19 posts tagged “cheese”

April is such a fickle month, isn’t it?  I mean sheesh!  A couple of weeks ago, temps were soaring into the 90’sF/30’sC, and this week we are back to cool and windy.  I was all set to buy a pool for the kids to hang out in on the weekends, and now, we’re back to soup and jackets.  I don’t mind the soup part (being a self professed soup junkie and all), but jackets?  I want summer dangit!  Since summer has taken another run for the hills, at least for now, I must console us with soups to warm the heart and soul.  That’s the part I like! lol  One of my best friends in the whole world, (and bratty girl) Lizzie shared her recipe for Drunken Mushroom Soup a few years ago.  It is such a great soup….and of course has my main pre-req’s for most of the recipes prepared in this house…quick, easy, and out of this world delicious.   All of Lizzie’s recipes are so elegant, and generally are light on the workload, but heavy on taste and heavy on ”wow” factor.  This recipe is exactly that…quick, easy, elegant, and WOW! that’s good!  Perfect for company or for everyday (you know I don’t save special foods for special occasions), this little bowl of goodness can be made ahead and simply reheated when needed.  Which for me is right now. lol  Since making this for the first time, I have gradually altered the ingredients and technique just a bit, which is why I’ve changed the name…I prepare this almost as if it were a French Onion Soup, with the addition of a couple of extras and a substitution or two for others. 

Recipe is here: http://canarygirl.com/?p=167

Wine recommendation: The original recipe calls for Vermouth, so I'm going to go with a red Vermouth for this one. 

"french" mushroom soup

Giz and Psychgrad over at Equal Opportunity Kitchen are hosting a blogging event called Tried, Tested and True. 

The event is basically a roundup of our favorite recipes, the ones that are always in rotation, that get rave reviews from our families, friends and anyone else that is lucky enough to dine at our tables! ;)  I have quite a few recipes that fit this description, but the one I thought of immediately was Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Broccoli and Fusilli.  Originally, one of my best friends in the whole wide world, Elle at Elle’s New England Kitchen,  shared this recipe with us gals, and I couldn’t WAIT to go out and get the stuff to try it.  I mean, jeez!  It’s got all of my favorite stuff in there!  Chicken, greens, gaaaaahlic, freshly grated Parmiggiano-Reggiano, a delicious lemon pepper vinagrette…and the pasta…holy dear Lords of pasta, this is just amazing….her recipe began with bow-ties, but I’ve since switched to fusilli (the twisty, spiraly lookin stuff).  Broccoli is probably one of my favorite vegetables, throw in some more parm, toasted pine nuts, lemon and garlic–OH and butterrrrr and you have me swooning with delight.  Elle’s recipes *always* rock my world.  And I mean ALWAYS.  What can I say?  The girl can cook, folks. 

Now, the perfect accompaniment to this meal IMNSHO, is the Broccoli and Fusilli. Also Elle’s recipe.

recipes are here:  http://canarygirl.com/?p=164

You know, living here in the Canaries has it’s advantages. (duh! lol)  I love the fresh local produce that abounds in the produce markets, and whatever the season, we’ve always got fresh oranges, lemons, avocados, pineapples, kiwis, tomatoes, zucchini, and a number of others.  One thing that hasn’t caught on so much here is the concept of fresh herbs (apart from parsley, cilantro and spearmint)…My neighborhood vendor normally has fresh basil and arugula (not so common around here!), but this week, the basil was looking a little sickly.  Bummer for me, because I have been seriously craving Caprese salad to accompany one of the many barbecues we’ve been having lately.  You see, my dear hubs is on vacation, and our regular schedule is a bit out of whack.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s completely awesome having him home instead of never seeing hide nor hair of him! lol  Just that we’ve been veering off of the beaten path of routine.  Alvaro *loves* grilling,  so we’ve been doing a lot of that while he’s home, and frankly, I haven’t pulled out the camera or food set-up stuff to share what’s been gracing our table very much.  Besides, Alvaro likes to hog the computer! LOL  ;)  So, anyway, back to the salad.  Yesterday we grilled some steaks and potatoes, and I was hell bent on having my Caprese salad.  I have to admit, the fresh basil is crucial.  It wasn’t as good with dried, even though I let it marinate for about an hour, but, even so, it was still good, so I’ll share it.  Vine ripened tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella really make the difference, too.  I’m thinking that the next time I make a Caprese, I’m going to really go wild and use vine ripened cherry tomatoes, and chop up the motz and shred some fresh basil…a wild and crazy chopped up Caprese.  Because that’s what this world needs.  Fo reelz.  Seriously, this is SUCH an easy salad for any meal, I wholly recommend it.  But get fresh basil.  I’m just sayin.

Recipe is here: http://canarygirl.com/?p=162

Wine recommendation: Because of the vinegar, I'm not sure which wine would be best with this...I had Pinot Grigio and it was good, but the vinegar tends to compete with the wine.  What do you think?

caprese salad

8 comments

One of the foods I miss most living here in the Canary Islands is Mexican and Tex-Mex foods.  Sure, we have a couple of restaurants, but the food is nowhere near that which I’m used to having lived in the States.  While the Canaries are very diverse ethnically, there aren’t very many Mexican immigrants.  The majority of Spanish speaking immigrants are Cuban, Colombian, Argentinian and Venezuelan.  Basically, the demand for Mexican and Tex-Mex foods is very low, so ingredients are difficult to find or very expensive.  That’s beginning to change now, but still, the variety is minimal, so I have to make do with what’s available.  The other day I almost starting jumping up and down in the grocery when I stumbled upon corn tortillas.  Corn tortillas!  OMG!  Flour tortillas are fairly common, corn chips are fairly common, but the ever elusive corn tortilla is a rare treat.  I immediately bought them and planned an enchilada meal.  As luck would have it, I had 1 remaining can of tomatillo salsa (salsa verde) in the pantry, and pork roasts were on sale as well.  Good deal!  Enchiladas were in our future. *insert happy dancing here*

Recipe is here: http://canarygirl.com/?p=138

For It's all about food & wine...I guess I probably wouldn't serve wine with the enchiladas, I'd go for a lime margarita or a Coronita with lime...something cool and refreshing to cut the heat a bit. :)

shredded pork enchiladas2

So there’s this train of recipes just patiently waiting to be posted on my site…but the thing is, is that I’ve been busy with the aftermath of the kids being home.  Yes, I am *still* finding remnants of those twisty tie things they so abundantly fasten kids’ toys with today in the strangest of corners.  The aftermath of the holiday vacation has been keeping me busy…everything seems to be out of place.  Like, why on Earth is that sock hanging from the door handle?  Why are *all* of the dvd’s out of their cases?  And OH!  Watch out!  Remote control car on the loose!   So.  My sweet little recipes are all waiting patiently in line at Flickr.  Asking which one gets to be first….”Pick me!  Pick me!” they say.  Hopefully I will be able to post them all over the next week (supposing that I can keep up with the newer things I plan to make, and not perpetuate the queue! haha).  This recipe comes to us from my Mom, Carla.  She made a similar one over the holidays and sent me the recipe.  It sounded SO good!  And dang…it sure was!  It makes a huge batch, though, so if you’re not feeding a large family or an army, you might want to scale it back a bit.  I sort of took the “idea” of her recipe and ran with it, I looked at the ingredient list added some stuff, subtracted some stuff, and winged it.  This is one of those soups that is a whole meal in itself, hearty, satisfying and oh, so good.  I hope you like it as much as we did!

For the folks at It's all about food & wine, I'm going to suggest a rosé for this...something not too dry, not too fruity, with just a hint of a bubble, but not quite.  El Coto Rosado is my choice...

Recipe is here: http://canarygirl.com/?p=135

zuppa di pasta alfredo

Hee!  I must be a little giddy or something…my kids went back to school today, and I finally have a chance to post and ding around on the computer! LOL  While I haven’t been posting, I certainly have been cooking, and taking pics.  I mentioned a couple of soup recipes, but those will have to wait, because the calzones….my jeebus, the calzones…well, they just happened to rock my world, so they beat out the other contestants for first new food post of 2008.  Cuz there was, like, a competition and stuff.  Well, at least in my head there was.   And these won.  Just like any pizza recipe, you can add and subtract ingredients according to preference, but I have to say, this combo knocked my socks off, and my daughter’s too!

Recipe is here: http://canarygirl.com/?p=133

For the folks part of It's all about food & wine, I'd like to suggest a red for the calzone...El Coto (from Rioja Spain) is what we had. (though I must say, that wine pairing with pizza is fairly subjective, you might like a fruitier white, depending on your tastes)

calzone

After having posted so many sweets entries I thought it might be time to add something savory to the mix. :)  Mondays are always such busy days at the canaryhouse, the mornings go by in a blur of uniforms, backpacks and mad dashing out the door to get the canarykids to school on time.  Then comes my big weekly food shopping excursion.  With 6 people and a pup to feed, you can imagine how much time I spend food shopping.  And I’m a picky sort of shopper, and buy things at the local vegetable vendor, organic grocer, the central market, the Asian market, the butcher, and the “regular” store…so it’s pretty much a whole day affair.  I don’t mind it, actually…it’s pretty fun to go cruising around getting exactly the stuff one wants.  The thing is, though, is that it doesn’t leave a whole lot of time to prepare lunch for the family (here in Spain, lunch is the main meal of the day, we usually eat around 3pm, then relax for a bit, then get back to work (whether it be a job, homework, or sahm duties).  Needless to say, Mondays generally require a meal that is very quick and easy to prepare.  Carbonara fits the bill perfectly…pasta served with lusciously creamy, bacon and cheese peppered sauce with just a sprinkling of freshly chopped parsley.  Fabulous and fast.  What more could you want from a meal? 

For the It's all about food & wine folk, I'd suggest a fruity white to compliment the rich sauce...maybe a Pinot Grigio....or even a sparkling rosé. :)  What do you guys think?

Recipe is here:  http://canarygirl.com/?p=128

carbonara2

carbonara3

2 comments

Recently, I was visiting Closet Cooking and came upon the most delectable looking sandwich.  Seriously, folks…this goes above and beyond a mere “sandwich.”  It’s more like a feast.  Don’t think that you can pick this one up, either–a knife and fork are required.  lol  Kevin’s addition of pear slices to it made it just that much better.  From the minute I saw it, I knew I had to try it, and try it I did.  This one is going to be a regular around here.  I made a few slight changes from his original recipe (click the link to find it), and couldn’t have been happier with the results.

croque monsieur

7 comments

Cherry tomatoes are in abundance around here…so sweet, plump and juicy…perfect on their own.  For a while now I’ve had the idea for a cherry tomato quiche/tart sort of thing.  And then, while shopping for supplies, my eyes fell upon the cutest darned thing.  A mini wheel of brie.   All tiny and precious….just a little baby brie….crying for me to pick it up and take it home.  So I did.   Cherry tomatoes and brie.  A match made in heaven. 

For the recipe, please visit: http://canarygirl.com

tomato and brie tart