Creamy Chicken Corn Chowder with a Kick

My little guy loves keys. Loves them. The first thing he does when Daddy comes home is to reach in his pockets and pull out his keys. He knows which keys go to Daddy's car, and which keys go to Mommy's car (he likes Daddy's car keys the most). And, of course, he knows where the panic button is on each set of keys.
Tonight as I was tucking him into his crib, he rolled over and I heard a clink. Puzzled, I felt around his blanket and pulled out....the keys to my car. I have no idea when he grabbed them, but he kept them hidden from me while I fed him his bottle and rocked him. Apparently he was hoping to snuggle with them tonight....or take the car for a midnight spin ;)

So for those of you who need some spice in their food like my son needs keys, then this soup is for you. It's a comfort food with a spicy kick!

 

 

Cream Chicken Corn Chowder with a Kick
1 onion, diced
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
3 cups diced potatoes
1 can creamed corn
1 can corn, drained
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 small can green chiles
2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Several hearty dashes of hot sauce

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened. Add the flour, cook for one minute, stirring continuously. Add in the broth, milk, potatoes, creamed corn, corn, bacon, chiles and garlic powder. Cover the pot and let the soup simmer for about 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Don't let the soup come to a full boil. Once the potatoes are tender, stir in the chicken. Season with the salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Don't be shy with the hot sauce!  Stir to incorporate the seasonings, and enjoy!

Skinny Mini Turkey Meatloaves

Growing up, my mom made a mean meatloaf. I loved it so much, that I requested it for my birthday dinner when I turned 9. All of my other friends had pizza parties and junkfood. I had meatloaf.

The other night I had a hankering for meatloaf. I wanted to keep it healthy, but full of flavor. And so these Skinny Mini Turkey Meatloaves were born.

 

Skinny Mini Turkey Meatloaves
1 pound lean ground turkey
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup milk
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon beef base (you can use beef bouillon, but beef base is better)
1/3 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
5 slices smoked turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled (I like to cook mine in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes)

 

 

Glaze

1/4 cup ketchup

1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. )I used silicone muffin liners).

In a small bowl, mix together the oats and milk. Let the oats soak while the rest of the ingredients are prepared. In a large bowl, mix together the onion, garlic, beef base, barbecue sauce, egg, black pepper, and bacon until well combined. Stir in the oat and milk mixture until combined. Stir in the ground turkey until thoroughly combined.

Spoon the meat mixture into the muffin pan. You should be able to fill all 12 cups. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup and brown sugar. Spoon a small amount on each mini loaf, and spread over the top. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the mini meatloaves are cooked through.



Best Ever Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

  

My husband and I used to be on opposite sides of the Great Chocolate Chip Cookie Debate.

Chewy vs. Crispy

I am on the chewy side. I love a nice crisp on the outer edges, but the inside needs to be chewy! My husband, however, was brought up on thick, crispy cookies made with shortening. I like that buttery, melt-in-your-mouth center, while my husband likes a crispy cookie to dip in milk.

After several years, lots of testing, and lots of tasting, I have finally created a recipe that has won my husband over to the dark side.....I mean, the chewy side.

Best Ever Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

12 tablespoons  butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or more if you prefer)

First, you need to brown the butter. There are some great tutorials with pictures online, but essentially you melt the butter over medium high heat until it bubbles, foams, and the milk solids brown. It should have a nice nutty aroma to it. Allow the brown butter to cool for a few minutes. Then mix it with the brown sugar in a large bowl. Next stir in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until well combined. Stir in the dry ingredients until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Refrigerate the dough until firm; about an hour.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Scoop the cookie dough onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 10-13 minutes (or if you have a husband that likes to dip his cookies in milk, bake for 14 minutes). The edges will look done, but the middle should look soft and puffy. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, and then enjoy!

Adapted from Our Best Bites

 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Buddies

 

 

Muddy Buddies + the flavors of chocolate chip cookie dough = Addictive!

When my husband eats more of these than I do, you know it must be good.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Buddies

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup + 2 tablepsoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips
6 ounces white chocolate
1 teaspoon oil
3 cups Chex cereal (I used Rice Chex)

Measure out the Chex cereal in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix together the sugars, flour, and salt. Mix well, making sure there are no lumps of brown sugar. Microwave the white chocolate in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth. Stir in the oil. Pour the chocolate over the Chex cereal and stir carefully until the cereal is well coated. Stir* in 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips until well distributed. Pour in the flour/sugar mixture and remaining chocolate chips until all the cereal is coated. Enjoy!

*Adding the chocolate chips at this stage ensures that the chips don't just sink to the bottom of the bowl if they were added with the flour/sugar mixture.

Hash Brown Crusted Quiche

This dish features all the favorite breakfast foods--sausage, eggs, and hashbrowns--in a beautiful, cheesy quiche! It's so easy to put together because hashbrowns form the crust!

Hash Brown Crusted Quiche
3 1/2 cups shredded frozen hash browns, thawed
3 tablespoons butter, melted
4 large eggs, beaten
1 cup whole milk or 2% milk
8 ounces turkey sausage
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss the hash browns with the melted butter and press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate to form a crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and starting to crisp.
Meanwhile, cook the sausage and onion in a small pan over medium heat until the sausage is browned and the onions are tender.
Beat the eggs in a large bowl, and add the sausage mixture and remaining ingredients. When the hash brown crust is done, pour the egg mixture over it and put it back in the oven. Turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees and bake for about 30 minutes until the quiche is light golden brown and puffy.

Adapted from Food Network

Almond Joy Brownie Batter Cookies

 

It seems as if our family has been playing "musical colds." Have you played this game? One family member gets sick, passes it on to another family member, gets better, and picks up a different cold. We all just rotate between colds to the music of sneezing and coughing. And there are cough drops and Alka Seltzer as prizes. 

It's not a fun game. 

However, after weeks of playing this "game," I think we are finally (knock on wood) done!

In order to celebrate, I made cookies! Better yet, they are super easy cookies that start with a brownie mix! All the flavors of an Almond Joy in a chewy cookie!

See that delicious coconut filling? Yum.....

Almond Joy Brownie Batter Cookies

1 box brownie mix

2 eggs

1/4 cup oil

1/3 cup chopped almonds (or more if you prefer)

1/3 cup milk chocolate chips (or more if you prefer)

1/2 of a 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk

2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together the brownie mix, eggs, and oil until well combined. Stir in almonds and chocolate chips.

In a separate bowl, mix together the coconut and sweetened condensed milk.

Now, you can put these cookies together two different ways. You can scoop a large mound of cookie dough, flatten it in your hand, then scoop a smaller mound of the coconut mixture onto the cookie dough and wrap it up in the cookie dough. Or, you can scoop a mound of cookie dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, flatten it, then scoop some of the coconut mixture onto the dough, and place a smaller, flattened piece of cookie dough on top to cover it. Either way, these cookies will be on the larger side.

Cook on a parchment lined cookie sheet for 12 - 14 minutes, or until set. Let cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, and then enjoy! These are especially good when they are warm.

Adapted from bakerunlive.com

Italian Cheese Loaf

Whenever I try a new recipe for dinner, I always watch my husband's face as he takes his first bite. If he eats it without changing facial expressions, then I know that the recipe is just okay, nothing noteworthy. If he gets this look of deep concentration, then it's either really good, or really bad. When he bit into this Italian Cheese Loaf, he got that look of deep concentration....and then devoured it....I took that as a sign that we have a winner here.

 

It's a warm, crusty loaf with a hearty filling of Italian spices, refreshing tomatoes, and melted cheeses.  

Italian Cheese Loaf

1 loaf (1 pound) French or Italian bread
8 oz. ground turkey or Italian sausage or ground beef, browned and drained (if necessary)

2 cups diced fresh tomatoes

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

3 green onions, chopped (I used the white part and most of the green part)

1/4 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese (I actually used the stuff in the can, and it worked great)

1/3 cup chopped olives

1/4 cup Italian salad dressing

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano 

Cut off the top half of the loaf of bread. Set aside the top half. Hollow out the bottom half of the loaf, leaving a 1/2 inch shell. 

Mix the remaining ingredients together and spoon into the hollowed out bottom half of the loaf. Top with the top half of the loaf and wrap in foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. (When I baked this, it was only warm inside after 25 minutes. So I removed the top half and broiled the bottom half for a minute or two to get the cheese all melted)

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home Appetizers