Chicken Tortilla Soup

In need of a comforting soup this winter? Here is one of my favorite soups to make, especially because it reheats so well. It's perfect to make on a Sunday night and take to work throughout the week.

This recipe began as a knock off recipe for a restaurant called Max & Erma's. I have never been there; I don't know if this is anything like it. I have made changes to that original knock off recipe that have resulted in a creamier, more satisfying soup.

Ingredients
1/4 C butter
1/4 C all purpose flour
3 C chicken broth
1 C sour cream
8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
10 oz can Ro*Tel® tomatoes and chillies
2 C cooked, shredded chicken
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
shredded mexi blend cheese and tortilla crisps for topping

Putting it all together
1. In pot, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes.
2. Slowly (and I mean slowly) whisk in small amounts of chicken stock. Then add the sour cream.
3. Keeping at medium heat, add the cheese and stir until melted.
4. Stir in Ro*Tel®, chicken, and spices.
5. At this point, the soup is more or less done. I like to leave it on the stove to simmer on low for a little bit to make sure all the cheese is melted and the spices have a chance to really cook in.
6. When ready to eat, top with shredded cheese and tortilla crisps.

A few notes:
-The soup is pretty straight forward, nothing too tricky. The only finicky thing is when adding chicken broth to the flour/butter roux. Just go slow; take your time. Use small amounts of broth. Here are a few pictures of the progression of the mixture as you add the broth.

-Also be patient with the shredded cheese (the sharp cheddar). The original version used Velveeta® but I really disliked the result. It did not really incorporate into the soup. While the shredded cheese is sometimes slow to melt in, it is still a vast improvement over Velveeta®.
-I found tortilla crisps in the salad topping section of HyVee. One time I attempted to make my own by cutting up tortillas and trying to lightly fry them. For those of you adventurous enough, go for it, but I will be buying mine from now on!

Enjoy!

Overnight Coffee Cake (Grandma Goetz Coffee Cake)

It's a new year and as a new mom I'm finding it's good to have a creative outlet. I happened upon our blog again in search of the Red Lobster biscuits and ended up reading posts for about 2 hours that night! So I have decided to start posting again and to make some of the recipes already on here (I am really looking forward to making that no knead bread!). I haven't posted much up until now and it's important to know that a lot of what I make is homestyle, comfort food. In other words, not very healthy at all! As I get back into the swing of cooking for my family and broadening my horizons with the help of this blog, I hope to be able to offer up healthy and delicious recipes.

For my first recipe out of the gate this year, I chose a coffee cake recipe that I got from a family member at my bridal shower (thanks Debbie). It really is a straight forward coffee cake but what made it stand out to  me was one ingredient in particular (sour cream?!) and the fact that I can make the batter the night before and bake the next day. I'm all about less work in the morning.

(Also, I got a camera for Christmas last year and I really like taking pictures with it. I'll try to show some restraint when posting!)

Ingredients
1/2 C margarine (I used butter)
1 1/4 C sugar
2 eggs
8 oz sour cream
2 C flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
brown sugar and cinnamon for filling

Prepare the night before
1. Cream margarine/butter, sugar, and eggs until light and fluffy. Then blend in the sour cream.
2. Sift together and add to creamed mixture. Add the tsp of vanilla and blend well.

The next morning
1. Grease and flour a bundt pan.
2. Spoon half of batter in the pan. Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon over that layer.
3. Spread remaining batter over the sugar/cinnamon layer.

To bake
1. Place in COLD oven and set oven to 350॰.
2. Bake for 50 minutes, but check at 40 minutes.
3. When done baking, let stand in pan 15-20 minutes before taking out of pan.

My notes!
-The recipe calls for margarine. I don't have margarine; I only ever use unsalted butter in my cooking and baking. When first stirring this up I thought I made a huge mistake by not using margarine. When creaming the first ingredients together, I couldn't really get it to be "fluffy." In fact, the whole mixture just seemed odd after all the ingredients were added. 

Why so clumpy and not fluffy?

After the sour cream, it just got weird.

I really like sifting things.

As I went to bed though I got to thinking about biscuits and how having clumps of butter make them moist and airy. This calmed me for the night and in the morning, it baked up beautifully! 

-I used Pam and flour to prep the bundt pan. Now, I haven't greased and floured a pan in a long time and I chalk that up mostly to modern baking pans being largely non-stick. With my inaugural use of the bundt pan though I didn't want to take any chances. I don't think it needed it. It sort of gave the top of the cake a funny look. It didn't get in the way of overall taste but aesthetically it's a change I would make.

-The original recipe called for a filling of 1 tsp cinnamon and 2 Tbsp of granulated sugar. This didn't seem satisfying to me which is why I chose to use brown sugar instead and to just throw it on indiscriminately.

I didn't want to overdo it just in case it somehow messed up the structure of the cake. Next time, I will definitely add a lot more! I wanted more cinnamony goodness!

You can see the effect the flour/Pam combination had on the cake.

-And that's really it! Next time, if I have the patience, I will make a simple icing (powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, glob of butter) for it just for a nice finishing touch!

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Cranberry-Chipotle Dressing

I often find myself with leftover canned chiles in adobo sauce. (I know, I know, #firstworldproblems). So I dug through my Pinterest boards, found this buried amongst recipes I'd pinned, and decided to give it a shot. Amazing! Super easy, and the sweet/tangy/smoky/spicy sauce is totally unique. I still have leftover chiles...but I will try to resist the temptation to make eight more batches of this stuff.

Source: Eats Well With Others

Yield: 4-8 servings

 

Ingredients

• 2½ lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
• ¾ tsp salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ¾ cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• ¼ cup water
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 chipotle chile, minced (about 1 tbsp)
• 1 tsp adobo sauce (from chile)
• ½ cup pepitas
• ¾ cup chopped scallions
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, minced

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Toss the sweet potatoes with 2 tbsp olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until tender, stirring after 15 minutes.
3. For the dressing, place the remaining tbsp of olive oil, cranberries, water, honey, chipotle, and adobo sauce in a saucepan. Place pan over medium-low heat and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and cook for 10 minutes or until the cranberries pop, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. Mash with a fork until chunky or puree in a food processor.
4. Toast the pepitas in a medium skillet until lightly browned.
5. Toss together the roasted sweet potatoes, pepitas, scallions, cilantro, and dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Notes

Adapted from Cooking Light

5 Ingredient Thai Pumpkin Soup

'Tis the season! Pumpkin season is upon us, one of my favorite foodie times of year. I wanted a quick and easy dinner, and saw this on pinterest. I thought it was too simple to taste good, but dang, was I wrong...and now I'm kind of obsessed with it. You get a surprisingly complex flavor out of only five ingredients. I pulsed a spicy red pepper and some cilantro in a food processor to make a gremolata of sorts to top the soup. Serve it with a side of store-bought garlic naan, and you're in pumpkin heaven.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons red curry paste

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth, about 32 ounces

2 15 ounce cans pumpkin puree

1 3/4 cup coconut milk, or a 13.5 ounce can, reserving 1 tablespoon

1 large red chili pepper, sliced

cilantro for garnish if desired

 

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook the curry paste for about one minute or until paste becomes fragrant. Add the broth and the pumpkin and stir.
2. Cook for about 3 minutes or until soup starts to bubble. Add the coconut milk and cook until hot, about 3 minutes.
3. Ladle into bowls and garnish with a drizzle of the reserved coconut milk and sliced red chilis. Garnish with cilantro leaves if desired. 

Source: http://www.foodiecrush.com/2013/10/5-ingredient-thai-pumpkin-soup/

Mocha Fudge

I did an experiment last week... I had a recipe for cinnamon chocolate fudge and it was yummy and I *love* cinnamon, don't get me wrong, but mostly it made me think how great it would be with coffee instead of cinnamon. So, I present to you my adaptation of a Giada DeLaurentiis recipe... mocha fudge. It's easy and delicious (in my opinion).

Mocha Fudge

Ingredients

• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 packets Starbucks Via instant coffee (I used one dark roast and one medium)
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pound semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, at room temperature
• Kosher or flake salt, optional

Directions

1. Line an 8x8" pan with a sheet of parchment paper, allowing the excess to overhang the sides. Set aside.
2. In a medium glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the condensed milk, coffee, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Stir in the chocolate chips and butter. Put the bowl on a saucepan of barely simmering water and mix until the chocolate chips have melted and the mixture is smooth, about 6 to 8 minutes (mixture will be thick). Using a spatula, scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with salt, if desired. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until firm.
3. Run a warm knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the fudge. Remove the fudge to a cutting board. Peel off the parchment paper and cut the fudge into 1-inch pieces. Store refrigerated in an airtight container or freeze.

Original recipe for cinnamon chocolate fudge: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/cinnamon-chocolate-fudge-recipe.html

4 Ingredient Green Smoothie

I've always been skeptical of green smoothies. Something about pureeing a salad didn't appeal to me. But when I tried this, I became a spinach-smoothie enthusiast. You honestly can't taste the spinach, it just tastes like sweetened-banana-deliciousness. I want to walk around with this smoothie, wearing over-sized sunglasses and yoga pants, carrying a chihuahua in my purse. Because I feel that trendy.

Recipe from Pinch of Yum

 

Ingredients

• 1 large banana
• 1½ cups vanilla almond milk, unsweetened
• 3-4 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
• 2 cups spinach

Instructions

Puree everything together in a blender until very smooth. There should be no flecks of spinach or small pieces of dates left - everything should be incorporated and smooth. Serve immediately.

Cilantro-Lime Salad Dressing

I know this sounds boring, but seriously - salad dressing. Amazing salad dressing. Normally, salads just add a nice freshness and crunch to a meal, and I walk away thinking...meh. But when I made this salad dressing to accompany enchiladas, my friend and I were blown away. You know a dressing is good when you say, "those enchiladas were good, but I really just want a huge bowl of that salad."

Cilantro-Lime Salad Dressing from Damn Delicious.

• 1 cup loosely packed cilantro, stems removed
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 cloves garlic
• Juice of 1 lime
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Combine cilantro, Greek yogurt, garlic, lime juice and salt in the bowl of a food processor. With the motor running, add olive oil and vinegar in a slow stream until emulsified.

I didn't follow the recipe when it came to the actual salad. I tossed it with butter lettuce, halved cherry tomatoes, diced avocado, and topped it with roasted/salted pepitas (aka pumpkin seeds). If you added some shrimp or chicken, you'd have a tasty main-course salad.