Hello Everyone! I hope you all had a happy holiday season. I can't believe another year flew by...Here we are in January again. January not only celebrates the beginning of a new year, and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. ( For more info and recipes...Paste: http://www.therecipefinder.com/Holidays.html ) January is also Gourmet Coffee Month, Oatmeal Month, Soup Month, and the second week in January is Pizza Week. Whew! I am very excited about all the new features we will be adding in the coming months... Here are some updates and new features debuting at The Recipe Finder in January: - updated tips page http://www.therecipefinder.com/Tips.html - New recipes every Wednesday http://www.therecipefinder.com/Recipes.html - Archives http://www.therecipefinder.com/Archives.html - Recipes, Diets, and More! http://www.therecipefinder.com/resources.html We have a new feature (Quick and Easy) up by January 5th. Some of the highlights are; once a month cooking, easy desserts, simple main dishes, quick tips, and more. Be sure and check that out this month. I learned something new this week and I must share it with you... Cutting onions has always been a tearful experience for me. Every time I cut onions my eyes would become teary and burn. Not any more! I tested this three times. First, peel the onion, cut off the bottom (NOT the root part), hold the onion by the root and slice strips from the top (where the root is) to the bottom...all the way around, but not all the way through. Finally, turn the onion on its side and hold it together while slicing the other way. When your done you will have perfectly chopped onions without the tears. I didn't believe it would work, but it did! Try it and let me know. Here is some coffee humor in honor of "Gourmet Coffee Month." Soldier's Coffee: This little grandmother was surprised by her 7 year old grandson one morning. He had made her coffee. She drank what was the worst cup of coffee in her life. When she got to the bottom, there were three of those little green army men, and she asked him why they were there. Her grandson replied, "On television, they say, 'The best part of waking up is soldiers in your cup!'" LOL! I thought that was very funny and cute. Feel free to email me any clean cooking/food jokes you know for next month. Since January is Soup Month, I have included a couple yummy soup recipes. They will be at the very bottom of the newsletter. The second Wednesday in January will have pizza recipes as The Recipes of the Week...to celebrate Pizza Week. January's Monthly Prize Drawing Winner is: Lois Barnum! Congratulations!! Well, That's all for this month. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Until next month, Lara Velez (Email Me: RecipeFinderMail@aol.com) Editor-in-Chief
LEEK AND POTATO SOUP
1 ounce butter 1 pound leeks (sliced) 1 pound potatoes (sliced) 1 pint stock or water salt and pepper 1/2 pint milk 3-4 tablespoons cream paprika pepper Melt butter in soup pot and fry potatoes and leeks (save a few leek slices for garnish) for 10 minutes, over low heat, with the lid on. Shake pot occasionally to prevent vegetables from sticking. Add stock and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Run soup through sieve and return to pan with the milk. Re-heat. Add cream. This potato soup recipe makes 6 servings. Garnish with leek slices and paprika pepper.
YUMMY MEXICAN SOUP
1 can vegetable broth and 1 can water 1/2 a medium onion, minced (use the no more tears way) 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped fine 1 bell green, diced 1 tomato, chopped 1 can black, or mixed chili beans, drained & rinsed 2 cups frozen corn 1/2 cup rice 2 tablespoons lime juice Salt and pepper to taste Tortilla Chips
Simmer the onion, pepper, garlic, rice, corn, and half of the cilantro in the broth and water for about 30 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Add the tomatoes and beans. When the tomatoes are just cooked, remove from the heat and add the rest of the cilantro, and lime juice. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve over crumbled tortilla chips.
