southwest white chili and cheese muffins

southwest white chili and cheese muffins

i got this chili recipe from a coworker years ago when i was a college student in missoula, montana, long before i ever traveled (and ultimately moved) to the southwest. the first time i ate this white chili, i had no idea what a staple green chile would become in my diet and how much southwestern cuisine would influence my life. 

i found the cheese muffins recipe from the pioneer woman's blog years ago. i first made these delicious muffins to go with a potato soup that we brought to our dear friends after their first baby was born. that baby has become dinah's best friend and every time i make these cheesy muffins, i think of our sweet baby girls meeting for the first time four years ago.

cheesy muffins right out of the oven

we have had very springlike weather so far this february, but a cold front was moving in yesterday, so dinah and i decided to take advantage of the (sort of) chilly weather and make some warm comfort food: a pot of southwest white chili and some cheese muffins to go with it.

shredded chicken and bone broth

generally, every other week, i boil a whole chicken and use the meat for all sorts of things ranging from chicken tacos to soups to casseroles and then i save the carcass for bone broth. i used some leftover shredded chicken and some of the bone broth in this recipe.

southwest white chili

2 TBS olive oil

2-3 pounds chicken breast, cooked and cubed

1 c. onion, diced

2 c. chicken broth

2 c. green chiles, diced

3 cans (19oz) white kidney beans (cannellini), undrained

4 tsp. garlic powder

4 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 TBS chopped fresh cilantro (and more for garnish, if you like)

4 green onions, chopped (for garnish)

heat oil in a large pot over med-high. add cooked chicken and onion. cook 4-5 minutes, or until onion is soft and chicken is seared. stir in broth, green chiles, and spices. bring to a slight boil and then simmer for about 15-20 minutes. stir in beans, with their juice, and simmer another 5-8 minutes. serve in big bowl and top with cheese, chopped green onions and/or cilantro (we didn't have cilantro, unfortunately, so we went without, and it was still very good, but so much better with cilantro). makes about 10 cups.

cheese muffins

1.5 c. flour

1.5 TBS sugar

1 TBS baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 c. shredded cheese (i used cheddar this time, because it's what we had, but colby-jack is the best)

1 c. milk

1 egg

1/4 c. melted butter

in a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients, then mix in cheese, gently. in a separate bowl, whisk egg, milk, and butter together. once mixed well, add to the dry ingredients and stir gently with a spoon to combine. spoon the sticky batter into a greased muffin tin. bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. makes 12 muffins.

six layer lasagna

six layer lasagna

who doesn't love lasagna? meat, pasta, cheese, yummmm cheeeese. there's lots of cheese in my lasagna. this is my original recipe too. i have been making lasagna since high school (or maybe even middle school?). it's definitely evolved over time, but i've been making it this way for several years. this is probably the first time i've ever written the recipe down though.

a little bit of parsley in the cheese sauce gives it some color and little extra flavor

the layers in order: meat sauce, noodles, cheese sauce, and repeat.

dinah is very helpful with the noodles

sprinkling shredded mozzarella and parmesan on top

whenever i ask my husband what he wants for dinner, his answer is almost always "lasagna." he doesn't realize it's sort of a labor intensive meal. i enjoy making it, of course, but it takes some preparation, and time, and it requires somewhat costly ingredients and lots of counter space (which i don't have in our new house). even though we would like to eat it weekly, we don't. i usually only ever make it for christmas eve dinner and maybe one or two other times throughout the winter. not only is it kind of a chore to make, it's also probably not very good for us. there is lots of protein, but also a lot of cheese and pasta. delicious, yes. healthy, not really.

six layer lasagna

meat sauce:

2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1/2 medium onion
1 lb of burger (it would be good with sausage (or half sausage, half beef burger), but i always use lean beef burger)
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (or make your own. i, of course, have no time for this nonsense though!)

cook onion in a small drizzle of olive oil until soft, add garlic towards the end, and cook for another minute or so. add meat and brown over medium heat. pour off excess grease. add spaghetti sauce. heat through and set aside.

cheese sauce:

2-4 cloves garlic, finely diced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely diced
1 15 oz container of ricotta cheese
1 16 oz container of cottage cheese
3 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese, separated
1 1/4 cup shredded fresh parmesan cheese, separated
2 eggs

place ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, 2 cups of the shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 cup of the shredded parmesan cheese, garlic, parsley, and two eggs in a medium size mixing bowl and mix on medium speed until thoroughly combined. set aside.

noodles:

bring a large pot of water to boil. add noodles and boil over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes. drain immediately and rinse with cold water to avoid further cooking and sticking. spread out noodles on parchment paper to keep them flat until ready to use.

lasagna:

preheat oven to 375 degrees. spread half of the meat sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 inch rectangular baking dish. lay 6-8 noodles over the meat. spread half of the cheese sauce over the noodles. pour the remaining half of the meat sauce over the cheese sauce and spread evenly. lay another 6-8 noodles on top of the meat layer. spread the remaining cheese sauce over the top of the last layer of noodles. sprinkle with the remaining cup of shredded mozzarella and the remaining cup of shredded parmesan cheese. cover with tinfoil and bake for 45-60 minutes. remove tinfoil and bake an additional 10 minutes. let cool about 10 minutes before serving.