Monday, February 5, 2024

Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

A little like a chicken chili, but less hearty, this soup will be sure to warm you up!


Ingredients 

5 cups chicken stock

14.5 oz canned tomatoes

1 medium onion diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs

1-2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika 

1 tsp coriander 

1 tsp salt or to taste

1/2 tsp pepper

14.5 oz black beans

2 c frozen corn

Directions 

Add onions, garlic, tomatoes, and stock to pot. Top with chicken and spices. Top with corn and beans. 

Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Quick release. 

Shred chicken and return to pot. Adjust seasoning as necessary.

Serve with shredded cheese or other taco toppings. 

Sunday, December 24, 2023

Easy Drop Buttermilk Biscuit

 


This recipe is adapted from Mom on Time Out   Whenever I need a quick carb to go with a meal, these hit the spot.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar 
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup butter, cubed
  • 1 egg
  • 2/3 cup buttermilk (or 2 tbs + 2 tsp buttermilk powder + 2/3 c water$

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Whisk dry ingredients together. 

Mix buttermilk and egg and stir into dry. 

On a parchment lined cookie sheet drop biscuits with a muffin scoop.

Bake 10-12 min until golden brown. 

Makes 8 - 10 biscuits. 



Sunday, April 16, 2023

No knead cheese bread

 3 cups all purpose flour (or 1.5 c white whole wheat flour and 1.5 c all purpose)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dry active yeast

1 1/2 cup Warm water 95F-105F 

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese

3 tbs fresh herbs (thyme, oregano, rosemary) or 3 tsp dried (I used Italian seasoning)

Mix flours through water until you have a shaggy ball. Cover with plastic and let rise 3-8 hours until doubled (I recommend overnight). 

Preheat a Dutch oven to 450 degrees. 

Turn dough out on a floured surface and fold in cheese and herbs. 

Bake 30 minutes covered, then uncover for  15 minutes until golden. 

Sunday, March 5, 2023

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

 1/2 c butter

1/2 c sugar

3/4 c brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 c white whole wheat flour

1 c all purpose flour

1 c rolled oats

1 c chocolate pieces

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt. 


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Beat better and sugars until well-combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla until smooth. 

Stirn in flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and chips. 

Bake 10 - 12 minutes. 

Sweet Chex Mix

 12 oz corn Chex

12 oz rice Chex

12 oz pretzel rods

1 lb butter (can be less, must be enough to coat)

2 c brown sugar (can be less)

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp worcestershire sauce  

Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, turning occasionally to prevent burning. 

Chicken Tortilla Soup (Instant Pot)

 5 cups chicken stock

14.5 oz diced tomatoes

1 medium onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground coriander

salt and pepper to taste

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken

14.5 oz black beans, drained

2 c frozen corn

1 TBS lime juice, if available

Add stock, onions, tomatoes, garlic, and chicken. Sprinkle with spices. 

Top with beans and corn. Do not stir. 

Pressure cook on high for 9 minutes. Natural release for 5-10 minutes (can hurry this step) .

Remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to pot and adjust seasoning to taste. 

Suggested toppings; Sour cream, cheese, tortilla chips, avocado. 

Lasagna Soup

 1 lb ground beef or turkey

1 clove garlic, minced

3.5 cups beef stock

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 c parmesan cheese

1 small onion

1/4 tsp dried parsley

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1.5 c mini pasta, uncooked (if not mini, pre-cook)


Saute meat, onion, and garlic over medium-high heat until the meat is well-browned, about 10 minutes. 

Season with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and parsley. 

Stir in broth, tomatoes, and heat to a boil. 

Stir pasta. Reduce to medium and cook for 10 minutes or until pasta is tender.

Stir in cheese and adjust seasoning to taste. 

Sunday, February 20, 2022

Whole Wheat No Knead Bread

I finally joined the no knead bread craze (again). A couple of years ago, I remember doing it once or twice with sourdough bread, but fell out of the habit...and my sour dough started died. I love that you can mix it the night before and in the morning have a crusty loaf of bread in less than an hour!




No Knead Bread (adapted from The Scratch Pantry)

1 1/4 c white whole wheat flour

2 c all purpose flour

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp active dry yeast  

1.5 c water (best is 110 degrees, 105-115 okay)

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until a dough forms. It may be sticky. 

Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise overnight (12-18 hours). 

With floured hands, form into a ball and place on parchment paper. Allow to rest for 30 minutes or so while you preheat a dutch oven to 450 degrees. 

Place bread on parchment paper into the dutch oven and replace lid. Bake for 30 minutes. 

Remove lid and bake for another 8-10 minutes until golden brown. (If concerned about over-browning, reduce heat to 350. ) Bread is done when it sounds hollow or has reached an internal temperature of 204 degrees. 

Remove from dutch oven and cool on wire rack. 

Italian Wedding Soup


Italian Wedding Soup (recipe adapted from Tracey's Culinary Adventures)

10 cups chicken stock
2 cups water 
4 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice 
1 tablespoon (about 3 cloves) minced garlic, divided 
4 cups kale or spinach, chopped  
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving 
2 eggs, lightly beaten 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon pepper 
1 lb italian sausage (I used turkey sausage) 
1 1/4 cups small shaped pasta or tortellini

Make mini meatballs: 
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, and spray with nonstick cooking spray. 

Combine the cheese, eggs, bread crumbs, the remaining 1 teaspoon of garlic, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir until well combined.  Fold in the sausage, but do not over mix

Use a small cookie scoop to portion the mixture into roughly 1-inch meatballs and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through.

Make soup
Combine the chicken broth, water, carrots, 2 teaspoons of the garlic, and the kale (if using spinach, add at end) in a large pot over medium-high heat. 

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the carrots are tender, about 20-30 minutes.

Add the pasta to the soup. Continue simmering until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes. 

 Add the meatballs to the soup (heat briefly to rewarm if necessary). Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add cheese for serving. 

Saturday, May 2, 2020

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Happy quarantine, stay-at-home, lock-down order, or whatever your state is calling it! Are you doing much baking? With our recent move, home school, teletherapy, and the pesky full-time job, I haven't baked all that much more than usual. But somehow, we're churning through the flours, so I might be understating thing just a bit.

I found this recipe in my collection, just ripped from a magazine or catalog. Unfortunately, no where on the page does it say where it's from, though I'm guessing King Arthur. It's titled"2015 Recipe of the Year," and I was truly impressed. The original recipe was double what I have here. I halved it to require only one stick of butter and make a more manageable number of cookies. Still, it made over 3 dozen delicious, bite-sized cookies! I warn you that they are super chocolatey with a high ratio of chips to dough, which is not a bad thing.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies





Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 c granulated sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare cookie sheet by greasing or covering with parchment paper.

Cream butter and sugars together. Add the egg and vanilla, one at a time, beating well after each. Slowly mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir in chocolate chips.

Scoop dough on to prepared baking pan, allowing at least 1 1/2" between cookies, as they will spread.

Bake 12-15 minutes, until golden brown.

I used a teaspoon sized cookie scoop and got at least 40 cookies. They are amazing!




Saturday, February 10, 2018

Instant Pot Clam Chowder

I was skeptical of giving this recipe from Hip Pressure Cooking a try, but when I was planning our Super Bowl party and finally realized who was playing, a menu of “Cheeseteaks” and clam chowder fit the bill. The one could be made in the slow cooker and the other in the Instant Pot was a plus. Before you worry that the clams will get tough in the instant pot, if you are using canned clams as I did, they are added in at the end and simply heated through. The flavor comes from cooking the veggies in clam juice. New England Clam Chowder
1 cup chopped bacon (about 4-5 slices thick bacon)
1 medium onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 medium potatoes (red or russet), cubed
2 cups clam juice (8 oz bottled plus the juice from the canned clams was perfect)
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme

1 tbs butter
1 tbs flour
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
11 oz frozen or canned clams (I used 2-6 oz cans)

Sauté bacon until it releases much of its fat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to scrap up the bits of flavor from the bottom of the pot. Stir in the clam juice, potatoes, bay, thym and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook on high pressure for 6 to 7 minutes, depending upon the size and type of potatoes. Quick release when the time is finished. (I used my 6 qt instant pot and had no issues with steam).

Melt the butter in a small saucepan and stir in flour for a quick roux. With the instant pot on sauté-low, stir in the roux, milk cream and clams. Simmer the chowder, stirring ocassionaly until it has thickened slightly and the clams are heated through, about 5 minutes. You may sauté on medium if you are nearby and able to stir frequently. Season to taste.

Serves 4

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Slow Cooker Hot Cocoa

Just before Christmas, we hosted our first cold-weather kids' party--11 children plus 14 parent/grandparents and it was too cold to go outside. Although there was food and snacks galore, the hit of the party was the hot chocolate! Even though my husband is a fervent hot chocolate fan, it had never occurred me to serve hot chocolate in the slow cooker at a party. I'd done it with hot cider but never made that obvious leap.

Anyway, if I was going to do it, I decided I might as well do it decadently. Enter this recipe from Sally's Baking Addition. I've since made it not quite as decadent, using whatever milk I've had on hand. Toppings such as marshmallows, whipped cream, and even candy canes are essential for kids, but I'm good with it plain. Even though we've left it on warm for 4-6 hours, scorching has never been a problem but keep an eye on it just in case.

Slow Cooker Hot Cocoa
6 cups whole milk (or any lesser fat %)
2 cups heavy cream (or half and half)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, grated or chopped
1/4 cup (heaping) cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a 4-6 quart slow-cooker. (Anything larger and I would double the recipe.) Whisk vigorously to incorporate the cocoa powder. Cook for 4-6 hours on low and 2-4 hours on high. Be sure to stir every 45-minutes to make sure the chocolate melts evenly and the mixture does not scorch. Switch to warm when the hot cocoa is a the desired temperature.

Serve with whipped cream, marshmallows, candy canes, etc.

Leftovers, assuming there are any, may be stored in the fridge and reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Maple Syrup Banana Muffins

My Easy Banana Muffins recipe is one of the oldest in my recipe collection. They're definitely tasty, but my preferences for sweetness have changed significantly over the years. Now with two littles, I'm not too keen on feeding them tons of sugar in something homemade that's not a cake or a cupcake. That's why I was ecstatic to discover this recipe from Gimme Delicious that uses maple syrup (and not too much of it) as the sweetener.

Maple Syrup Banana Muffins
Adapted from Gimme Delicious

2 c white whole wheat flour
1/4 c rolled oats
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 c mashed bananas
2 eggs
1/2 c maple syrup (or honey)
1/3 c canola oil
1/4 c milk
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk dry ingredients together. Make a well in the center and add wet ingredients. Mix to combine.

Pour into greased or paper-lined muffin tins. Bake 20-25 minutes until springy to the touch or a toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 14-16 muffins

Monday, July 3, 2017

Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

It seems as though some weeks we're barely squeaking by in bananas come Saturday due to the battle between putting them in smoothies or the little guy consuming 1-2 each morning. Other weeks, we have nearly two bunches remaining at peak ripeness (or beyond). As there are only so many muffins I can bake at a time and only room for so many in the freezer, enter banana pancakes!

This recipe is adapted from a recipe from Simple Bites, titled "Fluffy Banana Pancakes." I habitually forget the melted butter in the microwave which means they're still delicious, but definitely not fluffy.

My little guy usually helps with the banana mashing...mash one, bite two, mash, bite, etc...Nonetheless this recipe makes a very large batch of pancakes, which I freeze for the rest of the week.

Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
Adapted from Simple Bites

1 c rolled oats
3 c white whole wheat flour
1.5 TBS ground flax
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 c milk
1 c yogurt (plain or vanilla, greek ok)
3 TBS melted butter or canola oil
1/3 c honey
1 1/3 cup smashed bananas, about 4 medium
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Whisk dry ingredients together, then mix in wet. Cool on a greased griddle until bubbles appear. Flip and cook until golden brown.

Makes at least 2 dozen