Roasted Carrot & Chinese Five Spice Soup

If you've never tried Chinese Five Spice, spring is a great time to experiment. The blend of anise, cinnamon, star anise, clover and ginger is the perfect pair for roasted carrots and other root veggies or potatoes.

These carrots make a nice side dish for chicken, ham or grilled steak.

Alas, my boys are not big fans of roasted vegetables, so we usually have leftovers – which I look forward to. This way I get to make soup. I always have some chicken stock on hand, so making soup is a quick way to get lunch or dinner on the table.

The simple formula of vegetable + stock + spices works like a charm with many different vegetables (butternut squash, acorn squash, potatoes, carrots) or veggie combos (sweet potato and carrot.) Be sure to have fun with the spices. Nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice is nice with squash; a little curry or cumin or ginger goes well with carrots. Give it a try and let us know what you come up with.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Roasted Carrot & Chinese Five Spice Soup

1 pound carrots (baby or whole) peeled and cut into 1-inch or 2-inch pieces
2 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 of a large onion, cut into chunks
1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil
3 teaspoons Chinese Five Spice, divided
Salt and pepper
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread all vegetables on cookie sheet. Drizzle with the oil. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons Chinese Five Spice, salt and pepper. Toss to coat vegetables in oil and spices.

Roast for 40 to 50 minutes, tossing every 20 minutes or so. Cook until the carrots are soft all the way through when pierced with a fork.

Remove from oven and let cool.

If you have an immersion blender, place the vegetables in a large pot. Add 1 1/3 cups of stock. You can also use a regular blender, but you may need to blend the vegetables and stock in batches. Blend until smooth.

Taste soup mixture. Add additional Chinese Five Spice, salt and pepper as you like. If soup is too thick, blend in more stock, adding 1/3 cup at a time.

Once you obtain the consistency and seasoning that you prefer, heat the soup in a pot on the stovetop, or in a microwave-safe bowl.

Enjoy as is or with a side of toasted pita or other bread.

Cooking Chicken 3 Ways on Fox 46's Good Day Charlotte

Consider the following post a bit of a #humblebrag.

We at Hot Dinner Happy Home have been grinning ear to ear and virtual high-fiving all weekend. You see, Charlotte's Fox affiliate asked Amy to come on Good Day Charlotte and demonstrate a recipe in a "What's Your Dish?" segment that features local food bloggers. Ever the overachiever, Amy opted to show three recipes: her signature Amy's Roasted Chicken, Slow Cooker Chicken Stock and Pressure Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup. 

(VIDEO): What's Your Dish? Amy George Makes Roasted Chicken

Our favorite line in the three-and-a-half  minute segment: "Do not fear the whole chicken." As Erin put it in one of many group texts between your three Bringers of Hot Dinner: "That's our message on HDHH. Just get in the kitchen  and don't be afraid! BRAVO!"

Thank you, dear readers, for keeping up with our culinary adventures and indulging us as we say, "Yay, us!"

XOXO,

Erin, Andrea & Amy

PS: Amy's family -- husband, Jeff,  and daughters,  Lucy and Penny -- tagged along for moral support. The girls even  got to be in a promo spot in which the anchor said they were studying up to come back and cook with Mom! A good day in Charlotte, indeed!

Slow Cooker Chicken Stock

A friend tried my roasted chicken recipe and afterward she made chicken stock in her slow cooker. She told me that once I tried it I would never make stock on the stove top again.

So, the last time I roasted a chicken, I put the frame in the slow cooker overnight along with all the necessary ingredients and when I got up in the morning...voila chicken stock! My friend was right. I will never again make chicken stock any other way.

So, then, I took that chicken stock -- all eight cups -- and made a double batch of my pressure cooker chicken noodle soup.

The dreaded Fall cold has swept through the George house, so this soup will have us all feeling better in no time -- and there's enough to freeze! BTW, both the soup and the stock by itself freeze nicely.

XOXO,
Amy

PS: No slow cooker? Check out how to make chicken stock the old fashioned way in Andrea's post "Chicken Stock & Chicken Tortellini Soup."

Slow Cooker Chicken Stock

Frame of one roasted chicken
Two carrots, peeled
Two celery stalks
1 medium to large onion, peeled and quartered
1 lemon, sliced in half
2 to 3 garlic cloves, pierced with a knife but left whole
1 bay leaf
Fresh herbs (whatever you have on hand), tied into a bouquet with kitchen twine if you have it

Place all ingredients in slow cooker and fill to top with water. Set to low for eight hours.

Remove chicken frame and all the solid ingredients. Pour stock into containers, using a mesh strainer to catch all the small bits and pieces. Place stock in refrigerator. I recommend not using the stock right away but letting it cool in the fridge so that you can remove the light layer of congealed fat that forms at the top of the broth. After you do that, use the broth in your favorite soup or recipe or freeze for later.

Green Rice

Summer is a great time to have fun with fresh herbs from the garden. When fellow mother-of-two-boys Molly W. gave me a big bunch of cilantro, I got to thinking about some new ways to use it. Enter this rice dish, which is inspired by the many recipes I've seen for cilantro rice.

As I've said before, we love Latin-inspired meals in our house. And my boys enjoy a little spicy kick, too.

I combined a poblano pepper with the cilantro, some flat-leaf parsley and green onions. The result is quite tasty. I served it with grilled pork tenderloin, but it would also go perfectly with tacos of any variety, especially — steak, fish, DIY or slow-cooker pork. A little guacamole on the side would be nice, too.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Green Rice

1 poblano pepper, seeded and sliced into thin strips
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley
2 to 4 green onions, cut into chunks (depending on how much you like onions)
1 or 2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 cups chicken stock 
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked medium or long grain rice

Place first six ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until pureed. Set aside.

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan or skillet with lid. Add uncooked rice and saute until lightly browned.

Stir in puree and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until all liquid is absorbed.

Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff rice with fork and serve.

Pressure Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

Lately, I've been loving making chicken noodle soup. And it is super easy now that I also am in love with my pressure cooker. Here's what I do: make my roasted chicken and then throw all the little leftover pieces of meat into the pressure cooker. In a matter of minutes, I have the next day's lunch or dinner in hand.

XOXO,
Amy

PS: Sometimes when I am feeling extra thrifty, I make this soup with homemade broth.

Pressure Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

Cut up cooked chicken, about 1-2 cups

3 large carrots, peeled and diced ½” inch thick
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup uncooked noodles

32 oz. chicken broth
1 teaspoon thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

Add the cooked chicken, veggies, thyme, noodles and broth to the pressure cooker. Cover and cook on high pressure for six minutes.

Note about the chicken: Again, you can use all white or all dark meat or any combo. You can usually find enough meat from the “scraps” of a homemade roasted chicken or a store-bought rotisserie bird.

When time is up on the pressure cooker, do a quick release and remove the lid when it is safe to do so. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!

Cajun Turkey Jambalaya

Tired of leftovers? Here's a great way to disguise last night's turkey or chicken in an entirely new dish. This quickly-prepped dinner is a delicious way to use what's left from a big holiday bird or the weekend's whole roasted chicken. In fact, I ordered an extra large smoked turkey from my butcher this Easter — just so I could stir this up later on.

Why do I love this recipe so much? It's a one-pot meal. It's easily varied. It has bacon in it! And it works equally well with freshly cooked, leftover or smoked turkey or chicken.

But I have to be honest with you. The real reason this is one of my go-to suppers is that the turkey and rice dish is a real crowd pleaser at my house. The jambalaya delivers enough kick to satisfy my husband and oldest son Max, who prefer spicy foods. Yet the heat is mild enough for me and Sam to enjoy, too.

A California Chopped Salad or green salad topped with Apple-Herb Vinaigrette would be a perfect way to round out this meal.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Cajun Turkey Jambalaya
Adapted from About.com Southern Food

4 ounces bacon, chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper (red, yellow or orange bell peppers work here, too)
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups leftover or cooked fresh turkey or chicken (white or dark meat or both), cut in cubes
4 cups chicken stock or broth
1 cup chopped cilantro (or parsley or both), divided
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups raw rice
1/2 cup sliced green onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using a Dutch oven or large ovenproof pot with lid, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside.

Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic and turkey to the bacon drippings and saute for 20 minutes, stirring often.

Add the chicken stock or broth, 1/2 cup of the cilantro, salt, black pepper, marjoram, cayenne and bay leaves. Stir together and bring to a boil.

Add the rice and stir to combine. Cover and place pot in center of oven. Bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 45 minutes.

Spoon servings onto plates or into bowls. Top with green onions, bacon and remaining cilantro.

Chicken Stock & Chicken Tortellini Soup

I'm all for the convenience of packaged chicken broth, but I do enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes with cooking from scratch – especially when the process naturally follows a meal I'm already making.

The next time you roast a chicken leave a little meat on the frame and make yourself some chicken stock. It's almost as easy as boiling water – seriously!

You can flavor the broth with whatever herbs and vegetables you have on hand. Experiment until you find a combination you like best. When you're done, you'll have enough chicken stock to make a fragrant Chicken & Tortellini soup (recipe below), plus more to pop into the freezer for later – about 10 cups in all.

P.S. What's the difference between broth and stock, you ask? Traditionally, stock is made from bones. The collagen in the bones breaks down into a gelatin that adds body and a thicker texture to the liquid. Broth is made from meat and seasonings. Since I use both meat and bones to make this soup base, I'm using the terms broth and stock interchangeably.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Chicken Stock

1 frame from a 4 to 5 pound chicken
1 large white onion, peeled and cut in quarters
1 shallots, peeled and cut in half
3 peeled carrots
3 celery stalks
2 o 3 crushed or minced garlic cloves
1 lemon, halved
Fresh herbs sprigs, tied into a bouquet with kitchen twine: thyme, rosemary, oregano, parsley or whatever you have on hand
Salt and pepper to taste

Place chicken frame in a 6-quart pot. Add vegetables, herbs and salt and pepper. Fill pot with water to cover chicken frame. Cover pot with lid. Bring to a boil and maintain a rolling boil for about 30 minutes. Lower heat to simmer and cook for 4 hours or longer, keeping pot partially covered.

Let broth cool. Skim any fat from top. Remove chicken frame, vegetables and herbs from pot and discard. Place a colander on top of a large pot or bowl and pour stock through strainer. (You could also use cheesecloth in this step.)

You can use your broth right away or place broth into a covered pot or container and refrigerate overnight. The next day, skim off any fat on the surface. Now you have a delicious base for soup.

Chicken & Tortellini Soup

9 ounces cheese tortellini
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: 4 ounces spinach, Swiss chard or baby kale
Grated or shaved parmesan cheese for garnish

Cook tortellini according to package directions. While tortellini cooks, heat broth on stove top in medium to large pot. Add tortellini and chicken to hot stock and heat through. If using greens, stir them into soup just until wilted.

Ladle servings into bowls and top with parmesan.