Smoky Chicken Chili

2 poblano chili peppers, chopped (Winco didn't have these, so I bought 1 Pasilla chili; it was plenty hot)

1 large red bell pepper, chopped ($.58, eat it up baby!! gotta love Winco!)

1 medium sized sweet onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cans rotel

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (I used 2/3 of it and am using the other 1/3 for some black bean and spinach enchiladas that I'm making soon)

1 can (16 oz) navy beans

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can beer

1 (1.25 oz) package white chicken chili seasoning mix (I used regular chili mix bc I couldn't find the other-it was fine)

Saute first 4 ingredients in hot oil in a large Dutch oven (I am lovin the dutch oven you gave me, thanks!!) over medium high heat 8 minutes or until veggies are tender.

stir in rotel and next 5 ingredients.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat.  reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally for 1 hour.  Serve with desired toppings (cheese, cilantro, sour cream, lime wedges, baby corn, sliced black olives, chopped red onion, tortilla chips, etc)

This was Fab!  we ate it in 2 days, yum.  I just love rotisserie chicken in things!  I'll post the enchiladas tomorrow.

Rice Noodles in soup with roast chicken and crispy garlic

1/2 lb dried ric enoodles
1/4 c veg oil
3 heaping tbspns coarsely chopped garlicf
5 c chicken broth
about 2 cups very coarsley chopped roast chicken (i used rotisserie)
1/4 c fish sauce
1 tsp ground pepper
3 green onions
handful fresh cilantro, chopped

1. bring large pot of water to lively boil and remove from heat. drop in dried rice noodles and let stand 8-10 minutes stirring now and then to separate the noodles as they cook. when noodles are tender enough to eat but stir firm, drain, rinse with cold water, drain well and set aside.

2. meanwhile place a small heatproof bowl by the stove and heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat for one minute. add the garlic and cook, stirring now and then until it becomes fragrant and godlen but not brown, about 2 minutes. pour garlic and oil into the bowl and set aside.

3. bring the chicken broth to a gentle boil in large saucepan over medium heat, then add the chicken, fish sauce, and pepper. simmer 1 -2 minutes until meat is heated through. remove from heat.

4. to serve: set out four big soup bowls and dive the noodles among them. top each severing of noodles with an equal portion of the garlic, oil and all. ladle hot broth and chicken over the noodles in each bowl, sprinkle each serving with green onions and cilantro. serve hot.


simple, but oh so good!

Vegetable Soup with Fennel

Finished Product (eric took these pics)



when we first had this soup I found it somewhat bland. but as i had it for leftovers i started liking it more and more. so don't expect any crazy flavors from this one. it's just a good old standby. and the fennel kicks it up a notch too.


3 tbspn olive oil
2 large bulbs fennel-quartered, cored, and coarsely chopped, fronds reserved for garnish (or taking pictures with)
1 large onion, chopped
4 ribs celery with leafy tops, thinly sliced
3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
s/p
two 32 oz containers chicken broth
1/2 pound egg noodles
2 tsp grated lemon peel (i forgot this part)

1. in soup pot heat olive oil over medium high heat. add fennel, onion, celery, carrots, garlic and bay leaf. season with s/p. cook until veggies are softened 10 minutes. add chicken broth and bring to a boil. stir in egg noodles and cook until aldente, about 10 minutes. discard bay leaf, sprinkle fennel fronds on the soup. add lemon peel

i served it with a buttermilk bread that was good but not great so i'm not posting the recipe.








cooking with Fennel.

Greek Wedding Soup

from Rachel Ray


two 32 oz containers chicken broth
3/4 pound ground lamb, or beef, or our staple, ground turkey
2/3 c finely chopped flat leaf parlsey
1/3 c breadcrumbs
1/4 c feta cheese, crumbled
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 sprigs oregano, finely chopped
salt /pepper
1 c orzo pasta
grated peel and juice of 1 lemon
1/3 c mint leaves, chopped

1. in skillet or dutch oven bring chicken broth to boil. lowe heat and bring to simmer

2. meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the lamb(turkey), half of the parsley, the breadcrumbs, feta, egg, garlic and oregano. season with salt/pepper. form into 1 inch balls. add to the simmering broth along with the orzo and cook for 8 minutes. stir in the lemon peel, lemon juice, and remaining parsley and mint.


**super yummy!!!! the turkey doesn't have enough fat to stay together as meat balls though. so next time i would actually try ground beef. it had a wonderful light flavor b/c of the lemon juice, and we had a lot for leftovers! soooo good!**

Caribbean Black Bean Soup

I haven't made this yet, but it looks good.

1/2 cup diced onion
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 (14 oz) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 lb chicken breast tenders
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained
1/2 tsp salt
toppings: diced avocado, chopped fresh cilantro

1. saute onion and next 4 ingredients in hot oil in a dutch oven over medium heat 2-3 minutes or until onion is tender and fragrant. add garlic, cook 1 minute.

2. stir in tomatoes and next 4 ingredients until well blended. Stir in chicken. cover, reduce heat to low, and cook 2 hours. Shred chicken with two forks in dutch oven. Add black beans, and cook 10 more minutes. stir in salt.