A vegetarian soup for those of us under the weather

That's one steaming pot of comfort food, right there.

The past few days have been sort of a setback for me, and from what I've gathered, for other people too. Some sort of bug is making its way around campus and it seems to have reached me.

I woke up on Ash Wednesday with a case of the sniffles and a headache. At first I chalked it up to the changes in the weather, and the fact that I got up earlier than usual for church. I did all my usual Wednesday things, including my run. But then at about 3:30pm, I crashed. I was so unusually fatigued that I took a long nap and didn't move much for the rest of the evening.

Fast forward to today. I felt significantly better, though still sniffly and tired. As much as I wanted to go for a run this afternoon, I decided that it's probably best to just wait it out. I'm hoping tomorrow or Sunday will be the day.

There is one good thing that's come out of this: a pretty good soup recipe.

Something that I've learned to pick up on over the years is that my body knows what it needs, especially when I'm sick. When I was trying to come up with something for dinner tonight, I realized that I wanted three things: onions, mushrooms, and spinach.

It took me a while to figure out to do with that combination. Salad? Too much chewing. Pasta? Maybe, but not what I really wanted. Soup? Yes! Broth, vegetables, and noodles. That was exactly what I needed.

I looked around for a recipe with those ingredients, but wasn't satisfied with any of them. I finally gave up and decided to wing it. I took a few ideas from the soup recipes I'd looked at and Ashley Lojko's Paprika Chicken (one of my favorite one-person chicken recipes). The result is what I'm calling Spinach & Mushroom Noodle Soup, until I or someone else can think of a better name. (Hint, hint.)

Spinach & Mushroom Noodle Soup
Makes 3-4 servings

Ingredients

2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium onion, sliced into "half-moons"
1 clove minced garlic
1 small can mushrooms, drained
Pepper, parsley, and paprika (or whatever seasonings you like)
1 extra-large vegetable bouillon cube + 3 1/2 cups water (or vegetable broth)
1 1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles
2 cups fresh baby spinach

Steps

1.  Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cover the pan. After about 5-6 minutes, stir and cover it again.

2.  Check and stir the onions every few minutes until they start to turn slightly brown (I think this took about 10-12 minutes total). Add the mushrooms; cook and stir for another minute or two. (If you want to use fresh mushrooms, add them with the onions in the first step.)

3.  Add the bouillon, water, and seasonings. I took my inspiration from the Paprika Chicken recipe and used a little pepper, a few dashes of garlic powder, and lots of paprika. I also added some dried parsley and a shake of red pepper flakes (I think I'd leave the pepper flakes out next time, though).

4.  Bring the soup to a boil, add the egg noodles, and reduce the heat. Simmer uncovered until the noodles are cooked (8-10 minutes, maybe).

5.  Turn off the heat and stir in the spinach until slightly wilted.

And there you have it.

I apologize for the lack of photos and precise measurements in this post--I didn't think to take pictures or record details until the soup was almost done and I realized that it would be worth posting.

I'm hesitant to try and describe the soup, because my senses of smell and taste are a little out of whack right now. I felt that there was something a little "off" with the seasoning (I think it was the red pepper), but I can't be sure. But if you want to take my word for it, the soup was pretty good and almost exactly what I was craving. Plus, it came with a decent dose of Vitamins A and C, which couldn't hurt.

So for everyone who is sick right now: have a bowl of soup and feel better!

Ricotta Gnocchi

I have a problem: I love pasta.

I know it's not the best thing for me and all that, but I can't help it. It's delicious.

I especially love stuffed pastas--ravioli, and tortellini, and their friends. I only order them at restaurants though, because if you've ever looked at those little refrigerated packets of Buitoni at the supermarket...well, they're expensive. Extra delicious and extra tasty compared to dried pasta, but expensive.

Fortunately, I've found an alternative. Without the time and/or resources to go about making my own ravioli or other flour-based pasta, I've finally discovered a fresh pasta I can make with minimal time, effort, and special equipment: Ricotta Gnocchi. And did I mention it's cheap? Literally the only ingredient I had to buy was the ricotta cheese ($2.99 at Kroger); everything else I already had!

The original recipe comes from The Kitchn; the version I am posting contains just a couple of adjustments.

Strained ricotta, Parmesan, flour, egg, and salt.

Ingredients

1 15-oz container of part-skim ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

Your favorite pasta sauce

Steps

1.  Drain the ricotta. Line a strainer with several coffee filters and place over a bowl; put the ricotta in the strainer and place the whole thing in the fridge for at least half an hour. (Not much drained out of my cheese--this step would be more important if you were using the whole-milk ricotta called for in the original recipe.)
2. Combine the strained ricotta, egg, Parmesan, salt, and 3/4 cup of flour. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.



Gnocchi dough should be soft and tacky.

3. Test a piece of dough by rolling it between your fingers. It should be tacky, but not sticky. If necessary, add more flour one tablespoon at a time until you get the right consistency. (I didn't need to add any--perhaps because I had an ounce less cheese than the original recipe calls for.) Refrigerate again for 15 minutes.



Roll a piece of dough between your fingers to see if it sticks.

4. Flour your hands and work surface. Break off pieces of dough and roll them into 3/4" logs. Cut into lengths of 3/4". I found that it was easiest to roll out two or three logs at a time and cut them together.



Special guests: fork and santoku knife.

5. If desired, make ridges by rolling the gnocchi off the back of a fork. This is something I didn't really understand until I watched several people do it on YouTube, so look for a tutorial.



Look at those beautiful ridges!

6. Place gnocchi on a floured baking sheet until ready to use.
7. Boil a pot of water and add the gnocchi in batches. Wait for them to float to the top then let them cook another minute or two before removing them to a strainer. 
8. Put gnocchi in a bowl, add sauce, and serve!

Dinner!

A few observations...

It's been a long time since I've had potato gnocchi, so I'm not sure how this compares. But, they are tasty and delicious and very filling.

Rolled vs. unrolled gnocchi? I made some of each and they were both good. The rolled gnocchi tended to cook more evenly, since you sort of press them down to a uniform thickness on the fork. The unrolled gnocchi were sort of soft and fluffy on the insides, which I kind of liked. Both are good.

The recipe is supposed to serve 4. It made about 60 gnocchi. Because I was very hungry, I ate about 20 of them and then froze the others in two batches. (To freeze, place your floured baking sheet of gnocchi in the freezer until they harden, then put them in freezer bags).

Overall, an easy homemade recipe that I'll get three meals out of after spending about three dollars!

When Life Gives You Lemons...

So I had an interesting day back at school. Classes started yesterday, but this was the first time I was encountering my new Writing for Business class--22 new and exciting students, in a brand new room, in a different building.

Now, I should tell you that I am typically a very prepared person. I like to practice presentations in the room where I will be presenting. I like to play with projectors and screens and other things I will have to use ahead of time. I like to get there early and have a look around, a habit that has saved me from a humiliating conference presentation at least once.

However.

Due to circumstances beyond my control (i.e., locks) I was unable to check out the room prior to today. So, when I arrived today I sort of stumbled in, glanced around, and started pushing buttons. I quickly discovered two strange things about my room:

Lemon 1: It has a blackboard. I came all prepared with my dry erase marker, and the room has a blackboard. I was immediately concerned about inadvertently becoming covered in chalk.

Lemon 2: It has TWO projector screens (which I'm sure is actually very cool and useful), and one projector. I unintentionally projected at the corner screen, when I was going for the center screen. I still don't know how to get the center screen.

Anyway, once I got things figured out to a workable level, I started into my "first day" spiel. Partway through this, I encountered Lemon 3. It went something like this:

Me: So the textbook for this course is--
Student: Is that book required?
Me: ...yes.
Student: It wasn't on the bookstore website.
Me: WHAT?! Does anybody have the book?
Entire Class: ...

It turns out they were right; the book is not listed, although I (thought I had) ordered it several weeks ago. So, I raced over to the bookstore after class where I was able to order the book, but I have no idea when it will arrive (Lemon 4).

And finally, Lemon 5. I am now faced with finding supplementary readings for the first few weeks, or scanning from the book. I spent most of the afternoon tracking down articles and ebooks to help me fill in the gaps.

But you know what the weird thing was today? In spite of all the lemons, I didn't lose my cool. Why not? Because most of those lemons also had a positive to them--came with a side of water and sugar, if you will.

Lemon 1: Now I don't have to remember my dry erase marker every day that I teach.

Lemon 2: Having two projector screens is going to be awesome, as soon as I figure out how to use them.

Lemon 3: Telling that story on Facebook got me a lot of great help and suggestions for dealing with the situation from my friends and peers.

Lemon 4: I'll be honest, I got nothing on this one.

Lemon 5: Even though it was time I didn't plan on spending, I'm more well-read in the subject now and I can give a better lecture with more information. In fact, I'll probably use some of the articles I found next quarter alongside the textbook.

So, the point here is that when life hands us lemons...we should do what the kitty says and keep them until we find the sweet side. Because hey, free lemons!

Some Thoughts on "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

Source: http://millenniumtrilogy.wikia.com

One of my greatest hobbies is viewing film adaptations of books. I love watching and critiquing the movies and mini-series made from books I've read (and sometimes even before I've read them--gasp!).

Some adaptations fail utterly (and as a book junky, I can't help being just a bit pleased when that happens). Others are incredibly faithful to their texts (see Pillars of the Earth, for instance). Some I end up liking better than the book (like the 2011 adaptation of Jane Eyre). And some I must acknowledge as valid interpretations, even if they aren't true to my impressions; David Fincher's adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is one of these.

I say this for several reasons:

1. The original Swedish film by Niels Arden Opley is excellent. So, perhaps I was already biased toward the first version.
2. I read this review by Monika Bartyzel from Girls on Film before seeing it. 
3. And finally, many of the changes Fincher chose to make distance the story not just from Opley's version, but from Stieg Larsson's.

I don't want to take you through every little difference that I noticed, so I'll focus specifically on the key one: Lisbeth Salander.

Let me just illustrate how I feel about Larsson's protagonist: she is a badass. There is simply no other word for it. In the novels, she is described as 5-foot something, roughly 100 pounds or so, child-like, anorexic-looking--and she manages to wreak havoc on anyone she has reason to act against. As a 5'2", 110 pound woman, this is a heroine I relate to on a physical level. And I think she's awesome.

Source: http://jabcatmovies.com

In the Swedish film, Opley's Salander preserves the badass-ery of Larsson's. I mean, look at her:

Would you mess with that girl? I sure as heck wouldn't!

Although she's victimized throughout the entire movie by various men, I get the sense that she's got this core of diamond--something absolutely unbreakable within her. Yes, she's aloof, strange, socially awkward, an enigma, but she's supposed to be. As a person, she's very guarded. No one ever truly knows all that's going on in her head, maybe not even Salander herself. And I like that rough-edged air of mystery around her.

Source: http://www.wmagazine.com

Fincher's Salander, on the other hand, fits a bit more neatly into the Bond girl/sidekick mold, as Bartyzel points out. For instance, check out the image to the left, of Rooney Mara as Salander.

The rough edges are gone. She looks soft, fragile, sad, and maybe even scared. While Fincher's Salander still does all the badass things that Larsson's and Opley's do, she's somehow less sure of herself. She practically becomes half of a couple with Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig). She heroically saves his life, but then asks him for permission before chasing down the bad guy. And in the film's final scene when she spots Blomkvist back with his old lover, Erika Berger (Robin Wright), she looks positively heartbroken.

Now, I'm not saying this is a bad thing. Salander is a tough character to connect to, and Fincher's choice to break down some of her barriers will make her more likeable to audiences. And in that regard, I can see the validity of his decisions regarding Salander in light of questions of audience.

But, personally I like the more enigmatic Salander. The one that doesn't need Daniel Craig (or any other man, for that matter) to coddle or protect her. The one that is frustratingly obstinate and taciturn, even in the most dire of situations. In short, the one that takes more time, patience, and effort on the part of the reader/audience member to get to know, because to me that's more true to life and to who Lisbeth Salander is.

Other thoughts, opinions?

And as a side note, I hope everyone has been having a great holiday season!

Macaroni & Cheese

The "cheese" to my macaroni.
Pun fully intended.

This was a great weekend.

In terms of school, I did practically nothing. But in terms of relaxation, I accomplished a lot. And it all started when this guy on the left pulled into town on Thursday.

Paul and I will have been dating for two years on December 29th. It's been a great two years for both of us, and I'm looking forward to celebrating in a few weeks. Having a long distance relationship is tough though, and we have to plan carefully to make sure we can spend time together.

This was one of the rare weekends when Paul had a chance to visit. We hit some highlights of Cincinnati--Findlay Market, the IKEA in West Chester, the Blind Lemon in Mount Adams, Skyline Chili!--but I also dragged him out to an end-of-quarter department party. I have to go to most of these events as a "single" person, so it's nice to have a significant other to bring along when I can!

The party happened to be a potluck dinner, so we made macaroni and cheese to share. I got this recipe from my Betty Crocker: So Simple cookbook--and while I was skeptical at first, it actually is pretty simple to make macaroni and cheese from scratch. And it was a hit!

The ravaged bowl of mac 'n cheese.

Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (7oz, or about half a box)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Scant 1/2 tsp yellow mustard (or 1/4 tsp ground mustard if you have it)
2 cups milk (I used skim)
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar (or the cheese of your choice)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook and drain macaroni as directed on package.
   
2. Meanwhile, in a three-quart sauce pan, melt the butter over low heat. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard. Cook over low heat until mixture is smooth and bubbly.
   
3. Remove from heat and stir in the milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. (This step always seems to take a very long time, so be patient! The sauce will get very thick just before it boils.) Boil and stir one minute.
   
4. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese until melted.
   
5. Add the macaroni to the cheese sauce and stir to combine. Pour into an ungreased two-quart casserole dish.
   
6. If desired, melt two tablespoons of butter or margarine and combine with 1/4 cup breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the macaroni and cheese.
   
7. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until bubbly.

Bread and Soup

Italian wedding soup and ciabatta bread

It's finally feeling like fall to me down here in Cincinnati. We had our first real frost this week and the scarves and sweaters and UGGs are starting to come out of the woodwork. I'm a little nervous about winter because I live in a drafty old house, but the radiators kicked on this week and I've discovered that pointing a fan at mine really does wonders for heating up the room. I'm comforted by that and the thought that the city only gets a couple of inches of snow at a time--huzzah!

But, as we're moving towards cooler weather my culinary adventures are started to tend toward winter-y foods. Like bread. And soup. Both of which you can see in the above picture. This was my second time making Italian wedding soup, and my very first time making ciabatta!

If you have ever felt intimidated by breadmaking, let me suggest this recipe from Lifehack: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/kitchen-hack-one-minute-ciabatta-bread.html. It sounds almost too good to be true, but it works and you get tasty, tasty bread out of it. I made a mistake with mine and added 1tsp of yeast instead of 1/4 tsp so it was ready to bake in about two hours instead of eight. The resulting bread doesn't have the big airy pockets like you usually see in ciabatta, but it was extremely easy and still very delicious. Especially hot out of the oven with some butter... mmmmmm.

But of course, the bread was just one side of the equation. Soup was the other. I've been thinking about this Italian wedding soup for a while, and I finally gathered all of the ingredients. Contrary to popular belief, the soup has nothing to do with weddings; the name supposedly refers to the "marriage" of meat and vegetables. And I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that it isn't from Italy either. Oh well. Meatballs and pasta = close enough?

Here is the recipe that I use. It makes A TON of soup, so I'd suggest making a half batch like I did this week.

Ingredients:

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1 lb ground beef
1 lb Italian sausage (Bob Evans is good!)
3 medium carrots, sliced (I'm not a huge fan of cooked carrots so I never use this much)
3 celery ribs, diced
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
4 cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cans beef broth (I go reduced-sodium here too)
1 10-oz package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/4 cup fresh minced basil or 2 tbsp dry
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 1/2 tbsp ketchup
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups uncooked pasta (like macaroni or penne)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine eggs and breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Crumble beef and sausage over mixture and combine. Form into 3/4" meatballs.
2. Place meatballs on a foil-lined cookie sheet (with sides) and bake for 15-18 minutes until no longer pink. Drain on paper towels.
3. Meanwhile, saute carrots, celery, onion, and garlic in olive oil in a Dutch oven or soup kettle until tender. Add broth, spinach, basil, soup mix, ketchup, thyme, and bay leaves.
4. Bring the soup to a boil and add the meatballs. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
5. Add the pasta and cook for 13-15 minutes longer, until tender, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaves before serving.

Makes 10 servings or 2 1/2 quarts.

And there you have it! The perfect autumn / winter meal: bread and soup.