White Bean Chicken Chili

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups diced, cooked chicken meat
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups good chicken stock
1 (18.75 ounce) can tomatillos, drained and chopped
1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes- I use roasted, diced tomatoes
1 (7 ounce) can diced green chiles
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed- I use fresh cilantro instead
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (15 ounce) can white beans- I use white kidney beans
2 ears fresh corn, husked and cut from cob- I use 1 cup of frozen corn when I cant get fresh
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1-2 whole jalapeno's, sliced
1 small red or green bell pepper, chopped, optional

Ideas For Garnish:
sliced limes
sour cream
shredded cheese, my favorite is Jack
thin baked corn tortilla strips
avacado slices
thin sliced green onions

Heat oil, and cook onion, bell pepper (if using) and garlic until soft.
Stir in broth, tomatillos, tomatoes, chilies, jalapeno slices and all spices, (except fresh cilantro, add this at the very end).
Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
Add corn, chicken, and beans; simmer 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with garnish choices

Baked French Toast Casserole with Praline Topping

This is another recipe served at MOPS. It's delicious!! You can also add fruit. Blueberries and sliced strawberries are my favorite. This is made the night before and soaks overnight.
1 loaf French Bread (13-16 oz)
8 large Eggs
2 cups Half and Half
1 cup Milk
2 tbs. Granulated Sugar
1 ts. Vanilla Extract
1/2 ts. Ground Cinnamon
1/4 ts. Ground Nutmeg
Dash Salt
Praline Topping, recipe follows
Maple Syrup, Optional

Slice french bread into 20 slices, 1 inch each. Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9x13 inch baking dish, in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half and half, milk, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Beat or wisk until blended. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly.  Spoon some of the mixture between slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. The next day, Preheat oven to 350. Spread praline topping (and/or fruit) evenly over the bread. Bake 40 minutes until puffed up and golden. Serve with Maple syrup.
Praline Topping-
2 Sticks Butter
1 cup Packed Brown Sugar
1 cup Chopped Pecans
2 tbs. Light Corn Syrup
1/2 ts. Cinnamon
1/2 ts. Nutmeg
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well.
Recipe, Paula Deen

Menu #29

Monday: Chicken Enchilada's
Refried Beans
Spanish Rice

Tuesday: Pork Chops
Asparagus and Shiitake Risotto


Wednesday: White Chicken Chili
Quesadilla's

Thursday: Tomato Sauce with Onion & Butter
Green Salad
Garlic Bread

Friday: Out

Salsa Cheese Omelet Casserole

I love my MOPS meetings. I love the friends, fellowship and I love the food!!

Do we have readers that are MOPS Mommies? I'm always looking for dishes to bring.. and here is my favorite egg dish. I got this recipe from my leader, Jackie.. and I have no idea where she got it from, but it's delicious.. and there are never any leftovers. 

3/4 cup Salsa- My favorite salsa to make this with is Salsa Verde. I also like Roasted Chipotle

1 1/2 cup grated Jack Cheese

1 1/2 cup grated Cheddar Cheese

9 eggs

1 1/2 cup sour cream

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, diced small

chives, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray bottom and sides of a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Pour in salsa. Sprinkle about 1/2 of the jack cheese, 1/2 of the cheddar cheese and the whole amount of diced cream cheese. Blend eggs and sour cream in a blender. Pour on top. Sprinkle remaining cheese. Bake for 40 minutes, covered. Un-cover, sprinkle chives and bake until center is set and top is slightly brown, about 10-15 minutes. Serves about 12-16 cut in small squares.

Orange Chicken

2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

¼ cups Cornstarch

Salt And Pepper

1 cup Fresh Orange Juice

1 cup Water

2 Tablespoons Lime Juice

2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

2 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar

3 strips Orange Zest - 1" Wide By 2" Tall

½ cups Lightly Packed Brown Sugar

½ teaspoons Fresh Minced Ginger

2 cloves Garlic, Minced

2 Tablespoons Light Soy Sauce

4 whole Dried Red Chilies, Broken In Half (or red chili flakes)

2 Tablespoons Cornstarch, For The Slurry

2 Tablespoons Water, For The Slurry

 

In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat about an inch of vegetable or canola oil to about 375F. Heat the oven to 250F.

In a large zip top bag, combine the cornstarch, salt and pepper. Add the chicken chunks and seal the bag. Toss to coat completely.

Add the coated chicken to the hot oil in two or three batches. Cook until lightly golden and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 F. Transfer the cooked chicken to a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Hold the chicken in the oven.

In a sauce pan, combine the water, orange juice, lime juice, lemon juice, vinegar, orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and dry chilies. Stir to combine. Place the pan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the sauce reduce by 1/3.

In a small bowl, prepare the slurry by combining the cornstarch and water until smooth. Pour the mixture into the sauce and whisk until the sauce thickens. Add fried chicken pieces. Stir to coat. Serve immediately.

Menu #28

Monday: Slow Cooked Chicken Tacos
Spanish Rice
Black Beans

Monday: Patty Melt sandwiches on Rye
Homemade French Fries
Fruit Salad

Tuesday: Chicken Scampi from Spain
Garlic Bread
Green Salad

Tuesday: Walmart Pizza
Green Salad
Scrumptious, huh?

Wednesday: Black Bean Soup with Crab & Kielbasa Sausage
Brown Rice

Wednesday: Crockpot Beef and Mushrooms
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans

Thursday: Chicken in Parmesan Chive Cream Sauce
Brown Rice
Broccoli

Thursday: Taco nite!!
Corn Salad- I'm adding black beans to the salad

Friday: White Chicken Chili
Quesadillas

Friday: Mashed Potato Soup
Crusty Bread
Green Salad

Mashed Potato Soup

I like to fly by the seat of my pants... it's just the way I am. I like to try to make things I love, without a recipe. I will almost always love it, but will just as often, not write anything down.
So, I will try to tell you how I made this soup, 2 times already!

Ingredients:
4-5 medium size potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
3-4 T butter
1.5 cup chicken broth
1.5 cup heavy cream
1 tsp chili powder
salt & pepper to taste

Garnishments:
bacon
chives
cheddar cheese

Method:
Boil potatoes in a large pot -- until tender, when pierced with a knife, but still holds it shape. Drain potatoes and set aside for a few minutes.
With same pot, over a medium heat, melt butter and add onion and garlic to just translucent. Season with salt & pepper.
Then add chicken broth and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, add heavy cream and chili powder. Then add potatoes and season again with salt & pepper.
Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. The potatoes will start to mash a bit and the heavy cream will thicken. If soup is too thick, add a bit more broth or water, til desired consistency.

on a side note....
when I place any food on the table, my kids automatically say, ewww. but once they tried this, they ate it up... no fighting or struggling to make them eat. and one of my kids called it, mashed potato soup - and it stuck!