Calling All Cooks . . .

Don't forget to submit your recipes to be posted on the Nadeau Family Cookbook!  That includes you, Pete, don't hold out on your awesome pesto recipe :)  Joy, how about your ice cream sandwich cake? Debbie, what's your latest find?  Lindsey - I know you have been trying some great recipes on Pinterest! Come one - Come all!  Click here to publish your delicious delectables.

Princess Cake

Alaina had a special request for her birthday.
A pinkalicious princess cake!


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It all led up to something wonderful . . .

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A few years back I received a catalog from a place called Sur La Table.  First of all, I loved the cool French name but most of all I loved the kitchen paraphernalia that was contained in that catalog.  It is so wonderful it could make a grown man cry.  It was heaven but it had a pretty big price tag. 

A few weeks ago the pioneer woman posted this recipe for Mulligatawny Soup.  It made my mouth water and I knew that I would have to make it - soon - very soon.  But in what?

A few days ago I received a very unexpected and fantastical present under my tree from my dear friend who knew about my love of 'all things kitchen' and my deep desire for Mulligatawny Soup - made in the proper vessel, of course!  Oh yes - it was my very own Le Creuset Dutch Oven.  It too was French and Fabulous - the perfect cooking vessel. 

Et Voila - it has all led up to something wonderful . . . this adaptation on the pioneer woman's Mulligatawny Soup.  Make it yourself - you won't regret it.

Mulligatawny Soup In Cherry Le Creuset

2# Organic, boneless, skinless chicken cut into 1/2" cubes
Salt & Pepper to taste
4 Tablespoons of butter (I will be experimenting with an olive oil/butter combination next time)1 Large Onion diced
1 Large Clove of Elephant Garlic finely minced
1/4 cup of flour
1.5 tablespoons of curry powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
38 ounces of organic chicken broth
2 cups of coconut milk
2 Large granny smith apples - diced roughly
2 tablespoons of brown sugar - to taste
Salt & Pepper - to taste
Cayenne Pepper - to taste

Acquire proper cooking vessel.  Prepare the onions, garlic, and chicken.  Heat 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat and add the chicken; stirring and allowing the chicken to brown.  Remove the chicken once it has browned and there is a nice glaze on the cooking vessel.  In the same vessel, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, reduce the heat to medium-low and add the diced onion and garlic.  Cook and stir.  Sprinkle the flour over the onions and continue stirring.  Add in the curry and turmeric and continue stirring.  Allow the mixture to cook for one to two minutes - still stirring.  Pour in the chicken broth and stir.  (lots of stirring in this recipe)  Let it cook for 5 to 10 minutes then add the coconut milk, salt, pepper, and sugar.  Stir them thoroughly for about 1 to 2 minutes.  Add the chicken and diced apple and cook for 10 additional minutes.  Turn off the stove and allow the soup to stand with a lid for 10 minutes before serving.  Add cayenne pepper to taste into the whole pot or individual bowls.  Enjoy!

Close Your Eyes, Mom, I Found the Beef.

An early view from Sunday's crockpot - the beginning of beef stew. Why? Well, despite growing up in a household with Mom, who is fiercely and fearsomely allergic to beef, (sorry mom) I still love it from time to time. Enough that I 'went in' with eight other families to buy a grass fed cow and after much anticipation the freezer is full of beef. Steaks, roasts, stew, and ground meats adorn all three shelves. It's lean and has beautiful color. So on Sunday friends came over for a double feature. A Charlie Brown Christmas (LOVE LOVE LOVE) captured the hearts of kids and adults followed by Love, Actually (not for the kids). Friends brought roasted potatoes, garlic bread, and cupcakes. I made a gingerbread trifle as well. We were stuffed and quite content.

The beef was quite a deal - under $2 a pound.

Mmmm! Smells Good In Here

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This morning Alaina and I made Aunt Debbie's Cinnamon Christmas Ornament Recipe. We stirred the applesauce and cinnamon together, rolled out the dough, and used the cookie cutters. It was great fun!

Here's the recipe:
7 tablespoons of applesauce
10 tablespoons of cinnamon (buy it in bulk - I paid just under three dollars for enough to make 2.5 batches)

Stir the cinnamon into the applesauce while heating on the stove. It will form into a ball.
Roll out the ball on wax paper. We used the sticky Glad Wrap on the counter because it "sticks" to the counter.
Place the finished ornaments on a foil lined cookie sheet, make sure to punch the hole at the top of each ornament before you bake them.
Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

The house will smell great with no damage to the hips.

Belated Thanksgiving

A slightly belated Thanksgiving Post because well . . . we were a bit under the weather after the big event.  The good news is that we are all feeling a ton better and having a jolly 'ol time. 

Dad and I ran the Long Grove Tukey Trot.  We had a lot of fun together.

I am thankful that Dad has passed on his love for running to me!

 We did a lot of cooking.  Tim & Pete roasted the turkey to perfection . . . I'm not even exagerating . . . Perfection.

I love freshly made cranberries.  Why do people eat canned cranberries when they can so easily make fresh? 

Addison thinks that Thanksgiving meal is a particularly good idea.

 One of my favorite pictures of the day of Lynn and Emily Ann.  Mom and I had been discussing how photogenic these ladies are - this is proof!!

 The stuffing came out great.  I used Grandma Nadeau's recipe.  Mmmm!  One of my favoriet foods. 

 Mom carved th e lamb shank. 

 Tim carved the turkey.

My plate:  Starting at 9'o'clock and moving clockwise:  Mashed Potatoes, Rootabaga, Cranberries, Stuffing, Lamb, Tukey, Crescent Rolls, Carrot Soufle, and 24 hour salad.  There were a billion desserts but I forgot to take pictures of those - so here is a picture of a beautiful pumpkin pie! 

 Alaina is a budding photographer and artist!  We spent much of the afternoon coloring while the football games donned the t.v.

 Later that evening Alaina played dressup!  Gotta love that belly.

Late in the afternoon I had the pleasure of baptizing/dedicating Addie Jane!  It was very special.  Later this week I will post the script for the service!!  Mom knitted her beautiful baptismal gown.  Look at how happy she was!  She loved it!!

And because I'm still a bit tired from the . . . um . . . sickness. . . I'm not going to put this in order.  Here are the Thanksgiving Chefs!

So many highlights from the day. 

Here is Poppy (Emily Ann's Grandpa). 

He told me some great stories about growing up in Indiana and then about his time in the war. 

What a treat!

Enchilada Casserole - Crockpot Edition

This is an extremely versatile dish - you can swap in and out your favorites!

What you'll need:

1 package of tortillas
(Size depends on the shape & size of your crockpot.  I have a oval shaped crockpot and I buy the 8" tortillas and use three for each layer)
(Type depends on your taste and how "wet" you want your casserole.  Some tortillas sop up more juice)
1 pound of meat (You can use left over chicken, rotisserie chicken (precooked) from the grocery store, or you can brown up some ground meat)
1 can of enchilada sauce (I use 28 ounces)
3 Peppers (any color you want - mix and match)
1 can of black beans (you could use refried or pinto beans but I ♥ black beans)
1 can of olives
1 can of tomato paste
1 package of shredded cheese (or better yet - shred your own and add to your desire)
The fixin's (sour cream, ranch, taco sauce, red hot, guacomole, salsa, etc.)

You could add corn to this recipe - I think I'll try that next time.

Put it together.
Combine chopped or shredded chicken with the enchilada sauce.
Layer the tortillas on the bottom of the crockpot (I use three).
Layer the ingredients:  Checken/Sauce mixture, chopped peppers, black beans, olives, corn, & cheese.
Repeat the layers starting with the tortillas again.  Finish the top with tortillas and a sprinkling of cheese.  Pour any of the liquid that from the chicken/sauce mixture that didn't make it in - into the bowl.

Cook on low (usually 4 - 6 hours) - avoid taking the top off so that there is enough moisture in the recipe.
When it's ready cut it like lasagna!
Serve with the fixin's.

Bannanna Peze - Fried Plantains

The best way to eat Pikliz is to eat them on fried plantains. It is the perfect combination of slightly sweet and spicy. They were so delicious that they were devoured before I had a chance to get a picture of the final product. The biggest challenge for me on this recipe was figuring out the best oil temperature to keep it from splattering. This was tricky with the new gas stove but after a few minutes I managed to settle the oil down and keep the kitchen from burning down!

This is the last of my Haitian Dinner Cuisine Posts. One last thing that I made was Fwuitponch (Fruit Punch). It was divine and it actually was the "dish" that took me the longest to prepare; several hours of squeezing and pressing the watermelon, grapefruits, and minolo oranges. A healthy dose of sugar was added and the fwuitponch was chilled and consumed lickety split!

Mais Moulin

Mais Moulin is a delicious corn dish.  It can also be called corn mush but I think it sounds a lot better to call it Haitian Pollenta.  It is served with avocados or with the sos pwa nwa.  I like it best with both!  It has a sweet and ever so slight nutty flavor to it.  The course corn meal gives it "good bite." 

Sweat out the onions in the butter (oops, some tomatoes hopped in while I prepared the onions).  Then add the tomatoes, paste, garlic, and thyme.  Cook them all down until they are soft.

Add water and bring it to a rapid boil

Whisk in the course corn meal. 

Isn't course corn meal pretty?

Simmer and add the coconut milk.

Voila - it's done!

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Serve warm or cold!

Sitwon Poul - Lime Chicken

Ingredients:  Lime, Honey, Garlic, Dry Mustard, Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Pepper, Salt, Olive Oil, Fresh Basil (not shown:  Bone In Chicken Thighs)

Marinate four hours in the refrigerator.












Bake in the oven approximately 1 hour.  Serve hot and forget to take a picture until over half of them have been eaten!

Recipe compliments of http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1639,158191-245194,00.html

Refreshers

Sos Pwa Nwa - Black Bean Sauce

I have to admit this dish doesn't look one bit appetizing but I LOVE IT!  It is delicious through and through.  It tastes like I remember - spicy, warm, creamy, flavorful.  It is a actually a very complex set of flavors all mashed into this. 

Here's what's in it.

Black Beans, Onions, Ground Cloves, Garlic, Jalapeno, Habeneros, Bacon!

and tomato paste!  almost forgot it!

If you are going to indulge in these (above) - you must have a pair of these (below)

And to make that marvelous mess - the food processor!

This recipe was fantastic and comes from a blogger who you can find at:  http://www.watchingthewaters.com/2010/07/sos-pwa-nwa-black-bean-sauce.html