Creamy Potato Soup

My friend Anne sent me a version of this recipe, which she found in Taste of Home magazine. It's quick, vegetarian, and tasty. It does use several convenience products (which is why it's quick!), but adding just a few fresh veggies jazzes it up nicely.

Creamy Potato Soup (makes about 4 quarts)
butter or oil as needed
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 stalks celery, sliced
6 cups water, potato water, or vegetable broth
1 package (30 oz) frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
2 cans condensed cream of celery soup (low fat/low sodium is fine)
4 oz processed cheese (Velveeta) cubed
OR 6 slices American cheese (more is okay, too)
1 cup sour cream (reduced fat should be fine, although I haven't tried that yet)
1/2 tsp salt (taste completed soup first!)
1/4 tsp white or black pepper
parsley, chopped, optional
optional garnishes: shredded cheese, green onions or chives, bacon bits

• Saute onion in butter or oil until tender but not brown.
• Add celery and saute until almost tender.
• Add potatoes and water; bring to a boil. Simmer a few minutes, until potatoes are tender.
• Add canned soup and cheese; stir until cheese is melted.
• Add sour cream and optional parsley. Taste to see if salt and pepper are needed. Warm through, but do not boil once the sour cream is added.
• Serve topped with optional garnishes. They make it taste like a deluxe baked potato!

Interesting Ingredients: Store-Bought Pie Crust

I make good pie crust. I use shortening and a light hand, so it's tender and flaky. It has a neutral flavor (rather than buttery) that works for me.

But making pie crust is time consuming and messy.

In the past year or so I finally caved and started using store-bought pie crust (Pillsbury). This is a big deal for me (baking snob?)! I haven't used it for a dessert (I can still taste the difference), but it's become the household standard for quiche, which we eat regularly.

The product is acceptable, and it gets quiche on the table, which wouldn't happen otherwise. Have you found a convenience product that's a big enough help to make up for is reduced yumminess (compared to homemade)?

Quiche

Quiche is popular enough to be on my three week menu cycle. Long ago, when it was a Friday entree, it was consistently rated "thumbs down, way down", but now I put BACON in it and all is well.

This recipe is based on "A Quiche Formula" from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, so already you know I've made some changes to the original (vegetarian) version.

Quiche
one 9" pie crust
1 medium to large onion, chopped
butter or oil as needed
1/4 to 1/3 pound Swiss or cheddar cheese (~1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups)
REAL bacon bits or chopped ham
herbs: I like thyme with Penzeys' Parisien blend (chives, dill, basil, tarragon, chervil, white pepper)
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk (skim works fine)
3 Tbsp flour

1. Saute onion in butter or oil (I use Better Butter), covered at least part of the time, until reduced and tender. This can be done ahead. In fact, it's better if the onions have a chance to cool so they won't melt the cheese.
2. Sprinkle cheese in the pie crust. Putting it in first helps keep the bottom crust from getting soggy.
3. Sprinkle in bacon or ham, then herbs. I don't have a picture of this step right now, but will try to get some next time. Meanwhile, just wing it!
4. Distribute onions over the other ingredients.
5. Process eggs, milk, and flour in a blender. Pour GENTLY (so as not to disturb the layers) into pie shell.
6. Bake on bottom rack of 400 degree oven, about 35-40 minutes, until the center of the quiche no longer jiggles. The filling will probably be puffed up, but will fall when it is removed from the oven. Ideally, let it sit for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Notes:

• The flour helps "set" the filling without using cream (as so many recipes do). The blender distributes it much better than just wisking.
• Filling variations are nearly endless, but this is our standard.
• I do use a store-bought crust (Pillsbury)--the only way to make this a weeknight dinner.
• I've made "quiche kits" to give away by layering the cheese, etc. in a pie crust, then blending the egg mixture and putting it in a quart-sized freezer bag. The bag lies on top of the filling, and everything gets wrapped in heavy duty plastic wrap and frozen. To prepare, the recipient needs to thaw in the fridge, stir the egg, pour it in, and bake. Works great!
• Quiche is for dinner here, but of course it makes a great breakfast or brunch entree. I would have everything ready to go the night before (keep egg mixture in a separate container), then just pour and bake in the morning.
• We reheat leftover servings (one at a time) in the microwave. Nowhere near as good as fresh, but still considered a treat compared to the usual breakfast routine.

Pasta with Red Clam Sauce

Very popular at our house... BTW, that's whole wheat spaghettini in the above photo; hard to tell, eh?

Pasta with Red Clam Sauce
1 # pasta (I use bionature 100% whole wheat)
1-3 Tbs (total) butter and olive oil
4 + cloves garlic, pressed
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
a few sprinkles of crushed red pepper
1 (15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
1/3 to 2/3 can tomato paste
3 cans (6 1/2 oz each) minced or chopped clams
extra olive oil, optional
Parmesan cheese, optional

Boil water, then cook and drain pasta.
Meanwhile:

• Heat butter and olive oil in large skillet. Add garlic and saute gently, until fragrant but not brown. Add oregano, basil, and red pepper.
• Increase heat and add diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Open cans of clams and drain the broth into the skillet, reserving clams. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until as thick as cream.
• Add clams and heat briefly. Dump pasta in bowl or platter and pour sauce on top. Drizzle with extra olive oil and serve with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Note: The clams are added at the very end so they don't get tough from simmering and simmering and simmering. They just need to be warmed up.