Tuesday, October 28, 2014

White Chicken Chili

White Chicken Chili

1 lb chicken, cooked and cubed
1 onion, chopped fine
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 can(s) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
32-oz carton chicken broth
1 can green chilies, chopped
Salt & Pepper, to taste
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1-2 tsp chipotle chile powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 c sour cream

1/2 c whole milk

1. In Dutch Oven, cook onions and garlic in oil until translucent--about 4 minutes.
2. Add cooked chicken, beans, chicken broth, green chilies, salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, chipotle chile powder, and cayenne pepper.
3. Heat on medium low heat for 10 minutes, or until completely heated through.
4. Turn to low and add sour cream and milk. Stir to combine. Do not let boil after cream and milk are added. Serve warm with Tortilla Chips and shredded cheese.

This was pretty good and really quick.

Adapted from a Justapinch.com recipe.

Croatian Sarma Soup

Croatian Sarma Soup

  • 1 lb ground beef, browned
  • 2 slices bacon, browned and crumbled
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 cup tomato juice (I used V-8)
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 2 teaspoons low-sodium beef bouillon cubes
  • 14 ounces reduced-sodium diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
  • 2 -3 cups cabbage, sliced thin
  • 2 cups cooked rice

  1. Cook bacon in frying pan until crisped, remove from pan to drain on paper towels. Crumble and set aside.
  2. Add ground beef to pan and brown in turkey bacon drippings until almost cooked through.
  3. Add diced onion and cook 4-5 minutes until onions are transparent.
  4. Add garlic and cook an additional 1-2 minutes.
  5. Drain meat mixture.
  6. Place all ingredients except rice, including meat mixture and turkey bacon, in a large pot and cook over medium heat until it boils. Turn heat down and cook for at least 15-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is cooked. Add a little water if it gets too thick for your liking. Stir in the hot cooked rice just before serving.  

Adapted from a recipe found at Food.com.  The original stated to cook the soup for 2-3 hours, but since I detest overcooked vegetables I reduced the time to suit my personal preferances.  This was quite good and my husband loved it!  I think it needed a little something extra, so next time I'll throw in some diced bell pepper and see how that works.  

Pork Goulash

Pork Goulash in the Pressure Cooker

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried dill
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 can (10 ounces) condensed beef broth, divided
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

  1. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat and add pork, onions, and garlic. Saute until pork is browned on the outside.  Transfer pork to pressure cooker and stir in paprika, dill, salt, pepper, and all but 2 tablespoons of beef broth.
  2. Put the lid on your pressure cooker and cook for about 26 minutes under pressure.  I have the Cook's Essentials 6-Qt Digital Pressure Cooker and used the Beef/Meat setting.  Allow the pressure to release before you open the thing (takes about 15 minutes or so).
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining beef broth and cornstarch; pour into pressure cooker and stir until sauce has thickened.  
  4. Slowly add cream and stir until warmed through.

I served this with cooked egg noodles and green beans and it was delicious!  The pork was so tender and juicy and the sauce was delicious!  Awesome! 

Adapted from a Mr. Food recipe.  

Indian Tacos

Indian Tacos

For the Frybread:
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ cup water
  • Additional ¼ cup flour for shaping
  • 2 cups oil for frying
For the Indian Tacos:
  • 4 cooked frybreads
  • Cooked pinto beans  (I just added a can of chili beans to my taco meat)
  • Taco meat (I used 1 lb of ground chuck with a packet of Taco Seasoning)
  • shredded cheese
  • lettuce, tomato, onion
  • hot sauce, pickled jalapenos, sour cream
  1. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. Combine milk and water in a separate cup.
  2. Add wet ingredients to flour mixture and stir with a fork to mix well. You will have a soft dough.
  3. Flour your countertop well with the remaining ¼ cup flour and coat your hands, too.
  4. Shape the dough into a cylinder and cut into 4 pieces.
  5. Pat each piece out into a circle about ⅓" thick (1 cm) and 6" across.
  6. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F and fry breads one at a time, for about 2 minutes on each side.
  7. Drain upright.
  8. Serve topped with beans, meat, cheese, and vegetables of your choice.
Recipe from http://hilahcooking.com/indian-taco-recipe/

I was a little worried about making the Frybread since I usually don't have much luck with biscuit/pie doughs.  I'm too heavy handed I guess, but this recipe was easy and they turned out great!  I highly recommend Hilah's Video (see page link above)...she made me feel very comfortable with the dough and frying it!  

Bottom Line....these are great and I will be making them again!  

Norwegian Meatballs

Norwegian Meatballs

MEATBALLS:
1 heaping tablespoon mayonnaise
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
2 lbs ground beef (95% lean)
1 lb ground pork

GRAVY:
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
3 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp flour
4 cups beef broth
1/2 cup sour cream
1 pkt brown gravy mix

In a large bowl, combine the mayo, milk, bread crumbs, onion and seasonings.  Let stand until crumbs absorb the milk.  Add the beef and pork and stir until well blended.  Shape into 1-inch meatballs.  Place on a greased rack in a shallow baking pan.  Bake at 400^F until browned, about 18 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160^; drain.  Set aside.

For the gravy, in a large skillet, saute the onion in butter until tender.  Stir in flour and brown gravy mix and brown lightly.  Slowly add the broth; cook and stir until smooth and thickened.  Whisk in the sour cream until mixture is smooth and the sour cream is well incorporated.  Gently stir in the meatballs; heat through but do not boil.

Serve over hot, cooked egg noodles, rice or mashed potatoes.

This was adapted from a Taste of Home recipe.  It was good, but next time I will increase the ginger, nutmeg and allspice to 1/2 tsp each and maybe add a pinch of dillweed.  I'll only use 3 Tbsp flour in the gravy.  And, I think I'll probably use heavy cream instead of the sour cream.

Traditional German Schnitzel

This recipe is awesome! I'll be making it over and over again...everyone loved it!


Traditional German Schnitzel

  • 4 boneless pork chops
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour combined with 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • ¾ cup plain breadcrumbs

  • Place the pork chops between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound them until just ¼ inch thick with the flat side of a meat tenderizer. Lightly season both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  • Place the flour mixture, egg, and breadcrumbs in 3 separate shallow bowls. Dip the chops in the flour, the egg, and the breadcrumbs, coating both sides and all edges at each stage. Be careful not to press the breadcrumbs into the meat. Gently shake off the excess crumbs. Don't let the schnitzel sit in the coating or they will not be as crispy once fried - fry immediately.
  • Make sure the cooking oil is hot enough at this point (about 330 degrees F) as you don't want the Schnitzel to sit around in the coating before frying. Use enough oil so that the Schnitzels "swim" in it.
  • Fry the Schnitzel for about 2-3 minutes on both sides until a deep golden brown. Transfer briefly to a plate lined with paper towels.
Recipe from http://www.daringgourmet.com/2014/03/12/traditional-german-pork-schnitzel/