Homemade Chili

 We have battled the flu and computer problems for the past month and now it's already time for the Super Bowl. How time flies when life gets busy! But I thought I'd share my go to chili. I have to admit that I've never followed a recipe when I make chili, so for all the years of my life I have just winged it. Considering that I turned 62 in December, that's a lot of years. So the past few times I finally began writing it down.We like a thick, meaty chili with beans, that is fragrantly spicy, but not fiery. Some hot cayenne pepper can always be added for more heat, or Ro-tel tomatoes can be used instead of plain tomatoes. I made the last batch of chili this week after my husband finally kicked the flu. He said it really hit the spot! Chili is a perfect Super Bowl food around these parts and is perfect for this cold weather that much of the country is enduring. Here's my recipe.

My Homemade Chili
From Lynda's Recipe Box
I add a little brown sugar to the chili because I think it really compliments the spices nicely.

2 pounds ground beef chuck
1 large onion, diced
1/2 of a poblano pepper or bell pepper, diced
1-2 tablespoon oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 - 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can chili beans in sauce
1 tablespoon light brown sugar, packed
2/12 - 3 cups water
salt and pepper to taste

In a dutch oven over medium-high heat, brown the ground chuck in 1-2 tablespoons of oil. Before the meat is completely browned add the onion, pepper and garlic. When meat is browned and the onion is softened, remove excess grease from the pot if needed. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, about 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Stir the spices into the meat mixture and let cook just for a minute. Lower the temperature if needed so the spices don't burn.
Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, brown sugar, drained black beans and chili beans with sauce. Add the water and stir, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
Place lid on the pot and simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, and adding water if needed.
Remove lid. If chili is too thick add extra water to get the consistency that you want. If too runny, cook the chili uncovered, until it thickens to the desired constancy. Stir often to keep the chili from sticking or burning. Taste chili and adjust the seasonings. May need more salt and pepper, and if you want it hotter add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Serve with several choices of toppings, such as onion, sour cream, shredded cheese, cilantro, chips, etc. Enjoy!
Click here for more Super Bowl food ideas.

Butternut Squash Soup

 Creamy and mildly sweet, this body warming soup is perfect with a salad or sandwich, and was perfect for this cold weather. Snow in May? That usually doesn't happen here in Southwest Missouri, but that's what's going on. After about 3 days of 80 degree weather, we had a cold front come through yesterday which brought lots of freezing rain and 2 inches of heavy snow. So this soup tasted so good. I was glad I purchased a butternut squash at the market earlier in the week. I love its mild flavor, and though I usually roast them in the oven, I made soup this time, and it is delicious. This is a keeper recipe for me. It is simple and mildly seasoned so the flavor of the squash shines through. This squash is a fall veggie, but it sure was tasty on this freezing May day.

Butternut Squash Soup
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker, which she adapted from America's Test Kitchen

2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small shallot, diced fine
1 butternut squash, about 2 pounds, cut in half lengthwise, with the seeds and strings scraped out and reserved
4 cups water
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup half and half or heavy cream
1 teaspoon brown sugar
pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg

1. In a large Dutch oven, melt the butter and add the diced shallot. Cook and stir for about 3 minutes over medium-low heat until softened, but not browned. Add the squash scrapings and seeds and cook until the butter is saffron colored, about 4 minutes.
2. Add water and salt to the Dutch oven, bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium low again. Cut squash halves in half cross-wise. Place a steamer basket in the Dutch oven and the squash in the steamer basket, cut sides down. Cover pot and simmer for about 30minutes until squash is fork tender. Remove the pot from the heat. Use tongs to remove the squash from the steamer basket and transfer to a plate or baking sheet. When cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh out of the skins and put in a bowl. Discard the skins.
3. Strain the hot cooking liquid through a mesh strainer into a second bowl. Discard the solids. Rinse and dry the pot.
4. Puree the squash in batches in a food processor or blender, adding some of the cooking liquid until it has a smooth consistency. Pour puree into the pot; add the cream, and brown sugar and more cooking liquid if needed and heat the soup over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes until hot. Do not boil. Add a pinch of cinnamon and salt to taste. Stir, taste, and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve in bowls with a another pinch of cinnamon. Delicious!

Italian Wedding Soup (from Ina Garten)

I love this soup! It's hearty with the zesty meatballs and all the healthy veggies, and it's so comforting on cool nights. We had another cold snap earlier this week, so I made this delicious soup. I've made it before, but just now have tweaked it to our liking.
The recipe calls for ground chicken for the meatballs, but our stores rarely have it, so I use ground turkey most of the time. Ground beef also makes some tasty meatballs. This recipe makes a bunch of soup, plenty for company. But if you are going to make it for just 2 or 3, I advise you to cook the pasta separately, and add it to the bowls individually when you are ready to serve the soup. The pasta really soaks up the broth if cooked in it and then not eaten right away. This soup is delicious on it's own, but also good with a salad and some crusty bread. The meatballs have tons of flavor and the veggie filled broth is super good. Hope you'll give it a try!

Italian Wedding Soup
Adapted from Ina Garten

Ingredients:
For meatballs:
3/4 pound ground turkey (or ground chicken or beef)
1/2 pound turkey sausage, casings removed ( or again, chicken, beef,)
2/3 cup fresh, white breadcrumbs
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons milk
1 large egg, beaten
salt and pepper- I only use about 1/8 teaspoon salt because the cheese is salty. But I'm also a low salt cook, so use your judgement.

For the Soup:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup minced yellow onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
10 cups homemade chicken stock, (or use canned, low sodium chicken broth or stock)
1 cup small pasta-I used Ditalini
2 teaspoons dried oregano
about 6-8 ounces kale, washed and chopped-about 4 cups or more (may sub spinach if preferred)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl combine the ground turkey, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, cheese, milk egg, salt and pepper and mix with a fork. With a spoon drop about 1 inch meatballs onto a parchment or foil lined baking sheet. You'll have around 40 meatballs. Bake for about 30 minutes.

While meatballs are cooking, heat olive oil over medium-low heat in a heavy soup pot. Add the chopped onions, garlic, carrots and celery. Saute until softened, about 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock or broth and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the kale, meatballs and the oregano or other herbs of choice, and simmer about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into soup bowls and top with Parmesan cheese. Yum! Enjoy with bread and/or salad!

Homemade Tomato Soup with Herbs

 

Homemade Tomato Soup with Herbs was a nice break from the super filling stews I've been making lately. Plus it was so much better than the canned version I used to throw together.

When my 3 kids were young, Wednesday evenings became tomato soup night for dinner. We were always in a hurry to make it to church on time, so I made grilled cheese sandwiches or tuna salad sandwiches along with the canned tomato soup.   Of course after awhile we got tired of this, so I moved on to some other meal ideas. My kids are all married now, but they remember this very well and hopefully have forgiven me by now! 

I wanted to make a tomato soup that was homemade last week, so I tried this one from Fine Cooking. I really thought it had too much onion and tasted more like onion tomato soup, so next time I prepare this, I will use only half of the onion. I also added extra herbs and finally came up with a soup that was really good. It is best the second day, and can be frozen for later use. Hope you enjoy this Homemade Tomato Soup with Herbs.

I had hoped to have this posted before now, but we've had computer issues, and blogger is not wanting to load pictures very well either. So I have not abandoned my blog at all and have more recipes to share soon. I so appreciate you all hanging in there with me - love my readers! Hope you enjoy this soup!

 

Homemade Tomato Soup with Herbs

Adapted from Fine Cooking

This soup can be frozen for later use, (up to 3 months). It can also be kept in the refrigerator for several days as long as it is brought to a boil every 2 days.

 

1 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 of a sweet onion, finely diced- about 3/4 - 1 cup

1 large clove garlic, smashed and peeled

2 tablespoons flour

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth or chicken stock

28 ounce can of whole peeled plum tomatoes, pureed with the juice

1/2 teaspoons sugar - I only needed 1/2 teaspoon, but you could need more if the tomatoes taste acidic.

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 teaspoon dried herbs, ( or 1 tablespoon or more, fresh herbs)- I used basil, and a bit more thyme- you can use Basil, dill, thyme, chives or a mixture.

salt and pepper to taste.

 

In a non-reactive dutch oven, heat the oil and butter over medium low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft, but not browned, about 8 minutes.

Add the flour and stir to coat the onion and garlic.

Add the broth, tomatoes, sugar and spring of thyme. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, while stirring to make sure the flour does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to low, cover pan, and simmer for 40 minutes.

Discard thyme spring. Stir in other herbs, if using.

Let soup cool somewhat so you can puree it in a blender or food processor. Season with salt and pepper. Reheat if needed, before serving. Enjoy!

 

To puree soup in blender: Process only 1/2 to 1/3 of soup at a time. Remove the center cap from the blender otherwise steam may  build up it may spray soup everywhere. It also helps to cover the top of blender with a towel while blending.



Chicken Pot Pie Soup

 It's hard to beat Chicken Pot Pie, but it can be rather time consuming to make depending on your method. My son told me about this Chicken Pot Pie Soup last year, and at first I thought it sounded rather pointless. After all you may just as well make pot pie I reasoned. But I gave the soup a try and it is delicious and rather fun to serve with broken pieces of pie crust tucked into the bowls of soup. Yes, it tastes just like Chicken Pot Pie, but just in a different form. The thick, flavorful broth is full of vegetables, tender chicken and is real old fashioned comfort food. Give it a try this winter; it's a great soup to make during the holidays too. In fact, this soup will taste wonderful using some of your left-over Turkey from thanksgiving dinner.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Adapted from Aaron McCargo, Food Network - 6-8 servings approximately
I cut out some of the fat from the original recipe, used cornstarch instead of flour, half and half instead of cream and changed spices.

Ingredients:
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 1/2 quarts (6 cups), chicken stock or broth
1 1/2 pounds cooked chicken- I use chicken breasts that have been baked, or simmered in water until tender
2 tablespoons oil or butter
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced-about 1 cup
2 stalks celery, diced
4 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in a little water to make a slurry
1 1/2 pounds frozen vegetables- I used fresh vegetables this time
3/4 cup half and half
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon, or sage, or herb of your choice- thyme is also good
1 store-bought pie crust, baked

Directions:
1. Cook the chicken, or use a rotisserie chicken, or left over baked chicken. Bake 1 pie crust, according to package directions.
2. In a dutch oven, cook the onion and celery in the oil until just softened. Pour in the chicken broth or stock and bring to a simmer.
3. Add the frozen vegetables, and the diced potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes.
4. Mix the cornstarch with a little water to make a slurry. Pour half into the soup, stirring constantly. Add the rest if desired, to get the thickeness you want.
5. Stir in the half and half and the chicken. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper. Add herbs to taste.
6. Serve in bowls garnished with pieces of pie crust. Enjoy!

Soup Recipes for the Cool Days Ahead



 It's the first day of fall, my favorite time of year! That means soup weather is coming, so thought I'd give you some ideas. We are having a cool, fall-like weekend and soup sounds good to me. The above picture is White Beans and Ham which starts with dried beans. So yummy served with some Cheese and Jalapeno Corn Bread.

 My Corn and Potato Chowder with Butternut Squash and Ham is full of wonderful fall flavor! I love it served with Cornbread Muffins or some good quality bread.

 Who doesn't like Chicken and Noodle Soup? I used purchased frozen noodles in this soup to make it easier. This is perfect comfort food.

 Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew is one of our favorite cool weather meals. I do brown the meat before adding it to the slow cooker, because it adds  a lot of flavor. Throw the ingredients in the pot and just let it cook until done.
So easy.

 This Bean and Bacon Soup is delicious! It uses canned beans, which makes it a pretty quick soup to put together. Perfect for a weeknight meal.

 My Hamburger Stew is pure comfort food. This is one of my husbands favorites too. My mother and grandmother made this, so it's been in my family for many years.

 Homemade Chicken and Rice Soup is so delicious and satisfying. It is easy on the budget and quick to prepare which makes it nice for a weeknight meal too.

Last but not least is Pinto Beans and Ham. This is comfort food. Best served with corn bread I think.

Hope this helps you find something warm and tasty for cooler weather. Enjoy!



Quick Chicken Stew (A Pantry Stew)

Some days I just have to have soup. Like yesterday, when a cold front came through with winds and rain and the temperature was about 55 degrees. It was cold compared to the low 90's that had been earlier this week. So I decided to whip up a quick stew, or soup, with just ingredients I had on hand. I found 3 chicken thighs in the freezer, and added some vegetables. I would have liked some mushrooms and celery for this, but didn't want to go to the store. So this was our lunch yesterday, with a little left over for today. Tomorrow the temperature will start climbing back up, and stew won't sound good to us then. This Quick Chicken Stew was delicious and hit the spot. And it is satisfying to make something so tasty with just the ingredients you have on hand.
I didn't measure anything, but here's what I did.

Quick Chicken Stew
From Lynda's recipe Box

3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of any visible fat
1/2 of an onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 can low-sodium chicken broth, or equivalent amount of water
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
some baby carrots, cut in half
about 3/4 cup of frozen peas
about 1/4 teaspoon dried Tarragon leaves, or dried Thyme
salt and pepper to taste
Sliced mushrooms and celery are good in this also.
Heat a 3 or 4 quart saucepan over medium heat with about 1 tablespoon oil. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Brown the chicken in the oil, about 2 minutes per side just until browned. Remove chicken to a plate. Add the onion to pan and cook for about 1 minute, adding oil if needed. Then add the minced garlic. Stir in the chicken broth or water, and add the cooked chicken thighs with any accumulated juices from the plate. Stir in the carrots and potatoes. Add water to the pan to completely cover the stew. Bring to a boil, cover pan and reduce heat. Simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20-30 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate. Add the peas and Tarragon (or Thyme), to the stew and cook about 5 minutes more. Cut the thighs into bite size pieces and add back to the saucepan. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve and enjoy!

NOTE: Sometimes I thicken the broth when I make stews like this, by making a slurry with cornstarch and water. Then just add a little at a time to the stew, stirring. Just add enough to give the broth a slight thickness.

White Bean and Ham Soup

 Christmas is over for another year. It takes so long to get ready for Christmas, and then it's over so quickly. And the meals take hours of  preparation, and then we eat and you have a ton of leftovers. It's a good thing we like leftovers.But we'll do it all agin next year, and enjoy every minute of it.
 We always bake a bone-in ham for our Christmas dinner. No other kind will do, and that gives me a ham bone to use for cooking a pot of bean soup. I make sure to leave some meat on the bone so that the beans will have some meat in them too.

 I chop up some vegetables to add to the pot and let it all cook into a delicious and hearty soup. And of course there must be corn bread. I used Great Northern Beans for this soup, but you could also use navy, or cannellini beans. Sometimes I make Pinto Beans and Ham, which are also delicious. So leftover ham is a good problem to have. I always soak the beans in water overnight, or else I use a quick soak method, where you bring the beans to a boil, then cover and remove from the heat to let them soak for 1 hour. Then pour off the water. Add more water to the pot, then begin to cook. After wards you'll have a pot of delicious comfort food, White Bean and Ham Soup.

White Bean and Ham Soup

2 pounds dried white beans, I used Great Northerns
1 ham bone with meat
1 large onion, diced
1 cup diced carrots
2 stalks of celery, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 dried bay leaves
1 can of low sodium chicken broth, or about 2 cups chicken stock
about 6 cups of water
salt and pepper to taste
fresh minced parsley- optional

1. Sort the beans and then soak the beans. I pour part of the beans on the counter and go through them to remove any dirt or small particles of rock that may have snuck in the bag. Repeat until all the beans have been sorted. Rinse the beans well under water. Place in a soup pot. Add water to cover. I gave the beans a quick soak by bringing the pot to a boil, then turning off the burner, cover and let them soak for 1 hour. Pour off the water. Place the beans back in the soup pot on the burner. Add the ham bone, the chicken broth and the water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover.
2. While the beans are cooking, dice the onion, celery and carrots. Add to the pot with the bay leaves. Cook, covered for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the beans are tender. Beans will smash easily against the side of the pan when they are done.
3 Remove the ham bone from the beans and cool until cool enough to handle. Now, I like the bean soup to be a bit creamy with a thick broth, so I take a big spoon and smash some beans against the side of the pan  and stir them back in. I do this several times until the soup begins to look creamy. I guess you could use an immersion blender, but I haven't tried that.
4. After the ham bone has cooled enough, take the meat off the bone and discard any fat. Put the ham into the soup and season well with salt and pepper. I used about 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in this soup, but it will depend on how salty the ham is as to how much you have to add. Serve this soup with a huge chuck of corn bread and enjoy!

NOTE: Dried beans will take longer to cook in high altitudes. Also if the beans are older, they will also take longer to cook, so plan plenty of time when cooking dried beans.

Easy Slow Cooker Stew

Stew is one of my favorite meals to have during the cold months of the year. Cooking it in the slow cooker makes it super easy. Last week when my Mother-in-law passed away, we had extra people to feed, so I dug out my crock pot and got to work. Peeling the potatoes and carrots were the most time consuming. Plus, I cut up a chuck roast, instead of buying stew meat. By using a roast, I feel I'm using a better quality of beef for the stew. When making stew, there doesn't need to be a recipe. Just use the vegetables you like and  you can also use up any leftover veggies you may have in the fridge.
Here's what I did this time.

Slow Cooker Stew
1 beef chuck roast, cut into cubes- I had a 2 1/4 pound roast
potatoes, peeled and cubed
carrots, peeled and sliced- I used almost 1 pound this time
1 onion, diced
2 ribs of celery, sliced
2 cups frozen corn
2 cups frozen peas
1 can diced tomatoes
green beans and any other vegetables you want to use
1 can low sodium beef broth
1 or 2 bay leaves
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
parsley
salt and pepper to taste
water

Cut the beef roast into cubes. Heat a dutch oven over medium high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil to the pan, and then add half of the beef cubes. Add salt and pepper to the meat. Brown meat in the hot oil turning when browned on one side. While the beef browns, peel and cut up the potatoes and carrots and add them to the crock pot. Then, remove the beef and add to the crock pot. Add another tablespoon of oil to the dutch oven and add the rest of the beef. When it is brown on the side, stir and add the chopped onion and garlic, if using. Turn the heat down if necessary to keep the pan from burning.
Add the beef broth to the browning meat and stir up all the brown bits that are in the pan. There will be a ton of flavor in those brown bits from the meat. Don't skip browning the meat for the stew as browning gives it so much flavor. Add all the meat and broth to the slow cooker, the tomatoes, then the rest of the vegetables you are going to use. Fill the cooker with water to cover the stew. Add the bay leaves and salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours, or until the meat is tender.
Sometimes I thicken the stew a bit by adding 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to about 1/4 cup water. Mix well and add to the stew, stirring carefully. Cover the stew and cook another 30 minutes. When done, you have a delicious hot stew to warm you up. Enjoy!
This coming week I'll be posting some Thanksgiving recipes, so be sure to stop back by!

Tortellini Soup

There's nothing like a hot bowl of soup when you've been sick and it's cold outside to boot. I was wanting soup to eat the other night, but didn't want to spend too much time with it. I remembered this recipe that I had bookmarked, so decided to give it a try. With just a few ingredients, including purchased ravioli, it packs plenty of flavor and was plenty filling for me. It goes together very quickly, which is an added bonus. I hope you'll give it a try.

TORTELLINI SOUP
slightly adapted from The Well-Fed Newlyweds at Tasty Kitchen
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 of a small onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced- my addition
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil-my addition
1 quart low sodium chicken broth, or stock
15 ounces small diced canned tomatoes-they used whole tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
9 ounces tortellini, fresh or frozen- any variety (I used cheese filling)
3 cups fresh baby spinach
Parmesan cheese for topping

In a large pot heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened. Then add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the oregano, basil, chicken broth, and tomatoes. Bring the soup to a boil and add the tortellini and cook according to the package directions. One minute before the tortellini are done, season with salt and pepper and add the spinach. Stir to combine. Dinner is now ready. Enjoy!

Moroccan Chicken Stew (Djej Kdra Touimiya)

I stepped outside of my comfort zone this week and tried food new to my palate. Not anything too drastic mind you, but I have not eaten Moroccan food before this. According to Saveur, this kdra is a cousin to a tagine. I did not have a clay pot to cook it in , just my dutch oven, but I thought it turned out delicious. And since this was my first foray into this type of dish, I need some feed back from any of you, my readers, as too how authentic this dish is. My husband was so quiet while eating that I thought he must not like it, but he said he was just enjoying the new flavors. So, I'll be making this again and next time I'll try some other dishes to go with it! I cut the recipe in half for just the two of us, and changed a couple of other things. My store didn't have blanched almonds, so I had to blanch my own, but it's quite easy to do. I'll give you the directions for that at the end of the recipe. Be sure to use the fresh lemon juice if you try this recipe; it really freshens the dish and adds pizazz to the flavors. The turmeric added a golden hue to the sauce and the almonds. The sauce is mildly sweet because of the cooked onions and with a hint of cinnamon and a splash of lemon, it is very tasty. It was a rather exotic meal for us in this cold weather. Let me know what you think!
Don't forget my CSN Giveaway; You have until Saturday, February 12th at 11:00 Pacific time to enter! Scroll down to the post to leave a comment to to enter. (Links are not working for some reason.)
MOROCCAN CHICKEN STEW (Djej Kdra Touimiya)
adapted from Saveur ( which is adapted from "Couscous and other Good Foods from Morocco")

Ingredients:
1 3 1/2 lb. chicken, cut into 8 pieces- I used 4 thighs because I made half the amount
1 cup blanched whole almonds- directions at end of recipe
1/4 teaspoon turmeric or saffron-I used turmeric
1 tsp. ground white pepper
1 tsp. ground dried ginger
1 cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons butter
2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
4 cups chicken stock or low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped parsley
kosher salt to taste
1/2 cup canned chickpeas, drained
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Melt butter in a dutch oven over medium heat. Combine the chicken pieces, blanched almonds, turmeric, pepper, ginger, kosher salt and cinnamon stick in the pot and cook, turning, about 3-4 minutes. Add half of the sliced onions and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 30minutes.
2. Add remaining onion and parsley to chicken; cover and cook until chicken is tender, about 20-30minutes. Remove chicken from the pot and set aside. Bring the sauce to a boil; cook until thicken 13-15 minutes. Since I halved the recipe, it took only about 5 minutes to thicken. Use your judgment with this. Return chicken to the dutch oven along with the chickpeas; heat through. Taste and add salt only if needed. Drizzle with the fresh lemon juice and serve. I served this dish with couscous, which soaked up the wonderful flavors of the sauce. Enjoy!
How to blanch almonds: Boil a pan of water; pour almonds into the hot water and soak for 1 minute. Almonds should be covered with the hot water. Drain the almonds into a colander, and then put almonds into cold water to cool them down. The skins will pull apart and slip off when you squeeze them between your fingers. Lay on a paper towel to dry.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Ahhh, soup, it's soul and body warming on these frigid winter nights. Today the high was 12 degrees Fahrenheit. Tonight it's going to be below zero and we are expecting more snow tomorrow (sob). I can't seem to stay warm, so this soup certainly hit the spot this week. My daughter-in-law Steff gave me a bunch of mushrooms this week and I had a butternut squash that needed to be used. I found this soup recipe that called for wild rice, and I happened to have a nice wild and brown rice blend. This Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is awesome, a nice earthy flavor and rich broth from the mushrooms, plus it's full of healthy vegetables. The addition of chicken (or leftover turkey), makes it hearty enough for even the guys. In short, we love it; I hope you'll give it a try. Now I'll stop whining about the weather. CHICKEN and WILD RICE SOUP
adapted from Kitchen Parade

5 cups chicken stock, or broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced or diced
about 6 ounces mushrooms, thickly sliced
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme- recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 stalk celery, sliced
2 cups of butternut squash, peeled and diced
2/3 cup of wild rice - I used Lundberg's Wild Blend rice
2 cups of cooked chicken or turkey

Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat; add the diced onion, carrot, sliced mushrooms, thyme and the kosher salt. Cook until the mushrooms cook off all their liquid. Add the chicken stock and rice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Simmer for 15 minutes and then add the celery and diced butternut squash to the pot. Cook until the rice is done, about another 30 minutes, ( 45 min. total cooking time). Stir in the chicken and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and enjoy!

NOTE: When reheating the soup, you may have to add more chicken stock to the soup as the rice absorbs the liquid. According to Alana at Kitchen Parade, this soup does not freeze well. But we didn't have any left to freeze!
Also, she states that different wild rices may require different cooking times. Native wild rice may cook in 30 minutes, while commercial wild rice will take 45-60 minutes. I learned something new!
Also (again), you can add the butternut to the pot when you add the broth, but I was afraid it would be too mushy with the 45 minute cooking time, so added it a bit later.

Ham and Pinto Beans

Comfort food. That's what comes to mind when I think of my Mother's Ham and Pinto Beans. I guess I was a strange kid, but I loved Ham and Beans and everything else Mom made, even Liver and Onions (gasp). Mom almost always fried potatoes to go with the beans, along with some biscuits or corn bread. It was a feast to me!
I still love a meal like this, so for New Years my husband I had Ham and Beans, accompanied by the Cheese and Jalapeno Corn Bread of my last post. This was great meal and it's not hard to do.
If you have not cooked dried pinto beans before, you have to soak them in water overnight, or give them a quick soak the day of cooking. The beans cooked in less than 2 hours. However, if you live in a high altitude, it will take longer for dried beans to get done. My mother used a pressure cooker for beans when we lived in Colorado, as they cooked much quicker. I used 1 pound of dried Pinto Beans this time and that made 2 meals for my husband and I. When my kids were still all home, I cooked 2 pounds of beans.
I saved the ham bone from our Christmas dinner to use in our beans. It still had a good amount of meat on it, so that made for some really tasty beans. When cooking a ham bone with beans, I don't add salt until after the beans are done, because the ham bone will add some salt flavor as it cooks. So it's better to add salt after the beans are done. I remove the bone from the pot and separate the meat from the bone and add it back to the soup. Then I season it. Here's my method.
HAM and PINTO BEANS

1. You must go through the beans by hand first. To do this, pour a small amount of beans on your counter and go through them looking for any tiny pebbles, dirt or bad beans. Throw those away and scoop the good beans into a colander. Rinse beans with water. Pour beans into a soup pot, and pour water over them to cover a couple of inches. Place lid on pot and let soak overnight.

2. When ready to cook, drain off all the water from the beans. Place the ham bone in the soup pot. Pour the drained beans into the pot. Then refill the pan with enough water to cover the beans at least an inch. At this time, add a small chopped onion. Bring soup to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, covered until beans are tender. Check the beans fairly often as they really can use up the water, so you may need to add more water during cooking. So make sure the pan does not get dry and cause the beans to burn. Burned beans do not taste good! (I learned this from experience too!) Beans are done when you can easily smash them with a fork, or taste them to check tenderness. In my altitude, the beans are done in less than 2 hours.

3. Carefully remove the ham bone from the soup. When cool enough to handle, remove the ham from the bone and take off any fat that may be still attached. Add the ham pieces back to the soup. I then taste them to see how much salt and pepper to add.

4. As you can see, this is a very basic method. If you like beans with a kick, add some seeded hot peppers while cooking. My Mother sometime added a dried Bay leaf to the pot. It just depends on what you like. My husband and I love to eat our Ham and Pinto Beans with a spoonful of spicy salsa added. Delicious! If you haven't cooked dried beans before, I hope you'll give these a try. They are not only tasty, but healthy as well. Enjoy!

NOTE: IF the beans are almost done and there happens to be more liquid than you want in the pot, just remove the lid and let the broth cook down some.

Tuscan Minestrone Soup

The first chill of Fall air blew in finally last week, which overjoyed me, so I made one of my favorite easy soups. This yummy soup is full of healthy veggies and it's very simple to throw together. It uses canned chicken broth and tomatoes, which is a wonderful time saver. After all the vegetables are chopped, the soup only takes about 20 minutes to cook. My husband and I love this stuff, although he prefers some chicken added to it. Either way, this body warming soup is delicious,especially with some crusty bread. This recipe is based on one by Bob Greene, author of The Best Life Diet. Give it a try for a quick, delicious and healthy bowl of soup.

TUSCAN MINESTRONE SOUP
adapted from the book The Best Life Diet

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small-medium zucchini, diced

1 small-medium yellow summer squash, diced

1 large carrot, finely diced-about 3/4 cup

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups canned, low sodium, low fat chicken broth

1 (15 ounce) can of diced tomatoes-I used canned fire-roasted tomatoes

1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans- I have a hard time finding these in my town, so I sub with Great Northern Beans when I have to.

1/2 cup pasta, elbow or small shells

fresh thyme sprigs, if available

1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs, or use fresh herbs that you have available

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced

Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the carrot, onion, zucchini, and yellow squash to the pan and cook, stirring until the veggies begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour the chicken broth and tomatoes into the pan, and bring to a boil. Add the beans, pasta and thyme and simmer until the pasta is done, about 10 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs and season soup with salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh basil. Top each serving with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy! Makes about 6 servings.

NOTE: I use whatever herbs I have available, oregano, basil and thyme. My thyme plant died in the heat this summer, so I used 1/2 teaspoon dried in this recipe. I also used 1 tablespoon fresh oregano in place of the teaspoon of dried herbs. Also, sometimes I have to use more chicken broth, depending on the size of squash used. Original recipe calls for medium sized squash.

Homemade Chicken and Noodle Soup (with cheater noodles)

I have been rather absent from my blog lately, due to not feeling well, and taking care of my granddaughter. My daughter-in-law had to go on a business trip for several days, so I stayed at their house at night, because my son goes to work very early in the morning. So my cooking has been rather erratic at best. But I'm back with Chicken and Noodle Soup, using purchased frozen noodles (gasp!), instead of making my own like I usually do. When I don't feel well or I'm not wanting to spend a large chunk of time in the kitchen, I cheat! How about you?
I did use a whole chicken for this flavorful soup because whole chickens are the best value for your buck out there. It cooked for about 1 1/2 hours and then cooled a bit before I took the meat off the bones. However, boneless chicken pieces may be used, but the broth will not be as rich as it could be using bone-in pieces. The best cheater noodles, in my opinion, are Reames noodles, found in your grocers freezer department. They are the most like homemade noodles that I have found and were highly recommended to me first by my Mother-in law many years ago. Enjoy!

HOMEMADE CHICKEN and NOODLE SOUP (with cheater Noodles!)

1 1/2 pounds boneless or bone-in chicken pieces
8 cups water
1 1/2 cups sliced carrots (about)
2-3 celery stalks, diced
1 onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
about 1/2 cup frozen peas
12 ounce package frozen Reames noodles
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh, chopped parsley
2 teaspoons fresh thyme

Add 8 cups water to soup pot and add chicken pieces OR a whole, 3 1/2 pound chicken. Bring to a boil and add 1 teaspoon salt. Cover pan and reduce heat to a simmer. Boneless chicken pieces need to simmer 20-30 minutes; bone-in pieces about 40 minutes. A whole chicken, about 1 1/4- 1 1/2 hours. Remove chicken to a plate to cool. Skim off any fat from the broth. Add the chopped vegetables and the frozen noodles to the broth and cook about 20 minutes, or until noodles are as tender as you want. Remove chicken from bones, if using a whole chicken. Dice or shred meat. Add chicken to the soup and add desired amount of salt and pepper, if desired. Add in the herbs and serve steaming hot. There is nothing more comforting than a bowl of this delicious soup!
By the way, I use Reames because I like them; I'm not receiving any compensation for this post.

Homemade Chicken and Rice Soup - to Warm Body and Soul!

It's a cold day outside with this winter storm blowing through. Thankfully, we haven't gotten the 12 possible inches of snow that the weatherman predicted, only 3-4 inches, so far. But it's still snowing and very frigid. I was needing some body warming soup, and after looking through the pantry and fridge, decided to make a comforting Chicken and Rice Soup. This delicious, home style soup really hit the spot on this cold winter day. I used bone-in chicken breast halves, and my own chicken stock to make this delicious soup. But you can use leftover chicken and canned chicken broth, if desired. I like to saute the vegetables because it really adds a great flavor to this soup. The soup thickens if it stands very long before serving, so you may need more broth than called for in the recipe. Or, serve the thick soup in bread bowls for a hearty meal. Either way, it's a winner. Enjoy!

HOMEMADE CHICKEN and RICE SOUP
from Lynda's Recipe Box

2 bone-in chicken breast halves ( or you may use leftover chicken)
6 cups, or more of chicken broth or homemade stock
2 cups diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced onion
2 cups of cooked rice (I used leftover cooked rice)
1 tablespoon oil or butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons ( or more) of fresh, chopped parsley, or other herb of choice
salt, to taste

In a large sauce pan, place chicken breasts and enough cold water to cover them and bring to a boil. Turn to low heat and add about 1/2 teaspoon salt, and simmer, covered about 30-40 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and cool. Meanwhile, add the butter or oil to a soup pot over medium high heat. Add the chopped onion, chopped carrots and celery and stir, letting them cook 4-5 minutes, til softened. Stir in the 2 tablespoons of flour and let cook a minute or so. Add 5 cups of chicken broth to the pot, stir well, and bring soup to a simmer and cook until vegetables are tender, another 10 minutes or so. Meanwhile, Debone the chicken breasts and chop into bite sized pieces. Add chicken to the pot and stir. Add more chicken broth, if needed. Season with salt, to taste, and stir in the parsley. Serve immediately. This is a bowl of fantastic comfort food!

NOTE: Chicken broth and stock vary in the amount of salt content, so that's the reason I say "salt to taste". You need to taste as you go to get the right amount of salt for your family. I usually add salt by 1/2 teaspoons until I get it right. Since I have high blood pressure, I use less salt than many people.

Hamburger Stew

Do you have a dish in your family that you've made so often that you could do it blindfolded? I could this one. My Grandmother used to make this Hamburger Stew and likewise my Mother, and I've made it for years too. My husband loves to take this delicious stew to work with him as it's quite filling. It's a perfect soup for using up whatever leftover vegetables you may have in the refrigerator or odds and ends of fresh vegetables hiding in the crisper. Use as many vegetables as you want. I have no written recipe for this; we just throw in whatever is on hand. So, this is a recipe of how I made it this time. I made this huge batch today and enjoyed it immensely on this windy, cold day. We're expecting snow flurries tonight or tomorrow, so this soup will be warm and comforting. Served with homemade rolls or cornbread, it is the perfect comfort meal! Let me tell you how I made it.

HAMBURGER STEW- from Lynda's Recipe Box

Ingredients vary according to what you want to use, or what is on hand.

2 pounds lean ground beef

1 small onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)

2 stalks celery, diced - I include the leaves

2 cans of diced tomatoes (15 ounces), or whole tomatoes, broken up

2 cans of beef broth (low sodium)

1/2 pound carrots, or more, peeled and diced

1 1/2 cups green beans, fresh, frozen or canned

about 1 1/2 cups frozen corn (or fresh or canned)

about1 1/2 cups frozen peas

1 small, diced zucchini, if desired

about 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped green cabbage

5 or 6 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced

salt (I used 2 tsp., but I cook low salt so you may need more than this)

pepper, about 1/4 tsp.

water; add enough to cover ingredients in final cooking

In a soup pot over medium high heat, brown the ground beef until done. Drain off any grease. Add onion and cook until slightly softened. Add the celery, tomatoes, carrots and beef broth. Season with 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. If more liquid is needed to cover everything, add a little water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for about 30 minutes. Add remaining ingredients; the corn, peas, zucchini, if using, cabbage and potatoes. Add enough water to the pot to just cover the vegetables. Cover and cook another 40 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed. I think the longer you cook it, the better the taste. The cabbage adds a lot of depth of flavor too, and this stew gets better every day! I sometimes add okra too, but I don't always have it. My mother would also add a few turnips to the pot, but my husband doesn't like them, so no turnips for us! Thyme is a great herb flavor for this soup, and sometimes oregano is my fave. It just depends what ingredients I use.

I've had people tell me their families also made this type of dish. Some have called it "Everything but the Kitchen Sink Soup". Do you or someone you know make stew similar to this? If so, what is it called? I'd love to know.

Bean and Bacon Soup

We have had such a cool Fall here. By that I mean it is cooler than normal for this time of year, plus it has been cloudy and downright dreary. And that type of weather calls for some body and soul warming soup! I wanted to try something new, so I turned to all the recipes I have bookmarked from all the wonderful blogs I read! Let me tell you, there are so many marvelous cooks in blog land and so many mouthwatering recipes to try, that I'll never get through all the dishes I want to make. But, I'm starting now, with this recipe for Bean and Bacon Soup, from Pam at "For the Love of Cooking". Pam has an amazing blog with some wonderful recipes, and this soup really hit the spot on a cold autumn day. I hope that you will try it.

Bean and Bacon Soup- slightly adapted from Pam at "The Love of Cooking"

6 strips of bacon

3 large carrots, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

1 large clove garlic, minced

sea salt and black pepper, to taste

1 bay leaf, ( I forgot this!)

4 cans of white beans, drained (I used Great Northern beans)

4 cups chicken broth

2 T. fresh parsley, chopped

In a dutch oven fry the bacon until crisp. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels and when cool, crumble.

In the dutch oven over medium heat, add the onion, celery and carrots to the bacon drippings and saute for about 7 minutes. . Then add the garlic and saute for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper.

Add 3 cans of drained beans along with the chicken broth; bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the carrots are tender.

Uncover, and remove bay leaf. Use a potato masher to partly mash the bean mixture until it slightly thickens. Stir in the last can of beans, parsley and crumbled bacon. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed. Enjoy this hearty and delicious soup! I served it with cornbread for a very satisfying lunch. I will be making this again and again as my husband loved it.

I did add an extra can of broth and a couple extra slices of bacon, just to make a bit more so there would be more leftovers. This Bean and Bacon Soup is so easy to prepare, that it would be perfect even for a weeknight meal. Give it a try and visit Pam's blog for more of her great recipes!

Corn and Potato Chowder with Butternut Squash and Ham

We had some unseasonably cool weather early this week , so my cravings turned to thoughts of soup. Looking through my fridge, I found that I had the makings for a really good chowder. I looked through numerous recipes, all a little different, and decided on a recipe of my own making so that I could use the ingredients I had on hand. This chowder turned out to be delicious! We loved how the smokey flavor of the ham contrasted with the sweetness of the butternut squash and corn. I used unpeeled red skinned potatoes, but you could use whatever variety you like. A pinch of cayenne pepper added a subtle "kick" of flavor to this amazing soup. I made a small batch, but now wish it had been larger as my husband and I both loved it. This chowder is very satisfying and easy to make. Let me show you how.

CORN and POTATO CHOWDER with BUTTERNUT SQUASH and HAM

1 cup diced onion

1 tablespoon butter

2 cups of fresh or frozen corn (thawed)

1 cup diced ham

2 cups diced potatoes (I used red skinned)

2 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced

1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

1 T. corn starch or 2 T. flour

2 cans low fat, low sodium chicken broth

3/4 cup half and half

salt and pepper to taste

pinch of cayenne pepper

Prepare all the vegetables before starting the chowder. Heat the butter in a soup pot. When butter is melted, add the onion to the pan and cook until soft. Add the corn and ham and stir and let corn roast a minute. Mix the chicken broth and the cornstarch and add to the pan. Bring to a boil; stir in the diced potatoes,red pepper and squash. Cover pan with a lid and reduce heat. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes and squash are tender. Pour in the half and half and heat through, but do not boil. Remove chowder from the heat. Adjust the seasonings. I only needed about 1/2 teaspoon of salt because the ham was salty. A couple a shakes of the pepper shaker was enough because I added a pinch of cayenne pepper. Ladle into bowls and enjoy! Makes about 7 cups of delicious chowder! The squash and the red pepper give this chowder a rich color and great flavor. Next time I will add a little more corn, but that's the only change I'll make. I'll be making this tasty chowder again and again!

Revisiting Chicken and Corn Soup with Rivels

I've been very absent from blogging for a few days, as I've been ill and just not up to cooking.

Thankfully, I had a few meals in the freezer for my family. I haven't been too hungry, but I did make this Chicken and Corn Soup with Rivels this week. It is my favorite chicken soup and it was one of my first posts when I started this blog. However, this picture is much better than the one on my other post! I am learning a few things here! If you are snowed in and some chicken soup sounds really good, just drop what you're doing and go make this soup. You'll be glad you did! Meanwhile, I'm ready to start cooking again. I'm starting to get an appetite after reading all of your wonderful blogs this past week!