Tortilla Soup

This is one of my favorite recipes! I could eat this soup in the dead of winter or in the hottest times of summer and be just fine. I love the textures of the crispy tortilla strips, the savory and spicy soup, the creaminess of the melted cheese, and the freshness of the cilantro! Yummm.... Okay I'm officially ready to make this again! This is also great because you can customize it however you like and add more of your favorite toppings.

What You'll Need: 

8-10 corn tortillas

1/4 cup of oil 

1 small onion (chopped)

2 cloves of garlic

1-2 serrano peppers (seeded and finely chopped)

4 cups of chicken broth

1 can diced tomatoes (with juice)

salt and pepper
garlic powder

1 rotisserie chicken 

1/2 cup of Mexican blend cheese 

2 limes

What To Do:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with non-stick foil.

2. Start by cutting your tortillas into strips. I usually make 6 strips then cut them in half. I think those are the best size pieces for the soup. Put them on the baking sheet, lightly salt them, and bake for 10 minutes.

3. Next, take off the skin and shred all of the white meat from your rotisserie chicken. You don't want the pieces too big, just bite size.

*You can also use a regular chicken breast by boiling it in water or chicken broth with some chili powder, garlic powder, pepper, and Season All. Boil until center of chicken reaches 160 degrees then shred like normal.

4. When the tortilla strips are done, set them aside in a bowl and put the shredded chicken on the same cookie sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. I do this because it dries the chicken out a little and it ends up holding up to the soup a lot better.

5. Now for the soup. Heat up the oil in a large pot. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, peppers, and a bit of salt to the onions. Cook everything for another 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

**Make sure you wear gloves or wash your hands really well after handling the peppers (this comes from experience...) I'm also never good at judging whether the peppers are going to be spicy or not but I like spicy so I always go for two. If you go for three, let me know how it turns out!

6. Add the broth and tomatoes and boil for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and a little garlic powder. Then add the chicken and let it all simmer for another 5 minutes.

5. Top the bowls of soup with tortilla strips, cheese, and cilantro (it's quite possible that I add too much cilantro but I'm totally okay with that). Squeeze some lime over everything and ENJOY!

***Avocados are also great with this soup if they're in season

Lemon Chicken

Everyone loves takeout. I don't care if you're willing to admit it but I know it's true. Come on, you're a foodie I would never hold that against you. I do, however, recognize the drawbacks of the usual takeout foods like that they're greasy, full of MSG, fat, and everything else that makes them good. So how can you resist a recipe that is homemade and BETTER than what you get for $8.00 a portion at a restaurant? I don't think you could.

I'm posting a few more pictures here because the steps are pretty specific. Hope they help.

What You'll Need:

2 1/2 lbs of chicken breast

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp salt

3 eggs

1 cup cornstartch 

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

pepper

Oil for frying
(recipe for sauce is below)

1. Start by cutting your chicken into cubes. We're going for bite-size here.

2. Add the soy sauce and salt to the chicken. Cover and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Don't be afraid of the soy sauce here because you're not going to be adding any salt later. Now's the time to get salty.

3. When the chicken is almost ready get your oil hot. You'll need about 2 inches of oil. You can also get your batter ready.

4. In a bowl mix your cornstarch and baking powder. When it's mixed add your eggs and pepper. It's going to be hard to mix because of the cornstarch so you'll have to mix pretty fast in order to get everything incorporated. It's kind of like a science project.

5. Put your chicken in and get it all coated.

6. Put small batches of chicken in the oil in order to control cooking temperature. We were able to get everything done in two batches. Cook until the chicken is "the right color" (Mike's words, not mine) then use a meat thermometer to make sure chicken is fully cooked. Put it on a paper towel covered plate to drain any excess oil.

Lemon Sauce

What You'll Need: 

1 cup chicken broth
2 Tblsp of cornstarch

1/3 cup sugar

2 Tbsp lemon juice

3/4 tsp salt

2 Tbsp oil

1. In a small sauce pan (which is appropriate) combine your chicken broth, sugar, lemon juice and salt and warm over low heat.

2. Remove this sauce and place in a bowl so you can add the cornstarch. Whisk it together. 

3. When it's all mixed heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in the sauce pan so it get's really hot. When it's ready add the sauce back into the pan and mix frequently until it thickens. If you want make the sauce pop a little more add two drops of yellow food coloring

The sauce pre-food coloring and thickened.

With the food coloring added. A little really goes a long way.

4. Pour the sauce over the chicken and coat it evenly. Mmmmm.....

5. Serve with your favorite sides and ENJOY!

We usually serve this dish with rice and broccoli. Honestly the chicken is great base for any sauce or just as-is. The soy sauce marinade gives the chicken a really great seasoned flavor that makes it hard to resist eating the chicken on the spot (hard until the sauce is ready, anyway). The sauce is really sweet and has a great tang. It really is the best homemade takeout dish and better than what you find at a restaurant.

Buffalo Wings and Spicy Seasoned Garlic Fries

Like most people know, the Superbowl is around the corner and even though I'm not a huge fan of football (unless it's the SF 49ers) I'm always a fan of an excuse for lots of food and drinks. Now don't get me wrong, this recipe can totally be made anytime of the year and I know you all will have no problem throwing down, I mean come on, THEY'RE BUFFALO WINGS!!! They're really great and spicy - just the way we like them. We use to go to this place in my hometown that had habanero wings that were completely delicious with a level of spiciness that could make you question your own sanity. These aren't even close to that but it's probably a good thing and the reason why we can make these more frequently. We also wanted garlic fries to go with our bar-food theme which ended up turning into seasoned spicy garlic fries. The recipe for those is at the bottom.

Buffalo Wings

What You'll Need:

1/2 C All purpose flour

1/4 tsp paprika 

1/4 tsp salt

10 chicken wings

oil for frying

1/4 C of butter

1/4 C hot sauce

garlic powder 

pepper 

Start by mixing the flour, paprika and salt. Toss the chicken in the flour mixture and let it sit the fridge for 60 to 90 minutes, or longer if you can wait that long. I read a lot of reviews online and they all said the same thing that I'm going to say - don't skip this step. It helps to make the wings more magical and I wouldn't want you to miss out on that.

When the wings come out they're ready for the 375 degree oil.

When the oil is ready shake off some of the flour from the wings to ensure you don't just burn it. Put a few wings in at a time and cook them for 10 to 15 minutes. Place them on a paper towel to absorb the extra oil.

 

Now it's time to get the sauce ready. And trust me, this is a glorious moment. There's a lot of flexibility with the sauce and the amount of spice that goes into it but one thing that should never be changed is Frank's RedHot Sauce! Just sayin'...

To get the sauce base down (that's what we'll call the simple sauce recipe that can be adjusted). Combine the butter, hot sauce, garlic, and pepper in a pot. After tasting it I added more hot sauce and a little paprika. Just a bit for some more spice.

When all of the wings are cooked and cooled I poured the sauce over them then tossed them around in a large bowl.

We also made some seasoned garlic fries because...well... we were hungry :)

 Garlic Seasoned Fries

The seasoned wings are super easy to make and are a really good addition. Besides they help keep with the theme of appetizer, easy-to-eat food that you could easily make for a game or just for fun.

What You'll Need:

8 cloves of garlic

6 Tbl of garlic olive oil

3 T cornstarch

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Start by cutting up a bunch of potatoes, pouring the olive oil on them and putting them in the microwave for 3 to 6 minutes.

 Combine the dry ingredients and toss with the microwaved potatoes.

Place them on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle the crushed garlic on them. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 225 degrees.

Delish right?

Serve them with the wings and a beer (or margarita if you're like me) and kick back. I promise you'll absolutely love these too!

Chicken Stir Fry... And Top Ramen

Hello everyone, I'm back! I've been on a hiatus for the past 2 weeks, working on a big paper and making Halloween cakes for work. Ugh - I've already talked too much about work and school in this post. Food! Just because I've been super busy, doesn't mean I haven't been cooking, actually I have a whole list of things I need to blog. Today's post comes from one of those nights where you know you have to eat so if you're going to cook, you might as well put in some good effort - but not too much of course.

My chicken stir fry, that I sometimes replace with beef, is one of my favorite go-to meals because you can't really mess it up. As I'm sure you know, you can add whatever veggies you have with whatever proteins you have and you're going to end up with a pretty rockin' meal. The best part? There's only 5 ingredients in mine.

What You'll Need:

2 chicken breasts

2 zucchini 

1 onion

6 small mushrooms

1 packet of Ramen noodles (go with me on this)

Start by cutting your chicken breasts into 2 inch bite-size pieces. Put a little olive oil in hot skillet and add the chicken. I only added a little seasoning (Season All and garlic powder) to my chicken because I had some great veggies that I wanted to come through.

While the chicken is cooking, cut your zucchini, onions and mushrooms in rather large pieces. There's about a zillion different types of veggies you could use but my personal goal was to not go to the grocery store for this one meal and use only what I had at home. I think at the time, these were the only 3 types I had in my whole apartment.

When the chicken is done, put it aside. You're going to add to the skillet again at the end so you don't have to keep it warm. 

Put your zucchini in the hot skillet with a little more olive oil. When they soften up a bit, but they're not fully cooked, add the onions.

When the onions start to become translucent add your mushrooms. These need the least amount of time to cook. I've found that when mushrooms are with other veggies that intensify in flavor as they're cooked (like onions and zucchini), mushrooms don't stand out. They definitely taste more like mushrooms if there's still a little bite to them. Honestly, at this point I could have eaten the veggies just like this!

Now comes my little secret ingredient. I like some pasta or rice with my stir fries but I usually use a thin spaghetti noodle. The problem was that I only had enough spaghetti for a spaghetti dinner (which is another go-to for us) I didn't want to "waste" it on this....especially when I had Top Ramen in the pantry. It's the easiest cheat pasta to go to. You put it in a bowl, cover it with water, and put it in the microwave for two minutes (without the seasoning).

Add the cooked chicken back to the veggies 

Then add all of the noodles to the skillet and use a fork to break them up. I wouldn't recommend using the seasoning packets for any flavoring because I'm not really sure what's in it and I recommend just staying away... 

I meant it when I said I didn't plan on buying anything extra for this meal - if you know me, you know I'm serious about my personal food challenges.

So this is what I ended up with. The veggies play just as much of a part in the meal as the chicken and noodles. This might be my girl math, but this has to be pretty healthy if there's that many vegetables in it. Right? (Just tell me yes...) Overall this is super simple to make and packed full of natural flavor. Enjoy!

Californian Chicken Salad

We've all had those days where you just don't want to cook but still want to eat. Between school and work we don't always have time to cook large meals, which sucks because after a full day of school and/or work you're usually able to eat a large meal. Luckily for me (and Mike) I've fully embraced the power of the rotisserie chicken. Oh my goodness how didn't I see it before - especially since, at one point, I was living with 3 roommates! Now don't think I chose the name Californian Chicken Salad because I'm trying to say you get nothing but shortcuts in California cooking. Au contraire mon cheri! California cooking is full of flavor, freshness, comfort, ease, (and my personal favorite) AVOCADO!! Let's be honest you can go to a restaurant anywhere and if there's avocado on the food it usually has California in the title. Anyway, I love this salad because it wasn't too heavy to eat late at night, it was delicious, and it was easy.

What You'll Need:

1 rotisserie chicken

1 bag of Italian blend ready to serve salad

1 tomato

crutons

1-2 avocados 

your favorite dressing

Start by taking the chicken breast skin off. Use a fork or you fingers to peel off chunks of chicken and heat them up in the pan. I chose to warm them up because I like the warmness of the chicken with the coolness of the dressing.The best part of the rotisserie chicken is that you don't have to season it at all. The second best part is that it'll be warmed up in minutes.

While the chicken is warming up cut up your avocado and tomato and put them in a bowl with the salad. You don't have to add croutons but we've been adding them to salads, including side salads, a lot lately. We always mix up the brands we get but I don't think you can really mess up croutons....

One brand we ALWAYS have is Marie's ranch. This is our favorite because it's perfect for dipping or salads because it's the perfect mix of tangy and creamy. Add the amount you want to your salad-crouton-avocado-tomato mix. 

 
Add your heated chicken on top of the salad.

TOSS, MIX, TOSS.... Ha ha and your done!

This salad is for all of my foodie friends that feel like they don't always have the time or the energy but know that your meal can still be fabulous as long as it's tasty! Serve with a glass of white wine (because you deserve it) and enjoy! Cheers!

Tortilla Soup

--I dedicate this post to anyone that was affected by the events of September 11, I hope I can help you smile today.--

Lately I've definitely been on the lookout for the first signs of fall. Then I got my first one, sort of. I came home from work and realized that it was extremely overcast outside (I think from a nearby fire, but overcast nonetheless) so I thought it was the perfect opportunity for soup. I've made this one previous time and it was just a big hit so I couldn't wait to make it again. The steps are super easy and everything comes together really, really well.

What You'll Need:

1 whole rotisserie chicken

2 cans of chicken broth

6 corn tortillas

1 large chile (or 3 small ones)

1 medium onion

1 can of diced tomatoes 

1/4 C of vegetable oil

3 Tbl garlic

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 C shredded cheese

1/2 bushel of cilantro

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees and lining a large cookie sheet with foil. Get your tortillas and cut them into bite-size strips and spread them on the the cookie sheet, trying not to overlap them too much. Let them bake in the oven for about 8 to 10 minutes or until crispy.

Next, chop up your entire onion. You don't want the pieces to be too small in this because they add texture to the soup. Go for medium size pieces. 

In a heated saute pan add the oil and the onions. Saute the onions until they become translucent. While they're cooking cut the chile and garlic if you're using fresh garlic. You can use any kind of chile you want for this. If you like a lot of spice use a jalapeno in place of one of your chiles. I got my pepper in my Farm Fresh to You delivery so I used that. My soup didn't end up spicy at all (which is probably good considering it wasn't exactly cold outside) but it still gave the soup the taste of the pepper. When the onions are ready add the peppers and the garlic to them. Let those saute too.

By now you're tortillas should be done. Take them out of the oven but leave the oven on. While they're still on the cookie sheet sprinkle a little salt on them. Not a lot, just enough to give them some extra flavor. Let them cool then place them in a bowl and set aside.Set the cookie sheet and foil aside for later.

Your saute mix should be done or close to done at this point. When it is, open both cans of chicken broth and pour them into a big measuring cup. You should get about 4 cups of broth, but if you're short then fill the rest up with regular water. Pour in your entire can of tomatoes too - juice and all!

Bring your broth/tomatoes to a boil on medium heat. While you're waiting it's time to work on the chicken. Things between you and the chicken are about to get a little personal so be forewarned. If you have a problem with this you can buy shredded chicken from the store (but that sounds kind of gross) or you can boil or shred your own chicken (but that sounds like extra work). I used the rotisserie chicken because it's already cooked, it's already seasoned, and it's super easy!

You're going to need about 2 1/2 cups of chicken. The chicken doesn't necessarily need to be shredded, but it needs to be in pieces. Start this by taking off the skin on the breast and discard, you'll want to use mostly the breast meat. Use a fork or your fingers to pick the meat off. You'll get enough from the breast meat that you won't need to use the drumsticks so cut those off and freeze them for another meal. When you have what you need, put the shredded chicken on the same cookie sheet and foil you used for the tortillas. Put the chicken in the oven for about 7 minutes. I do this because it helps dry out the meat a little so it doesn't get soggy in the soup. I use the same foil as the tortillas because the chicken will pick up any of the extra salt you sprinkled on the tortillas after they came out so they chicken stays flavorful. See, I got your back.

If you're thorough enough (if you take a long time like I do because you're also watching TV) then you're soup should be boiling by now. When your chicken is done put it in the soup.

Let everything simmer together for 5 minutes. You can chop your cilantro while this simmers.

When everything ready to plate (or bowl) then use a ladle to pour your soup into two bowls. Grab a handful of your tortilla chips and put them on top of the soup. Top your soup with cilantro and some cheese and serve right after.

There is something magical about this soup. It's not like a lot of other soups that are creamy and comforting in that way. The actual soup part is SOO flavorful with the onions and chile then you get a crunch from the tortillas and it works so well. The chicken isn't dry or mushy and the cilantro...well it's essential! I promise you'll be so full from eating this soup but you wont want to stop. Tell me that's not what cooking is all about?