Corn Chowder with Potatoes, Poblanos, and Smoked Gouda

I made this soup for the first time earlier this month, and it's great for Fall.  My favorite thing about it is that it can be made in the slow cooker but only takes 3-4 hours to cook.  I will say that the smoked gouda is very apparent in the taste, so if you don't like smoked gouda, you might want to use a different cheese.

Picture by Ben Piper (Foodista)

Corn Chowder with Potatoes, Poblanos, and Smoked Gouda
From:  Foodista and 50 Simple Soups for the Slow Cooker
Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter or ghee

1 medium onion, chopped

1 pound small potatoes, sliced

1 bay leaf

4 sprigs fresh thyme

6 cups water

4 cups fresh or frozen corn

2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, and diced, or 1 (4-ounce) can diced roasted chiles

1 cup half-and-half

1 cup grated smoked cheddar or Gouda cheese, divided

Salt (preferably smoked)

¼ cup grated smoked cheddar or Gouda cheese

Chopped chives, for garnishing

 

Directions:

1.  In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat and sauté the onion for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

2.  Transfer the onion to a 7-quart slow cooker and add the potatoes, bay leaf, thyme, and water. Cover and cook on LOW for about 4 hours, or until the potatoes are tender.

3.  Mash some of the potatoes against the inside of the cooker or use a handheld immersion blender to puree a small amount of potato and thicken the soup slightly.

4.  Add the corn, chiles, half-and-half, and ¾ cup of the cheddar. Add the salt to taste and continue cooking for 20 to 30 minutes, or just until all the ingredients are hot.

5.  Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish each bowl with the remaining cheddar and chopped chives.

Curried Beef Short Ribs - from Sally

My friend, Sally, sent me this recipe today. I am sure it is wonderful! For those of you who don't know Sally, she is an amazing cook! She learned growing up from her mom. And now - she's a food writer!! I always love cooking or going out to eat with Sally because she has such great tips and ideas! If you would like to visit her blog, this is the link: http://cometothetable-sally.blogspot.com/. I can't wait to try this recipe!

Curried Beef Short Ribs
Finishing this dish with lime zest and juice brightens its rich flavors.
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 3 ounces ribs, 2/3 cup rice, and about 2 1/2 tablespoons sauce)

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 pounds beef short ribs, trimmed
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/3 cup minced shallots
3 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons red curry paste
1/4 cup light coconut
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
4 cups hot cooked basmati rice

Preparation
1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle ribs with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Add half of ribs to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Place ribs in an electric slow cooker. Repeat procedure with remaining ribs.

2. Add shallots, garlic, and ginger to pan; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup water and curry paste; cook 1 minute. Stir in coconut milk, sugar, and fish sauce. Add coconut milk mixture to cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 6 hours.

3. Remove ribs from cooker; keep warm. Strain cooking liquid through a colander over a bowl; discard solids. Place a zip-top plastic bag inside a 2-cup glass measure. Pour cooking liquid into bag; let stand 10 minutes (fat will rise to the top). Seal bag; carefully snip off 1 bottom corner of bag. Drain drippings into a small bowl, stopping before fat layer reaches opening; discard fat. Stir in remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper, rind, and juice. Shred rib meat with 2 forks; discard bones. Serve sauce over ribs and rice.

Sally says... "I doubled the sauce to have extra cause it was so good. I poured the extra all over the rice. But it was so good and so easy. And it sits in the crock pot all day. I made bok choy with it and served it in bowls."

French Dip

Several friends have mentioned being interested in more crock pot recipes. This one was given to me by a sweet friend at church. It is so good - and an easy first recipe to try out in a crock pot. It makes great leftovers and is a good "guy food." I e-mailed it to one friend earlier this week, and it received great reviews!

French Dip
(For 4 people)
Ingredients:
2-3 lbs boneless round steak
1 packet of dry onion soup mix
1 can beef
loaf french bread
8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

Method:
Put steak in crock pot, pour beef broth over top and sprinkle dry soup mix over all. Cook on low heat 6-8 hours. Slice french bread in half, lengthwise. Layer beef (shredded) and cheese then cover with top of loaf. Wrap whole loaf in foil and heat at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes on a cookie sheet. Remove from foil and slice into sandwiches. Use broth as dip for the sandwiches. (For best results, turn the meet over about half way through cooking to avoid drying out one side.)

Beef Stew

I first tried this recipe about a month ago. It is a great meal to have during all of this cold weather! I'm planning on cooking it again this week! I made it in a stock pot the first time. It was good, but better when we had it the next day because it was able to cook longer so the meat was more tender. This time I may try it in the crock pot so I don't have to watch it, and it will have enough time to simmer.

Beef Stew
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds stew beef
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil or canola oil
1 to 2 medium carrots, sliced
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups beef broth
1 cup dry red wine, such as Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon
1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary, or a dash of crumbled dried rosemary

Method:
Trim stew beef and cut in small bite-size pieces. Put in a food storage bag with the flour, onion powder, and seasoned salt; toss to coat well.

Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat; add beef to hot oil and cook, stirring, until lightly browned. Add the onion and celery; continue cooking, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Add carrots, garlic, broth, wine, and rosemary; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for about an hour*, or until beef is tender. Serve with biscuits or hot cooked noodles. Serves 6.

*I would suggest letting it simmer for about 3 hours. It will be good after an hour, but the beef may not be tender enough to eat without a knife yet. If you have time, let it cook for several hours until the beef starts to fall apart easily - the flavors will also be better. This is a really rich stew - so yummy! And it's a meal all on its own. Enjoy!

Beef Pot Roast

Many newlyweds receive crock pots as wedding gifts but don't know exactly what to do with them. After about six months of being married I finally decided to try to use my crock pot. It is such a great way to have a full meal waiting on you when you get home for dinner! The best part is that there are so many different ways to make a pot roast - you can really use whatever you have in the kitchen.

Beef Pot Roast

Ingredients:

1 or 2 yellow onions
2 large baking potatoes (any kind of potato will work)
4-5 large carrots (or a handful of baby carrots)
Sliced mushrooms
Beef roast (any large type of roast - they have many different names, 3-4lbs)
Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 packet dry onion soup mix
1 cup beef broth (or french onion soup)
1/4 cup Worcestershire
1/2 cup red wine

Preparation:
Cut the onions, potatoes, and carrots into chunks. Place in the crock pot with the mushrooms. Season the roast with salt and pepper. Brown in on all sides in a skillet in oil (this should only take 10 seconds or so on each side - I use tongs to make sure I can get each side easily.) Put it in the crock pot on top of the vegetables. Stir together all of the other ingredients in a bowl; pour over the top of the pot roast. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. (Almost any of the ingredients can be left out or exchanged for other ingredients.)
Click here for a similar recipe from Sandra Lee (with frozen vegetables and a different marinade)http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/beef-pot-roast-recipe/index.html