Stormy weather and Autumn adventures in the kitchen.

   This entire past weekend had been dreary.  We are in the midst of a cold front that has brought a steady soaking, cold and misting rain that soaks into you very bones.  It is a good weekend for making a good and hearty soup and other foods to warm your soul.

    While it is not cold, our high was barely above 60 F (16 C), it was cold enough at night for us to start the pellet stove to warm the house and to start thinking about soup.   It particular there was one soup that I came across that got me interested in making it.    

    Even the name of it, Brie and Cheddar Apple Beer Soup, got my mouth watering.   

    I had also came across an interesting recipe for Eggnog Cheese, and while not quite ready to tackle that (I don't have a proper press), I certainly thought that I could make my own Eggnog!  

    Eggnog is one of those things that I would drink all year round, either "leaded" or "unleaded."  Although there are a lot of different ways to make eggnog, the basic chemistry is the same for each.  Mine came out a bit to thin, but that was probably due to to me not adding the egg whites back into the nog like many recipes suggest.   However it tasted almost exactly like it would if I bought it from a store, with the exception that I added a bit more cinnamon than what the recipe called for.

    The point however, is that I would make it again and again...and will probably make it in June because I love eggnog that much!  I would also recommend doubling or even tripling the recipe if your a fan of nog.

    Somehow the idea of making a soup was still in my mind and the Brie and Cheddar Apple Beer Soup just seemed to wonderful to pass by, it went to the top of the "to make" list.   I also thought that if I going to do that, then I should try to make some paneer cheese as well after all, both recipes require milk..   It's something I've made before and figured it would be nice to help with my slow movement towards a healthier diet, where it could serve as a meat substitute.

    I've been trying to go without meat at least 1 day a week and have slowly shifted to trying to have at least one additional plant based meal per week.    

    Heart disease runs in my family and the risk of diabetes is just part of our modern lifestyle.  Since I'm to lazy to take up something like running to help me lose weight so I figured the best way for me to maintain the lifestyle I've grown accommodated to is to change up the diet.   So I've been eating a plant based burger or sausage now and again, and damn; if I've not grown to like them.  Plus being a hedonist it allows me to explore a wide variety of different dishes, textures and tastes (See my experiments with "Vegan Cheeses").

(Air fried tofu)

    Tofu however has never really interested me that much.  It always seemed just weird.   It was that spongy been curd that only hippies seemed to eat.   Then one day at the wonderful Thai restaurant in nearby Slippery Rock I gave it a try.    Yes, it was chewy...but it was also delish!   I became a fan of tofu.  So much so that it has become my go to dish when I eat there.

        Sadly my experiences with it at home have been less than successful, but that's the neat thing about being in the kitchen for me.  You may screw it up but you can always give it another try, another effort.  When I was out shopping for the ingredients for the soup, I managed to get my hand on another block and used a rather simple recipe I had come across,  baking some of it for use in a noodle soup for lunch on Meatless Monday!   While I would say that my tofu was certainly flavorful, it was a bit overpowered by the soy sauce. 

    However the day got away from me after that, and the soup that I had been wanting to make got placed on the proverbial back burner once again.   

    To be honest, I'm hoping I can get the lovely Sue to make it on her next day off.  If not, then this coming Wednesday for sure.  :)