Potato Leek Soup

This is a 'just threw it together' recipe - I didn't measure accurately, so I'll share as-is:

Peel & dice (small cubes) 8-10 med. brown/russett potatoes. Boil approx. 15 minutes until cooked (without becoming too soft). Drain & set aside.

In a 1 gallon stock pot, melt 1/2 stick (4 T) butter and over medium low heat, saute until wilted but not browned:

2 chopped leeks (rinsed & cleaned well)

1 small chopped onion

3 lg. stalks chopped celery

Add 2 quarts of chicken stock (or same amt. of water plus an ample amt. of chicken 'base'- that paste in a jar... I buy it at GFS) to the onions and stir. Let it cook for 10-15 minutes (low simmer) and then add the potatoes. Season with salt & pepper. If you like a thicker soup, make a paste using cornstarch or flour added to cold water (3 tblsp. dry to a few tblsp. water), add to the soup, stirring until thicker. Otherwise, leave the soup in its more pure form.

To the potato soup, add 1 to 1-1/2 cups heavy (whipping) cream. Stir to incorporate and heat on low for another 10 minutes making sure it's not cooking on a high heat or it'll scorch.

Top with ground black pepper, cooked, crumbled bacon or shredded cheese, if desired.

Pretzel Popcorn Cookies

Perfect for Fall - recipe is in today's food section of the Chicago Tribune:

Pretzel popcorn cookies

Prep: 15 minutes Bake: 12 minutes Makes: 38 cookies

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature ... 1/2 cup sugar ... 3/4 cup dark brown sugar ...1 teaspoon baking soda ... 1/2 teaspoon salt .... 1 teaspoon vanilla ... 2 eggs ....2 1/2 cups flour ....1 cup pretzels, crushed coarsely 1 to 1-1/2 cups popped popcorn (lightly crushed) ..... 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips .... 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped, if desired.

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars together with a mixer in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add baking soda and salt; mix well. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined. Mix in flour. Stir in pretzels, popcorn, chips and nuts; mix until combined.

2. Scoop batter into 38 flat discs; place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until golden brown. Do not over bake. Transfer to rack to cool. Can be frozen.

Nutrition information: Per serving: 143 calories, 7 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 24 mg cholesterol, 20 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 161 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.

Dried cherry walnut biscotti

This recipe is adapted (& tweaked) from the May issue of Bon Appetit magazine:

Ingredients

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 large eggs
• 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 1 cup dried cherries (I use Montmorency dried cherries, avail. @Trader Joe's)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or shelled, chopped pistachios

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine first 6 ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle. Blend on low speed for 30 seconds. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and next 4 ingredients. Add egg mixture to flour mixture; beat on low speed until combined, about 1 1/2 minutes. Fold in cherries and nuts.
  
  
• Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface; divide in 4 sections. Using floured hands, shape each dough half into a 8-10"-long log. Brush off excess flour; transfer logs to prepared sheet, spaced 5" apart. Flatten each log into a 2"-wide strip (these will spread/flatten out so don't flatten them TOO much). Have oven racks set (top 1/3 and bottom 1/3) and place one baking pan on each rack. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until lightly golden and set, about 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a rack; let cool for 15 minutes.
  
  
• Line 2 more baking sheets with parchment paper. Transfer biscotti to a work surface. Using a sharp knife, cut each strip diagonally into 1/2 - 2/3"-thick slices. Arrange slices, cut side down, on baking sheets.
• Bake biscotti, rotating baking sheets halfway through, until crisp, about 12-15 minutes (or longer, depending on how dark you like them). Transfer baking sheets to racks; let cool. Can be made 3 days ahead. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Lasagne 'cupcakes'

Daina showed me a recipe for lasagne cupcakes, so I altered it a bit and made my own version. To make them, you'll need 1-2 dozen wonton (or gyoza) wrappers, ricotta filling, parmesan & shredded mozzarella cheese and your favorite pasta sauce.

Heat the oven to 325 degrees (a little lower if you're using dark-nonstick cupcake pans) & spray cupcake pans with nonstick spray. Trim the wrappers (cut to make them round) to fit into the cupcake pan, making sure the wrapper comes up to the top (and then some) & pat down firmly on the bottom & sides of each section.

Spoon a heaping teasp. of sauce onto the bottom of each wrapper. Place a heaping tblsp. or two of ricotta filling (one lb. ricotta, a beaten egg, salt, pepper, chopped parsley, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, 1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese) onto the sauce. Spoon a little more sauce on top of the ricotta filling, sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and top liberally with shredded mozzarella. Bake these little lasagna bites for 20-30 minutes, until the tops are golden. They're quick & easy to make and are tasty & fun appetizers!!

Scones

I took advantage of the Farmer's Market down the street from us & bought fresh raspberries & blueberries this morning. After adding them to my scones, I decided to make another batch with chocolate chips for good measure. ;-) Recipe is on a post below.

Heat wave

Once it cools off, I'll be posting a LOT MORE!! :-D

White cupcakes w/vanilla bean buttercream frosting