Southwest Chicken Corn Chowder

This recipe I made a while ago, was amazing. It was easy, yummy, and filling! I will be making it again for sure. I did have a little help, since we didn't have cream of chicken soup. Lauren made something up! I also added a little bit of bacon, which never hurts(:

Enjoy

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Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
• 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, drained
• 2 cans (14-3/4 ounces each) cream-style corn
• 1 can (12 ounces) fat-free evaporated milk
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 6 tablespoons shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• 4-1/2 teaspoons chopped cilantro

Directions

• In a large nonstick saucepan, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender.
• Stir in the broth, soup, chicken and chilies until blended. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; stir in the corn, milk, chili powder and cumin. Heat through (do not boil). Sprinkle each serving with cheese and cilantro. Yield: 9 servings (2-1/4 quarts).

Salmon and Arugula Pasta Salad

A while ago, I decided to do a Salmon and Arugula Pasta Salad. I am going to keep it! Although  I am not really big on strong fish like salmon, all the other ingredients really toned that fishy taste down, which made the meal really enjoyable. It was pretty easy to make. The only part I was unfamiliar about was broiling the fish, but it turned out great. If you like strong flavors, you will love it. Even if you don't, you should still try it(: 

Enjoy

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Recipe:

Servings:4 to 6

Ingredients

For the salmon

1 1 1/2-pound salmon fillet

2 teaspoons lemon zest, grated

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

For the pasta salad

1 pound linguini fini or other thin pasta

2 cups grape tomatoes, halved

1 small shallot, peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise

1 4-ounce package mild goat cheese, crumbled

5 ounces baby arugula

3 tablespoons olive oil

1    Directions: 

1 1.    Preheat broiler. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Rinse salmon; pat dry with paper towels. Place salmon skin side down on baking sheet.

   2. In a small bowl combine half of lemon zest, the coriander, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Brush top of salmon with 2 teaspoons oil; rub with lemon mixture. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.

   3.  Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

   4.  Broil salmon 4 to 5 inches from heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until fish begins to flake when tested with a fork. Cool salmon slightly. Remove and discard skin.

   5. Flake salmon into a large bowl. Add the remaining lemon zest, the remaining kosher salt, the pasta, the tomatoes, shallot, cheese, arugula, and 3 tablespoons oil to bowl; toss gently to combine.

   6.  If desired, garnish with additional cheese and season with pepper. Serve immediately. 

while waiting for the salmon to finish broiling, I took a few pictures of Matty and Caleb playing in the rain

back to cooking

Gram cracker, chocolate, marshmallow yumminess!

My friend Christy and I made up a recipe the other day. It was too hot to do any real baking, so we came up with this dessert. It is like s'mores since it has the same ingredients, but we did stuff differently.

Enjoy

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Ingredients

Graham crackers

chocolate

marshmallows

caramel

butter

* the amounts of ingredients depend on the pan and how sweet you want to go

Tools

pan

Directions:

first of all we made it up as we went, and you can too!

we were going to lay the crackers down but decided to crumble them instead.

What ever works for you

we added a little butter to the mix to help it stick together better.

after pouring the mix into the pan,( you want it to cover the whole bottom) melt the chocolate and pour it on top. Spreading it was kinda a mess. But it's okay if the chocolate and crackers mix because after you put it in the oven, and let it sit for a while it will harden again.

Next grab some mellows and melt them in the microwave

this will probably be hard to spread. When marshmallows are melted, they are like extreme spiderwebs.

Anyway, just do the best you can

Then turn on the oven broiler and watch the dessert carefully(:

If you notice, there are some whole mellows in there. That is because we would have had to melt more marshmallow and it was easier to just put the whole ones in since it was hard to spread.

after a few minutes, it should have some golden brown on it and then your ready to take it out of the oven.

Now you can add the caramel or any other toppings you want.

Pretty easy, yeah?

Yummy!

Just to warn you, it is very sweet.

If you want to, you can also add nuts or nutella or anything else that you'd like!

Have fun

Grilled Spicy Lime Chicken with Black Bean Salad

Tonight, I cooked dinner. I loved this recipe. It was easy, healthy, and yummy! The only thing I did different was to double the lime mixture so I would have more to marinate the chicken with and more for the salad. Just a warning to those who don't like spice, it can get a little warm. But you can adjust how many chilies and adobo sauce you put in.

Enjoy!

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Grilled Spicy Lime Chicken with Black Bean Salad

Adapted from “Cook’s Country”

Serves 4

• 1/3 CUP LIME JUICE
• 1/2 CUP CHOPPED FRESH CILANTRO
• 1/4 CUP OLIVE OIL
• 2 CHIPOTLE CHILES, ROUGHLY CHOPPED, PLUS 2 TABLESPOONS ADOBO SAUCE
• 1 TABLESPOON HONEY
• 3 MEDIUM GARLIC CLOVES, MINCED
• 2 TEASPOONS GROUND CUMIN
• SALT AND PEPPER
• 8 BONELESS, SKINLESS CHICKEN THIGHS OR BREASTS
• 2 (16-OUNCE) CANS BLACK BEANS, DRAINED AND RINSED
• 1/2 CUP CHOPPED SCALLIONS (OR RED ONION)
• 1 RED BELL PEPPER, SLICED THIN
• 1 RIPE AVOCADO, SLICED THIN (OPTIONAL)
• LIME WEDGES FOR SERVING

1. Light grill, or heat grill pan to medium. Whisk lime juice, cilantro, oil, chiles and sauce, honey, garlic, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together in small bowl.
2. Toss chicken with 1/4 cup lime juice mixture in separate large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Marinate chicken in refrigerator while grill (or grill pan) continues to preheat.
3. For the Black Bean Salad: Toss beans, scallions, red pepper, and avocado with 1/4 cup lime juice mixture in serving bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Grill chicken over very hot fire (or in grill pan) until well-browned on both sides and cooked through, 8 to 13 minutes. Transfer chicken to serving platter and drizzle with remaining lime juice mixture. Serve immediately with black bean salad.

marinating the chicken

a funny looking bell pepper