Exploding Beans

And I don't mean me.  I have canned baked beans so old some are bulging and one actually exploded.  This is a very bad sign.  I threw out the bulging ones since it means botulism.  The others?  They're still good.  Well, we are still alive. 

Baked Bean Soup
From Betty Crocker
Serves 4

3 slices bacon, chopped 
1 lb. lean ground beef 
1 (21-oz.) can baked beans 
1 (14 1/2-oz.) can ready-to-serve beef broth 
1 (5.5-oz.) can vegetable juice cocktail, or 2/3 cup
3 tablespoons ketchup 

Cook bacon in large saucepan over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add ground beef; cook 5 to 8 minutes or until ground beef is thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain.

Add all remaining ingredients; mix well. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally.

Garnish each serving of this soup with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkling of shredded cheese and some sliced green onions.  Serve with a mixed green salad and warm cornbread sticks. 

1 Serving (1 1/2 Cups): 420 calories

  

Old Cold Fish

Leftover fish never gets eaten.  Potatoes and bacon can fix that.  They can fix just about anything. 

Salmon Hash with Poached Eggs

From Food and Wine

Serves 4

1 pound small Yukon Gold potatoes
4 slices of bacon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small red onion, finely chopped
3/4 pound cooked skinless salmon fillet, flaked
2 tablespoons snipped chives
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 eggs
Hot sauce, for serving

Put the potatoes in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and peel the potatoes, then cut them into 1-inch chunks.
In a large nonstick skillet, cook the bacon over moderately high heat until browned and crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain, then crumble.
Melt the butter in the bacon fat in the skillet. Add the onion and potatoes and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally and gently mashing the potatoes until browned in spots, about 8 minutes. Add the bacon, salmon and chives; season with salt and pepper. Cook just until the salmon is heated through.
Meanwhile, bring a large, deep skillet of water to a simmer. Crack the eggs into individual bowls and add them to the simmering water. Poach the eggs over moderate heat until the whites are set but the yolks are still slightly runny, about 5 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, carefully lift the eggs out of the water; blot dry with paper towels. Spoon the hash onto plates, top with the eggs and serve right away. Pass hot sauce at the table.

Easy Poached Eggs

From Bon Appetit

Fill a 1-cup microwaveable bowl or teacup with 1/2 cup water. Gently crack an egg into the water, making sure it's completely submerged. Cover with a saucer and microwave on high for about 1 minute, or until the white is set but the yolk is still runny. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the egg to a plate.

"Ugh. That looks yummy."

Sarcastic comment directed at the cabbage cooking on the stove. Except for the ugh part. Just in case you were wondering about the ugh. Using up some old cabbage to make something yummy. No sarcasm there.

Pappardelle with Cabbage, Prosciutto and Sage
From Cooking Light
Yield: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 8 ounces pappardelle or some other wide pasta (I could only find extra wide homemade style egg noodles at the store I went to and didn't feel like driving 1/2 hour to the fancy store)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/2 head Savoy cabbage -- quartered, cored, and sliced (8 cups)
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 pound sliced prosciutto, cut into strips
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage (or 2 t. dried sage or 1 t. ground sage)

Preparation

Cook the pasta according to the package directions.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes.

Add the cabbage and broth and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage begins to wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the prosciutto, butter, and sage and cook until the butter has melted. Serve over the pasta.

Substitution: Savoy cabbage has thin leaves that cook quickly. If you can't find it in the market, try using Napa cabbage instead. In place of the prosciutto, use deli ham or bacon.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

410

Fat:

15g (sat 6g)

Protein:

21g

Carbohydrate:

53g

Fiber:

6g

Cholesterol:

97mg

Sodium:

968mg

Oh sure,

he'll grimace at the rotting tomatoes. He'll whine about having to eat the soggy zucchini. He'll groan at having to pick the chewy silk laden corn out of his teeth. Make soup and top it with bacon that expired last January? I win.

Summer Garden Vegetable Soup
From melskitchencafe.com
Serves 8
3 medium zucchini, chopped into bite-size pieces (about a pound)
4 medium tomatoes, chopped into bite-size pieces (can use canned or stewed)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil (or 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped)
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk (can use fat-free or low-fat)
1 ½ cups frozen or fresh corn kernels
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (more to top soup with)
Bacon, cooked and crumbled

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the zucchini, basil, parsley and onion and saute, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes. Add the flour, salt and pepper and stir and cook for one minute. Gradually add the chicken broth, whisking or stirring constantly. Add the lemon juice; mix well. Bring the soup to a simmer, stirring to prevent sticking, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the zucchini is tender but still has some bite to it (it will continue cooking for a few more minutes). Add the tomatoes, evaporated milk, and corn. Bring the soup to a boil and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the soup and simmer until the corn and zucchini are tender. Stir in the cheese just before serving.
I served crumbled bacon and more shredded cheese to top the soup with. Delicious!

Here's a Little Ditty I Wrote

I call it The Pantry Song. I am just that creative.
Sung to the tune of Blowin' in the Wind.

How many times must a man walk out
Of the pantry and say that it's gross?
Yes, 'n' how many times must that same man say,
"Why can't we just eat like most?"
Yes, 'n' how many times must the pantry reek
Before I stop buying potatoes?
The answer, my friend, is there will never be an end.
The answer is there will never be an end.

I am using up potatoes. Again.
Thank you. Thank you very much.



Baked Potato Soup
From Southern Living
First let's discuss how to bake potatoes. Do not oil them or wrap them in foil. To achieve moist fluffy potatoes with slightly crunchy skins, don't do this. It only turns them into steamed mush.

To bake potatoes, preheat oven to 475 degrees.
Scrub large baking potatoes (8 to 12 oz. each) and prick with a fork twice.
Place uncovered, directly on the oven rake for 1 hour. Using oven mitts, carefully remove them from the oven. Serve immediately or let rest until cool. Store covered in the refrigerator. Can reheat in the mircrowave or use in the following recipe.

4 large baking potatoes, baked and cooled (makes about 4 cups)
2/3 c. butter
2/3 c. flour
6  c. milk (whole in recipes is best)
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper (optional or to taste)
4 green onions, chopped and divided
12 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled, and divided (can use pre-cooked)
1 1/4 c. (5 oz) shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
1 (8-oz) carton sour cream

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp and set aside. Discard skins.

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat; add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly.

Add potato pulp, salt, pepper, 2 T. green onion, 1/2 c. bacon, and 1 c. cheese. Cook until thoroughly heated, and stir in sour cream. Add extra milk, if necessary, for desired consistency. Or to thicken add more potato or potato flakes.   Serve with remaining green onion, bacon, and cheese. Yield: The recipe says 10 cups but I get about 7 cups. 

To make things easier sometimes I use dried minced onion in the soup and don't serve with green onion. I also just throw in all the cheese and bacon. Also instant potatoes can be used.

Note: The directions from Southern Living call for pricking the potatoes several times and baking at 400 degrees for 1 hour.