Tuesday, September 29, 2009

White Chicken Chili

I'll let you in on a secret.  I don't like cooking.

Well, that's not completely true.  If I had the time to cook a nice meal, without Austin, Ellie, and Riley's "help", I'd enjoy it a bit.  But, since the kids aren't going anywhere anytime soon, I don't look forward to making dinner.  Therefore, my cooking style is quick, easy, and yummy.  I lean towards healthy choices, but I also don't let a little extra fat or salt stop me from making a dish.

Enter:  White Chicken Chili



It's fast, it's fairly "hands off", and it's probably loaded with salt.  I don't know that for sure, because I haven't read the back of the package, but most mixes are.  But, aside from the salt content, it's a fairly healthy dish.

I doctor it up a bit, so here's my recipe:

~1 lb of cubed chicken breast
1 tsp olive oil
salt, pepper, garlic salt
1 pk of McCormick's White chicken chili ($0.88 at walmart)
1 can northern beans (not drained)
1 c water
1 can diced tomatoes (drained)
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (drained)

Heat the oil in a large wok/skillet.  Add chicken, season it, and cook through.  Once the chicken is cooked, add the beans, water, seasoning packet, and tomatoes.  Mix well and simmer for 20 minutes.  The directions recommend covered but I've done both and don't taste a difference.

I serve it up with a mound of shredded cheese on top.  Everything is better with cheese.  The chili has a bit of a Santa Fe taste to it.  If you're worried about the spicy-ness of the dish, then I recommend omitting that can of tomatoes with green chilis.  On occasion, I've also thrown some frozen corn into the mix.

It's one of the easiest recipes we make around here.  Surprisingly, each one of the kids eats it.  Even Ellie, who refuses Kraft Mac and Cheese on occasion.  She's our toughest critic these days and last night she said "Mmmmm....yummy mommy!  I yike it!"

Saturday, September 26, 2009

The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

I'm on a mission.  I'm on a mission to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Of course, the "perfect chocolate chip cookie" is a matter of opinion for everyone.  For me, the perfect cookie is thick and chewy.  If I can be really picking, it will be slightly crispy on the outside.  I did some research and came across this site.  I thought the science behind the article was pretty interesting, but the recipe they have associated with "thick and chewy" did not, in fact, yield a thick cookie.  It did yield some of the thinnest cookies I have ever seen.  Tasty, for sure, but so thin, some of them dropped through the cracks of the cooling rack.




Thin.

After rereading that article, perhaps I need to add more flour to bind with the water, which will prevent the cookie from spreading out so much.

In the meantime, I'm on the hunt for a new recipe to try again next weekend.  If any of you have a recipe that fits my description of "perfect", send it my way.  I will try each and every recipe I get.  My kids will never eat dinner again because they will be filled with cookies.  Austin might even gain some weight.