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Corn and Potato Chowder

I had some fresh corn on the cob but the kernels were overly filled out and not as tender as I prefer for eating as corn on the cob. I thought they were a bit starchy, but I decided they would be perfect for soup. I found this great recipe online. Ingredients: 1 tablespoon butter 1/4 # bacon, diced 1 cup chopped onion Kosher salt and black pepper 3/4 cup chopped colored pepper (red or green) 1 tablespoon minced garlic 2 tablespoons flour 3-4 cups chicken broth 4 cups diced potatoes (I didn't peel mine) 1 1/2 cups chopped carrots 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (preferably fresh) * 1 cup half and half 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme) Pinch cayenne pepper 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley Note: We got enough corn from 2 ears of corn for the soup. Directions Melt the butter in a large pot and cook the bacon until crisp. Remove. Add the onions and peppers; season with salt and pepper. Cook until soft; add garlic. Cook for about a minute. Sprinkle in t...

Rhubarb-Braised Chicken Thighs

This is a recipe that I found on Chowhound and decided to try since I had a bunch of rhubarb. It is really very tasty. If you decide to make it you should be aware it makes a lot of servings. INGREDIENTS: 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 pounds) Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper or Penzey's coarse ground black pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil (or organic sunflower oil) 2 medium shallots, finely chopped 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger * 1 teaspoon ground cardamom 1/2 cup dry sherry 1 cup chicken broth 1/4 cup honey 1/4 cup orange juice  1 pound rhubarb, thinly sliced * I have been known to substitute The Ginger People Organic Grated Ginger in a jar  1 Instructions, adapted: Brown the chicken thighs until brown on both sides and season with salt and pepper. 3 Reduce the heat to medium and remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pot. Add the shallots, ginger, and cardamom, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until the shallots soften, about 2 minut...

Creamy Dijon Dill Potato Salad

  I was asked to bring potato salad to a Memorial Day barbecue cookout.  I have a number of potato salads that I like but I wanted to use one that called for dill and found this one on line. It sounded good and easy and had been well reviewed. I would definitely recommend it. Ingredients: 3# Yukon gold potatoes, peeled Kosher salt and Penzeys coarsely ground black pepper 2-3 stalks celery 1 cup mayonaise 1 small red onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup) 1/4 cup tightly packed chopped fresh dill 1-2 tablespoons vinegar 1/2 lemon, fresh for juice 1 tablespoon grainy or regular Dijon mustard Directions: Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover with about 1" of cold water. Leave the potatoes whole. Season with salt and cook the potatoes until they are tender when pierced with a fork--20-25 minutes.  Drain the potatoes and leave them in the pot until they are room temperature. Finely chop the celery and combine with the remaining ingredients in a bowl large enough to hold all...

Rhubarb Pie with Brown Butter Hazelnut-Almond Streusel Topping

  This is a recipe for a pie that I made for Arthur's birthday and took to a Memorial Day gathering at Victoria and Mike's. It was very well received. I got the recipe from a book, Pie for Everyone, Recipes and Stories from Petee's Pie, New York's Best Pie Shop by Petra "Petee" Paredez. It was slightly adapted here and there. I did not use her pie crust recipe since I didn't have the correct kinds of flour. I used a recipe from an excellent baking website, Sally's Baking Addiction:  https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/baking-basics-homemade-buttery-flaky-pie-crust/ I already have a number of pie crust recipe on the blog which would also work fine for this recipe. Here are the ingredients needed for the filling for the pie: 1-1/4# rhubarb, cut into 1/2" slices 1 tsp. lemon juice 3/4 cup sugar 2 tablespoons + 2 tsp. cornstarch 1/4 tsp. salt Combine the rhubarb and lemon juice. Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt and pour it over the rhubarb....

Baked Eggs Florentine

This is a delicious breakfast/brunch dish of baked eggs with fresh spinach. It also happens to be very easy to prepare., another plus in the morning or whenever you may be preparing your first meal of the day. Ingredients 1 slice of bread torn into rough crumbs 3 T. oil (I used sunflower oil) 1 t. thyme (2 t. fresh thyme if available) 2-3 cloves garlic 1 shallot 5-6 oz. baby spinach or large spinach torn into pieces (remove tough stems) 4 large eggs 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 t. tarragon (! T. fresh tarragon if available) pinch of freshly grated nutmeg if available salt and pepper Instructions Set oven to 375 F Brown the bread crumbs in 1 T. of the oil for about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper and thyme. Heat the remaining oil and sauté the garlic and shallot for a couple of minutes. Add the spinach and stir until wilted.. Put the spinach in the bottom of a gratin dish. Make four dips in the spinach for the eggs. Place an egg in each hollow. Pour the cream around the eggs. Top with the ...

Feta Dill Biscuits

  These herb biscuits are excellent. The first time I made them I cut the recipe in half. I think the next time I make them I would make the full recipe and freeze some of them. According to the original recipe, " Just freeze the biscuits prior to baking, flash freeze on a sheet pan, and bake them individually (adding a few more minutes to baking time)." INGREDIENTS: 4 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 4 ounces) 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil 3 green onions, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon lemon zest 4 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 3/4 cup unsalted butter, frozen 1 3/4 cups buttermilk DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. (I used a silicone baking mat) In a large bowl, combine flour, feta, parsley, dill, basil, green onions, lemon zest, baking...

Savory Oatmeal

We love oatmeal, but sometimes I get tired of serving it basically the same way. When I saw this recipe for Savory Oatmeal I wanted to try it. Arthur and I decided it was worth adding to our breakfast repetoire. Ingredients for 2 servings: 3 strips of bacon 1 1/2 cups oatmeal  1 cup plain almond milk 1 cup water (or 2 cups water and no almond milk) 1-2 chopped scallions (whites separated from greens) 2 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoons salt  2 eggs 1 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 cup heavy cream (or 1/2 & 1/2) 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese Sriracha or hot sauce (opt.) Steps to Prepare Chop the bacon and saute until crispy. Drain the bacon but leave the grease in the pan. Bring the water and almond milk to a simmer along with the whites of the scallions, the butter, and a teaspoon of salt. Stir in the oatmeal and cook until tender. Cover and set aside. Fry the eggs in pan containing bacon grease. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until they are as done as you like them. Put th...