First Snow Cooking Spree

Hello! I know it’s been awhile since I’ve last blogged. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to. In fact, I have lots of photos and ideas saved up since that last pudding post, but honestly, between work and personal craziness, the last two months have been quite hectic here chez Zontee. But now that things are settling down, I will be resuming my random bits of cooking.

The last few weeks, I haven’t felt like cooking. I’ve been busy with guests, life, work, and extras, so I’ve been in a bit of a non-cooking funk. However, today seemed like a good day to get back into it. If you’re in the Northeast, you are probably like me, staying at home and out of the rain/sleet that’s been coming down on us all day. I know that everyone’s been talking about how it’s the earliest snow here in NYC since the 1860s, but I find that most years, Halloween weekend is nonetheless rainy and unpleasant. Regardless, rainy weather is perfect for staying in and doing something comforting like cooking! And boy, did I…

First, I made some roasted sweet potato “fries”. Then I made a lazy person’s creamed Brussels sprouts. For my creamed Brussels sprouts, you’ll need:

1 can condensed mushroom soup + 1 can of hot water
2 Tbsp butter
1 pound Brussels sprouts
Salt & pepper to taste
1/4 C Parmesan

Wash your Brussels sprouts, then half them (classic) or chop them (great for friends/family who prefer things like creamed spinach). Spread them out in a casserole dish or shallow baking pan. Cut the butter into little pieces and spread them evenly on top of the sprouts. Roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes if halved or 15 minutes if chopped.

Mix your condensed soup with the hot water. Pour the soup over the Brussels sprouts and return the oven for 10-15 minutes, mixing every 5 minutes or so. Season to taste. Sprinkle Parmesan on top; turn oven to “broil” and return to the oven for 5 minutes or until cheese browns.

Serve immediately.

Good additions to this dish, if you want to spice it up, are horseradish or garlic.

After my sprouts, I made a yogurt marinade for the chicken thighs I had in the fridge. I used this recipe, but replaced the onion with shallots. I also made a smaller batch, while also taking a detour to make my own garam masala. (Typical cooking-obsessed person that I am, I took a look at a basic recipe, and I have the necessary spices; I just needed to toast them and mix them together.) That will be cooked later tonight or tomorrow. I’ll keep you in the loop on the results.

Now I’m thinking about making a bread soup to put the gorgeous tomatoes I have in my fridge and the leftover baguette from Eataly to good use.