Corn Chowder - From Southern Plate Cookbook

Corn Chowder

A recipe from the Southern Plate Cookbook

The Players

2 tablespoons margarine

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

One 14.5-ounce can chicken broth (I used chicken broth I had in the freezer)

2 large red potatoes, cubed

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

3 cups frozen corn kernels (This time I used 2 cans of corn, the first time I made it I used fresh corn cut from the cob)

4 green onions, chopped (I didn't use the green onions)

3 cups milk

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

melt the margarine over medium heat

 

Add onions and bell pepper and sauté until tender.

Trip: Freeze leftover chicken broth in ice cubes for easy access in later recipes!

Add the broth

Add the potatoes

 Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minute

 

Stir in the jalapeño, mustard, salt, paprika, and red pepper flakes.

Add the corn, green onions, and 2 1/2 cups of the milk. 

Bring to a boil.

Combine the flour and remaining 1/2 cup of milk

Mix Well!

Gradually add this mixture to chowder and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook for 2 minutes, or until thick and bubbly

Ready to eat!

Corn Chowder - Instructions

In a large saucepan, melt the margarine over medium heat. Add onions and bell pepper and sauté until tender. Add the broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the jalapeño, mustard, salt, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Add the corn, green onions, and 2 1/2 cups of the milk. Bring to a boil.
Combine the flour and remaining 1/2 cup of milk and mix well. Gradually add this mixture to chowder and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook for 2 minutes, or until thick and bubbly

Baked Chicken Fajitas

Baked Chicken Fajitas

You can find the original recipe here. 

 

The players... (The original recipe is on the bottom) 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced tomatoes (I am trying to say away from canned stuff so I used a couple of tomatoes that I peeled and cut up), 1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies, 1 medium onion, 1 bell and 1 red pepper (original recipe calls for just the bell pepper but I had a red pepper that needed to be used), vegetable oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt.

Mix peppers and onion together... I love the colors.

Add onion and peppers to the pan

Add diced tomatoes

And green chilies

In a separate bowl, add the oil and all the dry ingredients together.

Mix well

Slice chicken

Add chicken to pan

Cover chicken with oil/spices mix

Mix together

I used a glove to keep all the spices and juices off my hands but you can use a spoon as well.

Everything will be nicely coated

All covered and ready

Bake 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. All done! and looks oh so good!

 NOTE: This recipe is enough for a dinner for 2, leftovers for another meal, and two quart size freezer bags. (Good for a rainy day.)

Baked Chicken Fajitas Recipe:

(Recipe from Eatin' on the Cheap)

(Serves 4-6)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies
1 medium onion, sliced
1 large bell pepper, seeded and sliced
2 T vegetable oil
2 t. chili powder
2 t. cumin
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/4 t. salt
12 flour tortillas, warmed to serve

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 13×9 baking dish. Mix together chicken, tomatoes, chilies, peppers, and onions in the dish.

In a small bowl combine the oil and spices. Drizzle the spice mixture over the chicken and toss to coat.
Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.

Serve with warmed tortillas and enjoy!

Pioneer Woman's Homemade Flour Tortillas

Do you have a cooking/baking bucket list? One of the things on my cooking bucket list was to make homemade tortillas.

You can find the original recipe online on Pioneer Womans blog. Feel free to check out her blog post because her pictures are way better than mine.

Homemade Flour Tortillas



The Players ... All Purpose flour, baking powder, salt, crisco, and warm water

 

Ingredients
2-1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
2-1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 cup Lard Or Vegetable Shortening
2 Tablespoons (additional) Lard Or Vegetable Shortening
1 cup Hot Water

 

Mix dry ingredients

 

Add Crisco

 

mix together

 

and cut some more

 

until it finally looks like this!

 

Add the warm water, mix, and form into a ball

 

Cover and let it sit

 

 

Form into ping pong size balls

 

Roll out dough to desired thickness

 

 

Place in skillet or griddle on medium - med/high heat around 20-30 seconds on each side

Till you get a nice light brown. This is my first homemade flour tortilla... I got the hang of it the more I made so the later ones turned out way better.

 

And I had enough dough for another meal.

 

 

Preparation Instructions

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large wooden bowl. Stir together.

Add spoonfuls of lard or shortening (use 1/2 cup PLUS 2 tablespoons), then use a pastry cutter to combine the ingredients. Cut mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Slowly pour in hot water, stirring to bring mixture together. Lightly knead dough 30 to 40 times, or until it becomes a cohesive ball of dough and is less sticky. Cover with a tea towel and allow dough to rest for at least an hour. 

Roll into ping pong size balls, place on a tray, cover with a tea towel, and allow to rest for another 20 to 30 minutes.

When you're ready to make the tortillas, head a dark or cast iron griddle to medium/medium-high heat. One by one, roll out balls of dough until very, very thin. Throw tortillas (one by one) onto the griddle. Cook on each side for 20 to 30 seconds, removing while tortillas are still soft but slightly brown in spots. Remove and stack tortillas, and cover with a towel to keep warm. Serve immediately or allow to cool before storing tortillas in a container. To warm, nuke tortillas in the microwave, or wrap in foil and warm in the oven.

Crockin Girls Pizza - from Crockin Girls Slow Cookin Companion Cookbook

Crockin Girls Pizza

This recipe can be found in the Crockin Girls Slow Cookin Companion Cookbook (pg 316-317).

Did you know you could make pizza in the crockpot?!?! Yep, you can... and it's good!

I didn't follow the all the ingredients listed in the recipe because I didn't have all of them but I followed the general concept.

The players... Can of pizza dough, pizza sauce, pepperoni, cheese (pizza blend) and of course the Crockpot! And don't worry I didn't use all that sauce and pepperoni, it will be split up and put into the freezer to have quick meals at hand.

I used half of the pizza dough (I don't like huge thick crust) and a cup of pizza sauce.

Completely layered with Pepperoni

And the cheese!

Cook on HIGH for 2 hours!