It has certainly been a while since i have posted. My excuse is I was on a tour of the eastern half of the country for the entire month of August (really starting in late July). I hit Tennessee, Alabama, Maine, D.C. and finally Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Because of that, consider this a 2 for 1 special; 2 recipes- 1 post.
Let me start by saying, I am more than halfway through baking this baby! He- yes, it's a boy!- is still scheduled to make his first appearance on Christmas Day. I have had a pretty easy pregnancy. I haven't been sick, no complications (knock on wood) and I still find some joy in cooking. Having said that, I have not been able to avoid the typical pregnancy side effects such as exhaustion, weight gain (while I am proud that I have kept it to 12 lbs so far) and cravings. My husband also claims that he is having sympathy side effects. The number one side effect: he has cravings. It has been a HOT summer all over the country and especially hot here. We have had almost 40 days over 90 degrees, and even yesterday we were close to 100. And what has my husband wanted? Soup... my mom's cheesy potato soup to be exact. It has just been too hot for soup. So when we woke up one Sunday to an unseasonably cool 80 degree day, he said it was time. See below for one of my (and my husband's) favorite recipes from home. Thanks mom!
Cheesy Potato Soup
1 large chopped onion
2 chopped celery stalks
3 chopped carrots
7-8 diced potatoes
Put those ingredients in a large stock pot and cover with water. Take note of how many cups of water it took to cover and add that many cubes of chicken bouillon. Cover and turn up the heat to bring to a boil. Give it a stir and turn down the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until your veggies are tender (about 15 minutes).
3 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons of flour
1 3/4 cup of milk
12 oz Velveeta cheese (less for less cheesy, more for more cheesy)
In a separate pan, on medium-low heat, melt the butter and mix in the flour. Add the milk and heat it up, but try not to boil. Once the mixture is nice and hot add in the Velveeta in small chunks. Let it melt, stirring occasionally. I find this process can be done while your veggies are simmering.
Once the veggies are tender, uncover and add the cheesy mixture. Stir and let it simmer for 20-30 min on very low heat. Then enjoy!
RECIPE # 2: Speaking of cravings and my husband, we spent the weekend in Gatlinburg with my family for my birthday at the end of July. On our way there, we stopped for the night at my parents house for a birthday dinner with family and friends who would not be joining us on our trip. My mom, the gourmet chef that she is, had prepared a very interesting dessert to pair with some cupcakes from one of my favorite local bakeries. The traditional cake and ice cream was put to shame by these Caramanda's cupcakes and mom's homemade maple-bacon ice cream. Yes, bacon and ice cream and it was fabulous. If that isn' a pregnancy flavor match made in heaven, I don't know what is. And bacon happens to also be one of my husband's favorite foods. You are going to want to taste this!
Maple-Bacon Ice Cream
1 cup pure maple syrup
4 cups half and half
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
5 egg yolks
6 slice of thick sliced bacon (fried very crisp, cooled and chopped into pieces)
In a saucepan add maple syrup and reduce down to approx. 1/2 cup...set aside for later use.
In a medium saucepan, combine half and half with 1/2 cup sugar. Heat and stir occasionally until bubbles appear around the edges of the pan, do not boil. In a medium bowl beat the egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar. Temper the eggs with one cup of the hot half and half mixture, mix well. Add egg mixture back into pan with remaining half and half. Cook mixture to 170 degrees while stirring with a wooden spoon. The custard should coat the back of the spoon. Do not boil the custard. Remove from heat and strain though mesh sieve into a bowl. Whisk in the maple syrup reduction. Cover surface with wax paper and chill bowl of custard at least 8 hours. Before adding custard to ice cream freezer, take the final 1/2 cup of sugar and caramelize it in a small saucepan. Add bacon pieces to caramelized sugar and coat pieces well. Pour onto parchment lined cookie sheet and let harden. Break into pieces. Add custard to freezer and freeze until level of hardness is reached then add in the candied bacon. Place mixture into regular freezer until ready to serve. Enjoy!!!!!
