Corn Chowder
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour

1/2 White onion, minced
2 Each stalks of celery, minced
1 1/2 Cups cooked bacon bits
5 oz butter, melted
7 oz all-purpose flour
3 14oz Cans chicken stock
1 1/2 Cups whole milk
1 1/2 Cups peeled, cooked potatoes, rough chopped
3 Cups whole kernel corn
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 TBSP fresh chopped parsley for color

Heat a large stock pot over medium high heat. Add melted butter, onion and celery, cook until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add chopped bacon and cook for another minutes.

Stir in all-purpose flour and mix well until all butter has been absorbed and it becomes a paste.

Add chicken stock and milk, stirring until smooth and and all lumps are gone.

Add chopped potatoes, corn, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat and let simmer until soup begins to thicken, about 20 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley and bacon bits. Wine Pairing: Chardonnay, Riesling or Zinfandel. Beer Pairing: Pale Ale, Porter, or Stout.

Cheese and Onion Chowder
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour

1/2 White onion, thinly sliced
3/4 Cup celery, minced
2 tsp minced garlic
1 Cup bacon bits
5 oz butter, melted
7 oz all-purpose flour
3 14oz cans chicken stock
1 1/2 Cups whole milk
1 1/4 LBS cubed american cheese
1 1/2 Cups peeled, cooked potatoes, rough chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 TBSP fresh chopped parsley, for color

In large stock pot over medium high heat, melt butter. When melted add onion, celery and garlic. Cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add bacon bits and cook for another minute. Slowly stir in flour until butter has been completely absorbed and it looks almost like paste. About 2 minutes.

Add chicken stock and milk, stirring until smooth. Slowly add cheese and stir continuously until all the cheese has melted. This step is very important otherwise your soup will be lumpy when it cools.

Add cooked potatoes, salt and pepper and parsley, mixing thoroughly. Reduce heat and let simmer until soup thickens. About 20 minutes. Garnish with parsley, bacon bits, shredded cheese. Wine Pairing: Chardonnay or Chenin Blanc. Beer Pairing: Lager, Pilsner or Pale Ale.  

Cream of Mushroom Soup
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour

4 Cups fresh sliced mushrooms
1/2 White onion, minced
5 oz of butter, melted
7 oz all-purpose flour
3 14oz cans of chicken stock
1 1/2 Cups whole milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 TBSP fresh chopped parsley

In a large stock pot over medium high heat, melt butter. Once melted add sliced mushrooms and onions. Cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Slowly stir in flour until well mixed and looks almost like paste.

Add chicken stock and milk, stirring until smooth. Add salt, white pepper, nutmeg and parsley, reduce heat and simmer, stirring often until the soup thickens. About 20 minutes. Garnish with fresh sliced mushrooms and parsley. Wine Pairing: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel or Shiraz. Beer Pairing: Pale Ale, Porter or Stout.

Three Bean Crock Pot Chili
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time 6-7 hours 

1 LB Ground beef
1 LB Ground Turkey
3 tsp minced garlic
1 14oz can kidney beans,drained
1 14oz can pinto beans, drained
1 14oz can black beans, drained
1 14oz can beef broth
1 14oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 4oz can tomato paste
1 Medium white onion, diced
1 Medium green pepper, diced
1 Fresh jalapeno, diced and seeded
1 TBSP chili powder
1 TBSP oregano
2 TBSP ground cumin
1 TBSP olive oil(EVOO)

In a large fry pan over medium high heat combine ground beef, ground turkey and garlic until fully cooked and no pink is remaining in the meat. Drain and add the meat to your crock pot.

In the same fry pan heat the TBSP EVOO over medium high heat, add the onion, green pepper and jalapeno and cook stirring often until the onion begins to brown. Stir in chili powder, cumin and oregano. Add tomato paste and stir until well combined. Add to crock pot.

Add all three types of beans, diced tomatoes and beef broth, stir to combine ingredients. Cook on high 4-5 hours or low 6-7 hours. I prefer the low setting and I think it is worth the wait. Garnish with toppings, like onion, cheese, tomato and sour cream. Wine Pairing: Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz or Malbec. Beer Pairing: Lager, Amber Ale or Porter. 

Jalapeno Beer Cheese Soup
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour

3/4 Cup white onion, minced
3/4 Cup celery, minced
5 oz melted butter
7 oz all-purpose flour
3 14oz cans diced tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 LBS processed hot pepper cheese(grated)
3 14oz cans chicken broth
3/4 tsp ground white pepper
6 oz canned beer, flat

In a large stock pot over medium high heat, melt butter. When melted add minced onions and celery and cook until soft. About 3 minutes. Stir in flour and mix well until all flour has been absorbed and it looks almost like paste.

Add chicken stock and stir until smooth. Add shredded cheese a little at a time an stir continuously until all the cheese has been melted. This step is very important, or your soup will be lumpy when it cools.

Add diced tomatoes, white pepper and beer, mixing thoroughly. Reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally until soup thickens. About 20 minutes. Garnish with fresh popcorn, shredded pepper jack cheese, red pepper flakes and parsley. Wine Pairings: Chenin Blanc or Sauvignon Blanc. Beer Pairings: Lager, Pilsner or Pale Ale. 

Couple of family favorites.........

Here in sunny Arizona it is really hard to sit down in front of the computer when it is still in the high 70's and try and post some of my favorite "wintertime" foods, but here are a couple anyway.

When making a true Chicken Piccata the recipe does call for capers. However due to the fact that I am not a caper fan, I substitute fresh sliced mushrooms for the capers. For those of you who like the more traditional Piccata, I also included the amount of capers required for my recipe.

These are just a couple of my family favorites, to keep you full and warm on a cold winter night. Still working on some of my favorite soups, so keep an eye out for those coming soon.

Beef Stroganoff
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes


2 TBSP butter
1 Each white onion, finely chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1 8oz package mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 LB of beef chuck roast, or strip steak, thinly sliced
1 14oz can of beef broth, or consomme
1/4 Cup red wine(optional)
3 TBSP fresh lemon juice
4 TBSP all-purpose flour
2 TBSP cold water
1 8oz container sour cream
4 Cups cooked pasta(your favorite type)
1/4 Cup fresh chopped parsley

Melt butter in a larger fry pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion and cook until slightly tender. Add sliced mushrooms and continue cooking another two minutes.

In a large pot of slightly salted, boiling water, cook your favorite type of pasta according to the directions on the box.

Lightly dust steak strips in 2 TBSP of all-purpose flour. Add strips to pan and cook with mushrooms, garlic and onion until slightly browned. About 1 minute. Add beef broth, red wine and lemon juice to pan and bring to a boil.

Combine remaining 2 TBSP all-purpose flour with 2 TBSP cold water and mix until smooth. Reduce heat to low, and add flour mixture to pan while stirring constantly to combine. Gradually return pan to a boil while stirring until sauce is thick and smooth. Cover and let continue to cook another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat, and let cool slightly before stirring in the sour cream. Place one cup cooked pasta on the plate, top with beef mixture and garnish with fresh parsley. Wine Pairing: Zinfandel, Malbec, Pinot Noir, or Merlot. Beer Pairing: Pale Ale, Porter, or Stout.