Corn Chowder with a Kick!

This recipe is another Meatless Monday success. Big thanks go to Lori for sharing it! This Cheddar Chipotle Corn Chowder is hearty and delicious. It's perfect for a cold night and the chipotle peppers add an excellent smokiness.

 Cheddar Chipotle Corn Chowder 

4 tbsp. olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

6 gloves garlic, minced

4 oz. cream cheese, cut into small pieces

8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded

6 medium potatoes (I used Yukon Gold)

5 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed

1 cup boiling water

2 veggie bouillon cubes

2 cups milk

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. salt

black pepper

Wash potatoes and poke holes all over them with a fork. Bake on high in the microwave for 10 minutes.

Saute the onions, celery, and garlic in olive oil on medium heat. After a couple of minutes, add the cheeses.  Stir constantly until melted.

Dissolve the bouillon cubes in boiling water and add to the pot with the onions, celery, garlic, and cheese. Stir in the corn and milk. Add the chipotle and a little of the adobo sauce. If you want it spicier, add more peppers and sauce. Stir and turn the heat down to low.

When the potatoes are done, cut them into big chunks, leaving the skin on, and put them into a food processor or blender.  Add some of the soup, making sure to get a lot of liquid. Process until smooth.

Add the potatoes to the pot and season with paprika, salt, and pepper. Heat through gently.

This makes 8 servings and the leftovers froze and reheated well. Enjoy!

Flexitarian?

It's a real thing, I promise.

flexitarian

— n
1.	a person who eats a predominantly vegetarian diet, but who eats meat or fish occasionally

A few months ago, I convinced the family that we should participate in Meatless Monday and it really lit a fire in me. I love veggies. I mean, I actually *crave* them. I don't need meat. Unfortunately (for me), I live with two very dedicated carnivores. After lots of thought and research, I decided that flexitarianism might be exactly what I need! My reasons for limiting the amount of meat I eat aren't ethical or moral. It's a preference and a choice to improve my overall health and well-being. 

I don't want to throw a huge kink into the family meals though, so here's the plan: when I am eating solo (lunch, Laura's at work, etc.) I'll eat "vegi-". When we're all together, I'll eat "flexi-." Meat will be incorporated into our family meals, except on Monday. They still have to deal with that. :)

"Where Did You Get Your Apron!?"

I've heard this question many times so I thought I'd share my secret. I found this awesome little shop on Etsy that has the cutest, flirtiest aprons EVER! You've got to check out Kisses N Lollipops.

"Leftovers" Cupcakes

Last week I wanted to bake and realized I had leftover frosting in the freezer. There was a tub of chocolate fudge frosting from the peanut butter cupcakes that didn't turn out so hot. There was also a tub of bourbon caramel cream cheese frosting from the second batch of amazing eggnog cupcakes. Being the frugal person that I am, I decided to use the leftovers. I baked up a batch of vanilla cupcakes from the book 500 Cupcakes and frosted half with the chocolate and the other half with the cream cheese. Truth be told, they weren't that great. Brennan still ate them but he's 12 so he'll eat any sweets he can! I'll keep searching for the perfect vanilla cupcake recipe.

Curry Perfume!?

I love curry...love it! I love the taste, the smell, everything! I love it so much that when I was cooking dinner the other night I told Laura that I'd wear curry perfume if I could find it. She asked me not to ;) I found this recipe when I was cooking with pearl onions for Thanksgiving and couldn't wait to try it! Pearl Onions and Curry Chicken served with some rice, asparagus, and naan. Yumm!

 Pearl Onions & Curry Chicken

10 oz. package pearl onions, peeled (boil in a pot of water for about 3 minutes to make them easier to peel)

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

8 oz. can of tomato sauce

1 tbsp. curry powder

1/4 cup white white

1/2 tsp. Sriracha ("Rooster Sauce")

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp. olive oil

Sauté chicken breasts in olive oil. I seasoned with a little curry powder, salt, and pepper first.  Remove after cooking and cut into chunks.  Sauté pearl onions in the same pan for about 3 minutes.  Stir in curry powder, garlic, and Sriracha.  Sauté until the onions are translucent.  Return chicken to the pan and stir in wine and tomato sauce. Let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serves 4.

A Spiked Eggnog is a Happy Eggnog...

That being said, a spiked eggnog cupcake is a happy cupcake! I am not a fan of eggnog but Laura is. I feel like she's deprived every holiday season because I turn my nose up at it. So I decided to bake eggnog cupcakes. Wow! These are delicious. The cupcake recipe makes 12. The frosting is probably enough for a little over 2 dozen cupcakes. I froze the leftover frosting to use on a future batch of cupcakes.

 Eggnog Cupcakes with Bourbon Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

Cupcakes:

1/4 cup bourbon

1 cup eggnog

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup sugar

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.  In a small bowl, mix together the bourbon, eggnog, vegetable oil, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract.  In a large bowl, mix together the nutmeg, sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.  Divide evenly between prepared muffin cups.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed.  Cool in the pan 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Frosting:

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon butter

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons bourbon

1 1/2 packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

4 cups confectioner's sugar

To make the bourbon caramel, heat brown sugar, cream, butter, and salt over medium high heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved.  Continue cooking for another minute. Pour in bourbon and stir to combine. Take off heat and let cool.

Beat cream cheese and butter until soft with an electric mixer.  Add the confectioner's sugar and beat to combine.  Add the bourbon caramel and beat to combine.

Frost the cupcakes and dust with nutmeg, if desired.

 

Meatless Monday!

So, I started this blog with the intention of just posting my cupcakes and muffins but sometimes I'm going to share other recipes that I think are worthy. This is definitely one of them! I've been trying to convince Laura and Brennan to participate in Meatless Monday for a while now but they are both very dedicated carnivores so it was no easy task. They finally agreed, probably to get me to stop nagging them!

Laura had Baltimore Nighthawks football practice on a frigid Monday night a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to have a dinner ready for her afterward that would really warm her up. This did the trick!  I sauteed some baby spinach with a clove of chopped garlic and some onion and served that on top of the risotto with some warm, crusty bread.

Wild Mushroom and Red Wine Risotto

5 1/2 cups vegetable stock

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry red wine

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 pound mixed wild mushrooms, thinly sliced ( I used porcini mushrooms and baby bellas )

1 shallot, minced

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

In a medium saucepan, bring the vegetable stock to a simmer. Keep warm.

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil.  Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium heat, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.  Add the wine and cook, stirring until the wine is absorbed.  Add 1 cup of the warm stock and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it is nearly absorbed.  Continue adding the stock 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly, until it is nearly absorbed between additions.  The risotto is done when the rice is al dente and suspended in a thick, creamy sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt the butter.  Add the mushrooms and shallot, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and brown, about 10 minutes.  Scrape the mushrooms into the risotto and stir in the cheese and parsley. Serve immediately. Makes about 6 servings.