Tortilla Soup and New Recipes for New Year

This weekend we are headed into some very chilly weather.  We still don't have any snow, but it is quite cold in the mornings and evenings.  I plan on staying indoors as much as possible, getting some painting done inside our home with more fun accent color walls, taking down all our Christmas decor, and eating comforting meals, all while diving into my new Christmas presents' cookbooks.

This soup is so light, incredibly fast and easy, but packed with flavor.  My sister-in-law Cathy got our family hooked on this soup and we make it at least once a month.  So, if you over did it in the calorie department this holiday season, you won't have to feel guilty about devouring this at all!

My boss gave me Whiskey In A Teacup (she knows me so well!) and my husband gave me Cast-Iron Cooking complete with a new cast iron skillet and the cutest little silicone egg rings, so I can make my own "mcmuffins" to go!  I am looking forward to some down time in front of my fireplace, with morning coffee (maybe even "Irish Coffee" with a wee taste of  whiskey and whipped cream added) and cookbook time this weekend.

Tortilla Soup

Courtesy of (and adapted from) FoodNetwork.com

2 Tbl vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 chipotle in adobo sauce, minced

1 Tbl chili powder

2 tsp salt

6 cups chicken broth, low-sodium

1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen and thawed (I use Trader Joe's frozen roasted corn)

1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

1 ripe tomato, chopped

1 cup shredded cooked chicken

1/2 cup cilantro leaves (optional)

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes)

about a dozen corn tortilla chips

Optional Toppings:

mini Santa Fe style tortilla strips

lime wedges

sour cream

Mexican shredded cheddar cheese

fresh avocado, slices

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion, garlic, chipotle, chili powder, and salt and cook until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.  Add the chicken broth, bring to a boil, reduce the heat slightly, and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.  Add the corn, black beans, tomato, and chicken and cook for 5 minutes more.

Pull the saucepan from the heat and stir in the cilantro and lime juice.  Divide the tortilla chips among 4 warmed bowls, ladle the soup on top, and serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Two Years Ago: Winter White Cosmopolitan

Three Years Ago: Stuffed Mushrooms

Four Years Ago: Greek Chicken Salad

Five Years Ago: Surf and Turf

Sending You Love and Best Dishes

This year's family Christmas card comes to you a little old school...we went with a very June Cleaver (esque) setting.

Sending you love and best dishes from our home to yours.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and New Year to you!

Two Years Ago: Winter White Cosmopolitan
Three Years Ago: Stuffed Mushrooms
Four Years Ago: Blueberry-Banana Muffins
Five Years Ago: Classic Prime Rib

Bang Bang Shrimp and David Benoit

This week we had the pleasure of seeing one of my favorite performers.  My husband had never seen David Benoit in concert.  I saw him about twenty years ago in Los Angeles and still treasure his music.  We even played his famous "Linus and Lucy" for our wedding recessional song.  My husband's birthday was approaching and I thought I would just search out concerts for his present.  I couldn't believe it...David Benoit's Charlie Brown Christmas Concert was in town only 40 minutes from our house!  Front row, center tickets!!!  What a wonderful evening we had with our friends!

For our pre-concert festivities, we all met at our home first for cocktails and appetizers.  One of my latest addictions is Bonefish Grill's Bang Bang Shrimp.  I found many "copycat" recipes out there and did a couple alterations.  I could eat these all day...every day!!!

David Benoit's stage complete with Linus' mini piano and Charlie Brown's tree!

Timely enough, I also received my mom's beautiful, creative and colorful floral arrangement that was the perfect centerpiece for our party!  Thank you mom!!!

Copycat Bang Bang Shrimp

Adapted from dinnerthendessert.com

1 pound shrimp shelled and deveined, tails removed

1/2 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup cornstarch

canola or peanut oil for frying

Place shrimp and buttermilk in a medium bowl and coat the shrimp well.  Drain the buttermilk, and shake off the excess.

Coat the shrimp pieces in cornstarch and set aside.

Heat oil in a deep skillet to 375 degrees.  Once the oil is hot, fry the shrimp for 2 minutes on each side until they are a light golden brown.  Remove the cooked shrimp and put on a plate lined with paper towels and pat any extra oil.

**  I served them at this point with a side of remoulade sauce.

*** If you want to make the true "Bang Bang" version, here is the sauce:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup Sriracha hot sauce

2 Tbl Thai Sweet Chili Sauce

1 Tbl honey

Mix sauce ingredients and set aside while you are frying the shrimp.  Once the shrimp is cooked and oil drained off, toss the shrimp in the sauce and serve immediately.

Two Years Ago: Winter White Cosmopolitan

Three Years Ago: Stuffed Mushrooms

Four Years Ago: Blueberry-Banana Muffins

Five Years Ago: Rouladen

Chicken in Tarragon Cream Sauce and Bad Children

We are less than one week for Christmas...are you ready?!?!  We are a little late to the party and just got our tree this week.  Not much of a selection, but it's done, decorated, and gifts placed under, thanks to my two girls.  Now if I can just keep Princess Brinkley to stop taking ornaments off tree and shredding them!)

Last week (again late to the party), we did our family photo for this year's Christmas card.  I went with a "Leave It To Beaver", June Cleaver(esque) theme this year, which will be posted next week.

We finished our photo, went out for a quick dinner with the girls, and sent them on their way back home.  After they left, I went into our home office to upload the family photos so I could select which one came out as best as possible...given it was late, and we were all getting very "hangry"!

The last photo that loaded was this "little gem" from my practical joker daughters! While I was changing clothes, they sneaked in their own portrait together to surprise me.  I'm thinking definitely more coal in their stockings this year!

While I was cleaning my kitchen for the family photo, I was also reorganizing and straightening my cookbooks.  I came across this chicken dish from March 2006!! I had completely forgotten about this one and it is so very good!!!  You know it's good because there is sauce all over the recipe page...right?!  It comes together so fast (if you're also busy cleaning up shredded ornaments), and has incredible depth in richness and flavor.  

Chicken in Tarragon Cream Sauce, White and Wild Rice with Walnuts

Courtesy of Rachel Ray

1 package, 5 to 7 ounces, white and wild rice, cooked to package directions - either chicken or herb flavors are fine.

2 Tbl extra virgin olive oil, 2 turns of pan

Salt and pepper

4 pieces, 8 ounces each, bonelss, skinless chicken breast

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup water

1 Tbl tomato paste

1 Tbl chopped fresh tarragon leaves, plus extra for garnish

1/2 cup heavy cream, half-and-half, or sour cream

1/4 cup package chopped walnuts, toasted (I'm allergic to walnuts, so substituted with slivered almonds)

2 Tbl chopped fresh parsley leaves

Cook rice according to package directions.

Preheat extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Brown and cook chicken, 5 minutes on each side.  Remove chicken to a plate and cover.  Reduce heat a bit.  Add vinegar and water, scrape up pan drippings.  Stir in tomato paste, cream, half-and-half or sour cream and tarragon.  Remove from heat.

Toss nuts and parsley with cooked rice.  Slice chicken on an angle and arrange on a bed of rice.  Top with sauce, garnish with fresh parsley and serve.

Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Two Years Ago:  Whipped Shortbread Cookies

Three Years Ago: Holly Jolly Bark

Four Years Ago: A Taste of Alaska Bacon Jam

Five Years Ago: Steak Marsala

Eggnog Tea Cookies

Last night was our firm's holiday party.  One of the partners hosted it at her home, complete with full bar, appetizers and a lovely dinner for everyone.  Knowing how much I love to bake, she asked if I would bring a plate of cookies for dessert....true to my personality (and how could anyone really decide on just one flavor of cookie)...I made 7 different dessert platters!

I knew she was going to be serving eggnog, 2 versions with and without alcohol.  I have never tasted eggnog, due to my intermittent lactose issues.  However, I stumbled on these eggnog cookies in my 2010 Cuisine At Home Holiday Baking issue.  I knew there was a reason I hang on to these back issues!

Since we are not rum drinkers, I had to sprint to our local liquor store for the cutest little bottle of rum.  Captain Jack Sparrow would be so proud of me!

I made "my" famous Starbuck's Cranberry Bliss Bars.  I also made Chocolate Caramel Toffee Bites (post coming soon), Shortbread Lemon Bars, Strawberry Tiramisu Bites (post also coming soon).

As we have a few gluten free staff, I stepped out of my comfort zone box and transformed a couple of my go to holiday dishes to gluten free.  For my Holiday Cake Cookies, I substituted the white/vanilla cake mix with Pillsbury's Gluten Free Yellow cake mix.  I then also substuted the M&M candies with mint chocolate chips...these were awesome!!!

The other dish was my Holiday Bark.  I subsituted the Oreos with gluten free chocolate cream wafers and also went to gluten free pretzel sticks.  Since I was channeling my inner Burl Ives, we had a "silver and gold" theme...which by the way I cannot get that song out of my head now!  Anyway I digress, I did silver and gold M&M candies and sprinkles for the bark.

After two days of baking and taste testing everything, and an unsettled stomach, I'm not going to lie....I can do without desserts for a long time.

Since I don't know what eggnog tastes like, everyone said they loved these cookies!

Eggnog Tea Cookies with Butter Rum Icing

Adapted from Cuisine At Home

For The Cookies

2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp. grated or ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. table slat

2 stick unsalted butter, softened (1 cup)

3/4 granulated sugar

1 egg

2 tsp. vanilla extract

For The Icing

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

2 Tbl unsalted butter, melted

2 Tbl milk

1/4 tsp rum flavoring or light rum

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Stir flour, nutmeg and salt together for the cookies in a bowl; set aside.  

Cream 2 sticks butter and granulated sugar together in another bowl with a mixer until smooth.  Add egg and vanilla; beat until incorporated, then mix in the flour mixture just until blended.  cover and chill dough for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

Roll dough into 1-1/2 " balls.  Arrange in prepared baking sheets spacing 2 inches apart.  Bake 10 minutes, or until firm to the touch and light brown on the edges.  Transfer to a rack to cool.

Blend powdered sugar, 2 Tbl butter, milk, and rum together for icing, using a hand mixer.  Frost cooled cookies, then sprinkle with gold sugar.

Two Years Ago: Mediterranean Flatbread

Three Years Ago: Holly Jolly Bark

Four Years Ago: A Taste of Alaska Bacon Jam

Five Years Ago: Almond Joy Cookies

Blue Flurry for "Grandma Getting Run Over By A Reindeer"

You all know the song...even though I am officially known as "Nana Suzie", I think this song is fitting given what I recently went through.  Grandma (Nana) actually did get run over by a reindeer...well, it was really more of a T-bone hit!

By now you have all read about my deer saga / incident / terror!  It has been thirty days to the day that Mr. Deer tried to kill me on my way to work.  Last night I picked up my car, all done and back to it's normal state (without the piece of antler stuck in the windshield)...you can still see it in the photo.

I have to give a shout-out to USAA Auto Insurance, Gerber Collision Center and Enterprise Rent-a-Car in Longmont, Colorado!  All three of these companies handled my claim with such professionalism and courtesy.  (Which given my emotional state when the accident happened, was not an easy task).  They all kept their word and stuck to the schedule.  Thank you so much to everyone there who helped me!

Blue Flurry

Compliments of "The Cocktail Project" (not my project, but someone else...although I like the idea!)

1/2 part vodka

1/2 part DeKuyper Blue Curacao Liqueur

3 parts pineapple juice

1/2 part cream of coconut

4 parts ice

light corn syrup

shredded coconut

In a blender, blend ice, pineapple juice, blue curacao, vodka and cream of coconut until desired consistency is reached.  

Rim the glasses;  Pour a thin layer of corn syrup onto a plate and dip the rims into the corn syrup, then dip in coconut flakes.

** Since my daughters stole my blender for their apartment, I had to do all this in our martini shaker and pour the drink over ice.  Not as pretty as it could be, but it did the trick just fine...twice...well, actually three times!

Enjoy responsibly and stay safe out there!

Two Years Ago: Zucchini Lasagna Roll-Ups

Three Years Ago: Holly Jolly Buckets

Four Years Ago: Pecan Pie Bites

Five Years Ago: World's Best Lasagna