Whitney's Paella!!!

Ok guys, there isn't a recipe for this. I'm sorry. Ever since I went to Spain, I've been making this yummy dish and it's really easy and makes enough to last for days, or freeze! I usually make it differently each time and in the past year I can think of 2 times where it was definitely the, "best I've made so far," and did I write it down? No, of course not. This past time was pretty good but definitely not the BEST of the best. Anyways, at least I have a picture of the ingredients now! When I make it again, if it's better, I'll post the new recipe and I promise, I'll write it down!

Ingredients

This is what I used this time around:

3 chorizo links (remove casing and then separate in pan)

Vigo Yellow Rice (it already has seasoning in it!)

1/2 red (or any color) onion, chopped

1 orange and red pepper, chopped

1/2 a bag of baby carrots

1 1/2 cups of frozen peas

Asparagus (I use different amounts depending on the size of the stalks)

1 can petite diced tomatoes

1 small can (I think it's 6oz) of tomato paste

Chili powder, thyme, oregano and parsley (all to taste)

Cilantro for serving

**You can also add in shrimp, boneless/skinless chicken thighs (cut up) or any other types of pork or seafood

1. In a large heavy pot or dutch oven, cook chorizo and break apart (you can also add chicken or pork at this step too)

2. Once chorizo is cooked, add rice and stir, then add 4 cups of water to pot.

3. Let rice cook (simmer) about 5 min, and stir to make sure it's not sticking.  Add the carrots. 

4. After carrots soften, add peppers, onions, asparagus, tomatoes and tomato paste. You may need to add a cup or 2 cups more of water to allow veggies to cook. 

5. Once the rice starts to cook, you can taste the broth and determine if you want to add additional spices. Cook veggies until desired softness, then add peas (and any seafood).

6. Continue to cook until warmed through and most of the broth is soaked up into the rice.

7. Serve with chopped cilantro, some hot sauce and lemon juice!

Emeril's Kickin' Chili

I absolutely LOVE this recipe. It's some of the best chili I've EVER had. I made this for the roomie for the playoffs last week. It's a great recipe because you can have some and freeze the rest or eat it all week for lunches (which is what usually happens in this house)! You can also serve it over rice to stretch it a little further or eat it plain :) Anyways, I'll stop gushing now because I know you just want the recipe!

Original recipe here

I don't change much to this one except sometimes I use different types of beer! Beer, you say? Yes, the broth is made out of beer... that's what hooked me :) 

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 lb ground turkey (original recipe calls for 4 lbs of ground beef...ew)

4 cups chopped yellow onion

3 tbsp chili powder (my FAVORITE spice!)

2 tsp Emeril's original essence (recipe calls for Southwest but I have never been able to find it in a store)

2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp crushed red pepper (original calls for only 1/4 tsp...HA...not when this girl's cookin')

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp minced garlic

2 12 oz bottles of dark beer (original calls for 4)

** I usually used Black and Tan but this winter I used Blue Moon's winter beer and it was AMAZING. It's kind of pricey and I'd rather not waste such delicious beer in food but one day it was all I had so I tried it and loved it! 

2 tbsp tomato paste

salt

1 tbsp + 1 tsp brown sugar (recipe calls for dark but I use whatever is in the pantry)

1 oz (1 square) of unsweetened chocolate (YES! CHOCOLATE!)

4 15oz cans of red kidney beans (I do 2 dark and 2 light red), rinsed and drained

**I add 1 green pepper and some jalapeno peppers from a can to this recipe as well

for garnish/serving

white jasmine rice

cheddar cheese

sour cream

chopped green onions (scallions)

cilantro 

1. Heat oil in large heavy pot over high heat, add turkey and brown well, about 10 min. Add onions.

2. Next add all spices, stir often until onions are cooked thru, 8 minutes.

3. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. This is also where I add the green pepper.

4. Add the bear and cook until foam subsides, 1 minute. 

5. Add tomatoes, tomato, paste, salt, brown sugar, and chocolate to the pot. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, 1 hour. Stir occasionally to prevent it from sticking. 

6. After an hour, add kidney beans and cook until desired thickness, about 90 more min. Serve with desired garnishes. I did rice this time with a little sprinkle of cheese and cilantro. I also had some yummy plantain chips for dipping and we had a guest over who made the most DELICIOUS corn bread ever and I'm disappointed he didn't make it at the house so I could get pics and a recipe!

Slow-Cooker Spicy Buffalo Chicken Sammies

I made this recipe the day before the final play off game. It lasted for a few days which was great! I originally made it for a FAB 5 get together that didn't go off as well as planned due to some last minute incidents but I did appreciate the short amount of time I got to spend with my girls. They can tell you, this was yummy!

P.S. I'm currently using this beautiful beast in the picture below to rest my cookbooks on. He is sleeping on my bed taking up space so now he has to be a prop and help his momma with her blog! He doesn't seem to mind :)

Ok, so back to why you're here...the recipe!

Ingredients

1 tbsp EVOO

1 lb boneless, skinless, chicken breasts cut into 1 inch pieces

S&P

1 lb boneless, skinless, chicken thighs cut into 1 inch pieces

1 medium yellow onion, diced small

3 garlic cloves, chopped or minced

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced small

1 can (14.5) oz crushed tomatoes

1/4 cup of hot sauce (I used extra HOT Frank's)

3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp yellow mustard (I used spicy brown/yellow mustard)

1 tbsp unsulfured molasses

2 tbsp tomato paste

8 hamburger buns 

You will need a slow cooker (crock pot) and I would recommend a potato masher for this recipe

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over med-high heat. Add chicken thighs, season with S&P and cook, stirring once until meat is golden brown, 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to slow cooker, leaving as much oil behind as possible, repeat with chicken breasts.

**Ok, I deviated, kind of a lot, from this step. First of all, as you can see from the picture, I had frozen chicken breasts and a WHOLE rotisserie chicken. I cut up and skinned the rotisserie chicken which I will post below. I cooked the dark meat, whole, in the pan until brown but I just defrosted the chicken breasts till they were only slightly frozen and then I placed it in the slow cooker. By leaving the dark meat on the bone, I was able to let it cook and just slide off the bone.**

(here you can see the browned dark meat on top of the chicken breast)

2. To skillet, add onion, garlic, and bell pepper and cook over medium, stirring constantly until onion is translucent, 6 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of water and cook, stirring and scraping up brown bits from skillet, 5 minutes. Season with S&P and transfer to slow cooker. 

3. To slow cooker, add crushed tomatoes, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire, tomato paste, mustard, and molasses. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on high until chicken is tender, 4 hours. Shred chicken (this is where you would use a masher) and add any additional seasoning (I added more hot sauce, of course), and serve on lightly toasted hamburger buns.

(all ingredients, prior to stirring, in crock pot)

I served this with the roomie's cole slaw which we didn't get pictures of. Also, I forgot to take pictures of the served meal, apparently, because I can't find them anywhere on my camera or computer. In my defense I did serve it about 5 hours after I did these initial pictures and people were over and having fun (sangria was involved). Forgive me??