Manhattan Clam Chowder

 Clam chowder is one of my favorite soups! I love the Manhattan clam chowder because it's lighter and so flavorful.

Manhattan Clam Chowder (Gluten free!)

8 slices bacon, cut into small pieces

1 white onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, chopped fine

1/2 cup diced carrot

1/2 cup bell pepper, diced

4 large red potatoes, diced

2-8oz cans diced tomatoes

2-8oz bottles of clam juice

3 cups water

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp thyme

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

4 cans chopped clams

1/2 cup white wine

Saute bacon until slightly crispy. Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, carrots until onions are translucent. Add clam juice and water. Bring to a simmer. Add remaining ingredients except for the clams and the wine. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add clams and white wine and simmer another 10 minutes.

Serve with warm french bread! Yummmmy!

Bacon Fried Rice

Bacon Fried Rice

2 cups medium grain white rice

4 cups water

1 lb bacon cut into small pieces and cooked thoroughly
6 eggs, beaten

1 cup green onions

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp black pepper

Take the peas out and thaw or put in microwave for 30-45 seconds. Cook the rice as directed. I use a rice cooker, it's way easier. While the rice is cooking, cook the bacon until crisp. Put it on a paper towel to drain the oil. Scramble the eggs in a nonstick pan. Cut the green onions (I use the whole onion, but some people prefer just the green part.)  Put about 1 tablespoon oil into a large saucepan.( I use the bacon grease from the pan I cooked the bacon in.)  Add the rice and "fry" on medium heat just for a couple minutes. Add the bacon, eggs, onions, peas, soy sauce, cayenne and black pepper and mix until everything is evenly distributed.

My kids love this fried rice and my youngest is super picky!

Juliane's Chili

Sunday was a cold, rainy day....my friend and I decided to have an impromptu "chili cook off"......luckily we made two completely different types of chili and they both rocked! This is my chili recipe......

Juliane's Chili

2 Bell peppers, diced
1 White onion, diced
8 Cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup parsley
1.5 lb ground beef
1.5 lb ground pork
1/3 cup chili powder
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cumin
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 Bay leaves
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 can beer
2 small cans tomato sauce
1-28 oz cans diced tomatoes
3-3.5 lbs pinto beans (canned)

Saute the bell pepper, onion, garlic and parsley in about 2 tbsp oil until the onions are transparent.

To that mixture, add the beef and the pork. When the meat is cooked thoroughly, add the chili powder, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano and crushed red pepper. Add the beer to the mixture. Then add the beans, the tomatoes, the beef bouillon cubes and bay leaves.

This chili can be simmered for an hour or all day....it really just gets better. It's also even more delicious the next day, if that's even possible! lol
I served it with cheddar cheese and sour cream....YUMMMMMMMMY!

Gluten Free Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs!

If you love meatballs and want to make a moist, delicious meatball that melts in your mouth, this recipe is for you! I was watching Unique Eats on the Cooking channel and they were talking about a restaurant that serves a meatball stuffed with ricotta cheese and herbs. I'm not a huge fan of ricotta cheese, although, I do use it in my lasagna. I thought mozzarella cheese sounded way yummier. This is what I came up with. I served them with my homemade marinara sauce......yummy!

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

1 lb ground beef 

1/2 lb ground pork

1/4 c. finely diced onion

1/2 c. parmesan cheese

1/4 c. gluten free panko bread crumbs(then more to cover each meatball) I got them at Whole Foods.

2 Tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp yellow mustard

1 Tbsp worcestershire

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 c. milk or heavy cream

2 eggs

1 tsp fresh thyme

2 tsp Pappy's seasoning (if you don't have it, the meatballs will still be amazing without it)

10 Mozzarella balls (I used Mozzarella Fresca, marinated)

Combine the ground beef and pork. In a separate bowl, beat eggs. To the eggs, add remaining ingredients, except for the mozzarella balls, and gently mix using your hands. (It's messy, but, really, the only way to make sure all the ingredients are equally distributed in the meat.)

Take about 1/4 cup of the meat mixture and form a little "nest". Put one mozzarella ball into the "nest" and cover with a little more of the meatball mixture. Roll the meatball in more panko breadcrumbs and place on parchment paper in a baking dish.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until meatballs are cooked completely. The mozzarella will melt and spill out of the meatballs if you overcook them, so keep an eye on them.

 Delicious!!

Chicken Fajita Lettuce Wraps

These are delicious and healthy.....a little messy to eat...lol...but totally worth the drippies...You can serve these with flour tortillas if you'd rather or on a french bread roll brushed with butter and toasted on the grill. Don't be scared by the amount of garlic in the recipe. It is essential for the flavor of these fajitas!

Chicken Fajita Lettuce Wraps

2 chicken breasts, cut into small strips

8 cloves of garlic chopped fine

1/2 white onion (sliced into strips)

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1/3 green bell pepper (cut into strips)

1/3 red bell pepper (cut into strips)

1/3 yellow bell pepper (cut into strips)

(You can also just use a green bell pepper if you prefer. 1 large green bell pepper)

4 Tbsp white wine

2 Tbsp butter

2 tsp Pappy's seasoning (if you don't have Pappy's, you can use 1/2 tsp basil, 1/2 tsp tarragon, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and 1/2 tsp onion powder, salt and pepper)

Romaine Lettuce

1 avocado

 

Saute the onion, garlic and bell peppers until the bell peppers are cooked, but still a little firm. Remove from heat. Saute the mushrooms in the butter and wine until soft, but not totally smooshy. Remove from heat. Cook chicken in the same pan that the mushrooms were in....Add the Pappy's (or the other spice mixture) to the chicken as it cooks.  Add the veggies back into the sauce pan.

Serve on romaine lettuce leaves with sliced avocado.

This picture really doesn't do this dish justice.  It's really delicious, but drippy. Make sure you have plenty of napkins. lol.

Spanish Rice

I never used to like spanish rice. It seemed way too bland and dry. I am now a huge fan of spanish rice, but only when I make it...lol... this is my version of spanish rice and it's pretty yummy!

Spanish Rice

2 cups white rice

1/2 white onion, diced

1-8oz can tomato sauce

3 cups chicken broth

In a large saucepan, saute the onion in a little oil. Add the rice and brown slightly. If your skillet is on medium heat, this takes about 5 minutes. To the rice, add the tomato sauce. Stir and wait about a minute or two before adding the chicken broth. When you add the chicken broth, bring the mixture to a simmer. Let it simmer for about 3-5 minutes uncovered.  Cover. Turn the burner down to low and set the timer for 20 minutes. DO NOT lift the lid during that time. When the timer goes off, stir the rice and serve! :)

Honky Enchiladas

Best enchiladas ever! These are my absolute favorite! When I first learned how to make these, I used Campbells Cream of Mushroom soup. I needed to make the enchiladas gluten free for some friends and they told me that Progresso had a gluten free soup, so I used it and I will continue to use it in the future because it had a much 'fresher' taste. In a pinch, I will still use the condensed soup, but I definitely recommend the Progresso soup for this recipe. If you want to use the Campbell's cream of mushroom, you want to use about 5 cans and thin it out a little with chicken stock, about 1-2 cups. These enchiladas are always a success!

Honky Enchiladas

4 chicken breasts cooked and shredded

2 lbs Pepper Jack cheese, shredded (you can use half regular jack cheese and half pepper jack if you prefer less spice)

1-7oz can of Diced green chiles (I use the mild because of the pepper jack, but you can get spicy if you want)

3-18 oz cans Progresso Cream of Mushroom soup

approximately 40 white corn tortillas

To cook the chicken, you can use a pressure cooker or boil them. The pressure cooker is my preference because the chicken comes out very tender and shreds easily. Cooking time is 8 minutes in the pressure cooker. I add 1 cup of water, 1/2 an onion and 3 cloves of garlic. (If I boil the chicken, I also add the onion and garlic to the water. Boil until cooked thoroughly.)

In order to  make the tortillas easier to work with and softer in the enchilada, each tortilla needs to be lightly fried. In a cast iron skillet or regular pan, add about 2 or 3 cups of vegetable oil. Heat the oil. When you put the tortilla in the hot oil, it will sink to the bottom initially, then float to the top. Once it floats to the top (about 5 seconds), flip it over and continue frying about 3 more seconds. You don't want to fry them until they're crisp. They just need to be lightly fried! Place on paper towels to drain the oil off. 

To assemble the enchilada, first add about 1/2 cup of the cream of mushroom soup on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. The tortillas are next and the first layer usually takes about 6. You want to have the bottom layer of tortillas go up the side of the dish a little.

Add a layer of chicken, scatter some green chiles, cheese and cream of mushroom soup.Then a layer of tortillas, then more chicken, green chiles, cheese and soup. I make 3 layers and then on the top, I put a layer of tortillas and top with more cheese. This recipe makes two whole pans of enchiladas.

Cook in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes until heated through.

Enjoy!

Best Teriyaki Marinade

This marinade is so delicious and pretty easy to make. Definitely worth the effort. I will never used a bottle of store bought marinade again!

Best Teriyaki Marinade

1 cup soy sauce

1 cup water

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

1/2 cup green onions, cut into small pieces (you can also use white onions)
1/2 cup cilantro
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp rice vinegar

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp oregano

4 cloves garlic, crushed or sliced

Combine the soy sauce and the brown sugar until the sugar dissolves. Add the remaining ingredients. Pour over meat and let marinate at least an hour, but the longer the better!!