Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Cookbook

¼ cup finely chopped fresh tarragon

Salt

1. Trim excess fat from chicken. Place chicken in medium heavy saucepan; cover with water and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer; cook 10 minutes, or until chicken is just cooked. Transfer to bowl; let cool. Shred into 1-inch strips.

2. Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add peas; cook 3 minutes, until tender-crisp. Drain and rinse with cold water.

3. In a medium bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice and mustard. Add chicken strips, peas, celery, onion and tarragon. Season with salt.

TIP

Fresh herbs last longer if they are stored correctly. First, remove any rubber bands from the bunch, then trim off any woody stems. Put the unwashed bunch, stems down, in a tall glass. Add water just to cover the stems. Cover loosely with a plastic bag and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Turkey, Provolone and Garden-Vegetable Wrap

S callion cream cheese adds a burst of flavor to this hearty sandwich. Check out the varieties of cream cheese now available in the dairy case—there’s no excuse for a boring wrap!

Serves 2

1 large plain or spinach flour wrap (or flour tortilla)

2 tablespoons scallion cream cheese

4 ounces sliced roast turkey

2 ounces sliced provolone cheese

8 thin cucumber slices (about ¼ of a cucumber)

Handful baby spinach leaves

½ cup alfalfa sprouts

1. Lay tortilla on countertop. Spread cream cheese on tortilla. Layer turkey, cheese, cucumber, spinach and sprouts. Tightly roll up tortilla; slice in half diagonally.

TIP

Look for ready-made wraps at your market. Since this sandwich is stuffed full, you need a strong wrap to hold it all.

Broccoli and Cheese Soup in a Bread Bowl

H aven’t you always wanted to make your own soup in a bread bowl, like in restaurants? Now you can.

Serves 4

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 small onion, chopped

Salt and pepper

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 pound broccoli (about 2 heads), stems thinly sliced and florets cut small

½ cup heavy cream

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

4 small round bread loaves (4-5 ounces each)

Olive oil

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes, until softened, stirring often. Add garlic and thyme; cook 1 minute, stirring. Sprinkle in flour, stirring constantly until incorporated. Slowly pour in broth, ½ cup at a time, stirring to blend. Add broccoli; cook 10 minutes, until tender.

2. Using an immersion blender, puree soup until smooth. (Or transfer soup to a blender; blend until smooth.)

3. Return soup to pot; add cream and cheese and warm over low heat, stirring.

4. For bread bowl: Preheat oven to 400°F. Using a serrated knife, slice a thin circle off the top of each round. Lift off the circle; use your fingers to pull out the soft insides of the bread, leaving at least a ½ inch of bread around the sides and bottom of the loaf. Set the loaves on a baking sheet and drizzle olive oil into each cavity; spread the oil to coat the inside. Bake rounds about 10 minutes, or until crusty and golden. Ladle warm soup into bowls and serve immediately.

TIP

Look in the bakery section of your supermarket for bread rounds about 5 ounces in weight to make the bowls.

August Corn Chowder

M ade in August, this soup highlights the sweetness of just picked fresh corn. But it’s still good made other times of the year using a 16-ounce bag of frozen corn.

Serves 4

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium onion or 2 shallots, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried whole thyme or 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

Salt and pepper

3½ cups reduced-sodium chicken broth