Sopapilla Cheesecake

Last week I went with Grandma Warner to Texas to visit the Elifrits Family the reason for the trip was so Grandma could meet her great-grandson Case Garret, who might I say is quite the little peanut! While down there was plenty of discussion about food and they started raving about Carla's Sopapilla Cheesecake. Wait, Sopapillas and Cheesecake combined...sign me up please. So after much begging, and a trip to the grocery store, Carla made us her wonderful dessert.

So when you think you can have anything else that is rich and filling stop and try this, so simple, so yummy.

Sopapilla cheesecake


2 cans of crescent rolls
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
2-8 oz packages cream cheese
1 stick butter (I think you could get by with 1/2 stick but this is the exact recipe)

Preheat oven to 350. Put one can of crescent rolls in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

Smash the crescents into the bottom of the pan sealing up any cracks.

Mix one cup of sugar, vanilla and cream cheese until creamy. Spread over crescent rolls use other can to lay over the top of mixture.

Carla mixing up the yummy filling!

Melt butter and 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon. Stir well.

Oh my crescent rolls, butter and cinnamon.

Pour over the cheesecake, bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

We served it warm, or they suggested to throw it in the microwave for 10 seconds to warm up before you eat.

White Chicken Chili

This should technically be from a guest blogger because I've never made this myself, but it is a recipe of Janet's so we know it will be good! This is a great alternative to regular chili when chili is getting old later in the winter, but I encourage you to make it now and freeze it up for later.

White Chicken Chili
3 T olive oil
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 can chopped green chilies (she drains them)
3 T flour
2 tsp ground cumin
2 cans navy or great norther beans
1 can chicken broth
1 1/2 cup chopped or shredded chicken breast

Cook onions in oil, add chilies, flour and cumin. Stir and cook 2 minutes (you are basically creating a little roux to thicken the sauce up). Add beans and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes until thick. Add chicken and cook until hot.

To make this over the top add some shredded cheddar cheese to the top of the bowl with the sliced green onions!

Cream of Chicken, Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup

Simple soup #2 in the soup extravaganza...this is hearty and warm and very filling...and pretty easy on the waste line. I made this last Saturday night when I was feeling under the weather. I also baked bread in my bread machine, the house smelled awesome but I proclaimed I had turned into an 80 year old woman (no offense Grammy) baking bread and making soup on a Saturday night.

Again I am making this with 1 cup of chicken which makes about 5 servings so you can expand as you need to.

Cream of Chicken, Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup
1 cup shredded chicken
1 cup wild rice (if your like my mom and don't like wild rice then any white or brown rice will do)
1 can 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
1/2 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 cartons mushrooms rough chopped (you can use any kind you want I used 1 carton of button and 1 of baby bellas)
1 carton chicken stock
Rosemary to taste

Start by cooking your rice. I used chicken stock to cook my rice in because I think it brings out more flavor and if there is any left over in the cooking process it will blend right into the soup. Cook the rice based on package instructions. As the rice is cooking, heat olive oil and a little butter in a large stock pot...add the onions and cook until translucent; add the mushrooms with the thickest first so they can cook longer. For mine I added the baby bellas for about 2 minutes longer than the button mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms until still firm but tender then add the garlic and cook for a couple more minutes. Add the chicken, can of cream of mushroom soup and remainder of the chicken stock and let come to a low boil, reduce heat and add rice and rosemary and let simmer for 20-30 minutes or until thickened. The cream of mushroom soup, chicken and rice will allow the soup to thicken up and be creamy without the addition of cream. You may not need to add much salt to this but you may want to add a generous handful of pepper if that is your thing.

If you want to be bad you could grate some fresh Parmesan on top of the soup or a little bit of cream to make it pretty sinful.

This soup also freezes up really well.

Mexican Chicken Soup

Here is recipe #1 in my chicken soup extravaganza...maybe we will call this one a fiesta. This is so simple ANYONE can throw this together. Because I don't plan in advance I just cook it on the stove top but you could also use a slow cooker if you wanted. I'll include both pieces of information below because you will need a little more liquid in a slow cooker. I am making the recipe based on one cup of chicken which will make about 4-5 generous servings; if you are feeding a larger crowd then double or triple it.

Mexican Chicken Soup
1 cup cooked shredded chicken
2 cups chicken broth (use 3 if you are going to use a slow cooker)
1 bag Boil-in-Bag Brown Rice
1/2 cup chopped onion
1-2 cloves of garlic diced
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
1 small can green chilis with juice
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 package taco or enchilada seasoning

Start your water boiling and boil your rice using package instructions. In a separate stock pot while your rice is cooking, heat oil or butter and start to saute your onions until they are translucent, add garlic at the last minute to not burn and saute until golden. Add tomatoes, chilis, chicken, broth, beans and seasoning to the pot and turn onto medium heat until comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add cooked rice. Let simmer together for 20 minutes or until the consistence you are wanting. The liquid will reduce the longer you simmer but don't let it go too long or the rice will start to fall apart.

I ate mine just as it came out of the pot, but you could garnish with shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, tortilla strips, etc.

Once I let the soup cool down I transferred to a bunch of freezer containers and stored away for a rainy day!

Chicken...chicken...chicken...

For those who know me well know that this is an odd title for me...chicken? The girl who isn't a fan of bird? Well maybe I am overly medicated due to a wonderful cold or maybe I just love chicken in soup, but regardless the subject line isn't a joke.

So I want each of you to to this tonight on you way home. Go to the store and buy 2-4 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I buy mine from the meat counter because I feel it is a little fresher than what is in the meat case prepackaged and I also think that they do a better job of trimming it up in the meat counter.

Go home and get out a baking dish, turn your oven on 350 degrees and let it heat up. Put your chicken straight in the baking dish and salt and pepper. Then pour enough tequilla, rum or vodka (or you can use water if the alcohol thing isn't you) to cover the dish...you will probably have to pour in all the places between the chicken since raw chicken usually sticks pretty good to a dish creating its own little dam barrier. Cover in foil and bake one hour or until chicken is done. You need to make sure the chicken is done so whatever method you use to accomplish that use; I personally put a knife in the middle of the largest breast and make sure it is cooked all the way through.

Pull out the chicken, uncover and let cool for 15 minutes or longer. Then in your baking dish take two forks and shred the chicken up. Put the shredded chicken into freezer containers or freezer safe zip lock bags in 1 or 2 cup increments.

I'll post three awesome soup recipies in the next three days that can be thrown together on a had-a-bad-day-need-comfort-food-kind-of-night that I will post on here the next three days. All simple, homemade, satisfying and can be ready in 30-45 minutes.