Main Dish
With all of the snow we have been having there is nothing better than a hearty bowl of warm comforting soup! This soup hits the spot! It is rich, thick and creamy, not to mention the addition of sliced jalapenos and thick cut bacon garnishing the top. If that doesn’t warm you I don’t know what will! I had a number of taste testers on this one and we all agreed this was delicious and a must make again recipe!
INGREDIENTS
6 thick cut bacon slices cooked and crumbled (reserve 2 Tablespoons of the bacon fat)
2 Tablespoons butter
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery sticks, diced
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1//3 cup of flour
1 cup of pale ale, I used Blue Moon
1 Tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 jalapeno, sliced
DIRECTIONS
Put the two tablespoons of the bacon fat in a large stock pot. Add butter and let the butter melt over medium heat. Add the diced onions, carrots and celery. Cover the pan and cook for about 25 minutes stirring often. Add the garlic cooking for one more minute. Add the flour and cook for five more minutes, stirring frequently. The mixture will be very thick at this point. Add the beer and bring the mixture to a boil for about one minute. Reduce the heat to medium and add the worcestershire sauce, heavy cream, milk and chicken broth.
Let the soup simmer, stirring occasionally, keeping the temperature on medium for about 25 minutes then reduce heat to medium low. At this point you can use your immersion blender, or a regular blender and blend everything until smooth. If you are using a regular blender you will need to do this in batches. When everything is blended gradually whisk in the cheese and let the soup simmer for another 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Pour into bowls and top with bacon bits and sliced jalapeno’s .
Enjoy,
this recipe can be found at www.thecozycook.com
This salad is absolutely delicious! It does have a few steps and does take some time but it is well worth the effort! The ginger peanut sauce adds a huge amount of flavor! Jim and I both really liked this and Robby really enjoyed the chicken in this dish! Overall that’s a winner for me!
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE COCONUT RICE
1 1/2 cups dry jasmine rice
1 (15 ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup of water
FOR THE SALAD
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 red cabbage, shredded
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 cup of cilantro, chopped
3/4 cup scallions
1 cup cashews, chopped
GINGER PEANUT SAUCE
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 Tablespoons honey
3 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
water, to thin to your desired consistency
FOR THE CHICKEN
2 to 3 chicken breasts
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 lime, juiced
DIRECTIONS
Starting with the chicken, mix all ingredients in a Ziploc bag and let marinate for 4 hours. After the marinating is done place the chicken in a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until juices run clear. Remove from oven and let cool. Slice into bite size peices. to make teh rice start with a medium size pot mix together the rice, cocnut milk, garlic, salt and water. Cover and bring to a boil once the pot comes to a rolling boil reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes and the liqiud is absorbed. Turn the heat off and let sit with the lid on for ten minutes.
While waiting for the rice, you can make the peanut sauce by combining all the ingredients except the water and mix the best you can, then add your desired amount of water to get your desired consistency. Stir frequently when adding the water. Fluff your rice and add all of your chopped vegetables and cashews. Add your sliced chicken and drizzle with the peanut dressing.
Enjoy,
This recipe is adapted from www.hostthetoast.com
I have been making these chicken bites for a number of years now. I usually make these tasty bites using my brother’s home made BBQ sauce but because that recipe is under lock and key, I am going to give you one that you might make with your favorite seasonings and your favorite BBQ sauce! I like to use a hearty sprinkle of Cajun seasoning but you can use any of your favorite spices I like to use spicy seasoning, then a sweet BBQ sauce.
INGREDIENTS
3 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1 package center cut bacon, cut in half
1 Tablespoon of Cajun spice
1 cup honey BBQ sauce
Toothpicks
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and set aside. Sprinkle the bite size chicken pieces with the seasoning and wrap once piece of bacon around each piece of chicken securing with a toothpick. Place each chicken piece on the baking sheet. When all of the chicken has been wrapped bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Turn the chicken pieces and bake an additional 15 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and drain the liquid from the baking sheet and move your oven rack to the upper portion of the oven. Turn the oven to broil leaving the oven door slightly ajar. At this point brush each chicken piece with BBQ sauce and place back in the oven to broil (leaving the door slightly ajar) for about 2-3 minutes until the sauce starts to caramelize. Turn the chicken pieces over and brush the second side with the BBQ sauce and broil the second side for 2-3 minutes (leaving the oven door ajar). When the BBQ sauce has caramelized and the bacon has crisped up, remove from oven and serve warm OR place in a crockpot on the WARM setting to enjoy through the afternoon or evening!
Enjoy,
I don’t cook a lot of fish at home mostly because I order that a fair of amount of time when we go out for dinner. I definitely do not deep fry fish at home as I don’t like the smell it leaves in the house when frying. BUT with trying to add a little more fish into our diet, I made this shallow pan fried fish using both olive oil and butter to help get that buttery flavor. I made some home made tarter sauce. I can tell you I will NEVER buy tarter sauce again, this is so easy and tastes so fresh There is a HUGE difference between this and store bought! I highly recommend making the fish as well as the sauce! I served this along with roasted broccoli That will be on tomorrow’s post!
INGREDIENTS
1 pound of cod, skin off and sliced into four even pieces
2 eggs, beaten
Lemon Pepper Panko crumbs
Olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
Tarter Sauce
1 cup of real mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon sweet pickle relish
1 Tablespoon grated onion
2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
Salt
Pepper
DIRECTIONS
For the tarter sauce mix all ingredients together and store in the fridge for a minimum of ONE hour, this can be stored for up to three days.
FOR THE COD
In a large non stick skillet add enough olive oil to just cover the bottom of the pan and add the butter and heat over medium heat. Meanwhile, beat the two eggs in a shallow bowl. Add panko crumbs to a second shallow bowl. Taking one fish at a time dip each piece into the eggs then into the panko covering both sides with the egg and then the panko and place them on a plate. When all four pieces are done and the oil is hot go ahead and place the fish into the pan. It is important at this step to not touch the fish and let cook about 4 minutes, then flip the fish and let it cook about 4 more minutes on the second side or until the fish is cooked all the way through. Remove from pan and serve warm with the tarter sauce.
Enjoy,
Tarter sauce recipe can be found at www.allrecipes.com
If you like buffalo chicken this casserole is for you! This made for a really easy weeknight dinner. I used french fried onions on top but you can easily use Panko crumbs with a little drizzle of butter if you prefer! Add a side salad and dinner is done in no time!!
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips.
1/3 cup of Frank’
s buffalo sauce or your favorite buffalo sauce
1 bag of shredded simply potatoes, found in the fridge section of the grocery store.
1 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup of Panko and 1 Tablespoon of melted butter OR one cup of french fried onions
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13 x 9 inch dish. Set aside. Mix together chicken strips and buffalo sauce and layer in the bottom of the baking dish. Mix together potatoes, dressing, cheese and soup. Pour over chicken. If using Panko crumbs sprinkle over the top of the casserole and drizzle with melted butter BUT if you are using french fried onions DON’T add those until the last ten minutes of baking. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 25 minutes. Don’t forget to add the french fried onions if your using those!
Enjoy,
I found this recipe at www.myfridgefood.com
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