Welcome 2012

We have had a year filled with more blessings than I can count.  Happy New Year!

Chicken Cordon Bleu (The Easy Way)

I found this recipe on Pinterest.  It comes from The Girl Who Ate Everything.  She has some really great stuff!  I was very drawn to this recipe when I saw how easy it was to assemble.  Having two little ones does not make it easy for me to spend lots of time at the counter and stove preparing dinner.  It needs to be quick and easy.  This fits the bill perfectly.  And being that my husband and I don’t usually like ham, it was really surprising that we liked this so much.  I will be making this one again for sure.

Look at that delicious sauce.

Layered chicken, ham, bread crumbs and a mouth watering cheese sauce.

Notice the half plate of veggies.  I am trying to add extra nutrients to our dinners.
Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu
Source: Mel's Kitchen Café
For the Cordon Bleu:
3 large, thick boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half length-wise (to make two thinner chicken breast cutlets; you will have 6 total thin chicken breasts)
12 slices good quality deli ham
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 pound (8 ounces) thinly sliced Swiss cheese. I used 7 sliced from the deli
For the Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules (or 1 bouillon cube, crushed)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
*Note: Mel saves the heels of her bread and stores them in the freezer until she needs them then grinds them up quickly in a blender or food processor.

Directions:
Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs and melted butter. Set aside.
Lay the cut chicken breasts in a single layer in the 9X13-inch dish. Layer each chicken breast with two slices of ham and top with slices of Swiss cheese, layering across the chicken breast to make sure the entire chicken breast is covered with ham and cheese. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top of the chicken.
Bake the chicken for 30-35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through completely, the cheese is bubbling and the bread crumbs are golden.
When the chicken is almost done, in a medium saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the flour, whisking constantly. Cook the flour/butter mixture for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking quickly. Stir in the chicken bouillon granules and salt. Whisk mixture constantly over medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer and thicken, about 3-5 minutes.
Once the sauce has bubbled and thickened, remove from heat and stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Keep the sauce warm until the chicken is finished baking. If your sauce is too thick, whisk in some more milk. If it's too thin, simmer longer.
Serve each chicken cordon bleu portion with warm sauce. Makes 6 servings. ENJOY!!

What I’m “pinning”

I have said it before, I.LOVE.PINTEREST!
Here is what I am pinning for appetizers.  The thing I love about New Years is all the yummy bite sized foods.  No full meal to cook and lots of snacking.  My husband and I are like old people and we go to bed very early, but that doesn’t stop me from eating all these “finger licking good” treats.  And, any appetizer served on a stick is a bonus in my book. 
Click on the title below each picture for a link to the recipe.  All of the pictures are from the perspective pages.

Ham and Cheese Pretzel Bites. 

Antipasto skewers

Crab Stuffed Mushroom Caps

Bacon and Brown Sugar Little Smokies (I am drooling just over the title)

I am going to indulge in as many of these little goodie guilt free before starting to pack in a few more greens after the first of the year.  I just love holiday treats.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

My oven and I have been at odds over chocolate chip cookies for 9 months now.  We moved into a new home and this oven has made me work for these golden brown beauties.  Today, we are finally at terms after a few temperature adjustments and some sweet sugar talking on my part to my oven.  I should name the thing!
I like to use the original Tollhouse Cookie Recipe.
*Have you all seen the show Friends?  I love the episode where Phoebe is trying to figure out her great grandmothers cookie recipe. It is just too funny!*

A little fun fact about me (Joyful Momma):  I can make a batch of these cookies by memory in the 6 minutes it takes to preheat my oven.  I know…..it’s an impressive skill.
Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
  
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 375° F. COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup (Crock pot)

This is my very first loaf of bread from my new bread machine.  YUM!

I wish you could smell my kitchen.  It is mouth watering.

Delicious basil and sweet tomatoes
I really like tomato soup.  When I was pregnant with my first daughter, I ate grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch nearly every day.  I couldn’t get enough of it.  When I was pregnant with my second daughter, I couldn’t as much as look at a tomato or tomato product without getting sick.  Now that she is 7 months old, I am over indulging in the tomatoes.
It is still early winter for us here in Montana.  That means we have a LONG soup season.  This one will surely be added to the rotation as it was easy, very creamy, and loaded with good veggies.  It is a keeper for sure.
Tomato-Basil Parmesan Soup
28 oz diced tomatoes.  Do not drain them
1 cup finely diced celery
1 finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
1 tsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp dried basil
1/2 basil leaf (or one small leaf)
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cups warmed 1/2 & 1/2 (fat free works just fine if you are cutting calories)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1. Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, onion, oregano, basil, bay leaf, and broth to a large crock pot.
2. Cover and cook on low 5-7 hours.  Until the veggies are soft and the spices have really melded in.
3. About 30 minutes before serving, make a roux.  Melt the butter in a sauce pan over low heat and add the flour.  Stir constantly with a whisk about 5 minutes.  Keep it on low!
4.  Stir in 4 cups of soup very slowly alternating with stirring until smooth.
5. Return the roux to the slow cooker and stir.  Add in the parmesan cheese and warmed 1/2 & 1/2.  Add some extra basil and oregano if needed.  Slow cookers really do a number on spices, so give it a taste test.
6. Season with salt and pepper, stir, and heat through. 

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

 
I am pretty sure that just one smell of these and it is 500 calories!
Oh man oh man!  These were the hit of dinner on Christmas.  Everyone raved about them and made room for seconds. 
In the past, I had been making twice baked potatoes to have with our prime rib.  But this year, with 20 to feed, we decided this would be a little easier to serve to a large crowd than individual potatoes.  We were right.  These were perfect.  You MUST make these for New Years before you resolve to healthier eating (for a month anyway).
I will surely be making these again and again.  And I plan to pass on the recipe as often as possible.

Twice Baked Potato Casserole
6 med. unpeeled potatoes, baked
1/4 tsp. salt
1 lb. sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 cups sour cream
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 green onions, chopped
Cut baked potatoes into 1" cubes. Place half in a greased 13 x 9" dish. Sprinkle with half of the salt, pepper and bacon.
Top with half of the sour cream and cheeses.
Repeat layers.
Bake uncovered at 350* for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with onions.

Merry Christmas!

I was busy feeding this crowd of 20 for Christmas dinner.  We had a delicious dinner and enough laughs to burn all the calories.
See you tomorrow for more recipes to take you in to the new year with great menu ideas.

Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread

We had a North Pole Breakfast this year.  Our elf on the shelf, Twinkle, came to visit and we had special North Pole treats.
I adapted this recipe from one on the Pilsbury website.  I wanted to make it very fast and easy.  Basically, all I did was sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mix rather than rolling each piece of dough in it.
Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread
2 cans Pilsbury Flaky Supreme refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing
2 granny smith apples, peeled and finely chopped
2/3 cup cinnamon sugar mixture (I just made my own)
1. Preheat oven to 375. Grease a round bundt pan.  I used and angel food cake pan, worked great
2. Cut each cinnamon roll in to 4 pieces. 
3. Sprinkle bottom of pan with some apple and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
4. Layer half the cut cinnamon rolls on top.  Sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar (about 1/3 cup on this layer)
5. Top with remaining apples and cut rolls.
6. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
7. Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown.  Let cool for 15 minutes.
8. Turn upside down on a plate and smother with icing. 
9. Enjoy!!
These are so gooey and delicious.  It would make a very fast and delicious Christmas morning breakfast.

Spaghetti Pie

I have been eating this meal since I was just a toddler.  My grandma originally introduced us to this recipe and my mom often made it at home as well.  I like to make this recipe “family size” by doubling it and making it in a 9X13 baking dish.  But you can also use 2 pie plates if you like the actual pie shape the best. 
This is the recipe for one pie

Spaghetti Pie
6 oz spaghetti
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
6 oz can tomato paste
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a pie plate
2. Cook spaghetti according to package and drain.  Mix with butter, eggs and parmesan cheese
3. Brown hamburger and onion.  Drain.  Stir in un-drained tomatoes, paste, oregano and garlic salt.  Heat through.
4. Form spaghetti into a buttered pie plate to make crust.  Spread cottage cheese over crust and fill with tomato mixture.
5. Bake for 20 minutes.  Top with mozzarella cheese and bake 8 more minutes.
Let set 10 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

Baked Oatmeal Tips and Tricks

Have you all tried my Baked Oatmeal recipe?  I really love it and we seriously eat is almost every week.  My 2 year old gobbles it up.  You can view my original post here. 
Here’s the recipe: *Tips at the bottom*
Baked Oatmeal 5 eggs, beaten 1 1/2 cup oil 2 Tbsp vanilla 4 cups milk Mix well, then add: 1 1/2 tsp salt 2 Tbsp baking powder 2 Tbsp cinnamon 2 1/2 cups packed brown sugar Mix well, then add: 10 cup oatmeal (not quick oats) 2 cups dried fruit (I love the sunmaid fruit bits) Pour into a greased 9x13x2 pan and bake for 55 min at 350. I even bought a special pan just for my baked oatmeal with a lid. We love it and like I said, always in the fridge. Put some in a bowl, reheat in the microwave for 60-80 seconds and serve with milk or half and half! ENJOY! I had a reader let me know that her oatmeal bubbled over and left her kitchen smelling smokey and oily rather than warm and full of cinnamon.  Sad!  So, I thought I would try mixing up my oatmeal and letting it set in the fridge overnight.


It got nice and thick.  Then I poured it into the greased pan and baked it.  It turned out fabulous and no bubbling over.  Give that a try if you are worried your pan may be too shallow.  Do try to bake it in a deep 9X13 pan.  I bought a metal one at Walmart made by Calphalon that has a dome lid as well.  I call it my oatmeal pan

Home From Vacation

I am back! And I'm so ready to get back in my kitchen. We have some bonding to do over holiday recipes. I was given a latte maker and a baby bullet baby food maker for Christmas from my very sweet mother-in-law. I am excited to try them both and tell you all about these neat kitchen tools.
See you all back here for cooking, baking, and mess making

What are you cooking for Christmas?

Needing something different this year? 
Ranchline All Natural has a great giveaway going on.  You can enter to win half a lamb. 
And not only that, since they are a new company, there are fewer than 100 entries right now, so your chances of winning are really excellent!
Go HERE to their contest page and enter.  Then, look around their site and for every $25 you spend, you get an additional entry. 
I will be reviewing a cut of meet next week for them and sharing a recipe to go with it. 
Lamb is an excellent source of protein, vitamins, and low in fat.  How much better does it get?!!
Enjoy!

Taste Test: Lemony Tuna Pasta

This recipe is out of Real Simple Magazine. 
It is light and fresh and has just the right zest and kick.  I will for sure make this again next week.
Add This one to your “I at too much at Christmas and need something light” meal list.

Lemony Tuna and Olive Oil Pasta (Real Simple, 2011)
12 oz linguine pasta (I used whole wheat)
3 Tbsp light olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 (6 oz) cans of tuna (I used water packed)
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1. Cook pasta according to package directions.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water.  Drain pasta
2.  Wipe out the pot and cook the oil, garlic and red pepper over medium heat stirring until fragrant  (3 min)
3. Add the pasta, tuna, lemon zest, salt and pepper and pasta water.  I actually didn’t add the salt and found that I loved it without that flavor.  I instead added 2 squeezes of the fresh lemon.
4.  Cook over low heat, tossing until the sauce is slightly thickened and coats the pasta.  Add parsley and serve.  *The sauce is ONLY enough to coat the pasta.  It is not a saucy dish*
Enjoy!

Chocolate Rolo Cookies

Cookie Exchange week continues. 

My friend Kristen brought these little treasures.  They are a soft chocolate cookie with a Rolo candy inside. They are like a little treasure box that you bite in to.  YUM!

Chocolate Rolo Cookies (From food.com)

2 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup margarine

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 eggs

48 rolos chocolate-covered caramel candies

1 tablespoon sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add Sugar, Brown Sugar, Margarine, Eggs and Vanilla.
3. Mix together until well blended.
4. Add Flour, Cocoa and Baking Soda and mix well.
5. Refrigerate and chill dough for 30 minutes.
6. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place 1 Rolo in the center of each dough ball.
7. Form the dough ball around the majority of the Rolo.
8. Roll each dough ball in sugar.
9. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes.
10. Let cool on pan for 1 minute then take off and place on cookie cooling rack.

Winner of the Give Away!!

Congratulations Amy_M!
I emailed you.  Enjoy your new cookbook.  Share your favorite recipe from the book.
Happy Cooking!

Cookie Exchange: Perfect Chocolate Crinkles

My twin sister made these!  And I must say, she is getting pretty good in the kitchen. 
These are truly the perfect chocolate cookie.  The powdered sugar outside, the chocolate chip inside.  The love just pours out of them.  I may or may  not have eaten all 5 of them at nap time.
Perfect Chocolate Crinkles (recipe from The Small Things Blog) *This is an awesome blog to browse*
Mix together:
3/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

In separate bowl, mix:
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder

Add dry ingredients to wet ones & mix well
Pour 12 oz bag of chocolate chips in mixture, & stir together
Refrigerate at least 2 hours
Roll into balls, then roll in 1/2 cup powdered sugar (really coat these little guys in sugar)
Bake @ 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Do not over bake.
This recipe will make about 3 dozen.
Enjoy!

Healthy Winter Smoothie

This is the version of the “Green Monster Smoothie” that I have been making lately
   
I put in about 2 cups of pineapple juice, a handful of frozen blueberries and strawberries or raspberries, 2 bananas, and I top it of with 2 big spoons of greek yogurt (honey flavor) and a big drizzle of honey.  Then I load the blender with fresh spinach and blend. 
I make sure it all gets nice and smooth and when I can no longer see any leaf remnants, I know it is ready.  The secret to not tasting the spinach is the pineapple juice and the honey.  You can use any kind of yogurt but greek yogurt packs protein and the honey flavor is yummy.  The honey takes away the bitterness of the berries and it is a natural antioxidant that is great to add in the winter months.
Enjoy!!

Hide those veggies: A delicious deception

I had a mom request a meal that hides in some good greens.  I grew up enjoying this recipe.  In fact, all of us kids would gobble it up and my mom had to make 4 quiches to feed us all.  It is still the recipe my 10 year old brother requests for his birthday dinner every year.  And my 2 year old asks for seconds. 
Curious, aren’t you?!
Spinach Sausage Quiche
1 pie crust (I use Pillsbury, but you can make your own)
8 oz bulk pork sausage
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
5 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup herb seasoned stuffing mix
1 1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese (6oz)
3 eggs beaten
1 1/2 cup milk
grated parmesan cheese for topping
paprika to sprinkle on top
*Because pie crusts are sold in a package of two, sausage is sold in 16 oz portions and you would need a full 10 oz pkg of spinach, I choose to always double the recipe and make two quiches.  You will be glad you did.  It is very easy to double*
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Place pastry shell in pie plate and gently poke around the bottom.  Bake for 7 min.  (Sometimes I find my crusts shrinks and falls to the bottom.  No big deal, just continue on….it will still taste amazing)
3. Reduce oven temp to 375 degrees
4. Brown sausage, onion, and garlic.  Drain.
5. Stir in spinach and stuffing mix. 
6. Sprinkle the 1 1/2 cups cheese in to the cooked pie crust. Top with sausage and spinach mixture.
7. Beat eggs and milk in a small bowl.  Pour over ingredients in pie plate.
8. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and paprika.  Bake 15 more minutes.
9.  Here is the tough part.  You need to let it sit for 15 min before cutting.  Otherwise you will get a sloppy mess.  You may have to stand outside so that you don’t stand drooling over the pie plate for 15 minutes. 
10.  Enjoy!

Chai Mix: A Second Look

Here it is!! I am enjoying a hot cup this morning and it is very yummy.
I got the recipe from allrecipes.com and I adapted it to my taste.
In a large bowl, whisk together:
1c. Nonfat dry milk powder (you can use powdered rice milk, soy milk or rick milk) Let me know how it turns out if you substitute those in.
1c. Powdered non-dairy creamer
1c. French vanilla flavored non dairy creamer powder
2 1/2 c. Granulated sugar
1 1/2 c. Unsweetened instant tea
2 tsp. Ground Ginger
2 tsp. Ground cinnamon
1 tsp. Ground all spice
1 tsp. Ground cloves
1 tsp. Nutmeg
1 tsp. Ground cardamom (this spice is pricey, but you don't want to skip it.)
In a food processor, blend 1 cup at a time until mix becomes a fine powder. Don't skip this step or the spices will clump in the hot water and not dissolve well. You can also use a blender. The finer you get it, the better.  I even found that doing 1/4 cup at a time in a coffee bean grinder worked really really well. 
I like 3tbsp in a mug of hot water but you can adjust the amounts depending on how you like it.
I also love it with a splash of half and half. I tend to think most hot drinks taste better with a splash of half and half.
Enjoy.

Keep up with my current recipes HERE I am always adding new favorites. (find it here first before all your friends find it on Pinterest)

The Best Ever Brownies

I found this recipe for brownies about 4 years ago when I was getting really frustrated with boxed brownie mix.  I would get a hankering for a really amazing brownie, whip up a box mix like my mom used, and then be disappointed with the results.  They never seemed to be “just right”
So, enter this little gem of a recipe.  I cannot remember what magazine I found this in.  But I do know it was from a magazine.  I don’t even remember what the recipe was called.  I just call them “THE best ever brownies.”

Don’t you just wanna lick the beater?  Oh yum!

This is a nice thick batter.  You can see what I mean when I say “spread it in to the pan”.  The thick consistency is what keeps is so yummy and rich in the middle, yet creating a nice cracked top.

Trust me, you will want to eat these for breakfast with your coffee.  I know. I’ve been there. 

I bake them in a foil lined pan so that I can cut them easily once I pull them out of the pan and let them cool.  They keep longer if you store them in a Rubbermaid container. 
The Best Ever Brownies
1 cup butter, melted (use the real stuff )
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 1/4 cup flour
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (DO NOT use more...I promise, it will only ruin the texture….I have tried it)
1.  Preheat oven to 350
2. Line 9X13 baking pan with foil and spray foil with cooking spray
3.  In a large bowl, combine butter and cocoa.  Mix well
4. Add sugars and salt. Mix well
5. Add eggs.  One at a time and mix well each time in between eggs.  Do not add all at once, and really mix well.  You don’t want a bite of chocolate cooked egg bit.  Gross!
6. Add flour. Mix well
7. Gently stir in chocolate chips
8. Bake 30-35 min until the edges pull away slightly from the pan and center is done.
*If you are needing to make a goodie for a Christmas party or guest, drizzle some melted white chocolate over these delicious babies and serve them with a very proud smile.  I have even drizzled melted Andies mint candies over them.  OH.MY.Heavens!! 

Win Win Win (A Giveaway!)

Here it is.  My first giveaway for you fine folks.  As promised, I am giving away a copy of Ree Drummond's newest cookbook.  She has such great recipes and the pictures are fantastic.  She even does all her own photography for this book.
Here's how to enter:
1 entry for following my blog
1 entry for following me on pinterest
1 entry for following me on twitter
1 entry for retweeting one of my posts
1 entry for sharing my recipe on facebook
1 entry for sharing one of my recipes on Pinterest (max of 5)
1 entry for a comment with a recipe you would like me to make.
Please leave a comment on THIS post letting me know whick things you have done.  Include credentials such as you pinterest name, twitter name, and name for following the blog.  Also, share which recipe you retweeted or shared on facebook.
*If you are already following me on these things, just let me know in a comment*
WOW!  That is quite a few chances to get your name in the hat!  I will leave this open until Dec. 9th.  It will close at 10pm MST.

Happy eating and sharing.
Lexi

Creamy White Chili

Doesn’t this picture make your mouth water?  I wish you could smell my kitchen right now.  It is very “drool worthy”

I got this recipe out of my Taste of Home Cookbook from 2007.  It is definitely one of my husband’s favorites.  In fact, he told me tonight, “if this recipe doesn’t go viral, there is something wrong with the world” 

The prep for this dish is easy and the ingredient list is nothing overwhelming.

It takes about 10 minutes of standing at the stove and then after that, it is all just simmer time and then ready to eat.

I mostly only cook things that are quick and easy to whip up with a 2 year old and a 6 month old. 
*Look at the magic in these next two pictures!*

That is 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1 cup sour cream.  You can almost guarantee that if I see a recipe that calls for cream and sour cream, I will try it.  With those two things, you can’t go wrong.

I added slow cooker instructions at the bottom of the post

Creamy White Chili (Taste of Home 2007 pg. 67)

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces.
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
*I like to chop my meats and veggies at nap time and stick them in the fridge just ready to dump in the pot at dinner time.  Really cuts down the dinner time stress*
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cans ( 15.5 oz each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
2 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chilies
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
*I also measure out all my spices and stick them in a Tupperware on the counter at naptime)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1. In a large saucepan, sauté chicken, onion and garlic powder in the olive oil until the chicken is no longer pink.  Add the beans, broth, chilies, and seasonings.  Bring to a boil.

2. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.  Don’t cover it if you want that thick chili consistency.  If it is covered, it will be a bit more soupy.  And, your house will smell amazing this way.

3. Remove from heat, stir in cream and sour cream.  Serve immediately.

NOTE: If you liked the Chicken Enchiladas, you will also like this recipe

Happy Eating!

*Here are the instructions for using the slow cooker for this.  Thank you Mel's Kitchen Cafe*

Slow Cooker Option:

In a medium round slow cooker, place 1 pound chicken breasts (fresh or frozen) without cubing them.

Add the chopped onion, garlic powder, beans, green chiles and all of the spices.

Do not add the sour cream or whipping cream yet!

Reduce the chicken broth to 12 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) and pour in over the other ingredients.

Stir the mixture around a bit to incorporate the dry spices.

Cook on low for 5-7 hours (if using frozen chicken you’ll cook on the longer end of that spectrum, fresh chicken will cook in less time).

Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred in bite-size pieces. Stir back into the slow cooker.

In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream and whipping cream until smooth. Whisk the cream mixture into the crockpot with the other ingredients. Let the soup cook until heated through.

Serve.