Creamy Potato Dill Soup

If you love your soups thick and creamy, then this is a recipe you have got to try.  The potato pairs perfectly with the buttery dill flavor, and to drive it two degrees north of amazing, I've added cheese and bacon.  You're welcome.

 

Ingredients:

• 5 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 Tbsp. flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• dash black pepper
• 1 cup milk
• 1 sprig of fresh dill
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped

Directions:
 Cook the potatoes and onion in a large saucepan with enough boiling water to cover the vegetables for about 15 minutes or until tender.  Drain the water out and reserve 1 cup of the potato/onion mixture.  Dump the rest of the vegetables and the chicken broth in a blender or food processor and blend for about 1 minute or until smooth.  Set aside.  In the same saucepan, melt the butter.  Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper.  Add in the milk and whisk the ingredients until it is thickened and bubbly.  Cook and stir for 1 minute more.  Stir in the reserved 1 cup of reserved potato/onion and the blended vegetable mixture.  Cook and stir until heated through.  Snip the sprig of fresh dill into the soup using scissors, stir to combine.  You can add more salt and pepper to taste.  Serve the soup in bowls and top each serving with cheese and bacon.  I also served mine with slices of homemade sourdough bread and it was a hit with my family.  Enjoy!

Coconut Curry Seafood Stew

This is a delicious coconut curry seafood stew with a lot of ingredients common in Vietnamese and Thai cooking.

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons grated ginger
2 tablespoons pureed lemon grass
2 tablespoons curry powder
6 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon tamarind soup base  (or 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice at the very end)
2 (13.5 ounce) cans coconut milk
1 teaspoon chili oil
1 pound medium peeled and deveined shrimp
1 pound hardshell clams
8 ounces mussels
8 ounces halibut (cut into 1x1 inch pieces) or fresh Alaska king crab meat
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
cooked jasmine rice about 4-6 cups
Siracha Chili paste (optional to add heat)

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oil in large pot over medium heat.  Cook and stir in ginger, lemongrass, and curry powder in oil for 1 minute.  Pour in chicken broth over mixture and stir continually to incorporate irall ingredients.  Stir in fish sauce and brown sugar; simmer for 15 minutes.  Stir in tamarind soup base and coconut milk.  Add shrimp, clams, mussels and halibut and cook till no longer translucent about 5-8 minutes.  Serve in a bowl with 1/2 cup of rice and garnish with cilantro.