summer salad daze

Whoever came up with the phrase "lazy hazy days of summer" was nuts. Hazy perhaps, but lazy? Not around here!

Lonesome Road Studio is a bit of a late bloomer this year regarding summer shows and markets (nothing like waiting until the hottest part of the year to emerge from hibernation!) and will be kicking off a short summer show season with the new Downtown LaSalle Canal Market on Saturday, July 28th. In the midst of all the preparations for shows, our garden has come alive as well and we're currently up to our eyeballs in cucumbers. Lazy? No way!

Typically I make cucumber salads with a more savory-salty flavor, but this year I experimented a bit with a dressing that I used earlier for a classic spinach and strawberry salad. I discovered that this sweet and tangy dressing was also a great match for cucumber slices and we've been enjoying it in abundance.

Simply combine 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and 1/4 cup vegetable oil. Shake in a jar or whisk briskly to dissolve the sugar completely. Then, add 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 teaspoon paprika, and 1 tablespoon poppy seeds. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I prefer to use a light sunflower oil for this dressing. You can use olive oil but I like the lighter taste of the sunflower oil, and I hate waiting for refrigerated olive oil dressings to "unthicken." I also like to experiment with different types of balsamic vinegars and found that using a raspberry-infused white balsamic vinegar is wonderful with salads featuring fruit.

If you're in the LaSalle, Illinois area, come and visit me at the Downtown LaSalle Canal Market! I heard a rumor that The Olive Gallery will be there also - could be dangerous for me. Having a bit of a vinegar obsession, I'm hoping that they'll bring their Coconut White Balsamic Vinegar to the Market - doesn't that sound wonderful? Their Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar is already on the Lonesome Road shelf - decadent, delicious and so different, and it also makes a wonderful vinaigrette for spinach and strawberry salad! So, you might just see a lot more wildly experimental salad dressing recipes here at the Lonesome Road kitchen blog... what better time than during the salad daze of summer?

something a little different for The Big Game...

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Part of all the Super Bowl hype is the food... who doesn't look forward to that big pot of chili that's been simmering away in the crock pot all day, or a big platter of hot wings, and the ubiquitous little cocktail wieners? Serve up your favorites but also try something a little different; chicken tortilla soup just might become a new tradition for the big game!

I created this recipe by doing a little research and combining several ideas into one big pot of tasty chicken tortilla soup; the recipe is made easy by using canned tomatoes and roasted red peppers from a jar for convenience (hey, the cook wants to watch The Packers lose, too, hehe!) but if you prefer the from-scratch route, by all means do so, with fresh garden tomatoes, just-picked sweet corn from a local farmstand, and your own special marinated roasted red peppers!

ingredients:

• 14 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 12 ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
• 15.25 ounce can "fiesta" corn, the type with red and green peppers, drained
• 14.5 ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes with medium-hot chiles, with their liquid
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cups tortilla chips, broken in half
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• juice of one small lime

Simmer boneless chicken in water or broth until cooked through (about 25 minutes) then cool and shred. (Save liquid for another use, like cooking rice or vegetables, or just add it as part of the 8 cups of broth you'll need for this recipe.) Set aside shredded chicken.

In a large soup pot, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil. When translucent, add the shredded chicken, broth, roasted red pepper, corn, tomatoes and chiles, and the oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt and black pepper. Combine thoroughly and allow to simmer together at least 45 minutes (you can use less time, but the longer it cooks, the better it is!).

At the very end of cooking time, add the tortilla chips, cilantro and lime. Quickly combine, then serve hot, garnished with lime and cilantro. Another delicious and pretty garnish is multi-color tortillas cut into strips, lightly toasted in the oven then drizzled with lots and lots of lime juice and sprinkled with sea salt.

This makes approximately 8 servings and... if made in advance, it will be even spicier the next day.

cheap eats - National Soup Month edition

Baby, It's Cold Outside ...

What better month than January to shine the spotlight on soup? Cold blustery days that chill us to the bone, seemingly never-ending snow, and days that grow dark too soon.

A hot pot of soup is just the remedy for all of that. A Lonesome Road favorite is potato leek soup with bacon - it's simple and satisfying, and relatively inexpensive. In this version, I've pureed the soup ingredients without the addition of milk or cream, using the potato cooking water to do some of the thickening (and also adding vitamins that you would have just tossed down the drain). This soup is also a great way to use up a big bag of potatoes that are all looking at you with the beginnings of little eyes everywhere. By all means do not use rotten potatoes! But while peeling potatoes for this soup, just trim off the eyes and save money by not tossing out half a bag of potatoes when they all at once become past their prime.

When I created this soup I was lucky enough to find leeks on sale - a bundle of three for just over two dollars; other than the leeks this recipe is very cost-effective (although I like to splurge on center-cut bacon, a much better deal for the money spent).

The recipe makes quite a bit of soup; you will have enough for a nice light supper and for some nice warming leftover lunches as well, saving you even more money.

Ingredients:

• 10 to 12 medium to medium-small russet potatoes, peeled and cut in quarters
• 3 medium leeks, white and part of light green, rinsed thoroughly and sliced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 to 5 cups chicken or vegetable broth (depends on how thick you like your soup)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 10 slices center-cut bacon, chopped
• 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Cook chopped bacon in a large soup pot until thoroughly cooked. While bacon is cooking, peel and quarter the potatoes and boil them in 4 cups of water until tender (about 10 to 15 minutes).

When bacon has cooked completely, remove with a slotted spoon to a plate with paper towels to drain thoroughly and reserve.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat in the soup pot. If potatoes have finished cooking by now, set them aside; do not drain. Saute chopped leeks and onion in the bacon fat until translucent. Add potatoes and their cooking water (which should be partly evaporated). Add 4 cups of broth and thyme, and continue cooking mixture together for another 30 minutes.
Puree mixture in a blender or food processor then return to the soup pot. If you prefer a thinner soup, add more broth. Stir to combine then add crumbled bacon (reserve some as a garnish for the soup) and flat-leaf parsley. Simmer together another 20 to 30 minutes and serve, garnished with more cooked bacon crumbles.

For something a little different, try using Yukon Gold potatoes. Their buttery yellow color will produce a very pretty soup with a slightly different flavor. Of course, if you have leftover ham, substitute that for the bacon if you like but you will need to saute the leek/onion mixture in a bit of butter. A sprinkling of cheese or chopped chives also makes a nice garnish, and if you like, chopped green chiles are also an ingredient to consider.

get wired!

One of the ways that Lonesome Road Studio has evolved over time is in regard to jewelry components. I've always used sterling silver, gold-filled, copper. But recently I've developed a love for the beauty of handcrafted artisan earwires.

Picture the three pairs of earrings above with typical earwires purchased from a craft store or other similar source. While they would still be three lovely pairs of earrings (of course, I created them hehe), the handcrafted artisan earwires add so much more to the finished piece.

At this time I am still purchasing the earwires from the artisans (sterling silver earwires by Aunali in photos one and three; oxidized sterling silver earwires by Rocki's Artisan Supplies in photo two). Yet, in my quest to learn more techniques related to my craft and to provide a unique and beautiful item with my own creative touch (and that is still affordable), I am going to try my own hand at artisan earwires. To begin with, I have found this basic earwire tutorial, but I am always willing to learn from others. Feel free to post your links to your own tutorials, or add some helpful tips for the earwire newbies out there!