Organic Cauliflower Soup

So, as with everything, sometimes life gets in the way.

Anyway, I'm back. With soup! This week thanks to the yummy vegetables at the Farmer's Market we made cauliflower soup. Like most good soups it was even better the 2nd day after the flavors had time to really meld. Here's the recipe:

1 large head organic cauliflower, cored and chopped into 1⁄2-inch pieces (about 7 cups)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1⁄2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
Fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 1⁄2 quarts rich vegetable stock (preferably homemade; it should be clear, not opaque)
2 teaspoons freshly grated horseradish
1⁄2 green apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoons sherry vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put the cauliflower in a large pot of boiling salted water, and blanch for 2 to 3 minutes, or until just tender when pierced. Drain the cauliflower, and set on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes. Do not allow it to color.

Heat the oil in a large pot or sauté pan, add the onion and shallots, and sweat over very low heat until they start to break down, at least 20 minutes. Again, do not allow them to color. Add the roasted cauliflower to the pan, and season with salt and pepper. Sauté for 3 minutes, again making sure the vegetables don’t color. Add 2 cups of vegetable stock, and cook until all the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the grated horseradish and apple, and remove from the heat.

Heat the remaining vegetable stock in a saucepan. Put the cauliflower mixture into a blender along with a little hot stock, and purée, adding the remaining stock.

Return the soup to the pot, and place over low heat. Whisk in 1 teaspoon of the sherry vinegar, or more to taste. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.


We happened to be out of shallots, and I only used about 4 cups of vegetable broth so that it was a bit thicker. Turned out amazing, especially with a variety of toppings. We used a mixture of chopped fresh spinach, bacon (really, can you go wrong with bacon?), parmesan cheese, and other crumbly things.

I also picked up about 2 pounds of beautiful broccoli at the market so that too will become soup sometime this week. Cheeeesy soup :)

Other things I've been cooking lately:
Gingerbread Scones - really tasty, came together easily, but we're having trouble finishing them all!
Salted Butter Caramel ice cream - wow, just incredible.  seriously a pain in the ass to make though.  Will probably only make this on request

Meringue ghosts and bones - a great way to use up the egg whites from the ice cream making!  and were a bit hit on Halloween with the math kids

Warm tofu with spicy garlic sauce - so easy for a weeknight, and tasty!  Even the boy loves it

Zuni Cafe Roasted Chicken with bread salad - I could easily eat this every day, so amazing, and pretty easy!  The first roasted chicken I've ever mastered... you can too!

Kale with Garlic and Bacon - the best way to eat kale in my opinion

Wow, so apparently I've been cooking a lot lately!  I think it's a combination of my new work schedule and getting home earlier and having a lot more time on my hands now that the boy is working until 9 or 10 every night.  Sigh, just for this year.

Soup of the Week

I can't believe it's so cold already.  All the weather men are saying it's about 20 degrees below the average.  If you know anything about me, you know this makes for an unhappy Jessie :(

But!  I have a plan!  I'm going to make a different soup every Sunday until spring returns to Carrboro.  Yup, soup.  That's the big plan.  Ok, so not souper (ha!) exciting, but it will give me something to do on Sunday afternoons when the Cookie Monster is busy working.  This year he'll always be working, and I need a variety of things to do, and well, studying for the GREs is just not that appealing.  Soup on the other hand requires all sorts of fun things like bowls and spoons, ladles, and one of my fave kitchen appliances, the immersion blender.  This project will also hopefully encourage me to blog more, even though my slow-as-molasses-in-January computer can't handle much.  I've been meaning to write, really I swear, but life has gotten in the way.  Now that much of my life has changed - new job, friends who've left town - I have lots of time.

And, now, lots of soup.

So, let me catch you up on what's been made already:

Week 1 - Gumbo!  Oh yum, this was amazing.  Sadly I can't eat any shellfish gumbo, so when I found this recipe at NPR, I knew I had to try it, and soon before all the okra was gone from the farmers market.

Week 2 - Butternut Squash.  While I love pumpkin (and pumpkin bread, pumpkin beer...), I'm not a big fan of squash.  Not even squash in any season either.  But ya know, I just kept on seeing these recipes for butternut squash soup on foodgawker and I couldn't resist giving it another try just to be sure.  I mashed together a few different recipes and came up with something that was... pretty alright.  I'd make it again I suppose.  Could I sound more ambivalent?  The Monster ate it up, I mean, what doesn't he eat?

I roasted about 3 pounds of cut up squash and a few cloves of garlic tossed in s&p and olive oil.  Sauteed 2 onions and 3 celery stalks in oil, added the squash and garlic, 5 cups of stock, more salt, a dash of cinnamon and let all of that simmer for about 30 minutes while watching the 20th anniversary Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episode.  Used my handy dandy immersion blender until it was smooth, ladled it out, topped it with creme fraiche (ooh fancy!) and some balsamic.  Yup, pretty good.  Leftover style tonight I might top it with some bacon or nuts to mix it up while serving it with kale and bacon and a hunk of bread that I made on Sunday too.

So, that's my plan and I'm gonna stick to it!

Big News!

Hey there everybody!

Ok it's been a week since I've posted anything (bad Tea, bad!) but I swear I've got a good excuse. So here's what's been going on:

As you can see from Jamie's comment on the Paula post, her "performance" was definitely a bust. If we hadn't been raised right, we also would have walked out before the end like dozens of other people. There were some good parts, mostly when Paula was given the chance to just chat and tell stories (like one about how she met her current husband). The rest of it was purely a commercial for Smithfield, a truly horrific company. The NY Times actually did an article about the whole relationship between Paula and Smithfield that you can read here.

So since the State Fair, I really haven't been able to watch her during lunch. Maybe I just need time to cool off. Right now Jamie and I are planning to write a letter bitching about the whole thing to Paula and CC a few others on it.



The Fair was good otherwise. We saw (and the Cookie Monster ate) all kinds of fried foods including fried cookie dough, fried Oreos, fried Snickers, fried Coke (don't ask, I don't know how that works), and even fried PB&J sandwiches. I personally ate the huge corn on the cob and kettle corn, yummm.



And did I mention there were piglets at the fair?? OMG so freakin cute!

Soooo, on to the big news!

This past weekend the Cookie Monster and I went away to the North Carolina coast. He had a couple of days off for his Fall Break and I took Friday off of work. We headed out to Wilmington which is such a cute coastal town, kind of like a smallish Savannah. We stayed at a nice little B&B, enjoyed the cable tv, then headed out the next morning for a little adventure. The Monster had read somewhere that in a little town outside of Wilmington there are "healing waters" that are magic. Well, Harry Potter lover that I am, I definitely agreed to go searching for this place. It took us a while, but we eventually found what we're mostly pretty sure is it. Unfortunately it wasn't a great place to go swimming, so we just dipped our feet in.



Next we moved on to Holden Beach, got this great campsite right next to the stairs that take you up to the beach, and went for a quick swim in the ocean. The sun started to set so we hurried to get our tent set up while trying to avoid the thousands of mosquitoes. So we finally have the tent up about 3 minutes before it gets dark, a new record for me and the Monster! To celebrate we sit down to a game of cribbage. Klutz that I am, I spill the pegs everywhere into the sand underneath the picnic table. So there I am, coated in bug spray, digging through nasty gross sand with a flashlight when the Monster says to me, "Hey! Look over there!" I move my flashlight and the light falls on a gem, in a ring, an engagement ring!! I pick it up, immediately start crying, and the Monster asks me that question that all Southern girls have been dying to hear since they're 5 years old, "Will you marry me?"

Of course I said yes!


So! A word to my dear readers: I SweetTea promise that this will not become a blog about weddings, wedding planning, wedding decorations, or anything wedding related. Because that's not why you're here, or why I'm here! We're here to talk about food, especially good food.

So since this post is already a mile long, here's a short food recap:

The NY Times articles this week, eh, they were boring.

Top Model this week, amazing! Seriously unprecedented stuff going on, so go watch it on YouTube right now!

Oh, and if you want to know what the Monster and I did after I finally stopped crying, check this out.

Howdy Paula!

OMG guys, do you know who I'm going to see tomorrow??


Paula Deen!!!!!!!!!



She's coming to the North Carolina State Fair and Jamie and I have tickets! Sooo excited y'all!

I like cooking some Southern food, but this lady is just crazy when it comes to putting butter on anything that moves. She tops her brownies-made-with-a-Hershey-bar-inside with whipped-cream-with-nuts-and-Heath-bar with a vegetable.... a sprig of mint. Honestly she is so funny and so uninhibited, I can't wait to see her live. Jamie and I watch her every day during lunch (well except Thursdays when the Weight Watchers ladies kick us out). I really hope she does some kind of book signing after the cooking demonstration. I just bought her book Paula Deen Celebrates! just in case!

I think the craziest thing I've ever seen her make is the deep-fried bacon-wrapped macaroni and cheese. Here's the recipe y'all. And as Paula would say,
"Love and best dishes, from my kitchen to yours".
Except she always pronounces it "yers" with her sweet Georgia southern accent. Now I haven't made this, but if you do, send me a picture and a review and I'll post it here on the blog.

Deep Fried Mac & Cheese
From Paula Deen

Peanut oil, for frying
1 recipe "The Lady's Cheesy Mac" prepared, chilled in the refrigerator overnight, and cut into 15 bite-sized squares, recipe follows
Flour, for dredging
1 egg, beaten
Plain bread crumbs, for dredging
Heat 2 inches of oil in a large, heavy Dutch oven to 350 degrees F.
Dredge each Cheesy Mac square in flour, then egg, and then bread crumbs to coat. Fry for about 1 minute on each side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels before serving.

"The Lady's Cheesy Mac":
4 cups cooked elbow macaroni, drained
2 cups grated Cheddar
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Once you have the macaroni cooked and drained, place in a large bowl and while still hot, add the Cheddar. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and add to the macaroni mixture. Pour macaroni mixture into a casserole dish and bake for 30 to 45 minutes. Top with additional cheese, if desired.

A Tarheel Weekend

Happy Sunday afternoon people!

I'm thrilled to finally have a weekend at home, sleeping late, baking, going for bike rides, and not going to weddings. I think all the baking takes a bit of the surliness out of me which is always a good thing. Also the Cookie Monster benefits: no surliness AND baked goods to eat, what could be better?

So Thursday night we went to the UNC-Dook soccer games, women and men, winning both! It's always a good feeling to beat that team from 8 miles down the road, no matter what sport. Also there were free t-shirts :)
Friday night we went to the Late Night with Roy, the official 1st practice of the UNC basketball team. It's a huge event with pyrotechnics, the players doing skits, Roy dancing, and a 20 minute "game." It was a bit cheesy, but definitely worth heading out to the stadium for.



Last week I actually ran into 2 of the players - Tyler Hansbrough and Marcus Ginyard - at Whole Foods. I was so excited to see them that I could not stop grinning like an idiot, but nobody else there even had a clue as to who they were, typical Whole Foods shoppers. Tyler was at the fish counter and Marcus was checking out the lamb. That's right, our team is organic!

So I know you're like, "Sweet Tea, I thought this blog was about food, not weddings and basketball players?!" Well with all the free time I've had this weekend I actually have finally had the time to do some cooking. Here's what I've been whipping up:

Supernatural Brownies, at the Cookie Monster's request

These brownies were good, but really, how can brownies be bad? Although I am all for making things from scratch, the boxed mixes of brownies are always tasty enough to satisfy me. The CM gobbled them up, but he does that with everything so it's hard to tell. Anyway, it's a good recipe, not too difficult, not too many pans to wash at the end, but I'll stick with Duncan Hines thankyouverymuch.

Buttermilk Chive Biscuits, from the Smitten Kitchen blog

Ok now these were worth the effort, even though the effort was minimal. Crumbly, great flavor, easy to work with dough, this is a fabulous biscuit recipe! Now you see, biscuits were not a sanctioned part of my upbringing. Mom and Dad made sure that I ate bagels with lox and cream cheese, but I always got my canned biscuits on the side while sleeping over at my friends' houses. Not until recently with the help of my friend Jamie's boyfriend Steve did I discover the wonder of scratch-made biscuits. Normally we have Sunday brunch with Jamie, Steve, and some others from the history department with Steve's amazing biscuits. Well this week they're out of town to see the Red Sox game so I made my own. Damn, these were great.

No Knead Bread, more on this in a later post

And tonight I'm making grilled skirt steak with buttermilk mashed potatoes. The Cookie Monster will be pleased.

So did you do your homework? Did you read the NY Times food articles? Well if not, here's a short rundown of my favorites:

The big article this week was about picky eaters, aka children. Ok, now kids kinda gross me out. I know eventually I'll probably have one or two of my own, but until that time, ick, they're nasty. And apparently they only like to eat pasta with butter. The article claims that 80% of this is genetic, so if you're a picky eater, your kids will be too. This made me think back to my childhood, oh so many years ago. From what I remember I ate most foods, although it took me a while to get used to tomatoes and onions. Now I'll eat pretty much anything except for mushrooms (and shellfish, but that's an allergy thing). The Cookie Monster will eat anything except for molasses. Is there anything that you won't eat? Let me know what your "no way jose" foods are in the comments!

Another good article this week was about pesto, particularly about how to freeze it for the winter. This is something I looove to do right before fall. I buy tons of basil from the farmers market, toss it in a blender with pine nuts, garlic, and olive oil, then freeze it all in ice cube trays. Eating pesto during the winter is really wonderful, especially when you don't have anything else in the house except dried pasta.

The Wedding Gauntlet

Whew!

The Cookie Monster and I have finally finished attending weddings for 2007! Please, don't send your congratulations to the happy couples, send them to the exhausted guests! You know, the ones that drive for 8 hours (each way), bring a rockin gift, and at least try to behave in front of your parents and extended family. How about a little appreciation? (Waits for round of applause, hears a small patter of clapping from the last rown, takes a little bow, then hops off the soap box)

Anyway, I actually loved the wedding we went to this weekend. It was at the bride's parent's house, a plantation-style mini-mansion in a small field. The ceremony was held on the front porch and a huge tent was set up behind the house for the reception. It was pretty hot during the late afternoon, but once the sun set and the stars came out, it cooled down to a perfect evening. The food was decent, the cake was good, the DJ played a fun mix, and the bride and groom actually had time to walk around and spend some time with everyone. There wasn't any alcohol, at least none that was sanctioned, but what do you expect in the Bible Belt?

So all in all, a good end to a long wedding season. We're home for a long while now until Thanksgiving, and the kittens are pleased that we've finally put away the suitcases.

Unfortunately, there are already 5 wedding dates on my calendar for 2008.
W-T-F!

I've got some exciting ideas to write about soon including the Durham Beer Festival, pumpkins, and Italian gelato. Oh, did I mention that my parents went to Italy for 3 weeks? Yeah, I hate them too.

Get psyched about tomorrow! New York Times food articles and America's Next Top Model! And this isn't just any ANTM episode, it is the Makeover Madness, the one with all the hair-cutting, model-crying, and Tyra-scolding! Honestly, it really doesn't get any better :)

Dirty South

Well I guess it's about time, right?
I mean I read food blogs, I eat a lot of food, so I might as well have my own blog about it!

So heeeeere we go!!!

Ok first, about me. Yes I'm Southern as you can probably tell by the title of this awesome blog. I was born in Tennessee and I've lived most of my life in the South. My parents on the other hand are hard-core Yankees, born and raised New Yorkers. My dad calls me a "Southern Ding-Dong," whatever the hell that means. Sure I like grits, have read and watched Gone With The Wind way too many times, and there was a daisy chain at my college graduation (Go Newcomb!), but a ding-dong that does not make me.

I would say that I'm a little bit of everything. A little Southern, a little Jewish, a little international, a little short, and a lot of fun. Yeah, a barrel of fun! So that's what HeySweetTea is going to be, a little bit of everything. Mostly I'll focus on food because I really like food, but I'll also write about life, kittens, traveling, tv, and pretty much whatever I want.

Let's see, other things about me. I live in Carrboro, the hipster capital of North Carolina. Haven't heard of it? Well it's basically right in Chapel Hill but it's filled with more grad students and hippies than undergrads and frat boys. Here's our town theme song, a la YouTube:





Yup, so lots of organic, locally shade-grown goodness. My boyfriend and I moved here just over 2 years ago, him for grad school at UNC and me for him. It was about time after doing 4 years long distance, yes you read that right, 4 loooong years.
One great thing that we have in common is our love for food. The boyfriend, I'll call him "Cookie Monster", is an eating machine and could not turn down a free meal, um, ever. Lucky for him I like to cook and bake a lot. In later posts I'll share some of my favorite recipes :)

Here are some of my other favorite things:
Favorite day of the week - Wednesday, mostly for the NY Times food articles and ANTM!
Favorite TV chef - Ming Tsai (what a cutie and he's on PBS! Oh yeah, btw, I don't get cable, please cry for me!)
Favorite blog - The Consumerist
Favorite animal - piglets
Favorite day of the year - 1st Saturday in October, Durham Beer Festival day!!
Favorite movie - Kung Fu Hustle

Anyways, I hope y'all enjoy the sweet tea! Feel free to leave me some luurve in the comments.