Mimi's Chicken Corn Chowder

Mimi's Chicken Corn Chowder

My Mother-in-law, Sharon, is an excellent cook.  She makes so many easy and delicious recipes.  Recently, I had to have a little dental surgery, which required stitches.  I couldn't eat anything hard, chewy, crunchy, or with seeds.  A couple of nights before the surgery, I bought a roasted chicken from the grocery store.  We only used half of it to make my chicken pot pie, so Sharon said she would use the rest to make the Chicken Corn Chowder.  However, when she looked in the refrigerator for the chicken, it was all gone.  Someone, who will remain nameless, but bares a striking resemblance to my husband, had eaten the rest of the chicken.  Instead of throwing the bones into the trash, he, whomever it was,  put them back into the refrigerator.  Sound familiar to anyone out there?  Anyway, the ever resourceful Mimi, er, Sharon made me her Chicken Corn Chowder anyway.  She just cooked up some chicken breasts and cut them into small, bite sized pieces.  Absolutely, out-of-this-world, delicious.

Mimi's Chicken Corn Chowder:


Chicken
1 can Chicken Stock
1 can of Rotel
1 can of corn, drained
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium Finely chopped onion
2 stalks Finely chopped celery
1 1/2 Tablespoons flour
1 cup Milk
Salt & Pepper to taste.


Saute the onions and celery in the butter
Add the flour, stir until lightly browned
Slowly Add chicken stock, stirring constantly to make sure the flour doesn't clump
Then add the milk, chicken, corn and Rotel
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat thoroughly, stirring often to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot
If the chowder is not thick enough, you can add a bit more flour to thicken it up.

Serve with Tortillas crunched up on top, or those tortilla strips sprinkled on top.  I, of course, could not eat the tortillas at that time, but was assured they were yummy in the chowder.

A new spin on Black Eyed Peas: Spicy Black Eyed Peas Salsa

Black Eyed Peas for Luck in the New Year 2012

We've always had black eyed peas for our New Years dinner, that and Cherries Jubilee.  I always thought it was for luck and money.  Well, I was right about the luck part anyway.  Turns out, that:

"The Tradition dates back tot he Civil War.  Black-eyed peas were considered animal food.  The peas were not worthy of General Sherman's Union troops. When Union soldiers raided the Confederates food supplies, legend says they took everything except the peas and salted pork.  The Confederates considered themselves lucky to be left with those meager supplies, and survived the winter.  Peas became symbolic of good luck and prosperity."

There are several more reasons people eat Black eyed peas on New Years, look for the link below if you want to find out more information.

One year, I waited too long and was unable to find a single can of black eyed peas.  I was not a happy girl, so I got a bag of them and proceeded to fix them like any other dried bean. Nice idea, except they tasted like cardboard.  Maybe that's even an insult to cardboard.  This year, I have found a recipe my sister sent to my Mom and me an unknown-amount-of-time-ago.  Guess what we are having for New Years this year?  Black eyed Peas made like this!


12/30/2011: Update.  I made this tonight and did not have canned tomatoes, I forgot we had used them for Christmas dinner.  I did have a jar of tomato/basil spaghetti sauce so I poured the whole jar in.  This recipe is really good, I got a lot of rave reviews at the New Year dinner tonight.  

Spicy Black Eyed Peas Salsa:

1 cup chopped green bell peppers

1 1/4 cup chopped celery

1 1/3 cup chopped onion

2 cans Garlic, basil tomatoes

6 Chopped Jalapenos (can omit if spicy is not for you)

1 tsp salt (optional)

1 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cinnamon

pinch of allspice

1 TB Tabasco (give or take, or leave out)

3 chicken low sodium bullion cubes 

2 16oz cans black eyed peas drained and rinsed (rinse to get the excess salt & preservatives off)

1 tsp garlic powder or 3 minced cloves

2 TB flour (if Salsa is too runny)

1/2 cup water (if it's not runny enough. grin)

Saute the first 3 ingredients with a little oil until onions are transparent.

Combine tomatoes, and the next 8 ingredients and bring to a simmer

Add the onion mixture, stir simmer until mixture thickens (about 20-30 minutes)

Mixture should have a "sauce"

Add some water if it doesn't

Add the black eyed peas and garlic 

Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until peas are softened

Serve with Chips, corn chips or tortilla scoops

Credits:
Picture taken from:
http://www.gardeningblog.net/how-to-grow/black-eyed-peas/
Black eyed peas history:
Household tips Examiner
http://www.examiner.com/household-tips-in-national/why-eat-black-eyed-peas-on-new-year-s-day