chili colorado

This recipe will always make me think of my dad.  When my parents were getting a divorce (sad), I was quite worried about my dad starving to death- as he had literally cooked nothing his entire marriage, to my knowledge (besides the corn dog he once exploded, thus ruining both a microwave and his chances in the kitchen in the same kaboom).  Luckily, he learned a few good Mexican dishes he could make that were simple, cheap and filling.  Mexican bachelor food.  This was among them, and when he visited, he taught me how to make it.  Derek and I really love it, and the kids seem to as well.  Very simple, very flavorful, very seemingly-authentic and very delicious.



RECIPE: Chili Colorado

Ingredients:
1 lb stew meat (or chuck roast), thinly sliced/diced
1 onion, thinly sliced/diced
4 potatoes, thinly sliced/diced
1 can enchilada sauce
garlic powder and pepper, to taste

Directions:**
Cook the meat, onion and potatoes in a pot over medium to medium-high heat.  Season with garlic powder and/or pepper if desired.  Once meat is cooked through, add the enchilada sauce.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are soft.  Serve with warm tortillas.

**Note: My sister Tori discovered that you can throw all the ingredients in the crock pot and then BAM! Dinner! I tried it, and it was awesome! The meat was so tender and perfect! I will be doing it that way from now on. The moisture from the meat/veggies made the sauce soupy, though. So maybe remove the lid for the last 20 minutes to let some moisture evaporate?? Also, add a dollop of sour cream when dishing up! Mmm, mmm, delicious!

from scratch pancakes

My friend Brittney makes the best pancakes! Every time we sleep over, we wake up to the smell and taste of pancakes with homemade maple syrup. Mmm. So yummy! Her pancakes are always so fluffy and perfect. I finally asked her for the recipe, and she told me it was basically a dairy-free rendition of one found in the classic Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. This is the easy and amazingly delicious recipe.



RECIPE: From Scratch Pancakes

Yield: 10 pancakes
Calories: 100 each

Ingredients:
1 3/4 c flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 1/2 c vanilla almond/coconut milk**
** soy or cow milk would also work

Directions:
Whisk together all ingredients until combined. Cook pancakes (use about 1/4-1/3 c batter for each) on a skillet over medium (to medium high) heat, flipping half way, until golden and cooked through. Serve with butter (opt) and homemade maple syrup! Eat up!

homemade vanilla ice cream

We love this ice cream. We also love our Cuisinart ice cream maker. And we love Kurt & Bonnie, with whom we used to always make and eat ice cream. ((Move back! We miss you!!)) If I remember right, this is the recipe we decided was best. It's simple and delicious.



RECIPE: Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:
2 c milk (2% or whole)
2 c whipping cream
1 c sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla

Directions:
Whisk all ingredients together in a medium bowl until sugar is dissolved. Pour into the (already assembled and running) ice cream maker. Once frozen (30ish min), eat. With sprinkles, if you're feelin' fancy. :)

dena's cheesy chicken dip

This recipe came from my sister Dena.  We visited them about six months ago, and she made this dip one night for dinner.  It seems to have made a big impression on Derek, as he recently requested that I call her up and get the recipe.  Months later, he had a craving. :)  Silly man.  Anyway, she says it's not her original recipe (Pinterest, maybe?) but I'm calling it that for a lack of better title.  She gave me a rough idea of the ingredients, and this is what I came up with.  It was easy and a major hit with the whole fam!  Also, you may notice there is no picture.  It was just that good.  Try it out.  It's yum.



RECIPE: Dena's Cheesy Chicken Dip

Ingredients:
3/4 of a rotisserie chicken, shredded
2 bricks cream cheese
2 cans black beans
2 cans Rotel
1 can corn (or frozen, whatev)
2 Tbs minced onion
1/4 tsp chili powder {This gives it a slight but distinguishable kick.}

Directions:
Toss all ingredients together on the stove.  Warm through, until cheese is melted and all are incorporated.  {Would also be a great crock pot dish.}  Serve with tortilla chips.  Enjoy!

chicken & barley soup

Original recipe from 365 Days of Slow Cooking.  I made it my own mostly because I was lazy and/or don't do well with directions. :)  I really liked how it turned out, though.  Even the kids loved it!  This will definitely be made again!


RECIPE: Chicken & Barley Soup

Serves: 10
Calories: 177 

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken breast
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 c carrots, chopped
2 tsp minced onion
1/2 c onion, diced (opt)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 (small) can tomato sauce
10 c chicken broth (or bullion+water)
{I went waay overboard with the bullion...oops.}
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tap ground pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
(Add later) 1 c quick-cooking barley

Directions:
Chop/measure/prepare ingredients. Add all but barley to the slow cooker. Cool on high until boiling (about an hour), then reduce to low to finish (2-3 hrs). Add the barley for the last 30 minutes of cooking time. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

Serve warm with artisan bread on the side. Enjoy.

chicken noodle soup with homemade egg noodles

I've never been a huge fan of Chicken Noodle Soup.  It's just always been kind of "meh" for me.  But (humbly speaking) this soup is pretty freakin' delicious!  I could eat it and eat it... and it's pretty low calorie, too!  I experimented the last time I cooked this and added a few random spices/herbs that smelled like they'd be good (one way that having a super sniffer is beneficial), and it worked out reeeeallly well.  It's amazing what a teensy bit of this or that can do to change a dish and add dimension to the flavors.  Mmm.  Try this soup and let me know what you think.  As for me and my house... well, we think it's pretty spectacular!

homemade noodles = so domestic!

The kids love to help me cook!
Here they are stirring the "worms" (noodles). :D

RECIPE: Chicken Noodle Soup

Serves: 8
Calories: 188  

Ingredients:
1 onion, diced
2 cans chicken breast*
10 c. chicken stock/broth/bullion+water
2 c. carrots, sliced
3-4 stalks celery, diced
1/2 bay leaf
1 tsp poultry seasoning
dash curry powder {Small amount but BIG impact!  Don't leave it out!}
pepper/salt to taste {Go easy on salt as bullion is pretty salty.}
1/2 package home-style egg noodles or 1 batch Homemade Egg Noodles

* This time I used leftover shredded turkey from Thanksgiving in lieu of the chicken, and it was delicious.  You could also certainly cook and shred your chicken instead of using canned, but I'm just not that ambitious.  Also, this time I had a bit of cabbage and red onion in my fridge that needed used up, so I chopped them up and added them, too!  It was yummy, and it felt good to avoid waste!

Directions: 
First prepare your homemade egg noodle dough.  While it is resting, start the soup.

In a large pot over med-high heat, caramelize the onion a bit and add chicken breast.  Let these cook just a minute, then add water+bullion/broth/stock plus all the veggies and seasonings.  Bring to a boil and let simmer for 5-10 minutes (to allow the flavors to distribute and develop).  While this is simmering, roll out and slice the noodles.  Add the noodles to the boiling soup, one at a time so they don't clump together.  Cook for maybe 5 minutes more.  Then serve!  Super quick, easy, and soooo delicious!


RECIPE: Homemade Egg Noodles

Ingredients:
3-4 eggs
1 Tbsp water (or milk)
1/4 tsp baking powder
2ish cups (just add a bit at a time) flour

Directions:
In a small-medium bowl, mix all ingredients together just until the dough is no longer sticky.  Knead a bit, but don't over work it.  Let rest for 5ish minutes.  Then roll out as thin as you can get it and slice (with a pizza cutter is easiest) thinly... about 1/4 in wide.  Add to boiling soup and cook about 3-4 minutes.  Done!

german pancakes with pumpkin

It was a beautiful fall day today, and I was feeling creative.  So as I mixed up my well-loved-by-kiddos German Pancake recipe, I tossed in some pumpkin puree and a dash of nutmeg.  It turned out good.  Different.  The entire consistency of the pancakes changed, making it more of a cake-looking concoction.   But it tasted more like a custard.  It was good.  I'd try it again.  Maybe with more pumpkin next time...



RECIPE: German Pancakes with Pumpkin

Yield: 8 servings
Calories:

Ingredients:
1/2 cube (1/4 c) butter
1 c. flour
1 c. vanilla almond milk
1 c. pumpkin puree
6 eggs
1/4 c. sugar
dash salt
dash nutmeg
cinnamon (to taste)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 F. In a medium mixing bowl, mix/whisk all ingredients.  Pour the batter into a PAM-sprayed casserole dish.  Sprinkle the whole thing with (more) cinnamon, then pop the whole thing into the oven. Bake for 30-35ish minutes, or until the center is stiff and non-goopy and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve with maple syrup.

stroganoff sandwiches

Our beloved Kurt and Bonnie shared this recipe with us years ago. It is fairly easy to make, is beautiful to observe, and is delicious to eat. Mmm! Derek love, love, loves stroganoff (his mother's favorite ingredient to cook with when he was a kid was cream of mushroom soup; I think the two are related). As a result, he especially loves this recipe. So much, in fact, that he's made it for me twice this month! I know; I'm a lucky gal. So check this recipe out. Maybe YOU, too, will get lucky... ;)



RECIPE: Stroganoff Sandwiches

Serves: 8
Calories: 515

Ingredients:
1 unsliced loaf French bread
margarine/butter
1 lb ground beef
1/4 c chopped green onion
1 c sour cream
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp garlic powder
2 sliced tomatoes
1 (or 2) green bell pepper, cut into rings
2 c shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F. Slice bread down the middle, making two long pieces. Butter the tops of each and toast the bread a bit in the oven, keeping an eye on it (you're just wanting it a little crisp on top, not browned).

Meanwhile, cook beef and onion in a med-large skillet over medium-high heat, until meat is browned. Stir in sour cream, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder.

Get out your bread again. Spread half of meat mixture on each loaf half. Arrange tomato slices on top, followed by bell pepper slices. Sprinkle with cheese (and green onion if you have extra).

Bake again at 375F for about 10 minutes. Serve warm. Enjoy!

quick chickpea curry

Image source:  http://mykentuckyhome-kim.blogspot.com/

I adapted this recipe from one posted on Stirring the Pot, who had apparently adapted hers from Martha Stewart.  I made it according to the first recipe but found that there just wasn't enough KAPOW! for my liking.  I was hoping it would taste more like the Chana Samosa (minus the samosa, obviously) from our local Indian restaurant.  Mmm.  Anyway, I added a bit of this and a bit of that until I came up with something that tasted right to me.  And it was a hit!  Now to remember what I did... I think it was something like this.

RECIPE: Quick Chickpea Curry

Serves: 5 small (though adequate) bowlfuls

Calories: 173

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

5 tsp curry powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 cans (15oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3 Tbsp ketchup

2-3 c water

1/4 tsp garam masala

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1 teensy pinch of cayenne pepper (opt)

1 tsp mint chutney

2 Tbsp tamarind chutney

1 Tbsp (-ish) chopped cilantro 

1 small splash of lemon juice

Directions:

In a large large skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil.  Add onion and cook, stirring constantly, until dark brown around edges, about 6 minutes.  Add garlic, curry, and cinnamon, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add chickpeas, ketchup, and water.  Bring to a boil.  Add garam masala, garlic powder and cayenne pepper (opt).  Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 15ish minutes (don't let it go dry... probably lifting the lid much is a bad idea).  If needed, uncover and increase heat to medium-high and stir until sauce is slightly reduced.  Add chutneys, cilantro and lemon juice.  Mix well.

Serve warm, with naan if you've got it.  And enjoy!

*Note: I get my chutneys from the above mentioned Indian restaurant where they make them in-house.  The grocery store variety would probably work but is nowhere near as nummy.

chicken and broccoli soup

Derek and I kind of just threw this together today based on things we had available and some leftover rice we wanted to use up. We also wanted to put something in the crock pot so that we would have something warm and ready when we got home from church. Luckily, this tossed-together concoction turned out super yummy! I love it when that happens! Let's see if I can remember how we made it...

RECIPE: Chicken and Broccoli Soup

Serves: 6
Calories: 394

Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken breast
1/2 large onion, diced
1 tsp garlic powder
salt + pepper
1 bag broccoli spears
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 c parmesan cheese, grated
2 tsp chicken bullion
2 c cooked rice
3 Tbsp cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:
Defrost chicken breast if frozen. Place in crock pot, along with onions, and pour a bit of water (1/3 c -ish) over it all. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cook in the crock pot (covered, obviously) over low heat for 2 hrs. Add broccoli spears, cream of mushroom soup, and parm cheese. Add a bit more water mixed with the bullion. Set the heat to high, cover and cook for 2 more hours. Then add the rice, cheddar cheese and more water (1-2 c, hot water). Stir it all, breaking up the broccoli and shredding the chicken. Season more to taste (it won't likely need it, but check). Then serve and enjoy!