Herb Oil

adapted from The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart (pg 163)


Ingredients:

2 cups olive oil
1/3 cup fresh basil (chopped)
1/3 cup fresh thyme (chopped)
1/3 cup fresh oregano (chopped)
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
6 cloves fresh garlic (pressed)
1 tablespoon dried minced onions


You will also need:

Heat proof bowl or sauce pan (I used a large heat-proof metal measuring cup.)


Method:

Warm oil over low heat to about 100 F. Add chopped herbs, salt, pepper, garlic and dried minced onions. Stir together to incorporate. Turn off heat and allow the herbs to steep in the oil for a couple of hours or as long as possible.

Can be used as a dipping oil or as a topping for focaccia or pizza crust.

Store in refrigerator for up to two weeks.

"Not So WAY More Homemade" Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

This recipe is a little more like food assembly (a la Food Network's Sandra Lee) but it's good and quick for a weeknight dinner solution. I will be posting my real HOMEMADE version of this soup soon.

Ingredients:

1 rotisserie chicken (from grocery store)
Olive oil or butter for sautee
1 onion (rough dice)
2-3 cloves garlic (minced or pressed)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can creamed corn
1 can whole kernel corn (drained) (optional)
1 can Ro*Tel diced tomatoes
1 can [regular] diced tomatoes
Chicken broth/stock to taste


You will also need:

Stock pot
Tortilla Chips
Pre-shredded Mexican cheese blend


Method:

De-bone at least half of the roasted chicken and coarsely chop it into bite sized chunks.

Open all cans (tomatoes, soup and corn).

Heat some butter or oil in a stock pot over medium high heat, add diced onion and sautee for a few minutes. Add garlic and cook for just a minute. Then and chili powder, cumin and coriander and stir while cooking until fragrant. Add in coarsley chopped chicken and stir around to coat the chicken in the spices just a bit.

Now comes the easy part. Empty all cans into the pot... cream of chicken soup, creamed corn, whole kernel corn, Ro*Tel and diced tomatoes. Stir around and begin slowly adding chicken stock/broth until it reaches the thickness/thinness that you desire. Heat until all is completely combined and thouroughly warmed.

Serve in a shallow bowl. Assemble by breaking up some tortilla chips in the bottom of the bowl, sprinkling generously with cheese and ladeling the soup over the top. I like to sprinkle a little extra cheese right on top.