White Chili With Chicken

The perfect food on a cold, winter day? Oh yeah!
This chili is such a nice change from the acidic, cramp inducing, regular red chili. Ok I really didn't mean to make it sound so bad, lets just say that I prefer this to regular chili any day.
With only a few simple ingredients, this is the perfect meal for a busy day. Throw it in the crock pot in the morning and it is done in time for lunch.
This chili tastes best, served with corn chips, cheese and sour cream.

White Chili with Chicken

1- 16 oz. bag of dry great northern beans
1 chicken breast w/rib meat
1 -32 oz. carton of chicken broth
1-7 oz. can of green chilies
1-12 oz. can of evaporated milk
1 Tbs. of minced onion (unless your husband lets you cook with real onion, then by all means use real onion. Jason never seems to notice if I use minced, but don't tell him I said that)
1/4 tsp. of cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. of white pepper
1- 8 oz. brick of cream cheese

Method:

Soak beans in water overnight, or 10 hours. Simmer chicken breast in chicken broth until meat can shred easily with fork. While chicken is simmering, put softened beans into crock pot along with the chilies, milk, onion, cumin, garlic powder, and white pepper.
When chicken is ready to shred, remove from broth, (add that broth to the crock pot too) shred with a fork and add to crock pot. Cook on high for about 4-5 hours, stirring every hour. 10 minutes before serving, add cream cheese, (cut into 3 or 4 chunks) stir a couple times before serving.
Top with shredded Mexican cheese, sour cream and corn chips.

You can also cut down on your prep time if you use pre-cooked, great northern beans from a jar, and canned chicken. I've never made it that way, but it might turn out just fine. Let me know, because I'm a very busy woman, and cutting down an hour of prep in the morning would allow me to sleep in later!

Enjoy!

Christmas Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok so not much is really changed, but the 2 things that are changed, make this cookie delicious and totally addicting!
I only make them around the Christmas season, I don't know why. I should make them year round. They are so good!
These are basically standard, chocolate chip cookies but with rum extract instead of vanilla, and maraschino cherry bits added. Yes it makes that much of a difference.
And then as if they weren't sweet enough, I drizzle white chocolate over them.
I believe that presentation is everything, so it is very hard for me to just make a boring looking cookie.

Recipe


2 sticks salted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. rum extract
1 lg. egg
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups chocolate chips
10 oz (? I don't remember what size! Duh! Sorry.)
jar of stemless maraschino cherries, diced and patted dry


Method
Preheat oven to 375.
Beat butter and sugars until smooth. Beat in extract, egg and baking soda. Stir in floour until blended. Stir in chips and cherries.
Drop mixture by rounded tablespoons, 2" apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake 10 minutes or until edges are golden.
Remove to wire racks and cool completely.

Enjoy!

My New Apron!

I have been drooling over this apron on this site for so long, and my sweet, wonderful husband finally broke down and bought it for me! I want to wear it all the time, even when I'm not cooking!

I think it makes my cooking taste better. ~wink~

Fall Desserts

Spice cake with an apple, raisin, nut filling, and cream cheese frosting, topped with colored, white, and brown chocolate leaves.

Spiced, apple pear pie.