Chicken Rice Bowl (Chipotle Style)

The new restaurant that everyone is talking about is Chipotle! This is because it is fast, easy, and it never disappoints. Whenever I go to Chipotle I get a rice bowl with chicken, black beans, mild salsa, sour cream, and guacamole. It is so simple yet so amazing at the same time. This is because you can make different combinations each time or try a completely different menu item. So at home my mom and I made our own recipe to make rice bowl so that we can have our own Chipotle at home. This chicken dish is a little spicy and can go with anything Mexican. You can put it on a tortilla and make tacos, or put it between two tortillas with cheese and make a quesadilla. I hope you enjoy my recipe for Chicken rice bowls!

Ingredients: 

Chicken:
2 Pasilla Peppers (dried)
1 Cup Hot Water
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Chipotle Pepper in adobo sauce (canned)
1 Teaspoon Chicken Bouillon (I used Better Than Bouillion brand)
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Cumin
2 Pounds Chicken Thighs

Other:
4 Cup Water
2 Cups Rice
1 Can Black Beans
1 Container Salsa
1 Container Guacamole
1 Container Sour Cream

First take the seeds out of the Pasilla Peppers. Then put them into the blender.

Then add the garlic, chipotle pepper salt, chili powder, and cumin into the blended. In a cup add the water to chicken bouillon paste and stir until the it is dissolved, then add the chicken broth to the blender and blend all the ingredients together.

Before being blended 

Sauce after being blended in the blender

In the slow cooker place the chicken thighs evenly in the pot. Then pour the sauce over the chicken and mix together to completely coat the chicken. Cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 hours in the slow cooker until it is fully cooked.

Before being cooked

After being cooked

When ready to serve take some of the chicken and put it into a bowl to shred the chicken. Shred the chicken using two forks and pulling the chicken.

Shredded Chicken

Cooked Rice

To go with the shredded chicken make some rice and buy black beans, salsa, guacamole, and sour cream so that you can make your own rice bowl. Place the rice and chicken in the bowl and add your favorite topics in order to make the perfect rice bowl!

Chili

As football season comes to a close people are having parties, hanging out with friends, and eating food. My favorite football food is chili, it is spicy and delicious. My dad has always made chili during this time of year. I used to not like it because of the spice but as I got older and I began to accept spice this dish became one of my favorites. As you look at the recipe you may wonder why beans aren't in it. The reason for this is because my dad does't like beans in his chili, but if you want to add them you are welcome to do so. I hope you enjoy my recipe for chili!

Ingredients:
3 pounds ground beef
1 1/2 chopped onion
6 slices bacon
3 cloves garlic
1 can chopped tomato
1 can crushed tomato
1 tablespoon beef bouillon
1 cup water
2 tablespoons chilli powder
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons salt
desired amount red pepper flake

First add the beef to the pot and let it cook until brown. Then pour out the beef fat so that the chili doesn't taste oily.

Take the beef out, then add bacon to the pot.

To the cooked bacon add the onions, wait until the onions are fully cooked and then add the garlic.

Next add the cans of tomatoes and the beef bouillon mixed with water to the meat mixture. Stir the sauce and add the chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper flakes, salt, and 2 bay leaves. Mix this together and let this cook for about 2 hours.

Top off with some cheddar cheese to serve and enjoy!

Lasagna

During the winter you can never go wrong with warm comfort food. These types of dishes make you feel good when you are cold and need a hot homemade dish to warm you up. The perfect dish to help you through the harsh winter is Lasagna. It is meaty, creamy, and easy to make. It is time consuming but is a dish that will never fail to impress. I hope you enjoy my go-to winter recipe that your whole family will enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 stalks celery
2 carrots
2 boxes no cook lasagna noodles
1 medium onion
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 cup red wine
2 large can strained tomato
2 sprigs rosemerry
1 bay leaf
1/2 pound container of parmesan cheese
3 cups milk
5 tablespoons flour
5 tablespoons butter
4 teaspoons salt

First in a food processor pulse the celery, carrots, and onion together until finely chopped.

Drizzle some olive oil in the pot and cook the vegetable mixture in the pot with the beef and pork until the meat is fully cooked. deglaze the pan with the red wine and with a spoon stir to get all the bits off the side of the pan.

Before being deglazed

After the pan is deglazed with the wine, add the 2 cans of tomatoes and still until combined. Then add the rosemary, 2 teaspoons salt, and a bay leaf and let the sauce cook for about an hour until it is fully cooked.

Next, in a pot add the butter and flour over medium heat, keep the ratio of butter and flour even because then the roux will be too wet or too dry. To the roux add warm milk and 2 teaspoons of salt and whisk together until combined.

Take the white sauce off the heat and bring over to where you are going to assemble the lasagna. First put a little bit of red sauce on the bottom of the dish so that the noodles will cook. Then one layer of noodles, another layer of red sauce and then a layer of white sauce. Next drizzle some cheese over the top and repeat this 1-2 more times until it is the final layer.

The final layer is different, it is the noodle then red sauce and lastly coat with cheese.

Put the lasagna in the oven at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 30 minutes, follow the time on the pasta box so that your noodles aren't raw. Take out of the oven and enjoy!

Banana and Nutella Crêpe

When I go to Deauville during the summer we always go to an amazing restaurant! At this restaurant they sell buckwheat and sweet crêpes. They are always delicious and whenever I go to this restaurant and see the phenomenal crêpes, I want to learn how to make them myself. For Hanukkah my parents bought me a cast iron pan and a swirler so I can make them myself! A few days later I made them myself and they came out great! I hope you enjoy my recipe for crêpes!

Ingredients: 

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cup milk

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter for griddle

1 Banana 

A jar of nutella

In a bowl mix the eggs, milk, salt, and flour together until it looks like a runny batter (Make sure not lumps are in the batter). 

Put the mixture into the refrigerator for an hour or until later use. Then place your pan on the stove and once hot butter the pan. On medium heat place a ladle full of batter to the middle of your pan. Use the swirler to make a thin perfect circle. 

Using the Swirler

After swirling the batter to make a thin circle

After you have the thin circle, use a spatula to flip the crêpe (don't flip until it is bubbling a little bit).

After the crêpe was flipped

Leave the crêpe on the pan for about 30 seconds to a minute after flipping it before taking it off the heat. Use a knife and spread your desired amount of Nutella all over the crêpe. Then place your desired amount of sliced banana onto the crêpe. 

Fold in half and enjoy!