Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup

This interesting recipe comes from the now defunct Gourmet magazine's December 2008 edition. You make your own stock for this one, so the recipe does take some time, but it's well worth it. The addition of sweet potatoes is different, but I actually liked it. I ended up using white rice because that's all I had, but try it with brown, I think it would be better.

Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup

For stock:

3 carrots, coarsely chopped

3 celery ribs, coarsely chopped

2 onions, coarsely chopped

1 whole chicken (about 3 1/2 lb.)

1 head garlic, halved crosswise

3 1/2 qt. cold water

25 cilantro stems

2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California

For Soup:

3 whole allspice

1 whole clove

1/2 tsp. cumin seeds

1/4 tsp. black peppercorns

1 medium white onion, chopped

2 Tbsp. chipotles in adobo, finely chopped, plus 1 Tbsp. adobo sauce

1 cup short grain brown rice

1 1/2 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

20 (7 to 8 inch) corn tortillas

6 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 (15 to 19 oz) can black beans, rinsed

2 firm-ripe avocados

2 limes, cut into wedges

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Make stock: Bring all stock ingredients to a boil with 2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. black pepper in an 8 to 10 qt. heavy pot, thin skim foam.

reduce heat and gently simmer, uncovered, skimming foam occasionally, 2 3/4 hours.

Transfer chicken to a cutting board, then pour stock through fine mesh sieve into a large bowl and discard solids. Reserve 1 cup stock and return remainder to cleaned pot.

Finish Soup: Toast spices in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, shaking occasionally, until fragrant and a shade darker, about two minutes.

Transfer spices to a blender along with onion, garlic, chipotles with adobo, 2 1/2 tsp. salt and reserved stock. Blend until smooth and spices are ground. (use caution blending with hot liquid)

Add puree to stock in pot along with rice and sweet potatoes and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer, covered, until sweet potatoes and rice are tender, about 45 minutes.

While soup simmers, discard skin and bones from chicken and cut or shred meat into bite size pieces.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds. Stack tortillas and cut into 1/4 inch thick strips, then toss with oil. Spread in one layer on 2 large baking sheets and season with salt. Bake, stirring frequently and switching sheet positions halfway through, until deep golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes.

When rice and potatoes are tender add chicken and beans to soup and simmer, uncovered, until just heated through.

Meanwhile, quarter avocados lengthwise.

Season soup with salt and pepper, serve with lime wedges, cilantro, avocados and tortillas.

Roasted Tomatillo Sauce

This is an interesting, but good, sauce. It has a slightly sour kick from the tomatillos, but not in a bad way. The flavors just explode in your mouth. A nice twist on a pasta dish. This recipe came from the August 2009 edition of Cuisine at Home.



Roasted Tomatillo Sauce



1 lb. tomatillos, husks removed
6 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
8 oz. dry pasta
4 cups loosely packed spinach
2 Tbsp. low sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp. fresh oregano leaves
2 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
Pecorino Romano cheese shavings


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place tomatillos and garlic in a bowl; add oil and toss to coat. Pour into a baking dish; roast for 35 minutes.

Cook pasta according to box.

Place tomatillos in food processor; add spinach, broth, herbs, sugar, salt and pepper flakes. Process until sauce is blended.

Drain pasta; transfer to a bowl with tomatoes. Add sauce and toss to coat. garnish each serving with cheese shavings.

Eggnog Spice Bundt Cake

Sorry about the picture, it's not that good, but this cake is. I came across this recipe in a Sun Times magazine called Relish. Very simple cake to make, but a little too nutty for me. If you want, you can omit the nuts or go with a smaller amount. It actually might taste great with a caramel-pecan type sauce over the top, just a thought for next time. This cake would make a nice addition to a Thanksgiving table.


Eggnog Spice Bundt Cake


1 (181/4 oz.) box spice cake mix
1 (4-serving) box instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup lite eggnog
1 egg
3 egg whites
1 1/3 cups toasted chopped pecans
Powdered sugar


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a nonstick Bundt pan with cooking spray.

Combine cake mix, pudding mix, yogurt, oil, eggnog, egg and egg whites in a large bowl. Mix until creamy.

Stir in pecans. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. When cool, dust with powdered sugar.

Beer-Batter Cheese Bread

This is a simple and delicious bread. It's great with chili and slices well for sandwiches. This recipe comes from the December/January 2008 Cook's Country.


Beer-Batter Cheese Bread


8 oz. Gruyere cheese, 4 oz. cubed into 1/4 inch squares and 4 oz. shredded
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 (12 oz) light-bodied beer, such as Budweiser
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted


Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat to 375 degrees. Grease 9 by 5-inch loaf pan.

Combine cheese, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and pepper in large bowl. Stir in beer and mix until well combined. Pour into loaf pan, spreading batter to corners. Drizzle melted butter evenly over top.

Bake until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Insert toothpick in a couple of places, you may hit a pocket of cheese which will resemble uncooked batter. Cool in pan for 5 minutes., then turn out onto rack to cool. Cool completely before slicing.

Lasagne In Bianco

I came across this recipe in my pile of clippings and thought I would finally give it a try. For some reason, the no-boil egg lasagne sheets, gave this recipe an overwhelming eggy flavor. This would be worth trying again with regular lasagne noodles.

Lasagne In Bianco

1 large shallot, minced,

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 stick unsalted butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg

3 3/4 cups whole milk

1 cup chicken stock

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup dry Marsala

1/2 tsp. fine sea salt

1/4 lb. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 cup) divided

12 (7 by 13) no-boil egg lasagne noodles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. with rack in center.

Cook shallot and garlic in butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes. Add flour and cook over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, 3 minutes. Add nutmeg, then slowly whisk in milk and stock. Bring to a boil, whisking, then simmer, stirring occasionally, just until sauce lightly coats the back of spoon, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool to warm, stirring occasionally. Stir in eggs, Marsala, sea salt, 1/2 tsp. black pepper and 1/2 cup cheese.

Spread about 1 1/4 cups sauce over bottom of 11 by 8 inch baking dish. Cover with a layer of 3 lasagne sheets. Repeat layering 3 more times. then top with remaining sauce and cheese. Bake uncovered, until browned, 45 to 55 minutes.

Pumpkin Doodles

I thought I had a picture of these cookies, but it seems to have disappeared as fast as the cookies did. This recipe was in the KC Star Magazine a few weeks back and seemed like the perfect cookie for the season. Snickerdoodles are my all time favorite cookies and these pumpkin based ones are just as good as the originals. They went as fast at work as the did at home, so I assume everyone else liked them too.

Pumpkin Doodles

Beat 8 ounces softened, unsalted butter on medium speed. Add 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar and 1/2 cup canned pumpkin. Beat until fluffy. Add 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Mix well. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1 large egg.Beat until well mixed. Add 3 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour in 2 increments, beating until just incorporated. Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix 1/3 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Remove half of dough and roll in 1 1/2 inch balls. Roll in sugar mixture, coating all sides. Place on cookie sheet covered in parchment paper 2 inches apart. Bake 12 to 14 minutes. Allow to cool 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack.

Pasta w/ Fresh Tomatoes, Basil and Brie

I found this recipe in my Aug/Sept 2009 Cooking Pleasures magazine and decide to prepare it, because it was so similar to my own no cook sauce, but with the added pleasure of Brie. It turned out that I did not care so much for the Brie after all. The cheese overpowered the rest of the dish, but it was a nice alternative.

Pasta w/Fresh Tomatoes, Basil and Brie

1 cup diced tomatoes

1 garlic clove minced

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

4 oz. pasta

3 oz. Brie, chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Combine tomato, garlic, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

Cook pasta according to package; drain. Toss pasta with tomatoes, Brie and basil.