Corn and Potato Chowder

Thursday.

Such an awkward day.

Not quite the end of the work week. But nowhere near the beginning.

Which is why, I believe, Thursday dinners should be just…fantastic. And easy. No, I take that back…Thursday dinners should be effortless. 

There should be nothing happening Thursday evenings except eating, watching re-runs of your favorite shows, soaking in bubble baths and cuddling with husbands. That is the law of this blog, and if you don’t like it, you can go elsewhere.

Who’s with me?

Ingredients:

• 8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 5 red potatoes, diced into ¼’s and not peeled
• 8 cups frozen kernel corn
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 6 - 8 minced garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoned salt
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups half & half or heavy cream
• Salt & pepper
• This needs a good amount of salt,  but it’s really up to your discretion exactly how much you put.
• Shredded cheddar cheese (and any other additional toppings)

Directions:

• Throw all the ingredients in the crock pot.
• Let sit on low 8-10 hours on low or 5-6 hours on high.
• At the end of the day, use a potato masher and gently mash the potatoes inside the crock pot. 
• You don’t have to remove the potatoes, and it should take less than 5 minutes to get a nice, thick, chowder-y mixture.
• Combine everything well, top with shredded cheddar cheese and serve with warm corn tortillas. Corn tortillas go with everything.

What is the difference between corn and chowder? I still have no idea. Another good question: do I really care? If it tastes like this, then absolutely not.

Love and Tuesdays,

Cilantro Lime Chicken

Truth time. I found this recipe on Pinterest. I hope you can move past this minor detail and we can move onto this beautiful, beautiful dish.

I'm going through a "fresh" stage. I'm tired of finishing my meals stuffed and feeling gross. Like I just pumped my body full of junk. I'm tired of eating so much processed food, and so often I crave fresh meats and produce. Granted, I did use one canned item in this recipe, but it is so...refreshing. It almost makes me feel like I'm back in Cancun in that little restaurant on the water.

I actually was at a place like that. I didn't just make that up.

This is a play on my two-step chicken tacos with a little bit of a kick. I added maybe 90 seconds to my prep time. Side note: This is also a great "fake fancy" dinner. You can pass this off as a labor of love. When really, it's just...love.

Ingredients:

• Frozen or thawed chicken breasts
• I normally estimate 1 1/2 chicken breast per person
• 1 packet of taco seasoning
• Fresh cilantro
• The amount is up to you. I used about 1/4 cup.
• 1 lime
• 1 can Tex Mex Style Diced Tomatoes
• Desired toppings

Directions:

• Place all ingredients (except lime) in crock pot and place on low for 8-10 hours for frozen chicken breasts; 4-6 hours for thawed chicken breasts
• Cut lime in half and squeeze juice into mix. Try to save some juice for later.
• Once chicken is done cooking, serve immediately, spooning liquid from crock pot on top, along with more cilantro, lime juice, and desired toppings.
• I served this as a taco filling inside corn tortillas with sour cream and cheese, and it was de-lish. 

Enjoy!

Love and lime,

Roast dip sandwiches with au jus

I get asked this question a lot:  "Rachael, what recipe is going to blow my man's mind?" To which I respond (you guessed it) roast dip sandwiches with au jus. The name alone is intimidating. When I first heard of this recipe, I thought of weird french onions and soggy bread. Was the bread supposed to be soggy? Would I need a special soggy-bread machine? Does WalMart have a knock-off brand of this mystery machine?

Turns out it's so much simpler than that. To be honest, it's simpler than 90% of the recipes on this site. All you need is a crock pot. That's it. And an empty belly. That's a prerequisite, because this will fill you up. And the rest of the village family.

Ingredients:

• Rump roast
• 1 can of french onion soup
• 1 can of beef broth
• 1 can of beer (optional)
• I use a can of Dr. Pepper, not because I'm opposed to beer, but because I just don't have it in the fridge.
• Seasoning salt
• Garlic salt
• Hoagie french rolls
• Sliced Provolone cheese
• Butter
• Onion (optional topping)

Directions:

In a crock pot, combine roast, beef broth, french onion soup and beer (or Dr. Pepper). Top generously with seasoning salt and garlic salt. Cook on low 8-10 hours. Sorry, no pictures of this.

Grab a few sandwich rolls. I use sourdough, which adds a tangy kick to the dish.

Cut them in half.

Butta' your toast. That's right. BUTTA' it.

Use 2 slices of provolone cheese and cover one half of each roll.

Lightly sprinkle the other half with garlic salt.

Broil on low heat until bread is slightly browned and cheese is melted and bubbly.

Using 2 forks, shred roast beef and place a generous amount on each sandwich roll. Top lightly with seasoning salt. Most picky eaters won't eat onions, but if yours does, you can put a few slices in a skillet on medium low heat with olive oil. Just let 'em sit, and once the onions are transparent, they're ready to be placed on top of the sandwich.

Spoon a bowl-ful of the leftover crock pot juices into a bowl (which is the au jus) and serve with garlic mashed potatoes. Then glance over at your man and watch his expression change as he stands in awe of this magnificent, meaty, miracle-of-a-dinner you made him.

Fun, ain't it?

Love and roast,

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