White Chicken Chili

1 large onion, chopped

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 stick butter

¼ c. flour

¾ c. chicken broth

2 c. milk

2 15-ounce cans white beans

1 tsp. Tabasco sauce

2 tsp. chili powder

2 tsp. cumin

2 4-ounce cans fire-roasted diced green chiles

4-5 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded

2 c. Monterey jack cheese, grated

Toppings: chopped cilantro, sour cream, Monterey jack cheese

Cook onions, garlic and 2 tbs. butter until softened but not browned.

In large pot, heat remaining butter and flour. Whisk together but do not brown.

Stir in onion/garlic mixture. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil, then simmer, stirring until thick and bubbling. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add seasonings (Tabasco sauce, chili powder, salt, etc.) to taste.

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Burritos with Cilantro Rice

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork
3-5 lb, pork loin or pork roast
1 1/2 cans of Coca Cola (I'm so embarrassed
1 cup of sugar (yikes!)
7 oz. can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 t. dry ground mustard
2 t. ground cumin
2 t. minced garlic
1/2 cup brown sugar

Place can of chilies in a bowl and cover with coke. Once the chillies are no longer coated with adobo sauce, remove them and throw away. If you prefer HOT, leave a few chilies in. Combine all ingredients (except pork) in a blender and mix. Place pork roast in crock pot and pour sauce over the top. Cook on high 4-6 hours or low 7-9 hours. Carefully turn roast over halfway through cooking. Remove pork and shred, then throw back in an mix with juice. Use a slotted spoon to remove.

Cafe Rio Cilantro-Lime Rice
1 c. long grain rice
2 c. water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 t. butter
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 t. lime zest
2 T lime juice
2 t. sugar
3 T fresh cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, water, bouillon, butter, garlic and lime zest. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 15-20 minutes, or until rice is tender and water is absorbed. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over rice.

Serve along with warmed Flour Tortillas, combining rice, pork plus other favorites i.e. sliced avocados, cheese, black beans, shredded lettuce, etc. 

The following dressing is a tasty addition to the above burrito  or can be the dressing for a mixed green salad to accompany the meal. 

Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing
Makes a great southwestern salad by mixing greens with any or all of the following: grilled chicken/avocado/tomatoes/corn/black beans/red bell peppers.)

1 packet buttermilk Ranch dressing mix
1C mayo
1/2 C buttermilk or milk (we used 1 full cup this last time and it was a bit too runny)
juice of 1 lime
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 bunch roughly chopped cilantro
2 tomatillos
hot sauce or red pepper flakes to taste

Put everything in the blender and let it rip! Make it several hours ahead of time to allow it to thicken. If you want to cut corners, use 1 cup of bottled Ranch dressing in place of the mix, mayo and milk, and halve the rest of the ingredients (or use 2 cups and keep the rest the same). Or you can use 1/4 cup salsa verde in place of the tomatillos. 

Levain Bakery Copycat Dark Chocolate Peanut butter Chip Cookies (Todd's Favorite)

Ingredients

* 2 sticks cold and cubed unsalted butter
* 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
* 2 eggs
* ***1/4 to 1/2 cup good quality dark cocoa powder
* 2 1/4 to 1/2 cups all-purpose flour- Spoon and Sweep method
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
* 2 cups peanut butter chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle, cream together butter and sugar until well blended and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until well-incorporated, then beat in cocoa powder.

2. Mix in flour, salt and baking powder until just combined. Gently fold in remaining ingredients.

3. Transfer dough to clean work surface and gently mix dough by hand to ensure even distribution of ingredients. Divide into 12 equal portions, **about 4 oz each, and place each on sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake in the preheated oven 18 minutes depending on how gooey and raw’ish you like the middle, taking care not to overbake. Let cool on a rack and store what you don’t immediately eat, in an airtight container. To freshen them after a few days (if they last that long), give them a quick nuke in the microwave for 5-10 seconds.

** Note - The Levain Bakery uses 6 oz of cookie dough per cookie. As mentioned above, If you want 12 cookies out of the above recipes, a little over 4 oz per cookie (4.1 to 4.2 oz. Use a kitchen scale) will get you that. If you want to use 6 oz of cookie dough per cookie, you’ll probably get only 6-8 cookies. However, a little over 4 oz makes a cookie just as thick and huge, so you don’t even notice the difference.

*** Note - Regarding the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter cookies. If you don't use Dutch-process cocoa you can use basic, natural unsweetened cocoa (like Hershey’s in the brown can), add 1/4 heaping tsp baking soda when using regular baking cocoa) to the dry ingredients.

Levain Bakery Copycat Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

Yields 1 dozen huge cookies just like the bakery in NYC who won the best cookie award.

Ingredients

• 2 sticks ‘cold and cubed’ unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar - not packed too hard. Just spoon it in the cup(s) and press down lightly when full, sweeping off any extra that runs over.
• 2 eggs
• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour - Spoon and Sweep method. (this means no pre-sifting and leveling off the top of your measuring cup with a knife. Feel the dough, it should be moist, kind of like cold cookie dough in a tube.. but not super sticky, so you can portion the cookies with your hands.
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4-1 teaspoon baking powder
  
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups good quality semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (I usually use half semisweet and half milk chocolate)
• 1 cup walnuts (Toast the nuts for more flavor, if desired and/or use any kind of nut you like like pecans or macadamias)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle, cream together butter and sugars until well blended and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time.. and beat until well incorporated.

2. Add flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and mix until just combined. Gently fold in chocolate chunks and nuts.

3. Transfer dough to clean work surface and gently mix dough by hand to ensure even distribution of ingredients. Divide into 12 equal portions, **about 4 oz each.. They are huge and heavy!

4. Place each on sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake in the preheated oven 18 minutes depending on how gooey and raw’ish you like the middles, until very lightly browned, taking care not to overbake. Let cool on rack and store what you don’t immediately eat, in an airtight container. To freshen them after a few days (if they last that long), give them a quick nuke in the microwave for 5-10 seconds.

Note: there is no vanilla used in this receipe, to be authentic to the real thing.

Easy but Oh So Delicious Berry Cobbler

1 pkg fresh blackberries from Costco. (large pack clear container in Produce)
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cube butter
1/3 tsp cinnamon
sprinkle of salt

Wash berries and put in small casserole
Using food processor mix remaining ingredients till crumbly
Sprinkle over berries and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour
Serve warm with ice cream or cream
Recipe may be doubled

The Ultimate Pie Crust Recipe

Some important rules to follow for this great recipe for flaky, great tasting crust:

1. Keep ingredients well chilled. It will help prevent the butter from mixing uniformly with the flour, so that pockets can form among the flour particles. (translation: flaky crust!)

2. Use a combination of pastry flour and all-purpose flour. Different flours have different amounts of protein (a.k.a. gluten), which forms strands which form layers, which form flakes.

3. Once the butter gets down to pea-sized pieces, use the heel of your hand to smear them into streaks as you mix the dough.

1 3/4 cups pastry flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. sea salt
1 cup (2 sticks unsalted butter, very cold, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup ice-cold water (approx) divided

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, pulse together flours, sugar and salt. Add butter and pulse 2-3 times. Add most of the water and pulse 2-3 times or until butter is in pea-sized pieces. Grab a handful of the dough; if it sticks together turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. If it doesn't stick together, add a bit more water, pulse 2-3 times and test it again.

Grab the dough with both hands and push it into a ball (it may not hold very well? Using the heel of your hand, smear butter into streaks by pushing butter pieces away from you. Do this of a minute or so until the dough is mostly cohesive; it may still be a little crumbly. Divide the dough into 2 balls and wrap them in plastic. Refrigerate 30 minutes before baking (or you may freeze them up to 3 months).

Yield 2 piecrusts

Fresh Fruit Pies

INGREDIENTS

1 (3 ounce) package jello, same flavor as fruit

4 Tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup white sugar

1 cup water

1 cup fresh fruit

1 quart fresh fruit (place in pie crust)

1 9" prepared shortbread crust

DIRECTIONS

In a saucepan combine jello, cornstarch, sugar, 1 cup diced fruit and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until boiling. Let cool about 5 minutes. 

Place fuit (sliced if necessary) into pie crust. Pour mixture gently over fruit. Chill at least 1 hour uncovered, then cover and store until serving. 

Heavenly Rolls

Sweet Dough Standard Method

Sift together the following ingredients  and let rise 1 hour:

2 cups luke warm milk

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. yeast

3 cups flour

Add:

2 eggs

1 tsp. salt

2 cups flour

2 Tbsp. butter

Knead well for 10 minutes and let rise 1 more hour.  Roll out dough about 3/8 inch thick into rectangle shape.  Cut rolls with circular cutter and fold in half on cookie sheet to bake.  Let rise till double and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

For Cinnamon Rolls

After rolling into rectangle shape, spread evenly with butter and desired sugar and cinnamon.  Roll into jelly roll and cut in 1 inch sections with knife, thread or floss.  Set in pan to rise 1 hour and 15 min. at 375 degrees.

Sweet Dough Bread Machine

Place the following ingredients in bread pan and set on dough setting:

1 cup room temp. milk

1 egg

1 Tbsp butter

3 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

2/3 tsp salt

1 Tbsp. yeast

1 Tbsp. dough enhancer

Follow directions for rolling out and baking after dough cycle is completed.

Glaze

Mix to a thin consistency:

Powdered sugar

Milk

Melted Butter

Vanilla Flavor

Snickerdoodles

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

2 eggs

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

1.  Heat oven to 400 degrees.

2.  Mix sugar, butter, shortening, eggs in large bowl.  Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.

3.  Shape dough into 1 1/4 inch balls.  Mix 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tsp. ground cinnamon.  Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

4.  Bake 8-10 min. or until set.  Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Leanne's Buttermilk Cornbread

Ingredients

1/4 pound butter

2/3 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt.

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease 8 inch square pan.

2.  Melt butter in large skillet.  Remove from heat and stir in sugar.  Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended.  Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan.  Stir in cornmeal, flour and salt until well blended and few lumps remain.  Pour batter into the prepared pan.

3.  Bake 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

SPUDNUTS

2 cups mashed potatoes
1 cup water (Slightly Warm)
3/4 cup butter
2 tsp. salt
3 cups milk (Slightly Warm)
2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp. yeast
5 eggs
1 tsp lemon juice
13 cup flour
1 tsp nutmeg

Dissolve yeast in warm water
Mix all ingredients to soft dough
Let rise 2 hours
Roll out and cut
Let rise 2 hours
Fry in 360 degree oil

Note: This makes a huge batch. You may want to half it. Also you can cut down the rise time but placing dough in a slightly warm oven.
Glaze with powdered sugar mixed with milk and vanilla till smooth and runny.

Black Bean Salad

2 cans black beans rinsed and drained
3 cans corn
1 red onion diced (or green onion)
1 red pepper diced
1 med zucchini diced
1 small can sliced olives
2 ripe avocados diced

Dressing
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 bunch cilantro chopped
1 Tbsp sugar
Juice from 6 limes
Fresh ground pepper

Blend in Blender and pour over salad to marinate