Corn and Chicken Chowder - WTF and WOW Recipe Wednesday

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Corn and Chicken Chowder

Ingredients

6 ears of corn, husked and silks removed or 1-30 oz corn and 1-15 oz cream of corn

6 slices bacon, chopped

8 scallions

3 medium potatoes

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups whole milk

2 cups chicken stock

2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

½ teaspoon dried thyme

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 small can chopped green chilies

2 cups Rotisserie chicken

Salt and pepper, to taste

Grated cheddar

Preparation

In a large stock pot, fry the bacon pieces until crisp. Remove from the pan, leaving the drippings, and set aside.

Peel and chop the potatoes into bite sized chunks. Slice the scallions very thin and separate the greens from the whites.

Place the potatoes and white scallion pieces into the stock pot and cook over medium heat until the scallions have softened, 2 or 3 minutes.

Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute.

Pour in the milk, chicken stock, Old Bay, thyme, parsley, cayenne, salt, and pepper, stirring well. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Add corn (If using fresh corn, cut from the cob with a sharp knife. Use the back of your knife to release the pulp from the cob.), chicken, and green chiles. Cook over low heat until heated through, about 5 minutes. Garnish with scallion greens, bacon, and cheddar cheese.

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Cheddar Ale and Bratwurst Soup

Cheddar Ale and Bratwurst Soup

Ingredients:
1C yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
4C potatoes (optional)
1/2C carrot
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
10oz aged or sharp cheddar
1 tbsp butter
16-19oz Bratwurst
4C chicken broth
12oz ale
1C heavy cream
1/2C flour

Preparation:

To your slow cooker add chopped onion, minced garlic, shredded and chopped carrots and optional potatoes. If using potatoes, peel and slice into 1 inch cubes. Sprinkle with seasonings and shredded cheese. Pour in chicken broth and beer. Cover and begin cooking for 4 hours on high, or 8 on low.

Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium high heat melt butter. Add whole bratwurst, searing on each side. Remove, slicing into 1/2 inch discs. Return to skillet to sear on each side. Remove and slice each disc in half. Carefully add to slow cooker. Cover and continue cooking.

In your last 30 minutes of cooking, remove 1/2 cup liquid to a large bowl. To it add flour and heavy cream. Stir well. Return to slow cooker giving a good stir and replacing cover to finish cooking.

Serve hot.

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Roasted Red Pepper Soup

I really enjoy a good soup.  I even enjoy the process and procedure that goes into making soup.  I enjoy it so much that one day I might make enough to fill the hot tub and spend a day soaking in and eating soup.  Something else that I really enjoy is a good red pepper.  Finding a way to combine these two things plus watching the temperature drop just makes me happy.  Therefore, this week’s Soupy Sunday will be this recipe.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Ingredients

8 red peppers, whole

3 tbsp olive oil

2 medium yellow onions, peeled and diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 large potatoes, peeled and diced

6 cups chicken stock

Sea salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp unsalted butter

Pinch of paprika

Preparation

Roasting fresh peppers (broiler):  line a large baking pan with aluminum foil.  Place the whole peppers on the foil and brush lightly with olive oil.  Broil, turning as needed, until blackened on all sides.  Once they are charred, place all the peppers in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Leave it for about 5 minutes; scrape off the skin with a knife or your hand.  Remove the top, seeds, cut away the membranes and coarsely chop the peppers.  Reserve any juices in the bottom of the bowl.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot; cook the onions with a big pinch of sugar.  Cook the mixture until soft and translucent.  Then mix in the garlic and cook for another minute.

Then add the potatoes and roasted peppers and continue to cook for about 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the reserved liquid and chicken stock to the mixture.  Bring it to a boil and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.  Allow the soup to cool slightly before you puree it with an immersion blender.  Bring the soup back to a boil, mix in the butter and season with salt and pepper.  Serve warm with a pinch of paprika.

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Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

Just putting this out there…I wouldn’t be upset if one of you got me this Star Wars nesting doll set. 

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It is cold.  This makes me think I need to make some chili.  I think I’ll make some white chicken chili.  It is really the only sensible thing to do to survive the cold.

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

Ingredients

6 skinless, chicken thigh fillets (1 ½ pound)

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 ¾ cup chicken broth

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano leaves

½ tsp salt

1/4 tsp red pepper sauce (or hot sauce)

2 cans great northern beans, drained, rinsed

1 can Green Giant Niblets white shoepeg, corn, drained

3 tbs lime juice

Garnish with parsley or cilantro

Preparation

Remove excess fat from chicken.  In crock pot, mix onion, garlic, broth, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper sauce.  Add chicken.  Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours. 

Remove chicken from slow cooker.  Use 2 forks to shred chicken into pieces.  Return chicken to slow cooker.  Stir in beans, corn, lime juice and parsley (or cilantro).  Cover; cook on low for 15 to 20 minutes or until beans and corn are hot.  Serve with shredded white cheddar and tortilla chips.

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Turkey Beer Chili - WTF and WOW Recipe Wednesday

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Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili

Ingredients

1 ¼ pound lean ground turkey

1 large onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 (1.25 oz) envelope chili seasoning mix

1 (12 oz) can/bottle beer

1 ½ cups frozen corn kernels

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped (I just used two red peppers instead)

I (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

¾ teaspoon salt

Toppings:  shredded cheddar cheese, finely chopped red onion, sliced jalapenos

When serving, I also added crushed tortilla chips to chili

Preparation

Cook first 4 ingredients in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 8 minutes or until turkey crumbles and is no longer pink.  Stir in beer, and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Spoon mixture into at least a 5 quart cooker; stir in corn and next 7 ingredients until well blended.  Cover and cook on LOW 6 hours.  Serve with desired toppings.

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Roasted Tomato Soup 2 and Peppermint Play Dough

Yesterday I stopped playing Skyrim long enough to make roasted tomato soup.  It was delicious and gave me the energy boost necessary to continue hunting dragons.  Ironically, just like in the game, I was wearing an iron mask with horns on the top and carrying an ancient battle axe weighing 22 pounds and dragon bones weighing 35 pounds.  All this made cooking a real workout.  Give this soup a try, you won’t be disappointed. 

Roasted Tomato Soup (http://sproutedkitchen.com)

Ingredients

1 ¼ pound ripe tomatoes (about 4 large tomatoes)

½ medium yellow onion

3 garlic cloves

1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp Sea Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

1 Tbsp Chopped Parsley

1 ½ Cups Low Sodium Vegetable or Chicken Broth

1 Tbsp Organic Tomato Paste

¼ Cup Heavy Cream or Half and Half

Fresh Oregano + Basil for Garnish

Garlic Croutons

Asiago Cheese

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cut tomatoes and onions in wedges.  Use your finger to push out some of the seedy parts of the tomatoes.  Just get out the big seedy parts, a bit intact is fine.  Spread the onions and tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil.  Drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle the salt, a generous amount of pepper, the chopped parsley and gently toss it with your hands.  Tuck the garlic cloves somewhere in the tomato, so they don’t burn.  Roast on the middle rack for 30 to 40 minutes or until the tomatoes have broken down and reduced to about half their size.  Remove and cool slightly.

Warm the broth and stir in the tomato paste to dissolve.  Add all the ingredients from the roasting pan into the broth and let it gently simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.  Use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the bowl, or with a food processor or blender.  The soup should be smooth, with some texture.  If you don’t like any texture at all, you could run it through a fine mesh sieve.  Return it back to the pot, and add the cream to taste.  Taste for salt and pepper.

Serve with some croutons and cheese on top.  Broil on high until cheese is melted and slightly burnt.  Top with oregano and basil and serve.

BTW…this is usually what I see just off to the side when I take my pictures.

An activity I’ve done with kids many many times is making play dough.  They love it.  Homemade play dough is not as easy to work with as store bought play dough, but the fun in making it and the sense of accomplishment is worth the trade-off.  Because it is the week of Christmas, try this recipe.  

Peppermint Play Dough (www.theidearoom.net)

Ingredients

1 cup flour

¼ cup salt

2 tablespoons cream of tartar

1 tablespoon peppermint oil extract

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup water

Preparation

Mix flour, salt and cream of tartar in a medium cooking pot.  Add water, peppermint extract and oil.  Stir over medium heat 3 to 5 minutes stirring constantly.  When mixture forms a ball in the pot, remove.  Knead until smooth.   Now you can play and create with your good smelling play dough!  Put in a plastic bag and refrigerate to store. 

Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup and At Home Science Experiment

I love my crock pot.  Do you remember being in elementary school and you’d say you loved something and somebody would reply all snotty, “well, then why don’t you marry it?”  Maybe I will marry my crock pot.  I planned my dinners for the week.  3 crock pot meals, that with leftovers on alternate nights, will feed us Monday-Saturday night.  I got my ingredients this morning at a cost of $44.  Not bad.  The three crock pot recipes are:  Vegetarian Tiger Blood Chili, Chicken Burritos and Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup (recipe for soup below).  The smell of soup or chili simmering in the crock pot is indicative of it being fall.  In my house, another indicator is a fallen leaf in a dog’s beard.

Chipotle sweet potato soup (http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com)

Ingredients:

2 pounds of sweet potatoes (about two large or three skinny ones), peeled and cubed

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

1 medium onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth

2-4 chipotles in adobo (depending on your heat tolerance) chopped

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Juice of one lime

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Salt and black pepper to taste

Sour cream

Cinnamon-chipotle pecans (recipe to follow)

Preparation:

Heat the olive oil on medium low in a large soup pot, and cook the onions, celery and carrot for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute.  Add the sweet potatoes, broth, chipotles, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender. Let the soup cool, and then in batches, puree it in the blender. If you prefer, you can use an immersion blender in the pot instead.  Once the soup has been pureed, stir in the lime juice and add salt and black

Cinnamon chipotle pecans

Ingredients: 

2 tablespoons of butter

1 cup of chopped pecans

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon of chipotle powder

Salt to taste

Preparation:

Melt the butter in a skillet on low heat. Add the pecans and stir them until they are covered in the butter. Add the cinnamon and chipotle powder and stir to coat. Cook the pecans, stirring occasionally, for ten minutes. Salt to taste and pepper to taste.  At this point, I put the soup in the crock pot to stay warm for dinner since I make it before I go off to work for 4 hours. Serve topped with a dollop of sour cream and some of the chopped cinnamon-chipotle pecans.

While things are crocking in the crock pot, try this easy at home science experiment.

Under Pressure

What You’ll Need

A plastic or glass cup

Water

An unwanted postcard or sheet of thin stiff plastic

What You’ll Do

Fill the cup right up to the brim with water and slide the card over the top.  Next, hold the card against the cup with one hand.  Hold on to the cup with your other hand.  Now, holding the card in place, turn the cup upside down (over the sink until you’ve perfected your technique).  Let go of the card.  It should stay put, held up by nothing but air pressure.

What’s Happening?

Air pressure pushes in all directions, including up.  It is easily strong enough to hold up the weight of the water in a cup.  The card acts as a seal, keeping air out of the cup as you turn it upside down.

Roasted Tomato Soup with Broiled Cheddar - WTF and WOW Recipe Wednesday

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Roasted Tomato Soup with Broiled Cheddar (http://smittenkitchen.com/)

Ingredients

Soup

3 pounds plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large or 4 small cloves garlic, unpeeled

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves or ¼ teaspoon dried

¼ teaspoon (or more to taste) dried crushed red pepper

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Soup Lid

16 1-inch slices from a baguette, toasted until hard and lightly buttered on one side

1 tablespoon grated raw onion

1 cup coarsely grated cheddar (or more to taste…which means, yes, more)

Preparation

Soup – preheat oven to 400.  Wrap garlic cloves in a tight foil packet.  Place tomatoes, cut side up, on large baking sheet.  Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.  Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil.  Add foil packet of garlic to tray.  Roast until tomatoes are brown and tender (garlic will be very tender), about 1 hour.  Cool slightly.  Unwrap garlic packet and peel cloves.  Transfer cloves, tomatoes and any accumulated juices to a blender or food processor and pulse machine on and off until tomatoes are a chunky puree.  Transfer tomatoes to medium pot and add thyme, crushed red pepper and stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 25 minutes.  Remove from heat and adjust seasonings to taste.

Cheddar lid – Preheat oven to 350.  Arrange four ovenproof large mugs on a large, foil-lined baking sheet.  Stir grated onion into the warm soup.  Float baguette slices in each mug, buttered side up and divide grated cheese generously over top.  Bake soups on tray for 15 to 20 minutes, until cheese on top is bubbling and brown at the edges.  If you’d like it even more bronzed on top, preheat your boiler and finish soups for a minute or two under it.  Serve immediately.

Vegetarian Tiger Blood Chili and Gnarly Potatoes. WINNING!

Pretty sure I’m going to spend the day winning!  Tiff is off work.  Any good housewife knows when your spouse is off work you must spend the day having loads of fun.  It is the only thing to do so they can properly deal with work related stress.  Our plan is to golf then cash in a few of our Living Social buys.  We have one for movie tickets and another for barbeque at Moe’s.  

Before I head out on my fun day, I wanted to share a couple of recipes with you.  The first is a vegetarian chili I made for my Charlie Sheen watch party last night.  So good!  And the next is the perfect baked potato.  Also very yummy.

Vegetarian Chili (provided by Pickles E. Imes)

Ingredients

1 can kidney beans drained

2 cans black beans rinsed and drained

2 cans chili beans (with jalapeños)

2 cans petit diced tomatoes (one can drained)
1 6oz can of tomato paste
1 clove of chopped garlic

1 sweet onion diced

1 red pepper diced

Chili pepper (lots)

Cayenne pepper (lots)

Salt and white pepper to taste

Sour cream

Cheddar cheese

Saltines

Preparation

Load everything up in the crock pot and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours

Top with saltines, cheese and sour cream

I think next time I make this I will ditch the saltines and make jalapeño corn bread instead!

Perfect Baked Potato

Indredients

Medium baking potatoes

Olive oil

Sea Salt

Butter

Green Onion

Cheddar Cheese

Sour Cream

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Scrub the potatoes.  Pierce the skin with a fork several times.  Rub the skin with olive oil (sounds dirty doesn’t it), then with sea salt.  Place the potato (DO NOT WRAP IN ALUMINUM FOIL!!!) and bake for about an hour, or until slightly soft.

Top your potato with green onion, cheese, butter and sour cream. 

http://mediumlarge.wordpress.com/2011/02/24/cats-quote-charlie-sheen/

http://mediumlarge.wordpress.com/2011/02/28/cats-quote-charlie-sheen-morning-news-edition/