Chicken and Corn Chowder

I'd love to be more organized. I've been cooking gluten free now for almost 2 years. What a learning curve! I'm still trying to find that #1 gluten free pie crust or joy of all joys, a GF flour tortilla that is pliable. I've tried many recipes and found ones I'm basically happy with, but I guess I'm just still searching for the "best" that's out there. I've got recipes scritch scratched on little post-it notes and little bags of GF this and that in a kitchen drawer. I'd be embarrassed to die and leave my mess for someone else to figure out!

I think part of the problem is I don't have the time or money for endless cooking sessions. For instance, I just made some GF molasses cookies. I tried a GF recipe out of a book and YUK! So, I took a regular recipe and converted it. I'm basically happy with it - it is chewy and has the right flavor. It does seem a little grainy though after chewing a bit. I'd love to try making it with some more eggs and see how it comes out. However, I still have cookie dough left in the fridge that needs to be cooked up. And after we finish that off I won't be in the mood for MORE molasses cookies. So...my ideas and tweaking will have to wait until later. Hence, no recipe that I'm really happy with just yet.

I'd really love it if I did more prep work, but I'm so tired from all of the regular cooking and two little ones that it is only something I dream of. I'd love to have plenty of cheese already grated (we used to have money for packaged grated cheese:)) and I'd love to have chicken already cooked up, diced, and in the freezer. I'd also love to have some GF pizza dough rounds already mixed up and shaped just waiting in the freezer for pizza night.

I did get a taste of what it would be like to benefit from such organization this afternoon because I just happened to have some basic ingredients all ready. I started with a soup base of butter and bacon drippings (I'm sorry if I made you cringe!) and added milk. I also added some minced onion, chicken and bacon I already had cooked up, and then added a can of corn and a bouillon cube. What I got was a delicious soup that was ready in 10 minutes. That's my kind of cooking! It was so delicious that it was eaten before the camera was pulled out. I'll make it again soon and take a picture but for now - the simple recipe...

Chicken and Corn Chowder
1/4 cup of butter
2 Tablespoons bacon drippings or olive oil
Saute 1/2 medium onion diced
After onion is a bit tender, add 2 tablespoons of potato flour or corn starch. I used potato flour and I think it was a winner. (Potato flour is different from potato starch.) Stir constantly until blended and a paste forms.
Slowly add 1 1/2 cups milk until thick for cream soup. Add more water if needed.
To this soup base add:
1 chicken bouillon cube - I use Herb-Ox
1 cup diced, cooked chicken
1 can of corn, drained
2-3 pieces of cooked bacon, chopped fairly fine
Seasonings - salt and pepper to taste, thyme or parsely flakes (or fresh if you happen to have it!).
I think the addition of potatoes would go well in here also.
Yummy! My five year old declared it tasty and that makes me a happy mom.

For those times when you only have a couple cups of soup left in the fridge and a few people to feed, just ccok up some rice and serve it over the top. That makes another easy dinner and it is budget friendly!

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli

I know I've probably said this before, but it amazes me how many gluten-free items I'm still trying to get around to making. For instance, it was 9 months before I made a gluten free graham cracker crust. I had thought about it for several months, but it wasn't until Thanksgiving was approaching that I knew it was time to "get in there" and try it. I've also wanted to tackle making some former gluten-filled favorites that call for the old standby, "Cream of ..." All of the varieties (at least that I know of) by Campbell contain gluten.

Carrie, of Ginger Lemon Girl, recently posted a recipe for Cream of Soup. Wow - I knew it was time to try it and give it a go. I used it the other day to make the cheese sauce for homemade macaroni and cheese and it turned out great. Tonight though, I wanted to see if I could make it thick like it is out of the can before diluting with water. I added more butter and cornstarch to the original recipe and I'm pleased with the results. I was able to make an old favorite - Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli. I can't wait to try some other recipes that call for "Cream of Such and Such" to see how they turn out.

Isn't it great what we can learn from each other? It is so wonderful to find blogs where I've used some recipes and have found success. It takes the pain away from trying something new gluten free. You know - the pain of trying an unsuccessful recipe! All that work to not have something come out right or taste right can be so discouraging. I love the blogs I've found that have inspired me and helped me to be a better cook. They've also helped me to feel connected and keep my sanity:)

I hope you enjoy this meal as much as I do. Cook the chicken and broccoli ahead for an easier assembly at dinnertime. I'd also like to try making the sauce for it ahead of time, refrigerating it, and testing whether it will perform as well. Please let me know what you think!

Cheesy Chicken Broccoli

3 large chicken breasts, cut up in bite-sized pieces and cooked

2 - 3 broccoli crowns. Cut off the end pieces and cook (boil or steam) partially

Sauce (recipe follows)

1 1/2 - 2 cups of Colby jack or cheddar

Sauce:

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons corn starch

1 1/2 cups milk

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cubes chicken bouillon (Herb-Ox is labeled gluten-free)

Melt butter in skillet or pan, then add corn starch and stir until smooth. Mixture will begin thickening quickly. Add cold milk and continue stirring until mixture gets thick (like thick biscuit gravy). Add bouillon cubes and stir until incorporated. Let mixture sit about 10 minutes. It will continue thickening a bit until it is like the soup right out of the can. Add the mayonnaise and lemon juice to it. Stir thoroughly.

Layer cooked chicken and broccoli in bottom of 1 1/2 or 2 quart baking dish (I used a 10 inch quiche plate). Spread sauce over this and then add grated cheese on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.