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