Cooking with Sheila

French Onion Soup - Slow Cooker Style

French Onion Soup is delicious and easy when you make it in the slow cooker.

“You will find this to be a more oniony soup than the usual kind but, as the cross old lady said when a stranger told her that her slip was showing, "I like it that way.” ~Margaret Yardley Potter I think of French Onion Soup as the Rocky Balboa of soups. It is an enduring favorite, it has bite and it may be basic, but it definitely has depth. You can envision it going a few rounds with Apollo Creed's Beef Stew. But seriously, French Onion Soup is that perennial favorite that we love to order in restaurants as an appetizer but seldom actually try to make at home. In all the years that I have been cooking the first time I tried to make it was last weekend, when I decided to try my hand at a slow cooker version. I have just one thing to say. …

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Cooking with Sheila

Corn Chowdah Recipe Turns Soup Into Salad

This great side dish tastes amazingly like an old New England favorite-Corn Chowder.

"Corn chowder. That's an interesting choice. You do know that cellulite is one of the main ingredients in corn chowder." ~Nigel (The Devil Wears Prada) I love soup. Hot or cold, for lunch or dinner, vegetarian or protein based...give me soup and I'm a happy girl. One of my favorite things about soup is how versatile it is. You can take most any leftover vegetables or meats in your fridge, throw them into a pot, simmer them in broth and have yourself a great little meal. Soup is comfort; soup is that wonderful feeling of "home." Ok, you get my point. I love soup. Moving on... You can imagine how excited I was when I stumbled upon a recipe that turned one of my favorite soups, corn chowder, into a salad. This dish combines the wonderful …

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Cooking with Sheila

Mom's Curried Chicken Salad With Fruit

This lovely chicken salad makes a great topping for crackers or in a sandwich. It fits in perfectly with a Mother's Day brunch.

"Love, like a chicken salad a restaurant has, must be taken with blind faith or it loses its flavor." ~Helen Rowland It's Mother's Day and like most of us I'm sure your plans revolve around visiting with the women in your life. And eating. Don't most of our plans revolve around food? I am having my family over tomorrow for an afternoon of laughs, food and celebrating the moms in the family (we have big family so there are quite a few). Since the weather is going to be so beautiful we'll be outdoors, grilling. The usual suspects will be in attendance; hot dogs, hamburgers, various salads, chips and dips. I am also making a great curried chicken salad to serve with crackers. This chicken salad is light and tasty, with just a bit of punch …

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Bites Nearby

A Golden Choice for Dinner

Sushi or Moo Shi, the choice is yours at Golden Ginger.

Looking for a place to grab a bite and can’t decide if you are in the mood for sushi or Kung Pao chicken? Why not head to Golden Ginger and have both? Located in the Staples Plaza across from Market Basket, Golden Ginger is a very reasonably priced restaurant that specializes in Chinese and Japanese cuisine.  They have both a large dining room and a bar area so it’s the perfect place to have drinks after work with friends or enjoy a lovely dinner for two. The staff is friendly, the décor is welcoming and the food is excellent. Try the shrimp and lobster sauce over the house fried rice with a crispy spring roll and you won’t be disappointed. If you and your dinner companion are more in the mood for Japanese food, definitely order the Love …

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Cooking with Sheila

Chili con Carne

A warm hearty meal for a cold February day.

"Next to jazz music, there is nothing that lifts the spirit and strengthens the soul more than a good bowl of chili."  ~Harry James Chili Con Carne The name of this dish derives from the Spanish term chile con carne or "chili pepper with meat." Most of us would just call this dish "chili", but I think "chili con carne" sounds a bit more festive. The recipe will serve six people but since it freezes well, go ahead and make the whole batch no matter how many people are in your dinner party. This is a great recipe to eat as is or to build on, depending on your tastes. I like to put as many vegetables as possible in our meals but if you dislike any of those included go ahead and omit them. You can amp up the spice level using Tabasco or more …

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Restaurant and Dog Regulations May Be Coming to Town

Highlights from the Board of Health meeting on Nov. 16.

New dog policies and a restaurant could be headed to town after the Board of Health meeting on November 16. The small two-person board, short one member, and the director of the town's Health Department agreed that a new restaurant applying for Board of Health approval on their floor plans should have a dishwasher included in those plans. They also agreed that there should be some regulations regarding the care of dogs as well.  Rafael's Concord Street Grill from 73 Concord Street in North Reading is moving to 211 Lowell Street, in the shopping center with Lucci's Supermarket and Royal Dynasty. The restaurant won approval from the Board of Appeals to be a limited-service restaurant with 50 seats, mostly booths. Limited service generally …

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Outside the Brown Bag

Celebrating National Sandwich Day at Wilmington's Sandwich Exchange.

Does Queen Margherita of Savoy get a nationally recognized day for her simple but delectable pizza? Does painter Vittore Carpaccio have a day where thinly sliced beef is raised solely in his honor? Well they should. One guy who already has his savory food choice added to the national holiday list is the Earl of Sandwich.  In recognition of the birth of John Montagu, Britain's fourth Earl of Sandwich, November 3 has been recognized as National Sandwich Day in the U.S. since at least the early 1980s. As legend has it, Montagu requested his servant put meat between two slices of bread so he could eat with one hand during an especially exciting card game.  The sandwich has come a long way from its humble beginnings as something to be eaten …

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