January's Theme - Lunchalicious!

Yes, yes, I know... it's already January 12th & I'm just now posting this month's theme. Christmas clean-up and decluttering (still in progress) and finding a new place for all the lovely new things we received ate up a lot more time than I remembered it needed. Oh well, the tree's down now, so it's all good. :)

January is often a month of resolutions - to eat more healthily, to watch our wallets, to eat more veg/less junk, to try new recipes, etc. Now, you know we're here for you to find some delicious, friend-tested new recipes, right? I mean, just pick a category on the right sidebar & you'll find a ton of yummy ones!

Two years ago, January's theme was Healthy & Low-Cal. If that's what you're looking for, check it out! (Last year it was Procrastinators Unite! and posted on the 20th, so hey, I'm ahead of that by more than a week!)

This year let's look at lunches. It's a double-barreled focus - if you're trying to eat more healthily, lunch can be a good place to be virtuous. I mean, if you pack your own lunch, you're kind of stuck with whatever you put in, so packing more fruits/veg usually equals eating more fruits/veg! And too many lunches out can lighten the wallet about as fast as they pack on the pounds! So, packing your lunch can be a budget-minded choice, too.

I know this isn't a very "recipe" sort of theme, but I would really like to hear your tips/hints & what YOU like to bring/eat for lunch. While I usually am eating at home, it's the first year I've had to pack a school lunch for Pumpkin, and it's been really interesting. (Sometimes in a "how did you survive the day without fainting from lack of food, picky child?!" sort of way.)

So for this month, I'll post some links to some fun & inspirational blogs I've been enjoying for bento-style kid lunches, put up some pics of some of the favorite ones I've packed for Pumpkin, and share some tips/hints/ideas. But for now, I'd love it if you left a comment or put up a post about your lunch habits or suggestions for us to try!

Jamie Oliver's Leek and Potato Soup

We like this classic soup found in Cooking Light magazine (Jan/Feb 2010), even though it's a brothy, not creamy version. Pusher, maybe it'll work for you... or at least provide a starting point for experimentation.

2 leeks (about 1 lb.)
6 c. fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (Of course, I used Better than Bouillon; if you were vegetarian, you could sub in your favorite veg broth.)
2 Tbl. olive oil
3 c. coarsely chopped onion (about 1 lb.)
1 c. chopped carrot
1 c. chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 c. cubed, peeled Yukon gold potatoes (about 1 lb.)
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. fine sea salt

1. Remove roots, outer leaves, and tops from leeks. Cut each leek in half lengthwise. Cut each half crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices. Immerse in cold water; swirl. Drain.*

2. Bring the broth to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. [Ok, maybe it's just me, but I'd start the broth heating and then work on the leeks to save time.]

3. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add leek, onion, carrot, celery & garlic. Partially cover, and cook 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender; stirring occasionally. Add hot broth and potato; return to boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until potato is tender. Stir in pepper and salt. Serve chunky or puree with an immersion blender or in a blender. Yield: 8 servings (serving size; about 1 1/4 c.)


Calories: 130; Fat 3.6g (sat 0.5g, mono 2.5g, poly 0.4g); Protein 3.4g; Carb 21.5g; Fiber 2.9g; Chol 0mg; Iron 1.3mg; Sodium 443mg; Calc 42mg


*I like to clean/wash my leeks by cutting off the roots, removing the tough outer leaves, and trimming the top very green parts off. Then I do cut them in half lengthwise as stated in this recipe, but then I pop them in a sink of water and/or rinse them out as needed. I find that washing/rinsing them like this, almost as a half-a-scroll, gives the water a chance to get into the leek, but it's not as hassle-some as cutting them all into bits first. THEN I cut them crosswise into slices.

Recipe Request

Does anyone have a good potato-leek soup recipe? Or should I just make vichyssoise and eat it hot?

Mmmm....Chocolate Crinkles!

Huh. Here I was all set to post a lovely recipe for cookies I only remember ever making near the holidays - Chocolate Crinkles. They're the ones Penguin & I were making here. I even took some photos of them all lined up pretty, cooling on their wire racks.

But hey...
I guess I didn't need to...

Oh well, at least I can add the note that we like them much better when they're made with baking chocolate, rather than the substitution of butter & cocoa - they hold their shape better & stand up taller. Still yummy either way though!

December's Theme - OUR Traditional Holiday Favorites

Happy December, everyone! It seems like, from Thanksgiving, we are in a season of deliciousness and tradition (and maybe a little gluttony). We all have favorite dishes that get made every Thanksgiving, favorite cookies and sweets that help bring in the holidays, fond memories of cooking and baking with family.

I'd love to hear some of your favorite or traditional holiday recipes. Maybe your family does a big bunch of lefse every year. Maybe it wouldn't be Christmas without Great-Grandma's caramels. Maybe you always ring in the New Year with black-eyed peas for luck. Maybe you've got your own personal or family traditional foods (possibly accompanied by a story with how it came to be a tradition?).

This is kind of a hard one for me to do links to previous recipes. If you're looking for something, please do use the labels off in the right sidebar for things like "Cookies and Bars" or "Appetizer/Cocktail Food" or go way up to the top left corner and type in a specific search term to search Recipeeps 4 Us for it.

If you've already posted one of your traditional holiday recipes, give us a heads up by leaving a comment here. And do tell us about YOUR traditional holiday favorites either in a comment here, or by sharing a recipe, or posting a story! Thanks!

Amazing, Outstanding, 4-Thumbs-Up Lamb Ribs

Mr. Kluges took charge of the lamb ribs for Sunday supper, and boy, am I glad he did! He looked up a bunch of recipes on-line, narrowed it down to a winner, shopped for the couple of things I didn't have on hand (like fresh rosemary) & cooked up a storm (including very garlicky mashed potatoes & brandy-sauteed carrots).

Was it every worth it! I'm not just saying that 'cuz for once I wasn't the one cooking, but man, oh, man were those ribs amazing!

Here's what they looked like...

...and the smell? Heavenly!

And EVERYONE liked them!!! They're totally how we're going to make our 2nd package of lamb ribs after a while. Definitely!

Here's the link at Blue Kitchen, but I'm copy-pasting it so that it's here, too! Also, note to self - have Mr. Kluges print it out, so I have it forever. The caraway in it is brilliant! I agree that 1 1/2 lbs serves 3 well, or 4, as it is so rich (& still a bit fatty, but only in a good way!). The garlic didn't flavor the lamb a whole lot, but it did turn into delicious little garlic chips on the top, so yum anyway!

Roasted Lamb Ribs with Rosemary and Caraway
Serves 3

3 large cloves garlic
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and halved
1 carrot, peeled
1-1/2 to 2 pounds lamb ribs
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt, plus additional
1 generous tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon dried caraway seeds
freshly ground black papper
olive oil

Peel two of the garlic cloves and bash them lightly with the side of a knife to break them open and release their oils. Place them along with the onion, carrot and ribs in a into a lidded stock pot or pan large enough to hold them easily and add water to cover. Add bay leaf and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a slow simmer and skim off any scum that rises to the surface during the first few minutes of cooking. Cover and simmer for about an hour. Transfer ribs to plate. Discard the remaining solids and cooking liquid. Ribs can be made ahead up to this point and refrigerated for up to 2 days before roasting.

Roast the ribs. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Thinly slice the remaining garlic clove and drizzle with a little olive oil. Season ribs on top with some salt and a generous grinding of pepper. Sprinkle chopped rosemary and caraway seeds over ribs and arrange garlic slices on them. Place ribs on a rack in a lightly oiled roasting pan and place in oven. Roast ribs until nicely browned, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let them rest for about 5 minutes. Slice into individual ribs and serve.

Mr. Kluges found that because he did the roasting right after the boiling step that they were still hot and so needed less time roasting - more like 40-45 minutes instead of an hour.

Cheddar Chicken Chowder

Yes, yes, I know - another recipe from Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2002. I can't help it - it has a lot of yummy ones in it. I needed a recipe for soup that used chicken broth and leftover chicken from a whole one I'd made earlier in the week. As a bonus, I used up the leftover not-crispy-like-it-was-supposed-to-be Potatoes-Anna I'd made the day before instead of chopping & peeling new potatoes. AND I happened to have a package of 3 bacon slices in the freezer, which totally isn't enough for a meal, but perfect for this recipe!

Cheddar Chicken Chowder

2 [or 3!] bacon slices
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces [or sub in leftover chicken or turkey]
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped red bell pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 1/2 c. fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth [I used broth from our basic one-pot chicken, which had been cooked with sweet potatoes so it was especially lovely and rich!]
1 3/4 c. chopped peeled red potato [or if you've got leftover cooked potatoes, chop them up and use those.]
2 1/4 c. frozen whole-kernel corn
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. 2% low-fat milk
3/4 c. (3 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese [sharp gives more flavor]
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

1. Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble; set aside. Add chicken [if raw], onion, bell pepper, and garlic to drippings in pan; saute 5 minutes. Add broth and potato [if raw], and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until potato is tender. Add corn; stir well. [If you're using leftover chicken and/or potatoes, I'd add them at this point.]

2. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Place flour in a bowl. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended; add to soup. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer 15 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Stir in cheddar cheese, salt and black pepper. Top with crumbled bacon.

Yield: 7 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 c.)
[If made as originally described...]Calories: 306 (22% from fat); Fat 7.5g (sat 4g, mono 2.2g, poly 0.6g); Protein: 25g; Carb 33.7g; Fiber 2.9g; Chol 58mg; Iron 1.6mg; Sodium 376mg; Calc 193mg

Beaujolais nouveau release week

Hey all, this week is the release week for the Beaujolais nouveaus! go pick one (or six) up for some delicious juicy drinking. Get them now and drink them soon... would go well with many Thanksgiving and X-mas meals. If you want something that will last longer and have more complexity then do a Cru Beaujolais, these are some great wines that rarely top $20.

Tidbits about Lamb Cuts

Now that we've gotten our lamb meat back from the butcher, it got me wondering about the different cuts. I mean, a lot are the same as pork - you've got your chops, and your ribs, and your roasts - and "leg of lamb" is obvious, but are there other cuts of meat specific to lamb and/or mutton?

So I did a little searching and found some charts.

Here's one from Treasure Valley Sheep Producers. It looks like it's a scanned in copy from the National Live Stock and Meat Board. (Who knew there was a National Live Stock and Meat Board? Not me.)

(You can click on it to have it bigger.)

If that's a little too "butchery-y," check out this link over to American Lamb's "Lamb 101 - Cuts" page. It breaks it down a little more basically, and has photographs of some of the different cuts.

And if you want to start from the "ok, it's called THIS; now, what does that mean?" side of things, here's a page at The Nibble that's a glossary of lamb terms.

Ok, my question's answered & I hope you've had a chance to learn something new, too!

Lamb Shish-kabob

Simple marinade that's delicious on lamb.

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon oregano

2 lbs. lamb, cut into 2-inch cubes
Onion, mushroom, bell pepper, whatever other veggies you like on a kabob

Whisk all marinade ingredients together and pour into a gallon ziplock bag. Add lamb, smoosh it all around, and throw it in the refrigerator for 3-6 hours. When it's done, slice your veggies, put everything on skewers and grill or broil. I like to go nice and high with the heat; a little char is delicious against the richness of the lamb and acidity of the marinade, and I like lamb a little rare in the middle. Serve with basmati rice and your favorite Middle Eastern sides — pita and hummus, tabouli, etc.