Summer Squash and Corn Chowder

I wanted to do something different with the last batch of summer corn that we had a couple of weeks ago and I remembered this chowder recipe from Cooking Light Magazine. I decided to give it a try, even thought I don't really like creamy based soups or chowders- I prefer broth based soups/stews. But, I'm always up for giving things, especially foods, another chance.

I really felt like potatoes might have been a better building block for this chowder, rather than summer squash, because there really wasn't anything to give this chowder a hearty bite. Chowder seems like it should have a hearty component. (Maybe I am wrong?)
We ate this, but it definitely wasn't a favorite. I share it simply because I know that not everyone has the same taste buds as we do, so maybe somebody out there will give it a try and love it. It has lots of really good reviews, so there are lots of people out there who liked it more than we did.

Here is the recipe for Summer Squash and Corn Chowder
* I used cubed pancetta instead of bacon, but I think this was a mistake- I think it changed the way the flavors would have melded together

Giada's Pizza Pot Pie

A couple of weeks ago, my kids helped me make a variation of these Mini Chicken Pot Pies.
I don't think they have ever really had chicken pot pie or any kind of pot pie that they could remember, so it got them interested in the whole idea of a pot pie.

When I was asking my family members for suggestions for the weekly menu, someone of course wanted pizza, so I found this recipe and thought it would be a fun twist. The sauce starts out with some pancetta and fresh rosemary and the filling contains cubes of mozzarella cheese, chicken, and broccoli. It was fun for us to eat these for dinner because everyone had their own individual little ramekin to enjoy. The one pictured above was the one that we made for Dad, so it was bigger than the others.




Here is the recipe for Pizza Pot Pies

Shaved Summer Squash Salad with Crisp Pancetta

I've got summer squash (otherwise known as yellow squash and/or crookneck squash) and zucchini coming out of my ears! Last week alone we picked over 20 zucchini/summer squash from our plants. It's really fun to go out in the morning and see how many there are waiting to be picked and once in awhile to find one that somehow stayed out of sight until it was huge!

Anyway, the whole point is, I have a ton of these green and yellow guys and have been trying lots of different recipes to use them.

This has got to be one of the most delicious ways that I have had summer squash. This salad takes moments to fix and it is amazingly amazing. It is so simple, yet so good.
The summer squash and zucchini are shaved with a vegetable peeler into thin strips and combined with a simple dressing of lemon juice, olive oil, fresh mint, salt and pepper.
Add a little pancetta- which I used because I like it better than prosciutto, and top it with some feta. Delish and ready in minutes, without slaving away in the kitchen on a hot summer day.
Perfection!!


Here is the recipe for Shaved Summer Squash Salad with Prosciutto Crisps
* I used cubed pancetta instead of prosciutto
* I used feta cheese

Midwinter Minestrone

I can't believe that we are snowed in! I really thought when I moved from Utah back to Georgia we were leaving the snow behind, which was just fine with me.
But, the snow started to fall last night and when we woke up this morning, there was a nice blanket of snow on the ground. Luckily, they had already cancelled school, so we got to sleep in.

I have the perfect thing for a cold, snowy day like today-Rachael Ray's Midwinter Minestrone.

This recipe comes from Rachael Ray's new cookbook, Look + Cook. This cookbook contains more photos than her normal cookbooks and showcases some of the steps of the recipe, so you can look and see if you are proceeding with a certain recipe correctly. This particular recipe is also posted on many of Rachael Ray's websites. And it is one that she has made on at least one of her shows.

This was the first recipe I wanted to try from the book because I absolutely love minestrone and love to try different takes on it. It starts out with some cubed pancetta, which I found out a couple weeks ago really gives soup a great flavor. I used about 1/2 of the pancetta called for in the recipe to start off the soup. I used roasted red peppers instead of sun-dried tomatoes, simply because I had the roasted red peppers in the fridge. I really loved that this soup contains kale, one of my favorite dark greens.

The best thing about minestrone is that it is full of vegetables, but it is also hearty enough to be a complete dinner. We didn't need to have biscuits or breadsticks or anything else with this soup because it contained all the makings of a great dinner in one delicious bowl.


Recipe for Midwinter Minestrone
* I omitted the olive oil since pancetta lends enough oil to start off the soup, in my opinion
* I used jarred roasted red peppers instead of sun-dried tomatoes
* I omitted the mushrooms
* I used only 2 oz of chopped pancetta
* I used whole wheat shell pasta

Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club- New Year, New Food

For this month's Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club, I was given the opportunity to pick the theme. I love trying new foods, so I thought that a great theme for the beginning of a new year would be- New Year, New Food.

Each member of our Supper Club chose a CL recipe that included an ingredient/food that they had never tried before. I was thinking about what food I wanted to try and noticed that there were fresh chestnuts available at my grocery store. I have absolutely no idea what chestnuts are used for and I had never tried them. My only reference for this food was the line "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire", from The Christmas Song.

I wasn't sure if they were really an actual nut, or just happened to have "nut" at the end of their name. (turns out they are an actual nut)
Then I was browsing around the Trader Joe's that just opened recently in my area and saw a package of chestnuts that were already peeled and cooked. The recipe I picked- Farro Minestrone with Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash and Chestnuts called for bottled chestnuts and I figured this find at TJ's was as close as I was going to get to the product I needed.
I also have never tried Farro, but I couldn't find it anywhere, so I used barley instead.

This minestrone was absolutely amazing. The chestnuts were a great addition to this soup. They have a really interesting flavor and texture that blended in with the other flavors magically.
I know the ingredients sounds kind of strange, but I was blown away by how well all the different ingredients went together. I think the pancetta really added a great deal of flavor to the base of the soup. (Thank you Trader Joe's for carrying chopped pancetta, that is ready to use!).

I didn't want the tomatoes to be cooked, so I just stirred them into our individual bowls, leaving them out of certain family member's, who think that tomatoes are deadly.

I was really impressed with this soup. It was so flavorful, so healthy and so delicious.

Here are the new foods that the other members of our Supper Club tried for the first time this month. Jamie tried a recipe using fontina cheese, Sandi picked a roesti casserole (I've had my eye on that dish for awhile now), Val chose quinoa, and Helene wanted to make a flan for the first time- she was unable to participate this month, but we am still including the link to the recipe she was going to try.

Here is how the menu turned out-

Mary Ann -Farro Minestrone with Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash, and Chestnuts

Jamie - Onion and Fontina Beer Batter Bread

Sandi - Roesti Casserole with Baked Eggs

Val - Quinoa with Roasted Garlic, Tomatoes, and Spinach

Helene - Vanilla Caramel Flan

I hope this has inspired you to try some new ingredients or foods this year. I certainly will be!

Recipe for Farro Minestrone with Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash and Chestnuts
* I used quick cooking barley instead of farro
* I subbed chicken broth for the wine
* I stirred the cherry tomatoes in at the end, after the minestrone was off the heat

Avocado Toasties with Kiwi Salsa and Pancetta

Happy New Year! I am really excited for all the good things that I hope 2011 will bring.
I hope you are excited too.

I saw the picture for this recipe in Bon Appetit and thought it looked too interesting to pass up. It combines kiwi, avocadoes and bacon. Sounds like a strange mixture, but I knew it probably would end up tasting really delicious.

I found some cubed pancetta at Trader Joes and decided to use that instead of bacon, because it was already cut into pieces and I like the flavor better.
I am not a big fan of bacon, but I knew in this recipe it would add the perfect amount of crisp, salty crunch. Well, the pancetta would.
I also just used some Italian sandwich bread instead of ciabatta.

This was one of those dishes that really exceeded my expectations.
The mashed avocado on the toast, topped with the kiwi salsa and crisp pancetta was the perfect combination of flavors and textures. It really surprised me how yummy this was.
This tasty little snack would make a great breakfast, lunch or snack. Perfect for anytime of the day. It looks kinda pretty too. I can't wait to make it again.





Original Recipe for Avocado Toasties with Kiwi Salsa and Bacon from Epicurious
* I used cubed pancetta instead of bacon, cooking it until crisp and then sprinkled it on top
* I used sliced Italian sandwich bread instead of ciabatta, and just toasted it