Turkey Chili

This recipe comes courtesy from my mom who has always made the best batch of chili for years. I finally got the recipe from her and have tweaked a few things to mine and Jeremy's taste and I think I have it down perfectly now. It's super easy and really delicious on a cold day.


Ingredients:

1 lb. of ground turkey
1/2 chopped white opinion
1 16. oz can of dized tomatoes, undrained
1 7 oz. can of chopped green chilies (I get two 4 oz. of HOT green chilies to add more spice)
1 large can or bottle of tomato juice (NOT V-8!)
3 15. oz cans of dark red kidney beans, drained
2 tsp. of cumin
2 tbsp. of parsley flakes
2-4 tbsp. of chili powder (depends on your taste)

Directions:

In large pan, brown ground turkey with onion until cooked through.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the crock pot and mix well.
Simmer on low in crockpot for 4-6 hours to cook.



Add some cheese and honey cornbread on the side and you're good to go!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 8-10

Homemade Chicken and Dumplings

When I think back to my childhood and my all time favorite comfort foods, my mom's Chicken and Dumplings definitely was and is at the top of the list. It's SO yummy and perfect for a cool Fall or Winter day. My favorite part was always watching the dumplings cook right in the boiling broth-I thought that was SO cool! :)

It's a mix between a soup and a chicken stew so I put it under both categories.

Don't be intimidated by the number of ingredients or the length of time to make this. You're not actually slaving over the stove the whole time, so it's not as bad as it looks and it's SO worth it!

Here's The recipe:

Chicken Soup/ Stew Ingredients:
3-4 Lb. Stewing Chicken (Or I use 1-2 Chicken Breasts on the bone)
1/2 Tbsp. Salt (You can use less or more depending on your tastebuds. I like a little less.)
1/2 Onion, Diced
2 Stalks Celery, sliced
2 Carrots (Or 8-10 mini carrots), sliced
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1-2 Potatos, cut up into bite size pieces
1/2 Cup Rice (Optional-I leave this out completely. I think the recipe is filling enough with the potatos and dumplings.)
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
3-4 Cups of Water (I try to mix some water with some chicken broth if I have it. If not, water works just fine.)
1/4 Cup Flour

Dumpling Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups Flour
1 Tbsp. Parsley
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Baking Powder
2/3 Cup Milk
2 Tbsp. Oil
1 Egg, slightly beaten

Place the chicken in a large pot. Add the onion, salt, and pepper. Add the cream of chicken soup and cover all with water and/or chicken broth. Cook until chicken is done, anywhere from 1-2 hours.

Remove chicken from pot and add sliced celery and carrots. Remove chicken from bones; cut into pieces.

Combine 1/4 Cup flour with 1/2 Cup water and stir into broth. Heat until it boils and thickens.

Add chicken pieces, potato(s) and rice if you are using rice (1/2 Cup)

Boil gently, until potato and rice is cooked (it's usually cooked by the time I'm finished preparing the dumplings).

Prepare dumplings and drop into broth. Cover and boil gently 12-15 minutes until dumplings are fluffy.

YUMMY-Enjoy!

Serves:4-6

Prep Time: 2-2.5 Hours

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Tortilla Soup

I absolutely LOVE Chicken Tortilla Soup and am always looking for a good recipe.

Since The Pioneer Woman is already famous for her recipes, when I came across her Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe, I had to try it! As usual, she (Pioneer Woman) did not disappoint! It was delicious, one of the best I've ever had.

I'll be honest, it's not the easiest or quickest recipe. However, it's definitely worth putting the time into it.

I would say that the whole recipe from beginning to end took about 2 hours. The good news is that you'll do a step and then get to leave the pot for a good amount of time. You're not actually cooking the whole 2 hours. Leaving the soup to simmer actually takes up 1.5 hours of your time so it's not so bad.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients -It looks like a lot of ingredients, but it's really not as bad as it looks. :)
2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1-½ teaspoon Cumin
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
½ teaspoons Salt
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 cup Diced Onion
¼ cups Diced Green Bell Pepper
¼ cups Red Bell Pepper
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 can Rotel Tomatoes And Green Chilies
32 ounces, fluid Low Sodium Chicken Stock
3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
4 cups Hot Water
2 cans Black Beans, Drained
3 Tablespoons Cornmeal Or Masa
5 whole Corn Tortillas, Cut Into Uniform Strips Around 2 To 3 Inches***


Garnishes:
Sour Cream
Diced Avocado
Diced Red Onion
Salsa Or Pico De Gallo
Grated Monterey Jack Cheese (I used a cheddar/jack combo)
Cilantro



Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cumin, chili pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on chicken breasts, then sprinkle a small amount of spice mix on both sides. Set aside the rest of the spice mix.

Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Use two forks to shred chicken. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add onions, red pepper, green pepper, and minced garlic. Stir and begin cooking, then add the rest of the spice mix. Stir to combine, then add shredded chicken and stir.

Pour in Rotel, chicken stock, tomato paste, water, and black beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered.



Mix cornmeal with a small amount of water. Pour into the soup, then simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Check seasonings, adding more if needed—add more chili powder if it needs more spice, and be sure not to under salt. Turn off heat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

While soup is simmering, take your corn tortillas and cut them into uniform strips.



Five minutes before serving, gently stir in tortilla strips.
***Personally, after making the soup, my husband and I agreed that we would like the soup better without the tortilla strips added. In the future we would just crumble some tortilla chips on top with the rest of the garnishes.



Ladle into bowls, then top with sour cream, diced red onion, diced avocado, pico de gallo, and grated cheese, if you have it! (The garnishes really make the soup delicious.)



Serves: 6

White Chicken Chili

I made this for our big family last week and the sisters informed me that we had to get this recipe on our blog. :)

I originally got this recipe from Taste Of Home. It was originally Taste Of Home's Creamy White Chili recipe. After making it a few times, my husband and I agreed that we liked it better without the heavy whipping cream and sour cream.

This is another quick, easy, delicious meal.

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium onion chopped
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
2 cans (15 1/2 oz. each)great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) chicken broth
2 cans (4 oz. each) chopped green chilies
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Optional: sour cream

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add the beans, chicken broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes. Serve.

Optional: add sour cream (as much or as little as desired) to each bowl.

Serves: 7



Again, no picture for this recipe. I apologize.

Tortilla Soup

From Big Mama, who got it from Antique Mommy, who got it from some restaurant in Dallas called The Mansion on Turtle Creek, who got it from… well, never mind. I got ahead of myself there. Regardless, I needed a good Tortilla Soup recipe and this sounds divine!

3 tablespoons olive oil
4-6 corn tortillas, diced
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
4-5 tablespoons of chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon of cumin
2 tablespoons of chili powder

Sauté all of the above until tortillas begin to crisp.

Add the following to the above and simmer.

1 cup onion puree
1 large can (29 oz) of tomato puree
2 quarts of chicken stock
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cayenne Pepper to taste

To serve:
Top with any or all of the following: diced grilled or baked chicken, avocado, shredded cheese, crisp fried strips of corn tortilla.

Dice the chicken, throw it in the pot, and serve the whole thing with an array of options to customize the soup-eating experience: diced avocado, monterey jack cheese, sour cream, and fried strips of corn tortilla.

***Edited to add that to fry the corn tortilla strips, you just need to buy a package of corn tortillas, cut them into long strips. Heat up oil in a skillet and then fry the strips until they are crispy and a little brown.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

1 pkg of chicken thighs or breasts (with bones)
4 cups of water
4 medium carrots, cut in slices
4 medium celery, cut in slices
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
4 chicken bouillion cubes
2 cups of thin egg noodles

Heat all ingredients, except the noodles, to a boiling. Then reduce heat. Cover and simmer until chicken is done (approximately 45 minutes).

In separate pan, cook noodles in boiling water.

Remove chicken from soup, allow to cool. Cut chicken from bones and skin; cut into bite-size pieces.

Add chicken and cooked noodles to soup; heat until hot.