Saturday, October 26, 2024

Chicken Tortilla Soup Perfect for Rainy Weather


It was a rainy weekend in the Northwest last weekend and I was happy to be there...I love the rain. I took a walk with Aaron along the river and it started raining as we walked.  The ducks didn't mind getting rained on.


The next morning I took another walk around the neighborhood and it started raining about half way through my walk. I noticed that the red leaves of the maples looked even more red against the dark, rain soaked bark of the trees.


One evening while I was visiting we made Chicken Tortilla Soup using the Instant Pot. We combined a few recipes from the Internet and it was delicious, flavorful soup! It's based largely on the recipe at Kristine's Kitchen, so I think Kristine for a great, easy recipe. If you don't have an Instant Pot, you can achieve close to the same results in a soup pot but it will take longer. Just sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil in the soup pot, add the liquids, seasonings, and beans, then bring them to a boil. Add the chicken, cover, reduce to simmer and simmer for about 30 minutes. Take a piece of chicken from the pot and see if you can shred it with a fork. If not, return to pot and simmer another 10 minutes. Shred all the chicken, return it to the soup pot. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer another 10 minutes to heat everything through, then serve with toppings on the side.

The soup base is created by cooking onions in olive oil, then adding garlic and letting the residual heat cook the garlic. To that you add tomatoes, seasonings, beans and chicken broth. This liquid mixture is used to cook the chicken, which is eventually shredded once cooked.


After the chicken is cooked, you add corn and a few more seasonings to the soup. I think that the addition of lime juice takes it to a higher level. An array of toppings makes it possible for each person enjoying the soup to tailor their toppings to their taste.


As we get closer to winter I'm sure that you'll find that this soup is just the thing to warm you up when the evening is chilly.


Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
Serves 6

 2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped fairly small
4 cloves garlic, minced
14.5 oz. can fire roasted or regular diced tomatoes in their juice
1-2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 6)
1 cup canned or frozen corn, drained if canned
juice from one large (or two small) lime(s)
salt and pepper to taste

 Serving toppings: crumbled tortilla chips or strips, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, shredded cheese, avocado slices or dice, fire roasted diced green chiles, chopped cilantro.


 
Instructions:

Add olive oil to Instant Pot insert and turn on sauté function. Add the onion and cooking, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Turn off Instant Pot. Stir in minced garlic.

 Add the tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, black beans and chicken broth. Stir well, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Nestle the chicken into the liquid.

 Place the lid on and set it to the closed position. Move the steam valve to the sealing position.

Set the Instant Pot to manual/pressure cook, high pressure, for 9 minutes. The Instant Pot will take about 20 minutes to reach pressure and then the cook time will start counting down. When the cook time is done, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. Then, carefully move the steam valve to the venting position to release the remaining pressure. Can do this with the handle of a long spoon.

When the float valve drops down, the pressure has been released and it is safe to open the Instant Pot. Carefully remove the lid. Remove the chicken to a clean plate and let it rest for a few minutes.

Stir the corn into the Instant Pot, along with the lime juice. Cover and let it sit for 5 minutes. While this is happening, shred or cube the chicken.

Return the chicken to the pot. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper, chili powder, and/or hot sauce. Serve with toppings as desired.

Leftover soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.


Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Amazing Caramel Apple Pie


I love apple pie, but Sweetie usually doesn't. He prefers berry pies or custard pies or stone fruit pies.

This past weekend I visited my family in Redmond, WA and my grandson and I made a great apple pie that even Sweetie likes. You bake it in a cast iron skillet (if you have one), use pre-made pie crust dough, and you combine the apples with a caramel sauce that's easy to make. I suspect that the caramel sauce is the key to why this pie is so amazing. There is even some left over to drizzle over the pie slices when served. You can even add a scoop of ice cream for total decadence. That's what Aaron and Raine did and it does look wonderful. (see photo above). I had mine with just the sauce...and it was awesome.




The most time consuming part of this recipe is the baking...about an hour, but possibly a bit less...but the next hardest is preparing the apples. I recommend using apples that don't release a lot of juice but have a good, tart/sweet flavor of apple. If you know that your apple will release lots of juice, pre-cook them in the microwave until barely limp, then drain them before adding the caramel sauce. Reserve the drained liquid for another use if you like. Thickened up it could make a nice topping for pancakes.


                                             Mixing caramel sauce with apples

Because you mix some of the sauce with the apples, you get the flavors of the sauce. I like to have both Pie Spice, which is a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice, and vanilla. I also like you to be able to taste the salt for that sweet-salty combo, but you can reduce it to 1/2 or 3/4 teaspoon if you like. The bourbon is also optional, but it goes really well with the apples and spice.

This is a great pie to bring to a holiday gathering, so bookmark it for November and December, if you like.



Skillet Caramel Spice Apple Pie
a variation of a recipe on myrecipes.com
Serves 8

1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick, 8 tablespoons)
3 tablespoons non-dairy creamer (I use Vanilla Silk Soy Creamer) or 1/2 & 1/2
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon Penzey's Pie Spice, or cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
1 set of prepared pie crusts (I used Pillsbury ReadyCrusts)
3 pounds apples, peeled and cut into 1/2" thick slices (we used Galas and Honeycrisp)
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 lg egg yolk, lightly beaten (reserve egg white for sealing crusts)
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon sanding sugar (optional)

In a medium pot melt the margarine or butter. Stir in the brown sugar, , soy creamer or 1/2 & 1/2,  salt and pie spice or cinnamon. Over medium-high, cook the mixture, stirring until it bubbles. Continue cooking, stirring for 2 more minutes until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla and, if using, the bourbon. Cool almost to room temperature, about 30 minutes, stirring at about 10 minutes to keep a skin from forming.

Fit one pie crust in the bottom and press up the sides of a 9" cast iron skillet. Put in the refrigerator to chill.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, making sure that one rack is in the bottom position in the oven.

Toss apples with 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch in a large bowl. Pour 1/3 cup cooled caramel sauce over the apples and toss to coat.

Remove prepared crust from the fridge. Pour apple filling into prepared crust. Place remaining pie crust over apple filling. Seal by lightly coating the exposed side dough in the skillet with egg white and pressing the top crust to it. Crimp crust edges together.

Use a sharp knife to cut 6 - 8 one inch slits in top crust to let steam escape ( I goofed and only cut two steam vents). Whisk together egg yolk and water and brush over crust. If desired, scatter sanding sugar over.

Bake on bottom rack of preheated over for 55 minute - 1 hour. After about 30 minutes, shield crust with foil if needed to prevent excessive browning.

Bake until crust is golden, apples tender, and filling bubbly. Transfer to wire rack and cool completely 3 hours. Serve & enjoy.

Monday, October 21, 2024

So Many Years of Blogging


Little did I know in October 2006 that I would enjoy blogging so much that I'm still doing it in 2024...eighteen years later. Over the years I've made friends, learned so, so much, challenged myself to try new things and expand my cooking and baking skills, improved my writing and photography, had fun with writing short stories of times in the Land of St. Honore', compiled an Index of over a thousand recipes (probably closer to 1, 500 by now!), and had the satisfaction of really feeding my many enthusiasms.

I hope that you have enjoyed at least one of the hundreds of posts, perhaps have tried a recipe or two...or more, and are willing to wander about in the blog discovering stories and recipes and challenges that you can take up.

Thank you to the Daring Bakers, Cake Slice Bakers, and especially to the Bread Baking Babes for inviting me in and encouraging me to grow as a baker. We've had such fun times together!

Come back again...I still have more things to cook and bake and photograph and share with you through this blog. I value your comments and for taking this journey with me, dear reader.

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Seedy Braided Bread



You may have noticed that I haven't been baking bread very  much these days. There is a reason...weight. Sweetie has been losing weight, partly by eliminating carbs for most of his meals and partly by making wise choices for the rest of his diet, plus he is spending a lot more time being active. I have been less careful in my choices and haven't been quite as active, but I have also been cutting back on carbs and eating more fruits and veggies. 

So what's a bread baker to do when she isn't eating bread? Bake it for others, right? Most of the posts for the past few months that include bread, pastry, cookies, etc. have had elements of my giving away a portion of the dish, if not all of it. This week I'm making a wonderful bread that includes bread flour, white whole wheat flour, and a whole lot of seeds of various kinds. I'll divide the dough into thirds, shape each into a long rope, then braid those ropes into a loaf to bake on a baking sheet.

I did about the same for a loaf for a recently widowed friend when he returned home from visiting his grown children. With a loaf of fresh bread in the house he would have something good to eat for days!

This week's loaf will be going to a silent auction for our P.E.O. scholarship group, raising money for scholarships for women. Most of the guests know that I'm a good baker, so I expect that the bidding will be lively. I'm also auctioning the Hot Fudge Sauce that I posted yesterday. Combining calories out with fun and fundraising is a win-win-win.

Braided Bread
based on Plaited Loaf recipe in Baking , by Martha Day

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup lukewarm milk (not over 100 degrees F) – I used undiluted condensed milk 
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 egg, slightly beaten
15 oz. flour: I cup bread flour, 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup King Arthur Baking Harvest grains mix which includes poppy seed, sesame seed, pumpkin seed
Note: Flour amounts vary depending on moisture of the flour and of the kitchen
1 teaspoon salt
Glaze: 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
2-3 tablespoons sesame seeds or 2-3 teaspoons poppy seed (optional)

Combine the yeast, honey, and milk. Stir and let sit for 15 minutes.

Stir in the cooled butter into the milk mixture. Stir in the egg and put the wet mixture in a mixer bowl. If you have a large stand mixer use it.


Stir together the flours, seeds and the salt. Pour about half into the mixer bowl with the milk mixture and mix with the paddle attachment or stir with a spoon or dough whisk. Switch to a dough hook, if using. Add the rest of the flour, about a 1/3 cup at a time, until the dough is soft but holds together well. At the end you may need to add the flour a tablespoon at a time. If not using a stand mixer, turn out on a floured surface when it is too hard to stir the flour in. Knead the rest of the flour in. Knead with mixer or by hand until dough is smooth and elastic.

Place dough in an oiled bowl, turn over to oil both sides. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 ½ hours. (I put mine in the fridge for two day to intensify the flavor.)

Grease a baking sheet or line with parchment or a silicone mat. Set aside.

Turn risen dough out onto a floured board. Knead for a minute to release trapped gas. Divide into three even pieces of dough. Shape each piece into a long ‘snake’, about 18 inches long. Place the three strands side by side on the prepared pan. Starting at the middle, braid the three strands, then turn it and braid the other side. Tuck the ends under. Cover loosely and leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Brush the loaf with the egg glaze using a pastry brush. If desired sprinkle tops of coils of braid with poppy or sesame seeds while glaze is still wet. Bake until golden, for about 40-45 minutes. Loaf will sound hollow when you tap the back when baked enough. Turn out onto a rack to cool.


Monday, October 14, 2024

Hot Fudge Sauce



You would think that someone who loves chocolate as I do would have long ago put a recipe for Hot Fudge Sauce here on the blog...but you would be wrong.

It isn't that I don't enjoy hot fudge sauce, the thing is that I'm not an ice cream person. Now and then...maybe twice a year...I get a yen for some ice cream, but that's about it. Even this time, when I have made a delicious and easy Hot Fudge Sauce, with the recipe below, I didn't make it to eat with ice cream (which seems to me the best way to have it). No, I made it because I'm taking a jar of it to a silent auction to raise money for women's scholarships. I'm pretty sure that the sauce will get some good bids since many people do enjoy ice cream often...and know how good it can be with some hot fudge sauce. To give you some photos of it, I dipped a strawberry in it...and Sweetie helped by eating it. He gave it the seal of approval.

This recipe is surprisingly quick and easy. It only makes a cup and a half of sauce, but if you use a good quality chocolate you won't need a lot of it because it's rich and tempting and delicious! Of course you may decide that you want a lot of it!



You start with some bittersweet chocolate. A 3 oz. chocolate bar is thin enough that chopping it finely is pretty easy. You also need a few tablespoons butter, some unsweetened cocoa powder, less than a cup of heavy cream, small amounts of light corn syrup and granulated sugar, a pinch of salt and a full tablespoon of vanilla.

Do give this a try. It helps to have a microwave, but the whole thing can be done on a stovetop as long as you either have a double boiler, or a bowl that can sit on top of a pot of simmering water long enough for the finely chopped chocolate and butter to melt to smoothness.

So what will it be for you? Make this as a gift or eat it all at home? Choices, choices...


Hot Fudge Sauce

From Baking with Dorie Magazine 2017
Makes 1 1/2 cups

3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (use one you like to eat)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

In the top of a double boiler (or in a heat proof bowl-over a pot of simmering water) or in a bowl in the microwave, melt the chocolate and butter together. (I recommend using 50% power if using the microwave, heat for 20 seconds, stir, heat for another 20 seconds, and keep doing that until melted and smooth, stirring after each 20 seconds in the microwave.)

When the mixture is completely melted, remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa powder; set aside.

In a medium saucepan combine the cream, corn syrup, sugar, and salt and bring to a boil, keeping a close eye on it and stirring...the mixture can bubble up quickly. Remove from the heat as soon as it bubbles.

Using a whisk, gradually stir the hot milk mixture into the chocolate mixture, then add the vanilla and stir to combine. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the sauce. Serve sauce after it has cooled for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Keeping: The sauce can be made ahead and kept tightly covered in the refrigerator for about 3 weeks. At serving time, warm the sauce gently in the microwave or in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Enjoy!

Tuesday, October 01, 2024

Welcome Fall


 

We are officially into Fall, but the weather hasn't gotten the message. Yesterday it was warm...in the upper 80's, but today it was truly hot with temperatures around here above 100 degrees, and it is supposed to be over 100 degrees F tomorrow and only slightly cooler the following 5 or 6 days. And yet, as we go around the area doing our errands, we already are seeing the trees turn to their fall reds and golds and yellows and russets.

Hope that you are enjoying fall and not recovering from flooding or high winds, rain, tornadoes or other disasters of nature. It's still a beautiful world, but it's more challenging all the time.

Happy Fall y'all.