Mushroom Soup

Why is someone who hates mushrooms posting about Mushroom Soup? Simple. My issue is always with the texture, never the flavor. 

My family makes a delicious Mushroom Soup for Christmas Eve, (Wigilia in Polish) and since COVID kept us all apart this year, I made it myself. My husband loves the mushrooms and I love the soup. It worked out perfectly. 

I'm going to post the two versions I have of this recipe. The first is the original, and the second is the doctored up version I wound up with. 

I served it with lightly toasted Balsamic Glazed Onion bread. (Droool...)

Enjoy! We did!

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Original Mushroom Soup: 

1 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced 

4 cups of water/ chicken broth

3 tbls flour

Butter to taste

Vinegar to taste

Salt to taste 

(Typical for an old family recipe!) 

Saute sliced mushrooms until tender. 

Add 3 cups of water and bring to a gentle boil.

Add flour to remaining cup of water and stir or shake until no lumps remain. 

Slowly pour into mushrooms and stir until slightly thickened. 

Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Yield: 4 1-cup servings 

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Jennifer's Mushroom Soup

1 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced or quartered

2 1/2 tbls butter

4 cups chicken broth

2 tbls + 1 tsp vinegar (approx)

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce OR Gravy Master

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp garlic powder (optional)

1/2 tsp onion powder (optional)

3 tbls flour (for thickening, optional)

-Melt butter in a 3qt or large sauce pan, add mushrooms, salt and pepper and saute until just starting to brown

-Add chicken broth(all if not using flour, 3 cups if using flour), garlic and onion powder, bring to a gentle simmer

-Taste broth for base flavor (don't burn your mouth...)

-Add vinegar one tbls at a time, tasting after each for personal taste. 

-Add Worcestershire, 1/2 tsp at a time to taste.

Optional: mix 3 tbls flour with remaining cup of liquid until smooth, add to soup slowly and allow to boil for thicker soup. 

Yield: 4 1-cup servings

WW84 - Just a quick review

Let's start with, I enjoyed it. As a lark, in a year that I just can't with anymore. It had some themes that I appreciated, and some angles I was glad for. And there were lacking bits. 

Let's start with the good. 

THEY DIDN'T FOCUS ON THE 80S FASHION. God, we all know that our sense of fashion in the 80s was nonexistent. The costumes for this purpose were well done. The one scene with bad clothing was lighthearted, and put Steve Trevor in something non-offensive. 

The opening with Diana on Themyscira was excellent. It was nice to revisit the characters, and see another part of her youth. 

Max's conclusion was good. He got it, and I felt like he needed that. Pedro Pascal was good (but it was weird to see him out of Mando's costume!). 

Diana's conclusion (and that bonus scene! OMG YES) were good. She learned from her... well, I won't call it a mistake, but maybe her hubris? selfishness? She did what she had to do, and kept her humanity at the end. 

Now the not so good... 

The story was too loose. It dawdled at the start, not getting us into the real story quickly. It seems to be a flaw with most DC movies. They shuffle along, and then all of a sudden grab you and start running, pulling you along skipping good storytelling points. 

It felt like this was a vehicle to create a villain who's story isn't wrapped up or "to be continued" by the end.  

Things I took real issue with: 

1. the fireworks scene - Steve was killed in a mortar barrage and explosion. He has no reaction to these things around him? And hello, stupid flying. 

2. The Mayan text. I get that Diana has been around for thousands of years and can read extinct languages. But the Mayan texts were destroyed or badly damaged during the Spanish Inquisition. A book like that would also not have survived in such pristine condition. 

Things that bothered me greatly:

1. Barbara's "costume". More than one person has mentioned it looked like they borrowed it from "Cats." And it was a bad choice. Consider the Catwoman costumes from the Dark Knight (Anne Hathaway) or Batman Returns (Michelle Pfeifer). They weren't transformed, but rather chose a costume to reflect what they were. Which is the smarter way to go. Barbara's wasn't in keeping with the idea of the Citrine--all the other wishes didn't physically alter the person. Not even Steve. But she did. Bleh.

2. Too much flying time when she discovers it. Thanks, Supes flies too we don't need this expanded.

3. Barbara's focus on popularity. Being unpopular myself, I never had a burning desire to become an apex female. Ever. I get that the 80s were shallow, but this was just too much. 

It's not as good as the first, by a long shot. But it's a light lark. The story could have been more powerful. They should have focused either on Barbara/Cheetah OR Max Gold. It dawdled terribly at the start, but the ending came in at medium strong, and I would watch again. 

I refuse to read feminist themes into it, or that it focuses on the MMC (he's a vehicle, nothing more). It's flawed. 

I'd give it 3/5. Because there were some things that made me smile. Like Max just **getting it** at the end.

Go into with a sense of "this is just light fun."

Coq au Vin for 2

I have loved Coq au Vin since freshman year of high school. Madame Freeling took us to the French Embassy in NY and there was a restaurant, attached or next door I can't remember. I do remember she was proud of all of the student who stepped out of their comfort zones to try real French dishes. There were a handful of us who went for the Coq au Vin and I was hooked.

I've ordered it on and off in places I suspected could actually make it, including Paris and a French restaurant in London. 

So, when I took my first bite of this, and it was better--YES BETTER--than the dish I had in Paris, I was floored. 

This is going into rotation. But as a treat. The original recipe at Garlic & Zest says 4 hours, and they aren't kidding! 

Alternately, if you don't have a Dutch oven (which you should, my Lodge cast iron was $50) you can do this in an Instant Pot. Follow all the directions, in a heavy saute pan, and then transfer to the IP for 45 minutes. Remove the chicken, and finish with the beurre marnier in the same saute pan. 

ENJOY! 

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COQ AU VIN for 2

Ingredients

- 1 bottle drinkable red wine - burgundy, beaujolais, cabernet would work well-- I used a cabernet. 

- 4 slices bacon chopped

- 4 chicken thighs excess skin and fat trimmed OR 2 bone-in, skin-on breasts, large

- 2 carrots peeled and diced 

- 1 stalk celery diced

- 1/2 yellow onion diced

- 1/3 cup dried porcini mushrooms

- 1 cup button mushrooms quartered or large chunks

- 2 tablespoons tomato paste

- 1 cup chicken broth

- 5 sprigs fresh thyme

- 2 stems rosemary

- 1 cup frozen pearl onions

- kosher salt

- freshly ground black pepper

beurre marnier

- 1 tablespoon butter, room temperature 

- 1 tablespoon flour

Directions

(Buckle up... this is a lot of steps)

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Pour the wine into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a moderate bubble. Cook until wine is reduced to 1 1/2 cups -- about 15 minutes. Set aside.

3.
a. Chop your bacon, veggies, your mushrooms.
b. Tie thyme and rosemary with a piece of kitchen string. Set aside.
c. Add dried porcini mushrooms to a clean coffee grinder or spice grinder. Pulse until a fine powder is formed. Set aside.

4. Set a dutch oven or heavy pot over a medium to medium low heat. Add bacon and cook until browned and crisp. With a slotted spoon transfer bacon to a dish lined with paper towels to absorb excess grease.

5. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Add chicken, skin side down to the hot dutch oven. Cook 4-5 minutes until browned. Using tongs, turn chicken and brown the other side for an additional 3-4 minutes. Transfer chicken to a tray. Reserve two tablespoons of grease and discard the rest. If you don't have enough, add a tbls of butter.

6. Add celery, carrot and chopped onion to the pot. Cook 3-4 minutes until slightly softened. Transfer vegetables to a small bowl. Add the white mushrooms and cook until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

7. Add vegetables back to the pot. Add tomato paste and cook and stir until vegetables are well coated and tomato paste is fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the mushroom powder.

8. Add wine reduction and tied herbs to the vegetables. Mix. Add the chicken broth and stir to combine. Add pearl onions and salt and pepper to taste. If you'd like, add the chopped bacon.

9. Add chicken back to the pot and nestle the thighs (skin side up) into the braising liquid. Put the lid tightly on the pot and place in the oven. Cook for two hours.

10. Meanwhile, in a small bowl add the butter and flour. Using the back of a fork, mash them together to form a paste -- (this is called a beurre marnier).

11. Remove pot from the oven and place on the stove. Remove the chicken pieces and transfer them to a plate. WARNING: This chicken is super tender, fall off the bone. Remove the herb bundle and discard. Skim any excess grease off the top of the braising liquid.

12. Add the beurre marnier to the dutch oven over medium high heat and cook, stirring frequently until mixture thickens and creates a thinner gravy -- about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the chicken back to the pot. Let simmer about 4 to 5 minutes. 

Serve with Mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower or over noodles--but the mashed is best. 

Foodie: Pho Ga

Chicken Pho (Pho Ga) 

Rating: Just get a funnel and pour this in my mouth

Bonus: Three good nights in a row! 

I've tried a few recipes for this over the years--and the one in the Instant Pot was a disgusting disaster--and this is just consistently the best. It's a bit intense, but still took me just about an hour. 

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken breast

3 star anise

3 cloves

1 tbsp coriander seeds

8 cups chicken stock

1 small onion

1 ginger (2-inch)

2 tbsp fish sauce

1/2 oz rock sugar

8 oz dry flat rice noodles

Garnish:

2 cup beansprouts, washed and drained

coriander leaves or cilantro

mints leaves

basil leaves

lime wedges

Thai red chili, thinly sliced

scallion, thinly sliced

onion or red onion, thinly sliced

fish sauce

chili sauce or sriracha sauce

hoisin sauce

Instructions:

Broil ginger and onion in the oven until they are starting to char. Or place them directly over the flame of gas stove. Use tong or grill fork and turning it occasionally until they are fragrant, softened and charred. When they are cooled, peel and discard any blackened skin. Smash the ginger lightly with pestle or Chinese cleaver. Set aside.

In a skillet, toast star anise, coriander seeds and cloves over medium heat until fragrant. Remove from the heat to avoid burning.

In a large pot, place ginger, onion, toasted spices, and chicken stock. Bring it to a boil. Toss in chicken breast. When the stock is bubbling, immediately lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Add in fish sauce and rock sugar. Let it simmer about 20 minutes. Use ladle to skim off any foam and scum that rises to the surface. Remove chicken breast and rinse it under cold water. Drain well.

Strain the broth and discard any solids. Skin fat from the surface as much as you like. Then taste and adjust to your liking. Add more sugar or salt if it's needed.

Shred chicken breast into thin strip. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

Soak rice noodles in water for about 20 minutes or until they are pliable. Then drain it. In a pot, bring water to boil. Then toss in drained noodle into a rolling boil water. When the noodles have softened, immediately remove from the heat. Rinse noodles under cold running water and then drain it. Set aside.

Reheat broth into a boil then reduce the heat into gentle simmer. Meanwhile assemble the noodle in individual serving bowls.

Place noodles in serving bowls, top with chicken, cilantro, scallions and onion. Pour hot broth into bowl and serve immediately. Add your favorite garnishes and sauces. Enjoy.

Foodie: Negimaki and Miso Soup

It's Japanese Night

Rating: Please, sir, may I have some more?

We love and adore all kinds of Asian food, and being on a bit of a tight budget right now, we can't really go out for dinner. So I opted to try and make the negimaki at home. 

Flank steak, one of the hub's favorite cuts of meat, is now rare and expensive. Thanks COVID. In a stroke of genius, while I was staring at the meats in Shop Rite, I thought: Why can't I use the bracciole cuts? And there was no reason given that I could not. So I did. And it worked! 

There are other recipes out there that have you rolling these delicious little bites with things line asparagus. Uh, that's literally not negimaki. When you translate the word, it means scallion roll. So those other recipes? They lie. 

Now. A word: If you don't have an Asian Market nearby (we have a marvelous H-Mart), you might have to order some of these things off the internets. I'm sorry, but really America-- mirin should be a staple. 

Warning! Marinade (but only 15 minutes) 

Negamaki Recipe Here | Miso Soup Recipe Here 

BEEF NEGIMAKI
(please scroll down for Miso Soup!) 

Chef's tools: 

Cutting board

Sharp knife

Plastic wrap

Meat pounder OR heavy-bottomed pot (if using flank) 

Toothpicks

Small bowl

Whisk

Small baking dish

Large, deep skillet or cast iron pan 

Ingredients: 

1 ½ pounds flank steak OR thin cut bracciole beef

1 bunch scallions trimmed and cut in half

½ cup soy sauce

⅓ cup (Mizkan) Mirin

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 Tablespoon grated ginger

1 Tablespoon vegetable or canola oil

2 cups of cooked white rice

Instructions:

If you are using FLANK: (otherwise, skip this) 

SLICE AND POUND THE STEAK:

Unwrap the steak, trim it, pat it dry with paper towels, and then place it on a plate. Put the steak in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Freeze the meat on a plate for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, thinly slice the steak against the grain on an angle into pieces 1 ½ to 2 inches wide and ½ to 1 inch in thickness. 

Place three pieces of meat on a piece of parchment or plastic wrap. Top with another piece of parchment or plastic wrap. 

Place the meat between pieces of plastic wrap.

Pound the meat so that it is about 3/16-inch in thickness. Repeat with the remaining pieces of meat. 

Pound the meat with the bottom of a heavy pot until it's 3/16-inches thick.

MAKE ROLLS:

Layer 3 pieces of meat on a cutting board to create a 7 to 8-inch square. 

Arrange 3 pieces of meat into a square.

Lay 3 scallions, with the white parts facing out, on the meat. (I would double the scallions!) 

Starting with the bottom edge, roll the meat and scallions into a tight cylinder. Secure the roll with three toothpicks. Repeat with the remaining beef and scallions. 

Place the scallions on the bottom of the meat square and roll into a cylinder.

MAKE MARINADE & MARINADE ROLLS:

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and ginger. 

Whisk together the sauce ingredients.

Place the rolls in a baking dish and pour the marinade over the meat rolls. Turn the rolls to coat in the marinade. Let them sit in the marinade at room temperature for 15 minutes. 

Place the rolls in a baking dish and pour the sauce over it.

COOK ROLLS:

Add oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Remove the rolls from the marinade and place them into the hot skillet (set the marinade aside, you'll need it later).

For medium-rare Negimaki, cook for 5-6 minutes, turning occasionally. For Medium cook for 6-7 minutes, and medium-well for 7-8 minutes. 

Cook the rolls for 6-7 minutes on the stovetop.

Remove the rolls from the pan and tent with foil on a cutting board. 

MAKE SAUCE:

Add remaining marinade to the hot pan and cook until it has reduced and is syrupy, about 2 minutes (the sauce will thicken as it cools).

Place the sauce in a saucepan and heat until thickened and saucy.

FINISH ROLLS:

Remove the toothpicks from the rolls and slice each roll into 4-5 pieces. Arrange the sliced rolls on a plate and serve with sauce, rice, and a sprinkling of sesame seeds (optional). 

5 negimaki rolls on a plate with rice.

 

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WHITE MISO SOUP

Note: I don't like onions in my miso soup. I simply skipped that and went with the dashi and miso. 

Ingredients: 

1 large onion, thinly sliced

4 cups water

1 tablespoon dashi granules

3–4 tablespoons white, red or awase miso paste

Ichimi togarashi (optional)

Add 4 cups of water, onions and dashi granules to a pot and bring to a boil.

Lower the heat, cover and cook for about 10 minutes, until the onions are tender.

Place the miso paste in a colander and lower it into the pot until enough water covers the miso paste.

Using chopsticks, swirl the paste until it completely dissolves into the soup. Try not to boil it. 

Turn the heat off, and serve. 

Optional Additions! 
To me, it's not Miso Soup unless it has tofu and scallions. I love wakame too, but I didn't have fresh on hand. (Just dried nori sheets for sushi.) 

Tofu

Green onions (scallions)

Seaweed (wakame)

Deep-fried tofu pouches (aburaage)

Eggplant

Daikon

Shimeji mushrooms

Okra

Kabocha squash

Potato

Carrot

Cabbage

Spinach

Foodie: Garlic Butter Steak

Garlic Butter Steak 

Rating: Holy crap, can I eat this all the time? 

I'm not very good with steak. I have an idea of what it should taste like and what the mouthfeel should be and miss consistently. I'm also not a well done person, so I also screw that up. I have been getting better, and this ... well. This was the proof positive that I'm finally getting it. 

There are a couple of cut options for this (ribeye, chuck, flank, tenderloin) and I went with the tenderloin tips I was able to find at the store. Thanks, COVID. 

This has a marinade! Be aware, I didn't and it kind of messed up my timing. I also halved the recipe with no issues at all--but I left the full amount garlic. 

You can never have too much garlic. 

Original Recipe Here

Ingredients 

• 1 1/2 lb (650g) flank steak, sliced against the grain (or ribeye steak, tenderloin, strip loin, strip steak…)
• 1 1/2 lb (650g) baby yellow potatoes, quartered
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped
• Salt and fresh cracked pepper
• Crushed red chili pepper flakes, optional

The marinade

• 1/3 cup soy sauce (or coconut amino for paleo and gluten-free)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce (we used Sriracha)
• Fresh cracked pepper

Directions:

1.  In a large bowl, combine the steak strips with soy sauce, olive oil, pepper, and hot sauce. Set aside and allow steak strips to marinate while you cook potatoes.

2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, mix 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. When butter is melted, add potatoes wedges. Cook for about 4 minutes, stir and cook an additional 4-5 minutes until potatoes wedges are golden and fork-tender. Transfer sauteed potatoes to a plate and set aside.

3. Keep the same skillet over medium heat and add remaining 2 tablespoons butter, garlic, red chili pepper flakes, and fresh herbs. Lay the steak strips in one layer in the skillet, keeping the drained steak marinade for later. Cook the steak strips on each side for 1 minute each, until nicely browned – adjust timing depending on how you like your steak. (I did one minute initially for my cubes, and just got them to brown after that. DO NOT WALK AWAY; they will go well done real quick.) 

4. Right before the Garlic Butter steak is done, you can stir in the reserved marinade if you like, and cook for one minute. Add the potatoes wedges back to the garlic butter steak pan and heat through. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.

5. Remove from heat and serve immediately your steak and potatoes, garnished with more crushed chili pepper, fresh herbs, and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese over the potatoes if you like. Enjoy!

Corolla is no more...

I completely forgot to post about this. I guess I was too upset and there was too much going on when it happened...

It was an plain Thursday morning in June when I got a call at work from Tom that he had been in an accident. On the PA Turnpike. That caused a five care 'pile up'.

How I didn't pass out when I heard that, I'll never know.

I couldn't figure out what was going on because he was on the phone on the side of the PA Turnpike. I couldn't even be sure that he was going to be able to get a ride home from the side of the road. So I went flying out the door.

As I got closer to home, the story started to come together. There was heavy traffic on the road, and it was stop and go. And this particular time, Tom went when he should have stopped. He slammed the breaks so hard and yanked the wheel so hard, he had pushed the Corolla down and under the Murano in front of him. That pushed the Murano into the car in front of her and so on for three more cars.

No one was hurt. It wasn't so much a pile up as a domino chain. And the truck driver who towed the car gave him a ride home because it happened to be Bob's Trucking and Towing about a mile from the house.

But I lost my Blue Baby. It didn't looks so bad from the front when I saw it.



Really, I had hope she could be saved when I first saw her. But then, I got closer:





By the time I got to this point, I really doubted that this wasn't going to be a total. There was a spring missing. I still can't figure out where the hell the spring went-- Tom was convinced that it was on the side of the road because he tripped over one. I was so, so sad. This was my baby. This was my first new car that I bought and paid for and took care of to the best of my ability. She only had 156,000 miles on her, and we all know the Toyotas, if they are cared for, will give you double that easy. Hell, the car I traded in for her was at 215,000.

But now, no more Corolla. And no car for Tom to use.

We tried being a 1-car family for about 3 weeks while all of this went on. This was NO happening. Tom had doctors appointments and I was teaching after work and not getting home until 10:30 or later 2 or 3 nights a week. I didn't want him feeling trapped, and I didn't want him to be beholden to my schedule or me to is.

The hunt was on!

Well, ok. The Craig's List/CarMax/AutoTrader hunt was on.

We actually wound up test driving three different cars:

A Camry Solara, bright silver, which was really really pretty, but the Carfax was... lacking somehow. And I hated the brakes. The mileage was high for a 2002, and I really didn't like the brakes. The salesman seemed unwilling to drop down for the brakes I knew would have to be looked at and probably fixed.

A Mazda 620, gold. It was OK. It didn't grab me. Everything was OK with it, mechanically, carfax-wise and visually. But again, I had issues with the brakes and I just wasn't feeling it.

A Camry, silver. Winner!!



This little gem was something we totally lucked into. Totally. 2000, in near pristine condition in and out. Carfax, from before it was driven off the lot. Brakes were within acceptable range. Low mileage for an 11 year old car. We were nervous that people were going to buy it before we could get there. So I actually called the dealership and made an appointment. We were a little early and they were just pulling it out of their car wash because the mechanic had just cleared it and finished it up that afternoon.

And the salesman said he had already had a half dozen calls about it. He told us that a month before they had a gentleman fly up from TEXAS to buy a Camry in basically the same condition as this one sight unseen. We took it for a drive, and Tom loved it. I loved it.

That was the second large check I've ever written-- but I'm glad we could because now we don't have another car payment for a perfectly awesome car. There's nothing small about the Silver Bullet here, though. She's a big big car, but she's a good good car. We lucked out.