Welcome to My Kitchen

Recent windy weather around the Inland Northwest is a reminder that March is attempting to go out like a lion. Roaring winds and ice filled rain storms make a hot bowl of soup a comforting meal. Some folks like anything called soup, others are more particular. Some prefer broth based soups and others a creamy or stew style soup. Then there are those who won’t eat soup, but chili is a favorite.

Cheesy Enchilada Chili, brought by Kim Powers to a recent soup supper is a creamy soup with a chili form. The original recipe called for ground beef, but she substituted shredded cooked chicken. If you use chicken instead of beef in the recipe, skip step one in the instructions.

Cheesy Enchilada Chili

1 pound ground beef, or shredded, cooked chicken

2 Tbsp taco seasoning

1/4 cup water

1 jar Tostitos Salsa Con Queso

1 can (10.5 ounces) cream of potato soup

1 1/4 cup sour cream

1 can fire-roasted diced green chilies,

1 1/4 cups beef broth

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 cup frozen corn kernels

1 cup pinto beans or black beans

In a skillet, brown ground beef over medium heat. Drain excess fat if needed.

Stir in taco seasoning and water, cooking until liquid is absorbed.

Transfer seasoned meat to a Dutch oven our soup kettle.

Add Salsa Con Queso, potato soup, sour cream, and the broths. Stir well until sour cream melts into the mixture.

Mix in the fire-roasted green chilies, frozen corn and the beans.

Bring to a gentle boil, stirring frequently. Then, reduce the heat and let simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Serve hot with tortilla chips or corn chips. If you like extra heat add some jalapenos on top.

Kim notes, she added the taco seasoning when adding the corn and beans. She did not add the fire-roasted chilies, making a milder chili. She recommends making a double batch. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Long Soup, an Asian style broth based soup is quick to fix in a wok or extra large skillet. I received the recipe in 2003 from Ellen Holman and Sherie Heimbigner.

Long Soup

4-6 ounces shredded cabbage

1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil

8 ounces boneless lean pork, cut into thin strips

6 cups chicken broth

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger

8 green onion with tops, diagonally cut into 1/2 inch slices

4 ounces Chinese-style thin egg noodles

Heat oil in wok or skillet over medium high heat. Add cabbage and pork. Stir-fry until pork is no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes.

Add broth, soy sauce and ginger. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in onions. Add noodles and cook just unti noodles are tender, about 2 to 4 minutes. Yield: 4 servings.

Chicken Tortilla Soup is my own recipe and it uses 4 cups of frozen zucchini soup base I prepare and freeze each summer. The zucchini broth is filled with vitamins and fiber, and you can disguise it from picky eaters with other ingredients you add to your soup.

If you don’t have zucchini soup base, you can make it quickly by cooking an about 8 inch zucchini in 3 cups chicken broth seasoned with onion, salt and pepper. When zucchini is soft, puree in a blender or food processer.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

4 cups pureed zucchini soup base.

4 (6 inch) corn tortillas halved and cut into narrow strips

1 tsp ground cumin

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1 can (15 ounces) kernel corn, drained

1 can (15 ounces) kidney or pinto beans, drained

1 1/2 to 2 cups diced, cooked chicken or turkey

1 tsp dried cilantro

Spray Dutch oven or heavy kettle with cooking spray. Over medium heat, cook tortilla strips until toasted, 5-7 minutes. Drain on paper toweling.

In the same pan combine all the soup ingredients except the tortilla strips and simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Add tortilla strips and serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.

Cranberry Buttermilk Muffins are a sweet/tart change from blueberry muffins. If you bake them directly in the muffin tins without paper liners they develop a sweet, crisp crust.

Cranberry

Buttermilk Muffins

1/2 cup butter

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 egg

1 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 18 cupcake cups or 12 large muffin cups and set aside.

Melt the butter and set aside. Mix all dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk and melted butter. Add to flour mixture and stir just until blended. Fold in dried cranberries.

Spoon the thick batter into prepared cups. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan for 3 minutes. Serve warm with butter, and honey if you like. Yield: 12 to 18 muffins.

Note, other dried fruits may be used in this recipe.

Reminder, the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin has been moved to Wild Roots. You may leave recipes, culinary questions or recipe inquiries in the mail tin. I check the tin at least once a week.

Spring cleanup comes soon, but meanwhile, lets reduce some yard waste and a large box into compost. You will need a very large box and 4 assorted stakes, they don’t have to be fancy as they will be on the inside of the box, Set the box anchored with the stakes in an out of the way place in your garden. Gather the blown in weeds and leaves, then layer them in the box, pressing down to crush small trigs and stems. Scatter a handful of high nitrogen fertilizer every 8 inches of depth. Stir with a garden fork every 2 weeks. By the time frost danger is over you will nice course mulch for gardening.

Share your favorite recipes and interesting gardening tips by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, Attn: Laura, P.O. Box 151, Odessa, WA 99159, email pandl@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Mail Tin at Wild Roots. Careful not to disturb crocus and snowdrops when doing early spring cleanup, they like to poke up through and get tangled in mulch.