White Chicken Chili

In honor of the last cold snap of spring (hopefully) I'm making White Chicken Chili for supper tonight. And I'm posting it this morning so you will have enough time to run to the store just in case you wanted to make White Chicken Chili for supper tonight!

This is actually my sister's recipe and I have no idea where she got it. But it is wonderfully delicious!

Here are the ingredients.

The first thing is to brown and cut up the chicken into bite size pieces. I like to cook the chicken in my non-stick skillet with just a little bit of canola oil to brown it up a bit.

Set the chicken aside. In the same skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of Smart Balance or butter and saute the chopped onion.

Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of Smart Balance (or butter) over moderately low heat in a 6 - 8 quart heavy pot.

Then whisk in 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour. If you like your chili thicker, you can add 1/2 cup. Cook the roux, whisking constantly for 3 minutes.

Stir in the onion and gradually add 3/4 cup chicken broth and 2 cups half-and-half, whisking constantly.

Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp of Green Tabasco sauce, 1 1/2 tsp of chili powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper.

Add 3 cans of White Northern Beans, 2 (4 oz) cans of mild green chilies - chopped and drained, and the chicken. Add 1 1/2 cups of grated Monterey Jack Cheese (6 oz) or a blend of Mexican Cheese and cook mixture over moderately low heat, stirring, for 20 minutes.
The last thing is to stir in 1/2 cup of sour cream. I use the Light Sour Cream but whatever you do, PLEASE do not use the Fat Free sour cream. It's just not worth it. Trust me.

I serve it with Frito's. This is one of our favorites when it is cold outside. Enjoy!

White Chicken Chili

3 cans of White Northern Beans
1 large onion, chopped
1 stick of butter or 1/2 cup of Smart Balance
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (you will need more if you want to make it thick)
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 cups half-and-half
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 (4 oz) cans mild green chilies - chopped and drained
5 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs) cooked, fat cut off and cut into bite size pieces
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack Cheese (6 oz)
1/2 cup sour cream

Brown and cut up chicken. In a skillet saute chopped onion in 2 Tablespoons Smart Balance (or butter) until softened.

In a 6 - 8 quart heavy pot, melt remaining 6 Tablespoons butter over moderately low heat and whisk in flour. Cook, whisking constantly, for 3 minutes. Stir in onion and gradually add broth and half-and -half, whisking constantly. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Stir in Tabasco, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Add beans, chilies, chicken, and Monterey Jack cheese and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, for 20 minutes. Stir sour cream into chili.

Serves 4 - 6 people. I double it if we have company or if I am taking a meal to someone.

Not. Going. According. To Plan.

My favorite part of the A-Team was when Hannibal used to , "I love it when a plan comes together".

My problem is that mine is not.

The plan: eradicate and relocate the murdering vermin who sabotaged my attempts to have beautiful flowers growing in my yard. They reduced my pansies and various other blooming plants from this......

To This........

Plan A: While my parents were visiting, my dad built a rabbit trap with the help of the kids. Or maybe in spite of the kids.

The day after my parents left, the kids ran in screaming, "WE CAUGHT A RABBIT, WE CAUGHT A RABBIT!!!!!!".

They said they were playing in the backyard when they heard the door slam shut. So I went out to check. I stood the rabbit trap on it's end and with 3 excited children surrounding me, I carefully pulled open the door.

No rabbit.

We tried to use different baits but we never caught one. The kids really wanted to pull up some of my pansies as they felt this would be a sure-fire way to lure the rabbit in. Unfortunately, most of the pansies had been eaten to the ground by this point.

Plan B: The rabbits really aren't that fast. Somehow, natural selection has overlooked our neighborhood because of the apparent lack of predators. There are literally several rabbits per house. They all come out in the evenings. My kids really thought they had a chance to catch one. So they spent all their free time with their butterfly nets trapping rabbits in bushes, only to have them narrowly escape.

The Problem: They ran in last week screaming "WE CAUGHT A RABBIT, WE CAUGHT A RABBIT, GET A BOX, GET A BOX!!!!!" They actually did catch a rabbit. The only problem was it was a baby rabbit. And the problem with that is that where there is one baby rabbit.... there are sure to be more.

I was contemplating my options when the informative neighbor kid said, "Don't give him to the humane society... they'll kill him! And don't take him and turn him loose in the park, the coyotes or a hawk will eat him! He'll be safest right here in your backyard".

Great.

Thankyouverymuch for that.

By that time, my daughter was smitten by the pansy-eater. She asked if she could keep him as a pet and let him live in her room. (and yes, she is sitting in a dump truck)

We let the kids keep him in a box and look at him until after supper. We really wanted to send him on his merry way but decided that he really was too young to be separated from his mother.

Who was apparently still living in our yard.

With her brood.

So we let him go.

They have since caught 3 other baby rabbits which have all been released back into their natural habitat. (which would be our yard)

But I am still in a quandary because I DON'T WANT RABBITS IN MY YARD! The kids have so much fun chasing them that I actually wouldn't mind their presence if they didn't eat all my flowers and kill the grass wherever they left their pellets.

I'm considering ordering some fox urine powder or maybe even trying moth balls. I was also planning on having a garden this year and using fox urine around my vegetables is just not that appealing. There are several products out there to try but I hate to spend money on something that doesn't work.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Or brilliant ideas?

Because this is me, needing some brilliant suggestions.

And no, a dog is not an option at this point. But thanks for asking.

Thankful Thursday

1. Thankful for good health. I've actually been having some health problems over the past several weeks. I've spent quality time with specialists and struggled to keep up with daily life. I'm finally feeling better and I must say that there is nothing like feeling bad for awhile to make you appreciate feeling good!

2. Thankful for flannel sheets. When it is cold, I adore my flannel sheets. And it's been cold!

3. Thankful for helpful children. There were several days when I wasn't feeling well that I spent most of the day laying down. My 7 year old made breakfast and lunch for everyone on those day. The kids also helped with extra chores around the house. It was truly a blessing.

4. Thankful for a helpful husband. I truly appreciate how helpful around the house my husband is. He jumps right in and helps me with the laundry, or the dishes or whatever else I'm behind on. He is such a servant and I am very grateful for him.

5. Thankful for a good vehicle. Between running the kids to swim lessons and violin lessons and going to Dr.s appointments I've spent a lot of time in the car the last few weeks. I'm thankful that it runs well, has a working heater, and that we don't have to walk or take the bus!

6. Thankful for good swim instructors. The kids have been taking swimming lessons and we have been so pleased with their instructors. They are very patient but also very thorough in what they teach. That has not always been the case in our experience with swim lessons.

7. Thankful for the rain. We've had lots of rain this week in Dallas. It's been cold, but we really needed the rain.

8. Thankful for Spring. I love spring. It makes me happy. I love the daffodils and tulips and my irises are getting ready to bloom. I think Spring is my favorite time of year.

That's all I've got for now. I hope you have a Thankful Thursday!

The Tea Party

No, I'm not talking about the New American Tea Party, but the Daddy/Daughter Tea Party they had at our church.

It was last Sunday afternoon and MY was our girl excited. She wanted her fingernails painted and her hair curled in ringlets with a big bow on top so she would look beautiful for her daddy. She tried on several dresses and finally decided to go with her pink one with a white sweater.

The played bingo and had cookies, cakes and tea. Based on the fact that she was not hungry for supper at all, I think she probably had her fair share of cookies. She got to bring home the little tea cups and they gave her a pink furry purse in which she kept the stickers she won.

He took the camera and was instructed to take pictures. Granted, this is just about the cutest picture, I mean, could they be any cuter? But what I really wanted was the money shot. A picture of them drinking tea together. Unfortunately, I didn't think to mention this until they got home.

They had fun and made some wonderful memories.

Tea Party. It's a good thing.