Cooking for the Soul

Does cooking always seem like a chore? Have you ever thought of it as art? I had never thought of it that way until I read "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron. That's when I started making soup from scratch and baking muffins...just for the joy of it (the baking part has kind of dropped off since having kids)! Rodney started being interested in gourmet cooking a few years later. Now, I'm not saying that all my cooking now has been transformed to some other-worldy level. But there is nothing like the satisfaction and savoury smell of soup simmering on the stove.

Interested? I have a recipe to share with you that has been passed on from my Grandmother and mixed with my mother-in-law's recipe. It is "Chicken Noodle Soup in the Mennonite Tradition" This is what you'll need to have on hand: a "spice ball" (or tea ball), extra fine egg noodles, whole black peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, and either star of anise or aniseed (whole or just seeds). Likely, if you're up for this experience, you'll need to do a bit of shopping. The last thing on the list may be the most challenging to find.

The next thing you'll need to do is buy a whole chicken. I like the frozen "Halal" ones and I pull it out a day or so ahead of time to thaw. Wash it (sometimes I forget...probably not a big deal), put it in a roaster or on a big casserole dish, sprinkle some Mrs. Dash on it or salt and pepper (or nothing...I usually don't eat the skin anyway) and pop it in the oven at 350 for 1 1/2 hours or so. The chicken should start to fall apart and the juices run clear. If you have a thermometer, it's helpful to use. Pull it out of the oven, put the lid on the roaster or make a foil roof for the chicken and let it rest for 5-7 minutes. If you're me, you'll sort of hack it apart. Basically, cut the wings/legs off at the joint, and cut the breast pieces off. It's helpful to put a plate in the oven after you turn it off, so the meat doesn't cool off as quickly. You can put small potatoes poked with holes in at the same time as the chicken or make rice to go with it, add a vegetable and/or salad and you have an easy meal.

Put the bones in a ziploc bag and throw in fridge or freezer. Use the leftover meat for wraps, sandwiches, or salads. Then comes the soup!

Give yourself two hours or more before you want to eat your soup. Throw the bones in a large pot and fill with as much water as is safe. Put about 10 peppercorns and one star of anise in (or a 1/2 teaspoon of the loose aniseed) into the spice ball. Throw in a cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer (or 1 or 2) for at least an hour and a half. Scoop out the bones and meat with pasta claw or tongs or other such useful utensil into a container. Let cool before handling.

Prepare noodles as directed (use half package if you plan to freeze some of the soup...whole package if you want to serve the whole pot of soup immediately).

Then comes the most tedious part. If you just get into the zone, you'll find your mind is free to reflect on life and come up with new ideas. Alternatively, it could be a good time to use your iPod. Pick through the bones to retrieve the meat and cut into small pieces (use as much as you wish to deal with). It is time to add salt. Sea salt or Himalayan crystal salt is nice. Kosher salt might be good. I start with at least a teaspoon of salt and then add more to taste. If you over-salt, add water. Return the meat to the pot. If using only portion of broth, you may want to add the broth/meat to the noodle pot once it has been drained. The noodles don't freeze well, so you always want to freeze without and then cook a fresh batch when you reheat broth. You can also freeze a cup of broth without the meat, and use where chicken broth is called for.

Ladle into bowls and eat with a nice thick bread. Slice your own brown bread, use a dark, round pumpernickel, or even French bread with lots of butter!

Parts of the soup-making experience will seem like work, but there's nothing like the aroma of soup wafting through your home or greeting you after you've been outside in the cold. It's nice to make when you have a lazy Saturday/Sunday morning (or even while you're out). It's handy to pull out of the freezer when you're under the weather or when you want to cheer someone else up. And there will be this satisfaction that you have joined many women in the ancient art of soup-making. Enjoy!

Simply Delicious

With the cold, blustery weather we've been having, I thought I would offer this recipe for a simple, quick soup to warm you through and through! It's the perfect flavour for autumn.

(This recipe is sized for 2-3 people. I would double it for a family).

Golden Carrot Soup

3 Tbsp. butter
1 diced onion
1 small garlic clove, minced
5 c. water
2 1/2 c. sliced carrots
1/4 c. rice
2 tbsp. chicken bouillon mix (I substituted 1 c. broth for 1 c. water)
Salt and chopped parsley (I used a bit of thyme and Mrs. Dash with the salt)

Sauté onions and garlic in butter until tender. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer 20-25 minutes. Blend in blender. Salt and parsley (or other herbs) to taste. Makes a nice creamy soup.

* just one note: be sure not to skimp on the water, and be careful not to blend on too high a speed or too long as consistency can turn pudding-like *

Enjoy!

Sweets to the Sweet

Just want to thank all our clients for allowing us to be part of your lives. It is an honour. And if any of you who were at the grand opening were wondering how to recreate those amazing cheesecakes in your own home, here are the secret recipes. Okay, so they won't be a secret any more. They're really quite simple to make.

No-Bake Toblerone Cheesecake

Prep 20 min. Total: 3 hours 20 min. (incl. refrigerating)

1 1/4 cups Oreo Baking Crumbs
2 pkg. (250 g each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup sugar
2 bars (100 g each) Toblerone Swiss Milk Chocolate, divided
1 1/2 cups thawed whipped topping

Mix crumbs and butter; press firmly onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Refrigerate 10 min.

Beat cream cheese, peanut butter and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Chop 1 bar of the chocolate; stir into cream cheese mixture. Gently stir 1 cup of the whipped topping in. Spoon over crust. Refrigerate 3 hours.

Microwave remaining 1/2 cup whipped topping and 1 bar chocolate in small microwaveable bowl on High 1 min. until chocolate is melted and mixture well blended; cool slightly. Pour over cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 12 servings.
How-To: to quickly soften cream cheese, place unwrapped packages of cream cheese in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on High 30 sec.

Decadent Chocolate Cheesecake

Base:
1 c. chocolate crumbs
2 tbsp. sugar
3 tbsp. melted butter

Filling:
500 g cream cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
3 eggs
1/3 c. frozen OJ concentrate, thawed, undiluted
6 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, melted (I use semi)
1/2 c. sour cream (I use Astro plain yogurt 2%, 3% or 6% m.f.)

Icing: (optional)
4 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 c. sifted icing sugar
1-2 tbsp. frozen OJ concentrate, thawed, undiluted

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Base: Combine crumbs, sugar and butter until moistened. Press into bottom of 8-inch springform pan (or use a bit more for 9-inch). Place in freezer while preparing filling.

Filling: With electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. On low speed, beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in OJ, then chocolate until smooth. Blend in sour cream. Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake 50 to 60 minutes or just until centre is barely set. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 min. Carefully run a knife around edge to loosen, let cool on rack (whatever), then cover and refrigerate overnight.

Icing: Melt chocolate. Stir in butter until melted and smooth. Add icing sugar and enough OJ to make spreadable. Place cheesecake on a serving plate with waxed paper strips under bottom (this is the hardest part). Spread glaze over top and sides. Chill until set, remove paper.

Happy Valentine's Day!