Potato Soup

Potato Soup is wonderful during cold weather, served hot, or during hot weather, served chilled. A bit of San Francisco sourdough bread is a perfect accompaniment. It's a simple variation on Potato Leek Soup, with way less time taken.

• 4 cloves garlic, diced
  
• 1/2 t basil
  
• 1/4 t cilantro
  
• 1/2 t dillweed
  
• 1/2 t marjoram
  
• 1/4 t mustard seed
  
• 1/4 t parsley
  
• 1/2 t rosemary
  
• 2 med yellow onions, diced
  
• 3 lb potatoes (9 - 12 medium potatoes), well washed, scrubbed, and diced 1/2" cubes
  
• 4 C chicken or vegetable broth (2 boullion cubes + 4 C boiling water)
  
• 3/4 C oatmeal
  
• ground pepper, nutmeg, diced green onions for garnish
  

1. Put 4 C water in a stew pot, bring to boil, add bouillon cubes.
   
2. Add garlic and onions, bring to boil again.
   
3. Add potatoes, bring to boil again.
   
4. Add spices, and mix well, bring up heat to simmer, turn down to slow simmer.
   
5. Cook 30 - 45 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Make sure potatoes are very soft. Longer is better. Add oatmeal, mix well, and let it sit until soup thickens, turn heat off.
   
6. Garnish with ground pepper, nutmeg, and reserved chopped green onions.
   
7. Serve immediately, if you're hungry. Best flavour may be obtained from refrigerating overnight, but take precautions, if you do this.
   

If Prepared The Previous Night With most soups and stews, and this recipe is no exception, the flavour is intensified from sitting overnight, in a well sealed refrigerator container, after cooking. But be prepared. The oatmeal in this recipe will continue to soak up fluids, even when refrigerated. So if you prepare potato soup, and plan to serve it the next day, have a couple extra bouillon cubes ready. Make a couple cups extra broth, before warming the soup for serving. If the soup has turned into stew, or aspic even, warm it slowly and add 1/2 cup of broth, or even more, until it becomes a soup again. The flavour will be perfect, and the consistency will make the extra effort worthwhile.

Black Eye Gravy (Easy Version)

As good as Red Eye Gravy is, and as essential as it is for Southern style Grits, some people can't eat it. Grease isn't tolerated by everybody, particularly in California. So, we have an alternative.

• A pot of Black Bean Soup.
• Coffee.

1. Take a pot of Black Bean Soup, drain it in a strainer, set the beans aside.
2. Pour the strained juice into a frying pan, heat it and let it simmer.
3. Add coffee, let it simmer some more.
4. Pour over yer grits.

Red Eye Gravy (Easy Version)

After an evening of St Patricks dinner, there's corned beef fat, to be had. And always leftover coffee.

• Corned beef fat.
• Coffee.

1. Heat a chunk of fat in a pan - maybe a minute or two in the microwave, until it turns to liquid (aka grease).
2. Add coffee to taste.
3. Some recipes call for added salt, pepper, and / or sugar, when you use bacon or ham. With corned beef, that's your choice. I didn't add anything.
4. Simmer a few seconds.
5. Pour over grits.
6. Yer done. Grits are healthy. Red eye gravy ain't healthy. If y'all want healthy, try black eye gravy.

Grits (Easy Version)

No self respectin' Southerner uses instant grits. I take pride in my grits.

Maury Chaykin, My Cousin Vinnie

I take pride in my grits, too, but in California, instant grits may be the only choice. You can still cook them southern style - slow and easy.

This is one large serving (says 2 servings on the package, but that's California).

• 1 1/2 C water.
• 5 heaping T (1/3 C) grits.
• Salt and pepper.

1. Put water in microwaveable pan.
2. Add salt and pepper.
3. Add grits.
4. Cook in microwave oven - 6 minutes @ 100%, 14 minutes @ 30%.
5. Remove from oven, stir, scoop onto plate (southern style, you eat with a fork).
6. Add black eye gravy or red eye gravy (or butter if you're in a hurry).

Grits are healthy - neither red eye gravy (aka grease and coffee) - nor butter (aka grease) is. But boy, is it good.

Thanksgiving 2008

This was a good alternative to the traditional Thanksgiving turkey.

• half a dozen chicken breasts, skinned
  
• 1/2 stick (1") cinnamon, halved
  
• 2 cloves garlic
  
• 1 medium onion
  
• 1 t ginger
  
• 1/2 t curry powder
  
• 1/4 t cumin
  
• 1/4 t garam masala
  
• 1/4 t red pepper flakes
  
• 1/4 t tumeric
  
• 1 C chicken broth (1 bouillon cube in water)
  
• 1/2 t chopped chives
  
• 1/2 t cilantro

1. Arrange chicken in microwave dish, meaty side up.
   
2. Boil water, bouillon cube, and cinnamon stick until bouillon cube is dissolved.
   
3. Mix ginger, curry, cumin, pepper flakes, tumeric. Rub a pinch or so into top of each chicken breast. Mix remainder into broth.
   
4. Sprinkle chives and cilantro over chicken.
   
5. Mince garlic, sprinkle over chicken.
   
6. Dice onion, sprinkle over chicken.
   
7. Pour broth over chicken.
   
8. Microwave @ 100% for 10 minutes, 30% for 120 minutes.
   
9. Check chicken, if tender, serve over rice.

Christmas Jello Salad

I imagine the flavours - and colours - could be varied, too. Maybe lime gelatin instead of strawberry, for 1/2 the recipe.

• 2 C boiling water
  
• 12 oz Strawberry gelatin
  
• 32 oz frozen strawberries
  
• 20 oz can crushed pineapple
  
• 16 oz sour cream
  

1. Dissolve gelatin in boiling water.
   
2. Add strawberries, cut into small cubes to help unfreeze faster.
   
3. Dump in pineapple.
   
4. Work quickly before gelatin thickens.
   
5. Pour half of gelatin mixture into a 16" x 2" flat pan.
   
6. Spread sour cream over top.
   
7. Pour other half of gelatin mixture over sour cream.
   
8. Refrigerate.
   

Cabbage Soup

Cabbage is a pretty versatile vegetable - lots of other vegs go with it easily.

• 1 head cabbage
  
• 2 cloves garlic
  
• 2 or 3 carrots
  
• 1 bunch green onions
  
• 1 large yellow onion
  
• 1 or 2 potatoes
  
• 1/2 t black pepper / peppercorns
  
• 1/4 t cayenne pepper
  
• 1 t caraway seed / 1/2 t caraway
  
• 1/2 t celery seed / 1/4 C chopped celery
  
• 1/2 t mustard seed / 1/4 t ground mustard
  
• 4 cups chicken or beef stock (4 bouillon cubes in boiling water until dissolved)
• 1/2 t vinegar

1. Chop cabbage, onions, garlic, any other veg that looks interesting, dump into stew pot.
   
2. Mix stock, vinegar, and spices, boil, dump into veg mixture.
   
3. Microwave @ 100% for 5 minutes, 30% for 120 minutes.
   
4. Check cabbage, if tender, serve.