Creamy Chicken & Mushroom Soup

Aaaaahh, soup. The best part about this cold and dreary time of year. 

I'm so glad I've gotten over my pregnancy-induced mushroom phobia, because this soup is the very essence of warm, hearty, wintertime warm-you-up-from-the-inside goodness.

Creamy Chicken & Mushroom Soup

Adapted from damndelicious.net

Serves: 5-6

You'll need:

1 T olive oil

1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, diced small

salt & pepper

2 T butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

8 ounces mushroom (cremini, white, or button), thinly sliced

1 onion, diced

3 carrots, peeled and diced

1/2 t dried thyme

1/4 c flour

4 c chicken stock or broth

1 bay leaf

1/2 c cream, half & half, or whole milk

2 T chopped fresh parsley

Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Salt and pepper the chicken to taste, and sauté in the oil until cooked through, about 2-4 minutes. 

Remove from the pot and set aside.

Melt the butter in the stock pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, mushrooms, and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 7-10 minutes. Stir in the thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, about 1 minute until lightly browned. Gradually whisk in the chicken stock and add the cooked chicken and bay leaf.

Cook, whisking occasionally, about 5 minutes until the soup has thickened slightly. Stir in the dairy product of your choice and salt and pepper to taste. Cook 1-2 minutes until heated through, and garnish with fresh parsley.

Red Thai Curry

Whenever I have great food from a restaurant or takeout, I think, "Could I make this?" Well, as it turns out, making red Thai curry just like the takeout place is easier than expected - and soooooooo delicious.

This will be happening ALL. THE. TIME once I have fresh basil growing in my garden this summer. You know, once summer finally arrives.

Making curry involves fun forays into the "Asian foods" aisle at the grocery store to find coconut milk, red curry paste, and bamboo shoots, but I was able to find everything I needed - meaning no trips to a specialty Asian foods store.

Red Thai Curry

Adapted from: Food.com

Makes: 3 servings

You'll need:

1-2 tablespoons red curry paste (depending how spicy you like it)

1 (15 oz) can unsweetened coconut milk (light or regular)

1/4 c fresh basil, cut in chiffinode 

1/2 cup bamboo shoots, julienned (about half an 8 oz can)

2-3 t fish sauce

2 T brown sugar

1/3 c chicken broth or stock

optional vegetables for sauté: various bell peppers, onion, mushrooms, snap peas, etc.

1/2 - 1 lb chicken breast, cut into thin strips and lightly peppered

about 3 cups cooked rice (your choice)

In a medium saucepan, combine the curry paste and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Bring to a simmer and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, chiffonade your basil and drain and julienne the bamboo shoots.

After those five minutes, stir in the basil, bamboo shoots, fish sauce, brown sugar, and chicken broth. Simmer another 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Sauté the chicken and your choice of veggies in a little oil. Then layer up your bowl: rice, chicken, veggies....

.... And top it off with plenty of that amazing curry. I love it when there's an abundance of the sauce, like a hearty stew.

Mmm. Spicy, delicious, and easy as promised. Now excuse me, I have to go warm up the leftovers for lunch...

Cobb Salad with Chili-Lime Dressing

So there I was, perusing my weekly email from Taste of Home, not really paying attention, when the words "chili-lime dressing" caught my eye. Intrigued, I checked out the recipe, and I started seeing ingredients like green chiles... cilantro... lime juice... sour cream... hot sauce?! I could hear the Von Trapp kids... "These are a few of my favorite things..."  I've been wanting to attempt a homemade salad dressing for a while, and I knew I had to give this one a try.

This couldn't be more fresh and summery if it tried.

The recipe is really just for this amazing, cool-yet-spicy dressing. I'll include Taste of Home's original suggestions for salad toppings as well as some of my own.

Chili-Lime Salad Dressing
From: Taste of Home
Makes: a little more than a cup

You'll need:
1 (4 oz) can of chopped green chiles, undrained
2/3 c sour cream
1/4 c fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
2 T lime juice
1/2 t pepper
1/4 to 1/2 t hot sauce
1/4 t salt

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth and mixed.

The original recipe doesn't specify how long you can keep this dressing in the fridge; I'd guess about a week, like most other homemade dressings. But don't worry... you won't have trouble using it before then.

Suggested salad toppings:

Hearts of romaine (I prefer green leaf)
Kidney beans (I bet black beans would be even better)
Monterrey Jack cheese (I used cheddar)
Tomatoes
Chicken breast (I left it out and the salad wasn't missing anything)
Avocado (Yes. Always.)
Chopped red onion (one of my favorite salad toppings)
Bacon bits (I didn't feel they belonged, personally)

I also tried chopped red bell pepper, and I bet crispy tortilla strips would be fantastic. Whatever you decide to throw on the plate, just make it a fresh and tasty backdrop for this knockout dressing.

Happy summer, everybody!

Mexican Rice

I've been on a mission for over a year to find a recipe for Mexican rice, ever since my husband informed me that he wasn't too fond of the recipe I had been using. I wasn't that offended, since it was a total cheater shortcut recipe, but finding a better one that (a) doesn't have vegetables in it (since my husband hates those) and (b) wasn't a pain to make has proven to be more challenging than I thought it would be. But at last... a winner!

Great subtle flavor and a nice sticky texture... Outstanding with refried beans... what more could you want?

How about, it's ready in 30 minutes, only requires your attention for about 10, and you probably have all the ingredients on hand already? Win.

Mexican Rice
From: allrecipes.com
Serves: 4-6

You'll need:
3 T vegetable oil
1 c uncooked long-grain rice
1 t garlic salt
1/2 t cumin
1/4 c chopped onion
1/2 c tomato sauce
2 c chicken broth

Note: Since I was actually out of chicken broth, I found (thanks, google) that you can substitute 1 cup of water and 1 tablespoon of butter for a cup of chicken broth. So, consider that a variation in case you, too, are out of chicken broth.

Heat the oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Stir in the rice and toast for a few minutes, stirring often, until the rice is puffy and golden. While it's cooking, sprinkle in the garlic salt and cumin.

Add the onion and cook, stirring often, for a few more minutes until the onions are tender. Stir in the tomato sauce and chicken broth (or water and butter) and bring to a boil.

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer about 20-25 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.

 Fluff with a fork and serve with your favorite Mexican dish. And some refried beans.

Southwestern Turkey Soup

Talk about dressing up leftovers! And just in time for Thanksgiving, too. After eating leftover turkey for the fourth day in a row, you may be looking for something else to do with all that meat. And if you like Mexican and spicy food like I do, you should give this a try. It's got fantastic flavor and quite a bit of spice, but it doesn't mask the awesome flavor of the turkey. Best of all, it's entirely turkey and vegetables, so your mouth thinks you're eating chili, but your waistline thinks you're eating vegetable soup!

Oh, and apparently I gorge myself on soup, because every time I make any kind, I end up with far less servings than what it's supposed to yield. This originally said 7 servings. I've eaten it twice and it's half gone... Hmm...

Southwestern Turkey Soup
From Taste of Home
Yields: Who knows? Somewhere between 4 and 7 servings, apparently

You'll need:
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth
2 to 3 T diced jalapeno peppers (I used all 3, of course)
1 T ground cumin
1 1/2 t chili powder
1/4 t salt
1/4 t cayenne pepper
3 cups cubed cooked turkey (I like small pieces)
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (10 oz) can Ro-Tel (original)
1 1/2 c frozen corn
sour cream, cheese, tortilla chips, etc. to throw on top

In a large saucepan or dutch oven, saute the onion in the oil until tender. Stir in the broth, jalapenos, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne and mix. Add the turkey, beans, Ro-Tel, and corn.

Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 20-30 minutes to let the flavors blend. Done.

I found it to be quite spicy (even for me) and it was very good topped with some cheese and sour cream to cool things off.

Chocolate Pie

Get ready to wow your friends and family. A chocolate pie, similar to French silk, topped with real meringue - and it's way easier than they think it is!

But they don't need to know that.

When I was a sophomore in college, one of my great friends taught me how to make her grandma's chocolate pie. I've translated that into an intelligible, (hopefully) easy-to-follow recipe, and here's the result.

Now, for this recipe, it's very, very important that you have your mise-en-place... That's a French term meaning "everything in place," or, "get your crap together before you start so you don't scald the milk while rummaging in your pantry for the vanilla." Something like that. So, get every ingredient out and open, get all your measuring cups and spoons out, and make sure that the dogs are out/kids are napping/phone is silenced/whatever you need to do to make sure you can concentrate for 10 minutes. It's not hard, but once you start, you can't stop!

Grandma's Chocolate Pie
From: Tosha's grandma
Makes one nine-inch pie

You'll need:
1/4 c flour
3 T cocoa powder
1 1/2 c sugar, divided
3 eggs
2 c milk
3 T butter
1 t vanilla
pie crust (bottom only)

I admit it: I use a pre-made crust. I know, that's totally cheating. And I do make real pie crusts sometimes. Just not this time. I have used both traditional (pastry) crust and graham cracker crust, and they're both good, although I think I prefer the traditional one. *Your crust needs to be baked before you start making the filling.*

Okay. Got everything ready to go? Let's get started.

Step 1: In a bowl, mix the flour, cocoa, and 1 cup of the sugar.

Step 2: Separate your eggs. Nerd alert: I think separating eggs is fun! :) Put the whites in a medium-sized mixing bowl; put your yolks in a small bowl and scramble them.

Step 3: Heat the milk and butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to mix them and to keep the milk from scalding on the bottom. Bring it just to a simmer.

Step 4: Grow a third arm. In all seriousness, this is the tricky part. Keep stirring the milk/butter occasionally while tempering your egg yolks. If you've never done that before, I'll explain: If you added the egg yolks directly to the hot milk and butter, they would immediately cook, and you'd have scrambled eggs floating in your mixture. I love scrambled eggs, but they do not belong in pie. So, to temper them means to gradually raise their temperature by gradually adding small amounts of the hot liquid. So, add a couple spoonfuls of the hot milk/butter to the egg yolks, and stir to combine. Then add a few more, and a few more, and a few more, always gradually and always stirring to combine. (Keep stirring the hot pot on the stove too! Use that third arm!) When have you done enough? Hard to say. A good hint will be when your mixture containing the egg is steaming. When in doubt, add a few more spoonfuls and get it really hot. When the mixture containing the eggs is good and hot, add it back to the hot pan on the stove.

Sorry there are no pictures of that step. I would have had to grow a fourth arm.

Step 5: Stir in the dry ingredients and vanilla. Stir constantly on the heat until it thickens, about 2-4 minutes. Pour into baked pie crust.

Put it in the fridge to chill and set. Congratulations - you just made pudding without a box mix!

Step 6: Now for the meringue. If you own a stand mixer, I hate you. If you don't, I feel your pain.

Add the remaining half cup of sugar to your egg whites and beat, beat, beat with your mixer on high... and keep mixing... and keep mixing... switch arms... mix some more... until, about 15 minutes later (I clocked it), stiff peaks form.

But it's worth the sore arm! Look at those peaks!

Cover the chocolate pudding layer with the meringue, making sure to seal to the edge of the crust. Chill - both you and the pie - it's done!

Steak Quesadillas

My apologies for not posting for such a long time. I could use having a new baby as an excuse, but the truth of the matter is that we were incredibly blessed to have many friends bring us meals after the baby was born, so I have done virtually no cooking in the past month. And like a weirdo, I missed it. So it felt good to get back into the swing of things yesterday.

My in-laws are in town, so I used them as guinea pigs for a new take on quesadillas. They turned out AWESOME.

I'm sorry there isn't a picture of a whole quesadilla... we were eating them as soon as they were coming off the heat. There was almost no picture at all, but I remembered halfway through this last one.

Now, I'm a cheapskate. I don't believe in spending any more money than you have too. Most recipes for steak quesadillas call for sirloin steak, but I am just too, well, cheap to buy any. So I bought a couple pounds of top round steak for half the cost and researched ways to tenderize meat.

1. Put the meat in between wax paper or plastic and beat it with a meat hammer. Or, if, like me, you don't own a meat hammer, use a copper-bottom saucepan. Worked great.

2. Cut the meat against the grain. I cut the steaks into very thin strips.

Doesn't it just look tender?

3. Use a marinade that contains acid. Letting the meat marinate in acid helps break down the connective tissue found in tougher cuts of meat. This particular marinade was adapted from Taste of Home, but I made a couple of swaps.

Two pounds fed five adults nicely.

Marinade for Steak
Adapted from Taste of Home

You'll need:
1/4 c lime juice
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 t canola oil
4 t chili powder
1 t cumin
1 t salt
1 t pepper
2 lb sliced steak

Combine the first seven ingredients in a large Ziploc bag. Add the steak, seal, and knead to mix. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, turning every few hours.

To cook the meat, heat a skillet until a drop of water sizzles in it. Empty the bag into the skillet (in smaller batches, if necessary) and cook just a few minutes, stirring often, until meat is browned on all sides. Go a few extra minutes if you like your meat medium-well, but be warned, the longer you cook it, the more you run the risk of drying it out and losing that tenderness.

Now for the quesadillas.

You'll need:
the aforementioned steak
some sauteed onions and bell peppers
your choice of cheeses (I used cheddar and pepperjack)
anything else you want to put in them (this is pretty flexible)
medium-size flour tortillas

Load up half a tortilla, fold it over, and put it in your quesadilla maker. Or, if you don't have one, spray the tortilla lightly with Pam and put it in a hot skillet for a few minutes on each side until the tortilla is crisp and golden and the cheese is melted.

Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and anything else you like. Yum!