Dulce de Leche Sauce

If you follow me on Instagram, you'll already know that I tried really hard not to fuck up this recipe for Dulce de Leche sauce the other day. I guess boiling milk is a temperamental bitch and she fucked up my stove. But, after 2 hours, I had this jar of thick, glorious, sweet Dulce de Leche sauce.

Now, the original intent was to make churros but let me tell you that when you make churros and you can't find the star tip to your pastry bag, you end up with a plate of sweets that literally look like shit. 

Do you know how hard it is to eat something that looks like a huge piece of shit? I was so excited to have a new recipe on the blog that I might have cried a little when it all turned to shit. I thought I might post it anyway, but let's face it, I have enough problems with my shitty photos already. No need to an actual shit photo. 

But the good thing was the recipe only called for half the sauce. So what did I do with the other half? Stay tuned.

recipe from Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger

Asian Slaw with ginger peanut dressing

My doc recently told me that my fatass needs to cut down on meat and other shitty foods. I am not happy about that. But I am happy with I find a recipe that is meatless and tasty and somewhat healthy. 

And this is all that. Plus the grocery store had bagged cole slaw on sale for a dollar and I had to do something with it.

And, of course, this is another recipe that came into my life b/c of Pinterest.

The original recipe says it makes 6 side dish servings, but I ate this as a main course and had leftovers for 2 days. The dressing is a nice balance of hot and sweet, spicy and flavorful.


Ingredients:
For the Dressing
1/4 cup honey 1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 large garlic clove, minced

For the Slaw4 cups prepared shredded coleslaw
2 cups prepared shredded carrots
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced into bite-sized pieces
1 cup cooked and shelled edamame
2 medium scallions, finely sliced
1/2 cup chopped salted peanuts (or you can leave them whole)
1/2 cup loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions
~To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blend until well combined. Set aside. 

~Combine all of the slaw ingredients in a large bowl. Add the dressing and toss well. Let stand 10 minutes.

recipe from: here

Tiramisu

For Thanksgiving this year, I went Italian. So I needed a dessert that was classic Italian and with enough flavor to oust pumpkin pie as the traditional dessert.

So I made a tiramisu. And it was awesome. I might have eaten 99% of it myself. Screw the rest of my family that didn't want any. That was just more for MMMEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

I don't know why I had waited so long to make this. Lord knows it has been on my list since for-eva. I think maybe I thought it was too labor intensive. It was not. I was able to make this with half a bottle of wine under my belt and a 3 year old "helping". 

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup heavy cream 

2 large eggs, separated 

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar 

1 cup pound mascarpone

1 cup strong brewed espresso at room temperature 

1 7-ounce package dry ladyfingers

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting or 1/4 bar chocolate for chocolate shavings

  

Directions:
~In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with the 1/3 cup of sugar until light in color. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar to the whites and beat until they're firm and glossy. In separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until it is firm. Using a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the mascarpone and one-third of the beaten egg whites. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites.

~Pour the espresso into a shallow bowl. Quickly dip both sides of half of the ladyfingers in the espresso and line the bottom of an 8-by-10 baking dish. Spoon half of the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers and spread it in a smooth, even layer. Repeat until you have two layers of cookies and cream. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

~Just before serving, sift the cocoa powder over the top of the tiramisu or using a vegetable peeler, shave a bar of chocolate over the top. Cut the tiramisu into squares and serve.

recipe modified from: here

Pork Fried Rice

Week 7 of my CSA came with a great bonus - eggs and pork! For the last several weeks, my CSA has been sold out of their eggs. This week I was able to get two dozen eggs from free range, organically fed, Montessori educated chickens. They are a thing of beauty.

The other great bonus is a local farmer will now offer pork, poultry and goat products (soap, lotion, cheese) every week at our CSA pickup. This week, I picked up some goat cheese, pork ribs and pork chops.

It is so nice to see all the produce and now have options for meat so I can go home and just throw a meal together, like this one:

I used the carrots, bok choy, pork, onion, garlic and eggs in this dish and it was yummy. So yummy I was mad there was only enough left overs for one day and that went to The Good Husband.

I used brown rice in this dish, hence the reason the photo is so brown. I also need to start making and freezing bags of rice since brown rice takes so long to cook. We would have been able to eat a whole lot sooner, if I had premade rice.

Another tip with making stir fry is to have all the ingredients chopped, measured and ready to go since the cooking time is so fast. There is no time to cut the carrots while the pork cooks. So have everything ready to go and just dump in the wok.

Ingredients:
3/4 pound pork chops, cubed
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 small onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon finely diced ginger
2-3 cloves garlic, diced
2-3 small carrots, peeled and diced
3-4 heads baby bok choy, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
2 teaspoons white sugar
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon malt vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
2 cups cooked rice

Directions:
~Heat half the oil in a hot wok until surface seems to shimmer slightly and stir-fry onion and ginger for 30 seconds. Add carrots and garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add sugar and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add pork and stir-fry for another 1 minute. Stir in hoisin sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add bok choy and peas and cook for another few minutes. Add the cooked rice and cook until heated through.

~Make a well in the center of the wok and add the rest of the oil. Add the beaten eggs and stir until eggs are scrambled. Once the eggs are cooked, stir to combine them in the rest of the dish.

recipe modified from this one

Chicken Gyros

I love traditional gyros and if the local place hadn't closed AND we had a leg of lamb on a spit, we would have had traditional gyros. However the thing I like about making my own is, I can adjust the sauce according to taste and use chicken, something we do have on hand.

I added more garlic to the sauce (of course) and grated some onion into it as well. While it didn't turn out as thick as our formerly local place, it was a hit with The Good Husband.

Ingredients:
1 seedless cucumber
1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, divided
6 garlic cloves, minced, divided
1 tomato, diced
1 small onion
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 rounded teaspoon dried oregano
1 rounded teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
4 (8-inch) pocketless pita rounds
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced

Directions:
~Peel and grate 1 cucumber, then wrap it in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze to remove excess water. Stir together with yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, half of garlic, 2 tablespoons grated onion and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper to make tsatsiki. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.

~Gently simmer oil, oregano, rosemary, remaining garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a small heavy saucepan, stirring constantly, until garlic is fragrant but not browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Toss chicken with 3 tablespoons garlic oil and brush one side of bread with remainder.

~Heat griddle over medium high heat and cook chicken until done, basting with remaining oil. Remove chicken from griddle and heat bread, oil side down for one to two minutes until slightly blackened.

~Top each pita with chicken, sliced onion and tomato and serve with tsatsiki.

recipe inspired by: epicurious

Orange Ginger Chicken Stir Fry

I went a little crazy last week and everything we had for dinner was some sort of "Asian" dish. I use quotes, b/c let's face it, it's white girl Asian cooking at best. The Good Husband is hit and miss when it comes to Asian food. He will like something I would never in a million years think he would like - pad thai, summer rolls - and he will hate a dish that has only ingredients he likes. He is totally food bipolar.

But this is a healthy little dish that he was neutral about. And it didn't take that long to make either, which is good when you have a kid that can only watch 30 minutes of TV a day, then wants to be right next to the stove as you are cooking.

Ingredients:
For the sauce:
1 cup of water
1/4 cup of soy sauce
4 tablespoons of orange juice
1 teaspoons ginger, fresh and grated
5-6 minced garlic gloves
2 teaspoon sweet chili sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoon hoisin sauce
3 teaspoon corn starch

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced thin
Canola oil
1 package broccoli slaw
1 cup cooked brown rice

Directions:
~For the sauce - Add all the ingredients in a screw top jar and shake to combine. For a ticker sauce, add corn starch by the teaspoon until desired thickness. Set aside.

~ In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown the chicken in oil until cooked through. Add the sauce, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook 2-3 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Add broccoli slaw and toss to combine.

~ Serve with cooked brown rice.

recipe by: The Good Wife

Chicken Taquitos

I have finally joined the 21st century and bought a smart phone. After taking two weeks to defeat Angry Birds, I turned to cooking apps and fell in love with Epicurious' app. This chicken taquitos recipe is a healthier version of the one found here. While my stomach would love a fried taquito, my ass would not appreciate it.

Even though they weren't fried, they were still pretty tasty and the Epicourious app is now 1-0. Download this thing if you have a smart phone. You will love it too.

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
8 oz light sour cream
1 (4 1/2-ounce) can chopped green chiles
2 cups frozen organic corn, thawed
1 small red onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced I used a combo of red and green
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Juice of one lime
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chile powder
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
24 whole wheat, low carb tortillas

Directions:
~Grill the chicken until done, allow to cool and shred with a fork.

~Combine the remaining ingredients, expect for the tortillas and mix thoroughly until well blended. Place a rounded tablespoon of the mixture onto each tortilla and roll tightly. Seal the edge with egg white and place seam side down on a baking sheet lined with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

~Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes until the edges turn brown.

Makes 6 servings

recipe by: The Good Wife

The Good Family Vacation, Part 2 - The Food

There are some foods that are just so southern that you have to try them - fried chicken, collard greens, shrimp and grits, sweet tea.

The day we went to the beach we ate at Magnolias @ 26th Restaurant, a southern style buffet that had food to make Paula Dean jealous. I devoured the fried chicken and it was the best I have ever had. Seriously. I don't know what they did to make it so damn good but it was like crack. I also inhaled the fried squash.

I then had a huge helping of collard greens with vinegar and I.Did.Not.Like.Not.Even.A.Little.Bit. I really wanted to like it and I ate it all but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Speaking of tea, I did drink about 4 gallons of sweet tea while on vacation. It was like tea flavored kool-aide.

We also ate at a place called Cooters. No review necessary.

While in Charleston we ate at Hymans Seafood. I really wanted to try the shrimp and grits but it was in the 100s and I was scared with the heat I would get sick. We waited a short 30 minutes before getting our table which by the way:

Then came boiled peanuts. Also did not like.


The fried green tomatoes were good. The spicy mayo dipping sauce was the best part. TGB did not like these.

Since I was afraid of the shrimp and grits, I ordered a buffalo shrimp po' boy instead. It was a generous sized sandwich and I almost did get sick afterward since it was a lot of food to eat.

TGB loved the hush puppies.

I am sad that I didn't get to try shrimp and grits but I guess I will have to try it next time we visit The South.

The Godfather Sauce, a dish you can't refuse.

The Godfather is in my top ten favorite movies of all time. In high school, a friend and I were obsessed with this movie. We would ask each other all sorts of obscure movie trivia about the film (Which order does Apollonia say the days of the week in English?).

This so would have been one of those questions. Actually it might have.

But for some reason it was so funny to me to make this sauce from the movie that The Good Husband was entirely sick of me making jokes about it throughout dinner. That, or he was scared I was going to whack him.

For anyone that has never seen The Godfather, it follows the Corelone mob family in the late 40s. This scene takes place between Michael Corelone, son of the mob boss Don Vito, played by the young and smoking hot Al Pacino, and Peter Clemenza, Don Vito Corleone's caporegimes or high ranking made member of the Corelone family, played by the late Richard S. Castellano.



Ingredients:
Olive oil
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans crushed tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1 pound Italian link sausage, cooked and diced into bite sizes
1 batch homemade Italian meatballs
1 cup of red wine, I used Pinot Noir
2 tablespoons sugar

Directions:
~"You start out with a little bit of oil. Then you fry some garlic." I actually sauteed the garlic on low heat for about 10 minutes until golden.

~"Then you throw in some tomatoes, tomato paste. You fry it. You make sure it doesn't stick. You got it to a boil, you shove in all your sausage and your meatballs. Add a little bit of wine. A little bit of sugar. And that's my trick." Yeah, basically all that.

I served this sauce over regular spaghetti but the next day TGH made a killer (heh) meatball sub.
recipe by:Peter Clemenza

Six Cheese White Pizza

I had a craving for pizza the other day but not really for a meaty pizza. Plus I discovered this great pizza bread my local store now carries. It is a premade pizza shell but the ingredients are flour, water, yeast and salt. No funky chemicals here. So I bought it. And it was divine.

Since I was going sans meat with this pizza, I decided to load it up on cheese. 6 kinds of cheese to be exact. The overall flavor was not overwhelming and the cheeses worked together to make a hearty pizza.

Ingredients:
1 store bought pizza crust (I used this kind)
1/4 cup provolone cheese, shredded
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup parmesan, asiago and romano shredded cheese blend
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning

Directions:
~Combine the ricotta cheese with the pressed garlic and Italian seasonings. Spread evenly over pizza crust.

~Top pizza with the provolone, parmesan, asiago and romano blend and mozzarella.

~Bake according to package directions.

recipe by: The Good Wife

Burrito, in a Bowl

Inspired by my trip to Chipotle and featuring my Salsa Verde, I came up with this dish that is both satisfying and surprisingly light.

There are several different components to this dish and the trick is to season each layer, as well as marinate the chicken. I originally wanted to marinade that chicken with some chioptle peppers, which I thought I had on hand. Turns out I didn't so I substitute crushed red pepper flake for the heat instead. I used a lot of red pepper. Feel free to reduce or eliminate it altogether if you don't want that much heat.

For the marinade:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Directions:
~Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.

~Pour marinade over chicken and allow to sit for hour hour or overnight. I allowed this to marinade overnight.

The next layer of flavor I added some spice to the store bought can of organic black beans. I used a combination of onion, garlic, cumin and chili powders (see a pattern here) as well as some lime juice to season the beans. In a small sauce pan, I added the beans, juice and all, to the seasonings and brought them to a boil and then allowed them to simmer on low while I cooked the chicken.

I diced the chicken into bite sized chunks and cooked over medium high heat until no longer pink, about 2o minutes.

To assemble:
In a bowl layer:
3/4 cup seasoned black beans
1/2 cup cooked diced chicken
1/4 cup Salsa Verde
1/8 Pico de Gallo or chunky red salsa
1/4 cup of Cojack cheese
2 tablespoons light sour cream

recipe by: The Good Wife

Salsa Verde

I, or should I say The Good Baby, had a hankering for mexican the other day and I decided to go to Chipolte. I got a super yummy chicken burito bowl with tomatillo green chili salsa.

TGB loved it and it motivated me to try and recreated the dish at home.

First step - salsa verde or green salsa.

I don't think I have eaten salsa verde all that much in the past but I knew I could find all the ingredients at my local store, that is after I googled to find out just what the ingredients were.

For this recipe I choose green chili peppers, poblano and serrano peppers. The poblano is a mild pepper but the serrano is a step up from a jalapeno. If you remove the ribs and seeds from each pepper the heat will be slightly less. Or you can be crazy and leave them all in like I did.

I roasted the peppers under the broiler before processing them in the food processor after they had cooled. When I first tasted the salsa I thought it was a little too hot, that maybe I should have seeded the peppers, but by the next day when I had this for lunch, the heat had mellowed. If anything I would add a more serrano peppers to maintain the original heat level.

Ingredients:
1 can diced green chilies
2 poblano peppers
2 serrano peppers
6-8 small to medium tomatillos, husks removed
Zest and juice of one lime
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
salt

Directions:
~Broil the peppers and tomatillos for 24 minutes, turning after 12 minutes or until the skin of the peppers and tomatillos are blackened.

~Add the peppers and tomatillos to a bowl and when cool enough to handle, remove the charred skins of the peppers as well as the seeds and the ribs, careful to avoid contact with your eyes.

~Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blend until the desired consistency.

recipe by: The Good Wife

For my 100th post...Pasta Salad

Wow! I can't believe that I am at 100 posts already. If life hadn't gotten in the way, I'm sure I would have 200 by now. But I will celebrate this small milestone with a festive and colorful dish.

To me nothing say summer like pasta salad. It is at every family get together and BBQ. I can't wait for summer this year, since The Good Baby will be making her appearance then and I think my summer social calendar might be booked this year. So, I wanted a taste of summer now. I also had a huge craving for salami and lunch meat and took a pregnancy gamble.

This dish is pretty easy to make, just like most of my other dishes. The most labor intensive part is all the chopping and the cooling of the pasta. But it came together in less than 20 minutes. It took me less time to eat it all.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole wheat pasta, any shape
4 oz hard salami, chopped
1.5 oz pepperoni, chopped (1.5 oz sounds like a strange amount, but it is half a package)
1 can of jumbo black olives, chopped
4 oz fresh mozzarella, diced
4-6 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 small red onion, chopped (I forgot to add this)
1 large handful of basil, chopped
1 recipe The Good Wife Italian Dressing Mix
1 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup white wine vinegar

Directions:
~Boil the pasta in salted water for 10-12 minutes. Drain and cool, rinsing with cool water.

~Combine the Good Wife Italian Dressing Mix with the oil, lemon juice and vinegar in a jar and shake to combine.

~Combine all the remaining ingredients with the pasts in a large bowl. Toss to coat.

recipe by: The Good Wife

Guacamole

For every cook, there is a different guacamole recipe. I love a lot of garlic and lime in my guacamole. I also like to blend the crap out of it until it is smooth. I could eat this everyday and I tell myself that it would be ok, since avocados have the"good" fat in them.

Ingredients:
2 avocados, ripened
3 cloves of garlic (I told you I love garlic)
1 small onion
The juice of two limes
A big handful of cilantro
Salt to taste

Directions:
~Peel the avocado and spoon the flesh into the bowl of a food processor.

~Combine the remaining ingredients and process the crap out of it or until it reaches the consistency you desire.

recipe by: The Good Wife

Refried Beans

I have a weakness for Taco Bell. Yes it is not the healthiest and you would think that even after working there for a year and seeing how everything is made, I wouldn't like it. But I still can't shake my love for cheap, easy food and every now and then I have to get some refried beans.

Then after staring this blog and reminiscing over my culinary accomplishments, I realized that there is a lot of premade food that would be super easy to make at home. This is one of them.

I had occurred to me that I probably never even had homemade refried beans before. Yes, I eat at other Mexican places than Taco Bell, but honestly, all the refried beans looked strikingly similar to Taco Bell's or the stuff you get out of a can.

I will say that making this was super easy. First of all, I bought canned beans. Now we can debate how much that qualifies this as truly homemade but when I can get one can of organic pinto beans for $1 versus a 1 pound bag for $3 something, well, then cheapness wins out and I went for the can.

The refired beans tasted nothing like what I have ever eaten before. I don't know if that was due to the organic beans or the lack of animal lard (seriously, look on a can of refried beans sometime. Animal lard is in there). They were a cousin to all the refired beans I had ever had before. I need to work on the seasonings, since the beans seemed a little bland, but overall they were good.

And hey, I knocked another food off my 100 Foods List.

Ingredients:
1 can pinto beans
1 medium onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons butter
salt
Cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:
~Dice the onion and garlic. In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and garlic. Add salt to taste and cook until soft, about 10 minutes.

~Drain the beans, reserving the juice. Add the beans to the onion and garlic mixture and cook for 5 minutes.

~Using a potato masher, mash the beans until they reach the consistency you desire. If needed add some of the reserved juice.

~The beans will thicken considerably when removed from the heat, so removed from heat when the beans still look watery. Let stand 5 minutes and top with cheese or diced onion.

recipe by: The Good Wife

BBQ Chicken Pizza

I don't remember the first time I had BBQ Chicken Pizza, but I will say that since I have had it, it might be one of the best types of pizza out there. Of course nothing can replace the awesomeness that is Imo's Pizza, but sadly there are none out here in the sticks.
You can see my recipe for pizza dough here.

Toppings
Ingredients:
2 cups diced cooked chicken
4 slices of thick cut bacon
1/2 Parmesan cheese
2 cups Cojack cheese
1/2 bottle of your favorite bbq sauce
1/4 cup chopped white onion (optional)

Directions:
~In a large skillet over medium high heat brown the bacon. Once the bacon has browned, remove from pan and drain on a paper plate.

~Top the pre-baked pizza dough with the bbq sauce, Cojack and Parmesan cheese, bacon and chicken (and onion).

~Bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees or until the crust is golden.

recipe by: The Good Wife

Italian Beef

As a foodie, I am supposed to hate the crock pot.

I will confess to not using it all that much, but when I do, boy! I look at it and think I should make everything in this little baby. Then I try a recipe for something like soup and it turns out horribly. Then I remember why I only use it for shredded meat and roasts.

The crock pot really is fool proof, if you stick to the above mentioned two items. Just plop everything in the crock in the morning, turn it on low and come home 8 hours later to your house smelling like a deli. The Good Husband happens to love that smell.

I should try and bottle it and market it as a perfume. While it would attract all Good Husband types to you, the only draw back would be the occasional stray dog following you home, since really, you smell like meat.

But on to the sandwich.

This Italian Beef recipe is my old stand by. I have to eliminate the banana peppers since TGH can't stand them, but you can see I compensate for the lack of pepper spice with a good helping of horseradish. Oh yum.

Ingredients:
2 heaping tablespoons of The Good Wife Italian Seasoning Mix (recipe to follow)
3 - 5 lb beef roast (I usually just get whatever cut is on sale that week)
Banana peppers and juice (optional)

Directions:
~Combine all in crock pot and cook on low 6 to 8 hours.

~Shred meat with forks 30 to 45 minutes before serving, stirring to combine all the flavors.

The Good Wife Italian Dressing Mix
Ingredients:
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried celery flakes

Directions:
~Combine all in a bowl and stir until well blended.

~Store in air tight container.

recipe by: The Good Wife

Mexican Tortilla Soup

As I said in my previous post, I was looking for recipes that contained lime and/or cilantro. This is another Rachel Ray recipe I found using both ingredients. I normally have a love/hate relationship with soup. There are only a few that I actually like and I usually prefer (unless it is a cream soup) for soup to be thick.

I also modified the way I made this recipe by a lot. I just read the directions and then almost did the opposite, but I will explain that more below. The original recipe also didn't call for corn, but I thought it would be a great addition. I would have also added some black beans, had I had any.

The original recipe also called for a pile of crushed chips to be added to the bottom of the bowl and then the soup poured on top. I found that the chips got way to soggy for my liking. On second serving of this I just placed some chips on top and dipped additonal chips in the broth. I liked it much better that.

Ingredients:
3 cups chicken stock
1 pound chicken tenders
1 bay leaf, fresh if available
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

4 slices thick, smoky center cut bacon, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 chipotles in adobo, chopped, plus 2 tablespoons sauce
1 (28-ounce) can crushed fire roasted tomatoes
Salt
1 can corn, drained
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flake
4 cups lightly crushed corn tortilla chips
2 cups shredded fresh smoked mozzarella or smoked sharp white Cheddar
1 lime, cut into wedges
1/2 red onion, chopped
Freshly chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions:

~Bring broth to a simmer and add chicken tenders, poach 6 to 7 minutes with a bay leaf. While chicken poaches, heat extra-virgin olive oil in a medium soup pot or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp then remove with slotted spoon. Drain off excess fat, leaving 2 to 3 tablespoons in the pan. Add onions and garlic to the skillet and cook 5 minutes then stir in chipotles and tomatoes. (Since the purpose of this recipe is to deliver smokey flavors, I decided that I would sear the chicken on the outside, to get a nice caramelized color, before poaching them. The poaching time was less, but since I seared them, the overall cooking time was the same. I followed the original directions in cooking the bacon and the onions.)

~Remove chicken from stock, dice and then add to soup. Pass stock through a strainer then add to the soup. (I also added cumin and red pepper flake to the soup to give it more of a kick. I also added the cilantro directly into the soup, as well as the juice of 2 limes. I added a can of corn kernels, drained. Mexi-corn and black beans would also be a good addition and would add more heft to the soup. The soup also looked a tad too thick, even for me, so I added one chicken bullion cube and one cup of water.)

~Place a pile of crushed tortilla chips in the bottom of each soup bowl. Cover liberally with smoked cheese then ladle the hot soup down over the top. Serve with lime, raw onions and cilantro at table to finish the soup.

recipe by: Rachel Ray

Surf N Turf Meatballs

I was cruising through my cookbooks before heading out to the store last weekend and I ran across this Rachel Ray recipe. I had made it before and it was pretty good, so I thought I would give it another go. The recipe called for lime and cilantro so I quickly found 3 other recipes that used on or the other or both (posts to follow).

I will add that a funny thing I am noticing about pregnancy now is that my taste buds are kind of on the fritz right. I remembered these being really good the first time I made them. I liked the balance between the crab (I used imitation because I am both cheap and lazy) and the pork and there is a strong Asian flavor in the sauce and meatball itself. The soy in the meatball also creates a sort of caramelized crust on the outside.

This time something seemed....off. I know it wasn't the recipe or the ingredients so I will blame it on the pregnancy hormones and say that this is a great recipe otherwise.

I will note however, that just a meatball and sauce got a little old after a while. I think the next time I make this, I will use the meat mixture as the base of a dumpling.
Ingredients:
4 scallions, green and white parts, coarsely chopped
2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
1 serrano chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped, divided
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup tamari, plus 3 tablespoons, dark soy, I used regular soy sauce

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, a big handful
2 limes, zest and juice
1/2 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined, tails removed, I used imitation crab meat
1 pound ground pork
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons water

Directions:
~In the bowl of a food processor combine the scallions, half of the ginger – grated or minced, half of the chopped chile pepper, garlic, 3 tablespoons tamari, cilantro and the lime zest. Pulse for 30 seconds, scrape down the bowl and then continue to process 1 minute or until finely ground. Add the shrimp and pork, process until the shrimp are ground into small pieces and the mixture is well combined but not so fine that it becomes a paste, about 1 minute. Roll the shrimp and pork mixture into to 24 balls, about the size of a large walnut. If you dip your hands in water before rolling the mixture the rolling goes a little easier.

~Preheat a large nonstick skillet with 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the balls and don't move them until they are brown on 1 side, about 2 minutes. Turn the balls and continue to cook, browning on all sides until cooked through, about 4 minutes.

~While the balls are cooking make the spicy lime dipping sauce: in a bowl combine the remaining ginger, chili pepper, 1/2 cup tamari, lime juice, toasted sesame oil, honey and 3 tablespoons (a splash) of water. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if you find it to be too salty, add another drizzle of honey.

~Platter the shrimp and pork balls with a bowl of the spicy lime dipping sauce and toothpicks.

recipe by: Rachel Ray

Famous Chicken Enchiladas

I have to give major credit to The Good Husband for finding this recipe. This by far is one of our favorite dishes. I have made it for family gatherings and it is by far the most requested recipe. I have made it so many times that I actually have the recipe memorized, which is not a small feat for me.

I don't think this is a traditional enchilada, since it is cream based and not a red sauce. Also, the cream cheese in the recipe gives some pause, but trust me, it is good. Very good. TGH and I have made this several ways. We have made it with flank steak instead of chicken, with corn tortillas instead of flour and one time, in the dark days of a low carb diet, even without the tortillas. Both times it was good.

But chicken is the original recipe and by far our favorite preparation.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons butter
1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
12 7-inch flour tortillas
1 10.75-ounce can reduced-fat condensed cream of chicken soup
1 8-ounce carton light dairy sour cream
1 cup milk
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:
~In a medium skillet cook the onion and butter over medium heat until onion is tender. Remove from heat.

~In a medium bowl stir together cream cheese, the 1 tablespoon milk and the cumin; add onions and chicken and stir until combined. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto each tortilla near an edge; roll up. Place filled tortillas, seam side down, in a greased 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Set aside.

~For sauce, in a medium bowl combine the soup, sour cream, and the 1 cup milk. Pour evenly over the tortillas in the baking dish. Cover with foil. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven about 35 minutes or until heated through. Remove foil. Sprinkle with cheese and cook uncovered for 10 minutes more.

recipe modified from: Better Homes and Gardens