Lee Household Week of 10/5/09

Monday: Leftover Chicken Tortilla Soup and Corniest Corn Muffins
Tuesday: Chicken Alfredo (stealing Valeries recipe), Green Salad, Garlic Bread
Wednesday: The boys are going camping, so I'm leaving this night open
Thursday: Crockpot Lasagna
Friday: Dinner with my parents
Saturday: Dinner with my parents
Sunday: Vegetable Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup -- I love this version. I eat it with lots of avocado and tortilla chips. Sometimes I also throw in some black beans because I love them! Garnish with anything you like - cilantro, cheese, sour cream, etc.

2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion
4 garlic cloves
1 medium jalapeno pepper
1/2 medium green pepper
4 chicken breasts
4 cups frozen corn
1/2 c dry white wine or water
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
4 cans chicken broth
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans tomato sauce

*Saute onion, garlic, jalapeno and green pepper in the olive oil until soft in a large pot
*Add remaining ingredients to pot and bring to a boil
*After about 15 minutes, remove chicken and shred
*Return chicken to pot and simmer for 45 minutes

Corniest Corn Muffins (from "Baking ... from my home to yours" by Dorie Greenspan, a fabulous cookbook about baking)

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
6 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (optional -- I never add)
1 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 tablespoons corn oil
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 cup corn kennels (add up to 1/3 cup more if you'd like) -- fresh, frozen or canned (in which case, they should be drained and patted dry)

Preheat oven to 400. Prepare muffin pan (spray, butter or use paper cups).
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg, if your using it. In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, oil, egg and yolk until well blended. Pour the liquid over the dry ingredients and with the whisk or rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Batter should be lumpy so don't be too thorough. Stir in the corn kernels. Divide among the muffin cups.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from the pan. Makes 12 muffins.

Vegetable Soup
1 lb ground beef
Bag of frozen vegetables
2 cans tomato sauce
2 cans diced tomatoes
2-3 cans of water
4-5 red potatoes, cubed
Lawry's season salt

Brown ground beef in a soup pot. Add tomatoes, frozen vegetables, water and potatoes. Season to taste with Lawry's season salt. Cook long enough for the potatoes to cook and soften.