Tag Archives: winter

These boots are made for..

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You know those boots that you could practically live in? Boots that are super comfy, that don’t mind a puddle and some dirt, and that are also cute? These are my “made for walking” boots. I was in Barcelona last week and I’m glad I brought them with me. I skipped around cobble stone streets, wore them out to dinner, and even ran through an airport to get to a connecting flight.

Blog Esther Boots-1

Blog Esther Boots-2

Blog Esther and Kids-1

On me..

  • Timberland Women’s Savin Hill Tall Boot, found on Amazon in color “Tobacco Forty”
  • Faux Fox Fur purse here
  • J.Crew Toothpick Jean here
  • Boden Relaxed Merino Silk Sweater here
  • The last photo here is from another post, see this and more details on kids outfits here

dit-elle-Esther

Turkey and Potato Soup with Canadian Bacon and Sage

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Still have turkey leftovers? This is a fabulous soup to use some of those leftovers. Canadian bacon or pancetta gives the soup a great well rounded flavor and the mashed potatoes and turkey gives it a sense of comfort and warmth. The sage just makes it additionally interesting. A great fall or winter soup!

turkey potato sage soup blog (2) turkey potato sage soup blog (1)

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 cup celery, chopped
  • 1 large carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
  • 1 or more oz Canadian bacon, chopped
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 3 cups chopped cooked turkey (I cubed it, but think it would be good shaved as well)
  • 2 1/2 cups mashed cooked peeled baking potatoes
  • 1 Tbsp chopped fresh sage and additional fresh sage leaves for garnish
  • fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions

  • Heat butter in large pot, add onions and cook for a few minutes
  • Add celery, carrots, bacon and cook for another 5 minutes until onions are translucent
  • Add broth, turkey, potatoes and sage, stirring with whisk until blended
  • Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes
  • Garnish with fresh sage

This soup freezes very well!

dit-elle-Esther

Winter Squash and Apple Soup

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Washington State is the apple capital of the world and are lucky to get an abundance of different varieties, especially in fall! This is a lovely soup using apples and celeriac (celery root) as the main ingredients. It is wonderful served simply with fresh apples and drizzled with olive oil, or make a full meal out of it by serving with some Winter Squash and Apple Galette or Bacon Wrapped Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates! 🙂

wintersquash and apple soup blog (2)

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2 pounds celeriac, peeled and diced
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
3 apples – peeled, cored and diced and more for garnish
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine
5 to 6 cups vegetable stock
Truffle or olive oil, to garnish
Preparation
Heat oil in a heavy stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leeks and cook until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic and bay leaf, cooking for 1 additional minute. Add celeriac, potatoes and apples; cook until soft, about 10 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper and deglaze the pot with wine, cooking until almost evaporated. Pour in enough vegetable stock to cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until celeriac and potatoes are very tender, about 30 minutes.

Remove bay leaf and let soup cool slightly. Carefully puree soup until smooth (either with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender or food processor). Return soup to the stove to reheat, adding additional stock if too thick. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed. To serve, drizzle with truffle or olive oil and fresh slices of apple.

Thanks PCC Natural Markets!

dit-elle-Esther

Winter Squash and Apple Galette

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This week I’m featuring two recipes using winter squash and apples! Today a Galette (French for a flat round pastry or bread) and on Thursday, check back for Winter Squash and Apple Soup. These dishes are excellent served together as a meal or as separate dishes! I made these for lunch recently when we were having one of the first damp, cold and rainy days here in Seattle. It was a wonderful meal to cheer up the day. 🙂

This is a great recipe for leftover roasted squash since you do need to cook it before putting into the shell here, but it is otherwise quick and easy to assemble!

winter squash and apple pie (2) winter squash and apple pie (1)

Ingredients

  • 1 pound winter squash – peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced sweet onion
  • 1/2 apple – halved, cored and cut into thin wedges
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (or parmesan works great as well)
  • 1 prepared pie crust (I use a gluten free version)
  • 1 egg yolk plus 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash)

Preparation

  • Preheat oven to 400° F.
  • Toss squash with oil, salt and pepper. Roast in oven until tender, about 20 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add apples and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat; toss with squash and blue cheese.
  • Place pie crust flat on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Mound squash mixture in the middle of crust, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold border over filling, pleating the edge (the center will be open). Brush edges with egg wash.
  • Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cut into wedges before serving.

Super Mom Tip: 1) Use leftover baked squash and save a step! 2) Don’t have time to work on the pleating and egg washing the crust? I didn’t either. I just tossed the filling and baked it in the crust and voila! I’m sure it tastes just as good!

Thanks to and inspired by the recipe on PCC Natural Markets!

dit-elle-Esther

Tricolor Autumn Salad

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This is made with purple cabbage, romaine lettuce and carrots.. full of nutrients, all raw ingredients, crunchy and delicious! Toss with Tahini Dressing and enjoy.

Blog tricolor winter salad blog

Ingredients

  • 1 small head purple cabbage (grated)
  • 1 small head romaine lettuce (finely chopped)
  • 1 cup grated carrots
  • 1 batch Tahini dressing

Tahini Dressing (makes 1.5 cups or so)

  • 1/2 cup roasted tahini
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp sea salt

Directions

  • In a large bowl, toss veggies
  • For dressing, puree ingredients until smooth
  • Toss salad with 1/2 cup or up to all dressing and serve

Source: Thanks Paleo Cooking from Elana’s Pantry

dit-elle-Esther

Coconut Rice Pudding with Mango

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This is great as a chilled summer dessert! Creamy rice pudding, sweetened naturally by milk and cinnamon, topped with chopped mango – a delicious balance of tart and sweet. The dish draws on Indian and Scandinavian flavors, where both cardamom, cinnamon and rice are staple ingredients in a variety of dishes.

Blog coconut rice mango-2 Blog coconut rice mango-1

Ingredients

  • 6 cups whole milk (or coconut milk if you prefer)
  • 1/3 cup uncooked basmati rice
  • 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
  • 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon + more for garnish
  • 2 cups chopped peeled mango (about 2 large mangos)

Directions

  • Combine whole milk and rice in large saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
  • Reduce heat and gently boil for 40 minutes or until mixture thickens
  • Stir in coconut milk, cardamom and cinnamon and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly
  • Spoon~1/2 cup servings into dessert bowls (makes 8 servings)
  • Top with chopped mango and a sprinkle of cinnamon

dit-elle-Esther

Sweet Potato, Sausage and Kale Soup

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It’s been rainy and damp this past week, so this soup seemed like a great dish – the sweetness of the sausage and sweet potatoes balance out the kale in a delicious way. Hot steamy bowl anyone? This recipe makes a large batch and freezes very well!

Blog sausage kale sweet potato soup 1 Blog sausage kale sweet potato soup 2

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 4 cups chopped onion (about 2 large)
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 lb sweet turkey or chicken Italian sausage
  • 8 c. coarsely chopped peeled sweet potatoes (~2 lbs)
  • 5 c. water
  • 4 c. chicken broth
  • 1 bunch kale, rinsed and chopped
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • Salt / pepper to taste

Directions

  • Heat oil in large pot, add onion and sauté for 5 minutes
  • Add garlic, salt & pepper (if desired) and sauté for a minute
  • Remove casings from sausage and add sausage to pan
  • Cook 5 minutes or until sausage is lightly browned, stirring to crumble
  • Add potato, water and broth and bring to a boil
  • Reduce heat and simmer for ~8 minutes
  • Gradually add kale, cook another 10 minutes or until tender
  • Season with salt/pepper as needed
  • Makes 10 servings

dit-elle-Esther

Baked Apples with Vanilla Sauce

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Totally delicious melding of flavors: the tartness of baked apples, cinnamon, raisins and toasted almonds.. topped with a sweet and creamy vanilla sauce.. It’s a classic Scandinavian dessert. Comfort food for winter is what I call it! 🙂

Blog baked apples vanilla cream (3) Blog baked apples vanilla cream (2) Blog baked apples vanilla cream (1)

Baked apples

  • 4 apples (Granny Smith work great) – cored
  • 1/3 cup roughly chopped almonds
  • 1/3 cup raisins or dried currants
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • water

Directions

  • Core your apples carefully with a pairing knife
  • Toss raisins, almonds and cinnamon
  • Place apples upright in glass baking dish and fill each center with nut/raisin mixture
  • Any leftover nut/raisin mixture can be tossed into the bottom of the baking dish
  • Pour a little water into the baking dish
  • Cover with foil and bake @350 for 45 minutes or until knife inserts easily into apple

Vanilla Sauce

  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 tsp vanilla or 1 vanilla pod
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 2 Tbsp agave syrup or other sweetener
  • 1 Tbsp tapioca or other starch (whisked with some water)

Directions

  • Put all ingredients (including vanilla pod if you are using that, but excluding vanilla essence) in a pot and bring to light boil while stirring to avoid clumps
  • Remove from heat and add vanilla essence (if you are using that)
  • Cool a bit and ladle on to baked apples
  • Delicious hot or cold! 🙂

dit-elle-Esther

Mashed Potatoes

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What says comfort food like hot mashed potatoes with very simply some melted butter, salt and pepper..! Mashed potatoes are incredibly easy to make. And you can do so much with them. Mix in some fresh or roasted garlic, sour crème or milk, finely chopped chives or green onions, bacon bits and cheddar cheese. The combinations are endless! The secret to good mashed potatoes however is simple.. it lies in the quality and type of potatoes. I’ve found red potatoes and gold potatoes to be excellent options for mashed potatoes.

Blog mashedpotatoes

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs potatoes
  • dash of salt
  • Butter and/or other favorite toppings

Directions

  • Peel potatoes (if desired), chop in 1″ pieces
  • Cover potatoes with water in pot and bring to boil
  • Cook until knife inserts in a potato easily
  • Pour off water and let cool a bit
  • Use an inversion blender to mix, adding butter and other toppings as desired

dit-elle-Esther

Shepherd’s Pie

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This is some serious comfort food – perfect for this dreary January weather – juicy ground beef and spices are tossed with vegetables and topped with golden and buttery mashed potatoes! 🙂

Blog shepheards pie

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 3 carrots, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

  • Preheat oven to 375° F.
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain; run through a food mill, ricer or mash. Stir in butter and milk; season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
  • Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and garlic; cook, until soft, about 7 minutes. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the fat.
  • Stir in tomato paste, peas, and parsley; season with salt and pepper.
  • Transfer meat mixture to an ovenproof dish. Spread potatoes over the top and crosshatch with a fork. Bake until golden, 30 to 35 minutes.

Super Mom Tip: Make days to weeks in advance and freeze! When ready, defrost in fridge overnight and bake per directions above.

Thanks to PCC Natural Markets and note that this recipe has been modified from the original.

dit-elle-Esther