Chili Weather

So, winter is coming. There's no way around it. Since it feels cold pretty much all the time now, we've resorted to eating soup everyday. Fine by me. I found a website with a list of the 20 best soups or some other ridiculous promise. We've tried a few of them. Some with a bit of success, some with less. I mostly followed the recipes I found there.

Turkey White Bean Chili
I know what you're thinking because I thought it first. Aine said, let's try Turkey White Bean Chili. I said, that looks totally gross. Then she said, blah blah blah blah. So, I agreed, just to make the noise stop.

This soup tasted delicious. This one is definitely going into rotation. And by rotation, I mean the Excel document listing all of our recipes that calls a Rand() function to randomly sort the list so we don't have to spend time deciding what to eat in a given week. Pretty much.

Recipe:
olive oil
1 lg yellow onion
1.5 tbl chili powder
1 tbl garlic chopped
1.5 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste
3 15.8 oz can great northern beans
6 cups chx broth
2 lbs chopped turkey cutlets
2 cans 8oz tomato sauce
1/3 cup fresh cilantro
2 tbl lime juice

Basically, I sauteed the onions and spices in the olive oil until the onions for a little while. Then I added all the other ingredients (I added the turkey raw), brought it to a boil, simmered for 15 minutes to kill the vegetative cells of Bacillus sp. and served.

Beef Tagine
I let Aine talk me into this one, as well. Tagine (pronounce it like teh-ZHEEN) is a traditional stew from North Africa. St. Augustine probably chowed down on Tagine while he sat around revolutionizing Christian belief. Everything you thought you thought about the Bible, well, Augustine thought it first. The stuff he didn't steal from Plato, of course.

As we all know, when one dines on a North African stew, one must serve said stew with a North African starch. So, I made couscous, which is basically pasta, rolled into tiny little balls.

Recipe:
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 lb beef roast, cubed
olive oil
4 shallots, quartered
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
1 lb cubed peeled butternut squash
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Okay, you mix the spices, then toss the beef cubes in them, until the beef is completely coated and all the spices are sticking to beef. Then I added the beef to the shallots and garlic and sauteed them in the olive oil until everything was browned and caramelized and tasty-looking. Then I added the broth, tomatoes, and butternut squash, brought it all to a boil, then simmered it for 15 minutes. I garnished it with the chopped cilantro.

Let's be honest here. I thought this was disgusting. Aine wasn't blown away either. Maybe you're one of those people who likes winter squashes. If so, give it a try. But between the cinnamon, ginger, and butternut squash, I felt like I was eating pumpkin pie with chunks of beef in it. My suggestion: DO NOT BUY.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
A soup that needs no introduction. With a twist. It calls for a cup of celery and a cup of carrots. I hate when they ask for celery in a recipe, because you have to buy it in this five pound bunch just to use one stalk. So I've started buying those little plastic containers in the produce section with the pre-chopped celery. Yes, it is more expensive, but I'm not throwing away food. This time, I found one that had half carrots and half celery and used the whole container. Every recipe I find asks me to peel my potatoes. I don't do this for two reasons: 1) life is too short and 2) we both like the skin. I've read some experts who say the skins are packed full of vitamins and nutrients that are lost during peeling. I've read other experts who say that's a bunch of hogwash. So.

Also, we just used pulled chicken for the chicken portion of this recipe. You know those whole, roasted chickens you can get at the grocery store, all hot and juicy in one of those plastic containers? I bought one of those and pulled all the meat off the bones and tossed it in the pot. I usually have to barricade the kitchen when using a whole, roasted chicken (there's another recipe in which I use them). The only thing Aine likes more than whole, roasted chicken is potatoes. If I'm not careful, she lunges for the chicken like a zombie going for fresh brains, and makes a most atrocious mess.

Recipe:
olive oil
1 white onion chopped
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
6 cups chicken broth
2 lbs potatoes diced
1 teaspoon salt
roasted chicken
1 cup evaporated milk
half a package uncooked wide egg noodles

I followed this recipe pretty closely. I sauteed all the vegetables in olive oil for several minutes, then I added the spices and flour and cooked until browned. I added the broth, potatoes, and salt, brought it to a boil, and simmered 10 minutes. Then I added the chicken, milk, egg noodles, brought it to a boil again, then simmered 10 more minutes.

We both found this dish quite tasty. And filling. This is a good, old fashioned, stick to your ribs recipe.

Other Soups
We made a potato soup the other day, strictly following the recipe. Aine's half Irish so potatoes are like cocaine to her. We were too busy eating it to take any pictures. Next time I make it, I'll probably leave out the butter, flour, and milk and trust in the natural creaminess of the potato.

Also, Aine asked me to make a corn chowder. I didn't really use a recipe. I just threw 2 lbs of chicken, 2 lbs of corn, and 2 lbs of potatoes into a pot with half a pound of bacon and chicken broth and spices. And chopped onions and chopped garlic, come to think of it. It sounds like a lot of food, but we ate it for three nights, so six servings. Oh yeah, I also pureed 1/3 of it at the end to make it creamy.

Recipe Sources:
http://stolenmomentscooking.com/loaded-baked-potato-soup/
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/beef-tagine-with-squash-50400000109584/
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/white-bean-turkey-chili-10000001545785/
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/roasted-chicken-noodle-soup-10000000520991/

Parting Shot:
Since Illinois has turned into this frigid, tundra-like hellscape, we're forced to modify our wardrobes. I made this reversible cable scarf for Aine:

And finished this geometric scarf she started for me about a year ago. I had about an inch of knitting to start with:

I have some other things to make for myself, like gloves, additional hats, etc. to keep from freezing to death. After I feel myself well accoutred, I'll complete any other projects I might have promised anyone else. You'll probably have to remind me, though.