Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup

Well, it is officially fall, and you know what that means....soup time!  Chicken Tortilla is one of my favorite soups so I decided that should be the first one I make this season.  This is a different recipe than I normally use, but I decided to try it because it uses those canned chipotle chilis that I love so much.  I always seem to have some extra I need to use up.  This soup is so so good and was really fast to prepare.  I cooked my chicken the night before so that made it even faster.  It is really spicy though, spicier than I thought it would be; but I don't mind spicy food, so something to think about if you don't like things really hot.  Maybe only use one chipotle.

Based off of Rachael Ray

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
4-8 cups chicken broth, depending on how soupy you like (I use closer to 8 cups because I like a thinner soup)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 chipotles in adobo, plus 2 teaspoons sauce
28 ounces canned fire-roasted tomatoes (I used diced)

For Serving:

Crushed Tortilla Chips
1 Lime, cut into wedges
Shredded Cheese
Sour Cream
Chopped Onion
Chopped Cilantro

Directions:

1.  In a soup pot, heat olive oil and cook onion and garlic for 5 minutes then stir in chipotles and tomatoes.
2.  Add in chicken and broth.
3.  Serve with crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese, a squeeze of lime, and any other toppings you like.

DElish!

Jalapeno Pimiento Cheese

Once you make your own pimiento cheese, you just can't go back to the packaged stuff.  It's not even close to the real thing. 

Pimiento cheese is one of those staples you should always have in your fridge for when unexpected company shows up at your door.  It's great for a tasty snack or appetizer.  And as a grilled pimiento cheese sandwich...oh yum!

Inspired from Southern Living, July 2009

Ingredients:
2 blocks sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
4 ounce jar diced pimientos, drained (I think next time I will use a 7 ounce jar)
½ cup mayonnaise
2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons finely diced onion
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
1.  Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl and mix well.
2.  Place in bowl of food processor and pulse 5 or 6 times to desired consistency.

Salsa Verde Sour Cream Enchiladas and Mexican Rice

{adapted from The Novice Chef}

Printable Recipe

Chicken Enchiladas are one of my favorites to order at our local Mexican restaurant and to make at home.  But sometimes you want something different than your "usual" at the Mexican place.  These hit the spot!  They are so much better than the enchiladas with red sauce at the Mexican restaurant.  The sauce didn't take very long to make and I cooked my chicken the day before, so they came together pretty quickly . 

Cal really liked them; he had seconds and thought about thirds.  Definitely a keeper.  I'm always trying to get him to eat more chicken.

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 Serrano peppers diced (I used 1 green bell pepper)
2 Jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups sour cream
16 ounce jar Medium Salsa Verde
1½ teaspoons cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Flour Tortillas, fajita size
½ medium onion, diced
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a medium size sauce pan, melt butter over medium-high heat.  Saute green pepper and jalapeno peppers until soft, add garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in flour and cook 1-2 minutes.  Whisk in the chicken broth and let cook until bubbly.  Stir in sour cream, salsa, cumin, cayenne, salt, pepper and garlic powder, until sauce is smooth.  Remove from heat.

Spray/grease a 9x13 baking dish.  Spread 1 cup of sauce to the bottom of the dish.  Combine the diced onion with the shredded chicken.  Add some chicken-onion mixture and cheese to the center of each tortilla, placing seam-side down in the dish.  Pour the sauce over the enchiladas, and top with remaining cheese.  Bake for 25 minutes until brown and bubbly.

I served with Mexican rice and chips and salsa.




Mexican Rice
{from All Recipes}

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ cup chopped onion
1 cup long-grain rice
1½ teaspoon taco seasoning
½ teaspoon cumin
½ cup tomato sauce
2 cups chicken broth

Directions:

In a large sauce pan, heat oil over medium and add rice and onion.  Cook, stirring frequently until rice is golden and onion is soft.  Sprinkle in taco seasoning and cumin.  Stir in tomato sauce and broth and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes.  Fluff with a fork.

I have sprouts!

Cilantro, Basil, and Parsley.  Parsley hasn't quite started to sprout yet.  Soon we will have yummy fresh herbs!

Master Bedroom

Paint:  BM Sidewalk Gray

Thanks to my wonderful grandparents, we have a new King size mattress!  And of course we had to get some new bedding that would fit the bigger mattress.  Oh this new bed is pure heaven!  Once you go king sized, you never go back.

Now we need a headboard to go with the new bed.  I think I want an upholstered one, but I'm open to other ideas too (maybe metal?).  And then we'll need some nightstands to go better with the new headboard, (I'm thinking either a silver/mirrored finish or black) and eventually work towards a new dresser and chest of drawers.  Our current Mission-style furniture just doesn't go with the feel I'm going for in here, that and it sticks out too much.

We also need some art above the bed, but of course I'll have to figure out the headboard first.  I want to enlarge a picture from our honeymoon and have it printed in black and white.  And then we need a few more pictures and accessories to complete the room.

We've gotten a lot done in the 3 months we've been here in the new house...

Penne with Five Cheeses

Original Source:  Ina Garten
Printable Recipe

Oh man.  This. Was. Good!  Who would have thought this dish was so easy and quick?!  Hubs liked it so much, he had his first serving and then started eating some more right out of the baking dish! 

I was a little concerned what the blue cheese would taste like in this dish, but it really wasn't overpowering since there is only 1/4 cup.  You can't really taste it at all, just an extra little salty bite.

I may add some chicken or sausage to it next time to make it more of a meal in itself.  We served this on the side of some grilled chicken. 

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 2 cups heavy cream - I used Half n Half
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes in thick tomato puree - I used 2 cups
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano (1 1/2 ounces)
• 1/2 cup shredded imported Italian fontina (1 1/2 ounces) - I used Asiago
• 1/4 cup crumbled Italian Gorgonzola (1 1/2 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
• 1/4 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced - I shredded
• 6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 pound imported penne rigate pasta
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

Directions

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
       
Bring 5 quarts of salted water to a boil in a stockpot.
       
Combine all the ingredients except the penne and butter in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.
       
Drop the penne into the boiling water and parboil for 4 minutes. Drain well in a colander and add to the ingredients in the mixing bowl, tossing to combine.
 
Pour mixture into a 9x13 casserole dish. Dot with the butter and bake until bubbly and brown on top, 7 to 10 minutes.

Dining Room Update

I found a cool mirror and a pair of Chinese rubbings to hang in my dining room. 

We also had a piece of glass cut for the top of our table, so it will be super easy to wipe clean after we eat.  

I'm still working on finding an area rug and some drapes or curtains in here.  And I may have to change the fabric on the chairs.  The cinnamon/rust color is just not working for me.  It's not one of my colors.

Even though it is a dining room and I want to display my pretty wedding gifts, I don't want it to feel too too formal.  I want it to be a comfy place to eat, play games, and have casual get-togethers, not a museum where you can't touch anything.

So here's what the room looks like now.    

And click here to see what the dining room looked like when we bought the furniture over New Years.  Eh, it's a start.  A rug and drapes are my priorities right now.  I just have to find the right ones!  It takes time.  

Thanks for stopping by!