Dim Sum Sunday

On the last day of Christmas Vacation we decided to go out for something very special. We went for Dim Sum at Chinatown off Mopac in Austin. This was an amazing experience. I had never been to a traditional Dim Sum service. It was so beautiful and artistic and the servers were fantastic salesmen and women. The only torture was getting full and not being able to taste all of the delicious treats.

Thank you Chinatown! We will be back.

Baked Potato Soup

Last Sunday we had a large catering job and brought home an entire roasting pan full of mashers. The weather dropped to freezing Monday night so the Soup Season continues. Below is a simple version of Baked Potato soup made with left over mashers. Of course this recipe is a one pot dish. After all, who wants to spend the evening washing dishes. It is warming, hearty and delicious. Enjoy!

Start by chopping a package of bacon and frying it up in your soup pot. Take out the bacon when crispy, leaving a small amount of grease in the soup pot. Fill the soup pot half way with left over mashed potatoes. Heat through. Add enough chicken broth to fill the pot about 3/4 full. (basically, 2 parts potatoes and 1 part chicken broth) Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.

Serve soup hot with grated cheddar cheese, chopped green onion and crisp bacon pieces.

Elk Meatball Stew

It's hunting season again and this year we were lucky enough to get some ground Elk from a generous and mighty hunter who braved the cold New Mexico mountains for this delicious Elk Meatball Stew.
Season the ground Elk with Salt and Pepper and form into small balls. Then brown in bacon drippings.


While the meatballs are browning, chop a small onion, three carrots, one clove of garlic and two red potatoes. Add all of this to the pot with the meatballs and cover with beef broth. Add one can of tomato paste for richness and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 min to an hour. As always salt and pepper to taste.


When the soup was done I simply rolled out pieces of raw bread dough and toasted them in a skillet. (Perfect for dipping)