Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

 

I don’t know how it is in your part of the world, but in mine it’s not usual to take a cold turn in the middle of March. I well remember having had months of April where we have gotten snow. Personally, I would prefer that it get warm earlier than it does (and  cold earlier than it does), unfortunately I don’t have any say. I will say that this cold weather sent me into the kitchen to make a big pot of chili. It had been a long time since I had made white chicken chili, and this time I decided to give it a whirl in the crockpot.  What a heavenly way to warm myself up inside and out.

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

 2 whole chicken breasts

1 t. salt

½ t. freshly ground black pepper

1 t. Melissa's minced garlic

1½ t. cumin

1 t. dried oregano

1 t. chili powder

¼ t. cayenne pepper

1 yellow onion diced

3 garlic cloves minced

2 15-oz. cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed

2 4-oz. cans diced green chiles, drained

3 c. chicken broth

6 oz. cream cheese, cubed

½ c. heavy cream

¼ c. chopped cilantro

 Spray the slow cooker insert with PAM.

Place first 12 ingredients into your slow cooker, stir to combine. Cover and cook on low 5 to 6 hours. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and place on a cutting board. Shred the chicken and return it to the pot.

 Add the cream cheese and heavy cream. Stir, cover, and cook on high for 15-20 minutes until the cream cheese has melted and the chili is warmed through.  Stir in the cilantro, and serve.

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Spicy Sausage and Potato Soup

It's hard to imagine waking up near the end of March and seeing five inches of snow on the ground, at least where we live, so inasmuch as springtime normally doesn't have me thinking about thick, hearty soups, today certainly did.  In digging through the fridge I found the remainder of a package of andouille sausages that we'd bought for making jambalaya and remembered that I'd printed out a recipe for an andouille and potato soup, so decided to give it a try.  The recipe can be found here, but for the sake of convenience I've also listed it below.

Before I proceed, let me tell you that it is delicious!  I'd never made soup in a skillet before, so that was a first, nor had I ever made soup with andouille.  The skillet preparation makes it quick and easy, with little need for extensive clean-up afterwards, and the andouille makes for one delicious soup.  It's very hearty, so a bowl of this and a roll, and you have dinner.  I served mine with a tiny little side of mixed greens.

The recipe called for the sausage to be diced, but my husband thought he'd prefer it sliced, so that's what I did.  I'm not so sure dicing isn't the better idea in order to get a better sausage-to-spoonful ratio, but do whatever you'd prefer here.

Spicy Sausage and Potato Soup

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

12 to 16 ounces andouille sausage or other smoked sausage

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1 teaspoon dried leaf basil

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 cups chicken broth

2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and diced

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

In a large skillet over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, celery, and diced (or in my case, sliced) sausage.

Saute until the vegetables are tender and sausage is lightly browned. 

Stir in the flour until smooth and well-blended.

Stir in green onions, parsley, basil, salt, and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring, for 1 minute. 

Blend in the chicken broth. Add the diced potatoes, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. 

Stir in the heavy cream and continue cooking until heated through.  

Serves 6.

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MEATLOAF from Soulard's Restaurant

As you can well imagine, anyone who lists cheeseburgers among her favorite foods would also like meatloaf. It's true, I do, as much for the comfort factor as for the nostalgia. The first wafts of the marriage of baking beef and bacon and I'm back in my mother's kitchen, a bottle of French's yellow mustard in hand, waiting for it to come out of the oven.

This recipe is yet another winner from the St Louis Post-Dispatch cookbook, Special Requests, that I am slowly cooking my way through. It's easy, tasty, and one I'm sure you'll enjoy.

MEATLOAF from Soulard's Restaurant

2 pounds ground chuck
1/2 pound pork sausage

2 eggs

2/3 cup rolled oats

1 tablespoon steak sauce

2 teaspoons ground green peppercorns

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon chopped parsley

1 tablespoon seasoned salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup ketchup, divided

6 to 8 slices bacon

Brown gravy, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine ground chuck, sausage, eggs, oats, steak sauce, green peppercorns, onion powder, parsley, seasoned salt, pepper and 1/2 cup ketchup. Mix gently but well  shape mixture into a loaf about 4-1/2 inches wide, 2-1/2 onches thick and 11 inches long.  Put in a shallow baking dish; top loaf with remaining ketchup  Arrange bacon slices on top. Bake 35 minutes or until cooked through. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with brown gravy.

Served with a mound of mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli, no meal has a greater comfort factor than this one.

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