Pin Made Creations: A Flavorful Weekend

It felt a little more like fall this weekend -- even though the temps were still a little warm here in Texas, it must have been the time change that brought about my flurry of wanting to make warm foods.

The first comfort food on the list was Chicken Tortilla Soup.  This is actually the first time I have ever made this soup!  Certain foods I am always nervous to try, because when it comes to flavorful Mexican cuisine, my hubs is extremely picky. This recipe was found in my stash, and it looked so easy I figured I would give it a try.  Believe it or not -- it was easy and a real success!  The hubs found it delicious.  If he found it tasty, then I knew it was safe to share.

NOTE:  The recipe is actually called "Chicken Tortilla Stew" and I realized that after simmering, since the "soup" was very thick.  Since I wanted more of a soup than a stew, I just added one more can of chicken broth than is listed here in the recipe.  I also couldn't find the required 10 oz. cans of the enchilada sauce, so the two 15 oz cans that I did buy worked fine.  Just more flavor.  Of course, you can use different temps of enchilada sauce, depending on the taste buds in your house.  Oh, and I also used the suggested rotisserie chicken, and that was superb tasting and easier to do.

This recipe makes enough for about two 4-5 serving meals.  Well worth it.

Chicken Tortilla "Stew" 

4-5 cooked, boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, or 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (about 6 cups)
3 cans (14 oz. each) reduced-sodium chicken broth (add one more if you want a thinner consistency)
2 cans (10-15 oz each) mild red or green chili enchilada sauce
1 can evaporated milk
2 cups matchstick or shredded carrots
I cup uncooked long or medium grain rice
1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (depending on your taste)
2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1-1/2 cups broken tortilla chips
Fresh cilantro leaves, sliced green onions (optional)

Combine:  broth, enchilada sauce, evaporated milk, carrots, rice and cumin in large pot.  Cook over medium-high heat until mixture begins to simmer.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender.  Add chicken and corn; stir well.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Spoon into serving bowls; top with tortilla chips, cilantro and green onions, if desired.  (Shredded cheese is a good option too)

Second on the list was a rerun of another successful recipe of Banana Nut Bread that I found on Pinterest.  Oh. My.Word.  This is absolutely the BEST Banana Nut Bread I have ever made (and I have made a lot of different recipes!)  It is so moist and so flavorful --it is just divine.  My all time favorite treat with coffee in the morning.  The first time I made this, the loaf was gone in one day.  This weekend I made one loaf and a tray of mini loaves, and it's all gone after two days.  It's that good!

So a thankful shout out to Janet -- the original poster of this recipe on BookCooking.net.  You have made my family very, very happy.

Janet's Rich Banana Bread

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 medium bananas, sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9x5" loaf pan.  In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter and sugar.  Add the eggs and vanilla, mix well.  Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the butter mixture until smooth.  Finally, fold in the sour cream, walnuts and banana.  Spread evenly into the prepared pan.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

NOTE:   A stick of baking margarine was used instead of butter, and my vanilla was imitation, but it did not alter the delicious result.  My choice is to use very ripe bananas, which I think helps with the moistness of this recipe. For my second batch, the bananas here at home were not very "over ripe", so I sliced two bananas into a microwavable bowl and cooked it on high for 30 seconds to get them a little softer.  After cooling, I added to the recipe.  When baking the mini loaves, I checked them after 30 minutes and they were done perfectly.

Hopefully you will have a chance to try one of these recipes!  Enjoy!