Showing posts with label potato. Show all posts

Day 36: Baked Potato with Cheesy Broccolie

My Samoan auntie was telling me about a time when she was cooking for a pologie (white kid) guest. She had spent quite a bit of time in the states and knowing that this guest was from Idaho, wanted to have a potato bar. Knowing that she was going to have quite a few other guests besides, and knowing that they were going to be large Samoan men she made a lot!

The time came for dinner and the special guest was elated! He dove in! I believe she said he had two potatoes fully loaded with cheese, sour cream (I love that stuff)...the works! She was so happy to see her guest enjoying himself. Then she looked at the other guest. No one else even finished their potato...or had any toppings on them. Apparently, they had never had a potato bar before and: 1- didn't know what to do, and 2- didn't quite care for pologie food. Matthew and I got a kick out of her story....and started craving potato bar!

Baked Potato with Cheesy Broccoli
1 potato per person
cheesy broccoli soup
chives

Wash each potato well and stab it with a knife or fork a few times. Wrap individually in tin foil and bake in the oven on 350 for about an hour or till a knife or fork goes in easily. Top with heated broccoli cheese soup and a sprinkling of chives.

Day 31: Black Bean Soup

It's funny how once you leave home your tastes change. I'm totally convinced that as I drove that long stretch of road away from home to college my tastebuds actually mutated and started liking different things. Perhaps my liberal education liberated my tastebuds as well.....as if I could get more liberal in the kitchen than my mom and grandma....but that's beside the point.

As I said before, at our house we ate strange things like sweet spaghettie and tacos! But, we never had anything with cooked tomatoes. We weren't exactly prohibited, we just never had it. Even tomato soup was looked down upon. It actually wasn't until I was married that I had a tomato based soup. And I liked it. I'm such a rebel, I know.

After my first daring experience, which was this soup, I confronted my mother about what a deprived child I was. How could she do this to her children? Her reply, "ya, I don't like cooked tomatoes." That was it. I was a bit taken back by her brutal honesty. I can think of a lot of things that we didn't like as kids but were "invited" to quietly gunk down. We even had this rule in our house....the "no thank you" rule. This meant that we had to try everything at least once (twice if he was really cute) and if we didn't like it we could say "no thank you." I fully intend on torturing my children with this, and, as payback - Mother, I know your reading this, and I invite you to a no thank you helping! :)


Black Bean Soup

1 lb black beans cooked
2 carrots cubbed
2 potatoes cubbed
1 can corn
1 onion chopped
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 box spanish rice
lime
avacado
cilantro



Place everything but the corn, lime, avacado, and cilantro in your slow cooker and add enough water to fill it. Let simmer till carrots soften. Before serving add the corn, just to warm. Top with lime, avocado and cilantro. Enjoy mom!

Day 26: Curry

The first time I had curry I thought I had died and gone to heaven. It was made by a friend from India....he knows what he's talking about! It was sooo good! After that I always stuck with yellow curry because I thought it was the best and most authentic. I then went to a thai restaurant (ya, THAT thai restaurant) on a night I was feeling particularly adventurous. It was torturous, being a creature of habit, to try a different kind of curry. But, after one bight I found I love torture. This curry seemed even better than the first. Dr. Seuss was right yet again "try it and you may, try it and you may I say."

Massaman Curry
1 pkg or can massaman curry (maesri is a good brand. Make sure it says massaman!)
2 sweet potatoes cubed (or any kind of potato is good)
2 carrots cubed
1 can coconut milk

Throw everything together in a slow cooker or a large pot. Cook till the potatoes and carrots are tender. Serve over rice. You can add as little or as much curry paste as you like. Top with cilantro and chopped peanuts to serve.

Day 5: Oodle Soup/ Vegetable Broth

My Brothers and Sisters, I stand before you today to make a declaration. In this solumn time I want to proclaim how truly disgusting and revolting it is to see noodles in soup. With the exception of ramen noodles (bless the man who invented those!) noodles in soup should NOT be tolerated! A squishy mouth full of dough does not enhance, enlighten, or ennoble any broth. It never has and it never will.

Not wanting to be solely a pointer outer of negativenesses, I also bring to the table a solution. I give you Oodle soup.

At home this soup was called "cockie-leeky" soup but on a youth conference campout, I was made to kill the cock so my days of eating chicken were over. I guess we could call it leeky soup but aren't all broth soups on the leeky side? Yes. Oodle soup it must be.



Oodle Soup/Vegetable Broth

1 onion
5-10 cubed potatoes
4-5 cut carrots
4-5 ribs of celery chopped
1 stalk Leeks chopped
garlic powder
salt



Chop everything and put it in a big pot or slow cooker. Cover with water and simmer till the carrots are soft. You may have to add water as you go. Add salt and garlic powder to taste. Easy Peasy.

Be sure to make a big pot of this because we'll use the left overs in our next dish. The broth freezes well and comes in handy. It can be used any time a recipe calls for broth. No more store- bought broth.