White Chili

I didn't start off this morning thinking I would fix chili.  I did, however, see two large jars filled with northern white beans.  So I took the jars out of the pantry and put some beans in water to soak shortly after breakfast.  Maybe a bean and vegetable soup, I thought.  I had planned to take another long walk and then get some things done around the house before work again tomorrow.  But, my husband had a different itinerary for the day.  We headed out to Costco and then a long list of other stores followed.  The pantry shelves were calling for new items with my husband and two sons still at home on Christmas break. As I stood in the parking lot, loading purchases, with a cold wind blowing through my jacket, a hot bowl of soup sounded like it would hit the spot (and a long walk sounded way less appealing).  A quick Google search as we walked through Lowes, and I had a good idea of what I was going to make..a white chili.  Aren't smart phones great!?  (see the recipe below the photos)

Following is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried white beans
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 3/4 cup diced onion
• 2 cans chopped green chiles 
• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
• 1 to 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon hot chili powder

Directions

Rinse beans well, cover with cool water, and soak for 6 hours. Drain.

In a dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, and saute for 5 minutes.  Add ground turkey and cook until no longer pink.   Add chicken broth, water, drained beans and green chiles. Add cumin, oregano, pepper, and chili powder. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately 1 1/2 hours. Serve with sour cream, grated cheese, and tortilla chips...or cornbread...or crackers.  Enjoy!

Warm Wishes and Warm Soup,
M.S.M.

Crisp day and a long walk.

Dear Friends,

I took a nice long walk in the Clive greenbelt.  It was cold, crisp, and surprisingly busy. Plenty of people biking, jogging, and walking.  And as usual the animals that live there were very busy taking care of their families.  I saw a herd of deer.  You can see a few below, but there were several more in that same group that are hidden by their color and the foliage.  There were many, many, funny, busy squirrels...running, chasing, jumping between trees.  Feathered friends abound...with ducks, and cardinal and countless other birds.

Wishing you a wonderful day,

M.S.M.

Deer wearing their winter colors

An enhanced version

ice

footprints along the creek

Rushing water under the bridge

There are mallards swimming through the narrow part of the creek

The red dot is a cardinal.  Tons of them flying around the greenbelt.

Grand Blue Mile

Walked tonight in the Grand Blue Mile.  It is street race for all levels which kicks off the Drake relays.  It was cold, damp, and windy. Definitely fun to see the elite runners compete.  I'm glad I went.  Nice evening shared with work friends.  Came home to a slice of pizza.

Cure for the Cold...Cuban Coffee

Cold.  Rain.   Tired of all of it.  It was beautiful for a few hours yesterday afternoon.  I took a long walk by myself and then took a second walk with the fur boys.  Unfortunately, the rain rolled back in again this morning.  More pouring rain on the way home form work. Disappointing.  I was really looking for another walk.  Ran some errands tonight.  In the rain.  So, when I got home...I made some Cuban coffee. Drank from adorable little cups.  Shared with handsome son.  Yum.

Forsythia

The forsythia are in bloom.  Just beautiful.  I drove past one that was trimmed into a box hedge. Not sure if I liked it.  I prefer the wild looking ones.

April Showers

Gloomy, wet, dark, sleepy, nappy, kind of day...








...for the dogs.  I had to go to work.

Tasty Tuesday

Monday I served grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner.  I used canned tomato soup and english muffins for the grilled cheese.  Split the english muffins and butter the inside (the side with the holes). Put the sandwiches together with the buttered side out (the smooth sides facing in) and grill in a skillet until the outside is toasty and the inside is melty and gooey.  Total cost for dinner $2.80 or $.70 a serving.  I used 2 cans of soup and we each had just one sandwich.  It was yummy and filling (plus there was soup leftover for me to take for lunch)



Tonight with the blizzard upon us and following a busy day at work, I wanted something warm, filling and comforting.  I decided to use the leftover chicken stock and chicken which I set aside on Sunday to make chicken and noodles.  I brought the 8 cups of stock to a boil and added two chopped ribs of celery, and two sliced carrots.  I added 2 tablespoons of chicken bouillon, and salt, pepper, and thyme to taste.  I dropped in the shredded chicken, and finally 2 - 12 oz packages of Reames egg noodles.  Let it all cook for about 20 minutes.  You can then eat it as a brothy chicken noodle soup or thicken the broth with a few tablespoons of corn starch stirred into a cup of milk and then added to the broth.  Let it boil for a few more minutes.  It will thicken more once it cools a bit.  I served mine with a side of salad.  This makes about 10 servings.  The total cost about $4.00...the majority of which was the egg noodles at $3.20.  If you made your own egg noodles you could cut the cost even more. Remember the cost of the chicken and broth was already accounted for on Sunday.  The salad added about another $1.00 or about a quarter extra for each of us.  So dinner was approximately $ .65 a serving.  And, even better, I have another meal waiting in the fridge for another night.  Total spent this week so far on 4 dinners $16.80. Not bad...about $1.05 a plate.  Can you do better?  :-)

For those braving the storm of the century...stay warm and dry. Have a great evening!

Mindy

Frugal Weekend Meals

What a great weekend.  I'm attempting to get our food costs under control.  I used one 5 lb package of chicken breasts (on the bone) to create three different meals by doing a little planning.  Our Saturday evening dinner consisted of roast chicken fingers and potatoes, and creamed broccoli.   I set aside about 1/4 of the chicken for Sunday's dinner.  I also saved the chicken bones and skin ( I cut the meat from the bone prior to roasting the chicken).  Sunday morning I used the bones along with onion, carrots, and celery to make 10 cups of stock and about another cup of shredded chicken, from the bones, which I will use later in the week.  I set aside 2 cups of stock for Sunday evening's meal of curried chicken.  Saturday's meal cost about $7 or about $1.75 a plate.  Sunday evening's meal cost about $2 or about $.50 a plate.  Not bad for delicious, healthy meals. I will keep posting meal's during the week.  We'll see how I do.  :-)

Curried Chicken

1 cup of brown rice

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup of chopped onion

2 cloves garlic

leftover chicken cubed 

1 - 2 Tbsp of curry powder

2 cups of chicken stock

1 Tbsp corn starch

1/2 cup cold water

1 - 1 1/2 frozen peas

Cook rice according to directions.  Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet on medium heat.  Add onions and garlic and cook for 1 minute stirring frequently.  Add chicken and cook for a minute or two.  Add chicken stock and curry powder heating to a simmer.  Mix corn starch and cold water in a separate bowl.  Add corn starch mixture to pan and stir until thickened.  Add peas to pan and cook 30 seconds until just tender. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper.  Serve over rice.  

Enjoy!

Mindy

Tasty Tuesday

I love recipes that don't require a lot of ingredients, are easy to make, and can be tailored to your own taste and ingredients.  One I use quite a bit is a meatless enchilada casserole recipe.  You can change it by adding whatever you like (or have in the fridge)...like green peppers, onions, corn, mushrooms...or you can add meat...ground beef, shredded chicken...you get the idea.  Here is the basic recipe:


Enchilada Casserole

• 2 16 oz cans of beans (any kind you like...black, red, kidney, or any combination)
• 1 can of tomatoes with green chiles (I don't know the oz...same size can as the beans)
• 1 can of green chiles (optional...the little short can)
• 1 cup of water 
• 3/4 cup of quick cooking white or brown rice
• 8  large whole wheat tortillas
• 1 can enchilada sauce (again...about the same size as the beans)
• 2 cups of shredded cheese

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  I then put the lid on the pan and let it sit off the heat until the rice is cooked.  Set aside about 3/4 cup of cheese.  Put a little bit of the bean and tomato mixture in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan and spread around (so the first layer of tortillas doesn't stick to the bottem).  Then layer 2 tortillas (tear to fit the pan) followed by 1/3 of the bean mixture, and 1/3 of the shredded cheese (repeat twice).  Top with the last two tortillas, pour the can of enchilada sauce on the top and spread so the tortillas are completed covered, and top with the 3/4 cup of shredded cheese you set aside. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 - 30 minutes until the casserole is bubbling and the cheese is melted. 


You won't notice there isn't any meat in this dish.  We like to top ours with a little salsa and sour cream.   It is a quick, inexpensive weeknight dish.  It is also a dish that could easily be made ahead and then delivered to someone with a sick family member or a new baby since it is easy to pop in the oven to warm up.  I hope you enjoy it.


Best wishes,
Mindy 

Contentment

I love Sunday.

Simple breakfast.

 

Long nap.

Cold, quiet walk followed by a hot mocha.

Amazing blue sky.  Clean fresh smelling laundry.   Delicious dinner.   

Contentment.

Have a fabulous week!

Mindy

Monday

Whew...made it through the first Monday back at work after being gone for over a week.  It was a very long day, but good to get back to a routine.  My whole family was home today because of the ML King Jr. holiday;  so my sweet hubby whipped up a big pot of comforting, delicious, vegetable soup.  It was also great to fit in a workout for the first time in a month.  It felt so good!

Mindy

I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Serenity

I took a long walk down this path today... enjoying the crisp air, the chill on my cheeks, the snow, and the wildlife.  It's been tough the last several weeks and I was glad to escape for a while and collect my thoughts as the week begins.  It was invigorating and relaxing.  I returned to a big bowl of hot chili.  So good.

Mindy