Roasted Butternut Curry Bisque

Wow, it's been awhile! But never fear Internet, I'm still here, and still doing some cooking. So as a "back to blogging" treat, you get a recipe created from my very own brain! I've made this type of soup/sauce before, and figured it was high time to get it written down. This is terrific as a soup, but my favorite way to eat it is as a sauce for cheese tortellini. So with the dulcet tones of Golden Girls playing in the background, here we go!

Roasted Butternut Curry Bisque

Ingredients
2 medium sized butternut squash, peeled and cubed
3 Tblspn olive oil
Curry powder to taste
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 head of garlic, peeled and cloves separated
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tblspn butter
1 large onion
1/8 cup brown sugar
2 cups half and half
1/2-1 cup chicken stock

Directions
1) Toss the butternut squash, olive oil, curry powder, 1/4 cup brown sugar, garlic and salt/pepper in a large bowl until evenly coated. Pour onto a greased roasting pan and roast @ 425 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

2) When veggies have ~ 20 minutes left, heat butter in medium sized pot, and saute onion until translucent (about 5-7 minutes). Add 1/8 cup brown sugar and cook for 1-2 min. When the veggies are done, dump the onion mixture on that pan, freeing up your pot for the upcoming puree.

3) In a food processor, puree the squash mixture, onion mixture and half and half, and pour into the pan, heating on low. This is usually done best in batches, and you want the mixture really smooth. Add chicken broth as needed to get the desired consistency. Serve immediately.


This is a super forgiving recipe, so change it up as you wish! Don't like curry? Skip it! You can also skip the brown sugar and go in a more savory direction with more garlic, or seasonings of your choice. And the amount of ingredients are suggestions, and can easily be changed for your tastes/what you have on on hand. There are no mistakes with this recipe, just happy accidents. 😁

Raspberry Fudge Brownies

I know, you thought I would never return to you again! Between a job change, and general life busyness, I feel like I've been in a hole for a year! But I have a treat for you today. These are truly the best brownies I've ever had. My go-to recipe when making something for an event.

Chocolate Raspberry Brownies

Ingredients Edit and Save
Original recipe makes 32 brownies (ish)

        Brownie mix
 1 cup white sugar
 2 eggs
 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
 1/4 teaspoon salt
 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
         Ganache
 1/2 cup evaporated milk
 1 egg yolk
 4 (1 ounce) squares semisweet baking chocolate, chopped
         Raspberry Topping
 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
 2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
 1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed
 2 drops red food coloring (optional)

 16 chocolate curls (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line an 8 inch square baking pan with aluminum foil.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar, 2 whole eggs, and vanilla until combined. Mix in butter. In another bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt; stir into butter mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool pan on wire rack.
4. Whisk together the evaporated milk and egg yolk in a small saucepan. Heat over medium low, stirring constantly, until the mixture is very hot and thickens slightly; do not boil. Place the 4 ounces of chopped semisweet chocolate in a medium bowl, and slowly pour in the hot milk. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Pour the filling over the cooled brownies; refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
5. Beat the cream cheese with the raspberry jam in a large bowl until smooth. Fold in the whipped topping, and add the food coloring if desired. Top the cooled brownies with the frosting, using a cake comb to create a design. Cut brownies into 16 squares, then cut each square in half diagonally to form triangles. Garnish with chocolate curls if desired.

When it comes to baking, I try not to branch out too much. But I have tried this with more cream cheese (8 oz instead of 6 oz), using milk chocolate chips instead of baker's chocolate for the ganache (I wouldn't recommend it - the filling didn't harden and was just soupy even after refrigeration), and adding regular sized chocolate chips to the brownie batter (this turned out just fine). 

The ganache takes about 10-15 minutes to get to the right consistency, and make sure you watch it closely at the end. I have let it go too long, and it gets kind of chunky. I still used it that time and it turned out ok, but it looks weird. 

Crispy Oven Roasted Parmesan Potatoes over Chicken

This is one we tried last night - very tasty! I'd recommend serving it with some sort of bread or something that will soak up the juices, because they are delicious! This recipe is courtesy of My Recipe Journey.

Crispy Oven Roasted Parmesan Potatoes Over Chicken

INGREDIENTS:
  4 large russet potatoes

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 teaspoon black pepper, divided in half

1 teaspoon garlic powder, divided in half

1 teaspoon onion powder, divided in half

 15 oz. can fat free beef broth

2 Tablespoons of butter

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin bite sized pieces

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

kosher salt

black pepper

chopped fresh parsley, garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut the potatoes into 1 inch cubes and coat with the 

olive oil and half the pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.

In a medium sized pot simmer the beef broth and butter.

Then add the coated potatoes and bring to a boil for 8 minutes.

Season the chicken pieces with the other half of the pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.

Also lightly season the chicken pieces

with kosher salt and pepper.

Grease a 12"x 9" glass baking pan.

Evenly spread out the seasoned chicken pieces

in the bottom of that pan.

Now pour the boiled potatoes and the broth mixture

evenly over the chicken pieces.

 Top with the grated cheese.

Bake uncovered on middle rack for 50- 60 minutes

or until nicely browned.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.

Serve warm with pan juices.

Makes 4 servings.

I made this as directed, though I made it with 6 potatoes and about 1/2 a bag of chicken tenders, which ended up making a 9 x 13 pan, and a 10 x 8 pan as well. I doubled the liquid amount, and used chicken broth instead of beef broth. It seemed weird to me to use beef broth with a chicken/potato dish. The potatoes were deliciously seasoned and cooked perfectly. Compared to the potatoes, the chicken was a little less flavorful, but together, mmmmm, a piece of heaven. 

Chicken Enchilada Dip

Hey all! I know it's been awhile...there's been this whole job change thing that's thrown me for a loop. Hopefully life is settling back down finally! Anywho, I've tried a couple new recipes, including today's, which is a Chaley original! Enjoy :)

This made a really full 13 x 9 pan. Full of deliciousness! ;) But you can scale it down for more manageable amounts. I did freeze the leftovers after feeding about 8 people, plus leftovers. I'll let you know how that turns out. I served this with chips or tortillas.

1 2.5 lb bag of boneless/skinless chicken thighs

Chili Powder

Garlic Powder

Garlic Salt

Black pepper

Chicken bullion and water to taste

1 jar of White salsa queso

1 jar of green salsa with tomatillos

2 boxes if Mexican Rice mix (I used Rice a Roni), made as directed.

Monterrey Jack Cheese to sprinkle on top - about 1.5 cups or so, more if you want to mix it in the dip

Add the chicken, seasonings, a little bit of water and chicken bullion to the crockpot and cook. You can cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3-4. Seasonings are too taste. I was pretty liberal with them when I made it. You can always add more when you get everything together. 

Shred the chicken when cooked into a bowl big enough to hold all the ingredients. Cook the Mexican rice as directed on the box. Add to the bowl when finished. 

Add the salsa, and salsa queso, as well as any extra cheese desire. Gently mix until all the ingredients are pretty uniformly distributed. Put in to a lightly greased 13 x 9 pan, and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted on top. You don't have to bake it if all your ingredients are hot at the same time - I made this the night before and kept it in the fridge overnight, but I think it made it extra tasty to get the slightly crispy melty cheese on top. 

 I don't have a picture of this one, but everyone who's tried it has asked for the recipe...so...good? ;) 

Listening to a little Steve Moakler, Rixton, John Legen, and the Plain White T's. 

Apple Dumplings

Umm, YUM! I made these for the first time several years ago when we did our first Iron Chef party, which was apple-themed. The dough is an amazing combo between biscuit dough and pie dough that is truly delectable. SUPER rich, and not for the faint of heart.

2 cups water

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

8 drops red food coloring 

1/4 cup butter or margarine

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup shortening

1/2 cup milk

6 small whole apples, pared and cored

For syrup- mix first 5 ingredients; cook on medium high for 5 minutes, or until it comes to a slow boil. Remove from heat and add the butter. 

Sift together dry ingredients. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk all at once and stir just until the flour is moistened. On a lightly floured surface, roll in to a 18x12 inch rectangle.

Cut into six 6-inch squares. Place an apple on each. Sprinkle apples generously with additional sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg; dot with additional butter. Moisten edges of pastry, bring corners to the center and pinch edges together. Place 1 inch apart on a 9x13 baking pan. Pour syrup over the dumplings. Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes. Serve warm with a dash of heavy cream over-top. 

I just made this for my Specials this past week, and got to try out the dough making feature of my food processor. It was awesome, and SO easy! It cut the flour and shortening together like a dream, and mixed everything just right. Will definitely be using that feature more! 

Birthday Freebies!!

I LOOOOVE birthday week.  One of my favorite birthday memories was actually not on my birthday, but the hubby's. We went to Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse in Spring Arbor a couple of years ago with some friends on hubby's birthday - we were so excited to have a sushi place so close to home! So there we sat, eating our sushi and chatting...somehow the staff figured out it was Brean's birthday. So all of the sudden, out comes one of the staff with the most AMAZING sight...they had cut a a pineapple in half and made it look like a fish, complete with chocolate fudge and whip cream with a cherry for the eye. Not only was it the yummiest pineapple I ever had, but I couldn't believe how cool it was for them to do that! Such a great memory, and one of the reasons that we love Ichiban. (which is not on the following list because they are closed during the summer months)

 Last year, I found out that several restaurants give away free things on your birthday, and so my day of birth was spent tootling around the Jackson area getting free food. This year, I'm taking it a step farther and have spent a week researching what restaurants in the area give away free stuff and what you need to do to get it. I have compiled a slightly exhaustive list of restaurants in the Jackson/Spring Arbor area (and a few in Ann Arbor for kicks and giggles), and want to share it with you! For those not in the greater Jackson area, there are chain restaurants on the list that should be in your area. If you think of any that are missing, please let me know! I would love to add them! :)

The list is broken down into three categories: 1) Freebies that do not require any purchases, 2) Freebies or discounts WITH purchase of some sort, and 3) Restaurants that do not provide birthday deals at this time. They are organized within these categories, and then alphabetized, so just look for your favorite haunt! Without further ado....

Restaurant	Freebie	Purchase if necessary	Action needed	Date applicable
Freebies, no strings attached
BD's Mongolian BBQ (Ann Arbor)	Free Stirfry	No purchase necessary	Member of Club Mongo, printed coupon	Coupon good for 2 weeks
Big Boy	Free hot fudge cake	No purchase necessary	Photo I.d, can get it to go	Valid only on birthday
Biggby	Free Coffee	No purchase necessary	Member of E-wards, coupon or drink on rewards card	Valid only on birthday
City Crepes	Free sweet Crepe	No purchase necessary	Photo I.d,	Valid only on birthday
Cooper St Coffee	Free Coffee	No purchase necessary	Photo I.d,	Valid only on birthday
Culver's	One scoop Sundae	No purchase necessary	Photo I.d.	Valid only on birthday
Denny's	Free Grand Slam	No purchase necessary	Photo I.d,	Valid only on birthday
Dunkin Donuts	Free Coffee/hot chocolate		Member of fan club, printed coupon
Fazoli's	Free dessert	No purchase necessary	E-family member, coupon, printed or on mobile device
Jackson Coffee Company	Free Coffee	No purchase necessary	Member of rewards program/or show I.d.	Valid only on birthday
Lenny's Sub Shop	Free sub	No purchase necessary	Signed up for Lenny's e-mails, printed coupon	Valid only on birthday
Lone Star Steakhouse	Free appetizer or free dessert	No purchase necessary	Member of E-club, printed coupon, carry-out ok	Coupon good for 2 weeks
Maggie Moo's	Free ice cream, kid's size	No purchase necessary	Fan club of Maggie Moo's, printed coupon	Good until birthday
Outback Steakhouse	Free dessert	No purchase necessary	Member of Tablemates, loaded on member account	Good through the end of the month
Panera	Free bakery item	No purchase necessary	Member of My Panera, freebie will be loaded on the card
Starbucks	Free Coffee	No purchase necessary	Registered Starbuck's Card, loaded on the card	Have 1 month to use it
Steak N Shake	Free Double Steak meal	No purchase necessary	E-club member, print coupon
Deals WITH purchase
Anna's Gifts and Porch Cafe	5 Dollars off	Any purchase at the gift shop	Photo I.d., they'll give you a punch card	Anytime during the birthday month
Applebee's	Free dessert	with entree purchase	Photo I.d,	Valid only on birthday
Arby's	Free Shake	With purchase	Member of fan club, printed coupon	Coupon good for 1 week
Bone Island Grill	Birthday Drink	With purchase	up to 3 dollars	Valid only on birthday
Chilangos	Discount on entree	With purchase	Member of fan club, printed coupon	Valid only on birthday
Coldstone	Buy 1, get 1 free	With purchase	Member of fan club, printed coupon	Coupon good for 1 week
Cracker Barrel	Free dessert	With purchase	Photo I.d,	Valid only on birthday
Finley's	Free $8.49 @ lunch, 10.49 at dinner	with purchase of entree	Photo I.d,	Valid only on birthday
Fortune Tommy's Ice Cream Shoppe	Free ice cream	With a group of 3 or more	Photo I.d,	Valid only on birthday
Hard Knock Grill	Free dessert	With purchase of any food	Photo I.d,	Valid only on birthday
Hugo's Bar and Grill	Free Brownie Sundae	Purchase of 1 entree	Photo I.d,	Valid only on birthday
Melting Pot (Ann Arbor)	Free Chocolate Strawberries	Valid with purchase of > $60	Fan club of the Melting Pot, printed coupon	Coupon good for several months
Olive Garden	Free dessert	with purchase of entree	Photo I.d,	Valid only on birthday
Qdoba	Buy 1, get 1 free entree	With purchase	Member of rewards program, printed coupon	Coupon good for ~1 week
Red Lobster	$5 off two entrees	Purchase of 2 entrees	Member of Fresh Catch, printed coupon	Good until date stated
Slice of Spice	Free dessert	With purchase	Photo I.d,	Valid only on birthday
Steaks Eatery	Birthday Cake and Ice cream	With purchase	Photo I.d,	Valid only on birthday
No Deals
AKA Sushi	No deals
Blue Moon Cafe	No deals
Bob Evans	No deals
Buffalo Barbeque Wings	No deals
Burger King	No deals
Cafe Lilla	No deals
Crazy Cowboy	No deals
Cuppa	No deals
European Bakery	No deals
Grand River Marketplace	No deals
Hinkley's Bakery	No deals
House of Tacos	No deals
Hungry Howie's	No deals
International Dog House	No deals
KFC	No deals
Klavon's	No deals
Lucky's Chinese	No deals
Marino's Pizza	No deals
McDonalds	No deals
Old Country Buffet	No deals
Papa John's	No deals
Pickle Barrel Deli	No deals
Pizza Hut	No deals
Schlenker's Sandwich shop	No deals
Steve's Ranch	No deals
Subway	No deals
Taco Bell	No deals
The Hunt Club	No deals
The Parlour	No deals
Tim Horton's	No deals
Wendy's	No deals

		Enjoying birthday Freebies 2012

New Orleans Corn Bisque with Smoked Sausage

So this soup turned out SUPER yummy...NOT however enough for the proposed 8 servings, and pretty high on the calorie count for frequent consumption. I would say it makes closer to 4 -6 servings. The hubby actually made this one and he's very good at following recipes as directed, so there aren't any changes made this time. My future changes are below. :)

New Orleans Corn Bisque with Smoked Sausage

Ingredients
Original recipe makes 8 1-cup servings

 1 (16 ounce) package Hillshire Farm® Smoked Sausage
 1 medium onion, chopped
 1/4 cup butter or margarine
 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
 1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
 4 cups milk
 2 cups cubed potatoes, cooked, drained
 Chopped parsley (optional)
 Shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions

1) Cut sausage into 1/2 inch cubes.
2) Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir until tender. Add flour, salt and pepper; cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
3) Add milk. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Add corn and sausage; return to a boil.
4) Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in potatoes; heat through.
5) Top each serving with parsley and cheese, if desired.

So, for me, the potatoes kind of over-powered the soup. I'm not sure if that's because they were in pretty large chunks, or whether it seemed like there were too many chunks compared to the amount of soup. In order to make enough for 8 people, I think I would add some chicken broth- maybe a cup or two. And possibly another 1/2 can of corn - but I really love corn, so that could be a contributing factor. ;) In order to make it more of a bisque, once I added everything but the sausage, I would blend it until mostly smooth, then add the sausage at the end. We did not add the cheese or parsley, and I think it was excellent without it.

Hubby and I just returned from my most FAVORITE ice cream treatery....Maggie Moo's! If you are in the Jackson, MI area, I highly recommend it. Speaking of which...it's BIRTHDAY week! So as an extra treat for you, I am going to share my project that I have been working on today. I have compiled a list of all the freebies (mostly food related) available in the Jackson/Spring Arbor area that one can get on their birthday! But I'm making it it's own post...so go check it out! :)