Secret Reciep Club--Deluxe Mashed Potatoes

 

It's the Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day!.   My secret blog was,  Cafe Mayhem & Pictures of all my Pretty Princesses.   I  had fun looking thru this blog, but I chose this recipe....  because I saw the picture of the cookbook and I thought  "OH MAN, I HAVE THAT SAME COOKBOOK!"   see picture here at Jules blog and here at my blog.  (well, it's not THIS blog, it's a running list of all my cookbooks )
Of course, then I realized that it was a cookbook cover from a fundraiser. 
Still the excitement lingered and I felt Jules and I had a bond. We both like to cook for example.   We both LOVE this cookbook cover and the recipes each contains. 
And we both like to particiapte in the Secret  Recipe Club. 

When the Handyman noticed I was putting carrots into his beloved mashed potatoes he was kind  of horrified to tell you the truth, but I am happy to say that his words when eating this were " This really  IS good!"
And the Handyman spoke the truth!!

Yes, these Deluxe mashed potatoes have carrots in them....that is not cheese....and they are a bit lumpy....but that made them really, really good.
I did have to add a bit of heavy cream (because I had it) or mine would have been  really dry, but other than that I stuck to the orginal recipe and we loved it.
I served these with some grilled salmon and fresh brocoli--what a perfect mea.  In fact....there are leftover potatoes.  I think I'll go fix myself some.


In the Secret Recipe club, we are assigned a blog and we choose any recipe from that blog to make and post about. We keep our assigned blogger a secret until posting day. It's a lot of fun getting to know another blogger by actually 'stalker' (or visiting) their blog.


It's such a fun blog hop to take part in. I can't wait to go visit all the other Secret Recipe bloggers!

Mashed Potatoes Deluxe

2 1/2 qt. chicken broth

8 russet potatoes

6 medium carrots, cut into 1 inch lengths

1 large onion, cut into quarters

1 tsp dill (dried or fresh)

6 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp parsley

2 Tsp. salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

In a large pot, bring chicken broth to a boil. Add potatoes; cover. Lower heat. Boil 15 minutes. Add carrots and onions; boil 20 minutes until potatoes and carrots are tender. Drain potatoes and carrots in a colander; cool 5 minutes and peel.

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, onions, dill and butter. Mash with potatoes masher. Add parsley, salt, and pepper; mash again. Heat and serve warm.

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The Secret Recipe Club--Vickie's Tortilla Soup

Amber and I could easily be friends.    We could be friends because, well, I love her blog. And her enthusiasm-- for cooking, for her blog, for her family and for her home.

Amber is the blogger from Bluebonnets & Brownies, the blog I was assigned for the secret recipe club.    I love the secret recipe club, because it introduces me to blogs I haven't seen before. It's such a great way to be introduced to new blogs and bloggers.  Some are extra special like this one.

I LOVE food with a Mexican flair--a Tex-Mex flavor--as well, as the occasional chocolate treat. Bluebonnets & Brownies--A Perfect Fit!!


Although, there were many great recipes to choose from, I decided on this Tortilla Soup .    I love Tortilla Soup.    I have made a good Tortilla Soup in my time, but I'm kind of always on the lookout for a better one now.     (It's all because of Heather from Girlichef and her Tortilla Soup round-up).   My favorite has lots of cheese and cream and some other really unhealthy ingredients in it, (it's sooo good!)   so when I read this  recipe, I thought,  "well it sounds really good, but  where is the cream?"

We Loved It!!!
It's like  apples and oranges. They are two completely different soups.   No one really  need compare.
It  felt like a fall day here in Winnemucca (in fact, it rained a bit)  and this soup smelled so good simmering in the crock pot all day.  It was just perfect.  The weather, the soup, the football on TV.
The soup was so good....it had a lot of flavor and the veggies simmered in the broth were just perfect.  It was a great soup to bring in the fall for me.
I love to chop vegetables for some reason and this soup was chalk full of them...carrots, zucchini, potatoes, tomatoes.  It's soothing to me to chop.  
Our taste buds were very satisfied and we felt like this was a soup that was actually good for us!

I would make this soup again, even if I didn't have tortilla strips on top. It was just a really good soup. I'm not sure why it's called Vickie's Tortilla soup--maybe you should read the blog to find out. What a great idea. That way you can see what other great recipes Amber has.

In the Secret Recipe club, we are assigned a blog and we choose any recipe from that blog to make and post about. We keep our assigned blogger a secret until posting day. It's a lot of fun getting to know another blogger by actually 'stalker' (or visiting) their blog.
It's such a fun blog hop to take part in.   I can't wait to go visit all the other Secret Recipe bloggers!

Vickie’s Tortilla Soup

Directions
1 onion, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
2 regular carrots, peeled and diced
4 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 zucchini, diced
6 cups of chicken broth
1-1 1/2 lbs chicken breast
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 bunch of cilantro


Directions
I started by chopping all the vegetables except the cilantro and tossing them into the crock pot. Then I added the chicken broth and spices, and allowed this to cook on low for about 2 hours. Then I added the raw chicken pieces (I used tenderloins) directly to the crock pot, and put it on high.


About 4 hours later, I removed the chicken pieces from the soup, and pulled them using two forks. This makes for very tender chicken throughout the soup, and guaranteed chicken in pretty much every bite. I added the chicken back to the soup, and just let it cook for another 3 hours on low.


The soup gets its name from what goes on top of it at the very end.


Preheat your oven to 350F. Take 1 corn tortilla per person eating, and cut the tortilla into strips. Place the strips on a baking tray, and spray them with cooking spray. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake the strips for about 8-10 minutes until crisp.


When you ladle up the soup, sprinkle it with some sharp cheddar cheese and the tortilla strips, and garnish
with some  cilantro.

Secret Recipe Club--Chlie Honey Chicken

I love Asian inspired food!  It's true....for my birthday dinner?  Chinese Food.  All. The. Time.  I love eating with chopsticks.  I figure, if you're going to have the experience, you should go all the way.  I've never really been able to reproduce a good Asian dish at home tho....  that is until now. 
Until I met Holly from PheMOMenon.   I haven't really met her fact to face-- I've been stalking her lately---for the Secret Recipe Club.    YES! Today is 'reveal' day for the  Secret Recipe club.   It's such a fun blog hop to take part in.   
 In this club,  we are assigned a blog and we  choose any recipe from that blog to make  and post about.    We keep our assigned blogger a secret until posting day.  It's a lot of fun getting to know another blogger by  actually 'stalker' (or visiting)  their blog.
It's been fun getting to know Holly and her blog PheMOMenon, thru my daily stalking.  (she has some great recipes and fun ideas--you should check her out)

And when I said that I could never make could Asian dishes at home, I wasn't exaggerating....until I came upon this   Chili Honey  Chicken at her blog.

Now this....this is a great tasting, easy to make Asian inspired dish you can make at home.  It might seem like a lot of steps, but it's really not.   It would be super simple to just make it the stir fry way, but I recommend the cornstarch, frying method--it's a little more like the chicken in a Chinese restaurant, with a bit of a crunch.   If you're going the healthier route,  stir fry all the way, I'm sure it's just as good.
This chicken was a bit sweet, a bit spicy and we loved it.    We like a little bit of spice in our food.  This combination was just right.  Mmmmm....I get hungry just thinking about it.  (I have leftovers in the fridge)

I had never heard of ponzu sauce before  and I did have go to 2 grocery stores to find it, but I'm so glad I went out of my way a bit as it gave the chicken a citrusy flavor--just a touch.   Ponzu is a citrus flavored soy sauce, in case you are like me and didn't know this.  I can't wait to find something else to marinate in Ponzu.  The Sugar Snap Peas were crunchy and the  rice was just right.    I'll definitely be making this again.

Thanks Holly for a great recipe!  And Amanda for  hosting the Secret Recipe Club. 

 See you next month!

Chili Honey Chicken
from  PheMOMenom

Makes 4 Servings



For the chicken:
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast or tenderloins
1/3 cup ponzu sauce
1/4 cup sweet chile sauce
2/3 cup cornstarch
2-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup fresh sugar snap peas


For the sauce:
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup sweet chile sauce
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 clove garlic, minced very fine
Pinch red pepper flake, to taste


Trim and cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and place them in a large ziptop bag with the ponzu and sweet chile sauces. Mash the chicken in the bag a bit to get it all covered in the marinade. Set the bag aside in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (I usually start the rice or noodles now so it will be ready when the chicken is done).


While the chicken is marinating, make the sauce by whisking the honey, chile sauce, butter, water, garlic and pepper flake together in a small bowl. Set aside until ready to use.


Use a colander over the sink and pour the chicken out in the colander, discarding any marinade left over. Toss the chicken pieces lightly in a large bowl with the cornstarch, preferably working a few pieces at a time.


Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, fry a few pieces of chicken at a time until golden on all sides, about 2 minutes total. Work in batches so you don’t crowd the pan. Remove cooked pieces and set them aside while cooking the remaining chicken. About half way through the batches you can add more oil to heat if needed.*


Once all the chicken is cooked, pour any remaining excess oil out of the pan, but don’t worry about any other little bits, they will be absorbed in the sauce. Turn the heat down to medium and add the sauce to the pan. Use a wooden spoon to stir the sauce and let it boil in the hot pan for 1 minute before adding the chicken pieces into the pan. Stir the chicken in the sauce to coat. Toss in the peas and stir to coat. Allow the mixture to simmer and cook in the sauce until everything is hot, glazed and the sauce is almost completely absorbed – about 3 to 5 minutes.


Serve hot over rice or noodles and enjoy!


*NOTE: Alternatively, you can skip the cornstarch frying process and follow the directions below for a simple stir fry.


Stir Fry Chile Honey Chicken Directions:
Marinade the chicken pieces as described above, then drain the marinade. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat and add the chicken, still in batches and cook on all sides till just golden. Proceed as usual with the rest of the recipe.

Secret Recipe Club

Today is posting day for The Secret Recipe Club!   I have missed the first couple of  round-ups for  this club,  but when I realized what  a fun idea this is, I signed  up right away so I could participate this month! In this club, we choose any recipe from the blog assigned to us and make or bake and keep the blog/blogger we are making from a secret until posting day

It came right down to the wire for me and the Secret Recipe Club!  We are just putting the finishing touches on our kitchen and dining room tile and we only got our new stove last weekend.
So, besides boiling myself some eggs, and heating some soup,  these great  Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies  (from Cupcake Muffin)  are one of the first things I've made, and the very  first I've baked in my new oven.
Speaking of  Cupcake Muffin, let me give a shout out to Sara and say thanks for the great cookie recipe.  It was fun to peruse your blog and see all the  great dishes. 
I have a horrible sweet tooth and I knew that had to be satisfied soon, and Sara has tons of great  'sweet treats' on her blog.   I can't wait to make the Sour Cream-Apple Pie with Lemon Cardamom Streusel!!   It sounded so good.
But I went with the Nutella cookies for a couple of reasons.

1.  I may be the only person in the world who has never tasted Nutella.  I bought some and it has just sat in my cupboard for a few months.  So, this was my opportunity to try it out.   (I love food and love sweets, but for some reason just can't get my mind around chocolate spread on toast  ?? )

2.  I've been really hungry for a good cookie and this one just called out to me.
I wanted a good cookie to go with my cup of good coffee.

The question is....did I find that good cookies?
I think I did!  As Sara said,  the Nutella flavor isn't very pronounced, but it does give for a smooth, slight chocolate, or understated 'Nutella' flavor.
The Handyman liked them too.  He likes a softer cookie and these were soft inside but a bit crunchy on the outside--that's a perfect texture, I feel.

I have to confess, I did eat them for breakfast with my coffee, true, but 14 hours later as I write up this blog post, I am having a couple with a glass of cold milk.
A truly versitial cookie if you ask me. Coffe AND milk.   (smiles)

Here is Sara's  recipe from her blog.
I didn't make any changes to the recipe at all.

Nutella-Chocolate Chip Cookies
from Cupcake Muffin


Makes 4 dozen small cookies

2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup Nutella
2 eggs
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cups chocolate chips or coarsely chopped dark chocolate
1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheets with foil or parchment.

2. Whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside.

3. Beat together the butter and sugar, and then add the Nutella and beat until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Fold in the dry ingredients, followed by chocolate chips or chocolate chunks and nuts, if using.

4. Drop heaping tablespoon-fuls  of dough two inches apart on the cookie sheets, and then flatten slightly by hand.  Bake 8-10 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.
 
 

 
 
If you would like to particpate in the Secret Recipe Club just follow this link to check it out.