Spatulas, Corkscrews & Suitcases

CREAM OF WILD MUSHROOM SOUP ~ Ina Garten & Barefoot Bloggers

                                                

Ina Garten and Barefoot Bloggers
Here I am again with another Barefoot Bloggers and Ina Garten recipe. The Cream Of Mushroom Soup recipe was chosen by Chelle of Brown Eyed Baker. It was due to be posted for Barefoot Bloggers on 9/25. So, here I am either a little late, or almost a year early, depending on what your calendar says!

Ina Garten's Recipes
Ina Garten's recipes are to die for! She has so many cookbooks now, that there's never a lack of variety and choices. I've missed a few, but I'm making an effort to get caught up because the rest of the recipes sound so good! Since I've been with Barefoot Bloggers, I've made:

• Smoked Salmon Spread
• Parmesan Chicken
• Panzanella Salad
• Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread
• Pasta, Pesto, and Peas
• California Grilled Pizzas
• Grown Up Mac and Cheese
  

                                                                              

Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup
My family has always loved my homemade Cream Of Mushroom Soup. Ina's recipe on The Food Network is a little different than mine in that it has wild mushrooms. I couldn't find any cremini mushrooms, so I used the ever popular white button mushrooms. It also has shiitake and the most beautiful portobello mushrooms I could find. The recipe calls to make an easy homemade vegetable stock with onions, a carrot, chopped mushroom stems and thyme. I could have skipped all that, but it really did make a delicious stock and was well worth the effort. I almost made a mistake and threw the whole thing together, vegetables and all, but I read the rest of the recipe at the last minute. You're supposed to strain the stock from the vegetables and discard the veggies. WHAT? Why waste all that good stuff?

                                                                    

A Good Loaf of Bread is a Beautiful Thing

I followed the recipe and strained the stock, but I didn't throw the veggies away. When I got ready to put the pot on the table, I also put the bowl of chopped veggies out too. We tasted the soup the way it was written first, then we added a scoop of the veggies. It was good both ways and I didn't waste anything! I added the half & half and heavy cream which made the soup extra creamy and rich. If you want to cut back on the fat, there's no reason you can't substitute 1% or 2% milk instead. It's kinda hard to make beige mushrooms and beige soup jump off the screen with vibrant colors. It is what it is. Add a big loaf of fresh holy bread (that's bread with holes in it), a good bottle of wine and enjoy it on a colorful placemat!

                                                        
 

GROWN UP MACARONI & CHEESE from Ina Garten ~ Barefoot Bloggers

                                                     

Barefoot Bloggers
Heather of Randomosity and the Girl chose this luscious Mac & Cheese. This Ultimate Comfort Food is made for adult tastes, but I'm very sure kids will love it too. Mine did! Brad (at 24, he's still my baby and he is sooo gonna shoot me when he reads this!) is staying with us on the boat for a while and he just adores my cooking. Living on his own for a while, he's missed Mom's specialties, sometimes a little too much!

                                                            

Grown up Mac & Cheese
Ina Garten's recipe for Grown Up Macaroni & Cheese was the Barefoot Bloggers choice for the week of 9/11. I know, you're wondering why so late? As usual, I have excuses! We had tons of company and most of them were vegetarians. This recipe has bacon in it, and I wanted to make it so bad that I wasn't willing to adapt it for anyone! I admit I was being selfish, but the recipe sounded so delish, I'm glad I waited. It was awesome! The blend of cheeses the recipe called for was perfect. Fried bacon gave it that special smokey something. And fresh basil from my garden, chopped up in the food processor with homemade croutons, made all the difference in the world! If I had little kids around, I would probably substitute hot dogs for the bacon and maybe crumble some buttered corn flakes on top.

                                                                    

Ina Garten IS The Barefoot Contessa!
Even though Ina Garten has written a number of cookbooks, Food Network.com publishes a lot of her recipes online for you to use. I can't cut & paste it here, (copyright stuff) but you can click Ina Garten's Grown Up Mac & Cheese recipe and print it off at the site! Ina's great like that - always sharing!

                                                             

The recipe says it serves two, but don't let that fool you! It fed two 6'-3" inch guys, and me, AND we had left overs! It would easily serve 6 normal people! Real easy to put together too. If you don't like the choice of cheese - Gruyere, Roquefort and cheddar - change it to suit your taste! My photos didn't come out that good this time. The sun has been going down earlier and the lighting was bad. But don't let that stop you. It was delicious!

GRILLED CALIFORNIA PIZZAS ~ Ina Garten & Barefoot Bloggers

                                                                        

Ina Garten's Grilled California Pizzas
This weeks Barefoot Bloggers selection was an Ina Garten favorite - Grilled California Pizzas. The recipe was chosen by Rebecca from Ezra Pound Cake and can be found at The Food Network.

Pizza On The Grill
As most of you know, I've had an obsession with my own Grilled Pizzas lately! I've made so many of them already and the ideas for more are just oozing from what's left of my brain! Because of this, I didn't follow Ina's recipe. I know, I know. Isn't this supposed to be an Ina Garten's special Caliornia Grilled Pizza post? To tell you the truth, apart from making my own dough - or not - most of my own pizzas don't look much different than Ina's. In fact, I just made one last week that could be hers!

                                                                     

So, with that in mind, I submit my own photos of a pizza that could have been an Ina Garten Pizza! Mine has onions, tomatoes, basil, fresh mozzarella, red peppers, garlic and prosciutto on it just like hers! Maybe not all in that combination at the same time, but at one time or another, all the pizzas eventually have the same things on them.

Don't take my word for it, go and try Ina's pizza too. I hear it's really good!

PANZANELLA RECIPE ~ Ina Garten & Barefoot Bloggers

                                     

Barefoot Bloggers & Ina Garten's Panzanella

Barefoot Bloggers now has 98 members and steadily growing. Melissa of It's Melissa's Kitchen has chosen the Panzanella Recipe from Ina Garten's awesome collection. You can find it in Ina's book, "Barefoot Contessa Parties" on page 102, or you can click on The Food Network and print it off for yourself! This one's a keeper!

                                            

Panzanella Recipe
I have to admit, I had no idea what Panzanella was until I checked out Ina's recipe! It sounded Italian or Greek to me, but what do I know about such things? I'm a baker! I was delighted to see that it was an extremely easy recipe and one that I knew I would love after looking at the ingredients. It's basically a jazzed up version of Bread Salad!

                                                      
Isn't this colorful? A feast for the eyes!

With lots of fresh ingredients like tomatoes, red peppers, yellow peppers (I used green instead), red onion, fresh basil, cucumbers and capers in it. Don't go yuck on the capers! They really do add a unique flavor to the salad!

                                                        

It calls for a loaf of French Bread that I sauteed in seasoned olive oil almost like you're making croutons.

Sprinkle it with some kosher salt and pepper as it's cooking. That only takes 10 minutes! While that's cooking, I chopped up the colorful veggies and tossed them with the basil.

                                               

I made a quick vinaigrette with garlic, dijon mustard, vinegar (I used balsamic vinegar because I didn't have what the recipe called for), some olive oil and salt & pepper.

You toss this all together in a big bowl. It's so pretty with all the vibrant summer veggies in it. It's a real feast for the eyes! You can serve it right away or you can let it sit for 30 minutes and let the flavors meld and the bread soften a bit.

                                                       

This Panzanella Recipe is awesome! It took very little time and it made a lot! It would have made twice the amount if I hadn't had the good sense to cut the recipe in half! This salad could easily serve 6-8 people! And the best part? It wasn't expensive at all because the produce is in season right now! Make it for your next family reunion or picnic get together. Just make sure to keep the salad ingredients, toasted bread and vinaigrette separate until you're ready to serve it, otherwise it will probably be one soggy mess!

It's a Keeper!
John had TWO helpings tonight and pronounced it a keeper! That's good enough for me!

                                                   

SMOKED SALMON SPREAD ~ Barefoot Bloggers & Ina Garten

                                          
Ina Garten's Smoked Salmon Spread
I'm a little late in posting the Barefoot Bloggers recipe. It was due Thursday, July 24th, but cut me a little slack because, well, I have excuses! I always have an excuse ready and waiting! And, they're always real good ones! Some believable, some not, but always exciting!

I had tons of company here. I really did! Everyone wants to see the new boat...and us too I suppose! Plus, it's summer here in Rhode Island and what better place to be in the summer than in a yacht down by the ocean!

Excuses, Excuses!
OK, OK! I'll explain in another post! 

                                                                
Ducktrap Smoked Salmon from Maine...mmmmm
                                                             

Barefoot Bloggers ~ Ina Style!
The fact that I had the Salmon Spread done 4 weeks ago and photos taken, should have nothing to do with my lame story, should it? I just didn't take the time to crop my pictures and write this post! So, here I am and here it is! Salmon Spread by Ina Garten. The recipe was chosen by Ashley of The Spicy Skillet. You can find the recipe in Ina's book, The Barefoot Contessa Family Style on page 35, or on the Food Network by clicking here and printing it off.

                                                                 

Easy Appetizers!
The Salmon Spread was incredibly easy! Just a few ingredients in the food processor and it was done. I bought some teeny tiny melba toasts and piped the spread through a large star tip in a pastry bag. As you can see here, I saved a sliver of smoked salmon and a few sprigs of fresh dill to decorate the appetizers with. I think they came out beautiful and everyone was pleased with them. When I was catering parties a few years ago, this was one of the favorite hor d'oeuvres I made. It was my own concoction, not Ina's, but it's pretty darned close.

                                                               

See the Fish thing I have going on here? Fish platter, nautical napkins. Real creative, huh?

These Smoked Salmon appetizers would be great for your next brunch or party. Quick and easy! Just do it! You won't be sorry!

                                                                    

JALAPENO CORNBREAD ~ Ina Garten & Barefoot Bloggers

                                                       
Ina Garten's Jalapeno Cornbread
Ina Garten's Jalapeno Cornbread Recipe intrigued me. I love cornbread, but I'm not very fond of jalapenos. But after tasting the finished cornbread, this may be the only one I make from now on! It wasn't too heavy on the jalapenos and I suppose you could use more or less depending on whether you like it HOT or not! It was sooo very easy to put together. It baked quick and even with a beautiful golden brown top. It had a nice tender crumb to it and was very moist. That surprised me considering it was cornbread, and I don't know about you, but most cornbreads that I've eaten were dry and crumbly.
                                                                           

Barefoot Bloggers
Thanks to Sabrina & Alexander of Cooking With the Kids for choosing Ina's recipe for the Barefoot Bloggers bi-weekly challenge. You can find the Jalapeno Cornbread Recipe by Ina Garten here at The Food Network. You can even print it out on a recipe card! Or, if you have her book Barefoot Contessa at Home, you can turn to page 154 and follow along.

                                                        

                                                                       

              

Better Late Than Never!
I'm a little late posting this. It was supposed to be done Thursday, July 10th and here I am almost 2 weeks late. I finally got my oven fixed, and this is the first thing I baked in it. First thing I think ANYBODY baked in it! When we fired it up, it had that new oven smell. I thought something else was amiss - you know how it's been lately - but John assured me it was nothing and new ovens smell like that. Even though the stove/oven is 23 years old, it was still new to me! But now, all is well and I'm BACK JACK! Better late than never!
                                                                

Green Mountain Gringo Salsa & Jalapeno Cornbread
It was too hot to make chili, so I spiffed up some store bought salsa. My favorite brand of salsa is Green Mountain Gringo from Vermont...naturally! It's always got a good clean, fresh taste, like it was made yesterday! It's available almost everywhere salsa is sold. Gee, this sounds like a Green Mountain Gringo Salsa commercial doesn't it? It isn't, but if they do read this, they can contact me and I'll tell them where to send a free complimentary case!
                                                                          

                                                                      

I added a can of drained and rinsed black beans and a can of drained niblett corn. Chop up a few scallions and about a 1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro and fold into the salsa (more or less according to taste). I arranged it nice and pretty on a platter with the salsa in the middle. I had to take pictures real quick this time because John was hungry and chomping at the bit to eat!
                                                                  

Cornbread Castles & Salsa Moats
We put a piece or two of cornbread in  our bowls and spooned the salsa on the side making a picture-perfect red salsa moat around our cornbread castles! John had seconds or thirds and he brought some to work the next day. Yes, it really was that good! I'll definitely be making Ina Garten's Jalapeno Cornbread again!
                                                                          

Next recipe ~ Smoked Salmon Spread
The next challenge is Smoked Salmon Spread. I have some extended family coming over this week, and the Salmon Spread will be a perfect appetizer for an early evening sailboat-tied-to-the-dock party! Dad won't care for it too much, but his siblings sure will!

                                                            

PARMESAN CHICKEN ~ BAREFOOT BLOGGERS

                                                   
CHICKEN PARMESAN or PARMESAN CHICKEN?
Today is Thursday, really, it is! The days and weeks are just flying by. Time flies when you're having fun...or not! Every other Thursday, I participate in a group called BAREFOOT BLOGGERS. It's in honor of Ina Garten known worldwide for her marvelous and creative books in the Barefoot Contessa line. Ina IS the Barefoot Contessa!

                                                  
COOKBOOKS
Once upon a time, when I lived in a 2000 square foot house, I had shelves and shelves of cookbooks. The Barefoot Contessa books were part of my collection then. I had to give away or sell most of my cookbooks off because they wouldn't fit in the boat! That was a very sad time...selling off all my kids...I mean cookbooks. So when this group started, I thought "WOW! I missed Ina's cookbooks. Now that's something I could get into!" Don't get me wrong, I love baking with Tuesdays With Dorie, but we can only eat so much dessert! And we bake once a week which is a lot! John takes the rest of it to work or he hawks it up and down the dock to unsuspecting boaters. They don't mind though. They love the goodies. But, it does seem like kind of a waste to go through all that work and the expense (Dorie loves butter) just to give it all away. You know what I mean?

                                                
FOOD vs DESSERT
So far, the recipes chosen for Barefoot Bloggers have all been "FOOD" as opposed to "DESSERT".  Not that dessert isn't food, but food isn't always dessert. I figured we need to eat lunch and dinner anyway, and I really NEEDED to join yet another group because as you all know, I'm sitting around all day doing absolutely nothing enjoying the good life on a yacht! (Yeah, right!)

                                                     
CHICKEN!
Ina's recipe this week is PARMESAN CHICKEN not neccesarily Chicken Parmesan! Speaking of which, because of copyright laws, I won't post her recipe here. BUT, she has graciously left it for us on The Food Network site to use! AND, the recipe is printer-friendly, so you can have it forever and always amen! Soooo, It was an easy recipe if you don't mind slicing through chicken and pounding it with a mallet to make it paper thin - scallopini style. Some people have an aversion to handling raw chicken. I don't. I've pounded my share of 20 pound lots of chicken at a time, for years on end, so this was nothing new to me. PLUS, I have a new boat now with tons of counter space. So having an assembly line of pans and then the frying pan on the stove was a breeze compared to doing it on poor little NIRVANA. One thing I normally do i to brine my chicken first in a solution of salt, sugar and water, but this recipe didn't call for it. The chicken was tender, but I think I'll go with my own technique of brining the next time.

                                                       
PARMESAN CHICKEN?
Ina's recipe calls for breaded and fried chicken topped with salad greens and a Lemon Vinaigrette. I know! Sounds odd doesn't it? Did to me too. John was gonna come home and say "Where's the pasta and spaghetti sauce?" He such a guy! So, I prepared it Ina's way. I had the salad greens ready, the chicken was done and when I went to make the lemon vinaigrette, I found that the lemon I forgot to refrigerate had gone fuzzy! Dang! Now what am I gonna do? I did what any good little food blogger would do...I improvised! I set up my plates just like it said, took pictures for my blog, then went down in the galley and hunted around real quick for spaghetti sauce and pasta!
                                                                        

CHICKEN PARMESAN!
When John came home, he knew we were having something tasty for supper. He can always smell it down the dock! Funny how he can't smell things I ask him about, like, "Smell this, does this smell bad to you?" Nope! Then he asks, "Is this another meal where we have to take pictures first and then eat it cold?" I said, "Yeah, but it's already cold!"  After I was done with the improvisations, we got to sit down to a HOT meal of CHICKEN PARMESAN, and boy was it tasty!

                                                    
TOTAL DAMAGES?
I got the boneless skinless chicken breasts on sale for $1.99 pound, for a total of $3.74. There were three breast halves and when I sliced them horizontally though the center, and pounded the heck out of them, I ended up with six huge pieces of very thin and tender chicken fillets! The breading, flour, two eggs, etc, was negligable. I figured the entire meal cost me $7.00 with the spaghetti sauce, parmesan cheese and pasta. It would have easily served 6 people. We have leftovers for tonight's supper!    Not bad, huh?

Go to Ina Garten's recipe on The Food Network and make it for supper sometime this week. You won't be sorry!
                                                       

PASTA, PESTO & PEAS with Barefoot Bloggers & Ina Garten

                                           
Barefoot Bloggers
There's a new game in town and it's called Barefoot Bloggers. It's dedicated to all things Ina Garten, the famous culinary diva of the wildly popular cookbooks - Barefoot Contessa. The group is growing fast and is up to about 70 members. This is only the second recipe, so I haven't missed much! Barefoot Bloggers will be cooking and baking twice a month from one of Ina Garten's cookbooks and then posting the results to their blogs. (Like I don't have enough to keep me busy already!) Not only do I get myself in way too deep, I like to take others down with me. I emailed my friend Liliana at My Cookbook Addiction and she jumped at it too!

Pasta, Pesto & Peas
Ina Garten's Pasta, Pesto & Peas was chosen by Elizabeth of Ugg Small Food. I know, you're all wondering what's up with the name? Her name came up on a Tuesdays With Dorie recipe too. I'll just need to ask someday!

Because of copyright laws, I'm going to leave you with the link to her recipe on The Food Network. This is only available online for a limited time, so print out the recipe now. Pasta, Pesto & Peas can also be found in Ina Garten's book "Barefoot Contessa Parties!" on page 98. I can tell you it had lots of basil pesto blended with spinach and mayonnaise and topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and pine nuts for a little added crunch!
                                                                            

Quick & Easy Meal!
I thought this looked like an easy recipe and I was right! It was put together in a snap and it was absolutely delicious, albeit a bit too green! It would have been the perfect dish for St. Patrick's Day! I used my handy-dandy new Cuisinart Mini-Prep Food Processor for this job. I made the pasta before I went out to do errands and finished it when I came back. The recipe says it takes 45 minutes, but it was done in far less time!

Seriously, if you're looking for a quick and light side dish for a hot summer night, this is the recipe for you. Add grilled chicken breast strips and you have an awesome main dish!