Hot Soup For A Cold Day

As the temperature decreases, the need for me to make soup increases. So I decided to make a pot of bacon lentil soup. I think technically it is a stew, but it is still delicious despite the semantics.

Look at that color:


What's better than bacon?:


The end result:

It look kind of gross, but it tastes so good. Someone I dated years ago made this soup for me on day. After we broke up, I emailed him a couple of years later for the recipe. Is that odd? Or does that tell you the deliciousness of the soup/stew? He told me the name of the cookbook, "Soup Bible: Superb Ways with a Classic Dish", and that was the end of that. I am flipping through the cookbook and deciding what my next shall be. Too many choices, but they all look delicious.

Stay warm!

The Biggest Compliment

The past Saturday was my tennis groups holiday party. I decided to bring my momma's "mac n' cheese" to the party and wow the crowd with my culinary skills. I made the dish a couple of hours after before the party and during preparation I thought that I made too much. If it was too much, then I would just take the remainder home.

But there was a problem ....


... apparently, I didn't make enough.

Moon Pies for a New Year

Happy New Year, everyone!

I went to a small party last night instead of heading out to the bars. I generally don't like bars, even more so on holidays. We all brought a dish for a potluck and I decided to make Moon Pies.

Moon Pies, or Scooter Pies as they are known in the northeast, used to be my favorite when I was younger. I haven"t had one of these since I was about 13 year-old. I saw the recipe on an episode of Good Eats so I decided to give them a try. Here is the video I made of the process:


I made marshmallows from scratch, people! They were very delicious and two people I know, who are trained chefs, gave me the thumbs up. So thanks to Alton Brown, they were a hit.

I am compiling my list of goals for 2008 and checking to see how many goals I met in 2007. I will post these in the coming week.

This was the first video I have ever made with iMovie. It was very frustrating at first because it wouldn't accept my movie formation so I had to convert them all. Then it got easier due to the easy importing and editing. I will be using iMovie in the future for some future projects.

Vegetable Soup for the Soul

The weather in Dallas was horrible yesterday. I was engrossed in watching the Australian Open matches on my TiVo that I neglected to check the local news for a weather and road report. I peered out of the window before leaving when I saw ... snow.

I turned on the news and saw that people were having a heck of a time driving on the roads. I called work to notify my supervisor that I will be coming a couple hours late to avoid the delays. But it mostly due to the crazy people on the road who choice to drive 60 mph on sheets of ice. So I curled up on my couched, and continued to watch tennis until about 10am before heading to work.

It took me 45 minutes to get to work instead of the normal 20. I got in the parking lot and it was deserted. About half of my department was not here, and during lunch the company decided to shutdown at 3pm. I went to the gym (which is in the lobby of our building), then to the grocery store to pickup a items, and back home to start my soup.

I like to make soup on cold days. I decided to make a Vegetable Soup from a recipe I saw on Good Eats a couple of years ago. An hour of chopping, mincing, and simmering ... I had some hot soup to enjoy. I enjoyed my soup and sandwich on the couch watching even more tennis. For dessert, I made Apple Crisp.

My Apple Crisp recipe:

• 3 medium to large apples (any kind)
• 1/4 cup of white sugar
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar
• 1/4 cup of AP flour
• 1/4 cup of butter
• Cinnamon (as much as you like)
• lemon juice (half a lemon)
  
• Peel and core you apples then slice them . Add lemon juice, cinnamon and white sugar to the apples and toss them. Place the coated apples in a greased baking dish. In separate bowl combine brown sugar, AP flour, and butter and blend with a fork. When combined fully sprinkle the mixture on the apples. Bake in a 400 degree for approx. 20 minutes or until golden brown.

I remember this recipe from like 7 year ago when a friend made it for me. It is very easy and it is very good. I will be eating this soup for a least a week because there is so much of eat, but I am not complaining. I only make it twice a year because it never gets cold enough in Dallas to warrant making soup. So until the temperature rises, I will be making soup.

Next week, I think will be making Bacon Lentil Soup.