CLEEHM = Cream of Leek and Mushroom Soup / slash my roommate needs an immune system boost

It doesn't really matter what level of education you are at, if you are in a learning environment with other people, it's pretty likely that you will get something in these fall to winter months.

Let's get real: I've seen people at my school NOT wash their hands after leaving the restroom. This, this is just something I cannot stand for and am tempted to out these people publicly because it is just disgusting, but I won't because I WASH MY HANDS. Do I want to touch the roll after I see you leave the bathroom ONE TIME without washing your hands? You're damn right I don't want to touch that. It doesn't matter that you might have hand sanitizer, the door to the bathroom DOESN'T automatically disinfect itself. How on earth can you even believe that someone will be your lawyer one day, if they go against public policy and refuse to wash their hands before leaving the bathroom?!? Once I am licensed, I will sue you and people like you who wreak havoc on our society that may or may not have access to health care, you selfish jerk.

Rant over.

So my roommate is sick and I am slightly under the weather. We have both been stressed (and now relieved) for our final trials in Trial Advocacy. They are both over now! We both practiced hard and did well. I am proud of both of us and the rest of our classmates. It is not an easy class, and it makes you face a lot of things about yourself that you might not otherwise have the chance to do. We found this great nasal spray called Sinol. It's all natural (so the label says, even though it also says patent pending...) and I put a squirt in each nostril and I could breathe immediately. It felt like I squirted liquid pepper in my nose and it went to my eyes because I cried a little. So glad to BREATHE.

Needless to say, we have been trying to eat healthy and drink a lot of water and get our packet of Emergen-C in to ward off any real illness. I can't say we will win, but we will fight! I am hoping I don't have to get a z-pack. I hate them and with my ADD and various allergies, it makes me a lot loopy. We did buy a VapoSteam at Wal-Mart. One word to describe it = AMAZING. It is really helpful. It is not expensive and I am going on record to say it works.

Anyway, the soup.

Cleehm = Cream of Leek and Mushroom Soup


Ingredients
3 cups of chopped leeks (down to the white parts)
1 package of chopped baby bellas
1 package of shitake mushrooms
1 package of portobella caps sliced and diced
1 yellow onion - diced
2 cups baby carrots
3 cloves garlic
1 cup of white wine
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup water
Salt
Pepper
2 teaspoons Thyme
1 box (small) heavy cream
olive oil
1/2 stick butter
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 tablespoon flour

Directions
Chop up all the veggies and seasonings and add them to a large sauce pot with the olive oil and butter. Stir these and satue them until they are somewhat soft.

Next, add the chicken stock, and stir. Wait for it to boil and then add the wine. Then add a cup of water. Stir all this together.

Next, add the flour. Stir it in. Let it come to a boil again and then turn it to low and let it simmer for about 20 minutes or so.

Lastly, scoop out a few cups of the soup and put it in a blender or food processor. Add the heavy cream slowly. Put back in the soup after blended. Add a few more cups to the blender (not at the same time) and repeat.

Let the soup simmer for about another 10 minutes and then serve.

Enjoy!

Lowcountry Shrimp, Bay Scallops and Mushroom Risotto

Last night my friend Grace and I made some risotto. This is one of my favorite things to make and each time I do it a little bit differently. This time I used some sea food for a little something different - sea food is always nice in the summer time when it's warm and you want to eat something that feels real.

I have watched my mom and my Aunt Dona make risotto a bunch of different ways: saffron, tomato, plain, lemon, etc.

Here is how I do it - it is a mix of how my family prepares it and how I add a little bit of BOOM to it:

Ingredients:
1 yellow onion
4 cloves of garlic (smashed with the side of the knife to release the good oils)
1 package of baby portobello mushrooms sliced (let's save some time here...)
1 cup of Arborio Rice (this will serve 4 people, 2-3 if you like big bowls)
1/2 pound fresh shrimp (you can shell them or not either way is good)
1 pound of bay scallops (the little ones, unless you are feeling decadent, then go for the big ones)
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes
Fennel Seeds
2 Cups of White Wine
4 Cups of Chicken Broth or Stock
Parmesan Cheese (everything is better if you freshly grate it...trust me)

Directions:
First, pour some olive oil in the big skillet type pan. As this is SLOWLY heating up - dice the entire onion (you can do half an onion if you aren't as into them as I am) and toss it into the warm oil. Saute the onions until they are translucent or soft. Then add the cup of Arborio rice. Using a tool (whatever is handy and won't mess up the non-stick pan), mix in the rice with the olive oil and onions. You want the rice to be coated with the oil - give it about 1 minute - but don't let it burn.

Next, add 1 cup of white wine. Let the wine reduce/simmer down. Add the mushrooms (all of them). Saute for about 20 seconds and then add a 2nd cup of white wine. Let it reduce and stir to make sure that the liquid is getting all over the pan.

Next, add 4 cups of chicken broth or stock, one at a time. Wait until it has reduced before adding the next cup. Don't jump the gun here, and don't freak out because it looks a little soupy and creamy - risotto makes its own creamy sauce. If you can tell the risotto is beginning to stick on the bottom - immediately add another cup of broth!

Once you get to the last cup of broth, let it reduce about half way and then add in the cheese. I like lots of cheese - but add however much you want. This will make the risotto more creamy, but also very tasty.

As for the seafood - Grace and I sauted the shrimp and scallops together in a separate pan with olive oil, a clove of minced garlic, and about half a cup of white wine. I am not an expert at cooking scallops - but I know that they release a lot of liquid when they are cooked - the wine helped to absorb the awkwardness. We cooked these all together on low for about 5 minutes stirring continuously. Then we drained the pan in the sink and dumped it on top of the risotto and stirred it together and ate on the back porch.