This is so my kind of meal once the weather starts to turn a little colder. It’s made with a store bought rotisserie chicken and this chicken chili is all made in one pot on the stove-top. It’s filling and the different peppers add a wonderful mix of flavors to the chili. You’ll need a large dutch oven sort of pot for this and you’ll have some left overs for sure depending on how many people you’re cooking for.

I crumbled some tortilla chips on top of my chili and added a dollop of sour cream which added to the flavor. Cheese is also a wonderful topping here.

Of course if you hate cilantro you can eliminate it and be careful cutting the peppers, the seeds and ribs in the pepper hold all the heat. It’s your call how spicy you’d like it. I like spicy but don’t really use the seeds and I keep it mild and more family-friendly because you never really know how spicy it can get adding the seeds and ribs. I also use rubber or latex gloves while cutting and be careful not to touch your eyes till you’ve completely washed your hands. If I want heat I can add a shot of Chohula to my own.

This chili does thicken considerably as it sits. If you make it ahead of time, you may want to add broth or water depending on how thick you like it.

Leftovers are great and this chili can be frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat it on the stovetop over medium-low heat and you may want to add some broth or water to it as well.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken broth, divided

2 15 oz. cans white beans (cannellini)–drained and rinsed

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 jalapeno pepper , seeded and minced

2 medium poblano peppers, seeded and diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon ancho chili powder

Kosher Salt to taste

1 Rotisserie chicken, skin removed and shredded

3/4 cup frozen corn

1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice, from one lime

*1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro –we like it a lot but not everyone does I know so just omit it

Optional Toppings:

Sour Cream

Crushed Tortilla Chips

Shredded Pepper Jack or Cheddar Cheese

Lime Wedges

Directions:

Get all ingredients chopped and ready to cook.

In a food processor , blend 1/2 of the beans (1 can) with 1 cup of the chicken broth and set aside with the remaining drained beans

Add the olive oil to a large pot or Dutch Oven and heat it over medium high heat. Add the onions, jalapeño pepper and poblano peppers and cook, stirring frequently until soft about 4-5 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so, then add the cumin, coriander and ancho chili powder and continue to cook, stirring frequently for another few minutes. Add the Chicken Broth, pureed beans and app. 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes.

Stir in the shredded chicken, reserved whole can of beans, corn and lime juice; bring back to a simmer and cook until everything is heated through, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust salt . Stir in the chopped cilantro. It will be somewhat soupy still and that’s OK. The longer it sits the thicker it will get. I let it cook for probably an hour or so and If it’s too thick you can add a little water. It’s really a chili so I like it thick but it’s totally up to you how you like it.

I know that most of the time I post a soup recipe with chicken it’s using a rotisserie chicken which is a convenient hack but this time out I used ground chicken. Saw this recipe on my favorite cooking site @nytimes.com/recipes and knew I had to make this . Of course I made a few changes to our tastes but feel free to check out original recipe. Very very easy and very delicious. You can definitely add egg noodles or any small pasta or cavatelli. I used ditalini which I almost always use for a small pasta. You may need to adjust amount of stock so have extra on hand.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

5 Tablespoons olive oil–

1 pound ground chicken ( if you can get dark meat I would but unless you’re going to a butcher you probably won’t find it) white meat is fine

Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into small cubes or slice and cut in 1/2 moons —

2 celery stalks, halved lengthwise, then sliced 1/2″ thick

1 large shallot , finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried thyme– if you want to use fresh thyme about 1 Tablespoon of thyme leaves

7-8 cups chicken stock, more as needed

1 cup dried small shaped pasta

Directions:

In a large stock pot , heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add the chicken, season with some salt and pepper and cook, using a wooden spoon to crumble chicken, app. 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and coriander and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until chicken is cooked through, app. 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon remove chicken to a small bowl and cover with aluminum foil to retain moisture, cover and set aside.

Add the carrot, celery, shallot, thyme and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pot, season with some salt and pepper and cook stirring until everything is slicked with olive oil, app. 3 minutes. Add the stock — I started with the full 8 cups and brought to a boil over high heat.

I cooked my noodles in a separate pot . When the soup cooked down for a while and vegetables were very soft ( probably a 1/2 hour or more) I added the ground chicken and any and all juices that were in the bowl and heated until warmed through, taste for salt and pepper.

I placed some pasta in the individual bowls and poured the hot soup over the pasta and if you’d like a squirt of fresh lemon is always delicious here.

Enjoy!

It’s Fall and this is the most perfect dessert while apples and pears are abundant . Baked with brown sugar and oat topping served warm with vanilla ice cream and it’s perfection on a plate. This is what I did and it really is pretty easy and not very technical for those of you who want to bake a great dessert but don’t want to fuss with cakes and frosting etc. and special equipment. Most perfect!!! Can be made ahead of time and even frozen . Perfect Thanksgiving dessert and if you like just use all apples and omit the pears doubling up on the apples. But Pears are so wonderful — just saying.

Can easily be cut in 1/2 for a much smaller gathering. You can even put into small ramekins and bake like that for individual servings.

Delicious Easy Dessert.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you from my kitchen to yours.

Ingredients:

Fruit Mixture:

3 ripe firm pears peeled, cored and thinly sliced

3 apples peeled, cored and thinly sliced

3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons flour

3/4 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Topping:

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats

2/3 cup all purpose flour

2/3 cup light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

*Vanilla ice cream for serving — obviously optional but in our house it’s a must

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I spray a 9 – 10 inch deep dish pyrex type of dish or any baking dish you like — set aside

In a large bowl combine pears, apples, orange juice, sugar , flour , cinnamon and vanilla — All the fruit mixture ingredients

Dump all the ingredients into your prepared baking dish.

Make the topping in a separate bowl . Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add in the melted butter and stir until combined, using your clean fingers crumble the mixture over the fruit. You’ll want to press some of it together to form clumps.

Bake for 45-60 minutes until topping is golden brown, and fruit is tender and it is bubbling all around the edges.

Serve warm with ice cream.

*I put into oven when we sat down to dinner and let it cook so it was ready for dessert. Let it sit for awhile to set.

You can also make ahead and then just re-heat for 45 minutes to an hour . I cover with aluminum when re-heating.

Enjoy!!

This is one of my most favorite salads. 7 Ingredients and you got this delicious shaved Brussel sprout salad. Perfect for a Holiday Meal and delish for lunch or dinner salad with an added 8th ingredient as Protein. Perfect salad for Thanksgiving you can prep hours in advance because the hearty sprouts will hold up well even if you dress them. Perfect for Holidays. You can put your own spin on it — I used cherries this time out but I think yellow raisins are perfect as well. I actually used finely diced walnuts because no pinolli nuts and wanted to eat it NOW! Even though so few ingredients this salad hits all the flavors and is very delicious and Joel loved it and took seconds!

Enjoy!

*this should serve 4-6 as a side salad

Ingredients:

4 Cups shaved Brussels sprouts — I bought a bag of shaved Brussels from Trader Joes but you can find this almost everywhere or shave yourself in food processor ( just easier to short cut this step)

1/4 cup EVOO

1/4 cup fresh Lemon Juice (probably one regular sized Lemon)

1/3 cup dried cherries, golden raisins, dark raisins, etc. Use what you have in the house it’s all good!

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted — I would also use finely diced walnuts which worked out perfectly– these also come in a bag ready to use

1/2 cup pecorino cheese, if you don’t like cheese you can omit it’s optional but in our house a necessary ingredient — crumbled feta would also be a good alternative

1/3 cup chopped fresh chives — a must for flavor

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

Place Shaved Brussels sprouts in a large bowl ( large enough to mix) and toss with the olive oil and lemon juice, pine nuts, dried fruit, pecorino cheese, chives and a few pinches of kosher salt ( taste for flavor)

I let the salad sit at room temp for at least 15 minutes, then mix well , taste and adjust the seasonings. If tastes dry to you add a little drizzle of olive oil — I didn’t

Enjoy! and Your Welcome

*and obviously if you’d like add a protein to make this a perfect lunch or dinner salad

This vegetable soup is a delicious blend of different vegetables brought together in a delightful tomato broth. Very easy to make and you can freeze a few containers and have wonderful soup whenever you’d like it. Of course you can change any of the vegetables for veggies you may have in the house and want to use. If you don’t have a russet potato use a different one. You can add beans such as kidney, chickpea or my personal favorite cannellini beans — just rinse a can of beans and dump it in. Or add some pasta , 1/2 cup would be fine just make sure there is enough broth at the end of cooking bring to a boil add the pasta and cook for about 15 more minutes or till pasta is done, you may have to add water/broth before or after you add the pasta. You can add some spinach, kale, Swiss chard or escarole as well. Many many different variations. I make the basic soup and when I defrost I usually add something new like beans or pasta or kale. It’s a very delicious soup and very hearty and very healthy.

*Slow Cooker Directions:

If you’d like you can also make this in the slow cooker. I would saute the onions, carrots and celery in olive oil first though. Then place in the slow cooker along with garlic, salt, pepper, canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, vegetable broth and potatoes. Low heat for 4 hours. Then add the corn and green beans cook for about 10 more minutes and serve. At the end check for liquid before adding the corn and green beans you may need to add some water or broth.

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1/2 cup finely diced onion– yellow or white onion

3 carrots , peeled , halved lengthwise and sliced

3 stalks celery, thinly sliced and then cut in about 3 inch pieces

2 teaspoons minced garlic

Kosher Salt and Coarsely Ground Black Pepper to taste

20 oz. can of diced tomatoes– Do Not Drain

8 oz. can Tomato Sauce

1 1/4 teaspoons Italian Seasoning

6 cups Vegetable Broth — and you may need more or add water if too thick at the end — I added about 1/2 cup of water

1 large Russet Potato peeled and cut into 1/2 ” cubes

3/4 cup frozen corn

3/4 cup cut up frozen green beans or fresh

*extra liquid — you can use water or broth if you still have on hand

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion , carrots and celery to the pot.

Cook for about 5 minutes till veggies are softened. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute or so. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, broth and potato to the pot and bring to a simmer.

Cook for about 1/2 hour at a low simmer or until potatoes are tender. Taste and add salt and pepper . Soup will probably be ready in 1/2 hour but I let it simmer for a full hour. I added some liquid as a lot of the liquid evaporates and gets absorbed the longer it cooks.

Stir in the corn and green beans and cook for another 10 minutes or so. If you’re adding any other ingredients this would be a good time. i.e. beans, kale, pasta etc. See notes above for *slow cooker directions.

• Perfect for freezing — just will have to add some liquid as you heat it up. Broth or water is just fine.