Green Chicken Chili

Yesterday I had no idea what to cook. I was not motivated either. I am beginning to realize that cooking is a phase, you are either in it, or you are not. Last year I was in it, but this year I can tell I am not. Also to cook you have to have peace, in your heart, in your life, in your home. Just so grateful last year I was able to rest and learn to cook because I can tell that phase is gone.

To my point: I found this recipe that looked good and it turned out incredibly well the first time. Here it is:

INGREDIENTS:
-1/2 onion.
-1/2 green pepper.
-a bunch of jalapeño peppers.

-3 cloves of garlic.

-1 jar of salsa verde of 500 grams.

-700 grams of chicken breast.

-400 grams of white beans.

-a good bunch of cilantro.

-300 grams of corn.

-1 chicken broth cube.

-1 tstp of coriander.

-1 tsp cumin ground.

-1 litre and 1/4 of water.

STEPS:

1. In a big pot sautee onions and green pepper and garlic.

2. Now add jalapeños (as many as you want) and add corn.

3. Now add the spices: the coriander and cumin and sautee.

4. Now add the salsa verde, and now the water, and half of the jar of beans and the broth cube.

5. Now add the chicken breast that you have shredded.

6. Now in a separate bowl, puree with a hand mixer the rest of the white beans with a bunch of cilantro. Now add this to the soup. It is marvelous what it does, it will thicken it incredibly.

7. Okay now bring it all to a boil, and basically that's it!

You can add some pasta or potatoes to make it a complete meal. It is awesome this recipe and you can make it spicy or not spicy, it depends on how many jalapeño peppers you add. Also this recipe is quite forgiving....you really cannot mess it up and great for winter.

  

American Coffee Cake (no sour cream)

Coffee cake is without a doubt one of my favorite desserts out there, especially in the USA. And it's really just a spongy cake with brown sugar and cinnamon! 

I tried a recipe this summer but it had sour cream, which they say is the secret ingredient, but it made the whole cake so greasy, it was disgusting! I mean crumbly yes, but come on, who wants to run off so much fat??? not me. I actually threw away the whole thing to the trash, although it did taste good but it wasn't worth the calories. 

So I need to try it again. So I gave Gemma Sttaford's recipe another try again but substituting the recipe with yoghurt (and she DOES suggest this in her video, let's be fair). Well, it was pretty good. Also very impressive cake, HUGE! (she does say this too!). 

So here is what I hope to be my to-go coffee cake recipe. This recipe comes kind of in 3 parts, labourious but not hard.

INGREDIENTS for the struddle:

-1 cup of brown sugar (170 grams).

-1+3/4 cups of flour.

-3/4 cup of cold butter (170 grams).

-1+1/2 cups of pecans or walnuts (optional).

-2 and 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon.

-1/2 tsp of salt.

For the cake:

-1/2 cup of butter room temperature (113gr).

-2 eggs.

-2 cups of flour

-1 cup of sugar.

-1+1/4 tsp baking powder.

-1/2 tsp baking soda.

-1/2 tsp salt.

-1 cup of yoghur (2 small spanish yoghurts)

For the icing:
-2 tablespoons of milk.
-2 drops of vanilla essence. 

-1/2 cup of powdered sugar.

STEPS:

STEPS for the struddle:

1. Cut the cold butter into little cubes and add to a bowl with the rest of the ingredients (except for the nuts). 

2. With your hands mix it all together until it all becomes this brown mix. The butter will be a little dissolved but still will have chunks. 

3. Now add the nuts that you have chopped up before to make them smaller.

STEPS for the cake:

1. Beat soft butter and sugar together.

2. Adds eggs and beat.

3. Add flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

4. Now add yoghurt.

5. Now add half of your dough to the tray (with baking paper underneath, of course), and then add half of your struddlel. Now add the rest of the dough on top and then the rest of the struddle.

5. Now place on tray (it is better if you place it on a square tray rather than round pot.

6. Now bake for around 50 minutes to an hour to 180 degrees.

7. At the end if you want you can make some icing but it is NOT neccesary, the icing is made by simply fixing the ingredients of the list. 

Very good cake, this cake is great with a cup of tea. Next time I need to remember to make it in a square flatter tray not this tall round pot.

Australian Lamingtons (my recipe)

Disclaimer: This is NOT a real Aussie recipe, it is my recipe, but hey, I think they work. It is the recipe of Lamingtons the popular Aussie dessert that people have on Australia day the 26th of January. Here it is.

INGREDIENTS:

For the cake:
-100 grams of melted butter.
-100 grams of sugar.
-130 grams of flour.
-1 teaspoon of baking powder.
-4 eggs.

For the coating:

-250 grams of dark chocolate for melting.

-115 grams of coconut. 

-some strawberry jam.

STEPS:

1. Bake the cake. Mix all the ingredients and place on baking dish for about 30 minutes to 180 degrees.

2. Let it cool off when it is cool, cut it all in squares. 

3. Now get each square and slice it in half and put some mermelade to glue it, do this with all the squares.

4. Now melt your chocolate in saucepan and place and spoon of melted chocolate on top of each lamington. Now spread with knife around it. Let them cool for about 10 minutes. 

5. Now, before the chocolate hardens start sprinkling coconut on them, on the top and let them dry. Then I put the remainder of the coconut on a plate and just make sure all sides are coated. 

That's it. I hope the photos help to understand the process. Every year I make this recipe, and every year I forget to the logistics. But not next year. :)

And is there anything more Aussie than a gum tree??