White Chicken Chili

A coworker gave me her white chili recipe a few weeks ago, and this weekend’s snowstorm provided the perfect opportunity to give it a try. I modified the recipe a bit, mostly because I had two zucchini in my produce drawer that had to be used. The final result was great – a relatively mild chili, with nice chunks of chicken, beans, and veggies. The original recipe called for 2 small cans of jalapeno peppers, so feel free to add those in if you wish!

1 1/2 lbs. boneless chicken breast
1 T olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium zucchini, chopped
1 T minced garlic
1 T chili powder
Dash cayenne pepper
3 c. chicken broth
2 (15 oz.) cans small white beans, rinsed and drained
2 c. shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese

Simmer chicken breasts in water for 10-12 minutes. Remove from water and let cool, and then shred and set aside. (This can be done in advance.) In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, zucchini, garlic, and spices. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until vegetables are softened. Add broth, beans, chicken, and cheese, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Coffee Toffee

My sister brought coffee toffee to this year’s swap, using this recipe from Smitten Kitchen. Everyone in our family is pretty fascinated with her site, and this really was a stunning candy. It is a little messy between the chopped hazelnuts and the chocolate that melts a bit when your house heats up to 80 degrees because it’s so crowded, but still fabulous. It’s so good that you think about it when you wake up in the morning, and decide that since it contains espresso powder and all, you really can have a little piece with breakfast.

Cherry Chocolate Pecan Cookies

This year’s second place winner was a cherry chocolate pecan cookie made by my friend Paula. She makes several test batches every year before finalizing the cookie she will bring to the swap. Her family and friends appreciate this effort, because she is quite a talented baker!

3 sticks butter at room temperature
1 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 T vanilla
3 c. flour
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
2 t cinnamon
3 c. quick oats (not old-fashioned)
2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans
3 c. chocolate chunks
2 c. chopped dry cherries

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. And vanilla. Sift dry ingredients and mix. Add oats. Stir in walnuts or pecans, chocolate, and cherries. Drop by the tablespoon onto parchment paper. Bake 12-15 minutes at 350F.

Creamy Slow Cooker Chicken

More cookie recipes coming later, I promise. In the meantime, this super easy chicken recipe was a hit with my family! I even cheated on a few steps. First, I used chicken broth instead of wine because funny enough, there wasn’t actually a bottle open. Second, I browned the chicken breasts the night before, but mixed the chicken and all of the other ingredients directly in the crockpot the next day. Keep in mind this recipe only needs to cook for 4 hours, so unless you’re up late, this isn’t a good candidate for overnight crockpot cooking.

Prior to serving, I shredded the chicken, and snapped the photo below. There was quite a bit of sauce, so you could easily serve this over noodles or rice. I will definitely make this one again!

2009 Cookie Swap 1st Place: Chewy Toffee Bit Cookies

Another cookie swap in the books. It may have been the 10th swap, but it was definitely the first time there were seven children at my house! There was a lot of holiday spirit, and a fair amount of New England Patriots spirit as well. With all the excitement, I didn’t manage to capture many pictures. Somehow though, I did manage to eat more than my fair share of cookies.

The first place winner was this Chewy Toffee Bit cookie made by my friend Meg. She actually had brought this same cookie to a previous swap, and I still had the recipe on hand. The cookies appear unassuming, but the toffee bits set them apart, and they were definitely a hit with the kids as well.

2 1/4 c. flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 t vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 3/4 c. Skor English Toffee Bits

Heat oven to 350F. Lightly grease cookie sheet. Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat butter, sugars, and vanilla in a large bowl. Add eggs, beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in toffee chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake 9-11 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly, and transfer to a wire rack.

Refried Beans

I’ve actually had a bag of dried pinto beans in my cupboard for a while, waiting for the opportunity to make my very own refried beans. Although technically, these beans weren’t fried at all! I followed this easy recipe, but left out the cumin and added some red pepper for just a slight kick. Yes, you need to soak the beans the night before, and yes, they do need to sit on the stove for a while, but they require very little hands on time. One pound of beans makes quite a lot, so I stashed some in the freezer for later. I really liked both the texture and flavor of these, and used them the first night to make a bean quesadilla!

Tomato Soup

I was craving tomato soup, and while I normally associate it with a Campbell’s can, I wanted to make my own. I intended to follow this recipe, except then I really didn’t, but the final result was great. A nice warm bowl of soup, ready to be paired with a grilled cheese.

2 T reduced fat margarine or butter
1 onion, chopped finely
1 carrot, chopped finely
1 T flour
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 c. water
1 t Italian seasoning
1 t garlic powder
1 c. milk

Heat margarine or butter in a large saucepan. Add onion and carrot, and saute for 5 minutes. Add 1 T flour and stir for a minute. Add tomatoes, water, and seasonings, and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Add milk, and heat through.

Baked Tofu

This was by far the best tofu I’ve made. I’ve had a few stir-fry disasters where the tofu either burned at the bottom, or turned to mush, but this method prevents all that. Two other bloggers have done a fantastic job of capturing the whole process both here and here. I cut the tofu block into slices, and pat them dry with a paper towel. Then, I marinated the slices in soy sauce for about a half hour, and baked them on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray for about 40 minutes at 400F, turning them halfway through. That’s it!

The pieces of baked tofu are firm and flavorful, and I know that not everyone is into tofu in the first place, but if it’s just a little fear that’s holding you back, give this a try!