Jamie’s Recipes

Yesterday I was cleaning up and organizing my food photos, and noticed that I have many photos that go to recipes that I have not yet published. This is one of them and it was made this past fall. If my memory serves me correctly, it was delicious, and I actually liked it better reheated the next day. The original recipe came from Nicole at Pinch My Salt –I love her website! It was actually the first food blog I read. The night I made this soup, I also made a potato soup with bacon for my husband, instead of wasting that tasty bacon grease I used it to sautee my onions. Serve your soup with a slice of a good crusty bread. How comforting!

*The bacon is completely optional –but it did taste wonderful with the spinach!

CREAMED SPINACH SOUP
Inspired by Pinch My Salt

2 T bacon grease or oil
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large potatoes, peel & cubed
3 full cups of fresh baby spinach, chopped
4 c chicken stock
pinch of dried thyme
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 c cream
garnish with crumbled bacon

Over medium heat, sautee onion and pepper in bacon grease until onion is soft. Add garlic and sautee for 1 minute. Add stock and potatoes and boil for 15-20 minutes until potatoes are tender. Stir in spinach, thyme, salt & pepper. Cook until spinach is wilted. Puree in blender until smooth. Return to pot and stir in cream. Serve in bowls, garnish with a splash of cream and some crumbled bacon. ENJOY!

1 T EVOO (I used 1/2 T bacon grease and 1/2 T EVOO)
2 T shredded onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2-3/4 c dry white wine
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1/2 c chicken stock
1 pint roasted grape tomatoes
1/2 c cream
10-15 basil leaves julienne

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Shred onion with a cheese grater. Add EVOO, onion and garlic to the pan, saute for 1-2 minutes. Do not let garlic get brown, it will have a bitter flavor if it does and you must start over. Add wine and allow to reduce to about half. Stir in chicken stock and vinegar. Simmer 3-5 minutes. Add roasted tomatoes, and stir in cream. Remove from heat, stir in basil leaves.

Toss with fettuccini. Top with crumbled bacon or pancetta and freshly shredded Parmesan cheese.

Like I said earlier, I would post the recipes for the soups I made last week. Unfortunately I don’t have photos to go along with them. Next time I make the soup I will include a photo. I apologize for not using “real” chicken stock, this was a 30 minute meal day.

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

3 carrots, pealed and chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 T Olive Oil
salt/pepper to taste
1 hardy pinch of dried thyme
2 – 32 oz boxes Swanson’s chicken broth
3 c cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
1 – 32 oz package Reames frozen noodles

Sautee vegetables in the olive oil until softened. Add salt/pepper and thyme. Add chicken and broth. Bring to boil, add noodles and boil for 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

I really enjoy my potato soup made with sauteed onions and crumbled bacon. When I made this soup the bacon was frozen. But feel free to add 4-6 slices cooked and crumbled to your soup.

CHUNKY POTATO SOUP

6 Russet potatoes, pealed and cubed
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 T olive oil
salt/pepper
pinch of dried thyme
1 c chicken stock
1 c cheddar cheese
2 c whole milk

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain. Sautee onions in olive oil over medium-high heat. Add salt/pepper and thyme. Add your liquids and the drained potatoes. Simmer until warmed through. Scoop out 1/2 of the soup with chunky potatoes and puree in the blender until smooth. Add to pot and stir in cheese. Simmer until cheese is melted.

Egg Bake Before

My egg bake was a success this morning! I thought it was so good that I ate it again for lupper (my late lunch). Enjoy this recipe and don’t be afraid to make it your own, by adding your preferred mix-ins (potatoes, veggies, different meats).

When I was preparing my egg bake last night, I used a loaf of crusty French bread that was several days old. When I bought it at the store, it was already a day old, and I think I purchased it last week. It was so hard and crusty that I thought I would need to use a chain saw to cube it up. I managed to get it cubed using a really sharp knife and some muscle power. The bread was so dried out that it absorbed the eggy goodness perfectly. So, if you don’t have any old bread on hand, you could cube up some fresh bread and leave it out on the counter overnight to dry out. Or if you have some leftover croutons, I am sure that would work as well. Plus the croutons would add some extra flavor to the dish.

Bacon & Egg Bake

12 eggs beaten

3 c milk

1 T maple syrup

2 c shredded colby-jack cheese

salt and pepper to taste

1 lb. cooked and crumbled bacon

1/2 loaf day old bread cut into 1 in. cubes

Grease your 9X13 in. pan. Spread your bread cubes in a single layer in the bottom of the pan (it may require more or less bread to cover your pan). Place bacon crumbles on top of the bread. Even spread the cheese over the bread and bacon. Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper, and maple syrup together. Pour over the bread mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, preferably overnight. In the morning preheat your over to 350 degrees, bake uncovered for 50-60 minutes, or until a knife stuck in the middle comes out clean. ENJOY!

Egg Bake After

Brunch, it’s not quite breakfast, it’s not quite lunch. I love the idea of eating a late breakfast. The reason I like brunch so much is because you are usually guaranteed to eat an egg bake. An egg bake consists of my favorite breakfast foods layered in a greased 9X13 pan, topped with cheese and baked in an oven at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. What’s not to love about that? The best part is, you make it the night before, so in the morning you just pop it in the oven. Now, I prefer to eat my brunch at home. Some restaurants will offer brunch buffets on Mother’s Day or another holiday, but my restaurant brunch experience has always left me disappointed. Sure, you may be offered a fancy meat, carved by some greasy, hungover looking dude wearing a chef’s hat; but who wants a side of roast beef with their eggs? Not me! I would rather sleep in and eat a tasty egg bake, in my pajamas, at home. Never had an egg bake? There are many different variations on this tasty breakfast casserole. Most include eggs, a breakfast meat, cheese and a filler (bread or potatoes). Tomorrow is Saturday, and I am going to make a delicious egg bake for my husband. So sleep in and enjoy a tasty egg bake!

My egg bake will consist of bacon, day old (many days old, in my case) bread, and cheese. I will add the recipe tomorrow after it is approved by quality control aka Alex