Keeping Healthy and Warm

I was planning on making Huevos Rancheros tonight, and I might still. But last night I dreamed I was sick. I've definitely been feeling run down, especially right now after the long, busy weekend. I'm starting to get paranoid about impending illness, so I might just make this soup instead. A few weeks ago I was planning on making this recipe. However it got shuffled to the end of the week and by then the collard greens I had were half wilted. Considering that I'd only bought half the greens the recipe called for in the beginning I was going to have to make some adjustments if I still wanted some soup for dinner. So, I looked over the Classic Minestrone recipe from my October 2008 issue of Everyday Food and made my own mish-mash of the two soups with what I had in my pantry and fridge. I thought it came out great and Josh liked it better than the original recipe so I think it's a keeper for us. And with all the good-for-me veggies in it I'm thinking it might be just the thing to fend off an (imaginary?) cold.

Minestrone Mine
Adapted from Everyday Food; Serves 4-6













Olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 pound collard greens, stalks removed, leaves coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cans great northern beans
1 can diced tomatoes in juice
Frozen french cut green beans

• In a large pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion, carrots, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to turn golden, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Add tomato paste, and cook, stirring, until onion is coated, about 30 seconds. Add collard greens, thyme, and red-pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until collards start to wilt, 2 to 4 minutes.
• Place 1/4 of beans in a bowl, and mash them with the back of a spoon (this will help thicken soup). Add all the beans to the pan, as well as tomatoes with juice and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil.
• Stir in green beans. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until all the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; serve with grated Parmesan, if desired.

My notes: I had a 16 oz. bag of frozen green beans and I just dumped some in. You could do the exact same or use a 10 oz. box. Can't really mess this yummy soup up. Everyday Food had a list of substitution and addition ideas as well.

Easy Entertaining with Beef Bourguignonne

I realize that I took my little blog vacation, said I was back, posted two entries and then promptly disappeared again. We've been so busy with house-hunting, family holidays, and Josh's shows that I've either not been cooking at all or I've been making fast, familiar recipes. However, just because a recipe is fast doesn't mean it can't impress. I recently tried this recipe I'd pulled from my February 2008 Real Simple. You may be familiar with their "Fake It, Don't Make It" recipes usually in each issue, and this is one of them. This meal was so easy and so quick, and on top of that so delicious. This would be a great recipe for having friends over during the holidays, like we all so often do. Of course half our friends are vegetarian, so you'd need to make sure you've got the right crowd for this dinner. I served it over egg noodles and it was seriously fantastic. Since we were all on our lonesome the night I made it I froze the extra two servings and it was still just as good when we had that a month later. Serve it with a fresh salad and some good bread and you'll be ready to go.

Quick Beef Bourguignonne
Recipe from Real Simple; Serves 4














1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/4 pounds sirloin steak, cut into 1-inch pieces
Kosher salt and pepper
1 10 ounce package sliced mushrooms
1 16 ounce package frozen pearl onions
2 cups red wine
1 10.75-ounce can Campbell's Golden Mushroom soup
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped (optional)

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Season the steak with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer the steak to a bowl and set aside.
• Add the mushrooms and onions to the pan and cook until the liquid has evaporated. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the soup and 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil. Add the steak and juices from the bowl and simmer, 2 minutes.
• Divide into individual bowls and sprinkle with the parsley, if using.

My notes: I used a relatively cheap Cabernet Sauvignon for this recipe and it was really good. I don't know anything about wine, but I found the recipe had enough other flavors going on in it that I could drink the same wine with my meal without it being too much. I left out the parsley, since this dinner was just for us and I saw no use in buying a whole bunch of parsley just to sprinkle on this one meal. However, for entertaining I would definitely use it to help break up the brownness of the dish. Not the prettiest picture, I realize, but I was in a hurry. Afterall, I got to eat it when I was done!