Manly Meal: Macaroni and Cheese Beer-ger Soup

Two nights a week I find myself rather short on time given that I am taking Cardiovascular Technology classes. On those nights, I need something that either can be put into a slow cooker and forgotten about, or is quick and easy to make. Today, I was busy trying to develop new recipes for fall inspired baked goods; so I needed to make something rather quickly. I also want to make sure that even though the meal was thrown together quickly, it was hearty and filling enough for my boys.

My boys love "manly" meals. What our family considers manly meals are ones that are hearty and full of meat. You know, food that men love. Our son loves being able to bond with his dad over their love for meat and cheese. And I...while I enjoy both meat and cheese, I do not quite share their deep rooted love, but I do love making them meals they love.

That was my inspiration for tonight: Macaroni and Cheese Beer-ger Soup.

With just a handful of ingredients you get a flavorful and filling soup that the most manly of men and daintiest of women will both enjoy.

MACARONI AND CHEESE BEER-GER SOUP

(Makes 6 hearty servings)

• 1 (16oz) package of macaroni (I like to use rice macaroni)
• 2 lbs ground sirloin
  
• 1/2 cup carrot, diced
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp flour
  
• 2 (12 oz) cans beer
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 12 oz American cheese
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese , shredded
• salt and pepper, to taste
• hot sauce, optional
  

1. Before you start on your soup base, get a big pot of salted water boiling. Once it has come to a rolling boil, add your macaroni. Cook your macaroni until al dente, or slightly chewy in the middle. Drain, rinse, and reserve for a little later on.
   
2. Saute carrots, onion, celery and garlic in vegetable oil until tender. Whisk flour into sauteed vegetables and allow to cook for 1 minute while whisking constantly. You do not want your soup tasting of raw flour.
3. Add beer to vegetable/flour mixture and whisk until all the flour has dissolved into beer. Add water, chicken broth and milk. Bring to a light simmer. Turn down burner and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.
4. While the soup base is simmering, in a separate pan, brown and drain your ground sirloin.
   
5. Add sour cream and American cheese. Stir until well incorporated. Also add your macaroni and browned ground sirloin.
   
6. Add remaining cheese and stir until all the cheese has melted and been incorporated. Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce (if using).

I hope you enjoy your manly meal. Happy cooking!

Homemade Marshmallows...Enough Said.

Marshmallows.

When I think marshmallows, I think JetPuff. When I think JetPuff, I think of s'mores. When I think s'mores, I remember a time when I was five and decided to roast a bunch of marshmallows at once and put them on the bench beside me, so I would not have to keep stopping in between s'mores to make some more. Needless to say, the idea ended up going horribly awry. I ended up with a butt full of marshmallows, instead of a belly full (I accidentally sat on them). Back to marshmallows, yes marshmallows...I have always had an affinity for those little. white puffs of spongy goodness. There has always been something inexplicably strange, yet satisfying, to put one in your mouth; to feel it melt and squish across your tongue. Although, I was never fond of the powdery feeling you would feel in the inside of your cheeks when you had had too many.

The whole making my own marshmallows came about when, couple of days ago, I tried my hand at making whoopie pies for the first time. I had never had one before, but I wanted to try something different. Something that my kitchen has never seen before, or my family for that matter. Although I love cupcakes and they will always have a special place in my heart, kitchen, and stomach, I felt it was time for a change. Anyways, I know that whoopie pies usually have a marshmallow fluff based frosting, however, my whoopie pies were marshmallow fluff-free. Partially because that is not a usual staple in our pantries and partially because I had decided to make them spur-of-the-moment. I ended up using a "no-cook" version of 7 Minute Frosting (it is really a great, fluffy frosting I will have to put up one day). Everyone in the house loved the whoopie pies and suddenly I was thinking of creating new whoopie pie flavor combinations, which made me start thinking of marshmallows. Although 7 Minute Frosting tastes great sandwiched in a whoopie pie, I wanted a little more substance.

Sure, I could just go out and buy some marshmallow fluff, but I do not do store bought. Ok...sometimes I do do store bought, but I try to avoid if I can make it. I have seen many food magazines and blogs try their hand at making marshmallows, but I tried to avoid making them at all costs. I am not sure why. Perhaps it was reading the fact that a candy thermometer is often required, I know how to use one, but I am not a fan. Perhaps it was reading stories about marshmallow making going horribly awry. Either way, I have voiced my avoidance of making my own marshmallows to my husband on several occasions, the most recent being last week. And then this morning I announced to my husband, "Today, I am making marshmallows!"

I smiled and waited for him to respond. And he did.

"What happened to you saying you would NEVER make your own marshmallows because it was too messy and too much trouble?"

To which I responded like I always do when I change my mind, which is quite often. I just smiled my sheepish smile.

And do you know what? I am so unbelievably happy that I changed my mind. The marshmallows were not hard to make and they came out amazing! Everyone who has ever made, or tried a homemade, marshmallow is right, once you have had a REAL marshmallow, you never will go back to store bought marshmallows again.

JetPuff? JetPuff who? I am already dreaming up new flavors to try...

HOMEMADE VANILLA MARSHMALLOW RECIPE

(Makes about 90 (2 x 2) marshmallows. Recipe halves quite nicely.)

• 4 tbsp gelatin (equals about 4 packets)
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• powdered sugar and rice flour (cornstarch may be substituted)

1. Line an 11 x 15 baking pan with parchment or wax paper. If you do not have this size baking pan, you could use a 9 x 13 pan and a loaf pan for the excess. Coat the paper with vegetable oil or non-stick spray. At this time, also fit your mixer with the whisk attachment.
2. Mix the vanilla extract and 3/4 cup of water in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the gelatin over to soften (also called blooming) for about 10 minutes.
3. Put the sugar, corn syrup, remaining 3/4 cup water and salt in a heavy saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, uncover and continue boiling until it reaches the soft-ball stage (234-240 F). I said before that I do not like using candy thermometers, so soft-ball stage would mean that if you dripped some of the hot sugar into ice cold water, it would form a ball. However, if you were to pick up the ball of sugar from the water it would still be malleable. This is how I tested when my sugar was done. Cooking sugar can be a temperamental process and temperatures can change quickly; so watch your sugar carefully. Also, remember this is hot sugar so please, BE CAREFUL.
4. With the mixer at medium speed, pour all of the hot syrup slowly down the side of the bowl. Use great care as the mixture is very liquid and hot at this point and some may splash out of the bowl ; use a splash guard if you have one. After the mixture has started to come together, turn up the speed to high and whip until the mixture is very fluffy and stiff (about 8-10 minutes). You will notice at this point your mixture will grow quite a bit. Mine almost came to the top of my KitchenAid mixer's bowl.
5. Pour mixture into the prepared pan and smooth with an oiled offset spatula so that it is level with the top of the rim (it should not completely fill the pan). Allow the mixture to sit, uncovered at room temperature until set and not that sticky. Most recipes will say 10-12 hours, even overnight. I found mine set in about 4 hours. However, it really depends on how thickly you poured your marshmallow and the weather. If it is really hot, you may find it difficult to make your marshmallow set.
6. When the marshmallow is set, mix equal parts powdered sugar and rice flour and sift generously over the rested marshmallow slab. A lot of recipes I found use just powedered sugar, I think that it would be far too sweet and deter from the smooth, creamy, light flavor. I had read somewhere that some chefs use rice flour or potato starch since both are flavorless and coat the marshmallows without clumping.
7. After you have liberally sifted the powder mixture onto the marshmallow slab, turn it out onto a cutting board, or counter, peel off the paper and dust with more powder mixture. Slice with an oiled chef's knife, oiled cookie cutters, or clean, oiled kitchen scissors. Dip all cut edges in powder mixture and shake off excess. Marshmallows will keep about three weeks at room temp in an air-tight container. If they last that long...

Ni Hao Char Siu Bao!

Two days ago I spoke of my love for Chinese BBQ pork, also known as char siu. Today I will speak of my number one love from my childhood: Char Siu Bao. When I was little, I would prioritize eating char siu bao above all else when we would go out to have dim sum. My grandparents used to tell me if I only ate char siu bao, I would end up looking like a char siu bao. That never stopped me from stuffing my face with them and asking for another order to take home.

I had mentioned in the last post that char siu simply meant "fork roasted." Bao means "bun." It is more formally a type of bun, or bread-like item (meaning it uses yeast), that is either steamed or baked and filled with either a sweet or savory filling. Char Siu Bao is a bun filled with char siu. There are two types of Char Siu Bao that are commonly found in Asian restaurants, especially at dim sum. They are either snow white, fluffy buns filled with char siu or they are baked buns with a slightly golden brown, sticky sweet glaze filled with char siu.

I chose to make the later. Not because I prefer one over the other, for there is more than enough room in my heart for both. The main driving force for my choice was the fact that, in our current house, we do not have a steamer large enough to accommodate a whole batch, or even a half batch for that matter, of char siu bao. Sure, I could have bought a bigger steamer. We do have access to quite a few Asian markets, but I wanted instant gratification. Although, the gratification was not too instant. It takes some time to make char siu bao, but believe me friends, it is well worth it.

CHAR SIU BAO RECIPE

(Makes 16 buns)

First...the BUN RECIPE:

• 1 package of dry active yeast
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 cup warm water (about 110-115F degrees, not too hot or it will kill the yeast)
• 1 cup warm milk, same temperature as the water
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour, plus extra if needed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 16 squares of parchment paper (approximately 4-in x 4-in)

1. In a bowl, stir together the yeast, 1 tbsp of the sugar and the warm water. Let stand until the yeast bubbles, about 3 minutes.
2. Stir in the warm milk, oil and egg; set aside.
3. You could do this by hand, but I suggest a mixer with a dough hook. In the mixing bowl combine the flour, salt and the remaining 2 tbsp sugar.
4. With the motor running, slowly pour in the yeast mixture. Mix until the dough forms a rough ball and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, about 15 seconds, if using a mixer.
5. If it seems like your dough is a little too sticky, sprinkle in a tablespoon or two of flour and mix for about 30 seconds longer.
6. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and spongy but resilient, 3-5 minutes. Or turn up the speed on your mixer with dough hook attachment to knead further.
7. Form into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours (or overnight in the refrigerator).

While the dough is proofing let us move on to the...CHAR SIU FILLING RECIPE:

• 1 pound char siu, diced (you can either make your own or buy it)
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp oyster sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tsp corn starch
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  
• 1 tsp sesame oil

1. In a small bowl, stir together the hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, water, cornstarch and sugar until smooth; set aside.
2. Preheat a wok, or saute pan, over medium heat and add the vegetable oil.
3. When the pan and oil are hot, add the onion. Cook until the onion is softened, but not browned, about 1 minute.
4. Increase the heat to high, add the char siu. Stir the onions and char siu together quickly.
5. Stir the sauce mixture that you had set aside quickly and add to the char siu and onion mix.
6. Bring to a boil and stirring until thickened, about 30 seconds. Then stir in the sesame oil.
7. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until well chilled. It will thicken slightly more as it cools.

TO ASSEMBLE THE CHAR SIU BAO:

1. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle with the 2 tsp of baking powder and knead until incorporated, about 3 minutes.
2. Cut the dough in half and roll each half into a rope about 8-in long. Then, cut each rope into 8 pieces. Be sure to cover unused pieces with a damp kitchen towel, otherwise they will dry out.
3. Roll each piece into a ball. Using a rolling pin, flatten each ball into around 5-in diameter. To fill each bun, place 2 tablespoons filling in the center of a round.
4. Pull the edges so that they come together and then pinch them together securely to enclose the filling. Shape into a smooth domed bun and place, pinched side down, on a parchment square. Set on a baking sheet.
5. Make the remaining buns the same way and place 2-in apart on the sheet. Cover with a slightly damp kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.
6. Preheat an oven to 350F degrees. To make the glaze, in a bowl, stir together 2 tbsp honey and 1 beaten egg. Just before baking, brush the buns with the glaze. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Here you have it...Char Siu Bao.

I might have been a little overzealous in filling my buns, I like a lot of filling. That would most likely explain the thin tops on mine. Either way, they were delicious. They make a great on-the-go meal. My son had one for breakfast this morning on the way to school.

The Soup That Saved Last Night's Dinner

I am, by no means, a classically trained chef; or classically trained anything for that matter. However, I have always carried a certain sense of pride for the fact that in all the times I have spent in the kitchen in my twenty-seven years of life I have had very few failures. Sure...I have had a cake overflow and had my hair get caught in a mixer (I was five!), but I have had very few things deemed virtually inedible. Perhaps, not any...until last night. Enter my Chicken and Barley Bake...

Sure...it does not look half bad. But, as they say, looks can be deceiving. For hidden within the ochre glow of this harmless looking chicken and barley bake hides what must have been a bucket of salt and napalm.

I am actually glad that I had my Cardiovascular Technology exam last night because if I could have seen the faces that went along with the description of how it tasted I might have been done for. On my way back home from class I text my husband to ask how dinner had gone, as I was sure it would have been good, given that the kitchen had smelled quite delicious before I had left. My husband responded that it had been good, but a little "too spicy." Too spicy? My family loves spicy. It had been just a little "too spicy" that our son barely finished half of his serving. My son loves my cooking. I could already feel the sense of dread for my serving when I got home. As I entered the kitchen upon my return it smelled just as good as when I had left. I helped myself to a plate, took one bite, and nearly died.

What had gone so wrong that it tasted of nothing but salt and absolute atomic heat? It could not have been the dash of chili flakes. My family loves the spiciness that those little red flecks give, so much so that I usually double it whenever a recipe calls for it. Was it the sprinkling of curry? Hmmm...the curry. That must have been the culprit for all the other ingredients I use on a daily basis and they have never caused my throat to literally bleed. I am highly exaggerating, but you get the drift. It was not up to my usual standard of culinary artistry.

I felt horrible. Not only for the fact I had left my boys with something like that to satiate their hunger, but also for the fact I still had a lot of the atomic barley left over. My family loves all whole grains, nuts, and legumes so I had made extra in anticipation for requests to be packed for snack/lunch. We try to waste as little as possible in our house, have to set a good example for the next generation. So there I stood hovering the still half-full dish of barley over the garbage wondering what I could do to salvage it when it came to me...soup! I thought that perhaps if I diluted it with enough water, and a little chicken stock, added some vegetables, and a little protein it could be saved. That perhaps this sad barley had not been cooked in vain.

Tonight, I turned last night's dinner disaster into a dinner worth asking for seconds. I added some more carrots, a couple stalks of celery, an onion, some garlic, and two chopped, grilled New York strip steaks. And out of the fiery chicken and barley ashes this phoenix was born...Steak and Barley Soup.

My good standing in the kitchen has been restored.

Marinating Makes the World an Easier Place:Tangy Mustard Pork Chops

So since I had been MIA for slightly over a week, I did not get to post the pork chop recipe I came up with (entirely of my own creation might I add) for dinner last Tuesday.

For us, making time for a family dinner can be difficult during the work week. Our schedules are pretty full: each morning we run before breakfast and then go to the gym in the afternoon. My husband is a computer test engineer at a super computer company and awaiting his delayed entry into the Navy. Our son is now a third grader at a new school where he just joined the running club. And although I am currently a stay-at-home mom; I do take Cardiovascular Technology classes three nights a week (soon to be two nights, thank goodness). We are busy people.

However, I do not skimp on quality in our house because I know that a good meal is integral to a happy, and healthy, family. I can, and often do, spend all day preparing dinner for my family. I usually try to make it something where it can be prepared during the day and thrown into the oven before our gym workouts if I want to enjoy it with them before class. Which is one reason I say that marinating makes the world an easier place.

I love marinades. They often can be created with virtually anything you have in stock, including just plain Italian dressing, though I personally have never taken that route. The best part: they are quick and easy, which we love. They also infuse so much flavor without a lot of work. You just set it and forget it.

There was recently a great deal going on at our local Vons for pork chops, and not just thin little ones. No. These ones were slightly over an inch thick. We bought a package of six and surprisingly, since we are Vons Club members, the total came up to just under $9. Amazing, no? This marinade was thrown together at the beginning of the morning, they marinaded all day, I threw them in the oven before our workout and when we got home I they were done.

TANGY MUSTARD PORK CHOPS

(Serves 6)

• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 6 tbsp dijon mustard
• 5 tbsp honey
• 1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp dried tarragon
• 5 cloves garlic, minced (I used 1 tbsp + 1tsp of prepared chopped garlic, saves my fingers)
  
• 6 pork chops, at least 1-inch thick

1. Mix the first eight ingredients together well.

2. Add the pork chops to the mixture. I like to do this in a tupperware container, as ziplock bags can sometimes have small holes and cause a mess in your fridge.

3. Marinate the pork chops for at least two(2) hours, or overnight.
4. When you are ready to bake the pork chops, preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
5. Bake for between 45-60 minutes, depending on the thickness of your pork chops.

I served our pork chops with sauteed green beans and buttered curly noodles. This is sure to please your family as well.

Happy Baking!

The Family That Cooks Together...Stays Together

Today my parents and my husband's family all got together for dinner. We all usually see each other at least once a month for an evening of catching up and food. I believe there is nothing greater than everyone bonding over food. If anything, it is the universal bond between us all. We may not all enjoy the same types of food, but we all can agree that we enjoy it.

As I am now a wife and mother, I enjoy cooking for my family and friends. It gives me an immense amount of pride and undeniable joy that I can nourish their bodies with my cooking and minds with conversation around my dining table. To me, there is nothing better.

My husband enlisted in the Navy a couple months ago and is on delayed entry because of the overwhelming amount of new recruits, so he will not be leaving for boot camp and A-training until February of next year. We will not know where we will be stationed until after he returns, though it seems fairly certain we will not be staying in San Diego. It is somewhat exciting, but scary at the same time because our families have never been far and neither of us have lived outside of San Diego. Knowing that we more than likely not be staying here has made me think of what I might be leaving behind: my family's cooking.

I come from a family that has always centered around the kitchen. Both of my parents cook, my grandparents cooked, my aunts and uncles cook. I am of Chinese, Korean, and Italian decent so there has always been an abundance of different cuisines rotating through my family's kitchen for as long as I can remember. Before I continue, let me say...I am an odd Asian girl...I do not really prefer rice as much as I prefer pasta. When I was younger I used to get very burnt out on Asian food, but now that I have a family and house of my own, I find that sometimes I crave it. My mother, her mother, and her sisters have always made amazing Korean food. My father and his mother have always made amazing Chinese food. And me...well...I never made a good, let alone amazing, dish from either cuisine until today...

I had never really thought about learning to cook either Chinese or Korean food because I have always had my parents/grandparents around to make it for me if I desired. However, a few years ago my grandmother on my father's side passed away from cancer and suddenly a lot of the Chinese food I had grown accustomed to was no longer around. Sure I could go to a restaurant, but it was not the same. It was not my grandmother's. I think about a year ago my father was going through what I am going through now...trying to learn the family's recipes so you could still have a taste of what once was. My father started noticing all the things that my grandmother used to cook that he had never really took the time to learn to make himself that now was not there. So he took to trying to go through her old handwritten notes of what recipes she did write down (highly embellished and personally flourished as most Asian cooks usually do) and scouring the internet for the ones he could not find. I suddenly realized a couple weeks ago that if/when we move there might come a day where I would want some of my parents' cooking and they would not be around to make it for me. I needed to learn. Not only for myself, but for my family. So we all could retain the closeness that food brings, whether we are just down the street from one another or across the ocean.

I decided to keep what was on the menu a secret until the last moment. I wanted to surprise them by honoring my heritage with tonight's meal. I was actually quite nervous about this turning out well as I have never really cooked any Korean or Chinese food on my own. So today I spent the afternoon marinating, chopping, prepping, and cooking. I decided I would use my mother's Korean bulgogi sauce that she showed me how to make last weekend (recipe soon) on some chicken, some more chicken with a spicy Korean BBQ sauce made with gochujang (a savory and pungent fermented soybean paste) that my mother introduced me to and that my American husband loves, a Chinese Pan-Fried Noodle dish (recipe included) similar to the Chinese dumpling place my father introduced me to and that he sometimes makes at home, and, of course, steamed rice. It actually turned out pretty good.

My parents both were pleased with my first attempt as well as the rest of my family. I am so happy with how things turned out and am not longer as intimidated with venturing into Asian cooking. Actually, I ready to try my hand at some more of their recipes soon.

But for now...we will start with this...

CHINESE PAN-FRIED NOODLES

(Serves about 6-8 hungry people)

• 1 (14oz) pkg. Oriental Lo Mein Style noodles
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
• 2 stalks of bok choy or 4 stalks of baby bok choy
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
  

Marinade:

• 1 tsp of sesame oil
• 1 tsp of ground white pepper
• 1 tsp of rice vinegar
• 1 tsp of corn starch
• 1 tsp of light soy sauce
• 1 tsp of oyster sauce

Sauce:

• 1 tbsp of oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp of soy sauce
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tsp of sugar
• 1 tsp of cooking wine
• 1/4 tsp salt
  
• slurry (1 tbsp corn starch dissolved in 2tbsp of water)

1. Use a small mixing bowl, add chicken slices and the ingredients for the marinade. Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 20 minutes, though I left it for a couple hours in the fridge.
2. After the chicken is through marinating, set the stove to high. Add 2 tblsp of cooking oil to a wok/pan. Wait until the oil gets hot and add the chicken. Cook the chicken until no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan.
3. Cut the bottoms off of the bok choy. There could be sand trapped in between the leaves so be sure to wash and drain them. Use a small pot, fill it with shallow water and set to boil. Lightly blanch the bok choy and drain. This will save some time when preparing the final dish. At this time, you might also want to blanch your noodles for about a minute, so you will not get a "raw" taste to the noodles.
4. Starting with a clean wok/pan, again, set stove to high. Add a generous amount of cooking oil, about 3 to 4 tbsp. Once the oil starts fuming, but not smoking, put the noodles in. The noodles should brown very quickly. Using a pair of chopsticks, or the spatula, to make sure the noodles are getting browned evenly. If you need to, use the spatula to press the noodles agains the pan or add some more cooking oil to make sure at least you brown most of the noodles.
5. Flip the noodles and pan-fry the other side. Make sure the noodles are getting browned evenly. Remove the noodles and set them on the serving plate.
6. After removing the noodles, add 2 tblsp of cooking oil in the pan. Maintain the stove setting at high. Wait until oil starts fuming. Quickly add minced garlic, salt, and cooking wine. Stir well.
7. Add chicken broth, water, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sugar. Stir well.
8. Continue stirring until the mixture starts boiling. Add the slurry to thicken the sauce until you obtain the right consistency. Not too thick, not too runny.
9. Re-add the chicken and vegetables into the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Keep stirring.
10. When finished, pour the mixture onto the noodles. The essence of this dish is to let the boiling hot sauce moisten and soften up the dry pan-fried noodles when served.**

**NOTE** If you prefer other types of meat, this dish is great with beef, shrimp, BBQ pork, and pork slices.

Enjoy!

Summer Heat and Creamy Baked Potato Soup

Lately the weather has been extremely hot and humid here in San Diego, even though we live five minutes from the beach, which is thwarting my ventures into marshmallow fondant and making it rather difficult to come up with dinners for my family where I am not slaving in a hot kitchen.

So what did I decide to cook for my boys today?

Creamy Baked Potato Soup.

Yes, you read right. Creamy Baked Potato Soup.

While the weather has been borderline unbearable, there are two things my family and I cannot deny: filling, flavorful soups and potatoes. I also found that, with this soup, I was able to make something we all could enjoy after going to the gym and limit my time in the kitchen.

The first thing you need is baked potatoes.

In this photo you probably noticed that not only are my potatoes wrapped in foil, but they are also on a metal skewer. It is something I learned from watching Nigella Lawson's Food Network show "Nigella Feasts." She says that it makes the potatoes cook faster and evenly. And you know what? It works.

Then you will need just a couple more things:

milk (we like skim milk in our house), chicken broth, bacon (or salt pork, sometimes I use a mix of both), finely diced onion, sour cream, and selection of spices.

Many baked potato soups ask for a lot of butter and flour, but I find that the starches in the potato, along with the addition of chicken broth, makes the soup rich enough. However, depending on how creamy you and your family like it a little slurry goes a long way...

CREAMY BAKED POTATO SOUP

(Serves 6 to 8)

• 12 slices bacon (or like today: 6 slices of peppered bacon and a 3-in block of salt pork)
  
• 4 cups milk
• 3 cups chicken broth
  
• 4 large (8 smallish medium) baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 small onion, finely diced
  
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon salt (omit if using salt pork)
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)
• slurry {2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 4 tablespoons water}, (optional)

1. Place bacon/salt pork in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium heat until slightly browned and most of the fat has been rendered. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
2. Drain half of the fat that was rendered, leaving the other half in the pan. Add the finely diced onion and saute until almost translucent. Add back the bacon/salt pork and the seasoning. Cook until the onion is softened and the seasoning has become fragrant.
3. Gradually stir in milk and chicken broth. Once it starts to simmer, stir in potatoes. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. At this point, if you would like a thicker soup, add the slurry and stir.
   
4. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Mix in the cheese, if you are including it, and the sour cream. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until cheese is melted.

And then...it is done...Creamy Baked Potato Soup for a hot summer night.

Enjoy!