Tomato Basil Bisque

I originally got this recipe from Brad's Aunt Lisa.

1 onion, chopped
3 Tbs butter
salt
pepper
basil
4 Tbs flour
1 cup chicken broth
2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes (I use fire roasted), pureed or leave diced
1 cup milk
1 pint heavy whipping cream
Parmesan cheese
croutons

Melt the butter over medium heat in a pot and add the onion and cook until the onion is translucent. Add salt, pepper and basil to taste. Mix the flour in the chicken broth and add slowly to the onion mixture. Add the cans of tomatoes and let heat through. Add milk and let heat through. Add cream and simmer on low for about 30 minutes, stirring every 3-5 minutes. Add Parmesan and croutons as desired.

Charred Chili Relleno w/ Green Rice

I got this from Rachael Ray's 30 minute meals - it takes me more like 45...

For relleno:
4 large poblano or anaheim peppers
2-3 large red or orange bell peppers, sliced in half longways and seeded
3 Tbs corn, peanut, or vegetable oil
3 cups frozen corn
1 red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced or 2 tsp minced garlic
1 15oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Salt
Fresh pepper
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

For rice:
2 cups white rice
1 bay leaf
chicken or vegetable stock - enough to be the liquid to cook rice according to package directions PLUS 1/2 cup
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 lb fresh spinach
4 scallions, coarsely chopped
2 limes, zested and juiced

Turn on broiler to high.

Start rice cooking with the bay leaf and stock.

Place bell and poblano peppers under the broiler for 15 minutes turning over for an even char. (I usually take the bell peppers out after 10 minutes because they have only 2 sides.) Leave the broiler on after they are charred.

Defrost frozen corn by spreading out on a clean kitchen towel. Heat 2 Tbs oil in a large skillet over high heat. When the oil ripples add corn, onion, and jalapeno and toss until the edges of the vegetables are charred and the onions are tender, about 5 minutes. *Move on the next section while waiting* Reduce heat to medium-high and add garlic, tomatoes, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper (to taste). Cook another 2-3 minutes, then turn the pan off.

Place the cilantro, spinach, scallions, lime zest, 1/2 cup of stock, and 1 Tbs oil in a food processor or blender and process into a coarse green paste. Stir into your rice when it finishes cooking.

Sprinkle lime juice over corn mixture.

Split the charred poblano peppers open but not in half, scoop out seeds. Place all the peppers, bell and poblano on a cookie sheet. Fill each with corn mixture. Top each pepper with cheese. Place cookie sheet under broiler for 2 minutes until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Serve the peppers on top of the rice!

7-up Chicken

Our sister-in-law, Sarah, introduced us to this.

In a large zip top bag, mix:

1 cup lemon-lime soda (7-up, Sprite, Sierra Mist, generic- they all work fine)

4 cloves garlic, minced or 1 Tbs minced garlic with juice

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup olive oil

Add chicken tenders (as many as you want to make). Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours. Grill chicken 3-4 minutes on each side on a hot grill/grill pan. Discard liquid mixture.

Ketchup Chicken

[Discovered through the NYT cooking blog]

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch, bite-size pieces

1/2 cup flour

5 Tbs canola oil

5 cloves garlic, mined or 2 Tbs minced garlic

1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper, depending on the heat you want

1 cup ketchup

2-3 cups uncooked white rice

water to cook rice according to package directions

Start cooking rice according to package directions. Heat 3 Tbs of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the chicken in the flour in a big bowl. Arrange the chicken pieces evenly in the skillet to cook. As they start cooking, salt and pepper liberally. As they start to brown, turn over to cook through. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside. Add the remaining 2 Tbs oil to the skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil ripples, add the minced garlic and cayenne pepper, and stir for 1 1/2 minutes until garlic is browned and the cayenne darkens. Add the ketchup to the oil/garlic/pepper mixture. Saute the ketchup mixture, stirring thoroughly, for 3-4 minutes until the ketchup gets thicker and darker in color. Add chicken back to skillet and stir to coat the chicken in the sauce. Serve over cooked white rice.

The cayenne pepper is a key ingredient. Sauteing it in the oil before you add the ketchup reduces the intensity of the spiciness and deepens the flavor. That sauteed cayenne flavor is essential to the sauce, making it taste like a gourmet sauce rather than like ketchup. It seems ghetto, but it's highly delicious.

Artichoke Tarts

From my friend, Katie S.

Cooking Spray
16 pieces of wanton wrapper(s)
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (omit if you do not want it spicy)
1/2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp sweet red pepper, chopped
7 oz can of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped.
1/4 cup parsley springs (for garnish)

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 16 hole miniature muffin pan with cooking spray. Gently press 1 wanton wrapper into each hole, allowing ends to extend above cups. Coat edges of wrappers with cooking spray and set aside. Combine cheeses, cayenne, mustard in a medium bowl; mix well. Stir in red pepper and artichoke hearts; spoon about 2 tsp. of cheese mixture into each muffin cup. Bake until cheese mixture is set and edges of wrappers are lightly browned (about 15 minutes). Garnish with parsley and serve. Yields 16 tarts.

Chicken Burritos

From an Enrichment Meeting in 2008

For Chicken:

1 small bottle of Kraft zesty Italian Dressing

1 Tbs chili powder

2 tsp cumin

4 cloves garlic - minced

3 lbs frozen chicken

Throw it all in a crock pot and let it stew for 4 hours on high. Shred the chicken and return it to the crock-pot about an hour before serving it.

For Rice:

1 tsp chicken bouillon

1 tsp garlic

1/4 bunch cilantro

1 can green chilies

3/4 tsp salt

1 Tbs butter

1/4 onion

Rice (approx 2 cups)

Water (approx 4 cups) or to the cooking directions on your rice package

Blend all ingredients except rice and water together in a blender. Bring water to a boil, add rice and blended ingredients. Cook according to rice package directions.

Homespun Dressing

From Brad's Aunt

Combine in blender:

1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons onion salt
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1/2 tablespoon dried sweet basil
1/2 tablespoon dried dill weed
1 tablespoon capers with juice
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup frozen orange concentrate (do not add water)

Blend on high speed. Slowly add 1 1/2 cups canola oil through hole in lid of blender while blending on high speed.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

One idea is to serve pour dressing over fresh spinach. Sprinkle salad with fresh parmesan cheese and pine nuts.

We usually marinade chicken in this mixture and then grill it.

Carson's Cole Slaw

Mix 1 cup Wishbone Italian Dressing with 1/2 cup crumbled bleu cheese, juice from 1/2 lemon, salt, and pepper in a big bowl with a store bought bag of shredded cabbage.