White Chicken Chili

This recipe makes a feast! Its makes my soup pot completely full so we are only able to eat about 1/2 then I freeze the rest for another night!! It freezes really well! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
1 rotisserie chicken deboned (or 4 chicken breast oven roasted and diced)
1 can of Chicken Broth
4 Cans of cannellini beans or Great white Northern beans ( I like bushes cannellini beans)
1 can Cream of chicken Soup
16 oz of Dairy fresh Sour cream
1 can of Rotel
1 small can of chopped green chilles
1 Pound  of Velveta cheese cubed
1 small bag of frozen white corn
1 package of Mc Cormick White chicken Chilli mix
1/2 stick of butter
1 onion cubed
2 celery ribs chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 a bell pepper chopped
2 chicken bullion cubes
put chicken bullion cube in 1/4 C of really hot water and set aside. Saute onion, celery, and bell pepper, and garlic in butter. when veggies are semi-soft add the seasoning mix. cook till soft and then pour in the chicken bullion and water and then stir. Add chicken broth and chicken and stir again. Then begin adding all the rest of your ingredients. Do not drain anything....just pour it all in! Keep your pot on med -low and stir often till everything is melted and well incorporated. Then let keep on very low for about 30- 40 min to let all the flavors melt together. Stir it from to time so nothing sticks to the bottom. ENJOY!

Pumpkin Spiced Pecan Pancakes

When Chris (my husband) works late, we often have breakfast for supper. It is one of my favorite things and one of his least favorite things for supper. Tonight we had pancakes and on my last trip  visiting my sister in Baltimore she introduced me to this pancake mix put out by Williams Sonama that is a pumpkin spice mix and also a seasonal item. Well it was the most fantastic pancake mix I had ever used/tasted. I thought I definitely need more of this stuff but I hesitated to stock pile cans of it like I was expecting a nuclear war because at $15 a pop I just wasn't sure I needed it that bad. So with a little thought to it I said I bet I can do something like this and gave it a try!! It turned out pretty dang close if I say so myself!! So here is the recipe for all my friends to enjoy! ( This recipe was made for 1 adult and 2 children...about 6 nice size pancakes. double it if you want to feed more)

1 1/4 cups of Krustez pancake mix

1/2 can of Libby's pure pumpkin

1 egg

3/4 cup of milk ( maybe a little more...depends on the consistency you like)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 tsp cinnamon

a little less than a 1/4 tsp of nutmeg

Mix milk, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and egg together with a whisk. then add your pancake mix and gently whisk in the pecans. once its all mixed together, have your pan hot and ready to go. ( mine is usually set to just below medium ) Put a small pat of butter in the pan and just as it gets melted  pour in a pancake. ( I used a cookie scooper...it keeps them all about the same size and i jiggle the pan to get a good even spread) when the pancake starts to bubble at the edges then you very gently flip it over. it will rise in the center and it should be done....slap on some butter and maple syrup and you have just a little bite of heaven!!!

 

Chicken, Artichoke and Spinach with Pasta in a Sundried tomato cream sauce

This recipe is simple to through together if you have all the ingredients on hand! The best part is that it taste like you spent hours making it!

Ingredients: 

3 boneless skinless chicken breast (cut into bite size strips/cubes then lightly salted and peppered)

1 jar sun dried tomato cream sauce (sun dried tomato Alfredo sauce)

2 Tbsp of white wine

1 can artichokes quatered

1 1/2 cups cooked orzo ( or another small pasta that you prefer)

1 bag of fresh spinach

1/4 C of parmesean cheese

1 bag of Sargento Italian cheese mix

place raw chicken in bottom of 9x13 pan and then mix cream sauce with wine and pour over the top of the chicken. place artichokes on top and put 1/2 of your Parmesan and half the bag of Italian cheese on top and bake for 30 min at 375 degrees. remove from oven and stir in the orzo and spinach. put the rest of the cheese on top and but back into the oven till cheese is melted. (about 8 min) Remove from oven and serve.

Basil Pesto and Gnocchi

I know awhile back when someone mentioned making pesto i thought that stuff just looks gross. The more I thought about it and thought about checking it out .... I loved the ingredients that went in. I just couldn't justify pureeing them all together! But baby let me tell you when I did....it was so fantastic that it will  (to quote a friend of mine) "make your tongue slap your brain out".

 Ingredients: 

2 cloves of garlic

a little less than 1/4 of a cup of pine nuts

a little less than 1/4 of a cup of walnuts

3 loosely packed cups of basil leaves

1/2 cup of fresh Parmesan cheese shredded

1/4 cup of Parmesan Reggiano (if you can get your hands on this stuff it adds such a rich buttery flavor)

salt and pepper

a good bit of olive oil (1/4 to possibly 1/2 of cup)

and a food processor

1 package of potato Gnocchi ( I buy the market pantry brand at Target)

Now into the food processor goes the pine nuts and walnuts and the peeled cloves of garlic. pulse them a little bit then add your basil leaves and Parmesan cheeses and  pulse them in too. now through the feeder tube pour the olive oil in  a slow steady stream and watch the mixture to get thick and soupy.add a little salt and pepper and taste....... and its done! Follow the direction for boiling the Gnocchi and make sure you salt your boiling water! then drain your Gnocchi and pour about 3/4 of a cup of the pesto sauce over the warm gnocchi!

This stuff was amazing but the more I think about it....i think it would be good on so many things from chicken to just a crispy warm slice of a baguette. hmmm. Me and pesto are now BFFs!

Easy roast beef sandwiches

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I know I posted two soup recipes so for a bonus here is an easy Roast Beef Sandwich recipe we love!

Ingredients:

1 tsp of butter

1 Package Hormel Roast beef with au jus (from the refrigerated section)

1 yellow bell pepper sliced thin strips

1 red or orange bell pepper sliced thin strips

1 onion sliced thin strips

12 -15 basil leaves

salt and pepper

3 Tbsp of mayo

fresh spring mix lettuce

provolone cheese

1 package of hoagie rolls

Place butter, bell pepers and onion in a frying pan and simmer till soft. while those are simmering...in bowl mix mayo, pinch of salt and pepper with about 5 basil leaves torn and place in fridge.  Warm the package of roast beef in in the microwave for a minute or so just so the juices are all melted and then dump it into the simmering pan of veggies and let the roast get warm. Break it apart into the vegetables and once its all really hot, pull  the veggies and beef out and  of the pan and place on a plate. Turn the pan down to low simmer and let the sauce in the pan reduce by at least half.

To assemble the sandwiches:

Slather one side of open hoagie with mayo mixture. on the bottom side place cheese and then stuff the meat and veggie mix in between. Then press in the lettuce and one or two of the basil leaves into the sandwich. Drizzle a little pan sauce over the sandwich. Press the sandwich together and ENJOY!!!

Roasted Butternut Squash soup

 

Boy its been a while since I had time to post a new recipe!  I know I posted a soup last time too but I knew I had not posted in a while and this was just bursting with Fall! So I couldn't help but share it!

Ingrediants:

1 Large onion just cut in half from root to tip, skin remove and root trimmed

5 large cloves of garlic tips trimmed but left in skins

3 small butternut squash cut in half and seeds scooped clean

1 potato (skin on) just sliced in half

2Tbsp of butter

2Tbsp of olive oil

salt and pepper

1 cup of 1/2 and 1/2

few snips of thyme

1 tsp of parsley

pinch of nutmeg

melt butter just slightly and add olive oil. On a large rimmed pan lined with aluminum foil place butternut squash skin side down, garlic cloves, potatoes, onion on cookie sheet. Brush all the veggies with butter/oil mixture and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with aluminum foil. Roast in the oven at 375 for half an hour and then flip the butternut squash  over where the skins are now facing up and roast for another 30-45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for awhile.  Once cool place onion in a soup pot and squeeze garlic from its skin into the pot and use a large spoon to spoon out the insides of the potato and the butternut squash. Add your 1/2 and 1/2 and use an immersion blender (or regular blender if you don't have an immersion blender) to turn the soup till smooth. you may need to add more 1/2 and 1/2 to get the right consistency. Warm the soup just till hot while stirring. Toss in your herbs and nutmeg and taste to see if you need more salt and pepper. I had to add salt and a dash of pepper to mine. 

Now everyone know you need a grilled cheese with soup. I used a smoked Gouda and some Camembert cheese to really take it up a notch and it was fantastic. Grilled cheese possibilities are absolutely endless!!!

Home Made Tomato Soup

Tomato Soup
1 Package of sweet grape tomatoes cut in half
5-6 fresh medium sized tomatoes rough chopped
3 T of olive oil
salt and pepper
1 and 1/2  cans of chicken broth
2 T of butter
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1tsp of chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 tsp of thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup of 1/2 and 1/2
1/4 tsp of baking soda

cut up tomatoes and place in a roasting pan with rim. coat in olive oil salt and pepper and place in a 375 oven for about 45 min and then for 10 min keep them under the broiler...watch them so they don't burn. Pull from oven and let sit. In a heavy duty soup pot place butter and melt. Throw in your onion and garlic. cook till soft and just starting to brown add 1 and 1/2 cans of chicken broth and scrape up brown bits on bottom. add your thyme, rosemary and  and tomatoes and stir. Use and immersion blender and blend all the ingredients till smooth. Throw in your bay leaf and let simmer about 15 min. add the little bit of baking soda and stir till it stops fizzing. This is an old trick that cuts down on the acidity of the tomatoes and gives it a much smoother taste! Add in your 1/2 and 1/2 while stirring. Then do a little taste test to see if you need to add some additional salt. If you find it to your tastes..... then serve!! The green garnish you see in the pic on top of mine is a little fresh Basil. I can't resist the combination of a little basil in my tomato soup! And of course you can't forget the grilled cheese with this....that is a perfect combination!