What's Cooking?

I didn't hike this weekend, but instead played basketball on Saturday morning. This was the first time I've played since October, when my shin pain flared up. I should have hiked, because I ended up stepping on someone's foot and twisting my ankle pretty badly. Today it is the size of a grapefruit, and the color purple. :) The injury did make me forget about my shins though. :D

So tonight's comfort food is a Greek lentil spinach soup.

The main ingredients for the soup
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Chop up one jalapeño pepper (take the seeds out before cutting up)
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Mince three cloves of garlic and slice up two ribs of celery, and set aside for later
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You can use a stock pot, but I chose to use my Dutch Oven instead.
Pour the 36 oz. of chicken broth and 32 oz. of vegetable broth into Dutch oven, along with 1 1/2 tsp. of cumin seeds, 2 tsp. of coriander seeds, and the chopped up jalapeño. Add 2 1/2 tsp. of oregano along with 2 bay leaves. Add one pound of rinsed green lentils. Bring to a boil then turn heat down to low and cover and let simmer for 30 minutes to soften the lentils.
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While this mixture is cooking, chop up 1 1/4 pounds of potatoes ( I used a mixture of red and Yukon potatoes), peel and chop into cubes, one small butternut squash, and chop 10 oz. of baby spinach. I also chopped up a yellow onion and set aside.
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All together, this might just be a colorful dish.
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After 30 minutes, add the potatoes, the butternut squash, and the spinach to the Dutch Oven, then bring back to a boil and cover for an additional 20 minutes.
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In a separate pot, cook the onions in 2 Tbs. of olive oil for about 4 minutes, then add the celery and the garlic and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
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Once those have softened up a bit, add them to the Dutch Oven
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And with about one minute to go, add 1/3 cup of lemon juice to the soup and stir.

The final product
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Ladle the soup out into a bowl and enjoy
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With a slice of lemon to top it off, and don't forget the cheddar jalapeño bread.
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This recipe makes about 6 hearty bowls of soup.
 
Since we had a little sun and warmth, Smoking Sunday made a rare appearance.
Yesterday's theme was apricot preserves. It's a reminder of the summer that may never arrive, and the fact that I had a jar of it going bad.

My apricot chipotle bbq sauce on some pork tenderloins. (I do not believe in all that string and time making them nice and round, this way you get more smoke and sauce surface, plus any picky peeps get the small ends where the meat wasn't just 145d and pink).
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Leftovers will be paired with broccoli for a Philly sandwich that rivals the cheesesteak- if you know, you know.
Only thing I will miss is good Catholic bread and crunchy cracklin. I could drive and get bread, but we have snow and more snow again.

And my apricot habanero teriyaki wings, half were already taken by one of my sons. Smoked and then finished at 425d in the oven.
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Since we had a little sun and warmth, Smoking Sunday made a rare appearance.
Yesterday's theme was apricot preserves. It's a reminder of the summer that may never arrive, and the fact that I had a jar of it going bad.

My apricot chipotle bbq sauce on some pork tenderloins. (I do not believe in all that string and time making them nice and round, this way you get more smoke and sauce surface, plus any picky peeps get the small ends where the meat wasn't just 145d and pink).
View attachment 119898
Leftovers will be paired with broccoli for a Philly sandwich that rivals the cheesesteak- if you know, you know.
Only thing I will miss is good Catholic bread and crunchy cracklin. I could drive and get bread, but we have snow and more snow again.

And my apricot habanero teriyaki wings, half were already taken by one of my sons. Smoked and then finished at 425d in the oven.
View attachment 119897

Mmmm.......Mmmm..........Mmmm......

Now @Ugly is the one who really needs to put out a cookbook. :thumbsup:
 
Finally, I can contribute something to this thread.

I doubt anyone wants to see/read about my normal routine of pouring a bowl of cereal or heating a can of soup in the microwave. :)

I cooked up my first batch of Morels this weekend; a yearly tradition that started back when my grandpa took me mushroom hunting in the spring. He would identify and pick all different kinds of mushrooms, but I just stick with the morels.

Step One: Find the Morels. Some years that is easier to do than others.
Here is a small patch I found yesterday afternoon. . . how many mushrooms do you see?

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Step Two: Admire your harvest. This is about half of what I've scoped out this year, I've left the others in the wild to grow a bit more and allow them to spread some spores.

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Step Three: Soak the mushrooms you intend to cook in some lightly salted water. This helps flush out the dirt and bugs you may have inadvertently brought home with you. Once the mushrooms have had a couple minutes to soak give them a quick rinse.
Don't pour your soaking water down the drain! I always take it outside and pour it in an area you think might be good for morel growth in the future.

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Step Four: Cut your mushrooms in halves (or in this case quarters) and mix up your choice of breading. Here we have a proprietary blend of all the stuff I could find in the kitchen cabinet. As you can see the breading process has already begun. You can also coat the mushrooms with egg before breading, but the chickens were stingy this morning so I went without.

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Step Five: Fry your breaded morels in oil at about 350 degrees F. I used an olive oil for this batch.

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Step Six: Watch your morels cook. I usually flip them once or twice during the process. I'm sure there is a recommended cooking time, but I just eyeball the texture to know when they are sufficiently cooked.

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Step Seven: A quick dry on a paper towel.

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Step Eight: Enjoy the fruits (or fungi?) of your labor. Planning future outdoor adventures is optional, but highly recommended. :)

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Those look tasty @TractorDoc! How many calories is in one mushroom after being fried up?

Interesting map you have there. Are you figuring out how far your going to have to carry my mushrooms that you are bringing me in August? :D
I'm thinking that I can already see three grizzlies on your map, so just wait until we reach the North Fork of the Yellowstone. :hot:
 
How many calories is in one mushroom after being fried up?
Nothing that cannot be burned off with an afternoon of vigorous activity.

I've seen some of your culinary masterpieces. . . who is counting calories?

Are you figuring out how far your going to have to carry my mushrooms that you are bringing me in August?
I'm figuring out how far I will make it before succumbing to my overweight pack.

I'm thinking that I can already see three grizzlies on your map
I think those grizzlies might just be some stray mushroom breading that fell from the bowl. :D
 
Keep on with your ramen, it's one of the best meals ever - right next to pho!

I love pho! Before my office moved locations, there was a Vietnamese restaurant that served the best pho, and in huge bowls to boot. I'm pretty sure I put on a number of pounds visiting that establishment as much as I did. :)
 
Tonight's dish is a turkey lasagna.

Normally, I make this with ground beef, but this is the first time that I've substituted turkey in its place. Otherwise, it is a pretty standard lasagna recipe.

- Brown 1 lb. of ground turkey
- While browning add one chopped up red onion ( you can use any type of onion - we prefer red)

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- When the onions become translucent, add 1 tsp of garlic powder, 1 tsp of oregano, and 1/4 tsp of black pepper
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- then add your diced tomatoes (12 oz.), tomato sauce (16 oz.) and tomato paste (12 oz)
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- You then let this simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often

- While it is simmering, boil the lasagna noodles (I used whole grain noodles) for 10 minutes
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- While all this is going on, mix two eggs with a container of cottage cheese in a bowl. (I used low fat cottage cheese)

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- In a baking dish, spread out a layer of meat sauce, then a layer of noodles, then a layer of mozzarella cheese, and then a layer of the egg/cottage cheese mixture. Then repeat the above for a second layer. After that, one final layer of meat sauce is applied to the top.


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- Cover with tinfoil and place in the oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes

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- When 40 minutes is up, remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes - easier to get out of the baking dish when scooping out.

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- Serve and enjoy

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