Southwest White Chili Recipe

Today at the Treehouse we are making Don Pablo’s White Chili. Don Pablo’s is a Mexican restaurant chain here in our area

and I must say most everything on the menu is pretty darn tasty! My husband loves their white chili and asked me if

I would try to duplicate the recipe. I found this version online and to be honest I think it is much better. I have made three pots of this chili in the last two weeks if this gives you any idea of how much we like it. Enjoy!

Servings: 6-8
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion peel/chop fine
2 medium garlic cloves peeled/chopped
1 medium red bell pepper chopped fine
2 cans white beans, 15 oz. each drained and rinsed (I used Bush’s cannellini beans)
4 ounces green chilies canned/diced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder, dark red
1 can low sodium chicken broth 14 1/2 ounces
1/2 pound roasted chicken breast meat cut in 1/2 inch cubes (I shredded the chicken)
2 tablespoons lime juice, fresh (I used 1 Tbs of concentrated lemon juice)
2 tablespoons cilantro minced, fresh
6 tablespoons salsa (optional) (I added screamin Mimi’s Salsa right into the pot)

I also added:
1 tbs of red pepper flakes
1 tbs of Jalapeno flakes
1 tbs of sugar

Topped with:
Sour Cream
Shredded cheddar cheese

In a large pot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and red pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes.
Stir in the white beans, chilies, cumin, chili powder and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer 10 minutes.
Stir in the chicken and simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. A tablespoon of salsa can be used to garnish each serving if chili, if desired.

Light and Crispy Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

In my opinion simple is best. I enjoy recipes that I can remember and make on a whim. This one fits that category. It has three easy ingredients. Crack one egg in a mixer; blend in one cup of sugar followed by one cup of crunchy peanut butter. Roll into 1-inch balls and place one inch apart on parchment paper. Using the tongs of a fork lightly press crisscross design in each cookie.
 

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes and not any longer. Sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar over the tops before serving. Viola! You now have one fabulous cookie.

If you want to get fancy then drizzle a little bit of nutella over each cookie or stack them up and make a triple decker cookie---Yum!

Light, Crispy, Chewy Goodness..... All gone!

The Best Fudge Brownies Ever---King Arthur Flour Recipe

In my recent search for the perfect brownie recipe I decided to try this one printed on the back of the King Arthur Flour package. A fellow blogger also recommended the recipe, which made me even more curious to give it a try. I followed the recipe exactly with only a minor exception--I left out 1/8 of the flour because the mixture seamed dry.  This could have been because I did not sift the flour before measuring. In spite of the dry mixture the brownies turned out perfect!!!! Yes, I did say perfect! They were absolutely delicious! I was so surprised and delighted. They tasted nothing like the KH batch that I made a few days earlier. They were extremely chocolaty and dense without being overly fudgy. I sprinkled them with powdered sugar and took them to my Sunday school class. The youth thought they had died and went to Heaven. To say that they loved them is an understatement. I have been instructed to bring more next week and  now that I have found the perfect recipe I will be making a batch to send my stepdaughters in college. This recipe is a keeper! Trust me on this.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups Double-Dutch Dark Cocoa or Dutch-process cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan on low heat, melt the butter then add the sugar and stir to combine. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl. Sir in cocoa, salt, baking powder, and vanilla. Add the eggs, flour, and chips. Beat until well combined. Spoon the batter into prepared 9x13 pan. Bake for 28-30 minutes. Cool completely before cutting and serving.

Katharine Hepburn Brownie Recipe-- Perfect For A Snow Day!

I am searching for a Brownie Recipe with a rich chocolaty flavor and moist crumb that is not too fudgy. I have yet to find the perfect recipe although this one is really good. It was Katharine Hepburn’s family recipe and is posted all over the web. They turned out very fudgy. This could have been due to the fact that I baked them a few minutes less that the original recipe stated. After 35 minutes they looked done so I inserted a toothpick and it came out clean. I assumed that the Pyrex dish had something to do with the shorter baking time although I am not sure. They were not as chocolaty as I wanted however my husband loved them. I think they tasted better the next day--a bit chewier. I am going to try the brownie recipe on the King Arthur Flour package next. I would love knowing about any tried and true recipes that you have for making brownies--please post it in the comments or send a link.


Formula for substituting cocoa powder in place of baker’s chocolate.
3 Tbs Cocoa + 1 Tbs of Vegetable Oil = 1 ounce of chocolate.


Katherine Hepburn's Brownies
1/2 cup unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
2 ounces good quality unsweetened chocolate ( I used Ghirardelli)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts ( I used Pecans)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon table salt

In a 2-quart saucepan over low-heat, melt butter with unsweetened chocolate, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in sugar. Stir in eggs and vanilla extract to make into a smooth batter. Add walnuts,  flour and salt; stir until incorporated. Prepare an 8" x 8' baking dish by greasing it with butter. Then line the pan with parchment paper and grease it as well. Pour the batter into the lined dish and spread evenly.
Bake in a 325 degree oven for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Since you have lined your pan with parchment you can immediately remove the brownies from the dish, leaving them to cool. When cooled, cut into nine squares and serve.

Personalized Kitchen Towels-- A few of my favorite things!

My husband surprised me at Christmas with these beautifully embroidered kitchen towels. He found the website online and purchased a variety of over 15 towels for the Treehouse. I love them all! Here are a few of my favorites. I will post more photos as soon as I can find my camera to download them. I have also included the website just in case you are interested in ordering any. www.initial-impressions.net

Beer Bread Rocks!

Let me just first say that I do not like beer, but I love this bread! The Frugal Maven over at Hip and Stingy invited me over to dinner one evening and made this bread and it was soooooo delicious. I was shocked when she said it was beer bread. I have made this several times since then and no one has ever hinted that they tasted beer. I even used this bread last weekend to make french toast and sandwiches. It is always a big hit and for that reason I am sharing it with you today. I have only made it with two different types of beer. The Frugal Maven makes it with Bourbon Barrel Stout Beer which gives it a hearty taste-- perfect with stews. I wanted to try it with a lighter beer so, I went to the Liquor store and asked the clerk to help me locate the lightest tasting beer. He suggested BW 55. That is what I used and the bread was delicious. I do hope you will give it a try. I think you will be surprised. I would love to hear any of your feedback on this bread and also if you have made other baked goods with beer.

Ingredients:
3 cups of self-rising flour sifted
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 stick of butter
1 bottle of beer

Directions:
Sift flour in a large stand mixer. Pour in sugar and mix for a second then add bottle of beer. Make sure that all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Pour into a seasoned loaf pan, pour melted butter over top and bake at 375 for 50-60 minutes. Viola!

Classic Southern Meatloaf

This meatloaf recipe is my all-time favorite. It is one that my mother shared with me years ago. I have tried other recipes but this is the one that I keep going back to. The loaf you see today does not have the sauce poured over the top because it is going into the freezer ,in little Ziploc bags, for tasty meatloaf sandwiches. I hope you enjoy this recipe. I would love hearing about any of your favorite meatloaf recipes.

BTW- I like a nice brown crust on the meatloaf so, I turn the temperature up for a few minutes in the oven right before adding the sauce to get the outside a bit crisp. That way not everyone is fighting over the end piece.

Ingredients:

Meatloaf
1½ lbs ground chuck
1 sleeve of crushed saltine crackers (Zesta)
1 envelope of Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1 small onion chopped
1 egg

Sauce
2 cups of Ketchup and 1 cup of Honey combined.

Directions:
Mix above ingredients together and place in a casserole dish. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 60 minutes. Oven temperatures may vary so keep an eye on it. Remove meatloaf from oven after 45 minutes; pour sauce over top and place back in oven for another 15 minutes. When done remove meatloaf from dish, place on cutting board, and let rest 10 minutes before slicing. Then place on a serving platter.

Mary's Strawberry Preserve & Pecan Appetizer

Todays recipe is from my mother's recipe box. She recently made this appetizer over the holidays and everyone loved it. Believe me when I say this is highly addictive! And since the Super Bowl is not too far away you may want to include this in your repertoire of tasty treats. In the photo above, the dip is layered over a shallow plate with a variety of crackers sitting next to it. You could also make this in a mini bunt pan or mold--I think it adds more of a wow factor. Just line the interior with plastic wrap, add mixed ingredients and cover in fridge. When ready to serve --release from mold, remove plastic wrap, add strawberry preserves in the center and surround with crackers. Serve at room temperature. Feel free to experiment and add a different preserve or jelly if you wish. I have a jar of pomegranate and pepper jelly sitting in the pantry waiting for something like this. Enjoy!


Ingredients:

2 cups of Grated Cheddar Cheese

1/2-3/4 cup of Mayo

¾ Cups of Chopped Walnuts or Pecans

1 TBSP Dehydrated Onion Flakes

Dash of Garlic Salt of Powder

1 small Jar of Strawberry Preserves

Mix first 5 ingredents then spread over a dish, Cover with preserves and serve with a variety of crackers. Viola!

Mini Pecan Pie Tarts--Great for those on Weight Watchers!

Today happens to be one of my dearest friends Birthday. I won’t mention her name because she works in the mental health field and likes to remain anonymous. Last week she came over and we began the Birthday festivities. I decided to take her favorite dessert (Chocolate Pecan Pie aka Derby Pie) and make into very small bite size morsels.  That way she could enjoy her favorite treat and still maintain her 2010 goal of eating healthy. This recipe is the same as my 5 minute pecan pie recipe except instead of making a whole pie you will have 48 tarts. Here is the link for the pie recipe. Make pie filling as directed. http://www.treehousekitchen.com/2009/02/5-minute-pecan-pie-recipe.html

Directions:
Roll out Pillsbury ready-made pie crust. Use cookie/biscuit cutter to cut out the crust. Place disks in a mini muffin pan; add 2 chocolate chips and a teaspoon of the pie mixture followed by a whole pecan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. After they have cooled down remove from pan using a toothpick. This will loosen any sticking without causing breakage. This recipe makes 48 tarts and stores well in the fridge or freezer. I was very pleased that everyone loved the tarts however there were very few left for my friend to take home. I am sure I will be making another batch very soon. BTW- I figured these out to be at 1 point each --if you are following Weight Watchers. Enjoy!

Happy New Year from The Treehouse Kitchen!

Blessings from our kitchen to yours in 2010!