Black Bean and Chicken Soup(or Why Cumin Is So Important)

So, I made this a week or so ago, and it was bland, tasteless, yuck, just plain not good. I made it again tonight and it was awesome! I can't wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow. :)

Why was last week's batch so bad? I followed another person's recipe exactly, and didn't realize that this person was into bland tasting food. =P (After trying a few of her recipes, I found them to be lacking any real flavor, so when I see one I would like to try, I add things!)

So here's my version of a black bean and chicken soup recipe for the crockpot. The original recipe has mushrooms and sour cream, and much less cumin and salsa.

16oz dry black beans
1 large frozen chicken breast(or a couple small ones)
1cup frozen corn
16oz jarred salsa(I used pace)
2tsp cumin
4cups chicken broth

The night before making this, put the beans in a bowl, cover with water plus two inches, and let soak. In the morning, drain the beans and throw them in a large crockpot(4-6quarts).

Lay your frozen chicken breast on top of the beans, add the corn, salsa, and cumin. Pour the chicken broth over the whole thing, and let cook on high for 6-8 hours.

SOOOOOOOOOO good! Enjoy!

Poppyseed Dressing

1 tblsp. poppyseeds
3 tblsp. sugar
1/3 cup oil
2 tblsp. red wine vinegar
4 tblsp. white vinegar
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. salt

Mix all together and pour over your salad and mix well!

Curried Chicken Soup

2 oz. butter (which equals 2 tblsp.)
2 chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 chopped carrots
2 stalks celery
3 tblsp. flour
1 tblsp. curry powder
6 cups. chicken broth
1 lb. cooked chicken, chopped
8 oz. sour cream
3 tblsp. parsley
1 tblsp. dill

Saute onions, garlic, carrots and celery in butter. Stir in flour and curry powder. Then blend in stock and cook for 8 minutes. Stir in chicken and cook for 10 more minutes. Whisk in sour cream and add parsley and dill. Serve with bread and peas.

Tip: For those of you who are veggie lovers, feel free to add up to 6 carrots into the soup. I tried it and it tasted very good.

Also, this soup hardly has a curry taste, but it's very yummy!

Super easy and yummy cobbler

1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 stick butter

Put the fruit of your choice in a dish. I've been using frozen peaches, blueberries, or blackberries (thaw first). Mix the ingredients above until smooth. Pour on top. Bake on 350 for about 45 min- 1 hour.

Top with ice cream for even more yumminess!

Chicken Taquitos

Altered from this recipe on Allrecipes.com. Made a few adjustments which I noted at the bottom. :) Super-yummy!

2lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 can rotel
8oz salsa
1/2tsp cumin
2cups shredded Monterrey jack cheese
28 corn tortillas
vegetable oil

1. boil chicken in can of rotel and can of water(more or less, at least enough to cover chicken), shred it up and toss it in a big bowl with cumin and salsa

2. in a skillet, warm up thin layer of oil over LOW heat(recipe said med, but that was frying the tortillas instead of just softening them) and warm each tortilla in oil until softened *I did this in batches of 6-8*

3. in center of each softened tortilla, place about a tablespoon of chicken mixture and same of cheese, roll up and place seam side down on sheet pan

4. once all taquitos are assembled, bake in 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes until exterior is slightly golden and crispy, and filling is melty

I changed the name to taquitos, 'cause flautas are made with flour tortillas. I also used thigh meat for more chicken flavor, they are really not that much more fat, I swear. They get such a bad rap!

Also, we like jack in mexican dishes, so we just used more jack cheese, no cheddar ... and we could only fit 28 on a half sheet pan, whereas the recips says it makes 36.

You can tell if you warmed the tortillas enough in the oil, 'cause if you did they stay together nicely, but if not, they fall apart!

Enjoy! We all loved this recipe, including the kids.

Food Blogs

I've been trying to update and add to the contributers and recipe blogs on here. If you know of someone I'm missing or a good recipe blog email me or leave a comment and I'll add it. Also be sure to check out some of the new links for ideas and inspiration.

Roast Turkey or Chicken

This is more of a preparation than a recipe. It was in Real Simple for using on a Turkey, but hubby loved it so much, I often roast chickens this way.

1 bird(turkey or chicken)

olive oil

House seasoning:
equal parts chili powder, kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Rub prepped bird with olive oil

3. Sprinkle seasoning over entire bird.

4. Roast in oven for 20minutes per pound.