Crock Pot: White Chicken Chili

This was an amazing easy recipe, and perfect for the rainy crappy weather we have been having. I adapted this recipe from a blog I follow. A mom and her twin little girls, and she understands the need to make quick and yummy recipes!

Crock Pot White Chicken Chili

3 (15oz) cans white northern beans (drained and rinsed)
1 (15oz) can garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)
1 lb chicken (fresh or frozen)
2 (4oz) cans mild green diced chilies
1 (15oz) can chicken stock
2-3 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1 packet dry ranch seasoning
3-4 cloves garlic minced

Throw all in crock pot, stir, cook on low for 7-8 hours. Come home, stir and shred chicken. Serve with sour cream, cheese and/or avocado.

Side note: Make sure the crock pot is plugged IN before leaving the house!!! This was not my day.
Thankfully I have an amazing husband who came back home (on bicycle) to plug it in.

My adaptations: I like a variety of beans, you can probably even use white kidney beans or cannellini beans. I used only 2 teaspoons of the ranch packet, but I figured next time I will dump the whole packet in. I also added the chicken stock. If you are like me and buy the giant stock cartons when they are BOGO just fill an empty bean can with stock and dump in. I eyeballed it this time, because I only had a little left in the carton and dumped it all in.

Pumpkin Chili

I had made a pumpkin chili last year, that was amazing! But sadly it is lost in my pintrest archives. So I made this one, that was equally as good. So to make sure I don't lose this one, I need to document it. :)
I adapted my on flair from this basic recipe: Pumpkin Chili

Pumpkin Chili

Ingredients:
       

3 tablespoons olive oil    

1 pound ground turkey                        

1 small onion, chopped     

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped                                         

1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped     

2 cloves garlic, minced      

1 15-oz. can pure pumpkin   

2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes, un drained     

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth          

1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder        

1 tablespoon cumin                 

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 15-oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-oz. can white great northern beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

 

Preparation:

 

1. Warm oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook turkey, stirring, until no pink remains, about 8 minutes. Add onion, bell pepper, jalapeño and garlic. 

 

2. Add tomatoes, pumpkin, broth, chili powder, cumin, pumpkin pie spice and 1/2 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in all beans. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chili thickens slightly, about 30 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

 

3. Serve with sour cream, grated cheese, and green onion garnishes.

 

We like ours a little bit spicier, so going forward I may not deseed the whole pepper, or add another small one. Also you do not get an intense pumpkin flavor, we may also go with another 1/2 a can on pumpkin.
 And of course add any beer with meal!!
Cheers! Happy fall!

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Josh's Birthday

I threw my 26 year old boyfriend a Star Wars theme birthday party this year. Now if you follow this blog, or my other one: ktjazz.blogspot.com you know that I make him a Star Wars birthday cake every year, usually trying to top the one from the previous year. I kind of screws myself this year, and peaked a little too early. I have NO IDEA how I am going to top this cake next year!!!

Here are some pictures on the cake assembly this year. I made a Death Star cake. I got the original idea from pintrest via here, although I simplified my process a little bit.

My mom and I did a trail run of making a 1/2 sphere cake last weekend and it turned out a lot better than predicted.

Each of the cake halves consisted of 1 and 1/2 box cake mix. The whole box was a yellow cake mix and 1/2 was chocolate swirled in. And baked in a medium pyrex bowl. It took a lot longer to bake than a normal cake, and we also had to adjust the temperature of the oven so not to burn the top, while the inside still cooked. (Again, trial and error)

To hold the 2 halved together I had thick (boba tea) straws- 4 of them stick in the middle of the bottom cake, a little bit of icing glue and shoved the top cake on top of the straws sticking out from the bottom. The middle section is (another cake) that was crumbled and mixed with icing so I could fill the little gap between the 2 to make a perfect globe.

If you know anything about the Death Star you know it has a "satalittlite" disk on the side that concave in a little. At this point of putting the 2 cakes together waiting for the middle "glue"and also being close to midnight, I forgot the hole. Screw it! I let the cake set over night in the fridge.

Next day I cut the hole. And I think it worked a little better than how I originally planned. The cake was cold and solid so it cam out in 1 perfect piece, and barely any crumbs. (You can see the marbling in the cake) For the icing I used regular canned Betty Crocker butter cream frosting, and dyed it with wilton black (sparkle) gel coloring.

The finished product! The "panel" pieces were from wilton sugar sheets, black, and we (my friend and I) piped on royal icing (also dyed the grey-ish color) to make the patterns. I then used Duff's edible food spray silver to give all the black pieces a little sheen. Note to self: sugar sheets bend, royal icing not so much. So when adhering the panels, some of the royal icing fell off, but I like the black color underneath so I kept some like that and re-piped some others.

Needless to say boyfriend was totally awe struck by his cake. We blindfolded him before it came out and, started signing "happy birthday" while the blindfold came off. I told him his cakes from now on are going to be publix cakes with "happy birthday" written on. I don't think he took that seriously! I guess I have a few more Star Wars characters to go through.

Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

I found this recipe by the wonderful site pintrest. It was so good, there were a few adjustments made, but over all Josh is begging for it again!



Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

1 lb boneless pork loin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 cup water

Glaze

1/2 brown sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 balsamic vinegar
1/2 water
2 Tbsp soy sauce (or 2 of those Chinese food packets you have lying around)


Combine the salt, pepper, and garlic to rub over roast. Place in slow cooker with 1 cup of water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. About an hour before roast is done combine ingredients for glaze. Heat and stir mixture in saucepan until slightly thickened. Pour small amounts over roast 2-3 times during last hour of cooking. Serve with remaining glaze on the side.





Enjoy!!

My recipe differs from the original post by:

• I did not use sage, simply because I didn't have it.




• I used a 1 lb roast which worked great for 2 people (my boyfriend and I). 2 lbs would probably be better for a family of 4, and/or left overs.




• I used the recommended amount of water (1/2 cup) this time, but it all cooked up and I was left with a burnt bottom of a slow cooker




• I cooked it for about 9 hours (work day + travel time)




• Because I had burnt bottom slow cooker I did the glaze in a Pyrex dish and in the oven at 350 (until my rice and broccoli was done)

With all my "modifications" it still came out amazing!! As I said I served with broccoli and rice.

YUM!!!!

Rum Cupcakes

First let me apologize for being MIA, but I have been cooking/baking up a storm. My latest ventures have been in boozy baked goods. So with out anymore verbiage getting in the way here are the amazing rum cupcakes!

Rum Cupcakes

1 box yellow cake mix (& cake mix ingredients. Depending on which brand you get)

We used Pillsbury this time so it calls for:
1/3 cup oil
3 eggs
1 cup water/dark rum

Make the mix according to the box. For the water/rum part you can add as little or much as you want. I go with a full cup usually.

When the cake is done and cooling make the glaze.

Glaze

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark rum

In saucepan, combine butter, water, and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat and continue to boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat after 5 minutes are up and add rum. whisk well. Let cool for a few minutes.

While the glaze cools, take wooden skewers and poke multiple holes in cupcakes. Once all are poked, I dipped the cupcakes into the glaze just the baring top part. You can brush on if you like. I dipped them 3 times, letting them soak 15-20 minutes in between dips.

I was planning on making a rum frosting also, but that would have pushed it overboard! So I selected plain vanilla frosting in the can. (Which was most defiantly the right choice).
The glaze recipe is also for an entire bundt cake and I have almost half left over, so I might suggest halving the recipe above or doubling the cupcakes.

Enjoy responsibly!! These are NOT kid friendly cakes.

Healthy eating...HELP

I have decided to eat a little bit more healthy and in the long run lose a few pounds. I've been doing pretty good with healthy eating choice and its been A LOT of salads! If you have even been the The (Miller) Ale House near you, aside from their yummy signature Zingers, they have an awesome Summer Salad with a delicious raspberry vinaigrette. (That I am absolutely in love with!!). Since I am eating my current weight in salads I have been driving myself crazy looking for a recipe that bears any resemblance to the one at the Ale House. I found one and made it last night, its OK. Not Ale House quality- it was a little to vinegary for me. I have found a few more through allrecipes.com and foodnetwork.com and have yet to try them, but will be making them soon. If anyone out in the blog-o-sphere has tasted this dressing and knows of somewhere to buy it in bulk or has an amazingly close recipe, please share! I will be very much thankful!

Margarita Cupcakes

So in honor of Cinco de Mayo I decided to make margarita cupcakes adapted from Brown Eyed Baker recipe. They were a huge hit with my friends, and friends' parents. I cheated from the original recipe and modified a box cake mix. I think they still turned out pretty great! These are not kid friendly cupcakes. Adults only! :-)

Margarita Cupcakes:
yields: 24 cupcakes

Cake:
1 box yellow or white cake mix
Juice of 2 1/2 limes (save one Tbsp for frosting); zest of 1 lime
1/2 cup tequila

1. Follow box cake instructions, except with the water portion (depending on what make you get: Duncan Hines usually ask for 1 1/3 cup of water. Pillsbury ask for 1 cup.) Substitute the water with 1/2 cup of tequila and the lime juice. (because the juice of the limes will vary) fill the rest of the water portion with water. Blend the cake mix, oil and eggs together first. Once slightly blended add the tequila and lime mix. Blend together on medium high speed for 2 minutes.

2. Spoon into cupcake pans and bake according to box instructions.

3. Set out to cool for a few minutes. Take 2 tooth picks and poke a bunch of small holes into the tops of the cupcakes. Brush the tops with a small (or large) amount of tequila. (This part is optional).

4. Let cupcakes cool the rest of the way and make frosting.

Frosting:
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 3/4 cups powder sugar
1 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp tequila
pinch of salt (optional)

If you have a stand mixer with a whisk attachment this will come in handy

1. Whip the butter on medium high speed using the whisk attachment for 3-5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium low and gradually add the powder sugar in stages. Be sure to shift the powder sugar. Scrap the side of the bowl down and give it a good mix on medium high for about 30 seconds. Add the lime, tequila and salt and mix until incorporated and fluffy. If the frosting appears too soft or runny add a little more powder sugar one spoonful at a time.

2. Spread or pipe the frosting on the cupcakes and garnish with a slice of lime or shot of tequila.

~Enjoy!!

Spiced Pork w/ Sauteed Apples

So I have been MIA lately. I apologize. If you follow my All that Jazz blog about life and my puppers, you may know that I got a new job. I absolutely LOVE this job, but I stare at a computer (soon to be a double screen) all day and the last thing I want to do when I get home is stare at another one. On the flip side of my getting a job, my mom got laid off. She knew it was coming and it was just a ticking time bomb. With that being said she has been flipping trough my magazines and books trying to come up with ideas for dinner. This is the first one she made, and it was amazing! I walked in the door and the delicious smell engulfed me. So without further ado:

Spiced Pork w/ Sauteed Apples

1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
3-4 boneless pork chops
2 tbsp butter
2 cups Braeburn or Gala apples, thinly sliced
1/3 cup shallots, thinly sliced
1/4 cup apple cider
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Combine salt, coriander, black pepper, cinnamon & nutmeg in a bowl and evenly coat the pork chops. Coat pan with cooking spray or vegetable oil, add pork to pan; cook 3-5 minutes on each side or until done. Remove pork from pan and keep warm.

2. Melt butter in pan. Add apple slices, shallots, and 1/8 tsp salt; saute for 4 minutes or until the apples start to brown. Add apple cider to pan, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in thyme leaves. Replace pork in the pan to heat through.

We served this with plain couscous, cooked in chicken broth and brussel sprouts.

I'm thinking of showing mommy how to add to the blog so she can type up what she cooks. We'll see how that goes. But for now hopefully I will take a little initiative and add some recipes.

French Onion Soup

This is delicious soup! If I must say so myself. It was an extremely easy soup as well. I have been on a soup kick lately. In South Fla you don't get many cool days to enjoy a steaming bowl of soup, so when the moment arises I snatch it up.

French Onion Soup

3 Tbsp butter
2 lbs onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/3 cup flour
8 cups beef or chicken stock (I used beef)
1 cup white wine
1 bay leaf
2 thyme sprigs
Stale baguette rounds, sliced
Gruyere cheese, sliced

1. Melt the butter in a large pot and add onions. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 25-30 minutes or until onions are a deep golden brown or slightly caramelized.

2. Add garlic and flour add stir continuously for 2 minutes. Gradually add the stock and the wine, stirring all the time. Bring to a boil. Add the bay leaf and thyme sprig. Cover pan and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Preheat the broiler to high. Toast the baguette rounds on both sides. Place your desired baguette slices into oven safe bowls.

4. Spoon soup over the baguette slices, then top with your desired amount of cheese. Place under broiler until cheese it bubbly and slightly brown.

ENJOY!

We used yellow onions, which were delicious, but while slicing very potent and chased me out the kitchen a few times. If you use yellow onions place them in the freezer for about 30-60 minutes- that will lessen the potency. Sweet onions will work just as well.

I had every intention of taking pictures for the process, but got so excited and concentrated I forgot. If you are anything like me you pick the cook book by the pictures. Next time! :-)

Back to the schedule

Sorry for being MIA, but I have still been cooking. I'll post those recipes up soon. (I've been in a bit of a funk).

For this weeks' menu:
Wednesday night:
Pasta primavera
Garlic bread

Thursdays night:
Thai pork wraps
Cous cous
Green beans

Friday night:
Chicken and dumpling soup
Grilled cheese

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

Tuesday night dinner
Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
Garlic Bread
Sauteed zucchini
5- Minute bread pudding

This was an amazingly simple and DELICIOUS dinner. My best friend came over for dinner and she is not a big "Alfredo" fan, but this was great. Its not your typical Alfredo overly creamy sauce. Its the perfect amount. Defiantly a make again dinner and must try.

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast-cut in 1 inch cubes
1 lg onions
4 c. broccoli florets
1 can (14.5 ounce) petite diced tomatoes-drained
1/4 c. onion & chive cream cheese
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp flour

1. Heat large nonstick skillet to medium-high heat with olive oil. Add the chicken chucks and cook until brown. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.

2. Reduce heat to medium, add a drizzle of olive oil. Add onions and salt and pepper, cook until softened. Add flour to skillet and coo about 1 minute stirring. Add broccoli and 1/2 cup of water to skillet; cover and cook for 5 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender.

3. Remove cover add chicken back to pan. Add the canned tomatoes and cream cheese; stir until well blended.

~Enjoy
Happy cooking!

Philly Cheesesteaks

Monday night dinner:
Philly cheese steak
French fries
Cake Ball

Philly Cheese steaks
2 medium onions-thinly sliced
2 large bell peppers-thinly sliced
1 lb top round steak (they sell per cut meat in packages "stir fry" style-works great!)
1 pkg provolone cheese slices
1 pkg hot dog rolls
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and green pepper to pan cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes.

2. Pull onions and green pepper out of pan and into a bowl, set aside. Salt and pepper the meat and add to pan. Cook until medium add the onions and peppers back the the pan. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce cook about 1 minute.

3. Heat broiler to low. Tuck 1 slice of provolone into each roll (makes about 6). Put under broiler until melted and bubbly. Put meat mixture into the rolls.

~Enjoy!
Happy Eating

Weekly Menu 3

My last week's menu got a little skewed from the original. Wednesday we had leftovers, Thursday I hopped right back on with the Chicken Pot Pie (which was WONDERFUL) and Friday my dad went out of town so we just made a simple taco night.

Here is some (not finished) week 3 menu.

Curry Chicken Pot Pie

Thursday night dinner:

Curry chicken pot pie

Salad

Sugar cookies

This recipe came form Good Eats with Alton Brown. Let me just say- Alton Brown is my other lover! This recipe of his is no disappointment. The boyfriend is scarfing down my left over from last night right now as I type. Must try this one, its worth it!

Curry Chicken Pot Pie

4 c. frozen veggie mix

1-2 Tbsp vegetable oil

3 Tbsp butter

1 onion-chopped

2 celery stalks-chopped

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

1/2 c. milk

3 Tbsp flour

1 tsp curry powder

2 Tbsp dried parsley

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 c. chicken-roughly chopped (I used a rotisserie)

1 pkg puff pastry

1. Preheat oven to 400.

2. Toss frozen veggies with vegetable oil & spread evenly on sheet pan. Place in oven and cook until slightly golden brown (toss a few times).

3. In large saute pan over medium heat 1 tbsp of butter and sweat the onion and celery. In another sauce pan, heat the broth and milk.

4. Add 2 more tbsp of butter to the onion/celery mixture. Add the flour and curry and cook for 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the hot milk mixture and cook until slightly thickened. Add the parsley, salt & pepper.

5. Toss in the browned vegetables and chicken, coating all.

6. Pour into a shallow baking dish or terra cotta pot base lined with foil and top with 6-8 rounds of puff pastry. OR Spoon mixture into individual serving dishes and cover the whole top with a puff pastry circle. Place in 400 degree oven and bake until golden brown and bubbly about 25 minutes.

ENJOY!!

Leftovers

Tonight's dinner was simply left overs- from my mom birthday luncheon from the girls at work. But be sure to check in tomorrow. I'm making chicken pot pie which I am very excited for!

Gnocchi w/ Spinach in Tomato Sauce

Tuesday night dinner:
Gnocchi w/ Spinach in Tomato Sauce
Garlic bread
Salad

This dish came together incredibly fast and was super easy. My dad is a hot pepper aficionado and he dries some of his own very hot peppers so I downed the amount t 1/8tsp. Good and easy dinner. Was defiantly a hit with the boyfriend.

Gnocchi w/ Spinach in Tomato Sauce
1 pkg (16oz) prepared gnocchi
1 bag (6oz) baby spinach
1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes w/ basil, oregano and garlic (such as Del Monte)
1/2 c. Shredded mozzarella
1/4 c. Basil-chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt

1. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil and cook gnocchi according to package directions. Once cooked, remove from pot with slotted spoon. Add spinach and cook for about 1 minute.

2. Meanwhile place canned tomatoes in blender, blend until smooth. Add oil to medium-high heat nonstick skillet, add red pepper flakes. Cook for about 1 minute stirring occasionally. Add in the tomato mix and salt and simmer down for about 4 minutes or until thickened.

3. Stir gnocchi and spinach into tomato sauce. Server family style or into 4 separate bowls. Top with mozzarella cheese and a sprinkle of the chopped basil.

Pork Tenderloin w/ Warm Apple Slaw

Monday night dinner:
Pork Tenderloin w/ Warm Apple Slaw
Couscous

This was a recipe I found in Family Circle magazine, and I've done pork with apples before and it has always turned out delicious. This was a very easy and quick dinner to make. Great for work nights.

Pork Tenderloin w/ Warm Apple Slaw
1 pork tenderloin (1 1/2 lbs)
3 tsp honey
1/2 head green cabbage, thinly sliced
2 gala apples, cubed
1tsp caraway seeds (optional)
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oven to 400. Rub the pork with 1 tsp of honey and sprinkle with salt and pepper; place in roasting pan. Roast for 30-45 minutes-turning half way through.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add cabbage and cook, covered for about 6 minutes- stirring frequently. Once cabbage is tender, add the apples, remaining 2 tsp of honey, and caraway seeds (if you opted for them). Cook for another 6 minutes uncovered and stirring occasionally.

3. Remove pork from over when internal temp reaches 155. Cut pork into 1-inch slices and serve over cabbage and apple slaw.

Couscous
Cook according to box directions. I used toasted pine nut couscous and it compliments the pork very well.

~Enjoy! Happy eating!

Weekly Menu 2

My mom's birthday is today so there is also chocolate cake for dessert.


Recipes will be up each day after cooking.
Happy cooking!!