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By Laura Estes
Special to The Record 

Welcome to My Kitchen

 

Last updated 11/4/2021 at 8:40am



Some area gardeners have lots of green tomatoes box ripening. They are great for soups and sauces but not as exciting for salads or other fresh tomato recipes. I recently came across this recipe for Cream of Tomato Soup on the http://www.asweetpeachef.com website. With the addition of a stalk of celery and substituting evaporated milk for almond milk, this is nearly the flavor and texture of Campbell's. Following is the recipe as posted, with my changes following in the notes.

Cream of Tomato Soup

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium red onion, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

5 large ripe tomatoes, diced

1 Tbsp tomato paste

8 large fresh basil leaves

3 cups low sodium chicken broth, or vegetable broth

2 tsp sea salt, or to taste

1/4 tsp finely ground black pepper

3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

In a large kettle or stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and carrots and sauté 8-10 minutes until tender. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.

Add tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Stir well and bring soup to a boil. Lower heat and simmer uncovered, 30 minutes, until the tomatoes are very tender.

Either using a blender in batches, food processer or an immersion blender, blend until all is pureed. Return mixture to the kettle and stir in milk and heat until hot. Yield: 4 large servings.

Notes: I added one stalk celery, chopped along with the onion and carrots and used an 11-ounce can of evaporated milk in place of the almond milk. Also, this soup freezes well.

Cornbread Salad is a favorite of mine and I always try any available at potluck meals. Brian Schorzman made one recently and shared the recipe he found on allrecipes.com. When he sent it, he followed up, with an apology. When he made the salad, he forgot to add the corn layers. Maybe this omission is why I liked it so well.

Cornbread Salad

1 package (16 ounces) cornbread mix

10 slices bacon

1 package (1 ounce) ranch dressing mix

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, drained

3 tomatoes, chopped

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 cup chopped green onions

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

2 cans (11 ounces each) whole kernel corn, drained

Prepare corn bread mix according to package directions. Cool, crumble and set aside.

Place bacon in a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly brown and crisp. Drain well, crumble and set aside.

Whisk together the dressing mix, sour cream and mayonnaise.

Place half the crumbled cornbread in the bottom of a large serving dish. Top with half of the pinto beans. Layer the beans with half the tomatoes, green pepper and green onions. Sprinkle with half of the cheese, kernel corn and bacon. Spread with half the dressing. Repeat layers. Cover and chill at least 2 hours before serving. Yield: 12 servings.

Note: this is a pretty salad when layered in a clear glass bowl.

Soft Peanut Butter Cookies are a favorite of mine, crispy on the outside, but melt in your mouth soft on the inside. I recently tried the following recipe and it was a hit at coffee hour. The recipe calls for sifting the flour before measuring, but if you don’t have a flour sifter, you can use a mesh strainer and shake the flour through onto waxed paper, then measure.

Soft Peanut Butter Cookies

2 sticks (1cup) butter, softened

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Combine butter, peanut butter and sugars in mixer bowl. Mix on medium until mixture is light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined.

In a medium bowl combine flour, salt and baking soda. Add to mixture in mixer bowl. Stir until thoroughly combined. Cover and chill dough 2-3 hours before baking.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or, well grease the pans.

Form dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Press balls one way with a table fork. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Store in airtight containers. Yield: about 4 1/2 dozen cookies.

Note: it is important to use butter, margarine will make the cookies firm in the center, also use creamy peanut butter. Pressing only one way with the fork will make cookies less dense, softer inside. This cookie ships well for sending treats to military personnel or college students.

Almost every year I include the recipe for Halloween Cookies, a recipe found in the Happiness Magazine. I had too many good recipes to share this issue, so if you need the recipe to use up some of the Halloween haul, check Welcome to My Kitchen on Facebook. I have posted it there.

Have any of you readers found a good, reliable, mechanical can opener? I don’t have room on my counter for an electric one.

I believe the real problem is construction of cans these days. Thinner metal causes the cans spring out of shape while you are opening them, leaving the rim slightly oval rather than round. The can opener then skips 1/2 to 1 inch in several places.

– Send any can opener recommendations, fall and holiday recipes to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159, email therecord@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record office. Leaves make good winter protection mulch for flowerbeds and gardens. Just be sure they don’t get too thick in any one area and cause mold if we get some heavy winter snow.

 

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