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Saturday, April 18, 2020

EASY French Onion Soup

I originally got a recipe from a friend for French Onion Soup with Chicken Meatballs (you can find it HERE).  It was amazing, but I tweaked the recipe like I tend to do and wanted to write my version of the soup down.

The original recipe calls for beef stock (which I did not have) and a few other ingredients that I omitted.  What I've ended up with is a super easy and delicious French Onion Soup recipe. As always, no precision was used in any of the measurements in real life.

Onions (2-3) Sweet onions, sliced
Red Onion (1/2) sliced
Minced Garlic Cloves
Sliced Shallots
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 package of Chicken Broth
2 Chicken Boullion cubes
Soy Sauce (1/4 C)
Salt
Pepper


Melt the stick of butter in a large pot (I used my dutch oven) and add the sliced onions, garlic, and shallots.  I really just sliced up whatever onion-ey things I had.  Don't stress if you don't have all the things I listed in the recipe.  Sautee the onions until soft, add some salt and pepper to the party.  (Your kitchen will smell amazing!)

Once softened, add the Chicken broth.  Bring to a simmer.  Add about 6 cups of water and 2 chicken bouillon cubes.  Simmer some more.  Add soy sauce and stir.  Serve with a hunk of sourdough bread (or whatever you might have).  Top with shredded Gruyere cheese, or a blend of white cheeses of your choice.  I actually have sourdough bread bowls I made last weekend waiting in the freezer (quarantine project #217: bread baking) and cannot wait to bust them out for a bowl of French Onion Soup!

Saturday, November 3, 2018

Crock-Pot Crazy Pineapple Chili (Courtesy of Two Healthy Kitchens)

   Freezable    Make Ahead    Gluten Free  
Prep Time10 min.
Cook Time4-8 hours
Total Time10 minutes
Serves About 10 cups
    
Ingredients
·         20 ounces sweet Italian turkey sausage (bulk, or links with casings removed)
·         1 medium onion, chopped to equal about 2 cups
·         1 20-ounce can pineapple tidbits in juice (divided)
·         2 28-ounce cans seasoned diced tomatoes (such as Dei Fratelli)
·         1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
·         1 6-ounce can tomato paste
·         1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
·         4 teaspoons ground cumin
·         2 cloves garlic, minced
·         shredded reduced-fat cheese, reduced-fat sour cream and hot sauce (such as Tapatío) for serving, if desired
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Directions
1.    In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, cook sausage and onions, stirring to crumble sausage. Once sausage is cooked through, drain off any fat and transfer the sausage and onions to your slow cooker.
2.    Drain the pineapple, reserving both the juice and the fruit separately. Add the juice to the slow cooker. Cover and store the fruit in the refrigerator (it will be added toward the end of cooking).
3.    Add tomatoes, black beans, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin and garlic to the slow cooker.
4.    Stir everything to combine.
5.    Cook on low (6-8 hours), adding reserved pineapple during last hour or two of cooking, or on high (4-5 hours), adding pineapple during last ½ hour - hour of cooking.
6.    Serve topped with cheese, sour cream and hot sauce, if desired.
Recipe Notes
Pineapple: The texture of the cooked pineapple is completely controlled by when you add it. We prefer to add it toward the end of cooking time so that it's still fairly firm. If you prefer it to be more melded into the chili or you simply won't be able to add it toward the end of cooking, then you can toss it in at the beginning – it will be cooked down and much less pronounced in texture, but still very good.
Beans or no beans: If you don't want beans in your chili, you may certainly leave them out, and can also increase the amount of meat. We love the texture and the health benefits of the beans, but feel free to try it different ways!
Spice: This recipe is intentionally fairly mild and kid-friendly. If you'd like more spice, you can increase the chili powder and/or sub in spicy Italian turkey sausage. Perhaps the best way to make it versatile for different palates, though, is simply to pass hot sauce at the table so everyone can season to taste.
Make-ahead: You can prepare the meat and onions the evening before, and then refrigerate until you assemble your ingredients in the slow cooker. You can also make the chili entirely in advance and freeze it in large batches.