No Explanations Necessary

 Open, dump, mix, done.

 Top with chicken.

 Walk away...

 Chicken out to shred...

 Easiest way ever to shred hot chicken.

Add back then eat- it was gone before pictures could be taken of finished product!

 Dessert: mix batter and insert Reese's.

 While they bake/cool, mix the icing.

 Ziplock + scissors = icing with ease

 All frosted and ready!

 Ganache- sooo easy! Chop and heat!

 The finished product.

Gone in 2 days.

Overall, the family #3 and many friends gave this meal major thumbs up! Easy and delicious and with enough leftovers to keep enjoying the next day! Will be making these again and again!

February 2012:Gal 1; Part 1

Can we talk "onion?"  The very first ingredient listed in this recipe is "one onion, chopped."  With the exception of the instruction "pound meat to 1/4" thickness," I can't think of any kitchen task that discourages me more.  It doesn't seem to matter what kind of onion I buy - they make me hurt.  They make my eyes hurt...and yesterday was no exception.  However, I shared my onion angst with co-worker and fellow foodie Jess earlier in the week and she said "why don't you just buy the onions at Giant Eagle that are already chopped?"  DID YOU KNOW THIS?  This was news to me.  So the next day at lunch I made a trip to Giant Eagle and sure enough, sitting smugly on a shelf in the produce section (next to chopped celery and peppers, which it has to be said, looked a little dry) was a tub full of perfectly chopped onion.  A sort of battle quickly ensued within my very practical soul because in my larder at the very moment sat four very healthy onions.  Reluctantly I left those gorgeous onions on the shelf, but as soon as those onions have moved on to onion heaven, those pre-chopped on the shelf beauties are mine!  

New crock pot!  I have a gorgeous crock pot that Mr. #1 bought for me - but it is nearly 9 quarts and often too big for our downsized meals.  This new one was fairly inexepensive and I'm hoping will motivate me to use the crock pot more often!

Once the onions are chopped, the mechanics of this are ridiculously easy.  Open cans, put it in. Took 10 minutes, tops....

Add the chicken, put the lid on...cook!
At this point, I need to share something about the cook time.  The recipe says "10 hours on low."  When the chili had just under 4 hours to go - it was boiling.  I let it cook for another 30 minutes and then turned it to warm. Perhaps this is unique to my crockpot, but if you're planning to make this and be out of the house, give the timing here some thought.  My chili was plenty done in 6.5 hours - too much more and it would have been mush.

PINTEREST BABY!  Earlier this week I read a tip on pinterest about shredding chicken.  Simply place the (still warm) chicken meat in your mixer and voila!  You will have shredded chicken.  It works....like a dream!

Here are the fixings:

Whoops...how did cookie making get in here? :)

Gorgeous cookies!  (That's why the title says Part 1 - the cupcakes will be a separate segment)

And here's the wrap:  This recipe gets two thumbs up from me (and from Girlfriend #1).  As a matter of fact, G. #1 said she liked it better than regular chili and wow, do I agree with that.  It's flavorful (a little spicy and I didn't use any chilies except for the ones in the tomatoes)(and no cilantro for this cook) and it's just perfect on a very cold day such as we had in NEO yesterday.  Mr. #1 was a little less enthusiastic - he ate a substantial helping, but commented that he didn't like the corn.  Son #1 ate it, said "it's pretty good" and took some of the leftovers home.
I am thrilled to have enough for several lunches this week! Thank you Gal 3....YUM!

In LOVE with Easy!

Ladies, you know I love to make things easy and try and keep things healthy. Last year, I was given hints that my choices of food were somewhat--well--not always well received. I chose lots of foods the family#3 would try but Mr.'s 1 & 2 would prefer never made it to the plate! So I am trying to compromise and come up with a plan that will both satisfy and mysteriously trim the calories off of our Mr.'s plates! 

So for my first month- the month of love I have decided to choose 2 recipes that include some of my favorite LOVES of the kitchen. The crock pot and dessert. My crock pot (must I admit I have 2?!) is my secret chef. I can throw ingredients in that little circular delight and come home to eat- which is the most important thing. So I give you our first recipe..

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

Ok now here is some advice- don't be scared Mrs. #2! Everyone loves tacos and if there is something in here that might make Mr. #2 make a PB&J sandwich- think outside the box and make it work. I found nothing scary and am quite excited I can have a taco from my crock pot. I am going to make jasmine or brown rice to accompany this dish for some added fiber and taste. Hope you enjoy!

And now for dessert...

Peanut Butter Brownie Buckeye Cupcakes

Hello YUMTASTIC! I will be changing one small thing- which is an optional healthier bonus for you. Instead of preparing the brownie mix as directed, I put a can of pumpkin in the batter instead and by-pass the oil and fat. There is NO taste difference and you can throw away the can to hide evidence. The rest of the recipe is very unhealthy- but I'm trying to satisfy both palates! 

Fall in love with your crock pot and cuddle up with dessert!

Good luck!

Mmm...mmm...good!

I love soup- that is no secret. So I was very excited about a new soup recipe for January. Even though in our neck of the woods, it doesn't get cold enough for hot soup during the winter months- I was all for an easy and new recipe to try.

My consensus and Mr. #3's differed. He is not a soup fan and felt that the soup lacked body and taste. He wanted it beefed up a bit with more veggies and chunks- like a stew. I loved the taste but could have done with more veggies too. But I love the crunch of the tortillas and they were delicious as leftovers! I will make it again, but freeze it so I can pull out single servings for when Mr. #3 is not at home. Overall gal #3 thought it great, Mr. #3 is waiting for his meat and veggies dish! :0)

 The chicken in the pot- my pot was too big and I used thighs for more flavor!

 The yummy tortillas...so easy to make!

 Blending up the tomato mixture!

 Yummy in my tummy! Campbell's has some competition!

It's a keeper

So not only was this soup a breeze to make (much easier than I anticipated) it tasted awesome! (And smelled awesome cooking.) The ingredients you see below, all four of them, were basically it. Add some chicken and stock and tomatoes... yup.

 As you can see I did use some cilantro. I'm not a huge fan, so I halved the amount. It was fine. I left out the spicy ingredient and used a little vegetable stock along with chicken. For the tomato I used a 15 ounce can of no salt added, diced tomatoes. I took Gal One's advice (and, well, the commissary had no other option...) and used bone in chicken thighs (I took the skin off).

 When I went to get the food processor out, the cat decided he would take up residence in the empty space...

 While the chicken was cooking in the first step, I pureed the remaining ingredients. Again, easy!

 I also used that time to toast the tortilla strips. Thanks again Gal One for the cooking time advice!

 The before (above) and after (below). I was a bit heavy handed with the salt on my tortilla pieces; beware!

 The final product. We loved it. It was a cross between tomato soup and chicken noodle. Nice and light and different without being "weird". My other half thinks we should add some red beans next time...?

My last comment on the new recipe; I'm glad I didn't cut it in half. Usually I assume it will be too much food for us. This was gone in two days. I think I might double it next time. Because there will most definitely be a next time!

I can't wait to see what next month's menu will be!

Tortilla Soup Gal #1 Style

First, a warning...see below:

This is what happened when I baked tortilla strips in a 425 degree oven for 13 minutes.  This batch went in the trash and the do-over was at 425 degrees for about 5 minutes.  Just sayin.  Maybe I cut them too thin?

This is a picture pre-toast...the 5 minute batch looked just right.

Here is a picture of something I would tweak next time...I like dark meat and I think using a combination (or a rotisserie chicken as was suggested) would be a flavor enhancer.  I think this is a personal preference - it's taken me a long time to come out of my white meat haters closet - but there it is.  I really prefer dark meat.  More flavor...yes, more fat...hence more flavor.  I have some boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the freezer - I think they would be just the ticket here.

I didn't have fresh tomatoes - I used a can of whole tomatoes - a large can.  I think perhaps I could have used a smaller can...but look at the gorgeous color!  My enthusiasm picked up at this point.

Melding the flavors....

My soup toppers...sour cream, avocado, shredded cheese and nicely browned tortilla strips.

My first bowl.  Yes, I definitely had seconds.  I love this soup.  I can honestly say it's one of the best soups I've had in a while.  Mr. #1 said - more chicken, rice or noodles - something to make it more substantial.  But the lack of all of those things is what held its appeal for me.  I loved the fresh tomato flavor and the absence of fatty meat and heavy starches (never mind how much sour cream and tortilla strips I ate). :)  This is a keeper - Monday lunch is looking awfully good right now!
Thank you Gal #2...great pick!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I've never made a chicken tortilla soup before and this recipe, from America's Test Kitchen's Healthy Family Cookbook, looked fabulous!

Some short cuts and time savers I thought of while reading through the recipe: buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery, purchase ready made tortilla chip strips, puree and refrigerate the ingredients in step 4 the day before.

Some ideas for fun and tasty soup toppers: sour cream, shredded cheese, fresh tomato, or lime wedges.

Here is to a fun twist on a traditional winter dish; a big pot of soup!


INGREDIENTS

8 (6 inch) tortillas, cut into 1/2-inch wide strips
Vegetable oil spray
Salt & Pepper
8 Cups chicken broth
1 1/2 lb. bone-in, skin removed, split chicken breasts
1 onion, peeled & quartered
4 garlic cloves, peeled
8-10 fresh cilantro sprigs
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
12oz. (2 medium) tomatoes, cored and quartered
*optional* 1 Tbsp. minced, canned chipotle chile in adobe sauce
1 tsp. canola oil
1 avocado, peeled & cut into 1/2 pieces
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray tortilla strips with oil 7 sprinkle with S&P. Bake until golden brown, 15-17 minutes (stirring halfway through). Drain and cool on paper towel.

Bring broth, chicken, half the onion & garlic, cilantro and oregano to a simmer in a large dutch oven over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. (Until chicken reads 165 degrees).

Remove chicken & shred into bite size pieces. Strain broth and discard solids.

Process remaining onion, garlic, tomatoes & optional chipotles in food processor until smooth. Heat oil in dutch oven over high heat. Add pureed mixture and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Stir in strained broth, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in chicken and simmer 5 minutes. Sprinkle chips in bowls, ladle soup over chips and sprinkle with avocado and cilantro.