Taco Chilli

For the first Ranger's game, that we unfortunately did not win, I made Taco chilli/soup for Cameron, Whit, Preston, and Courtney. This recipe is super easy and inexpensive. Most of the ingredients are canned and can easily be bought and stored for later use!

 

This can be either a soup or chilli. But it's great for cold nights (not like Dallas right now, 85 and the very end of October, what is that?!). Just make sure you have a nice couch to lay on and a good game or show to watch after, because you will want to take a long nap... Feeling very satisfied and full!

 

Taco Chilli

Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean beef or turkey (even healthier)
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 package hidden valley ranch dressing mix (1 oz)
• 1 package taco seasoning Mix (1 oz)
• 1 (16 oz.) can pinto beans (I bought one with jalapenos with it)
• 1 (16 oz) can chili beans, hot or regular
• 1 (16 oz) can whole kernel corn
• 1 (8 oz) can Mexican-style tomatoes (Rotel is delicious)
• 1 (8 oz) can diced tomatoes 

 Directions:

 

Saute beef and onion, drain fat and return to pan. Add both seasoning packages and mix into beef.

In a large pot, combine the beans, corn, and tomatoes (with all the sauces). Add beef and onions and simmer for an hour.

Garnish: Sour cream, chives, jalapenos, avacados, cheese, cornbread, tortilla chips (pretty much anything you would put on your taco!)

 

ENJOY!

Spicy Chilli Sauce Chicken Fingers and "Whit" Dip

Last night Cameron, Whit, Kyle, and I made some Spicy Chilli Sauce Chicken Fingers, roasted vegetables, sweet potatoes fries, and Whitney's spinach dip, aka "Whit" dip, for the Cowboys game!

Spicy Chilli Sauce Chicken Fingers

I made this with the Hot Asian Chilli Sauce... It was very hot! Thankfully Kyle, Whit, and Cameron all like spicy food, and we had ranch to help with the heat. But I would recommend a more mild chilli sauce.

Ingredients:

• 20 chicken strips, thighs, or 4-6 chicken breasts
• 12 oz Chilli Sauce (I used the Asian Spicy Chilli Sauce (green cap))... But I would recommend a mild Chilli Sauce, unless you like a lot of heat!
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 tsp dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• Ranch and/or Blue Cheese Dressing for dipping

Directions:

In a bowl or plastic bag, combine chilli sauce, broth, oil, garlic, basil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and reserve about 1/4 cup for basting.

Add chicken and marinate for at least 2 hours, or over night.

Either preheat a grill and grill the chicken until white in the middle. Or preheat an oven to 400 degrees and cook for 20 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink!

Enjoy with some ranch and/ or blue cheese dressing!

"Whit" Dip
This is Whit's take on Spinach Dip, it might not be very healthy, but it is delicous! Great to munch on during the Cowboys game! (I like it best with Wheat Thins!)

Ingredients:

• 8 oz sour cream
• 1 cup of mayo
• 2 cups Parmasen
• 2 cups Colby Jack cheese, more for topping
• 10 oz frozen spinach, thawed (or fresh, whilted)

Directions:

Combine in a bowl sour cream, mayo, parm, and colby jack cheese. Then add spinach and transfer to a baking pan.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Top with more colby jack cheese and bake for 15 minutes!

Enjoy!

GUMBO!

A couple of weekends ago,  I went home for my sister's volleyball regional tournament... Which they won! So I stayed the weekend and my parents and grandparents got together to watch the Baylor vs. KU game, Sic em bears, (not OU vs Texas) and I made gumbo with sausage and chicken. (I changed the ingredients and spiciness based on my families preferences).

Chicken, Sausage, and Shrimp Gumbo

I didn't add the shrimp because my grandmother is allergic, and I didn't add okra because I forgot to buy it (which my mother said was a sin against cajun food). So let me know how this recipe turns out with those added!

My family loved this gumbo and all went back for seconds! It's very hearty and is great during half time of a football game!

Tip: to save on time, I bought precooked sausage and chicken, I just didn't think it was worth all the extra work!

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbl olive oil  (only is cooking chicken and sausage)
• 1 cup skinless, boneless chicken - chopped (I bought a de-boned a full rotisserie chicken (Sam's has the best))
• 1/2 pound pork sausage links, thinly sliced (I used a spicy sausage- precooked)
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbl minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1 can or bottle beer (I used Miller Lite)
• 6 stalks celery, diced
• 4 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 sweet onion, sliced or diced
• 1 cup okra, sliced (you can use frozen and thaw, or fresh)
• 1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, with liquid (Rotel is great)
• 2 Tbl chopped fresh red chile peppers or any kind of pepper you prefer
• 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup Cajun seasoning (I used half Old Bay and half Tony Chachere's spicy seasonings, and it was still very spicy!)
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions:

If cooking raw chicken and sausage: Heat oil over medium heat in a med-large skillet, add chicken until no longer pink. Add sausage and cook together until evenly brown. Drain and set aside.

In a large saucepan, add the oil and flour and make your roux. Stir continuously or the roux will burn. Stir until brown and bubbly. (A roux, is used to thicken soups, sauces, etc its equal parts flour and fat (butter, oil, etc)). You want to roux to get brown and dark. Add in garlic and cooking for an additional minute.

Gradually add in the chicken stock and beer into the roux. Stirring frequently, bring to a boil. Add in celery, okra, onion, tomatoes, rotel tomatoes with chiles, parsley, and your choice of cajun seasoning. Turn down the heat, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes. Stir frequently.

Mix in the chicken, sausage, and shrimp and stir frequently for about 20 minutes. You can turn the gumbo on low for a while to keep it warm before you serve it.

This will serve about 10-12 people. And the total time is about 2 hours. It helps a lot to chop all the ingredients before hand.

Serve with white rice and crusty bread or cornbread for dipping. Enjoy!

Tips: I would not make this cornbread with the gumbo, just a plain cornbread is better. There is so much going on in the gumbo and the cornbread, that the cornbread takes away. I think buying the pre-packaged cornbread (ex: Jiffy or Marie Callender's) are both delicious and time saving!

 Here's our yummy breads!

BBQ Chicken, Veggies, and Apple Crisp!

Tonight, Whit, Kyle, Cameron, and I all cooked out at our house! Cameron and I went to Central Market and found this delicious sweet barbecue sauce... and the rest followed!

Menu:
BBQ Chicken
Grilled Veggies
Whit's Potato Casserole
Apple Crisp for dessert

For the BBQ chicken all you need is a good barbecue sauce and chicken. Marinate the chicken in the BBQ sauce (season with salt and pepper, or a grilling seasoning) for about 2-4 hours (and as long as overnight). Then grill! Have more BBQ sauce on hand for serving!

I love grilled veggies! Tonight we grilled red pepper, jalapenos, squash, and red onions. All you need is a little evoo and salt and pepper. Make sure you try to cut the veggies to the same thickness so they cook the same!

Whit's potato casserole I'll need to cook again for the recipe. Its delicious and super easy though, stay posted!

Apple Crisp

Ingredients:

• 5 apples (about 5 cups), peels, cored, and sliced
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 11/2 tsp all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 cup water
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

After you peel, core, and slice the apples (use Granny or another cooking apple), layer them in a baking pan, add the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and water. Mix well and evenly.

For the topping, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and butter, mix together and sprinkle evenly on top of the apple mixture, back for 45 minutes.

Serve with ice cream!

Tres Leches Cupcakes!

Ok I know I haven't posted in FOREVER!!! But I finally moved to Dallas! I'm all moved in and loving Dallas, living close to Cameron, and my roommates!

For a going away treat I made Tres Leches Cupcakes. They are really easy to make and delicious.

I have discovered my new favorite recipe website. Yes, I know I frequently change, but this one will be in my top three for a very long time. It's tastykitchen.com, I'm sure I will be entertained by this site for longer than is normal. (Deboard always makes fun of me for my obsession with recipes.)

The website was created by Ree Drummond, aka the Pioneer Woman. I'm slowly starting to come back to cooking unhealthy food, and this website might be my breaking point back into lots of sugar, salt, frying, carbs, and calories. I'll attempt to change the recipes to be healthier... because my lack of exercise sure isn't helping me get into shape!

TRES LECHES CUPCAKES

Ingredients:
CUPCAKES:

• 1 cup Flour
• 1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• 5 whole Eggs (separated)
• 1 cup Sugar, Divided
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• ⅓ cups Milk

 TRES LECHES MIXTURE:

• 14-½ ounces, fluid Evaporated Milk (1 Can)
• 15 ounces, fluid Sweetened Condensed Milk (1 Can)
• ¼ cups Heavy Cream

WHIPPED CREAM ICING:

• 1 pint Heavy Cream
• 3 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1 dash Vanilla
• 4 Tablespoons Liquid From Maraschino Cherries
• 30 whole Maraschino Cherries

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt.

Beat egg yolks and ¾ cup sugar until the mixture turns light yellow. Add milk and vanilla.

Combine egg yolk mixture with dry flour mixture, stirring gently just until combined.

Beat egg whites until soft peaks form, then add final ¼ cup of sugar and continue beating until egg whites are stiff (I did this all by hand, but I would recommend using an electric mixer).

Fold beaten egg whites gently into the batter mixture just until combined.

Thoroughly spray cupcake pans (or they will stick like crazy and leave a mess for you to clean up!). Fill each cup about half way with batter.

Bake 8-10 minutes.
Let them sit for 5 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pan and cool them completely.

Then combine evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and ¼ cup heavy cream in a bowl. Whisk to combine thoroughly.

Cut waxed paper or parchment paper into squares. Put the cupcakes back into the muffin pan upside down on top of the squares. This really does work better than muffin cups, and it looks better too.

Poke each cupcake with a fork 2 or 3 times.

Pour milk mixture over the upside down cupcakes, about 1 teaspoon at a time. Go through the whole batch and then start again, repeat several times. The milk will sit on top of the cupcakes at first, and then soak in. Repeat this until the cupcakes stop absorbing the liquid.

Let the cupcakes sit about 30 minutes and start making the icing. You can store this for later use if you have a lot left over.

Start whipping the heavy cream. When soft peaks form, add a splash of vanilla and the juice from maraschino cherries. Taste the whipping cream and add more vanilla or cherry juice to your liking.

Top each cupcake with whipped cream and a cherry. Store in the fridge. ENJOY!

Chicken Cauliflower Gratin

I've always really liked the idea of using cauliflower in place of mashed potatoes. I found this recipe today and thought I would try it out. It was originally made as a side dish. But I added chicken to make it into a main dish, you could also add pasta.

This is a really creamy sauce, but without the butter! I really liked substituting the cauliflower for potatoes and will do that more in the future. If you're not a vegetable person, or are cooking for someone who doesn't like vegetables, you can hardly tell the difference! Cauliflower, when cooked, has a consistency that is really similar to mashed potatoes, so its the perfect healthy replacement.

This recipe is delicious how it is originally, but would be great with these additions:

• Adding peas and carrots
• Pasta- another take on the main dish (if you make it without the chicken, it's a great vegetarian dish)
• Taking out the chicken- to make it a side (great with steak)
• Adding minced garlic
• Add broccoli

Chicken Cauliflower Gratin

Ingredients:

• 4 cups 1-inch cauliflower florets (about 1/2 large head) (I used frozen)
• 1 1/2 cups nonfat milk, divided into 1 1/4 and 1/4 cups
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs, I used crumbed crackers
• 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/2 tsp evoo
• 2 Tbl all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbl chopped fresh chives
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp black pepper (you can use white too, but I like the extra kick)
• Chicken, cooked and shredded (I had some left over from a rotisserie chicken)

Directions:

Position rack in upper rack of the oven and preheat your broiler.

In a large ovenproof skillet, over medium-high heat, bring cauliflower, 1 1/4 cups milk and salt to a boil.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the cauliflower is tender, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup cheese and oil in a small bowl.

Whisk flour and the remaining 1/4 cup milk in another small bowl until smooth.

Stir the mixture into the pan and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 1 minute. Add chicken.

Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup cheese, chives, mustard and pepper.

(I didn't have an oven proof skillet, so I transferred the gratin to a casserole dish to put in the oven)
Sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture. Broil until the top is crispy and beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes.
Serves 4

We served the chicken gratin with fruit, tomato basil salad, and rolls. Everyone loved the meal, and went back for seconds and thirds! It's really creamy and cheesy, but still good for you!

Pineapple Upside-down Muffins

Tonight I made Pineapple Upside-down Muffins. They are packed with fruits and vegetables, plus they make your entire house smell delicious. So once again, I am attempting to make something healthy, but still taste really good. They are super moist and if you want to just make carrot muffins, just omit the topping.

Tip: Unlike cooking, when you're baking you should stick the measurements exactly.

Pineapple Upside-down Muffins

 Ingredients:

Topping

• 2 Tbl packed light brown sugar
• 2 Tbl chopped walnuts, or pecans (optional)
• 1 10-ounce can pineapple slices

Muffins

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbl ground cinnamon
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 Tbl pineapple juice, or orange juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, not drained
• 1 cup grated carrot (about 1 large)
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 3/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, or pecans (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.

Topping: Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar into each muffin cup. Sprinkle nuts, if using, over the sugar. Stack pineapple slices and cut into 6 wedges. Place 2 wedges in each muffin cup. (I didn't have pineapple slices, but I did have an extra can of crushed pineapples, so I took out the juice and placed a couple crushed pineapple in each muffin tin.)

Muffins: Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.

Whisk eggs and brown sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in oil, juice and vanilla. Stir in crushed pineapple.

Make a well in the dry ingredients; add the wet ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined.

Stir in carrot, oats, raisins and nuts, if using. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups.

Bake the muffins until the tops are golden brown and firm to the touch, 15-20 minutes (or until golden). Immediately loosen edges and turn muffins out onto a baking sheet. Restore any stray pineapple pieces and nuts. Let cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve upside-down, either warm or at room temperature.