Smooth Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup

At Quizon's Hubby goes for the Prime Rib Mushroom Swiss Sub with Garlic Aoli on Rosemary Parmesan Bread each time while son loves to experiment with Mesquite/Baja/Honey Bourbon Chicken Subs or the Chipotle Prime Rib. As for me, I can't get enough of the Broccoli Cheese Soup! Sometimes though it's too thick and lumpy.  I often wish the soup were smoother and creamier.  I found this recipe in  the "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch.  To make the soup velvety smooth my secret is to use Wondra flour instead of all purpose flour in making the roux. Try it next time you make any creamy soup.

Smooth and Creamy Broccoil and Cheese Soup

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butterd
1 cup yellow onions or sliced leeks (white parts only)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper 
Pinch of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (I used Wondra flour)
3 cups chicken broth
1 (16-ounce) package frozen broccoli, thawed and separated
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 cups shredded medium cheddar

Melt the 3 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, until soft, 3 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme cook, stirring, until fragrant, for 20 seconds. Add the flour and cook, stirring until the mixture is well blended and smells fragrant, 2 minutes. Slowly add the chicken stock, whisking constantly, and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook, stirring, until tender, for 10 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and puree with a hand-held  immersion blender.

Add the cream and simmer to heat through. Add the cheese and cook over low heat, stirring, until melted. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons cold butter, stirring to blend.

Remove from the heat and ladle the soup into bowls and serve immediately.

Jazzed up Hasselback Potatoes with Garlic Herb Butter

As a kid, I loved spicy, super-garlicy sausages.  So did all of my family.  Then, I married a guy who did not really care for sausages. Sometimes I crave for it but all the beef sausages I find are stuffed in natural hog casing.  So from time to time I'd make my own beef sausages, stuff them in sheep casing (!!!) or I just wrap them in plastic then freeze them to keep their shape when cooking. They never were quite as good as the ones I had as a child. My son never liked beef sausages specially my homemade version.

One day, FoodBuzz Tastemakers Program sent me a Party Planner Gift Box to try out.  It was a Home for the Holiday Gift Box from Hickory Farms.  It had beef summer sausages, cheeses, honey pineapple mustard and cracked wheat crackers.  Hickory Farms has been making gourmet beef sausages and cheeses since 1951 and this time of the year they offer gift boxes at very reasonable prices.  Right now they are 50% off. 

My failed experiments in making beef sausages must have given these sausages a bad rap with my son.  He did not even want to try them!

 

Last night, he had friends over and they wanted baked potatoes but I did not have sour cream, green onions and cheese.  Instead of heading to the store, I made a garlic herb butter and hasselback potatoes with slices of beef sausage in between.  Guess what?  It was a big hit with the boys!  Better than baked potatoes is what I heard. Even my son said the beef sausage was crazy delicious! 

Jazzed up Hasselback Potatoes with Garlic Herb Butter

2 lbs baking potatoes
2 sticks of salted butter, softened at room temperature
3-4 fresh garlic cloves, finely minced 
lots of finely minced parsley
3 mm round slices of Hickory Farms beef sausage, cut in half

To prepare the garlic herb butter, mix softened salted butter, fresh minced garlic and parsely in a small bowl. Stir well until garlic and parsely is well distributed.  Take plastic wrap and shape the garlic herb butter into a log.  Place in the freezer to solidify. If you are on a low salt diet, go ahead and use unsalted butter.

Scrub the potatoes with a vegetable brush and rinse well to remove any adhering soil particles.  Do not peel the potatoes. Boil the potatoes and when they are almost completely cooked, drain the water and lay them on their flat side.  Start from one end of the potato, cut across almost all the way through, at 2-3 mm intervals. The potatoes should now look like an open accordion.

Insert slices of garlic herb butter and/ or half discs of beef sausage into the cuts. Place potatoes on a baking sheet.  Bake in a preheated oven at 400 F until the potatoes are golden brown and crispy outside.  The inside will be soft and buttery.  When serving up, top with more garlic herb butter.

Healthy Zucchini Boat "Pizzas" and Two $50 Hormel Coupons Giveaway

Food Buzz Tastemaker Program sent me some coupons for Hormel meat products and samples of Hormel Turkey Pepperoni Minis.  I used the pepperoni for this healthy no fuss recipe that is cooked in the microwave. Cut up into smaller pieces, these zucchini boat "pizzas" can easily be served as side dish or appetizer. You can find the recipe and details for two $50 Hormel coupon giveaway at the end of this post (scroll down).

  

Healthy Zucchini Boat "Pizzas" 

8 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise (to create zucchini boats)
1/4 c carrot, finely diced
3 mushrooms, finely diced
1/4 c cilantro, finely miced
3 slices American cheese, finely diced or 1/2 c shredded sharp cheese
1/2 c Parmesan cheese
1/4 c green onions, finely minced
1/4 c Hormel Turkey Mini Pepperoni

Spray a microwave-safe baking dish with cooking spray.
Use a teaspoon to carve out a groove down the center of each zucchini boat.
To make the stuffing, mix carrots, mushrooms, cilantro, green onion, Hormel turkey mini pepperoni, Parmesan and American/sharp cheese. Feel free to adjust this recipe if you want more cheese or more pepperoni or any other ingredient.  Divide stuffing among the zucchini boats and place stuffed zucchini boats in the microwave-safe baking dish.
Microwave on high for 3 minutes.  Check if the zucchini is tender. Microwave again at short intervals till the zucchini is soft.  The zucchini "pizzas" will be VERY HOT! Let cool for a few minutes before serving. 

To enter the Hormel Coupon Giveaway:

Simply answer this question in the comment section:  What is your favorite no fuss, go-to appetizer or side dish?  You can also email your answer to: momgateway@gmail.com so I can get in touch with you should you win.
There will be two winners for the $50 Hormel coupons (Cure 81 Ham products).  Drawing date will be November 15.