Sunday, December 13, 2020

Cozy Family Faves: Tex-Mex Chicken Soup

Hot soup full of chicken, carrots, celery, onion, pasilla peppers, and Latin spices will warm you up on a cold winter's night. 






With the holidays in full swing I wanted to post some family favorites that are easy one-pot meals with some kicked-up flavor.  This one is perfect for busy days and cold nights.




Tex-Mex Chicken Soup

Stove Top, Instant Pot, and Slow Cooker versions

Winter is the best time for hot soups and this one is a wonderful variation of your standard chicken soup.  This soup has a tex-mex flair which comes from the pasilla peppers.  They pack great flavor and a little spice.  Hot soup full of chicken, carrots, celery, onion, pasilla pepper, beans, and Latin spices will warm you up on a cold winter's night.  The best thing is it is made in one pot and is done in a flash!




What to eat with the soup?


What ingredients do I need?

  • Chicken Breasts
  • Onion
  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Pasilla Peppers
  • Chicken Broth
  • Cannellini Beans
  • Cumin
  • Coriander
  • Garlic Cloves
  • toppings



Substitutions and Variations

  • Chicken Thighs instead of chicken breasts
  • Poblano peppers instead of Pasilla peppers
  • Diced Green Chilis instead of peppers
  • Any white bean for the Cannellini beans
  • Pinto beans 

Kitchen Notes and Tips

  • To make this go quicker use store bought shredded chicken and put in the soup at the end of the cooking to warm through
  • Use a rotisserie chicken for a quicker mealtime
  • Pasilla peppers are a little spicy, use an anaheim for less spice
  • Add some jalepeno hot sauce to amp up the spice
  • Freeze left over soup in portions for quick lunches 



Enjoy!



Tex-Mex Chicken Soup

serves:  6

1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 celery stalks, sliced
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 pasilla peppers, seeded and chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon coriander
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 cups low sodium Chicken Broth
2 14oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
salt & pepper
Garnish:  shredded Monterey jack cheese, lime juice, tortilla chips (optional)

Stove Top:
In a dutch oven heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil over medium heat.  Add onion, carrots, celery, and peppers.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to get tender, about 4-5 minutes.  Add in the garlic, cumin, coriander, chicken broth, chicken breasts, and beans.  Season with salt & pepper.  Bring to a bowl then reduce heat to a simmer (medium-low or low) and cook for 30-35 minutes.  Remove chicken from the pot and shred.  Return shredded chicken back to the pot and stir to combine.  Check seasoning and add additional salt & pepper if needed.  Served topped with garnishes if desired.


Instant Pot:
Turn your instant pot on using the Saute feature.  Add 2 tablespoons of canola oil and heat.  Add the onion, carrots, celery, and peppers.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to get tender, about 4-5 minutes.  Turn off the saute function by hitting cancel.  Add the remainder of the ingredient.  Season with salt & pepper.  Place the lid on the Instant Pot and turn the vent knob to "sealing".  Hit the Manual Pressure button and adjust the time to cook for 13 minutes.  Once it has finished cooking turn the vent knob to venting for a quick release.  Once it completes releasing the steam open the lid and set aside.  Remove the chicken breasts and shred.  Return chicken back to the pot and stir to combine.  Serve topped with garnishes if desired.


Slow Cooker:
To the slow cooker bowl add all the ingredients except garnishes.  Make sure to salt & pepper to taste.  Cook on low for 4-5 hours and high for 2-3 hours.  Remove chicken and shred it then return it back to the slow cooker.  Serve in bowls topped with garnishes if you would like.


  








Friday, December 11, 2020

Essential Chocolate Chip Cookies

Fresh from the oven cookies that are buttery, chewy, thick and packed with gooey chocolate chips. 



Essential Chocolate Chip Cookies

Everyone needs a really good chocolate chip cookie recipe.  With the holidays approaching this is a great cookie to make.   

This recipe is one of my favorites made with good semi-sweet chocolate chips.  They are chewy and thick and heavenly to bite in to!  Try them soon, you won't believe how easy these are to make and how satisfying they taste.



What can I use chocolate chip cookies for?
  • Dessert
  • Crumbled on top of ice cream or frozen yogurt
  • As the base for an ice cream sandwich
  • Snacks
  • To go munchies
  • Perfect for a picnic or hike
  • Holiday Cookie Exchange!
  • Crumble on top of a yogurt parfait
  • Leave them out for Santa


What ingredients do I need?

  • good semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • flour
  • unsalted butter
  • brown sugar
  • granualted sugar
  • baking soda
  • salt
  • egg
  • good vanilla extract




Substitutions and Variations
  • use dark chocolate chips
  • use milk chocolate chips
  • add in dried cranberries
  • add in walnuts or pecans
  • use M&Ms instead of chocolate chips

Kitchen Notes and Tips
  • Make sure your butter is a room temperature for cakey cookies
  • Refrigerate your dough before cooking to avoid spreading
  • Watch them when baking, they brown quickly
  • Bake them until they are set and golden on the edges

Enjoy!!!









Essential Chocolate Chip Cookies


makes: 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 dozen cookies depending upon the size


1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Line two 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.  In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until well mixed.   Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.  Gradually add the flour mixture and blend until just incorporated.  Do not overmix.

Add chocolate chips and stir by hand with until incorporated throughout.  Again don't overmix.  Chill dough for 30 minutes.  

Using an ice cream scoop or spoon, place the dough onto the prepared baking sheets.  Bake the cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until the bottoms and edges are lightly browned and the tops are set.  Small cookies will cook in 8-10 minutes and large ones may take 10-14 minutes.  Continue until all cookies are baked.

Remove from the oven and allow to sit on the tray 5 minutes.  Remove them from the tray to a wired cooling rack to cool.  








Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Honey Almond Apricot Granola

The ultimate healthy granola recipe flavored with honey, almonds, apricots, and coconut which is baked until golden brown and delightfully scrumptious! 



It's the holiday season and I have a lot of new recipes to share with you.  To get them all out to you I will be changing my post format slightly.  I'll be streamlining it to get the most recipes out to you.  The new format will include:

  • Description of the recipe
  • Primary and alternative uses for the dish
  • Key items to make the recipe
  • Substitutions and variations
  • Kitchen Notes and tips
  • Most importantly "THE RECIPE"
I hope you enjoy the this format.  Please leave me feedback on what you think and if you feel anything is missing.  Happy Holidays! 



Honey Almond Apricot Granola

Granola has become a staple in many houses.  It's a trend that you see in a lot of restaurants and can be made so many different ways.  Making it at home allows you to have control over the ingredients, cutting back on salt and sugar that frequent the store bought variety.  Plus another great reason to make your own is that it is so cheap to make, and it is EASY.....so so so easy to make at home.  

This recipe is one of my favorites made with good local honey for sweetness, some chopped apricots for tang, nuts for crunch, and a little sweetened coconut for flavor.  Try it soon, you won't believe how easy this is to make and it will last for a few weeks stored in containers.



What do I use granola on?
  • Sprinkle on top of yogurt
  • Sprinkle on apples and bake them
  • On top of ice cream or frozen yogurt
  • Roll bananas in them and freeze them
  • Sprinkle on salads
  • Top off you oatmeal with it
  • Eat is with milk like cereal
  • Make a yogurt parfait
  • Add it on top of chocolate bark
  • Add it on top of brownies


What ingredients do I need?

  • good honey (I try to buy a local honey)
  • old fashioned oats
  • sweetened shredded coconut
  • sliced almonds
  • canola or grapeseed oil (flavorless oil)
  • dried apricots
  • golden raisins



Substitutions and Variations
  • use unsweetened shredded coconut
  • use coconut shavings
  • leave out the coconut
  • use chopped cashews, sunflower seeds, peanuts, pecans, walnuts
  • use dried figs, dates, pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, or cherries
  • leave out the raisins or use currants or black raisins 

Kitchen Notes and Tips
  • Make sure to watch the granola closely as it cooks.  It browns easily.
  • Make sure to stir occasionally during the baking cycle.
  • All the mixture to cool on the sheet pan before adding in the dried fruits.
  • Use a large sheet pan so you have a lot of surface area
  • Use parchment paper on the pan if you would like
  • Store in an air tight container for a few weeks

Enjoy!!!




Honey Almond Apricot  Granola


2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut 
1 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of canola oil
1/4 quarter cup honey
3/4 cup small diced dried apricots
1/2 cup golden raisins

Preheat the oven to 350゚. 

Toss the oats coconut and almonds together in a large bowl.  Whisk together the oil and honey in a small bowl.  Pour the liquids over the oat mixture and stir until all the nuts and oats are coated.  

Pour on to a large baking sheet pan. Bake stirring occasionally with a spatula until the mixture turns golden brown, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the granola from the oven and allow to cool, stirring occasionally.  Add apricots and raisins. Store in an airtight container.






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