Day 22, Mission: ChickenTortilla Soup, 343 Recipes to Go

As temperatures start getting colder, theres nothing i love more than soup.One of my all time favorites is Chicken Tortilla.

Yields: 10 Servings
Total Time: 45 minutes
# of Pans: 2
Ingredients:
*4 Chicken Breasts
*1 Onion (diced)
*4 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
*1 Can diced green chilies
*2 Tbsp garlic
*1 Tbsp paprika
*6 Cups Chicken Broth
*1 Can diced tomatoes (fire roasted tastes best)
*1 Can black beans
*1 1/2 Cups frozen corn
*2 Limes
*Fresh Cilantro
*3 Tortillas or tortilla chips
*Sour Cream
*1 cup shredded cheddar or cheddar jack cheese
Directions:
*In a large frying pan, heat up 2 Tbsp of your oil. Add your chicken breasts. Reduce heat to medium and cover
*Rotate chicken after about 8 minutes, and continue cooking until chicken is white in the middle

*Meanwhile, in a large sauce pan warm up the remaining 2 Tbsp Oil and sautee your onions over medium heat

*Once your chicken is thoroughly cooked, shred it using two forks
*Add in your green chillies and garlic and saute for 3 minutes

*Add in your corn, black beans, paprika, tomatoes, juice of one lime and chicken broth

*Bring to a boil
*Once boiling, add in your shredded chicken
*Cook for another 20 minutes
*While soup is cooking, you can either place sautee your tortillas, or crush up some tortilla chips (if you use tortillas, slice each tortilla into 1/2" by 4" before sauteing with 1 Tbsp of oil)

*Serve your soup with fresh cilantro, lime juice, cheddar cheese and tortilla chips (or tortillas)

Day 18, Mission: May Wah Vietnamese Egg Rolls, 347 recipes to go

One of my absolute favorite Vietnamese restaurants in Boulder is May Wah. They have a wide variety of both Thai, Chinese, and Vietnamese dishes available in lunch size portions and dinner portions.Everything is delicious and very authentic. The meal that Jason and I go crazy for is the Vietnamese Noodle Bowl with Vietnamese Egg rolls and Pork. Since making this all would stress you out, and the ingredients are tough to get a hold of... I decided to figure out how to make my favorite part of it all: the egg rolls. These egg rolls are very different from traditional egg rolls, but are far more delicious. Here is how you can make this yummy snack at home thanks to simplyvietnamese.wordpress.com
Yields: 4-6 Servings
Total Time: 1 hour
# of Pans: 1
Ingredients:
For egg roll:

1/2 Pound ground pork
1 Garlic clove (chopped)
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
1/8 cabbage, shredded
1 ounce dried vermicelli noodles
2 Mushrooms (any kind will do)
1-2 large eggs
Ground black pepper
1-2 tbsp of fish sauce (depending on taste)
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce (optional)
12oz package of egg roll wrappers
Oil for frying
For Sweet Fish Sauce/Dipping Sauce:
1 garlic clove chopped
1/8 teaspoon of hot chili peppers flakes
2 Tablespoons  fish sauce
1/3 cup water
1 tbsp fresh lime/lemon juice
1 Tablespoons cup sugar
1-2 tbsp shredded carrots
Directions:
*Soak vermicelli noodles in a bowl of warm water for 20 minutes
*While soaking, add your ground pork to a frying pan and cook until no longer pink
* In a food processor add vermicelli noodles and mushrooms, pulse briefly until all ingredients are integrated.
* In a large mixing bowl, transfer ingredients from food processor and combine with ground pork, shredded vegetables.
* Add black pepper, fish sauce, oyster sauce, and 1 egg, mix ingredients together.
*If the mixture seems dry, add the other egg.

thanks to ihatemymessageboard.comi

*Fill a shallow dish with 1 inch of warm water.
*Quickly dip rice paper in the water bath, making sure all parts of the paper is wet.
*Place wet rice paper on a plate and let it soften.
*Lay 1 ½ tbsp of filling on the lower edge of the rice paper, near you, leaving 1 inch edge. Begin to fold egg roll like an envelop: first, fold over the lower 1 inch edge over the filing, then the left edge, then the right edge. Now roll the roll up to the top edge.

thanks to ladyprogress.com

*Place the wrapped egg roll on a platter and keep on rolling until all your filling is used up
*Pout your oil into a deep frying pan or deep fryer and warm over medium heat
*Place egg roll one at a time into hot oil, with the seam down (this will keep it from unraveling) and then quickly turn the egg roll to ensure the skin crisp up and does not stick to other egg rolls in the pan. Adjust heat so that the oil is bubbling gently and not too vigorously around the egg rolls.

thanks to foodmayham.com

*Each egg roll will cook for about 5 minutes
*Place your cooked egg rolls on a cooling rack or paper towel
* Next, make the sweet fish sauce for dipping.
*Mix your chopped garlic and red pepper flakes
*Place the chopped or smashed garlic and pepper into a small bowl then add the rest of the ingredients for the dressing.
*Stir well until sugar dissolves.( If the sauce is not quite sweet enough add a bit more sugar. If the sauce is too sweet and not tangy enough for your taste, squeeze in some lime/lemon juice to cut the sweetness)

And there you have it. Now you can make this yummy treat at home for a party or for a snack. And if you are in Boulder, I highly recommend you try out May Wah and order the Vietnamese Noodle Bowl...or at least order the Vietnamese Egg Rolls :)

Thanks to cookingdunkinstyle.blogspot.com

Vietnamese noodle bowl...yummy!

Day 16, Mission:Pear Tart, 349 recipes to go

Another absolutely delicious fruit Colorado brings to it's residents each summer are Pears. You can't beat a fresh, Colorado grown Juicy Pear!  We also just happened to be invited to a friends house for Prime Rib (lucky me), I thought it would be nice to bring over a dessert...and I knew just the thing to bake...pear tart! I doubled the recipe because there was a lot of us, if you want just one tart, simply cut the recipe in half! I got the recipe from foodnetwork.com but modified it a little :) (the original: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/healthy-appetite-with-ellie-krieger-/rustic-pear-tart-recipe/index.html)
Yields:12 servings
Total Time: 1 hour
# of Pans:2
Ingredients:
1 Cup whole wheat flour (if you don't have whole wheat flour, just use white flour)
1 Cup flour
1/4 Cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 Tablespoons butter, cold and cut into small pieces
4 Tablespoons buttermilk **I will show you what to do if you don't have buttermilk**
6 Tablespoons ice water
6 Ripe Pears
6 Tablespoons lemon juice
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
6 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3 tablespoons honey
Directions:
*In a medium sized bowl, whisk your flours, sugar and salt

*Add your butter, and using two forks or your hands, break apart the butter to form a crumble mixture

*To make buttermilk mix together 1/2 Tablespoon vinegar with just less than 1/2 cup milk (simple huh?)

Vinegar+

Milk= Buttermilk

*Stir your "buttermilk" and ice water into your flour mixture
*Mix well until you form a dough, roll your dough up into a ball and place in a plastic bag and refrigerate for about 30 minutes

*Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425'
*Peel your pears, then core them and cut them into 1/2 inch pieces

*Throw your pears into a large bowl and mix with the cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, brown sugar and cornstarch until pears are evenly coated

*After your dough has chilled, divide it into two pieces and roll out each piece to form a large circle ( about 8 or 9")

*Drape your dough onto a baking sheet or a tart pan

*Place half of your filling onto each piece of rolled out dough
*Smooth filling out to evenly spread around the dough, leave about 2" of dough on the perimeter
*Roll over the edges of the dough on top of the pears to create a crust, repeat on other tart

*Squeeze your honey over the crust of both of your tarts
*Place on the center rack of your oven and cook for 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown

*Serve with some whip cream or ice cream!
YUUMMMMMY

Day 14, Mission: Lemon Pound Cake, 351 recipes to go

Yet another bread for my grandmas party..those ladies are going to be in heaven!
Yields: 2 loafs
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
# of Pans: 2
Ingredients:
3 Cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
2/3 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
1 cup milk
3 lemons
For Glaze:
3 Tablespoons lemon juice (only if you run our of fresh lemon juice)
2 Cups powdered sugar
Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350'
*Grease two loaf pans with oil or butter

Thanks to Laura's Bread Blog

*Wash your lemons, then use a cheese grater to grate off the peel of all 3 lemons, and set aside

 *Cut your lemons in half and squeeze the juice out into a measuring cup
*In a medium sized bowl, mix together your flour, baking powder and salt
*In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, sugar and eggs and use a mixer to cream until light yellow

*Slowly mix your flour mixture into your creamed butter mixture.

*Alternate some flour, with the addition of the milk until all the flour and all the milk is added to your butter mixture
*Stir in your lemon peel and 6 Tablespoons (1/4 cup and 2 Tablespoons) of your freshly squeezed lemon juice

*Stir the mixture until the peel and juice are completely mixed in.
*Pour the batter into your two loaf pans and allow to cook in the center rack for approximately one hour, or until a tooth pick entered into the center comes out clean

*Move your loaf to a metal rack and allow to cool for ten minutes.
*While cooling, mix in an 3 Tablespoons of lemon juice (use your fresh squeezed if you have some left) abd and your powdered sugar until you have a smooth glaze.
*Pour the glaze over your loafs, cover and allow to sit for 24 hours until you slice it
Pure lemon bliss! If you like nuts, try adding 1 cup of your favorite nuts when you mix in your peel and juice :)

Thanks to Marzipan's Blog :)

Day 11, Mission: McCormicks Fish House & Bar Chorizo & Cheese Fundido, 354 recipes to go

I spent the evening in Denver with Jason again before heading out in Denver. We wanted to eat a really good, cheap happy hour meal. Jason recommended we try out McCormicks Fish House & Bar located in the Oxford Hotel in lower downtown Denver. Their happy hour meny features Edamame, Baja Fish Tacos, Hummus, Grilled Artichokes, Flatbread Pizza, Chicken Wings and much more, along with an extensive drink happy hour (there is a $3.50 drink order minimum). But the best thing we ate was their Chorizo and Cheese Fundido. This queso type item is served warm with flour tortillas and it is delicious! So here is how you can make it at home!
Yields: 4 servings
Total Time: 25 minutes
# of Pans: 2
Ingredients:
1/2 Pound ground chorizo sausage, or sausage links with the skin removed
1/2 Small onion, chopped
1/2 Cup Monterrey Jack cheese
1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese
1 Jalapeno seeded and diced
1 Tomato, diced
6 Small flour tortillas, or a bag of tortilla chips
Directions:
*Pre-heat oven to 400', and grease an 8" oven safe casserole pan
*Add oil and sausage to a large frying pan, bring to medium heat and cook sausage fully. Set aside

*In a medium sized bowl, mix together your cheese, tomatoes and jalapenos. Once mixed, add in the chorizo and mix again.

* Pour your mixture into your casserole dish and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until cheese is completely melted and bubbling , and the top is golden brown
*Allow to cook for 3-5 minutes, then serve with tortillas or tortilla chips and enjoy this cheesy goodness :)

And Check out McCormicks Fish House & Bar

      http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com/Locations/denver-colorado/denver-colorado/wazee.aspx

Day 10, Mission: Tahona's Fried Chicken Taco, 355 recipes to go

I decided that when I make a post for the weekends that I am going to highlight one or two restaurants in the area that I happen to be, and inform you all on how to make one of their delicious entrees. So for Saturday before a grueling round of golf, Jason and I decided to grab a quick bite to eat at Tahona Tequila Bistro on Pearl Street. They have an amazing happy hour featuring Fried Chicken Tinga Tacos, Spiced Rubbed Carne Asada Tacos, Vegetarian Calabacitas Tacos, Daily Tamales, Chips & Salsa, Chile Rellenos, Queso Fondito, Corn & Chorizo Fritters and much more! One of the different things I had here was their Fried Chicken Tinga Taco. So I decided to hunt down a recipe that would be as delicious as Tahona's Taco. Tinga is a mixture of some type of meat, sometimes potatoes, vegetables and seasoning. Basically a smorgasbord of whatever you would have left over in your fridge. This particular Tinga is fried chicken, lettuce, tomatoes and guacamole.
Yields: 4-6 (8-12 tacos)
Total Time: 45 minutes
# of Pans: 2
Ingredients:
For Chicken:
3-4 Chicken Breasts, cut into 1inch pieces
1tsp chili powder
1 Cup all purpose flour
1/2 Cup Buttermilk
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt & Pepper to taste
Oil for frying
Glaze: 
2 Cups orange juice

4 Tablespoons honey
2 teaspoon minced canned chipotles
Potatoes:
2 Potatoes (of your choice) peeled and chopped into 1" or 1/2" pieces
Taco Filling:
1 Small White onion, chopped
2 Tomatoes, diced
4 Table spoons fresh cilantro, diced
8-12 corn tortillas

1 Cup shredded lettuce or shredded cabbage
Guacamole:
2 Large avocados
1 Pinch garlic salt
1 Pinch Onion powder
1 Tablespoon salsa
1 Lime, or lime juice
1 Pinch Salt

Directions: 
*Pour oil into a large saucepan and bring to almost a boil (if you have a deep fryer, add oil and follow manufacturers guidelines)
*Place potato pieces into a pan and fill with water so water level is one inch above the potatoes

.
*Bring water to a boil and cook potatoes for 10-15 minutes or until tender
* In a large gallon zip lock bag, add the flour, paprika, chili powder and salt and pepper. Close Bag and shake to mix all the ingredients

*Pour your buttermilk into a large bowl, dip each of the pieces of chopped up chicken into the milk and let soak until completely coated.

*Once soaked, drop your chicken pieces into your bag with the flour mixture.

*After all chicken has been added to the bag, shake the bag to make sure chicken gets evenly coated
*Pick out the chicken pieces and let sit aside for about 2-3 minutes forming a solid coating
*In a medium sized bowl mix together orange juice, honey, and chipotles and set aside
*Once your oil has heated up, slowly drop 5-10 pieces of chicken into the hot oil...be careful!

*Cook for 5-10 minutes or until completely crispy and golden brown. Cut one piece of chicken in half to make sure it is fully cooked ( chicken should be totally white inside)
*Once fully fried, remove with a slotted spoon and allow to cool on a paper towel
*Repeat until all chicken is cooked,
*Once chicken is somewhat cooled, add to chipotle glaze and toss until evenly coated...set aside
*Now you can prepare your guacamole
*In a large boil, add your avocado, and mush until slightly chunky. Add in your onion salt, garlic salt and salsa, mix well. Add lime, and salt to taste until it is as delicious as you want.

Courtesy of kalynskitchen.blogspot.com

*Once all your chicken is fried, guacamole is done and potatoes are done, you can construct your taco

*Fill a tortilla with fried chicken and potatoes, top with diced onions, diced tomatoes & fresh guacamole..add a little fresh diced cilantro and enjoy!!
This recipe is very similar to Tahonas, and just as delicious, but I still recommend that if you are in Boulder to enjoy Tahonas happy hour along with one of their delicious infused tequilas!

http://www.tahonaboulder.com/

Day 5, Mission: Flank Steak, Asparagus & Homemade Fries, 360 recipes to go

Since summer is slowly disappearing, we have to grill all we can over the next few weeks. With the help of my lovely mother we have designed a simple yet delicious steak meal perfect for a summers night. So with out further ado...your steak feast in only 2 pans and a grill :)
Yields: 6 Servings
Total Time:
# of Pans: 2
Ingredients:
2lbs of Flank Steak
1/2 Cup Worcestershire Sauce
2Tbsp Soy sauce

Salt & Pepper to Taste
1 Bundle of uncooked-washed asparagus
4 White Potatoes (you can use sweet potatoes if you want to too!)
1 48oz bottle of Canola Oil
4 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese
Directions:
*Preheat your oven to 350', and turn on your grill to a medium-high heat
* In a large plastic bag, add Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, salt and pepper and your flank steak.
*Shake the bag to make sure your steak is evenly coated with the marinade, close bag tight and refrigerate

 *Pour the entire bottle of oil into a large sauce pan and warm over medium heat bringing it almost to a boil

My Oil has been pre-used, hence the color

 *Meanwhile, cut your potatoes length wise into 1/2 inch strips (resembling the shape of french fries)

*As your oil is warming up,  cut about an inch off the bottom or each asparagus spear. (For a longer, more efficient method, hold each asparagus spear in your hand and bend until it snaps. Keep the top part )
*Grease a cookie sheet with some oil or butter and arrange the asparagus spears along the cookie sheet.
*Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the asparagus spears and set aside

*Once your oil is heated up, begin frying the potatoes. Carefully drop about 10 fries into the oil. Allow to fry for 8-10 minutes or until golden in color.
*Once done frying, scoop out the fires with a large slotted spoon and allow to dry on a paper towel.

*When you are about half way through frying your fries, place your asparagus in the oven and set a timer for 20 minutes
*After you set your asparagus in the oven, place your steak on your grill in the center and close the lid

*Continue frying your potatoes; once they are all fried, lightly coat with salt or your favorite seasoning.
*Remove Asparagus from the oven, and remove your steak from the grill ( your steak should have a little pink on the inside)
*Cut your flank steak into 1inch wide strips. Serve with Asparagus and fries and dig in!
**NOTE: I was too hungry while making this meal to take a picture of the finished product, but as you can see and I hope you know...it was delicious :)***
Invite your friends over, turn up your boom box and enjoy another hot Colorado Summer Night while we still have them!