Ham and Potato Soup

I made this soup to use up a bunch of things in my fridge and also because I happened to have a lot of ham and potatoes. Most ham soups have beans in them but my partner doesn't really like beans, and seeing as we've decided to prepare all our own food since we're staying at home due to a pandemic, I wanted to make something he would eat too.

Notes:

• I used a pork bone instead of ham bone. Same type of meat so I figured it would be OK.
• I only had fully cooked boneless ham. I cubed it and cooked it in the soup for the entire hour and would probably not do that again because it loses some flavor, though it wasn't terrible.
• I don't have an immersion blender so I scooped out half the soup and put it in the blender and I think it worked better. I like the contrast between fully blended and not blended, versus the sort of blended bits you get with an immersion blender (plus they're hard to clean...)

Verdict: I wouldn't go out of my way to make it again but it exceeded my expectations. I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was.

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RECIPE: Ham and Potato Soup

Egg Drop Soup

I felt like having an Asian style soup and remembered that my host mother in Japan would occasionally make egg drop soup. I had never felt like trying the stuff in Chinese restaurants because it looked too unnaturally yellow and I was always a little skeeved out by all the wispy bits, and who knows how long it had been sitting there. My host mom's soup had wakame seaweed and green onions in it, and the colors looked normal. It was delicious. Since living in her home I had tried to make it several times and it didn't turn out that well -- the texture of the eggs can be difficult to get right. I know you can buy just-add-water packets of egg soup at the Asian grocery store, but that's not going to have the correct egg texture either. Fast forward to now, where I was feeling like trying again, and I got it right!

Notes:

• Green onion/scallion, wakame, and shiitake mushrooms are common additions but feel free to add others or subtract to your liking.
• I used powdered dried ginger instead of fresh (about 1/4 tsp).
• The recipe calls for chicken broth but you can use dashi broth instead for a more Japanese twist, or a mild tasting vegetable broth if you want to make it vegetarian.
• I served it with rice.
• The directions for cooking the eggs were really helpful in getting the correct texture. You want the soup to BARELY be moving. Stir it and then wait for the circular motion to slow down a bit before you pour the eggs in.

Verdict: It was satisfying, healthy, quick, and easy to make. I will definitely be keeping this one around for future use!

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RECIPE: Egg Drop Soup

Sour Cream and Onion Biscuits

I made these because my friend Molly posted about how good they were and included pictures and enough information for how to find the recipe she used. It turns out I had everything I needed already so I was able to make them for breakfast the next morning.

Notes:

• I used 2% Greek yogurt thinned out with some milk instead of sour cream because it was what I had.
• I cut them into 12 smaller biscuits instead of 8 large ones, and reduced the baking time.
• I served them as part of biscuits and gravy but they are also delicious on their own with some butter.

Verdict: YUM. I would definitely make these again. Biscuits are not all that good for you but they do taste amazing.

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RECIPE: Sour Cream and Onion Biscuits

Luxe Butterscotch Pudding

Just as the stay at home order was going into effect in my state, I came across this recipe for a butterscotch budino, a type of pudding, and really really wanted to try it. I don't normally keep heavy cream on hand so as soon as we were able to get some I set to work making this.

Notes:

• I did not make the salted caramel topping.
• I may have undercooked the brown sugar syrup, but it was REALLY hard for me to tell whether or not it was burning and given that I couldn't just run to the store for more ingredients if I screwed up, I was determined to not burn it.

Verdict: It didn't blow my socks off so I don't think I'd go out of my way to make it again, but my curiosity has been satisfied and it was still good. I'm glad I tried it!

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RECIPE: Luxe Butterscotch Pudding

General Tso's Sauce

Made because we wanted a Chinese style meal and we had all the ingredients for this sauce. Normally I'd buy this kind of thing, but we're staying at home during a pandemic so I used what I had at home instead.

Notes:

• I used Japanese sake for the rice wine, though Chinese rice wine would probably be better.
• I used Mitsukan rice vinegar for the "rice wine vinegar" (apparently rice vinegar and rice wine vinegar are the same thing).
• I used gochujang paste (seasoned Korean red pepper paste) instead of a Chinese style red pepper/chili paste because it was all I had.
• We tossed this sauce with dry fried tofu and cooked broccoli and served it over brown rice.
• Since mine had a Korean bent to it with the gochujang, I drizzled in a little bit of sesame oil after it was done cooking.

Verdict: It was simple to make and surprisingly good! I'd absolutely consider making it again. It was a good amount of sauce for my liking. If you like your food swimming in sauce like it's served at most American Chinese restaurants, or are serving it with breaded meat (which tends to soak up sauce), you may want to make more.

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RECIPE:

General Tso's Sauce

from Food.com

Makes approximately 1/2 cup

3 tbsp dark soy sauce

3 tbsp granulated sugar

2 tbsp rice wine

1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp chili paste

1/2 tbsp (1 1/2 tsp) cornstarch

Whisk together all ingredients in a small saucepan. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens and becomes clearer and slightly glossy, 5-7 minutes. Toss with cooked protein and vegetables of your choice.

Japanese Style Creamy Sesame Dressing

One of the things I think I fell in love with the hardest about Japanese cooking when I lived there was sesame flavoring in sauces. This is one of my very favorite sesame based things. It's great on all manner of green vegetables, cooked or raw, and any salad with Asian style ingredients.

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RECIPE: Japanese Sesame Dressing (Just One Cookbook)

Frozen Mango Margarita

Made because I missed the taste of fresh fruit in March (it is cold and snowy for nearly half the year where I live) and we are sheltering in place and we were looking for ways to start cleaning out our freezer and liquor cabinet. This ticked all the boxes.

Notes:

• We used El Jimador silver tequila because I felt like aged tequila might not be the best for mixing into sweet fruity drinks. I am still learning how I like tequila, so you might prefer a different kind.
• It may be too thick to blend; add additional ingredients to your personal preference. I really liked an extra bit of sour (lime juice) and sweet (simple syrup). You can add water, but if you add too much it will water down the drink and it won't have the sweet-tart contrast that makes it so tasty.

Verdict: Absolute heaven. It's fruity and sweet and sour, and the smooth creamy texture of the frozen mango really makes it for me. This will be my go-to recipe for frozen margaritas, and I'm hoping to try it with other sweet frozen fruits in the future (like strawberries!)

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RECIPE:

Frozen Mango Margarita

adapted from House of Yumm

Serves 1

1 1/2 oz tequila

1 cup frozen mango chunks

1/2 cup ice

2 tbsp simple syrup 

3/4 oz triple sec or orange liqueur

Juice of 1/2 lime (about 1 tbsp)

If you do not already have simple syrup: mix equal volumes of sugar and water in a saucepan (1/2 cup of each will make enough for about 6 margaritas), heat over high heat while stirring until all the sugar is dissolved, then remove from heat and let cool.

Place frozen mango and ice in a blender, then add rest of ingredients, and blend until smooth. If it is too thick to blend, you can add a couple tablespoons of water, or additional liquid ingredients to your personal preference (lime juice or triple sec for me).