POSOLE

                                                                             

Our friend Scott loves posole.  I had never really had it and was curious if we would like it.  We were expecting several days of miserably freezing weather here so I bought the ingredients as best I could find them and tried my hand at it.  Scott orders all the ingredients from The Fresh Chile Company out of Las Cruces, NM, so his version is straight forward. When he traveled through Las Cruces last Spring he brought me several items from there, and one was the Posole seasoning.  I didn't have time to order the dried posole and couldn't find it at any of the Mexican groceries in the area but was able to find a Mexican brand of hominy.  I'm not sure it was much different than any hominy I would have bought at HEB. Secondly I didn't have the red chile sauce that Fresh Chile Co sells so I went to Pati Jinich's recipe for posole and made the chile sauce like she does.  Her recipe was extremely involved but I took parts of it, and parts of Scott's Fresh Chile Co recipe and made my own version.  I made the mistake of salting the pork and then not tasting it before I added the posole seasoning, so my soup was very salty.  I tried the old trick of putting potatoes in it to soak up the salt, and it worked!  However, by having to cook it long enough to soak up the salt some of my meat totally fell apart and shredded.  Oddly we didn't mind the shredded meat.  BTW I picked out the potato chunks before I served it.  My boys loved it, especially with the raw cabbage, onions and radishes stirred into it. Justin didn't think he liked radishes but decided he didn't mind them stirred into posole.  Janice and Kim were coming over to celebrate Janice's birthday and when she shared that posole was one of her favorite dishes I saved the rest of it for us to have that night.  Janice has since asked me how I made it, so I am blogging this for you Janice.  Since it was such a trial and error I recommend tasting as you go to be sure you are happy with the seasonings.  I am going to estimate the amounts I will use next time based on my experience of making it the first time.  Good luck!

2-29 oz cans hominy (or dried posole if you can find it, and follow the directions)

2-4 oz dried chiles (I used a combination of ancho, guajillo and a few chiles de arbol)

3 TB coarsely chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, coarsely diced

Pinch ground cumin

1 t. kosher salt

3 TB oil (I used avocado oil) + more to brown meat

3 lbs. pork roast (I bought pork carnitas meat), cut into 1" chunks

2 TB posole seasoning (estimate so taste as you go) -- It is a combination of salt, granulated garlic, cumin and Mexican oregano ground into a fine powder.

Toppings:

Shredded green cabbage

Onion, diced

Radishes, sliced thin

Avocado, diced

Lime wedges

Sour cream or crema, optional

Cheese of your choice, optional (I offered cotija)

Place the chiles in a 3 qt saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the chiles have softened and rehydrated.  Once rehydrated remove the veins and seeds.  Place the chiles, along with 1/2 c. of their cooking liquid, onion, garlic, cumin and salt in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.  Reserve the remainder of the chile water in case your soup gets too thick, and if so only add a little at a time.  Pass the sauce from the blender through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing gently on the solids with the back of a wooden spoon to extract as much liquid as possible.  Heat the 3 TB oil and pour in the chile sauce.  Bring it to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer it about 6-8 minutes, allowing it to slightly thicken.

Heat a little oil in a Dutch oven and brown the meat in batches.  Do not season the meat.  Add all the meat back into the pan and add the chile sauce.  Cover and simmer it about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Add the hominy and posole seasoning, cover it again and let it simmer for another hour, stirring it occasionally to be sure it isn't sticking.  If it is beginning to stick then stir in a bit of the reserved water you used to soften the chiles.  You might possibly use a little chicken broth if you prefer but only if it gets so thick that it is sticking.  

Serve hot in bowls with the toppings of your choice and a squeeze of lime.  We all used more of the toppings than in the picture.  Surprisingly they really added a nice texture and flavor to the dish without tasting too raw or strong.

AUTHENTIC MEXICAN TORTILLA SOUP

                                                                                     

About five years ago the 5 of us went to San Miguel de Allende for Christmas.  We had a fabulous time, and I highly recommend it as a wonderful city to visit.  The trip itself was very special to our family, and we have lots of fun stories to tell.  Of course we ate scrumptious meals, but there was a tortilla soup my kiddos fell in love with so much that we ate it several times -- especially if we had been drinking margaritas all night and needed a little something extra in our stomachs.  The restaurant was Hecho en Mexico, and by the way there is an Austin restaurant by that name.  After visiting with the chef I learned that he had family that worked at the restaurant in San Miguel.  The food here is excellent, but unfortunately they don't make the tortilla soup.   Eric and Lauren loved it so much that Eric did his best to duplicate it.  This is my version of his version of the authentic tortilla soup.  It is a much thicker tomato base than the other tortilla soup that I make which I also love.  Try them both.  In our home there can never be too much Mexican-flavored food! 

BTW no clue why the blog below is double spaced.  This blog software is a nightmare to use and from one recipe to the next nothing stays the same. I have spent hours trying to figure it out and have tried to change blogs, but the recipes won't transfer easily; and I have too many recipes to retype them.  So I apologize for the appearance of this blog.  Hopefully the recipes are worth dealing with the inconsistent appearance.  My frustration is out the roof with it!!

1 TB butter & 1 TB oil (I used avocado oil)

1 yellow onion, diced

6 cloves garlic, diced

2 - 28 oz cans good quality whole tomatoes (I used Cento)

3 TB fresh epazote, coarsely diced (or cilantro if you can't find epazote)

4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

3 c. chicken broth

1 TB kosher salt

2-3 c. frozen corn (I use Trader Joe's frozen Roasted Corn)

1 rotisserie chicken, deboned and diced

Toppings:

Avocado

Questo panela, cut in 1/2" cubes

Shredded gouda or cotija cheese

Mexican crema or sour cream

Tortilla strips*

Leftover adobo sauce, stirred in if you want more of a kick

In a skillet heat the butter and oil.  Saute the onion until soft; stir in the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds more.  Put the onion and garlic in a blender, reserving the skillet to use later.

Also in the blender add the tomatoes, epazote (or cilantro) and chipotle peppers, making sure there is plenty of adobo sauce on each pepper.  Blend until smooth and pour back into the skillet.  Add the chicken broth and salt and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer on low heat about 20 minutes until the flavors have melded.  Check it periodically and stir to be sure it isn't sticking. Stir in the corn and chicken and simmer just until both are heated.

Serve while hot, stirring in the queso panela cubes so they will soften and slightly melt.  We also added a little shredded gouda to our bowls as well as the avocado, crema, and tortilla strips.  Since my family likes a bit of a kick we stirred in the rest of the can of adobo sauce.

*You can strip and fry fresh corn tortillas for the topping, but I just bought the packaged tortilla strips that are usually with other packaged salad toppers.

EASY TOMATO SOUP & GRILLED CHEESE CROUTONS

Electra’s daughter Olivia discovered this recipe, and if you have viewed my blog before you are aware that anything I have posted that came from Electra is extra yummy.  Well Livy has become a fabulous cook herself, and many of the recipes she has given me came from Ina Garten (including this one).  I have never been a big fan of tomato soup, but with the freezing temps we have had this week I decided to give it a try for lunch.  Justin and I could not stop eating this soup!!  I’m serious, it is really, really tasty.  I didn’t read through the crouton recipe, because I had decided to make grilled cheese sandwiches to serve anyway.   After I read the rest of the recipe I served it with the croutons floating on top.  It was even more divine!

3 TB good olive oil

2  yellow onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 c. chicken stock

1 – 28 oz can crushed San Marzano tomatoes

Large pinch of saffron threads

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ c. orzo

½ c. heavy cream

Grilled Cheese Croutons (see recipe)

In a Dutch oven (preferably enameled cast-iron) heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.  Stir in the chicken stock, tomatoes, saffron, 1 TB salt, and 1 t. pepper.  Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, fill a medium pot with water; add 2 t. salt, and bring to a boil.  Add the orzo and cook for 7 minutes.  (It will finish cooking in the soup.)  Drain the orzo and add it to the soup.  Stir in the cream; return the soup to a simmer, and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring frequently.

Serve hot with Grilled Cheese Croutons scattered on top.

GRILLED CHEESE CROUTONS

4 slices country white bread

2 TB unsalted butter, melted

4 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated

If you have a Panini grill, use it.  I don’t.  Brush the bread with the melted butter, being sure to butter the corners.  Turn the slices over and pile gruyere on two of the slices.  Place the remaining two slices of bread on top of the gruyere, buttered sides up.

Grill the sandwiches until nicely browned, using something heavy to mash the top down so the cheese will melt.  (I have a bacon press.)  Flip the other side over so both sides will brown.  Allow the sandwiches to rest for one minute and cut into 1” cubes.

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

I am a little embarrassed to put this recipe on the blog, because it is barely homemade.  I have made it so often for sick friends, and it is always what friends request when I ask if I can bring them something.  Everyone thinks it is so yummy and comforting, and now you will all know how easy it is to make!  My mom always added the Cream of Chicken soup packets any time she made a chicken soup, and it really adds a nice yet subtle flavor.  They are sometimes hard to find so you can make it without them – but they really add a nice flavor so I now use about 1/3 can of cream of chicken soup.    Hot rolls or crackers are a must to dip in the broth – just sayin…

1 rotisserie chicken, skinned, deboned, and diced

48 oz. carton of chicken broth (or homemade if you have it) + 32 oz. carton (i.e.80 oz total)

2 stalks celery, diced

2 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and diced

8 oz. pkg. noodles (best are HEB Kluski noodles because they are similar to the
    homemade German-style noodles -- or use your favorite narrow egg noodle)

2-3 packets of dry Lipton Cup-a-Soup Cream of Chicken Soup mix**

Black pepper, if desired
32 oz. carton chicken broth for later use*

Get the chicken ready and set aside.

Bring the chicken broth to boil in a Dutch oven.  Add the celery and carrots and bring to boil again.  Once it is boiling add the noodles and cook the length of time recommended on the package, stirring occasionally so they won’t stick. 

Meanwhile make a slurry of water and the dry soup mix packets in a jar with a lid by shaking until all the lumps are out of the mixture.  (Add just enough water to make it runny.)  Stir this mixture into the soup.  Cook over medium-low heat until it is bubbly, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the diced chicken.  Season with black pepper, if desired.  Serve hot.

*Once the leftover soup has been chilled in the fridge the noodles absorb almost all of the liquid. It does make those noodles extra yummy though.    I always have extra chicken broth to stir into each bowl before heating it up in the microwave.  If I am taking it to someone, I always take them a carton of the broth so they will have it.   Remember they are sick and can’t get out to get some for themselves!

**I ran out of my dried cup-a-soup and instead stirred about 1/3 of a can of cream of chicken soup into the soup the last time I made it.  Wasteful to throw away the rest of the can but you just want a hint of the creaminess.

15 BEAN SOUP

In the dried bean/pea section of the supermarket there is a packet of 15 beans.  It makes a hearty and very tasty bean soup.  With ham and sausage added it becomes quite a yummy meal.  Make a pan of Electra’s Jalapeno Cornbread to go with it, and the men will be very happy – the ladies will smile as well.   It is perfect for a cold winter’s day--

Hurst’s HamBeens 15 Bean Soup 20 oz. pkg.

Hambone or hamhocks*

1 lg. onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles

Seasoning packet from soup mix

1 TB chili powder

1 lg. ham steak, or 2 small, diced in ½” pieces*

1 lb. smoked sausage links, halved lengthwise then sliced in about 1/3” slices

Rinse the beans several times and then soak overnight in a dutch oven with about 2” of water above the beans. 

Rinse the beans and pot and put the beans back in the pot.  Cover them again with 2” of water.  Add the hambone, onion, celery, garlic, Rotel, seasoning packet and chili powder.  Bring to a simmer and simmer over low heat uncovered for a couple of hours, or until the beans and veggies are tender and the liquid has begun to thicken.  Stir it occasionally to be sure it doesn't stick.  You may need to add a little water occasionally.  Broth of some kind is always better than water because it adds flavor instead of thinning out your seasonings.  A bouillon cube thrown into some boiling water will work as well.

Add the ham and sausage and simmer about 15 minutes more.  Add salt and pepper if needed.

*Any time I have a bone-in ham I always save the last bit of ham on it and make this soup. (It can be frozen to use at a later date if you desire.)  If it is a spiral-cut ham it is perfect because as it cooks it falls off the bone and is already cut in bite-size pieces.  If I don’t have my own hambone I have saved then I use hamhocks and buy ham steak.

SCOTT’S GREEN CHILI PORK STEW

Canasta night again!  Scott made this yummy and very healthy stew (see note at the end of the recipe).  These days it's tough finding recipes that are healthy and also taste good.   This is definitely one!  It is a bit spicy, so you might want to try one serrano pepper your first time, and if you think you can handle more spice go for two.  Jeana also suggested serving it over brown rice, which sounds great too -- still healthy and it would absorb some of the heat.

1 1/2 lb boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1" chunks
1 lb fresh tomatillos, husks removed
2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
2 serrano peppers, seeded and chopped
1 pickled jalapeno, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
1/4 tsp ground allspice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 tbsp fresh lime juice

In a medium pot of boiling water, cook the tomatillos until softened (about five minutes). Drain and transfer to a blender. Add 1/4 cup water and puree until smooth.

In a 5-quart pot, heat oil on medium high. Working in two batches, season the pork with salt (and black pepper) and sear it until chunks are browned, about 7 minutes per batch. Remove pork to a bowl temporarily.

In pot, saute onion, all peppers and garlic until translucent. Add all dry seasonings, toss, and saute for another couple of minutes (to toast the seasonings). Add into pot the pork, the pureed tomatillos, the cilantro and the lime juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours.

Note: I only added half the cilantro and lime juice initially and then added the remaining fresh amounts just before serving. I should've gotten sour cream or creme fresche as a potential dollop for those who thought it was too spicy (because the sour cream or creme fresche would have countered the heat). Finally, I like to serve it with green chile cornbread.

Per the Men's Health article in which I found the recipe... "According to a study in the British Journal of Nutrition, eating foods with capsaicin (the compound that gives chilies their burn) can rev your metabolism. Spicy foods (like this chili) can also keep you satisfied for longer."

TORTILLA SOUP

2 TB olive oil
1 c. chopped onion
3 pods garlic, diced
1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
1-1/2 t. salt
1-1/2 t. ground cumin
½ ground coriander
1 TB tomato paste
6 c. chicken broth
1 rotisserie chicken, skinned, boned, and diced into bite-size pieces*
3 carrots, peeled, quartered and diced
2 c. frozen corn kernels
¼ c. fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
2 t. fresh lime juice

Garnish:

Fried corn tortilla strips**
Avocado
Shredded Mexican cheese
Chipotle Crema (recipe follows)

In a Dutch oven heat the oil on medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, peppers, salt, cumin, and coriander and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, carrots and frozen corn and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the chicken, cilantro and lime juice, and stir well. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.

To serve ladle the soup into serving bowls. Stir in a dollop of the chipotle crema (gives it a kick so be sparing until you get the heat you prefer.) Sprinkle on the shredded cheese and avocado and top with the tortilla strips.

* If you don’t have a rotisserie chicken available you can use 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into ½ inch cubes. When adding the chicken, simmer it for 5 minutes before adding the cilantro and lime juice.

**To make tortilla strips, cut corn tortillas into ¼ inch strips. Heat about 2 c. corn or canola oil in a heavy pot or electric fryer to 350 degrees. Add the strips in batches and fry until golden and crisp, only about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Season with a Cajun seasoning or seasoned salt.

CHIPOTLE CREMA

½ c. sour cream

1 t. chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1/8 t. salt

In a blender or food processor combine all the ingredients and process on high speed until smooth.

BEEF BARLEY MUSHROM SOUP

1-1/2 oz. dried shitake mushrooms
3 c. boiling water
Olive oil
2 lbs. Lean stew meat, cut in 1/2 – 1” pieces
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
¾ medium onion, diced
¼ c. flour
32 oz. beef broth
14 oz. can Diced Italian tomatoes
2/3 c. pearl barley
12 oz. cremini mushrooms, halved and sliced
1 TB butter
3 TB flat leaf parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse dried mushrooms and put in a bowl; pour boiling water over them and soak for 20 minutes. With a paper towel in a colander, strain the liquid off the mushrooms and reserve the liquid. Dice the mushrooms and set aside.

In a large Dutch oven or soup pot heat a couple TB olive oil and drop the stew meat into it. Salt and pepper the meat and cook, stirring to turn the pieces, for about 15 minutes. Drain off the juices and set the meat aside. In the same pan heat a couple more TB olive oil and sauté the garlic, celery, carrots, and onion until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the meat and chopped mushrooms (ones that were originally dried) back to the pan and sprinkle with the flour. Stir until coated, scraping the bottom of the pan so it doesn’t stick. Add the beef broth, reserved mushroom liquid, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and turn the burner down. Simmer for 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally to keep it from sticking. Add the barley; cover and simmer for 45 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a heavy skillet sauté the fresh mushrooms in the butter until golden, about 10 minutes. Salt and pepper the mushrooms and add to the soup. Cook another 15 minutes. Stir in the parsley and if needed, add salt and pepper to taste.

Note: The barley absorbs the liquid so when reheating leftovers it may be necessary to add more liquid. You may use water but I prefer to add more beef broth or bouillon made from water and a beef bouillon cube.

BAKED POTATO SOUP

What could be more comforting than a bowl of potato soup topped with cheese and bacon?  I'm telling you how velvety this feels in your mouth is almost as luxurious as it tastes.  Great recipe!

5 medium Russet potatoes
3 c. whole milk
½ c. Half and Half
1-1/4 t. fennel seeds
½ c. sour cream
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
½ t. chives
½ t. salt
¼ t. fresh ground black pepper or more to taste
2-1/2 TB butter
¼ t. celery salt
1 green onion diced
5 strips of bacon, diced and fried crispy

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and scrub potatoes; pat dry. Rub potatoes with butter and place in a baking pan; bake about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until done. Remove from oven and cool slightly. While the potatoes are cooling, add fennel seeds to milk and half and half, and scald the milk. Scalding is heating the milk at a medium temperature just until boiling point but not boiling and quickly removed from heat. The outer edge of the milk will start to form teeny bubbles so watch it carefully. Another way to tell is if you run a spoon across the top of the milk it should put a coating on the spoon, and that coating will also be a thin layer on the top of the milk. Let the milk cool slightly with the fennel seeds in the mixture.

When the potatoes are cool enough to work with carefully cut 4 in half and spoon out the cooked potato and place in a food processor. (Save the potato skins for baked potato skins later.) The potatoes should measure about 1-1/2 c. processed potato. Peel and finely dice the 5th potato. To the processed potatoes add sour cream, chives, salt, pepper, celery salt and ½ c. plus 1 TB cheese. Strain the fennel seeds from warm milk and discard seeds. Carefully pour some of the milk into the potatoes in the food processor * and process until smooth. Place the rest of the milk and potatoes into a sauce pan; add butter and the diced potato and simmer on very low setting until it reaches the desired consistency, about 15 minutes. When ready to serve ladle into individual bowls and garnish with cheese, bacon, and diced green onion.

*The first time I made it I poured all of the milk into the food processor and a lot of the milk poured out of the bottom – you can’t put liquids over the height of the hole in the middle or it will come out – what a mess – plus you don’t know how much liquid you added. So if you have a submersible blender/mixer appliance I would just put the processed potatoes and milk in the saucepan and use it until they are smooth and then add the diced potatoes. If not, add only as much milk as you can and then stir the rest together in your saucepan.

LENTIL SOUP WITH SPICY ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Justin thinks this may be the best soup I have ever made!

2 TB olive oil
1 lb. Italian sausage, cut into ½ inch cubes (I used 2 links hot and 2 links mild.)
1 lg. onion, chopped (about 3 c.)
2 – 3 lg. carrots, peeled, chopped (about 1-3/4 c.)
2 lg. parsnips, peeled, chopped (about 1-3/4 c.) *
2 lg. celery stalks, chopped about 1 c.
2-1/2 t. dried Italian seasoning blend
1 lb. brown lentils (about 2-1/3 c.)
3 qts. Chicken broth **
5 oz. pkg. baby spinach leaves
Black pepper

Cut links of sausage in half lengthwise and then in ½” slices. Heat oil in lg. pot on medium-high heat Add sausage and cook until browned, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to bowl. You may need to add a little more olive oil to pan at this point. Add onion, carrots, parsnips, celery, and Italian seasoning blend to drippings in pot; cook until onion is translucent and vegetables begin to soften, stirring often, 7-8 minutes. Add lentils; stir to coat. Add broth. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally and adding more broth by ¼ cupfuls if soup is too thick, 20 min.

Add sausage to soup and simmer until vegetables are tender and flavors blend; 10-12 min. Season to taste with black pepper. Stir in spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted, about 3 min. Serve with cornbread or hot rolls.

*If your store doesn’t have parsnips, use a couple of potatoes, peeled and cut in ½” cubes.

**The recipe calls for low-salt chicken broth and then says to season to taste with salt and pepper. I used regular chicken broth and did not add any salt. We thought the seasonings were perfect.

VENISON STEW

3 lbs. Venison ham, cut in 1-1/2” pieces
Olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
2 onions, sliced and quartered
4 cloves garlic, diced
2 lg. fresh jalapenos, seeded and diced*
4 c. beef broth
1 beer (I used Spatan Oktoberfest.)
3 bay leaves
1 t. paprika, approximately
1 – 2 TB Worchestershire sauce
6 carrots, cut in ½” circles
3 potatoes, diced in 1” pieces
8 oz. mushrooms, thickly sliced (I used cremini.)

In a large Dutch oven on medium heat, brown meat in olive oil in small batches; salt and pepper each batch. Put all the meat back in the pan and add the onions, garlic, and jalapenos and stir well. Add the beef broth, beer, bay leaves, paprika and Worchestershire sauce and stir. Cover and turn the fire down as low as it will go. After 2-1/2 hours the meat should be tender, but since venison has no fat in it, it will be extremely dry. Cook it another 2 hours or until the meat begins to shred. Add the carrots, potatoes and mushrooms; salt and pepper the vegetables to taste. Cover and cook about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally to be sure it does not stick. Remove the bay leaves and serve with hot bread to sop up the juices.

*Add more jalapenos, cayenne, crushed red pepper or black pepper if you want it to have more of a kick. There was no heat in this recipe.

TACO SOUP

2 lbs. Ground beef
1 c. chopped onion
Oil
3 – 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chiles
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can pinto beans
1 can ranch style beans
1 can hominy
1 pkg. dry Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
1 pkg. dry taco mix

In Dutch oven cook cook ground beef and onion in oil until meat is browned and onion is soft. Add rest of ingredients (do not drain liquids off of canned vegetables) and simmer 30 to 40 minutes. If it is too thick add a little tomato juice or beef bouillon.

CREAM OF GREEN CHILE CHICKEN SOUP

1 jar Cookwell & Co. Green Chile Stew
2 c. heavy cream or half and half
1 Rotisserie chicken, deboned
1 c. frozen corn kernels

Combine Green Chile Stew Mix and cream in a 6 qt pot. Warm over medium high heat until liquid comes to a slow simmer. Add chicken and corn to warm green chile mixture and allow it to return to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. If desired, garnish with lime and/or cilantro.

CHILI

2 TB vegetable oil
2 lbs. Pork shoulder, ground into chili meat
2 lbs. Beef chili meat
Salt and pepper
2 c. onions, chopped
2 TB minced garlic
1 large jalapeno, finely diced
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
6 oz. tomato paste
8 c. low sodium beef broth (regular bb makes it too salty)
2 bottles Newcastle Brown Ale, or similar mild flavored dark beer
2 TB chili powder
2 t. ground cumin
1 t. crushed red pepper
2 t. dried oregano
1 TB smoked sweet paprika
1 TB brown sugar
2 t. cayenne
1 t. coriander
4 bay leaves
2 cans pinto or kidney beans, drained and rinsed, optional
2 TB masa to 4 TB water, optional

In heavy Dutch Oven heat oil on medium high. Season the meat with salt and pepper and brown in the oil in small batches. Remove all the meat from the pan, and pat all the excess grease off the meat with a paper towel. Set aside (covered.) If necessary add a little more oil. Saute the onions, garlic and jalapeno until they are starting to wilt, approximately 5 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, beer, and remaining seasonings. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down lower and simmer partially covered for about 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally to be sure it isn’t sticking.

Add the meat and beans (if desired) and continue simmering another 2 hours, adding water if the mixture gets too thick. If desired mix the masa and water together and slowly stir in the masa slurry into the chili the last 30 minutes of cooking. Turn the heat off, remove bay leaves and let sit covered at least 15 minutes before serving.

Serve with grated cheese, sour cream, chives, and Fritoes or jalapeno cornbread.

OTHER OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS -- Upon researching various chili recipes I discovered a variety of ingredients to try, including:

1 square unsweetened chocolate ½ c. prepared black coffee
½ c. bourbon ¾ t. cinnamon

BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP

Whole chicken
2 stalks celery, cut in large chunks
½ medium onion, cut in half
2 cloves garlic, whole
Salt, pepper, poultry seasoning to taste
OR
1 rotisserie chicken
6 c. chicken broth
8 oz. spaghetti noodles, broken in 2” pieces
10 oz. pkg. frozen broccoli, thawed
2 stalks celery, diced
1-1/2 lb. Velveeta cheese, cubed
6 oz. Monterrey jack cheese, grated
Chicken broth

If boiling a raw chicken, put in Dutch oven with celery, onion, garlic and seasonings and fill water 3-4 inches above chicken. Boil until done; take it out and skin and debone it. Set it aside. Throw out the celery and onion – they have done their job and are too mushy at this point. Let the broth continue to boil.

If buying a rotisserie chicken, skin and debone it and set it aside. In Dutch oven bring chicken broth to boiling.

For both options: Boil spaghetti noodles in broth about 7 minutes or until done. Add broccoli and celery and boil 5 minutes. Stir in cheeses until melted. Add chicken. Put on lid and turn off until ready to serve. If it gets too thick add more chicken broth. Generally leftovers will need more chicken broth as the pasta tends to absorb the broth once it has been refrigerated.