Dinky on the Farm

Early in the fall I put out broccoli and cabbage plants in my flower garden. I looked at it the other day and broccoli is actually growing. Needless to say, I have been inspired by it’s beauty.

I opened up my “In the kitchen with Rosie – Oprah’s Favorite Recipes” cookbook written by Rosie Daley. The last recipe I cooked from this book made way too much for me and Chuck. Today I halved the recipe and changed out a few ingredients. I did not have leeks so I used yellow onion. I also did not have fresh basil so I used dry.

I cooked the florets in the chicken water until it was tender and bright green. Cooking the broccoli in the bullion water infuses the depth of flavor.

I warmed the milk while I cut the onions. Do not boil the milk. Stop heating when small bubbles appear on the edge of the pan.

Spray a pre-heated pan with cooking spray and cook the onions until limp. Add flour and coat the onions.

Combine the onions and milk. Cook to thicken the milk.

Add the nutmeg, garlic, and broccoli along with the liquid to the milk onion mixture.

Add basil and black pepper.

The soup was beautiful.

Chuck it tasted good and he ate all of his. It tasted very rich and was extremely filling. I will cook it again when my broccoli matures.

I must say I do believe I have found the best brownie mix ever. When I was a kid I was amazed that brownie mix could be made in bulk. I found a recipe and forever had a jar at my house growing up that contained the necessities for making the food of the gods. This mix runs circles around the crap I used to make.

I found this gem at a liquidation store that we have in our small town. I bought two big boxes for a little under $20. I was thrilled. Triple chocolate at a bargain is utter food orgasm. That is twelve batches of brownies.

I am having kids and grand babies over tomorrow for a late Christmas gathering. The other Grandmother got COVID so these guys were quarantined at Christmas. I like to put out sweets so they think I am a pretty good Dinky (official grandma name). We will also have fried chicken from Chicken E.

I apologize that these were baked in my Aunt Caroline’s blueberry cobbler pan. Our family loves blackberries. Another day, another story. Yes, certain pans are used for certain foods in my kitchen. I tell everyone here don’t ask that is just how it is. Also that is another story to tell. Back at it. The brownies are for my visitors. Someone had to taste test. Heavenly is what they are when they are warm. Yum.

Chuck likes no edges and I like the corner pieces. I caught Chuck sneaking too many pieces. He is diabetic. It was an insulin kind of night. That’s why I don’t make many desserts anymore.

Today I opened my cookbook , “In the Kitchen with Rosie – Oprah’s Favorite Recipes” , written by Rosie Daley. I decided to prepare Black Bean and Smoked Chicken Soup.

I took Chuck to the store to buy ingredients that I did not have. I had some ingredients but had to purchase quite a bit. The recipe calls for skinless, boneless chicken breasts. I had some left over rotisserie chicken in my freezer and used it.

After making my purchases I came home and started cooking my soup. I should have planned better. Beans taste better when they are soaked overnight. I used a quick soak method and it made the bean texture too firm.

I also used too much BBQ sauce on my chicken. It made the soup have a sweeter than normal flavor. The soup also has a pink tinge to it.

Drinking a little wine while cooking tends to make my cooking go smoother. LOL

I realized that I should not use too many broccoli florets. They should be small and not over cooked.

When I asked the family’s opinion on the dish, they all pretty much had the same opinion. They did not know if they liked it or not. It seemed to be missing something. It was not bad but it was not our taste in food.

We are taking this food journey to introduce new flavors to our pallets. Let’s see what we cook up next. Come along for the ride.

I just watched the movie Julie & Julia on Netflix. It is a story of a young woman who takes “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”,by Julia Child’s and writes a blog about completing all 524 recipes in 365 days. It was such a sweet story. I really enjoyed it.

I was such a fan of Julia Child’s. I would spend Saturdays watching her show on PBS. I knew that if Julia could cook like that I could give it a try.

I remember watching one day and she was cooking crepes. I was so impressed with how delicate a food could be. I was also impressed with how versatile the thin pancakes were.

I found a recipe for sweet crepes and one for savory crepes. I still have the handwritten card (penmanship of a ten year old) in my recipe box. I put everything in those crepes.

My mother must have been watching me experiment. That year I remember her putting together a formal dinner party for her sisters. She set the table with her finest tablecloth and china. She served crepes for dinner. She had chicken crepes with cream sauce, broccoli in crepes with cheese sauce and for dessert she had flaming cherries jubilee. I had never experienced such elegance. I was in shock.

Years later in my first marriage I learned to make blintzes from those crepes. I filled them with a sweet ricotta mixture and browned them in rich butter. I would serve them for breakfast with cherry pie filling. That was decadent.

I have always loved food and cooking food. I have not always been a good cook. I specialize in desserts. I have been encouraged by this sweet movie to expand my cooking skills and to broaden our menus. I have many cookbooks. There are some that I have never even read. I am inspired to try some new recipes and to share the results with my readers.

Over the teeth and through the gums, look out stomach here it comes.