White Bean Chili
October 31st, 2011 § Leave a Comment
I love fall. The cooler temperatures; the gorgeous rich colors; and yes, even the return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte. Everything about fall makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and puts me in the mood for making soups and chili. There’s something about a bowl of homemade soup that comforts the soul. That’s how I feel about this White Chicken Chili. I can barely keep leftovers in the house because it’s that good.
I came across this recipe from Eat, Live, Run (definitely worth a follow, by the way) and after making it a few weeks ago, I have been thinking about it constantly. It’s rich and filling without being overly heavy and it’s a perfect addition to my go-to recipes for fall. No pumpkin or squash or any of the other widely popular fall foods – but you won’t miss them. The kick of the green chiles and the smokiness of the chicken are great partners. And add the silkiness of the white beans and I’m telling you, you’ll be adding this to your go-to’s as well!
White Chicken Chili
Adapted from Eat, Live, Run
Ingredients
1 ½ cups shredded chicken
1 medium onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 15.5 ounce cans white beans
14.5 ounces reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 4-ounce cans chopped green chiles
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
¼ teaspoon cayenne
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup half & half (I use fat-free and can’t tell the difference.)
8 ounces reduced fat sour cream
Directions
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another three minutes. (Be watchful of your garlic to make sure it doesn’t burn.)
Add the shredded chicken, beans, spices, chicken broth and green chilies and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for thirty minutes.
Turn off the heat and add the sour cream and half & half.
Lincoln Family Downtown YMCA 5K Recap
October 24th, 2011 § 1 Comment
I’ve ran several 5Ks since I started running nearly four years ago. I refer to them as “runs” because I’ve never really thought of them as a race for me. I know my limits and I know that I am not fast enough to keep up with the leaders. I am a middle-of-the-pack runner and that works for me. I still go out there with a goal for each event, but they are realistic. Placing in a race is not realistic for me… until this weekend.
I have participated in the Lincoln Family Downtown YMCA event for a few years now, but I have done the half marathon instead of the 5K. The new half marathon course, which was implemented last year, is tough (see my recap of my experience with it), was something that I didn’t feel up to tackling again so I decided to join Jake for the 5K. I’ve ran 5Ks at South Mountain before, but the hills going out were a bit tougher than I remembered. Knowing that I had a long 16-miler the next day, I told myself to just relax and have a good run.
The field was small (293 runners) which meant there was plenty of space to do your own thing and not worry about dodging around other runners. I found a woman who looked like she was about my age, build, etc. and her pace was right on target with mine so I decided to use her as my motivation to keep up the pace on the killer hills, which are not my strong suit. I could feel myself starting to lose steam going into the turnaround and I could see the gap between us getting bigger. Then, as if she spent all of her energy getting up the hills, she lost it on the down hill and I passed her.
My effort was higher than a casual fun run, but it didn’t feel overly stressed. I saw Jake on my way back down, we exchanged a high five and then went back to it. I just kept going and passed more and more runners heading into the final stretch. As I crossed the finish line, I had no idea that I had put myself into 3rd place for my age group (out of 46 women). I have never placed in a race, so I have to admit that I was excited. Was I super fast? No. Would I stand a chance at larger races? Most likely not. But instead of belittling my “accomplishment” with those types of thoughts, I’m going to revel in the fact that I earned my first medal at a race. Here’s to all you middle-of-the-pack runners out there. Keep doing what you’re doing. It’s for you.
Chocolate Kahlua Bundt Cake
October 16th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
We had some friends over for dinner on Friday, which meant I finally got to cook for more than just me and Jake. But what to cook? I have a ton of recipes that I’ve tried over the years which meant I had too many options to choose from. After an evening out a few weeks ago with the same couple where we had some terrible salmon that tasted like it came straight from the frozen food section, so I decided on Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup and Glazed Salmon w/Steamed Broccoli. But what about dessert?
A few years ago I had a ton of cake stands leftover from my wedding (that we used as part of the center pieces), so I decided to re-gift to them friends and family. While a lovely cake stand is a gift in itself, I figured I’d sweeten the gesture by baking each recipient one of my favorite bundt cakes. This Chocolate Kahlua Bundt Cake is full of rich chocolatey goodness and (bonus) is really easy to make. It’s simple enough for a lazy Sunday afternoon but is nice enough to be served as a perfect ending to a great meal with friends. And as you can tell by the picture above, it’s a pretty popular dessert. (Sorry I didn’t get a picture of it before it was devoured!)
Chocolate Kahlua Bundt Cake
Ingredients
1 box chocolate devils food cake mix (without pudding)
1 box (3.75-ounce) chocolate pudding mix
2 cups sour cream
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup Kahlua
1/2 package Ghirardelli 60% chocolate chips
Kahlua Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
4 Tablespoons Kahlua
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, put everything in except for the chocolate chips. Mix well until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Grease a bundt pan (I used cooking spray) and pour the batter in. (Batter will be thick.) Bake cake for 1 hour. Check for done-ness with a toothpick. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes the turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the glaze, whisk together powdered sugar and Kahlua and pour over cake.
(This cake can be made a day ahead. Once the cake is completely cooled, cover and store in until ready to use.)
