Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup

This is a Pinterest find. 

They LOVED this. 

Now, I don't know if my children think I expect them to say good things about my food, or if they say it sincerely. On second thought, I don't really care. I love hearing "Wow, this is really good" cut short by the next bite of food.  

When we had this for leftovers the next night and they were surprised (ohmigod you just ate this yesterday, why are you acting like you've never had this before?) at how good it was. 

Did I mention they hate leftovers?

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 c. onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic

3 c. chicken broth

8 oz. can tomato sauce

1-2 tsp chipotle chili powder

1/4 c. cilantro, chopped

15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed (I used 2 cans because we love black beans)

14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes

2 c. frozen corn

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp dried oregano

2 8 oz. skinless chicken breasts

Saute onion and garlic.  Add chicken broth and tomato sauce and bring to a boil.

Add cilantro. Put in crock pot and add: drained beans, diced tomatoes, corn, cumin and stir.  Add chicken.

Cover and cook for 4-6 hours on low.

Remove chicken and shred it, then return to the pot.

Garnish with:

chopped scallions

shredded cheese

sour cream

Dinner Rolls

This was my first time making dinner rolls, and I'll be upfront and say - I used a bread machine. It didn't make them any less delicious.  They were so good the boys had them for a snack with the left over brownies the next day.

The final product

This is supposed to yield 18 rolls, I smooshed them into 12.

3 1/4 c. bread flour

1/4 c. sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 Tbsp dry milk (I always use dried buttermilk in my bread)

3 Tbsp butter

7 1/2 fl. oz. water

1 1/2 tsp. dry yeast

Put in machine on dough setting. (Ha!)

When the dough is done, pull it out, cut into however many you want and roll the pieces into balls.

Prep for final proof

These were hideous, because I realized only too late that I only had space for 12. So I could have used another pan, but to be honest Dr. Fabulous was already going to kill me for using every pot, pan, and dish we own.

After the final proof, brush the tops with a beaten egg. You could also sprinkle sesame or poppy seeds on top at this point.

Coating with egg

Bake at 350 for 10-15 min. They should be golden brown.

This is when I started getting excited:

In the oven baking

So I know it's just bread (whatevs) - but fresh, warm, pillowy, homemade bread is undeniably some of the best comfort food you can get. 

Brown, fluffy, and delicious

Chicken in white wine sauce

I used this recipe for two reasons: you put it in a slow-cooker AND it requires wine. Which means mama gets to drink wine while she's cooking.  And nothing makes mama happier than drinking and cooking.

6  bone-in, skin-on split chicken breasts, or 12 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed

2  tbsp vegetable oil

1 1/4  pounds cremini (baby bella) mushrooms

1  medium onion, chopped

4  garlic cloves, minced

1 3/4 c dry white wine

1 c. chicken broth

1 tbsp minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried (I think I used 1 tbsp dried - it worked)

2 bay leaves

1 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch lengths

Dry the chicken with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half the chicken on both sides, about 10 minutes, then add to the slow cooker. (Remove the browned skin if using chicken thighs.)  Repeat with the remaining chicken. Discard any fat left in the skillet.

Add a little oil and heat over medium heat until shimmeering. Add the mushrooms, onion, and a smidge of slat. Cook until the mushrooms are brown, 10-15 min. Stir in the garlic and cook for 15 seconds. Stir in the wine, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Pour into the slow cooker.

Add the broth, thyme, and bay leaves to the slow cooker. Nestle the carrots into the slow cooker around the edges. Cover and cook on low until the chicken is tender, about 4 hours.

Transfer the chicken to a bowl. Discard the bay leaves. Set the slow cooker to high. 

For the sauce:

1/4 c all-purpose flour

1 c. heavy cream

1/4 cup minced tarragon (I left this out because neither Dr. Fabulous or I like tarragon)

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Whisk the flour with the cream until smooth, then stir into the slow cooker. Cover and continue to cook until the sauce is thickened and no longer tastes of four, 15 to 30 min longer. Stir in the tarragon and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Spoon the vegetables and some of the sauce over the chicken and serve.  

I cooked rice to go with this the first night, and it was fine, you know - rice, its yummy.  However, the next night for leftovers, we were out of rice and made orzo instead. I liked it with the orzo way more than with rice.

Voila:

Check out another post for the dinner rolls

Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice

This is heavy in our rotation of meals. It has replaced Chicken Pot Pie (for the time being).  It is rather easy to put together, and portions of it can be done ahead of time.

3 tbs. olive oil

1 medium onion, finely diced

3 stalks celery, finely diced

3 carrots, diced

2 tbs. garlic, minced

2 c. steamed white rice

16 oz. prepared wild rice (I use a seasoned Mahatma Wild Rice package)

2 c. chicken, cooked and shredded

Cheese Sauce:

4 tbs butter

1/4 c. all purpose flour

salt and pepper

2 c. chicken broth

2 c. shredded cheese

Saute the veggies in olive oil.  After the rice and veggies are both fully cooked, mix them together.

Put rice in bottom of a 9x13 pyrex dish and cover with chicken.

For the cheese sauce:

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add flour and whisk until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil (it will be thick). Take off the heat and add in the cheddar cheese. Whisk together until combined and smooth. 

Pour over the chicken and rice in the pan, and spread to evenly cover.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 min.  Let it cool for 5-10 min. Serve in bowls.

Yummy baked cheezy goodness.

Coconut cream pie

Was a total failure. It was more like coconut cream pudding with crust. I'll try a different recipe soon.

Cinnamon Rolls

Before I get started let me just go ahead and tell you - Yes, these taste as ridiculous as they look.  In Thomas's words they were "pure paradise".  Even Drew said they couldn't be anymore perfect.

Two things to consider before making them:
1) These cannot be thrown together the morning of.  It is best to prepare them the night before and let them go through their final proof in the fridge overnight.
2) This recipe makes more cinnamon rolls than a family of 4 (or 5) should eat. So plan on having guests, or taking it to someone's house. I promise you will eventually regret eating 6 of these yourself if you don't follow my advice.

So, let's get started.

DOUGH

1/4 c. warm water

1/2 c. butter, melted

1 c. warm milk

1 egg, room temperature

1 (3.5 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix

1 tsp salt

4 c. bread flour

2 1/2 bread yeast (one package)

Combine these ingredients in the pan of your bread machine. Set to dough cycle. Wait (for a long time).

While the dough is doing it's thing, prepare the cinnamon filler:

1 c. butter, softened

1 c. brown sugar

6 tsp cinnamon

Beat these together until they are perfectly blended.

When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 17x10 inch rectangle. Spread the cinnamon mixture onto the dough with an offset spatula.  

It should look like this: (mind you, I hadn't finished spreading it)

Roll up the dough, beginning with the long side. Then slice into one-inch slices and place in a buttered jellyroll pan (or a 9x13 plus a smaller pan).  Warning, the dough is very soft and warm at this point. You will not be able to slice these in anyway that approximates grace. You just have to own the slippery suckers and force them to keep it together. Stay strong.

You can let them rise in a warm place for about an hour or, like I said above, throw them in the fridge overnight. 

Preheat the oven to 350. Bake for 15 to 20 min.  

They should look like this when you pull them out:

Mix up the icing while the rolls are baking.

ICING

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. butter, softened

2 1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp salt

Top the rolls with icing and behold: