Rapping About Reuben Wraps

Another post already? Don't go getting spoiled on me now but, yes, I'm posting again! What I failed to mention in my previous post is that the reason I didn't serve my soup with any sort of bread product (what you'll learn about me soon enough is that I love me some bread. Any kind of carbs are, and will always be, necessary with EVERYTHING.) is because I made these that night, as well.

A strange but true fact about me that I didn't come to the realization of until I went shopping for the ingredients of this dish, is that I hadn't ever tried corned beef before. I love sauerkraut and usually opt for anything that contains it but I guess if there's a "Rachel" on a menu next to a "Reuben", I go with the turkey version. This was the perfect dish to introduce me to this formerly foreign food and from now I plan to be more adventurous. "Bring on the beef!"

 Original Inspiration:

My Finished Product:

Things To Note:

-Look at my wrapping job! I was pretty proud. I've never worked with egg roll wrappers before and it most definitely could have been worse. That's for sure.

-I used corned beef from a can... I have nothing to base what it tasted like on, so I liked it! You can also use beef from the deli if you're a corned beef connoisseur. The choice is yours! It was easy to open that can up and roughly chop up the meat. I liked that about it -- but go crazy!

-I couldn't get a good picture of the Thousand Island side-sauce to save my life. It was delicious but very unattractive looking. I think the lady who created this recipe had a similar issue since she doesn't have any photos on her site either. Oh well. It's AWESOME and totally made the dish. Trust.

-I cut the recipe in half since I was only feeding two people. I was able to get 8 nice size rolls out of it. We both had plenty to eat by each having two with our soup starter. Having leftovers was nice and they heat up tasting just as good as fresh from the oven!

-I baked these instead of frying. It made me feel a little bit better about eating them and the soup on the same night. I baked them at 400 for about 25 minutes. They were still crunchy and ooey-gooey. I don't think i missed out on anything by not frying them.  

Overall Impression:
YUM. So good. So simple. Make these and enjoy the crap outta them! They would be awesome for a football game or as a little appetizer at a party.

Soup -- The Second Coming

I did it, guys. I had decided earlier this week that I would stick to my plan and cook this weekend -- so I looked over the recipes I'd like to try, I chose two different dishes that I thought would compliment each other well, I shopped, and I actually made them. I'm so pleased with myself for finding the time since my schedule hasn't gotten any less busy. I'm currently in the process of moving and I'm still sick after three weeks but I wanted some time to relax, zone out, and enjoy a yummy meal. Mission accomplished.

The first dish I made that I'd like to share with you was this bad boy. Yes. It's soup. AGAIN. Have I mentioned I've been sick? Nothing tastes better than soup when you're feeling yucky. Also, the weather has really cooled down around here. I just like to feel full and warm. Get off my back!

Original Inspiration:

My Finished Product:

Things To Note:

-I used navy beans instead of white beans. I don't think it made much of a difference in taste but it seems apparent when I compare these two photos. I also think I might have mashed my beans up more than I needed to.

-I always substitute fresh herbs for dried herbs. I'm lazy like that. I don't really taste a difference but do what you like! I hate when things go to waste, so for me it's handier to use the jarred herbs and know that I'm not spending money on something that will go bad before I have the opportunity to use it again.

-My mom makes a white bean soup with ham around Christmas time that reminded me of this recipe. In fact, after trying this recipe out I've been inspired to follow that tradition around the holidays and plan on substituting the bacon in this recipe for ham. I have also decided that it would compliment this dish nicely to serve up a piping hot bowl with a side of a big, fat slice of sweet potato cornbread. That's for next time!

Overall Impression:

Loved it! Loved that it wasn't as labor intensive as the last soup. Though to be fair -- I didn't make a double batch of this kind and that probably cut the prep time down by a LOT. It tasted just as good the next day when I finished off the leftovers.  Can't wait to make it again with ham!

Tomorrow I'll have another post for you. Reuben Wraps! Get excited!

Everyone LOVES Soup

It's been entirely too long since my last post but I guess that's how it goes sometimes. I knew I was talking big about starting up this new plan of mine -- especially, when I was involved in a show at the time that had performances on the weekend, bars and other socializing to do at night, and eventually tearing everything down and wrapping things up during the closing weekend. I must admit I was too busy to do much cooking and most of the meals I ate during the run of the show were eaten at late hours of the night and were far from homemade. I fail. However, I did cook once two weeks ago!

We had a cast party and agreed on doing it potluck style. I absolutely love parties. Most of the time I enjoy hosting but when I'm invited over, I try to go all out. I would never attend an event empty-handed. I racked my brain for a bit on what would be the perfect dish to prepare. The plans for the evening involved a bonfire and as the weather seemed to be cooling down more and more each day, I knew what I wanted to bring should be something that could keep our bodies warm, something savory and satisfying, and also be enough to feed a crowd. I found a recipe that hit on all of those qualities -- and hit it hard.

Original Inspiration:

 

Things To Note:

 

- You can't go wrong with soup. It is so comforting. Light, yet filling. I could seriously eat soup every damn day. Everyone loves soup. Even guys who don't normally eat soup will enjoy this dish. It's like hamburger helper in soup form. Tell a guy that and watch his eyes light up. I had dudes skipping the spoons and drinking my soup out of the bowl. Seriously, a BIG hit.

- Notice there is no "Finished Product" photo. The shame. I'm going to do better, fellow bloggers. I promise.

 - I doubled this recipe so I could feed more people. Judging by how quickly this dish disappeared after the hosts announced it was time to dig in to the food, I could have probably tripled it and just barely had any left over. That being said, making soup is hard work! It took me hours of prep time and I felt like I was chopping for days. I even got a blister in-between my thumb and pointer finger from where the knife was resting. Make sure you have the time to spend preparing this meal.

- I served my soup with wheat rolls. That was really good and filled me up just the right amount. Next time I try this dish I'm going to serve it pretty much as is but plan on going crazy with the garnishes! Shredded cheese, chopped up bacon, or even some diced tomatoes would all taste great dished up on top!

Overall Impression:

The perfect dish for a cold evening. It actually snowed the night of our bonfire party and we were lucky to have something tasty to eat and to help warm up our chilled bones after being outside. Make a big batch a enjoy a hearty bowl for lunch for the rest of the week.

Hopefully, now that show is closed and I have some free time before the next rehearsal process begins, I'll be better about blogging. I can make no promises -- but I'll certainly try! Until next time.