Now See Hear

So the other day, my friend Cory gave me an "album" he'd received in the mail by a photo journalist named Jimmy Williams. The album was entitled Now See Hear! and it was dubbed a visual album of Southern Musical Masters. Mr. Williams traveled around the South for 2 years documenting these musicians with the help of the Music Maker Relief Foundation.

The result of his travels is an awesome compilation of some truly gifted musicians and brilliant photography. The tracks are very Southern. Very bluesy and soulful. And the photography really paints the picture of who these musicians are.

The project's website is www.jimmywilliamsphotography.com/musicmakers/. Check it out. I highly recommend it.

- Jeff

Leftovers

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving! We had a great time with our family and friends, and stuffed ourselves silly! Of course we overcooked and have tons of leftovers. We will definitely enjoy a turkey sandwich or two but what else can be done with leftovers? Here are some ideas:

Cranberry Sauce

Add it to salsa or salad dressing for a holiday twist

Use it to top ice cream or yogurt. For breakfast I had Greek yogurt topped with cranberry sauce and honey.

Mashed Potatoes

Potato Cakes-scoop potatoes into balls then dip them in panko breadcrumbs and saute.

Jalapeno Poppers- stuff jalapenos with potatoes and cheese

Baked Potato soup-add chicken broth and cream until it gets to a soup consistency. Top with cheese and bacon.

Stuffing

Make meatloaf and layer the stuffing inside.

Breakfast casserole

Layer leftover potatoes, vegetables, and turkey in a casserole dish. Top with eggs and cheese and bake.

Turkey

Food Network's website had some very creative ideas. Chinese Turkey Salad and Emeril's turkey tetrazzini look great!

Let us know your favorite ways to use leftovers. Have a fun Black Friday and enjoy the long weekend!

Cranberry Sauce

I love fresh cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving. Eating canned cranberry jelly when I was younger, I had no idea cranberries could be so good! Here is the recipe I came up for this Thanksgiving:

1 C orange juice

3/4 C brown sugar

zest and juice of 1 tangerine

1 bag fresh cranberries, washed

1/2 C honey

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 tsp cardamom

Bring OJ and sugar to a boil then add the rest of the ingredients. Lower heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until thick. The cranberries will pop then it will thicken up a few minutes later.

Viva Las Vegas

I was recently in Las Vegas on business with my buddy and co-worker Cory. Our trip was very quick, as we came in on a Thursday and left the following morning but we packed as much in as possible. We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, which was awesome.

Such a cool resort. Not nearly as "casino-y" as a lot of the resorts on the strip. As you would expect, there was music memorabilia everywhere, there was also a great music hall called The Joint. (We're going to get to do some work with The Joint because Verizon has a sponsorship, really cool). Anyway, there's much more of a party scene as the Hard Rock. Would definitely like to go back when I've got more time.

Check it out.... http://www.hardrockhotel.com/ (click on nightlife to see The Joint)

After our meeting Thursday afternoon, we made our plan for the night. THE PLAN: 1) have a great dinner & 2) walk hotels until our legs couldn't go any more. I've been to Vegas before but it was Cory's first time so we wanted to see as much as we could.

We decided to eat dinner at Aureole at the Mandalay Bay Resort based on Joy's suggestion. When we were trying to decide where to eat, I called Joy to get ideas and she reminded me of Aureole. I'd heard of it before and have seen pictures of its multi-story, all glass wine tower with wine angels that move up and down the cellar on cables retrieving wine. It's also been showcased on Food Network. It's owned by Charlie Palmer and has a sister restaurant in NY, although, I don't know if it has a similar wine tower.

Dinner was great. I had a 3 course tasting menu they called the "Theatre Menu".

- First Course: Thai Style Popcorn Shrimp spicy coconut broth, cilantro coulis.

- Main Course: Berkshire Pork Scallopini lemon chives, fettuccini, sautéed rapini.

- Dessert: Caramelized Banana Bread Pudding, butterscotch sauce.

My favorite dish was the first course. It was really a soup where they poured the spicy coconut broth in the dish table-side over the shrimp and coulis. Amazing aroma and flavor.

Cory had a different tasting menu that had "parallel" plates, where each course had two small portions of two different dishes made with similar ingredients. It looked really good and Cory said it was great.

After dinner we began walking and made it through 7 Casino/Hotels before we couldn't walk anymore. We saw the Mandalay Bay, the Luxor, Excalibur, New York New York, MGM Grand, and the Bellagio. The Bellagio is definitely my favorite on the strip. The lobby is awesome. And due to the price of that hotel, the lobby is as far as I would get other than the casino floor. The also have the best sportsbook I've seen so far.

The trip was far too quick. Hopefully, I'll get to go back soon.

-- Jeff

Pumpkin Gingerbread Triffle

I haven't made this yet but it looks great! It is going to be one of three desserts on our Thanksgiving table.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Prep Time:

30 min

Inactive Prep Time:

9 hr 0 min

Cook Time:

30 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

20 servings

Ingredients

• 2 (14-ounce) packages gingerbread mix
• 1 (5.1-ounce) box cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix
• 1 (30-ounce) can pumpkin pie filling
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 teaspoon ground cardamom or cinnamon
• 1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping
• 1/2 cup gingersnaps, optional

Directions

Bake the gingerbread according to the package directions; cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare the pudding and set aside to cool. Stir the pumpkin pie filling, sugar, and cardamom into the pudding. Crumble 1 batch of gingerbread into the bottom of a large, pretty bowl. Pour 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the gingerbread, then add a layer of whipped topping. Repeat with the remaining gingerbread, pudding, and whipped topping. Sprinkle of the top with crushed gingersnaps, if desired. Refrigerate overnight. Trifle can be layered in a punch bowl.

Tomato Soup

Ingredients

5 lb tomatoes, deseeded and stemmed and quartered

6 garlic cloves smashed

1/8 C olive oil and 2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 C onion, chopped

1 C water

1 C chicken broth (or vegetable for a vegetarian option)

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt, halved

½ teaspoon black pepper

1/3 C cream or 2% milk

1/4 C fresh dill (or basil depending on your preference)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450.

Put quartered tomatoes and garlic cloves in a large casserole dish and toss with 1/8C olive oil, ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Roast for 40 minutes. They will be very soft and produced a lot of liquid.

In a large pot sauté onion in the remaining 2 T of olive oil for 5-7 minutes or until soft. Stir in water, broth, sugar, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and all of roasted tomato mixture. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Then transfer soup to a blender and add your fresh herbs. They don’t have to be chopped, just throw the clean whole leaves in and let the blender do the work for you. Be careful with the hot soup in the blender, only filling the blender half way and covering the top with a dish rag to avoid spills.

Blend until smooth and return the soup to the pot to add the cream or milk. Do not let the soup boil (no bubbles) after you add the dairy.

More Gratins

Here are 2 more au gratin recipes. Both of these dishes will make it onto our Thanksgiving table.

Broccoli Gratin

You can really make any vegetable au gratin. All you really need to do is cut the vegetable into uniform pieces, parboil the vegetable, make a bechamel (a classic white sauce), top with cheese and bake for 30 minutes.



Mixing a little Guerye cheese into the bechamel sauce.
Finished, Yummy, Cheesy Goodness


Ingredients

3 large bunches of broccoli, chopped as uniformly as possible
3 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 1% milk
2 cups grated Gruyere, halved
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350. Steam broccoli until just tender, about 4 to 5 minutes; transfer to a large bowl.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and for 2 minutes. It will look like a lump of nothing but keep stirring and don't let it get dark. Whisk in the milk and simmer until slightly thickened and smooth, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the cheese, salt and pepper. Toss the sauce with the broccoli.

Transfer the broccoli mixture to a shallow baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining cup of cheese. Bake until bubbling about 35 minutes. Broil for a few minutes until it gets a nice brown crust. Let sit 10 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings.

Asiago and Bacon Potato Gratin

This one is a family favorite. It is also from Cooking Light and constantly ranked as one of their best dishes as well.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds peeled Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• Cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups 1% low-fat milk, divided
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated Asiago cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place potatoes in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes or until potatoes are almost tender. Drain. Sprinkle potatoes evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside and keep warm.

Heat a medium saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add shallots; cook 2 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Sprinkle flour over shallots. Gradually add 1/2 cup milk, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Gradually add remaining 1 1/2 cups milk, stirring with a whisk. Cook over medium heat 9 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in 3/4 teaspoon salt, Asiago, chives, pepper, and bacon.

Arrange half of potato slices in an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour half of cheese sauce over potato slices. Top with remaining potato slices and cheese sauce; sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

Yield: 6 servings

Calories: 250 (30% from fat)

Fat:

8.2g (sat 4.6g,mono 2.7g,poly 0.5g)

Protein:

12.3g

Carbohydrate:

31.9g

Fiber:

2.3g

Cholesterol:

23mg

Iron:

0.9mg

Sodium:

618mg

Calcium:

306mg

Cooking Light, APRIL 2004

Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Gratin

I love potatoes au gratin. The dish originated in France with Gratin Dauphinois and while the authentic version is delicious, it doesn't have cheese. Since I believe everything is better with cheese, I prefer the cheesy American versions. But I don't love all the fat and calories so I was very intrigued by Cooking Light's article on "Great Gratins." I had to try this lighten up recipe with sweet potatoes and butternut squash. We will definitely be making this delicious dish again but I included some notes at the bottom that I believe will slightly improve it.

Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Gratin

2 tablespoons butter
1 ounce pancetta, chopped
1/4 cup chopped shallots
2 garlic cloves, minced
1.38 ounces all-purpose flour, divided (about 5 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk-
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 pound baking potato, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
8 ounces sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
8 ounces butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
Cooking spray
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add pancetta; cook 1 minute. Add shallots and garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Weigh or lightly spoon 1.1 ounces (about 1/4 cup) flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add to pan; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir in thyme. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk; cook over medium heat until slightly thick (about 3 minutes), stirring constantly. Stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano; cook 3 minutes or until cheese melts. Stir in salt and peppers. Remove from heat.

3. Cook baking potato in boiling water 4 minutes or until almost tender; remove with a slotted spoon. Cook sweet potato in boiling water 4 minutes or until almost tender; remove with a slotted spoon. Cook butternut squash in boiling water 4 minutes or until almost tender; drain. Sprinkle vegetables evenly with remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Arrange potatoes and squash in alternating layers in a broiler-safe 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; spoon sauce over potato mixture. Top with Gruyère. Bake at 375° for 40 minutes.

4. Preheat broiler. Broil 3 minutes or until golden. Let stand 10 minutes.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1/2 cup)

CALORIES 220 ; FAT 8.7g (sat 5.2g,mono 2.2g,poly 0.3g); CHOLESTEROL 25mg; CALCIUM 259mg; CARBOHYDRATE 26.2g; SODIUM 418mg; PROTEIN 9.7g; FIBER 2.6g; IRON 1.3mg

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2009

Joy's notes-I used 1% milk instead of 2% and it turned out fine. Next time I make this dish, I will parboil the vegtables for only 2 minutes instead of 4 and layer the sauce between the potatoes and squash as well as top the dish with it.

21st Annual Christmas Jam

Every holiday season one of the best music events on the planet comes to Asheville, NC. CHRISTMAS JAM! This year Warren Haynes presents his 21st Annual Christmas Jam at the Asheville Civic Center on Saturday December 12th.

The line up is already incredible. And if you know me at all, it appears to be tailored just for me. Joy would say, "stolen from Jeff's iPod." Gov't Mule, Ani Difranco, Moe., Counting Crows, and William Bell are the headliners with special guests Jackie Greene, Kevn Kinney, DJ Logic, Col. Bruce Hampton, Robert Kerns and many more. There's sure to be several more additions in the coming weeks leading up to the event.

Unfortunately, I'll be out of town on the 12th and won't be able to attend, but if you get a chance to go...GO. It will be a great show. Tickets go on sale this Saturday the 14th. To learn more go to http://www.xmasjam.com. If you do end up going, get me a t-shirt.

-- Jeff

Vietnamese Noodle Soup

This is one of Jeff's favorite soups. We made it the other night for dinner and had leftovers for lunch. It was fantastic both times! You should be able to find fresh ginger and cilantro in the produce department of most grocery stores and the Asian ingredients in the ethnic food aisle.

Meatballs
1/2 lb ground pork
2 T minced scallions
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
1 T fresh ginger minced
1 T garlic minced
1 T soy sauce
1 t sweet chili sauce
1/4 t each salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients together until everything is mixed in. Scoop into teaspoon size meatballs. Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat and add 1 T vegetable oil. Brown meatballs but do not cook through. They will finish cooking in the soup.

Soup
1/4 lb rice stick noodles
6 C chicken broth
2 T soy sauce
1 T fresh ginger
1 T sugar
1 t sweet chili sauce
1 t fish sauce
1 C napa cabbage, cut into 1 inch strips
1/4 bean sprouts
1 T fresh lemon juice

Put the noodles in a large bowl and pour boiling water over them to soften. Let stand for about 15 minutes then drain and separate clumps. While meatballs are cooking, start the broth. Simmer the chicken broth, soy sauce, ginger, sugar, chili sauce, and fish sauce in a large pot or dutch oven. Cook over low heat until the meatballs are browned. Then add the meatballs and simmer until they are cooked through. They should float when they are done, usually 10 minutes or so.

Add cabbage, bean sprouts, and lemon juice and serve.

8 servings

1 C per serving- 190 calories, 9 g fat, 1 g fiber, 9 g protein

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Our friend Mary Katherine brought these into work today. Oh my goodness! These are to die for! Here is the recipe that she got from Bon Appetit. Thanks for sharing MKat!





Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Ingredients
FILLING
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme
2 teaspoons maple extract
CAKE
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
Preparation
FILLING
Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add marshmallow creme and maple extract; beat until blended and smooth. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
CAKE
Sift first 7 ingredients into large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in another large bowl until blended. Gradually beat in oil. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions. Beat in pumpkin. Add dry ingredients in 2 additions alternately with milk in 1 addition, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Cover and chill batter 1 hour.
Arrange 1 rack in bottom third of oven and 1 rack in top third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment; spray lightly with nonstick spray. Spoon batter onto baking sheet to form cakes (about 3 level tablespoons each; about 12 per baking sheet), spacing apart. Let stand 10 minutes.
Bake cakes until tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through baking. Cool cakes completely on baking sheets on rack. Using metal spatula, remove cakes from parchment.
Line cooled baking sheets with clean parchment; spray with nonstick spray, and repeat baking with remaining batter.
Spoon about 2 tablespoons filling on flat side of 1 cake. Top with another cake, flat side down. Repeat with remaining cakes and filling. DO AHEAD Can be made 8 hours ahead. Store in single layer in airtight container at room temperature.

Chicken Mushroom Spinach Stuffed Crepes

For dinner that evening, we made chicken mushroom spinach stuffed crepes with the remainder of the crepes we made in the morning. See the post below for a basic crepe recipe.

Saute:

2 chicken breasts in a medium pan over medium high heat. Once cooked, chop and set aside.

In a separate large pan saute over medium high heat:

1 C thinly sliced onion for 3 minutes, then add

1 package of mushrooms sliced, saute for 5 minutes or until vegetables are soft

Add:

1 package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry

Chopped cooked chicken breasts

1/2 C sliced green onions

Keep that warm while making a bechamel sauce in a separate pot.

Melt 1 TBSP butter over medium low heat in a small saucepan. Add 2 TBSP flour to pan, creating a roux. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Slowly add 1 C 2% milk to pan stirring constantly with a whisk. After about 5 minutes, the sauce will thicken up. Season with salt and pepper to taste and 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg.

Pour sauce over chicken and spinach mixture. Stir to combine thoroughly. Preheat broiler.

Spoon 1/2 C mixture in the center of each crepe then fold ends and sides over (like a burrito). Place seam side down in a 13x9 glass baking pan spread with cooking spray. Top crepes with Gruyere cheese or reduced fat Swiss cheese and broil lightly until cheese is melted and brown.

Yields 10 crepes with 2 crepes per serving.

Crepes

I love crepes and I have finally (somewhat) mastered making them. It really isn't that hard but I definitely recommend a crepe pan, a non-stick shallow pan about 8 inches wide. Here is the basic recipe that works with sweet or savory fillings:

1 C all purpose flour

2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 C low-fat milk-1%

1/2 C water

2 tsp butter, melted

2 large eggs

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, sugar, salt). Put remaining wet ingredients in a blender and process on low until just mixed. Then add dry ingredients and process until smooth. Cover batter and chill for 1 hour.

Once it has set for an hour you are ready to make crepes. Heat your non-stick pan over medium heat and pour 1/4 C batter into pan, quickly tilting the pan so that the batter thinly, evenly coats the bottom of the pan. That is the part that takes a little bit of practice. I usually eat the first few before I make pretty ones.

Cook for a minute. It is ready to flip when it can be shaken loose from the pan. Flip and cook for 30 seconds on the other side. Stack finished crepes between a single layer of wax or parchment paper until you have finished the batch. This recipe should yield 12 crepes.

Once done, you can do a variety of recipes. I like eating them for breakfast or dessert with a little honey or pumpkin butter or jam. They are an excellent dessert with a little Nutella. When we made a batch this weekend, we ate a few for breakfast then saved the rest for dinner.

Chef Vicky at the Lazy Goat

This is pretty cool. A GREENVILLE chef is named as one of four Breakout Chefs to Watch. Chef Vicky Moore, the Chef de Cusine at the Lazy Goat, is featured in the current Esquire magazine as a Breakout Chef to Watch.

The Lazy Goat is awesome and Jeff and I enjoyed a cooking class with Chef Vicky a couple of months ago. But the really cool thing is the other 3 chefs are from NY, New Orleans and Philly so Greenville is right up there with big culinary meccas. If you haven't had a chance to try the Lazy Goat, you definitely should go. I love the paella, the Morrocan lamb and the Spanish omlet pizza.

www.thelazygoat.typepad.com

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

I found this recipe on Cooking Light's website and made it this weekend. Awesome! I highly recommend!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread


2 cups sugar
2 cups canned pumpkin
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup fat-free vanilla pudding
4 large egg whites
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack, and remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

Yield: 32 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

CALORIES 152 (30% from fat); FAT 5g (sat 1.2g,mono 2.5g,poly 1.1g); IRON 1mg; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 10mg; CARBOHYDRATE 26.5g; SODIUM 137mg; PROTEIN 2g; FIBER 1.1g

Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2004

Disney Wine Dine Run

Disney just announced a new half marathon next year called the Disney Wine and Dine Run. You run 13.1 miles then you enjoy the Epcot Food and Wine festival! It is Oct 1-2, 2010. One of the really cool things about this half marathon is it will be at night!

I REALLY want to do this. Who wants to join me? Registration begins 11/16 and Disney races typically fill up fast. Check out www.disneywinedinerun.com

-- Joy

Sometimes you feel like a sandwich

Sometimes you feel like a sandwich and this week I did. On Wednesday night, I just didn't feel like cooking. I was on my own for dinner and decided to make a sandwich with some of the fixings we picked up from the grocery store on Sunday. Here's the ingredient list.

- Parmesan, Pesto Ham
- Ever-roast Roasted Chicken
- Horseradish Cheddar Cheese
- Sweet Hot Mustard
- Mayo
- All on Whole Wheat Sourdough

It was a good sandwich. My only complaint was in the bread. The sourdough was good, but the slices were so thick and the bread was so dense that it masked the taste of everything else. It dominated the sandwich too much. Next time, I'll try plain whole wheat or regular sourdough.

Funny story on the Ever-roast Roasted Chicken. It's a Boar's Head product and was on special. When I asked the girl at the deli counter if it was good, she said "ooooohhhh it's the BOMB! Tastes just like chicken noodle soup!". As though that's what you're looking for in deli meat. So she game me a piece to try. And you know what? It did tasted oddly like chicken noodle soup. But was also pretty good. And despite the odd similarity to chicken noodle soup, I bought some. I recommend everyone try it, at the very least to see how much it taste like chicken noodle soup.

-- Jeff

Jambalaya

We love making paella but sometimes it is a little time consuming for a week night. I decided to try jambalaya because it has similar ingredients, rice, shrimp, sausage, but I thought it would be quicker to make. Don't let the list of ingredients scare you. If you don't have all the spices, leave it out or put something else in. If you don't like spicy foods, omit the cayenne and the hot sauce.

Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat, add:

8 oz sliced andouille sausage

Cook for a few minutes until oil is released from sausage. Remove sausage from pot and add in 1 TBSP olive oil then saute:

1 chopped medium onion

1 chopped red bell pepper

2 cloves minced garlic

Cook for 5 minutes or until onions and peppers are tender.

Put sausage back in pot and add:

1 C rice (regular long grain)

1 tsp paprika (I like smoked paprika but whatever you have is fine)

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

2 bay leaves

Stir spices in and cook for 1 minute.

Then add:

2 C fat-free chicken broth

1 C water

1 can tomato puree (or diced tomatoes. I use puree so there are not any tomato pieces because Jeff hates tomatoes.)

1 TBSP tomato paste

A couple dashes of hot sauce to your taste. We like it spicy so I use about a teaspoon.

Stir and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add:

1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp and cook for another 7 minutes or until shrimp are pink and done.

Remove bay leaves and enjoy. Serves 4.

--Joy

What I'm listening to...

Here nor there by Andy Stochansky -- There's a crisp to the air. It's getting dark earlier. Fall is officially upon us. As I was walking the dogs tonight, shuffling the iPod, it landed on a track from Andy Stochansky called Everest that just seemed to fit with the evening. Tonight finally felt like Fall.

That track made me come back to the house and look back over Andy's collection and, thanks to Grooveshark, I discovered another Fall-esque Stochansky number I'd never heard before, Here nor there.

Check it out.

For more, check http://www.myspace.com/andystochanskymusic.

-- Jeff

What I'm listening to....

Jackie Greene. I discovered Jackie Greene a little over a year ago when he was tour with the Phil Lesh and Friends band. Phil & Friends opened for the Black Crowes on Oct 5th, 2008 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Alpharetta, GA. Phil's line-up always changes and when I was preparing for the show and checking out which musicians he was touring with this time, I recognized everyone except a guy named Jackie Greene.

When I looked him up I saw an article in the New York Times that dubbed him “The Prince of Americana” and described his music as "steeped in country, blues, jazz, rock and folk traditions, defying easy categorization". Needless to say, I was very interested to see this guy play.

When Phil and Friends took the stage on Sunday evening, I was surprised to see the unassuming Jackie Greene as lead vocals and guitar for Friends, a position held most notably by Warren Haynes and Chris Robinson on previous iterations of the Friends. The band was great, as usual, but I was taken with how Jackie commanded the stage and couldn't wait to check out his solo work.

Since that show just over a year ago, Jackie Greene has been my favorite new musician and I just can't get enough.

Check him out www.jackiegreene.com and www.myspace.com/jackiegreene. If you're interested in picking up an album, I'd recommend his 2002 release Gone Wanderin'.



-- Jeff

Soup, there it is!

This is one of my favorite easy Fall soups. It is really easy, really good and still healthy.

Fall Harvest Soup

Saute:

3 Tbsp butter

6 Cups cubed peeled butternut squash (1 squash, about 2 lbs)

4 Cups cubed peeled russet potatoes (3 potatoes, about 1 1/2 lbs)

Saute for 3 min. Add:

2 Cups sliced leeks (one medium leek*)

*clean well. Leeks have a lot of grit in the base. Best way to clean them is slice them then put in them in a salad spinner. Soak, then rinse, then spin. Let me know if you have questions or don't know what a leek is. I promise it is not hard.

Saute for another minute. Add:

1 Tbsp flour. Sprinkle on mixture and stir.

Stir in:

4 Cups chicken broth

Simmer 20 minutes or until potato is tender.

Once everything is soft, transfer to blender. Blend until smooth. Make sure you let steam out out of the top center piece but cover it with a towel so the mixture doesn't fly out everywhere.

Transfer back to pot but take it off the heat and add:

1 Cup milk (I typically use half and half or whole milk but last time I used skim and it turned out just fine)

1/8 teaspoon of cayenne (optional but it adds a nice little bit of heat)

Stir and serve. And it is delicious.

-- Joy

I Love Fall

Jeff and I both love Fall but for different reasons. He likes the cool weather and football and I like the food. I love soups, apples, candy corn and anything pumpkin flavored. I wait all year for the pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks. I am very excited to try Blue Moon's Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale. I can't wait to test some recipes for pumpkin bread, pumpkin poundcake, pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin soup.

Another Fall find is Honeycrisp apples. I don't know how I did not know about this wonderful fruit until just recently. They are the perfect combination of crispy, sweet and a little tart. I usually like the green Granny Smith apples but these are even better. They are slightly more expensive than most apples but so worth it! We found this huge bag at Trader Joe's for only $3.49. I plan on eating an apple a day! -- Joy

Our First Post

For anyone out there reading this, this is our first blog entry. There was a lot of discussion around the name of this blog. Some good ideas that we might share in various post titles; some really bad ideas that are too embarrassing to share at all. But in the end we settled on Good Food Rocks! because it summed up what we really wanted to say with this blog.

The name was inspired by a shared affinity for Walt Disney World. When I was a kid, there was a show at EPCOT in WDW called Food Rocks at the Land Pavilion. It was an animatronic concert where various foods and kitchen utensils performed hit songs of the time. A mix of food and music, just like this blog. (Who knows, we might even throw a little Disney in for you from time to time.)

We hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as we will enjoy cooking it up. And remember good music feeds the soul and good food rocks!

-- Jeff