jalapeño chicken corn chowder

for those of you interested, this is my stupid silly recipe that ive never written down until this moment. you can substitute canned for fresh, obviously, but i'd suggest mashing 2/3rd of the corn if you do.

3 cans of cream style corn
2 cans of whole kernel sweet corn
1 can of chicken broth
1 large chicken breast, trimmed of fat, and cut into chunks
6 small/med potaters, peeled and cut into chunks
4 large cloves of garlic, crushed and minced
1 medium white onion (diced)
1 fat red pepper (diced)
2 jalapenos (minced)
2 'cans' of whole milk (used as measuring system ha)
2 packets of cheddar soup mix fake as hell cheese
salt
pepper

the first thing we did was sautee the chicken with the chopped onion and minced garlic, and a touch of veggie oil at a low heat. the chicken can still be a little pink when you put it in the soup (i've found it makes it less chewy if you do this). basically i wanted the onion and garlic to be a little cooked before putting it in the soup, and give the chicken a little subtle flavor. add a little salt and pepper to your liking.

while the chicken is cooking (with the lid on the pan to retain moisture) i combined the chicken broth, cans of corn (with juice), and potatoes in a tall soup pot - and let simmer at a low heat while occasionally stirring. let that sit for a while.

when your chicken is nearly done, add the diced red pepper and stir it up to cook evenly. *don't overcook the chicken or it will become tough* when all this is said and done, dump it in the soup pot, stir obviously, cover and let simmer for about 5 minutes. then stir in the two cans of milk, raise the heat a little bit, and let sit. well okay stir occasionally.

after a while you will notice the soup getting a little frothy. when this happens raise the heal a little more, and cover. the frothiness ends up helping the soup become a little thicker. don't be afraid to stir, but use a wooden spoon or something so you dont crush the taters.

it's totally okay to let your soup reach a boil at this point. remember, froth = gooood. your soup now has rabies.

the last two things to add are the jalapenos and cheese. the jalapenos are option obviously, but i really enjoy the little tang it adds to the combination of flavors. the cheese mellows out the sweetness of the corn, and brings out some of the chicken flavor. somehow. and makes it thicker. i use the powdered crap because it's cheap and i get it at Adams and i probably won't die. i hope.

so anyway, dice the hell out of your jalapanos, set the flame to very low and let the soup go down to a simmer. stir in some of the frothiness. when it's calmed down, add the jalapenos, and then gradually stir in the cheese.

remember, the longer you simmer the jalapenos, the less spicy they are!

hope you enjoy :)

chicken penne alfredo

pay no attention to the booze.

the ingredients are pretty self explanatory

chop and cook the onions over a low flame until they soften

add the cubed chicken breast

cover and cook on a low flame until chicken isn't pink

hopefully you didnt forget to make the pasta

add the cooked chicken and onions

sugar snap peas seemed like a good side to this heavy dish
however, i can't steam vegetables. at all.

croissant roll garlic knot

a few entries ago, i mentioned making garlic knots. i thought of a cheesy idea using fresh minced garlic and pre-made croissant dough to roll into. it worked! they melted in your mouth and were great for scooping out that extra sauce at the bottom of your bowl.

i used a little too much [olive] oil this time, not realizing how buttery these croissants would turn out. but it added a juiciness and crisp layer to them that i shamelessly enjoyed.

they come 8 to a package. i removed four and cut them in half.

sprinkle in some minced garlic

match the closest corners

and roll :)

you should probably use less oil than me

before

after!

nom nom nom nom...

margherita's and fresh guacamole!

well obviously you can't have a cinco de mayo gathering without a margherita! we enjoyed some delicious salt-rimmed beverages while we pondered what task to attack next.

 

i don't remember the exact spices matt used to make this amazing guacamole, but it was really perfect. we didn't make nearly enough of it for everyone to enjoy!

avocados are delicious.

 

white onion

cilantro?

gently mash

tangy cucumber and corn salsa

cooking and drinking is one of my favorite past times. cooking by theme is challenging and way more fun! so when cinco de mayo rolled around, i was a little more than excited...and not always prepared. matt and i made a really good salsa, but it probably should have been made days prior. the consistancy was a little too watery for good dipping salsa. a few days to sit with a touch of vinegar, i think, would have probably done the trick. naturally tequila was involved and we left salsa for the last minute. it turned out very fragrant and flavorful with a neat kick to properly burn your tongue. the chips we made worked out really well, and were easy to make, and took no time at all. hmm..sprinkle a little of that hot habanero cheddar on them before baking, and they're a snack on their own.

first you start with your proper ingredients.
:)

dice the garlic

i often start this process by mashing the
garlic clove with the flat end of the blade

chop up a white onion

chop up that cucumber and start mixing

we used a few different kinds of tomatoes

add some corn!

too much cilantro can be overpowering.

for the "chips" we just sliced up some corn tortillas, swept them with olive oil, sprinkled some seasonings and baked them. but be careful, they can burn really quickly!