Trudy's Chicken Tortilla Soup

This looks very yummy...

1 small rotisserie chicken
2 lbs.large tomatoes, chopped
2 medium jalapenos
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons green chiles, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
6 cups chicken broth
1 7-10 oz. can enchilada sauce (Macayo's)
¼ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons red chili powder
¼ teaspoon celery salt
Wondra quick mixing flower
4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Saute onions in large saucepan until transparent. Add tomatoes until they are softened. Cool and put in blender with cilantro, green chile, jalapenos, garlic, chili powder and cumin. Puree to medium consistency. Shred chicken and add remaining items to blended mixture in pot. Heat through and serve with tortilla chips and cheese.

Yumminess and Rice

I probably don't even have to say it at this point, but this recipe (like basically every recipe I post) is both easy and delicious. I made it up this evening!

You will need:

rice (1/2 dry cup per eater) and water (twice as much as the amt of rice)
a basic protein such as tofu or chicken (3-4 ounces per eater)
a clove of garlic
a small jalapeno of the spiciness you desire (scarred ones are spicier than smooth-skinned)
fresh or frozen greens (one cup uncooked per eater - I used frozen collared greens)
diced tomatoes (1/4 cup or more per eater)
a bit of butter or oil (less than a tablespoon)
salt to taste


Steam the rice in a pot with a lid that fits tightly. Put the rice and water in the pot, cover it, and turn the heat to medium. When it is starting to steam (hopefully before it boils over) turn the heat about as low as possible. Do not check on it for at least 1/2 hour. The rice will be done when there is no loose water left in the pan and you can see holes in the mass of rice.

As you steam the rice, dice the garlic and jalapeno and chop the protein into bite-sized chunks. Put a tiny bit of oil in a frying pan, turn the heat to medium and let it warm up, then add the garlic and jalapeno bits. Let them cook for less than a minute before you add the protein. Stir this occasionally, but don't be afraid to let the protein brown a bit on the bottom.

In another pan, add bit of oil or butter, turn the heat to low-med, and throw in the greens. Let them defrost if frozen, or begin to cook if fresh. Then throw in the tomatoes and cook it until they are hot.

Now, throw everything in a bowl, salt to taste (or not at all), and eat it up!

Rosemary Chicken

Bryan made these for dinner last night. It was delicious. He enjoys watching Tyler's Ultimate. I borrowed this from foodnetwork.com

Crispy Baked Rosemary-Garlic Chicken Legs

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Prep Time:
20 min
Inactive Prep Time:
20 min
Cook Time:
1 hr 10 min

Level:
Easy

Serves:
4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

* 12 chicken legs
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 4 stems rosemary, leaves picked and roughly chopped
* 4 cups panko bread crumbs
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 2 eggs
* 2 cups milk
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* Extra-virgin olive oil
* Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put a sheet tray in the oven to preheat.

Wash and trim the chicken legs of any excess fat. Mix the garlic, rosemary and panko together in a shallow rimmed dish and season well with salt and pepper. Alternately, crush the garlic and rosemary with some olive oil and salt in a mortar and pestle.

Crack the eggs into a similar dish, add the milk and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. In another dish add the flour and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Take the chicken legs and 1 at a time, dredge in the flour, then the egg wash and then coat well with the rosemary-garlic panko bread crumbs. (Cook's Note: you could also bread the legs by putting the bread crumbs in a large plastic bag and shaking the legs in the crumbs inside the bag.) Lay the chicken legs out on a tray lined with parchment paper, as you work. Refrigerate the legs for about 15 to 20 minutes for the breading to set.

Remove the hot sheet tray from the oven and drizzle with a good amount of olive oil. Arrange the chicken legs carefully on the tray, spacing them out evenly (the chicken will sizzle when added to the hot oil). Roast until the chicken legs are golden and crispy, about 35 to 40 minutes Remove the chicken from the oven to a serving platter. Season with salt and serve with lemon wedges.

Thankgiving Roll

So I was calling this Thanksgiving Sushi, but Jana said that was misleading because the only thing sushi about this is the fact that it's round. So she renamed it Thanksgiving in a bite :).

Anyway, it was a hit and really easy.

Thanksgiving Roll

1 chicken breast (yeah, that's right. Chicken. I couldn't find a turkey breast cheap enough)
1 tsp rubbed sage
2/3 cup craisens
pie crust
1 pkg Stovetop Stuffing appetizer

Boil chicken breast in a small pan with the sage until cooked through. Remove from water, let cool and shred. Meanwhile prepare stovetop according to directions. Mix craisens in with chicken with a little water and microwave for 30 sec.

Roll pie crust out to 3x9 inch square. Put a layer of stuffing down on the pie crust and press until flat, leaving a about 1/4 inch on the long edges. Place shredded chicken and craisens down the center. Gently roll the crust so that the stuffing folds around the chicken. Gently press the edges of the crust closed and place on a baking pan seam down. Bake @350F for about 25min, or until crust is golden brown. Slice in to rounds with a sharp serrated blade and serve.

Totally easy (and totally boring) chicken noodle soup

So my kids love Cambell's Chicken Noodle, but it's too expensive to go through 4 or 5 cans every time we have it for dinner (didn't soup used to be cheap?) so I created my not quite as boring substitute.

Chicken Noodle Soup

4-6 cups water
chicken bouillon to taste (I use the powder, not the cubes, so I just estimate)
Noodles
chicken (canned, precooked and diced or shredded... whatever)

Boil the water with the chicken bouillon. Add the noodles. I used garden rotini pasta and added angel hair that I had broken into 4 pieces after the rotini was al dente. I added the chicken last. The amount of water you use is up to you. If you want more broth, just add more water.

For some reason, my kids love this. If it was just me, I would do more. Maybe add some veggies. But Erika begged for more of this for days. I think my taste and my kids' tastes are different on a very fundamental level.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Two nights ago I decided to make a ham & cheese strata. I overheard from the other room Megan saying in what I am certain she thought was a quiet voice, "I didn't like mine...where did you put yours?". Brian the good man, just ate it in silence. So all day yesterday the dogs have been snacking on it. I informed Bri of this and he reminded me that they will also eat their own throw up. Ahem. Anyway. I made this last night to redeem myself.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cans chicken broth
3 C cooked wild rice
1 package cream cheese, cubed
1 can cream of chicken soup
Tony Chachere's seasoning to taste
pepper to taste

To begin, I cooked the rice in the rice cooker and used the steamer to take care of the chicken at the same time. Then I sauteed the onions and celery together in chicken broth. From there, I just added it all together and simmered until the cream cheese was melted. Very yummy. I think my family's faith in me is restored! ;)

BBQ Chicken Ramen

So one of our favorite cartoon characters, Naruto, is always talking about how much he loves BBQ pork ramen. I got some chicken tonight, so I figured I could try it with chicken.

BBQ Chicken Ramen

3 Pkgs Ramen noodles (discard spices)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/3 cup bbq sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 prebaked chicken breast

Cut chicken breast to little pieces. Prepare ramen like usual, adding salt to water. Drain most of the water from the pan. Add bbq sauce, Worcestershire, and chicken. Mix it all together. Serve and enjoy.

I was worried about this one, but it actually turned out pretty good. The bbq sauce I used was too spicey, however, so that kinda turned the kids off after a few bites. Next time, will try more mild.