I was hoping to post a few more recipes before I left. We even did a bit of holiday baking last weekend, but the christmas cookies were so good, they were gone before I remembered to photograph them!

We are gone for a long awaited trip to the Philippines, so when we return next year I hope to regale you with stories about all the food we ate and won't tell you how many pounds I gained. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and I'll catch up with you in a month or so!

This is a quick, easy and vegetarian version of the Chicken & Corn Chowder we cooked previously which was meant to have some leeks in it. This is the Clone's new favorite soup because it doesn't have any meat and it has leeks which she planted herself, so it's her new favorite vegetable.

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cloves garlic
3/4 cup chopped onions
1 cup leeks, sliced thin
1/2 cup carrots, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
6 cups vegetable broth
3 cups diced potatoes
1 cup corn
Salt & Pepper

Start by melting the butter in a hot pan and cooking the flour in it for a couple of minutes. Add the garlic, onions, leeks, carrots, celery, corn and potatoes and let it saute' until it is fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender and the broth has thickened up a bit. Season with salt and pepper and serve.






Filipino Cookbooks

This recipe was adapted from the Evil Jungle Prince. This is a spicy soup, perfect for cold nights and perfect for using up the okra we had in the freezer from our summer bounty. I adjusted the proportions a bit to serve 4. I also used fresh herbs because I still have some, but you can use dried too, you just may have to reduce the amounts. I believe dried herbs have a stronger flavor than fresh.

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup Olive oil
1/2 cup Flour
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 cup onions, chopped
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup carrots, diced
1 lg. bell pepper, diced
5 small bird peppers, diced
2 medium jalapeno peppers, diced
1 cup tomatoes, diced
2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp. fresh thyme
1 tsp. fresh dill
2 bay leaves
7 cups chicken broth
3 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
2 cups corn
2-3 cups okra, cut into 1/4 inch length
2 lbs. shrimps, peeled
Salt & Pepper to taste

Start making a roux by heating the olive oil then add the flour. Stir and cook until the the flour is browned but not burnt.

Next saute' the aromatics: garlic, onions, carrots, celery, and peppers. Let them cook in the roux until they are fragrant and starting to soften. Add the tomatoes and cook for another minute. Add the herbs: basil, thyme, dill, bay leaves. Stir. Add the broth, worcestershire sauce, and a bit of salt and pepper. Let the soup simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the corn and okra and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes. About 10 minutes before serving, add the shrimps and cook just until they are done. Adjust the seasonings and serve in a bowl over rice.

I added additional spiciness with some hot sauce, but I only did that with my bowl.

I am a lazy cook sometimes and am partial to one-pot meals. For desserts, I also like one pot desserts like these fluffer nutter bars. Just layer everything in a pan and pop in the oven. This recipe was adapted from Culinary in the Desert who in turn adapted it from Sweet Maria's Cookie Jar.

INGREDIENTS:
Crust:
1 stick (8 Tbsp) salted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 large egg
1 & 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

Marshmallow topping:
1 cup Nutella (hazelnut spread)
2 cups Marshmallow Fluff
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (this was all I had in the cupboard, next time I'll add the full cup called for in Joe's recipe)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together unltil light and fluffy. Add the peanut butter and egg and mix until well blended.

Press the mixture above into the bottom and slightly up the sides of a 9x13" baking dish to form a crust.

My addition to the recipe is the Nutella. Since it was already sweet and chocolaty, I cut the sugar in the crust down by 1/4 of a cup. Spread the nutella over the crust, then spread the marshmallow fluff over. Sprinkle with the nuts and chocolate chips and bake for 15-20 minutes until the top is slightly browned.

Cool before cutting into bars. As you can see, I couldn't wait until it was totally cooled, so it was still a bit gooey. It was delicious though!