As I look outside at the rain, yes I said rain.  I agree rain in January in Utah is weird, strange and bizarre. Luckily it's snowing in the mountains.  I still miss the snow in my yard, not to mention to much rain isn't great for the Lavender.  Anyway it's' certainly a good day for a nice hot bowl of Chili.  My friend Mel gave me her cookbook for Christmas.  It was a group effort by her and some friends.  I don't know about the other gals but Mel is an awesome cook.  So I knew I could find something good in her cookbook.  And I did,  the recipe for "Creamy White Chili" is a definite winner.  My family said is was blog worthy, so I had to share.  Isn't Super Bowl sunday coming up.  This would be a real crowd pleaser.  I doubled this recipe and plan on taking the other half to a friend.  It would also freeze well.  Happy new year, and happy cooking.   Bon Appetite,  Peggy


CREAMY WHITE CHILI

1 lb. chicken
1 med. onion chopped
1 clove garlic
1 Tbs. veg. oil
1 can 14 oz chicken broth
2 cans 15 oz white beans, drained
1 can 4oz diced green chilies
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup half and half
a couple dashes of tabasco
taste to correct seasonings

In a large heavy pan heat oil and add onions, chicken and garlic.  Sauté until chicken is no longer pink.  Add broth, beans, spices and chilies, Stir and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and half and half.  We crumbled tortilla chips in the bottom of our bowl for an added texture.  yum

* I used low fat sour cream and non-fat half and half

The Marshmallows made a great BIrthday gift for my son Quentin's 29th birthday.  I can see the possibilities for Valentines, can't you.

Carmel apples are my very favorite thing, If they are done right.  The time it takes to un-wrap the store bought caramels, you can make the real deal...and it's simple.  I've  made homemade carmel apples for "trunk r treat" now for the last 2 years.  This year I made 65.  They were gone pretty fast.  It's funny to see the adults put on their trick or treat swagger to get one.  Gourmet apples have been popular for awhile.  Williams and Sonoma started with the 3 lb. gourmet apple.  This carmel recipe is pretty easy, and has lots of flavor.  You will need a clip -on candy thermometer.   Try this recipe out, then use your imagination on the rest.     Bon Appetite , Peggy

CARMEL DIPPED APPLES


1 lb. dark brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter room-temp
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk 
2/3 cup dark corn syrup
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. molasses
1/4 tsp. salt
About 12 apples (depending on size)
sticks (popsicles sticks .chopsticks or apple branches)
Toppings  (chocolate, nuts, candies, sprinkles )


In a medium heavy pan combine the the first 8 ingrediansts.   Start out slowly to combine and melt all ingredients. Making sure all the sugar has dissolved.  (you can feel this with rubbing the carmel between your two fingers)  Clip on your candy thermometer and turn up the heat to medium high.  Stir constantly and on occasions brushing down the sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in warm water.  Doing this prevents any crystals from forming and falling into carmel, which would cause the carmel to crystalize.  Once the carmel reached 236 your ready to dip.  Have your apples cold, and toppings at hand.  I found that no matter how well you grease my wax paper or foil,  the carmel still seems to stick.  So once  I've  dipped them I immediately roll the bottom in nuts or sprinkles.  Then I add the chocolate on top.  You can experiment too, and find out the way you like to do it.  Good luck!  p.s. these make great christmas gifts 

Is anyone getting tired of corn on the cob ?  probably not since good corn is only available around now.  Here is a recipe by Alton Brown called " Not your Grandmas creamed corn" I don't know about his grandma, but my Grandma was a superb cook.  Though I never had her creamed corn, everything else she made was delicious.  My Grandma Brozovich didn't speak english well, and I don't remember any grandmother - granddaughter talks.  But When we went to her farm in Price she always cooked a delicious meal with all the ingredients fresh from HER farm.  We were usually lucky to go home with fresh baked bread, bottled sauerkraut and more.  So my grandma would have made a killer creamed corn.  This one is great too.  Just another idea for fresh sweet corn.  It keeps well and is good when the corn is maybe a day or two old.   I hope we're all enjoying the bounty of the harvest.  

                           Bon Appetite, Peggy


CREAMED CORN GRANDMA STYLE


3 Tbs. butter 
1/2 a large onion chopped
sprig of fresh thyme,  cut
1 sprig fresh rosemary, cut
pinch salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbs. cornmeal
1/4 tsp. turmeric
6 ears fresh corn
1/2 cup cream
fresh black pepper to taste


On a plate,  scrape the corn off the cobs and set aside.  In a large skillet melt butter and saute onions along with fresh herbs until onions are soft.    Add corn, salt, sugar and turmeric.  Saute corn until warmed  2 or 3 minutes.  Add cornmeal and cream to corn  cook for another 3 minutes.  Correct seasons with salt and pepper.   

LEEK AND POTATO SOUP


3 Tbs. butter
2 slices bacon, chopped
2 large washed leeks, chopped
2 lbs. potatoes, chopped
4 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs thyme
16 peppercorns
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup heavy cream


First thing to do is to wash the leeks.  Leeks are usually quite sandy, so chop off the tops and slice up the leeks exposing all the layers.  Hold the leeks under running water and wash well.  In a heavy sauce pan, melt butter and add bacon.  Cook bacon until all the fat has been rendered out, and the bacon is slightly crispy.  Next add potatoes, leeks, and onions.  Sauté until onions are soft approx. 5 minutes.  Add stock, bay leaves, peppercorns and thyme (tie the peppercorns in a small piece of cheese cloth.)  Simmer until potatoes are very soft.  Cream soup using either an immersion blender or counter-top blender until the potatoes are smooth or chunky ( I like it with some chunks of potato.)  Return to pan, if you used a counter-top blender,  and add cream.  Reheat slowly being careful not to let boil.  Correct seasonings.  Serve with a nice slice of rustic bread,  yum!