Chilizo - Guest Post by Author Christopher McPherson

Recipe from Christopher McPherson, Author of:

Murder at Eastern Columbia
and the James Murray Mysteries

Chilizo
(named this because it's made from Chili & Chorizo)

1/2 lb. kidney beans
1/2 lb. black beans.

Soak them overnight.

Put them in a crock pot on low for ten hours or high for five hours. Add enough water to the pot to just cover the beans. 

1 lb. chorizo (more or less as you like)

1 can diced tomatoes

About an hour before dinner cook the chorizo in a frying pan.  Make sure to break it into little chunks.  Drain and add to crock pot.  A few minutes before serving, stir in the tomatoes.  Heat all until hot.  Serve with cheese and/or diced onions on top.

This recipe is silly easy to make and there are only three ingredients (beans, chorizo and tomatoes).  Chorizo can be purchased with varying amounts of spiciness, so the Chilizo can be mildly spiced or very spicy.  In addition, it's very low fat, very high in good carbohydrates and taste, to boot!

Leek, Broccoli, Potato Soup

This dish turned out to be one that I could eat every couple of days.  It has leeks, broccoli and potatoes.  It doesn't get any better.   It is so good and so easy to make.  Find the full recipe at Martha's Recipe Cabinet.

Lentil Soup

I've just posted a delicious Lentil Soup recipe on my site Martha's Recipe Cabinet.  Even if you're not a Lentil fan I think you will still enjoy this soup.

I Didn't Know That - Soup Tips

There have been times that I've bought mushrooms just to find that I don't need as many as I bought.  This is what I found that can be done so I'm not throwing my money away.  Using my blender I puree them in a little liquid such as beef, chicken stock or just water.  I pour that into an inexpensive, plastic ice tray and freeze.  When they are frozen I store the cubes in a plastic bag.  These work great for soups, stews and sauces.

For left over veggies I keep a container in the freezer and just keep adding them until it's full.  When it's soup time I thaw the whole container and add the veggies to my soup pot.

And when you cook a beef roast, save the juices.  Pour them into your ice trays and freeze.  When frozen place them in a plastic bag and you have instant beef stock when needed. 

Did you know that when you can prevent milk from curdling when making cream soups like tomato by adding the soup to the milk and not the milk to the soup.  I tried this the last time I made tomato soup from a can and it worked!



And one more - if you add minced clams to chowder at the very last moment it will keep hem from getting mushy and tasteless.

Cream of Cauliflower Chicken Soup

Again the wait is on.  I've just added a delicious cauliflower/chicken soup recipe to the manuscript files of Think With Your Taste Buds - Chicken.  This one is perfect for those cold winter days.  But, until it becomes available don't forget to order your copy of Think With Your Taste Buds - Desserts and Think With Your Taste Buds - Beef which has just come out on Amazon. 

Cheddar Chicken Broccoli Soup

This soup comes out a little thick but oh so good.  I decided to use the stuffing mix instead of crackers giving it just a little more of that heart warming sage taste.  This is a great recipe to have on hand using leftover turkey in place of the chicken.  Find my recipe on Martha's Recipe Cabinet and my rating for Bear Creek Soup Mix by going to The Good, The Bad, The Maybe.

Lima Bean Soup

With the weather suddenly going from the 70s to the 30s I decided it was time for some body warming soup.  One of the men I work with cooked some lima beans and brought a bowl to me at work.  They were delicious but reminded me more of a soup than just a dish.  He told me what his ingredients were but I didn't write them down.  So, I again decided to Think With My Taste Buds and came up with my version of Lima Bean Soup.  It didn't turn out quite like his limas but it sure turned out delicious.  See my full recipe by going to Martha's Recipe Cabinet.