Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

The season of soups is upon us!  Here is one we enjoy when Autumn comes around...

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
INGREDIENTS
1 Rotisserie chicken, meat removed from bone and shredded
1 15 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 10 oz. can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, diced
1 4 oz. can chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 14.5 oz. can chicken broth
1 - 2 cans black beans, rinsed
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 10 oz. package frozen corn
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (or 1 tsp dried)
avocado
tortilla chips
colby jack cheese, shredded
sour cream

DIRECTIONS
Pull chicken off the bone and shred. Mash tomatoes with your hands in the can or in a bowl. (Do it while they are submerged in their juices so they don't splatter everywhere.) Place chicken, tomatoes and their juices, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, black beans and garlic into the slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth. Season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and a bay leaf. Stir in frozen corn and cilantro.
Cover and cook on LOW setting for 6 - 8 hours or on a HIgH setting for 3 - 4 hours.
Serve soup with sliced avocado, shredded cheese, and sour cream.

TIP for feeding little ones - For feeding youngsters that aren't ready for "soup", scoop out the chicken, beans, and corn with a slotted spoon and serve on a plate with the tortilla chips and some shredded cheese.

Recipe for Brussel Sprouts

Let me start this post by saying that vegetables are not my favorite foods. I have gotten much better over the years, but I still rarely even consider the "vegetarian item" on the menu and one of my least favorite party foods is the "raw veggie tray".  In my adulthood, I have discovered the wonderful marriage between vegetables and a roasting pan.  Roasted broccoli and sweet potatoes have become a huge favorite of mine. Well, I just recently added to my roast vegetable repertoire with one for roasted brussel sprouts with pancetta.  And before you turn up your nose, let me tell you that I don't like steamed or boiled brussel sprouts either. They always seemed like spawns of cabbage - another vegetable that I think smells like sweaty feet. But when you roast them with S&P, olive oil, garlic, and a little italian bacon - they morph into earthy-yumminess. I dare you to give it a try!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic and Pancetta

Yield: Makes 4 servings Ingredients 1 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered 2 oz pancetta, visible fat discarded and pancetta minced 1 garlic clove, minced 1/2 - 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil salt & Pepper Preheat oven to 425° - 450F. (The original recipe called for 450, but that just seemed a little too hot in my oven. )  Toss together Brussels sprouts, pancetta, garlic, oil, and salt and pepper to taste in an 11- by 7-inch baking pan and spread in 1 layer.  Roast in upper third of oven, stirring once halfway through roasting, until sprouts are brown on edges and tender, about 20 - 25 minutes total.  You have to be careful to cook them until browned a bit, but not too much where they really start to burn.   Serve warm.

Tomato Pie and Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

This is one of my favorite recipes to make when we have a bounty of garden fresh tomatoes.  It really only works with fresh seasonal tomatoes, so while they are still in season, try it out!
It's kind of like a caprese salad baked in a pie crust.

Summer Tomato Pie

Prebake a pie crust (from scratch or from the refrigerated Pillsbury pie crust in the red box.)
Layer slices of cheese (gruyere, baby swiss, or mozzarella, depending on your preference) about 2 layers thick into the crust.  Take 2 thin slices of vidalia onion and sprinkle it over the cheese. Layer slices of tomatoes sprinkled with salt and pepper. Sprinkle fresh chopped basil and parmesan cheese. Drizzle a few tablespoons of melted butter on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.


Here is another recipe I made this week that turned out pretty well.

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

*Makes 6 wraps*

INGREDIENTS:

 1 cup cooked rice, warm or at room temperature

 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken (from a rotisserie chicken)

 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

 1 green onion, finely sliced (white and green parts)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

 juice of 1 lime

 1/2 tsp chili powder (optional - I think I would have liked it more without this)

 1 teaspoon ground cumin

 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

 2 cups shredded cheese (I used a combination of monterey jack and sharp cheddar)

 Sour cream

6 burrito-sized flour tortillas

DIRECTIONS:

 Mix rice together with chili powder, cumin and garlic salt in a bowl. Add remaining ingredients except for cheese and sour cream.  Dot a few dollops of sour cream on the tortillas. Sprinkle cheese over tortillas, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges, then arrange chicken and rice mixture down the center of each tortilla.  Roll stuffed tortillas, leaving edges open.

 

Add a bit of olive or vegetable oil to a large non-stick skillet and heat over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange 2 wraps, seam-side down, in pan and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining wraps. Serve with guacamole or salsa.

Tuna Steaks with Green Goddess Aioli

With swimming lessons most evenings during the week, dinner has to be something that can be made ahead of time or something that can be made very quickly when we get back to the house at 6:10.
Tonight, however, there were no lessons, so I got to try a new summer recipe.  It definitely exceeded my expectations and Kevin's as well. Yeah!  I made tuna steaks, which usually I make with asian spices/wasabi sauces.  Tonight I tried a totally different recipe that had more of a mexican flair.

Here it is...
Tuna Steaks with Green Goddess Aioli

Ingredients:

Aioli:

 1/4 cup sour cream

 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

 1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves

 1 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

 1 ripe avocado, peeled and chopped

 2 Tbsp mayonnaise

 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

 1/4 tsp salt

 1 garlic clove, chopped

Tuna:

 1/2 tsp salt

 1/2 tsp ground cumin

 1/2 tsp garlic powder

 1/4 tsp chili powder

 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

 3 (6 oz) tuna steaks (about 1 inch thick)

 Cooking spray

Directions:

To prepare aioli, combine first 9 ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth.

To prepare tuna, combine salt, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, and pepper in a small bowl; sprinkle spice mixture evenly over tuna.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add tuna; cook 2 minutes on each side or until medium-rare or desired degree of doneness. Serve with aioli.

2 more recipes - S'more bars and Pulled Pork

S'more Cookie Bars

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (approximately 7 full graham crackers)

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 1/2 large (4.4 oz.) Hershey milk chocolate bars

1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. Two 4.4 oz. Hershey’s bars should fit well side by side, and then add a few thin strips of chocolate from the remaining bar so a single layer of chocolate covers the dough completely.  Spread marshmallow fluff evenly over the chocolate layer.

Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff. This is most easily done by putting the second half of the dough in a gallon size freezer bag. Use your palms to flatten it out, and then use scissors to cut down both long sides of the bag, so it will open up book-style. Open it up carefully, and the dough will stick on one side of the bag. Then place the bag, dough side down, on the other three layers. From there peel the bag up ad spread the dough where it is uneven.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars

Makes 16 cookie bars.

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

(This recipe turned out SO much better than the recipe I've used in the past.  Liquid smoke makes all the difference!)

INGREDIENTS:

 3 to 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder (Do NOT use pork tenderloin)

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

 1/4 teaspoon salt

 2 cups water

 1 tablespoon hickory flavored liquid smoke

 2 cups barbecue sauce

DIRECTIONS:

 Rinse the pork shoulder and pat dry. Rub salt and pepper a bit of lawry''s seasoned salt over the pork and place in a slow cooker. Add water and liquid smoke. Cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours, until the pork is very tender.

Remove the pork from the slow cooker and discard the remaining liquid. Shred the pork using a couple of forks, discarding any layers of fat. Place the meat back in the slow cooker along with the barbecue sauce and continue to cook for another 20-30 minutes until the pork is hot again. Serve on buns with extra barbecue sauce.

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/08/bbq-pulled-pork-sandwiches-slow-cooker.html

More new recipes

I tried a new recipe for oven-baked ribs and really liked the results. The kids LOVE ribs. The husband, not-so-much, so I like recipes where he doesn't have to grill them. I modified the recipe ever-so-slightly to match our family's tastes.

Kim’s Oven-Baked Ribs  (taken from one of my new fav recipe sites -http://www.melskitchencafe.com/ )

 

*Note: when working with baby back ribs, the silver skin will need to be removed. Here is a great visual tutorial to help simplify the process (it’s not hard, I promise!). Also, take note that the ribs need to be refrigerated with the rub prior to cooking for 8 to 48 hours so plan ahead!

*Makes 2 slabs ribs

INGREDIENTS:

 2 whole slabs pork baby back ribs, silver skin removed

Dry Rub:

 8 tablespoons light brown sugar, tightly packed

 2 tablespoons kosher salt (Morton’s brand – other brands may vary in strength)

 1 tablespoon chili powder

 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (recipe calls for 1/2 tsp, but my kids don't like spicy!)

 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika or regular paprika

 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1-2 cups BBQ sauce

DIRECTIONS:

 In a bowl, combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Place each slab of baby back ribs on a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil or a double layer of regular tin foil, shiny side down. Sprinkle each side of the ribs generously with the dry rub. Pat the dry rub into the meat. Wrap the ribs tightly in the foil and refrigerate the ribs for a minimum of 8 hours or overnight and up to 48 hours.

When ready to bake the ribs, preheat oven to 250 degrees F. 

Place the ribs (still in the foil packets) on a foil lined baking sheet and bake the ribs in the oven for 2 1/2 hours-3 hours or until tender when picked up with tongs. The meat will come easily off of the bone!

Remove ribs from foil and place on another foil lined baking sheet. Brush with your favorite BBQ sauce and broil until charred and bubbly. Alternately, you can grill the ribs at this point, if you like, but sometimes they are falling off the bone and are so tender that it is a little difficult. Cut the ribs into individual portions (2-3 ribs per person). Serve with additional BBQ sauce, if desired.

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/07/the-best-oven-baked-ribs.html

We had a colder week here last week, so I tried a new soup and loved it.  Good ol' broccoli cheese soup! 

Broccoli Cheese Soup

*Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

 1 3/4 cups chicken broth

 1 small onion, diced

 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter

 1/2 teaspoon pepper

 1/2 teaspoon salt

 2 cups milk

 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (and it tastes best if you buy a brick of cheese and hand-grate it yourself.)

 1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese

 2 1/2 to 3 cups chopped, lightly steamed or blanched broccoli (this can easily be done in the microwave. )

DIRECTIONS:

 Simmer chicken broth and chopped onion for 15-20 minutes in a covered small saucepan, until onions are soft. Heat milk in microwave for 1-2 minutes. In a separate medium-to-large-sized stockpot, melt butter then add flour, salt and pepper. Cook together, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, then whisk in warmed milk. Stir and heat together on medium heat until soup starts to thicken, about 5-8 minutes. While waiting for it to thicken, steam chopped broccoli in the microwave for 3 minutes in a bowl covered with saran wrap.  Add warmed chicken broth to the stockpot and continue to stir until well blended.  Grate cheeses. Add cheeses to stockpot and stir until completely melted. Stir in steamed broccoli. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Serve immediately in bowls.

Recipe Source: melskitchencafe.com

Corn on the Cob - new method!

My kids all love corn on the cob, so I like to make it for dinner even when it's not "prime Illinois sweet corn season".  The kids (nor I, for that matter), like anything extra on their corn. Just butter, salt, and pepper.  In the past, I've always boiled it in salted water.  Tonight, however, I tried a new preparation  and really loved the results.  I can't wait to try it on peak-season local corn!

I found the recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe website.
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/07/perfect-corn-on-the-cob.html


Here is the recipe:

Perfect Corn on the Cob
INGREDIENTS:
7-8 ears of corn, husked and silky threads removed
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons white vinegar
DIRECTIONS:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil (probably about 4-6 quarts of water). When boiling, add the sugar and vinegar and bring to a full boil again. Add the husked corn, submerging all the ears in the water the best that you can. Bring the water to a full boil again. This is important! It may take a few minutes for the water to come back to boiling temperature once the corn is added but let it come to a full boil before moving on. Once the water is at a full boil, cover the pot, remove from the heat and let the corn sit in the hot, steaming water for 10 minutes. (The corn can stay in the water for up to 20 minutes without becoming pithy and dry.)  Remove the corn, roll in butter, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Snickerdoodle Muffins!

I tried a new muffin recipe the other day (we had 2 sets of Teacher Appreciation Luncheons to bake for!) and it was a hit with Kevin and the kids. Snickerdoodle muffins!
Snickerdoodle Mini Muffins

 1 cup butter, softened

 1 cup sugar

 2 tsp vanilla

 2 eggs

2 ¼ cups flour

 ¾ tsp baking powder

 ¾ tsp baking soda

 ¾ tsp cream of tarter

 ½ tsp salt

1 cup sour cream

 ¼ cup buttermilk

2/3 cup sugar

 2 TBS of cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a mini-muffin tin with liners. (They are too fragile for just cooking spray.)

In a mixer, combine the butter and sugar and cream until fluffy.

Add the eggs and vanilla and combine.

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients.

Add half of the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and stir to combine.

Add the sour cream and buttermilk and mix to combine.

Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix until you have a smooth batter.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon.

Use scooper and plop a scoop of batter into the bowl with the sugar and cinnamon.

Gently roll the batter in the sugar and cinnamon.

Place the ball into the muffin liner.

When you have completed all of the muffins, I sprinkled the leftover sugar onto the tops of all of the muffins.

Bake the muffins at 350 degrees for about 11-12 minutes or until they are golden on top and just baked through.

Making apple slices that don't brown!

For Clayton's preschool class last week, I was assigned the task of providing a fruit snack for the class. Clayton requested apple slices with caramel dip.  And thus my dilemna - how do I prepare apple slices for 22 kids,  two hours ahead of time without them turning brown (and without having to buy a dozen lemons).

The answer? Seven-Up!  Pour some Seven-Up in a large bowl or tupperware. As you slice the apples, toss them in the bowl of Seven-up.  Keep the apples submerged in Seven-Up until you are ready to serve them. Drain the Seven-Up and rinse the apples with water and you have freshly cut apples that aren't brown!

French Toast Rollers

The Sneaky Chef tried this kid recipe with her children and they loved it.
I finally tried it on mine and they loved it too!
It's a fun twist on french toast - rolled up style!
Here is the recipe (with a few alterations)...

French Toast Rollers

3 large eggs

¼ cup milk

¼ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp vanilla

6 slices bread

In a large shallow baking dish, whisk together the eggs, milk, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla.  Set aside. Using a rolling pin, roll out each slice of bread on a cutting board until flattened. If desired, spread 2 tbsp filling on each  flattened bread, keeping about ¼ inch away from edges. Roll up each slice of bread, pressing to seal the edges. Dip each log in the egg mixture until saturated on all sides, then cook in  a well greased skillet over moderate heat, turning to brown each side. Remove from heat and dust with powdered sugar.

Optional fillings –

- 1 tbsp peanut butter,

- 1 mashed banana, nutella,

- 1 tbsp cream cheese + 1 tbsp jam,

- granola (to make a crunchy rollup).