Buffalo Chicken Chili

This was a recipe that I took to the Chili cook off at my church.  It didn't win but I had people ask for it so I know it was a hit just the same.  This is my easy version.  I revived my Crock pot for this one and I've been using since.  Don't know why I every stopped.

1/4 cup of Buffalo wing sauce
2 large boneless breast
1/2 tsp. dried Cilantro
1 can of whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 can white navy beans
diced onion
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp. celery salt
1 envelope of ranch dressing mix
1/4 tsp. salt
8 oz. cream cheese.

Spray your crock pot with Pam for easy clean up.  Lay 2 large boneless breast in the bottom.  Can put them in frozen.  Add all other ingredients except for the cream cheese.  At this point you can stir it slightly just to mix the seasonings in.  Lay the 8 oz bar of cream cheese on top and put the top on. 
When the breast are cook, which should be in about 3-4 hours depending on whether you used frozen ones are not, remove them just long enough to dice or shred the chicken. Return the chicken to the crock pot and stir in the cream cheese.  You could eat it now but I let it cook just a little longer to let the cream cheese mix into the soup well.  May 30 more minutes.  It's suggested you serve with blue cheese crumbles but I'm not a big fan of blue cheese so I skipped this part.

FYI...You can adjust the heat by the kind of wing sauce you use.  I actually don't like a lot of heat so I used Franks and added another 4th of a cup once it was done and I tasted it.  I like the taste just not the heat.  This worked for me.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Found this recipe and it sounded good.  Set out to make it as easy as possible

1 lb chicken  (about 2 good size breast)
2 cans of whole kernel corn
2 cans of Rotel Tomatoes
Onion diced
32 oz. Carton of chicken broth
1 teaspoon of the diced up garlic in a jar
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Monterey Jack cheese and  tortilla chips

Pour the broth into large pan. Can also be done in a crock pot.  I cut the breast in half horizontally so they would could quicker.
Lay then in the broth and cook slowly until they are done.  Remove and let cool.  Meanwhile
add every thing else except the cheese and chips.  When the chicken is cool enough to handle,
tear into bite size pieces and return to soup.  Cook on low 20-30 minutes.  Top with Monterey
Jack cheese and serve with tortilla chips.

FYI  You can control the "heat" (spicyness) by the kind of Rotel you buy.

Also, adjust the "soupiness" by adding less broth, if you like.

If you like cilantro is a nice addition to this soup.

After you've ladled  the soup into your bowl you can add a squeeze of fresh lime, chopped up fresh avacado instead of or in addition to the monterey jack cheese.

Butter Bean Soup

Looking at the left over ham on Christmas day,  I remembered a soup my mother use to make and I set out to recreate it.  It turned out just as I remembered.

I took the left over ham and diced up all the remaining ham.  When there was nothing left but the bone, I submerged the bone in water and simmered to create a broth.  I set the broth aside.  Meanwhile I melted about 1/4 stick of butter and added a diced onion.  I then added the diced ham and sautéed until the onion was done. I then added back the broth and a small bag of dried large white limas.  I cooked slowly until the butter beans were done.  As they cooked when I felt I needed more liquid I just added chicken broth.  Salt and pepper to taste and a pan of hot corn bread and dinner was ready.

Easy Microwave Peanut Brittle

The other day at Publix they had the large cans of Planter's Peanuts BOGO.  I had not one, but two coupons I could use.  One store coupon and one manufacturer coupon.  This made these peanuts about $1 per can. Yeah!  I came home with 4 large cans.  I then remembered this recipe that I hadn't made in awhile.  It's so easy and taste pretty much like my Bigmama's homemade brittle that she use to make all the time  when I was a child.

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup karo syrup
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup planters peanuts

Place sugar and  karo syrup in a microwave safe bowl.  Stir. Microwave for 5 minutes.
Stir in peanuts and the butter.  Stir and cook for another 2 1/2 minutes.  The recipe calls for 3-4 minutes but I found this to work better.  Remove from microwave and add the soda and vanilla.  Stir and immediately pour onto a cookie sheet that you have sprayed with Pam.  Allow to cool completely.  Break into pieces just the right side to eat.  Store in an container with a good tight lid.

Roasted chicken with vegetables

We had dinner the other night with some good friends at  Cracker Barrel.  We decided to order the roasted chicken since it was only offered for a limited time.  It was very good and I decided that it could be made at home easily.  A few days later I was at Kroger and they had the whole chickens cut in half and marked down in price.  Perfect chance to try this.  I have a large braiser so it was perfect but you can do this in a dutch oven.  I sprayed the pan with Pam.  Then I laid the whole, half chicken in the pan.  I had some Montreal chicken seasoning.  I love the Montreal steak seasoning so I decided, why not.  I shook the Montreal chicken seasoning over the half chicken, both sides but I left the skin side up.  I surrounded the chicken with vegetables.  I had potatoes, carrots, onion and an ear of corn that I broke in half.  I placed this in a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes.  I then lowered the heat to 300 and put the lid on the pan.  I check the chicken with a meat thermometer every 20 minutes till it reached the desired temperature.  Couldn't have been easier.

Now, with the left overs...Larry doesn't like left overs so I had to do something completely different if he was going to eat it.  I put the deboned chicken and left over vegetables and drippings in a baking dish.  I had  green peas and frozen corn in the freezer so I added a little of both.  I stirred in a heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise and added a little chicken broth so it wouldn't be too dry.  I took my Pioneer baking  mix and added about a half stick of melted butter and a couple of tablespoons of sour cream and enough milk to be a little wetter than you would have for biscuits.  You need to be able to spread it.  I poured it over the chicken/vegetable mixture and gently spread it out with a spatula.  You don't want to mix it in at all.  I baked it in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes until it's lightly brown.  This made really good chicken pot pie. 

If you happened to have poultry seasoning, it would make the dough extra tasty if you add a little but it's not necessary.

One Pot Pasta

I ran across this recipe just the other day and I had to try it just to see if it would work.  Not only did it work but it was easy and delicious.  Larry even liked it and he's not really a pasta fan.  As always, this is my easy version of the original recipe.

1 package of sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
2/3 cup frozen green peas
1/4 teaspoon of thyme
2 zucchini, washed and cut into bite size pieces or thinly sliced
1/2 box angel hair pasta
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

In a dutch oven or other large pan, add about 2 1/4 cups of water.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add garlic and thyme.  Add spaghetti and then top with the mushrooms, peas and zucchini.
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and cook uncovered for 10 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.  Stir in parmesan and cream and serve immediately.

I think next time I might add cooked chicken or shrimp at the last minute.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake II

Larry has mentioned to me several times that his mom always made pineapple upside down cake.  I guess I finally got the hint that he wanted me to make one.  Well, you know me,  got to find an easy way to accomplish this and I did. 

1 box Duncan Hines yellow cake mix
1 large can of pineapple slices
1 jar of cherries
stick of butter
1 cup of brown sugar

Prepare the cake mix according to directions except substitute the cup of water with a cup of the pineapple juice from the can of pineapple slices.  Meanwhile, melt the butter in the pan you plan to bake the cake in.  As always I sprayed it well with Pam first.  Larry tells me his Mom used her iron skillet but I only use my iron skillet for cornbread so I substituted.  Add the brown sugar and stir.  The butter and sugar will come together and start to caramelize slightly.  Arrange the pineapple on the bottom of the pan and then add the cherries in the center of each pineapple slice and the little space in between the slices.  Pour the cake mix into the pan and bake in a 350 degree oven until the cake is set.  The baking time will vary depending on your pan so keep an eye on it.  When it's done sit the pan on a cooling rack and let it cool till you can touch the pan. Place the cake plate on the pan and then flip it over.  It turned out beautiful and was so moist.