Chicken Corn Chowder

My friend, Amber, posted this chowder recipe on her new cooking blog, This Mommy Cooks. I was told it tastes like chicken pot pie in a bowl. I can't wait to try this one out!



Chicken Corn Chowder
adapted from Paula Deen's Chef Jack's Corn Chowder

Ingredients:
6 TBSP butter
1/2 onion, diced
1 small carrot, finely diced
1 small celery stalk, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cans corn (I used bi color white and yellow)
1 1/2-2 cups cooked chicken, cubed (I used 3 chicken breasts.)
3 cups chicken broth
1 can evaporated milk (12oz)
Pinch nutmeg
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, and saute for 2 minutes. Add the flour and stir to make a roux. Cook until the roux is lightly browned; set aside to cool to room temperature. I poured the mixture into a glass bowl so it would cool faster. Then used the unwashed pot for the next step.

While roux is cooling, combine the corn, chicken, and chicken broth in saucepan, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Pour roux into the corn and chicken mixture(a little at a time), whisking briskly so it doesn't lump. Return the pot to the heat and bring to a boil. The mixture should become very thick.

Stir evaporated milk into the thick corn mixture. Add the nutmeg and salt and pepper, to taste. Return to boil and simmer for 5 more minutes.

Quick and Easy Homemade Pudding

This is a great way to use up milk and have a treat at the same time. It's super cheap and is made with pantry ingredients that you probably already have on hand!

Chocolate Pudding (this is from Recipezaar)

6 TBSP sugar
4 TBSP cornstarch
2 heaping TBSP cocoa powder
pinch of salt
2 cups milk (I wouldn't use skim)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all dry ingredients in saucepan until well blended. Add milk and turn burner on high. Stir constantly while cooking and cook until desired consistency. (This is usually around 3-5 minutes..it goes quick!). Remove from burner and stir in vanilla. Cool and refrigerate.

I also made a Lemon variation. Follow instructions from above just omit cocoa powder and vanilla and replace with 1/4 c fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 2 medium lemons).

Curried Chicken

This is Mary Lou's recipe from when she was living in Malaysia. She got one recipe from an Indian man in a laudromat and another from a Chinese man in a restaurant. She kind of combined the recipes. I do not know measurements, but I will try to estimate since several people were interested in the recipe. The recipe is always superb, but is a litle different each time (since I don't measure). Also it's better the next day and even better the next! FYI: I do not like it frozen since the potatoes change texture.

For a family of 4
Ingredients:
2 large potatoes peeled and diced
2 chicken breasts diced
1.5 cups rice (and 3 cups water to cook)
can diced tomatoes
can of coconut milk (NOT cream of coconut!)
large diced onion
olive oil (1/4 cup)
2 cloves garlic
4 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp grated ginger (or fresh*)

Directions:

Put oil and spices in large pan and heat to medium high, stirring until sizzling slightly. This will smell delicious because the heat brings out the flavors! Next add onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent. Then add coconut milk, diced tomatoes, diced potatoes, and diced chicken. Simmer until potatoes are almost done (20 minutes?). In the meantime cook rice. Place rice in bottom of casserole dish. Next pour curry mixture over rice. Cover tightly with foil and heat in oven about 30 minutes.

New Cooking Blog

I just wanted to share a link to my new cooking blog. I post a lot of my recipes over here, but not always. Sometimes I'm not sure if it's an easy meal for moms. If you want to check it out, you can click on the link below! Happy cooking!


http://thismommycooks.blogspot.com/

Crockpot Yogurt

Okay, making homemade yogurt has been on my "To Do" list for quite some time now. I have just been putting it off but after I did some cost calculations, I will be making some this weekend! If you have not already checked out Stephanie's blog, please do so. She is the crockpot queen! Here's the link to her site with the full instructions on how to make yogurt in your slow cooker.

Making Yogurt in Your CrockPot

EDIT: I made this over the weekend and it made 64 oz not 128 oz. After thinking about it, I don't know why I thought 1/2 gallon of milk would produce a gallon of yogurt. Sorry about that and I have changed the original post to reflect that. Thanks! Oh, and making the yogurt was SUPER easy and it turned out great!

Orange Muffins

I found this recipe off one of my favorite blogs, HeavenlyHomemakers.com. I plan on making them this weekend and they look so quick, easy and healthy!

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/3 cup honey
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, melted
The juice of one freshly squeezed orange
1/2 t. grated orange rind
1/2 cup milk

Mix dry ingredients together. Make a “well” in the center. Add honey, egg, melted butter, orange juice, orange rind and milk. Stir until just combined. Bake in muffin paper lined muffin tins for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Peggy's Chili

Peggy's Chili

2 cans red kidney beans (15 oz. each)
2 cans petite diced tomatoes (14.5 oz. each)
1 can baked pork & beans with molasses
1 can tomato paste (6 oz.)
2 lbs., lean ground beef, browned and drained
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
1 green pepper, coarsely chopped
1 small can mushroom pieces, drained (3-4 oz.)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2-3 tablespoons of chili powder (I use three)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt to taste

Directions:

Combine in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 9-12 hours or on HIGH for 4.5-6 hours.

Couldn't be simpler!
Serve with all of your favorite chili fixins' Ex: cornbread, mexican cornbread, Fritos, cheese, sour cream, green onions, avocado, jalepenos, etc.