Soups/Chilli/Pie (Michelle Thurber's recipes)

Mexican Lime Soup with Chicken
 (Here is the original recipe... I did a easier crockpot version.)

• 3 or 4 limes
• 4 chicken breasts or 8-10 tenders
• 1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more, to taste
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more, to taste
• 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeño chili, seeded and minced
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 tsp. Mexican oregano (I just used regular oregano)
• 1 Haas avocado, pitted, peeled and diced
• 2 oz. queso fresco or mild feta cheese, crumbled

Directions:

Cut 1 lime into 4 to 6 wedges; set aside for serving. Juice as many of the remaining limes as needed to measure 1/4 cup.

Saute  garlic, onion, and chili until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add to crockpot.  Also add the broth, lime juice and oregano, and raw chicken

Cook in crockpot for 6 hours on low or 4 on high.  Remove chicken and shred the into bite-size pieces. Stir the chicken into the soup. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.

Put the avocado, cheese and lime wedges in separate small bowls. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and serve immediately. Pass the avocado, cheese and lime wedges alongside. Serves 4 to 6.

Cafe Rio’s Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

• 1 onion, diced
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• a dash (or two) cayenne
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 5 c. chicken broth
• 3 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• juice of 1/2 lime
• pepper, to taste
• 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed (I used black beans)
• 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
• 1 Tbsp. paprika
• vegetable oil (to taste)
• pico de gallo (click HERE)
• 2-3 avocados, diced
• 2 c. pepper jack cheese
• tortilla strips (Click HERE)
• cilantro (for garnish)
• lime wedges (for garnish)

Instructions

• In a small skillet, saute onion in 1 Tbsp. oil until onions become slightly soft. Stir in cumin, cayenne, and chili powder and saute an additional minute or two.
• Transfer seasoned onions to a small crock pot (or medium-sized saucepan). Add chicken broth, cliantro, lime juice, pepper and pinto beans to onions and simmer on low-heat for at least 2-3 hours.
• In the meantime (when you are close to serving), combine taco seasoning and paprika. Brush chicken with oil and rub with taco seasoning/paprika mixture. Grill chicken over medium-heat until cooked through (try to turn only once during the grilling process). Remove from grill and shred.
• In individual bowls layer chicken, about 1/3 c. pico de gallo, 1/3 c. diced avocado, and 1/3 c. pepper jack cheese. Ladle about 1 cup of chicken broth directly over the layers. Top with tortilla strips and garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.

(I grilled the chicken and just threw it in the crock pot about an hour before serving.)

Spiced Pumpkin Buttermilk Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
5 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons honey

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper..
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Add the butter and toss with a fork to coat with the flour mixture. Mix on medium-low speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with the butter pieces no larger than small peas. Cover and chill 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, pumpkin and honey until well blended. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead 3 or 4 times, gradually adding additional flour as needed. With floured hands, press or pat dough into a 1/2-inch-thick 9 x 5 inch rectangle. Sprinkle top of dough with additional flour. Fold dough over onto itself in 3 sections, starting with 1 short end. (Fold dough rectangle as if folding a letter-size piece of paper.) Repeat entire process 1 more time, beginning with pressing into a 1/2-inch-thick 9 x 5 inch rectangle.
Press or pat dough to 3/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface; cut with a 3-inch round cutter. Place biscuits, 1 inch apart, on prepared baking sheet.
Bake at 400° for 13-15 minutes or until golden. Remove from baking sheet and cool 2 minutes on wire racks. Serve warm.

Perfect Pie Crust
4 cups flour
1 T sugar
2 t salt
1 3/4 shortening (I used butter flavored Crisco)

Mix together the flour, sugar, and salt.  Then cut in the shortening until crumbly.  Then beat the following a in small bowl or measuring cup:
1 T vinegar
1 large egg
1/2 cup water
Mix well with fork until moistened and forms into one large ball.  (Make sure not to over work the dough.)  Divide into 5 small balls (for small pie tins) or 3 balls (for large pie plates).  Chill for 30 minutes before rolling out between two pieces of plastic wrap.  You can also freeze for later use.
(I never chill it before I roll it out, but it helps :)

I made a video of how I roll out the dough, because it is sooooo much easier this way.

 

 French Silk Pie

Recipe makes enough filling for a small pie tin.  I doubled it for my larger glass pie plate.

Makes servings USMetricAdjust Recipe (Help)

• 1/2 cupbutter, room temperature
• 3/4 cupwhite sugar
• 2 (1 ounce) squaresunsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled

• 1 teaspoonvanilla extract
• 2eggs (I used the the equivalent in egg beaters egg whites, because they are pasteurized.)
• 1prepared 8 inch pastry shell, baked and cooled.

Directions

1. Cream butter in a mixing bowl. Gradually beat in the sugar with an electric mixer until light colored and well blended. Stir in the thoroughly cooled chocolate, and vanilla extract. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating 5 minutes on medium speed after each addition. Spoon the chocolate filling into a cooled, baked pie shell.
2. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

***It's really important to serve this cold.


Nell’s Cream Apple Pie
1 prepared pie crust
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
4-5 golden delicious apples
1/4 to 1/2 cup additional sugar for dusting (optional)
1 to 1-1/2 cups whipping cream
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Place pie crust in a 9” pie plate and crimp edges. Mix 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup sugar in bottom of the crust. Peel, core and thinly slice apples and mound them on top of flour/sugar mixture. Dust with additional sugar, to taste. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Pour whipping cream over the apples. Try to get each apple covered with just a bit of cream. Bake at 350 degrees 40-50 minutes.

Pecan Pie
1 cup Corn Syrup
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 t salt
1/3 cup melted butter
1 t vanilla
1-2 cups pecans (The original recipe calls for 1 cup, but I always add a ton more.)

Mix together and pore into unbaked pie shell.  Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.