Wednesday's Chow - Salsa Corn Soup with Chicken

I belong to a great group of writers, Sweethearts of the West.  As the title indicates, we all write stories (historical and contemporary) set in the West.  This year, we are sponsoring a category in the Brenda Novak 2013 Annual Auction for the Cure of Diabetes that includes a children’s basket, Romancing the West basket, critiques, an ebook, and more.  Brenda’s annual auction runs May 1-31.  So far, there are over 800 items up for auction.  I’m donating several items to the auction, including a Tex-Mex Cookbook basket in the Sweethearts category.

Win a boxful of cookbooks with a southwest/southern twist. Includes:

Tex-Mex Recipes

Texas Morning Glory (Bed and Breakfast recipes)

True Gist: Buckwheat and Cornmeal Recipes

A Taste of Texas

Dolly Parton’s Tennessee Mountain Cooking

Cookbook for a Cause

POPS: Icy Treat for Everyone (to cool your mouth after all that Tex-Mex food)

For this week’s Wednesday’s Chow, I’m sharing a recipe from TEX-MEX RECIPES.

Salsa Corn Soup with Chicken

Ingredients:

3 quarts chicken broth

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced

2 (10-oz) packages frozen whole kernel corn, thawed

4 (11-oz) jars of Salsa

4 large carrots, diced

One lime

Directions:

In a Dutch oven, bring chicken broth to a boil.  Add chicken, corn, salsa and carrots.  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender.

Serve with lime wedges for squirting on soup.

http://sweetheartsofthewest.blogspot.com/

Anna Kathryn Lanier
www.aklanier.com http://annakathrynlanier.blogspot.com/ 

Never let your memories be greater than your dreams. ~Doug Ivester 

Wednesday's Chow - Cheesy Mexican Casserole

Cheesy Mexican Casserole

Ingredients
1 can (10.75 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chilies
1 container (8 oz) sour cream
1/2 cup fat-free (skim) milk
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
8 yellow corn tortillas (6 or 7 inch), torn into bite-size pieces
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese blend, divided

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix soup, chilies, sour cream and milk until blended. Stir in chicken, tortillas and bell pepper. Stir in tomato and 1 cup of the cheese. Spoon and spread mixture in baking dish.

2. Cover with foil. Bake 40 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake uncovered 5 to 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and mixture is bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes.

Wednesday's Chow

My friend Denise gave me a cookbook on Saturday - The All-American Cowboy Cookbook. Oh, my. What a treasure trove!  100's of recipes and lots of tidbits on cowboys, country singers/song writers, actors and more.  Her intent is for me to give away as a prize...grrr. But I will, during my August workshop "Pioneering Women of the West."  In the meantime, I'll post some recipes here and copy some for my own recipe box.

Here's one donated by Tom Selleck, of Quigley Down Under.  Looks yummy!  Oh, and the recipe looks good too.

Quigley’s Chicken with Wine and Vegetables
By Tom Selleck in The All-American Cowboy Cookbook

1 onion, sliced
3 tbsp butter, divided
4 boned chicken breasts, halved (8 boneless, breasts)
Salt and pepper
½ cup all-purpose flour
8 whole mushrooms
1 cup orange juice
1 cup Marsala wine
¼ cup ginger ale
¼ cup lemon juice
1 medium can artichoke hearts
Hot, cooked rice

Brown the onion in one tablespoon butter. Set aside. Preheat oven to 325°. Salt and pepper the chicken. Roll in flour to cover. Brown quickly in remaining butter. Place onion in bottom of Dutch oven. Layer with chicken and mushrooms. Mix the liquid ingredients and pour over. Bake, covered, one hour. Add the artichoke and cook 30 minutes more. Serve with rice.

Anna Kathryn Lanier
Pioneering Women of the West Workshop
Hearts Through History Campus
August 1-31, 2011
http://heartsthroughhistory.com/pioneerwomen.html

Wednesday's Chow - Chicken Salad with Pecans

Chicken Salad with Pecans


Ingredients:

3 whole chicken breasts
2 stalks celery cut up, including tops
1 small onion sliced
Salt to taste
3 cups boiling water

½ cup chopped pecans
½ cup to 1 cup chopped celery
2 cups diced apples with skin on
½ cup chopped green pepper
2 teaspoons onion

¾ cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons light cream
½ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon salt

1 can sliced pineapple
Black or green olives (optional)
Pecan halves (optional)

Directions:

Combine chicken, celery, sliced onion and salt in pan of boiling water. Simmer covered for 30-40 minutes. Remove chicken and cool.

Cut breasts into 1/2–inch cubes. In large bowl combine chicken, pecans, celery, apples, green pepper and onion.

In small bowl combine mayonnaise, cream, salt and pepper. Mix well. Add to chicken and toss.

Refrigerate at least one hour. Spoon salad into one slice of pineapple on a bed of lettuce. Decorate with olives or more pecans, if desired. Serves 6-8.

Wednesday's Chow - Chicken Casserole

I've found a cute little cookbook called "Texas Chuck Wagon Cuisine: Real Cowboy Cooking" and since this the the blog where "Tumbleweeds Hang Their Hats" I figured I should give ya'll some "Real Cowboy Cooking."  So here's a quick and delisious looking recipe.


Chicken Casserole
From “Texas Chuck Wagon Cuisine: Real Cowboy Cooking”

Ingredients:

4 cups cooked chicken, cubed
2 cups grated American cheese
12 flour tortillas, quartered
2 onion, finely sliced

Sauce:
1 cup chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Directions:

Layer half the chicken, cheese, tortillas, onion and sauce in a well seasoned skillet. Repeat for second layer, putting cheese on top.

Cook uncovered for 1 hour in oven at 350° or over medium-high heat of a fire.

Anna Kathryn Lanier
Where Tumbleweeds Hang Their Hats
http://www.aklanier.com/
http://annakathrynlanier.blogspot.com/

Holiday Cheer - Honey-Glazed Chicken Wings

Now through December 30th, I'm going to post 'appetizers' so that you'll have a nice list of recipes for your New Year's Eve Party.

CONTEST: On December 31st, I'll post my favorite black-eyed peas recipe. Pull out your own special 'must have' New Year's Day dish for a special contest (wait until December 31st to post though!!!) Post the dish or the recipe--either one--to be eligible. Just tell us what you have to have for New Year's Day. I'll draw names throughout the day for periodic prizes and one lucky person will win a virtual book bag full of Roses of Houston electronic books.

Honey-Glazed Chicken Wings

Ingredients

3 lb chicken wings
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp chili sauce or ketchup or barbecue sauce
¼ cup honey
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp garlic powder or 1 clove garlic minced
¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Directions

Separate wings at joints and put into a glass pan or plastic baggie. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour (or overnight) turning occasionally to coat all chicken.

Heat oven to 375°. Drain chicken, reserving marinade. Place chicken on rack in foil-lined broiler pan. Bake 30 minutes. Brush chicken with reserved marinade and turn chicken. Bake for another 30 minutes.

Tomorrow's recipe: Shrimp Sandwiches

Youth is when you're allowed to stay up late on New Year's Eve. Middle age is when you're forced to. ~Bill Vaughn

Wednesday's Chow - Garlic Cheddar Chicken

Well, it's week three of my recipe contest and I am going to be quite busy making all the wonderful recipes being posted. First off, congratulations to Carol Jo Kachmar for winning last week's drawing. She won This week's prize will be a Bath and Body Works Sweet Pea collection: hand lotion, waterless hand foam and deep cleansing hand gel, along with a copy of my short story A COWBOY'S DREAM.

This week's recipe group is main dishes. Below I've posted a wonderful Garlic Cheddar Chicken. The best part about having this dish the other day is that I didn't have to cook, my daughter did. She found the recipe while I was in Washington DC at the RWA conference and fixed it for her and her dad. It is a really tasty dish.

So, this week's assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to post a main dish recipe: chicken, beef, seafood, vegetarian, whatever you want. Next Wednesday, I'll draw a name from all those who post a recipe. The winner will receive Betty Crocker's 20-MINUTE MEALS booklet – “over 20 easy, delicious recipes ready in 20-minutes or less,” as well as a a choice of a DVD (The Jewel of the Nile, Mamma Mia! or A Knight's Tale), plus a copy of my short story The Priceless Gift.

IF YOU WANT TO WIN, YOU MUST LEAVE YOUR E-MAIL, SO I CAN CONTACT YOU!


In addition, I'm holding a contest on the Roses of Houston's Virtual Baby Shower. Just match up the candy bars to the baby related items for you chance to win an autographed copy of Anne Marie Novark's HER RELUCTANT RANCHER.

Garlic Cheddar Chicken

Prep Time: 15m
Cook Time: 40m
Ready in: 55m
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded thin

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, and cook the garlic until tender, about 5 minutes.
3.In a shallow bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Cheddar cheese, parsley, oregano, pepper, and salt.
4.Dip each chicken breast in the garlic butter to coat, then press into the bread crumb mixture. Arrange the coated chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Drizzle with any remaining butter and top with any remaining bread crumb mixture.
5.Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.


Anna Kathryn Lanier
Monthly Prizes to Win!
http://www.aklanier.com/