Class #4 Food Network Magazine

Alright, obviously I am quite fond of the Food Network. I recently purchased my first copy of the Food Network Magazine and I love, love, loved it! Great articles, recipes and pictures. My husband loves soup so lucky for me in the October issue of this magazine they had a special pull out section - 50 Easy Soups. We chose the 20-Minute Chicken Tortilla Soup. This soup was simple, easy and delicious with a definite kick to it. I had to make a few changes to the recipe. We substituted chipotle for the ancho chilis and I asked my sweet husband to pick up a little Manchego cheese but he came back with Muenster - surprisingly a pretty good alternative! We made our own tortilla strips, lightly coated with olive oil and a little salt, cut into strips and in the oven at 400 for 10 minutes.

The reviews: Fred, "Very tasty. Just enough cilantro to not overpower. Loved the smokiness of the chipotle and loved how the aroma filled the house while cooking." Gianna, "Colorful and I like the tortilla strips - The chicken in the soup tastes delicious!" Elena, "Very, very spicy - too spicy for me. I like the cilantro and love the tortilla strips. Next time chop up the cilantro into small bits." Maria, "I like the color of the soup!"

I loved the simplicity of this soup and did not think it was too spicy at all. Really liked how the flavors came together so quickly. For the chicken I just picked up a roasted chicken from the deli at the grocery - very easy. The avocado, cheese and a little dollop of sour cream were perfect additions. This one is going in the DeLuca cookbook and everyone agreed we will have to have this soup again real soon.

Spicy Tortilla Soup

2 seeded, soaked ancho chiles, 1 onion, 2 tomatoes and 2 garlic cloves; fry in oil.

Add 6 cups chicken broth, 4 torn corn tortillas, some shredded cooked chicken and 1/2 cup cilantro; simmer until thick. Add salt; garnish with crisp tortilla strips, Mexican cheese, avocado, cilantro and lime juice.

Class #3 with Paula Deen

It is starting to feel a little like fall here in Phoenix - only 82 degrees today. I decided to go with a little comfort food and chose Paula Deen's "Bobby's Goulash". I decided to lighten it up a little by going with 2 lbs of Turkey and 1 lb of ground beef. According to the family this was the best recipe so far! Everyone agreed that it was very flavorful, filling and worthy of putting in the family cookbook. Next time I will probably go a little lighter on the seasoning salt and Paula's house seasoning. Elena, Gianna, Maria and Fred all gave this recipe 5 stars! Thanks to Paula for a simple but delicious one pot meal!!

Bobby's Goulash

Ingredients
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 pound ground turkey
2 large onions, chopped
3 cups water
1 (29-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
3 bay leaves
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon House Seasoning, recipe follows
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
2 cups dried elbow macaroni
Directions
In a Dutch oven, saute the ground beef and ground turkey over medium-high heat, until no pink remains. Break up meat while sauteing; spoon off any grease. Add the onions to the pot and saute until they are tender about 5 minutes. Add 3 cups water, along with the tomato sauce, tomatoes, garlic, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, soy sauce, House Seasoning, and seasoned salt. Stir well. Place a lid on the pot and allow this to cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
Add the elbow macaroni, stir well, return the lid to the pot, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaves and allow the mixture to sit about 30 minutes more before serving.
House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Back from Chicago

Fred and I just got back from Chicago...love that city! We arrived and the weather was amazing - chilly and cloudy - perfect for this Arizona girl!! We ate in some incredible restaurants like The Chicago Firehouse, visited with family, toured the American Girl Doll Store and got to see our beloved Cubs beat the Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley!

Our last night in Chicago we went out to The Rosebud on Taylor Street. What a great little Italian restaurant. They are known for their Chicken Vesuvio, decadent martinis, tiramisu and their Square Noodles. I had the Square Noodles which is a homemade square noodle in this rich tomato basil sauce - delicioso! I asked for the recipe for the sauce and it was simply plum tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh basil - just perfect!!