Chicken Enchilada Chili with Corn Spoon Bread

We had another snowstorm yesterday, so this felt like a very appropriate dinner option. It was pretty good. Not my favorite chili, but definitely not bad. The spoon bread also wasn't my favorite, but Jonathan really liked it. Of course, it had two of his favorite things -- corn and milk -- so it was hard to go wrong there.

Chicken Enchilada Chili
Courtesy of Stephanie O'Dea



1 1/2 cups prepared enchilada sauce
2 (14.5-ounce) cans tomatoes with seasoning
2 (15-ounce) cans pinto or kidney beans with juice (or 1 cup dry pinto beans, soaked overnight)
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, diced, or 1 tablespoon dried minced onion flakes
1 to 2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 pounds chicken (thighs, legs, breasts - your choice)
Shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream for serving (optional)

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Pour the enchilada sauce and tomatoes into the bottom of the removable stoneware insert. Add the beans, celery, onion, and spices, and stir to combine. Place the chicken on top.

Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours, or until the flavors have combined. If you are using dry beans, you may need to cook longer to fully soften the beans. If your chicken has bones, fish the bones out before serving. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

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Corn Spoon Bread
Courtesy of Real Simple



3 cups whole milk
2 cups fresh corn kernels or one 10-ounce package frozen corn, thawed
3/4 cup finely ground cornmeal
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Heat oven to 350°F.

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, bring 2 cups of the milk and the corn to a boil.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining milk and the cornmeal. Whisking constantly, slowly add the mixture to the boiling milk. Reduce heat and simmer gently, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the butter, thyme, salt, pepper, and eggs.

Transfer to a buttered casserole or cast-iron skillet. Bake until golden and set, about 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup with Double Quick Dinner Rolls

Yummy on a cold night.

Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
A variation on this recipe from Cooking Light



8 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
1 4.3-ounce package long grain and wild rice (such as Rice-A-Roni)
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoon butter
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Prepare rice, according to packaging, using broth instead of water. Set aside.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and next 4 ingredients (through thyme) to pan; sauté, stirring occasionally, until onions are transparent. Stir in butter and mushrooms; sauté until lightly browned. Add remaining broth, rice, salt, and pepper to pan; cook until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally.

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Double Quick Dinner Rolls
A variation on this recipe from AllRecipes.com



2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110°F/45°C)
1/4 cup dry potato flakes
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for sprinkling
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add potato flakes, sugar, salt, egg, vegetable oil, onion powder, and 1cup of the flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in remaining flour. Continue stirring until smooth, scraping batter from sides of bowl.

Cover and let dough rise in warm place until doubled, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.

Punch down dough. Spoon dough into muffin cups, filling each half full. Let rise until batter reaches tops of cups, or about 20 minutes.

Bake for 15 minutes. Brush each roll with melted butter and sprinkle with salt. Serve immediately.

Black and White Cookies

I can't ever seem to find black and white cookies anywhere and they're some of my favorites, so this was a very happy recipe find. It's a pretty decent version, and it was fun "painting" on the icing.

Black and White Cookies
Courtesy of Gourmet



For cookies:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg

For icings:
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

Make cookies:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a cup.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add egg, beating until combined well. Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in batches at low speed (scraping down side of bowl occasionally), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix until smooth.

Spoon 1/4 cups of batter about 2 inches apart onto a buttered large baking sheet. Bake in middle of oven until tops are puffed and pale golden, and cookies spring back when touched, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack and chill completely.

Make icings while cookies chill:
Stir together confectioners sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl until smooth. Transfer half of icing to another bowl and stir in cocoa, adding more water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, to thin to same consistency as white icing.

Ice cookies:
Turn cookies flat sides up, then spread white icing over half of each and chocolate over other half.

Cranberry Orange Muffins

Just felt like making muffins today, so I did. And these are awesome. Moist and with the perfect amount of sweetness.

I was also able to use the YumBots™ that I got from my brother-in-law for Christmas. They will be so fun to use for a birthday party!

Cranberry Orange Muffins
A variation on this recipe from TasteBook



2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 stick (½ cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
¾ cup fresh orange juice
1 large egg
⅓ cup low-fat sour cream
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped
2-3 teaspoons turbinado (raw) sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin pan with muffin cups.

In a food processor, blend together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the juice, egg, and sour cream. Add the mixture to the flour mixture and stir the batter until it is just combined. Stir in the cranberries. Use an ice cream scoop to transfer batter to muffin pan. Sprinkle the batter with turbinado sugar.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Transfer muffins to rack to cool.

Smoky Veggie Mac & Cheese with Prosciutto

This is my first totally original recipe. And it won over my usually mac and cheese disliking husband. Woo!

Edited to add (1/30/12): I have to say that tonight's variation of fontina cheese (instead of smoked gouda) and a teaspoon of herbs de Provence was also delightful.

Smoky Veggie Mac & Cheese with Prosciutto



1 pound cavatappi (or other corkscrew pasta)
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 pound prosciutto, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 shallots, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup flour
4 cups milk
4 ounces smoked gouda, shredded
2/3 cup Parmesan, grated
9 ounces baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1 cup panko

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Heat oil in Dutch oven or other large heavy-bottom pot over medium heat. Add prosciutto and sauté until crisp. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Melt butter in the same pot and add mushrooms. Sauté until mushrooms are brown and some of the liquid starts to evaporate, about 10 minutes. Add shallots and garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add flour and sauté for another 2 minutes. Whisk in milk until blended and then bring to a boil. Boil until the mixture starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. Add cheese and stir until melted.

Stir in spinach a few handfuls at a time. Then add cooked and drained pasta and reserved prosciutto. Mix well and then pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle panko on top. Bake until bubbly and starting to brown, about 25 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Mocha Chip Angel Food Cake

Excellent twist on angel food cake. It suggests being served with a mocha ganache, but we just added some vanilla ice cream. I'll add the recipe here since I'll probably give it a whirl sometime later. How you could go wrong with some mocha ganache, right?

I cannot find a link to this recipe online, but I got it from the Martha Stewart Everyday Food Magazine.

Mocha Chip Angel Food Cake
Courtesy of Martha Stewart Everyday Food Magazine



2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
12 large egg whites, room temperature
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup cake flour, spooned and leveled
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips (6 ounces)
1 recipe Mocha Ganache (below)

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, stir together espresso powder, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon water until powder dissolves.

In a large, wide bowl, using an electric mixer, beat egg whites on medium-high until foamy, about 1 minute. Add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form, 4 minutes. Continue to beat, gradually adding sugar, until stiff glossy peaks form, about 2 minutes. (If using a standard mixer, gently transfer egg-white mixture to a large, wide bowl for easier folding.)

Place cake flour and salt in a fine-mesh sieve and sift over egg-white mixture in three additions, gently folding with a rubber spatula after each addition. Gently fold in espresso mixture and chocolate chips. Gently spoon batter into an ungreased angel-food cake pan with a removable bottom. With a knife, cut through batter to release air bubbles, then smooth top. Bake until cake is golden brown and springs back when lightly pressed, 30 to 35 minutes.

Invert pan on a baking sheet; let cake cool in pan, 1 hour. Run a thin knife around pan and tube, then unmold cake. Serve drizzled with ganache. (Store cooled cake in pan, wrapped in plastic, up to 3 days.)

Mocha Ganache

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 ounces)
1/2 cup skim milk
2 teaspoon instant espresso powder

Place chocolate chips, milk, and espresso powder in a medium heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pot of simmering water. Stir until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. (Refrigerate up to 1 week.)

Lemon Chicken Fricassee with Biscuit Topping

I think I may have simmered this down a bit too much since there wasn't much liquid in the final product. But it was very good. A good comfort food option.

The only thing I did differently was add some fresh thyme. I really like the flavors of thyme and lemon together, and since I had some, I thought I'd throw it in. I thought it was a good addition.

Lemon Chicken Fricassee with Biscuit Topping
A variation on this recipe from Everyday with Rachael Ray



8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 3/4 pounds), quartered
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
One 14.5-ounce can chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
Grated peel and juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk


Preheat the oven to 425°F. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large, ovenproof skillet, heat 2 tablespoons shortening over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the peas and carrots, thyme, lemon peel and lemon juice.

In a bowl, combine the remaining 2 cups flour, the baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Using your fingertips, rub the remaining 1/2 cup shortening into the dry ingredients. Stir in 1 cup buttermilk to form a dough. Transfer to a floured surface and roll out 1/2 inch thick. Using a 3-inch cookie cutter, form 8 biscuits.

Top the chicken mixture with the biscuits and brush the dough with the remaining 2 tablespoons buttermilk. Bake until browned and cooked through, about 25 minutes.