Jalapeno Popper Soup

It's soup season. Yipee! 

This recipe is relatively new to my collection of recipes. I found it while on vacation and it just sounded so good. I decided to kick off soup season with it. 

I love jalapeno poppers and I love all the variations of it that are out there (dip, sauce, soup, etc). This soup can't be bad. 

I followed the recipe, mostly. I wanted to make it a bit heartier so I added chicken to it. 

I might have mis-measured the half and half though. The recipe calls for 1.5 c, and I was using a 4 cup measuring cup and after I poured the half and half in, I felt like it might have been 2.5 cups. Not that it made the soup bad, and in fact it might have been a happy mistake.

Jalapeno Popper Soup

Recipe from The Recipe  Critic

Serves 6

• 1 pound bacon, chopped
• 4 to 6 jalapeno peppers, deseeded and diced
• 1/2 c onion, diced
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• ½ c all-purpose flour
• 6 c low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 c half-and-half
• 6 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch-pieces
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened and cut into pieces
• 2 c cheddar cheese, shredded
• Kosher salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• toppings: sliced jalapenos, bacon, and green onion, shredded cheese for garnish

In a large Dutch oven or pot add the bacon and cook over medium-high heat. Reserve the bacon grease.

Add the jalapenos and onions to the pot and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until tender.

Stir in the fresh garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds.

Add the flour and stir to create a paste.

Pour in the chicken broth and half and half. Continually whisk until mixed well.

Add the chopped potatoes. Heat over medium-high heat, and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender. Stir the soup occasionally while it simmers.

Remove the pot from the heat then add the cream cheese and shredded cheese. Stir until the cheeses are melted and combined.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with desired toppings and serve warm!

Crock Pot Beef Pot Pie

My niece sent a picture last week of her crock pot stew dinner. It made me want stew. Luckily when I did the random selection of recipes this week, this recipe popped up. 

Photo from I Am Homesteader

The only problem I had is I forgot to start it before I had lunch with a friend. So that means I couldn't do the slow cooker thing. I did the oven thing instead. I cooked it in the oven at 300F for 3 hours. Perfection!

I also added about 2 Tablespoons of tomato paste. I like tomato pasted in my stews. It adds a depth of flavor that I like. Otherwise, everything else was the same. 

I'd make this again for sure. It was delicious and kicks off the stew season well. 

Crock Pot Beef Pot Pie

Recipe from I Am Homesteader

Serves 8

• ¼ c unsalted butter
• 3 c beef sirloin or beef stew meat, seasoned with salt & pepper and cubed
• 4 c beef broth, divided
• 1 cube beef bouillon, crushed
• 2 c potatoes, diced
• 1 c carrots, sliced
• 1 can (15 ounces) corn
• ½ c corn starch
• ½ c whole milk
• 1 c peas, frozen
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 package biscuits, cooked to package directions

In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter.

Add beef cubes and sauté until browned on all sides.

Transfer beef to slow cooker set to low. Add 2 cups of beef broth, bouillon, potatoes, carrots, and corn. Stir to combine.

Cook on low for 6 hours.

Add the remaining 2 cups of beef broth.

In a small bowl, combine corn starch and milk. Slowly add this mixture to the slow cooker, stirring constantly. The mixture will thicken.

Add frozen peas, salt, pepper, and oregano and replace the lid and cook for an additional 30 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with biscuits.

Garlic Steak Sandwich

Photo from Portugueserecipes.ca

Steak sandwiches are God's gift to the free world. I'm sure of it. My favorite sandwich is a French dip (Thanks dad for introducing me to these). Yet, I've been known to try a few other types of steak sandwiches. The one that comes to mind that is one of my favorites is the Marlboro Man's Steak Sandwich from the Pioneer Woman. I used to make this often back in the day. Then when I went low carb, I made it still just without the bun. It's delicious. 

This recipe kinda reminded me of it a little, though now that I say that I'm not really sure how other than they both use beef and bread. 

This was an excellent meal. I misread the recipe and didn't "infuse" the steak with garlic. Dad used to do that with his tri tip and I KNOW that's tasty. I just missed that step and ended up just adding a heaping scoop of jarlic (garlic in the jar). 

I'd made this again for sure. In a heart beat in fact...

I choose to not add the cheese, mostly because I didn't have anything. But in hindsight, munster or gouda would be amazing on this sandwich.

Garlic Steak Sandwich

Recipe from Portugueserecipes.ca

Serves 2

• ½ lb of steak, sliced
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 3 T butter
• ½ c red wine
• ½ large onion, thinly sliced
• ½ tsp coarse black pepper
• ½ tsp coarse sea salt
• 2 slices of cheese (to taste), optional
• 2 crusty sandwich buns

Lay out steaks on a work surface and stick the garlic slices in slits cut with a knife.

In 1-1/2 tablespoons of butter, fry each steak for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once. Once done, set aside.

In the same skillet, add the other 1-1/2 tablespoons of butter and saute the onion until it is golden bown, transfer the onion to the same dish as the steaks and set aside.

Pour the red wine into the same skillet used to cook the steaks and onions and simmer over medium-high heat until liquid is reduced by about half.

Add the steaks and onions on the skillet with the wine, season with salt and pepper, and cook another minute on both sides or until hot.

Serve the steaks and onions on warm crusty rolls with the sliced cheese (optional).

Black Pepper Chicken (Panda Express Copycat)

Photo from Table for Two blog

Panda Express is, sadly, one of my go-to dinner or lunch places. I usually get the chow mein and orange chicken, but every now and then I'll branch out and get their Black Pepper chicken. 

This recipe didn't even come close to how good the real Panda Express version is. I am not sure why other than it just didn't have a ton of flavor. It was just kinda meh.

If I want this in the future, I'll just go to Panda Express.

Black Pepper Chicken (Panda Express Copycat)

Recipe from Table for Two Blog

Serves 2

FOR THE SAUCE:

• ½ c chicken broth
• ¼ c oyster sauce
• ¼ c rice vinegar
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 T dark brown sugar
• ½ T cornstarch
• 1 tsp ground black pepper, see note below
• ½ tsp chili powder
• ¼ tsp ginger powder

FOR THE REST OF THE DISH:

• 1 ¼ pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed into smaller pieces
• 1 T cornstarch
• Splash of low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces
• ½ large white onion, cut into 1" pieces
• 3 stalks of celery, sliced into 1" angles

Whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat up a skillet over medium high heat and add a little cooking oil to it. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken cubes and cook until browned and half cooked through. Remove from skillet and put on a plate. We'll come back to it later.

In the same skillet, add green bell pepper, onion, and celery. Cook until tender and softened, about 5-7 minutes.

At this point, add the chicken back in and cook everything about 5 minutes more to ensure chicken is cooked through.

Reduce heat to medium and pour the sauce. Let simmer for 3 minutes and it should thicken up by then. Toss everything to coat in the sauce then remove from heat.

Serve with rice.

Thai-Style Grilled Chicken Satay Bowls

This was a surprisingly good meal. I like Satay in general, but never order it for some reason. 

Photo from Hello Fresh

The chicken was perfect with the sauce slathered on it and a little on the side for dipping. 

But the real star of this meal was the cucumber salad! I'm not really sure why this one hit me right on but it did. There's nothing special about it and something I've done a hundred times. And yet, this one for some reason hit the yummy spot! 

Thai-Style Grilled Chicken Satay Bowls

Recipe from Hello Fresh

Serves 2

• 2 Mini Cucumber
• 2 ounce Sweet Thai Chili Sauce
• 12 ounce Chicken Cutlets
• ½ ounce Peanuts
• 4 ounce Grape Tomatoes
• 5 teaspoon Rice Wine Vinegar
• ¼ ounce Cilantro
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha
• 2 tablespoon Soy Sauce
• ¾ cup Jasmine Rice
• 1 Shallot
• 1 Lime
• 2-3 tablespoons Peanut Butter

In a small pot, combine rice, 1 1⁄4 cups water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until tender, 15-20 minutes. Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.

While rice cooks, preheat a well-oiled grill to medium-high heat.

Halve, peel, and thinly slice shallot. Slice cucumbers into 1⁄4-inch-thick rounds. Halve tomatoes. Quarter lime. Roughly chop peanuts. Roughly chop cilantro. 

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine vinegar and 3⁄4 tsp sugar. Tightly cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 20-30 seconds; stir to dissolve sugar. 

Add shallot, cucumbers, tomatoes, and a drizzle of olive oil to bowl with vinegar mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside, stirring occasionally, until ready to serve.

In a small bowl, stir together peanut butter, chili sauce, Sriracha, 3 TBSP water, 1 TBSP soy sauce, 2 tsp sugar, and juice from half the lime. Taste and season with salt if desired. 

Transfer 3 TBSP peanut sauce to a separate small bowl and reserve for brushing chicken (set aside remaining sauce until ready to serve).

Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Cut each cutlet into four equal-size strips. Season all over with salt and pepper. Thread chicken onto skewers. 

Brush reserved peanut sauce onto chicken. Add chicken skewers to hot grill and grill until cooked through, 2-4 minutes per side. TIP: If chicken is sticking to grill when you try to flip, simply continue to cook; chicken will release from grill when it’s nicely charred.

Fluff rice with a fork. 

Divide rice and cucumber salad between shallow bowls in separate sections. Top rice with chicken skewers; drizzle remaining peanut sauce over chicken and rice. Garnish with chopped peanuts and cilantro. Serve.

Garlic Parmesan Mushrooms

I like mushrooms. But I get bored of eating them just plainly sautéed. But it's hard to find a way to make them that isn't boring. When I came across this recipe, I knew I'd need to give it a try. 

Photo from Spaceships and Laser Beams.com

It's basically is mushrooms alfredo! How can that be bad? 

It wasn't. 

It was different than what I'm used to but I'm real glad I made it. It got a weird texture when the mushrooms cooled off on my plate, but that's pretty typical of how I feel about alfredo sauce in general. 

Garlic Parmesan Mushrooms

Recipe from Spaceshipsandlaserbeams.com

Serves 4

• 2 T unsalted butter
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 tsp garlic minced
• 400 g whole white mushrooms washed and dried
• 1/4 c cream cheese cut into small cubes
• 1/2 c parmesan cheese
• 1/2 c heavy cream 33%
• 1 T Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp dry ground oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 T fresh chipped parsley

In a large 12 inch frying pan cook together butter, olive oil, garlic, and mushrooms over medium-high heat until mushrooms are tender. This should be about 5 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium and add in cream cheese and cook until cream cheese has melted.

Reduce heat to medium-low and add in parmesan cheese, heavy cream, Italian seasoning, oregano, salt, and pepper.

Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Garlic Parmesan Crumbed Fish

I try to get more fish in my meal planning and most the time I fail miserably at it. I have to make a concerted effort to put fish in. Salmon I get in pretty often, but other fish not so much.

Cod is one of my favorite white fish. It's firm and doesn't have a too fishy of a flavor. And it takes on other flavors pretty easily. 

This was a good recipe. I'd make it again. It's super easy and satisfying. 

Garlic Parmesan Crumbed Fish

Recipe from Cafe Delites

Serves 4

• 4 firm white fish fillets skinless and boneless, close to room temperature (about 5 oz/150g per fillet)
• 1 T mayonnaise
• Salt and cracked black pepper to season
• Garlic powder, to season

CRUMB

• 1/2 c panko breadcrumbs
• 2 T fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 c parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 T melted butter
• 2 T olive oil
• Salt and cracked black pepper, to season
• Cooking oil spray
• Squeeze of lemon juice

Cheesy Smashed Burgers

It's been a couple of weeks since I've cooked since I was on vacation. It feels good to get back into it. I did cook another Hello Fresh earlier this week, but I was missing an ingredient so I winged it with the remaining ingredients. 

These were simple and good. I'm not a huge fan of cheddar on my burger, but this really was quite good. 

I didn't get to make the onion jammy because the onion was - ahem - questionable. A little past it's prime I think. 

Cheesy Smashed Burgers
Recipe from Hello Fresh

Serves 2

• 1 Onion
• 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
• 2 tablespoon Mayonnaise
• 1 Tablespoon Ketchup
• 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 10 ounce Ground Beef
• ½ cup White Cheddar Cheese
• 2 Potato Bun
• 12 ounce Potatoes

 Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut potatoes into 1⁄2-inch-thick wedges. Halve, peel, and thinly slice onion.

Toss potatoes on a baking sheet with a drizzle of oil and half the Old Bay Seasoning (you’ll use more later). Season lightly with salt and pepper. TIP: No need to season generously—there’s already salt and pepper in the seasoning!

Roast on top rack until browned and crispy, 20-25 minutes.

While potatoes roast, heat a large drizzle of oil in a medium, preferably nonstick, pan over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and softened, 8-10 minutes.

Add 1 tsp sugar and a splash of water; cook until onion is caramelized and jammy, 2-3 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off heat; transfer to a small bowl.

Meanwhile, in a second small bowl, combine mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, and as much remaining Old Bay Seasoning as you like. Set aside. Form beef into two equal-size balls ,  season all over with salt and pepper.

Heat a drizzle of oil in pan used for onion over medium-high heat. Once pan is hot, add beef. Firmly flatten each ball with a spatula to create very thin patties. (TIP: Do so carefully; oil may splatter a bit.) Cook to desired doneness, 3-4 minutes per side.

In the last 1-2 minutes of cooking, top patties with cheddar; cover pan to melt cheese. Remove from heat.

While patties cook, halve and toast buns.

Divide buns between plates and fill with patties, caramelized onion, and half the special sauce. Serve burgers with Old Bay fries on the side and remaining special sauce for dipping.