Massaman Curry

Source:  Life Made Simple

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. olive oil, coconut oil or vegetable oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 3 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/8-inch thick slices
• 2 cans (13.5 oz) coconut milk
• 1 1/2 c. low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tbsp. smooth peanut butter
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. lime juice
• 1 tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 tbsp. red curry paste
• 1 4-ounce can massaman curry (4 ounces = 1/2 cup)
• 1 lb. chicken breasts, thinly sliced
• 1/2 c. chopped roasted peanuts

Directions:

1. In a large skillet or dutch oven set over medium heat, add the oil. When the oil is hot, saute the onion until tender. Add the carrots and potatoes, cook for 5 minutes.
2. Pour in the coconut milk and chicken broth, bring mixture to a simmer. Add peanut butter, brown sugar, lime juice, fish sauce and curry pastes, mix to combine. Let the potatoes and carrots simmer for 10 minutes, then add the sliced chicken. Continue cooking for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is fully cooked.
3. Remove from the heat, serve over freshly cooked white or brown rice. Garnish with additional peanuts, sliced lime and Thai basil, if desired.

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Source:  Our Best Bites

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 5 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 2 15-ounce cans chicken broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 2–3 shakes Tabasco (or similar hot sauce), Optional
• kosher salt, to taste
• 4 ounces (1/2 block) cream cheese (low fat is fine)
• 1 7-oz can mild green chiles
• 14–16 ounces cooked, shredded chicken (about 3 1/2 cups)
• 4 cups shredded Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese, divided
• 8–10 medium flour or corn tortillas

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Wen butter is melted and bubbly, add flour and stir to combine. Continue cooking, whisking continuously until mixture is light golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. SLOWLY add chicken broth, whisking constantly, until smooth.*note, if this part ends up a disaster and your sauce looks lumpy and clumpy- it’s not ruined! Just pop the entire sauce in a blender to smooth it out, then back in your pan and continue.
3. Whisk in garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, coriander, chili powder, and pepper. Bring sauce to a simmer and stir until thickened, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in sour cream and hot sauce. Add salt to taste and set aside.
4. In a separate mixing bowl, soften cream cheese in microwave until it’s easily stirred. Add green chilis and 1/2 cup of reserved sauce. Stir to combine and add chicken and 2 cups cheese.
5. Tip: If needed, to make the tortillas easier to roll, place between damp paper towels and microwave until warm (20-30 seconds).
6. Pour about 1 cup sauce into the bottom of prepared pan and spread out evenly. Place about 1/3-1/2 cup chicken mixture on each tortilla and roll tightly. Place tortillas snugly in pan. Pour remaining sauce on top and top with remaining 2 cups cheese. Bake 30-35 minutes, until hot and bubbly throughout and cheese is melted.

Blueberry Muffins

Source: modified from Mel's Kitchen Cafe's "Best Blueberry Muffins"

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
2/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I've subbed up to 1 cup with white whole wheat flour and they're lovely and soft and perfect)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (the original recipe called for 1/4 cup melted butter, but I've subbed it for applesauce and haven't even missed the butter!)
1/4 cup oil (vegetable or canola)
1 cup buttermilk (I never have buttermilk on hand and used to always use the 1 cup milk + 1 TB lemon juice, which works great.  But lately I've started using 3/4 cup plain yogurt + 1/4 cup milk and I love that way, too!)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a standard or mini muffin tin(s) with nonstick cooking spray.  (This recipe will make 12-16 standard muffins or ~48 mini muffins.) Rinse berries under cold water and spread on a double layer of paper towels to dry well.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Toss the berries that have dried on the paper towels in with the flour mixture. Whisk sugar and eggs together in a medium bowl until thick, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in the applesauce (or butter, if you go that route) and oil until combined. Whisk in the buttermilk and vanilla until combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold egg mixture into flour mixture until just moistened. The batter will be lumpy with a few dry spots of flour – don’t overmix. This is the key to moist and tender muffins.

Using a cookie scoop or spoon, fill the muffin cups until they are about 3/4 full.  Bake until the top of the muffins are golden and just firm, 17-18 minutes, for standard muffins, 11-14 minutes for mini muffins. Cool muffins in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.

Notes:
I tasted these little beauties once upon a time when Laurel had made them for something. (What/when was that?  I don't really remember, but it was at Paul and Kim's house in SoJo - maybe after they left on their mission and Laurel and Bret hadn't yet moved to CT?)  ANYWAY, they were darn delicious, so I asked her for the recipe and she said it was Mel's (of course) but that she didn't do any of the fancy lemon sugar or blueberry syrup steps.  Brilliant!  I tweaked them a bit more to my taste (didn't need nearly as much sugar, added wheat flour, subbed applesauce for butter, etc) and they are my go-to blueberry muffin recipe these days.

White Bean Chicken Chili (Soup)

Source: Our Best Bites

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Extra virgin Olive Oil (or non-stick spray)
1 pound boneless chicken, cubed (about 3-4 boneless, skinless breasts) (I usually don't use this much - one or two (if I'm feeling really chickeny) is plenty)
1 medium onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans Great Northern Beans
1 3.5 oz can green chilies
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon coriander (I know it's not common in a lot of spice cabinets, but I bought some just for this recipe and I'm very happy with it)
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh cracked pepper (or just regular ground pepper from your shaker, no need to be fancy)
1 lime
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
32 ounces chicken broth
additional toppings: tortilla chips, jack cheese, diced green onions, lime wedges, more cilantro, sour cream, avocado

Directions:
In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add chopped onion and cook for about 2 minutes- just until it starts to become translucent. While onions are cooking, drain beans and rinse with cold water and set aside.

Sprinkle chopped chicken with a little salt and pepper and add to pot. Add garlic as well. Cook until there’s no more visible pink on the chicken, probably 3-4 minutes. Then add green chills – along with all of the juices in the can.

Add beans, cumin, oregano, coriander, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and then add chicken broth. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes.

Remove from heat and add the juice from one lime and the 1/2 cup chopped cilantro. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle into bowls and top with toppings.

Makes about 8 cups of soup.

Optional: It's called a chili, but it’s really a soup consistency. If you want it thicker, just reduce the amount of broth. Or, alternatively, take an additional can of beans (drained and rinsed) and place them in a blender. Ladle in a cup or 2 of the finished broth (avoid the chicken pieces, etc,) and puree until smooth. Add this mixture to the soup. (I've never tried this with this soup because I like the brothiness of it, but it's a great idea if you're looking for something more chili-like.)

Also: I once tried this in the crockpot, literally "throwing everything in" (minus the lime juice and cilantro - I added that at the end) and starting with a frozen chicken breast.  It worked great!  I just cooked it on high for maybe 3 hours (ish?) and then dropped it to low till dinnertime (maybe 3ish hours more?).  I think I like the texture of the chicken and onions and such better when it's on the stovetop, but it's definitely doable in the crockpot if that fits your schedule better.

Notes:
This is one of my favorite southwest-y flavored soups and I make it over and over and over throughout soup-eating months.  And don't skimp on the toppings!  (Haha - maybe that's the reason I love taco/tortilla/chili type soups so much?)

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Source: my aunt, Nikie

Ingredients:
2 cups flour (I upped this to almost 3 cups when I made them most recently - it might have been a bit too much, because they're pretty cakey, but I think more flour helps them not spread too much, so if you want to add more than 2, you can definitely do that)
1 1/3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats (I like to use half and half)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt (I upped this to 3/4 teaspoon because I felt like it needed a bit more)
1 cup butter (I sometimes use half shortening, which also makes the spreading minimized)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup solid pack pumpkin
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I usually just use one)
3/4 cup nuts, optional (we like walnuts and pecans)

Directions:
Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl.  Beat butter and sugars until creamy.  Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla until well mixed.  Gradually beat in flour mixture.  Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.  Optional: chill dough for 30 minutes before baking (this helps the cookies "stand up" better (but a bit of extra flour does, too, I've found).  Bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes or until cookies are firm and lightly browned.

They're fluffy and soft and full of the good stuff!

Notes: I love the traditional, fluffy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies when it's fall (and anytime . . . like March, maybe?).  But I also love to switch things up a bit, and this recipe is perfect for that.  There is a little more texture with the oats and nuts to make things interesting.  But there's still the yummy pumpkin and chocolate combo that is so delicious.  Even if "pumpkin season" is long past, give these a try!

Don't let that face fool you - he gobbled it right up!

And she wasn't too busy reading to enjoy her
cookie, too.

Spaghetti Sauce

Source: My momma

Ingredients:
1/2 lb ground beef
1 large onion, diced
3 15 oz cans Italian style stewed tomatoes
1 heaping Tablespoon flour
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1-2 teaspoons basil
1-2 teaspoons oregano
1-2 teaspoons chili powder (I never measure the spices - I just kind of eyeball and shake)

Directions:
In a large saucepan, Brown the ground beef and onion.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add one can tomatoes, undrained.  Stir flour in corner until pasty (this is to avoid lumps).  Blend remaining two cans tomatoes until smooth.  Add blended tomato "juice" and tomato sauce to pot.  Season with basil, oregano and chili powder.  Simmer for a while.  Serve over hot spaghetti noodles, with plenty of cheese on top.

Notes:
Oh yum!  This is one of my favorite homey comfort foods ever.  It was my favorite growing up (according to my Dr. Suess's Book About Me entry (seen below)) and I am thrilled to find out that I can make it taste like my mom's, even when I don't use her home-bottled tomatoes and tomato juice.  We always ate it with green beans growing up (which was not my fave, also seen below), but the garlic bread (I should definitely post that recipe, huh?) certainly made up for those.  This freezes great, too.  If you have so many leftovers you don't know what to do.

Cranberry Cookies

Source: based on a recipe found here, pinned on Pinterest oh-so long ago and finally made and tweaked and loved this month

Ingredients:
11 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup sugar (I reduced this to 2/3 cup)
1 cup packed brown sugar (I reduced this to 2/3 cup, too)
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I didn't need that last 1/4 cup)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 cups halved fresh cranberries (I used 2 cups frozen and chopped)
1 cup finely chopped walnuts (I bet it would be great with pecans, if you like those better)
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (my addition, but a very good one, I think)

Directions:
Heat the oven at 350°F. Line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment paper or lightly spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.

Beat in the egg and milk. Stir to combine. Scrape the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula.

Combine the flour with the baking powder and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in the cranberries and walnuts and white chocolate chips.

With a medium size cookie scoop (mine is ~1 1/2 TB), drop cookie dough on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Notes:
I had this pinned a million years ago but had never actually tried it till last week.  They were an immediate hit!  Callie's review was: "I love them! They're sugary . . . sweet . . . delicious . . . they're pinktastic!"  Sam's review was: "Mom, I DO like cranberries!"  Gregg's review was: "Whoa.  These are GOOD!"  And my review could be summed up as: "omnomnomnomnom."  They freeze great, and every time we took another handful out of the freezer to refill the cookie jug on the counter, we repeated our exclamations of love.

I know I said I wasn't going to make something once and post it here immediately; I wanted to wait to see if a recipe withstood the test of time.  But I just can't stop thinking about these.  So I made them again today.  And they definitely deserve a place in your life and on this blog.  Make them for your Valentine!  They're perfectly pink and festive.  And delicious.