tucker \Tuck"er\, n. [Cf. Tuck, n., 5.] Daily food; meals; also, food in general. [Slang or Colloq.]

I'm a food geek. I love to cook and eat, and have a habit of making soups and stews at the drop of a hat, and in no quantity less than a gallon. I love inviting my friends over for dinners, and every Christmas I have my annual Onion Soup party, using my mother's French Onion Soup recipe. For my last housewarming, I made a couple of gallons of Black Bean Chili using a recipe I threw together one day a few years ago and have been refining ever since. Christmas eve tradition has become making lamb stew for my family. So I thought I'd share those, and a few other, recipes for the curious. Since I rarely stick closely to a recipe, I highly suggest that you taste and adjust the salt and spices as you go. That's how I do it, and it seems to work out just fine. Also, the golden rule of cooking is that you can always add more, but you can't get rid of something once it's in there. So err on the side of caution!

PUMPKIN-CURRY SOUP
makes 8-ish servings

ingredients:

1 29oz can Libby pumpkin puree
1 QT veggie stock
2-3 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons salt
1 pint heavy whipping cream

preparation:

Spoon pumpkin from can into 2 qt. saucepan. Fill can with veg stock, stir, to make sure you get all the pumpkin-y goodness. add spices/salt to taste, and simmer for 1/2 hour over medium heat, until flavours are well blended. Add heavy cream, stir, enjoy. Can be topped with spoonful of honey (no, really--it's good!).

For variations, you can substitute roasted garlic, or fresh grated ginger for curry.

ALMOST ENTIRELY SUGAR-FREE PUMPKIN-GINGER CHEESECAKE
makes 12-ish servings

ingredients:

crust:
1/3rd cup softened butter
1/4th cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4th cup Splenda
1 half teaspoon ground ginger

filling:
32 oz. soft cream cheese
14oz pumpkin
3 eggs yolks
1 whole egg
1 cup Splenda
1/4th cup heavy cream
1/2 cup candied ginger (chopped)
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

preparation:

Mix crust ingredients in bottom of heavy-duty tinfoil 9" round 5" deep roasting pan (because I didn't have a springform pan, and it actually worked quite well) and press it into crust using flat of large soup spoon. Bake 10 minutes in 375° oven. Cool.

Mix Splenda and cream cheese. Add egg yolks and egg one by one. Add pumpkin and spices. Mix until blended (2 minutes?) but do not over-mix. Stir in chopped candied ginger. Pour filling into cooled pan, bake at 300° oven for half an hour. Lower heat to 200° and bake for additional hour, or until custard sets. Shut off oven and open oven door and allow to cool for an hour. Chill in fridge for 3 hours. Garnish with candied ginger and/or ginger preserves.

BLACK BEAN CHILI
makes @1.5 gallons

ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground beef*
3 large cans Goya black beans
3 large cans Goya garbanzo beans (chick peas)
1 large can peeled tomatoes
1 green pepper, chopped
1 large white onion, chopped
1/3rd cup cocoa
1/3rd cup cumin
1/3rd cup salt
3 tbsp chili powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
* meat can be omitted, and replaced with raisins and cashews to make this veggie chili

preparation:

In a large frying pan, brown meat with onions, garlic, and green pepper. Add to pot with beans, tomatoes, and approximately 2 quarts water. Add spices. Bring to boil, then simmer for 3 hours, stirring constantly (beans will burn bottom of pan if you don't!). Adjust spices to taste. Serve topped with chopped spring onions, cheddar cheese, and sour cream, or over mashed potatoes.

ONION SOUP
makes @2.5 gallons

ingredients:

1 5lb. bag yellow onions
1 large bottle red wine
1 lb. butter
1 gallon beef stock
1/2 cup salt

preparation:

Using a food processor, finely slice all the onions. In a large skillet, sauté the onions in butter, and as each batch sautés, throw it in your stock pot and cover it with red wine. When all onions are sautéd, allow to rest for a while in the red wine. Then add beef stock and simmer for approximately 3-6 hours. Salt to taste. Top with crouton covered in grated gruyere and Swiss cheese.

LAMB STEW
makes @1 gallon

ingredients:

1 lb. lamb, cubed
5 whole garlic cloves
2 potatoes
2 carrots
1 yellow onion
1 quart water*
3 branches fresh rosemary

preparation:

Trim fat from lamb, and brown with onions and garlic in bottom of pan. Add veg and rosemary, cover with water or stock and simmer until potatoes and carrots are cooked through, approximately 1 hour. Salt to taste.

* for more flavourful stew, you can substitute beef stock.

POTATO AND LEEK SOUP
makes @1.5 gallons

ingredients:

10 large potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 bundle of leeks, finely sliced
2 white onions, finely sliced
1 stick butter
1 can veg stock
2-3 quarts water
1 quart heavy cream
1/2 cop salt

preparation:

Sauté leeks and onions in butter in bottom of stock pot. Add water, potatoes, veg stock and simmer until potatoes are cooked through. Use potatoe masher to mash about half the chucks down, then simmer for another half hour. Add cream. Salt to taste. Serve garnished with chopped spring onions.