Tomato Celery Soup

This recipe comes from my mom who got the recipe from the cooks at the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill in Kentucky.  We use to go there on occasion growing up and eat at the restaurant they ran there.  I still remember as a kid being fascinated by the little decorative balls of butter they served with the fresh rolls. She loved this recipes so much she had to get it from them and they were nice enough to share.  It's super easy since you use a can of Campbell's soup, but since you add a few things extra it just really gives the soup a nice zing.  I made this a lot during college for my friend as I as well and everyone raved about it.

I always make these with grilled cheese and serve it with saltines. I personally don't like my tomato soup to be chunky so I use a stick blender right before serving to smooth it out. But if you like chucks you can skip this part.  And while the original recipe doesn't call for it you can always add a bit of heavy cream to add some depth to the dish and even out the tang.

Tomato Celery Soup

From the Kitchen of: Lisa Murphy

Makes: 2-3 servings    Start to finish: about 20 minutes

1 small onion, chopped

            ½ cup celery, chopped

            1 Tbl butter

            1 can condensed tomato soup

            1 can water

            1 Tbl lemon juice

            1 tsp sugar

            1 tsp dried parsley

            ½ tsp salt

            ¼ tsp pepper

            Extra minced parsley

Sauté onion and celery in butter, but do not brown.  Add rest of ingredients, then bring to a boil.  Lower to a simmer for 5 minutes.  Garnish with cream and extra parsley.  Serve with grilled cheese and saltines.  

Asian Coleslaw

This is a recipe I always end of forgetting about, but it is totally awesome.  It makes a lot, just to be warned.  This one comes from my mom who says she can't remember where she got it from either.  Asian coleslaw has many renditions and ways to do it, but I love this one and it is great for summer picnics.  

Asian Coleslaw

From the Kitchen of: Lisa Murphy

Makes: 12 servings    Start to finish: 20 minutes + chilling

2 pkg beef Ramen noodles, seasoning package set to the side

            16 oz slaw mix

            8 oz broccoli slaw mix

            1 cup slivered almonds, toasted

            1 cup sunflower seeds, unsalted

            1 bunch green onion, chopped

¾ cup vegetable oil

            ½ cup sugar

            1/3 cup white vinegar

Remove noodles from package, crush up then place in the bottom of a large salad bowl.  In layers, add slaws, almonds, sunflower seeds, and green onion.  Whisk together oil, vinegar, sugar and seasoning from noodles, then pour over layers. Chill for 12 hours and toss when ready to serve. 

Chicken Tikka Masala

I have to say that this recipe, in my personal opinion, rivals even Chicken Tikka from a real Indian home.  I first got into Indian food after my friend Sidd made Chili Chicken for me and my husband (at the time boyfriend) and taught me how to make Chicekn Biyriani back when I lived in Bloomington, IN.  I love the flavors of all the aromatic spices.  I would have never thought cinnamon or cloves belonged in a savory dish, but they are awesome in curry.  Now I have a few Indian dishes under my belt and this is one of my favorites.

I got this recipe first from, where else, Pinterest.  But I found the original recipe lacked a lot of the intense flavor Indian food has.  It started off having maybe only 1 Tablespoon of spices total in it, and by the time I was done with it it has closer to double that.  I always serve this dish with my aromatic rice and naan bread.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Marinade

1 cup plain yogurt
3 Tbl ginger garlic past, recipe follows
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 pound boneless skinless chicken (thighs or breast)

Sauce

2 tsp olive oil
3 Tbl butter
1/3 cup ginger garlic paste
2 serrano peppers, seed removed and chopped (leave in seeds if you like a lot of spice)
1 Tbl garham masala
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp chat masala
1/4 tsp each ground coriander, ground cardamon, and crushed red pepper
8 roma tomatoes, pureed
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup water
1/2 cup heavy cream
Fresh cilantro for garnish

ginger garlic paste

4 oz (by weight) garlic
4 oz ginger
2 oz canola or veggie oil

For the marinade: In a large bowl, mix together the marinade ingredients. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Marinate at least 30 minutes, or in the refrigerator up to overnight.

For the sauce: When you're ready to make the curry, place a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil and butter. When the butter has melted, add the Ginger-Garlic Paste and serrano peppers. Saute until lightly browned around the edges. Add the tomato paste and cook until the tomato has darkened in color, about 3 minutes. Add the spices and saute for about 1 minute to draw out their flavors.

Add the tomatoes, salt, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and cook until thickened, about 20 minutes. You may need more water depending on how much liquid the tomatoes give off.

Meanwhile, fire up your grill. When it is nice and hot, lightly brush it with oil. Place the chicken on the grill, shaking off some of the excess marinade. Cook until it's charred, about 2 minutes on each side. (Don't worry that the chicken will still be a little uncooked, it finishes cooking in the sauce).

 Add the chicken and cilantro, if using. Take the heat down to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the cream and stir through. Garnish with minced fresh cilantro, and serve over rice, with naan, or a crusty piece of bread!

Ginger-Garlic Paste: Throw the garlic, ginger, and canola oil in a mini-food processor and let it go until it forms a semi-smooth paste. There will still be tiny little pieces in there, but overall, it should resemble a paste.

Save what you don't use in a small glass jar. It should last in the fridge for 2 to 3 weeks. It's a delicious addition to marinades, pasta sauces, stir fry sauces, slow-cooker recipes, gravy etc. We always had a jar of this stuff in our fridge growing up

My Favorite Things: Stiegl Radler

I have found a new love in my life and thankfully my husband isn't too jealous. In fact we enjoy both partaking in my new found love together...OK get your mind out of the gutter.  I'm talking about beer. 

Recently, while out with some friends this past weekend at a place I had never been to called Haus up North of Plaza, I experienced this new amazing beer that I think ever woman can enjoy, even those who say they don't like beer.  It's called Stiegal Radler and it is, get this, a grapefruit flavored beer.  It's seriously refreshing and that could be due to the fact that is only has like 2.5% alcohol.  I was able to take massive gulps of this stuff and I am not a beer chugger by trade.  

So yeah it's not a super manly beer that the hardcore drinkers might like, but it is a new favorite of mine and I feel it is a good starting place for any person who is unsure about getting into beers.  It still has that nice beer aftertaste, and thankfully the grapefruit flavor doesn't make it bitter like an IPA (not my favorite kind).  And the best part is anytime I want it I don't have to pay $7 a pint like I had to at Haus.  I found a 4 pack of 16 ounce cans at Gomers Fine Wine and Spirits here in Kansas City for only $9.  $2.25 a pint sounds way better to me. 

What's in My Garden? Bella Anna Hydrangea

I love Hydrangeas.  I think I can officially call them my favorite flower, which I guess is evident in the fact that I used them in all my wedding flowers.  Last year I decided to try a Bella Anna Hydrangea, not to be confused with the Annabelle Hydrangea which comes in white.  Technically the Bella Anna is a type of Annabelle.  I chose this one mostly because I loved the antique pink colored blooms.  Their blooms tend to be made up of smaller flowers in clusters, as opposed to the bigger flowers in cluster you see with the original mop head hydrangea.

Common Name: Bella Anna (part of the Annabelle family)
Scientific Name: Hydrangea arborescens
Brand: Endless Summer
Sun: Full Sun to Part shade.  Prefers morning sun with afternoon shade or dappled light.
Soil: Prefers acidic soil. To help acidify soil naturally, take used tea and place it under the plants. 
Size: 3-5' by 3-5'
Water:I always water them about twice a week when there is no rain, or when they look droopy.
Fertilize: Use a handful of fertilizer at planting and again in early March.  They make special acid loving fertilizers you add to water as well, but avoid using when plant is in full bloom. 
Pruning: Deadheading spent flowers will encourage new buds to set and bloom throughout the year.
Endless Summer flowers can grow on both old and new wood so there is no need to prune in the early spring with the Bella Anna.  Only prune if you want to make the bush smaller in early spring before blooming starts.
Wintertizing:  The first 2 years you have your plant,cover the base with extra mulch to protect from extreme weather.

I got the Bella Anna because I wanted something to in the part of my garden that is pretty much under my deck and thought a hydrangea would do well since they like dappled light and some sun comes through the deck boards.  Sadly I was pretty much wrong.  Bella Anna needs quite a bit more sun than that and I could tell it wasn't doing well when the blooms, which started off pink, started to turn green.  I kept it there through the winter, which may have saved it since it got some cover from the weather by being under the deck.  We had a terrible winter with temperatures below 0 some days.

I knew the Bella Anna wasn't happy where it was when I noticed all my other mop heads were starting to sprout and the Bella Anna was doing nothing.  So I decided to move it to a bit sunnier spot.   ended up moving it to the North west portion of my flower bed, where it would be a bit shaded by a trellis at times but still get a good dose of full sun during the day as well.

Even after moving I still didn't see much growth and was pretty sure it was dead,but then all of a sudden ...



So she's not dead yet! (did anyone else just think of Monty Python?)  She's taking her time, but it looks like slowly she will come back to life.  Sadly one thing I also did wrong was I pruned back the old wood so I'll have to wait till next year to get any real good growth.

Keep and eye out for updates! 

A Kentucky Classic, Derby Pie

To be completely honest, I can not say I grew up eating derby pie all the time or even ever year to celebrate the Kentucky Derby.  I wanna say one of the first times I really had it was actually when I made this recipe which I found  on My Cooking Spot.  I made this for some friend who came over to a doggie play date and I'm glad I did because it was awesome.

My only notes I would add to the original recipe is it did not mention some specifics like what kind of butter or chocolate chips to use so I made sure to mention what I used in this version.  One thing I think made this recipe particularly awesome was the fact that I did not use a frozen crust, I got one that was refrigerated. I think those ones are a little better since they don't get freezer burn.  Of course if you have an awesome homemade crust recipe then go for it, but a store bought one will not ruin this pie.  Another factor was the fact that I used real pure vanilla, and mine was actually from Mexico (I got it when we were there for our honeymoon).  It gave the pie just that extra hint of awesome.  Also make sure to do is have chopped pecans, bit halves, even if you kind of crush them yourself.  If there are big chunks of pecans in the pie it makes it super hard to cut into nice looking slices.  But enough talk, here is the thing you came here for.  

Derby Pie

Total time: 2 hours 20 mins

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup sugar 

2 eggs 

1 tsp pure vanilla 

1/2 tsp salt 

1/2 cup whole wheat flour 

1 cup pecans, chopped 

1 cup milk chocolate chips 

1 refrigerated pie crust

Preheat over to 325 degrees.  Press pie crust into a 9 inch pie pan, trimming any excess crust and crimping the edges.  Mix butter and sugar then add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add salt and flour, and mix well. Fold in pecans and chips. Pour mixture into pie crust and bake for 1 hour. Let cool for 1 hour before slicing. Serves 6-8.

Better than Bdubs Buffalo Wings

My taste buds go through various cycles and I tend to become obsessed with various taste for weeks, maybe months at a time.  Lately a favorite of mine has been Buffalo sauce.  I have been wanting to eat it constantly and on everything.  But what goes best with buffalo sauce more than chicken wings.  While I am not unknown to go for the full fat fried and dunked in sauce version I tried a lighter version recently that I was delightfully surprised by.  I found a pretty decent way to bake chicken wings and still get that nice crisp skin you want and be juicy inside.  My sauce recipe comes from AllRecipes.com with a slight alteration due to personal taste.  Best part is this recipe is just in time for the super bowl.

The original recipe makes a ton of sauce, and I usually just cook for 2 for I make enough to cover about 10 whole wings with some left over to save for dunking chicken tenders in.  I always thought buffalo sauce just involved hot sauce and butter.  But this recipe really kicks it up a notch with the extra stuff.  The key to having the wings come out nice a crisp is having the wings roast on a cookie rack in the over so the oil drops down and air circulates well, as well as brushing it with oil.  I prefer to use whole wings mainly because I'm lazy and don't care for cutting up wings.  And don'tskim on the kosher salt and fresh pepper.  They will always be way better than table salt and pre ground crap.  And to make the sauce less spicy just us less hot sauce to your taste.

Baked Buffalo Wings

Wings

10-15 whole chicken wings

Vegetable oil

Kosher salt

Fresh cracked pepper

Sauce

1/2 cup Frank's RedHot® sauce
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 tsp white vinegar
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder
salt to taste

Preheat over to 400 degree.  Rinse Chicken wings and pat dry with a paper towel.  Place wings skin side up on a metal cookie rack and place that on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or foil to keep oil for messing up the pan.  Brush skin side of wings with oil.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.  Roast in over for 20 minutes.  Turn wings and roast another 10 minutes.  Turn once more and change oven to broil.  Broil wings skin side up for about 5 minutes or until skin is crisp and lightly browned.  While wings cook combine the all the sauce ingredients in a pot and place over medium heat. Bring to a simmer while stirring with a whisk. As soon as the liquid begins to bubble on the sides of the pot, remove from heat, stir with the whisk, and set aside for use.  Once wings are roasted place in a bowl and toss with sauce