Parsnip leek soup

 Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons roasted almond oil

• 4 large leeks, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (or 2 leeks plus one big shallot)

• 5 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 teaspoon garam masala (rec. called for ground turmeric; pull date on mine was 2006 so I boldly tossed it)

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 4 cups vegetable broth

• Extra-virgin olive oil, crème fraîche or yogurt, for garnish (optional)

Preparation

1. Put oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add shallot. leeks and parsnips, and stir to coat.

2. Let vegetables sizzle and cook, stirring frequently until nearly caramelized, but without browning, until softened, 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Add bay leaf, garam masala and garlic, and stir to coat. Increase heat to high, add broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes more. Taste broth and adjust seasoning.

4. With a blender, purée soup to a creamy consistency. Thin with water or broth, if necessary — it should be like a thin milkshake, not thick and porridge-like.

5. Reheat the soup before serving. Serve plain, or give each bowl a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil or a dollop of crème fraîche or yogurt, if desired.

Slow cooker Italian sausage pasta sauce

Loved this sauce, inspired by the following recipe: https://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/slow-cooked-italian-sausage-pasta-sauce-with-spaghetti/90f4ca32-b131-4db1-946c-d8c46ca5f28d

Brown 1-1.5 lbs bulk Italian sausage or 5-6 Italian sausage links, cut into 1 inch pieces. Brown for about 10 minutes in a skillet. Pour off fat.

Place the following ingredients in a slow cooker: 16 oz marinara sauce, 28 oz diced tomatoes (2 cans), 1 can tomato paste, 1/2 t dried oregano, 1/2 t dried basil, 1 diced medium onion, 1 diced red bell pepper, 2 large cloves garlic (peeled & crushed), and browned sausage. I did NOT add any salt - none of the tomato products I added were 'no salt added' - and it was already pretty salty. Also, original recipe called for 3T of sugar - I prefer it without.

 Cook for 8-10 hours on low, stirring about once every 2 hours (this prevents the edges from burning. More frequent stirring, though, loses too much heat). Serve over spaghetti. Garnish with parsley and/or Parmesan cheese.

Adapted from the Olde Joy: Cucumber sauce as a fish topping!

cucumber sauce, on fish: beat ¾ c sweet cream with 2 T vinegar or lemon juice, or use cultured sour cream. Or yogurt? Pare, cut finely and drain 1 large cucumber. Mix; add 2 t chives or dill.

BBQ sauce

M is learning how to grill ribs.... and I am the lucky taste-tester! He wanted me to save the BBQ sauce recipe he found, which was delicious:
https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/homemade-bbq-sauce-recipe/

Even Cod is interesting when doing social distancing

from a tattered and untitled Post clipping, tucked deep into my notebook:

Multiply for number of eaters:

8 oz cod (serves two, barely) - - mine was fresh that day from Whole Foods; when I cook the other half, I'll firm it in 15 min of ice water, with a little salt and 1 tsp vinegar or lemon juice.

place in the bottom of a small saucepan:

• 1 cinnamon stick, broken into a few pieces
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 slightly crushed black peppercorns
• 1/4 tsp cardamom seed (recipe called for 1 pod, crushed)
• 1/2 tsp anise seed (recipe called for 1 star anise)

add enough vegetable stock to cover your fish (which isn't added yet) and bring to a boil.  Then add the fish, leave the lid off, and turn off the heat.  The fish should be cooked in 20 min.  Next time I might leave the pot on very low - - I thought the fish not hot enough for my taste, but at least it was cooked.  Or I will reheat the broth before pouring it over the fish.

Fiesta Chicken Soup

Prepare 1/2 recipe Joy of Cooking quick creamed chicken
Sautee 1 large (or 2 small) red onions, 1 sliced bell pepper (I used yellow), 3 sliced celery stalks, 3 diced potatoes, 3 smashed garlic cloves, 1 sliced jalapeno, 2 handfuls of frozen corn in EVOO.
Put the creamed chicken, veggies, 1 can of chopped tomates, and chicken stock to the desired consistency (about 2 cups) into a large slow cooker.
Season with cumin (2-3t), chili powder (2-3t), rosemary (1/2t), thyme (1t), salt (1/2t), black pepper (1/2t).

 Cook on low for about 8 hours.

Creamy, filling, delicious! Almost like a white chili.

Serve with tortilla chips or cornbread.

Baked Turkey Meatballs

Almost everyone in the family loved these:
https://uprootkitchen.com/2014/06/25/easy-baked-turkey-meatballs/
For Italian seasoning, I used garlic powder, sage, rosemary, and basil. I served them with whole wheat egg noodles (with a small amount of butter) and grated parmesan cheese. I left the red pepper flakes out so people could spice them up as needed.