Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

I didn't have any chicken broth so made this with water. It was definitely missing that extra kick in the broth, that only so much salt and pepper could make up for. The spiciness from the chillies was nice as well as the lime flavor. I would use less noodles next time - maybe only half a package. Adapted from original recipe.

2 T oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
3-5 garlic cloves, minced
3 spicy peppers, chopped* (depending on how spicy you want it)
salt and pepper
1 very large carrot, shredded
1/2 very large carrot, chopped

9 cups chicken broth (depending on amount of noodles) or water and extra seasoning

1.5 c raw, cubed chicken
1/2-3/4 pkg wheat spaghetti noodles, broken (or as much as you like)
1 lime, juice and zest

1 T fresh chopped basil

Heat soup pot with oil over medium heat. Saute onions, garlic and chilies. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes.
Add carrot and broth. Cover and bring to a simmer.
Add chicken. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Add noodles. Simmer until cooked (about 15 minutes).
Add lime juice and basil.
Move to serving bowl and garnish with lime zest and basil leaves.

Notes

• Be careful when chopping the peppers. Do not get the hotness on your fingertips, and whatever you do, don't rub your eyes if you do.

Review
***1/2 The lime and peppers added great flavor, but this really needs chicken stock or more spices in the water addition. Next time I'd use less noodles. This is an easy one pot meal.

Cherry Dressing

I got the bottle of vinegar at the Taiwan festival (where I got the 3 boxes of strawberries) a few weeks ago and was waiting for an opportunity to use it. I didn't actually taste much of the salad, but one person really liked it. The vinegar is both extremely tart and sweet.

• Cherry vinegar
• olive oil
• lemon juice
• dijon mustard
• black pepper

1. Mix to taste.
2. Shake vigorously
3. Pour over salad greens and toss.
   

Salmon Roll Ups

My friend Nick made the most excellent roll ups a few years ago. I'd been meaning to try my hand at making them ever since. Here's my spin on it.

• Burrito wraps (soft tacos)
• Smoked salmon
• Whipped cream cheese (I used onion flavored)
• Fresh dill
• Fresh spinach leaves

1. Spread cream cheese on a wrap. Don't go all the way to the edge.
2. Add spinach leaves and dill.
   
3. Spread with salmon.
4. Roll up as tightly as you can. Optional: As you roll you can add more cream cheese on the other side to help it stick.
5. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate. Recommendation: Chill for 8 hours to let the flavors develop.
   
6. When ready to serve, unwrap and slice.

Variations

• avocado
• lime juice with the cream cheese
• scallions
• sun dried tomatoes
• red onion, parsley and cucumber
• sour cream and chives instead of cream cheese
• fresh basil
• use prosciutto instead of smoked salmon (pictured, 8/23/09)

6 course meal

Saturday was my first time preparing a 6 course meal. It turned out quite well as far as guests commenting on the taste and my own feelings about effort and stress for putting it together. I started with ingredient shopping at 9 am, and had the first appetizer on the table at 6pm. It was not rushed at all and I had time to do other things in between prep work. Very doable! Don't forget to clean as you go.

Menu

1. Salmon Roll Ups (cold)
   
2. Stuffed Mushrooms (hot)
   
3. Salad with Cherry Dressing (cold)
   
4. Spicy Carrot Soup and Herb Bread (hot)
   
5. Farfalle with Chicken Parmesan (hot)
   
6. Apple Galette with vanilla ice cream (cold)
   

Preparation

1. Prepare the salmon roll ups and refrigerate.
2. Prepare the galette dough and refrigerate.
3. Prepare the mushroom filling and refrigerate.
4. Bread the chicken and refrigerate.
5. Use the bread machine to make the herb bread (done in 3 hours).
   
6. Prepare the soup and blend (refrigerate or set to the side).
7. Make the salad.
8. Bake the galette.
9. Cut the roll ups and serve on plate.
   
10. Bake the mushrooms. [Serve 1]
    
11. Reheat the soup. [Serve 2]
    
12. Bake the chicken (as soon as you remove the mushrooms)/cook the pasta. [Serve 3]
13. [Serve 4]
14. [Serve 5]
15. [Serve 6]
    

Stuffed Mushrooms

My sister taught me how to make this when I was a kid. At first, we grabbed for the biggest mushrooms, but soon discovered the smaller ones were tastier. So get a bunch of small mushrooms for best results!

• button mushrooms (or some other stuffable mushroom)
• ground pork (or spiced sausage)
• bread crumbs
• Italian seasoning
• pepper
• salt
• parmesan
• garlic, chopped
• onion, chopped

1. Pop the stems out of the mushrooms. You can also dig out a little more space from inside the mushrooms if you want. Chop the stems. Throw in a few whole mushrooms as well to chop.
2. Fry the onion, about 5 min.
3. Add the pork. Cook all the way through. Stir in garlic. Transfer to bowl.
4. Cook the mushroom stems with a dash of salt.
5. Drain mushrooms and pork fat. Combine. Add bread crumbs and flavorings. Amount depends on taste and the consistency you like. There should be enough bread crumbs to make everything stick together, without drying it out.
6. Fill mushroom caps with filling, mounding as high as it will go.
7. Bake 10-15 minutes at 200C/400F.
8. Move to serving plate and serve immediately.

Apple Galette

My first successful flaky crust, ever. The trick is to leave large pieces of butter in the dough, so that when it cooks they create layers. So easy! This is a great way to make a pie-like dessert without a pie plate.

Crust

• 2.5 c flour
• 2 T sugar
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 c butter (16 T), cut in 1/2" pieces
• 2/3 c ice water

1. Mix dry ingredients.
2. Add butter and mix until butter is evenly dispersed, yet chunks are still visible. Use fork, food processor, or cold hands.
3. Add ice water all at once and mix until it just comes together.
4. Split in half and shape into 2 disks. Wrap each in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours+.

Filling

• 3 apples
• 2 T sugar
• 1.5 t cinnamon
• 1 t lemon juice
• dash of salt
• 1 T flour

1. Peel, core and slice apples (thin or thick).
2. Mix with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Roll out dough on floured surface to 12-15" in diameter.
4. Transfer to greased baking sheet.
5. Place apple mixture in center, leaving 2-3" of edge.
6. Fold in edge, overlapping as you go.
7. Bake 400F/205C for 40 minutes or until apples are cooked and crust has lightly browned.
8. Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream or let cool.

Notes

• You can freeze the dough by securely wrapping it in plastic. Defrost it in the fridge for a day before using it or in a bowl of warm water for one hour.
  
• It can last a couple days in the fridge as well.
  

Herb Bread

The first time I made this I put it on a light crust setting and it didn't cook all the way through, but was still really tasty. I put in fresh basil, dried rosemary, Italian seasoning and fresh chopped onion. This time I used basil and rosemary from the garden and a dried Italian seasoning mix.

• 2 t yeast
• 3 c flour
• 2 t dried rosemary or 2 T fresh, chopped
• 1 t each dried Italian seasoning and basil (or 1 T each fresh)
• 2 T sugar
• 1 t salt
• 1 egg
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 c warm water

1. Add items to bread machine. Set to 2 lb loaf, medium crust. Done in 3 hours.
2. Let cool before slicing.

Variations

• 1 T dill (or 3 T fresh) and 1/4 c finely chopped onion
• oregano instead of Italian seasoning

Notes
1/12/2010 Made this with 2 T fresh rosemary, 1 T fresh basil and 1 t dried Italian seasoning. Put everything in and consistency was perfect -- then I realized I forgot the egg. Added it plus a lot more flour.

Take 2

June 2015: With a new bread machine and Canadian flour, tried this recipe for a 1.5 lb loaf. Though I had run out of milk and used about an 1/8 c milk and the rest was water.

• 1.25 c milk
• 1 t salt
• 1 T sugar
• 1 T olive oil
• 3 T dried parsley (or use 1/4 c fresh)
• 1 t basil
• 1 t rosemary
• 1 t thyme
• 3 1/3 c flour (all purpose or bread)
• 1 t yeast

1. Place in bread machine.
2. Set to 1.5 lb loaf dark setting, basic cycle.
3. Serve as sandwich bread, with a soup or salad, or turn into croutons.