Recipe: Mexican Molé Soup with Beef & Rice

I own over 30 cookbooks, yet I admit that I seldom crack them open — except for this one:   “What’s Cooking:  SOUPS” by Carole Clements.

“What’s Cooking: SOUPS” by Carole Clements

It’s the variety of recipes that hooked me, along with some real standouts like the Molé Soup that follows below (note: Molé, not mole as in the furry animal — that’s in a different cookbook).

I generally do my own thing in the kitchen, but when you do that, you are limited by your own experience. In other words, even if you have a pretty wide repertoire of tastes and cuisines, it is unlikely that you will be able to whip up a Senegalese dish, while at the same time having a reference point for British-style dishes and Asian and Mediterranean AND North African.

The timing was perfect to receive this book as a gift: my friend Mike knew that I was preparing weekly soups for The Village Scoop here in Hillsdale, along with several private customers. I had wanted to go as many weeks as possible without repeating any soup, and it was starting to become a challenge.

Recipe: Bread, rolls, pizza, oh my!

I have learned how to bake bread… and I feel like I have just invented fire. Yeah, I am Wonder Woman.

You have no idea how proud (and surprised) I am at this accomplishment! Why did I think that making bread was beyond my capabilities?

Basil whole wheat rolls with Viva Italia and parmesan

Recipe: Light & Easy Seafood Chowder

Goodness sake,  it’s April 19th and it still doesn’t feel like Spring yet!  I’m still in “warm and filling” mode, for my weekly soup creations.

When I was deciding what to make this week, an old favorite came to mind:  this intensely flavorful chowder that gets all steamy and fragrant, but that’s super easy to make. If that’s not enough, it’s a LOT lighter than most chowders — no butter, flour or cream.