*** White Chicken Chili ***

In large pot saute:
1 lb chicken, cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Add:
2 (15 oz) can great northern beans
1 (14 oz) can chicken broth
2 (4 oz) cans diced green chilies
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup frozen sweet corn  

Add when done simmering:
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream

If you buy a rotisserie chicken and remove the meat, then just add it all to the pot and leave out the oil. Add all ingredients, except sour cream and whipping cream. 
 
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered at least 30 minutes. Now add sour cream and whipping cream.

Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, cilantro etc.

Makes about 6-8 servings.

Meatballs

Recipe found HERE 

1 small onion, grated (or onion powder)
2 Tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 large egg
3 Tablespoons ketchup
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2/3 cup grated Parmesan (freshly grated, not Kraft)
1/4 cup plain Panko
9 ounces ground beef
9 ounces ground pork

Whisk the first 9 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese and Panko. Mix in the beef and pork (if you can't find pork just use all beef). Gently combine all.

Using about 2 Tablespoons of meat for each, shape the meat mixture into meatballs. Place on a baking sheet and bake 350' for 20 minutes. Add to sauce before serving, about 10 minutes before, to heat through.

Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas

adapted from the Recipe found HERE


2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 (14.5 oz) cans petite diced tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel), drained
1 red, orange and green bell pepper, julienned
1 large yellow onion, halved and sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 tsp chili powder
2 teaspoon ground cumin (1 tsp for less spice)
1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander (less for less spice)
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 Tablespoon honey

For serving:
Flour tortillas, sour cream, fresh salsa, monterrey jack or mexican blended cheese.


Pour one of the cans of tomatoes into the bottom of a slow cooker and spread into an even layer. Top with half of the peppers and half of the onions. Sprinkle garlic in. Top with chicken breasts.

In a bowl whisk together chili powder, cumin, paprika, coriander, salt and pepper. Evenly sprinkle half of the seasoning over chicken breasts then flip chicken and sprinkle in remainder. Top with remaining can of tomatoes, then layer in remaining peppers and onions.

Cover and cook on HIGH heat 3 - 4 hours or low heat 6 - 8 hours, until chicken has cooked through and veggies are tender (note that if you want to be able to cut chicken into strips cook more near lesser time on HIGH or LOW, otherwise it will probably just shred, which is also fine).

Remove chicken, and cut into strips, or shred. Ladle out 1 cup of the broth in slow cooker (mostly tomato liquid) and discard. In a small bowl whisk together lime juice and honey and add to slow cooker along with chicken and season with additional salt to taste if desired. Gently toss.

Sere warm in warmed tortillas with sour cream and optional guacamole, cheese and salsa.

Grilled Hawaiian Chicken Teriyaki Bowls

PREP TIME TO MARINATE

Recipe found HERE
I recommend tripling the sauce to ensure enough for marinade, plus setting aside a portion to serve with food. 

4 or 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts cuts into tenders
2 zucchini, peeled and sliced thinly
1 bag of mini sweet bell peppers (or regular size sliced in thick strips)
1 pineapple, peeled and cut into spears (or big circles, core after grilling, easier to grill)
1 small red onion, sliced thin

Coconut Rice (you can make plain white rice also, the teriyaki flavor is very dominant) I cook my rice in a rice cooker with all the added ingredients and it worked great.

2 cups water
1 1/2 cups canned unsweetened coconut milk (about one 13.5 oz can)
2 teaspoons packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups white or jasmine rice

Teriyaki Sauce (if short on time, a bottled sauce would work)

1/2 cup soy sauce (I recommend low sodium)
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil (original recipes calls for more, but I don't like sesame oil that much)
1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon honey
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger (I used dry)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons cornstarch + 2 teaspoons water, mixed together
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Coconut Rice
Make the coconut rice by adding the water, coconut milk, sugar, and salt to a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then stir in rice. Return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes, before fluffing with a fork. Or combine all in rice cooker.

Teriyaki Sauce
Add all of the sauce ingredients to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and boil for about 1 minute. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Pour 1/4 cup of the teriyaki sauce over the raw chicken and set aside the to marinate for at least 15 minutes to overnight. Reserve the rest of the sauce to serve with the meal when ready to serve. 

Prepare your grill and heat it to medium. If you have a vegetable grill basket to grill the vegetables in, then chop them and grill them in the basket. If not, cut the zucchini and onion into large chunks and leave the mini bell peppers whole. Drizzle some olive oil over the vegetables and over the pineapple spears. Grill the vegetables for just a few minutes on each side and then remove to a plate.

Grill the pineapple next by placing the pineapple spears directly on the grill. Grill for about 2 minutes on each side, and remove to a plate.

Lastly, place the chicken on the grill. Cook for about 2-5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Remove to a plate to rest before slicing.

To serve, add coconut rice to each serving bowl. Top with grilled veggies, pineapple and chicken. Drizzle a little of the remaining teriyaki sauce on top.

Southern Banana Pudding

This dessert is wonderful served warm. Just let it cool for a while after taking out of the oven. It won't store well as the bananas will blacken. Serve soon after baking and enjoy!

3 1/2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
dash of salt
3 large eggs, separated
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (12 oz) package vanilla wafer
6 medium bananas
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine first 3 ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Beat egg yolks; combine egg yolks and milk, stirring well. Stir into dry ingredients; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat; stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Layer one-third of wafer in a 3-quart baking dish. Slice 2 bananas, and layer over wafers. Pour one-third of custard over bananas. Repeat layers twice.

Beat egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy. Gradually add 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar, 1 Tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla, and beat until blended.

Spread meringue over custard, sealing to edge of dish. Bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Yield 8 servings.

Fresh Southern Peach Cobbler

Recipe found here and adjusted

10-12 fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced into wedges
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white or brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups of milk (may do 1 cup of milk next time)
8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (may reduce to 375 after the first 10 min)*

In a large bowl, combine peaches, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly, and pour into a 2 quart baking dish (use 9x13 next time to help bake the cake part through). Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in butter with your fingertips, or a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in milk until just combined.

Remove peaches from oven, and pour topping over them. Bake until topping is golden, about 45 -50 minutes.

Key Lime Cream Cake

Recipe found HERE

Cake or Cupcakes - Makes 24 cupcakes, Bake 16-18 min

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup key lime juice (fresh or bottled, I've done both and they both taste great)
3/4 cup sour cream

No Food Coloring added

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 8-inch cake pans. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into mixer. Add eggs, oil, and lime juice. Beat until smooth using whisk attachment. Add sour cream and beat until smooth. Pour in prepared pans and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool and frost.

Frosting (halve the frosting for cupcakes, should be able to frost them all)
1 cup butter, softened
2 – 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
2 – 16 oz boxes confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup key lime juice

Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in vanilla. For really creamy frosting, mix in 1/4 cup of key lime juice. Add a small amount of green food color if you’d like the frosting tinted.

Whipped Cream (I used my strawberry corer to take the middle out of the cupcakes and filled with whipped cream, you can also halve this recipe to fill 24 cupcakes)

16 oz. heavy whipping cream
3 Tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

When ready to whip, add ingredients to the bowl and beat until stiff peaks form (whisk attachment).

Divide cake into four layers and frost. Pipe top with whipped cream or add crushed graham crackers to the side of the cake if desired. Keep refrigerated.

The Best Sugar Cookies

No Chill cookie dough recipe! This can easily be doubled for a larger batch. 

2 cups Butter (softened)
2 cups Sugar
2 Tablespoons Vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
2 Eggs
4 teaspoon Baking Powder
5-6 cups Flour

1. Cream butter and sugar in a mixer until well mixed and fluffy.
2. Add vanilla and eggs, mix well.
3. Add baking powder, mix well.
4. Incorporate flour one cup at a time until well blended. You may only need 5 cups. Add the last cup as needed, without getting the dough too dry. 
5. Do not chill cookie dough, roll out with rolling pin and use cookie cutters to create desired shape.
6. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 6-8 minutes depending on cookie size. Bake only until the bottoms of the cookies get a golden brown.

Recipe found HERE