Simplicity with a Bit of Lush

A big crock of chicken noodle soup accompanied by drop biscuits for lunch and I am a happy gal.  I do like to try and lush up these simple fairs once and a while, and pretend I've elevated my table to a little French bistro or a an Italian café. I've been looking up "mock" recipes to get some ideas on how others are getting more of the taste of  five star dining on both a budget and also a realistic time frame.  Here are a few tips I have recently discovered.

Garlic-even if it is just garlic powder, adds so much flavor to quick breads and drop biscuits. No matter what I am making, lately I've been adding a touch. Even if the garlic flavor isn't noticed, it changes the  original flavor just enough to increase flavor. We often end with more noodles than sauce when we make pasta dishes. Garlic mixed with olive oil and a good vinegar, and then tossed through leftover pasta makes a nice little cold pasta salad, perfect to take among for lunch with some canned tuna. Better yet, mix some of the tuna in, serve over some greens, for a lush salad that won't remotely resemble the summer potluck salad my great aunt brought out each 4th of July.

Dried herbs-of course having fresh right outside your door would be better, and I plan to do some container pots once it warms up, but having a pantry full of thyme, oregano, basil, parsley, and even premixed like Italian seasoning, added to meats, sauces, gravies, or soups brings a unique flavor profile beyond your supermarket staples.

Browning meat with an onion-why I haven't been doing this forever, I do not know.  The "oniony" taste mellows, but the extra caramelization and flavor seared into the meet elevates the simplest  cuts to higher taste.  I did a flash frozen chicken breast yesterday morning  for the soup, and the extra earthiness the browning of the onion and chicken together had made the hubby think I had bought a chicken stock from our local deli. The broth tasted so much richer, even though I used mostly stock cubes, adding the then diced browned chicken and onions, along with using a little water to get every bit of browned juice and onion from the fry pan. I have posted a lot of pictures of soup, but this might be the best batch I've ever made.

Savory jams and jellies/fruit jams and jellies used as ingredients- The last time we went for dinner at the wine  bar of which we have a membership, I ordered the grilled cheese.  This was no ordinary grilled cheese. Smothered between the bread and cheese was a tomato jam that made my mouth water. On our trip to the UK, the cheese toasties had an onion marmalade on them-quite tasty. I tried to do the same at home using the pepper jelly I had made last fall from the gift banana peppers, and wouldn't you know, it was equally as delicious. The combination of sweetness from the jelly sugars with the earthiness of the vegetable, blended with the nuttiness of the cheese was incredible. I've used that jam, along with some peppered apple chutney, to cook and serve alongside pork chops, pork tenderloins and chicken.  At this same wine bar outing, hubby had a turkey burger with a lingonberry jam and mayonnaise spread. I have since played with mixing jams and jelly's with mayonnaise, barbecue, or ketchup for sandwich spreads and dipping sauces and we have had some delicious combinations.

I could add more, and think I will over time.  I'm not at all a food snob, but I do appreciate a well prepared meal, and the care and artistry that  quality chef's can put in their dishes. If I can elevate our simple fair with a few  ingredients used in intentional ways, I am all for that.  I would love to hear your ideas on how you Ramsey up your dinner table and lunch boxes.

I am down to my last jar of pepper jelly, with lot's of ideas.