Source: Mel, of course
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (I cooked this much but then ended up freezing and saving about 2/3 of the chicken for use later in other recipes since it seemed like there way more chicken than the soup really needed)
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup chopped onion (I did closer to a cup, probably)
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 poblano pepper or large green pepper, diced (I used half a green pepper + 1 roasted chile from my freezer)
32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth (I did 3 cans broth + 1 can water)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 cans (15-ounces each) white beans (like Great Northern), rinsed and drained
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
garnishes like: sour cream, diced avocado, chopped cilantro, shredded cheese, tortilla chips
Directions:
Place the chicken in the bottom of a round, 5-quart slow cooker. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil until rippling and hot. Add the onion, garlic, and pepper and saute for 3-4 minutes. Scrape the mixture into the slow cooker.
Add the chicken broth and stir in the cumin, salt, pepper, oregano, and chili powder.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Remove the chicken and shred into bite-sized pieces. Stir in the rinsed and drained beans. Cook on high for 30 minutes until beans/soup are heated through. Stir in the lime and cilantro and add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with garnishes.
Notes:
I made this for a delicious Halloween dinner paired with some of this family-famous Oatmeal Wheat Bread. The house smelled amazing all day and the soup + bread were so darn tasty. Good grub.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Crock Pot Orange Mandarin Chicken
Source: inspired by a combination of this and this, via Pinterest (because I couldn't find any pineapple preserves at the store!)
Ingredients:
4-5 chicken breasts
1/2 bottle Panda Express Mandarin Sauce (use about 10 oz)
1/2 jar orange marmalade (use about 9 oz)
Directions:
Cook chicken in crock pot on high for 3 hours. After 3 hours, drain juices from crock pot. Mix Mandarin sauce and orange marmalade together and pour over chicken. Cook on high for another 1/2 hour - hour. (I broke up my chicken breasts into biggish shredded chunks to better distribute the sauciness over more chicken area.) Serve with a side of rice (and some cooked peas for color!).
Notes:
Perhaps the simplest recipe I've ever made in my life. But it surely didn't taste that way. We both really enjoyed this Teriyaki-type dish. Easy peasy.
Ingredients:
4-5 chicken breasts
1/2 bottle Panda Express Mandarin Sauce (use about 10 oz)
1/2 jar orange marmalade (use about 9 oz)
Directions:
Cook chicken in crock pot on high for 3 hours. After 3 hours, drain juices from crock pot. Mix Mandarin sauce and orange marmalade together and pour over chicken. Cook on high for another 1/2 hour - hour. (I broke up my chicken breasts into biggish shredded chunks to better distribute the sauciness over more chicken area.) Serve with a side of rice (and some cooked peas for color!).
Notes:
Perhaps the simplest recipe I've ever made in my life. But it surely didn't taste that way. We both really enjoyed this Teriyaki-type dish. Easy peasy.
Afton's Salad Dressing
Source: My mom's aunt Afton Anderson
Ingredients and Directions:
In one pint container add: (I just kind of eye-ball the measurements based on the space they fill up in the jar - 1 cup ketchup = half a pint jar, for example. It's kind of a fun little science lesson in densisty, too.)
1 cup ketchup
½ cup salad oil (I used canola)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 ½ teaspoon dark mustard (I used regular yellow)
1 Tablespoon sugar
Mix together and fill rest of the bottle with vinegar (I usually use apple cider or white); mix well.
Notes:
We were having salad with our Friday Night Pizza recently when I realized we were low on our usual store-bought ranch dressing in the fridge. I remembered my mom making this yummy dressing back in the day, so I dug up the recipe and bam! Delish. It's kind of a catalina-type dressing, but way better than the kind you'll get at the store - a little bit tangy and just practically perfect. Super easy, too!
Ingredients and Directions:
In one pint container add: (I just kind of eye-ball the measurements based on the space they fill up in the jar - 1 cup ketchup = half a pint jar, for example. It's kind of a fun little science lesson in densisty, too.)
1 cup ketchup
½ cup salad oil (I used canola)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 ½ teaspoon dark mustard (I used regular yellow)
1 Tablespoon sugar
Mix together and fill rest of the bottle with vinegar (I usually use apple cider or white); mix well.
Notes:
We were having salad with our Friday Night Pizza recently when I realized we were low on our usual store-bought ranch dressing in the fridge. I remembered my mom making this yummy dressing back in the day, so I dug up the recipe and bam! Delish. It's kind of a catalina-type dressing, but way better than the kind you'll get at the store - a little bit tangy and just practically perfect. Super easy, too!
Clam Chowder
Source: Barbara Olson, a woman from my ward growing up, with a few slight alterations by me and my mom
Ingredients:
2- 6 oz. cans clams
1 cup onions (chopped very fine)
2-3 cups diced potatoes
½ cup diced celery
½ cup diced carrots
1 ½ quarts milk and cream, mixed (can use canned evaporated milk in place of, or as part of cream. Usually use 1 quart milk and ½ quart cream or canned milk)
3/4 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup flour
1-2 Tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Cook vegetables and clams in clam juice, until tender, adding a small amount of water as needed for cooking (I added two cans-worth of water so all the vegetables and clams were covered in the pot). In separate large kettle, heat butter. Add flour; stir till well mixed. Add milk and cream to make a white sauce. Cook over medium heat until thickens, stirring to prevent scorching. Add vegetable-clam mixture to white sauce mixture, and heat slowly, stirring often to prevent scorching. Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. (At this point I added the white sauce mixture to the vegetables and clams, which I had moved to my large crock pot. I cooked the soup on low or warm for a few hours, till it was time for dinner. It started out really runny but soon thickened up nicely.) As it warms, you may add an additional amount of milk if you feel it is too thick. Makes 12 servings.
Notes:
Definitely not a lo-cal soup, but totally oh-so delicious. It's especially tasty served in fresh bread bowls. A perfect fall treat.
Ingredients:
2- 6 oz. cans clams
1 cup onions (chopped very fine)
2-3 cups diced potatoes
½ cup diced celery
½ cup diced carrots
1 ½ quarts milk and cream, mixed (can use canned evaporated milk in place of, or as part of cream. Usually use 1 quart milk and ½ quart cream or canned milk)
3/4 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup flour
1-2 Tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Cook vegetables and clams in clam juice, until tender, adding a small amount of water as needed for cooking (I added two cans-worth of water so all the vegetables and clams were covered in the pot). In separate large kettle, heat butter. Add flour; stir till well mixed. Add milk and cream to make a white sauce. Cook over medium heat until thickens, stirring to prevent scorching. Add vegetable-clam mixture to white sauce mixture, and heat slowly, stirring often to prevent scorching. Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. (At this point I added the white sauce mixture to the vegetables and clams, which I had moved to my large crock pot. I cooked the soup on low or warm for a few hours, till it was time for dinner. It started out really runny but soon thickened up nicely.) As it warms, you may add an additional amount of milk if you feel it is too thick. Makes 12 servings.
Notes:
Definitely not a lo-cal soup, but totally oh-so delicious. It's especially tasty served in fresh bread bowls. A perfect fall treat.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Dessert
Source
Notes: One of Bret's birthday dessert buffet choices. So unhealthy, but soooooo delicious.
Ingredients
20 Oreo cookies, divided
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, divided
1 carton (16 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
15-20 miniature peanut butter cups, chopped
1 cup cold milk
1 package (3.9 ounces) instant chocolate pudding mix
Instructions
1. Crush 16 cookies; toss with the butter. Press into an ungreased 9-inch square dish; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter and 1 cup confectioners' sugar until smooth.
3. Fold in half of the whipped topping. Spread over crust.
4. Sprinkle with chopped peanut butter cups.
5. In another large bowl, beat the milk, pudding mix and remaining confectioners' sugar on low speed for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set.
6. Fold in remaining whipped topping. Spread over peanut butter cups.
7. Crush remaining cookies; sprinkle over the top. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours.
Notes: One of Bret's birthday dessert buffet choices. So unhealthy, but soooooo delicious.
Sliced Tomato "Salad"
Based on this source
Ingredients:
3-4 large tomatoes, sliced
salt
pepper
parmesan cheese
dressing:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar (or red wine, or apple cider)
1 tbsp thinly sliced green onion or fresh chives
2 tsp snipped fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp dijon-style mustard (I used honey mustard, because it's what we keep on hand)
1/4 tsp salt
Directions:
1. Combine all dressing ingredients in a small container - shake well.
2. Arrange tomato slices on platter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with dressing, and top with parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
Notes: We love fresh tomatoes from our garden so much that we often eat plain slices of them as a side dish for dinner or lunch. Sometimes we wanted to dress them up a little though, so we served them this way. Still light and simple, but dimensional.
Ingredients:
3-4 large tomatoes, sliced
salt
pepper
parmesan cheese
dressing:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar (or red wine, or apple cider)
1 tbsp thinly sliced green onion or fresh chives
2 tsp snipped fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp dijon-style mustard (I used honey mustard, because it's what we keep on hand)
1/4 tsp salt
Directions:
1. Combine all dressing ingredients in a small container - shake well.
2. Arrange tomato slices on platter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with dressing, and top with parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
Notes: We love fresh tomatoes from our garden so much that we often eat plain slices of them as a side dish for dinner or lunch. Sometimes we wanted to dress them up a little though, so we served them this way. Still light and simple, but dimensional.
Laurel's Tortellini Stew
Source: Inspired by Kimma's Tortellini Soup, but adapted to include whatever I had in my fridge that night (which ended up kind of similar to this version that I tried a couple of years ago)
Ingredients:
2 medium onions
1 package kielbasa or polish sausage (I used chicken and apple brats)
2-3 tsp. minced garlic
4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large can diced tomatoes
6-8 cups beef broth
2 Tbsp. italian seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 bunch broccoli, chopped
1 package tortellini
1/2-1 cup of fresh spinach per bowl
Directions:
1. Saute onions and sausage in large soup pot until onions are translucent and tender. Add garlic, cook until fragrant.
2. Add carrots, tomatoes, broth, and seasonings. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 mins or until carrots are tender.
3. Add broccoli and tortellini. Cook until tender. Remove from heat.
4. Add spinach to serving bowl, ladle soup on top and stir together. Allow 2-3 minutes for the spinach to wilt, then enjoy.
Notes: So hearty and healthy. Be warned that this makes a big pot full, so be prepared to feed a crowd, or freeze the leftovers.
Ingredients:
2 medium onions
1 package kielbasa or polish sausage (I used chicken and apple brats)
2-3 tsp. minced garlic
4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large can diced tomatoes
6-8 cups beef broth
2 Tbsp. italian seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 bunch broccoli, chopped
1 package tortellini
1/2-1 cup of fresh spinach per bowl
Directions:
1. Saute onions and sausage in large soup pot until onions are translucent and tender. Add garlic, cook until fragrant.
2. Add carrots, tomatoes, broth, and seasonings. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 mins or until carrots are tender.
3. Add broccoli and tortellini. Cook until tender. Remove from heat.
4. Add spinach to serving bowl, ladle soup on top and stir together. Allow 2-3 minutes for the spinach to wilt, then enjoy.
Notes: So hearty and healthy. Be warned that this makes a big pot full, so be prepared to feed a crowd, or freeze the leftovers.
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