Chicken Chili - My All-time Favorite Recipe

It's that time of year when the crisp autumn air screams for me to have comfort foods.

This recipe was given to me by one of my dearest friends, and I have yet to 

find a chicken chili I like as much. It won an award at a chili cook-off, it's that good!

Chicken Chili

3  Chicken Breasts  –chopped in small cubes/pieces

3 TBsp Olive Oil

1 Med Onion – chopped

2 TBsp Hot Sauce

3 TBsp Flour

1 tsp Salt

½ tsp Black Pepper

2-1/2 tsp Cumin

1 TBsp minced garlic (more if you like)

1 16 oz jar Public’s Hot Thick Salsa, or may use mild

2 Cans Bush Northern Beans (rinsed well – drained)

2 Cans (4 oz) Green chilies

1 Can (16 oz) Chicken Broth

8 Oz Monterey Jack w/Jalapenos – shredded

8 Oz Sour Cream

1 Cup Whipping Cream (optional)

Directions:  In heavy duty large pot (5 qt) cook chicken, onions, hot sauce, and garlic in olive oil until chicken is no longer pink. 

            ADD:  Flour, salt, pepper, and cumin to chicken mixture and cook for 1-2 minutes more.

            ADD:  Chicken broth, salsa, green chilies, and beans – bring up to boil, simmer in pot, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

            ADD:  Sour cream, cheese, and whipping cream.  Mix thoroughly and remove from heat. 

 Serves 8-12 people

NOTE:  This is really good after the flavors have had time to “mesh.” 

Enjoy!

Summer Recipe's

With summer in full swing my mind is racing with all the fun things

I want to cross off my list. Lazy days at the pool, outdoor movies, 

tennis, and of course food plays a crucial role in the summer months.

I've rounded up some recipes I've tried and loved and seem to make every summer.

Teriyaki Chicken:  This recipe is so easy and you can throw it all in a ziploc bag and marinade

it overnight and have it ready to grill on the BBQ. It's easy, delicious and you 

can make a big batch!

Fresh Broccoli Salad: I first tried this recipe at a cousin's BBQ and I was sold.
Crunchy, flavorful and I'm getting my healthy greens in for the day.  
This recipe calls for raisins and sliced almonds
but I like to switch it up with dried cranberries and chopped cashews.
You can get creative with your ingredients
and add sunflower seeds or any other nut or just omit the nuts altogether. 

 Fresh Pasta Salad: A cold pasta salad is always a hit at any BBQ. I love this recipe

and I will usually add some chopped up pepperoni because I like the spicy flavor

it adds. Either way thought it's a good pasta salad.

Fruit Tart: I love to bake with fruit that is in season. Fresh berries are always 

in abundance this time of year so it's nice to have some go-to recipes that

incorporate them. This recipe is delicious and not rocket science.

Fresh Strawberry Limeade: When the temperature's rise, my desire to have

a cool and refreshing drink also rise. Sometimes it's as simple as some mint leaves and squeezed

lemons or lime and some sugar and ice and other times on special occassions I get real

crazy and make this yummy limeade recipe.

My Stuffing Recipe

As mentioned previously, every year I'm in charge of making stuffing for our

family Thanksgiving feast. I've tweaked it over the years and feel like I've now got it

down to an almost perfect dish. I love this recipe because it has all of my favorite components:

sweet, salty, crunchy and most importantly, it's a comfort food.  Below is the recipe, enjoy!

Sausage Apple Cranberry Stuffing:

Serves 8-10 people

16 cups 1-inch bread cubes, white or sourdough (1 1/2 pound loaf)*
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 cups medium-diced yellow onion (2 onions)
1 cup medium-diced celery (2 stalks)
2 Granny Smith apples, unpeeled, cored and large-diced
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound sweet or spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup dried cranberries

3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Place the bread cubes in a single layer on a sheet pan and bake for 7 minutes. Raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Remove the bread cubes to a very large bowl.

Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, melt the butter and add the onions, celery, apples, salt and pepper. Saute over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are softened. Add to the bread cubes.

In the same saute pan, cook the sausage over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until browned and cooked through, breaking up the sausage with a fork while cooking. Add to the bread cubes and vegetables.

Add the chicken stock, walnuts  and cranberries to the mixture, mix well, and pour into a 9 by 12-inch baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes, until browned on top and hot in the middle. Serve warm.

*When I am short on time I substitute cubing and toasting my own bread with Mrs. Cubbison's Stuffing, I only use the dried bread and follow my own recipe.

White Chicken Enchilidas

The minute the weather outside starts cooling down I start wanting to make 

warm meals that are defined as comfort foods. The other day I was in a slump

as to what to cook for dinner, I saw that I had tortillas, cheese and chicken and I thought

aha chicken enchiladas! But of course I was out of cream of chicken which is what I normally make them with. So I started perusing the web for other recipes and came upon The Pioneer Woman's recipe. Anything I've made from her is always tasty. Be forewarned this is a lengthier process than

your average cream of chicken recipe, but so worth it! By far the best chicken enchiladas I've made before! Below is the recipe, enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2-1/2 cups Cooked, Shredded Chicken
• 2 cups Reserved Broth From Chicken
• 3 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• 12 whole Corn Tortillas
• 1 whole Large Onion, Diced
• 3 whole 4 Oz Cans Whole Green Chilies, Diced
• 1 whole Jalapeno, Seeded And Finely Diced
• 1 teaspoon Paprika
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• 1 cup Sour Cream
• 2-1/2 cups Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
•  Salt And Pepper, to taste
•  Picante Sauce (optional)
•  Cilantro, Chopped

Preparation Instructions

Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Fry tortillas for no longer than 20 seconds, just to soften (do not allow to become crisp.) Place tortillas on a large towel or stack of paper towels to drain.

Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in separate skillet over medium heat. Add onions and jalapenos and saute for 1 minute, just to start the cooking process. Add chicken, half of the green chilies, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Stir together. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir. Add cream and stir, allowing mixture to bubble and get hot. Turn off heat and set aside.

In a separate large skillet, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together and cook over medium heat for one minute. Pour in 1 1/2 cups chicken broth. Whisk together and cook for another minute or two. Stir in the other half of the chilies. Reduce heat, then stir in sour cream. Add 1 1/2 cups grated cheese and stir to melt. Add 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

To assemble, spoon chicken mixture on top of tortillas, one by one. Top with plenty of cheese and roll up. Place seam side down in a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

Pour cheese mixture all over the top of the tortillas. Top with extra cheese if you'd like, then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle generously with chopped cilantro.

Serve with picante sauce, if desired.

Spanish Tortilla

Growing up in a house where my mother is Chilean and my father is Chilean/Italian, 

food was an infusion of many cultures. Chilean dishes, mixed in with Italian, 

and of course my mom made sure to incorporate the dishes from the U.S.

I grew up eating tortilla. In fact I didn't know that a tortilla could also be the yummy flat-bread-type that Mexicans use in their cooking until about 6th grade {we didn't go out to eat much growing up}.

I used to think tortilla de papas was a Chilean dish, but have now figured out its roots originated from Spain.  Makes sense since they did colonize South America.

The other day when I was at my parents house my mom had made some 

and it'd been a while since I had some. I quickly heated up a slice, followed by a second slice.

It's one of those comfort foods that brings back nostalgic memories of my childhood.

It's creamy, buttery, and crunchy on the edges. Basically all of my favorite components when

it comes to food. I've been seeing recipes all over the internet of

Spanish Tortilla and have been wanting to try some recipes. I found this one on Bon Appetite 

and am thinking its time I learn to make this dish. 

photo cred

Island taste in my mouth.

I found this simple & tasty recipe here and I can't seem to get enough of it. Although in typical Santamaria fashion I tweaked the recipe a bit to my own liking.

Being summer and all I thought shrimp and coconut should be accompanied by some mangos, avocado's and lime. So here's the recipe for the salsa if you choose to take your taste buds to tropical bliss too.

Just eyeball how much salsa you want to make, then add or take away ingredients.

2 ripe mangos

1-2 ripe avocado's

1 lime

2 garlic gloves minced finely

cilantro chopped finely

1 large tomatoe

1 teaspoon salt

Chop & dice all your ingredients and mix up in a bowl.

Just a suggestion. Last Sunday I let my salsa sit on the counter while we made some pineapple-coconut juice{which I highly recommend with this dish}and the juices settled in with the room temperature quite nicely making the salsa flavors even better and more infused with the lime.