Smokin' Tortilla Soup

I hate winter.  It's cold, I can't go outside, and I have to wear socks. I prefer to be barefoot in the grass as much as possible. This nasty polar vortex that everyone (including me) is whining about isn't helping matters.  However, a big steaming bowl of soup always makes a cold day (week/month) seem not so bad.

I made this soup a couple of days ago when things got really cold.  Husband claims it is the best tortilla soup he has ever had and he eats it wherever he can get it.  This is a great way to use up leftover chicken or any tortillas that are about to go bad. The recipe comes from a cookbook by Ellise Pierce titled Cowgirl Chef.  Ellise is a Texas girl who followed her love to Paris.  Since she can't get her favorite meals from home anymore, she has learned to create them with the tools available in France. She has even managed to combine Texan and French cooking into some great original recipes.


Ingredients

1 Onion, diced
8 Garlic cloves, minced
Canola oil
14 Corn tortillas
2 14-oz cans diced tomatoes with juices, preferably fire-roasted
1 Canned chipotle in adobo
4 c Chicken broth
Salt and pepper
1 pound shredded chicken
1 Avocado
Shredded cheese (any kind, preferably cheddar or monterey jack)
1 tsp chili powder

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450. Slice 8 tortillas into small strips about 1/2 inch wide.  Place in a bowl with the chili powder, 1/2 tsp salt, and a small bit of oil.  Toss to coat evenly and spread on a baking sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes, turning over halfway to get an even crunch.  Place in a bowl to cool.

2. On the same cookie sheet, lay the remaining corn tortillas.  Bake for about 15 minutes, turning over halfway.  They should be crunchy but not burned.

3. Over medium heat, cook the onions and garlic in a small bit of oil.  Allow the onions to brown, about 10 minutes.  Place the onions, garlic, whole crisped tortillas, tomatoes, chipotle, salt, and pepper into a blender. Blend until smooth.

4. Pour blended ingredients into a large pot.  Add chicken broth and shredded chicken.  Stir and let come to a boil.  Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.

5. Top with shredded cheese, avocado, and crispy tortilla strips.

Herb Crusted Chicken with Parmesan Cream Sauce

I admit it, I love eating at Olive Garden. I know it isn't authentic Italian food, but I really don't care.  How can anyone not like free never ending breadsticks and salad with their meal?  I generally order dishes with a cream sauce as opposed to a tomato based sauce.  I can make tomato sauces all day at home but cream based ones always seem to be beyond me.  That is, until I found this recipe.  As far as I am concerned, this beats eating at any Italian restaurant.  I take that back.  There was a mom and pop Italian joint in town until recently that made the best lobster stuffed ravioli I have ever had the pleasure of eating.  I highly doubt I will ever be able to recreate that amazing dish.  This herbed chicken, though, is an excellent way to cure cravings for Italian food and keeps my bank account happy.  I have pictured the chicken and sauce over pasta, but it works equally well on top of mashed potatoes or on its own.  The sauce can also be made by itself for a wonderful twist on macaroni and cheese.  Add less broth for a thicker sauce.

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs/breasts pounded thin
1/2 c milk
1 c Italian breadcrumbs
2 tsp 'Perfect Pinch' Roasted Garlic and Bell Pepper Seasoning
1 tsp dried chives
3 Tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 c chicken broth
1/2 c diced tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 c Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp basil
Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine breadcrumbs, Perfect Pinch seasoning, and chives in a bowl.
3. Dip chicken in milk, then coat with breadcrumb mixture.
4. Melt butter over medium heat.  Cook chicken until brown on both sides. Set used pan aside.
5. Place chicken in a baking dish and bake until thoroughly cooked, about 15-20 minutes.
6. While chicken bakes, saute garlic over medium high heat in used chicken pan.
7. Add broth and bring to a boil. Scrape bottom of pan while stirring to release any chicken bits.
8. Add cream and tomatoes and return to a boil.
9. Reduce heat to medium low, add Parmesan, basil, and pepper.  Stir until thick and hot (around 5 minutes).
10. Serve sauce over chicken.

Bacon and Green Chile Quiche

I've made lots of quiches in my time at the deli I worked at for over a decade. Those were some very tasty quiches, but they weren't technically made from scratch. We used frozen pie crusts (much easier if you are making 12+ quiches a day) and premade quiche mix from the dairy isle.  I was never willing to purchase quiche mix and wasn't sure what all went in to the egg mixture so I never made them at home.
Then, I saw this recipe for a bacon jalapeno popper quiche.  I like (love) bacon, like (love) jalapeno poppers and like quiche.  How could this possibly not be good?  I read the recipe and decided that I wanted a uniform egg mix and not layers as written.  I also added more eggs and green chiles because green chiles make anything better.  (Interesting fact- chili is the amazing meat and pepper stew that my home state is famous for and chile is the pepper that goes in the stew. I= stew, e= pepper.  I always confuse the spellings of the two.)

Consider this to be a basic quiche recipe.  Try it with ham, roasted peppers, and swiss, or chicken, broccoli, and goat cheese. I would have added goat cheese to this quiche but I'm the only person in my house who will eat it. Do with it as you please and get creative.


Ingredients

1 pie crust (thaw if frozen)
8 eggs
1/2 c heavy cream
2 oz cream cheese, softened
6 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1 small can diced green chiles
1 jalapeno, diced
1 c cheddar
salt to taste


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Place the pie crust in a pie dish if it isn't already in one. Poke the bottom and sides with a fork.

3. Mix together the eggs, heavy cream, cream cheese, and salt.  Blend until smooth and no more chunks of cream cheese are present.

4. Stir in bacon and green chiles.  Pour mixture into pie crust.

5 Set pie pan on a lined cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Top the quiche with the cheese and jalapeno, then bake another 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and browned.

Malt-O-Meal Bread

It has been almost 1 month since I last posted and I apologize greatly for that.

Have you ever paid attention to the recipes that come on the side of food packages?  This recipe is technically called Magic Muffins and can be found on a carton of Malt-O-Meal. While it is intended to be a breakfast muffin, my family has made it as a cornbread alternative for years.  Don't get me wrong, we love cornbread.  Sometimes, though, we have run out of cornmeal or have forgotten where we set down the cornbread recipe last.  This then gets made.  It is still sweet and has the same texture and consistency of cornbread.  There is obviously no corn flavor, but don't let that deter you.  This bread can be used anywhere you would normally make cornbread and is a great alternative for someone with a corn allergy.



Ingredients

1 1/4 c flour
3/4 Malt-O-Meal cereal, dry
1/2 c sugar
3/4 c milk
1/4 c oil
1 egg
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients until just incorporated.
3. Pour into a greased pan and bake for 18-20 minutes or until center is firm to the touch.