Spicy Chickpea and Rice Soup

Allen made this soup for dinner last night.  And today, only one day later, I made a recipe card--because this is going to be a monthly staple at our house.  I don't know when I have tasted better soup.  It was so delicious and satisfying and flavorful and different.

This is why some people rhapsodize about soup!  It can be the best meal of your life!

It doesn't hurt that it's a pretty darn healthy vegetarian soup, either.

A couple things: we couldn't find any harissa paste, so we didn't use any.  The original recipe called for bulgur wheat instead of brown rice.  Again, none to be had in our small town.  And we used sour cream in place of creme fraiche.

So yummy.  I had a huge bowl for lunch today and wished there was more.

Bacon-Wrapped Venison Roast

My hubby completely authored this recipe. When he gets in the mood to cook, he spends at least an hour "researching." He'll either sit down with a stack of our cookbooks, or peruse cooking sites on the Internet until he finds what he wants. In this case, he read dozens of venison roast recipes, then cobbled together his favorite ingredients and methods from each to create this: total Sunday dinner success. It was well worth the four-hour (not kidding) wait.

I have since made this roast countless times for Sunday dinner.  It is Summer as I write this, so I am cooking it in the crockpot instead of the roasting pan--then I don't have to heat up my whole house with the oven.

Rub the roast down with your flour, spices, and herbs, then brown
every side in garlic and butter (I used olive oil in this instance).
Cast iron skillet: accept no substitutions.
{Bobby Flay 12-In. Cast-Iron Skillet }

I used to put apple wedges around the roast, but now I blend up
an entire apple in my Vitamix blender (yes, I am bragging).

In the crockpot, I drizzle olive oil, then chopped up potatoes and
onions, then the bottom layer of bacon, then the browned roast, and
then I coat the browned roast with the minced apples.  Like so . . .

Finally, wrap the top of the roast in bacon, then pour in a cup of
beef broth and slowly roast on low for three hours.

So tender and flavorful when it's done!

Delicious with fresh salad and homemade bread.  If you happen to
have pie for dessert, you are officially eating the most celestial
meal possible . . . which is why we have roast on Sundays after church.

{If you don't have a tender venison roast in your freezer, you could probably make it almost as good with beef}.

Texas Sheetcake: Allen Style

This cake is one of my husband, Allen's, specialties.  My sisters always ask him to make it when they come for a visit.  It really is the moistest, chocolatiest, most yummiest cake around.  The only such cake that could prompt me to use a grammatically incorrect double superlative without pause.

But Allen doesn't make it in a cookie sheet pan, like most people do.  He makes it in a 9x13 casserole dish, which is what helps make the cake so dense and moist.  And he added cinnamon, whole wheat flour, and some extra chocolate to the recipe . . . all winners.

Allen has made this cake so many times that you'd think he could whip one out in no time.  But that hubby o' mine is nothing if not slow thorough.  All of my sisters know that it will be at least a three-hour wait, from start to finish, when they ask him to please make it.  But that's part of its charm.

Al usually asks me to make the frosting, because I'm a bit better judge of a good frosting consistency.  It's pretty basic: 1 melted half cup of butter, 1/3 cup of cocoa, 3 cups of powdered sugar, a splash of vanilla and a splash of whole milk.  It's hard to wait until the cake is cool to frost it.

Enjoy!

Roast Chicken in Milk

One of my husband's best dinners, and another favorite recipe that originated with Jamie Oliver, our favourite celebrity chef.

Cheesy Herb Focaccia

This bread is another one of my husband's specialties. He really got into baking bread during the beginning of our Jamie Oliver addiction (our favourite celebrity chef). It reminds me of having soups in the Fall when it starts to get cold--it's a totally comforting food. The more cheese, the better.

Buttery Biscuit Bread

This is one of Allen's specialty foods. We almost always bake it in our mini-loaf pans--the bread is so rich and good that you better have smaller portions. It's a favorite bread to take to neighbors with a pot of soup or a jar of homemade jam.