This is sort of a cross between soup and gumbo. I hope it's the last cold weather dish I have to make for awhile, but it's definitely going into my keeper file for next winter because everybody liked it a lot. We added hot sauce at the table, and I made a note to increase the creole seasoning a good bit next time. But we all like things really spicy. As written, it's very mild for a Cajun dish, but also very flavorful. CHICKEN GUMBO SOUP 1-1/3 c. raw white rice 1 (3-4 lb.) chicken (I used a whole one, but cut up is ok) 7 c. chicken broth 1 c. chopped celery 1 c. chopped onion 1 c. chopped ham (cooked) 3 T. hot sauce 1 tsp. creole seasoning 3/4 tsp. pepper 1/2 c. butter 3/4 c. a-p flour 4 c. milk 3/4 c. white wine Put chicken in a large pot; add broth. Bring liquid to a boil over high heat; then reduce heat and allow to simmer for approximately 40 minutes, until chicken is tender and thoroughly cooked. Remove chicken to a plate, reserving the stock. When cool enough to handle, chop chicken into bite-sized pieces. Meanwhile, begin cooking rice according to package directions, but remove from heat 15 minutes before the recommended cooking time has expired. Drain off any remaining liquid, and set rice aside. In large pot over moderate heat, saute celery and onion in 1 tablespoon of butter for 5 minutes. Add chopped ham; cover. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until all ingredients are tender. Add all the reserved broth and the partially-cooked rice to the pot. Stir in hot sauce, creole seasoning and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, melt remaining 7 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Gradually add flour, whisking constantly, until all flour is incorporated and mixture is smooth. Continue cooking and stirring an additional minute. Gradually add milk, continuing to whisk constantly, until mixture is thick and bubbly. Add some of the stock mixture to the milk mixture, continuing to stir. (This part was very fuzzy. It didn't give any reason, but I assume some sort of tempering process was needed. With no clear instructions, I added about 1/2 cup stock and stirred for a couple of minutes.) Then add milk mixture to stock mixture. Stir in chopped chicken and wine, simmering about 15 additional minutes. A bit time-consuming and a bunch of dirty pots, but we liked it a lot more than plain chicken soup. Wonderful with fresh, hot bread and a salad! sm

Lori you certainly keep busy baking and it all looks lovely. We've been out a lot this past week but I've been cooking fish, salads, chicken and vegetables at home. Here's some of what we've had, all together. But yesterday Wolf and I went to the tennis and sports club to have a lunch with my friend Anne, who leaves for England today, and Lynne who had just come back from volunteering at the cat refuge, where she helps out every Saturday with abandoned animals. The restaurant at the club is just wonderful and for a small price of ten Euros (not much more than ten dollars) we get a three course meal, including a drink, bread and butter. And sitting outside on the balcony over the courts, it was so sunny and warm we kept moving the overhead parasol to keep us out of the sun. We all chose their cream of squash soup, some with cream, mine without and the three of them had a delicious breaded pork escalope with rice and creamed mushrooms. I had a curried chicken and vegetable dish. Dessert for Wolf and Anne was homemade apple strudel while Lynne had ice cream with chocolate sauce. It was a wonderful lunch, finished off with strong cafes cortado. It was a nice sendoff for Anne. Today I'm not sure what's for dinner, but it will include some lovely new green beans and squash that I bought this morning. Happy Sunday everyone! SharonCb

Well, my first time posting this I had everything about done and my browser shut down for no apparent reason other than I was installing the latest Java update, which they bug me about nearly every day. I knew there was a reason I was ignoring it!! I'm really determined to post these recipes though, because they were really good and I think I mentioned that I would like to have a larger repertoire of Indian recipes. I like the idea of Indian food but am rarely pleased with my execution of it. I'm usually not crazy about the mix of spices, but these two dishes were so good I couldn't stop eating them. Easy peasy too, so give them a try if you'd like to try something Indian. However, be forewarned they are hard core vegegarian. The best BF could say about them is he didn't dislike them! Masoor Dal (Spiced Red Lentils), from an unkown blogger. Check out the link to the blog, the photos and description are what made this worthwhile. Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 30 mins Serves: 6 Ingredients 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon coriander powder 1 teaspoon cumin powder 1 teaspoon paprika (can use chili power for more kick) extra virgin olive oil 5 cloves garlic, grated 1 inch piece ginger, grated 1 small onion, diced 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and diced 1 14.5 ounce can Petite Cut tomatoes, liquid drained 2 cups masoor dal (red lentils), rinsed 5 cups water 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped salt and pepper to taste Directions Measure out the spices into a small bowl and set aside. In a large pot or dutch oven on medium heat, add olive oil. When the oil starts bubbling stir in spices and cook for a minute. Add garlic and ginger and cook for another minute. Add onions and peppers and stir until the onions starts to soften. Add in tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes start to breakdown and get pulpy. Add in lentils and water and bring to boil. Turn heat low, cover and simmer until lentils are soft and tender, about 20 - 25 minutes. Stir in most of the chopped cilantro, reserving a little to garnish. Serve with naan or with basmati rice or both. Lpink's notes: I had to cook it more like 45 min. but I used half brown lentils since I ran out of red. Also, I didn't drain the chopped tomatoes, I used the juice as part of the liquid to cook the lentils, but added towards the end, as acids make bean skins tough. Easily cut in half but I forgot to do that at the outset. Ethiopian Cabbage Dish by stamarex. I made it Indian by adding garam masala Ingredients 1/2 cup olive oil (I only used 1/8 cup in the crockpot) 4 carrots, thinly sliced 1 onion, thinly sliced 1 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 1/2 head cabbage, shredded (I diced) 5 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (I used chunks of red potatoes with the skins mostly on) I added 1/4 tsp. garam malsa to the mix. Directions Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the carrots and onion in the hot oil about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric, and cabbage and cook another 15 to 20 minutes. Add the potatoes; cover. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until potatoes are soft, 20 to 30 minutes. Lpink's notes: I made this in the crockpot. I layered the veggies with the spices, except I didn't use salt and pepper I used seasoned salt, which had garlic, onion and lemon in it too. I used much less oil and mixed it with an equal amount of veg. broth at the bottom of the crockpot. I had to sprinkle a little more broth over it as it got closer to being done, so I used maybe 1/3 cup of broth overall. I put this in the crockpot initially on low, but turned it up afte a while since I only had 3-4 hours to cook it.

I watched Giada making this while I was riding my exercise bike a few weeks ago. It was very good. Though I eat meat I can go without it for days/weeks - this was a nice no meat meal. I used smoked Gouda instead of Mozarella and skipped the mushrooms since I'm not a big shroom fan. I also used whole grain pasta and skipped the butter and added salt to try to make it a little healthier. Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables 2 red peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch wide strips 2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes 2 summer squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes 4 cremini mushrooms, halved 1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch strips 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon salt, divided 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided 1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix or herbs de Provence 1 pound penne pasta 3 cups marinara sauce (store bought or homemade) 1 cup grated fontina cheese 1/2 cup grated smoked mozzarella 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 cup for topping 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander. In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the ingredients are combined. Pour the pasta into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Top with the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and butter pieces. Bake until top is golden and cheese melts, about 25 minutes. Here is a link that might be useful: Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables