The Way to a Man's Heart

So I know I gave you a list of things I wanted to do for DIY Valentine's Day gifts, but I was sitting here going back and forth about what my third and final project would be and then it occurred to me that the best way into his heart is definitely through his stomach. 

And Jace agrees!  

In keeping with our eat better resolution though, I knew I wanted to keep it healthy while also making one of his favorites - chili! A little something to warm the belly and the heart! I went with a white chicken chili and kinda came up with it based on what we already had in the cabinet, and it's really easy, and even better, easily adaptable for your personal touch.

So you'll be needing:

• White Kidney Beans
• Pinto Beans
• Kidney Beans (optional)
• 2 Chicken Breasts
• Chicken Stock (2 c.)
• Water (7c.)
• White Wine (1 c.)
• S&P (to taste)
• Cumin (1 tsp.)
• 3-4 Cloves of garlic, diced
• Hot Sauce (to taste)

And anything else you can think of!

The base is about a cup each of white kidney beans, and pinto beans but just because I had them on hand I went ahead and tossed in about a quarter cup of red kidney beans as well, for a little bit of color. Rinse them in water and pick out and of the split beans that you find. 

Then, combine with 5 cups of water in a stockpot and bring to a boil. At this point I added a pinch of salt, then cover your pot and let it be for about an hour. 

With twenty minutes left, I threw some olive oil (about a tablespoon) in my cast iron. I tenderized two chicken breasts and dusted them with a little salt, pepper, and cumin. After the pan was good and hot I placed them in, and got a good sear on the first side and flipped them after about two minutes. Now, the fun part. Once they're belly down I splashed them with a little white wine, I had Sauvignon Blanc on hand, and once it was good and bubbly added about 3 cloves of minced garlic. Using a spoon, I tilted the pan and dressed the top of the chicken a few good times, (by the way, the smell - heavenly - I wish I could bottle it, but anyways...). Let the chicken finish cooking and transfer it to a cutting board. 

After it rests for a little bit, I diced it in a rough chop. It's going to be in the broth for awhile which will cause it to break up and shred naturally, so you don't necessarily have to shred it by hand. Oh! but hey quick tip, if you are lucky enough to own a stand mixer (mine is named Phillip), you can totally chuck your chicken breasts in there with the paddle attachment and run it at about 5 and before you know it, shredded chicken! 

But back to the chili, at this point the beans are done so strain the water off of them and toss them back in the pot with another 2 cups of water, and 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock, then dump the chicken in there. 

Now is where you are free to get creative. I added about 1/2 cup of freshly chopped parsley, some diced roasted red peppers, for a little bit of added creaminess and southern comfort flair I threw in a can of creamed corn, about a tablespoon of hot sauce (we like things spicy), a little more garlic and cumin, and then about 1/2 cup of ranch. You could totally put in a jalapeno if you wanted, I would have, I just didn't have one on hand, or even just a diced green bell pepper. I also added another splash of white wine, to bring out the flavor of the chicken. 

Now you just have to let the liquid cook off, depending on what all you threw in the pot it could take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, but really it's just going to get better the longer all the ingredients have to stew together. Now to top it off may I suggest a sprinkle of fresh cilantro, maybe some fresh salsa, or maybe a dollop of sour cream. Serve it up with a glass of white and some crusty bread and you'll have a winner. 

Needless to say, surprising him with a hot bowl of chili when he walked in the door after a long day at work won me some serious points. 

Let me know what you toss in this chili, I love adapting recipes!

Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day! 

Reading Room: Five Online Cooking Magazines

Hope you are hungry...

Sweet Paul

The Spoon

Food52

Art of Eating

White Zinfandel

Reading Room is a new monthly feature here at Oh, Cecilia.  If you have a magazine you'd like to promote, suggest or otherwise pass on, please email me at theclosetintellectual (at) gmail (dot) com.

Kristmas Kringla

For as long as I can remember, Christmas is synonymous with kringla.  My mom bakes them, so does her mom, and now its my turn.  There are a lot of variations of this Scandinavian cookie, but we like the Swedish version-- and it couldn't be simpler to make!

You'll need:

1 egg
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups sour cream
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
4 cups flour

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly beat the egg, then add the sugar and mix well.

Add the sour cream and mix well.  Then add the salt, baking soda and half the flour.

Add the remaining flour and mix until blended.  The dough will be sticky.  Depending on how warm your kitchen is, you may want to refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes to let it set and return it to the fridge between batches.
Lightly flour your counter and roll out dough like so:

Form the dough into a figure 8 like so:

Pop them into the oven form 12-15 minutes and then enjoy!

They are absolutely stellar with a cup of coffee in the morning!

Happy Holidays, or should I say Trevlig Helg!

Jeremy's Squash Soup

Jeremy's squash soup is a favorite around Cecilia this time of year.  He made it for the pumpkin carving a few weeks ago, and it was back by popular demand this week!

The ingredients:

• Acorn and Butternut Squash
• Butter
• Nutmeg
• Cinnamon
• Green Apples
• Kosher salt
• Black Pepper
• Almond Milk (or real milk if you prefer)
• Honey
• Beer or Broth or Both
• We used Pumking (which is delicious) and vegetable broth

Cut the squash in half and remove seeds

Cover the squash with honey and salt and roast in the oven at 350 degrees for anywhere from an hour to three hours depending on the size of the squash.

Squash will be soft when ready.  Scrape roasted squash out of the peel, then put in the food processor. Add broth or beer or both to the food processor while pulverizing.  Add additional cinnamon, nutmeg and pepper.  

Continue running through food processor until you get the texture you want.  

Put it all into a pot and simmer.  

While its simmering, add almond milk until it reaches a soup consistency.  Enjoy!

*  This recipe and all the photos were done by Jeremy-- thanks babe, well done! 

There's a Recipe A-Comin'

The other day Jeremy made his delicious acorn and butternut squash soup-- and unlike the other times he's made it, this time we managed to document the process.

Unfortunately this week has been unexpectedly busy, so I haven't finished formatting the pictures-- but stay tuned, it will be up later today!!

Salad Days

A summer not too long ago and almost forever away I worked in a country club kitchen.  My Dad is a golf pro (now retired) among other amazing things, and he got me the gig.  The great irony of it all is that I don't cook.  I can follow a recipe, I just don't want to-- I resent cooking, but I enjoy food.

The chef was a huge personality with a thick Eastern European accent and for whatever reason he took pity on me.  He set me up making salads and plating desserts at the back of the kitchen where I could observe the action without risking major injury.That said, I did manage to pour a restaurant sized jug of olive oil on my head.  It was on a high shelf and the lid was loose.  Good times.

My favorite task, next to brulee-ing things, was making the signature salad of the club.  It is delicious.
You'll need:

• spring mix or a 50/50 blend 
• crushed walnuts
• cherry or grape tomatoes
• seedless red grapes
• good quality blue cheese.

Slice the grapes in half, quarter the tomatoes and chuck in the walnuts and cheese to taste, then toss.

The dressing is an important part, and its very simple.  Of course, in the kitchen the chef made the poppy seed base from scratch, but for home cooking the bottled works fine.  Add a dash of Worcestershire sauce-- just enough to turn the dressing a nice creamy color.

Right before serving, add the dressing to the salad.  If you have a pot lid big enough to cover your salad bowl, hold the edges to the bowl and physically shake it back and forth-- it coats the salad very neatly and it less salad ends up on the counter, assuming you hold the lid tight.

Add a little fresh ground pepper to each serving, then enjoy.

We've been eating a lot of salads this summer.  I'd love to report that I've shed the last 5 pounds I've been meaning to unload, but alas no.  I did say we've been eating a lot of salad.  Ah well, no regrets!

Mangia Bene!