Fastest Easiest Chicken Tortilla Soup Ever

4 C. chicken broth 

2 C. your favorite chunky-style salsa 

2 C. shredded or diced cooked chicken
1-2 t. cumin 

1 can corn, drained 

1 can black beans, drained 

1 can fat-free refried beans 

tortilla chips 

grated cheddar or jack cheese

In a large pot, combine first 7 ingredients over medium high heat. Stir occasionally until blended and heated through. Lightly crush tortilla chips into a large soup bowl, top with cheese, and spoon soup over.

IT'S JUST... THAT... EASY!!!

Orion's Mac and Cheese of DOOOOOOOOM!!!

I don't have a recipe.  I just start making it with whatever I have on hand.  The only consistent ingredient is Velveeta.  Yes, kids... you heard me... Velveeta.  It adds a certain creaminess to the sauce that you just can't achieve any other way.  Suck it up, buttercup.  If you're eating homemade mac and cheese, you're not thinking about all the fat and calories anyway.  You're only thinking about how good it makes you feel.

Last night, I was digging through the fridge and came out with medium cheddar, extra sharp cheddar, half a carton of half & half, milk, butter, and some other random stuff from the spice cupboard...



Boil a bunch of macaroni for the time it says on the package.  I used elbows last night, but just about any sturdy shape will do.  I like shells and rotini too.



Cut up some Velveeta.  Yeah.  About that much...



Drain the macaroni and run it under cold water for about a minute.



In the same pot, melt some butter.  Yeah.  About that much...



Whisk in some flour (this was about 1/3 C.), dry mustard, onion powder, and cayenne... about that much...



Some paprika and pepper too...



Whisk in the half & half... and/or milk... the half & half isn't really crucial... I just happened to have some that needed to be used up.



Bring to a simmer and keep adding milk until it's thickened, but slightly thinner than you think it should be.  The cheese will thicken it up a bit.  Add the Velveeta and stir constantly until melted.





Add the grated cheddar (or jack... or pepper jack... or just about any cheese.  IT'S ALL GOOD!) and stir until melted.



When the cheese is melted, check the consistency of your sauce again.  Add a little more milk if it's too thick. Remember that some of it will be absorbed by the pasta as it bakes, so you want more sauce than you think is necessary.  Stir in the macaroni.





Pour half of the macaroni in a large baking dish.  Top with as much extra sharp cheddar cheese as you want.



Put in the rest of the macaroni and top with MORE CHEESE!!  Sprinkle lightly with paprika.  Using smoked paprika would be good too.



Bake at 350 or so... for about half an hour or so... or until it's hot and bubbly...



Serve however you want.  We had it as a side dish with ham and broccoli.



You may just want the baking dish and a spoon.

I Love Ramen

Oh yes I do.........

But this is actually the name of a restaurant.  I Love Ramen is located at 31254 Pacific Hwy. S. in Federal Way, WA.  It is a fairly new restaurant that I've been dying to check out.  Today I finally did.



As many of you know, I am always on the hunt for a decent Asian noodle place.  Considering how many there are in this area, you would think I could just step out the door and fall into one.  Not so.  I am ecstatic to report that I Love Ramen is more than decent.  It is phenomenal.  It blows my favorite place in Seattle (Samurai Noodle) out of the water... with a nuclear bomb.

I sing to the heavens that I can now get a fantastic bowl of ramen without having to go to the big city!!!  (yes... noodle soup IS that important to me)

To make a completely fair comparison, I had to order my usual test items... tonkotsu ramen and pork shumai.  Same thing... every restaurant.  Gotta do apples to apples.

At first I was slightly alarmed that the shumai came with no dipping sauce.  After schkoffing the first one, I understood why.  They are so wonderfully flavorful, any sauce would be a sin.



The order comes with five dumplings... I couldn't contain myself before I grabbed my camera.

Miko came with me, but she wasn't very hungry.  She ordered the chicken yakitori...



It was also as good as it gets.

Now... down to the nitty gritty... how is the RAMEN???

Since they say a picture is worth 1000 words, I'll just show you...



This is my favorite ramen.  Pork broth with noodles, roasted pork slices, scallions, and various other items depending on the shop.  This particular bowl had bean sprouts, fresh baby spinach, sesame seeds, hard boiled egg, slivered pickled ginger, and nori.

My first determining factors for any soup are "how hot is the broth and how good is it?"  The broth here was tongue-searingly hot and it was spectacular overall.  Next, we move on to the individual components.  The pork was roasted and sliced perfectly... not an over abundance of scallions (like they're trying to cover something up)... totally fresh, barely wilted baby spinach leaves (I think they bought them at HMart across the street... lol!!).  Then comes the noodles themselves...

The... best... ever.  Perfectly cooked.  Stayed that way until I reached the bottom of my bowl.  Tasty al dente morsels in every bite.  I can't say enough good things about what I ate.  You just have to come experience it for yourself.

I suppose I should mention the rest of the menu... which is quite extensive.  They have a large variety of appetizers (listed as 'side dishes'), about 30 variations of ramen, and another two menu pages of traditional Japanese noodle and fried dishes.  If you think Japanese food is sushi, don't bother with this place... they don't serve it.  However, if you want real Japanese comfort food, this place is legit.

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I LOVE RAMEN REVISITED (3/9/11)

Brian had a day of appointments, so we decided to meet for lunch at I Love Ramen to A- let him see how good it was, and B- see if it WAS still that good.

We still love I Love Ramen.

If anything, it was better than before.  Brian got a miso broth ramen and I got my usual tonkotsu ramen.  Mine was spectacular this time (although I'm not sure how it could have topped the previous bowl).  The roasted pork was, in a word (or two), nearly orgasmic.  I would smack my own mother if it were the last bowl and she tried to take it.

Apparently the shumai DOES come with a dipping sauce... our previous waitress just... erm... forgot to bring it (REALLY???).  This order came with the shumai, hot mustard, and a delicious soy-based dipping sauce.  I tried it in all possible combinations.  I still say the dumplings speak for themselves without any adornment.

We were also treated to a complimentary onion salad.  There was something yellow shredded in with the paper-thin onion slices, and I have no idea what it was, but it was mouth-wateringly good.  I should have asked, but I was too busy shoveling it into my face.  Maybe next time.

Our waitress this time was Aya (if I remember right), and she is wonderful.  Attentive without hovering... keeps things moving without being pushy... just perfect.  We were the only Caucasian people in the place, which is always a good indicator of quality when I dine at any ethnic restaurant.

If I had five thumbs, they would all be UP!!

How do I love thee? Let me count the calories...

...or maybe not.



For the first time in nearly 30 years, I am with a man who not only loves to celebrate Valentine's Day, but actually deserves all the affection I can possibly lavish upon him.  We are nauseatingly in love.  Our friends start passing around barf bags and industrial-sized bottles of Emetrol when we enter a room....

Oh.  Since this post will eventually lead to food, I should probably get off the subject of vomit.  Good thinking.

This was our first official Valentine's Day living together, so of course I had to go all-out.  I spent weeks planning.

I bought gifts...



For those of you who wonder, THIS is how you buy chocolate for your man on Valentine's Day-



I decorated...



(the roses were from him to me, of course... he also bought ME gifts that were so incredibly thoughtful... )



(smokehouse almonds and software... I ADORE THIS MAN!!!... and yes, red roses... )



We had briefly contemplated going out for dinner, but really... even getting a reservation at a decent place is problematic for that night.  He had to work that day, I'm a damn fine cook, and I figured I could make a restaurant quality meal at home for less than half the price.  More money to spend on gifts and wine!!  I'm down with that!

Fortunately, the child was going out to dinner with her dad that night, so we could have a nice, quiet, romantic dinner all alone.




We started off with an appetizer of gambas al ajillo... Spanish shrimp in garlic... it was heavenly...



For the main course, I made filet mignon with a shitake, red wine, and shallot sauce, hassleback potatoes, and  balsamic roasted asparagus.  Oh-my-frikkin'-god YUMMMMM!!!!



Then, to top it all off, I made from-scratch chocolate molten lava cakes...







Since I made several changes to the original recipe for these, I will type out my version here.  For everything else I made, I followed the recipes almost exactly so I just linked them to give credit where it is due.  Take a few minutes to read the blog that has the steak recipe, Mouth From the South.  Kristina is a hoot!

Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes

1 C. (two cubes) butter (yes, salted butter)
1 HEAPING cup Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips (not quite ALL of the bag... leave some to munch on later)
5 large eggs
1/2 C. sugar
1/4 C. flour
powdered sugar for garnish

Place butter and chocolate chips in a medium glass bowl.  Microwave on high for one minute; stir well.  Continue to microwave and stir at 15 second intervals until chips are ALMOST completely melted (about another 30 seconds)... a few small lumps are okay.  Don't worry... they'll melt.  In another bowl, beat eggs and sugar until completely dissolved, about 2 minutes.  Beat chocolate mixture into egg mixture until smooth.  Add flour and beat until completely combined.  Refrigerate batter for 1-6 hours.  When ready to bake, preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Grease four 10 ounce ramekins (or other oven-proof dishes that size) with cooking spray.  Divide batter equally.  Place ramekins on baking sheet and bake until side are just done and cracked, but center is still sunken and jiggly... about 18 minutes.  DO NOT OVERCOOK!  You'll still have an amazing chocolate cake, but you won't have the insane molten center, which is the whole point of this dessert.  Remove and cool on rack for about 15 minutes (or just until they're cool enough so you don't burn your mouth... however long you can wait).  Dust with powdered sugar just before serving and serve warm.  Die happy.

If you want to get really schmancy, a nice VERY lightly sweetened raspberry sauce would be good to drizzle over, but it really doesn't need it.  This recipe is entirely too easy.  You'll find yourself thinking about making it on a regular basis.  If you're concerned about your caloric intake, just remember one thing...

There is half a cube of butter in EACH cake.

I'm saving this one for special occasions only.

I now own a teenager... Part 1

At the beginning of January, thirteen years ago, I gave birth to The Princess...

I didn't name her that.  The in-laws did.  They didn't have to live with her.

ANYWAY, she really is a wonderful child, deserving of a homemade, from-scratch cake of her choice for this most auspicious occasion.  She said she wanted a red velvet cake, but since the color theme of the party was purple, she technically wanted a PURPLE velvet cake.  Wonderful!  I found a great recipe and off I went.

It started out easily enough.  Cake baking may be science to a certain extent, but it's certainly not rocket science, am I right?  Measure measure...

sift sift...

mix mix...

Not TOO much flour all over the place... I think I'm doing pretty well...

One of the more interesting things about this recipe is it uses a baking soda/vinegar mixture for leavening...

(LOOK!!  SCIENCE!!!)

You let it bubble for a few seconds, then fold it into the batter... oooooooo...

Into the cake pan it goes, and everything appears to be fine...

(after a bit of clean up)

TO THE OVEN WITH YOU!!

OOOOOOOOOOoooooooooo lookie!!

Okay well it's not exactly PURPLE velvet cake, so we start calling it burgundy velvet cake...

It comes out of the pan perfectly... SUCCESSSSSSS!!!!!!

Now on to layers two and three.  Repeat the above procedure... forget what the hell you're doing... lift beater out of bowl and inexplicably turn the mixer back on...

Clean up the batter that has flown ALL over the kitchen and continue...

I overfilled the top layer pan a little, so it's taller than it should be.  No worries... that's what serrated knives are for...

It also slides effortlessly out of it's pan...

Then we have the middle layer...

Uh oh...

Houston, we have a problem...

Still, no worries at this point.  I'm doing this a couple days before the party, anticipating there will be some minor setbacks.  When doing a large cake project, I've learned to schedule in time for do-overs.  I set the fail out on the table and call it samples.  The children approve.

I finally get all three layers successfully baked, and even have a few cupcakes to boot.  JOY!!!

Time to wrap everything up, put it in the fridge, and make the frosting tomorrow.  I sit down and refuse to move for the next 12 hours.

To be continued...

DUHDUH DUHHHHHHHHH..........