Chili's enchilada soup!

here is a soup i found on Pinterest and am so thankful I was craving it and then remembered I had pinned it! it turned out to be one of the best soups and we already went back to the store to make it again this week!  plus, we have already shared the recipe! so this is defiantly a keeper!!

Enchilada Soup

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart chicken stock
1 tablespoon chicken soup base (a bouillon cube will work)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (19 oz) can enchilada sauce (or two 10 oz cans)
6 small corn tortillas, minced
16 oz velveeta, cubed
1 cup co-jack cheese, shredded
1 22 oz bag tyson roasted and diced chicken thawed
1 can whole kernel for, drained (optional)

in a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat, and sauté' the onions until they are tender.  Add the minced garlic and cook another minute or two, then scrape the onions and garlic into your crock pot. Add all the other ingredients, except the chicken and corn. Cook over high heat for two hours or low for four.  Whisk until smooth. Add the chicken pieces and corn and heat through, maybe another 30 minutes to one hour. Check seasonings, and garnish as you like before serving.

Garnishes* pico de gallo, sour cream, shredded cheese, crunchy tortilla strips.

no picture, but I will take one when i make this again tomorrow! delish! i loved every bite and so did everyone else!!!! we fed 7 adults and there was roam for small seconds. we also served it up with breadsticks and salad.

yams aka sweet potato's

my favorite part of thanksgiving dinner is yams! Or, aka sweet potato's, i love them and could eat plate after plate.  they are like candy melting in your mouth! the best! you really can't knock them until you've tried them.  here is the recipe my aunt shared with me and that I look forward to every turkey day!

Boil 5-6 Yams (5 cups)
1 C. sugar
2 eggs
1 cube butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 C. milk
cream together and pour over potato's

Next:
1/2 cube butter
1 C. brown sugar
1/3 C. flour
crumble together and sprinkle over the top of potato's

(this is what they look like before they go into the oven)

Bake at 350 for 45 mins (it can be frozen before baking)

*put pecan halves on top, optional!

yum, all melted and coated in brown sugar! they are so so good!

enjoy! happy thanksgiving!!!

bow tie spinich salad

sorry no pics, but this is a wonderful salad!!! we love it! i sometimes wish I had more reasons to make it it's so good! and it's always a big hit at parties.  I got it from this cookbook, The Domestic Art, a collection of fine recipes! so of course it had to be delicious!!!

8 c. of spinach torn
8 oz. bow tie pasta cooked and cooled
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/4 c. parsley, chopped
1/4 c. salted sunflower seeds
1/2 c red and yellow bell pepper, chopped
4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

dressing
1/2 c. oil
2/3 c. soy sauce
2/3 c. rice vinegar
6T. sugar
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 c. sesame seeds

combine dressing ingredients n a large zip lock bag.  add cooked and shredded chicken and marinate overnight in refrigerator.  combine remaining salad ingredients in large bowl.. before serving toss with dressing and chicken mixture.

Oatmeal Crispies

The other night Dane and I wanted a dessert after dinner but sadly our cupboards have been a bit bare since I went back to school so I thought, let's grab a cookbook and make the first recipe that we have all the ingredients for.  Of course the cookbook we grabbed was Pioneer Woman and the first recipe we hit was Oatmeal Crispies so we gave it a go.  We made the recipe minus the pecans and added craisins....so good!!  I am usually the type of person that can have a few cookies and be good but sadly I have been eating these for breakfast and dinner!  (It's healthy if it has oatmeal and craisins, right?)

Oatmeal Crispies

chicken pot pie with savor crumble topping!

one saturday morning while watching cartoons with george I left the tv on and came upon a cool cooking show, America's Test Kitchen.  it's awesome! this nerdy bow tie wearing guy gathered up a bunch of cooks and has them test recipes, brands, kitchen equipment and best of all, step by step instructions on how to make perfect meals! I love it. I'm usually not one for cooking shows, big yawn, but this one has had some pretty good stuff and they make everything look easy because they teach you step by step how to make the meal taste better and easier to make.

the latest episode i caught showed me this sweet recipe, Chicken pot pie with savory crumble topping!  i decided to go for it, they walked me through it and didn't make it seem so bad and I decided that for the first time in too many months to count I was going to make a really good home cooked meal...

****NOTE ****This recipe relies on two unusual ingredients: soy sauce and tomato paste. Do not omit them. They don’t convey their distinctive tastes but greatly deepen the savory flavor of the filling. When making the topping, do not substitute milk or half-and-half for the heavy cream.

Ingredients

For the Filling,

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts and/or thighs
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion , chopped fine (about 1 cup)
• 3 medium carrots , peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 1 cup)
• 2 small celery ribs , chopped fine (about 1/2 cup)
•   Table salt and ground black pepper
• 10 ounces cremini mushrooms , stems trimmed, caps wiped clean and sliced thin
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce (see note)
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste (see note)
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
• 3/4 cup frozen baby peas
•  

 Crumble Topping:

• 2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
• 1 ounce Parmesan cheese , finely grated (about 1/2 cup) 
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream (see note)

Instructions

• 1. FOR THE CHICKEN: Bring chicken and broth to simmer in covered Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook until chicken is just done, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer cooked chicken to large bowl. Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer into liquid measuring cup and reserve. Do not wash Dutch oven. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.
  

  

  This is my chicken after it was cooked, and just like the recipe said, it took exactly 12 mins! awesome!

• 2. FOR THE TOPPING: Combine flour, baking powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in large bowl. Sprinkle butter pieces over top of flour. Using fingers, rub butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse cornmeal.
  

  

  i didn't think i was doing this part right, but I did, it really does feel like cornmeal when you start to mash it all together! just like the recipe said! awesome!

   Stir in Parmesan. Add cream and stir until just combined. Crumble mixture into irregularly shaped pieces ranging from 1/2 to ¾ inch each onto parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake until fragrant and starting to brown, 10 to 13 minutes. Set aside.
  

  

  here is what my crumble mixture looked like after it was cooked. I wasn't used to my new oven so I almost over cooked mine, but they are delicious! i could have eaten them plain! get your kids to do this part!

   3. FOR THE FILLING: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, carrots, celery, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. While vegetables are cooking, shred chicken into small bite-size pieces. Transfer cooked vegetables to bowl with chicken; set aside.

• 4. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in empty Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have released their juices, about 5 minutes. Remove cover and stir in soy sauce and tomato paste. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until liquid has evaporated, mushrooms are well browned, and dark fond begins to form on surface of pan, about 5 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to bowl with chicken and vegetables. Set aside.

side note, don't be afraid of the word dutch oven, i'm not sure why they call their pans that.

• 5. Heat butter in empty Dutch oven over medium heat. When foaming subsides, stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Slowly whisk in reserved chicken broth and milk. Bring to simmer, scraping pan bottom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, then continue to simmer until sauce fully thickens, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and 2 tablespoons parsley.
  6. Stir chicken-vegetable mixture and peas into sauce. Pour mixture into 13 by 9-inch baking dish or casserole dish of similar size. Scatter crumble topping evenly over filling. Bake on rimmed baking sheet until filling is bubbling and topping is well browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining tablespoon parsley and serve.
  
  
   this is the finished product! it was so so so good. I'm not even saying that because I made it, because honestly I'm not that great of a cook but I would make this meal again anytime! i loved it! you must try it! i promise your family will enjoy it and want it again. I made this without any help, and while my kitchen looked like this afterwards,
  
  
  haha, it was still worth it and the clean up was really pretty easy.  make sure you read through the recipe before starting though, that would have helped me out a little but all the same it was a meal worth making!!!! check out America test kitchen! you'll love all their cool recipes and ideas!!!