Mexican Inspired Barley Soup

On snowy afternoons like this I get creative.  I only use ingredients I have on hand.  On normal weather days it's easy for me to run to the nearest grocery when I just need one or two more things to complete a recipe.  Not today.

Today I experimented making a soup that my husband loved so much, he's asked me to make it again after finishing his third bowl.  Thank goodness I took the time to write down the measurements.  Sometimes I just make stuff with a pinch of this, a sprinkle of that, and it never turns out the same.

I was going to leave this as a basic chicken broth recipe using thyme, rosemary and a bay leaf.  As I looked out to the snow-covered yard and yearned to be back in Cozumel, I thought the best way to add some Mexican sunshine was to add it to our lunch.

Making your own chicken stock is easier than it may sound. It gives purpose to the meaty bits from the bones instead of just throwing it away; and, the bones are what gives stock that extra hearty flavor.  But, I'm guessing store-bought stock will do the trick.

This recipe can easily be altered to a VEGAN dish.



You will need:
6 cups of chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
(that's about a box and a half of 32oz stock containers from the grocery)
makes about six 1 cup servings


Homemade Chicken Stock

1 carcass of a store-bought rotisserie chicken, including leftover skin and the juices at the bottom
4 stalks of celery, plus all the leaves in the middle
1/2 bunch of flat parsley
2 garlic cloves, crushed, sliced or diced
1 large onion, quartered with skin left on
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Soup

1/2 teaspoon of Ancho chili powder (or regular chili powder)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 lime
Salt and Pepper to taste
3/4 cup of diced carrots
3/4 cup frozen corn
3/4 cup barley

Broken tortilla chips or homemade fried tortilla slices (optional)

To make the chicken stock, place the carcass in a stock or sauce pot and fill with water until it is fully submerged.  Place on stove and turn onto the highest setting.  Add the remaining stock ingredients and get it to boil.  Turn down to medium-low (about 3-4 on a dial) for a medium simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes.  Turn down to low for a slow simmer for another 1/2 hour to 45 minutes, until the onions layers have separated and translucent and the celery is translucent and flimsy.  The liquid should also be reduced between a 1/4 to 1/2 an inch.

Use a large bowl and strainer to separate the stock from the ingredients.  Pour stock into a smaller pot.

Add the chili powder and cumin.  Squeeze in the lime juice.  Warm the stock for 10 minutes on low and stir.  After 10 minutes, taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed.  You can even add in some extra lime, ancho or cumin if you want.  The taste is up to you.

When the broth has the flavor you want, add the carrots, corn and barley.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and turn the stove to low.  Simmer for 10 minutes.

Top with crushed tortilla chips (optional), or, make your own:





Slice a flour or corn tortilla.  Place in hot oil, fry for 2-3 minutes or until brown, place on a plate with a paper towel to drain remaining oil.

Ina Garten's Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic and Penzey's Saffron Rice

Ina Garten, or the Barefoot Contessa has such easy recipes in her book, "Barefoot in Paris: Easy French Food You Can Make at Home,"I can actually say that I can cook French food well in my first attempts.  My latest endeavor was a tasty adventure into a garlic lover's dream, Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic.

40 cloves may seem like a lot, but since they are slow-roasted, it's the perfect number to achieve that mellow but sweet taste that sinks right into the chicken and makes the sauce memorable for guests at your dinner party.

Best of all, you can make this a day ahead and reheat.

Ina Garten suggests a Moroccan couscous recipe, but both of us prefer rice, so I made a saffron rice recipe from Penzey's Spices.  We thought it was the perfect accompaniment.

Though the garlic is mellow, it's still a LOT of garlic.  I suggest a mint-inspired dessert if you are serving guests.  You can't go wrong with mint chocolate chip ice cream, plain or sundaes.


Ingredients
3 whole heads garlic, about 40 cloves
2 (3 1/2-pound) chickens, cut into eighths
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
3 tablespoons Cognac, divided
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons heavy cream


Separate the cloves of garlic and drop them into a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds. Drain the garlic and peel. Set aside.

Dry the chicken with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the butter and oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. In batches, saute the chicken in the fat, skin side down first, until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Turn with tongs or a spatula; you don't want to pierce the skin with a fork. If the fat is burning, turn the heat down to medium. When a batch is done, transfer it to a plate and continue to saute all the chicken in batches. Remove the last chicken to the plate and add all of the garlic to the pot. Lower the heat and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, turning often, until evenly browned. Add 2 tablespoons of the Cognac and the wine, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pot with the juices and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until all the chicken is done.

Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sauce and the flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot. Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of Cognac and the cream, and boil for 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste; it should be very flavorful because chicken tends to be bland. Pour the sauce and the garlic over the chicken and serve hot

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chicken-with-forty-cloves-of-garlic-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

Mega Fajita Value

Wow! We had some tasty fajitas for an incredible value.

We LOVE Mexican food.  We've loved it before our only trip to Cozumel a few years ago and we now love it even more.  Fortunately we have several excellent Mexican restaurants close by.  One offers a Deluxe Fajita for Two for $18.95, about $20 with tax.

I have never seen a larger fajita skillet.  It was like a large pizza pan.  Fajitas for two?  More like fajitas for six!  Seriously!

Sizziling on top of it was a mountain combination of chicken, chorizo sausage, pork, steak,  and shrimp on the side.  I'm allergic to shellfish.  My husband was fine doing without shrimp, but the server was gracious enough to offer his shrimp to be cooked and served separately.  Also included were the signature onions, peppers and tomatoes. Thankfully, the veggies were done just to our taste - crisp and not too soggy.

It was such a value, we got a total of 13 fajitas within three days.

I already had a package of 10 flour tortillas at home, which cost .99.  I also had some shredded cheese and other items to add to them.  We were able to make EIGHT fajitas at home with the leftovers for dinner last night and lunch today.

I'm quite surprised that we got so much for leftovers.  Yes, it looked big, but we were loading up our tortillas at the restaurant, especially my husband.  I had two, he had three.

He admits that he may have been able to have one or two more fajitas at the restaurant if it wasn't for all the chips and salsa we had, plus the Queso Fundito con Chorizo - melted cheese with spicy sausage, served with soft flour tortillas.  It was so good, it should almost be illegal.

We told our server that this should be called fajitas for six.  He laughed, then told us of one customer who was a big guy, more tall and muscle than fat he says, ate a full order in one sitting, after a full basket of chips.  He then ordered fried ice cream for dessert.  Ohhhhhh my!

My Version of Buffalo Chicken Dip (lower fat, too)

After referencing a few Buffalo Chicken Dip recipes, I decided to 'wing' it on my own.  Most were similar, so I was confident in altering it a bit to suit the number of guests and their tastes.  I also took the advice from two friends who make this extremely scrumptious - use rotisserie chicken.  It's got extra flavor already baked in.  One of those friends have also poached chicken breasts (which cuts more calories).  Both friends have told me to stay away from canned chicken.  I've had this dip with canned chicken.  It's not bad if you have some on hand and need to make something in a pinch, but, fresh chicken will give it a signature 'wow' factor.

Plus, fresh is cheaper.  For example, typical dip recipes call for two cans of chicken, which are around $3 or more.  So, $6 for two cups of chicken, when you can get about 3 cups from a rotisserie chicken for around $5.

This is a spicy but smooth dish.  My choice of music was some Bossa Nova since it's like salt and pepper - it goes with almost anything.  However, this appetizer is a twist on a favorite in sports bars and corner taverns, and, you're making this for friends and family.  Play a classic favorite of yours that reminds you of good times with the folks you are making it for.

Preheat oven to 350

3 cups of shredded, rotisserie chicken.

3/4 cups light ranch dressing

3/4 cups hot sauce (I used Franks)

1 8oz package of light cream cheese.









Melt and stir cream cheese in a saucepan on low.

As it's almost smooth, add dressing and hot sauce.

Blend until smooth.

Add chicken.

Pour into shallow baking or pie dish.

Bake 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.  Don't let it get too brown, unless that's your intention.

I made this for 13 of us at Easter and it was devoured.  We didn't miss the cheese or its extra calories, as most of the recipes call for.  We enjoyed the extra kick of the extra sauce

I made this the night before and it warmed easily in my brother's microwave to serve (3 minutes, then stir, 3 minutes, stir, until hot).  And, I swear, it tasted better the next day.

This appetizer was a huge hit with my family.  And now, the secret is out that I made it with lower-fat ingredients.