Day 339: Fiesta Chicken Chowder

I made this soup for dinner last night.  I came together quickly which is great because its been chaos at our house lately.  I adapted this recipe from a Taste of Home magazine.

Fiesta Chicken Chowder
12" dutch oven

3 Tbs. flour
1 envelope fajita seasoning, divided
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
3 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups water
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14 oz.) can rotel, undrained
1 (11 oz.) can mexicorn, drained
1 cup uncooked instant rice
1 (11 oz.) can nacho cheese soup
3 Tbs. minced fresh cilantro
1 Tbs. lime juice

In a large resealable bag, combine the flour and 2 Tbs. fajita seasoning.  Add the chicken and shake well to coat.  In a 12" dutch oven over a full spread of coals, saute the chicken in oil until juices run clear.  Remove and keep warm.  In the same pot, saute onion and garlic until the onion is tender.  Stir in the water, beans, tomatoes, corn, rice and remaining seasoning.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and move about 1/4 of the coals to the lid of the dutch oven and simmer until rice is tender.  Stir in the soup, cilantro, lime juice and chicken.  Heat thoroughly.  Serves about 10.

The Finished Product

The Review

I wasn't sure what to expect from this soup when I started making it.  But I know I didn't expect it to be as good as it was, especially considering it has canned soup in it.  It is spicy and cheesy and yummy.  Even my kids ate it and liked it.  It wasn't overly spicy which was great for my little ones.  I'll make this again.  Grade B+.

Day 338: Tres Leches Cake

I thought I'd do something new for Sunday dessert.  I've eaten tres leche cake, but never made it.  This recipe comes for the Southern Cakes cookbook.

Tres Leches Cake
10" dutch oven

Cake:


1 cup + 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
6 Tbsp. cocoa powder
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cups (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

Three Milks:

1 cup milk
1 cup evaporated milk
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 oz. melted chocolate or chocolate syrup (optional)

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa and baking powder and stir with a fork to mix.  In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar and beat with a mixer at high speed to mix well.  Adds the eggs one at a time, beating well each time and stopping to scrape down the bowl now and then until the mixture is light, fluffy and smooth. Add the vanilla.  Add one third of the flour mixture and then half the milk, beating at low speed each time just until the flour or milk disappears into the batter. Add another third of the flour and the remaining milk, then the remaining flour in the same way.

Pour the batter into a well greased dutch oven and bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes (mine took 40 mins), until the cake is golden brown, springs back when touched lightly in the center and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.   Use 1 1/2 rings on top and 1 ring on the bottom.

While the cake bakes, make the milk sauce. You want the cake to still be warm when you add the milk mixture.

Milk Sauce:

Combine the milk, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and the semisweet chocolate or chocolate syrup (if using) in a small dutch oven over a full spread of coals. Heat gently, stirring often until the mixture forms a smooth, steaming hot sauce. Do not let it come to a boil.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes before using.

Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Poke holes with a toothpick all over the cake.  Slowly pour the warm milk sauce over the warm cake, in stages stopping to let the cake absorb the sauce before adding more. You may not need it all but you can add more later if you need it.

Let the cake stand at room temperature for one hour before covering and refrigerating. (I let it chill overnight, but a few hours is plenty). Top with cocoa whipped cream (recipe below) and serve it straight from the pan.

Cocoa Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup confectioners sugar
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

In a medium bowl, combine heavy cream, sugar and cocoa powder. Mix at medium speed til creamy and fluffy, but don't over beat or you'll be left with a curdled mess.

Top the cooled tres leches cake with the sweetened cocoa cream.

The Finished Product

 

 
The Review
 
This was really good!  The cake was so moist its ridiculous.  The whole family loved it.  Be sure to plan ahead and let it chill for a few hours.  We ate it warm, but it was better once it had chilled for a while.  If you want an easy dessert that is out of the ordinary, then try this!  Grade A.

Day 337: Tex Mex Rice

My Internet has finally quit throwing a fit and decided to get back to work.  Its one of the problems of living where I do...constant Internet problems.  I only have time for 1 post tonight, but I'll catch up tomorrow.  Thanks for your patience! 

I've been looking for the perfect Mexican rice recipe for a while now.  I think I've tried at least 4 different ones just this year.  But I think my search is over, at least temporarily

Tex Mex Rice
10" dutch oven

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
1 poblano or aneheim chile , seeded and chopped fine
2 jalapeño chiles, seeded and chopped fine
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Salt

Process tomatoes in food processor until smooth; set aside. (I left a few chunk just because I like it that way)Place rice in fine-mesh strainer set over large bowl. Rinse under running water until water runs clear, about 1 minute. Drain rice well.

Heat oil in Dutch oven over a full spread of coals until shimmering. Add onion, poblano, and jalapeños and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir rice, cumin, and oregano into pot and cook, stirring frequently, until rice is deep golden, 5 to 6 minutes.

Add broth, processed tomatoes, and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to boil. Cover and move about 1/4 of the coals from the bottom to the top.  Simmer until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Fluff with fork and season with salt. Serves 6-8.

The Finished Product

 
 

 
The Review
 
For now, this is my favorite Mexican rice recipe.  It has great flavor and is perfect with any Mexican dish.  I may use the leftovers in burritos.  This isn't bland like so many of the recipes I've tried.  You could skip rinsing the rice, but it does make it fluffier.  This is my new favorite.  Grade A-.

Day 336: Spinach Gratin

 Good morning!  I know I'm late, so this will be a quick post!

 Spinach Gratin
12" dutch oven

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
4 cups minced yellow onions, about 2 large onions
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups milk
3 pounds frozen chopped spinach, defrosted (5 (10-ounce) packages)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1 tablespoon kosher salt (or 1/2 tablespoon table salt)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Gruyere, Swiss or Parmesan cheese

Melt the butter in a 12" dutch oven over a full spread of coals. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 2 more minutes. Add the flour and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Add the cream and milk and cook, stirring often and quickly, until thickened. Squeeze as much liquid as possible from the spinach and add the spinach to the sauce. Add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and mix well. Season, to taste, with the salt and pepper.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and the Gruyere (or Swiss or Parmesan, if using) on top. Bake for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serve hot.  Serves 8-10.

The Finished Product

The Review

Normally I really like spinach.  But I have to say that we really didn't like this at all.  I've never made creamed spinach before so I followed the directions exactly, and it just wasn't very good.  I know I've mentioned the one bite rule we have at our house.  Well, it very rarely applies to me, but it did with this.  I wish I'd had my video camera on when I made my kids take their one bite.  There were faces, gags, and even a few dry heaves.  I thought my 14 year old son was literally going to barf.  It was pretty funny.  Now if you're a spinach lover, please try this, you may love it.  I think some of the problem was that there wasn't enough of the cream sauce (or maybe I let it get to thick) and it just tasted like spinach and onions.  I may give this another try to see if the problem was operator error.  For now I give this a D, but I may upgrade it if I try it again with better results.

Day 335: Pumpkin Squares

This recipe is one of my mom's.  We would have these often in the fall.  I haven't made them in 10 or 12 years, so it was a blast from the past! 

Pumpkin Squares
12" dutch oven

1 box yellow cake mix (reserve 1 cup)
1/2 cup melted butter
1 egg

Filling

1 (29 oz.) can pumpkin
2/3 cup milk
2 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup brown sugar

Topping

1 cup reserved cake mix
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup nuts (optional)
1/4 cup butter or margarine

Mix the crust ingredients together and press into the bottom of a greased 12" dutch oven.  Mix the filling ingredients and pour over the crust.  Mix the topping and crumble over the filling.  Bake at 350° for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until filling is set.  Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.  Serves 12.

The Finished Product

I forgot to take a pic of the cut bars.  Sorry!!

The Review

These are super easy and yummy.  I have to eat them with ice cream or whipped cream because they're pretty rich.  I made them for my kids to eat after school, and they didn't last long.  I had to hide a couple of pieces or my hubby wouldn't have had any.  This was a staple fall dessert when I was a kid, so making these brought back memories!  I have to give these an A just for nostalgia, but it helps that they are really tasty!