Butter Chicken

I love eating Indian food - going out for it or getting it to go.

Heck - even the frozen Indian food from Trader Joe's is tasty.

So when I saw this Buzzfeed and how simple it looked,

I knew I needed to try to make it myself!

And that is exactly what I did and I'm here to show you.

Sorry - no "The Goods" picture this time

 because I decided to blog about this at the last minute.

Marinate 2 pounds of bite sized pieces of chicken breasts in 

1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, salt and pepper to your liking.

Let sit at least 15 minutes.

Melt two tablespoons of butter in saute pan and brown chicken.

Remove chicken and set aside.

Melt two more tablespoons of butter over medium heat,

then saute 1 1/2 cups diced onions, 3 cloves minced garlic,

3 teaspoons garam masala, 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger,

1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon cayenne,

3 inch cinnamon stick, pinch salt and pepper.

Cook until fragrant - about 8 minutes.

Add (1) 14 ounce can of tomato sauce and simmer.

Add one cup cream...

And one cup water.

Bring back to a simmer

Return the chicken to the pan and simmer covered for 10 to 15 minutes.

Stir in 2 more tablespoons butter and adjust salt and pepper to your liking.

Garnish with cilantro.

And finally serve over a bed of rice.

1. Marinate 2 pounds of bite sized pieces of chicken breasts in 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, salt and pepper to your liking. Let sit at least 15 minutes.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in saute pan and brown chicken. Remove chicken and set aside.
3. Melt 2 more tablespoons of butter over medium heat, then saute 1 1/2 cups diced onions, 3 cloves minced garlic, 3 teaspoons garam masala, 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon cayenne, 3 inch cinnamon stick, pinch salt and pepper. Cook until fragrant - about 8 minutes.
4. Add (1) 14 ounce can of tomato sauce and bring to a simmer.
5. Add one cup cream and one cup milk, then return to a simmer.
6. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer covered for 10 to 15 minutes.\
7. Stir in 2 more tablespoons butter and adjust salt and pepper to your liking.
8. Garnish with cilantro and serve over a bed of rice. 

Chicken Enchilada Soup

I'm a biggggggg fan of eating soup.

It doesn't really have to be cold out either.

I eat soup year round and always have a bunch in my freezer.

So when I ran across this recipe last Fall I knew I would be making it.

Not too long after finding it, I made it and it was so darn delicious!

I've made it a few more times and knew I had to share because it's that good!

And the best part is that it's made in the slow cooker!

So not only is it really tasty, but it's super easy to make too.

Let me show you how simple it really is.

The Goods:

Chicken Breasts

Yellow Onion

Garlic

Jalapenos

Corn

Bell Pepper

Black Beans

Cilantro

Diced Tomatoes

Tomato Paste

Chicken Broth

Cayenne Pepper

Chili Powder

Cumin

Pepper Jack Cheese

Place your raw chicken breasts at the bottom of your slow cooker.

Add your diced bell pepper, jalapeno, onion and garlic.

Next add your dice tomatoes, black beans and corn.

Now time to add the chicken broth.

And finally the spices and tomato paste.

Stir everything up until it's mixed well.

Cook on high for four and a half hours.

Stir in minced cilantro and shredded pepper jack cheese.

Cook for about 30 more minutes.

Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred.

Return to soup, mix in and serve yourself a bowl!

Dig in and enjoy as is!

Or add something extra like soup cream or avocado!!!

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Adapted from Carolina Charm

2 large Chicken Breasts

1 Large Yellow Onion - Diced

4 Cloves Garlic - Minced

2 Large Jalapenos - Minced

2 Cups Frozen Corn

1 Bell Pepper - Diced

1 Can Black Beans - Rinsed and Drained

1 Bunch Cilantro - Minced

(2) 14.5 Ounce Cans Diced Tomatoes

1/2 Cup Tomato Paste

3 Cups Chicken Broth

1/2 to 1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

2 Teaspoons Chili Powder

2 Teaspoons Ground Cumin

1/2 Cup Pepper Jack Cheese - Shredded

1. Place your raw chicken breasts at the bottom of your slow cooker.
2. Add your diced bell pepper, jalapeno, onion and garlic.
3. Next add your dice tomatoes, black beans and corn.
4. Now time to add the chicken broth.
5. And finally the spices and tomato paste.
6. Stir everything up until it's mixed well.
7. Cook on high for four to four and a half hours.
8. Stir in minced cilantro and shredded pepper jack cheese and cook for about 30 more minutes.
9. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred. 
10. Return to soup, mix in and serve yourself a bowl!

Chicken Spaghetti

When I first saw this recipe, I didn't know exactly what to think.

I knew I was intrigued, but I'd never made anything like it, 

so I wasn't exactly sure what to expect taste wise.

I put off making it and sorta forgot about it for awhile.

But then I saw the recipe again on a different blog

and I knew right then and there that I had to try it!

Keep reading to see how it's made,

and to find out what I really thought after tasting.

The Goods:

3 Cups Rotisserie Chicken

1 Package Spaghetti

1/4 Cup Onion - Diced

1/4 Cup Bell Pepper - Diced

 1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup

2 Cup Cheddar Cheese - Shredded

1 Teaspoon Seasoned Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Salt and Pepper to Taste

2 Cups Chicken Broth

(Not pictured - OOPS!)

Get all your ingredients ready - 

Shred, chop, dice, you know!

Boil your water and cook your spaghetti until al dente.

Drain and return to cooking pot.

Add all but 1 Cup cheese and mix well.

Put mixture into greased baking pan - or two if you're like me!

Cover generously with cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.

OR

If you're like me...

Bake one and freeze one to be enjoyed soon!

I

In the freezer ready to be baked and eaten.

So I bet you're curious what I thought.

That's probably the only reason you read this far!

Well...I love it!

I am so glad I made two

and I can't wait to eat it again!!!

Homemade BBQ Sauce & Spice Rub

I recently made ribs for a couple girlfriends.
When planning, I went to this post where I made ribs with Elina.

While it looks good, it isn't entirely helpful.
Yes, it has some useful information,
but not measurements or anything for the rub and sauce.
I apologize. Really - I do.

Because I wasn't 100% happy with the other ribs post,
I decided I needed to share the sauce and rub recipe that I recently used.
I've made the sauce twice and don't think I'll ever made any other sauce again!!!
It's THAT good!

Now - let me share the delicious sauce and rub I recently made for ribs.

For the sauce, I used this recipe and made little changes to make it my own!

The Goods:
1 1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Tobasco sauce
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 sprigs fresh oregano

Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer 5 to 10 minutes.

That's IT!

Super easy and super tasty.

When making the sauce - it smelled so much like McDonald's BBQ Sauce.

AND it tasted a little like it too, but with a kick!

I don't know about you, but that's for sure a winner in my book!!!

Now that the sauce is made, let's talk about the rib rub.

I used this recipe (rub only, not sauce) as a starting point, 

and again made little changes to make it my own.

The Goods:

1/4 cup coarse sea salt

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cayenne peper

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix everything together and store in an airtight container until ready to use.

The above recipe will make enough for  between 2 and 3 racks of ribs.

Now go, go make yourself some delicious ribs!
I followed the cooking instructions from my previous rib post.
I'm sure the sauce and rub would be great on grilled or smoked ribs as well.