 'pick' a special lunch, they choose Ramen Noodle Soup or a Stouffer's frozen entree as their treat.

Hahahahahahaha!

I think it's hilarious because I raised HER (DD) on Twinkies and Pepsi......

Still fairly cool for our area so I just pulled a container of soup out of the freezer.....\

I am making chicken strudel.

That sounds interesting, Barb.

I'd love to see some 'step-by-step' pics if you aren't already done with it....

Sauce
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup mushrooms, sliced thick
2 tsp butter
1 shallot, minced
¼ cup flour
½ cup heavy cream
½ lemon, juiced
salt and freshly ground black pepper


sorry I did not think to take pics.

BRB with the rest..

Chicken
2 cups chicken
½ cup dry white wine
1¾ cup chicken stock
1 slice onion
1 slice lemon
2 sprigs parsley
¼ tsp pepper

let this cook down to 1 & half cup..



Assembly
½ package phyllo dough
½ cup butter, melted


Lay one sheet of phyllo on parchment and quickly brush with melted butter. Continue to layer phyllo and butter until completed.

With a slotted spoon, lay chicken mixture along one long edge of pastry, leaving all excess sauce in pan. Leave an inch or two at each short edge unfilled. Fold in the two short ends, then roll as a jelly roll. Use a little water to moisten seam to help it stick. Brush the top with melted butter, and sprinkle with sesame  seeds . Score 3 diagonal slashes in the top of the pastry.

Carefully transfer to the lined baking sheet.

 

Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes.



  slice the strudel into quarters and  Spoon a little of the sauce over each piece .