"Sherried" Tomato Soup

That moment when you forget to press "publish" instead of "save." Whoops.

For my last girls night in with Jen in Winona, it was rainy, cold, and gross. To combat this, Jen and I decided to make a soup we had the opportunity to try at a massive soup tasting earlier in the year- Sherried Tomato Soup!

Now, I love tomatoes, I love soup, and I love things cooked with wine. This combines all three into one of the most amazing soups I've ever had in my life, and conveniently slingshotted it to the top of my "favorite foods" list.  What I love about it is that the recipe is easy, makes plenty of servings (great to freeze!) and tastes great with a grilled cheese. I also like that thanks to the vegetables, it has a more varied texture than your run-of-the-mill tomato soup, making it more enjoyable to eat.

For this recipe, you will need:

• 1 Medium Onion
• 6 Tablespoons of Butter
• 2 14.5 oz cans of Diced Tomatoes
• 46 oz of Tomato Juice
• 3-6 Tablespoons of Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon of Chicken Bouillon
• Ground Pepper
• 1 Cup Cooking Sherry, OR Regular Red Wine
• 1 1/2 Cups Heavy Cream or Half and Half
• 1/4 Cup Fresh Basil, chopped

1. Melt 6 Tablespoons of Butter in a large stock pot on medium heat. While you're waiting for that, it's a perfect time to...
2. Dice the onion, and add to melted butter. Cook until translucent.  Also, make sure to dice them smaller than you would normally, almost a mince, because no one wants a huge piece of onion in their spoon of soup.  
3. Once the onions have been effectively sautéed, add both cans of diced tomatoes. Be careful to add it slowly, because it will splash and hot butter hurts. I may or may not be speaking from experience. 

   

   After adding the diced tomatoes and onions!

4. Stir to combine, and then add the Tomato Juice. See above. 
5. Add 3 to 6 Tablespoons of sugar, based on taste preference and the acidity of your tomatoes. I used 6 tablespoons since I was using a bottle of red wine that had only been open for one day. 
6. Stir to combine, add black pepper to taste, and then let cook for about five minutes. 
7. Add in one cup of red wine. I am not a fan of cooking sherry, so every time I've made this I've substituted red wine. 
• Most recently, I used "Rich Red Blend" from Barefoot (it was on sale!). Because you're using so much, definitely leave the bottle out open on the counter for at least one (if not- and preferably- longer) night. 
• If using wine, add in about 1/4 cup of water per cup of wine, and 1 extra Tablespoon of sugar



After adding wine (I'm bad at remembering to stir)

• It WILL smell strongly, and taste strongly if you don't cook it out as long as possible. 
8. Let cook for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally. 
9. Slowly integrate the cream, stirring as you go. I used half and half, because I didn't want it to be quite so thick. 

The finished product!

10. Reduce heat almost all the way, and let simmer for an    additional ten minutes. Stir in fresh basil as a garnish. While the soup is simmering, it's the perfect time to make a good old-fashioned grilled cheese, or toast up some bread. 

OPTIONAL: When Jen and I made this, we used her immersion blender to mix our soup one final time so we wouldn't have quite so many chunks. The soup is great without it, but depending on your preferences, this could be preferable. 

Jen's snazzy blender

This soup is perfect for a cold spring or fall day. It's my new favorite tomato soup, toppling the long-reigning champ, Panera's creamy tomato soup. The large quantity means it's perfect to feed it a family, and perfect to save for later- I have four two-serving freezer bags waiting for me for my work lunches after I start next week. 

If you're concerned about the wine, feel free to add half of the amount listed, or cook it out for longer. Also, feel free to add whatever spices you want- on my most recent attempt, I got a little crazy and added basil, chives, and some oregano, along with double the pepper I normally do, and it was wonderful! 

Tomorrow I'll be posting on how to make my Dad's famous Chicken shish kabobs, which he makes for almost every summer barbecue and family gathering we go to, and are always a hit. If you have any suggestions for a recipe or technique I should try, please email me at dontexpectmiraclesblog@gmail.com or comment below! Thank you for reading! 

Hello Darkness, My Old Friend

Life is funny. 

I have had the esteemed pleasure of inheriting a few particular family traits: organization, meticulous planning, and research skills that would make an obsessed stalker who hunts through trash concerned.   It is because of all of these things and more that I was able to graduate high school early, start college early, and, as of May 8th (pending completion of my internship this summer), graduate college with a four year degree in only two and a half years. 

See, I like to be in control, which, if you've ever met me, seems obvious. I like to be in control and to know all of my options, to have a fully formed plan, and beyond that, fully formed plans B through ZZZ, Alpha through Omega. 

In October, when I started this blog, I had a very clear picture of how my final academic semester of college was going to go. In the days leading up to the end of winter break, I had every hour of my hypothetical day, hypothetical week, and hypothetical month laid out in neat, color-coded cells in a spreadsheet. I was going to have scheduled time to do homework, be able to juggle two jobs on top of a full school schedule, to swim before class every day, and be able to be in bed by 10:00 PM, a feat I have not accomplished since middle school. And of course, by the end of the second week of school, it all went to crap. 

I made it through the semester alive, obviously. I passed all my classes and made it to the gym as I was able and usually went to bed before midnight. But, as with all of the best laid plans, some things slid lower on the priority list. I procrastinated on my homework. I neglected my "grownup" chores. I traded my culinary progress for instant mac and cheese. And I have no excuse.

Life rarely goes as planned. And this semester especially, I learned that if you attempt to plan it out as far and as intensely as I have, be it for one semester or for thirty years, it is inevitable that your plan will crumble to pieces. But that does not have to be a bad thing. 

In many ways, my final semester was my most educational. I learned a lot about myself. I learned that I am not a morning person. I learned that I make a mean instant mac and cheese. I learned that it's important to own rain boots, something I forget at the end of every spring until the convenient return of the season the following year. But I also learned that it is important to be someone outside of school, or alternatively, outside of work. This semester, I made time for friends, and for activities and hobbies that weren't school-related. I took weekend trips. I played mini golf. I watched Bones. I went out. But I also felt crippling panic whenever someone brought up my coming graduation, and the pressure of "real life" that would come along with it.

In high school, I took a class called Rhetorical Analysis of Media, in which we spent what felt like a month analyzing the film "The Graduate", dissecting the nuances and directional choices in two or three minute increments over the course of several weeks. I loved the film, but found it difficult to identify with the lead character, Benjamin Braddock, as he navigated his first summer post-college, especially as Benjamin has no response to the question "what's next?". At the time, I was a naive, idealistic high school junior who thought she knew everything. I couldn't comprehend how anyone couldn't have their entire future planned out. Now, I feel quite differently. 

And so, while I'm not going to embark on an affair with the spouse of one of my parent's business partners, or then crash the wedding of the child of the person I'm having an affair with and subsequently run off with that child, I'm going to try and take a hint from Benjamin Braddock this summer. I've spent my two weeks of "break" doing just that- taking a much-needed break from the intensity of responsibility. I have frittered away my time in the best possible way. I have gone to the gym. I have read. I have laughed. I have gotten sunburnt. I have spent time with friends, with my dogs, with my family. And I have spent some much-needed time with myself, simply existing, not planning. 

Having a plan is great, and I do have one. But, unlike every other plan I've ever concocted, it does not extend further than the next three months. 

This summer, I have the tremendous honor of interning at a local law firm for one of the most intelligent men I have ever met. I plan on going to go into the city that I have the luck of living incredibly close to, a city I took for granted before college, and missed terribly while in Minnesota. I plan on taking advantage of the gift that is our public library, because it has been way too long since I had the privilege of reading for fun. I plan to spend time with my family, because after all, it's hard not to spend time with people you have to schedule shower times with. 

And finally, I plan to cook. A lot. I can not even begin to describe how much I have missed cooking new things, the dependability of cooking on a schedule, and posting to this blog. Thank you for your patience, and I can't wait to see what this summer brings in terms of broadening my culinary horizons!

As in the fall of 2014, Don't Expect Miracles will update twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you have any suggestions for a recipe or cooking technique I should try, please email them to dontexpectmiraclesblog@gmail.com or comment below. I truly appreciate all of your support and your suggestions. Tomorrow, I will post my last great home-cooked meal in Winona- Sherried Tomato Soup and (yet another!) Gourmet Grilled Cheese! If you can't tell, I like bread and cheese-based foods. Thanks for reading!

Creamy Buffalo Penne

Hopefully now I have my life back together- so sorry for last week. I was sick and generally, when you're sick, the last thing you want is to make real food.

I could show you my super-secret recipe for canned chicken soup from the microwave, saltine crackers and sprite, but something tells me that no one wants to see that. 

However, with enough rest I was feeling loads better this weekend, and was able to do some cooking I am actually quite proud of, and will share with you this week! First off, Buffalo Chicken Penne. 

This recipe was both simple and challenging. It required me to do a lot of things that I had never done before- boiling and shredding chicken, making a cream sauce, minimizing the number of pans I used (five, due to a lot of mis-measuring on my part). However, when it was all done, this dish was delicious.

You will need: 

1 pound of Chicken Breasts, either halved or cubed

1 package (8 oz) of Cream Cheese  

1/3 cup (or more!) of Buffalo Sauce

1/2 cup of Chicken Broth

1 tsp of Paprika

1/2 tsp of Black Pepper

1 tsp of Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp of Kosher Salt

3/4 cup (or more!) of Blue Cheese Dressing

12 oz (about 3/4 of a box) of uncooked Penne Pasta

Green Onions (to taste)

Red Pepper Flakes (to taste)

1. First, take the chicken, put it in a medium pot, fill with enough water to cover the chicken, cover, and bring to a boil until the chicken is no longer pink (170 degrees Fahrenheit)
• For boneless, skinless breasts that aren't cut, it should take 15-20 minutes to fully cook
• For two-inch chunks, it should take around 10 minutes. 
• My battle with the Walmart chicken breasts has been well-documented on this blog. However, I finally worked through that bag, making it possible for me to buy new chicken which looks, cooks, and tastes a million times better! (Thank you Hannah for introducing me to Trader Joes!)
2. While the chicken boils, boil the pasta according to the instructions on the box. It's pasta. If you don't know how to make pasta... well, I know how to make pasta. You'll be fine.
3. Now for the sauce. Melt the 8 oz of cream cheese, 1/3 cup of buffalo sauce (or more! READ: MORE) and 1/2 cup of chicken broth in the largest pan you have. I used both a 12", and then a 13" omelette pan. Also, I didn't even know you could melt cream cheese. You learn something new every day! Stir every thirty seconds. 

   

   The sauce after simmering

4. Once the cream cheese is fully melted, add in 1 tsp of paprika, 1/2 tsp of black pepper, 1 tsp of garlic powder, 1/2 tsp of kosher salt. Stir in and let the sauce simmer on low heat for five minutes. 

   

   Before mixing in the bleu cheese

5. Add in 3/4 cup of bleu cheese dressing to the sauce. Stir in and let simmer for another ten minutes. 
6. By this time, the chicken and the pasta should both be done. Turn off the heat, and drain the pasta in a colander. 
7. Remove Chicken with either tongs or a slotted spoon. Place on cutting board, and shred with two forks. Another first! It is just as it sounds- as long as you work while the chicken is hot, it will shred easily.
8. Add the shredded chicken and the the penne to the sauce, mix in and let simmer for five minutes. I had to switch to the larger pan I had at this point- too much food in one space.
9. Add sliced green onions and crushed red pepper flakes to the top to taste and enjoy!

   

   All mixed together

The original recipe says that this serves two. Look at that last picture. There is no way that this serves two. Maybe two squared. Maybe even two cubed. What matters is that this recipe makes a lot. Which is great for me- now I'll have leftovers for the next few days, or I can freeze it to eat down the line. 

Having been "cooking"- or attempting to do so- for the last three months, this is one of the first episodes where I didn't feel nervous. I just... cooked. And while the recipe was fairly simple, most of the things it required were things I didn't even know how to do three months ago. Not bad for one quarter of a year!

To everyone who's been reading, commenting, and suggesting tips and recipes, thank you so much! I truly appreciate it. I've really enjoyed this endeavor and look forward to seeing how I can improve in the next three months before graduation! If you have any suggestions for recipes or techniques to try, please don't hesitate to comment below or email me at dontexpectmiraclesblog@gmail.com. Thanks for reading!

Glorious Grilled Cheese

I almost made this post title VERY punny. I decided to spare you. You're welcome.

My first semester of college, the dining hall announced that April was "National Grilled cheese" month, and insisted on serving grilled cheese every day. Every. Single. Day.

Needless to say, grilled cheese seemed terribly unappetizing for a while. And by that, I mean for nearly the last two years. However, I re-embranced what is basically toast with pretend cheese on it over break, finding it one of the few things I intuitively could figure out how to make.

And then, I found a beautiful new version on pinterest: Pesto, Brie, and Red Pepper Grilled Cheese.

This grilled cheese was fairly simple to make, as are most grilled cheeses. It only requires a handful of ingredients and tastes gourmet. I did not follow the original recipe exactly, but it did give me the inspiration. Here's what I did:

1. Heat about 1 tbsp of oil in a pan on low heat.
2. Lightly oil one side of two slices of thick-cut artisan bread. I did this month's grocery shopping at Trader Joe's and their artisan bread is my new favorite. 
3. On one slice, spread about one tablespoon basil pesto on the non-oiled side.
4. On the other slice, spread as much brie cheese as your soul desires. For those who don't know, Brie comes with a white layer of mold around it, called a rind. The rind IS edible, and when eating it sliced, it's "the best part" according to some. However, it's all a matter of taste. I would recommend not putting the rind in the sandwich. 
5. Slice a large red bell pepper into quarters. Place about 1/4 of chopped red pepper onto the brie-spread slice. 
6. Assemble sandwich and place in the pan. 
7. Toast sandwich for a few minutes on each side until bread is golden brown, and cheese is melted. 
   
8. Enjoy your gourmet grilled cheese!

This recipe proved to me that something that has fancy ingredients does not always mean difficult. I will definitely be making this again- it was a fantastic spin on the Kraft-slice classic. If you have any suggestions for recipes or techniques to try, please don't hesitate to comment below or email me at dontexpectmiraclesblog@gmail.com. Thanks for reading!

Original Recipe: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/brie-pesto-and-sweet-pepper-grilled-cheese/ 

Margherita Pizza!

My penultimate day of break, my Mom came home from work and said something she almost never does: Let's order a pizza.

Now, don't get me wrong. The DiVenere family loves pizza. I mean, it's pizza. It's just that usually, our pizza comes in the form of DiGiorno, not delivery. So of course, when my mother decided that we should order out, we had no idea where to order from. The debate over which wonderful Chicago pizzeria to call went on half an hour, until I realized... I can make a pizza. From scratch.

And so, with my family still hotly debating in the next room, I found a crust recipe on pinterest and went to work. Here it is!

First, the crust:

While most pizza doughs use yeast, I knew my family had none of it in the house, so I found a frequently repinned and well-rated recipe for a no-yeast dough. It turned out great- thin and crispy. I actually think that based on the consistency, this crust would be great if making a Chicago-style deep dish pizza.

Before Mixing

1. Combine 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 3/4 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. salt, in mixing bowl. Toss together. 
2. Add 1 tbsp. olive or canola oil (I used olive) as well as 3/4 to 1 cup of water. 
3. Use a stand mixer with a dough attachment to mix on a medium speed until dough starts climbing hook.
4. After dough is thoroughly mixed (it won't be very sticky), knead on lightly floured surface for three to five minutes.
5. Roll out to desired thickness and place on pizza pan or stone. Someday I'll do a post with a much more thorough description of how to toss pizza dough, but today is not that day.



After Mixing

6. Set aside while you preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. 

The best part of making your own pizza is that you get to decide on the toppings. We didn't have any sauce in the house, so I decided to go with a Margherita pizza. 

For those who don't know, Margherita is sauceless, using chopped tomatoes in lieu of a sauce, real, whole-milk Mozzarella, and olive oil. When topping the crust:

• Brush a layer of olive oil onto the crust before adding the other toppings. 
  
• Slice and then chop the mozzarella so that the cheese is evenly distributed.
• Seed and chop your tomatoes. Do this by halving and then squeezing the tomato over a small bowl to catch the juice and seeds. Distribute evenly along crust.
• Add Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste. 
• Place pizza in oven, bake for 15-20 minutes, or until edges are crispy and cheese is completely melted. 

When it's done, you'll have a beautiful, delicious pizza that looks gorgeous, like this: 

It was delicious, and took less than 45 minutes when it was all said and done. And, what's more, it tasted a million times better than your standard 30-minutes-or-less pizzas. Had we had it in the house, I would recommend drizzling balsamic vinegar after taking it out of the oven. I will definitely be making this again.

Now, I'm back in Winona, back in my own kitchen, and able to make sure I stick to a schedule. I'll be posting again on Thursday with a new, fancy twist on grilled cheese. If you have any suggestions for recipes or tecniques to try, please don't hesitate to comment below or email me at dontexpectmiraclesblog@gmail.com. Thanks for reading!

Update!

Breaks are hard. Somehow you have oodles of time and no time at all. That was the dilemma I faced during my last real break of my undergraduate. However, I did cook quite a bit over break- I just didn't post any of it. So here's a post full of pictures of some of the things I did make! I learned how to grill, made a metric ton of cookie dough, used a Spritz cookie maker, tossed Pizza dough in the air like a real Italian and got to use the beautiful new-to-me KitchenAid mixer my parents found me on Craigslist (best Christmas present ever!)