White Chicken Chili

3 Tbl. vegetable oil
3 large chicken boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 large sweet onion, chopped
4 medium or 5 small pablano peppers, chopped (If you can't find pablano peppers use 4 green anaheim peppers)
1/2 small jalapeno pepper, chopped
2 Tbl. finely chopped fresh garlic
3/4 Tbl. ground cumin
3/4 Tbl. dried oregano
1 tsp. adobo sauce or chili powder
3 15.5 oz. cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 14.5 oz cans of chicken stock or broth

In large stock pot using 2 Tbl. of oil cook cubed chicken on medium heat until just done.  Remove cooked chicken from pan.  Add remaining 1 Tbl. of oil to pan, add onion, peppers and garlic.  Cook on medium until onions are tender and transparent 9about 15 minutes).  You do not want any color on the vegetables so if necessary turn down your heat.  You are really sweating the vegetables at this point.  Stir in cumin, oregano, and adobo sauce.  Add chicken back into pot.  Add 2 cans of the beans to pot and mix.  1 can of beans smash using a potato masher or fork, add to pot.  Add 2 cans of stock and stir.  Bring to a boil, reduce to medium-low and simmer for 30-40 minutes stirring occasionally. 

Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Serve with sour cream, cilantro and cheese (cheddar, Mexican blend, or Monterrey jack are best options)

This is great served with a jalapeno cheddar cornbread.



This is an adaption of a recipe I originally found on the "Everyday with Rachael Ray" magazine site, http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/soup-recipes/white-bean--chicken-and-poblano-chili.  I have made some slight changes to adjust for my taste, but check out the original and try it. Both recipes are great and easy to make.

Old Joke

Syracuse has two seasons. Winter and 4th of July.

We went from winter, which went into late April, then a very rainy and cool May, now here we are at Memorial Day and it is in the high 80's and humid. We had some very loud thunderstorms last night which did break some of the humidity for today.

Happy Memorial Day! The official start of summer. So many things to do this weekend; parades, bbq's, and baseball games. Memorial Day always reminds me of my Grandpa. He loved going to the parades and celebrating those who served in the military. That's him in the picture, with me, the little one it was my first birthday by the candle count, and my sister. Our birthdays are bunched together at the end of November so it was a joint celebration. My grandfather was a WWI veteran, although he never served overseas he was proud of the his time in the Army. He was 27 when drafted and served at Fort Dix in New Jersey as a baker.

So this weekend as you celebrate don't forget to take time to think about no only those who currently serve but those who long ago served.

Dinner tonight is white chicken chili. This is a great easy recipe, I will post it for everyone. Off to start my busy day.

Happy weekend~

Linda

Beef and Noodes

This recipe takes a little more time to make so it is best for a day when you can let the meet simmer for at least 2 hours.

1 tsp. vegetable oil

1 pound cubed stew meat

1/2 tsp. ground pepper

1 tsp. salt (I usually use kosher salt)

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

2 14.5 oz cans of beef stock

1/2 tsp. kitchen bouquet or gravy master

1 oz can of mushrooms or fresh mushrooms quartered (I like to use baby bella mushrooms)

1 pk instant brown gravy

1-2 cups water

1/2 bag (6 oz.) wide egg noodles cooked

1/4 cup corn starch

1/4 cup water

Preheat nonstick saute deep pan on medium high heat, add vegetable oil. Using paper towel pat any excess liquid from meat, then add meat to saute pan. Brown meat on all sides, add salt, pepper, thyme, and kitchen bouquet. Mix, then ad 2 cans of stock, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to medium low. Stir occasionally. Simmer covered until meat is tender, usually 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours. Add mushrooms and packet of gravy mix and 1 cup of water. Mix. Taste the liquid, to reduce any saltiness due to stock reduction add more water 1/4 cup at a time to desired taste. To thicken further mix 1/4 cup corn starch and 1/4 cup water. Bring liquid to a boil, remove from heat to add corn starch mixture stirring until blended, then return to heat, on low let it cook for 1-2 minutes. Serve over cooked egg noodles.

Eggplant Parmesean Napoleons

This is a great quick and easy recipe to use as a main course if you serve 2 napoleons or as an appetizer if you serve 1 napoleon. What makes this easy is using pre-breaded frozen eggplant cutlets!

This recipe will make 4 napoleons.

Preheat oven 400 degrees

16 pre-breaded frozen eggplant cutlets, cooked

1 jar of good red pasta sauce (or you can make your own)

2 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese or Italian cheese blend

Once your eggplant cutlets have been cooked and drained, place 1 on the bottom then place sauce on the cutlet and 1 tablespoon of cheese, then place another cutlet on top, sauce and cheese, repeat. Do this for all 4 napoleons.

Place on cooking sheet and put in oven for approx. 15-20 minutes or until heated through and cheese has melted.

This is great served with a salad and Italian bread.

Enjoy~!

New Job

Well, I started a new job, it's a job. I am working at as a cashier at a major chain department store. Is it my life long dream to do this, No!, but it is what I have to do for now until I find a full time career job. I also do have an interview next week for a job at a national hotel chain as a front desk clerk. We'll see what come of that. Someone I know sent me a work at home job link, they make it sound so great you just want to do it. Is it worth the risk of the $97 dollars and does it work as great as they say? It's one of those that seems like a "damned if you do and damned if you don't" situations.

Back to the new job, everyone seems nice sort of and it isn't hard work. I just have a feeling that now that the warm and fuzzy orientation, which was mostly sitting at a computer learning about how to give great customer service, is over that it will be one of those "there you go, if you have any questions just find me" things.

Spring has arrived, sort of. It has rained alot and so the grass if over grown but it is too wet to mow, the sun doesn't come out much, but my hibiscus trees have bloomed!!!! I was so hopefull and they finally perked up and have been blooming everyday now for a week. The flowers only last a day, but they are so beautiful. I hope they stay like this all summer.

Well, my Avon order just arrived. Yay!! I have to get it all ready for delivery to my customers. I like this working at home thing. I will have to talk to Jay about the one my freind sent me.

happy adventuring.

Linda

Spring Findings - An Afternoon Walk

Travel Blog

If you want to visit my travle blog it is at www.gilljonestravelto.blogspot.com. I just updated it with info from our trip to Buffalo, NY in early March. Why Buffalo in March, why not?

Linda

That's Casey

That's Casey, he is a cutey and highly entertaining. We adopted him him in November of 2009 and it has taken him a year and a half to fully integrate himself into our small family. He was 4 when we adopted him so he had to take some time to get to know us. I think he really likes it here now. He just loves looking out the huge pation window and talking to the birds, squirrels and other neighborhood cats that come to visit. His latest thing is to hide under, yes under, the area rug in the living room. We just love him to peices. We are so glad he became part of our family.

In other news, in March I left my job as a production editor at a small publishing company, I am still looking for a new job. It seems like I am either not qualified for some jobs or I am over qualified for others. In the meantime, I try my best to be a housewife. Which I must say is a very difficult job, there is a lot more to do than you think, and we don't even have children, I can't even imagine what that would be like, I don't want to even imagine!!! I also started selling Avon, which isn't as easy as you think either. It is not profitable unless you sell alot and really control what you buy, but I do find it actually very interesting to keep me busy. I have an online webpage for selling Avon, www.youravon.com/lgill-jones and I just signed up to sell Tiny Tillia by Avon. Tiny Tillia is products for baby, www.tinytillia.com.

Spring has finally arrived here in the Northeast and I have my patio areapretty much set. I planted hibiscustrees which seem to be having some problems, I am hoping the make it. I have loosened the soil, watered, and gave them a little pep talk. Cross your fingers that it works.

What else is new...oh we got rid of our cable television. Night after night we would flip through the channels, 200 or so, and say the same thing, "there's nothing on," so we had it turned off. I don't really miss it, so much can be found on the web and we joined Netflix to watch movies when we want on every electronic device possible.

Lunch time, gotta go!!