Winter Tomato Corn Soup

This was a SUPER easy, quick, and really tasty soup!  It paired great with grilled cheeses on a cold winter night.  It had great flavor and literally took less than 15 minutes to throw together.  I would definitely make this one again!

 

Winter Tomato Corn Soup
via White on Rice Couple

1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes, if you use salt-free then add salt to taste
1 (10 oz) can creamed corn
1 cup skim or low fat milk
1/2 medium onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
about 3-4 green onion stalks, chopped
additional salt and pepper to taste

 

 

Heat medium pot, add olive oil. Once oil is hot, add onion and garlic and cook until transluscent.

 

Add canned tomatoes. Cook for about 3 minutes until combined well with onion/garlic mixture.

 

Add canned creamed corn and milk. Stir to combine evenly, then slowly bring to boil.

 

Reduce heat, add green onions and salt/pepper to taste.

 

Cook for about 5 minutes until soup is combined well.

 

 

 

 

Sticky Buns

These were amazing!  These are one of Corey's all time favorites so I decided to make them for breakfast Christmas morning.  Since we've been married, we've had breakfast at our house in the morning and opened presents just the two of us.  I think its an important tradition to have because it gives us time together and starts out the busy day in a relaxing way.  Especially with kids, I think its really special to have time with just our little family.  This year was extra special, of course, since it was Reese's first Christmas!

 

Sticky Buns
via Simply Recipes

Dough:

• 1/4 cup warm water (105° to 115°)
• 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 Tbsp. finely grated orange zest
• 1 1/4 teaspoon. salt
• 4 to 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

Filling:

• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Topping:

• 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
• 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) coarsely chopped pecans

 

1 Make the dough. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine warm water, yeast and 1 tsp. sugar. Stir to dissolve and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Add milk, butter, remaining sugar, egg yolks, orange zest, salt and 3 cups flour. Mix on low speed until blended. Switch to a dough hook and then, again on low speed, slowly incorporate the remaining 1 cup of flour. Increase speed to medium, kneading dough until smooth and slightly sticky (adding a little more flour if too wet), 3 to 5 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large, buttered bowl. Turn dough over in bowl to coat with the butter from the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour (or 2 hours if not in an entirely warm place). After the dough has risen, punch down. Turn out onto a lightly floured cutting board and let sit 20 minutes.

2 Make the filling. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Melt butter; keep separate.

3 Roll dough out into a 12" x 18" rectangle. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Starting with the long side, roll dough into a cylinder. Place seam side down on a flat surface and cut crosswise into 15 slices.

4 Make the topping. In a 1-quart saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, honey and corn syrup over low heat; stir until sugar and butter are melted. Pour mixture into a greased 9" x 13" pan and sprinkle pecans on top.

5 Place dough slices, flat side down, on top of prepared topping. Crowd them so they touch. Cover with plastic wrap, leaving room for the buns to rise, and refrigerate overnight.

6 Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature while the oven pre-heats. Preheat oven to 375°. Bake buns until golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove pan from oven and immediately (and carefully as not to spill hot topping on your toes!) invert onto a serving tray or baking dish. Let buns cool slightly and serve warm.

Crockpot Mexican Chicken Lime Soup

This soup was so fresh!  I think we both liked it more than the chicken tortilla soup that I make.  The original recipe was not a crock pot recipe, but I have been loving mine lately so I adapted it!  I also added the cream last second, but you can leave that out if you want.  The soup was so yummy!

 

 

 

 

Mexican Chicken Lime Soup

adapted from Rachael Ray

 

1 onion, finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I used frozen)
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely chopped, plus 2 tablespoons adobo sauce

6 cups chicken broth

1 can pinto beans
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Juice of 2 limes

Salt and pepper

1/3 cup half & half

1 hass avocado, thinly sliced
rice

Crushed tortilla chips

shredded cheese

sour cream

 

Combine first five ingredients in the crockpot.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Add pinto beans and heat through.  Shred chicken and add back to crockpot.  Stir in cilantro, limes, and half & half and season with salt and pepper.  Serve over rice with avocado, chips, shredded cheese, and sour cream to garnish.

Crunchy Black Bean Tacos

These were yet another great mexican dish!  They were crunchy, spicy, cheesy, and really flavorful.  I loved all the spices in the black beans.  Definitely make this dish!

 

Crunchy Black Bean Tacos
via Cornerstone Cooking
yields 8 tacos

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
½ C. red onion, minced
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
4-6 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 avocado, sliced
Pinch of salt and pepper
8 corn tortillas
Hot sauce
Salsa
Sour cream

In a medium bowl, add beans along with red onion, cilantro, and spices. Add a pinch of salt and mix all of the ingredients together. Grate your cheese and have it ready as well.

In a large, non-stick skillet or cast iron skillet, add a few tablespoons of oil and heat over medium-high heat.  Add one corn tortilla at a time and sprinkle in some cheese.  Then add about 1/4 cup of the bean filling to one half of the tortilla.  Using a spatula, carefully fold the tortilla over so it forms a shell. Press down lightly on the tortilla so it holds its shape.  As the first tortilla cooks, move it to the side and do a second one. Depending on the size of your pan, you should be able to get 2 or 3 tacos at once. If you have a griddle you can do even more at once.  Cook each taco for about 3 minutes per side until they are nicely browned and crispy.  When flipping the taco to cook on the other side, use a spatula and flip the taco toward the fold so the filling doesn’t fall out. 

Serve tacos with toppings like hot sauce, salsa, avocados, and sour cream.

Note: Corn tortillas are resilent to heat. Don’t worry about burning them. They are very flexible. Just be sure to cook them on each side long enough to get them really crispy.

 

Thai Crunch Chicken Salad

 This salad was fantastic!  It was really fresh and light.  The flavors were awesome and the chicken was so tender.  I think I need to make it again next week!

Thai Crunch Chicken Salad
via How Sweet
serves about 4

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

dressing + marinade
1 cup sweet chili sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup lite canned coconut milk
6 tablespoons brown sugar
4 garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 teaspoon-sized knobs of ginger, grated
2 limes, juiced
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then place in the baking dish.

Combine chili sauce, vinegar, coconut milk, sugar, garlic, ginger, peanut butter, soy sauce and lime juice in a saucepan, whisking to combine. Bring to a boil, the reduce to a simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and pour half of the sauce over the chicken, turning chicken to coat completely. Set remaining sauce aside to dress the salad with.
Bake chicken for 25-30 minutes, or until it is cooked through.

salad
1 small napa cabbage, chopped
1/2 small red cabbage, chopped (I actually just used a bag of shredded lettuce)
6 green onions, sliced
1 large cucumber, peeled, sliced and quartered
2/3 cup chopped or sliced carrots
2/3 cup edamame
2/3 cup torn fresh cilantro
2/3 cup chopped peanuts

While chicken is cooking, combine all salad ingredients, except for peanuts, in a large bowl and toss. When chicken has finished cooking, let cool for a few minutes then either shred or cut into chunks. Serve salad, top with chicken, top with peanuts, then top with dressing.