White Chicken Chili

More soup!  I know, it's hot here in the desert, but I love soup.  Tonight I used a rotisserie chicken to create an easy chicken chili that is perfect to throw together after work.  No real cooking skills needed!

Ingredients


2 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp olive oil

1-2 c shredded chicken
2  (16 oz) cans Cannellini beans
1 (16 oz) can great northern beans
1/2 small can green chilis.  You can use the whole can, but I don't like as much.
2 (14 oz) can chicken broth
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup heavy cream
Seasoned salt (I use Lowry's)


Directions

In your soup pot, cook the minced garlic in olive oil over medium heat until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Keep stirring so it doesn't burn.  Add the shredded chicken to the pot and continue stirring.  Add the beans, chilis, and chicken broth.  In a small bowl, stir you cornstarch and heavy cream, then pour into your soup.  Continue stirring until it is fully incorporated, then turn heat to medium low and allow to simmer for at least 20 minutes.  The longer, the better, but you can serve once it's hot and bubbly.

Serve with tortilla chips or crackers, and top with sour cream and shredded cheese.

Tennessee Whiskey Pork Chops

This is my new favorite way to eat pork chops, and it's an easy dish to prepare.  And you know it's a good one, because I got it from America's Test Kitchen, and those people are amazing.

I served with bacon green beans because we don't get enough veggies around here, but I am sure it would be delicious with mashed potatoes or rice.  Basically any side you choose works.  I made it after work so I skipped their suggestion to marinate 1-2 hours, but I will try that next time.  Either way, I'm sure it's good.

Ingredients

1/2 c Jack Daniel's whiskey.  I suppose you could use bourbon, but I like Jack.

1/2 c apple cider

2 tbsp packed brown sugar

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

4-6 pork chops

2 tsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

Salt to taste

Directions

Combine whiskey, cider, sugar, vinegar, mustard, vanilla, and pepper together in a bowl and whisk.  If you are going to marinade the chops before had, take  1/4 cup of the mixture and pour over your chops in a 1-gallon ziplock bag.  Press out the air and seal, turning the bag to completely coat the chops.  Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.  Put the remaining sauce aside in the fridge until ready.

*Again, I skipped this step because I made this after work, so I used the entire sauce in the pan while cooking.

Remove chops from the bag, and discard marinade.  Heat oil in your skillet over medium high heat.  Salt your chops and cook until brown on both sides (about 10 minutes or so) turning halfway through cooking.  Transfer your chops to a plate and cover tightly with aluminum foil.  I put mine aside in the microwave to keep the heat in a smaller space.  

Add your whiskey mixture to the skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up the leftover browned bits with your spoon.  Cook until reduced to a thick glaze, about 5-8 minutes, then reduce heat to medium low.

Carefully take the chops you have set aside on a plate,  You will have some delicious juices under them--pour these accumulated juices back into your skillet.  Whisk in the butter and simmer this glaze until thick and sticky.  Mine took about 5 minutes.  Remove the pan from heat.  

Return the chops to the skillet and let them rest in the sauce about 5 minutes, turning occasionally to coat both sides so the sauce clings to them.  Test your chops to be sure they are heated to 145 degrees internally, then transfer to a platter and spoon the sauce over your chops.  Serve and eat.

Honey Glazed Pork Loin

Pork is such a versatile meat, and fairly affordable.  On my quest to cook more, I picked up a few different cuts of pork on sale and will be trying some different recipes on the family.  Tonight I am making honey glazed pork loin from a recipe I found on about.com's southern foods recipes and will be serving with my easy cheesy mashed potatoes.   I call this one a "day off dish" because it takes more than an hour to prepare and serve, but it's worth the time involved.

Ingredients
3-4 lb pork loin
2 tsp pork seasoning blend (your choice--I used McCormick's)
1 c apple cider
1/3 c honey
1/2 c brown sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 400.  To save cleanup, line a baking pan with heavy duty aluminum foil and place the roast on the foil.  Rub the pork loin all over with your seasoning, then roast for 20 minutes.  Combine the apple cider, honey, and brown sugar and mix well.

After 20 minutes, reduce heat to 325.  Roast for 60-90 minutes, basting frequently with the honey glaze until the internal temperature is about 155 degrees.  Let the roast rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.

And there you have it!  A simple, juicy pork roast your family will love.

Beef Risotto

As you can see from this blog, risotto is one of my favorite side dishes.  It tastes complicated, but it is easy if you have patience.  Tonight I am making beef risotto to go with my Garlic Roast Beef, along with my bacon green beans.  The beefy, cheesy goodness is the perfect pairing for the juicy roast beef.

Ingredients
32 oz. beef broth
3 tbsp butter
1-2 cloves minced garlic
1 c arborio rice
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano (grated)
Salt to taste

Directions
Bring beef broth to a boil in a sauce pan, then simmer on low.
Melt the butter in a separate pan over medium heat.  Add the minced garlic and sauté about one minute, stirring throughout.  Add the arborio rice and toast in the butter about 2 minutes, stirring constantly until it begins to become translucent.  Start adding broth to the rice mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until it has been absorbed into the rice.

As it begins to look dry, stir in another 1/2 cup of broth.  Be patient!  I love to have my Nook there so I can read one-handed while I stir.  After you have added all of the beef broth, you should have a pan full of soft rice with a very slight bite to it.  Grate your cheese and stir it until it has melted throughout.  Season with salt to taste.  I let it rest for 10 minutes along with the roast beef, then served for a delicious meal.

Garlic Roast Beef

Roast beef is such a treat, and it's amazingly simple to make.  I love mine on the rare side, so feel free to cook it to a higher internal temperature if you want it cooked more thoroughly.  Tonight I served it over Beef Risotto and green beans with bacon.  

Ingredients

2-3 lbs top round roast

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp seasoning salt or other steak seasoning

2-3 cloves garlic, minced(I used roasted garlic)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.  While the oven is heating, place your roast in your roasting pan and let it rest about 10-20 minutes.  Combine olive oil, seasoning salt, and garlic in a bowl and mix together.   Rub the mixture over all of the meat, covering all sides well, then place back in the roasting pan fat side up.  

Bake in the oven for 12 minutes, then reduce heat to 275 degrees, leaving the roast in the oven.  Bake for one hour, then take the internal temperature.  I took mine out when it reached 120 degrees, then let it rest for 15 minutes with foil wrapped around it to keep in the heat.  Slice, and enjoy.

Cheesy Chicken Stew with Broccoli

More soup!  Yes, I know, it was 90 degrees here today, but when you want soup, you want soup.  I was prepared not to like this recipe because of the broccoli, but the kids like the green stuff and I am trying to find ways to tolerate green foods, so here we are.  This was a fast, easy meal and we all loved it.  If you use a rotisserie chicken, you will be feeding the family in no time.

Ingredients

32oz chicken broth
1 c heavy cream
1 c milk (I used whole)
2 c shredded chicken (I used a rotisserie to save time)
3 tbsp butter
1 c chopped broccoli florets
1/2 c flour
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c shredded cheese (I used my fav, colby jack)
1 pie crust, thawed

Directions
Chop up the fresh broccoli into small pieces and boil in some chicken broth.   I didn't measure, but I would guess around a cup.  Sprinkle one tsp of salt over and boil for about 5 minutes.  In a separate pot, melt 3-4 tbsp butter, then add the broccoli / chicken broth mixture.  Let simmer over medium high heat for another 5 minutes, then add 1/2 cup flour and stir thoroughly.  This will be a paste-like consistency. Slowly stir in the cream, milk, and remaining chicken broth until you have a smooth soup with no lumps (besides the broccoli, of course).  Add in your shredded chicken and 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese, and reduce heat to medium.

While the stew is simmering and thickening, roll out the pie crust onto a baking sheet and cut into long strips.  Bake for 8 minutes on 450.  Once this is done, break into small chunks to serve on top of the bowls of stew.  Serve with shredded cheese and pie crust pieces on top for a delicious meal.

Easy Lemon Garlic Chicken

Here's an easy dish I threw together tonight that was a big hit.  Simple and delicious!

Ingredients
4-6 chicken breasts
Olive oil
Salt
1-2 cloves garlic, minced.  I used the roasted garlic I roasted last weekend and froze.
1 lemon
Any pasta as a side dish
Grated parmesan cheese


Directions
Heat up olive oil in a cast iron skillet and mix in the minced garlic.  Cut lemon in half and squeeze out the juice, setting aside.  Salt the chicken breasts, then sauté your chicken breasts over medium heat until there is no pink inside (165 degrees internally). Add lemon juice to the pan and ensure you get the juice on both sides of the chicken.  It forms a nice brown caramelized coating on the chicken and is delicious.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare your pasta.  I chose tri-color rotini and boiled mine in chicken broth to get even more flavor.  Drain the pasta and grate parmesan cheese over it, stirring the cheese throughout.

This is such an easy dish that makes it a good one for after work.  The whole family liked it and it is definitely going into the rotation.

Steak Pot Pie

Pot pie is delicious.  What's that you say?  You've only had frozen pot pies?  Well, you haven't lived until you've eaten this hot, savory beef slathered in sauce and golden crust.  Try it, you'll like it.  This delicious dish is something I adapted from Alton Brown, and it's worth the time involved.  This is what I call a "day off dish" because it takes time to prepare.  As always, feel free to add whatever you'd like to suit your tastes, as I am a picky eater.

Ingredients
2 lbs Steak.  Use any kind.  I used 2 leftover filets from last night's dinner.
3-4 potatoes, peeled and diced into small cubes
1 cube beef bouillon
2 tbsp olive oil
1tsp balsamic vinegar
8 oz thinly sliced mushrooms
2 cloves roasted garlic
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 c beef stock
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 c Cabernet
4 slices of bacon, cut into small squares and fried crispy
1 thawed puff pastry sheet
1 egg white, beaten

Directions
Season the steak with your desired seasonings and cut into bite-sized pieces.  Heat olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat, and sauté the steak until browned.  Remove steak from pot and set aside.   I cheated and used leftover steak grilled medium rare from last night's dinner, so I just took it from the fridge and cut it into bite-sized pieces, no need to brown.

So easy when you use leftovers!

Peel and diced 3-4 potatoes.  Put the potatoes into a separate pan and boil with 1 cube of beef bouillon.  When the potatoes are soft, drain and set aside.

Using the same pot as the steak, sauté the mushrooms, salt, and roasted garlic over medium heat, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the balsamic vinegar.  Add the beef stock and tomato paste, and stir until incorporated.  Add smoked paprika, oregano, and thyme and stir well.  Add steak and potatoes and reduce the heat to low.  Cover the pot and let simmer for about 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If you haven't already thawed your puff pastry sheet, this is the time to do it.  Preheat your oven to 375. Cut your bacon into small squares and fry it up.  Drain and set aside.

Combine the cabernet with your cornstarch, and be sure to get out all of the clumps.  Turn the heat up to medium-high, and pour in the cornstarch, stirring constantly.  Simmer until thickened, around 5-10 minutes.  Pour into a round glass baking dish.  Add bacon liberally across the top.

Place the puff pastry sheet across the top of the dish, and cut off the excess, crimping the top along the edges.  Brush the top with egg white and poke a few air holes in the top for the steam to escape as it is baking. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.

There you have it!  I had a bit of trouble getting it served out of the baking dish in one lovely piece, but it tasted so good.  I served it with roasted green beans and bacon and parmesan cheese, and it was a meal the entire family enjoyed.

Messy but delicious