White Bean Chili

Yeah, I know, it's been a long time coming. :P This will probably be the best dang chili you have EVER had. I can almost promise it.

Yield: Approximately 7 servings

1 lb. Boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 T. oil
2 cans (15.5 oz each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed & drained
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
2 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chilies
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp/ cayenne pepper
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
1/2 pint whipping cream

1. Cut up chicken into small pieces and cook.
2. Separately, saute onion in oil.
3. When onion is almost done add garlic powder and cooked chicken.
4. Add beans, broth, chilies, and seasonings.
5. Bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 30 minutes or so.
7. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and whipping cream.
8. Feast!!!

Chicken, Cheddar, and Bacon Casserole

Click the picture to go to the Allrecipes.com page with this recipe. Some of the people's comments might be useful to you.


Some pre-notes about this recipe:
I ended up using a lot less cheese than this recipe calls for. I put in about 2/3 of what it called for and it already looked like a ton, so I didn't put in the rest.

I'm not positive about this, but I think if you want to make the recipe a little bit more healthful, you could substitute the bacon grease and the butter that you fry the chicken in with canola oil. But I'm making that up, so I don't know if it'll work.

Also, be aware that one of the ingredients it calls for is chicken bouillon, but then it never tells you to put it in in the instructions. You want to put either the 1/2 cup chicken broth or extra 1/2 cup of milk at the same time you put in the 1 1/2 cups of milk.

One last thing: you probably won't need as much of the bread crumb mixture as it says, but since bread crumbs are pretty cheap I wouldn't worry about it too much.

What you need:

• 8 ounces mini penne pasta or elbow macaroni
• 6 to 8 slices bacon
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound chicken breasts or chicken tenders, cut in 1-inch pieces
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup chicken broth or more milk
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
• 8 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 4 ounces American cheese, shreds or chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon melted butter

What you need to do:

• Cook the pasta in boiling salted water following package directions

• Grease a 2 1/2- to 3-quart baking dish. Heat oven to 350°

• In a large skillet or saucepan, cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon to paper towels; crumble. Pour off grease in the skillet, leaving about 1 or 2 teaspoons

• Add butter to the skillet and cook the chicken over medium-low heat until cooked through

• Add green onions and cook for 1 minute longer

• Add flour and stir until blended into the fat. Gradually stir in the milk, cooking and stirring until slightly thickened. Stir in salt, pepper, and thyme. Add the cheeses and thawed peas, along with crumbled bacon. Spoon into the prepared baking dish

• Combine bread crumbs with 1 tablespoon melted butter; sprinkle over the casserole. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until topping is browned and casserole is bubbly

Serves 6

Taco Stackers

1 lb hamburger
1 chopped onion

1 can tomato paste
1 can tomato sauce
1 & 1/4 cups water (I'm actually not sure if this is the right amount...I'm just guessing. Maybe put in one cup and then add more at the very end (once you've added the rice) if you don't like the consistency. More water mixes in well if it's a little dry, so don't worry about that).
1 TBL sugar
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano

2 c cooked rice (like, take two cups of dry rice, then cook it)


Brown and drain hamburger and onion – add all ingredients EXCEPT rice – simmer 30 minutes (you can just let it simmer while the rice is cooking) – add rice – serve over fritos (scoops, please. it's much better that way) and top with grated cheese.

You can also top it with lettuce and tomatoes, kinda like a stacked taco

Mongolian Beef

I got this recipe from my coworker Naomi, who got it from our mutual friend Nate, who got it from his sister. Look how far this recipe came to come to you!

Sauce:
2 tsp Vegetable oil
½ tsp minced ginger
1 TBLS minced garlic
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup water
¾ cup dark brown sugar (light works just fine)

Heat oil in sauce pan over med/low heat. Add ginger and garlic. Let sauté for a minute. Add water and soy sauce. Stir in brown sugar until dissolved. Raise heat to med/high and boil for 3-5 minutes until it thickens slightly.

Meat:
1 cup vegetable oil
1 lb flank steak
¼ cup cornstarch
4 green onions

Slice the steak against the grain into ¼ inch thick bite size pieces. Toss meat in zip lock with the cornstarch. Allow meat to rest in bag for 10 minutes. While the meat rests, slowly heat up the oil in a large skillet or wok on medium heat. After 10 minutes, add beef to the oil and cook for about 2-3 minutes until the edges darken. Use a slotted spoon to take the meat out and put on a plate with paper towels (meat may not be completely cooked, but will be in the pan again to finish cooking). Empty oil out of the skillet. Put meat back in the skillet and add the sauce to it and stir. Bring this to a boil for 3-5 minutes or until sauce gets really thick. Sprinkle green onions on top and serve over rice.

Your Basic Curry Recipe

My friend Jody requested that I post this on the blog. It's not really a recipe, it's just what I always do to make curry.

1 can of coconut milk
your choice of meat (chicken, beef, etc.)
3 or 4 large potatoes
curry paste* (red, yellow, massaman, etc.) to taste

Brown meat in frying pan. Cut potatoes into small pieces. Pour milk into higherish sided pan. Add curry paste. (I usually do around four heaping small spoonfuls....umm, which probably translates into about 5 teaspoons. The more you add, the hotter it'll be.) Add potatoes and meat. Cook until potatoes are cooked. Serve over rice.

Also, it's really fun to pretend fried pitas are naan bread:
Cut pitas into sixths or eighths. Fry in olive oil with whatever seasoning you want (we usually do garlic powder, cumin, onion powder, oregano). Spoon curry/rice combo onto pita triangle and eat!

*You can get curry paste at an Asian market on 300 E 300 S. It costs around $3 and lasts a while.

Cuban Chicken

{This recipe is from the cookbook my sister made me for Christmas. For dinner group, I basically quadrupled the recipe, but these are the original measurements.}

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup lime juice

4 cloves garlic

2 tbsp dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

2 chicken breasts

Combine juices and spices for marinade and pour over chicken. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day heat a skillet over medium heat. Place set marinade aside and then put chicken breasts in a skillet and cook until done. Remove from pan and set aside, keeping warm. Add marinade to pan and bring to a boil. Add a little more orange juice and lime juice to increase the amount of sauce. Serve chicken with sauce.

Spicy Coconut Chicken Casserole

Once again from the criminal goddess of domesticity:

Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 whole chicken legs (about 3 pounds total)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) light coconut milk
• 1 1/2 cups canned reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 to 2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
• 1 cup jasmine rice
• 2 red bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), cut into 1-inch pieces
• 8 ounces green beans (stem ends removed), cut into 1-inch lengths
• 1/2 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

Directions

1. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Working in two batches, cook chicken until browned, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to a plate (chicken will cook more in step 2).
2. To pot, add coconut milk, broth, 1/2 cup water, and curry paste; bring to a boil, and stir in rice. Add chicken (with any juices), arranging pieces in a single layer. Cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, without stirring, until rice is almost tender, 15 minutes.
3. Scatter bell peppers and green beans on top of chicken mixture; cover, and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.

Katie's notes:
A lot of the comments on this recipe said that 2 tsp of curry paste wasn't enough, and I would agree. I think I used about 4 tbsp, maybe a little more. The more you add, the more heat you'll get. You can find really good curry paste for quite cheap ($2.50ish?) at this little Asian market on 300 E 300 S. And...I think you'll want a little bit more rice than the recipe calls for because there's a lot of liquid in that pot. In fact, I just realized right now that I didn't add 1/2 c of water. Oops. It was still pretty watery until I added more rice.

Chicken Feta Bake

(This one's from Tyler too)

Chicken Feta Bake

- Add about a tablespoon of olive oil to a glass pan
- Place your boneless, skinless chicken breasts the pan
- Salt and pepper the chicken breasts, then sprinkle lemon juice over the tops of them to your liking
- Top with "Athenos" dried tomato and basil(?) feta cheese - it comes in a round container and is reddish in color
- Place in the oven at 375 degrees and bake for 30-40 minutes (until the chicken is done)
- Top with diced red pepper and parsley
- Serve with couscous and a Cesar salad or hummus and pita chips in keeping with the Mediterranean theme

Chicken Taco Soup

(Tyler emailed this to me, so this is actually his recipe, not mine)

Chicken Taco Soup

- 1 can black beans
- 1 can of corn
- 1 can of diced tomatoes
- 1 can of green chilies
- 1 can of chicken
- 1 envelope of taco seasoning

Combine all ingredients and heat them up! It's that simple. (When I made it for dinner group, I just doubled everything to make more so that gives you an idea of how many it serves)
- Add cilantro, shredded cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips to your liking

perfect macaroni and cheese...

...according to the title on Martha Stewart's website.

Serves 12
6 slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar
2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated pecorino Romano
1 pound elbow macaroni

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread pieces in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into the bowl with bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

2. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
3. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup pecorino Romano. Set cheese sauce aside.

4. Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer's directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup pecorino Romano; scatter breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve.

Katie's comments:

A lot of the comments on the recipe said the dish was too greasy with the breadcrumbs, so I left those out. A lot people suggested adding bacon as well, which hello, would be delicious because everything is better with bacon. Also, if you can't find any gruyere cheese (I know at least Smith's doesn't carry it), you can substitute swiss for a slightly milder flavor.

Southwest Chicken Salad

It was really just a made-up thing, so I couldn't really tell you proportions, but here's the "recipe" anyway and you can figure out how you like it best.

Salad

• Cook breaded chicken strips in the oven as directed on the bag. (Kroger brand "Crispy chicken breast strips: fritter style" are better than Tyson brand). Cut into bite-sized pieces.
  
• Chop Romaine lettuce (or whatever kind you prefer, although iceberg would probably not be a good choice) and place in a bowl.
• Drain (and I rinsed, but I don't know if that made it better or worse) black beans. I also heated them up afterward. (You know, now that I think of it, it would have worked better to heat the beans with all the juice from the can, then just scoop out the beans when adding them to the salad. That's probably what you should do...). Add beans to lettuce.
  
• Heat up corn.
• Add the chicken, corn, and beans at the end just before serving.

Winger's-like Sauce

• Heat up 1 part Frank's Red Hot Sauce
• Add 3 parts golden or dark brown sugar
• Stir until sugar is dissolved

A few extra notes:

This sauce is amazing, albeit on the spicy side (more so than the real Winger's sauce). However, a few cautions about the sauce:

• Do not sniff it directly, as it will burn your nose. (It won't damage you, but it sure is strong and stings a bit.)
• DO NOT use any white cooking materials (spoons, bowls, etc.) when preparing or storing this sauce, unless you've always wished those white cooking materials were orange.
  

I would HIGHLY recommend using this sauce on the crispy chicken strips by themselves (without cutting them into bite-sized pieces). The best way to coat them in the sauce is to put the cooked chicken in a bowl with a lid, pour the sauce (warm) liberally over the chicken, cover, and shake. Looks beautiful at the end! Have some Kleenex ready, because your nose will run.

Ranch seemed to work pretty well for those with more sensitive taste buds. Ranch mixed with the sauce was even better.

And I'm done.

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

4 to 5 medium russet potatoes (about 2 lbs.)
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
a few grinds of fresh pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder (optional)
2 1/2 cups milk
1 to 1 1/2 cups diced ham or 1 (6 ounce) can
1 tablespoon additional butter

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour, salt , pepper and onion powder and blend well into a smooth paste. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and bring slowly to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for one minute. Remove from heat.

Pare and slice the potatoes very thinly, about 1/8-inch thick. Butter a casserole dish and place half the potato slices over the bottom. Scatter the diced ham evenly over the potatoes and then cover with half the white sauce. Layer the remaining potatoes over the ham and pour the rest of the sauce over the top, smoothing with a rubber scraper to make sure all the potatoes are covered. Dot the top with 1 tablespoon butter.

Cover with a lid or aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid or foil, turn the oven down to 375 degrees and bake another 30 to 40 minutes until potatoes are tender and the top is golden brown.

Serves 4 - 5*

*I doubled the recipe when I made it Tuesday.

Chicken Salad Veronique

This is directly from the Dassler-Coalwell Family Recipe Book with my notes in {}:

3 cups chicken, cooked and cubed {I used canned chicken, 2 large cans}
1 cup grapes, seedless, halved (red or green)
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted {I omitted these}
1/2 cup celery, chopped {ditto}
3 T. onion, chopped or 1 tsp. onion powder {I used onion powder}
1/2 tsp. celery salt or Beau Monde
1/3 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1/3 cup lemon yogurt
1/2 tsp. prepared mustard (I use Dijon) {so do I}

In a medium bowl, mix chicken, grapes, almonds, celery, onion or powder, and celery salt. In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, yogurt and mustard. Fold mayonnaise mixture into chicken mixture and refrigerate. Serve on lettuce or croissant. {I served these on pitas}

Serves 6.

Cheddar Chicken Chowder

from the one and only Pendulum Court...shhhhh....

1 lb chicken breasts
5 slices of bacon
3/4 lb red potatoes
1 c red peppers
1 tbsp margarine
1 clove garlic
1 cup chopped onion
2 1/2 tsp soup base, chicken paste (like chicken bouillon cubes)
6 c water
1 c flour
2 1/2 c 1% milk
3 c frozen corn
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

Cook chicken, then chop into 2 inch cubes. Cook bacon until crisp (oven at 350 degrees for 10-12 min). Place potatoes in large pot and cover with water one inch above the potatoes. Boil for approx. 15 min or until tender. Wash and dice peppers. In large pot, saute margarine, garlic, onions and peppers over medium heat. Add chicken paste, water, and chopped chicken to pot. Stir well then bring to a boil. In a bowl, combine flour and milk. Whisk until all lumps are removed. Add slowly to soup. Cook on medium heat for 20 minutes until thick, stirring frequently. Cut up boiled potatoes. Add potatoes, frozen corn, salt, and pepper to soup. Reduce heat to low. Add cheese to soup. Further reduce heat to simmer and stir until cheese is melted.

*the Pendulum Court forgot to mention when to put in the bacon. I'm not sure if it was supposed to be sprinkled on top just before serving or what, but I threw it in at the end before I put the cheese in.

Soooo good black bean soup

Black Bean Soup

This recipe makes about 8 bowls of soup. I used this exact recipe and it filled my crock pot, it can be double for a really large crock pot. It can also be cooked over the stove.

3 cans black beans with juice (don't drain)

2-3 cans chicken broth (low sodium is fine, the other ingredients are salty enough) Use 2 cans at first, then add the other at the end if it seems thicker than you prefer. I used 2 cans last night.

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup grated carrots (or chopped finely)

1 cup grated potato (red or russet)

1 bay leaf

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 cup diced, cooked ham (a great way to use leftover Christmas ham. However, brown sugar or honey cured hams lend a strange flavor to the soup. Also, bacon doesn't really taste very good either. I just buy a little package of diced ham from the grocery store and put that it).

olive oil, oil of choice, or butter--for saute

3 Tablespoons lemon juice (juice from 2 lemons is about right) (bottled also works)

Put beans and bean juice, broth, oregano, ham and bay leaf in crock pot. Meanwhile, saute celery, carrots, potato, onion, and garlic in olive oil on stove until softened, but not browned. My mom said that she's also done it without sauteing and it still worked, but I haven't tried it that way. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Add this mixture to the crock pot. Stir well and cook with lid on for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. When ready to serve, add lemon juice. Usually there is no need for salt and pepper (and I didn't add any last night).

Garnish with salsa, fresh lime juice, fresh tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole or avocado, cilantro, green onion, shredded cheese, etc.

Just refrigerate any leftovers...it saves really well and makes for delicious lunches.

Slow-Cooked Tex-Mex Chicken and Beans

I copied this directly from Martha Stewart's website.*

• Ingredients

  Serves 4

• 1 cup dried pinto beans, rinsed (I would recommend soaking the beans the night before to make sure they get cooked all the way the next day.)
  
• 1 jar (11 ounces) mild or medium salsa (1 1/2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper (ribs and seeds removed), chopped
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream, for serving
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, for serving

Directions

1. In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, stir together beans, salsa, chiles, flour, and 1 cup water. Season chicken with salt and pepper; arrange on top of bean mixture. Scatter onion and bell pepper on top of chicken.
2. Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours. (Do not open lid or stir.)
3. Remove chicken from stew; shred into large pieces and return to stew. Serve topped with sour cream and cilantro.

*Note: I do not actually like Martha Stewart very much, BUT. She does have this one cookbook that I love, love, love and her Dinner Tonight emails are great.
That's all.

Sour Cream Enchiladas

I actually already posted the recipe on my personal blog, but here it is again:

This is from a cookbook my home ward compiled 20 or so years ago.

What you need:

one 16 ounce container of sour cream
two cans of cream of chicken soup
one bunch of green onions...depends on how much you like onions
three cups of grated cheese (I use sharp cheddar, sometimes with part pepper jack)*
one can of diced green chiles OR smoked chipotle peppers*
twelve yellow corn tortillas (the smaller ones)
(The recipe calls for olives but I don't like black olives so I never put them in.)

*I have made this a couple times using both pepper jack and chipotle peppers, but it's PRETTY spicy. I would recommend using one or the other.*

**If you want more chicken, you can add a can of already-cooked chicken (looks like a tuna can)....or if you want more protein and not as much meat...you can use a can of navy beans**

What to do:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Soften the tortillas in oil (you basically just put oil in a frying pan and cook the tortillas just enough so they can easily be rolled up), then set them on a plate and set aside.

Mix everything together in a big bowl, but only use half the cheese.

You need a 9 x 13 pan. Put a little bit of the mixture on the bottom of the pan and spread it around. Then put a scoop of the mixture in the center of a tortilla and roll it up, place in the pan.

Do this until all the tortillas are gone but there is still some of the mixture left. Spread it on top of all the rolled up tortillas and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

(These are really good reheated too!)

Spaghetti Sauce

This one comes from my step mom. She doesn't know I'm putting it on here, and would probably make me eat spaghetti until I died if she found out.

(That was a reference to the movie Se7en, which I don't expect any of you to have seen or ever seek it out to see it...)

Mix the following together in a large pot. Clearly you'll want to brown the beef in a separate pan while combining the rest of the ingredients in the pot.

• 1.5-2 lbs. browned ground beef (1.5 lbs for slightly thinner sauce, 2 lbs for thicker sauce)
  
• 1 12-oz. can tomato paste
• 2 14.5-oz. cans diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp. onion -OR- 1 small onion diced. (probably more like 1/2 onion, but a full onion works too if you like it)
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsps. oregano
• 1 tsp. Tabasco (or any hot sauce)
• 1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
• 12 oz. ketchup (one small bottle? Or you can use the 12-oz. can from the tomato paste to measure)
• 5 bay leaves
• Pepper to taste

Basically, the longer you let it simmer the better. Three or four hours is ideal, but it will still be delicious after just 30-45 minutes.

By the way, for those who like sloppy Joes, I've found this also makes really good sloppy Joe material. If you may decide to use it for that, I would recommend using the 2 lbs. of ground beef.

p.s. my step mom is not a psycho.