White Chicken Chili

So... dinner at our ward Halloween party was a Chili Potluck. People signed up to bring Chili to share. And this one was AMAZING!! I tasted it and fell immediately in love. I went back for seconds (luckily there was still a little left) and I still wouldn't even give Jeremy a bite - it was too good! I couldn't spare even a spoonful! So - after failing to locate the creator of this dish and knowing that we had to leave the party soon - and fearing that I would never be reconnected with this delicacy - I decided to leave a note (confessing my true love) in the empty chili pan and beg for the chef to email me the recipe. And... happy ending... it worked! So - I haven't made this yet, but I can attest that it is super delicious and I look forward to making it SOON. Here's the recipe...

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

2 Med. White onions- chopped

1 t Garlic Powder

1 t Oregano

2 t Cumin

½ tsp. Cayenne Pepper (optional)

2 Small cans Green Chilies- Diced

4 cans 15oz. White Great Northern beans (drained)

3 cups chicken broth (2 cans)

1 Chicken bouillon cube

4 cups cooked chicken breast – diced into bite-sized pieces. (that is about 6-8 chicken breasts)

2 cans white corn- (un-drained)

32 oz. Sour cream

Instructions:

Sauté onions in 1/2 cube butter in pot. Add everything but sour cream. Cook 30 min (longer for crockpot). Add sour cream (wait until 10 minutes before serving to add this when cooking in a crock pot). Cook 10 minutes.

Top with grated jack cheese

** The Chili that I tasted did not have the optional Cayenne Pepper in it... so try that at your own risk. Also, just for my own future reference - I would probably choose to only put in 2 cups of cooked chicken breast - it just seeme a little dense on the chicken for my liking - BUT - other than that... it was the pinnacle of perfection! ENJOY. **

Quick and Easy Homemade Bread

I love this homemade bread recipe. It is quick and easy. :) And yummy! What's not to like?? Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups warm water

6 T. oil

6 T. honey (or sugar)

1 1.2 tsp. salt

1 T. dough enhancer

4 cups flour (any combo of wheat and white)

1 1/2 T. Saf Instant Yeast

Combine all of these ingredients in a mixer of sorts (like a Bosch or a Kitchenaid) and mix for 8-10 minutes. While the dough is mixing slowly add 3 more cups of flour (for a total of 7 cups).

Oil bread pans and divide dough into 2 or 3 even loaves and place them in the bread pans to rise for 30 minutes or until doubled.

This recipe can make 2 big loaves or 3 smaller loaves - or I often make 2 loaves and an 8x8 pan of cinnamon rolls because my Honey LOVES cinnamon rolls and I like to see him smile. :) I have also used this recipe to make homemade soup bowls - and that worked great as well. I actually make this bread all of the time (usually once a week) because it is SO fast and easy.

After the dough has risen, bake the bread at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. I use a meat thermometer to determine if the bread is done or not. 180 degrees on the meat thermometer means that your bread is finished! Then I butter the tops of the loaves and take them out of the bread pans to cool. YUM - nothing is quite as delectable as fresh, warm, homemade bread.

To make the bread into cinnamon rolls I just roll the dough out - melt some butter (maybe 1-2 T.) and sprinkle cinnamon and brown sugar over the dough. Then I roll it up and cut the log into 9 cinnamon rolls and let them rise in the 8x8 pan. Yummy and easy (aka PERFECT).

This recipe was passed on to me by my amazing sister, Tiffany. Thank you Tiffany!

The Perfect Cake

This year for Jeremy's birthday I wanted to find a cake that he would LOVE. He's just not a huge cake fan... but I came across this little beauty and now there is no going back! We are in love. I think this will be the new family cake - the classic - the "go-to" cake for all birthdays. Oh - it was delicious. Now I am trying to find an excuse to make it again - and soon. Any occasions that you can think of????

Pistachio Cake

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage
3 eggs
2 (3 ounce) packages instant pistachio pudding mix
1 tub whipped cream
1 cup milk

Instructions:

Beat cake mix, oil, soda, eggs, and first package of pudding until smooth. Pour batter into greased 9 x 13 inch pan.

Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 30 - 45 minutes, or cake tests done.

Beat cool whip, milk, and second package pudding; pour over cake. Refrigerate.

This recipe is from the website http://allrecipes.com/.

So - the cake turned out light and moist and PERFECT. I have read that you can try this with any pudding/cake flavors. Now I am dying to try a vanilla pudding cake, or a chocolate pudding cake (maybe with chocolate cake mix too), or a coconut cream pie cake? Anyway, next time I try it I want to try reducing the oil and see how it goes. I totally recommend this simple recipe. I hope that you like it too!

BBQ Cups

You know me... I go for QUICK and EASY (and yummy!). So, I have recently fallen in love with this beautiful and simple recipe. It will definitely become one of our "usuals".

BBQ Cups

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

2/3 c. BBQ sauce

shredded cheese

2 cans of quick small rolls

(found in the refrigerated area by the the croissants and cinnamon rolls in the grocery store. They come in packs of 8 or 10 usually, you can get the cheap ones that are like .50)

Ground the beef, add 2/3 of cup of BBQ Sauce, mix well.

Flatten and stretch out rolls and put them in a 12 cupcake holder pan.

Add the beef mixture in each little cup and put in oven.

Bake according to instructions on the rolls, usually 10-12 min.

About two minutes before done, pull out and add extra sauce on each and top with shredded cheese.

Serves 4.

Yum. I got this recipe from an email recipe exchange - thank you Becky!

Orange Cookies

So - usually I am not one to go for "citrus" desserts. They just don't do it for me. But this cookie I fell in LOVE with. It felt festive and light and fun and different and delicious! You HAVE to try them. Oh, and I made them today - so if you are in the area just stop by for a free sample. :)

Orange Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 c. shortening or margarine

1 c. sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/2 c. orange juice

1 T. orange rind

2 1/2 c. sifted flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Blend margarine, sugar, salt, and eggs. Add rind and juice, sift flour and baking powder and add. Mix until smooth but don't overmix. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Frost while slightly warm, or leave plain.

Frosting ingredients:

1 T. orange juice

1/2 tsp orange rind

1 T. melted margarine

1 c. powdered sugar

I got this recipe from an old nursing buddy, Camber. Thanks Camber!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

We love homemade Chicken Noodle Soup - especially if we can enjoy it with warm biscuits or homemade bread. Once I even made homemade soup bowls to go with it - super yummy!

Ingredients

onion

carrots

celery

zucchini

yellow squash

1 box rotini noodles

6-8 cups of chicken broth

1 chicken breast, cooked and cut into bit size pieces

1-2 Tbsp. butter

Italian seasoning

salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Saute the veggies in 1-2 Tbsp. of butter until just tender - I usually add some salt & pepper for extra flavor

In a separate pan I cook 1 box of noodles according to the package instructions. My favorite is whole wheat rotini noodles - but whatever you have is great. Drain and set aside.

Combine 6-8 cups of chicken broth (I just use water and chicken boullion if that is all that I have), cooked chicken breast, cooked noodles, and veggies. Heat until warm throughout. I add salt & pepper, italian seasoning, and lemon pepper to taste - but you can season it however you like.

Serves at least 6.

Enjoy!