Iron Chef Pembroke Pines: May 2011 - Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Spinach

Ah-hah!!! Here's another of Sherie's famous dishes...but THIS TIME...I actually GOT the recipe!!

I think I shared with you on my main blog about how Sherie's dishes always seem to be AMAZING to me? Our palates must be similar. Well...she knocked it out of the park again for me this month, and walked away with a little prize, to boot!!

Garlic Mashed Potatoes With Spinach

• 4 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 boxes chopped spinach, defrosted
• 4 TBS butter
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup cream
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1. Place potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Salt water and boil potatoes until tender...about 12-15 minutes.

2. Squeeze the water from the spinach in a clean dish towel.

3. Drain potatoes and set aside.

4. Melt butter in the hot pot, then add garlic and cook 2-3 minutes. Stir in cream, add the spinach, separating the greens as you do. Season greens with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

5. Add potatoes to the pot and mash to a desired consistency.

courtesy Sherie McKenna

Leek Soup with Dill Oil

My love affair with soup continues!!!

I can't help it...

But I'm changing it up a bit...I discovered a new cooking website that I have fallen in love called 101 Cookbooks. 101 Cookbooks is based off a lady named Heidi who was a self-proclaimed impulsive buyer of cookbooks. She always purchased them with the very best intentions...and she read them...and dog-eared the pages and marked favorite recipes with post-its...and then stuck those cookbooks on her shelf and never actually cooked anything from them.

Heidi's Own Cookbook, based on her own recipes...just recently published!!

One day, she looked up and realized that she had over 100 different cookbooks...and decided right then and there that it was time to stop buying, and start COOKING.

Heidi focuses on cooking with all-natural ingredients. Since our family is becoming more and more healthy, this appeals to me. Having a large family, I cannot afford to always purchase organic or raw foods. I try to do my best, but it's mostly unfeasible for me to go completely raw.

Heidi is also, of course, primarily a vegetarian.

We, on the other hand, are carnivores. However...I do try to make at least one vegetarian (or even vegan!!) meal a week...if not more. But since it is not my primary mode of cooking, I often run out of ideas...and tend to focus on what's easy...which is usually soup.

But I have a good friend named Jenn Charron...and she is a vegetarian. I introduced her to the 101 Cookbooks website, and she loved it. And we have since decided to get together at least once a week and make dinner for our families together from 101 Cookbooks, or other healthy, vegetarian sites.

Jenn and I in my kitchen (it was Halloween...hence the horns on my head. They're not really there...I swear...)

I figure that since she's a veggie-head herself, she will assist and enlighten me on all things vegetarian...helping me branch out fro my stand-by vegetarian staple...soup (but ohhh...how I LOVE soup...)

And she figures that since I am always tying new recipes and making stuff that is foreign to me, I will help her break out of her own cooking ruts.

It's a win-win.

So I made my first recipe from 101 Cookbooks last night. It was, as you can tell by the title, a soup (give me some time!! I'm working on it!!). Its called Leek Soup with Dill Oil.

I have a recipe for Potato-Leek Soup which is very good...but thanks to the addition of a large amount of cream cheese, it is not AS healthy as this broth-based soup. This soup also focuses more on leeks than potatoes. And I have to say, I love the addition of the "toppings"...the Dill Oil makes the soup actually taste green...it's fresh and like eating a piece of spring. The toasted sliced almonds give it a pleasant crunch, and the Gruyere cheese gives it a bit of pluck.

In other words...I fully enjoyed it...and my kids liked it too (they couldn't wait to eat something with a bright green "sauce" drizzled all over it). This is the original recipe, it makes 8-10 servings, so there's really no need to double unless you plan on freezing some for later. The chef, Heidi, suggests serving leftovers over scoops of cooked farro or brown rice.

I only changed up the style a bit...I've included my notes, so feel free to use the original or my adaptations.

Leek Soup with Dill Oil

• 1 small bunch of fresh dill, about 5 ounces
• 9 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• 3-5 pounds leeks
• 6 TBS unsalted butter
• fine grain sea salt
• 2 large, thin-skinned potatoes, thinly sliced (I used Yukon Golds)
• 3 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 6-1/2 cups + good-tasting vegetable broth, preferably HOT
• Toasted almond slices, for topping
• Grated Gruyere cheese, for topping

1. Use a blender or food processor to puree the dill and olive oil into a creamy green emulsion. Set aside.

Yummy grass green...

2. Cut the dark, tough green leaves from the leeks, trim off the roots, and wash/rinse well. You can slice the leeks lengthwise to get in between the layers, or make a few rough chops and give them a quick soak...whatever method you prefer. You can also chop by hand (which is what I did).

It's A LOT of leeks...

3. In a large soup pot, heat the butter and 5 TBS of the dill oil over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted and is bubbling, stir in the leeks and a couple big pinches of sea salt. Stir well, then cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks soften up and collapse, about 6-8 minutes.

4. Now, stir in potato slices and garlic slices and cook, uncovered, stirring regularly, until the potatoes are very, very soft. If the leeks at the bottom of the pot are getting too much color, dial back the heat a bit and be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan while stirring.

Yukon Golds...

At this point you can mash everything with a potato masher or large fork. If you prefer a smoother soup, use a hand blender, but this soup is great a little on the chunky side. Stir in the hot broth, adjusting the amount based on whether you like a thick, or thin, soup.

(Now...here is where I deviated. I mashed with a potato masher, as suggested, and added the broth...but I didn't feel it was creamy enough...so I ladled out a third of the soup into my blender, and blended it until it was thick and smoother, although still with a little texture. I poured it out into a waiting bowl, and did the same thing with ANOTHER third of the soup. Then I poured the creamy, almost-but-not-quite-mashed-potato-consistency soup back into the third that was in the pot and still primarily broth-y and stirred well. The broth thinned the thickness of what I had blended perfectly...making a fabulously creamy, but still mildly chunky, soup. This is the same method I use for my Potato-Cheddar Soup...and it worked great.)

5. Bring back to a simmer, serve topped with almonds, grated cheese, and a generous drizzle of the remaining dill oil.

Soup with dill oil, before other toppings...

courtesy 101 Cookbooks

Potato-Leek Soup

As I was gearing up for St. Patricks Day, I found myself craving all the wonderful dishes that traditionally get served around this time of year.

And since I absolutely love soup, I had to share my Potato-Leek Soup...it's easy, completely vegetarian (although not vegan, thanks to the addition of cream cheese), and DELISH...

Potato Bliss in a Bowl

Potato Leek Soup

• 2 TBS olive oil
• 4 large leeks, cut into 1/4-inch slices (about 2 lbs.)
• 4 large russet potatoes, peeled, cubed (I actually prefer Red's or Yukons...whichever you use, you need about 4 cups worth)
• 1-=1/4 qt. (5 cups) water
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, cubed, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives 

1. Heat oil in a large stockpot on medium heat. Add leeks; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add potatoes, water, salt and pepper; cover. Bring to a boil; simmer on medium-low 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Cool 10 minutes.

2. Add leek mixture, in batches, to blender; blend until pureed. Return to stockpot. Whisk in cream cheese, a few cubes at a time; cook on medium heat until cream cheese is completely melted, stirring constantly.

3. Add milk; cook until heated through, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with chives.

note: this soup is not only fabulous for St. Patricks Day, but also for Passover. Simply select vkosher food products!! Consult with your rabbi if you have any questions!!

courtesy Kraft Foods

Ribolitta

I'm still on a soup kick...

I just can't help it!! I LOVE soup, and I want to make it ALL THE TIME!!!

I wanted a delicious vegetable soup to follow up our hearty Chicken Marbella recipe, and found this delightful gem tucked away in a Family Fun magazine, of all places. It is an entirely attainable and fairly authentic recipe for Ribolitta...a Tuscan peasant soup.

Ribolitta literally means to "boil twice" in Italian...and that's exactly what you do. Heavy on the green, this is by no means a flimsy broth with a few veggies floating around. It's an almost eat-with-a-fork vegetable sensation that explodes with flavor and gives new meaning to "eating your greens". You can easily substitute different vegetables in and out if you don't have EXACTLY what the recipe calls for.

It requires a little time to prepare...but is worth the effort. No need to double...this soup makes 10+ cups.

This soup is especially good the day after it's made...so it's lucky that the recipe yields a generous amount...you'll want leftovers.

Hearty Ribolitta

Ribolitta

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 leeks, sliced (white stalks only)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes (I used the kind with basil and oregano added in)
• 1 (15.5 oz) can cannellini beans, drained
• 1 bunch kale, ribs removed and chopped
• 1 bunch spinach or swiss chard, chopped
• 1/4 head savoy cabbage, chopped
• 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 zucchini, chopped
• 1 TBS salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakeswater
• 1 loaf stale (day old) French or Italian bread, sliced
• Grated Parmesan

 1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Onions, carrots, celery, leeks, and garlic...

Add the onion, leeks, garlic, celery, and carrots; saute until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

Sauteed veggies with the canned veggies...

 Add the tomatoes with their juice, the beans, and the remaining vegetables...

Kale, spinach, cabbage, zucchini, and potatoes...

...then season with salt, pepper, rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Add enough water to cover the vegetables (about 10-12 cups) and bring soup to a boil. Reduce the heat, then cover and simmer the soup for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

2. Add the slices of bread (I can hear you now..."You want me to do WHAT to the bread? Isn't it for dunking...or garnish?"...No...it's not. It's part of the soup. Now do as you're told and add it in!!), then raise the heat to medium high and bring the soup to a second boil, stirring occasionally, until the bread has fully broken down, about 10-15 minutes.

Just do it, already...geez...

3. Let soup stand about 10 minutes before serving. Ladle soup into bowls, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and drizzle with olive oil, if desired (I add the cheese, but not the extra oil...so I guess that makes me decidedly UN-Italian).

Ohhhh...yum, yum, yum...

4. If you just can't help it, serve with freshly sliced Italian or French bread...

courtesy Family Fun magazine

Iron Chef Pembroke Pines: March 2011 - Traditional Shepherds Pie

Now see? THIS is what I wanted to make...I had my Irish on...and although I couldn't be TOTALLY authentic (where do you find rabbit in Miami...or cubed lamb for that matter?)...I did my very very best. I adapted this recipe off one from Danny Boome...making more than the recipe called for because i was going to feed the leftovers to my family for dinner AND I have a VERY deep casserole dish that is PERFECT for this...but below is the recipe in it's original form, just as Danny Boome shared it. Feel free to add and take away as you see fit...I did.

Traditional Shepherds Pie

1 TBS butter
1 TBS olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 TBS tomato paste
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground lamb
2 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 cup beef stock
1-1/2 cups garden peas (I used the frozen variety)
Cheesy Mashed Potatoes (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Add butter and oil to a large skillet on medium heat. Saute onions, carrots, celery, and garlic until tender...about 7 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Once veggies have softened and start to brown a little, add the tomato paste and mix evenly. add the beef and lamb and cook until no longer pink...about 10 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce and the beef stock. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook and simmer for another 10 minutes. Mix in peas. Transfer to an oven-proof baking dish and spread evenly. Place potatoes on top of ground meat mixture and spread evenly. Once the top has been covered, rake through with a fork so there are peaks that will brown nicely. Place dish into the preheated oven and cook about 20 minutes. Spoon out Shepherd's Pie and serve.

Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, quartered
4 TBS butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated mature white Cheddar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fill a large saucepan with cold water and a TBS salt. Add potatoes to the water and bring to a boil. Let potatoes cook until soft...about 20 minutes. Once the potatoes are at a desired density, drain the potatoes and place them in a saucepan for mashing. Add butter and cream and begin to mash potatoes into a semi-smooth consistency. Once at a desired texture, add the cheese and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

Make this for St. Patricks Day or any blustery winter day you're yearning for the Emerald Isle...you'll be glad you did...

courtesy Danny Boome

Iron Chef Pembroke Pines: March 2011 - Cilantro-Avocado Potato Salad

Heidi made this yummy potato salad...I was thrilled because i love potato salads and have my fair share of recipes for them...but I don't have this recipe. She adapted it from one by Emeril Lagasse, and it was spicy and cool.

Cilantro-Avocado Potato Salad

• 2 pounds potatoes, peeled, small diced, and cooked in boiling salted water until tender, drained
• 1/3 cup finely minced red onions
• 1 TBS minced garlic
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 TBS Extra-Virgin Olive oil
• 4 firm-ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, and diced
• 2 TBS fresh lime juice
• 1 TBS minced jalapeno
• 1 ounce package cilantro, leaves picked and finely chopped

Combine potatoes, onions, and garlic in a large bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 3 turns pepper. Add olive oil, tossing to coat. Add the avocados, lime juice, jalapenos, and cilantro, and toss well to combine. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour before serving.

courtesy Heidi Tyler, adapted from Emeril Lagasse

Iron Chef Pembroke Pines: March 2011...Angels Ranch Mashed Potatoes

Aren't I nice? I took a picture AFTER we all dug in...I know, I know...I'm mean like that. But these were truly DELISH!! (and easy too!)

Angels Ranch Mashed Potatoes  

 

Scrub 7 to 10 potatoes and cut in quarters boil or pressure cook, then drain and put in mixer with :

• 1 stick butter
• 2 Tblsp sourcream
• dash salt and pepper
• 1 Tblsp minced garlic

mix to desired consistency put in serving bowl sprinkle with parsley

 

courtesy Angel Anderson

New Potato Summer Salad

Ahhh...another potato salad recipe...and this one is aptly named for the season in which the salads appearance is the most common.

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I used red potatoes...not necessarily "new" reds...but very small red's...because that's what I bought at the store and had to use. And this salad is great served chilled OR warm...so you can be pretty flexible if you forgot to make it in the am and have to whip it together real quick before dinner.

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New Potato Summer Salad

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3 lb. new potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 of a small red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup bacon bits (this recipe calls for those bacon bits you buy to top salads with...but you all know my love affair with bacon...so I went ahead and fried up a pound and added it in. It'll make the salad...but perhaps not your waistline... better. Just you try it and see...)

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1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup Italian dressing

1/4 Miracle Whip

2 tsp Dijon mustard

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1. Cook potatoes in boiling water 10 to 12 minutes or until fork tender. Drain. Place in large bowl. Add onions, tomatoes, bacon bits, and basil; mix lightly.

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2. Mix remaining ingredients. Add to potato mixture; toss to coat. Cover.

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3. Refrigerate several hours or until chilled OR...

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...toss ingredients with still warm potatoes and serve WARM.

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courtesy Kraft foods

Country Kick"N Potato Salad

I don't remember where I got this recipe...off the back of some product, or perhaps in a magazine...I don't really recall...

But it is one of my FAVORITE potato salad recipes EVER...

It is SPICY...but not so hot that you burn your mouth off...it starts off cool and creamy like any old salad, and then WHAM!!!...you get that addicting heat that makes you grab another spoonful to taste the cool creaminess again.

And so the pattern is born.

And you can see why this potato salad goes so fast at parties.

Anyway - I signed up to provide potato salad for our annual church Fourth of July picnic this year, and instead of going for the traditional Great American Potato Salad, or even my German Potato Salad, I chose to make this one.

I thought it coordinated nicely with the Firecrackers!!

I (of course) doubled this...

Country Kick'N Potato Salad

1-1/4 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro or parsley
1/4 chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots or red onion
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 tsp Tabasco Pepper Sauce
2 tsp Dijonnaise
1 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
2 lbs. new or red bliss potatoes, cooked and cut in 1/2-inch cubes

1. In large bowl, combine all ingredients except potatoes. Stir in potatoes.

2. Cover and chill to blend flavors.

For a spicier version, add more Tabasco sauce to taste.

Easy-peesey-spicy-pleasey.

Happy Fourth of July!!!

courtesy me!!

German Potato Salad

Yes - it is time for yet another summer potato salad recipe. Since I've already introduced you to the classic American Potato Salad, I thought we'd go traveling abroad and try German Potato Salad. I got this recipe as a newlywed from a lady I worked with. I don't remember her name...I think it started with a "G"...Gloria? Gina? Genvieve?

ANYWAY -

The cool thing about THIS particular potato salad is that it is served warm...and was a perfect compliment to the Country-Style Beef Spare Ribs we had for dinner.

Don't double because it makes A LOT...just Enjoy!!

German Potato Salad

Salad:

5 lbs of potatoes (I used reds), cooked, sliced, and salted

(I cubed mine to make it easier for my kids to handle...but they SHOULD be sliced)

1/2 pound of bacon, cooked crisp and WITH drippings

1 onion, finely chopped (again..I used a red...because it's what I had)

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/4 chopped green pepper

Sauce:

2 TBS corn starch

2 cups water

3/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup vinegar ( I used Apple Cider, but white would be just fine)

1 tsp salt

1. Put cooked potatoes in a large bowl. Pour bacon and drippings over potatoes. Add other vegetables.

2. For sauce, boil ingredients until clear and thickened. Pour over potatoes. Cover and let stand awhile before mixing. Serve warm.

courtesy me (and some long forgotten co-worker with a "G" name)

American Potato Salad

Not to be confused with German Potato Salad, or Hungarian Potato Salad...

...No, this is a completely different beast.
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Potato Salad is one of those things that lends a lot of itself to personal taste. Everyone makes it differently, and those differences are usually based on your ethnic heritage and what part of the country you call home. This is my standard potato salad...and I have A LOT of potato salad recipes...which I'm hoping to share with you over the summer...because potato salad is one of the few ways you can serve such a hearty, starchy vegetable in the oppresive heat of a tropical summer. I hope you alter and adjust it to your personal tastes!!

Anyway - I'm serving this along with simple steamed asparagus and Florentine Soup for dinner tonight. It is a great side...but could be a whole meal if you want. There is no need to double unless you're hosting the Fourth of July picnic.



American Potato Salad

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 TBS yellow mustard
1/2 tsp celery seed 1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
4 cups cubed potatoes, cooked ( I usually use a mixture of Petite Reds and Yukon Golds)
3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, sliced
1/3 cup dill pickle relish
1 can of medium black olives, drained well and halved
5 or 6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

1. Mix first 5 ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Add remaining ingredients, mix lightly.

3. Refrigerate several hours or over night until thoroughly chilled.

courtesy me!!!

Ham and Potato Casserole

I have a complaint.

I love this casserole. It has less than 10 ingredients, and everybody eats it...and ham and potatoes and cheese were INVENTED to go together.

But...

To me, a casserole should take, like, 2 pots to make. Maybe a 2 pots and a bowl. And that is INCLUDING the casserole dish it's baked and served in.

This one takes too many pots.

See...there is the pot to cook the onion and celery. And the pot to make the white sauce. And the pot to boil the potatoes. And then there is the knife to dice everything and the grater for the cheese. And then there is the casserole dish.

I hate dishes.

But...

This casserole is good. It's basic. Although it takes lots of pots, it's not hard (if it was, I wouldn't post it). And it's comfort food.

Here in the jungle, we need A LOT of comfort.

It's scary, sometimes. There are strange noises, and weird crawly things, and people speak foreign languages.

So we need to be comforted.

Frequently.

And nothing does it better than...

Ham and Potato Casserole

1 cup diced celery

1 cup diced onion

4 TBS butter

4 TBS flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups milk

1-1/2 cups of cheddar cheese, plus more for topping

3 pounds potatoes (use Yukon Gold and skip the peeling), diced

1. Put celery and onion in a pot and just cover with water. Boil until soft. Put potatoes in another pot and boil until just tender. Drain and set aside.

2. While onions and celery and potatoes are cooking, in another pot, make a White Sauce with butter, flour, salt, and milk.

(Wait...you don't know how to make a white sauce? Oh, okay...melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir until smooth. DO NOT BURN. Add salt. Add milk ALL AT ONCE, and stir slowly until thickened to desired consistency...for this recipe, aim for a medium thickness. Whatever you do...do not let boil.)

When white sauce is to desired consistency, add cheese, a little at a time, and stir until melted. Add more until sauce is cheesy.

3. Pour white sauce into pot with onions and celery...stir until smooth and creamy. Add more cheese if desired. Sauce should still be thick.

4. Combine potatoes and ham in casserole dish. Pour cheese sauce over everything, and mix together thoroughly. Add additional cheddar cheese as a topping if desired.

5. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10-15 minutes for sauce to thicken. CAUTION!! HOT!!

Courtesy Deborah Noel of Plainfield, Illinois

Apple-Cheddar Soup

I was all ready to start Spring around here. I've been perusing my favorite Spring and Summer recipes, making menus and preparing grocery lists...

...but these last several days, we've had a late cold snap...with temperatures in the morning feeling quite frosty...which in "Florida-speak" means somewhere in the upper-50's or lower-60's. Cold enough to wet my whistle for another great fall recipe, anyway. And after making that yummy Apple-Sausage Rigatoni several weeks back (http://thejohnsonsjunglerecipes.blogspot.com/2009/02/apple-sausage-rigatoni.html), I had to make another apple favorite that my oldest daughter, Kaitlyn, has been requesting.

In most potato recipes, I try to use Yukon Golds. They are creamy and smooth, and not nearly as starchy as regular Russets. Not only that, but they have such a smooth skin, you can often skip peeling them...a rather tedious job in my kitchen.

Another substitution for this recipe has to do with the green peppercorns called for as a garnish. I've checked everywhere local...and I can't find them. Only a standard peppercorn medley...but no green peppercorns on their own. So I skipped them this time...but they make a lovely finish...so if YOUR local store has them, please don't hesitate. We substituted with red pepper flakes, which compliment the apple sweetness nicely.

(*WARNING* This soup is slightly SPICY. The potatoes and cheese give it comfort, the apples give it a delightful sweetness, and then - POW!!! - suddenly you need a sip of water. It's not "fire-in-your-mouth" spicy...but just a head's up for all you pansy's out there...)

This recipe makes enough for 4-6 side-dish servings. I am serving it as the main course, along with a spinach salad and buttermilk biscuits, so I need to double it...

Apple-Cheddar Soup

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 TBS butter

2 medium baking potatoes, peeled and diced (or use Yukon Golds, and skip the peeling)

2 cups apple cider

1 tsp. snipped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed

1/2 tsp salt

Dash cayenne pepper

1 medium cooking apple, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped

1/2 cup milk

2 TBS all-purpose flour

4 oz. sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded (1 cup)

Fresh apple slices

Green peppercorns

1. In a large saucepan, cook onion in hot butter over medium heat until tender. Stir in potatoes, cider, thyme, salt, and cayenne pepper. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 15 minutes.

2. Add chopped apple. Simmer, covered, 5 minutes until potatoes are tender.

3. In a small bowl, combine milk and flour; stir until smooth and add to soup.

Cook and stir until bubbly. Slowly add cheese, whisking until cheese is melted.

4. Divide soup among serving dishes; top with apple slices and peppercorns.

Courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens