A pack rat, some magazines and a winning recipe

I love cooking magazines.  And cookbooks.  And getting recipes off the internet.  I have quite the store of ancient cooking magazines because, well, it seems that I am somewhat of a pack rat.  I have folders stuffed with pieces of paper with recipes both handwritten and printed.  I have entire newspapers that I’ve saved just for one recipe in the Food section.  I have a problem.

Well, I tried a few years ago to go through the magazines and newspapers and clip/tear out only the recipes I wanted or would actually make.  It was a great idea and I made a great start.  Until the magazines started to multiply when I wasn’t looking and then, I didn’t do so hot.  Well, we’ve recently moved and before we moved, I did a HUGE job of going through our junk and purging the unnecessary nonsense.  Since I did that and I know it really isn’t as difficult as I would like it to think it is, I’ve gone back to my original idea with the magazine, newspaper and internet recipes and I’m creating my own “cookbook”.  I’ve got a huge 3-ring binder and divider tabs and document protector sheets and EVERYTHING!  And, to top it all off, I’ve actually started and gone through quite a few magazines!  Don’t get me wrong, I still have millions more to go through.  No, I’m not exaggerating – remember, I’m a pack rat.  The bonus of my recent work is – I have new recipes to try and they are now easily accessible!  Hooray!

So, my husband stopped at a farmer’s market yesterday and brought home some cornbread mix.  No, he didn’t just bring home cornbread mix – he actually brought home some really excellent looking fruit – but he was really excited about that cornbread mix.  (okay, I love cornbread but that Jiffy mix really is just not the best for you out of cornbread mixes and no, I’m not going to argue that it is supremely delicious.  I’ve been on a quest to find good, healthier versions and honestly, the Marie Callender brand is pretty awesome but, I haven’t seen it down here.  Boo.  The Martha Washington stuff?  Um, no.  Okay, back to the real story.)  Well, of course I want to make the cornbread for him and what goes best with cornbread?  Chili, of course!  So, that’s what’s for dinner!  And, since I’ve been going through those magazine recipes, I have 6 – count them, SIX! – new chili recipes to try.  And, we LOVE chili!

I took a vote amongst my chili-eaters and today’s winning recipe was Red Chicken Chili from a Cooking Light magazine (year unknown, sorry).  The descriptor stated “a big dose of chili powder makes this dish spicy – and the chicken red”.  Sounds delicious, right?  Well, it was but I certainly would not call this chili spicy.  I should also add that it was pretty warm today – ah, Florida in the winter – and this chili wasn’t even spicy enough to make eating it on a warm day uncomfortable.  In fact, it was pretty perfect for this temperature.  It’s definitely a keeper recipe (both Things 1 and 2 enjoyed it and you know how hard teenagers can be to please!) and, in the event that it’s cool/cold outside, I will probably add some red pepper flakes or use a spicier chili powder to give it some heat.  This chili was also easy because I had all the ingredients except the chicken.  It does require just about an hour of cooking time so plan accordingly but the only chopping needed was the chicken, onion and garlic.  Prep time was mostly opening, draining and measuring which makes this a good option for a meal after a long day at work.  And the cornbread from the farmer’s market?  Well…it was pretty good.  I made it in a cast iron skillet and may have overcooked it a touch.  There’s enough mix left for another batch so I will try again and go easier on the cooking time and see what happens.  Compared to today’s batch, Jiffy wins hands down.  Dear grocery stores in Florida, please get me the Marie Callender brand of cornbread, please!

Here’s the recipe for the chili:

Red Chicken Chili

2 teaspoons olive oil

3 cups chopped onion

¼ cup chili powder

1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano

1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

¾ teaspoon salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups chicken stock

1 (16-ounce) can kidney beans, drained

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained

1 (14.5 ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped

3 cups diced cooked chicken

½ cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat extra-sharp cheddar cheese

½ cup low-fat sour cream

Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add onion; sauté 5 minutes.   Add chili powder and next 4 ingredients (powder through garlic); sauté 30 seconds.  Add chicken stock, beans and tomatoes; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 30 minutes.  Stir in chicken; simmer 15 minutes.  Serve with cheese and sour cream, if desired.  Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup chili, 1 tablespoon cheese and 1 tablespoon sour cream).

Calories 280 (30% from fat); Fat 9.2g (sat 3.3g, mono 3.3g, poly 1.6g); Protein 24.5g; Carb 26.6g; Fiber 5.4g; Chol 54mg; Iron 3.6mg; Sodium 743mg; Calc 150mg