Chicken Corn Chowder

It's soup night again at my house, so I decided to post this since we all loved it, and nobody else is posting anything.

I made this a couple of weeks ago when we had company for dinner. It was a huge hit, with Mark's brother having helping after helping. I was glad I doubled the recipe for guests. This soup received the hard to earn title of "Family Favorite" which means all six of us enjoyed it. I also really like how colorful it is with the celery, corn, and red pepper. PLUS...its really easy.

I'm not ashamed to say this came straight from My Kitchen Cafe, including the picture. Thanks Melanie! My notes are in italics.

*Plan Ahead: This recipe calls for cooked chicken.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped, seeds and membrane removed (I was afraid of the jalapeno, but with the seeds and membrane removed it added no heat, just a really great flavor)
1/4 cup thinly sliced or cooked chopped ham
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14-oz.) cans chicken broth
3 tablespoons flour
3 ears of fresh corn kernels or 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (I grilled the chicken because I like the flavor)
4 oz. softened cream cheese (To avoid lumps, soften in microwave until almost melted)
1 cup milk (I used plain soy milk to cut down on the dairy for Sarah)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I recommend sharp or extra sharp)

Place olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute celery, bell pepper, onion and jalapeno until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ham; cook for another 3 minutes. Whisk the broth with the flour in a liquid measuring cup or bowl and then stir into the soup. Stir in the corn and chicken. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat. Whisk together the cream cheese and milk in a large bowl until smooth. Whisk the cream cheese/milk mixture into the soup along with the salt, pepper and cheddar cheese. Simmer on low until ready to serve.

Recipe Source: My Kitchen Cafe

Fresh Cranberry Sauce

Here is my contribution for Thanksgiving. I always thought I didn't like cranberry sauce. I usually don't care for something that retains the shape of the can it came from. Then one year at Mark's mom's Thanksgiving Dinner, his step-mom brought this (don't even try to figure that out). It is so different from stuff you slice from the can. Now I really like Cranberry Sauce, and best of all...its easy! This is the only picture I could find.

2 juicy oranges (Buy a couple extra, they need to be JUICY)
1 bag cranberries
1/3 cup sugar (This is just to start with. You may need to add more according to taste since cranberries are really tart. No matter how much you add it won't be as much as the stuff you buy.)

Process the oranges and cranberries in a food processor (or a blender) until desired consistency. I like mine a little chunky. Then add the sugar until you get the desired sweetness.

You can also play with this and add spices like cinnamon or cloves. You can also add a little orange juice, or whatever you want.

This will also keep in the fridge for a long time.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Raised Potato Doughnuts

This recipe is from Sam Dyreng. They are fantastic. I don't usually like doughnuts, but I could not get enough of these. I have scaled it down. The original recipe makes 100, but 50 were plenty for us, the neighbors, and the Saturday morning flag football group (rave reviews all around), and so I have scaled it down to 50, and of course, added my notes because I like to share my opinions on things. Be sure and eat them fresh (like within the first hour). They are not the same the next day.

Raised Potato Doughnuts
1-1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup shortening (I used half butter half shortening because that's all I could scrape out of my 4 year old can of Crisco. Next time I'll try all butter.)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
1 cup mashed potatoes (Sam actually made mashed potatoes with real potatoes and milk and stuff. I used potato pearls. Both were good.)
1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon dry yeast
3 eggs beaten
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp nutmeg
6-7 cups flour (I needed a little more to get a workable dough.)
Combine milk, shortening, salt, sugar, mashed potatoes, and heat to lukewarm. (Instead of heating it all together I just warmed my milk in the microwave, made sure my potatoes were still warm and threw it all in the mixer. Saved myself a pot.)

Add beaten eggs and yeast that has been dissolved in the warm water.

Add half of the flour and beat until well blended and smooth. Add lemon juice, zest, and nutmeg.

Add remaining flour to make a soft but firm dough (firm enough to roll at least). Knead until smooth.

Let raise until doubled in bulk. Roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into doughnuts. Let raise again until doubled (30-40 minutes). (I just realized I totally skipped the second raising. They turned out great anyway.)

Deep fry in fat at 375 degrees until golden on each side. Drain on paper towels then dip in prepared glaze.

Glaze

2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla (you can also substitute maple flavoring)
3 to 5 tablespoons of milk

With a mixer mix sugar and butter. Add vanilla and milk to desired consistency.

Apple Cherry Tart

We seem to be lacking in recipe postings lately, especially since it's coming up on Thanksgiving. So here is a call out for all of your Holiday Favorites.

We are very basic in our Thanksgiving meal. Pretty much the same thing every year. The only place that I get to experiment is with the dessert. I'm not a huge fan of making pies. I think they take a lot of work. In my opinion, you can have a great crisp or cobbler - it takes less time, and usually turns out better. My Mom would completely disagree with this statement, because she is a huge fan of Pie Crust. This recipe works for both of us.

Because this is a Pampered Chef recipe, it is made on a 13" stone, but I'm pretty sure you could make this on a cookie sheet just fine. I will try and make it soon so I can add a photo.

Crumb Topping:
2/3 c flour
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 C butter, softened
1/2 C pecans, chopped

Tart:
1 Pie Crust*
1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling, divided
2 lg. Granny Smith apples - pealed, cored and sliced thin

Preheat oven to 400.
Combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and butter. This can be done with a pastry blender or possibly a fork. You are looking for a nice crumbled mixture. Then mix in the pecans. Set aside.
(I've done this step using completely melted butter, so that I don't have to use a pastry blender, and it turned out a little different, but still great.)

Roll pie crust into a 13" circle and place on greased stone/sheet. Layer apples evenly over crust to within 1 inch of the edge of the crust. Spread at least 1/2 C of the pie filling over the apples. (I always use more.) Sprinkle crumb topping over cherries. Fold outer edge of pastry over the very edges of the filling to form a rim. Bake 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

I like this best served warm, with ice cream. You can top the ice cream with the left over cherries.

* I have always made this with a store bought pie dough - you have to roll it out a little to get it to make 13". I am sure that it is so much better with a homemade dough.

Pumpkin Bars

Lately the "phantom" has been leaving treats in our neighborhood. One night he left some pumpkin bars. Since people really liked them, he left me the recipe, which he got from a friend (Neisha), who got it from allrecipes.com.

Pumpkin Bars
4 eggs
1 cup oil
1 2/3 c. sugar
1-15 oz. can pumpkin puree
2 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
2 t. baking soda
2 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. salt

Frosting
1-3 oz. pkg. cream cheese-softened
1/2 c. butter-softened
1 t. vanilla
2 c. sifted powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. In a mixing bowlmix the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin with mixer until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir into the pumpkin mixture until thoroughly combined. Spread batter evenly into an ungreased 10x15 jelly roll pan. Bake 25-30 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Cream together cream cheese and butter. Stir in vanilla. Add powdered sugar a little at a time, beating until smooth. Spread evenly on top of the cooled bars. Cut into squares. You can garnish the top any way you like, or if you are a purist, like me, just leave them plain.

White Bean Chicken Chili

I found this recipe on allrecipes. When it comes to soups and stews, I have found that they are really just a guideline. Throw in what you like. If it's not good - don't do that next time. Maybe it's just the time of year, but when I'm making soup, sometimes I feel like a witch as I throw ingredients into my bubbling cauldron.

This chili is wonderful. I usually make it for gatherings, because it's not the type of soup my family will eat. So I'd rather enjoy it with my friends instead of fighting with the kids about eating it. It's also not that spicy and that's how I like it. If you want more heat, add some.

Below is how I made it last time, for our playgroup.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons oil
1/4 C dried onions
2 tsp. minced garlic

1 pound chicken

2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (18.75 ounce) can tomatillos, drained and chopped
2 (1 4 .5 once) cans diced tomatoes
2 (4 ounce) can of whole green chilis, diced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cans cannellini/white kidney beans, rinsed

1 can kernel corn with liquid

1 can sweet corn with liquidcd
salt and pepper to taste

IDEAS FOR GARNISH:

limes, cilantro, cheese, avocados, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil, and sauté the chicken with the onions and garlic, until nice and browned. This may need to be done in batches (see note). Add the broth to the chicken and then stir in the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, then simmer for at least 15 minutes. More simmering = better flavor in my book. Make sure that you bring the soup back down to a simmer after it boils, or else your chicken will become tough if it sits in a rolling boil for too long.

Lots of Notes (Sorry, it's a control issue)!

I usually cut up raw chicken into bite size pieces and then cook them. You could easily just throw in whole pieces, but then you should take them out after they are cooked and cut them up. To get a nice browning, your pan should be quite hot and not overfilled with chicken or else it will just steam - which isn't bad - the most important thing is that the chicken is cooked through.

If you have already cooked chicken, just throw it in with the broth after you heat up the onions and the garlic in the oil. You can add more or less chicken depending on how much you have. My friend Heather posted this on her blog and wondered if she might just make it chickenless one day.

I use dried onions, because I have a giant can of them, but feel free to use a fresh onion if you want to. Same with the garlic - mine comes from a jar in the fridge - but if you have fresh cloves, use them.

What are Tomatillos? Well, you can get them fresh also, but I get mine from a can in the Spanish isle at Smiths (not sure if Days even carries them). They seem like green tomatoes to me, and are quite interesting in my opinion, they kind of explode when you chop them up.

I'm sure you could use a variety of different types of tomatoes - fresh, stewed, bottled, diced - I wouldn't recommend paste or sauce, but who knows it might be the best soup you've ever had. Same with beans, there are many varieties - but if you don't use white ones, then you have to change the title.

And finally, corn: really, use what ya got, fresh, frozen, canned, I throw in the juice, but you don't have to - it's all good. I mean isn't that what making soup is all about - using up what's in your pantry/freezer. This is a great food storage recipe - hey, if you're up for it, you can even use canned chicken!

P.S. I just went to look in the fridge to see what kind of "garlic from a jar" I have, and I can only find the lid. Now I'm really worried about where I might find the bottle. Wonder who was watching Henry?

"Souper" Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

Yes, I am posting again. Some of my favorite recipes are from the contributors of this blog, so I decided if you are too shy to post them, I will.

Monday is soup night at our house. The other day Mark requested homemade chicken noodle soup. I have never made homemade chicken noodle soup, but Mark insists I have, and remembers it being good. I'm sure someone must have brought us some in the last couple of years. Evidently Mark loved it, so I was feeling some pressure. Then I remembered this recipe I got from Sara last Christmas. It must have been the "easy" in the title that stuck in my brain.

Not only is this soup easy, it turned out delicious. Everyone in my family, from Mark right down to Gracie, ate it up. I also love the crock pot option. Thanks Sara!



3 qts. water
10-12 chicken bouillon cubes (or 1/3 cup chicken soup base)
1/4 t. pepper
1 t. basil
2-3 chicken breasts (uncooked)
2 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 onion
3-4 large handfuls of Country Pasta noodles

In a large pot, or crock pot*, add water, bouillon. seasonings, chicken and vegetables. Bring to a boil, then simmer until vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked. Remove chicken and shred. Return to a boil. Add noodles. Cook until noodles are tender. Put shredded chicken back in and enjoy.

*In a crock pot, follow the above directions, but start in the morning. Allow to cook all day. Remove chicken to shred and add noodles. Replace chicken and cook for 1-1 1/2 hours, or until noodles are tender.

Tips from Sara: If the chicken is frozen, it doesn't need to be thawed.

Also, if your kids won't eat onions, leave the onion whole for cooking and remove it before serving.

Here on the Wasatch Back you can find Country Pasta on the bottom shelf on the noodle aisle at Day's.