Perfect Chili Weather!

It has been so beautiful this week here in Memphis. What a nice change from the previous 15 days straight of rain! The sun is now shining, the temperatures have cooled and the air has dehumidified. PERFECT! In fact, it's even starting to get a little cooler in the evenings. Perfect weather for a good bowl of chili!

So, I've got a good one from my dear friend Jennifer Scroggs. She served this at Bunco last night and I just had to have the recipe. It's delicious! It's also a nice change from the typical beef & bean chili. She also served a delicious avacodo dip that she calls "Ugly Dip." It may not look pretty, but it tasted great! Thanks Jennifer!! So here ya go:

White Bean Chicken Chili (apparantly a Rachel Ray contest winning recipe)
32 oz. chicken stock/broth
2 cans white beans, undrained
16 oz. salsa
8 oz. pepper jack cheese
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. chili powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
pepper to taste
chicken, cooked and cut up or shredded (rotisserie chickens from the store work great!)
1/2 c corn tortilla chips, crushed plus more to garnish
sour cream for garnish
additional cheese for garnish

Combine first 9 ingredients in a crockpot and simmer on low. 30 minutes before serving, stir in crushed chips. Serve with additional chips, cheese and sour cream to garnish.

Ugly Dip
2 ripe avacados
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup salsa
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper to taste

Mash avacados and mix with remaining ingredients. Chill for 30 minutes before serving with chips.

Slow Cookin'

I'm trying a new recipe in the crockpot for tonight. I put it on at 7:30 this morning and it has been simmering away all day. The house smells absolutely delicious! Here's what's for dinner tonight. What are you having?

Hungry Girl's Slow Cookin' Pulled Chicken

1 1/2 lb. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breasts, halved (I use the frozen ones and you don't even have to thaw them!)
1 cup canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. brown sugar (not packed)
2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. cider vinegar
2 tsp. garlic powder
Optional: red pepper flakes, to taste

Place all ingredients except the chicken in the crock pot. Stir until mixed. Add chicken and coat well with the sauce.Cover and cook on high for 3 - 4 hours OR on low for 7 - 8 hours, until chicken is fully cooked.Remove all the chicken and place it in a bowl. Shred each piece using two forks -- one to hold the chicken in place and the other to scrape across the meat and shred it. Return the shredded chicken to the crock pot, and mix well with the sauce.If you're serving a group, keep the crock pot on its lowest setting, so the chicken stays warm. If you like, season to taste with red pepper flakes. Eat up!

MAKES 7 SERVINGS


Sweet Restaurant Cole Slaw (from AllRecipes.com)

1 (16 ounce) bag coleslaw mix
2 tablespoons diced onion
2/3 cup creamy salad dressing (such as Miracle Whip™)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used only 2 Tbsp canola oil)
1/2 cup white sugar (I substituted 12 packets Splenda and it was too sweet, so I'll try less next time)
1 tablespoon white vinegar (I used cider vinegar)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds

Combine the coleslaw mix and onion in a large bowl.
Whisk together the salad dressing, vegetable oil, sugar, vinegar, salt, and poppy seeds in a medium bowl; blend thoroughly. Pour dressing mixture over coleslaw mix and toss to coat. Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Happy New Year

So Christmas, and all of December for that matter, was much busier than I could have ever imagined. After enjoying Thanksgiving with my family in Texas, we wrapped things up at Ethan & Zachary's schools, finished Christmas shopping, decorating and wrapping, and went to see Jason's family in Alabama. It was a nice visit with everyone. My only wish is that we could have had more time to spend with everyone.

During this busy time we ate lots of great food! We had traditional turkey dinner at Mom's for Thanksgiving, and Faye prepared a standing rib roast for Christmas dinner. I made a special meal for Christmas Eve with a cheese lasagna (which we are still eating since it freezes really well). I also made New Year's Day dinner complete with black-eyed peas. The entree was Poulet de Normandy, a recipe that I got from Faye a few years ago from the little restaurant at which she was working at the time. So delicious! Here's the recipe:

Poulet De Normandy
1 package cornbread stuffing mix
1 stick butter, melted in a cup of hot water
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped celery
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup mayonnaise
2 eggs
1 ½ cups milk
1 cup mushroom soup
Grated cheese

Mix stuffing mix with liquid. Add onions, celery, salt and mayonnaise. Put half in a 9”X13” pan. Layer chicken. Top with rest of dressing mixture. Beat eggs and milk together and pour over casserole. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Set out on counter for 30 minutes before cooking. Spread soup on top and bake at 325° for 40 minutes. Sprinkle top with cheese and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Busy Day

Today has been (is) such a busy day. Jason and I are taking the IHS class (new members class) at our church, but we missed last week's class due to our trip to the mountains. So we had to make up the class today at 8:00 (early for us!!), then we attended the regular class at 9:00. We finished up at church around 11:30 and headed to McAlister's for a quick lunch. Then it was off to the soccer fields where Ethan *almost* scored a goal in his game. (This bigger, faster kid on our team swooped around Ethan and stole the ball!! Grrrrrr.....doesn't he know you aren't supposed to steal the ball from your own teammate???) Now I have about 15 minutes before my stamping group arrives for a class. I'll sooo be ready for an early bedtime tonight!

So that leads me to my recipe for today. I want something easy that you can make on a busy day like I had today. A slow-cooked crock pot recipe would be perfect. Looking through our index of recipes though, I don't see very many crock pot recipes. (So, if you have any you'd like to pass along, please e-mail me. *hint*hint*) I LOVE MY CROCK POT! Here is a great crockpot recipe that is absolutely delicious. It's one of mine and Jason's all-time favorites. And you can't even tell it's another Weight Watcher's recipe! Make it this week and let me know what you think.

Slow Cooker Chicken Paprikash
2 cups mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 sweet red pepper, diced
1 teaspoon paprika
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup chicken broth
1 lb. uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ cup fat-free sour cream

Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat. Add mushrooms, onion, garlic and red pepper. Sauté 5 minutes. Stir in paprika, salt and pepper; cook 30 seconds more. Spoon mixture into a 4-5 quart slow cooker. Add broth.

Cut each chicken breast into 4 long strips; add to slow cooker. Cover and cook on low setting 5 to 6 hours.

Stir together flour and sour cream in a cup (to prevent the cream from curdling in slow cooked dishes). Stir mixture into slow cooker. Cover and cook on low until the mixture is thick and hot, about 10 minutes more.

Note: Weight Watchers – makes 4 servings at 4 points per serving.