Comfort Food: Mexican Winter Chili

Believe it or not, my December soup series is still ongoing. I have actually made LOTS of soup. I've also taken LOTS of naps. We had a taste of spring, and to be honest, I wasn't ready for it. The dirty gray yard begged to be worked on, but I've lost my moxie. I just prayed that my apricots wouldn't start blooming only to be denied their delicious fruit with a late storm. But then it happened...

...winter came back and cleaned everything up then took away my yard guilt. So to celebrate, let's make some Mexican Winter Chili!



This recipe was torn out of BH&G and was a "prize-tested recipe" from some genius named Debi Carnott. I ripped it out several years ago, because honestly, who doesn't want to try a soup with cocoa powder, cinnamon, AND pumpkin in it. Here's the ingredient list:

MEXICAN WINTER CHILI

1 lb. pork stew meat
2 TBL olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium fresh poblano pepper, finely chopped
(I could NOT find this pepper. I used 1 jalapeno peppers instead, and made sure to de-seed it.)
1 large red sweet pepper, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
DASH cayenne pepper
1 14-oz can chicken broth
1 15-oz can pumpkin
1/4 cup whipping cream
GARNISH (optional) Fresh cilantro



1) Use a big saucepan or stove-top friendly dutch oven. Heat up oil over medium high
heat and cook pork for 5 minutes (or until browned). Here you see other chopped stuff with it..peppers and onion (cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often, until veggies are tender). Now you see all of this goodness coated with our fun spices: cocoa, cumin, garlic powder, cinnamon, and cayenne.

2) This picture shows the added broth PLUS 1/2 cup water. Notice how dark and delicious it looks? Bring this to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or until pork is tender.

The last thing you do is add the pumpkin, cream, as well as salt and pepper to taste. Return to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Now here's the end result in The Mister's bowl. The pumpkin makes it thick, but do not fear.



The cilantro garnish was denied, but I think it would have made for a much prettier picture with a dash of bright green. I was excited and nervous to try it.

As for me? I thought it was great. It packed some heat with the cayenne and jalapeno, more than I was expecting. Don't get me wrong, it was GOOD, but the heat left me apologizing when I served it to friends. So if you like more mild dishes, then try it minus the cayenne and with half a jalapeno (de-seeded).

By the way, everyone who tried it (with apologies for heat) actually loved it. So go boldly forth I say!

The Mister of the House? Let's just say he LOVED IT and had a happy face after eating it.



For a key to reading The Mister's emotions, click here.
p.s. it really is his happy face by the way.

That's all for now. Riva Derci!

Wait...that's not right. Buenos comer el soupe! Adios!

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Comfort Food: Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

So much for my December soup series, huh? The snow is still falling however, and it's still a good season to cozy up with a bowl of warm soup. So we're back at it! This recipe comes from my sister Monica. Among many things, she is an amazing cook. The reason I love this soup is that it is the perfect blend of creamy and brothy, plus wholesome veggies and wild rice do a dance in your mouth. I despise beef stew because you are essentially eating spoonfuls of gravy. Blech! Forget the stew, and cook up some Chicken & Wild Rice Soup instead!

Here's a picture of the needed ingredients. I really don't trust anyone besides Uncle Ben's. Buy the 6.0 oz boxes of Long Grain & Wild Rice Mix (includes an herb packet with 13 herbs or something like that). Also, the chicken is pre-cooked and added at the end.



This recipe basically has 3 "10 minute sessions" of cooking/boiling. So, in a large saucepan, combine 11 1/3 cups water, and 2 boxes (6.0 oz) of Uncle Ben's Wild Rice. I also add 2 heaping tablespoons of chicken base.

Bring this first batch to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. You still want to have some boil action going to make sure your rice gets cooking.

Next you stir in your raw veggies and cover and simmer again for 10 minutes. You definitely want more boil action going (nothing too crazy) so your veggies get soft. Veggies include:
* 4 medium carrots, sliced
* 2/3 cup chopped onion
* 4 stalks of celery, sliced

Now our last 10 minute session. Stir in 4 cans cream of chicken soup and 2 cups of cubed, cooked chicken. My suggestion would be to put all of the cream of chicken soup in a bowl and add a cup or two of your soup and whisk it really smooth to let it incorporate better.

This last step could take as little as 8 minutes. Just cook it until rice and veggies are tender.



Wa-la! Delicious. And the flavors season overnight so it's even better the next day.

Here's the recipe (which I doubled):

CHICKEN AND WILD RICE SOUP

5 2/3 cup water
1 pkg (6.0 oz) long grain and wild rice mix
1 heaping TBL chicken base
1/3 cup chopped onion
2 medium carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup cubed, cooked chicken

In large saucepan, combine water, rice with contents of seasoning packet and chicken base. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in carrot, celery, and onion. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in chicken soup and chicken. Cook 8 minutes longer or until rice and veggies are tender.
Enjoy!
Love,
Mrs. Olsen

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Comfort Food: Creamy White Chicken Chili

There's something so comforting and (practically) fail-safe about chili. Throw in some meat, some beans, some spices and your set. But then you taste that bowl of chili that reaches perfection. The one that wins the chili cook-off. The one that makes you realize great chili's aren't just a dump-fest of ingredients, but are instead a controlled science experiment guaranteeing the chemistry of ingredients will make your mouth happy. And give you a blue ribbon.

That is Creamy White Chicken Chili. This recipe comes from my friend Sara (as all of my great recipes do). Background: this recipe won the cook off when she lived in Illinois. She brought it back to me (and Utah). Our Utah ward (mormon for congregation) had a chili cook-off and I signed her up before she did. I knew she'd claim the prize.

And she did!

This is a big ole pot of chili, so invite your friends or enjoy leftovers for a couple of days. Trust me, it won't last long. Here we go! Here's our ingredients:




I just have to say, that cumin is the most underrated spice on the planet. It's so not a part of American cooking, but it makes such a difference. You can see here that cumin is just one of the many ingredients going on here.

Use 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken, cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Also chop up 2 medium onions. Get out your soup pot and heat 3 TBL of olive oil. Add 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder and saute your chicken and onions.



Now here's the chicken all cooked up behind some harmless kitchen smoke. We're ready to add more ingredients!





A. Drain and rinse 6 cans (15.5 oz each) of Great Northern Beans

B. Add beans, corn (1 pkg frozen or 2 cans), broth, green chiles, & seasonings. Bring this to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer (uncovered) for 30 minutes.

C. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream (2 cups)



Serve immediately. Serve over crushed tortilla chips. Top with grated cheddar and fresh cilantro.

Here's the full recipe

CREAMY WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 med onions, chopped
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
3 TBL olive oil
6 cans (15.5 oz each) Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
5 cups chicken broth
4 cans (4 oz each) green chiles, chopped
2 tsp salt
3 TBL lemon juice
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp pepper
1 pkg frozen corn (or 2 cans)
2 cups sour cream
GARNISH: tortilla chips, fresh cilantro, grated cheddar

Saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, corn, broth, chiles and seasonings.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer (uncovered) for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream.

Serve immediately. Spoon over crushed tortilla chips. Top with grated cheese and fresh cilantro.


Thanks Sara. Enjoy!

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Comfort Food: Creamy Curry Carrot Soup

Hello December! With parties, shopping, decorating, serving, caroling, and sledding going on this month, I decided to post some favorite Olsen Family soup recipes. There's nothing easier than a big pot of soup to munch on all-day. And there's nothing better than coming in from the cold and warming up with a bowl of comfort. Here's our first soup recipe this month, Creamy Curry Carrot Soup:




You will need 3 cups of cooked rice. This is perfect when you have leftover rice who's sauce ran out last night. Can you please do me a favor before you start? Just go ahead and run to Costco or Sam's Club and buy yourself a big bag of Jasmine Rice (or Basmati works great too). Let's just pass on that other crap okay?



The blending step is optional depending on how well you chop your onions and carrots. I chopped mine in the food processor, so I didn't feel the need to break it down anymore after it cooked down in the pan.



This soup is easy and delicious. Here's the full recipe:

Creamy Curry Carrot Soup

2 TBL butter
3 tsp curry powder
1 tsp salt
1 med onion, finely chopped
4 med carrots, grated
3 (14oz) cans of chicken broth, divided
3 cups cooked rice
1 cup whipping cream

Melt butter over med-high heat. Add curry and salt. Stir constantly for 30 seconds.

Add onion & carrots then saute 7-9 minutes, stirring frequently. *optional* Carefully spoon into blender or food processor. Add 1 can broth. Blend but don't puree.

Return to stockpot. Add remaining 2 cans (28 oz) broth and rice. Heat over med-high heat until hot, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup cream.

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Thanksgiving Scramble

It's that time again! Over the past few weeks, our turkeys have been wandering all over the place. Flying over the fence and visiting on the deck was a recent treat. This is a heritage breed called "Blue Slate", and we had a batch of four. They are a beautiful grayish-blue color, and unlike Butterball, they take a good 7-8 months to get full-grown. Because our first spring batch died (turkeys really are kindof stupid BTW) we decided to take out 2 turkeys for the family dinner this year.

Like this turkey, we have been enjoying the beautiful colors, warm days, and brisk evenings. Why look at the weather report when tradition tells you that you usually need a jacket at Thanksgiving, but hats and gloves are for Christmas?

The Friday before Thanksgiving was unusually warm. We decided Tuesday would be a good day to do the deed.

Enter Saturday: Winter storm warnings, high winds, and drifting snow. Whaaaa?

Small break from the storm Monday, with a resurgence Tuesday afternoon! The Mister comes home from work early and we head out into the snow, hoping to beat the storm.


Here we are trying to heat up water so the turkeys are easier to pluck. The Mister is pacing and looking at his watch, and I'm hauling the hottest tap water I can manage from the house.

Anyone who remembers the absolute trauma I experienced last year will understand why, without even asking for help, or hinting to the moment, the Mister took the turkeys and stretched them over the sawhorse and whacked off their necks when my back was turned.



We dunked them in the hot water (not boiling) then placed them on our plastic wrapped table. We started to pull out the feathers as fast as we could. After about 30 minutes, the wind was picking up and blowing snow in our faces. YowZah!



Here comes the storm!


It was about this time my hands were losing their open/close functions, so I decided to finish the plucking indoors. Here I am on the deck looking like a homeless person in my sexy work pants.





After plucking all the remaining pieces, The Mister of the House lightly torches the skin with a portable propane thingie-bobber to burn the hair off. Weird right?

So we did it! We had 2 turkeys ready for the big dance. We made a salty brine solution and let them soak for a couple of days. We decided to cook one with a spicy rub in a dutch oven, and the other in a turkey fryer.



Here's our buddies Janis and Greg. Janis is a volleyball queen and Greg is a sucker for home projects. He also is a dutch oven guru. Here's his spicy turkey rub recipe that you can use for a small/medium turkey or a big roast chicken. The meat will fall off the bone...it's delicious!



So mix all of those spices together, and then prepare to massage that turkey like a Thai Princess.



Pull the skin away from the meat and rub between the layers. Rub inside the cavity. Rub the skin. Love and rub and love that turkey!



Why in the world didn't I take a picture when it was done? Because the places were set, the food was on, and there was a turkey to carve. Definitely NOT a traditional turkey, but delicious nonetheless.

We decided to cook the "big turkey" in the turkey fryer. The Mister of the House actually stepped on the scale and weighed our turkey so we would know for sure.

Drumroll?

7 pounds!

Ugh. I couldn't believe it! I still want to react against factory farming, genetically overhauled turkeys that can't move and live in cages...so it was still worth it to me. But goodness...7 pounds?



Fried turkey? Totally pass! Go traditional or go for the rub all the way.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Signed,
Waiting for Easter Dinner to enjoy a full-grown blue slate turkey

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Garden Recipe: Zucchini-Mint Brownies

Please tell me you still have one big fat zucchini on your counter that you've been wondering whether or not to throw away? Well don't! Here's another garden recipe sent to save the day! (do I still have good karma Tonya?)

These are ingredients for a full-size cookie sheet full of fiber-rich brownies. Start with that zucchini. Grate it. We need 4 cups!

Next we have our oil substitute: Great White Northern Beans. Use one regular sized can. Drain the juices, then throw the beans in your food processor.



At this point you stir together (do not beat!):
4 cups grated zucchini (I keep the skins on)
1 can of smoothed and processed white beans, and
4 tsp. vanilla

At this point in the mixing, you begin to wonder if you just started a diarrhea-fest at your house. Beans and zucchinis? Seriously?

Seriously. Trust me. Moist and delicious.

Now before you add your dry ingredients, let's throw in some fresh mint. This is of course optional since we just had our first snowstorm of the season today.

Here's the deal. If you think you can't grow anything, that your thumb is red (or something) instead of green, plant yourself some mint. It will never. ever. never go away.



So I just grabbed a handful. How's that for measuring? If you add it, make sure to cut the coarse ends off. Then into the food processor to chop to smithereens. Stir into your poopfest and on with the dry ingredients.

DRY INGREDIENTS:
4 cups flour (I love fresh ground white wheat. It's quite light and fluffy but still whole. I've used white and regular bagged wheat. Either kind will work great).
1 cup cocoa powder
3 cups sugar
2 tsp salt
1 TBL baking soda

Add dry ingredients to wet stuff. Stir together. Lastly, stir in:

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
Never add nuts (this is not optional). Nuts do not belong in brownies, carrot cake, or banana bread. If you add nuts to this recipe then just go ahead and stop reading this blog right now.

Phew. Okay. So preheat your oven to 350 degrees, grease and flour your cookie sheet, and spread your batter.

Cook for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.



Yum!

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Garden Recipe: Roasted Tomato Sauce (with Eyelash Soup)

This recipe is great for when you have a glut of tomatoes. And anyone who has ever escorted tomatoes through a salsa recipe requiring you to blanch, peel, core, and then de-seed the tomatoes will hopefully find a return of motivation to process their own food. No more wondering where half the tomato went, and no burning hands! I haven't tweaked around with it to see if it can be canned, so for long storage use your freezer.

This recipe is from The Weight Watcher's New Complete Cookbook. So if that's your thing, this sauce has zero points!

Here we go!

Roma Tomatoes are my favorite for this recipe, but any ripe tomato will work.



Sweet onions will give you the perfect amount of sweetness here. When I was a missionary in Georgia, I kept hearing about "Vuh-Day-uh Onions...sweet as apples". So if you can get a Vidalia Onion, think of over-sized oak trees dripping with moss and lazy porches while you're slicing it up for the pan. If that doesn't bring tears to your eyes, the onion will. I use one big onion for the two cookie sheets, or 2 small sweet onions, one for each pan.



Since my tomatoes were not romas, I sliced them in thick slices (bottom left). After the tomatoes and onions are cut up, add 1 or 2 cloves of minced garlic per sheet (or more if you are a garlic lover). Sprinkle salt and pepper; then drizzle balsamic vinegar on the pan (only about 1-2 tablespoons total of vinegar).



So after your oven is preheated to 375 degrees, cook for 50-55 minutes total. You will need to rotate the pans halfway through. This is a good time to invite friends and neighbors over, because your entire house will smell amazing! You will be so in love with your tomatoes, you will open the oven and bend your face to breathe in the smell. But roasting tomatoes tend to to heave a hefty wet aroma that will burn your face off.

I now have no eyelashes. Seriously. I do this every time. Consider yourself warned.



Your tomatoes and onions should be lightly browned. Pull them out and scoop them into a food processor. Now honestly, if you don't have a food processor then buy a blender with a food processor attachment. Do it today!

Pulse it all together until smooth but still chunky. I placed my bowl next to the blender so you had a reference of how much sauce it made. Cool to room temp and then freeze in 2-cup portions for up to 3 months.

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Garden Recipe: Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

There's so many garden recipes I have been cooking up lately to use up our fresh garden produce, but I have hardly had a second to post them on the blog. For now? Here's a new family favorite: Spaghetti Squash Lasagna. It's adapted from some magazine pullout from long ago, but you can really just fly on the cuff with this one.



I recommend cooking option 2, simply because it cooks more thoroughly and evenly. If using the microwave, just make sure that the squash is all the way cooked. Pierce with a fork and stick the entire thing in the microwave. At the end of cooking, pull out the fork again and check for tenderness. Then you cut it open, throw away the seeds and gross strings around the seeds, then scrape the flesh out into a bowl.

So cook it up, scrape out the flesh, and season to taste with butter, salt, pepper, and italian seasonings.



We used pork that we raised in the backyard. I have to admit a few things: we definitely eat meat more sparingly now that we raise our own meat. And B) never been much of a piggy eater but this pork has been a delicious protein boost in the home.

So we're about to start our layers. Spray a 9X13 pan with cooking spray, then we're ready to go.




Mostly mozzarella, with a sprinkling of full-flavored italian cheeses does the trick nicely. I love to buy the already grated canister called "Mario Batali Italian 4 cheese blend". Sam's Club has it and it has aged provolone, asiago, parmesan & romano shredded cheese. This will add a lot of flavor to the dish.

You repeat the layers twice *with the exception of the last layer of cheese. Save that for the last 5 minutes of cooking*. Got it?

So from bottom up layer: half squash, half meat, sauce, then cheese. Now repeat but save the last layer of cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then sprinkle last layer of cheese and bake for 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes.



Garnish options: Fresh Parsley
Other options: add chopped olives with your meat layer.

Enjoy!

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Citrus Week-"ish" Recipe: Candied Lemon Slices

In our kitchen, we picked up the pace around March. Picking up the pace meant that we tried to avoid processed foods containing high fructose corn syrup as well as other ingredients that you can't read or understand. So one March Morning the mutts woke up and our standard honey-nut cheerios was out. The kids sat at the table with empty bowls and excited smiles after The Mister of the House stated he was off to the store to buy more cereal.

And then the bomb dropped on their morning ritual. We sat down and said we weren't eating anymore cereal that had corn syrup, artificial sweeteners and colors, and filled their bowls with organic and delicious granola.

They wept bitter tears.

This isn't breakfast of course, but you get the idea.

Another fallout from our food revolution was fruit snacks. I'm not sure why I got on that bandwagon to begin with, perhaps because it's an integral mormon ritual every Sacrament Meeting to keep your kids quiet.

After reading the amazing book "In Defense of Food", The Mister and I now joke about whether something is food or "food-flavored product". I like to think of how the food came to be, and if someone was wearing goggles and a labcoat, then maybe it's a scientific product instead of a food one.

So like most of those kid-loving cereals, fruit snacks got the axe at our house. No wonder when the ingredient list for Wal-Mart's Great Value Fruit Snacks is this:

Corn Syrup, Sugar, Fruit Juice Concentrate (Apple, Grape, Strawberry, Orange, Lemon), Modified Cornstarch, Canola Oil, Malic Acid, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Natural And Artificial Flavors, Mineral Oil, Blue 1, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Carnauba Wax.

And so it was, with the onslaught of lemons from our food co-ops, I decided to try my hand at candied lemon slices. Still sweet, and still a treat. But I don't need a lab-coat to make them, and neither will you.



Ingredients: Lemons, Sugar, Water. You will also need ice water for the recipe.





So here's the deal with lemon slices. The white rim is called pith, and it keeps your treat bitter and gross unless you boil it out. I digress, you don't actively boil. You throw them in water that was just boiling, but that has been pulled off the heat source. So still pretty hot. I used Martha's recipe as a guide, but keep in mind some basic citrus rules! If you are doing a BIG BATCH, consider doing a couple rounds of the boiling water, changing the water in between. Got it?


This picture has 3 or 4 lemons in it. Prepare boiling water, pull it off, throw in your lemons and let them sit for 2-3 minutes. If you want to be safe, throw out the water and do it one more time. (I just did it for one round by the way, and they turned out good...but they were better when I did a smaller batch. You get the citrus rules applying here right?)



So you "boil" them, and then plunge them in the ice-water bath. This is what they look like after this step.

Let those lemons enjoy their ice-bath while you prepare the syrup. Equal parts sugar to water. I went 2 cups of each, and heated over medium-low heat until the sugar is dissolved. YOU DO NOT WANT YOUR SYRUP TO BOIL. Just get your sugar dissolved, and then throw your slices in there to simmer for a complete hour. Going an extra 15 or 20 minutes isn't a big deal AS LONG AS IT DOESN'T BOIL.





So during the cooling process, you have some options. Roll in more sugar for a grainy treat, or dip in melted semi-sweet chocolate.



And yes my kids eat them! They are a bit chewy, but a little work with a sweet treat does a kid good. Here's Rainbow Girl after eating a chocolate one, and I snapped this pic before she had any idea she had choco-lips.



Oh and in case you're wondering, my kids all have these happy faces when eating their granola as well. Boo-yah!



I'm thinking cupcake toppers! What do you think?

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