Chicken Tortilla Soup

Taken from our friend Jen's cooking blog:

This is good soup. I had been looking for a LONG time for a restaurant quality tortilla soup. I would like to lie to you and say I was searching for something authentic, but I dont think it is authentic, I was looking for something that resembled the Boston Market, or Bennigans. It probably depends on what your expectations are, the versions I had come across were just missing "something". I tinkered, and this is what I came up with....


Ingredients

• 1 pound shredded, cooked chicken ( I used the leftovers of a rotissere)
  
• 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 15 oz can of tomatoe sauce
• 1/4 cup of salsa
  
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2(14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 can beef broth
  
• 2 teaspoon cumin
• 2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano
  
• 1 tsp cocoa
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 2 tsp olive oil

I dumped everything but the cilantro and corn into the crockpot for four hours. I added those during the last hour. To serve, throw in some crushed tortilla chips, sour cream and cheese or avacado.

H's Chili

Modified from a recipe : James Coney Island Chili


2 1/2 - 3 lbs ground beef (browned and well-drained)
28-32 oz beef broth
20-24 oz water
2 cans (14 oz) diced or whole tomatoes in tomato juice
1 1/2 Tbsp Paprika
4 Tbsp Chili Powder
2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 - 2 Tsp Onion Powder
3/4 Tsp Season Salt
1/2 Tsp Sea Salt
1/2 - 1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
( spices can be adjusted for desired heat/taste )

If needed for thickening:

1 - 1 and 1/4 cups water
1/4 - 1/2 cup Arrowroot Powder/Flour (enough to make medium smooth sauce)



Preparation:
In stock pot, put well drained beef and add broth and water. Let simmer for 1 hour on medium heat.  While meat is simmering, take tomatoes and spices and put in blender. Puree well, mixing spices into tomatoes. After meat has been simmering for the hour, add in the tomato and spice mixture. Stir well, and let simmer for another 45-50 minutes on low heat, stirring from time to time.
If needed, slowly pour in enough of the thickening sauce to bring to desired consistency.

Great over hot dogs or served alone with your favorite accompaniments.

Nutritional Data

French Toast

My dear son, Josh, :) whom I love very much, has requested that I write down some recipes of food I make from my head.  One in particular is french toast. He is beginning to like cooking, but needs a recipe to follow. That being said - here it is . . .


French Toast

2 large eggs
little over 1/3 cup milk
1/4 tsp pure vanilla
6-8 slices of toasted bread
2-3 Tbsp. oil for skillet


In shallow dish or pie plate, break up eggs with fork careful to do more stirring than beating/whisking. Stir in milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Place toasted bread in batter pressing down with fork. Turn for even coating and place on hot oiled skillet. Fry to desired 'crispness'.


NOTE: I have started using my primal bread for this recipe and still works great.  Will put the specific recipe for that bread out in a bit :)  (9/24/2012)

Gramma Sue's Rootin Tootin Baked Beans

2 cans (16 oz.) Bush's vegetarian baked beans
3/4-1 cup brown sugar
minced onion (amount desired)
3-4 strips raw turkey bacon (chopped)

Mix well, bake till fairly firm in 400 degree oven for approx 30-40 minutes

Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
5 tbsp milk
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder

Cream together butter and sugar. Add and blend in eggs and milk. Add flour and baking powder to mixture and mix until dough is smooth. Roll out into thickness desired. Cut out cookies. Place on ungreased or cookie sheet sprayed. Sprinkle dough with sugar or leave plain for frosting. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes.

Gramma Sue's Cornbread & Cornbread Stuffing

My mom makes wonderful cornbread and has passed down the recipe to me and our family. She also told me how to make her stuffing which she just goes by her head. :)  Thanks Mom for writing at least the instructions down for me :)

Cornbread

1  cup flour
2  tbsp sugar
1  tsp  baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1  cup cornmeal
1  egg
1/4 cup oil
1 cup milk


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Grease an 8 x 8 x 2 baking pan.
Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Add cornmeal and mix well.
Add egg, oil, and milk and stir until flour mixture is moistened.
Pour in pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.



Cornbread Stuffing

Just boil the broth of the turkey with an onion, salt, pepper and a little (about a Tablespoon) of sugar. 

Let cook until onion is tender. Take off heat and add the 8x8 pan of cornbread and enough of the white 

bread from hamburger or hot dog buns to make a good consistency. Bake at around 400 until the top browns. 

 ~~~

Enjoy!

H 

H's Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

After learning from and playing around with other recipes I love, I wanted to come up with a recipe using all butter instead of shortening or margarine. Looking to more natural ingredients and trying to help a friend in the process. Here is the fruits of my labors. The family seems to really enjoy them.

1  cup softened butter, room temp
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup sugar
1  cup packed light brown sugar
1  tbsp pure vanilla
2 eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 370 degrees. With mixer, blend butter, olive oil, sugar and brown sugar in mixing bowl. Mix in vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, blending well.  Add dry ingredients and mix well.  With large spoon, stir in chocolate chips. Place rounded spoonfuls of dough onto ungreased non-stick cookie sheet. Bake cookies for 8 minutes. Enjoy!

Mmm-mmm . . . Apple Pie!

This is a recipe that is in one of my momma's cookbooks. Since I constantly lose the piece of paper it's printed on, I figured this should be a safe place to store it. It is from a McCall's cookbook that she received, I believe, as a wedding gift. I found it on a recipe forum, but believe it to be the same one.

McCalls Apple Pie Recipe - "Old-Fashioned Apple Pie"

1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons flour
Dash salt
6 cups thinly sliced tart apples (2 lbs.)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1. On lightly floured surface, roll out half the pastry into an 11 inch circle. Use to line 9 inch pie plate; trim. Refrigerate with rest of pastry until ready to use.

2. Preheat oven to 425F

3. In small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, flour and salt. Mix well.

4. Add to apples in large bowl, tossing to combine.

5. Turn apple mixture into pastry lined pie plate mounding high in the center. Dot with butter.

6. Roll out remaining pastry into an 11 inch circle. Make several slits near center for steam vents; adjust over filing; trim.

7. Fold edge of top crust under bottom crust. Press together with fingertips. Crimp edge decoratively.

8. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown.

9. Cool partially on wire rack. Serve warm.

Here is my latest attempt :)  Turned out awesome.
Thanks for your help, Mom!

 

Momma's Pie Crust Recipe

This recipe is from Momma Sue Asher :) Her pie crust is light and flaky and I have heard people rave over it for as long as I can remember. Thanks, Mom.

Email from Mom:
The recipe is from your great-gramma Ward, Granny's mom.
[My Granny was Mrs. Viola Endecott. :) ]

Flaky Double Pie Crust

3 cups flour

1&1/2 cups shortening (I use the sticks of butter flavored Crisco)

1/2 tsp salt

5 Tablespoons cold water

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 egg

Just mix together the flour, shortening, and salt until crumbly.

Add rest of ingredients and chill for at least an hour or two. Lots of times I make it the day before and let it frig overnight.

This makes at least a double crust, so if you want to make a couple of double crust pies, just double the recipe and you usually have enough left over for some single crust pies.

Have a Delectable Day!