Baker's Theory

Creamy Taco Soup

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We were running a bit low on ingredients and as lunch time approached, I was able to throw some pantry staples in a pot with the standard weeknight chicken and lunch was ready in minutes. 

So easy.

We were also low on cheese, so only one of us got the quesadilla…

It’s fine. I got pickled red onions! YUM. 

I keep a jar of salsa in the house at all times, as well as Trader Joe’s chicken broth packets or Better Than Bullion chicken base. That’s really all you need to make the base of the soup, though I also added a bit of heavy whipping cream. 

Topped it with green onions, cheddar, and sour cream. Super tangy, savory, but light! 

I didn’t have any black beans at the time, but I bet those would be killer in this soup!

I also use Trader Joe’s Salsa Authentica which has quite a bit of salt in it already, so I didn’t see a need to add salt to this soup. But depending on the salsa you have, you might need to add salt to your liking. 

Creamy Taco Soup Recipe
Serves: 3

Ingredients

1/2 tbsp neutral oil

1/4 red onion, sliced thin

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp chili lime seasoning

3 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup red salsa

1 pinch of powdered coffee

1/4 cup cream

1/2 cup frozen corn

1/3 cup cooked black beans

1 cup Weeknight Chicken or shredded chicken

 

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a pot on medium heat. When shiny, add onion, stirring until translucent. 

2. Add garlic powder and chili lime seasoning to onion, continuing to stir for about a minute. Then, add chicken broth and salsa. It will bubble. Just continue stirring. 

3. When broth and salsa are incorporated, puree in the pot with a hand mixer. 

4. Whisk in powdered coffee and cream. 

5. Add corn, black beans, and chicken, cooking for another 2-3 minutes. 

6. Serve with a green onion, cheddar, sour cream, and/or pickled red onions. Add a cheese quesadilla and you’ve got the Mexican version of grilled cheese and tomato soup!

 

Pickled Red Onions

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Pickled red onions are my favorite condiment. They are sweet, sour, and salty with a nice crunch. They work very well with Latin or Asian dishes, and they are a beautiful shade of fuchsia that draws attention to a charcuterie board. Put them on tacos, in a garlic beef bowl, or on a slice of brie cheese!

Ingredients

1/2 red onion, sliced thinly

1 tbsp sea salt

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cold water

Instructions

1. In a medium-sized glass or stainless steel bowl, combine salt, sugar, vinegar, and water. Whisk until salt and sugar dissolves.

2. Add the red onion slices to the solution and toss. 

3. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes. It’s best if you wait overnight. 

 

*This makes a pretty big batch considering a few slices is all one person will need. You can halve the recipe for a smaller batch. 

Honeyed Carrots

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So simple to make! Jane gave me the inspiration for these. She makes them frequently for Sunday night dinners. These are great for packing for lunch or accompanying a meat and potatoes kind of meal. 

Honeyed Carrots Recipe

1 lb carrots, sliced lengthwise into 4″ long pieces

2-3 tbsp butter or olive oil

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp minced garlic (optional)

Goat cheese for topping (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 F. 

Slice whole carrots into 4″ long fries. Arrange on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Pour melted butter or oil and honey over carrots. You can also add minced garlic if desired. Bake for 30 minutes. Top with goat cheese if desired. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ripples

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‘Tis the season to make lots of cookies and overwhelm your coworkers with them. My dad bought me an old cookie recipe book in a used bookstore that was published in 1973 by a New York Times food columnist. It has a ton of really beautiful and unique cookies that I am pumped to bake! These chocolate peanut butter ripples are one of those unique cookies! You make two doughs–chocolate and peanut butter–and then you stack them like a pyramid, give them a little smoosh, and bake them. They flatten as they bake and look like little bullseyes. 

These taste like chocolate peanut butter brownies, maybe because of the melted unsweetened chocolate in it. That would make it more dense, right? 

They are fun to make and different from the standard chocolate chip and sugar cookies you see so much of during the holiday season. 

And they are soooooooo yummy. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ripples Recipe

Ingredients

For the chocolate dough

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup white sugar

1 egg

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted

1 cup flour

 

For the peanut butter dough

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

2 tbsp butter, softened

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 tbsp flour

Instructions

For the chocolate dough

1. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg, salt, and vanilla. Continue creaming.

2. Add melted chocolate and continue creaming. 

3. Slowly add flour while using mixer on low until fully incorporated. Set aside dough.

For the peanut butter dough

1. Cream peanut butter and butter. 

2. Add brown sugar and cream again.

3. Add flour and mix until fully incorporated. 

To assemble

1. Preheat oven to 325 F and line three cookie sheets with parchment paper. 

2. Take 1 tsp of chocolate dough and roll into a ball. Flatten and place on a baking sheet lined. 

3. Take a scant tsp of peanut butter dough and roll into a ball. Flatten and place on top of tsp of chocolate dough. 

4. Take 1/2 tsp of chocolate dough and roll into a ball. Flatten and place on top of the tsp of peanut butter dough. 

5. Give it a good smoosh (press it down). Repeat until you run out of dough! You’ll use all three cookie pans and have about 12-15 cookies per pan. 

6. Bake for 15 minutes, rotating the pans half way through the baking time. 

 

Garlic Beef Bowl

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I love Chinese food, and I am slowly teaching Jim the ways of Asian cuisine! (And he likes it!) Takeout can be expensive, though, but thankfully Asian-inspired and fusion dishes are so easy to make at home. A lot of elements of Asian cooking have overlapping ingredients like sesame seed oil, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and peanuts. They’re also usually topped with scallions, the ultimate condiment, as my roommate says. Best of all, Asian dishes are packed with flavor. Sweet, spicy, salty, umami, bitter, and sour. It’s all there. 

This dish can be upgraded as much as you like. I start by marinating thin slices of flank steak and cooking it on low heat (very important!) with some mushrooms and broccoli. I served it on a bed of white rice, and you can stop there. Or you can add honey garlic carrots, (and/or) a medium boiled egg, (and/or) pickled red onions, (and/or) top it with scallions (and/or) peanuts! It ends up being pretty colorful. 

Garlic Beef Bowl Recipe

4 cloves minced garlic
1″ fresh, peeled ginger, minced
2 tbsp brown sugar, packed
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame seed oil plus 1 tsp for the pot
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 lb thinly sliced flank steak
4 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
6 oz fresh broccoli 

Scallions and peanuts for topping

Optional additional accompaniments 
Jasmine rice
Honeyed carrots
Pickled red onions
Medium boiled egg

Instructions

1. Combine garlic, ginger, brown sugar, red pepper, and peanut butter in a bowl. 

2. Add soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame seed oil, rice wine vinegar, and water to the bowl. Whisk until peanut butter is blended into the liquid.

3. Add 1 lb thinly sliced flank steak to the bowl and coat it in the marinade. Marinade for 30 minutes. 

4. Heat a large skillet or Dutch oven on low heat with 1 tsp sesame seed oil. When oil is shimmering and hot, add steak with marinade and shiitake mushrooms.

5. Toss around the pan, getting both sides of the meat cooked, about 7 minutes. Then add broccoli and cook for an additional 5 minutes, until broccoli is soft. 

6. Serve over a bed of rice and top with chopped scallions and peanuts. Can also serve with honeyed carrots, pickled red onions, and/or a medium boiled egg. 

Red Wine Pasta

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Here is the gist of this recipe: this is dry pasta–any kind of pasta you like–boiled in wine. Once the pasta is done, take some of the starchy pasta liquid and reserve it for the sauce. Then fry garlic and red chili flakes in either a) butter b) olive oil c) bacon grease or d) any combination of the aforementioned. And then you add the pasta liquid to it. Pour it over the drained noodles and cover in Parmesan cheese. You can top it with toasted pine nuts, bacon, or both. 

The striking purple color of the noodles is instantly intriguing. I’ll use a bolder red like a cabernet or merlot and it gives a very rich color and taste. I haven’t tried pinot noir, but I’d bet the noodles would come out more pink than purple! Regardless, combine bitter elements of red wine with savory, salty, spicy pasta and it’s a flavor punch to the face. 

I prepare this aglio e olio style with some slight modifications, but that basically means sauteing garlic (“aglio,” in Italian) in some kind of fat (“olio” is oil in Italian) with red chili flakes and then adding the starchy pasta liquid to complete the sauce. 

I got the inspiration for this recipe from a restaurant in Minneapolis called Bar la Grassa which I really recommend if you’re ever in the Twin Cities area. They top theirs with toasted pine nuts!

Ingredients

1 lb dry pasta
750 mL bold red wine (cabernet sauvignon or merlot work well)
750 mL water, plus 2 cups, if needed
Oil and salt for pasta water
8 tbsp butter (or any combination of fats amounting to 1/2 cup)
4-8 cloves of garlic (up to you how garlicky you like it)
Heaping 1/4 tsp red chili flakes
1 cup pasta liquid, reserved just before draining pasta
1 cup parmesan cheese

Optional:
3 slices bacon
Toasted pine nuts

Instructions

1. Boil wine and 750 mL of water. Add oil and salt to solution. 
2. Add pasta to boiling wine-water solution and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. *If the pasta liquid reduces such that the pasta is no longer submerged, add 2 cups of water. 
3. Around the 10th minute of boiling, reserve 1 cup of the wine-water solution the pasta has been boiling in and set aside. Then drain the pasta and set aside.
4. Melt butter in a small sauce pan. When starting to sizzle, add garlic and stir until golden. Stir frequently to make sure garlic doesn’t burn. 
5. Add chili flakes to butter and garlic and continue stirring for about 30 seconds. Don’t cook too long or the air will start to get a little spicy. 
6. Pour reserved pasta liquid over butter, garlic, and chili flakes. There will be a slight flash, but you must pour the entire cup in. 
7. Stir until the sauce starts to thicken slightly. 
8. Remove from heat and pour over drained pasta. Toss the pasta with tongs.
9. Add parmesan cheese to pasta while continuing to toss. 
10. Top with bacon or pine nuts and serve. 

Potato Cheddar Soup

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Things you can do with leftover mashed potatoes: 1. Reheat them as mashed potatoes. 2. Make latkes. 3. Make perogies. 4. Make this soup.

I actually made perogies right before this soup. Traveling over Thanksgiving deprived me of the typical leftovers, so I made mashed potatoes just for making dumplings. But then I didn’t use all the leftover potatoes for perogies, and I was left with leftovers of my leftover potatoes. Oye.

I searched my brain for “other things you can do with leftover potatoes” and then I remembered. Jim’s mom told me he loves potato cheddar soup, so I thought I’d try it just for him. I wish I had videoed the recipe, but I was also shoving a perogi in my mouth while making it, and my filming hand is also my perogi-eating hand. 

Jane (Jim’s mom) had shown me a recipe she used based on Ruby Tuesday’s potato cheese soup and she shared a secret ingredient that I’m about to share with you. Well, a version of it. Actually, I’ll let suspense build…

To describe this soup to you, I’d say it’s balanced: creamy, salty, savory, and a little tangy. It’s a very cozy, comforting food, excellent for when it’s cold outside and you just want cheesy carbs. Actually, I won’t pretend. I want that regardless of the weather.

Potato Cheddar Soup Recipe

Serves: 4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp tbsp flour
3 cups of milk, divided
8 oz of sharp cheddar cheese (set aside a small amount for garnishing)
2 tsp Better than Bullion Chicken Base
2 1/2 cups leftover mashed potatoes, cold
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (aka: secret ingredient)

 

Instructions

1. In a medium pot on medium-low heat, melt butter. When sizzling, add flour and whisk into clumps. 
2. Slowly add 1 cup of milk. 
3. Mix in cheddar and continue whisking. Do not allow to boil! Should be thick and cheesy.
4. Spoon in Better than Bullion and whisk to incorporate. 
5. Add the rest of the milk and the mashed potatoes, whisking the potatoes so the chunks are quite small. 
6. Bring to a simmer, but do not boil!! 
7. Add in the vinegar and give it one last taste. Adjust with salt if necessary. 
8. Serve with sour cream, cheddar, green onions, and bacon. 

Note the perogies in the background...

Shakshuka

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Shah what? Shuck-shoo-kuhh. It’s an Israeli dish. It’s eggs poached in tomato sauce. It’s yummy. Now I love savory foods for breakfast and some shakshuka with a thick slice of toasted bread slathered in butter is right up my alley. I am also kind of slow to get going in the morning, so making fresh tomato sauce to poach an egg in for 40 minutes might be a while. But leftover Beef Brisket Chili gives me a head start and makes this fancy sounding dish laughably easy. Step 1: Butter ramekin. Step 2: Put leftover chili in ramekin. Step 3: Crack an egg over chili. Step 4: Bake it for 35-40 minutes (for medium poached). Step 5: Eat it!

Beef Brisket Chili

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This is a nice break from the traditional chili made with ground beef. A slow cooked beef roast shreds up beautifully and makes for a hearty chili mixed with red kidney beans, corn, and a rich tomato broth. Top it with the usual chili fixings! 

Beef Brisket Chili Recipe

Ingredients

Extra virgin olive oil, for the pot
2 lb beef roast
Salt
1 cup diced yellow onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz. mild green chiles, diced
1 tbsp chile lime seasoning
1 lb 14 oz can tomatoes
1/2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups chicken broth
14 oz red kidney beans
1 cup corn
2 tbsp instant coffee powder

 

Instructions

1. Salt the roast on all sides. Use between 1-2 teaspoons. 
2. Heat a dutch oven on medium and then pour in olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot. It’s hot enough when it’s shimmering.
3. Braise the roast on the flat sides and the remove from the pot. Set aside. 
4. Add onion and garlic to the oil. Saute until onions are translucent. Then add green chiles. Stir.
5. Add the roast back in and cover in chile lime seasoning. 
6. Pour in tomatoes, paste, and chicken broth. Cover and turn heat down to a low simmer for three hours. Stir occasionally to make sure nothing sticks. 
7. After three hours, remove beef roast from the sauce and set aside. Using a hand blender, puree the tomatoes, onions, chiles, and broth. When smooth, replace the beef and add kidney beans, corn, and coffee powder. Stir and cover again.
8. Continue cooking on low for one more hour. 
9. Shred beef into small, bite-size pieces. 
10. Garnish with goat cheese, cheddar, and green onions and serve with buttered Texas toast. 

*Serve or store for up to 5 days. You can use left overs to make shakshuka!

Cacio e Pepe Eggs

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This recipe gives the typical scrambled eggs a little flair. The ricotta lends a lot of substance and protein to this breakfast. I like to have these with some buttered (or avocado) toast and a bright, citrusy salad. This dish was inspired by a Mediterranean brunch restaurant I found in St. Louis.

Ingredients

 

2 eggs

¼ cup whole milk ricotta cheese

2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pat of butter for the pan (1/3 tbsp)

Instructions

 

1.     In a small bowl, whisk together egg with ricotta and a pinch of salt and desired amount of pepper.

2.     In a small frying pan melt butter on medium heat.

3.     When butter starts bubbling, add egg mixture.

4.     Gently shuffle the liquid back and forth around the pan so that no part of the egg mixture is in the same place for more than a few seconds.

5.     Egg will start to curdle. Add grated Parmesan.

6.     Continue the back and forth shuffling until the eggs are no longer liquid, about 2-3 minutes.

7.     Serve immediately!