Mexican Chicken Lime Soup

by Anna // November 8, 2012 // No Comments

Yes! Another Pinteresting recipe from Anna! I do love to try all these yummy things and I am glad that I can provide this service to you so that you will know if they work or not. Speaking of Pinterest, I have created a new board entitled SUCCESS!! where I repin anything that I have tried from Pinterest that actually worked. Back to the recipe…This one was pretty darn good, but next time I am going to substitute boneless, skinless chicken breasts for the chicken thighs and I am going to grill them. We have a favorite Mexican restaurant in town that makes a KILLER Sopa de Pollo and so we are used to the white meat with these ingredients. On to the soup…

Ingredients:

2 T. extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped (I used dehydrated)

6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (Didn’t have any, used roasted, minced, from a jar…)

6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely chopped, plus 2 T. adobo sauce

6 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Juice of 2 limes

salt and pepper

1 Hass avocado, thinly sliced lengthwise into 12 pieces (or hey, if just two of you are eating supper tonight, like us, just share one avocado between the two of you…mmmm…)

Crushed tortilla chips (we love Santitas)

1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, lower heat to medium and cook until onion begins to brown, about 7 minutes.

2. Increase the heat to high, push the vegetables to the side of the pan, add the chicken and cook, stirring until golden, about 5 minutes.

3. Stir in the chipotles and adobo sauce, then stir in the chicken broth. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, skimming any foam. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice; season with salt and pepper–I used a teaspoon of salt and that was too much, just so you know.

4. Place 2 avocado slices in each of 6 bowls and pour in the soup. Top with the crushed chips.

Source: Rachael Ray Magazine via Pinterest

Rustic Corn Chowder

by Niki Lewis // November 6, 2012 // 1 Comment

This is really great comfort food. It warms you up and fills you up!!! I made a huge pot of this chowder and had more than 12 servings! This is very simple to make, and I am sure you already have everything on hand!

1/2 lb of bacon, chopped

1 small onion, chopped into same size as the corn kernels (do this for all veggies except potatoes)

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

4 ears of corn , kernel cut off (or 2 cans of corn or 1 bag of frozen corn)

1 potato per person, chopped into bite sized pieces

milk, about 1 quart

16 oz of chicken broth

2 tbs. of butter

salt

pepper

2 TBS. or more of cornstarch or flour, for thickening

water, for the cornstarch

*serves:6-12 people

In a really big pot, fry the bacon. Stir to keep it from sticking and scoop out when done and set it to drain on paper towels. Save the grease. You can pour off all but about 2 -3 TBS.

Into the bacon grease add the veggies except the corn and potatoes. Let the veggies cook until tender. Then add the corn. Stir to keep from sticking for a couple of minutes. Add the potatoes. Stir those also.

Add the enough milk to cover the potatoes and then add in the chicken broth. You may not want all of the chicken broth but, add until you have enough liquid. Drop in the butter, season with salt and pepper. Let this simmer until the potatoes are tender.

In a separate bowl add the cornstarch. To that add a little water slowly and then whisk away the lumps. Add the cornstarch mixture to the pot when the potatoes are tender. You may need to add more until you get it the right consistency for you.

Serve with crumbled bacon on top or you could add that back to the chowder.

recipe from ME

Potato Soup

by Anna // October 25, 2012 // 5 Comments

So, I needed a slow cooker meal to have tonight so that I wouldn’t have to spend so much time in the kitchen after work because my daughter and her family might be coming over for supper and Family Night. I also had a sack of spuds to use, leftover from a beach retreat with my sisters. Enter my Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook. I love my slow cooker–really need to use it more often. Anyway, Potato Soup sounded like a good idea and I just picked one of many recipes in the book. SCORE!! This was delicious! And not as fattening as my normal stove-top recipe, because I usually add bacon drippings for flavor. This recipe did not even need it. Enjoy.

Ingredients:

6 potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 leeks, chopped (I didn’t have any so I just added some minced garlic)

2 onions chopped (…….used dehydrated)

1 rib celery (actually had that!)

4 chicken bouillon cubes (I used chicken bouillon powder and added it to the water below)

1 T. dried parsley flakes

5 cups water

1 T. salt (I did that, but in retrospect, it was a little much)

pepper to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp.)

1/3 cup butter

13-oz can evaporated milk (that is not in the picture, because I was debating about using it. I did end up using it.)

chopped chives

1. Combine all ingredients except milk and chives in slow cooker.

2. Cover. Cook on Low 10-12 hours, or High 3-4 hours (mine was more like 5 or 6 hours because I was at work for 5 hours). Stir in milk during last hour.

3. If desired, mash potatoes before serving.

4. Garnish with chives. Fresh would be better but I only had dried.

Source: Jeanne Hertzog, Marcia S. Myer, Rhonda Lee Schmidt, Mitzi McGlynchey, Vera Schmucker, Kaye Schnell and Elizabeth Yoder in FIX-IT AND FORGET-IT, 2000 ed., p. 61.

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

by Niki Lewis // October 2, 2012 // 1 Comment

WOW! This is some good stuff! I found this on pinterest! (ofcourse) It’s easy to mix all together and the ingredients are items that I am sure you already have on hand. REALLY- you have to try this! Its cheesy and yummy, and belly filling, and comforting, and scrumptious, and you can’t stop eating it! Bake up some crusty bread and, wow! What else can I say? I will tell you that I doubled just about all the listed ingredients (except the cheese) to feed my family .There are six people in my family and everyone got 2nds! Also, I changed a couple of the ingredients to fit our likes.

2 TBSP butter
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 TBSP. garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
5-6 red potatoes, washed and diced into quarter sized pieces.
1 TBSP flour
1/2 cup water
2/3 cups milk
2 cups broccoli, sliced
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Melt the butter in a large pot and add the onion,carrots, and celery. Saute over medium heat until the vegetables are tender and stir often. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional 2minutes, stirring often. Add the chicken broth and potatoes and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir often so the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom. Cook until the potatoes are tender. In a separate small bowl, mix the flour and water then add this to the soup. Stir well until the soup thicken a bit. Add the milk and broccoli. Sir well, to prevent sticking. Cook until the broccoli is tender. Stir in the cheese and let it melt well, constantly stirring. SERVE!!!

recipe adapted from luluthebaker.com

Slow Cooker Chicken and Cheese Biscuits

by Niki Lewis // September 18, 2012 // No Comments

My kids really loved this! This is a pinterest recipe that I have saved for a long while just waiting for the right time to try out. It was really Yummy! The only thing I didn’t like about this recipe was the Thyme. I am not a big thyme (seasoning) fan. When I make this again, I will probably leave that ingredient out. But!, it was very yummy and a good comfort food recipe. I simplified it a bit and left a couple of original ingredients out to make my family happy. I loved using my slow cooker, it made this easy!

Chicken Stew:
2 cups chopped red potatoes
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 TBSP quick -cooking Tapioca
1 lb chicken, boneless & skinless, cut into pieces (for quicker cooking)
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas
1 oz cream cheese, cut in pieces
cheesy biscuits

Biscuits:
1 2/3 cup biscuit mix
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup milk

In a slow cooker, combine the following: potatoes, carrots, onion,celery, garlic, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle tapioca over the mixture. Lay the chicken pieces over the mixture and pour the chicken broth over all of it. Place the lid on and set the timer for about 3 1/2 hours on high.

About 15 minutes before the timer goes off, add the frozen peas and cream cheese. Stir a bit. The chicken breaks apart and almost shreds it is tender! Replace the lid and continue cooking.

In a mixing bowl add the following ingredients for the biscuits: 1 2/3 cups biscuit mix, cheese, milk. Stir well until the dough forms. Then drop by heaping TBSP fulls into a greased cupcake pan! (this was easier for me than rolling out dough.) Cook in a 450 degree preheated oven for about 10 minutes! Really watch these, they burn easily. (so says my first batch!)

Serve this when the biscuits come out of the oven! Spoon the Chicken Stew over the biscuits. The kids loved this!

Adapted from pinterest

Cool Avocado Soup

by Amy Eason // August 14, 2012 // No Comments

I love, love, love cold soups in the summer!

Ingredients:

2 avocados
1/2 English cucumber
4 scallions, green parts only, coarsely chopped
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
juice of 1 lime
1/3 cup packed cilantro or parsley leaves
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
1/8 t. cumin
1/8 t. paprika
1/2 t. salt

Directions:

1. Puree everything in a blender until very smooth, 2 to 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides once or twice. Cover tightly with the blender lid and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 6 hours.

2. Puree again just before serving, adding a little cold water if necessary to thin the soup.

TIP: Serve as shooters for a party!

Source: My Panera

Golden Potato Soup

by Emily Sandridge // May 4, 2012 // No Comments

This is such a simple and tasty recipe. It’s my Mammaw’s Potato Soup (for you non-southerners… Mammaw is a grandma!). It’s the ultimate comfort food. Enjoy!

3 c. chopped potatoes
3 c. chicken broth
½ c. celery slices
½ c. carrot slices
¼ c. chopped onion
1 tsp. parsley flakes
½ tsp. salt
dash of pepper
1 ½ c. milk
2 Tbsp. Cornstarch
½ lb. Velveeta cheese

Combine potatoes, chicken broth, celery, carrots, onions, parsley flakes, salt, and pepper. When tender, slightly mash potatoes. Add cornstarch, milk. Then add cheese – turn heat off. Enjoy!

P.S. This recipe makes a small batch of soup. Perfect for a small family. If you have a larger family or want leftovers, make sure to double it!!

My Turkey Chili

by Anna // March 29, 2012 // No Comments

We are trying the Insanity Meal Plan at our house. My daughter got the 60-Day Workout plan for Christmas so I agreed to make the food and we would all eat it. One of the meals calls for White Chili so I thought I would just make some. Well the recipe I clipped from a magazine the other day looked really good but I had some ground white meat turkey I had to cook today, so I substituted that for the shredded white chicken. Actually, I just ended up substituting on quite a few things. It ended up not being white chili at all but it is DELISH!

Ingredients:

1 cup onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 pound ground white meat turkey, browned

2 (14.5-oz.) cans chicken broth

1 (4.5-oz.) can chopped green chilies

1 pkg. (1.75 oz.) chili seasoning mix

2 (19.5-oz.) cans frijoles charros

1 (16 oz.) can kidney beans

1/2 can (14.5-oz.) refried pinto beans

Desired Toppings: chopped fresh avocado, sour cream, shredded Monterey Jack Cheese.

1. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until onion is tender.

2. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Heat to a boil, stirring often; cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Serve with desired toppings.

TIP–I served this with a salad consisting of arugula, baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and sliced hard-boiled egg whites and dressed with red wine vinegar and olive oil.

Ground Beef Chili

by Emily Sandridge // January 27, 2012 // No Comments

My favorite grocery store (Publix) often has meal demonstrations with samples to try. They also conveniently have all the ingredients ready to pick up right next to the station. I swung in to get a few items, and came out with a whole meal ready to cook. This chili is great. Originally, it has a good bit of a kick to it, I love that, but my husband’s tummy doesn’t… so I tamed it down a bit. The leftovers were great over baked potatoes too!

You can cook this fast or slow. Both variations are included below.

Ground Beef Chili

Serves 8

Ingredients
1 onion, coarsely chopped (my husband doesn’t like onions, so I substituted onion powder, tasted great!)
1 1/2 lb ground chuck beef
3 tablespoons chili powder (I only used 2 T.)
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (10.75-oz) can condensed tomato soup
1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes/sweet onions, undrained (I used regular diced tomatoes to tame the spice a little)
1 (10-oz) can milder diced tomatoes/green chiles, undrained (Ro-tel Brand)
1 (16-oz) can chili beans in mild sauce, undrained) (Bush’s Brand)
1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained

Directions
Preheat large saucepan on medium-high 2–3 minutes.
Place beef, chili powder, seasoned salt, pepper, and one-half of the onions in pan; cook 4–5 minutes, stirring to crumble meat, or until meat is brown and no pink remains.
Stir in remaining ingredients, including remaining one-half onions.
Bring to a boil, stirring often.
Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 10 more minutes to blend flavors. Serve.

Slow Cooker Variation
Combine everything, except beef, cook on low 4-6 hours. About 10 minutes before serving, brown the beef then stir into chili.

I served it with some cheddar cheese and sour cream along with some Corn Muffins on the side. YUM!

Southern Chicken & Corn Chowder

by Anna // January 19, 2012 // 3 Comments

This is probably the first corn chowder I have ever made and possibly the first one I have ever eaten. I pinned this recipe on Pinterest. You can get it at this site Add A Pinch. I made it this afternoon but didn’t get to actually partake until after 9:00 tonight. Busy, busy Sunday! Hope you enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion (I used 3 shallots, because that is what I had on hand)
2 carrots
3 celery stalks (I used a cup of chopped, re-hydrated celery from my pantry)
3 garlic cloves (didn’t use, since I was using shallots, but think it would be better if I had used some)
1 jalapeno pepper
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 pieces cooked bacon
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 20-oz. packages frozen creamed corn, thawed

1. Drizzle olive oil into the bottom of a large, lidded soup pot. Place over medium heat.

2. Add roughly chopped onion, carrots, celery, and minced garlic. Cover pot with lid and cook for about 5 minutes.

3. Remove stems, seeds, and membrane from jalapeno. Dice pepper finely and add to other vegetables.

4. Cube chicken breasts and add to vegetables. Add enough water to slightly cover all ingredients. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, or until chicken is done.

5. Crumble bacon and add to the chowder.

6. Combine milk and flour in a measuring cup and stir well. Add to chowder.

7. Open packages of creamed corn and add to the chowder.

8. Sprinkle dried thyme into chowder and stir to combine.

9. Cover pot and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes. Be careful not to let it burn. I actually scorched mine but didn’t realize it until I was pouring the leftover chowder into a bowl to put it in the fridge. Had a great time scouring the bottom of the pan. Yeah.

Source: Add A Pinch