Corn Chowder

* I made this on a freezing, damp May evening when wanting something to warm the bones. Mission accomplished! yum! Wanted to make it a bit healthier than most recipes out there. Pureeing 1 cup or so at the end adds the creaminess without the fattening affects of half & half or heavy cream found in many recipes. ( of course topping it with 1 slice of bacon adds some back in, but it is so worth it!)

Ingredients:
Onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups homemade chicken stock
2 cups skim milk
frozen corn, thawed
4 red potatoes, diced
dash of cayenne pepper
dash of basil & oregano
salt & pepper to taste

Prep:
In soup pot, saute onion in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic & saute until cooked through. Add chicken stock, milk ( temper milk to avoid curdle) , corn, potatoes & spices. Cook 15-20 mins on medium, or until potatoes are cooked. Put 1 to 2 cups of the soup with veggies in a blender or food processor & puree. Put the puree back in the soup & stir. Serve with a garnish of shredded cheddar or a slice of low fat bacon.

Pulled Pork

* I had to make a few tweaks due to items not on hand.....smaller cut of meat, so less catsup, subbed in balsamic for the ac vinegar,a little extra Worcestershire sauce & left out the hot sauce. The result was mouth watering all day & super yummy over rice at dinner!

Pulled Pork

Find it here: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2009/01/crockpot-barbecued-pulled-pork-recipe.html

Ingredients

4 pounds boneless pork shoulder
1 onion, sliced in rings
2 cups ketchup (a 24oz bottle seems to be exactly 2 cups. weird.)
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon gluten free Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

The Directions.

Use a 6 quart crockpot. Trim meat, and place into your crockpot. Add sliced onion. Squeeze in 2 cups of ketchup, and then pour 1/2 cup warm water into the ketchup bottle and shake. Pour the ketchup-y water into your crock. Add vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire,Tabasco and salt.
Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until meat shreds easily with a fork.
Serve over rice, or make sandwiches on rolls or sliced bread.

Peanut Butter-Caramel Pound Cake

* While the end result was yummy, there is some tweaking that needs to be done. LIke many other Giada recipes...there is a lot of ingr. left over. You could cut the caramels asked for in half & therefor half the heavy cream as well. I myself feel it was rich/sweet enough as the cake itself & can not imagine it drizzled with even more caramel.Another thing is the idea that it takes an hour to cook....um, not here! I'm thinking that giving it the hour & checking it every 10 mins. there after would be better. Over all it was SO yummy! I will be making it again for sure!

Peanut Butter-Caramel pound Cake

Find it here:http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/peanut-butter-caramel-pound-cake-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• 1 (9.5-ounce) bag soft caramel candies, unwrapped (recommended: Kraft Classic Caramels)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Directions

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9-by-5-by-3-inch nonstick, metal loaf pan with vegetable oil cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with a 14-by-3 1/2-inch piece of parchment paper. Spray with vegetable oil cooking spray. Line the sides of the pan with a 14-by-7-inch piece of parchment paper. Set aside.

In a small, heavy saucepan, combine the caramel candies and heavy cream over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the candies have melted and the mixture is smooth, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and beat in the eggs and vanilla. With the machine running, gradually add the flour mixture in batches to form a thick batter. Beat in the peanut butter. Transfer half of the batter to the prepared pan. Pour 2 tablespoons of the caramel lengthwise along the center of the batter. Using the tip of a knife, swirl the caramel sauce into the batter. Place the remaining batter on top and pour another 2 tablespoons of the caramel sauce lengthwise along the center of the batter. Swirl the caramel sauce into the batter. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and peel away the parchment paper. Cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour (center of cake will fall during cooling). Slice the pound cake and place on a serving platter. Warm the remaining caramel sauce over low heat. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the pound cake slices or serve alongside.

16 Minute Beef & Bean Burritos

*I made some alterations to fit our family size & taste a bit. I used only 1lb of beef & 1 smallish onion. I also have never met a canned enchilada sauce I like, :p , so I made my own using a basic homemade tomato sauce with some canned enchilada sauce thrown in as well as taco seasonings & cumin. (that result worked well for us) Since we cut back on the meat, we also had fewer shells & instead of nuking I put in the oven at 350 degrees until heated through & cheese was melted. Everyone really enjoyed the results.

16 minute Beef & Bean Burritos

Find it here: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/07/brown-hot-and-plenty-of-it-vol-i/

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Ground Beef
• ½ whole Medium Onion
• 1 can (7 Ounce) Mexican Tomato Sauce Or Enchilada Sauce
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• Cumin, Oregano, Chili Powder, Garlic To Taste
• 1 can (28 Ounce) Refried Beans
• ¾ cups Grated Cheddar Cheese
• 12 whole Burrito-sized Flour Tortillas
• Extra Grated Cheese, For Sprinkling
• Extra Sauce, For Drizzling
• Cilantro Leaves, Optional
• Optional Filling Ingredients: Mexican Rice, Sour Cream, Guacamole, Green Chilies, Pico De Gallo

Preparation Instructions

Brown ground beef with onion and season to taste. Pour in sauce and simmer over low heat. Add water if mixture gets too dry.

Heat refried beans in a saucepan. Add cheese and stir in till melted. Keep warm.

Heat tortillas in microwave for one minute.

Spread a small amount of beans on each tortilla. Add meat. Fold over ends, then roll up. Place two burritos on a microwave-safe plate. Drizzle red sauce over the top and sprinkle with more grated cheddar. Microwave for one minute, or until cheese is melted and burritos are very hot. Serve immediately.

OPTIONAL: Fill burritos with any optional ingredients you like.

Enchiladas

* Really quite yummy. I have never met a canned Ench. sauce I liked, so I whipped up one using canned tomato & various Mexican spices.

Enchiladas

Find it here: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/09/simple-perfect-enchiladas/

Ingredients

• FOR THE SAUCE:
• 1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
• 1 Tablespoon All-purpose Flour
• 1 can (28 Ounce) Enchilada Or Red Sauce
• 2 cups Chicken Broth
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• ½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Chopped Cilantro
• _____
• FOR THE MEAT:
• 1-½ pound Ground Beef
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
• 2 cans (4 Ounce) Diced Green Chilies
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• _____
• FOR THE TORTILLAS:
• 10 whole (to 14) Corn Tortillas
• ½ cups Canola Oil
• _____
• TO ASSEMBLE:
• 3 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• ½ cups Chopped Black Olives
• 1 cup Chopped Green Onions
• ½ cups Chopped Cilantro

Preparation Instructions

Step #1 – The Sauce
In a large saucepan over medium heat, add oil and flour and whisk together to make a paste, cooking for one minute. Pour in the red sauce, chicken broth, cilantro, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30-45 minutes.

Step #2 – The Meat
Brown the meat with onions in a skillet. Drain off fat. Stir in 2 cans diced green chilies and seasoned salt. Set aside.

Step #3 – Tortillas
Heat canola oil in a small skillet over medium heat. One by one, using tongs, fry tortillas in oil until soft, not crisp – about 30 seconds per side. Remove to a paper—towel lined plate. Repeat until all tortillas have been fried.

Step #4 – Assembly
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour ½ cup red sauce in bottom of baking pan. Spread to even out. Dip each tortilla into red sauce, then remove to work surface. Spoon meat, a little grated cheese, a little black olives, and green onions in the center of tortilla. Roll up and place, seam down, in baking pan. Repeat until pan is filled. Pour extra red sauce over enchiladas. Top with remaining cheddar cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle cilantro over enchiladas before serving.

Arroz Con Pollo

*SO very yummy! THe kitchen smelled mouth watering ALL day! Even my tomato resistant daughter loved it ( I think the puree helped in this dept.) Chalk a Mexican/Spanish dish up for me ;o) ~ Note, I used precooked brown rice instead of instant & threw in at the end with the peas.

Ingredients

• 6 small skinless bone-in chicken breast halves (about 4 pounds)
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 1 small onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 chipotle chile (from canned chipotle in adobo sauce)
• 1 can (14 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth
• 1-1/2 cups instant rice( to add later)
• 1-1/2 cups frozen peas(to add later)
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro lime wedges, for serving

Directions

1. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Combine oregano, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle half of spice mixture over chicken and rub in with fingers; set remaining aside.

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add chicken and cook, turning, until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a 6-quartslow cooker.

3. Place canned tomatoes, onion, garlic, chipotle and remaining spice mixture in a blender. Cover and blend until almost smooth; pour over chicken. Add broth.

4. Cover and cook, 4 to 5 hours on low or 2 to 2-1/2 hours on high. Gently stir in rice, cover and cook on high, stirring once, 30 minutes. Turn cooker off, stir in peas, cover and let stand 15 minutes.

5. Cut cherry tomatoes in half and toss with cilantro; serve over chicken and rice with lime wedges on the side.

Nutrition Facts

• Servings Per Recipe 6 servings
• Calories380,
• Total Fat (g)5,
• Saturated Fat (g)1,
• Cholesterol (mg)110,
• Sodium (mg)650,
• Carbohydrate (g)31,
• Fiber (g)3,
• Protein (g)49,
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Slow Cooker Pesto Minestrone Soup

* Did not have the nuts for the Pesto part of the recipe, but added in the other components for it. I am also a fan of using Parmesan rinds in soup, esp. an Italian soup, so I put one in as well. ( you remove the softened rind before dishing up) " It was SO yummy!" We will have it again ;o)

Pesto Minestrone Soup

Find it here: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2011/01/pesto-minestrone-soup-slow-cooker.html
Ingredients

1 large onion, diced
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, sliced
1 yellow or red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 pound (any variety) potatoes, cut in 1-inch chunks (no need to peel)
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 (15-ounce) cans beans (undrained; your choice, I used cannellini)
1 (11-ounce) container prepared pesto (or a cup or so homemade)
4 cups chicken broth (can use vegetable)
1 cup frozen peas (to add later)
1 handful baby spinach (to add later)

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Put the veggies into the bottom of your slow cooker and add the entire can of tomatoes and both cans of beans. Pour in the pesto and broth. No additional seasoning is needed. Cover, and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until the vegetables have fully cooked and softened and flavors have melded completely. stir well, and add frozen peas and a handful of spinach. Cook on high for another 10-15 minutes or until the peas are fully hot and the spinach has wilted.