Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I know that this recipe, and actual any Dash of Calamity post, is long overdue.

So I now present to you my Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with picture and all.

This soup is not the healthiest or quickest, but boy is it good.

1 head garlic – roasted (step by step recipe with pictures coming soon)
1 large acorn squash
2-4 carrots – washed and large diced
1/2 stick of butter
1 large onion – diced
6-8 cups chicken stock
1/2 block cream cheese (You can use a whole block if you are feeling extra rich)
Salt/pepper to taste

1) Cut squash in half, then scoop out seeds and gunk.
A trick I have learned is to stab the squash a couple of times and microwave for a few minutes to make cutting it in half easier.

2) Toss carrots with some olive oil and S&P. Rub the cut side of the squash with olive oil as well.
Lay squash cut side down and spread carrots out on cooking sheet. I generally like to roast the garlic at this time as well.

3) Roast for about an hour, checking every once in a while to stir carrots.
The carrots will probably be done before the squash.

4) Melt butter in large pan & add diced onions.
Cook until the onions are translucent and just starting to brown.

5) Add in the roasted carrots, the squash scooped out of the skin, and 6-8 cups of the chicken stock. The amount of stock varies depending on how thick you want your soup and how large the squash was.

6) Let everything simmer for a few minutes and then blend until smooth.

7) Stir in the cream cheese and blend again to make super smooth.

8 ) Salt and pepper to taste.

9) It is great served by itself, or, as in the image above, topped with crispy bacon, pecan halves, and sautéed apple chunks. Yum!

When is it worth it to buy organic?

Over the past year, Brett and I have really been making an effort to get healthier in all aspects of our lives. We are trying to exercise more, get enough sleep, and improve our diet. Included in this is of course eating more fruits and veggies. Our ultimate goal would be to eat vegetarian for the majority of our meals with only a meat main dish a couple of times a week. With the increased awareness of our heath has also been the increase awareness of what is added in and on our food. It would be great if everything we ate could be natural and organic, but that just is not reasonable right now in our budget. I know there are many other people who feel the same way. I thought I would share some guidelines about what foods are more important to really strive to buy organic and what foods would be a waste of your limited grocery budget.

First is what people have labeled the “Dirty Dozen”. This list is from worst to better of foods that have the most chemicals and pesticides on them even after a thorough washing in an industrial kitchen. Celery, which is the worst offender of them all, tested positive for 67 chemicals and they all tested above 47 different chemicals – gross! This is the list from which you should really try to buy organic.

• celery
• peaches
• strawberries
• apples
• domestic blueberries
• nectarines
• sweet bell peppers
• spinach, kale and collard greens
• cherries
• potatoes
• imported grapes
• lettuce

Next up is what is known as the “Clean 15”. These had little to no traces of chemicals or pesticides after being washed. You are safe to buy non-organic and save your precious dollars.

• onions
• avocados
• sweet corn
• pineapples
• mango
• sweet peas
• asparagus
• kiwi fruit
• cabbage
• eggplant
• cantaloupe
• watermelon
• grapefruit
• sweet potatoes
• sweet onions

The full list of all 49 produce tested  is available at this link:  http://www.foodnews.org/fulllist.php

I plan on printing out the full list to put on my fridge so I can keep all this in mind while making my grocery lists.

New Uses for Coffee Filters

Ever wondered what to do with you’re excess coffee filters?
We found a great article at RealSimple.com that gave us some great ideas.

About 100 years ago, a German housewife named Melitta Bentz punctured the bottom of a brass pot, lined it with blotting paper, and―voilà!―made the first coffee filter. Almost a century later, a perfected version of Bentz’s design is still used. “Coffee filters aren’t as likely to crumple or dissolve in water as typical paper because they have better ‘wet strength,’ thanks to longer fibers,” says Melinda McDonald, communications manager for a beverage-equipment manufacturer. “Additionally, the fluted sides and cupcake shape allow substances to flow through the filter freely and prevent grains from flowing over the sides.”

• Diffuse the flash on a camera. When you’re taking a close-up, soften the brightness by placing a coffee filter over the flash.
• Strain wine from a bottle with a broken cork. Place the filter over a pitcher or a carafe and slowly pour the wine into it.
• Make yogurt dip. Use a rubber band to secure a paper coffee filter over the mouth of a deep cup or jar. Slowly pour 8 ounces of plain yogurt onto the filter. Let drain for one hour. In a bowl, mix the thickened yogurt with 1 small minced garlic clove, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with crackers.
• Heat up leftovers in the microwave. Use a filter as the protective covering over a bowl or a plate.
• Prevent soil from draining out of flowerpots. When repotting, place a filter at the bottom, over the drainage hole, then add the soil.
• Prevent scuffs and scratches on fine china. Use flattened coffee filters as spacers when you stack your dishes.
• Clean windows and glass when you’re out of paper towels. Coffee filters leave no lint or other residue.

Creamy Roasted Garlic Soup

Brett and I both decided that this garlic soup is one of our top 5 favorite soups. It has the perfect balance of creaminess and comfort, without being too heavy. The potato gives it that creaminess, without having to add a whole bunch of cream; though you can always add a splash or two for extra richness.

The first ingredient in the recipe is roasted garlic. For those of you who are not familiar with how to make amazing-ness that is roasted garlic, the recipe is included at the end. It is great for anything that calls for garlic, but gives it a much more mellow and deep flavor. Brett and I will often spread the roasted garlic cloves on bread, like butter.

Make sure to use some really good, fresh grated parmesan cheese (not the kind in a can). It really adds to the dish. Serve some crusty bread alongside the soup.

• 3-4 heads of garlic (so it is about 25 garlic cloves) – roasted*
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2-3 heads of garlic (about 18 garlic cloves) – peeled
• 2 small or 1 large potato peeled and diced
• 4 cups chicken stock (vegetable can be used)
• dash of cream or 1/2 & 1/2
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 lemon wedges

Melt butter in a heavy, large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until the onions are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the raw garlic cloves and cook 3 more minutes.

Add chicken stock, potatoes, thyme and roasted garlic; cover and simmer until garlic is very tender, about 20 minutes.

Purée soup until smooth. Add in a splash of cream and bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve topped with parmesan and a squeeze of lemon juice.

* To roast garlic:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Removed the extra paper from head of garlic but not so much that it starts to come apart.

Cut off the tips of the garlic and place the garlic head in a baking dish and drizzle with some olive oil – make sure it gets into all the little cracks. Sprinkle with a bit of salt.

Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake until garlic is golden brown and tender, about 45 minutes. Cool.

Squeeze garlic between fingertips to release cloves.

New Uses for Dryer Sheets

From Olive Oil to Dryer Sheets, Here at Dash of Calamity we are willing to try anything as part of our resent series on using common household item in new ways.
I didn’t even discover that dryer sheets existed until I moved from Australia to New Jersey, and now I have even more uses for them than just static control!

“Static builds up when fabrics rub together and exchange electrons,” says Behnam Pourdeyhimi, director of the Nonwovens Cooperative Research Center. “Dryer sheets contain positively charged ingredients that are released by heat and movement, such as the tumbling motion of the dryer. These ingredients bond loosely to any negatively charged fabric surface, such as a piece of clothing with static cling, neutralizing the charge and acting as a lubricant.”

• Freshen smelly shoes. Insert a dryer sheet into the offending pair and let sit overnight. (I’ve done this and it works a charm!)
• Remove static from clothing, hair, TV screens, and computer monitors. Wipe the surface with a sheet.
• Clean pet hair from the floor or furniture. Rub a dryer sheet over the spot where Fluffy left her fur.
• Loosen caked-on food from a pan. Place a fresh sheet in the bottom of a dirty pan, fill with lukewarm tap water, and let sit in the sink overnight. The pan will be easier to clean in the morning.
• Tackle suitcase or bag odors. Place a dryer sheet in your suitcase or gym bag so your clean clothes won’t take on the odors of the dirty ones.
• Prevent old books from smelling musty when in storage. Stick a dryer sheet between the pages of your beloved copy of Pride and Prejudice.
• Wipe up sawdust after working in the garage. Rub a dryer sheet over the fine wood particles.
• Prevent thread from tangling when sewing. Run a threaded needle through a dryer sheet right before you begin your handiwork.

Got any other household items that you use in multiple way?

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Food Tour of NEW YORK

For the last 2 weeks I feel like all I have done it EAT!

We’ve had 2 friends from Australia staying with us and we took it upon our selves to show them the in’s and out’s of New York City.

From the sites, to the shops, to the people, to the places… and not forgetting the FOOD!

Here a a quick look at the ALL AMERICAN foods we ate.

Corn Dog, Hot Dog, Smores, Grape Soda, Pretzel, Red Bull, Dr Pepper, Bagel, Hersey Chocolate and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
Disco Fries, A Root Beer Float, Burger & Fries, A Cosmopolitan, Cheese Doodles, A Fried Snicker Bar and a Kebab from a street vendor.
An Italian feast at the San Genaro Festival in Little Italy, A night at Carmines, A night at Chilies, A night at Bubba Gump’s and multiple trips to Dunkin Donuts!

That’s enough… I feel sick.

Road Trip Snack Lunch

I snapped a quick picture of Brett & my lunch for an impromptu road trip.

What do you like to take as road food?

Pantry Staples

Eggs, spinach, onions, tortillas, spicy refried beans, and coffee are a few of the staple items that the Hartford family is rarely without. I know other families who can’t live without milk or pasta, and Bek has said they always keep canned tomatoes, spinach, lemons, and cheese around.

Obviously everyone household is different but here is a list of must have pantry staples from one of Dash Of Calamity’s favorite magazines, Real Simple.

Pantry:
Olive oil
Vegetable oil
Balsamic vinegar
Red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Spices
Canned tuna
Canned beans
Chicken broth
Tomato paste
Jarred marinara sauce
Red and white wine
Rice
Pasta
All-purpose flour
Sugar
Potatoes
Garlic and onions

Refrigerator:
Butter
Milk
Eggs
Plain yogurt
Parmesan cheese
Dijon mustard
Carrots
Lemons

Freezer:
Peas
Spinach
Bread
Bacon
Shrimp
Nuts

What are the pantry staples of your house?

Campfire Chili

My family are big chili fans. My dad makes a mean Chili and no matter how hard i try it never comes out as good as his… but we have fun trying.

On our recent camping trip I was in-charge of dinner so there was no surprise that Chili was on the menu.With some twists for camping. I served it in Jacket Potatoes (Is that an Australian term?).

I cooked the chili at home the night before, I settled for an Old El Paso packet mix this time due to time restraints.  I froze the batch in a plastic container which meant it stayed cold while we traveled to the campsite.

Once the fire was going it was as easy as putting the Chili in a pot to defrost and re heat then cook the potatoes. Prick each potato a few times and then wrap it in foil. The spuds were cooked in about an hour.

Once the potatoes were ready and the tents were up it was time to dig in! We had all the fillings for people to choose from and load up their spud.  Cheese, sour cream, salsa, spinach, tomato and spring onion and avocado.

The final product – YUM! Who says you cant have a delicious gourmet meal when out camping.

Eggs in a Nest

One of my favorite breakfasts as a child was what we called “eggs in a nest”. I have heard it called by many names: egg in the hole, egg bread and egg in the basket are a few others.

When it was decided that I would be in charge of breakfast for our recent camping trip, these immediately came to mind. They are easy enough to make over a campfire and allow everyone to craft to their liking.

My plan for breakfast was egg in a nest, bacon (saving some grease for the eggs),  and fresh fruit. We were lucky enough to have leftover tomatoes, cheese, and green onions from dinner the night before to add a little extra embellishment, but these are as fantastic just sprinkled with a little salt and pepper.

You will need:
Bread
Eggs (same # as slices of bread)
Butter or grease of some kind
S/P
Any other toppings you happen to have around

How to make:
Start by cutting or tearing an egg-sized hole in each piece of bread. I will often use the top of a cup to cut out the hole.

Grease and heat your pan to medium/medium high.

Place a slice of bread on the hot pan and immediately crack an egg into the hole.

Cook until the egg is to your desired liking. For me this is cooking a few minutes on the first side then flipping and cooking just a minute more so the white is completely cooked, but the yolk is nice and runny.

Season and top with whatever topping you have on hand.

Repeat until everyone is happy and full.