Recipes: Soup and Sweets

It's been awhile since I've posted a recipe. I think it's because I've been so busy photographing my food experiments for my Project 365, that I haven't bothered blogging about it.

So, I have a few recipes to share, because they're just that darn good (and sometimes, easy). (Yep, all my pictures!)

So here we go!

I got this from Centsational Girl, and used my George Foreman to grill the chicken. Oh, my goodness, so delicious! And you have to, have to use the avocado. It totally makes the soup. Also, can easily be done vegetarian, obviously leaving out the chicken. ^_^

Chicken Tortilla Soup

(Serves 6)

Ingredients:
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• Four 14 oz. cans chicken broth (or equivalent with bullion)
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 1 tbsp red taco sauce (mild or medium)*
• 4 oz. can diced green chiles (mild or medium)
• 6 oz. can tomato paste
• 8 oz. petite diced tomatoes – half the can and completely optional
• ¾ tsp ground cumin
• 4 chicken breasts
• 14 oz. water
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 ½ cups diced celery
• 1 ½ cups diced carrots
• 1 ½ cups roasted or frozen kernel corn
• 4 corn tortillas
• 1 cup shredded jack cheese
• Sliced avocado (optional, if available)
• Fresh cilantro (optional)
*add another tbsp taco sauce if you like it spicy

Directions:
1. Start by dicing your onion, celery, and carrot. In a large pot or dutch oven, soften your onion, celery and chiles in 1 tbsp vegetable oil for 3–4 minutes on medium low heat.
2. Add chicken broth, and then fill one can with 14 more ounces of water and add to pot.
3. Add carrots, corn, tomato paste, taco sauce, and cumin. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, then reduce heat to low.
4. Meanwhile, coat your chicken breasts in taco seasoning.
5. Grill chicken breasts on an indoor grill or a panini maker for 6 to 8 minutes. You can also broil in your oven for the same amount of time, but to me, the grilled chicken tastes better.
6. Once cooked, dice your chicken into chunks, then toss into soup pot.
7. Cook soup on low for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Ten minutes before your soup is done (or before you intend to serve) thinly slice your corn tortillas.
9. Toss in pan with 1 tbsp vegetable oil, and stir on medium heat until lightly browned.
10. Soup can be made one day in advance, stored in fridge and reheated. Serve hot by garnishing with fresh corn tortilla strips, shredded jack cheese and fresh avocado slices (if available).
11. Other optional garnishes: fresh chopped cilantro, squeeze of lime, sour cream, or diced fresh tomatoes.

Note: If celery, or diced tomatoes, or corn is not your thing, then simply leave it out. The taco flavor comes from the combination of the liquid ingredients and the dry seasonings.

***

I found this recipe on All Recipes that a friend posted on her blog. You can follow down for the recipe, or click this link.

Clone of a Cinnabon

(Serves 12)

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup margarine, melted
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup butter, softened

• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions
1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.
2. After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
3. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
4. Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

My Notes: If you don't have a bread machine to make the dough, if you click on the link to the All Recipes site, there are many comments on how to make this without one. But I have to tell you, it's SOOooo easy with one. Thank you, in-laws! (They gave us theirs since they hadn't used it in ages.)

Also, if you make it the night before, then put it in the fridge overnight, they rise just enough to bake up loverly the next morning. Oh, yeah. Oh, and I would make 1 1/2 servings of frosting. But that's just me. ^_^

***

This is a Martha Stewart recipe, and there is no fuss or muss here. Once you've prepped, it takes about 5 minutes for the dough to come together. Although, I will admit, it takes a few minutes to roll the dough (but do a search on her site and you can see a video of her rolling the log of dough -- it explains a lot!). Great cookies to make ahead of the holidays and then just pull from the freezer, slice and bake when it's time to shine. Delicious!

Lime Meltaways

(Makes about 3 dozen)

Ingredients
• 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• Grated zest of 2 limes
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 ¾ cups , plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Directions
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream butter and 1/3 cup sugar until fluffy. Add lime zest, juice, and vanilla; beat until fluffy.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt. Add to butter mixture, and beat on low speed until combined.
3. Between two 8-by-12-inch pieces of parchment paper, roll dough into two 1 ¼-inch-diameter logs. Chill at least 1 hour.
4. Heat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Place remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a re-sealable plastic bag. Remove parchment from logs; slice dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place rounds on baking sheets, spaced 1 inch apart.
5. Bake cookies until barely golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. While still warm, place cookies in the sugar-filled bag; toss to coat. Bake or freeze remaining dough. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Note: The dough for these icebox cookies can be frozen in logs for up to two months.

***

And that's it, for now. I do have a Tres Leches Cake recipe that I shall post soon. It's so easy, I can't believe I didn't attempt this sooner. Mmmm! If you try any of these, I'd like to know what YOU think. ^_^