Is It Friday Already?? ….

Tags

Apples and Cream à la Normande, Around My French Table, cauliflower soup, chicken, Christmas Card Exchange, creamy cauliflower, Creamy Cauliflower Soup Sans Cream, Dorie Greenspan, French Fridays with Dorie, Romanesco cauliflower, Valentine event

Alrighty folks, I’M BACK!!!

I tried to keep up with French Fridays during December but not only was it a pain to  get the recipes made in time to write the post but if I managed that, I wasn’t able to get the post written due to one thing or another and December is just one busy month! Lots of get-togethers, parties, dinners and people to see, not to mention the things that you want to get done before Christmas that seem to pile up right along with all the Christmas cards, presents and lights!

But alas, I’m back!!

We have been making the FFWD recipes each week and it has been rather hit and miss here in the kitchen.

And let me just say, lately Fridays just seem to have a way of sneaking up behind my back and punching me in the face! I know it’s coming but I forget and I keep thinking “it’s only Tuesday” and before you know it, BAM! It’s Friday. Again. Oi. This is the week I’m going to get my stuff together and finish writing all my posts in time for next Friday. I would like to start the year more or less caught up…. we will see how long that lasts…

Note: There is no spaetzle here this week, but look for it next week. I don’t think I would be doing it justice if I didn’t serve it alongside a nice long and slow roast of some sort…

First up is the Creamy Cauliflower Soup Sans Cream.

Lets just say it wasn’t one of my favorites. I did save one of my Romanesco Cauliflower heads to make it with since it is now my favorite type of cauliflower – considering I had only ever known the standard white variety before this one, but it didn’t make for a great soup…. maybe it was just the pureed cauliflower thing? I just felt like it was a bowl of pureed cauliflower and with mussels, it might be amazing but alone, just as a soup? Not particularly fantastic….  oh well.

the beginning of the soup

beautifully green and “pokey”

 

The Chicken, Apples and Cream à la Normande was however, fabulous! I think I’m just going to start using diced apples and brandy as the basis of my quick sauteed chicken meals just like this as a substitute for my cognac sauce without apples for a nice variation. This made a lovely, heavenly sauce that was quickly gobbled up and left just enough leftovers for one….

just a quick shot, along with Mei’s dinner – we were quite hungry this day!

Well, that’s it for today…. I’m so excited to read your posts!! I’m looking forward to making the spaetzle this week alongside a few other French Fridays recipes!!

Don’t forget to check out our new FFWD Valentine event, the deadline is coming up!  It’s bound to be as exciting as our Christmas Card Exchange was! Speaking of Christmas Cards, can you find yours?? We LOVED this event at our house!

If you would like to join in our cooking adventures, check out the French Fridays website here! You just need some enthusiasm, an appetite and a copy of Dorie Greenspan’s “Around My French Table!”

Slow Cooker Sunday! Enchilada Soup!

Tags

chicken, chicken enchilada, enchilada, enchilada soup, Mexican food, slow cooker

When I see soup recipes that are supposed to “be” other foods, like cheeseburgers or tacos I find that I am rather dubious of the construction and overall taste. Often the recipes claim that the end result tastes just like your favorite cheeseburger and I find that the texture is a bit odd and the flavor is not quite right. But this recipe really hits the nail on the head!

I have made a few changes to really bring out the enchilada in the soup but it truly is an enchilada in soup form! We served this over some leftover rice for dinner but the next day I made some simple cheese quesadillas, which Mei also loves to eat, to pair with the soup and it was a perfect match! I actually cut up the quesadilla into little crouton style cubes and made sure the tortillas were a bit more crispy than usual and the entire dish was fantastic. Even the husband unit exclaimed that this was certainly a make-again meal! That’s a sure sign of success!

This photo was taken on the fly since we were hungry and it was late, so it wasn’t a great shot – but don’t let that keep you from trying this one, it’s certainly a keeper! I also forgot to take a picture of the quesadilla croutons but they will make an appearance again so keep your eyes out for it!

Ingredients:

• one 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes with their juices
• one 4 oz can of diced green chiles
• one (very small) can of tomato sauce
• two 14 oz cans of black beans, rinsed & drained
• one (standard) can of enchilada sauce
• 1 lb chicken (thighs or breasts)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 oz  cream cheese
• 1 tsp cumin
• cheese, tortilla chips or rice to serve with it

Combine the diced tomatoes, green chiles, tomato sauce, black beans & enchilada sauce in the slower cooker, stirring to combine.

Then add the onion & cumin, stir to combine. Nestle the chicken into the mixture then cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 HOURS.

Once the chicken is cooked through, remove the chicken & shred it. While the chicken has been removed, cut the cream cheese into cubes and drop it into the slow cooker and whisk it into the simmering sauce then return the chicken to the mixture. Stir the soup until it is mixed to your liking then serve piping hot over tortilla chips or rice. Feel free to grate extra cheese or sour cream or anything else you might put with enchiladas.