Chicken Fajitas

I love chicken fajitas and thanks to this recipe I am slowly getting over my fear of the grill. This was an easy week-night meal that came together quickly, and thanks to ATK’s (America’s Test Kitchens) spot-on instructions I was able to grill the chicken to perfection! Please note that grilling times vary according to your grill, and cut/thickness of meat. The fajitas went really well with my sweet corn cakes.

The onions and peppers before they hit the grill.

Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients:

1 t pure chile powder

1 t kosher salt

1/2 t ground cumin

1/2 t onion powder

1/4 t garlic powder

2 whole skinless, boneless chicken breast (about 1 pound each)

2 T extra-virgin olive oil

1 very large onion , peeled and cut into half-inch slices

2 very large red bell peppers or green bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into large wedges

8 flour tortillas, warmed in the microwave

Shredded cheddar cheese, salsa, guacamole, and sour cream, for serving

Directions:

For Charcoal Grill: Ignite about 7 quarts charcoal and burn until coals are completely covered with thin coating of light-gray ash, 20 to 30 minutes. Pile coals on one-half of grill bottom, position grill rack and heat until very hot (you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill surface for 2 seconds).

For Gas Grill: Turn all burners on gas grill to medium-high, close lid, and heat grill until hot, 10 to 15 minutes.

In a resealable plastic bag, combine the chile powder with the salt, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and olive oil. Add the chicken, bell pepper and onion, seal and knead gently to coat. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Place chicken breasts directly over coals or on gas grill grate and grill until well-seared on first side, 5 to 7 minutes (4 to 6 minutes, covered, on gas grill). Flip chicken using tongs; continue grilling on second side for 3 to 5 minutes (4 to 6 minutes on gas grill) depending on heat of fire and thickness of chicken.

Transfer meat to cutting board; cover loosely with foil, and let rest 5 to 10 minutes. Slice into ½ inch strips.

When charcoal fire has died down to medium or gas grill burners are adjusted to medium (you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill surface for 4 seconds), grill onions and peppers, turning occasionally, until onions are lightly charred, about 6 minutes, and peppers are streaked with dark grill marks, about 10 minutes. Remove onions and peppers from grill and cut peppers into long, thin strips; set aside.

Serving Fajitas

Arrange sliced chicken and vegetables on large platter; serve immediately, with tortillas, salsa, cheese, sour cream and guacamole.

Source: Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen & Food & Wine

Sweet Corn Cake

When I eat out at a Mexican restaurant, the sides are just as important to me as the main dish. My two favorite sides to have with pretty much any Mexican meal are calabacitas and these corn cakes. In the past I have tried to mimic the sweet corn cakes you get in restaurants but have failed miserably…that is until this recipe! These came out better than I had hoped and were a nice addition to the fajitas I made for dinner.

This is what It looks like when it come out of the oven.

Sweet Corn Cake

Ingredients:

1/2 C butter, softened

1/3 C masa harina (found right by the corn meal in the grocery store)

1/4 C water

1 1/2 C frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed

1/4 C cornmeal

1/3 C white sugar

2 T heavy whipping cream

1/4 t salt

1/2 t baking powder

Directions:

In a medium bowl beat butter until it is creamy. Add the Mexican corn flour and water and beat until well mixed.

Using a food processor, process thawed corn, but leave chunky. Stir into the butter mixture.

In a separate bowl, mix cornmeal, sugar, cream, salt, and baking powder. Add to corn flour mixture and stir to combine. Pour batter into an ungreased 8x8 inch baking pan. Smooth batter and cover with aluminum foil. Place pan into a 9x13 inch baking dish that is filled a third of the way with water.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven F (175 degrees C) oven for 50 to 60 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Use an ice cream scoop for easy removal from pan.

Source: All Recipes

Baked Apple Muffins w/ Cinnamon & Nutmeg

These muffins were so yummy and a really nice treat for breakfast. I like that the muffin itself featured both nutmeg and cinnamon, and the cinnamon sugar topping had just the right balance of sweetness.

Baked Apple Muffins w/ Cinnamon & Nutmeg

Ingredients:

2 large apples (I used Fuji apples)
1-1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C sugar
1-3/4 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 t ground nutmeg
1/3 C cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg
1/4 C milk

For the topping:

1 T butter, melted
1/4 C sugar
1 t cinnamon powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350^oF and line a muffin tin with liners.

Peel and roughly chop the apples.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and nutmeg. Add the butter to the flour mixture. Rub the butter against the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Beat the egg. Pour in the milk and stir lightly. Add the chopped apples to the egg-milk mixture.

Pour the apple-egg-milk mixture to the flour-butter mixture. Stir (a fork is most useful) just until blended. DO NOT over mix. The batter will be a bit stiff.

Fill the muffin tin with batter (each should be about ¾ full…I used a 3 tablespoon scoop).

Bake at 350^oF for 25 minutes.

While the muffins are baking, prepare the topping. Measure the sugar and cinnamon powder into a bowl. Stir to combine.

When the muffins are done, remove from the oven. Use a teaspoon to remove them from the pan. While still warm, dip the tops in melted butter then roll the tops in the sugar-cinnamon mixture.

Serve warm while crusty. Enjoy!

Makes about 10 muffins.

Source: Adapted from Home Cooking Rocks

Strawberry Shortcake

I know, I know…I’ve sort of been obsessed with America’s Test Kitchen lately, but their recipes are in one word, amazing! This recipe was so great; it turned so-so strawberries into something special. The strawberry topping would also be great on top of ice cream.

Recipe Note: After cutting six perfect rounds of dough, you can reknead the scraps and repeat the cutting process to get one or two more rounds. These shortcakes will be a little tougher and less attractive than those from the first cutting. If you prefer to make the shortcake dough in the food processor, pulse the dry ingredients to combine them, then add cold butter that has been cut into half-inch pieces and continue to pulse until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal flecked with pea-sized bits of butter. Pour the mixture into a bowl; stir in the egg and half-and-half with a rubber spatula until the mixture comes together. Continue with step 4 of the recipe instructions.

Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients:

Topping

2 pints fresh strawberries, hulled; 1/2 pint crushed with potato masher or fork, 1 1/2 pints quartered

4 T granulated sugar

Shortcakes

2 C bleached all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface and biscuit cutter

1/2 t table salt

1 T baking powder

3 T granulated sugar

2 T granulated sugar for sprinkling

1 stick unsalted butter (8 T), frozen

1 egg, beaten

1/2 C half-and-half + 1 T half-and-half

1 egg white, lightly beaten

Whipped Cream

1 C heavy cream, chilled (preferably pasteurized or pasteurized organic)

1 T granulated sugar

1 t vanilla extract

Directions:

Mix crushed and quartered berries with sugar in medium bowl; set aside while preparing biscuits (or up to 2 hours).

Adjust oven rack to lower middle position; heat oven to 425 degrees. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and 3 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl. Using large holes of box grater, grate butter into dry ingredients. Toss butter with flour to coat. Use pastry cutter to finish cutting butter into flour. Or scoop up coated butter with both hands, then quickly rub butter into dry ingredients with fingertips until most of butter pieces are size of split peas.

Mix beaten egg with half-and-half; pour into flour mixture. Toss with fork until large clumps form. Turn mixture onto floured work surface and lightly knead until it comes together.

Pat dough into 9- by 6-inch rectangle, 3/4 inch thick. Flour 2 3/4-inch biscuit cutter; cut 6 dough rounds. Place 1 inch apart on small baking sheet; brush dough tops with egg white and sprinkle with remaining sugar. (Can be covered and refrigerated up to 2 hours before baking.) Bake until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Place baking sheet on wire rack; cool cakes until warm, about 10 minutes.

Chill nonreactive, deep, 1- to 1 1/2-quart bowl and beaters for a handheld mixer in freezer for at least 20 minutes. Add cream, sugar, and vanilla to chilled bowl; beat on low speed until small bubbles form, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium; continue beating until beaters leave a trail, about 30 seconds more. Increase speed to high; continue beating until cream is smooth, thick, and nearly doubled in volume, about 20 seconds for soft peaks or about 30 seconds for stiff peaks. If necessary, finish beating by hand to adjust consistency. (Can be transferred to fine sieve or strainer set over measuring cup and refrigerated up to 8 hours).

Split each cake crosswise; spoon a portion of berries and then a dollop of whipped cream over each cake bottom. Cap with cake top; serve immediately.

Makes 6-8 Servings

 

Source: America’s Test Kitchen

Big, Super-Nutty Peanut Butter Cookies

I made these the other day and they were gone in a flash! They are by far *THE* best peanut butter cookie I’ve ever had mainly because the peanut butter flavor is so abundant. I feel they taste like a combination between peanut butter cookies and peanut butter fudge. Try them, and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.



I decided to make some of the cookies whith a cookie scoop, aren't they pretty?!?



Classic criss-cross pattern.

Cookie Scoop v. Criss-Cross Fork Pattern...which do you like?

Big, Super-Nutty Peanut Butter Cookies

Baker’s Note: Bringing the butter, peanut butter, and eggs to room temperature makes it easier to blend the ingredients. Be sure to grind the peanuts, since whole, and even chopped peanuts tend to slip out of the dough. If using unsalted butter, increase salt to 1 teaspoon. Keep finished cookies refrigerated in airtight container. To restore just-baked chewiness, wrap a cookie in a sheet of paper towel and microwave for approximately 25 seconds. Cool before serving.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t table salt

1/2 pound butter (2 sticks), salted

1 C packed dark brown sugar

1 C granulated sugar

1 C extra-crunchy peanut butter , preferably Jif

2 large eggs

2 t vanilla extract

1 C roasted salted peanuts, ground in food processor to resemble bread crumbs, about 14 pulses (about 1 cup, packed)

Instructions:

Adjust oven rack to low center position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl.

In bowl of electric mixer or by hand, beat butter until creamy. Add sugars; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes with electric mixer, stopping to scrape down bowl as necessary. Beat in peanut butter until fully incorporated, then eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Gently stir dry ingredients into peanut butter mixture. Add ground peanuts; stir gently until just incorporated.

Working with 2 tablespoons dough at a time, roll into large balls, placing them 2 inches apart on a parchment-covered cookie sheet. Press each dough ball with back of dinner fork dipped in cold water to make crisscross design. Bake until cookies are puffed and slightly brown along edges, but not top, 10 to 12 minutes (they will not look fully baked). Cool cookies on cookie sheet until set, about 4 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will keep, refrigerated in an airtight container, up to 7 days.

Yields approximately 3 dozen cookies.

Source: America’s Test Kitchen

Oyster Crackers Mix

This recipe is an oldie but a goody. It comes together in a flash and it’s great for parties.

A vintage snack in a pretty, vintage bowl.

Oyster Crackers Mix

Ingredients:

1 1oz. package Ranch dressing mix (or 2 Tablespoons)
1/2 t dill weed
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 14oz. box oyster crackers


Directions:

In a large bowl, combine ranch, dill, garlic powder, lemon pepper and oil. Stir until well combined.

Add oyster crackers and toss gently until crackers are evenly covered with seasoning. Let sit, uncovered at room temperature for 30 minutes. Store in a air-tight container.

Source: Oyster Cracker Box

Chewy Brownie Cookies

I don’t usually bake with Crisco, but I had to as I made these for a church function where there was someone attending who couldn’t have any lactose. These cookies tasted just brownies! They were rich, chewy, and chocolaty!

Chewy Brownie Cookies

Ingredients:

Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray

1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

2/3 cup Crisco® Butter Shortening

OR 2/3 stick Crisco® Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening Sticks

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose Flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 (12 oz.) package semi-sweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

Powdered sugar (optional)

Directions:

Heat oven to 350ºF. Coat baking sheets with no-stick cooking spray.

Beat brown sugar, shortening, water and vanilla with electric mixer at medium speed until well blended. Beat in eggs. Combine flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda. Mix into shortening mixture at low speed just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded measuring tablespoonsful 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until cookies are set. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Place on cooling rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Tip: Other combinations of chips may be used, such as 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup white chocolate chips, or 1 cup peanut butter chips and 1 cup of chocolate chips, or 1 cup chopped nuts and 1 cup of chocolate chips.

Source: Crisco Website

Wicked Good Boston Cream Pie

Boston Cream Pie: fluffy cake, creamy custard, and rich chocolate ganache—what’s not to love?!? I’ve always loved Boston Cream Pie, and I have wanted to make one for a while now and man am I glad that I did! I made this for Sunday family dinner and everyone seemed to love it…and so what if I messed up a little on spreading the chocolate ganache, it was delicious none the less.

Have you ever wondered about the history of Boston Cream Pie like I have? I found this article both informative and interesting.

 

Wicked Good Boston Cream Pie

Ingredients:

For the pastry cream:
2 cups half-and-half
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar
Pinch table salt
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into four pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the cake:
1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon table salt
3/4 cup whole milk
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) sugar

For the glaze:
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine

Directions:

For the pastry cream:
Heat half-and-half in medium saucepan over medium heat until just simmering.  Meanwhile, whisk yolks, sugar, and salt in medium bowl until smooth.  Add flour to yolk mixture and whisk until incorporated.  Remove half-and-half and, whisking constantly, slowly add 1/2 cup to yolk mixture to temper.  Whisking constantly, return tempered yolk mixture to half-and-half in saucepan.

Return saucepan to medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens slightly, about 1 minute.  Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, whisking constantly, 8 minutes.

Increase heat to medium and cook, whisking vigorously, until bubbles burst on surface, 1 to 2 minutes.  Remove saucepan from heat; whisk in butter and vanilla until butter is melted and incorporated.  Strain pastry cream through fine-mesh strainer set over medium bowl.  Press lightly greased parchment paper directly on surface and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

For the cake:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees.  Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment.  Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl.  Heat milk and butter in small saucepan over low heat until butter is melted.  Remove from heat, add vanilla, and cover to keep warm.

In stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip eggs and sugar at high speed until light and airy, about 5 minutes.  Remove mixer bowl from stand.  Add hot milk mixture and whisk by hand until incorporated.  Add dry ingredients and whisk until incorporated.

Working quickly, divide batter evenly between prepared pans.  Bake until tops are light brown and toothpick inserted in center of cakes comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes.

Transfer cakes to wire rack and cool completely in pan, about 2 hours.  Run small plastic knife around edge of pans, then invert cakes onto wire rack.  Carefully remove parchment, then reinvert cakes.

To assemble:
Place one cake round on large plate.  Whisk pastry cream briefly, then spoon onto center of cake.  Using offset spatula, spread evenly to cake edge.  Place second layer on pastry cream, bottom side up, making sure layers line up properly.  Press lightly on top of cake to level.  Refrigerate cake while preparing glaze.

For the glaze:
Bring cream and corn syrup to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat.  Remove from heat and add chocolate.  Whisk gently until smooth, 30 seconds.  Let stand, whisking occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes.

Pour glaze onto center of cake.  Use offset spatula to spread glaze to edge of cake, letting excess drip decoratively down sides.  Chill finished cake 3 hours before slicing.  Cake may be made up to 24 hours before serving.

Yields 10-12 servings.

Source: Cook’s Illustrated, March/April 2011

Multigrain Bread

In the past yeast breads have been my nemesis, but not after this recipe! It was so easy to follow and it included techniques that I haven’t tried or seen before.  The bread will store at room temperature for 3 days, but trust me…it’ll be long gone before then!

 

Multigrain Bread

Ingredients:

Why this recipe works: Although multigrain bread often has great flavor, the quantity of ingredients weighs it down so much that the loaf becomes as dense and as heavy as a brick. On the other end of the spectrum are loaves with a nice, light sandwich-style texture but so little grain that they’re hard to distinguish from plain old white bread. We wanted a multigrain bread with both great flavor and balanced texture.

Our first challenge was to develop more gluten (a protein made when flour and water are mixed and that gives baked goods structure) in the dough, as early tests showed that the whole grains were impeding its development. Because the protein content of any flour is an indicator of how much gluten it will produce, we thought first to switch out all-purpose flour for higher-protein bread flour, but this move only made the bread chewier, not less dense. The solution was twofold: long kneading preceded by an autolyse, a resting period just after the initial mixing of water and flour that gives flour time to hydrate. This combination also made the dough less tacky and therefore easier to work with. The result was a loaf that baked up light yet chewy, without being tough. To incorporate grains into the bread, we hit upon a convenient, one-stop-shopping alternative: packaged seven-grain hot cereal. To soften the grains, we made a thick porridge with the cereal before adding it to the dough. A final step of rolling the shaped loaves in oats yielded a finished, professional look.
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1 ¼ C 7-grain hot cereal mix(I used Bob’s Red Mill)

2 ½ C boiling water

3 C unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting work surface

1 ½ C whole wheat flour

4 T honey

4 T unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly

2 1/2 t instant yeast

1 T table salt

3/4 C pumpkin seeds or unsalted sunflower seeds, (I used sunflower seeds)

1/2 C old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats

Instructions:

Place cereal mix in bowl of standing mixer and pour boiling water over it; let stand, stirring occasionally, until mixture cools to 100 degrees and resembles thick porridge, about 1 hour. Whisk flours in medium bowl.

Once grain mixture has cooled, add honey, melted butter, and yeast and stir to combine. Attach bowl to standing mixer fitted with dough hook. With mixer running on low speed, add flours, 1/2 cup at a time, and knead until dough forms ball, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes; cover bowl with plastic and let dough rest 20 minutes. Add salt and knead on medium-low speed until dough clears sides of bowl, 3 to 4 minutes (if it does not clear sides, add 2 to 3 tablespoons additional all-purpose flour and continue mixing); continue to knead dough for 5 more minutes. Add seeds and knead for another 15 seconds. Transfer dough to floured work surface and knead by hand until seeds are dispersed evenly and dough forms smooth, taut ball. Place dough into greased container with 4-quart capacity; cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled, 45 to 60 minutes.

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray two 9 by 5-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and pat into 12 by 9-inch rectangle; cut dough in half crosswise with knife or bench scraper. With short side facing you, starting at farthest end, roll dough piece into log. Keep roll taut by tucking it under itself as you go. To seal loaf, pinch seam gently with thumb and forefinger. Spray loaves lightly with water or nonstick cooking spray. Roll each dough log in oats to coat evenly. Place loaf seam-side down in greased loaf pan, pressing gently into corners. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled in size, 30 to 40 minutes. (Dough should barely spring back when poked with knuckle.) Bake until internal temperature registers 200 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove loaves from pans and cool on wire rack before slicing, about 3 hours.

Makes two 9 by 5-inch loaves

Note: Bread can be wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for 3 days; wrap with an additional layer of aluminum foil and the bread can be frozen for up to one month.

Source: Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

Quick and Easy Cream Biscuits

These biscuits come together so easily and without any fancy equipment. I don’t know about you, but until this recipe I haven’t been able to get my biscuits to come out correctly…they usually end up resembling hockey pucks rather than biscuits. BUT, this recipe has changed all of that!

Quick and Easy Cream Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 C unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for the counter

2 t granulated sugar

2 t baking powder

1/2 t table salt

1 1/2 C heavy cream

Directions:

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Stir in the cream with a wooden spoon until dough forms, about 30 seconds. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and gather into a ball. Knead the dough briefly until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Shape the dough into a 3/4-inch-thick circle by placing the dough into a 9-inch round cake pan and press the dough into the pan until it’s evenly distributed. Then, flip the pan over to get the dough out onto the countertop. If your dough doesn’t come out easily then it’s too sticky and you’ll have to knead some more flour into it.  Cut biscuits into rounds (I used a glass because I don’t have a biscuit cutter). Place rounds on parchment-lined baking sheet. (The baking sheet can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 hours if needed.) Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking.

Makes Eight 2 1/2-Inch Biscuits

Source: America’s Test Kitchen

Not Yo' Momma's Broccoli-Cheese Soup

Seriously, could I love America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Illustrated any more than I already do? Their recipes are always amazing and spot-on, and this one is no exception. When I saw this recipe in the newest Cook’s Illustrated magazine I knew I needed to make it ASAP. I love how the article states that Broccoli-Cheese soups usually hide the star of the soup, broccoli, by basically being a cream of cheese soup with broccoli instead of making broccoli the star of the dish. This recipe definitely makes broccoli the star of the dish and uses no cream or milk in the soup, and the cheese is used to enhance the broccoli instead of mask it. This is not yo’ momma’s broccoli-cheese soup!

I love how bright and vibrant this soup is. Wouldn’t it be the perfect soup for St. Patrick’s Day?!?

Broccoli-Cheese Soup

Ingredients

2 T unsalted butter

2 pounds frozen broccoli florets

1 medium onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)

2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press

1 1/2 t dry mustard powder

pinch of cayenne pepper

table salt

3-4 C water

1/4 t baking soda

2 C low-sodium chicken broth

2 ounces baby spinach

3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (3/4 cup)

1 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated fine, plus extra for serving

Directions:

Heat butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When foaming subsides, add broccoli, onion, garlic, dry mustard, cayenne, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 8 minutes. Add 1 cup of water and baking soda. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until broccoli is very soft, about 20 minutes, stirring once during cooking.

Add broth and 2 cups of water and increase heat to medium-high. When mixture begins to simmer, stir in spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Transfer half of soup to blender, add cheddar and Parmesan, and process until smooth, about 1 minute. (Be sure to hold the lid on tight when blending warm liquids!)Transfer soup to a medium bowl and repeat with remaining soup. Return soup to the Dutch oven, and place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Adjust consistency of the soup with up to 1 cup of water. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve right away. Top with croutons and cheddar or parmesan cheese if you’d like.

If you’re serving this soup as your main dish with a salad, it will serve 4 hungry adults.

Source: Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce

These were quick, easy, and super yummy. I used leftover rotisserie chicken and it made it even easier. Now they didn’t turn out as pretty as I’d like, but I believe that’s because I crowded the pan with too many enchiladas. Next time I’ll only have 8 in each pan instead of 10 and see what happens.

Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce

Ingredients

8-10 soft taco size flour tortillas
2 C shredded Monterrey jack cheese, divided
2 C shredded cooked chicken
3 T butter
3 T flour
2 C chicken broth
1 C sour cream
2 (4 oz) cans diced green chiles
Chopped, fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix together 1 cup of the cheese and the chicken. Place an equal amount of the chicken mixture into each tortilla.  Roll up and place seam side down in a lightly greased, 9 x 13-inch pan.

In a skillet or saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, whisking until smooth. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Stir in the sour cream and green chiles. Pour sauce over the top of the enchiladas; sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro, if desired.

Source: Adapted from Let’s Dish