Potato and Corn Chowder

This recipe is adopted from Pioneer Woman’s Corn Chowder. I have made hers and it is good, but after tasting a friend’s at the football game last night that had potatoes and chicken, I decided to come up with my own!

Ingredients

3 slices Bacon, Cut Into 1/2-inch Pieces (or Smaller)

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 Yellow Onion, Diced

2 Bags of Frozen Corn (about 4 cups)

1-2 whole Chipotle Peppers In Adobo Sauce, Finely Diced

1-2 Chicken Breasts Boiled & Shredded

1-2 potatoes diced to roughly the same size

1 whole 4-ounce Can Diced Green Chilies

32 ounces, fluid Chicken Broth

1-1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt (more To Taste)

3 Tablespoons Corn Meal

1/4 cup Water

Instructions

Add bacon pieces to a pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Cook for a couple of minutes. Throw in diced onion and stir, cooking the onion for 3 to 4 minutes. Add butter and melt. Add corn. Stir and cook for one minute. Add both kinds of chilies and stir. If it was just for Denver and me, I would put two chipotle peppers, but if it is for others one gives it PLENTY of spice. They are deceiving, trust me!

Add potatoes and shredded chicken. Pour in chicken broth and cream. Add salt. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low.

Combine cornmeal with water. Stir to combine, then pour into the chowder. Cover and cook for 15 minutes over low heat until the potatoes are tender. If chowder needs more thickening, add another tablespoon of cornmeal mixed with water. Cook for another ten minutes.

This was a big hit with my family. I doubled the recipe and it was all gone at the end of the night! 

The Easiest Roast

I went to visit some friends for dinner and he made roast. This roast was the best roast I had ever had in my life. I asked him for his recipe and managed to jot it down in my phone in notes. A few weeks later, I went and got all my ingredients and tried it one Sunday cooking in my dutch oven. I took it to my parents and they enjoyed the meal.It was pretty darn good, but I am someone who doesn't have much time and depend on my crockpot weekly to get me through at least one night's dinner. I wondered how I could modify his recipe and manage to cook it on my crockpot. I got up early and browned the meat, dredged it in a good red wine, and added all the items, and it turned out still good, but wasn't the most tender roast. Yes, even with the wine and locking in all the flavors by searing the meat. The next time I tried it a little different and decided I had a winner. It also happened to be the easiest recipe of them all. Here is what my roast looked liked that morning before I left for work.

I did all this the night before so all I had to do was pop it in the crockpot and turn it on low.

The Easiest Roast

1 roast (size that fits your family, I usually buy a two pack at Sam's and freeze the extra one)
Morton's Kosher Salt
Pepper
Veggies (I use celery, onions, and carrots..I wouldn't recommend potatoes or they will be mush)
Spice bag full of spices (4 cloves of garlic, three stalks of fresh thyme and fresh rosemary)
1 carton of beef broth

Place all your veggies on the bottom with your spice bag. Drench in your carton of beef broth. Salt and pepper your meat generously. I would put quite a bit of salt but don't drench it or you will end up with a very salty roast. Place your meat on top and put the lid on. Turn it on low and go to work for the day. When you get home, whip up some mashed potatoes to serve with your roast. Let me know what you think. I hope your family will be as happy as my husband is when I inform him we are having roast for dinner!

Taste Like Lasagna Soup

Tonight I had the best soup I have had in a long time. I had been trying to find the recipe to try from Pinterest called Lasagna Soup. I googled and found this recipe from Paula Deen and another shocker is, I didn't alternate the recipe. Can you believe it? It actually tasted pretty darn good without my tweeking. If it does get too thick, I would add a can of chicken broth to thin it back down to soup like consistency. 

Ingredients

1 lb ground chuck
1   onion, chopped
1   green bell pepper, chopped
3   cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
1   (32 ounce) box chicken broth
2   (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
1   (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cup broken lasagna noodles
1   (5 ounce) package grated parmesan cheese
2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
garlic crostini, recipe follows

Garlic Crostini:
1 thin French baguette
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves smashed garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a large Dutch oven, combine ground chuck, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until beef is browned and crumbles. Drain well. 

Stir in thyme, brown sugar, broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add noodles, and simmer until noodles are tender. Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Preheat broiler. Ladle soup into 8 to 10 ovenproof bowls. Evenly sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Broil soups, 6-inches from heat, 3 to 4 minutes, until cheese is browned and bubbly. Add a garlic crostini slice on top. Serve immediately. 

For the garlic crostini: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Cut bread into 1/4-inch round slices. Place on baking sheet and brush each slice with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper; place in oven and bake until golden and crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Rub each side with smashed garlic cloves. 

Let me know what you think! 

Ham & Potato Soup

I wanted to name this soup a chowder, but when I googled the definition, it said a "thick soup." This soup could be made thicker, but I like mine thinner, so I added more water. Basically you can adjust to your taste or texture preferences.

Since Denver was gone hunting, I pulled out my faithful Pampered Chef food chopper to chop all my veggies. Normally he does my chopping for me.

3 stalks of celery finely chopped
1/2 cup of finely chopped or shredded carrots
8 oz of frozen broccoli finely chopped
1/2 large onion finely chopped
6+ cups Water
1 large jar of Cheez Whiz
2 cups of chopped Petit Jean ham
30 oz frozen shredded hash browns

Boil the finely chopped veggies (celery, carrots, broccoli, and onion) until soft in six cups of water. Add shredded hash browns, ham, and shortly after add cheez whiz. Be careful to keep it on medium low or it will scorch. Add water if needed, and stir until all combined. The potatoes don't take long to cook, so this comes together fairly fast. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

The veggies makes this heartier than your normal potato soup. The ham adds a deep level of flavor. Let me know how you like it!

Crispy Chicken with Creamy Italian Sauce and Bowtie Pasta

Crispy Chicken with Creamy Italian Sauce and Bowtie Pasta

Yield: 6 servings

2-3 large chicken breasts

5 C corn flakes crushed finely
3/4 C flour
dash of red pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C milk
6 T olive oil
1 12 oz package bowtie noodles (farfalle)

Sauce:

1 10 oz container Philadelphia Cooking Cream (Italian Cheese and Herb Flavor)
1 can cream of chicken soup 
1 C chicken broth {I used a whole can because I can't stand to waste part of one}
1/2 C milk
fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

Flatten out your chicken with your meat tenderizer. Cut the chicken up in strips. Dredge in flour, dip in milk, and roll in corn flakes. Put in hot skillet and brown both sides after sprinkling just a tad of red pepper to add a kick to it. While chicken is cooking, begin to cook your noodles. After cooking all chicken, make your sauce. Mix everything together and let simmer for three minutes or so.

After everything is done, serve up with salad and green beans. 

This recipe was modified by Brittany, but you are welcome to check out the original recipe on my Pinterest board.

{Original Recipe via Brittany's Pinterest Board}

Spaghetti and Meatballs

I made the meatballs for my small group to have as an appetizer. They are pretty good to serve like this and sometimes I serve them with sliced french bread pieces. I make just the meatball portion of this recipe and grab a jar of my favorite canned sauce to serve over them. I have gotten lots of rave reviews (even though it is the quick and easy way to make them). I usually make them the night before, and drain the grease, and put them back in the serving dish, pour the sauce over them, and all I have to do is pop them back in the oven until they are warm and ready to serve.

It is well worth it to make the sauce for a dinner for a special someone!

Ingredients

• 1 pound spaghetti (or any other noodle you prefer)
• Salt, for pasta water

Meatballs:

• 1 1/4 pounds ground hamburger meat
• 2 teaspoons worcestershire, eyeball it
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup italian breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan (this has to be fresh for the best)
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped (we love garlic in this household)
• Salt and pepper

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup beef stock, available on soup aisle in market in small paper boxes
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• A handful chopped flat-leaf parsley
• A tablespoon of basil (you could also use fresh, but I rarely have it on hand)
• A tablespoon of sugar to sweeten the sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place a large pot of water on to boil for spaghetti. When it boils, add salt and pasta and cook to aldente.

Mix beef and Worcestershire, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. Roll meat into 1 1/2 inch medium-sized meatballs and place on nonstick cookie sheet or a cookie sheet greased with extra-virgin olive oil. Bake balls 10 to 12 minutes, until no longer pink.

Heat a deep skillet or medium pot over moderate heat. Add oil, crushed pepper, garlic and finely chopped onion. Saute 5 to 7 minutes, until onion bits are soft. Add beef stock, crushed tomatoes, and herbs. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.

Toss hot, drained pasta with a few ladles of the sauce and grated cheese. Turn meatballs in remaining sauce. Place pasta on dinner plates and top with meatballs and sauce and extra grated cheese. Serve with bread or garlic bread. Enjoy!

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

This was full of flavor and Denver and I both gave it a two thumbs up! I have made several versions of this before, but this is my new favorite kind! I stole it from Southern Living February 2008 issue (including the picture!) Doesn't it just look like some cheesy mexican goodness!

Ingredients

3 Chicken breasts
2 1/2 to 3 tsp. salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium-size green bell pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of chicken soup
2 (10-oz.) cans diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Mexican-style chili powder
1/8 teaspoon red pepper
3 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
12 (6-inch) fajita-size corn tortillas, cut into 1/2-inch strips


Preparation

1. Rinse chicken.

2. Place chicken and salt in a large Dutch oven with water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 50 minutes to 1 hour or until chicken is done. Remove from heat. Remove chicken from broth; cool 30 minutes. Remove and reserve 3/4 cup cooking liquid. Strain any remaining cooking liquid, and reserve for another use.

3. Preheat oven to 350°. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté 6 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add bell pepper and garlic, and sauté 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in reserved 3/4 cup cooking liquid, cream of mushroom soup, and next 5 ingredients. Cook, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes.

4. Skin and bone chicken; shred meat into bite-size pieces. Layer half of chicken in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Top with half of soup mixture and 1 cup Cheddar cheese. Cover with half of corn tortilla strips. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining 1 cup cheese.

5. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes to 1 hour or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.



Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Poppy Seed Chicken

2 or 3 chicken breasts, boiled and cut in small pieces
1 16 oz sour cream
2 cans cream of chicken
2 tbls of poppyseeds (I don't measure - I just shake a ton in)
Ritz crackers
1 stick of butter

Mix the first 4 ingredients and put in a baking dish. Cover with crushed up ritz crackers. Melt a stick of butter and pour on top. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 350.