I hit the mother lode.....

I have always said I wanted a Chipotle restaurant in my house - can you imagine?  Oh man...  So I thought to myself, how can I make this wish come true?  For obvious reasons, I was not able to find a way to put an actual Chipotle restaurant in my house, but I did think of another good idea: make. your. own.  *Bing* <-- light bulb goes off  Brilliant, I know...  So I embarked on a journey to find the source of a certain wonderful Chipotle creation = the Chicken burrito with the works.  First, I went through the seven levels of the Candy Cane Forest. Then, I went past the twirly, swirly gumdrops. And after that: I went through the Lincoln Tunnel...... waait... sorry... sidetracked.  I was hoping there was a way you could go to the actual Chipotle factory and stand next to the main Chef while he makes the food. (Like Herr's or Willy Wonka... how cool would that be??!)  But alas, this was not possible.  My next option = INTERNET!  You would be surprised how many Chipotle fans have, like me, desired to learn how to make their own Chipotle.  There is even a site called "I Love Chipotle Mexican Grill.com!"  (Glad to know I am not the only crazy fan...)  After gathering a bunch of recipes, doing some comparing and modifying, I finally found the recipes I wanted to use...  Warning: reading the following may make you want to run to your nearest Chipotle Restaurant and buy everything off their menu.  If that is the case, Chipotle owes me money for advertising....

1. Chipotle Chicken

(I doubled the recipe, so if you don't want to make this much, just divide it by half...) 

2 (7 ounce) can chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (discard most of the chipotle peppers, skim out seeds)
2 teaspoon black pepper
4 teaspoons cumin powder
4 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped 
12 cloves garlic
4 teaspoons salt
2 red onions, quartered
1/2 cup oil (canola/vegetable/olive)
6lbs of boneless, skinless chicken (I used breasts, but thighs work ok too) 
Add chilies and rest of the ingredients in blender or food processor. Puree until smooth.

Spray a baking pan that will be able to hold all chicken comfortably (not squashed together)
Place chicken in pan and spread marinade over chicken, refrigerate for one hour or up to overnight. (Stab the chicken with a fork a few times to let marinade sink in.. but don't overkill with the stabbing.  ;D) 
After marinating, bake the chicken at 350 F for about 15-20mins (depending on size of chicken) and then grill each chicken quickly to get that crispy outside.  

2. Chipotle Rice (using a rice cooker)

4 Cups of White Rice

4 Cups of water
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons salt
3 Limes (or 6 tablespoons of Lime Juice) 

(All of the above is to taste)

Cook rice per rice cooker instructions and then add the rest of the ingredients after rice has cooked...

3. Chipotle Corn Salsa (a personal favorite because of lack of tomatoes) 

4 Cans of Sweet White Corn Kernels
1 Red Onion
3 Green Jalapenos (remove seeds)
3/4 Cup Chopped Cilantro
1 Tablespoon Lime Juice

1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Rinse and drain corn, set aside

Chop onion and jalepenos into small bits 

Combine all of ingredients into one large bowl and season to taste

3. Extras (what you will need to complete the perfect burrito) 

White tortillas 

Black Beans

Cheddar Cheese

Sour Cream

Hot Sauce

Lettuce

Here are some pictures from the epic day that I first made a Chipotle Burrito.... 

 Jalapenos - careful, they love to pretend they are just plain old green peppers.  But when you absentmindedly place a handful in your mouth....well, you learn they aren't just plain old green peppers

Starting to make the salsa... Look, even the spoon looks happy to see Chipotle being made!  Must be a sign. 

One of my favorite herbs.  Have you ever smelled fresh cilantro?  Nothing like it... And man, can it pack a punch in an everyday meal.  Love it!

Finished Salsa... */mouth starts to water/*

The main ingredient = la poulet!  Doesn't it look perty?  It tasted perty good too. :) 

Chicken Salad

Chicken Salad = easy peesy lemon squeezy....

I am not quite sure exactly what I put in this particular Chicken Salad, but I believe it was along these lines.  Note - Chicken Salad is really made "to taste" - so I had some fun with it.


Ingredients: 
 - makes at least 4 female servings -

• Chicken (no way!) - the chicken I used was already seasoned from another meal and I just shredded 3 breasts with two forks (Kelsey Note - Rotisserie chicken is the best for this if you can find it....)
• 1 Onion, diced (red is ideal)
• A few globs of Mayonnaise (depending on how much you like mayonnaise)
• Plenty of Montreal Seasoning (to taste) 
• A sprinkle of Chili Powder (gives it a little kick) 
• Salt (to taste)

Serve with bread or crackers....that is if you don't eat it all while you are making it. :) 

Creamy Onion Sauce over Chicken & Pasta

Creamy...Chicken...Pasta - when I hear those words, I come running!  So you can imagine my delight when I see this recipe with just that.  Of course I had to try it and it seemed like a perfect meal for this frigid Saturday. (ok..ok..it's not frigid, but I just back from Florida so it is cold to me. :D)  Anyways, I kind of followed the recipe and kind of not... so I will post the recipe and also post some of my own notes.  (I doubled the recipe...)

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/creamy-chicken-on-linguine/Detail.aspx

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 (16 ounce) package fettucini pasta
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cube chicken bouillon, crumbled
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• A drizzle of chipotle powder (for a little kick :D)

Directions

1. In a large saute pan, heat oil, butter and garlic over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until juices run clear. Remove chicken from pan let cool and slice diagonally into long strips. Reserve oil in pan.
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions on package. Drain.
3. Reheat oil in pan, add onion and saute, stirring often, until onion is soft but still white. Add bullion cube and water; bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for approximately 10 minutes. Stir in cream, milk, green onions and Parmesan cheese.
4. Place pasta in a bowl, layer chicken slices in a decorative pattern over pasta, pour sauce over top of chicken and around pasta. Garnish with parsley or any herbs you desire. Serve immediately.

Dear February:

You are quite the long, dreary month.   You keep changing your mind about the weather and I am not sure I can keep up... But never fear, with the help of Pioneer Woman and Swing Dancing music I can cure the February blues with this Chicken Tortilla Soup.  I know, I know it's my second soup, but what can I say - soup is the answer to every "I don't know what to cook" question.  And today I wanted something spicy, full of veggies (minus tomatoes -yuck -), and not creamy (gasp!).  So I undertook this fun recipe from the Pioneer Woman (love her - she is the cook I aspire to be one day = living on a ranch, homeschool mom, photographer, witty, gorgeous, etc).  I changed/added a few things because of what was in the pantry today (who wants to go out shopping for one meal!).  


Here is the website I got it from: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/01/chicken-tortilla-soup/

 Ingredients

• About half of a Rotisserie Chicken 
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1-½ teaspoon Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
• ½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• 1-1/2 Diced Onion
• I large Red Bell Pepper
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 15 ounces, fluid Chicken Stock
• 6 cups Hot Water
• Half a jar of White Corn & Black Bean Salsa
• A few spoonfulls of average Salsa
• 2 cans (15 Oz. Can) Black Beans, Drained
• 1 can (15 Oz. Can) White Kernel Corn, drained
• 5 whole Corn Tortillas, Cut Into Uniform Strips Around 2 To 3 Inches

Preparation Instructions

Mix cumin, chili pepper, garlic powder, and salt together.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add onions, red pepper, green pepper, and minced garlic  (Kelsey NOTE: I forgot to put the garlic in here, so remember next time!). Stir and begin cooking, then add some of the spice mix. Stir to combine, then add shredded chicken more spices and stir.

Pour in chicken stock, water, corn, salsa and black beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes, covered.

Check seasonings, adding more if needed—add more chili powder if it needs more spice, and be sure not to undersalt. Turn off heat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Five minutes before serving, gently stir in tortilla strips.

Ladle into bowls, then top with sour cream, diced red onion, diced avocado, pico de gallo, and grated cheese, if you have it! (The garnishes really make the soup delicious.)

This was before I put the tortilla's in.... Kelsey Note: don't use anything else besides corn tortillas because you don't want to spend another 15 minutes of your life picking out the mushy mess that once was another type of tortilla... trust me, future self - you don't....