Pixelated Crumb

Where have I been, you ask? No, I haven’t fallen off a cliff and, no, I haven’t given up on blogging. The last couple weeks have been a whirlwind of work, school, and play and I’m only just now catching my breath. I was hoping to make some lemon lime basil cookies to take on my trip to Philadelphia last weekend, but at 11:00 pm the night before we were leaving, I discovered that the huge tub of basil we had in the fridge had gone bad. Since it was so late and I was so tired, I just gave up and went to bed instead.

We made the trip down to Philly for my niece’s dedication, and it was a great excuse to get out of Boston and spend time with family. Sophie, my youngest niece, was adorable and her older sister, Amelia, was giddy with excitement with all the family there. Not only did we get to catch up with family and meet my sister-in-law’s newest nephew, but we got to do it over an amazing dinner at Yang Ming, considered by some to be the best Chinese restaurant in the country. The appetizers were outstanding and practically a meal unto themselves, and my jumbo shrimp with honey walnuts was even better than what I got in San Francisco. Who knew Bryn Mawr, PA had such good Chinese food?

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Ok, with that streak of six straight cookie/bar recipes interrupted only by a cocktail recipe still weighing on my conscience, I figured maybe it was about time for something, I don’t know, with a little less butter and sugar. First up was the wild mushroom, zucchini and goat cheese frittata, and now, broccoli cheddar soup. Broccoli cheddar soup, you ask? How can that be healthy? Well, rest assured, it’s not by using 75% reduced fat cheese, because I would never allow such a thing in my kitchen. Nope, this recipe uses good ol’ fashioned delicious and very real cheese. It just uses a litte less than some recipes and uses low fat milk instead of heavy cream.

I adore broccoli cheddar soup, but I never make it or order it out because it just seems so decadent and I’d kind of rather save room for some chocolate cake. So I’m thrilled to have found a recipe that tastes good and doesn’t make me have to stay at the gym an extra hour to work off the calories. The recipe comes from Ellie Krieger, dietician and Food Network star, and creator of many other recipes that I love (such as mac ‘n squash, penne with roasted tomatoes, garlic, and white beans, and Chinese chicken salad). While her show isn’t my favorite (I’m sure she’s a lovely person, but she doesn’t have the best TV personality), I love her recipes. They’re healthy, tasty, and don’t rely on weird diet food products.

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As much as I love fall, I’ve been happy that it has still been fairly warm in Boston. Most importantly, the farmers’ market still has tomatoes and honestly, that’s all I need to fend off fears of snow and ice. I love fall and living in New England, it doesn’t really get any better. The only problem is that fall feels so short and then winter comes along.

Normally if I want to give visitors a taste of New England, I like to take them to Atlantic Fish Company for some clam chowder, but my sister has never been a fan. She generally doesn’t like dairy products in her soups and sauces, which is her loss. But when I found out that she actually really likes corn chowder, I knew I had to make it for her. I’ve been wanting to make this recipe from Cook’s Illustrated since my July/August edition arrived and the corn at the farmer’s market looked amazing, so this was all perfect timing.

This corn chowder recipe has less dairy than many recipes, which allows the corn flavor to shine through better, while the bacon adds a salty, sweet smokiness. The red potatoes give the soup a little more substance and then part of the chowder is pureed, so you still get a nice creamy bowl of chowder even without heavy cream. The fresh thyme and basil round out the chowder into one tasty bowl of late summery goodness. Continue reading