Hearty White Chicken Chili

Hearty Chicken Chili

Chili is my absolute favorite comfort food, and I try making it a lot of different ways. No matter what, it has always been a no-fail meal regardless of whether it’s red or white, bean or no bean or with whatever type of meat.  I just love the warmth and texture of a nice bowl of spicy heaven.  This chicken chili recipe is a nice addition to your chili repertoire because it has a truly unique flavor while retaining the chili basics.

1 lb. chicken breast, shredded or cubed
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. cumin
1 pat butter
salt and pepper to taste
2 16-oz. cans great northern beans, drained
2 16-oz. cans chicken broth
1 c. milk
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped and divided

Saute the chicken, onion, jalapeno, garlic and spices in butter on medium heat in a large skillet until the chicken is done and the vegetables are tender. Transfer the contents of the skillet into a soup pot, and add the beans and chicken broth. Cook on low heat for approximately one hour. Raise the heat to medium, and add the milk with half of the cilantro. Cook until heated through. Serve warm and top with remaining cilantro. You could also top with a dollop of sour cream and/or shredded cheddar.

2012
02/13
CATEGORY
Main Dishes
1 comment

Cheese Tortellini and Turkey Soup

On a cold winter day, few things can warm you better than a hearty bowl of homemade soup, especially soup as simple as this. You can feed your entire family, save some for leftovers or freeze a portion for a quick meal at a later date with this recipe. It is even better the following day when the flavors fully combine and is extremely filling with a side of your favorite bread.

1 lb. ground turkey
10 c. water
3 cubes chicken bouillon
1 16-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 c. baby spinach, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 16-oz. pkg. frozen cheese tortellini
grated parmesan for topping (optional)

Brown the turkey in a skillet until done and drain the liquid. Bring the water to a boil in a soup pot, then add the turkey, bouillon, tomatoes with juice, onion, spinach, garlic and spices. Once it comes to a boil, cover the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer. Allow the soup to simmer for approximately 3 hours, periodically stirring, so the flavors combine well. Bring the soup back to a boil, add the frozen tortellini, reduce the heat and cook for 5-8 minutes, or until tender. Be careful not to overcook the tortellini. As soon as it is al dente, remove the pot from all heat. Serve the soup warm, and garnish with grated parmesan, if desired.

Servings: 12

2012
02/11
CATEGORY
Main Dishes
Soups
Leave a comment

Yummy Potato Rolls


When you cook for Serbians, bread is an essential part of every meal, and the generic sliced bread from the store just doesn’t cut it. Consequently, it seems like I’m always making bread and slinging flour all over the kitchen. (Luckily, I have someone who cleans all my kitchen messes!) These potato rolls were incredibly tasty and soft with a hint of sweetness, and, with making a bulk batch, I’m hoping they last through tomorrow.

1 medium potato, peeled, boiled and mashed
1 1/2 c. warm water
3/4 c. warm milk
1 .25 oz. pkg. yeast
1/2 c. sugar
1 tbsp. oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
6 c. flour

Proof the yeast in warm water (i.e. dump the packet of yeast in water, wait 10 minutes and hope there’s a reaction). Add all of the other ingredients and knead for about 8 minutes. Form a ball and roll it around in a greased bowl. Cover the dough and let it rise until doubled in a warm space, usually around an hour. Let me reiterate the warm part . . . if you have to, put it on top of the stove and turn the oven on low. You do not want to go through the work of kneading and the dough not rise.

Punch the dough down and divide it into 36 pieces and roll those into little balls. Put them on a large greased baking sheet, cover and let rise until doubled again. Rising will go much faster the second time, so check in on them at about the 30 minute mark.

Bake the rolls in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the rolls are a tantalizing golden brown.

Servings: 36

2011
12/21
CATEGORY
Bread
1 comment

Tilapia Chowder

When you’re in the market for some straight-up comfort food, how can you go wrong with a warm bowl of chowder? Actually, I had planned on making a tomato-based fish stew, but-being out of cilantro with no desire to drive-changed my mind. I used tilapia, but any white fish should work just fine. Break out the soup pot, start a fire in the fireplace and get ready for a simple, yet satisfying meal.

2 tbsp. butter
2 c. onion, chopped
4 mushrooms, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 c. water
3 cubes chicken bouillon
4 c. potatoes, diced
1 c. corn
1 lb. tilapia, cubed
1/2 c. flour
1 can evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste

Saute the onion, mushroom, celery, carrot and garlic in butter until tender, then transfer to a soup pot. Add the water, bouillon, potatoes and corn. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot with a lid. Let it cook for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, whisk the flour and evaporated milk together until smooth. Raise the heat to low and add the fish and milk mixture to the pot. Cook for approximately 15 minutes and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm and top with cheese and bacon, if you wish.

2011
12/21
CATEGORY
Soups
3 comments

Chicken Coconut Korma and Naan

When you’re in the mood for Indian food, but don’t want your average curry, this recipe will satisfy and inspire your tastebuds. This recipe is tweaked from one I originally found on the internet and can’t seem to find again, so I’m sorry about the lack of sourcing. I was fascinated by how it looked on paper, and this dish is far from disappointing. In fact, this meal may well have been the best of my life, or at least in a long time. Even if all the sweet stuff kind of scares you, you need to try this korma, or curry.  I haven’t even mentioned the bread yet. I had heard of naan, but I had always served curry over rice, so I never wanted to add more starch through bread. Recently, however, I’ve been making a lot of rice dishes, so I wanted to try something different, and I am so glad I did. Naan is slightly sweet with garlic tones and the outside tastes so buttery. This stuff left me speechless. Even after we were all stuffed, we kept going back for more naan. By morning, it was all gone.

Chicken Coconut Korma:

2 tbsp olive oil
3 boneless chicken breasts, cubed
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp warm water
1 (10 oz) can coconut milk
½ c raisins
1 apple, peeled, cored and grated
salt to taste

Brown the chicken in olive oil, then add the carrots, celery and onion. Saute these in a skillet until the vegetables become tender. In a bowl, create a paste using the curry powder, flour and water. Pour the coconut milk over the paste and whisk until smooth. Pour this mixture into the skillet with the chicken and vegetables. Add the raisins, apple and salt. Once the entire mixture heats through, cover the skillet, reduce heat and let simmer for 30 minutes. Serve warm with naan.

Servings: 6

Naan:

1 pkg. yeast
1 c. warm water
¼ c. sugar
3 tbsp. milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp. salt
4 ½ c. flour
2 tsp. minced garlic
¼ c. melted butter

Proof the yeast in large bowl with 1 cup of warm water. This usually takes about 10 minutes. By then, if the water is frothy, you’re ready to move on. If it is not frothy, the yeast is bad, and you would be wasting your time. Add the sugar, milk, egg, salt and flour to the bowl, mix as well as you can with a wooden spoon. Now, it’s time to knead. Have fun exercising your muscles for the next 6 to 8 minutes. Give a sigh of relief, form the dough into a ball and place it in a greased bowl. Roll the ball around to grease the entire surface of the dough, cover and let rise until doubled in a warm space, usually around an hour.

Punch the dough down, knead in the garlic and pinch off golf ball-sized balls of dough. Cover the little balls and let them rise until doubled in size. Flatten the balls into discs and wonder what’s all this business about rising about. Brush both sides with melted butter and grill until a golden brown.

Servings: 12-14

2011
12/20
CATEGORY
Bread
Main Dishes
2 comments

Apple Cheesecake

This half cheesecake, half apple pie concoction has been a hit every time I have made it and is one of our staples for holiday meals. This dessert in the guise of traditional apple pie hides a decadent layer of cheesecake. Although the flavors in the fillings are divine, the best thing about this apple cheesecake is the crust. It’s so flaky and almond-buttery good!

¼ c. sliced almonds
¾ c. butter
1 ½ c. sugar
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
1 ½ c. flour
2 pkg. cream cheese
2 eggs
½ c. sour cream
2 c. sliced apples
1 tsp. cinnamon

Crush the almonds with a knife handle, then combine the nuts with butter, ½ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon vanilla. Cream until smooth. Add the flour and mix well. Press into a 9-inch pie pan and place it in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Beat the cream cheese, eggs, sour cream, ¾ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Once smooth, pour the mixture into the pie crust.

Mix the apples with the remaining sugar and cinnamon, then place them on top of the cheesecake layer. Bake at 350 degrees for an hour.

2011
12/19
CATEGORY
Desserts
1 comment

Turkey Fried Rice

During the holiday season, you will most likely have a lot of leftover turkey. Let’s face it, no matter how good the original meal was, there is a limited shelf life for excitement about leftovers.  A lot of people use the leftover turkey in pot pies or soup, but why not try something a little different? Just about any meat tastes good in fried rice, and turkey is no exception. It’s also an easy and versatile meal where you can play with the ingredients based on what you have in your refrigerator.

4 c. cooked rice
1 c. shredded leftover turkey
1 c. assorted vegetables (onion, peas, cabbage, carrots, whatever you have that sounds good)
2 eggs
sesame oil
soy sauce

If you are using vegetables, such as onion or celery, that need to be tender, saute them in a dab of oil until the desired consistency is reached. Then, heat a little sesame oil in a wok on medium low. Add the vegetables, turkey and rice and periodically stir. In a separate pan, scramble the eggs, then add them to the wok. A lot of people suggest scrambling the egg in a space cleared in the wok, but, in my experience, it makes the rice gummy. Season the mix with soy sauce to taste, normally around ¼ cup’s worth. Fry the mixture until there are little crisp spots and serve warm.

Servings: 4

2011
12/15
CATEGORY
Main Dishes
Leave a comment
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.