Chicken Peanut Stew

I've been seeing this recipe a lot over the past couple of years and wanting to try it. But it seemed like one of those things that my family might not like. No real reason, just a feeling. So I kept putting it aside.

Well, let me tell ya, I wish I had tried it a lot sooner! It was SO good!

This recipe is very slightly adapted from JungleFrog Cooking.



Chicken Peanut Stew
1 lb boneless skinless chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into bite sized pieces
1 lb potatoes, peeled & cut into bite sized pieces
1 onion, diced
1 jalapeño, seeded & diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 in piece ginger root, grated
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
3/4 cup peanut butter
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil
chopped peanuts, if desired
skinny chile pepper slices, if desired

Cut the chicken (breast or thighs, whatever you prefer) into bite sized pieces.
Chop the veggies.
Heat oil in a dutch oven. Add onions and jalapenos. Cook until onions are slightly translucent.
Add chicken. Cook and stir a few minutes. Add ginger, garlic, tomato paste, curry, coriander. Cook a few minutes until spices are really fragrant.
Add chicken broth, peanut butter, brown sugar and sweet chili sauce. Stir and cook until well combined. Add potatoes, sweet potatoes and tomatoes. Stir.
Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 60 - 90 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Garnish with chopped peanuts and chile slices. Serve with crusty bread.
Enjoy!!

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Cut up your chicken. I used boneless skinless breasts.


Cut up your veggies.


Sweet Potatoes & Potatoes




Heat the oil in a dutch oven.

Add onions & jalapenos and cook until onions are a little translucent.


Add chicken.


Cook a few more minutes.

Add ginger root, garlic, tomato paste, curry and coriander.


Stir and cook a few minutes until spices are really fragrant.

Add chicken broth.


And peanut butter


Stir until peanut butter is totally mixed in.

Add brown sugar.


Sweet Chili Sauce


And tomatoes.


Stir and add potatoes & sweet potatoes.


Stir, cover and simmer for 60 - 90 minutes or until potatoes are tender.


I had fully intended to garnish this with chopped peanuts & chile slices, but totally forgot to buy them!


Tear off a nice crusty piece of bread and enjoy!!


I didn't tell Jon what was in this, because I thought he'd say that the ingredients didn't 'go together'. That way he had a less biased mind to try it. He is really good about trying everything I make, well... except Rappie Pie... anyway...

We both LOVED this. Bob didn't care for it, but I really didn't think he'd like it. Tawny and Lilly weren't home, and they didn't get to try it, because Jon & I just finished up the leftovers for lunch!

This is a really hearty, thick, flavorful, satisfying stew and I wish I had tried it sooner! I'll definitely be making this again. Give it a try and don't wait as long as I did!

Caramel Apple Enchiladas

The second I saw Caramel Apple Enchiladas on In the Kitchen with KP, I knew I had to make them!

Growing up, we used to always go apple picking in the fall so that's when my mom always started making apple desserts! Apple Crisp, Apple Dumplings, Apple Pies...

The weather was cool in Pittsburgh. It was definitely feeling like fall. And I was dying to get my apple on.

As soon as I saw the recipe for Caramel Apple Enchiladas, I couldn't stop thinking about them. Unfortunately, I was heading out of town to help my sister with her annual Out of the Darkness Walk for Suicide Prevention.

Which, by the way, you can still make a donation to, if you're so inclined, by clicking this link... http://afsp.donordrive.com/participant/spryte

I was considering making them at her house... but we were so busy, there was just no time. So they had to wait... and I have to say, they were definitely worth the wait!!

After checking out LOTS of Apple Enchilada recipes, (most of which called for canned apple pie filling *shudder*) this is what I came up with.



Caramel Apple Enchiladas
5 flour tortillas (soft taco size)
5 apples (I used 3 MacIntosh & 2 Honey Crisp)
1/4 C brown sugar
1/2 - 3/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1/4 C butter
5 Caramel sheets (used for easy caramel apples)
1 TBLS butter, melted
1 TBLS cinnamon/sugar (for sprinkling)
Vanilla ice cream (optional)
Caramel sauce (optional)

Preheat oven to 425F.
Peel, core and chop apples.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 1/4 cup of butter.
Add chopped apples, sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon & nutmeg.
Cook apples for about 5 - 8 minutes, or until tender.
Place flour tortilla on work surface, then place caramel sheet in the center of the flour tortilla.
Put a scoop of cooked apples in the center.
Fold bottom of tortilla up over apples, fold sides in, then roll it up, being careful to keep the filling inside.
Place seam side down in 8x8 glass baking dish.
Repeat with remaining tortillas & caramel sheets.
Brush enchiladas with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar.
Bake at 425F for 10 - 15 minutes or until golden.
Serve warm with ice cream and a drizzle of caramel.

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So peel your apples.


I like to use a couple types of apples, when I bake.
One is almost always MacIntosh, today the other was Honey Crisp.

Cut out the cores and chop them up.


Melt 1/4 C butter in a large skillet.


Add the chopped apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.


Cook 5 - 8 minutes, or until apples are tender.


Ok... those spicy apples smelled amazing!

Now you need soft taco sized flour tortillas & caramel sheets.

You can usually find caramel sheets in the produce department at the grocery store.


I had never used them before. They're pretty cool... just packed between sheets of parchment paper.


First lay out a tortilla.


Add a caramel sheet.


Add a scoop of apples.


Fold the bottom of the tortilla up over the apples.


Fold in the sides.


Then roll it up and place it seam side down in an 8x8 glass baking dish.

Repeat with remaining tortillas & caramel sheets.


I had a little bit of apple left over... it was so good reheated on pancakes the next day! But it would have also been great stirred into oatmeal.


Now brush the enchiladas with melted butter.


Sprinkle them with cinnamon/sugar.


And bake for 10 - 15 minutes at 425F, or until golden.


Some of the caramel oozes out, but that's ok. It totally scoops right up with the enchiladas.

Serve with some vanilla ice cream and an extra drizzle of caramel!


These were SO good!! And they went together really fast! No baking for an hour or making dough like a pie. Just sweet, spicy, apply deliciousness!

Chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes

There's a Lean Cuisine I like called Ranchero Braised Beef with Chipotle Sweet Potatoes. Admittedly, lots of Lean Cuisines aren't very good. But this one doesn't totally suck. The meat isn't great... but I love the sauce mixed with the mashed chipotle sweet potatoes. So I decided to make the Sweet Spicy Mashies myself.



Alton Brown's Chipotle Smashed Sweet Potatoes
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped
1 teaspoon adobo sauce from can of peppers
1/2 teaspoon salt

Put cubed potatoes into steamer basket and place steamer into a large pot of simmering water that is no closer than 2 inches from the bottom of basket. Allow to steam for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Add butter to potatoes and mash with potato masher. Add peppers, sauce, and salt and continue mashing to combine. Serve immediately.

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I have 4 sweet potatoes, because mine were pretty small.


Peel 'em.


Cut them into cubes and steam them for 20 minutes or until they're fork tender.


While they're steaming, you can chop your chipotle pepper.

I like to buy the San Marcos brand, because it's a really small can and I usually only use one pepper at a time.


Mmmm... spicy & smokey!


Even with one chipotle, these potatoes have a nice spicy kick.


All steamed and tender, butter added...


Mash them up!


Add the pepper & sauce.


Mix until the pepper and sauce are well combined with the sweet potatoes.


Now they're ready to serve.

They were perfect with some grilled chicken, sugar snap peas and baked beans.


The color is bright and gorgeous! They were creamy, sweet and spicy! Totally delicious! And a gazillion times better than a Lean Cuisine!

Buttermilk Biscuits

Whenever I make Fried Chicken I makes biscuits too. But usually I just bake the Pillsbury Biscuits that you can find in the freezer section of the store.

Well... my last Fried Chicken dinner was almost ready and I was ready to bake the biscuits when I discovered that I didn't have any!

Yikes! Now what?

I figured I could make some. I don't typically have buttermilk in the house; but since I was making fried chicken, I had some. Ok... just need to find a recipe.

Ahhh... Alton Brown! He never lets me down!



Southern Biscuits
2 C flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 TBLS butter
2 TBLS shortening
1 C buttermilk, chilled

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using your fingertips, rub butter and shortening into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. (The faster the better, you don't want the fats to melt.) Make a well in the center and pour in the chilled buttermilk. Stir just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very sticky.

Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour and gently fold dough over on itself 5 or 6 times. Press into a 1-inch thick round. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, being sure to push straight down through the dough. Place biscuits on baking sheet so that they just touch. Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting. (Biscuits from the second pass will not be quite as light as those from the first.)

Bake until biscuits are tall and light gold on top, 15 to 20 minutes.

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Ok... combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Then, using your fingertips, rub butter and shortening into it.


Until it looks like crumbs.


Do it fast, so you don't melt the butter and shortening.

Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk.


Combine just until dough comes together.




Turn the sticky dough onto floured surface.


Dust the top with flour and gently fold the dough over on itself 5 or 6 times.


You can kinda watch the sun set while I'm making the biscuits! The shadows are getting longer and longer!

Press dough into a 1 inch thick round.


Cut out biscuits with a 2 inch cutter, be sure to press straight down through the dough. I couldn't find my biscuit cutters, so I just used a can.


Place biscuits on a baking sheet so they just touch.


Reform scrap dough and cut more biscuits. Work the dough as little as possible.




Now into the oven, preheated to 450F for 15 to 20 minutes, until they're tall and golden.




Wow! These came out awesome! And they were wicked easy to make!!

Why do I buy frozen ones again??? Oh yeah... I usually don't have buttermilk... but I think I'll try to plan ahead to be ready to whip these up on a whim!

Tall and golden...


With melty butter...


Or honey...


Someone couldn't wait for dinner...


I definitely won't make Biscuits and Gravy without actually making the Biscuits from scratch!

So I was just looking to link to my Sausage Gravy recipe... and guess what?? It's not here!!

I see Biscuits & Gravy for breakfast in our very near future!

Stay tuned for the recipe!

Have some Buttermilk Biscuits while you wait!