Chicken Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 boneless chicken breast
Olive oil
1 tablespoon MzzBev's Mexican Seasoning
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/3 cup all purpose flour
4 cups whole milk (we only had 1% so I had no choice but to use it)
1 cup sour cream
1 pinch of nutmeg
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 large bunch fresh broccoli, cut into flowerettes
2 cups of cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Place chicken breast on a cookie sheet or oven proof pan.  Rub MzzBev's Mexican seasoning on the chicken breast.  Drizzle the chicken with olive oil.  Roast in pre-heated oven for 25 minutes.

In the meantime....In a large pot on medium heat, melt butter

Add chopped onions to melted butter.  Stir and cook for 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.

Add the garlic and stir.  Cook for 2 minutes (make sure not to burn garlic, gets bitter when that happens)

Add the flour to the butter mixture and whisk until well blended.

Stir for about 2 minutes, whisking the whole time.

Add the sour cream and the milk and stir until well blended.

Add a pinch of nutmeg (I like using fresh whenever possible)

Add the broccoli and stir in

Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until the broccoli is tender.  Stir occasionally to keep milk from sticking to pan.

If the chicken is done by now.  Let sit for 5 minutes.

When the soup is almost done simmering, chop chicken into bite sized pieces

Add the cheese to the soup and blend well

Blend the soup with an immersion blender.  If you don't have one, blend two cups of the soup in a blender.   You can blend half of it or all of it, doesn't matter.

Add the cooked chicken to the soup (make sure it's added after the soup os blended).  Simmer for another 5 minutes.

Serve with your favorite artisan bread or just alone.

The power of suggestion!  I was relaxing with my feet resting on the ottoman, sipping my tea and enjoying an e-book when the author mentioned that a character had offered some Broccoli Cheese soup.  It had me at broccoli.  In a split second I was looking up the recipe of the soup and sure enough, Google pulled up Pioneer Woman's recipe and sure enough, I clicked on it.  It seemed I had everything for the recipe except for the whole milk (I had 1%) and half/half (I used sour cream).

I was surprised how thick the soup was, which is what I wanted.  I was also surprised the sour cream did not effect the flavor in any way, just helped make it thick and creamy.  The soup hit the spot and it took no time to make it.

Hubby passed by while I was making the soup, and  sarcastically asked what in the world was I making?  LOL!  I knew he wouldn't want any because he's not crazy about broccoli so I made him a hamburger and that always makes him happy.

I so enjoy cooking in the kitchen, trying new recipes.  It's always fun when I have all the ingredients for any given recipe.

For the past couple of years, I've gotten into the habit of buying a Christmas themed book during the holiday season.  This past year, I bought two and also started a previous one I had read before.  I just love being taken away to a snowy lodge up in the mountains or somewhere like that.  With this being my 2nd winter in Michigan, you'd think I'd be sick of snowy, chilly winters but on the contrary.  It just makes me love the books even more.  I don't like them when they're too mushy & sultry though but I do like them when they're humurous mysteries and thrillers, not to mention a story having a cat in it.  Even with Christmas come and gone that's okay, I still enjoy reading them.   I will post my book list (just like Monique does from La Table de Nana) on the right side of my blog. Feel free to let me know if you've read any of the ones I have listed.

Until next time,

Chocolate Espresso Bundt Cake

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup high quality dark Dutch process cocoa
1 tablespoon  Espresso instant coffee dissolved in 3/4 cup of water
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs at room temperature (I used 3 because mine were small)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Butter and flour bundt pan (I couldn't find my bundt pan so I resorted to this angel food cake pan)

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-low heat.

Add the cocoa and whisk . . . .

. . . . whisk until smooth

 Whisk in the espresso water and remove from heat

Add the sugar (forgot the sugar picture), sour cream,

vanilla extract (my very own homemade extract)

and the eggs and whisk until smooth

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt.

Add all at once to the chocolate mixture and whisk until well blended.  Since I was doing it by hand, it was taking a good five minutes of continuous stirring to get it good and smooth but it still looked a little lumpy.

Pour into prepared pan

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes or when a toothpick placed close to the center comes out clean.  I ended up having to bake mine for at least 1 hour, I'm not sure why.

Once it's done baking, remove from oven and let cool before removing from pan.

Once it's cool, invert into plate.  Frost, glaze or decorate depending on what you desire.  You can eat it plain too if you'd like

I left the cake plain but then decorated each cut piece to whatever hubby wanted.  He liked the toasted crunched almonds on his.

Another piece had powdered sugar sprinkled on

Mine had a spoonful of raspberry jam

I agree, Happiness is homemade

I rarely make chocolate cake anymore but for the last couple of days I have been craving it.  I visited one of my top favorite bloggee girlfriend's site who in my opinion is right up there with Martha Stewart and Pioneer Woman, I am serious.  Her blog is Le Table de Nana, her name is Monique and she lives in Canada.  An amazing woman and VERY talented.  I knew she would have the perfect chocolate cake I would be looking for and sure enough she did.  Monique made the cake, if you click on the link to her site, you'll see the beautiful cake she baked.  She is amazing - browse around her site and you'll agree with me.  She also gave the link to the cake from where she got the recipe and so here's the original:  Chocolate Espresso Bundt Cake with Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Glaze.  As you can see, I didn't make the glaze as I just wasn't in the mood for cinnamon.

Hubby and I were very happy the way the cake came out.  It was solid, chocolatey and the espresso  brings out that perfect chocolate flavor even more.

A nice treat to have while watching the first episode of Downton Abbey.

Have a great week.  Until next time,

Chicken Tortilla Soup & MzzBev's Mexican Seasoning

Ingredients for Chicken Tortilla Soup
For 6-8 servings
4-5 chicken breasts
2-3 tbsps. MzzBev's Mexican seasoning*
Extra virgin olive oil
6 cups water or broth, plus 5 cups water (reserved)
1 tbsp. Better than Bouillon Chicken Base
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 cups whole corn kernels or 1 can drained
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, drained or 1 can black beans drained
1 tbsp. cooked Hatch chili or jalapeno, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup Orzo pasta
 8 corn tortillas
Olive oil
Kosher salt, optional

*Ingredients for MzzBev's Mexican Seasoning
4 tbsps. chili powder
1 tbsp. ground Cumin
1 tbsp. garlic powder
 1 tsp. onion powder
1-2 pinches Cayenne powder (optional)
1 tbsp. kosher salt
2 tsps. fresh ground pepper
1 zip-loc baggie or small jar with lid

 

In a small bowl, combine all the spices. 

Store in a small jar with a tight lid OR in a zip-loc baggie.  Use on poultry, beef, pork or scrambled  eggs.  Can be used as fajita or taco seasoning.

In a large cookie sheet, rub all sides of chicken breasts with MzzBev's Mexican Seasoning.  Drizzle chicken with olive oil.

Roast chicken breasts in pre-heated oven, for 30 minutes.

Remove chicken from oven when done, let sit for a few minutes and then cut into pieces.  Try your best to compose yourself at this point and don't fall into temptation to eat a piece or two or three.....

Save the pan juices.

Add a little bit of water to the pan juices, stir up the bits to make a broth.

Pour into 5 qt. dutch oven.  Pour the rest of the water into broth.  Keep reserved water next to pot just in case you need to add more as it cooks

Add the chicken to the broth and water

Add about a tbsp. more of MzzBev's Mexican seasoning to the chicken soup

Add the Better than Bouillon Chicken base and stir in

Add can of Rotel tomatoes to the soup.  Cover and simmer for one hour

Add the cooked black beans

Add the corn, stir completely.  Add water, enough to just cover all the ingredients.  Simmer for 1 more hour.  Keep a close eye on it so water does not get too low.  You'll always want it above the ingredients.

Add chopped Hatch chili or jalapeno and stir into soup.  Add more if you can stand the heat.

Add Orzo 30 minutes before soup is done and cook until done.

PREHEAT OVEN T0 400F degrees
While the soup is simmering, make the tortilla strips

Take the corn tortilla strips

Place tortilla strips on large cookie sheet.  Spread out evenly.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Season with salt if desired.

Cook for 30 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.  Set aside.

Serve in a large hefty bowl, sprinkled with the tortilla strips.  Sit back and enjoy!

Savory, satisfying, definitely filling and and healthy??  Nothing fattening about this recipe.  Plenty of protein and fiber in the chicken and beans.   So much flavor too and if you like heat, the chilis give plenty of it and it's goooooood!  Between my hubby, my grown nephew and I, there's probably one serving left :(

I've been skeptical about Tortilla Soup for many many years.  I grew up in a Mexican household and we never ate tortilla soup, unheard of!  It did not appeal to me at all when it first came out a decade or so ago.  So I never tried it and had no desire to make it. . . . until now.

I am not sure what made me give in but just out of the blue it appealed to me.  This was around about two weeks ago and here I am making it again!!  I scoured the internet to get an idea of what Tortilla Soup consisted of and this is what I came up with.

I have been making, using MzzBev's Mexican Seasoning for over a decade now but didn't name it until just a few hours ago.   It suddenly dawned on me that I really should be making a batch of the seasoning instead of taking out all the spices and using each of them for what I need in a recipe.  I use it quite often.  Scooping a tablespoon of the seasoning is SO much easier.  I can be slow some times, . . . . really slow.  Anyways, make your own, try it, fill your home with the lovely aromas of like being in a taqueria (real Mexican restaurant).  Plus it's better and cheaper than buying Taco Seasoning.  Let me know what you think if you try it.

Hope you're having a great start to the New Year!

Until next time,