White Chicken Chili

Life has been a whirlwind, and my postings have been less than consistent. My office hosted it's first annual chili cook-off on Friday and I won (in a tie) for the people's choice award. I make up a lot of my recipes, so remember to taste as you go as I don't really know the real measurements!

Ingredients:

-Large Package of Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs (in our grocery store-Family Pak), trimmed of fat and cut into consistent size pieces.

-2 packages of Pancetta cubes, if you cannot find Pancetta, you could substitute finely chopped Applewood smoked bacon

-1 large red onion, finely chopped

-3 heads of roasted garlic

-4 roasted jalapeno peppers

-2 roasted poblanos

-2-3 cups Chicken Stock

-2 cans of Canneloni Beans

-Can of Beer, I used Bud Light, but would probably use a hoppy beer, like an IPA

-Cumin

-Red Pepper Flakes

-Chili Powder

-Paprika

-Cayenne Pepper

-White Pepper

-Salt

-Olive Oil

I use my large Le Creuset Dutch Oven to make this, start with some Olive Oil in the pan over medium heat on the stove. Add the onions and sweat for about 10 minutes until they start to carmelize, add the pancetta, lower the hear slightly, stir and cover for another 10-15 minutes.

During this time, start roasting the garlic and peppers. Heat oven to 400 degrees. To roast, take 3 pieces of Aluminum foil and separate the veggies. Coat each veggie with a little olive oil, cut the tops off the garlic so you can see the cloves. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and wrap the peppers and garlic in foil. Peppers are roasted when the color changes and the skin starts to pucker...approximately 30 minutes. Garlic takes a little longer-approximately 45 minutes, it will be a golden color and soft to the touch. I recommend checking the peppers and garlic every 15 minutes.

Once the onions and pancetta have reached a nice golden color, add the chicken. Mix the onions, pancetta and chicken together over medium heat and add salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, chili powder and white pepper until it starts smelling like chili. Keep stirring over medium heat, once the chicken starts to cook, add the beer. Cover and lower heat and let simmer for about an hour. Stir occasionally, and once the chicken is cooked, taste and season more to your taste.

Drain and rinse the beans and add them to the chicken, at this time add 2-3 cups of chicken stock (I use the Chicken Better than Boullion). At this time, chop all of the roasted peppers and squeeze the roasted garlic into the chili. Stir everything together, and lower the heat and simmer for an hour to 2 hours. The liquid will start to reduce, if it gets thick, then add more liquid.

Once the chili is cooked to the consistency and taste preference, serve with crumbled Blue Corn Tortilla Chips and shredded cheese.

Enjoy!

White Chicken Chili

Life has been a whirlwind, and my postings have been less than consistent. My office hosted it's first annual chili cook-off on Friday and I won (in a tie) for the people's choice award. I make up a lot of my recipes, so remember to taste as you go as I don't really know the real measurements!

Ingredients:

-Large Package of Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs (in our grocery store-Family Pak), trimmed of fat and cut into consistent size pieces.

-2 packages of Pancetta cubes, if you cannot find Pancetta, you could substitute finely chopped Applewood smoked bacon

-1 large red onion, finely chopped

-3 heads of roasted garlic

-4 roasted jalapeno peppers

-2 roasted poblanos

-2-3 cups Chicken Stock

-2 cans of Canneloni Beans

-Can of Beer, I used Bud Light, but would probably use a hoppy beer, like an IPA

-Cumin

-Red Pepper Flakes

-Chili Powder

-Paprika

-Cayenne Pepper

-White Pepper

-Salt

-Olive Oil

I use my large Le Creuset dutch onion to make this, start with some Olive Oil in the pan over medium heat on the stove. Add the onions and sweat for about 10 minutes until they start to carmelize, add the pancetta, lower the hear slightly, stir and cover for another 10-15 minutes.

During this time, start roasting the garlic and peppers. Heat oven to 400 degrees. To roast, take 3 pieces of Aluminum foil and separate the veggies. Coat each veggie with a little olive oil, cut the tops off the garlic so you can see the cloves. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and wrap the peppers and garlic in foil. Peppers are roasted when the color changes and the skin starts to pucker...approximately 30 minutes. Garlic takes a little longer-approximately 45 minutes, it will be a golden color and soft to the touch. I recommend checking the peppers and garlic every 15 minutes.

Once the onions and pancetta have reached a nice golden color, add the chicken. Mix the onions, pancetta and chicken together over medium heat and add salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, chili powder and white pepper until it starts smelling like chili. Keep stirring over medium heat, once the chicken starts to cook, add the beer. Cover and lower heat and let simmer for about an hour. Stir occasionally, and once the chicken is cooked, taste and season more to your taste.

Drain and rinse the beans and add them to the chicken, at this time add 2-3 cups of chicken stock (I use the Chicken Better than Boullion). At this time, chop all of the roasted peppers and squeeze the roasted garlic into the chili. Stir everything together, and lower the heat and simmer for an hour to 2 hours. The liquid will start to reduce, if it gets thick, then add more liquid.

Once the chili is cooked to the consistency and taste preference, serve with crumbled Blue Corn Tortilla Chips and shredded cheese.

Enjoy!

Sunday Funday Pantry Marinade

It has been hot, hot, hot in DC for the past 2 weeks, we are on day 13 of 90+ heat. Motivation level for cooking has been on a low for the past 2 weeks for a couple of reasons. 1-My husband just started a new job and spent last week in San Francisco and 2-Again, it's hot so not very hungry.

This morning, we ventured out to the Dupont Circle farmer's market and lunch at the best burger place.EVER. http://www.bgrtheburgerjoint.com/ I bought beautiful Heirloom Tomatoes, Sweet Corn, Beans, Fresh Basil and local fresh Mozarella at the market. After our hot 3 mile walk to the market and my food coma from BGR I wanted an easy dinner.

Here is an easy marinade for a flank steak we had in the fridge and marinade made from pantry items that I think you will have as well. There is enough acid and alcohol that you really only need 4 hours to marinade-it was so good that I would love to taste this at some point after an overnight marinade.

Pantry Flank Steak

1 Flank Steak

1/2 cup Soy Sauce

1/2 cup Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 cup Red Wine

2 T Sriracha

2 T Dijon Mustard

5 cloves garlic-crushed

ground pepper

Throw the Flank Steak in a Ziplock bag and pour all of these ingredients in the bag. Once all of the ingredients and steak are in the bag mix everything together. Marinade for at least 4 hours. Grill to your taste. We ate this with grilled corn and grilled farmer's market squash tonight.

Potatoes 2 Ways, Part 1

Oopsie...I know that I promised recipes from my last post a while ago...sorry I am already slacking! Sigh...

When I started dating Steve, he had a very limited dinner repetoire : Tacos, Trader Joe's Stir Fry and Spaghetti. I decided after we started dating, that I needed to expand his culinary horizons.

Although I would not say this recipe is a palette expander, it's better than a bag of frozen Stir-Fry and it's an easy and delicious side to Steak or Grilled Chicken. I make these potatoes a couple times a week and they always make the hubby happy. You can use any kind of potato, I usually use Yukon Gold, Red Bliss or I may splurge on a bag of the Fingerling Jewel Potatoes-a mix of Purple Peruvian, Yukon and Red Bliss.

EHam's Grill Potatoes:
Potatoes-as many as your family will eat
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes
Garlic Cloves, or if you are lazy Garlic Salt

Heat the Grill to Medium Heat. Put a large pot of salted water on the Stove and bring to a boil, while the water boils dice your potatoes. Depending on the size of the potato, you may just need to cut in half or quarter the potato. Place the potatoes in the boiling water and par boil-around 8-10 minutes. You want to be able to place a knife into the potato and get a little resistance. Drain the potatoes.

Take 2 large sheets of Aluminum Foil and make a cross with them. Drizzle the middle of the cross with a little olive oil. Place the potatoes in the middle and then season to your taste with the salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, crushed or dry garlic and then drizzle again with olive oil. Fold the sides of the foil up and make a square-this will look like a little aluminum potato present. Place the 'present' directly onto the grill for a total of 18-24 minutes, you will want to flip them once midway through.

Remove from the grill and carefully open the package as there will be a lot of steam...we usually just eat them right out of the foil as it makes clean-up a breeze. We usually add some parmesan cheese and Sriracha (hot sauce) as well.

Enjoy!!!

Ah...Summer

This weekend is the first weekend since we have been married in 4 weeks we are not going away...so we kicked off the weekend with this wonderful dinner:

Bone-In Ribeye Steaks

Grill Potatoes

Chipotle-Lime-Garlic Grilled Corn

Recipes to follow...

The Heartland

Although I live in DC, and have been in the DC Metro area for the past 15 years (how did that happen) my core will always be a Midwesterner. I am proud that I still carry my Iowa accent with me, that I root for the Hawkeyes and one of my favorite meals is grilled Steak and potatoes. If it was up to my husband we would eat Steak & Potatoes every night...cooked exactly the same way...every night.

I also love corn-on-the-cob in the summer. Growing up, my Dad would go to the Farmer's Market at the Riverside Roundhouse in downtown Cedar Rapids http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/84311212.html and pick up a big brown paperbag of sweet corn and I loved to help him shuck it...Mom always made us do this outside. We would boil the corn and then use our lovely corn shaped corn-holders with the special corn butterers and it was delicious...and one of my favorite childhood memories.

Unfortunately, in DC we cannot get farm-fresh corn, so I have to be a little creative in my corn preparation...I tried this one earlier this week and it was wonderful! Thanks to a little inspiration from Bobby Flay.

EHam's Grilled Corn on the Cob with Chipotle-Lime-Garlic Butter

Ingredients:
How every many ears of corn will you eat
1 stick of butter
2 T juice from canned Chipotle in Adobo Sauce
Juice from 2 limes
4 cloves of garlic-crushed
Fresh ground Pepper

Heat grill to Medium. To prepare the corn, gently pull away the husks from the ear of corn and remove the silk, pull the husks back up onto the corn. Place the ears of corn in cold water for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, soften the butter to room temperature and mix together the butter, lime juice, crushed garlic and Chipotle juice and pepper in a bowl.

Grill the corn with the husks on for 15 minutes, once the 15 minutes has passed take 2 sets of tongs and remove the husks from the corn and place the corn back onto the grill. Brush the corn while still on the grill with the special butter and roll around on the grill. When the corn starts to get some char marks on it, you are done! Serve the butter on the side when ready to eat.

We ate this with some simple grilled Chicken...and it was wonderful!

The Joy of a Registry

I have to admit that one of the most joyous days that I experienced as a newly engaged woman last summer was making our first trip to Williams-Sonoma to begin our registry. I was not one of those brides that immediately starting thinking about what type of wedding I wanted to have, I was thinking about what color Le Creuset cast iron pots I would pass onto my children, should I go with All-Clad or Calphalon pans and how many attachments would I register for the Kitchen-Aide Mixer that every newlywed couple should have.

Enter Doug, the registry specialist at the Williams-Sonoma in Friendship Heights! He walked us through every detail of every pot, pan, appliance and even threw in some amazing cooking techniques along the way. He was passionate, he was funny and he was very proud of his knowledge of the entire Williams-Sonoma portfolio.

After months of waiting (not exactly months...we have only been married 3 weeks) I am picking up my (I mean our...) 10-piece All-Clad pots and pans today over lunch! Williams-Sonoma sadly discontinued carrying the standard All-Clad stainless pots for a new line that has more layers, so I have to go to the trusty Bed, Bath & Beyond for the purchase.

Now, what to make in these beauties for dinner tonight....I don't think Hamburger Helper is appropriate.