Dinner Tonight : a Simple, Cozy Dinner in a Few Breezy Steps
As we ease back into the weekly grind after many lovely, lazy holiday celebrations, a belly warming dinner is just what the doctor ordered. Inspiration for tonight's dinner: toasty, creamy, rib-sticking classics to thaw that winter chill -- tarted-up grilled cheese and a bacon-kissed potato chowder (recipe below).
We've neatly condensed the recipes below to help you get dinner on the table tonight. Ten minutes at the store, twenty at the stove and that's that. Find more great wintery recipes in this roundup of 16 fabulous soups.
A colorful supper in under an hour -- dinner is served! See more simple, snappy ideas for dinner tonight here.
The Menu
Creamy Potato Soup with Bacon Vinaigrette by OB Cookie
Serves 6
For the soup:
1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion diced
1 large carrot diced
1 rib celery diced
3 cloves garlic diced
1 sprig rosemary chopped
1 teaspoon salt
6 medium Russet potatoes (about 2 lbs.) peeled and diced into 1" cubes
7 cups chicken stock or water
1 cup low fat sour cream
salt and pepper to taste
For the vinaigrette:
4 pieces thick cut bacon
3 green onions finely sliced
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
pinch salt
1. Add butter to large pot on medium high heat and melt.
2. Add carrot, onion, celery, garlic, rosemary and salt. Saute veggies until onions are soft, about 10 minutes.
3. Add potatoes and stock. Cook on medium high until potatoes are very tender, about 20 minutes
4. Turn off heat, add sour cream and puree in blender or with immersion blender
5. To make vinaigrette, cook bacon until crispy on medium high heat. Drain fat onto paper town and chop into small pieces.
6. To small bowl stir onions, bacon, vinegar, salt. Add oil and put 1 tbsp of vinaigrette on top of each bowl of soup.
Grilled Pepper Cheese Sandwiches by Savour
The Grocery List
12 oz extra sharp cheddar
6 oz roasted piquillo peppers
3 green onions
1 sprig rosemary
6 russet potatoes, cut into a 1-inch dice
4 pieces thick cut bacon
1 cup lowfat sour cream
We're assuming that you have olive oil, butter, onions, vinegar, garlic, celery, carrots, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and sandwich bread on hand -- if not, it's time to stock up!
The Plan
Potatoes First: Since the potatoes will need to boil for 20 minutes, get that going first. Saute celery, carrots, rosemary, garlic and onions in butter (about 10 minutes) and then toss in the cubed russets and 7 cups of broth (water is ok too) and bring to a boil, and then a simmer. Ignore for 20 minutes.
Whizzed Cheese: It makes sense to get the cheese filling ready now, because it's forgiving and doesn't mind sitting for a while. Break the cheddar into chunks and process until it is reminiscent of coarse gravel. Now add the peppers, garlic and mayonnaise and process until the mixture is smooth and spreadable. At this point you could pop it in the fridge for a while, or, since you're going to use it pretty immediately, just let it sit in the food processor.
Still Simmering: Unless your food processor is terribly slow, your potatoes should still need some simmering time at this point, so it's a great moment to make the bacon vinaigrette. Cook the bacon until it is nicely crisped and chop into nibble-sized pieces. Stir it together with the green onions, vinegar, olive oil and salt. Set aside.
Last steps: Assemble the sandwiches and get them in a buttered pan on medium low heat. Keep an eye on them while you pull your potatoes from the heat and toss in 1 cup of sour cream. Puree.
Sit down and eat up: As soon as the sandwiches are toasty and warm, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish the soup with the bacon vinaigrette.
Aside: Stash any leftover peppered cheese to nibble with crackers for tomorrow's lunch. You deserve it. Why? Because dinner is served.
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