Creamy White Chili

Well the weather has cooled off (at least here it has), so it's time for those cool weather recipes!! This one was new to me last year and it's made the cut for my recipe book.

My recipe book was a wedding gift and it's a small (8 inches or so) 3-ring binder and inside are different sections with lined pages where you can write in recipes. So for me to make the effort of putting a recipe in there, it has to be good (although lately I've been known to just cut around a recipe and tape it to one of my pages...letting go of perfectionism one baby step at a time).

I got this recipe from a friend and it came from a cookbook but I have no idea which one. I'll type it just like the recipe says and you can adapt it as you see fit. (I'm making this for supper tonight!)


Creamy White Chili

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cans (15 1/2 oz each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth
• 2 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chilies
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
• 1/2 cup whipping cream

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Serve immediately. Yield: 7 servings.

Yum Yum Jalapeno Yum Yum

There's only so much northern "Mexican" food I can take. Being from the south, I've gotta have my spicy fix. Now granted, Stan's idea of a spicy fix is much, MUCH hotter than mine. But he humors me.

Every now and then we get a big craving for, what my side of the family calls, "Stan's Jalapenos" because well...it's his thang. Here's how you make 'em:

1. Buy, grow, beg, steal, or borrow a bunch of jalapenos (8-12 or so). They are sometimes hard to come by up here.

2. Chop off the end with the stem.


3. Slice each jalapeno in half long-ways.


4. Scoop out the seeds -n- such with a spoon. (Don't squirt yourself in the eye...not that I'd know that firsthand or anything. A-hem!)


5. Fill each half with cream cheese.


6. Sprinkle brown sugar on top of the cream cheese. Like this...








I was making these the other day and at this particular point is where I had the bright idea to take pictures and blog about it. So you missed all the other visual steps.


Mackenzie was helping. She was dishing out the brown sugar on the left...I was on the right. I like me some brown sugar! Her? Not so much. She doesn't like jalapenos either, but she asked to help and I wasn't about to question it.


And no, you dont have to have a plastic toy pony with bug-eyes watching you while you work.


Oh, and I do recommend taking off any rings from your fingers (see picture). Trust me, you do NOT want jalapeno juice settling in between your ring and finger. It burns! Like fire! Not right away...but within an hour or two. And just like if you wrote on yourself with a Sharpie marker...it just has to wear off. Again, not that I'd know that firsthand or anything.


I digress...


7. Where was I? Oh yeah...get some (thick sliced) bacon and cut all the strips in half...not length ways...just in half...so they're half as long as they used to be...whatever that's called.


8. Take one of the half-slices of bacon and wrap all the way around one stuffed jalapeno. (You can use toothpicks to keep them in place...or just wrap it so that the end is on bottom when you set it in the pan.)


9. Repeat #8 for each one. Place each wrapped jalapeno on a baking dish (with sides). I prefer to line the dish with foil (easier clean-up) and spray with cooking spray (so you're not eating little bits of foil that's stuck to your jalapeno). Like this...





10. Stick 'em in the oven. I always forget what temp...but I think I usually end up going with 400 degrees. And just bake 'em til the bacon is done. I dont remember how long it takes...probably 30-40 minutes or so. How's that for precise? The aroma is fabulous, so I can't stop myself from checking them every other minute.


I'd love to show you a picture of the finished product after they've cooked. But I lost my head and was in too much of a hurry to eat them, so taking a picture didn't even cross my mind until they were all gone. All of them. Oh, remorse. I didn't eat them ALL by myself. Stan helped. Some.

Taco Soup

Linda over at 2nd Cup of Coffee is in a desperate situation. She's got college boys storming her house soon and she needs food ideas! So this is for you, Linda...

I got this recipe from Jenni's mom back when we were in college. It was one of the few "real" foods we ate. And boy, did we eat it!

It's still a staple in my house and I get all kinds of compliments on it...here up north where they've never heard of such a (southern) thing. Taco Soup? You put tacos in a soup? No. But did I mention that it's GOOD?



Taco Soup

1 lb ground beef, browned & drained
1 can corn (I drain mine...depends on how "soupy" you want it)
1 can pinto beans
1 can Ranch Style beans (or "chili beans" will do if you can't find "Ranch Style" up north...and right now my southern readers are gasping in disbelief that Ranch Style beans aren't available everyhere....sadly, neither is Sonic or Chic-Fil-A)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can diced Rotel tomatoes
1 small can diced black olives
1 pkg taco seasoning (dry mix)
1 pkg Ranch dressing (dry mix)



Mix all ingredients & cook for 30 minutes in big pot (or cook in crock pot). To serve - crush plain Dorito or Tostito style chips in bowl, pour soup on top, sprinkle with schredded cheese.

Tummy Tempters

Edited: Ok so we've heard of re-gifting (I wont ask how many of us have actually done that...that's a whole 'nother topic!)...I'm re-posting. BooMama is doing a Soup-Tacular! Yum! Go check it out! But I had just posted this recently and I'm too lazy to actually create a whole 'nother post so I'm just re-wraping the old one and giving it away...again. Obviously the Soup-Tacular is just for, well, SOUP. But since my old re-gifted post had two recipes...the BooMama crowd gets a bonus breakfast recipe too! Enjoy!

I got nervous when I saw BooMama's Cheese Potato Soup recipe...but then I relaxed because mine is different from that one! Whew!! Thought I was actually going to have to go and find another recipe!

Ok....going Christmas shopping now. Be back...sometime...maybe!



It's recipe time! I got this first recipe from Terry when we went down south for a visit this summer. It's a fun change for breakfast and we have thoroughly enjoyed it.

Terry's Sausage Rolls

1 lb. hot sausage
1 8-oz cream cheese
2 Pillsbury crescent rolls
1 egg white, slightly beaten
poppy seeds (optional)

Brown sausage and drain. Add cream cheese and stir until melted. Flatten crescent rolls into 4 rectangles, pressing perforations together. Spread sausage mixture down center of dough. Roll up and seal. Place seam-side down on baking sheet. Brush with egg white and sprinkle poppy seeds on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until browned. Slice and serve or freeze.

To serve after freezing, thaw slightly enough to slice. Place slices on cookie sheet (standing) and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until hot.

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I got this next recipe from Mom. Gotta love recipes from the momma! Stan made this for me when I was sick and it was sooooooo yummy! (and I'm NOT a cabbage fan)

Cheese Potato Soup

8 c. water
4 cubes chicken bouillon
2 lbs. red potatoes, cubed
1 1/2 c. onion, diced
1 1/2 c. carrots, diced
1 1/2 c. celery, diced
1/2 small cabbage, diced
1 lb. Lite Velveta cheese, cubed
optional - 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

In large pot simmer all except cheese for 30 minutes or til potatoes are tender. Add cheese.