Creamy White Chicken Chili

Fall has definitely begun to arrive here, and chili is one of my favorite fall foods. But, although I like traditional red chili, I much prefer a white chili. When I saw Damaris Philips from Southern at Heart make a white chicken chili, I thought it was time to make a version of her chili but with a few twists of my own. This recipe turned out to be quite a success. Both of my boys gobbled it right up and then commented several times about how good it was. A hit! I reheated it tonight, and it was just as good. I served mine with sour cream and avocado.

Creamy White Chicken Chili
Ingredients:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts (or a combination), cut into chunks
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
2 tbs sunflower oil
3 celery stalks, cut into medium dice (about 1 cup)
1 medium onion, cut into medium dice (about 2 cups)
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into medium dice (about 1 cup)
1 jalapeno, small diced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups (1 quart) chicken stock, warmed
Two 15-ounce cans beans (I like using a mix - cannelini beans if you want to keep the light color theme, black beans, pinto)
On 7-ounce can chopped green chiles
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/4 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Drizzle the chicken with the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and put on a baking sheet. Roast until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F on a meat thermometer, 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the thickness of your meat and the cut you select. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then cut into large dice.

3. Pour the chicken stock into a pan over medium heat to warm it.

4. Meanwhile, add 2 tbs sunflower oil to a large Dutch oven and heat over medium heat. When hot, add the celery, onions, jalapeno, and bell peppers and saute until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the flour, stir to coat the vegetables and cook until the flour starts to brown, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the warm chicken stock, stirring until combined. Add the beans, chiles, garlic powder, cumin, and rosemary and bring to a simmer, cooking until the mixture starts to thicken, 15 to 20 minutes.

5. Add the diced chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes to warm through.

6. Remove from heat and stir in the heavy cream. Serve immediately.

Baked Blueberry Oatmeal with Pecan Streusel Topping

I just got back from a week of traveling for work, so after a little sleeping in (that's a relative term for me since 6 a.m. is sleeping in), I decided I'd make a cool weather breakfast that's just perfect for fall weather. I saw a recipe on the threemanycooks.com website that I've been wanting to try. I made a few changes to the recipe, but man, oh man, this stuff is GOLD! Pure gold! It's so good. I'm not even a big oatmeal breakfast person, but this stuff will convert me! Next go round, I may reduce the brown sugar a bit in the recipe, just to see if I can eliminate some of the sugar, but this is just too good not to share. Try this oatmeal!

Baked Blueberry Oatmeal with Pecan Streusel Topping
Ingredients:
3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1.5 cups brown sugar, divided
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
3 cups milk (I used skim, but you could use almond, coconut, or 1%, 2%, or whole)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups fresh blueberries, divided (I used frozen, not thawed, and they worked great!)
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup coarsely pecans
half-n-half (optional)

1. Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix oatmeal, 1 cup brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and 1.5 teaspoons cinnamon in a medium bowl.

2. In a separate bowl whisk milk, vanilla, and eggs. Stir milk mixture, then 1 cup of blueberries into oatmeal mixture; turn into a 13- by 9-inch pan.

3. Bake until oatmeal is just starting to set, about 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, mix flour, butter, pecans, and remaining brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

5. Crumble mixture over just set oatmeal, scatter remaining blueberries, and continue to bake until oatmeal is just set and crumble is golden brown, about 20 minutes longer.

6. Dish into bowls; if desired, add a light drizzle of half-n-half.

Cinnamon Bread

Andy loves cinnamon bread. You know the kind with the swirl running through it, and it looks all lovely and like a cinnamon roll but in a bread? Yup, that's the one. So, when I saw this recipe on Three Many Cooks, I knew I had to try it. I goofed a bit on mine, and ended up making it into two loaves instead of just one giant one - that's what happens when your 9X20 shape is not quite a rectangle, and then you can't get the bread into one loaf pan. But no matter, these loaves still turned out beautifully, if a little smaller than what was intended. I enjoyed a piece for breakfast this morning, toasted with a little butter and cinnamon sugar. Yum.

Cinnamon Bread (from Three Many Cooks)
Ingredients:
2 & 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (a normal packet contains 2 & 1/4 tsp)
1 1/2 cups whole milk, warmed to tepid (around 105 degrees)
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter melted but not hot
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus 2 teaspoons for the swirl (I used 2 cups AP flour and 2 cups white whole wheat flour)
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/4 cup for the swirl
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus 2 teaspoons for the swirl
1 egg, beaten (save this to use in the middle of the process and again before the bread goes in the oven)

1. Sprinkle yeast over warm milk; let stand until yeast dissolves and starts to expand, about 5 minutes; whisk in cooled butter.

2. Meanwhile, pulse 4 cups of flour, salt, 1/4 cup of the sugar, and 2 teaspoon of the cinnamon in the work bowl of a food processor. Add milk mixture; process until it forms a soft, rough mass, about 30 seconds. (Dough will firm up as butter solidifies.)

3. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface to form a smooth ball; place into a vegetable cooking spray-coated large bowl and then cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm place until dough doubles, 1 1/2 to 3 hours, depending on room temperature. Mix remaining 1/4 cup of sugar with remaining 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and flour.

4. Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface, stretching it into a 20-by 9-inch rectangle; brush with egg and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. With the 9-inch side facing you, roll dough into a tight cylinder and place it in a vegetable cooking spray-coated 9-inch loaf pan. *I rolled mine with a rolling pin - I stretch my pizza dough, but have not had much luck stretching a loaf of bread into a 20X9 rectangle, but give it a shot!

5. Cover pan with a damp towel; let rise until almost doubled in size, 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours, depending on room temperature.

6. Ten to 15 minutes before baking, heat oven to 350 degrees. Brush dough with remaining egg wash and bake until crust is brown, about 45 minutes. Turn loaf onto a wire rack to cool. (Cooled loaf can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature a day or two or wrapped loaf can be placed in a zipper-lock bag and frozen up to 1 month.) Slice, toast, serve!

Beef Burrito Casserole

I've been trying out some new recipes lately and this one caught my eye for a couple of reasons: simplicity, it's Mexican, and it has tortillas (and anything that has tortillas is a winner in my book)! This came from Recipe Girl. I made a few minor adjustments, but overall, the recipe is pretty perfect.

Beef Burrito Casserole
Ingredients:
1/2 tbs - 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
One 14-ounce can chili beans, drained
Salsa (1 cup + enough for serving with the casserole)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8-10 8-inch flour tortillas
2 cups shredded cheddar or jack cheese (or mixture of both)
3 green onions, chopped or fresh chives (which is what I used)
sour cream, salsa and avocado, for serving

1. Put the oil in the bottom of a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the beef and onion until the meat is no longer pink. Spoon out any fat. Add the garlic, oregano, garlic powder, garlic salt, cumin and beans. Continue to heat for about 5 minutes, then stir in 1 cup of the salsa and the Parmesan cheese.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13x9-inch glass baking dish with nonstick spray.

3. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the beef/bean mixture onto the center of a tortilla. Roll up tightly and place the filled tortilla seam-side-down in the pan. Continue with remaining tortillas and filling until you have filled all 8 or 10 tortillas and have snuggled them alongside of one another in the pan. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top of the rolled-up tortillas and sprinkle the green onions (or chives) on top of the cheese. Cover with greased foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is hot and bubbly. Serve burritos with sour cream, salsa and avocado, as desired.

Lemon Chicken

One of my favorite Chinese takeout foods is lemon chicken. Rather than order in tonight, I made my own lemon chicken. This recipe is from Lil Luna's blog, and it was really delicious, although it did take quite a bit of time to fry up all the chicken, so give yourself a bit of time on this one, but, trust me, it's worth it!

Lemon Chicken
Ingredients:

Chicken
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 - 3/4 cup oil (I used a mixture of sunflower and grapeseed oil)
salt and pepper, to taste
1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk

For the lemon glaze
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp ground lemon pepper
1 tsp. minced garlic

1. Make your glaze. In a medium pan, over medium heat, combine honey, soy sauce, pineapple juice, brown sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, lemon pepper and minced garlic. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer about 10-12 minutes, should be slightly thickened.

2. In a large skillet, heat 1 cup oil over medium high heat.

3. Place flour in a Ziploc bag and pour milk into a small bowl. Add 8-10 pieces of chicken to your bag of flour and shake around. Take each piece out and dip in milk and throw back into the flour bag. Shake around and take the chicken out. Repeat until all chicken is coated in flour and milk.

4. Fry chicken in oil for 4-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

5. Toss chicken in your glaze mixture and serve warm over rice.

Orange Sweet Rolls

My most favorite breakfast (other than EGGS!) growing up were when we bought the orange sweet rolls ... you know the ones you can buy in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. That orange glaze. That warm ooey gooey goodness. Last night, I was craving that orange sweetness. So, I decided to make a batch for breakfast on Saturday morning. And, oh my goodness, I'm so glad I did. The comment made by Nathan after eating one was the following: "So, if we we only had one day left to live, would you make us each a tray of these and let us eat them all?" Mission accomplished. Delicious. I got this recipe directly from Sally's Baking Addiction. Check out her website! She has a LOT of great recipes!

Orange Sweet Rolls
Ingredients:
DOUGH
1 package active dry yeast (2 and 1/4 teaspoons)
1/2 cup warm water
fresh orange zest from 1 medium sized orange
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3 - 3.5 cups all-purpose flour
FILLING
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
GLAZE
1 cup confectioners' (powdered) sugar
1 Tablespoon orange juice
fresh orange zest from 1 medium oranges
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Make The Dough: Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup warm water for about 1 minute. No need to use a thermometer for the water's temperature, but to be precise: about 105-115F degrees. Stir the yeast/water around. Then add orange zest, orange juice, sugar, salt, egg, butter, and 1.5 cups of flour. Beat everything together on low with a handheld mixer, scraping down the sides as needed. (A mixer is definitely needed to break up all the butter and beat everything to the proper consistency.) With a wooden spoon, stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a dough easy to handle - about 1.5 - 2 more cups. You are looking for a dough that is not sticky and will spring back when poked with a finger.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it with your hands for about 5-6 minutes. Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to a lightly greased bowl. Cover the dough and let sit in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1.5 hours.

2. Line the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving room on the sides. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and, using a rolling in, roll into a 10x15 inch rectangle. I used a ruler for accuracy. Make sure the dough is smooth and evenly thick, even at the corners.

3. For The Filling: in a small bowl, mix together sugar and cinnamon. Spread the dough rectangle with softened butter and sprinkle generously with all of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Tightly roll up the dough and cut into 16 even rolls (1 inch in width each) with a very sharp knife. Arrange them in the prepared baking pan, cut sides up. Cover the rolls and let them rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes - 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Cover the rolls with aluminum foil and bake for about 25-30 minutes, until they are lightly golden in color. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for about 15 minutes.

4. Make The Glaze: In a small bowl, mix together all of the glaze ingredients and drizzle over rolls before serving. Add more orange juice to thin out, if needed.

Make ahead tip: Baked rolls can be frozen up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm up before enjoying. You can also freeze the unbaked rolls and here's how: let the rolls rise through step 4. Then, bake the rolls for only about 10 minutes at 375°F. Cool completely, then cover tightly and freeze. Take the rolls out of the freezer and put into the refrigerator a few hours before serving. Then, finish baking them.

This is what I did. Overnight worked fabulously! To make this recipe using an overnight method: prepare through step 4. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, remove from the refrigerator and let rise, about 1 hour.

Chocolate Oatmeal Coconut Almond Bars

I've been wanting a dessert today, but nothing sounded good. I've made a version of these bars before that was good, but it wasn't knock your socks off good. So, I thought I'd tweak the recipe a bit to answer my chocolate craving, but include a few other of my favorite goodies, namely coconut and almond. Now, if you don't like almond extract (I could seriously drink it), you can use vanilla extract, but the almond extract does add something a little special to this bar. Feel free to adjust as appropriate according to your cravings!

Chocolate Oatmeal Coconut Almond Bars
Ingredients:
1 cup AP flour (AP = all purpose)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 & 1/2 tsp almond extract
1 egg
1 & 1/4 cups quick cooking oats
1 pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/3 cup sliced almonds (for the top)

1. Beat butter, sugars and almond extract in mixing bowl until creamy.

2. Beat in egg.

3. Add flour and cinnamon, gradually.

4. Stir in oats, 3/4 cup chocolate chips, and the coconut.

5. Spread into greased 9X13 inch pan. You may need to use your fingers to help spread this out.

6. Bake in 350 degree oven for 23 minutes.

7. Immediately, sprinkle with the remaining chocolate chips; let stand for 5 minutes (they will be shiny).

8. Spread with a knife or an uneven spatula, and then sprinkle with almonds.

9. Let cool - chocolate will harden.

10.Cut into bars.

Potato Focaccia Pugliese

I wanted to try a different and fun bread this weekend. I saw this recipe in my 100 Great Breads book by Paul Hollywood and thought this fit the bill. This bread is delicious - a mix between the more dense focaccia and the more porous pugliese. I used rosemary from my garden and little potatoes from the farmers' market. This bread takes only a 2-hour rise. It's worth the time.

Potato Focaccia Pugliese
Ingredients:
scant 4 cups white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tbs salt
1 package yeast (I used rapid rise here)
1 & 1/4 cup water
olive oil
8-10 new potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced
rock salt, to sprinkle
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, de-stemmed

1. Put the flour, salt, yeast, and water into a bowl and mix to form a dough. Let stand in the bowl for 1 hour to double in size.

2. Line a baking sheet. Tip the dough out of the bowl onto the baking sheet and flatten with your hands, then brush with olive oil and, using your fingers, make indentations over the surface. Layer the potatoes over the top, then sprinkle with a little rock salt and stud with rosemary sprigs. Let rise on baking sheet for 1 hour.

3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Bake the bread for 20-30 minutes. Check after 20. Remove from the oven and brush the load with more olive oil, then transfer to a wire rack and serve when cooled.

Updated Recipe Index - it's visual!!

Hey everyone, I'm super excited to share my new VISUAL recipe index with you! Now when you're searching by topic, you'll see a thumbnail picture of the dish! I'm hoping this will make it much easier to find the dish of your dreams. Enjoy!

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Y'all, I've tried a million different recipes for homemade ranch dressing. Sometimes the taste is there, but it's too thin, or the thickness is there, but the taste is sub-par. But today, I think I mastered the perfect ranch dressing/dip. This one has a little kick, but if you don't like that, you can leave out the sriracha. This is super easy to whip up and a little goes a long way. Mix it up with different herbs (use dill, parsley, chives, tarragon), use a homemade mayonnaise like I did. Stop buying the stuff in the store that is filled with carrageenan, gums, and all sorts of other fillers. This dressing/dip is the best because you know every single ingredient in it. Yum.

Homemade Ranch Dressing
Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise (homemade is best)
1/2 cup sour cream (the real deal here - no light, no fat-free)
1/2 tbs Dijon mustard
1/4 cup fresh chopped herbs
1/2 tsp sriracha (or more if you like it)
1/4 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a jar. Mix thoroughly. Season to taste. Refrigerate immediately.