No Empty Chairs

November 2, 2009 · 10:46 am

Prize-Winning Shredded Chicken & Black Bean Chili

Friday night I came home with First Prize in a Chili Cook-Off!

Okay, so it was only the annual church Halloween Trunk-or-Treat and Chili Cook-Off, and this was my big prize, but isn’t he cute!

I actually tried a new recipe, created on the fly that same day, so I am glad that it turned out edible!

Earlier in the week I had cooked a bunch of chicken in my crock-pot for some enchiladas that I wanted to make. And if I’m going to go to the trouble to shred chicken, I’m going to shred A LOT of it. Freezer bags are my best friend! So I had lots of extra shredded chicken on hand. (This would also be a great meal for leftover chopped Thanksgiving turkey)

Since I knew I was going to use the chicken in Mexican dishes, I filled my crock pot with trimmed chicken breasts and poured on about one cup of salsa. Then turned it on low and forgot about it for the rest of the day.

Perfect shredded chicken by early afternoon!

I used several different kinds of hot peppers in this chili: jalapeno, hot banana peppers, and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. The jalapeno and banana peppers I roasted first. I love the flavor of chipotle peppers, but I never use a full can.

So thanks to my friends the freezer bags, I have more on hand for another day.

Other than that, it is a standard tomato based chili recipe using chicken and black beans (plus some extra flavor items like chocolate, lime juice, and cilantro!).

Hope you like it as well as the hungry trunk-or-treaters!

Little J and Little A

Aren’t my little trunk-or-treaters cute!

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RECIPE:

Shredded Chicken & Black Bean Chili

Servings: 10-12
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2 (15oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 large onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 yellow pepper, chopped
2-3 assorted hot peppers, roasted and chopped
1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped
1 small can mild diced chilies (optional)
1 Tbs adobo sauce (from chipotle pepper can)
2 Tbs chili powder
1 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs dried oregano
2 tsp cocoa powder (or 1 oz dark chocolate)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (use more or less as desired)
Juice of 1 lime (about 2-3 Tbs)
3-4 cups shredded chicken (or leftover chicken/turkey, chopped)
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro (use more if desired)

Shredded cheddar cheese, green onions, and/or sour cream for garnish (optional)

Place diced tomatoes in the bottom of a large (5-6 quart) crock-pot. If desired, use a potato masher to slightly mash tomatoes. Add remaining ingredients (except **chicken, cilantro, and garnishes). Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Taste and adjust spices to desired heat. Stir in chicken. Cook an additional 30 minutes. If the chili is too thick, add a little water or chicken broth. Stir in cilantro just before serving. Garnish with cheese, chopped green onions, and/or sour cream.

**NOTE: Since the chicken is pre-cooked, don’t cook it with the rest of the chili all day. It will make the chicken disintegrate into tiny shreds. Add the chicken at the end of the cooking time, and heat through.

NoEmptyChairs.me

3 Comments

Filed under Main Dishes, Soups/Stews/Curries

Tagged as black beans, chili, chipotle, cilantro, leftover turkey, prize winning, roasted peppers, shredded chicken, turkey

October 30, 2009 · 7:48 am

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

DSC01939.JPG Crop

Having lived as a family in Japan for 6 years, we have developed quite a taste for Asian food. When asked about their favorite foods, four out of five of our kids will choose an Asian dish (Big A will go with meatloaf first). When we feel brave enough to venture out as a family for dinner, the top three choices are always Chinese, Japanese and Indian. Little J thinks I should serve more sushi at home (but she won’t touch a piece of cooked fish).

So I am again grateful for Costco, that sells soy sauce by the gallon and sticky rice in 25 lb bags.

My Asian-inspired cooking is by no means, however, authentic. Using standard flavors like soy sauce, ginger and garlic (and chili paste – this is my favorite ingredient!), I throw together a wide range of dishes- often giving the answer of “stir-fry” to the ever-present question of “What’s for dinner, Mom?”

This dish is a little different than the standard stir-fry, but has become very popular lately as it is served in several chain Chinese restaurants. Often made with finely diced chicken, I use ground turkey as a base. I don’t have the time to dice chicken that fine! And ground turkey can be a very economical meat to cook with.

These lettuce wraps are basically a well-seasoned filling of ground turkey, served in a piece of lettuce topped with ground peanuts and additional sauce. You can add hot steamed rice to your wraps, or eat it on the side.

Start by browning and draining your ground turkey. Add finely chopped onions, either green onions that have been sliced, or red/yellow onions that have been finely chopped (I use a food processor).

Add your seasonings and some finely chopped water chestnuts; simmer 10-15 minutes. Stir in some sesame oil and chopped cilantro and your filling is done.

We like these with some additional sauce to add at the table. The sauce is a slightly thickened soy sauce-based sauce with as much “spice” as your family likes.

This is one of the few recipes that I use Chinese mustard in, but I really like the taste that it adds to the sauce. Always looking for a way to save a few pennies and also save room in my fridge (how do those condiment shelves fill up so quickly?), I save the little hot mustard packs that come with take-out Chinese (we always end up with more than we use).

Also, a word on chili paste. There are several different kinds of chili paste on the market, and you can experiment to find which ones you like the most. The two that I use for cooking most are a concentrated chili paste called Sambal Oelek or a garlic-chili paste. The main provider of these (outside of an Asian market) is Huy Fong Foods, and they can be found in most grocery stores. We like our food on the spicy side, so adjust the chili paste to your family’s taste.

RECIPE:

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Servings: 10-12
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3 lb lean ground turkey
1 bunch green onions (or 1 yellow/red onion), finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Tbs grated fresh ginger
1 can water chestnuts, minced
½ cup soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
1-2 Tbs chili paste (or chili-garlic sauce)
2 Tbs sesame oil
½ bunch cilantro, chopped

SAUCE:
¾ cup water
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tsp sugar (or 5 drops liquid stevia)
1-2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp rice vinegar
1-2 tsp chili paste (or chili-garlic sauce)
¼ – ½ tsp hot Chinese mustard
½ tsp sesame oil

Iceberg, Bibb, or Butter Lettuce
1 cup chopped peanuts

Brown turkey in large skillet; drain. Add onions, garlic, and ginger; cook 3-4 minutes. Stir in water chestnuts, soy sauce, vinegar, and chili paste. Simmer 10-15 minutes. Stir in cilantro and sesame oil.

Combine sauce ingredients (except sesame oil) in small saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Cook until clear and just barely thickened. Stir in sesame oil. Sauce will thicken a little more as it cools, but it should not be thick.

Serve turkey mixture in lettuce leaves with sauce and chopped peanuts. Serve with rice, if desired.

**For a less-intense flavor, layer hot steamed rice in lettuce leaves with meat mixture. You can also adjust the amount of chili paste to make it more or less spicy.

NoEmptyChairs.me

3 Comments

Filed under Main Dishes

Tagged as Asian, Chinese, ground turkey, lettuce wraps, soy sauce, turkey

October 27, 2009 · 6:32 am

Yummy Mummy Cookies

As Halloween approaches, the one thing my kids start asking for is “Mummy Cookies”. These are definitely the Halloween favorite at our house. I first found this recipe in a newspaper in northern Kentucky about 12 years ago. They were developed by Hershey’s Cocoa, and they still have a link to them on the Hershey’s website. I follow their recipe pretty closely, except that I do not add chocolate chips to the dough (I don’t think they were in the recipe 12 years ago). I like a smoother cookie, especially as these are coated in white chocolate.

The one problem that we have with these cookies in our house is, of course, that they are chocolate, and Little A will not let anything of that variety pass his lips. So I usually make two batches: one with the regular recipe, and one using a sugar cookie recipe as the mummy base. Little A’s okay with picking off those two little chocolate eyes. So we have both chocolate and vanilla mummies at our house. For a vanilla mummy, you can use any sugar cookie recipe that does not have a big spread. Here is my all time favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe.

I do have to admit that I prefer my mummies naked. Shh-don’t tell! I’m not a real fan of white chocolate coating. Maybe if they were dipped in a good dark chocolate, but that would kind of ruin the mummy concept. Maybe if I shaped some like Bats?

As far as the cookie recipe goes, it is pretty standard: mix the wet ingredients, then add the dry ones. These cookies are always much better with little hands helping! Before making the cookies, you can refrigerate the dough a little, if you want, but I don’t usually find this necessary. The dough will store well in the fridge or freezer, however, so it is easy to make up a really big batch and then freeze some for another day.

To get your cookies to look like mummies, start with about a tablespoon of dough and make a wedged carrot-shaped body (about 3 inches long).

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Place the body on a cookie sheet. Roll a small teaspoon-sized ball of dough for the head (about the size of a grape). Again-this is a great job for little hands. Place the head on top of the body, pressing the two pieces together just a little. Bake and cool completely.

Melt your white chocolate chips with 1-2 Tbs of shortening (per bag) in a double boiler or in the microwave.

When the white chocolate is warm enough that it pours evenly from a spoon, you are ready to encase your mummies.

Place one cookie on the flat edge of a butter knife.

Be sure that the mummy’s head is supported, or it will soon be decapitated.

Hold the knife over the bowl of chocolate, and spoon the coating over the cookie. It should be quite runny (add additional shortening if necessary).

Gently tap the knife on the edge of the bowl to remove excess coating. Keep the knife straight, or you will end up with a mummy swimming in your chocolate.

Place the coated cookie on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet (use a toothpick to gently nudge the cookie off of the knife).

While the coating is still wet, add two mini chocolate chips for eyes. Let the white chocolate begin to harden (but not completely).

Use a toothpick to draw mummy “wrappings”. Let coating completely harden. If the room is warm, you may need to place the cookie sheet in the fridge for a few minutes.

Happy Haunting!

RECIPE:

Yummy Mummy Cookies

Servings: about 2 dozen
Print

2/3 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 ½ cups flour
½ cup cocoa
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1-2 pkg white chocolate chips
1-2 Tbs shortening per package of chips (not butter)
Mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Beat butter, sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Beat in eggs. Stir together dry ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture. Beat until blended. Refrigerate 20 minutes for easier handling, if desired.

To form mummy bodies: Roll dough into 2-3” long carrot shape. Roll a small ball for a head. Press together on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8-9 minutes. Cool completely.

Microwave white chocolate chips and shortening until smooth. Coat tops of mummy cookies by placing one cookie at a time on a table knife. Hold knife over the bowl of melted white chocolate and spoon mixture over cookie. Gently tap knife to remove excess chocolate. Place on waxed paper. Place 2 mini chocolate chips on for eyes. As coating begins to set on cookies, use a toothpick to score lines into the coating to resemble mummy wrappings. Let harden completely before storing.

Adapted from Hershey’s

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

NoEmptyChairs.me

138 Comments

Filed under Cookies

Tagged as chocolate, Cookies, Halloween, Halloween party, mummy, recipe, yummy mummy

October 23, 2009 · 7:38 pm

Low-Sugar Peach Butter

I know that summer is long gone and buying good, fresh peaches is no longer an option for most of us. But I wanted to submit this recipe to Aimée’s (Under the High Chair) Virtual Jam Swap. What a fun way to showcase fresh fruit from around the country (world?) and how to preserve them in one of my favorite forms: homemade jam!

I like Apple Butter, but Peach Butter is my all-time favorite. It has some of the same flavors as the apple butter, but is so much richer and has a full body that apple butter just can’t touch! I make most of my jams with a reduced amount of sugar, using Stevia (a naturally sweet herb) to provide most of the sweetness. I have not been successful, however, canning with only Stevia and no sugar. The jam seems to need at least some sugar to help it gel properly and to provide some of the “sheen” that makes jam look so good. So I use a substantially reduced amount of sugar and a little Stevia (a little goes a LONG way).

Peach/Apple Butter are great, but much more time consuming than regular jam. With five kids running around making constant demands, I am not very good at stirring and watching a pot closely for hours at a time. So I make this jam in the crockpot. It takes a good long time – at least 12 hours, sometimes 24, depending on your crock-pot and how humid your house is. But if I only need to stir it every hour or two, that I can handle.

I use a large crock-pot, about 6 quarts to make this jam. I end up getting between 7 and 9 half-pint jars in the end. This will depend on how thick you like your peach butter and how full you fill your crock-pot. I used 25 peaches (almost 1 peck) for this batch. Free-stone peaches are much easier to work with than cling peaches, but since the peaches will be crushed, either variety will produce a great result. It just depends on how much you want to work to remove those pits!

Start with peeling your peaches: Bring a pot of water to a boil, reduce heat and maintain a slow simmer. Drop (carefully!) peaches into the boiling water for 30-60 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon to a large bowl of ice water. Let peaches sit in the cold water for a few minutes. The peels should come off easily now. Cut peaches in half and remove the pit. You can place the peach halves directly into your crock-pot, or slice/chop them a little so that you can pack even more peaches in the pot. I usually use the most sophisticated method of crushing the peach halves in my hand (freshly washed, of course).

Stir in your sweetener (sugar and/or Stevia) and some seasonings to taste: I like cinnamon, cloves and allspice.

Turn your crock-pot on low and cook with the lid OFF for 12-24 hours. Humidity will greatly affect how long it takes your peach butter to thicken. If your crock-pot begins to splatter (I don’t have a problem with this, but the low setting on my crock-pot seems REALLY low), you can place a splatter screen over the top, or put the lid on only partway.

Stir occasionally and enjoy the delicious smell all day long. When peaches become very soft and start to thicken, I use an immersion blender to make a smooth spread. You could also use a food processor or blender, but be careful as it is very hot.

Continue to cook until peach butter is thick. It will become a gorgeous caramel color, and a spoon drawn through the mixture will leave a trail. The exact consistency is up to your personal preference. Taste and adjust spices as desired.

If you are canning the peach butter, prepare your jars and lids and boiling bath. Fill jars to within 1/8″ of rim. Wipe rims of jars (or they won’t seal properly). Place lids on jars. Place jars in a boiling bath canner. Return water to a gentle boil and process 5 minutes. Cool on a towel on your kitchen counter for 24 hours. Check seal.

Enjoy!

RECIPE:

Peach Butter

Servings: Makes 7-9 half pint jars
Print

Peaches (about 25 for a large 5-6 qt crock-pot)
1-2 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ – ½ tsp ground cloves
1/8-1/4 tsp ground allspice
1 cup sugar
½ tsp powdered Stevia extract (or about 2-3 cups additional sugar)

Peel peaches (dip in boiling water for 30-60 seconds, then put into large bowl of ice water). Cut peaches in half and remove pits; slice peaches, if desired. Fill a crock pot with as many peaches as it will hold (leaving about 1” at the top). Stir in spices and sweeteners (proportions are for a large 5-6 quart crock pot). (NOTE: Start with a small amount of sugar/sweetener, as sweetness of peaches and personal tastes will vary. You can add more sweetener later, after the peach butter has reduced, if you want it sweeter) Set the crock pot on low or medium. Let it cook, without the lid, for 12-24 hours (cover with a splatter-guard if necessary). Stir occasionally.

When cooked and reduced, use an immersion blender to make a smooth peach butter (or leave it coarse, if preferred). Taste and adjust sweetness and spices. If butter gets too thick, add a little fruit juice. If mixture is still too thin, cook longer or transfer to a saucepan and gently boil (stirring constantly) until reduced.

Ladle hot mixture into jars, leaving 1/8” headspace. Wipe rims of jars. Place lids on jars.

Place in a boiling bath canner or steam canner. Return water to a gentle boil. Process 10 minutes. Cool on a towel on kitchen counter for 24 hours. Check seal.

Yield: 8-10 half-pint jars

NoEmptyChairs.me

12 Comments

Filed under Canning/Freezing, Condiments/Sauces

Tagged as canning, jam, low sugar, peach butter, peaches, stevia

October 23, 2009 · 2:07 pm

Apple Butter (or Applesauce if you quit halfway through)

One more apple recipe (actually two, because you can make either applesauce or apple butter with this recipe.

There are two ways to make apple butter (many more than two actually, but two main ways): with a food mill or without a food mill. I highly recommend using a food mill. It saves tons of time on the initial prep work, and is easier on the finishing end as well.

What to do if you don’t own a food mill? Borrow one from a friend (Many thanks, Sherry!). Still don’t have a food mill? You can still make this recipe, just get out your apple peeler and start peeling (and have a food processor or blender handy).

If you are using a food mill you can skip the whole apple peeling and coring process. Just cut your apples into about 8 chunks/slices and place in a roasting pan. The peels and core are full of pectin and will help the apple butter set (but it will still set if you are using peeled apples). The recipe I like is adapted from the cookbook Cooking with Shelburne Farms.

Roast the cut apples with cinnamon sticks and pure maple syrup for a fabulous flavor. Grade B maple syrup is actually recommended in the cookbook because it has a stronger maple flavor, but I only had Grade A, so that is what I used.

When the apples are soft they are ready to go through the food mill (remove cinnamon sticks) or food processor. A food mill will automatically separate the good part of the apples from the skin/seeds/core.

STOP!

You have just made applesauce. Go ahead, taste it! You can stop now, or keep cooking to make apple butter.

Return the applesauce to the roasting pan (with more maple syrup and ground spices) and cook for 60 – 90 minutes, stirring often, until apple butter is thick and caramel colored. It is done when a spatula drawn through the mixture leaves a clean trail.

The apple butter can be processed in jars in a boiling bath canner, frozen in plastic containers, or stored in the refrigerator.

RECIPE:

Apple Butter or Applesauce

1 peck apples (about 10 lb)
1 cup apple cider
1 cup maple syrup, divided
4 whole cinnamon sticks
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground allspice

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cut apples into wedges and place in a large roasting pan (if you do not have a food mill, peel and core apples as well). Place cinnamon sticks on the apples and drizzle with the apple cider and ½ cup maple syrup (use more for really tart apples).

Roast 45 minutes, or until apples are very soft. Remove cinnamon sticks. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.

Use a food mill to puree the apples (it will remove the skins and seeds). If you do not have a food mill, place peeled, cooked apples in a food processor and blend until well mixed. Stir in additional ½ cup maple syrup, ground cinnamon, cloves and allspice, and any liquid left in the roasting pan.

Return apple mixture to roasting pan, spreading mixture evenly (to avoid burned places). Cook for 60 – 90 mins, stirring every 15 – 20 minutes. Apple butter is done when a spatula can be drawn through it and leave a clean path. Taste and add additional spices and syrup, if desired.

Alternately: place pureed mixture, maple syrup, and spices in a crockpot. Cook over high heat with the lid removed for 8-10 hours, or until mixture is thick enough to draw a spatula through.

Process in a boiling bath canner for 10 minutes (for half-pint jars), if desired.

Makes 6-8 half-pint jars (depending on how thick you like your apple butter)

FOR APPLE SAUCE:
Roast apples as above (with maple syrup and cinnamon sticks) and process through food mill. That’s it. You’re done. You can add additional ground cinnamon, if desired.

To can applesauce in quart jars: process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.

Makes about 4 quarts applesauce.

NoEmptyChairs.me

Apple Zucchini Muffins with Maple Streusel Topping

I love apple season and the smell of warm baking apples and cinnamon, in all of their varieties: apple pies, apple crisps, apple butter, and now apple muffins. These muffins also have a little bit of summer thrown in, in the form of some shredded zucchini frozen from our summer harvest.

This is a pretty simple muffin recipe to throw together and it leaves your house with that wonderful smell of fall baking for the rest of the day!

Start with peeling an apple and finely chopping it. Also shred your zucchini. Set aside.

Combine your dry ingredients: flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.

Mix two beaten eggs with maple syrup (not pancake syrup, but REAL 100% maple syrup), melted butter, vanilla, and maple extract. Stir in zucchini and apples.

Prepare Maple Streusel Topping: Stir together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. With a fork, mix in maple syrup and maple extract, and then butter. Mix until crumbly.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Add nuts, if using.

Spoon batter into muffin tins, either lined with paper liners or sprayed with baking spray. Fill each cup about ¾ of the way to the top. Sprinkle with streusel topping. I ended up with a little bit more of the topping than I had muffins.

Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes. This recipe makes about 15-18 muffins.

RECIPE:

Apple Zucchini Muffins with Maple Streusel Topping

Servings: 15-18
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2 ½ cups flour
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
1 Tbs baking powder
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten slightly
½ cup maple syrup (use 100% pure maple syrup)
½ cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp maple extract
1 cup peeled, finely chopped apple (about 1 medium apple)
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 cup chopped nuts, optional

Streusel Topping:
1 cup flour
2 Tbs brown sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
3 Tbs maple syrup
¼ tsp maple extract
3 Tbs butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin tins with paper liners, or spray with baking spray.

Combine flour, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, maple syrup, melted butter, vanilla, and maple extract. Peel and chop apple; shred zucchini. Stir into egg mixture.

Prepare Streusel Topping: Stir together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. With a fork, stir in maple syrup and extract. Stir in butter until mixture is crumbly. Set aside.

Stir together wet and dry ingredients (not topping) just until moistened. Add nuts, if desired.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin pans. Top each muffin with 1-2 Tbs streusel topping, crumbling the topping with your fingers. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.