Salsa chicken and black bean soup

I don't know if I've mentioned this recently, but Stephanie O'Dea is my Cooking Goddess of Crockpot and I use her recipes on regular basis. Her recipe for this soup is one of my favorite. When I first cooked it years back, my boyfriend looked at it skeptically and then devoured two large bowlfuls of it. It's delicious and incredibly easy to cook.

Ingredients:

• 1 lbs chicken breast, sliced (more, if you like a lot of protein)
• 1 lbs black beans (2 cans)
• 4 cups chicken broth (2 cans)
• 1 cup corn (1/2 can)
• 16oz medium salsa
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• (optional) 1 cup mushrooms
• Garnish options: shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, avocado, tortilla chips

Note: If you do not want to use canned beans, purchase a 1-pound bag of black beans, put them in a bowl, pour hot water until submerged with an inch of extra space and soak for 2 hours. Beans will expand. Rinse thoroughly and multiple times; you want the water to become clear as it rinses the beans. Once done, repeat the hot bath for 2 hours and rinsing. The more you soak the beans, the less flatulence you will experience after eating the food. The more you know!

You will need a 6.5qt Crockpot. 

Starting with the black beans, add all ingredients to your Crockpot. Cook on HIGH for 9 hours (set it up before going to work, you'll have dinner when you get home). Serve in bowls and garnish to taste. 

Enjoy!

Salatka jarzynowa (Polish cooked veggie salad)

I think the origin of this dish comes from a Polish woman who had a whole lot of weird leftovers and decided to stick them together then cover them in mayonnaise. Because in Poland, we cover everything in mayo or sour cream. True story.

Ingredients:

• 1 big potato
• 1 can of sweet peas
• 3 eggs, hard-boiled
• 3-4 medium carrots
• 1 big apple
• 3-4 medium pickles (cannot be sweet, pickles in brine are best)
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise

Boil carrots and the potato without peeling first. Cool completely and peel the vegetables. Cube everything, add peas and mayo, and mix until it's all fairly uniform. Add salt and pepper to taste. Eat with bread of choice or as a side with a main dish.

Options: You can add chopped up cold hot dogs or ham, substitute cucumbers for pickles, or add corn.

Enjoy!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

A long time ago I went to Stir Crazy and had the best chicken lettuce wraps I've ever tasted. Nothing really topped that flavor since. I've been trying to duplicate the dish - with limited success - and this is the recipe I came up with. Personally, I really like it.

Ingredients:

• 1 lbs. ground chicken
• 1 tbsp of frying oil
• stir fry sauce (half a bottle of Kikkoman brand will do)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• up to 2 cups of unsalted peanuts, chopped to small pieces
• green onions, chopped 
• romaine lettuce (hearts are best)
• black pepper and paprika (if you like it spicy)
• (optional) mushrooms
• suggested garnish: grated carrots, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, sriracha, crispy noodles/wantons, green onions, chopped peanuts

Note: This recipe is gluten-free as long as you read the label on the sauce. You can also make one yourself.

You will need a large frying pan or a wok that can hold all of the mean you will be preparing.



Brown the chicken in the pan while adding pepper and paprika to taste. DO NOT ADD SALT! Add the sauce - add a portion at a time because the chicken releases juices and too much sauce will make the dish too runny. Add garlic, green onion and however many peanuts you feel necessary. Stir until uniform. Serve on lettuce leaves.

Enjoy!

Cookie dough cheesecake bars

It's insane how easy is this dessert, but so delicious! I've made it multiple times and it's always been a hit. The original recipe can be found here.

Ingredients:

• 12oz cookie dough of choice
• 8oz of cream cheese
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
• 1 egg

Note: You will need an 8x8in pan and wax paper for easier pan clean up. Also, you can use gluten-free dough if that is your dietary requirement.

Preheat your oven to 350F.

1. Line the pan with the paper and spread out the cookie dough, evenly.
2. Blend the cream cheese in a food processor for about 2-3 minutes.
3. Add sugar and blend more.
4. Add the egg and the extract, and continue mixing.
5. Once it's all uniform, pour on top of the cookie "crust" and bake for about 25-30 minutes.
6. When done, drizzle with a sauce of choice (caramel or chocolate seem to be popular) and leave in the fridge overnight. Cut into 16 pieces.

Enjoy!

Apple cider caramel

In October a friend from work brought in these amazing caramel candies she had made herself. I was extremely impressed and delighted at the flavor, so I decided I would replicate it. At first I used apples that were given to me by that friend, but they were meant for direct consumption and I found them to be a little too sweet for my caramel. Then I purchased some Granny Smith apples, juiced them, and ramped up my caramel game. Beware, this recipe is a little time-consuming.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of apple cider (or fresh juice from approx. 5 Granny Smith apples)
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup of heavy cream

You will need a 8x8in pan and parchment paper.

Note: Line the pan with parchment paper while the juice is reducing. Once you add sugar and butter you will have minutes to be ready to pour.You don't want to be stuck with a pot-full of hardened caramel.

1. Boil the juice in a medium pot on medium-high until it reduces to a thick syrup (molasses-like). It should take about 30 minutes to do so. Turn down the heat to simmer.
2. Add sugar, butter & cream, then simmer until the temperature reaches 165F (If you don't have a candy thermometer, I suggest pouring some cold water into a bowl and occasionally drop a little of caramel in there. If it turns solid(ish), the caramel is ready).
3. Pour the caramel into the pan and set it aside for approx. 2 hours. I suggest setting a timer.
4. Cut into pieces and store in the fridge so it doesn't melt. As an extra step, I wrap mine in cut up pieces of parchment paper. It looks fancy!

Enjoy!

Chocolate Delight

Even though the ingredient list is very short, this is a labor intensive recipe. It will turn out just fine as long as you're patient and follow the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 9 eggs
• 400g of dark chocolate (it's roughly 0.85lbs) - 72% is best
• 250g of powdered sugar (about 7oz)
• a pinch of salt
• 200g of unsalted butter (2 sticks)

You will also need wax paper and a square pan (8x8in). Preheat your oven to 350F.

1. Stick the butter and chocolate in a glass bowl and set over steaming water in a pot (make sure water doesn't get inside). Mix until it's uniform and set aside to chill completely.
2. Separate egg whites and yolks. 
3. Put yolks in a large bowl, add sugar and mix until uniform.
4. Whip the egg whites until they have soft peaks.
5. Gradually stir in the chocolate sauce into yolk and sugar mixture. Afterwards, fold in the whipped egg whites. The mixture should be really fluffy now.
6. Line the pan on all sides with the wax paper. Pour in the mixture and bake it for approx. 35 min. If the middle still looks runny, bake it for about 10 more minutes.
7. Once it's done, let it cool. IT WILL COLLAPSE! 
8. Cut it into pieces and serve with whipped cream, and/or fresh fruit, or preserves.

Enjoy!