Potato, bacon & cheddar soup

by Anna on January 5, 2012

If there is one thing that Don and I really disagree on, it’s how many kitchen props and gadgets I need. The answer is more than I have. And then there’s the storage of said gadgets. So I guess it’s really two things that we disagree on. If I had it my way the counter tops would be clear but I could magically press a button every time I needed my food processor, blender, kitchen aid, toaster, soda machine etc to appear. This is clearly not an option. Instead I keep the most used items out on the counter and the rest I pull out the stepping stool for, climb up and lug them out of high up places, unravel cords and then attempt to place them neatly back after wards. If they aren’t neatly put away one runs the risk of cords getting tangled and a food processor-caused concussion.  This was a chore when I wasn’t eight months pregnant…now it’s just a bloody hassle. Don would rather the counters were always clear too (except maybe for his keys, his hat, his ID card, his water bottle and yesterdays lunch Tupperware that uses our counter top as its dumping ground). It’s a big problem for those of us who live in small spaces but demand a well-equipped kitchen.

Recently I’ve been wondering whether my blender deserves a priority spot on the counter top. I’ve been making so much soup it seems to be all I use these days. Unfortunately I haven’t been very good at the writing down the recipe as I go part….nothing but pure laziness on my part and perhaps a pinch of pregnancy brain, which happens to disable ones ability to multi-task. I now know what it feels like to be a man. Perhaps I’ll stop giving Don such a hard time…

Last night I had a moment of clarity and managed to do both. Hurrah! I made potato and bacon soup and then grated cheddar on top because when I woke up yesterday it was 13F in NYC and Don had painted the heating switch shut. Even my neighbours rising heat couldn’t keep me warm and so on days that cold, new years resolutions or not, everyone could do with a little extra padding on their hips to keep them warm. It’s actually really not all that unhealthy- but eating a bowl of potato soup with bacon and cheese makes me think i’m eating a bowlful of creamy mashed potatoes, which gives me feelings of equal parts pleasure and guilt. Lets hang on the pleasure part though. The soup is creamy but sans cream. There is bacon fat but no butter- and really this has got to be better for you than french fries.

With most soups I like to blend everything together- maybe its just how I grew up eating soup but I like how a blended soup brings together all of the flavours in every bite. Unblended soups can have a cleaner, healthier taste but that’s not really what I’m always after. Having said that with this soup I decided to leave a third of it unblended so that there was some bite…more hearty stew than soupy mashed potatoes but still creamy. I threw a handful of spinach in the bottom of my bowl because well baby needs greens but it’s perfectly delicious on its own…even without the cheese.

Keep reading for the recipe….

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Millionaire’s Flapjacks

by Anna on December 5, 2011

My belly has become prime real estate. There’s a bidding war going on between my ever growing baby and the space in my stomach to feed said growing baby and baby is winning hands down. He/she is a ruthless negotiator and as my stomach gets shoved into a tight corner eating has become more of a challenge than a pleasure. It’s a good lesson in pacing myself. Us Helm’s and our days competing at the boarding school dinner table have not made us genteel feeders but pregnancy has taught me how vital it is to slow down.  Otherwise what goes down will get kicked (quite literally) back up.

Gone is the joy of the first trimester and the glow of the second- the third trimester has hit like a ten ton truck full of ugly sticks. My back hurts, my right hip hurts and my life has become one long kegal exercise as I try to ward off any unfortunate incidents resulting from a surprise left-hook from my little real estate tycoon. Ahh pregnancy….you were so wonderfully uneventful up until now. Which brings me to my real point of being here today.

Millionaire’s flapjacks. Hello.

Now before you start questioning how I could take a perfectly healthy flapjack and smother it in caramel and chocolate- let me remind you of two important facts. 1/ I am a hugely pregnant woman with raging hormones and 2/ don’t delude yourself, flapjacks were never healthy in the first place. Sure they mostly consist of oats but sugar and butter weigh in at a close second and third place so really what’s a little caramel and chocolate too?

It’s pure joy- that’s what. Fortunately, I was destined to share these at the second annual NY cookie swap supporting Cookies for Kids Cancer or else baby might have had something to say about them. Or perhaps more likely, would have kicked up a fuss about how many I was trying to squeeze in my stomach. I’m telling you, It’s a war in there.

 

Keep reading for the recipe….

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There are many over-achievers one comes upon in this world. Some are commendable and the others are just plain annoying. These sprouts fall into the latter category, I hope you’ll agree. I’ve decked them out with so many good extras you might be wondering if they still count as eating a vegetable (look if the government thinks pizza is a vegetable then these definitely are). Think of these as Superman rather than Clark Kent.  Your average sprout…pretty plain looking, pretty bland, uninteresting. Toss in some superpowers though…in the form of pine nuts, bacon, caramelized shallots, a squeeze of lemon and a little parm and they may as well be flying through the sky in a lycra suit saving us from the baddies. Please feel free to step in and stop me at any time…..

What I’m trying to say is that there are vegetables and then there are pimped out vegetables and sprouts frankly need all the pimping out they can get. So this holiday season, help a sprout out, will ya? The process is remarkably simple. All you need is one pan- you could do it in three and multi-task but this will take all of twenty minutes to do from start to finish so you may as well save yourself (or the magic elves you live with) the washing-up. You can also make ahead all the add-in’s or exclude some all together…think superman without the cape but still the power to fly. If you’re serving this as part of a meal with all the trimmings….say Thanksgiving for example then you may want to omit the cheese. If you’re just serving a roast chicken with potatoes go the whole way and add in everything. Or if you’re the over-achieving guest who offered to bring a side-dish, bring this one. It may even outshine the hosts turkey. Hey if anyone can outshine the turkey, it’s superman…I mean super sprouts.

Keep reading for the recipe….

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Apple coffee crumb cake

November 10, 2011
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It turns out that when your pregnant you become fair game to weight/size related comments. I didn’t sign up for this. Sure, I signed up for the weight gain alright, the complimentary back ache too plus the water retention, the low immune system, nose bleeds….you know standard pregnancy symptoms- but comments on my weight…nope didn’t [...]

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Cauliflower & thyme soup

October 17, 2011
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People like to talk to pregnant people. I like most other city-folk have always kept myself to myself on the subway, in a coffee shop or in the line at the check-out counter. It’s not that I’m not polite it’s just that I don’t have a tendency to strike up conversations with strangers- and I [...]

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Leek & potato soup….and some good news

October 6, 2011
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I’m not good with weeknight suppers. I’m not even just shy of good I’m downright terrible. There’s something about being on my feet all day cooking that makes me not want to stand on my feet and cook anymore when I get home from work. All I can think about is getting on our lazy [...]

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Lemon drizzle cake

September 8, 2011
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It’s official. I am no longer a lady of leisure. Two weeks ago I was given permission to give the crutches the old heave-ho and heave-ho them I did. With glee. Good riddance you fair weathered friends. So now it’s off the lazy-boy and back to the kitchen. Suddenly I’m wondering if having a broken [...]

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Peanut butter pie for Mikey

August 12, 2011
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This pie is dedicated to Jennifer Perillo whose husband, Mikey died suddenly last weekend. I sat shocked at the kitchen table Monday morning when I heard the news- had I remembered to tell my own husband that I loved him that morning? I woke up every morning this week thinking about her and her little [...]

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PB&J sandwich cookies

August 11, 2011
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If you live in NYC and haven’t eaten food from ‘Wichcraft- then you probably don’t work on magazine photo shoots. If you work on photo shoots, as I, then chances are you’ve tried everything on the menu. For breakfast they do an amazing  Peanut butter and Jelly sandwich- ask for it on toasted multi-grain bread. [...]

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Asparagus, mushroom & goats cheese parcels

August 5, 2011
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When I was at boarding school, Saturday nights were essentially junk food nights.  Being the only non-school night of the week I guess the school felt it necessary to fill our bellies with things that might absorb at least one of the too many beers we all planned on drinking at the pub. Or the [...]

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