Quickie - Daring Cooks May Challenge

Just a quick post, I'll put up photos later when I unearth the camera. Moving still sucks and we're hoping to get most of the last bits this weekend - somehow we managed to forget my grill when the movers came, as well as our very heavy air conditioner.

Anyhow, I did get our Cinco de Mayo Daring Cook's challenge done - a couple days late for cinco de mayo but who's counting? Hubby loved it, and so did I! Definitely going to be made again - though not until I have my grill here so I can roast the peppers on it - the oil kept splattering onto the element and smoking, I thought I was going to start a fire!

Our hosts this month, Barbara of Barbara Bakes and Bunnee of Anna+Food have chosen a delicious Stacked Green Chile & Grilled Chicken Enchilada recipe in celebration of Cinco de Mayo! The recipe, featuring a homemade enchilada sauce was found on www.finecooking.com and written by Robb Walsh.


Ingredients

1½ pounds Fresh Anaheim chiles (about eight 6 to 8 inch chiles) 24 ounces 678 grams - roast, peel, remove seeds, chop coarsely. Other green chiles (NOT bell peppers) could probably be substituted but be conscious of heat and size!)
7-8 ounces Tomatillos (about 4-5 medium)212 grams - peel, remove stems
4 cups Chicken broth (32 ounces/920 grams)
1 clove Garlic, minced
2 teaspoons yellow onion, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ tsp Kosher salt (add more to taste)
¼ tsp Black Pepper (add more to taste)
2 tablespoons Cornstarch (dissolve in 2 tablespoons water, for thickening)
Hot sauce, your favorite, optional
2 Boneless chicken breasts (you can also use bone-in chicken breasts or thighs)
3 tablespoons Olive oil or other neutral vegetable oil (use more as needed)
Kosher salt and pepper
12 Small Corn tortillas (5-6 inch/13-15 cm). (you can also use wheat tortillas or other wraps)
6 ounces grated Monterey Jack, 170 grams (other cheeses (cheddar, pepper jack, Mexican cheeses) can be used. Just be sure they melt well and complement the filling)
Cilantro for garnish, chopped and sprinkled optional

Directions:

Roasting Fresh Chiles

1. Coat each chile with a little vegetable oil. If you are doing only a couple chiles, using the gas stove works. For larger batches (as in this recipe), grilling or broiling is faster.
2. Lay the oiled chiles on the grill or baking sheet (line pan with foil for simpler clean-up). Place the grill or broil close to the element, turning the chiles so they char evenly. They should be black and blistered.
3. As they are completely charred (they will probably not all be done at once), remove them to a bowl and cover with plastic, or close up in a paper bag. Let them rest until they are cool.
4. Pull on the stem and the seed core MAY pop out (it rarely does for me). Open the chile and remove the seeds. Turn the chile skin side up and with a paring knife, scrape away the skin. Sometimes it just pulls right off, sometimes you really have to scrape it.
5. DO NOT RINSE!

Green Chile Sauce

1. Put a medium saucepan of water on to boil and remove the papery outer skin from the tomatillos. Boil the tomatillos until soft, 5 to 10 minutes. You can also grill the tomatillos until soft.
2. Drain and puree in a blender or food processor.
3. Return the tomatillos to the saucepan along with the chicken broth, chopped green chiles, minced onion, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper.
4. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add the cornstarch/water mixture and stir well. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and reduced to 4-5 cups, another 10-15 minutes.
6. Adjust seasonings and add hot sauce if you want a little more heat.

Stacked Green Chile and Grilled Chicken Enchiladas

1. Heat a gas grill to medium high or build a medium-hot charcoal Coat the chicken with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Grill the chicken until just cooked through, 4-5 minutes a side for boneless chicken breasts.
3. Cool and then slice into thin strips or shred.
4. In a small skillet, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Dip the edge of a tortilla into the oil to check – it should sizzle immediately.
5. Using tongs, put a tortilla into the pan and cook until soft and lightly brown on each side, about 15-20 seconds per side (at the most).
6. Drain on paper towels.
7. Add oil as needed and continue until all 12 tortillas are done.
8. In a baking dish large enough to hold four separate stacks of tortillas, ladle a thin layer of sauce.
9. Lay four tortillas in the dish and ladle another ½ cup (4 ounces/112 grams) of sauce over the tortillas.
10. Divide half the chicken among the first layer of tortillas, top with another ½ cup of sauce and 1/3 of the grated cheese.
11. Stack another four tortillas, top with the rest of the chicken, more sauce and another third of the cheese.
12. Finish with the third tortilla, topped with the remaining sauce and cheese.
13. Bake until the sauce has thickened and the cheese melted, about 20 minutes. Let rest for 5-10 minutes.
14. To serve, transfer each stack to a plate. Spoon any leftover sauce over the stacks and sprinkle with cilantro, if you wish. The stacks may also be cooked in individual gratin dishes.

Brunswick Stew

I joined the Daring Bakers and Daring kitchen recently, however I severely underestimated the amount of time I'd have and haven't ended up participating the last couple months, despite the best of intentions.

So I realized about 2 weeks ago that the Daring Kitchen challenge was coming up and I still hadn't even looked at the recipe.

Of course, life likes to throw curveballs. In our case, it was the sudden appearance of a foreclosure notice on our front door. Our landlord apparently didn't pay her mortgage. So a week or so spent hunting for a new place to live ensued, and we're now moving to a house... an honest to god real house, with a backyard. I'm giving up my nice gas stove and spacious kitchen for a cramped nearly-claustrophobic kitchen that nonetheless has plenty of counter space. But we'll have a backyard for the little one to play in once it dries out enough (does the ground ever dry out in Seattle? I'm beginning to wonder...)

I realized today was reveal day, so I quickly gathered stuff for the recipe and threw it together for supper tonight. It turned out pretty good despite the liberties I had to take with it.

The 2010 April Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Wolf of Wolf’s Den. She chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make Brunswick Stew. Wolf chose recipes for her challenge from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook by Matt Lee and Ted Lee, and from the Callaway, Virginia Ruritan Club.

Brunswick Stew

2 ½ lb TOTAL diced stewed chicken, turkey, and ham, with broth - yes, all three meats
3 medium diced potatoes
2 medium ripe crushed tomatoes
2 medium diced onions
3 cups/ 689.76 grams / 24.228oz frozen corn
1 ½ cups / 344.88 grams / 12.114oz frozen lima beans
4-5 strips crumbled bacon
½ stick / 4 tablespoons / ¼ cup / 56.94 grams / 2oz of butter
1 Tablespoon / 14.235 grams / .5 oz sugar
1 Tablespoon / 14.235 grams / .5 oz ‘Poultry Seasoning’
Dash of red pepper
2 diced carrots (optional)
Tomato juice


In large stock pot or Dutch Oven, mix all ingredients, heat until bubbly and hot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add tomato juice as desired. Cook until all vegetables are tender. Serve hot.



I didn't have turkey so I didn't use it. I had leftover ham and stewed up a chicken breast, and used some chicken and vegetable stock I made and had in the freezer. Couldn't find canned or frozen lima beans so I didn't use them, and used strained tomatoes instead of tomato juice. Oh, and I forgot the bacon (how the world could I forget BACON!!!)

Here's my crappy photo that I remembered to take after we'd eaten already:



May not look like much, but with some buttered bread it was delicious. The combination of ham and chicken was different and really good. Hubby liked it too.

This week and upcoming changes

For some reason painkillers seem to make me more energetic, and I've been on Vicodin for several days after having three teeth pulled. I ordered two shelving units and an over-the-door hanging rack. With those, I've re-organized and cleaned out my pantry and cupboards, re-arranged the cupboards and all my appliances, pulling a few down from over-the-cabinet storage where I never get to use them because of the hassle.

I've also decided to change my blog's theme - I'm still figuring out Blogger and would like to eventually make my own theme, but for now this one works.I'm planning on posting more often, more recipes, and if I can get my act together, photos! I've signed up to join the Daring Cooks and Daring Bakers, and would like to do even more events!

And finally, here is this week's box and plans:

2 bunches Green Onions	Lettuce Wraps
3 each Red Bell Peppers	Juice? Freeze.
6 each Braeburn Apples	Juice
6 each Braeburn Apples	Juice
1.5 pounds Parsnips	Stew
6 each Fuji Apples	Juice
1 each Bunched Orange Carrots	Stew
6 each Navel Oranges	Juice
2 each Red Onions	Stew. Pasta. Lettuce Wraps. Store.
3 each Rio Star Grapefruit	Juice
1 each Red Leaf Lettuce	Lettuce Wraps
0.66 pound Cremini Mushrooms	Pasta, eggs

Getting better...

Well, I used about 2/3 of the box I last posted. And last week's box is already almost gone - despite having 3 teeth pulled the day after I got it! Pears have been a problem - I never seem to use them as they don't juice very well. So I decided to start substituting for them. Of course, today I discovered a very yummy use for them! Too late for my upcoming box, but that's fine!


Pear Crisp Smoothie

1 ripe pear ( I used D'Anjou but I suspect any would work)
1 banana
1/2 c plain yogurt
1/4 c brown sugar
1/8 c old-fashioned oats (any are fine, I just happened to have some of these on hand)

Process in blender until smooth.


Oh man, best smoothie I've made in ages. Next time I want to try it with a frozen banana - I think the creamy texture that frozen bananas add would help a lot since I don't like to add ice in my smoothies. Time to start keeping them on hand!

In other news, I'm getting some shelving units tomorrow, and can start reducing my kitchen clutter! I'm very excited about this, as my biggest kitchen complaint (aside from the never-ending dishes) is no room! Of course, the piles of dishes add to that, and shelves won't fix that problem.

I'm also getting a few baking supplies and can't wait to start using them! A cake decorating set, a pastry mat for rolling out doughs - I never have enough counterspace for pie crusts or kneading bread.

FAIL!

Well last week was an (almost) complete failure. I didn't get my box put away right away and ended up losing almost all of it.

At least this week I got it all put away! (minus the fruit, which is fine sitting out)

1 bunch Green Chard	Tuscan White Bean soup
1 each Red Bell Peppers	Juice or freeze
6 each Fuji Apples	Juice
0.75 pound Shallots	Use one for tuscan white bean soup, rest save
1 each Bunched Carrots	Juice
6 each Braeburn Apples	Juice
0.67 pound Baby Spinach	creamed spinach
6 each Navel Oranges	Juice
1.2 pounds Sunchokes	sunchoke gratin
1 each Mangos	eat if ripe before end of week, otherwise save for curry next week.
1 each Red Leaf Lettuce	wraps.
4 each Bosc Pears	eat whole, peel and give to Wes.
1 each Celery	Ugh. Snack on I guess. Juice some. chop and freeze for soup/stock.

First week update

Well, the first week of blogging failed.. not super surprising considering the rush to get everything ready for Christmas. This week will likely be the same since we're out of town for most of the week, but I did plan ahead and got things that store well. I didn't write down what I got and didn't bring the packing slip with me.

There is good news, though. I've finally ordered a juicer and it should be here in time for next week's box!

0.67 pound Braising Mix	saute
1 each Green Onions	chop for sweet & sour
5 each Limes	juice
1 pint Red Grape Tomatoes	spaghetti
1.75 pounds Baby Golden Beets	juice, roast for apps
6 each Fuji Apples	juice
1 each Celery	juice, ants on a log (cream cheese)
6 each Valencia Oranges	juice
1 each Bunched Orange Carrots	juice
1 each Mangos	smoothie
1 bunch Spinach	spaghetti
5 each D'anjou Pears	juice
2 each Cucumbers	juice

Tuscan White Bean soup

I used to hate beans and pretty much refused to make anything containing them. Last year I decided to try to eat healthier and gave them a try again... and fell in love! I still don't cook with them nearly as often as I should, but I keep them on hand now all the time - especially cannellini and great northern for this soup.

You can easily play with this recipe - adding sausage, chicken, different types of pastas, subbing chard or other greens for the spinach - if you use chard, sautee for a couple minutes in olive oil before adding to the pot. I use whatever I have on hand from my CSA.

This week it nicely used up my spinach. I also used 4 cups of chicken stock from the freezer, a shallot from a previous week's CSA, and topped it with leftover shredded parmesan. I had the canned tomatoes, beans, garlic and pasta on hand already. All that had to be purchased was a nice loaf of roasted garlic bread to go with it.


Tuscan White Bean and Spinach soup
from Recipezaar

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 shallot, finely diced
4 cups fat free chicken broth or vegetable stock
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can white beans (cannellini or other)
1/2 cup whole wheat pasta shells or shell pasta
1 teaspoon rosemary
3 cups baby spinach, cleaned and trimmed
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 dash crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

1. In a large sauce pan, sautee the shallots & garlic in the olive oil.
2. Add broth, tomatoes, beans and rosemary to pot. Season with black and red pepper. Bring to boil.
3. Add pasta and cook 12 minutes. If the soup seems too thick for your liking add a bit more broth.
4. Add spinach and cook until wilted.