on the menu (tortellini soup)

although i haven't often posted recipes here, i so enjoy the making and baking (and eating) of food.  but i am not cut out for photographing the process.  i get flustered and it throws me off my game.  i'm no pioneer woman.  so i'm aiming for sharing more of what we eat at casita hart, but in a manner i can handle.  you'll get before and after pics, but not so much the during, okay?

let's start with soup.  j'adore soup.  i could eat it every night.  and afternoon.
this is no exaggeration, friends.

i've been making tortellini soup for years and years.  it is super simple, but not lacking in taste or style.

tortellini soup
adapted from how to cook everything by mark bittman

ingredients used:

about 8 cups of chicken broth

3 large carrots

1 medium onion

2 cloves garlic
black pepper to taste

about 1 lb of fresh tortellini

2 huge handfuls (about 4 cups) of baby spinach

lots of freshly grated parmesan

chop up your carrots, onions, and garlic.  add them to the broth in a large pot, bring to a boil, then simmer for 20ish minutes.  i also add a ridiculous amount of black pepper at this time, but i measure in the palm of my hand and can't give you an exact figure.  but since it is so yummy, i suggest you add at least a 1/4 tsp.  after the 20 minutes of simmering, add your tortellini and chopped spinach.  cook an additional 5-10 minutes.  voila!  serve with lots of grated parmesan on top.  i think this really completes the meal.  a block of parmesan cheese is a fall/winter staple in my kitchen.  it adds so much salty goodness.

you can easily play around with this recipe.  add more veggies.  (because soup can't have too many carrots, in my opinion.)  use frozen tortellini if desired.  you can't really mess it up. 
 
bon appetit!

for the love of green onions

 

in early spring, i plant my onion sets about 1.5" apart.  this year we have a row of yellow and one of red and, yes, the spacing is much too close for dry onion bulbs.  the whole point of this thick sowing is the oh so delicious green onions we will enjoy a mere 4-6 weeks later.

i gently wiggled and pulled out every other bunch last week while anticipating the delightful dinner to be enjoyed.  the taste of ginger scallion sauce is not easily forgotten.  for the recipe and how-to, see this post over at chambanamoms.com. 

my basted egg is a bit haphazard.  i am out of practice.  but jesse still liked it, so that is all that matters, right? 

go and make this. soon. your tastebuds will thank me. 

xoxo,

annalea

coffee cake blueberry muffins (yes, please)

yesterday, i made the family quite happy with a batch of coffee cake blueberry muffins.  this accidental yumminess occurred by fiddling with two versions of the same muffin recipe and throwing in an extra ingredient or two. 

first off, i should proclaim my love for this cookbook:  how to cook everything by mark bittman.  my mom bought it for one of my bridal showers over 11 years ago. it is stained and splattered.  badges of honor when it come to a well-used cookbook.  the following was developed using mark's basic muffin recipe and playing with the variations listed.

since these muffins are now in high demand for a second weekend in a row, i will memorialize my culinary experiment here for future reference.  and because they are too good to keep secret.

how to make coffee cake blueberry muffins

3 tablespoons melted (and cooled) butter

2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 cup rolled oats

2 tablespoons more melted butter

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease your muffin tin. 

mix together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.  beat together egg, milk, and 3 tbl butter.  mix together brown sugar, spices, oats and 2tbl butter to make coffee cake mixture.  make a well in the center of dry ingredients and pour wet ingredients and coffee make mixture into it.  fold until all ingredients are moist.  it will be thick and lumpy.  then stir in blueberries.

fill muffin tin, sprinkle tops with brown sugar and cinnamon and bake 20-30 minutes.  makes 10-12 large muffins.

the recipe originally called for finely chopped nuts instead of oats, but i was too tired for any chopping.  also, it said to only add half of the coffee cake mixture to the batter and use the other half for the top of each muffin.  sounds good, but i only remembered this while stirring it all together.  next time, i will try it and report back.

these additions upped the heartiness factor to our normal blueberry muffins.  and, yes, the calories too.  but they are not for everyday, so we'll splurge a bit.

i might experiment a bit more with the oats and a whole wheat flour.  i do enjoy playing in the kitchen when i get a chance.

now, tell me. . . what is your favorite muffin recipe?  i am in a muffin-y mood.