Sunday, July 18, 2021

A Savory Smoked Salmon Bisque for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

I walked by some lobster bisque in the grocery store deli soups the other day and thought about making some but instead decided to make a Smoked Salmon Bisque instead to use some peppered smoked salmon and cream that were hanging about my fridge. 


 What's the difference betwen bisque and chowder? If you read up on them, the simplest answer seems to be that both are creamy and rich but a bisque tends to be pureed until smooth, while a chowder is usually left chunkier. I went a bit in the middle, pureeing my soup base, but flaking in pieces of peppered smoked salmon too. Although bisques are most often served hot or warm, it's summer and I think this one would also be lovely chilled.


Smoked Salmon Bisque
By Deb, Kahakai Kitchen
(Makes 4 Servings)

2 Tbsp butter
1 medium leek, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cup white wine 
3 cups broth--I used non-chicken
8-10 oz hot smoked salmon, flaked, separated
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
sea salt and black pepper to taste
chopped chives and black pepper or smoked paprika for garnish

In a medium heavy-bottom pot, heat butter over medium heat and add leeks, onion, and carrot and cook 4-5 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and cook another minute, then add flour and spices and cook another minute or two. Add white wine and stir until flour is completely blended.

Stir in broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes. Add about 1/2 of the smoked salmon and the heavy cream and simmer another 10 minutes, being careful not to boil. Using an immersion blender or a high speed blender (blend in batches), puree soup until mostly smooth. Return purred soup to pot and stir in most of the rest of the reserved salmon--reserving about 2 Tbsp for topping. Add lemon juice and season to taste with salt and black pepper. 

Serve warm with reserved flaked smoked salmon, chopped chives and a sprinkle of smoked paprika or black pepper or chill at least 2 hours in fridge and serve cold. 

Notes/Results: Rich, creamy, smoky and good, this is a tasty soup. I like the peppery salmon on here--although any hot smoked, flaky salmon will do. I also like the extra pop of flavor from the smoked paprika, Old Bay Seasoning and the lemon juice--which brightens up the richness and smoky flavors. I would happily make it again. 


Let's see who is in the Souper Sundays kitchen this week. 


Debra of Eliot's Eats shared a classic Macaroni Salad, saying "We fried up a bazillion fish fillets (hybrid bass) that The Hubs had caught on a early June fishing trip. We just coated them with cornmeal, Cajun spice, a little sugar, and salt and pepper. We had so much fish we ate on them for at least three meals.  The first night was simply the fillets. Then came the Po-Boys, and finally just simply cold on a grazing board. ... To go along with the obligatory hot dogs and brats, I created this macaroni salad. I based the dressing on Rodney Scott’s potato salad. I added whatever veggies I had in the fridge."



Judee of Gluten Free A-Z Blog brought Quinoa Salad and says, "If you are looking for a great quinoa salad that is easy, healthy, and filling- this is it. Quinoa, chickpeas, and summer produce such as red and yellow cherry tomatoes, scallions, colorful mini sweet peppers, shredded carrots, sliced black olives, parsley, and fresh basil, makes an easy, light, yet filling meal for dinner."



Radha of The Magical Ingredients for a Wholesome Life from the Heart of My Home shared Four Ways to Use Up Chipotle Corn Chowder. She says, "Chipotle corn chowder is one of our favorite soups whether slow-cooked or on stove-top. When made quite often, many times, there would be leftovers and sometimes, I would love to make a little extra as the leftover soup comes in handy for the next meal as such, or which helps in quick fixing a delicious meal. This post shows four ways to use it, though it can be used in many other ways."


(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
 
If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:
  • Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.
  • Although we are pretty wide on what defines a soup, sandwich or salad, entries that are clearly not in the same family (ie: desserts, meats, random main or side dishes that aren't salads, etc.) are meant for another round up and will be deleted. 
and 

On your entry post (on your blog):
  • Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
  • You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
Have a happy, healthy week!
 

Friday, July 16, 2021

The Book Tour Stops Here: A Review of "Denied" by Mary Keliikoa, Served with a Recipe for Peanut-Sesame Noodles

Happy Aloha Friday! I love a good mystery and so I am excited to be today's stop on the TLC Book Tour for Denied: A Kelly Pruett Mystery by Mary Keliikoa. It's the second in a new-ish series so I'll be talking about both books. Accompanying my review is a recipe for Penut-Sesame Noodles, inspired by my reading.


Publisher's Blurb:

A high-risk pregnancy. A dangerous secret. When her case turns deadly, can this investigator avoid racking up a fatal debt?

PI Kelly Pruett’s search to locate a former classmate’s missing father ends in what appears to be a tragic accident. But putting the pieces together that led to that fateful night will require Kelly to play a high risk game of chance with a killer willing to gamble everything to win.

Publisher: Camel Press (May 11, 2021)
Paperback: 226 pages

My Review: I always love a good mystery series and there is a lot to love about this one. As the book tour is for the second book in the series and I *can't* happily read series books out of order, I requested an arc of the first book, Derailed. I like that the books are set in my old stomping ground of Portland, Oregon, in fact Derailed had a Portland spin on a murder when a young woman was killed by a Max Light Rail Train. It sets up Kelly's situation, she is a Private Investigator who took over her father's business when he suffered a stroke and died. She has an 8-year-old daughter. Mitz, who is deaf and a basset hound named Floyd. She also has an ex-husband who cheated on her with her (former) best friend and an ex-mother-in-law who helps with Mitz and gets in Kelly's business a lot. There is a bit of a cozy mystery vibe here in that Kelly's father kept her on the light side of the business--process serving, skip tracing, stakeouts for photos of cheating spouses, and not on any of the grittier cases so she is often out of her element and takes some not-so-wise chances in both books. 

In Denied, an old school friend has been estranged from her father and asks Kelly to find him as she is pregnant and high risk. Kelly thinks he may have gotten involved over his head with a gambling racket and when it turns out he had an unfortunate car "accident," she is convinced there's more to the case. The books are quick reads, tension builds nicely, and there were some twists--some I saw coming, others were more of a surprise. I did have to yell at Kelly a few times in my head for her life choices and decisions, but overall, she is a character that I enjoyed. There's a new love interest for her plus some complications from her ex-husband to explore too. If you like mystery and PI series, a strong female main character, and Portland/Oregon settings, you should enjoy the Kelly Pruett Mysteries. I know I am looking forward to the next book. 

Book 1


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Author Notes: Mary Keliikoa is the author of the Lefty and Agatha award nominated PI Kelly Pruett mystery series and the upcoming Misty Pines mystery series featuring Sheriff Jax Turner slated for release in September 2022. Her short stories have appeared in Woman’s World and in the anthology Peace, Love and Crime: Crime Fiction Inspired by Music of the ‘60s. A Pacific NW native, she spent a part of her life working around lawyers. Combining her love of legal and books, she creates a twisting mystery where justice prevails. When not in Washington, you can find Mary on the beach in Hawaii where she and her husband recharge. But even under the palm trees and blazing sun, she’s plotting her next murder—novel that is.

Find out more about Mary on her website, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

-----

Food Inspiration:

Other than peanut butter, which is mentioned often, there is not a lot of food in Denied, but there were ribs and salad from the deli, black coffee, toast, cookies, wine, potato chips on a peanut butter sandwich, and spaghetti.

In both books, Kelly is constantly turning to peanut butter--often by the spoonful from the jar--as her comfort food and hunger satisfier. So for my bookish dish, I thought that with just a few more minutes, she could be enjoying her peanut butter with noodles for a more satisfying meal. 


I used Nigella's Sesame Peanut Noodle Sauce recipe for these. Adaptable and nothing fancy--add veggies if you like, but I thought Kelly would be mostly into a big bowl of noodles.


Sesame Peanut Noodle Sauce
Slightly Adapted from Nigella Lawson via FoodNetwork.com

1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp garlic infused oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp sweet chili sauce
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter 
2 Tbsp lime juice

9 oz cooked noodles of choice (I used local fresh ramen)
cilantro, green onion or chives and sesame seeds to garnish

Whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Place cooked noodles in a large bowl and toss with dressing until completely covered. Let chill if desired and enjoy!

Notes/Results: Rich and almost creamy/buttery, when I make peanut butter noodles, I always wonder why I don't make them more often?! They are so easy and so good--especially with the fresh ramen noodles. I kept my noodles very basic but you can easily pump these up with all manner of veggies and add protein too. I just figure Kelly will do the least amount possible to get the peanut butter into her mouth. ;-) You can also up the spice level, although I like the balance of the milder heat in the sweet chili sauce. I will happily make these again. 

I'm sharing this post with the Weekend Cooking event  being hosted by Marg at The Adventures of An Intrepid Reader. It's a weekly event that is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share. Here's a link to last week's post. 


Linking up this Nigella Recipe Adaptation to I Heart Cooking Clubs where the theme is Dress You Up!--sauces and dressings to jazz up your dishes. 


Note: A review copy of Denied was provided to me by the author and the publisher via TLC Book Tours. I was not compensated for this review and as always, my thoughts and opinions are my own.   
 
You can see the stops for the rest of this TLC Book Tour and what other reviewers thought about the book here. 


 

Sunday, July 11, 2021

Five Favorite Asian-Inspired Noodle Soups for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

It's hot, I was out all day yesterday and so instead of making soup today, I took a nap and I am rounding up more favorite soups from the blog.

This week it's soups full of Asian ingredients and flavors and lots of noodle goodness. Let's take a look:

When you need a very quick bowl of soupy noodles, Donna Hay's Prawn Noodle Soup is perfect:


Not into seafood, try Nigella's Noodle Soup for Needy People--it has star anise, a spice I love and don't use nearly often enough. 



Craving Thai? Try Heidi Swanson's Thai Green Curry Zucchini and Noodle Soup.



If red curry is more your style, try Donna Hay's Thai Red Curry Tofu & Veggie Noodle Soup.


Low-carbing it  but still want the noodle action? My own Zucchini Noodles & Salmon in Curry-Coconut Soup will hit the spot


There are plenty more Asian-inspired soups and noodle soups on the blog too. You can't go wrong with slurping up a big bowl of any of them! 

The Souper Sundays kitchen is quiet this week but do join me sometime if you ever want to share a soup, salad, or sandwich creation! 


(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
 
If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:
  • Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.
  • Although we are pretty wide on what defines a soup, sandwich or salad, entries that are clearly not in the same family (ie: desserts, meats, random main or side dishes that aren't salads, etc.) are meant for another round up and will be deleted. 
and 

On your entry post (on your blog):
  • Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
  • You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
Have a happy, healthy week!
 

Sunday, July 4, 2021

Eight July 4th & Beyond Fun Fruit Soups for Souper (Soup, Salad, & Sammie) Sundays

I'm feeling lazy again this week and it's July 4th and who wants to be cooking today? So instead, I am going to bring you some fun fruit soups that would be perfect to serve today, or any hot day in July. 





If you are adventurous, fruit soups can be refreshing and fun--especially in the warm summer weather when fruit is most plentiful. I hope these eight soups inspire you to give it a try. 

It's just me in the Souper Sundays kitchen this week!


Here at Kahakai Kitchen, I shared a Grilled Cheese Sandwich from a favorite cafe this week and shared links to ten more creative grilled cheese sandwiches if you are looking for a new take on a classic. 



(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
 
If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:
  • Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.
  • Although we are pretty wide on what defines a soup, sandwich or salad, entries that are clearly not in the same family (ie: desserts, meats, random main or side dishes that aren't salads, etc.) are meant for another round up and will be deleted. 
and 

On your entry post (on your blog):
  • Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
  • You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
Have a happy healthy 4th and a great week!
 

Friday, July 2, 2021

The Book Tour Stops Here: A Review of "A Winter Night" by Anne Leigh Parrish, Served with a Grilled Cheese Sandwich & 10 Favorite Grilled Cheese Recipes

Happy Aloha Friday and kickoff to the Independence Day weekend if you are in America. I am excited to be today's stop on the TLC Book Tour for A Winter Night by Anne Leigh Parrish. Accompanying my dish is a book-inspired delicious grilled cheese sandwich and chips from a favorite local cafe, plus links to a few recipes for my favorite grilled cheese sandwiches.


Publisher's Blurb:

34-year-old Angie Dugan struggles with many things-anxiety, her career as a social worker in a retirement home, and her difficult family. Her biggest struggle, though, is finding love. When she meets Matt, she’s swept away by his attention. As issues from his past come up she wonders if she can trust him. Should she break it off, or give him another chance? In the end, all she can do is listen to her heart, and evaluate what she wants most.

Paperback: 248 Pages
Publisher: Unsolicited Press (March 16, 2021)


My Review: 

I was first introduced to the main character, Angie Dugan and her family back in 2014 when I was on the book tour for Our Love Could Right the World and then in 2019 for Maggie's Ruse which focused on the twins, Maggie and Marta. The Dugans are not a particularly endearing sort of family, their dysfunction is loud and proud, but they are intriguing, and something about the eldest and slightly prickly Angie does make me wish well for her. Angie works as a social worker in a retirement home, a job she doesn't love anymore (or did she ever?) and is in a relatively new relationship with Matt, a bartender and friend of her younger brother. Angie is not really good with any kind of relationship, understandable based on her family dynamics and some big betrayals by the few love interests she has had. Matt's actions are sending out red flags to Angie and much of the book is her "testing" him in different ways or wondering if he is about to betray her. She is also looking to change up her career and life, but isn't truly sure what she wants. 

A Winter Night is a short book at 248 pages, and it does not move fast but wondering what was next for Angie and how things would play out for her kept me turning the pages. Anne Leigh Parrish has a gift for writing that makes even mundane moments come alive and she takes characters that have major flaws and shows us their inner depth and glimpses of the tenderness and heart within them. Lavina, Angie's mother, is my least favorite Dugan for the lack of mothering skills she presented in other books but I actually found myself warming to her in this book. I don't think that you have to read Parrish's other books about the Dugans to read this one (in fact I am missing The Amendment, centered around Lavina) but if you like family and relationship drama, her books have a nice flow of the lives of this family and might make you appreciate your own even more.

-----

Author Notes: Anne Leigh Parrish is the author of seven previously published books of fiction: What Nell Dreams, a novella and Stories (Unsolicited Press, 2020); Maggie’s Ruse, a novel (Unsolicited Press, 2019); The Amendment, a novel, (Unsolicited Press, 2018); Women Within, a novel (Black Rose Writing, 2017); By The Wayside, stories (Unsolicited Press, 2017); What Is Found, What Is Lost, a novel (She Writes Press, 2014); Our Love Could Light The World, stories (She Writes Press, 2013); and All The Roads That Lead From Home, stories, (Press 53, 2011). She is the author of over forty-five published short stories, and numerous essays on the art and craft of writing. 

Connect with Anne on her website, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

-----

Food Inspiration:

For a short novel there was actually quite a bit of food and drink in A Winter Night. Mentions included: fruit punch, beer, whiskey, coffee, bland orange soup--carrot with garlic, white wine, lasagna, chili, red wine, scotch, decaf non-fat latte, hot chocolate, martini, Chianti, spaghetti, cannelloni, frying bacon, chocolate, doughnuts, pastries, ice cream, pancakes, waffles, soda, corn flakes, a burger, pork chops, chai matcha tea, veal marsala, eggs, bread, salad, a salami and cheese sandwich on rye with a juicy pickle, homemade bread, bourbon, lopsided pineapple upside down cake, roast beef on rye, chicken noodle soup, French bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dip it in, Christmas ham, roast chicken, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, cake, roasted garlic, champagne, and jam on toast. 


I took my inspiration from the mention of a grilled cheese sandwich, below:

"Angie, on the other hand is a pretty good cook, something Matt has remarked on several times, though all she's ever made him is a grilled cheese sandwich. It was the addition of goat cheese with a touch of honey that did it, she thinks. She suspects his tastes are pretty pedestrian in most things."
 
Now, I make some great grilled cheese sandwiches too, but I am having a busy work week and I wasn't in the mood, even for easy cooking. So I grabbed a quick take out from a nearby local cage of their grilled cheese (cheddar, havarti and whipped cream cheese on Japanese Shokupan bread) on my way home. I got a side of their fresh-fried seasoned kettle chips too, and I'm not sorry!

So here are links to 10 favorite grilled cheese recipes previously posted.

Note: some of these are unusual, some more savory, some are sweet, all are, at the very least, grilled bread with cheese on them so in my book, they are grilled cheese sandwiches.


I do have a few more classic grilled cheese sammies on the blog but I figured it would be fun to highlight the more creative ones! ;-)

I'm sharing this post with the Weekend Cooking event  being hosted by Marg at The Adventures of An Intrepid Reader. It's a weekly event that is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share. Here's a link to last week's post. 


And of course a delicious salad based on a sandwich has to get linked up here at Kahakai Kitchen for this week's Souper Sundays post, my weekly feature where anyone can share their soup, salad or sandwich recipes. Here's the link to this weeks post. 


Note: A review copy of A Winter Night was provided to me by the author and the publisher via TLC Book Tours. I was not compensated for this review and as always, my thoughts and opinions are my own.   
 
You can see the stops for the rest of this TLC Book Tour and what other reviewers thought about the book here.