I'm Back!

I know my posts haven't ever been all that regular, but I underwent a cooking hiatus for a couple of months because...well...I'll be going from newlywed to new mom in February! Back in July and August, baby hated everything, so I didn't do much cooking. But I think it's starting to warm-up to food again, as this week alone I've made three delicious home-cooked meals, the recipes for which I'd like to share.

Tuesday: San Pellegrino-Battered Fish Tacos
Sunny Anderson was making beer battered fish tacos on Food Network, and due to baby and my personal and religious beliefs, I was fresh out of beer. So I scoured the fridge for a possible substitute and found a can of San Pellegrino Aranciata (orange flavor), and thought I'd try it. It was delicious, and since I didn't have any real citrus to dress my tacos, it was the perfect touch.

2-4 cups cooking oil
2 tilapia fillets, cut into medium chunks
1/2 cup flour
corn tortillas, warmed in a frying pan.
party salsa (a version similar to others I've made and posted)
special sauce (mayo, sour cream, Chalula)

batter:
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
salt & pepper
1/3 cup San Pellegrino Aranciata (or Limonata, or just plain sparkling water)

Heat oil to medium. Dredge the tilapia chunks in flour. Dip them in batter and place in hot oil. Cook until golden brown. Remove, drain on paper towels, and season with kosher salt. Serve on warm tortillas with salsa and special sauce.

Wednesday: Corn Chowder
This is one of the few recipes I've made over and over again. I got it from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook back in college and have made it a lot since. I'm writing the recipe here so it won't ever be forgotten. I served it Wednesday with grilled cheese sandwiches.

2 Tbsp. butter
1 medium onion. diced
1 medium green pepper, diced
3 red potatoes, diced
2 cans chicken broth
3 cups frozen sweet corn
2 cups milk
2 Tbsp. flour
1/4 cup bacon bits
salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste

Cook onion and pepper in butter on med heat until soft. Add broth and potatoes and boil on high for 10 minutes. Add corn and cook another 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, stir flour and milk together. Add milk to soup and cook until it bubbles and thickens. Add bacon and seasonings to taste.

Thursday: Autumn Chicken
I was going to make a boring chicken and rice meal, and this is what came out. No recipe--I just added things as I went. It was quite delicious. Mark said it tasted like Thanksgiving. I think next time I'll try making it with pork chops.

2 chicken breasts
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 onion, sliced
1 apple (Gala), peeled, cored, and sliced thin
1 stalk celery, diced
1 can chicken broth
2 handfuls dried cranberries
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
dash of dried thyme
tiny dash of cinnamon
tiny dash of nutmeg
1 Tbsp sour cream
1 Tbsp butter

Cook onion, apple, and celery in oil on med heat. Add chicken (seasoned with salt and pepper) and brown on both sides. Add broth, cranberries, mustard, and seasoning and simmer on med-high heat for 10-15 minutes, or until sauce has reduced by half or so and the chicken is cooked. Remove chicken and stir sour cream and butter into sauce. Serve chicken and sauce over a bed of cooked rice.