I am so excited that fall feels like it has arrived because it means that I get to make my favorite food, soup!  I just love soups when the weather turns cold, and it seems that the endless varieties and options prevent me from tiring of soup.  This weekend I asked Drew what kind of chili he might want, and I should have known he'd say chicken chili.  It's his favorite.  This recipe is different from the white chicken chilis you see in Ruby Tuesday or other places because it lays no claim to being white.  It also contains corn, which is not found in those other chicken chilis.  Did I mention it has a whole pound of cheese?  How can it not be delicious?!

This recipe was given to me by my friend Constance, who held it hostage until I gave her my recipe for mocha cupcakes.  So glad we worked that trade, Constance!  I don't have the source to share with you- all I know is that it came from a church cookbook. I can just tell you that Hillary Lewis, who is credited with entering the recipe into that book, has a winner recipe. 

This chicken chili is super easy, delicious, and very economical.  It makes somewhere around 6 quarts, so you can feed a small army for about $20.  By my calculations, this works out to be less than $2 per bowl!  Make this huge pot of chili and have a party.  Feed your neighborhood.  Or, you could freeze several 1 quart portions to reheat later on.  It freezes and thaws well. 

You'll notice it calls for a lot of beans and chicken.  This time I reconstituted and cooked 1 1/2 pounds of dried great northern beans in a crock pot and then added the other ingredients.  To save work on the chicken end, I bought a rotisserie chicken from my grocery store and used all of its meat for the chicken needed in the recipe.  As before stated, I used my crock pot and cooked/warmed all of the chili on low so that it'd be ready when we got home from church.  Three cheers for the crock pot! 

I hope you enjoy this wonderful recipe!

Chicken Chili
5-6 cans great northern beans (or 1 1/2 to 2 lb dried beans)
1 jar salsa
1 lb pepper jack cheese, cubed
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 lb corn (2 cans or 1 big bag of frozen corn)
5-6 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or cubed

Place all ingredients except cheese in a pot and heat over medium heat until warm.  When all ingredients are warm, add cheese and stir until incorporated.  Serve with tortilla chips or cornbread.  Works great in the crock pot, too!


Notes

• As I said in the post, I didn't use cans of beans.  I cooked dry ones.  To do this, follow the instructions in my pinto bean post.  I soaked the beans Saturday afternoon and then put them in the crock pot to cook overnight on low.  Then, Sunday morning, I added the rest of the ingredients.
• Use whatever salsa you like- I use mild because I don't like extreme spiciness, but the original recipe calls for medium. 
• The recipe calls for pepper jack cheese, but I am sure it'd be delicious with monterrey jack or mild cheddar- just use a softer cheese that would be good for melting.

If you've ever been to PF Chang's China Bistro, you likely know about and love lettuce wraps.  Before the first time I went to PF Chang's, everyone told me I HAD to try the lettuce wraps, that they were the best thing on the menu.  The lettuce wraps practically have their own cult following, and after I tried them, I understood why.  They're a great combination of satisfying but light, and the contrast of the cool, crunchy lettuce wrapped around the warm filling is a great sensation in your mouth.  Add the dipping sauce and you have a real crowd pleaser. 











Over the past couple months I have begun to see various recipes for lettuce wraps in magazines and on the internet, and Monday night I decided to try my hand at them.  Monday night was the first night I had cooked anything other than eggs and baked beans in over a week.  You see, all weekend and most of last week were devoted to a wedding cake (more on that later) and that didn't leave much time for cooking or eating on a regular schedule.  I am ashamed to say that I ate a lot of fast food, and I don't even really like fast food very much.  I felt like I needed something lighter and healthier, and the lettuce wraps were on my mind.  Lettuce wraps are a healthy food and easy to make, which are great qualities for a recipe to have when you're still feeling blah from the food you ate during the weekend.  These are great for a light dinner or an appetizer, as PF Chang's serves them.  For all you Atkins fans, I think they're decently low carb too.


I drew inspiration from recipes in the September issue of Cooking Light, and the June/July 2010 issue of Taste of Home.  One of the ingredients in PF Chang's wraps that people really love are rice noodles that have been broken into short pieces and then fried so that they're light and crispy.  You can't buy that in stores, and I don't really care to make those myself, so you have to find something else to make the crunch in your mouth.  Based off the TOH recipe, I went with peanuts.  I bet cashews would be great, too.  I think every recipe I saw recommended water chestnuts, and I don't like those, so in my version I have left those out.  I also wanted a little more vegetable presence, so I included a julienned carrot.  Next time I will probably include some bell pepper, too.  That's the beauty of cooking on your own- add or subtract according to your preferences.  These came out great!  They had the lightness I desired, the contrast of the cold, crunchy lettuce worked great with the warm filling, and the peanuts were a great crunchy and flavorful addition. 



All that to say that below is my own recipe for the lettuce wrap ingredients.  The sauce is taken directly from the recipe in Cooking Light.  I give credit where credit is due! 





Lettuce Wraps
1 lb ground chicken or turkey
1 pkg or 8 oz mushrooms, sliced or diced
1/2 to 1 large carrot, julienned or 1/2 c. shredded carrots
1 bunch green onions or scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp. minced ginger
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1 head Boston, Bibb, or Iceberg lettuce leaves
3 Tb. hoisin sauce
3 Tb. soy sauce
1 Tb. rice vinegar
2 tsp. Sriracha or hot chili sauce
1/4-1/2 c. chopped peanuts
2-3 Tb. vegetable oil

Heat 1-2 tb. vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms and carrot (and bell pepper, if including); sauté 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.  Remove mushrooms and carrot from the pan and place in a large bowl.  Heat another Tb of oil in the same pan.  Add the meat, ginger, and garlic to the pan.  Cook 6 minutes or until the meat is fully cooked, stirring occasionally to break up the meat.  Once the chicken is cooked, add all but about 2 tablespoons green onions and stir.  Sprinkle 1-2 tsp soy sauce over the meat and onion and stir around to distribute.  Add the peanuts and meat mixture to the mushroom mixture in the bowl and stir to incorporate all ingredients. 

In a small bowl, make the sauce: stir together the hoisin, soy, vinegar, sriracha, and remaining green onions. 

Spoon about 1/2 of the wrap filling into each lettuce leaf and spoon over desired amount of sauce.


Cook's Notes

• I am intentionally leaving the mushroom variety out.  The Cooking Light recipe called for shiitakes, which would have been great, but I am pretty sure my local grocery store's produce guy would think I was cussing him.  I used portobellos.  They were on sale and delicious.  I am sure button or white mushrooms would work great here, too.
• Next time I will increase the vegetable to meat ratio because I like vegetables.  This time I used 1/2 a big carrot.  Next time I'll likely use a whole one. 
• I'll probably also add 1/2 to 1 whole bell pepper.  Red is my favorite. 
• Don't try to get too healthy or fancy with the lettuce.  You're looking for a fairly neutral flavor with a flexible leaf and some crunch, so endive or arugula won't be great.  You could try romaine or green leaf.  If you do let me know how that works out for you.
• The sauce by itself is a little funny tasting, but over the filling, it works.  I am not as familiar with Asian ingredients, so I did follow the amounts somewhat carefully.  I still didn't use measuring spoons. 
• This is a slightly more expensive dish than others I've made, so be forewarned.  I spent about $15.  I am, however, getting 4 good sized meal portions.
• I ate this as a main course and had no side dishes.  If you can't live without a side, go for brown rice or edamame. 

If you make this, please post in the comments section and let me know what you think!

BONUS: How to julienne your carrots, in a completely amateur sort of way

Step 1: Cut your carrot in half lengthwise so you're left with two semi circles. 



Step 2:  Thinly slice each of those semi circles lengthwise so that you have little carrot planks


Step 3: Thinly slice each of those planks lengthwise so that you're left with match sticks.



Now you have julienned your carrot, and it's perfect for this and other recipes!

I have for you today a dish that is not very impressive in its presentation, and food snobs would likely scoff at the posting of this recipe altogether because it's old fashioned and not very culinary.  It's also tasty, and reminds me of home and family dinners.  Sounds a little hokey, but seriously, every time I make or eat this dish I am transported to the table where my family and I ate when I was a kid.  It's funny how certain foods can make you recall things like that.  So, while this recipe won't be featured in the next Bon Appetit magazine, you could easily make it for your next potluck dinner or family dinner. 











I made this for the same family reunion where I took the Snickers Pie.  Since I also happened to be preparing for a wedding cake (more on that later), that was all I took.  If you're looking for a side, go for a salad or maybe some green vegetable. 











For people with busy schedules, this dish is good because it comes
together rather quickly and involves few ingredients.  The results are, to me, so good!  I truly love this dish.  Part of my attachment may be sentimental, but it has a lot of flavors that work well together.  Think of it as a cheeseburger in casserole form, and you sort of get the idea. 

Ground Beef Casserole
from my mom's recipe collection

1 lb. ground beef
1- 10 oz can cream of mushroom soup
1 medium onion, chopped
1-14 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup (4 oz) cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 to 1 large bell pepper, cut into strips
4 oz egg noodles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Brown beef and onion in a skillet and drain any fat.  Add tomatoes, salt, soup, and pepper.  Let simmer while you cook the egg noodles according to package directions.  Drain the noodles and add to the beef mixture.  Add 1/2 c. cheese.  Pour into a casserole dish or 9x13 pan and sprinkle remaining cheese on top.  Bake for 15 minutes. 



 So, if you try it let me know what you think by posting in the comments section.  Have a great day!

Stick with me and you'll be a diabetic in no time.  A couple weekends ago we had a family reunion, which I see as a time to test out new recipes.  Think about it- there's a huge group of people available to eat your food.  If it's good, you'll likely hear a lot of praise, and if it's bad, well, there are a lot of people who will take the food anyway because they didn't know it was bad to begin with.  Luckily I haven't bombed yet, and the Snickers Pie upholds my reputation as a good cook.  I took this one from the Paula Deen cookbook, The Lady and Sons Just Desserts.  Paula is a great source of foods, but especially desserts, and this cookbook has a collection of all sorts of desserts destined to make you praised as a good cook. 



You start out with Snickers and peanut butter.  If you like Snickers or the combo of chocolate and peanut butter, you will love this!  Melt 5 Snickers in a double boiler (or maybe the microwave, though I can't speak from experience with that method) with peanut butter and some half and half.  Then mix with whipped cream or whipped topping, pour into a pie crust (graham cracker or oreo) and freeze.  That's it!  To quote Paula, "this is too easy and too good!"





SNICKERS PIE

from The Lady and Sons Just Desserts
1 graham cracker pie crust
4 king sized Snickers bars
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 tablespoons half and half
4 cups cool whip
In the top of a double boiler, melt together four candy bars, peanut butter, and half-and-half, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Fold in whipped topping, pour into crust, and freeze for 4 to 6 hours before serving. (For a richer pie, substitute 2 cups heavy cream, whipped with 1/2 cup sugar until stiff peaks form, in place of prepared whipped topping.)

When ready to serve, top with additional whipped topping and drizzle wth chocolate syrup. Add small chunks of a snickers bar on top as well. Store in refrigerator.
 
 
Notes

• I used creamy peanut butter, but if you try it with chunky let me know.
• I used 5 regular sized Snickers as I couldn't find the king sized in a multi pack.
• I made my own graham cracker crust, but I wonder how this would taste with an Oreo crust

Enjoy! 

Welcome back and thanks for stopping by!  So, if you read the last post you saw that it was a two part series (can you call that a series?) on the burgers I recently made.  Today's post is on the buns.  I like my buns toasty, how about you? (snickering) 

I know, once again I have managed to make something that most people roll their eyes at and ask why I'd bother to make it if I can buy perfectly good ones in a store, but homemade hamburger buns are so good compared to the storebought counterparts, and they're healthier too- no preservatives as opposed to loaded down with preservatives. 

I have made burger buns before, but the recipe I used yielded a slightly firmer bun that had a good taste but was just not that softness you expect from a burger bun.  This time I pulled out my latest bread book purchase, Artisan Breads Everyday by Peter Reinhart.  I used the Soft Sandwich Bread and Rolls recipe and made rolls as opposed to loaf breads.  I am so glad we had a lot of bread left over so that I could freeze it for later use because these were AMAZING/  They were light and delicious- think Fuddrucker's bun meets steakhouse yeast roll. 

What's different about this book and the recipies contained therein are that you start the dough at least one day before you plan to bake.  This breaks up the rising time, thereby reducing the amount of time in one day that you will spend baking.  It also allows the dough's first rise to be a long, slow one, which allows for greater development of flavor. 

So, you start the way most bread recipes begin, which is to measure or weigh all ingredients, activate the yeast in warm liquid, and to mix them in a mixer according to directions.  Then of course you switch to the dough hook or knead by hand. 

After that, instead of letting the dough rise for an hour or so at room temperature, you stick the dough in the fridge for its long, slow rise.  The next day, or when you get around to baking, you take the dough out and divide it up.  In my case, because I made burger buns, I weighed each piece of dough so that each bun would be around 3 oz. raw dough each.  Then I shaped them into discs. 



After that comes the second rise and then baking them in a preheated oven.  After removing them from the oven, you have to wait for them to cool down, which is one of the most agonizing parts of the whole thing because they just smell so good.  I couldn't quite wait, so one roll/bun met an early demise.  It was so good!

Have you ever made bread before?  How did it turn out?  If you try this one, let me know!

Hamburger Buns
from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Everyday

1 Tb (.33 oz) instant yeast
1 3/4 c plus 2 Tb (15 oz) lukewarm milk of any kind
6 1/4 cups (28 oz) unbleached bread flour
2 tsp. (.5 oz) salt or 1 Tb. kosher salt
5 1/2 Tb (2.75 oz) sugar, or 1/4 cup honey or agave syrup
6 Tb (3 oz) vegetable oil or melted unsalted butter
1 egg

Whisk the yeast in the lukewarm milk until dissolved.  Let stand 1-5 min. 

Combine the flour, salt, sugar, oil, and egg in a mixing bowl and then pour in the milk mixture.  If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 2 minutes.  If mixing by hand, use a large spoon and stir for about 2 mintues.  The dough should be coarse and slightly sticky. 

Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed for 4-5 minutes, or knewd by hand on a lightly floured work surface for 4-5 minutes, until the dough is soft, supple, and tacky but not sticky. 

Whichever kneading method you use, knewd the dough by hand for 1 minute and then form into a ball. 
Place the dough into a clean, lightly oiled bowl, and then cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to four days.  If you plan to bake the dough in different batches over different days, portion the dough and place it into two or more oiled bowls at this stage.

On baking day, remove the dough from the fridge about 2.5 hours before you plan to bake and divide it in half; each piece should weigh about 25 oz.  If you are baking loaves, this is the optimal size for 4 1/2 x 8" pans.  For HB buns, shape into balls about the size of the palm of your hand (to be more accurate, weigh into 3 oz. balls).  Place on 2 parchment lined baking sheets and cover the pans loosely with plastic wrap or waxed paper.  Let the dough rise at room temperature for about 2 1/2 hours.

About 15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.  If you want, you can cover the buns with egg wash and sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds.  Bake for 12-18 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. 


Notes

• I did not proof the yeast in the milk- oops!  It still turned out well, though. 
• I used kosher salt and granulated sugar, and I think vegetable oil
• I didn't do an egg wash or sprinkle seeds over because I forgot.  Still delish! 

This is the first in a two part "series" on these burgers, but the recipes are entirely separate and can be used separately.  Today's is about the actual burger recipe, which I saw in the July issue of Cooking Light.  For the last several months, I have tried to greatly decrease our beef usage in the Givens household because Drew eats it sometimes twice a day at the fire station, so I don't want to overload him.  We still eat beef, but I am just trying to make it less so that neither of us gets sick of it or dies early from how bad they tell us red meat is. 

So, in this CL special on all kinds of healthier burgers, I decided to try out this turkey burger with roasted eggplant.  Cooking Light claimed that this particular recipe tasted meaty due to the addition of Marmite and soy sauce and stayed moist due to the incorporation of roasted eggplant. 

This was the first turkey burger I have made, and here's what I've learned:
1.  The roasted eggplant would probably be better in the burger mixture if your food processor would actually work properly.











2.  Keep the mixing of the turkey to a minimum as it will turn to mush in no time flat.

3.  If you don't have Marmite and don't want to spend $6 on a little jar (or if your store doesn't carry it at all), then you can use some Worcestershire sauce to similar effect and taste. 

4.  The burgers are more sturdy than the black bean burgers, so they can be grilled, but they're still soft and sink down a bit.  Caution!

So, the verdict:  I wasn't crazy about these (sorry to post a sort of dud recipe), but they weren't bad, either.  With some tweaking, I'd likely do turkey burgers again. The Worcestershire sauce that I used in place of the Marmite and soy sauce did impart a more meaty, burger like flavor, and the grill helped with that, too.

The eggplant was what I wasn't so crazy about.  Now, my food processor is on its way to meeting the same fate that the copier did in the movie Office Space because it doesn't process so well.  It's only really good for turning Oreos or graham crackers to crumbs.  With that rant out of the way, it could have been that my eggplant wasn't properly processed, but either way I didn't like biting down on the eggplant seeds in my burgers.  So, for the future I might try to add some grated onion or maybe even zucchini or yellow squash for moisture.

So, without further delay, here is the original recipe and its link:

Turkey Burgers with Roasted Eggplant
from July 2010 Cooking Light

1 (8-ounce) eggplant

Cooking spray
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, divided
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 pound turkey tenderloins, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon less-sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon Marmite
4 (1 1/2-ounce) hamburger buns, toasted
4 Bibb lettuce leaves
4 (1/4-inch-thick) tomato slices

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Lightly coat eggplant with cooking spray; wrap eggplant in foil. Place eggplant on a jelly-roll pan; bake at 400° for 45 minutes or until very tender, turning once. Remove from foil; cool slightly. Cut eggplant in half. Carefully scoop out pulp to measure 1 1/4 cups; discard skin. Place pulp in a food processor; process until smooth. Reserve 1/4 cup pureed pulp. Combine remaining pulp, 1 tablespoon parsley, 2 teaspoons oil, juice, and garlic. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; set aside.
3. To prepare grinder, place feed shaft, blade, and 1/4-inch die plate in freezer 30 minutes or until well chilled. Assemble the grinder just before grinding.
4. Arrange turkey pieces in a single layer on jelly-roll pan, leaving space between each piece. Freeze 15 minutes or until meat is firm but not frozen. Combine meat and remaining 2 teaspoons oil in large bowl; toss to combine. Pass meat through meat grinder completely. Immediately pass meat through grinder a second time. Combine reserved 1/4 cup eggplant puree, turkey, remaining 1 tablespoon parsley, soy sauce, and Marmite in a large bowl. Divide mixture into 4 equal portions, gently shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Press a nickel-sized indentation in the center of each patty. Cover and chill until ready to grill.
5. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
6. Lightly coat patties with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place patties on grill rack, and grill 4 minutes until well marked. Carefully turn patties over, and grill 3 minutes or until done. Place 1 patty on bottom half of each bun; top each serving with 1 tablespoon eggplant mixture, 1 lettuce leaf, 1 tomato slice, and top half of bun. (Reserve remaining eggplant mixture for another use.)


Notes

• While sometimes I want to go the extra step of grinding my own meat, today was not one of those days.  I purchased 85% lean ground turkey from the store.  Don't let the foodies make you feel guilty about that.
• I didn't make the eggplant topping.  I also didn't top the burgers with the tomato and lettuce.  If you're like me, you only need 1 lb of turkey, 1 tb. parsley, the eggplant, salt, pepper, and the marmite/soy sauce OR the Worcestershire. 
• I topped mine with avocado, because avocado makes everything better.

If you make these or have a better recipe to share, let me know what you think by posting in the comments!

This past week my friend Kim's daughter turned 4.  Her party had a pink and yellow flower theme, and the birthday girl requested chocolate cupcakes and buttercream frosting.  Kim asked if we could do pink flowers with yellow centers on top of 3 dozen cupcakes.



After modifying the original design plan a bit, we settled on the ones you see in the picture.  Aren't they cute?!

The actual chocolate cupcake recipe is what I'm sharing with you.  The recipe in my Southern Living special edition magazine (the same one where I got the pound cake recipe) said that it made 36 cupcakes.  Perfect!  When I make cupcakes to decorate and need the tops slightly flat, I make sure I fill it less than the recipe suggests, which usually means about halfway.  That also means extra cupcakes to enjoy.  Those few extra cupcakes that I made into minis from the leftover batter are all but one gone because they're so delicious!  This is probably my favorite chocolate cake recipe so far.  It has an unapologetically chocolatey flavor and a very light texture.  They're moist and just delicious!  They're very bad for dieters. 

My only complaint, and this could be baker error (not baking them long enough, etc), are that they're difficult to ice without the crumbs getting into your white icing.  Yikes!  Other than that my only complaint is that I can't stop eating them if I make them. 

If you make these, let me know what you think by posting in the comments section!

Chocolate Layer Cake With Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

from Southern Living special edition magazine, Our Favorite Dessserts
1 ½ c. semisweet morsels
½ c. butter, softened
1-16 oz. pkg light brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 c. AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1- 8 oz container sour cream
1 c. hot water
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Melt chocolate in a microwave safe bowl on high 1 ½ minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring at 30 second intervals.

Beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add melted chocolate, beating just until blended.

Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to chocolate mixture alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended. Stir in vanilla. Gradually pour in hot water and mix until all is blended.  Batter will be runny. 

Pour into cupcake pans and bake at 350 for 18 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Makes 36 cupcakes.


Notes

• Did you know that approximately 1 1/2 cups of semisweet chips is the same as 8 oz. of chips?  Thankfully I did and used my Baker's brand semisweet chocolate and didn't have to make that mad dash to the store to buy chips.
• You can also melt the chocolate on a stove in a double boiler. 

Here are the ingredients that will make it happen- part of the uniqueness of this recipe are its use of sour cream and brown sugar.











Sifting the dry ingredients together.  This is how I do it.  Alton Brown uses his food processor.  The goal is to break up clumps and incorporate air.







Oh, yum.  How can you go wrong creaming butter and brown sugar together AND THEN adding chocolate?!








Here's the batter when it's finished and about to be poured.  It's much less viscous than other cake batters, so don't be alarmed. 







Enjoy!