Kim’s Simple Recipes

I received this recipe from a recipe exchange and if you like Mole Sauce you are going to love this.   Thank you Sparky.

1 large whole chicken

1 large onion.

Mole Sauce

4 1/2 cups of chicken broth

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onion

3 Tablespoons chopped garlic

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

21/2 tablespoons chili powder

3 Tablespoons all-purpose flower

2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (use Hershey Special Dark)

Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium low heat.  Add onion, garlic, oregano, cumin and cinnamon.  Cook until onion is almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.  Mix in chili powder and flour, and stir for about 3 minutes.  Gradually whisk in the chicken broth.  Increase heat to medium high and boil until reduced, about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate, season with salt and pepper if needed/desired.

clean out the cavity of the chicken and place into a 8×10 oven safe dish.  Chop up the onion in large chunks and put into the chicken cavity.  Lift the skin up off the chicken but do not remove the skin, you only want to lift it up.  Pour the mole sauce under the skin and in the cavity and then on top of the chicken – totally cover it up.

Cook for 1 hour at 350°

You will have lots of extra mole sauce.  It will keep in your refrigerator for week, there is nothing perishable in it.  We eat in fajitas, or just pour over shredded chicken and serve with rice and side salad.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

I love when I can make something that I know my kids are going to want seconds!  There are so many variation to this ever simple dish.  I sometimes follow this recipe and sometimes I switch the cheeses around with ones like Guyre or pepper jack.  I also swap the bread crumbs for Panko, a Japanese bread crumb.

1 8 ounce box of elbow macaroni

4 Tablespoons of flour

4 Tablespoons of butter

2 Tablespoons ground mustard

3 cups of milk

1 onion fine dice

1 bay leaf                                                                                      

1 teaspoon paprika

12 ounces shredded sharp cheddar

10 ounces shredded Monterey jack

1 pound bacon cooked and crumbled- optional

Topping

1-2 cups fresh bread crumbs

3 Tablespoons butter

Melt butter and toss bread crumbs till coated.

Cook Macaroni according to package.  Preheat oven to 350°.  Melt butter in skillet and add onion, sauté for about 5 minutes over med high heat.  Whisk in flour and mustard and stir about 5 minutes till lump free.  Add milk, bay leaf and paprika, stirring constantly simmer about 10 – 15 minutes.  Remove bay leaf.  At this point you may add 1 pound of crumbled bacon if desired.  Layer a 9×13 dish with the sauce, macaroni and both cheeses.  Repeat layers ending with the sauce and topping off with the bread crumbs.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

This is yet another recipe from Tennis.  Incredible easy.  I would say you could do this in a crock pot, but be sure to add the cream during the last hour or it will probably curdle.   Thank you Karen P. it is DELICIOUS 

3 Tablespoons of margarine or butter.  I just sprayed the pan heavily with Pam.

4 skinned and boned chicken breast cut into bite size pieces.

1 onion chopped

2 cloves of garlic minced or 2 Tablespoons of the stuff from the jar.

2 cups of half and half – I used fat-free

2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese

2 cans cream style corn

1 can chopped chiles, undrained

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce of choice.  Clearly you can add more depending on your desired heat.

1/4 teaspoon salt – optional

1 teaspoon cumin

2 -3 Tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro.

In a dutch oven melt the butter over medium heat and add chicken, onions and garlic.  Cook about 10 minutes.  Add next 7 ingredients and cook over low heat for 15 minutes.  Stir in cilantro.

I have not tried this in a slow cooker, but if I was I would place the onion in the bottom add chicken and all ingredients except the half and half and cook for 5 hours on low.   Take the chicken out and shred, return to slow cooker and add half and half and cook on low for another hour.

I had 2 friends share 2 different recipes for this with me in the same week.  I decided to put the 2 together and this is what I came up with.  It turned out Great.

3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breast

1 onion chopped

2 cans of chicken broth

1 15 ounce can of pinto beans

2 cans of black beans – drained and rinsed

1 10 ounce can of diced tomatoes

1 10 ounce can of rotel

2 cups of frozen corn

2 Tablespoons of Chili powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon paprika

2-3 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Place onions in the bottom of a slow cooker.  Put the chicken breast, and all remaining ingredients except frozen corn.  Cook on low for 5 hours.  Remove chicken from the soup and allow to cool long enough to handle, and shred.  Return chicken back to the soup and add the corn.  Cook for another 2 hours.  Serve topped with shredded cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips.