White Bean Chicken Chili

White Bean Chicken Chili

5/2024 from Uncle Butch

- 2 pk McCormick Seasoning

- 2 lbs pulled chicken

- 2 c water or broth

- 3 cans Northern Beans

- 4 oz mild diced green chiles

Wild Rice & Kale Salad with Chicken

Author: One Lovely Life
Total Time: About 20 minutes
Yield: 16 cup Salad (8-10 Servings)

This tasty main dish salad is a copycat of my favorite from Cubby’s! It’s loaded with goodies and topped off with a tangy dressing you’re bound to love! (Gluten Free & Dairy Free) 

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE WILD RICE KALE SALAD:

• 16 cup shredded kale (tough center ribs removed)
• 16 oz. cooked chicken, diced or shredded (about 3–4 cups)
• 2 cup cooked wild rice or wild rice blend (from 2/3 cup dry)
• 2 apple, diced
• 2 avocado, diced
• 1/2 cup toasted almonds
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

FOR THE LEMON BALSAMIC CILANTRO DRESSING:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 4 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 4 tbsp. lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
• 2 tsp. dijon mustard
• 4 tsp. honey or pure maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2–1 cup fresh cilantro (mince if using a jar to mix. Feel free to leave whole if using a blender)

INSTRUCTIONS

FOR THE WILD RICE KALE SALAD:

1. Mix up the dressing first (see below).
2. Place kale in a large bowl and add 1-2 Tbsp. of the dressing and a pinch of salt to the kale. Massage with your fingers for 30-30 seconds to combine well and break down the kale a bit.
3. Add chicken, wild rice, apple, avocado, almonds, and cranberries to the kale.
4. Drizzle with a little more dressing and stir to combine well, adding more dressing, to taste. (You may not need all the dressing)

FOR THE LEMON BALSAMIC CILANTRO DRESSING:

1. Place all ingredients in a jar with a lid or in an immersion blender cup.
2. Seal the jar and shake well to combine or pulse with an immersion blender to combine well.
3. Store in a jar or airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use (dressing will keep 1 week)

Baked Beans

• 2 large cans of Hunts Pork & Beans
• 1 cup  Grandma's molasses
• 1 Tbsp mustard (regular)
• 6 slices of bacon cut into small pieces

Bake at 250 for 2-3 hrs

The large can is a #2.  4 small cans will substitute.

Van decamps beans don't work.  They never turn out.

Hunts are hard to find.  Smiths store brand work well.

from the Penns

Rice Pilaf

 Rice Pilaf

Prep Time : 15 minutes

Cook time : 25 minutes

Total Time : 40 minutes

Servings : 6-8 servings

Ingredients

- 2 cups white rice, preferable long grain

- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (or chicken fat)

- 1/2 cup chopped green onions or yellow onion

- 1/2 cup chopped celery

- Up to 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock or broth, or a mix of water and stock (amount depends on the type of rice used)

- 2 teaspoons kosher salt or seasoned salt

- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne

- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Method

1. Heat the stock in a saucepan

Look at the cooking instructions for your rice. If your rice calls for 2 cups of water for every cup of rice then you will need a total of 4 cups of liquid. If you rice calls for 1 2/3 cups of water for every cup of rice, you will need a total of 3 1/3 cups of liquid.

Cook the rice in a liquid that is primarily stock - chicken stock or vegetable stock. Up to half of the liquid can be plan water, but at least half of the needed liquid should be stock. Homemade stock is the best, of course, and will make a big difference in the quality of the resulting pilaf.

Heat the measured amount of stock needed in a saucepan, at least 2 quart sized.

2. Brown the rice and add the onions and celery

While the stock is heating, heat a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the olive oil (or chicken fat if you have it) to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil is hot, add the uncooked rice and brown the rice, stirring occasionally, for a couple of minutes.

When the rice has browned, add the onions and celery and cook a few minutes longer, until the onions begin to soften.

3. Add the salt, pepper, and cayenne.

If you are using canned or boxed broth, be careful of how much seasoning you add. We usually use homemade, unsalted chicken stock, so we add 2 teaspoons of salt or seasoned salt along with ground pepper and a dash of cayenne.

If you are starting with seasoned broth, you may only need to add a teaspoon of salt. Taste test the broth/stock. It can be a little on the salty side because the rice will absorb a lot of the salt.

4. Add the stock and cook the rice.

Pour the heated stock into the pan with the rice (or pour the rice mixture into the stock, depending on which pan has a lid).

Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat, cover and cook for as long as the instructions say on your package of rice. Usually between 15 to 25 minutes. Use a timer.

After the set amount of cooking time, remove the pan form the heat and let sit for 10 minutes, covered. At no point during the cooking of the rice should you uncover the pan.

5. Fluff with a ford and stir in the parsley.

Fluff with a fork to serve. Stir in chopped parsley, You can also mix in heated peas, toasted almonds, or raisins to the pilaf to make it more interesting.

Moist Lemon Cake Recipe

This moist Lemon Cake Recipe is fluffy, tangy and so easy to make from scratch! Every bite of this supremely moist pound cake is bursting with lemon flavor. If you like the Starbucks Lemon Loaf then you'll love this homemade lemon pound cake!

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Total Time 1 hr

Ingredients

For the lemon pound cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp lemon zest

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbsp lemon juice about 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup buttermilk see below for substitution

For the lemon syrup:

1/4 cup lemon juice about 1 lemon

3 Tbsp powdered sugar

For the lemon icing:

1 cup powdered sugar sifted

1.5 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9x5-inch (or 8x4-inch) loaf pan.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using an electric mixer), cream the butter and sugar together at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 4-6 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.

With the mixer running on low-speed, add the eggs one at a time, then beat in the vanilla extract and lemon juice. Beat on medium-high speed until combined.

With the mixer on low, add about one-third of the flour mixture and mix until almost combined, then add half the buttermilk and mix until just combined. Repeat with another third of flour mixture and then the last half of the buttermilk, ending with the last third of the flour. Beat until just incorporated.

Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out mostly clean with only a couple moist crumbs. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours.

Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes in the pan. Stir together the lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar for the lemon syrup. Carefully invert the loaf pan, and transfer the cake to a cooling rack, then brush the syrup on the cake while it’s still warm. Allow cake to cool completely.

When the cake is cooled, combine all the icing ingredients, start with 1 tbsp lemon juice and milk and add the remaining lemon juice as needed. The icing should be thick and not runny. Pour icing over cake and let dry before serving.

Notes

If you don't have buttermilk you can make your own by combining 1/2 cup of milk with 1.5 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes until it starts to curdle

The longer you beat the sugar and butter, the better the result will be because this process incorporated air into the batter and make the cake fluffy and tender

I recommend using fresh lemon juice but you can also bottled lemon juice

This cake would also taste great with lime juice or orange juice

New England–Style Home-Corned Beef and Cabbage

From America's Test Kitchen Season 13: Irish Comfort Classics

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

The best corned beef recipe was made with beef we cured ourselves. For our home­-corned beef recipe, we selected point-­cut brisket. We added the vegetables in two batches, based on their cooking times, for the perfect combination of flavors and textures.

Serves 8 with leftovers

Leave a bit of fat attached to the brisket for better texture and flavor. A similar size point­cut brisket can be used in this recipe. The meat is cooked fully when it is tender, the muscle fibers have loosened visibly, and a skewer slides in with minimal resistance. Serve this dish with horseradish, either plain or mixed with whipped cream or sour cream, or with grainy mustard.

INGREDIENTS

CORNED BEEF

• 1/2 cup kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon cracked black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 2 1/4 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 bay leaves, crumbled
• 1 (4- to 5-pound) beef brisket, flat cut, trimmed

VEGETABLES

• 1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and halved crosswise, thick end halved lengthwise
• 1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes
• 1 rutabaga (1 pound), peeled and halved crosswise; each half cut into 6 chunks
• 1 small head green cabbage (2 pounds), uncored, cut into 8 wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

1. FOR THE CORNED BEEF: Combine salt, peppercorns, thyme, allspice, paprika, and bay leaves in bowl.
2. Using metal skewer, poke about 30 holes on each side of brisket. Rub each side evenly with salt mixture. Place brisket in 2 ­gallon zipper­-lock bag, forcing out as much air as possible. Place in 13 by 9­inch baking dish, cover with second, similar-­size pan, and weight with 2 bricks or heavy cans of similar weight. Refrigerate 5 to 7 days, turning once a day.
3. Rinse brisket and pat it dry. Place brisket in Dutch oven and cover brisket with water by 1 inch. Bring to boil over high heat, skimming any scum that rises to surface. Reduce heat to medium­-low, cover, and simmer until skewer inserted in thickest part of brisket slides in and out with ease, 2 to 3 hours.
4. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Transfer meat to large platter, ladle 1 cup cooking liquid over meat, cover with aluminum foil and place in oven to keep warm.
5. FOR THE VEGETABLES: Add carrots, potatoes, and rutabaga to Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium­-low, cover, and simmer until vegetables begin to soften, about 7 minutes.
6. Add cabbage, increase heat to high and return to boil. Reduce heat to medium­-low, cover, and simmer until all vegetables are tender, 13 to 18 minutes. 7. Meanwhile, remove meat from oven, transfer to carving board, and slice against grain into 1/4­inch slices. Return meat to platter. Transfer vegetables to meat platter, moisten with additional broth, and serve.

Loaded Cauliflower

You won't believe it's low carb!!!

Ingredients

• 1 large head of Cauliflower cut into bite size pieces (approx 6 cups)
• 6-8 strips of bacon cooked and crumbled (Cooked in oven at 400° for 20 mins)
• 6 Tbs chopped Chives
• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream
• 2 cups Colby Jack Cheese (may use cheddar)
• 8 oz container sliced mushrooms (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°

In a large pot boil water and cook Cauliflower for 8 - 10 minutes, drain and let cool.

In a large bowl combine sour cream, mayo, 1/2 of crumbled bacon, 3 tbs chives, 1 cups of cheese, mushrooms and cauliflower and mix well... place in baking dish and cover with remaining 1 cup of cheese and rest of bacon crumbles. Bake for 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted. top with remaining 3 T chives and serve