Chicken Chili Recipe

Bowl of Chicken Chili

The cold weather has me thinking of ways to keep warm and feed people. As I said in an earlier post, we eat a lot of chicken in my home so there is usually leftover chicken waiting to be reinvented into something tasty. Today the hubby and friends are out in the cold cutting trees for an orchard so I thought a hot lunch would be in order. Looking in the refrigerator I found leftover chicken breast and leftover beans. Hmmm, I thought, looks like the basics for chicken chili.
I won’t claim this as an original recipe, although my take on it might be a little different than most. A friend made some for work one day and it was wonderful. Since I don’t have her recipe I had to make my own. Hope you like it.
Chicken Chili     Makes about 8 12 ounce bowls.
2 cups of cooked, diced chicken

1 onion, diced

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
2 cups of beans already cooked. Use 1 can of beans if you didn’t cook any. Kidney beans are great but pink, navy, and black beans work well, too.

1- 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons of chili powder

1 tablespoon of crushed cumin seed

In a large saucepan heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until the onions are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté another minute.

Add chicken, gently stir, and allow the chicken to heat through, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and beans to the chicken. Turn the heat down to low. Add chili powder and ground cumin and stir.
At this point, you can either continue cooking the chili on the stove over a low heat or do what I do, put it in the crock pot and continue cooking on low. If you continue on the stove, make sure to stir the chili often to make sure it doesn’t scorch.
If you use the stove the chili will be ready in about 1 hour. If you are using the crock pot it will be ready in about 6-8 hours.

Serve with grated cheese, diced onions, and crackers, if you prefer.  Hot sauce is also a welcome addition.
The chili was a big hit at my house. I hope it is at yours. Enjoy and stay warm!

Post by Eileen Patterson of GoofingOff.etsy and GoofingOff.Artfire

Thrifty Chicken and Dumplings

Cup of Chicken and Dumplings
We eat a lot of chicken in my house. Lots. Sometimes I think I might grow feathers but I really like chicken. Reinventing the bird so we don’t feel we are eating the same thing everyday can be a challenge but I am not challenged enough to cook something too exotic. After all, it is a waste of time and money if no one eats or likes something. Well, the other day we made a roast chicken. A couple of days after we had open faced sandwiches. Today I made chicken and dumplings with the rest of that same chicken. I thought that would be a good thing to eat with the weather being so cold. I also thought since it is so cold in the rest of the country I would share the recipe with y’all. This recipe makes a good hearty meal perfect for cold days. It is a good way to use up leftover chicken and vegetables.
Ingredients:
Chicken (Traditionalists use all white meat but I am thrifty and use leftovers) 

2 quarts water

1 teaspoon dry parsley
1 teaspoon salt

2 cups Self-rising flour

2/3 cup milk

1/3 cup shortening
Vegetables (frozen peas and baby carrots work real well)

Chicken and dumplings start with good broth. You can use ready made or just make your own with the leftover chicken. Put the leftover chicken in a pot with about 2 quarts of water and simmer over a medium fire. Add a little salt. You can also add a little (teaspoon) of chicken bouillon powder to make the chicken flavor stronger. Let the broth cook about an hour.

Carefully remove the chicken from the broth. Remove the meat from the bones. Discard the bones, gristle, and skin. Put the meat back into the broth. If you are using frozen vegetables, add them just before adding the dumplings.

Making dumplings from scratch is like making biscuits. Place the flour in a bowl and add the shortening. Cut the shortening into the flour. It will get a pebbly texture. Add the milk a little at a time and mix in. The mixture should be soft, not wet or soupy. Add the mixture by spoon to the broth. These are called drop dumplings. Some people roll them out flat and cut them but it isn’t necessary. If you would rather have the roll out kind, just use more flour, roll them out, cut into strips, and then add the dumplings to the broth.

This is how it looks before the dumplings are cooked.
After you add the dumplings to the broth, bring it to a boil, then decrease the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. It will create its own gravy. The vegetables will be tender. 

You can even skip the dumpling making step by using canned biscuits or frozen dumplings. Not bad, I just forget to buy those things.
A low fat alternative to homemade dumplings is flour tortillas, the kind used for burritos and wraps. Just slice them in strips and add them to the broth. The gravy won’t be as thick but it will still be good and have a few less calories.

Ready to eat. Not bad for a cold winter day.
Post by Eileen Patterson of GoofingOff etsy and Goofing off Artfire.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside

I love old movies. I remember sitting on the couch with my mother watching Crosby and Hope, the Kettles, and the Bowery Boys, just to name a few. Anything made in the ‘60’s was too new for me and I barely tolerated the ‘50’s. I loved the movies of the 1930’s and 40’s; the elegance of the 30’s fashions and the war-time patriotism of the 40’s. The stars were glamorous. The men strong and dashing, the women gorgeous and elegant.

Although I loved the old movies, the musicals were my favorites. I used to watch Fred Astaire over and over and envy every step taken by Ginger Rogers. They made it look so easy that I never dreamed it took practice, lessons, and more practice, not to mention a little talent.

And the music! The songs still stick in my head playing over and over, not like the one you can’t stand and can’t get rid of but more like a good friend whose company you enjoy and love to visit with. Baby, It’s Cold Outside is one of those songs.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside was from the movie “Neptune’s Daughter” starring Esther Williams, Ricardo Montalban, Red Skelton, Betty Garrett, and Keenan Wynn.  The song was composed by Frank Loesser for the movie and performed by Red Skelton and Betty Garrett. It won the Academy Award for Best Song in 1949.

Well, when the temperature dipped into the 20’s (and in Florida, that’s pretty darned cold), the tune crept into my head. A little later, I found the cover of Modern Screen in my collection with Esther Williams.

I guess that cover just confirmed it. That song will be playing in my head for a while cause Baby, it’s cold outside! Brrr! lol

post by Eileen Patterson of GoofingOff.Etsy and GoofingOff.Artfire where everyday is a day meant for goofing off.