white bean chili and cheddar biscuits

it literally has been raining all day long. i liked it at first, but now i have a tinge of cabin fever. there's something about crock-pot cooking on a rainy day. when i woke up and it was dark, grey, and quiet, i knew that it was going to be a slow cooker kind of day. today i made white bean chicken chili and cheddar biscuits. enjoy!

chili
 ingredients:
1 small onion, chopped,
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
1/2 carton mushrooms, chopped
half of a bunch of kale, destemmed and chopped
3/4 lb chicken, cubed
2 cans white northern beans
3 cups chicken broth
cumin
salt and pepper

to prepare:
heat a pan over med-high heat sautee garlic and onion in pan for a few minutes
add mushrooms, jalapeno, and kale, cook for a few minutes longer
put veggie mixture into the crock pot
salt and pepper the chicken, add to the pan, and brown on both sides (3 min per side)-then add to the crock pot
mix a cup of beans and 1 1/2 cups broth in a blender or food processor until smooth and combined
add that mixture to the crock with the remaining beans and broth.
add cumin, salt, and pepper
cook on high for 1 1/2 hours, then turn to low for the remaining 1 1/2 hours. the broth should be thick and creamy at the end of cooking

biscuits 
ingredients:
2 cups bisquick biscuit mix
1 cup sharp cheddar
2/3 cup milk
tbs garlic powder
2 tbs melted butter
dried parsley

to prepare:
preheat oven to 400
grease a cookie sheet
in a bowl, combine biscuit mix, cheese, milk, and garlic powder- mix until combined (should be sticky)
drop heaping spoonfuls of dough on the cookie sheet and bake 10 min
brush biscuits with melted butter and sprinkle with salt and parsley
bake 5 more min

chili-pasta

mom and i went to boston over our spring break and we had an amazing time. we would have stayed for much longer had we had the time. we stayed on newbury street an area known as the shopping district. it has a lot of high-end shops mingled in with really cute independently owned shops and boutiques. one shop we went into was an olive oil store. though we didn't buy any oil we did pick up some other things. i purchased a bag of chili pene pasta. i had never seen chili pasta before and thought andy would really love it because he likes his food HOT. tonight, he made a delicious dish with the chili pasta, a light blue cheese cream sauce, and steak on top. yum!



ingredients:
turnip greens- one bunch
baby bella mushrooms-half of a container cut into quarters
1 diced onion
2 diced garlic cloves
half-pint cherry tomatoes, halved
fist full of blue cheese crumbles
fist full of parmesean
pint heavy cream
1/2 pound pasta
1/2 pound steak (we used sirloin, but use whatever cut you prefer)
olive oil and butter for pans
salt and pepper to taste

to prepare:
de-stem turnip greens and cook in boiling water for 5 min. and then run them under cold water. chop the greens and put them aside in a big bowl.
chop mushrooms and sautee in a pan until tender add to the bowl with the greens.
boil pasta (you can use any kind)and add to bowl once cooked (reserve water)
add halved cherry tomatoes to the bowl

blue cheese sauce:
preheat oven to 350
put a pan over med. heat and add oil and butter
add onion and garlic and sweat for 5 min.
add 2 tbs of flour and whisk to make a roux
add heavy cream and about a pint of pasta water, continue whisking
whisk in a hand full of blue cheese crumbles and a hand full of parm, and then reduce to a simmer and let the mixture thicken
once thick, add it to the bowl and fold into the pasta and veggies until everything is coated.
add to a casserole dish and warm in the oven with the top on for 45 min.

steak:(start it about 15 min before the pasta is finished cooking)
put a pan on med high heat with olive oil
once the pan is hot, put the steak on and sear it on each side for about 4 min.
put it into the oven for 7 min or until cooked to your liking

once pasta is heated through, cut the steak and add it to the top of the pasta.

it's been a while...

it has been so long since i've posted. i have pictures stock-piled on my phone of delicious dinners that andy's made over the past month, but it's been so very busy lately and i have been remiss. i'm hoping to get some of them up over the next week.

tonight for dinner we had scallop tacos. now usually when i eat a scallop, i don't want it mixed in with anything. i want to eat it whole and savor it because it's one of my most favorite foods. however, we had just recently eaten scallops, so i was ok with putting them in tacos this evening.



andy can sear the hell out of a scallop. they are always so beautiful and they have that great crispy brown top. i found out the secret for the perfect scallop sear just a few minutes ago. according to andy, after you rinse the scallops, you have to make sure to pat them perfectly dry with a paper towel (the more moisture, the less the scallop will sear). the other secret is to salt them right before you put them in the pan (again, because the salt will dehydrate them). we served the scallops in a flour tortilla with a horseradish slaw. here's the recipe:

slaw:
(i have to admit i did zero measuring this evening, so these measurements are all estimates)

1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 tbs. whole grain mustard
2 tbs. horseradish
2 tbs. brown sugar
1 tbs. fresh lemon juice
5 scallions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 bag broccoli slaw
s&p to taste

whisk together the first 5 ingredients until smooth, adding salt and pepper to taste
put the slaw in a bowl and add the dressing, mixing together until coated
mix in the scallions and pepper

scallops:
rinse scallops, pat dry, and salt
put a pan over med-high heat and add olive oil (it's important for the pan to get very hot if you want to get a good sear on the scallops-when you see the oil start to ripple, it's ready)

add the scallops, being sure to not crowd the pan. cook 3-4 minutes per side.

assembly:
put the flour tortillas into the microwave for about 30 seconds
chop the scallops into bite size pieces
layer the slaw on the bottom of the tortilla and add the scallops on top. yum!