Creamy Chicken, Potato and Orzo Soup

SO good, and so much fun to make!

Creamy (Dark-Meat) Chicken, Potato and Orzo Soup

(serves 4)
__________________________________________________________________
Here's what you need:

3TB butter (or olive oil, or a combo)
1 med sweet onion
1 clove garlic
3-4 large carrots
4-5 celery stalks
2-3 lbs on-bone chicken thighs, legs or wings, or a combo
2 cups tap-hot water
1 cup chicken broth

3 large or 5-6 small potatoes: red, gold or white (don't matter)
1 cup dry orzo or rice
3/4 cup heavy cream

fresh rosemary
fresh thyme
bay leaf
oregano
basil
salt
pepper

A loaf of nice, crusty Italian bread

large stockpot
colander


__________________________________________________________________
Here's what you do:

Equality in a New Decade

2010 has been a busy year for gay rights.  As the year comes to a close, repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell looks very likely, states like New York and Maryland are taking a serious look at joining 5 other states (MA, IA, CT, VT & NH) and D.C. in offering marriage equality to their LGBT citizens, and groups like the American Family Association are finally having to spend their time and energy as they should, attempting a PR battle against being classified as 'hate groups' by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

None of these events we're witnessing is minor in the grand scheme of the gay rights movement. The end of Don't Ask Don't Tell, as easily evidenced with a quick Google search, is quite the contentious topic at the moment, probably mostly on the floors of the US House and Senate. The repeal's weighty effect on our nation is further displayed in the fact that a questionnaire was distributed to all US Service members earlier this year to collect their opinion on the subject.  I suppose gay people should be flattered that the consequences of our presence demand such exploration and analysis.  Is our freedom as humans to speak openly about the truth of who we are really something that should be up to a vote?  Besides, would the same rules not apply to us?

The Future of WikiLeaks and Mr. Assange

A judge in London granted bail today to Mr. Julian Assange, the recently famous founder of the international anti-secrecy organization WikiLeaks, although he remains jailed currently pending the possibility of appeal.  Swedish authorities were given two days to lodge their case.

Mr. Assange is fighting a request from a Swedish judge for his extradition to that country to face sex abuse charges involving accusations made by two young female WikiLeaks volunteers.  No matter if Mr. Assange is freed today on bail, the extradition decision could take weeks or longer, the New York Times reports today.  His next court date is set for Jan 11.

Julian Assange                                                      photo:AP

He surrendered to British authorities and was jailed a week ago when a judge reviewing the extradition order declared Mr. Assange to be a flight risk because of his “nomadic lifestyle,” his lack of ties in Britain, his network of international contacts and his access to substantial sums donated by WikiLeaks supporters. From now until his Jan 11 court date, Mr. Assange has been ordered to wear an electronic tracking bracelet, live at a registered address in London and report to police every evening.

The Best R&B of 2010

IMHO

Chili!

We're big chili fans around here, and any chance to whip up a new batch and try new techniques is met with enthusiasm.  I was in St. Pete, FL for Thanksgiving with the Moms, and on Saturday we headed down to Central Avenue for the annual St. Pete Chili Cook-off.  Inspiration surrounded me.

My sister Amy sent her recipe for White Chicken Chili (click the link or find it under "Pages" on the right side of the page), which is a great family dinner recipe that only takes about 30 minutes.

Today I'm interested in making a red Turkey Chili that cooks for at least an hour after each addition. These long cooking times are, of course, not necessary.  To make it quick, I would simmer after each addition for about 15 minutes at a minimum.  But the longer it has to simmer, the yummier it'll be.  The constant you find in the majority of award-winning chili recipes is the meat, onion and garlic simmering in chicken broth for as long as possible.

This is my recipe:

Molasses Cookies

I love, love, love soft, chewy cookies of any kind, but molasses cookies have always been near the top of my list.  This recipe at Food.com is 7 years old and has 230 5-star reviews, so we can all agree it's the standard-bearer of soft molasses cookie recipes.


Most people that don't bake frequently won't have shortening laying around the house, and of course you can use butter, but if you really want your cookies to be top-notch go spend the $3 on all-vegetable shortening.  It makes them lighter and lets the more diverse tastes of the recipe come out, instead of getting bogged down in butteriness.

• 3/4 cup shortening
• 1 cup packed brown sugar.  Light or dark is fine, and each of course will make a different color cookie.  I actually used a mix of the two this time.

• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup molasses

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
Cream together shortening and brown sugar.  This is my favorite part (aside from the eating); I love the texture of the two ingredients together.

My sourdough starter

I wanted to try some variations on the no-knead bread I love to bake, and I think one of the most interestingly delicious options is sourdough.  Making sourdough bread requires the use of a starter, which is a flour/water mix left at room temperature for a few days to allow the natural yeast in the flour to create that famous sour flavor.

You can buy a starter powder, or you can make your own.  How much fun is buying the stupid powder?!

There are many different instructional sites on-line, so I found one I like, and mostly stuck to it.  (Please note: if you plan to make your own starter, you might find my account humorous, but please click the link I provided in the last sentence for actual instruction.)

Basically it all started with a cup of all-purpose white flour, a cup of whole wheat flour, and about 1 1/2 cups of warm water, combined in a plastic tupperware bowl with a little hole punched in the middle of the cover.  That is all Day 1 requires.

The starter should be fed every 24 hours for about 6 days.  So on Day 2 it got its first feeding.

When I removed the cover on Day 2, this is what I got:

Pretty gross.  I mixed in 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, and 1/3 cup warm water.  The point is to add about equal weights of each, and water is heavier.