To all of the mothers (or soon-to-be mothers) out there, I wish you a happy day!
Mother’s Day Dim Sum in Kansas City with the toddler:
Yes, those are chickens’ feet…
…and yes, she did try them…
…and yes, she is too cool for school!
Happy Mother’s Day! Love, the SoupBowlRecipes Team!
My husband is great at a lot of things, but surprising me for Mother’s Day isn’t one of them. I get flowers, of course, and a card, but after a few years experience I’ve given up the hope that he’ll make me Poached Salmon Eggs Benedict, or have the foresight to call ahead for 11am brunch reservations at my favorite restaurant (sorry, honey). That’s why this year I decided to take matters into my own hands and come up with a French toast recipe that I can make the night before then pop in the oven the next morning. So this Mother’s Day when my husband wakes up at the annoying hour of 6am (which he does every morning), I will roll over and lovingly whisper in his ear, “350° for 20 minutes,” and know that when I get out of bed, my perfectly crafted French toast will be hot and ready.
Baked Coconut French Toast
Serves 6
Butter the bottom and sides of a 13×9-inch baking dish. Line bottom of dish with bread, overlapping pieces slightly so that bread fits to the edges of the dish.
In a medium bowl, whisk together coconut milk, eggs, and sugar. Pour egg mixture over bread and use a spoon to help distribute the liquid pressing down on the bread so that it fully absorbs liquid. Allow to set for 15 minutes or up to 12 hours, covered in the refrigerator. (If refrigerating overnight, bring dish out and set on the counter for an hour before baking to allow to come to room temperature.) Sprinkle the shredded coconut over the bread and press down slightly with your hand so that it sticks to the top.
Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until egg mixture has set and coconut is golden brown (the bottom of the dish will be custardy). Allow to rest for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
Everyone here at SoupBowlRecipes (including my two adorable nephews) would like to wish you a Happy Cinco de Mayo! Whether you’re at your favorite Mexican restaurant enjoying a fruity drink and some spicy salsa…
…or at home with friends cooking up street tacos and sopapillas…
…we hope you have a safe and fun holiday!
Sopapillas are a traditional Mexican dessert consisting of fried dough that’s been sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar then drizzled with honey. Ohmygod my mouth started watering just typing that sentence. Okay, now you’ve all had elephant ears at the fair, right? Yeah, well these are so much better. I don’t know why, but they are. Maybe it’s the honey. Maybe it’s the Mexican flare. Or maybe it’s just me. But this dessert is the single most thing I look forward to whenever we go out for Mexican food. Forget the chips and salsa, I’m all about the sopapillas.
Now normally I like to do things the right way. I’m about making the dough by hand, letting it rise, rolling it out, and frying it in small batches. When time permits. But when you have a house full of hungry guests who have been drinking daiquiris and noshing on street tacos, there’s no way you’re gonna to want to pull yourself away from the party to cook up a labor-intensive dessert. At least I wouldn’t. So why not opt for something simpler. Let’s all just agree to skip the kneading and rolling this Cinco de Mayo and throw a bunch of tortillas into the fryer instead!
Super Easy Sopapillas
Cut each tortilla into 4 wedges, set aside. In a small bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar.
Pour oil into a straight-sided skillet until it’s ¼-inch deep. Set heat between medium-high and high. Allow oil to get hot (you’ll know it’s ready when a couple drops of water pop when they hit the oil).
With kitchen tongs, carefully place 4-5 tortilla wedges into the oil and cook, occasionally pressing down on the tortillas, until they brown on one side, then flip and cook on the other side, approximately 1 minute per side.
Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and immediately sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining tortilla wedges.
Either drizzle with honey and serve immediately, or allow to cool, then store at room temperature in a resealable plastic bag for up to 1 day. Drizzle with honey just before serving.
Side note: In case you were wondering what happens to all this delicious food after I’m done with my photo shoots, I can tell you that everything goes directly to my Quality Assurance department (a.k.a. my stomach). So yeah, I ate this entire plate of sopapillas as soon as I put down my camera. And no, I didn’t save any for my toddler who was napping at the time. Don’t judge me.
With Cinco de Mayo only cinco days away, it’s time you started thinking about your party plans. You know, and I know, and all the other sane people on the planet know that every Mexican restaurant from here to Jupiter is going to be jammed packed with people fighting for a table. Even if you were forward-thinking enough to make a reservation, you’re still gonna wait a long time to be seated. Sure it’s fun to go out and celebrate with tequila-guzzling, sombrero-wearing, chips-and-salsa-munching party animals, but doesn’t it sound more fun to have a few friends over for a casual party where you can enjoy good food, good conversation, and still make it to work the next day (btw, Cinco de Mayo falls on a Monday this year, yeesh!)? Below is a quick and easy Cinco de Mayo menu that you can prep the day before, then throw into the crockpot to cook while you bide your time at work waiting for the festivities to begin.
Smoky Beef Brisket Street Tacos
Also known as carne deshebrads, these super easy, super tasty tacos take a couple minutes to prepare, and even less time to vanish. Seriously, beware because they are highly addictive and will be requested by family and friends for every occasion from here on out. Consider yourself warned! Just don’t forget to marinate the brisket overnight so that it can reach its full flavor potential. (Recipe slightly adapted from Muy Bueno cookbook, by way of my aunt, by way of her daughter-in-law)
Serves 4-8
Tacos
Toppings (choose any combination of the following or add your own)
The night before:
Place all of the taco ingredients (except tortillas) into the baking dish of crockpot or slow cooker, then cover and refrigerate overnight to allow the brisket to marinate.
Chop and prepare all the taco toppings (except for the avocado which will turn brown), cover and refrigerate.
The day of:
Place baking dish in the crockpot and set to cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or HIGH for 4-6 hours.
About 30-mintues before the brisket has finished cooking, slice the avocado and remove the other toppings from the refrigerator. Also, warm the tortillas by stacking 5 of them on top of each other, then wrap in tin foil and place in an oven preheated to 350° for 15-20 minutes (you can warm multiple packets of 5 tortillas at the same.)
Remove the brisket from the crockpot and place on a large serving platter. With two forks, shred the meat and drizzle a couple tablespoons of cooking liquid over top.
Set out toppings and allow guests to build their own tacos.
Sidekicks:
Guacamole
Guacamole
Cut the avocados in half and remove pit. Scoop out avocado from the peel, put in a medium bowl. Mash avocado with a fork until slightly smooth with some chunks of avocado left.
Add tomato, onion, jalapeño, and lime juice. Stir until combined, then season with salt & pepper, and a few dashes of hot sauce if you’d like. Serve with tortilla chips.
*If you have a small food processor, you can use it to chop the ½ tomato, ¼ white onion, jalapeño, and lime juice until chunky, then add it to the mashed avocado. Or, for a super quick version, add ½ cup jarred salsa to mashed avocado and mix until combined.
Guacamole is best served fresh, but if you do refrigerate it, place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of guacamole, the cover the entire bowl with an additional piece of plastic wrap.
Mexican Rice
Mexican Rice
Serves 6-8
In a large, straight-sided skillet, heat oil until shimmering. Add onion and pepper and sauté until soft and onion begins to become translucent, about 5-8 minutes. Add garlic and cook until just fragrant, about 1 minute. Add rice and cook until it begins to toast, about 1-2 minutes.
Add tomato juice and chicken stock and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once liquid begins to boil, immediately reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, or until rice is soft but not mushy.
Add peas and tomatoes and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes. Season with salt & pepper and chili powder, if you like it extra spicy.
Transfer to a large serving bowl and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve hot.
*Rice can be made the day before, refrigerated, then quickly reheated in the microwave the day of the party.
Strawberry-Watermelon Daiquiris
The thing I always hate about making frozen drinks at home is that unless you own a Vitamix (which I desperately want but feel bad about dipping into the Toddler’s college fund to buy), I always end up with huge chunks of unblended ice that clog up my straw. By pre-freezing the watermelon for a few minutes and using frozen strawberries, I’ve found that I can bypass those pesky ice cubes altogether and still get the creamy, frosty effect that you’d get from your favorite Mexican restaurant.
Strawberry-Watermelon Daiquiris
Serves 4
Place watermelon in a bowl and pour rum over top, then freeze for 40-60 minutes. In a blender, add watermelon and remaining ingredients and blend on high until smooth.
Pour into glasses and garnish with a wedge of watermelon.
*To make simple syrup, add 1 cup white sugar and 1 cup water in a sauce pan. Bring water to a boil and stir until sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool. Simple syrup can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
One of the many things I love about Easter, aside from the candy and the colorful eggs, is the juicy spiral-cut ham that we serve up for dinner – and keep serving day, after day, after day, until the never-ending leftovers have been used up. Sick of ham sandwiches yet? Me, too! Here’s a quick way to finish off your ham without stuffing it into yet another stale dinner roll!
Split Pea Soup with Ham
Serves 6-8
In a large soup pot, heat oil until shimmering. Add onions, carrots, and celery and cook until vegetables have softened and onion starts to become transparent, about 5-8 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook until just fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add stock, peas, potatoes, paprika, and bay leaf and stir to combine. Nestle ham bone in the middle of soup then bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until peas and vegetables are soft, about 40-45 minutes.
Remove bay leaf and ham bone from, discarding both. Ladle half of soup into a separate bowl, set aside. With a hand-held immersion blender, purée soup in pot until smooth, then return reserved soup to pot and stir until combined. Or alternatively, ladle half of soup into a blender and purée until smooth, the return puréed portion to pot and stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
Add diced ham and heat until ham is warmed through. Ladle soup into preheated bowls and garnish with a drizzle with olive oil, some chopped ham, and a sprinkle of smoked paprika. Serve immediately or refrigerate covered for 3-5 days.
Mixed Green Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
Serves 6
FOR THE SALAD:
FOR THE VINAIGRETTE:
Toss all salad ingredients in a large bowl.
Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients in a liquid measuring cup until ingredients have emulsified.
Pour a little dressing over salad, toss, then repeat as needed.
Since the time I was young, I have always had a hard time letting go of holidays. The anticipation leading up to Christmas, or Easter, or my birthday was so great, that once the date had come and gone, I would go into what my family called a “post-party depression.” I was the kid that would stand in the front yard weeping as my dad hauled our dried-up Christmas tree out to the curb, and the one who would leave Valentine’s Day cards taped to my wall well into summer, and the one that wouldn’t eat my carefully dyed Easter eggs, instead hiding them in my room until they began to smell. Now that I’m older (and only slightly wiser), I’ve gotten better at boxing up our holidays and storing them away until the next year, but I can see that my daughter has inherited my sentimentality. Our Christmas tree (which we never got around to disposing of – oops) is stashed in a corner of our backyard behind the tool shed. Every so often when she’s playing outside, my toddler will wander over to “visit” the tree and offer some encouraging words about its possible return to the living room where it once stood proud. So as Easter approaches, it dawned on me that I may have some difficulty getting her to relinquish the eggs she so happily dyed and decorated last week. Being 2½, she has absolutely no reason. There’s not a snowball’s chance that I’ll be able to explain the concept of “rotting eggs” in a way that she will either a) understand, or b) give a crap about. Again, she’s 2½. So that’s when I put my thinking cap on. How could I preserve her eggs a little longer without sacrificing a dozen perfectly good hardboiled-beauties and still keep my sanity? The answer was so obvious it almost smacked me in the face; deviled eggs! But not just any deviled eggs, dyed deviled eggs. And so yesterday morning when my toddler woke up, she found that not only did the Easter Bunny leave her a fun basket of gifts, he magically transformed her Easter eggs into a colorful lunchtime treat! (I’m hoping this trick works for a couple more years, but probably not!) Anyway, here’s how I did it…
Deviled Easter Eggs
Makes 12
In a medium saucepan set over high heat, place eggs in a single layer and cover with 2 inches of water. Once water begins to boil, set a timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove saucepan from heat and place in the sink. Run cold water over the eggs for 1-2 minutes.
Crack egg shells and carefully peel under cool running water. Gently dry with paper towels. Slice the eggs in half lengthwise, removing yolks and placing in a medium bowl. Place the whites on a serving platter. Mash the yolks into a fine crumble using a fork. Add mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt, and mix well. If the mixture is lumpy, use a hand blender to beat the chunks out.
Divide mixture into 5 separate bowls. To the first bowl add 1 drop of red food coloring and mix well, this will be your pink filling. To the second bowl add 2 drops of blue food coloring, and to the third bowl add 1 drop of green food coloring (these will be your blue and green fillings, obviously). The fourth bowl is a little trickier because purple is a hard color to make when you’re starting with a yellow base. I recommend using 1 drop of blue and 1 drop of red, mixing, then adding more of whichever color you need to make it look purple (which will inevitably look grayish, but oh well). Don’t do anything to the fifth bowl because that will be your yellow filling.
Evenly divide the five fillings into egg whites, alternating colors. An easy way to do this is to fill a small sandwich bag with a couple spoonfuls of filling, then cut the tip off one corner of the bag and squeeze the filling into the whites – kind of like you would icing from a pastry bag.
Bonus: thess deviled eggs are so colorful that they don’t need a garnish! Serve eggs immediately, or refrigerate (covered) for up to 1 day.
Happy Easter from the SoupBowlRecipes team! *Just a note to save your Easter eggs and ham scraps (bone and all) because this weeks’ recipes will be using them! We hope you enjoy the day!
When I was a kid Easter was a pretty intense time for my sister and me. You see, the Easter Bunny used to hide our baskets every year. But he wouldn’t just hide our baskets, he would HIDE our baskets! He was pretty extreme, and took pleasure in stashing our baskets in impossible-to-find places and delighting in the length of time it took my sister and me to find them. His signature hiding spots were places you wouldn’t think to look as a kid, like on top of the furnace in the creepy basement that my sister and I hated; or hanging in the laundry chute, suspended between two floors; or wrapped in a garbage bag under the kitchen sink. In my 8-year old mind, I was sure that the Easter Bunny didn’t give it up as easily as Santa because we left him carrots instead of cookies. He was jealous. And bitter. And everyone knows that there’s nothing worse than a bitter bunny. Well, maybe not. But still it got me thinking, surely our little cotton-tailed friend would be much happier if we left him something tastier than cold, raw carrots. Something warm and creamy and slightly sweet. Something a little bit like this….
Carrot, Ginger, & Orange Soup
Serves 4
In a medium soup pot, heat olive oil until shimmering. Sauté carrots and onion until soft and onion becomes translucent but not brown, about 5-8 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add stock, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce to low and simmer, partially covered, until carrots are fork-tender, about 20 minutes.
Carefully remove and discard cinnamon and bay, then using an immersion hand-blender, purée soup until smooth, or alternatively, working in two batches, purée soup in a blender or food processor until smooth, return to pot.
Add OJ and stir until fully incorporated, season with salt and pepper.
Ladle soup into preheated bowl, then top with sour cream and parsley.
Walnut Pesto Panini
Glancing down at this recipe it may look like it has many parts, but it’s actually very simple: 1) grill chicken, 2) make pesto, 3) assemble sandwich. Done! Oh, but I forgot, then you have to eat the sandwich, and lick the tomato juices off your fingers, and wipe the melted cheese strands off your chin, and then get up and make another sandwich because the first one was so good. So, yeah, I guess it is a difficult recipe, but I think you can handle it.
Walnut Pesto Panini
Serves 4
FOR THE CHICKEN
FOR THE WALNUT PESTO
FOR THE PANINI
TO MAKE THE CHICKEN
In a bowl, mix together lemon juice, Dijon, and salt and pepper. Slice chicken breasts in half horizontally (making a cutlet), and place between two pieces of plastic wrap and, with a meat mallet, pound until ¼-inch thick. Place chicken in the lemon/Dijon mixture, coating evenly, and allow to marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Lightly mist a skillet with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade, letting excess drip off, and place in the hot skillet. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes, then flip and cook second side until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing very thin.
TO MAKE THE PESTO
Combine all ingredients in a small food processor and process until mostly blended and somewhat paste-like, season with pepper.
TO ASSEMBLE THE PANINI
Preheat a panini press to medium-high heat, or alternatively, heat a griddle or skillet over medium-high heat.
Spread 1-2 Tbsp. of pesto on the inside of pita pocket, covering both sides. Place sliced chicken inside of pita and top with 1 slice of cheese, cut in half so that it fits within the pita.
Place pita sandwiches in a panini press and cook until cheese has melted and pita starts to brown, about 2-3 minutes. If using a griddle or skillet, put pita sandwich on griddle/skillet and place a plate, weighted down with a tin can, on top of pita. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then flip pita and cook on the other side, topped with the weighted plate, until cheese has melted and pita starts to brown, another minute or so.
Slide tomato slices into sandwich, slice in half and serve hot.
THIS HAS BEEN A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE EASTER BUNNY.
Egg Drop Soup
Egg drop soup is one of those often overlooked soups; something you may order in a Chinese restaurant, but rarely think to make. This version is healthy, bursting with flavor, and very easy to make, and if you pair it with a simple pork roast sandwich, you’re got yourself the perfect meal for a light Easter lunch or dinner.
Egg Drop Soup
Serves 4-6
Set a soup pot over medium heat and add olive oil, heat until shimmering. Add leeks and cook until soft, about 2-5 mintues. Add garlic, lemon zest, and ginger and cook until just fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, in a liquid measuring cup whisk together eggs, Parmesan, and a pinch of salt.
Once stock is boiling, add peas, then slowly drizzle in egg mixture in 4 or 5 spots, stir until egg sets. Season with salt and pepper and ladle into preheated bowls. Garnish with fresh cracked pepper. Serve immediately.
Pork Roast Sandwiches
Pork Roast Sandwiches
Serves 6
Preheat oven to 400°F. Generously season tenderloin on all sides with salt and pepper. Place tenderloin on a rack set above a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast for 40 minutes, or until internal temperature of pork is 145°F.
Meanwhile, on a griddle or under a broiler, lightly toast onion rolls. Keep warm.
Remove pork from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. With a very sharp knife, slice pork paper-thin. Spread each roll with 1 Tbsp. of mustard then pork, divided evenly among rolls.
Sidekick: Serve with a glass of Riesling.
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