Slow Cooker Corn and Potato Chowder

Tonight we had Slow Cooker Corn and Potato Chowder and it was a huge hit, everyone loved it and it was super easy to make (clean up wasn't too bad either).  It was a little chilly yesterday and this heated us all right up, it is a great cold weather soup.  There is about 15 minutes of prep work (if you cook the bacon ahead of time) so it is not a slow cooker meal to make when you are rushed in the morning.  This make a good amount of soup (I have a large oval slow cooker from Costco that was mostly full) so we will also be able to have leftovers later this week.   

I adapted the recipe slightly from Momma Loves Food Website.  On Sunday after I had cooked breakfast I cooked up about a pound of sliced turkey bacon to use in the soup, saved me lots on time yesterday morning.  I love toppings with my soup so even though the recipe only calls for 1/2 a pound of bacon but I cooked a whole pound and added a little more than half to the slow cooker and then used the rest for people to use as a topping, also I used turkey bacon since I do not eat pork.  I don't have seasoned salt (I prefer sea salt and fresh spices over packaged seasonings) so I just added salt and pepper to the slow cooker.

When you get to the blending step don't worry too much about "blending half the soup", just blend to the consistency that you like; for me I left some chunks in the soup.  As I mentioned before I love toppings with my soup so not only did I have bacon to put on top but also green onions and cheddar cheese.              

Slow Cooker Corn and Potato Chowder 

 

Ingredients

1/2 pound bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled

2 1/2 pounds Russet potatoes (approximately 5 medium sized potatoes), NOT peeled, diced in 1/4 inch cubes

2 pounds frozen kernel corn

1 medium/large sweet yellow onion, finely chopped

1 cup chopped celery

6 to 8 garlic cloves, crushed

32 ounces (4 cups) chicken stock

16 ounces (2 cups) half & half or heavy cream

Toppings:

Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Chopped Green Onion

Crumbled Bacon

 

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients EXCEPT half & half in the slow cooker.  Season with salt and pepper.

2. Cook on low for 10 hours or high for 6 hours.

 3. Blend about half the soup using an immersion blender.

4. Add half & half or heavy cream and continue cooking, uncovered, for about another 15 minutes, until heated through. Salt and pepper to taste.

5. Serve with whatever toppings you like and enjoy!

White Chicken Chili in the Slow Cooker

I am always looking for new slow cooker recipes to try as the slow cooker is a great kitchen tool; 10 minutes of prep in the morning and dinner is ready, it doesn't get any easier than that.  My boyfriend loves white beans (personally black beans are my favorite but I'm willing to switch it up from time to time) so I thought I would give this chili recipe a shot.  It was hit with everyone, although my boyfriend did ask "where did the beans go?" (you mash the chili up before serving to make it a think chili).  To save some time in the morning I cut the chicken into chunks when I bought it.  This recipe is adapted from the Design Wine Dine Blog.  I don't really like sour cream so I skipped it as a topping.  I put the lime juice directly into the chili after I mashed everything and before everyone dug in.  Then I let everyone put on whatever toppings they wanted, I like to setup a little toppings "bar".  

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:
Chili:  
1 1/2 lbs uncooked chicken breast (can be frozen), cut into 1-2″ chunks

2 – 15 oz cans of white beans, drained

1 – 15 oz can of white corn, drained

1 sweet onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced (I used 2 smaller cloves)

1 package taco seasoning

1 – 7 oz can of chopped green chilies

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 cups chicken broth 

Toppings:

2 Tbls lime juice

Finely chopped cilantro

Fresh shredded cheese

Corn tortilla chips

Green Onions, chopped 

Instructions:  
1. Place cut up chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add beans, corn and onion. Mix garlic, taco season, green chilies, chicken soup and chicken broth together and pour over the top. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. 

2. Before serving use a potato masher to break up the chicken. (Make sure you do this very quickly with pressure and alternating directions… the consistency should change from brothy with chunks of meat and beans to a thick and even consistency).  Mix in lime juice.
 

3. Let everyone dish up themselves and put on their own toppings.  Enjoy! 

 

Pasta with Turkey Sausage

It is my boyfriend’s birthday so I decided to make a recipe that he has been begging me to make for over a month.  It is the cover recipe from Food Network Magazine, Pasta with Turkey Meatballs.  The only reason I have not already made it is because I can’t seem to find uncooked turkey sausages anywhere in town, all of them are already cooked so you can’t turn them into meatballs.  So instead I just sliced the Italian turkey sausages and cooked them for a few minutes before adding the garlic and red pepper flakes.  This turned out to be a hit.  My boyfriend loved the flavors of the dish (I like them too), and I loved how quickly this dinner came together (only about 20 minutes).  I was going to serve with a salad but totally forgot to put in together until I was half way through my bowl of pasta. 

Pasta with Turkey Sausage

Ingredients:

12 ounces orecchiette pasta
2 bunches broccolini, cut into bite-size pieces

1 package Italian turkey sausage, sliced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 large egg
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:  

1.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs, adding the broccolini during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta and broccolini.  Whisk the egg with the reserved cooking water in a small bowl.

2.  Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 5 to 6 minutes.

3.  Add the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, the garlic, red pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring, 1 minute. Add the pasta, broccolini.  Add tempered egg to the skillet and stir until the sauce thickens slightly. Season with salt and pepper.

4.  Divide the pasta among bowls. Sprinkle with the cheese and drizzle with olive oil.

Julia Child Potatoes

This is the ultimate comfort food, and a favorite of everyone who I have made it for (my boyfriend ask me if every Monday we could have Julia Child Potatoes).  It is filled with potatoes, butter, onions, and sausages and then topped with cheese!  This recipe comes from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking  (I highly recommend this cookbook for every kitchen, it has a ton of great recipes and tips from an amazing women).  I have modified mine by using evaporated skim milk in place of heavy cream, and chicken sausages in place of Polish sausage.  It is still a comfort food but is lightened up just a little bit. 

Tip: If Gratin has been in the oven for 45 minutes and top is not brown turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to brown (careful the cheese will brown quickly under the broiler).     

Gratin de Pommes de Terre et Saucisson (Gratin of Potatoes, Onions and Sausages)

Ingredients:

2/3-cup onions, diced

2 Tbsp butter, plus more for dotting the top 

1 lb raw potatoes, thinly sliced

1 package Chicken Sausages, sliced (I used Aidells Chicken and Apple)

3 eggs

1½ cups evaporated skim milk

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper  

½-¾ cup Swiss cheese, grated

Instructions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375° degrees.  Cook onions slowly in butter until tender but

not browned, about 8 minutes.     

2.  Drop potatoes in boiling salted water and cook until barely done, 8-10 minutes.  Drain thoroughly.

3.  In a bowl beat eggs, mix in evaporated milk, salt and pepper. 

4.  Butter a baking dish.  Spread half potatoes in the bottom, then half the onions.  Over them lay sliced sausages, then the rest of the onions, and finally the remaining potatoes.  

5.  Pour egg mixture over the potatoes and shake dish to send liquid to the bottom. 

6.  Spread on the cheese.  Dot with butter.

7.  Bake for 30-40 minutes in upper third of oven until nicely browned.  

Cornflake-Crusted French Toast with Bananas

It is my boyfriend’s birthday this week so I decided to make him a special breakfast while we were up at the cabin.  We had been looking through Food Network Magazine a couple weeks ago and stumbled upon a whole section of different French toast recipes.  They all looked amazing but he decided he wanted Cornflake-Crusted French Toast with Bananas.  I used thick cut pieces of French Bread (from Albertson’s) so that I didn’t have to buy a whole loaf of bread just for French toast.  The Cornflake-Crusted French Toast was delicious!  I served it with turkey bacon. 

Cornflake-Crusted French Toast with Bananas 

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 bananas, thinly sliced
2/3 cup maple syrup
3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons sugar
3 cups cornflakes, crushed
4 slices Texas toast, halved on the diagonal

Instructions  

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Combine 1 tablespoon butter, the bananas and maple syrup in a small saucepan and bring to a bare simmer over medium heat; keep warm.

2. Whisk the eggs, milk and sugar in a shallow dish. Put the crushed cornflakes in another shallow dish. Soak the bread in the egg mixture, turning once, about 45 seconds. (Remove before the bread is soggy.) Let the excess egg mixture drip off, then dredge the bread in the cornflakes, pressing gently to help them adhere. Set aside on a plate.

3. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add half of the bread and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet and repeat with the remaining bread. Transfer to the oven and bake until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Top with the banana syrup.

Hot Pepper Noodles

I was flipping through Bon Appétit when I found this recipe and it sounded absolutely delicious (the ingredient note was for chili-garlic sauce which is a favorite in my house).  Like most stir-fries this dish came together super quick once the prep work was done, which only took about 10 minutes.  Our Thai Basil plant is not ready to be picked yet so we added some fresh mint leaves.  If you don’t want to eat raw onions let them cook for a few minutes before adding the noodles.  

Note: even though the name is “Hot Pepper Noodles” there was not very much spice to the dish.  There was a lot of flavor (especially the basil and mint) but there was no heat.     

Hot Pepper Noodles

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 tablespoon Asian chili-garlic sauce

1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

½ teaspoon sugar

10 ounces dried wide rice noodles

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 8-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 small onion, cut into 1-inch pieces

½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 large egg, beaten to blend

½ cup fresh basil leaves, preferably Thai

Instructions

1.  Stir oyster sauce, chili-garlic sauce, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl to combine; set sauce aside.

2.  Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain, run under cold water to cool, and set aside.

3.  Heat oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat; add garlic and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 1 minute. Add chicken and cook, tossing often, until cooked through, 3-4 minutes.

4. Add pepper, onion, tomatoes, and 2 tablespoons reserved sauce to pan and toss to combine. Add noodles, egg, and remaining 2 tablespoons sauce and toss to combine. Add basil leaves and cook, tossing constantly, until noodles and vegetables are completely coated with sauce and heated through, about 2 minutes more.

Chicken Etouffee

It has been a busy week in my house.  Five months after they were originally suppose to be put in our spiral staircase is finally being installed.  Because they have to drill through the concrete floors it has been super loud so I have not been spending time inside prepping or cooking.  We had a couple nights were we had leftover Lasagna and Moladas (recipes to come).  I finally cooked and made Chicken Etouffee.  It is a classic Cajun dish that is full of flavor.  This recipe from Cajun Quick by Jude Theriot is fairly simple and has a simple roux (no stirring for 15 minutes).   When you add the flour you must make sure to stir constantly for 4 minutes before adding the liquids.  When I read over the recipe I was shocked when I read that it said to use a whole stick of butter, so instead I used ½ a stick of butter and ¼ cup of Olive Oil.  I did not have chicken thighs so I just used chicken breasts cut into strips.  I made brown rice with the rest of the chicken stock from the box.     

Chicken Etouffee           

½ stick unsalted butter

¼ cup Olive Oil

2 medium onions, chopped

½ cup thinly sliced celery (3-4 stocks)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1-2 pounds chicken breasts, sliced

1½ teaspoons Cajun Seasoning Mix

4 Tbsp all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp tomato paste

½ tsp Tabasco sauce

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup green onions, chopped

½ cup fresh parsley, minced 

Instructions:

1.  Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium heat until hot.  Melt the butter until it begins to smoke, then add olive oil.  Sauté onions, celery, garlic and bell pepper for about 5 minutes, stirring often.

2.  While the vegetables are sautéing, season the chicken with Cajun Seasonings Mix, salt and pepper. 

3.  Add chicken to the skillet.  Brown the chicken nicely, 3 to 4 minutes per side.  Remove from skillet and set aside. 

4.  Add the flour to the skillet, stir constantly for 4 minutes.  Stir in tomato paste, Tabasco sauce and Worcestershire sauce.  Add the chicken stock and stir until sauce begins to thicken.  Add cooked chicken, cover and cook for 12 minutes. 

5.  Remove cover, add green onions and parsley, and cook uncovered for 3 minutes.  Serve hot over rice.