Captain Ranger to the Rescue #4 and A Recipe!

Yesterday was a CRAZY day! Wind the likes of which we haven't seen in a while blew in with a chilly front and caused quite a stir, literally! The poor dogs, stuck in the dusty back yard while we were at work, took the brunt of it, but are fully recovered, if not a bit dirty. Thank goodness for our steel privacy fence. If it hadn't been for that, Ranger might have been blown away! Jason was up on the roof this evening replacing a few shingles that blew away and reattaching some that were coming loose. The wind blew so hard that it blew a portion of our neighbor's wood fence out!!!

A fairly respectable chill came in with the wind and resulted in this; Ranger laying inches away from the gas wall heater. Jason and I are truly afraid that he will one day fall asleep there and singe his fur or worse, his poor nose! It hasn't occurred to date, but we do our best to keep an eye on him when that heater is needed. He really enjoys his "warm spots", though, and this is most certainly his favorite.




Nothing is better on a cold, windy evening than a nice, steaming bowl of homemade stew. I tried this new recipe I found at Cooking Light and it received rave reviews.


Peasant Stew

1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
6 chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 lbs.), skinned (I substitute boneless, skinless chicken breasts.)
1 cup chopped onion
1 (14.5-oz.) can Mexican style stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 (4.5-oz.) can chopped green chiles, undrained
1 (15-oz.) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-oz.) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

Combine cumin, salt and pepper; sprinkle over chicken.

Place chicken in an electric slow cooker; stir in onion, tomatoes and chiles. Cover with lid; cook on high-heat setting for 3 hours. Stir in beans. Cover; cook on high-heat setting for 1 hour.

Place chicken thigh in each of 6 soup bowls; ladle 1 1/4 cups stew into each bowl. Top each serving with 2 teaspoons cilantro and 2 teaspoons sour cream.

Nutritional info: 214 Cals (16% from Fat); 3.9g Fat (sat 1.4g, mono 0.9g, poly 0.9g); 3mg Iron; 61mg Cholesterol; 85mg Calcium; 23.7g Carbohydrate; 773mg Sodium; 21.5g Protein; 6g Fiber.


Now naturally, I couldn't just do it the way the recipe suggested. I started the recipe on my lunch break, so it cooked for 4 hours on high and then an additional hour on low after I put the beans in. I felt that the called-for seasoning wasn't enough, so I threw in about a teaspoon of dried oregano, an extra teaspoon (or three) of cumin, and two minced cloves of fresh garlic. I also added about a cup of water because it was rather dry. That is usually due to our desert climate, so it may not be necessary everywhere. Also, sour cream is not allowed in our house unless my family happens to be visiting, so I omitted that and substituted some chopped fresh green onions and a bit of shredded Mexican cheese blend on top.

This meal was so simple and SO delicious! It's one of those meals that you just want to keep on eating, even if you're stuffed. I was pleasantly surprised by how mild it was, in spite of the jalapenos in the tomatoes and the green chiles. It was also extremely economical as I purchased the chicken for $1.79 a pound a few weeks ago. I estimate that the total cost for the meal was about $7.03, making the cost per serving about $1.17!!! This one is a keeper, for sure!

Well, that's it for this evening. A quick PTL for my paternal grandfather who was finally released from the hospital after his back surgery on the 2nd and some complications following that. PTL!

As always, thanks for reading and many blessings to you and yours!