Chicken Noodle Soup

The powers that be were in line when I decided to make chicken noodle soup for Sunday supper.  Overcast, thunderous, rainy and downright gloomy.  This is a recipe you can speed up or slow down. Your choice too on the spice - leave it out or add more.  Here we go...

Chicken Noodle Soup
2 cups each
   carrots, eyed
   celery, sliced
   onion, diced
4  fingerling potatoes, chunked
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 cups chicken broth
1 tsp herbs de Provence
3 cranks Black pepper
2 cranks Mediterranean Sea Salt
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp hot sauce
2 Bay  Leaves
8.8 oz German Egg noodles
1 bag washed spinach
1 tablespoon olive oil

Add carrots, celery, onions, potatoes, oil, pepper, salt, red pepper, hot sauce, herbs de Provence,  garlic & bay leaves to bottom of crock pot.  Toss together lightly.  Place chicken breasts on top and add chicken broth, cover and cook on low for 6 hours, remove chicken & add pasta & remove bay leaves, stir together, and recover for 45 minutes.  In the meantime shred chicken and hold back from the soup.  After 45 minutes add spinach & shredded chicken 10 minutes before ready to serve supper - serve with saltine crackers or cornbread, Parmesan cheese and hot sauce . Perfect for a Sunday or easy night dinner.  Adjust meat, spice & cooking time as you need - hope you enjoy!

Chili Time...

Terrace at Reynolds Plantation

First I have to share my favorite picture.  Not only is this my favorite picture, but this is also from my favorite weekend of 2010, so far.  Me & hubby at a 5 star resort in a suite on the club level on Lake Oconee filled with full moon evenings and amazing food & drinks. We shared beers and pink champagne with the squirrels. We may not go out of town often, but when we do - we do it right! Notice I said we- he is on his way to Atlanta for some stupid meeting and I am at the kitchen table blogging my Chili recipe, but then again the recipe is pretty tasty & I personally do not want to sit through a leadership class (the premise of a "Leadership class" doesn't even make since). Anyway I am pretty proud of myself!  Yesterday in between my chili and playing with my adorable doggy nephew Rudy I made my first dough ever, from scratch!  It paid off because it 

Rudy Rutland

 created yummy cinnamon rolls which I served for brunch this morning on my new china.  The recipe for these is of course The Pioneer Woman's, check out the link for the details. I definitely think my sissy, brother in law and husband enjoyed!  A family brunch is a perfect way to start off the week.  I also served fruit and the left over cheddar, onion, bacon biscuits  I prepared last night to go with our chili.  All in all a great weekend & happy The Tide and The Tigers both pulled through (we are an equal opps kind of house).
OK,  here it is - Lara's Chili ( I finished in the top three at the Chili Kick Off years ago with this - lost to the Publix team).
Lara's Chili

1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 pound ground sirloin
2 beers
1 large lime (or 2 small)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 cup, plus 1 TBS Chili powder
Kosher salt
Black pepper
28oz can Tomato puree
1 can Rotel
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
2 14oz cans Dark Red Kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 TBS red pepper flakes
1 TBS olive oil
Garnish with 1/2 red onion, minced, lime quarters, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, saltines or oyster crackers or cornbread, hot sauce, & chopped avocado
Saute onions and bell pepper in oil for about ten minutes, add 1/2 cup chili powder, cumin and cayenne pepper.  Mix well and then add the beef.  Allow beef to brown (another 10 minutes or so) and add garlic, beans, tomato puree, diced tomatoes, rotel tomatoes, 1/2 beer (do what you want with whats left), juice from 1/2 large lime or whole if small (prep the other half  or other one as garnish for finished chili), 1/2 TBS of Kosher salt & couple of cranks of black pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer & cover for about 3 hours, stirring every 20 minutes or so.  Make sure that the bottom of the chili doesn't burn & set heat on the level that ensures it. After about three hours, add 1/2 beer, 1 TBS chili powder, 1/2 TBS Kosher salt and red pepper flakes.  Bring back to a simmer and let liquid reduce for about an hour. You can also add hot sauce at this point if everyone you are serving likes it hot.  Here is the key you must serve it with a squirt of lime juice, minced red onions, chopped avocados, sour cream & cheddar cheese over crushed saltines (crackers or cornbread) - trust me you will adore!  Also please adjust the heat to your liking.  My version of chili has less meat and more beans compared to most, so please add more meat if you like.

It is in the air...

Fall is around the corner.  Of course it is going to be 96 degrees this afternoon, but it is the air. You can smell it. Yesterday my friend Josh and I started talking about how we couldn't wait for the first outside fire of the year. We sounded like goofy 5 year olds.
I will say that my local haunts are not doing anything to discourage this excitement.  After three miles and seeing some wonderful friends at the gym I headed to the Farmers Market on a mission (took the day off from work).  The "Macho" ferns in our front urns finally gave in to the offensive Alabama heat.  While looking for replacements I found these mums.  They will be that beautiful burnt auburn color. Just remember when buying your mums that they only bloom once & honestly if I didn't have empty urns I wouldn't have bought these so close to full bloom.  I know that with this heat I will have to replace them soon anyway so I went for it!

Then I went to my favorite place, The Fresh Market & was greeted by pumpkins!!!   Beautiful, gorgeous pumpkins - I came home with two and everything I need to make my chili. I will share that recipe later in the weekend.  Chili, pumpkins & mums = Hello Fall!

I also came home with these.  One thing you have to know is that I am fascinated by china - I come by it honestly (I had a strange obsession with Limoge plates as a child).  This is definitely the most affordable of my favorites - Fiesta!  I adore it - it screams funky and out of the ordinary.  It says "I don't stay inside the lines or even want to fit into the appropriate box". Color is good!!! See Jennifer - I told you I was up to something.  In my defense there was a sale, buy 4 and get the 5th free.  And the Fiesta I already had needed company.  Ok now I am off to redo my cabinets to make room for my new friends.  Happy Friday!!!

Cipriani Pasta with White Truffle Butter

This is the kind of dish you make for a very special occasion - Valentine's Day, your love's birthday, Christmas Eve.  You are done in 30 minutes and your results will be amazing. It is so wonderful that I am really not even going to suggest substitutes.  If you can not find the pasta or the white truffle butter I will come up with a different dish for you  (By the way if you can't find them at your market you can order both through amazon).  Sounds like a lot of trouble, but it is completely worth it. 

Cipriani Pasta with White Truffle Butter, serves 2
adapted from Barefoot Contessa's recipe
1 package Cipriani Pasta, pappardelle or tagliarelle
3 oz white truffle butter
1/2 cup of fat free Half & Half
Mediterranean Sea salt, fresh pepper & red pepper flakes
2 -3 oz of Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped chives

While you are bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil bring the half and half to a simmer in a large pan.  Turn the heat down to low and add butter, crank of sea salt, pepper and tiny pinch of red pepper flakes. Let butter melt and keep warm on very low heat. Cipriani pasta only takes 3 minutes to cook, watch closely, drain and add to the butter mixture & toss together.  Serve immediately garnished with the Parmesan cheese and fresh chives.

Enjoy - we do!!!
Some notes here - I find both of these items at my local Fresh Market, the pasta runs around $7.99 and the white truffle butter was 5.99.  As a testament to the amazingness of the white truffle butter - even those that can not stand mushrooms adore it!  My husband will not go near any type of mushroom, not at all.  The first time I made this I didn't disclose the truffle angle.  After he devoured his bowl and was so pitifully disappointed that there was no more to have I told him. He didn't even flinch.  Actually I was going to surprise him with this dish for Sunday Supper tonight, but when he stumbled across the pasta and the butter he caught on and I switched it to Saturday Night Dinner.
Also - go ahead and be sinful - add regular 1/2 & 1/2 or heavy cream.  The fat free variety is what I keep stocked for coffee and use in my cooking too.  If it was Christmas Eve or Valentine's I think I would go with the real thing!  I watched the movie The Holiday last Sunday & was craving this dish after listening to Kate Winslet talk about Christmas fettuccine.

Chicken Stuffed with Herbed Cheese & Basil

Chicken, risotto & green beans

This is my version of the Barefoot Contessa's Chicken with Herbed Goat Cheese . I have tried many times and I just can not stuff a chicken breast - I either pull the skin completely off or slice my hand attempting to create a "pocket" in a boneless breast. My husband says I look for accidents - I am convinced they look for me! Anyway taking a hint from the Fresh Market I have started rolling up my chicken breasts for a stuffed version.  This is really an easy weeknight meal once you get the rolling down.  Also don't worry about the number of toothpicks you use - it will vary depending on the shape of the chicken.  Some of mine only require 3 while others need many more.
Hope you enjoy!

Chicken Ready to Roll

Chicken Stuffed with Herbed Cheese & Basil, inspired by Ina Garten (serves 2)
2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
3 tablespoons herbed goat cheese, room temperature
4 fresh large basil leaves
2 teaspoons of Parmesan cheese
sea salt & pepper
olive oil
8 toothpicks
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Pound chicken between wax paper until it is a uniform thickness (doesn't have to be very thin). Add a crank of the sea salt and pepper to each   Divide the cheese between the two pieces and spread evenly over the middle of the chicken (be careful not to get too close to the edges - it will melt out easier), add 2 basil leaves & one teaspoon of Parmesan to each piece. Roll the widest end of the chicken to the narrowest.  Close openings  with toothpicks & coat outside with olive oil and a crank of pepper and sea salt.  Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 35-40 minutes and then at 425 degrees for 5-7 minutes just allowing chicken to brown.

If you can't find the herbed goat cheese you could easily substitute with plain goat cheese or cream cheese with a teaspoon or two of Herbes de Provence mixed well. If the basil is too strong for you liking just leave it out.