The Worst Mexican Ever Series: White Chicken Chili

It's time to be real... It's time for you to see what I make when the camera isn't snapping away...

It's time for you to see that my cats get on my countertops.

This is White Chicken Chili- pure canned goodness. I'm sorry I've been hiding it from you.

I like to make myself believe I'm too cool for canned goods but, I'm not. I don't make my own stock and I've never refried a bean. Someday I'll get there...maybe. Taco Bell makes some mean canned refried beans...

I've been eyeballing this white chicken chili recipe at Simply Recipes for some time but can't bring myself away from my new standby. Authentic? Probably not. Amazing? Totally. Friends from work serve this at parties and potlucks and I finally got the recipe. I almost always have ingredients on hand and it makes up in ten minutes.

Since I'm going full disclosure here, you'd better look at this:

You try to resist giving them a little canned chicken juice. Now you know.

One more thing... I have trouble following recipes exactly. You see that can of diced tomatoes up there? That was supposed to be a can of Rotel. I didn't catch this until I already added it so I diced up some leftover pickled jalepenos I had from making this and added crushed red pepper. It came out awesome prompting Aubrey to proclaim my "homemade version" to be the best ever.

Truth is good.

White Chicken Chili

1 can of Great Northern Beans

1 can of Rotel ( hot, mild, whatever. Or, diced tomatoes and add your own peppers.)

1 can cooked chicken breast

1 can corn

1 package white chicken chili mix

Optional Garnish-

Sliced Scallions

Sour Cream

Grated Cheese ( I use jack or colby jack)

Special Equipment: Can opener

1. Add all ingredients to a big pot. Bring to a low boil and simmer 10 minutes.

Serve on tortilla chips and garnish as desired.

Indian Home Cooking

I have many excuses for not posting more frequently (boring flatwear, overuse of the same dishes, general lack of cooking adventure as of late.... you know, that sort of thing. ) So, it was high time to let someone else do the cooking and reignite the passion for trying new things.

My new friend Bhavna is from the south of India and can whip up a mean meal. First, she offerred to cook me dinner which turned into dinner for me and Aubrey... which somehow turned into dinner for seven. The prospect of home cooked Indian food can really draw a crowd.

With the promise of a guided trip to the grocery store to learn how to make all this stuff, Bhavna set out on making us a many coursed meal of Aloo Paratha, Eggplant Curry, Masoor Ke Daal, and basmati rice. Aloo Paratha is a potato stuffed bread similar to naan except stuffed with a potato mixture and served with sweetened yogurt and a type of mint flavored yogurt of which I do not know the name. The Masoor ke Daal was a form of lentil soup which I had never had. I mean, it never actually dawned on me that the only Indian food I'd ever eaten was probably the equivalent of Indian fastfood... imagine if the only American food anyone ever experienced was McDonalds. Bhavna showed us the light.

Even Aubrey got involved rolling out the parathas.

We all sat down to the awesomeness and my friend's son proclaimed the meal to be the best Indian food he'd ever had. He was right. It was amazing. I can't wait to learn the recipes and share them here. Particularly the Aloo Parathas... hello, love. This new friendship is very fortuitous, indeed! Don't worry I have stuff to offer, too. Bhavna has never had a biscuit.