On January 20, I received recipes from my first partner in the "Souper" Bowl Sunday recipe swap. Rather than sending the required two, Cynthia sent me four! So, without further ado, here they are:

Taco Soup

1 lb ground beef
1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
2 (1 1/4 ounce) pkgs of taco seasoning
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed well
1 (15 ounce) can corn
1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 large onion, diced
1 cup water
shredded taco cheese, as topping
tortilla chips, for dipping

Brown beef and onions in frying pan.
Add all ingredients into a crock pot & simmer on high for 4 hrs or simmer on stove top for 1 hr.
When ready to serve top with cheese and dip with tortilla chips.

Beef and Barley Soup

2 pounds lean ground beef
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups (appox 4) diced carrots
2 cups (approx 2 large) diced onions
2 cups (approx 6) diced celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups cooked barley
8 cups beef broth
2 (14 to 16 oz) cans Italian-style stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup red wine
1 tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
Balsamic vinegar (optional)

In a large pot, cook ground beef on medium-high heat until browned, breaking up with a fork as it cooks. Remove beef from pan and set aside.
Add oil to pan; add carrots, onion, celery and garlic. Cook until vegetables are tender (about 5 minutes), stirring occasionally.
Return beef and all remaining ingredients (except parsley and vinegar) to pot. Bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer 20 minutes.
Stir in parsley and taste. Adjust seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed, or a splash of balsamic vinegar if soup needs a little more zip.

Santa Fe Chowder

2 Tbsp minced fresh green chili peppers
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup diced carrot (approx 1)
2 cups peeled and diced sweet potatoes
2 cups diced potatoes
3 cups water
1 cup diced red bell pepper or green bell pepper
1 cup chopped tomato
1 cup corn
1 cup diced zucchini or yellow squash
2 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup milk

In a large pot, add the chiles, onion, cumin, coriander, oregano, salt, and oil. Saute over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are clear. Add in the carrots, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and water. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add in the bell peppers, tomatoes, corn, and zucchini, stir to combine. Cover and cook on medium-high for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Transfer 3 cups of the vegetables from the soup into the contatiner of a blender. Add the cream cheese, cheddar, and milk. Process until smooth. Add puree back to the soup; stir to combine and reheat if necessary.

Squash Chowder

Notes:
1. Use any hard skinned squash for this chowder. Butternut works great.
2. Add milk after boiling.

3 cups squash, diced finely
2 strips bacon
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 to 5 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
4 cups vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup cabbage, finely shredded
1/4 cup cream of coconut
1 cup milk
1 large tomato, finely diced
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
chopped fresh parsley to garnish

Cook the squash and the bacon in the oil in a heavy pan for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the squash is beginning to soften. Add the herbs and the stock, season lightly, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, then add the cabbage and cream of coconut and continue cooking for a further 10 to 15 minutes.
Remove the thyme and bay leaves, then add the milk and the chopped tomato. Return the chowder to a boil and cook for a further 5 minutes. Season to taste, then add vinegar and parsley just before serving.

On January 19, I placed in the mailbox at the post office my envelopes for the "Souper" Bowl Sunday recipe swap, the Recipe Card Swap, and the Red & White for February ATC Swap. For the "Souper" Bowl Sunday recipe swap, I sent my recipe for Clam Chowder to both partners, and then our family recipe for chili to one, and a recipe for Baked Potato Soup to the other. The Recipe Card Swap was just recipe cards, and for the ATC swap, I used the ATCs that I had been working on that I mentioned in this post. I feel like I'm keeping pretty organized with all of these swaps, and I hope to continue to be so.

New England Clam Chowder

2 1/2 cups water
three 6.5-ounce cans minced clams (plus liquid)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
dash ground thyme
2 white or red potatoes, peeled and diced (not russet or yellow potatoes)
1 cup heavy cream

1. Combine water and liquid drained from all 3 cans of clams in a large saucepan. Stir in flour, parsley, salt, bay leaf and thyme. Turn to medium heat.
2. When water begins to bubble, add the potatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir often to keep the potatoes from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
3. Add the clams to the saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often.
4. Add the cream and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Watch the pan carefully to be sure the chowder doesn't bubble over. Turn down the heat if the soup begins to erupt.

Makes 5 servings.

Chili Con Carne

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion
1 can (#2 1/2) red kidney beans
1 qt whole canned tomatoes
1/4 t chili powder
1/8 t cayenne or red pepper
1 t salt

Brown the meat and onions (diced) together in a skillet. Strain the tomatoes through a sieve, discarding pulp. Combine all ingredients in a pot and simmer one hour. (Use fat from beef and juice from kidney beans.)

Baked Potato Soup

4 large baking potatoes
4 slices bacon
6 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 green onion, sliced
5 oz (1 1/4 cups) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (8-oz) container sour cream

1. Pierce potatoes with fork; place on microwave-safe paper towel or roasting rack in microwave. Microwave on HIGH for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender, turning once halfway through cooking. Cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove from Dutch oven; drain on paper towels. Crumble; set aside.
3. In same Dutch oven, combine milk and flour; blend well. Cook over medium heat about 15 minutes or until bubbly and thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
4. Cut cooked potatoes in half. Scoop out cooked potato from skins; place in medium bowl. Discard skins. Mash potatoes well.
5. Add potatoes, bacon, 2 tablespoons of the onions, 1 cup of the cheese, salt and pepper to milk mixture. Cook and stir until sheese is melted. Add sour cream; cook and stir until soup is thoroughly heated.
6. To serve, spoon soup into individual bowls. Sprinkle each with remaining onions and cheese.

This past week, I joined yet another swap, the "Little Tokens of Love" Swap. I did not receive the e-mail assigning me a partner, but she did e-mail me, and she is Cindy, and she's from Maryland, too! I'm very excited about what I might do with this!

This is one of the recipes that I received in the Recipe Scavenger Hunt.

Glazed Salmon on Greens & Orange Salad

4 (5 oz) salmon fillets
1/3 cup Asian ginger salad dressing
2 tbsp orange juice
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
8 cups salad greens
4 clementines, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup chopped, unsalted, toasted almonds

1. Place salmon skin side down on foil lined baking sheet. Brush salmon with 2 tbsp of the dressing. Let stand 15 minutes.
2. Put remaining dressing and the orange juice in a large bowl; add onions and toss to coat. Heat broiler.
3. Broil salmon 8 to 10 minutes or until cooked just through.
4. Add salad greens and clementines to bowl with onions; toss to mix and coat. Arrange salad on serving plates. Lift salmon off foil, leaving the skin behind. Place salmon on salad and sprinkle with almonds.

This is one of the recipes that I received in the Recipe Scavenger Hunt.

Jewish Apple Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/4 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3-4 apples - peeled, cored and sliced - Granny Smith are great!
ground cinnamon for sprinkling on apples

Preheat oven to 350 degreed F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 10 inch tube pan.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder and 2 cups of the sugar. Stir in the vegetable oil, beated eggs, orange juice and vanilla. Mix well.

1. Pour 1/2 of the batter into the prepared pan. Top with 1/2 of the sliced apples and sprinkle with cinnamon. Pour the remaining batter over the top and layer the remaining sliced apples and sprinkle with cinnamon.
2. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 70 to 90 minutes.

On January 16, the Pep Band had another gig for Purple Friday. It was at Power Plant Live. It was kind of crazy, since after the bus dropped off the cheerleaders, the band had to circle the block again and park around back. The bus pulled into an alleyway behind Port Discovery, and decided to turn around so that it could back in. The bus attempted a 57-point turn-around, where I was quite sure that we would crash through the wall and fall into the waterway right there next to the Jones Falls Expressway. We were attempting the turn way too close to a light post, and I think we ran over a tree. Eventually, the bus driver decided to back out of the alleyway, onto the one-way street, where some of the band members got out and stopped traffic (using glo-sticks), so that the bus could back in to the alley. Anyway, after all of that, we got off the bus, and rehearsed in below-freezing weather (at least it felt that way). We performed after the first band, and I have serious doubts about how good we sounded. I know for a fact that Corie and I both had spit-cicles coming out of our instruments, and Guppy told us that his spit valve had frozen shut. I know that when I pressed one of my seldom used keys, I could hear the key breaking away from the ice in my flute!

On January 14, I received recipes from the Recipe Scavenger Hunt from Tricia L. Her chosen categories (and recipes) were:
1) a dessert (Jewish Apple Cake)
2) found in a magazine (Salmon with Oranges)
3) never tried before (Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Dip)
4) can be made in a crockpot (Garlic Lime Chicken)
5) an appetizer (Bacon Wrapped Shrimp & Scallops)
6) contains cheese (Baked Mac & Cheese)
7) for bread or muffins (Zuchinni Bread)
8) contains fruit (Pineapple Souffle)
9) for a dip (Taco Dip)
10) is really bad for you, but tastes sooo good (Buffalo Chicken Dip)
I will post the recipes as I find time, since there are ten of them.

On Januaray 12, I sent out a lot of mail. I sent out my charms for the Romancing the Charm Swap, the recipes for the Recipe Scavenger Hunt, the hedgehog ATCs, and a lotto ticket to Florida for redemption. I feel like I accomplished a lot.
I forgot to take a picture of my completed hedgehog ATCs, but the bottom part is pictured below. In addition to what you see there, I drew and cut out a larger hedgehog, and glued it on top, so that you could lift it and see the two smaller hedgehogs underneath. Tom thought that what I had to start with wasn't enough, and after some suggestions from him, I added the larger hedgehog. I hope my partners like what I've come up with.

 

Wow, what a day! Friday, I participated in Purple Friday with the Pep Band. It was an early, action packed day. First, we had to report to the stadium at 6 am. I can't believe I got up on time to make it. After boarding the bus - the cheerleaders, Playmakers, and Poe were there, too - we made several stops. We started out at Miss Shirley's Cafe on Pratt Street, in the Constellation Energy building. We then made out way to the Verizon store on Fleet Street, to the Smythe Jewelers in the Annapolis Towne Center, and then to the Greene Turtle on York Road in Towson. The pep band played outside each of these establishments, while the cheerleaders, Playmakers, and Poe were inside, giving stuff away, signing autographs, and doing general media/marketing stuff. We then returned to the stadium, where the second shift of people got together to go out for the evening. I can't wait to see some of the pictures that were taken, and you can read the blog that was being compiled on the bus after every stop here.

Over the past couple of days, I've received ATCs for several swaps I had signed up for on Swap-bot.  On Wednesday, I received ATCs from Gina C for the Recylced Christmas Card ATC Swap

 and an ATC from Karen B for the Hedgehog ATC Swap.

 

 

Happy Birthday, Dad! I know that I called on the way home from band practice, but I thought I'd just mention it again. I hope your weekend went well, and was full of fun finds at the Gun Show!

Today, I received the second of three favorite chicken recipes. The first, I received around Christmas, and decided to wait to post it until I received more. I will post the third when I receive it.

Ralph's Chicken Broccoli Bake

2 T butter
2 T olive oil
1 small fryer
1 tsp garlic salt
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 crate fresh mushrooms
1/4 c water
1 T worcestershire
1/4 t dried thyme
1 bunch broccoli - chopped in large pieces
paprika
1 lg can pitted black olives

Preheat oven to 400 F. Heat butter and oil in a pan in the oven til melted. Place chicken in pan turning to coat. Arrange chicken, skin up. Cover with garlic salt. Cook uncovered 30 min. Drain fat off. Mix mushrooms, worcestershire, thyme, soup, and water. Add chopped broccoli. Spoon soup mixture over chicken. Cook 30 min. Add olives and paprika. Serve and enjoy!

Stuffed Chicken Rolls

1 pkg (6 oz) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/2 lbs) pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
1 tsp paprika
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup

1. COMBINE stuffing mix and 1 cup of water in large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in eggs. Spread stuffing mixture evenly over chicken breasts, to within 1/2 inch of outer edges. Roll up chicken from one short end to enclose stuffing mixture.
2. PLACE chicken rolls, seam side down, in 13x9 inch baking dish. Mix soup and milk, pour over chicken. Sprinkle with paprika.
3. BAKE at 400 F for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
4. ENJOY

Today, I sent the recipe for the Comfort Food Recipe Swap. Along with the recipe, was the required note, explaining my history with this food. I explained in that note how it was something I ate a lot of as a kid, and learned to cook early in life. I went on to tell how it was something I could prepare while in my dorm room at college and that the recipe that I was sending had a long family tradition - it was passed to me by my sister, who received it from my father, who found it in a newspaper article. Here is the recipe for my comfort food:

Macaroni & Cheese

8 T (1 stick) butter, divided use
6 T all-purpose flour
1/2 t cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
3 3/4 c hot milk
4 c Cheddar cheese, grated, divided use
1 lb elbow macaroni, cooked al dente, rinsed in cold water
1/2 c heavy cream
1/2 c fresh bread crumbs

-Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter an 8x11 baking dish.
-Melt 6 T of butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, about 4 minutes (flour mixture must foam as it cooks, or sauce will have a raw-flour taste). Stir in cayenne and season to taste with salt and white pepper.
-Whisk in hot milk, 1/4 c at a time, and cook, whisking constantly, until sauce thickens. Reduce heat to low and stir in 2 c of cheese. Cook, stirring, until cheese melts, about 2 minutes. Combine cheese sauce and cooked macaroni in a large bowl and season with salt.
-Sprinkle 1/2 c cheese over prepared cooking dish. Pat 1/3 of the pasta in the dish, top with 1/2 c of cheese, then repeat, layering pasta and cheese, another layer of pasta and ending with cheese. Pour cream over assembled macaroni and cheese. Melt remaining 2 T of butter in a skillet. Add bread crumbs to butter and stir to coat well, then sprinkle over macaroni and cheese. Bake until crust is golden, about 30 minutes. Allow to rest for about 15 minutes before serving.

New Year's was not very productive for me. All I did, before heading to work in the evening, was attempt to balance the checkbook, something I haven't done since April. Boy, was that a big snafu. Tom's been using the check card to make purchases, like gas, and hasn't been recording any of the purchases. So, I had to enter all of those, plus account for a dozen or so voided checks. I got 4 months done before going to work, and finished the rest when I got home.
But, there was some good news during the day. When I got to work, and turned in my receipts for the pasta selling contest that was held in December, I found out I'd won! I won dinner for two at Durango's in Aberdeen. In November, the contest was for selling bottles of wine, and Holly won. When she went to Durango's, she said it was a horrible experience, so I'm curious to see what my experience will bring.

New Year's Eve Day I ran around a little bit. I had to run to Wal-Mart to fill a prescription, and then to the liquor store for a hostess gift for Martina, since I was going to her house for dinner. I got home and worked on some ATC's. I finished the trial ATC for the Red and White for February ATC Swap, and am fairly happy with it. I made several attempts at an ATC to mount the charm on for the Romancing the Charm Swap. I was not happy with any of those, so I think I might try to Photoshop something. Lastly, I drew up and started to cut out hedgehog shapes for the Hedgehog ATC Swap. I think those little hedgehogs are turning out very well.


For New Year's Eve, I went to dinner at Martina's house. She was having a little get together with some people from Marty's work, so she invited me and Brenda. Marty invited two couples, and Brenda brought Bill and Matt. Chloe, Marty's daughter, was there also. Cocktail hour started at 7, with dinner at 8. For hors d'oeuvres, she had shrimp cocktail, pita bread and hummus, BLT dip, vegetable sticks, and pepperoni and cheese. For dinner, she served a nice salad with french bread, roast beef tenderloin, crab cakes, baked potatoes, and green beans. Dessert was meringue topped with strawberries. It was all very nice.

Yesterday, I worked on ATC's for the swaps I'm signed up for. First off, I made extra Cancelled Christmas Postage Stamp ATC's for my sister and myself. Then I worked on my idea for the Four Elements ATC Swap. I really like one of them, two of them are pretty good, and the fourth needs something, but I'm not sure what. Please help me out, leave me a comment and let me know what you think about the set, or any ideas that might work for "Earth." I also made my first ATC for the 2009 Birthday ATC Swap.

  

When I got home from work, I started work on one of the spare ATC's from the ButtonMania ATC Swap from way back when (I try to make an extra whenever I can, usually one for my own "records" and one for my sister), and a trial ATC for the Red and White for February ATC Swap (which I am not signed up for, yet).

Tonight's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars was an important one for us - it would determine whether or not the Ravens go to the playoffs this year.  Fortunately, the Ravens won, 7-27.  The game was pretty exciting because of how important it was.  The team played well, and of course, the band was terrific.  For halftime, all we did was march onto the field and form a "1958," because the halftime show was a tribute to the 1958 Baltimore Colts, today being the fifty year anniversary of "The Greatest Game Ever Played" - the championship game between the Colts and the New York Giants.  That game brought football into the public eye like it had never been before, and boosted the sport's popularity considerably.  As many survivors of that team as possible were present to be honored, and it was really quite touching to hear the cheers from the crowd for players like Art Donovan and Lenny Moore.

On the 26th, my pep band gig was for the 1958 Colts Championship Gala.  In reality, we set up outside of the stadium, at the entrance where people were lined up to get in to the festivities, and played music for them. It kind of sucked, since we had no knowledge of what was going on beforehand. It was also cold, and there was nowhere to take a potty break. I think I would have enjoyed myself more if I had known ahead of time what to expect.