Dinner for one.

Tyler’s gone off to Yosemite for some man-time with some man-friends. You know, big fifty-pound backpacks… bugspray, beef jerky. I tried on his backpack last night, I pretty much fell over backwards. Hey. Listen. It was heavy.

Since he’s off doing his man-thang, I’m here suddenly cooking for one. Dinner for one! No boyfriend around, no friends over to play cards, just me– and Olive, of course. Let me just tell you something, I don’t know how to cook for one. Somehow, even when I’m just whipping up something really quick for Tyler and I, I somehow end up with enough food to feed an army. What the heck? Meh. It’s okay though, normally it just makes for good leftover-lunches at the office. bam. boo-yow.

Anyway, since I’m flying solo tonight, I thought I’d try something simple, something to make me feel fulfilled but not stuffed. Hm. Healthy. Delicious. Not crappy for me.

Kale.

Quinoa.

Tomatoes.

Yes.

LOOK AT THAT TOMATO. Look at it.
That tomato is smiling at you—beaming. Don’t be weirded out. Just let it happen.

Quinoa, Kale, and Roasted Tomatoes:
You’ll Need:
1/2 c dry quinoa
1 c chicken broth
4 tsp olive oil
1/2 bunch of kale
several cherry tomatoes
salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350°
2. Combine quinoa and chicken broth in a small pot. Bring to a boil, and reduce the heat to low. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes.
3. While the quinoa is cookin’ remove the tough stems from the kale and cut into bite-sized pieces.
4. Drizzle 2 tsp of olive oil onto the tomatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes.
5. Put 2 tsp of the olive oil into a large pan over medium/high heat. Drop in the kale and sautée for 5-7 minutes (until just tender but a little crunchy). Salt and pepper to taste.
6. Fluff the quinoa with a fork, add the kale and tomatoes and stir (try and burst the little tomatoes).
7. Put your lovely little dinner into a bowl and mow down.

mmmmmhmmm. yup. You’ll like it. No food coma. Just happy belly.

note: if you want this recipe to be strictly vegetarian, sub veggie broth for the chicken broth, or use water.
miss you Tig! <3

Foodie foodie!

let me speak freely for a second.
This is how today made me feel:
Why is this cool-looking eggplant relevant?
… it’s not…

…

Some days are great. Correction, MOST days are great.
Most days are filled with happily bubbling soup, bittersweet chocolate chips, and stacks of cookbooks waiting to be read and cooked from. Some days are filled with these things. Some days. BUT, there are also days [like today, for example] that the Le Creusets remain cold on the stovetop, and it pretty much takes all of my self control NOT to bang my head against my desk. Several times.

On days like today, the last thing I want is to burn whatever it is that I might try and cook, because that would just send me hurdling into a certifiable five-year-old-style fit. I’m talkin throw-yourself-on-the-floor, ramble/yell-at-an-empty-apartment type situation.

Have I ever mentioned that Tyler can cook?

Well, I’m mentioning it now. Tyler. Can. Cook.
I mean, there are times that that guy cooks something, and I’m just ticked because I wish I could take credit for having cooked it myself!

DANG IT TYLER! THIS IS DELICIOUS! DANG IT!

…

I don’t think the alpha-foodie in me likes it much.

Alas, I really am quite lucky to have a boyfriend with awesome mad cooking skills.
So this one is all his, this is the tale of TYLER’s heirloom bruschetta:

This tale of deliciousness started at the Jack London Square farmers market in Oakland this weekend. We stumbled across this fantastic scene of heirloom cherry tomatoes. Now, I have to tell you something– don’t get mad– but I’m not a huge fan of tomatoes. For some reason they make me feel like I’m eating dirt… before you start yelling at your computer about how delicious tomatoes are, there is a caveat. I just don’t like tomatoes plain. On a sandwich? Boom. Good. Cooked in a sauce? Bam. Double good. But, just picked right off the vine? Sorry. Can’t do it, at least not yet! I have been trying to learn to like them!
Anyway, when the idea of bruschetta popped into our heads I was a bit iffy. After all, bruschetta is just like a cut up tomato on top of a piece of bread, right?

NO! WRONG!
That’s wrong.
Bruschetta is not just a cut up tomato on top of a piece of bread!

It starts out looking like this:

and then….

and then this! BAM!!!!

You wanna get real fancy? [add freshly grated parmesan cheese]
you won’t know what hit you

For Tyler’s Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta
You’ll Need:

2 1/2–3 c. heirloom cherry tomatoes (or any type of tomato you like) sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 c. fresh basil, chopped
2-3 tbs. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 fresh baguette, sliced about 1/2″ thick
4 tbs butter
(optional) freshly grated Parmesan cheese (to taste)

1. Combine tomatoes, garlic, basil, and olive oil in a bowl and mix gently. Salt and pepper to taste.
2. Put half of the butter into a pan and put it over medium heat. While that’s melting, use the other half of the butter to butter one side of the baguette slices.
3. Place the baguette slices into the pan (buttered side up) and allow to toast. Flip and toast until golden brown (or burnt… if you’re like me and misplaced your camera while helping toast the bread…)
4. Scoop a bit of the tomato mixture on top of each baguette slice.
5. Sprinkle with cheese (optional)
6. Thank whoever helped you to make this awesome dish, and mow down.

Note: do you like garlic? Good. Me too. When I said 3 cloves of garlic, I was being prudent. Put as much garlic into this recipe as you like! Just make sure whoever you’re eating it with is okay with you smellin’ like it for the rest of the night.

Yum Foodie Foodie!

Yeah…. I say “samwich”. I’m perfectly aware it’s “sandwich”, but if you know me or ever hear me say the word “sandwich” in person, it’s “SAMWICH”.

Anyway, I’ve been thinking a bit about samwiches… I feel like they’ve got a bad [w]rap (ha ha).
People always seem so bummed out when they’ve got a samwich at work… unless it’s from a delicious deli.Then they’re stoked. But layering different ingredients in between a starchy container (i.e. bread, a tortilla, a pita) is and always will be a great idea. Do you have a deadline to meet? Have to skip lunch? Whatever! Eat that perfectly contained pocket of nourishment with one hand while you work with the other, problem solved.

Just in case you didn’t gather this, I sort of consider “wraps” to be in the same category as “samwiches”.
…
Not to be confused with a burrito, which is something different all together. Have a little respect.

Anyway, there are times that I stand in front of the fridge in the morning before work, and just wait for inspiration about what to bring for lunch…
leftovers? Sweet. Hm… I wonder how old those are… when did I make…

SO- the long and short of it is: sometimes a girl needs to put something healthy, delicious, and satisfying in a tortilla and call. it. a. day.

HENCE Herby Chicken Wrap/Samwich. Proceed friends.

Herby ChickenWrap/Samwich:
For two wraps (for you and your lunch buddy of course)
1 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (filleted) (don’t know how? Check this out)
2 tbs. canola oil
4 tbs. Herbs de Provence
Salt/Pepper
2 tortillas
several leaves of lettuce
1/4 red onion, sliced thinly
1/4 c. greek yogurt
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice

1. Start by putting 1 tbs of Herbs de Provence on each side of each piece of chicken. Salt and pepper.
2. Put the oil in a medium skillet over medium/high heat and add that chicken!
3. Cook on both sides until there’s a golden hue to it, and it’s cooked all the way through. Cut to strips.
4. Mix the greek yogurt and lemon juice (add a little salt and pepper), split between the two tortillas, and coat one side.
5. Add the lettuce, onions, and chicken breast. Wrap it up!
6. Bring to work and surprise your lunch buddy. Consume with a healthy side dish… like an apple, so you may avoid an afternoon food coma.

That’s a wrap!

sorry. had to.

Yum Foodie Foodie!

Dude. I cannot believe that it’s July! How did that happen? Time is flying by like mad crazy.
I just can’t believe that we’re in the throws of summer… it just doesn’t feel that way to me! Where’s my suntan? My vacation to the beach? My glass full of (maayyybbe spiked) lemonade and floppy hat? Okay, I lied. I do not own a floppy hat. But I will one day!

hm.

THIS is the first summer for me that hasn’t followed a crazy school year. THIS is my first summer all my own— a grown-up summer, full of working inside of an office building… where we don’t see much sunlight. AH! It’s time to seize some summer! I choose to do it via dinner.
I made this salad tonight—It reminds me of summer.

Avocados remind me of summer. Fresh corn reminds me of summer!
Get amped people. You’re about to make and consume what makes a warm summer afternoon absolutely awesome.

Fresh Summer Salad with Rotisserie Chicken
You’ll Need:
(for dressing)
3 tbs. dijon mustard
2 tbs. honey
1/2 c. olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper
(for salad)
1 head of romaine lettuce, rinsed and chopped
1 ear of fresh white corn, kernels cut from the cob
1 can of black beans, rinsed
1 avocado, cut into bite sized pieces
2 chicken breasts from a rotisserie chicken, shredded with a fork (No rotisserie chicken? No prob! Make this a meatless meal, OR just roast some chicken breast! Whatever floats your boat)

1. Put all of the dressing ingredients into a mason jar, stir with a fork, and then close the lid and shake shake shake it!
2. Put all of the salad ingredients (except the chicken and avocado) into a large bowl, a salad bowl—if you will.
3. Pour the dressing atop the salad and mix well.
4. Top with chicken and avocado.
5. Pour some sparkling water into a mason jar… (not the one with leftover dressing in it though) and chow down!

Hooray! Try it! Does it taste like summer? Does it make you want to take an impromptu road trip down the coast? Well of course it does.
*sigh* Enjoy your summer everyone!

Yum Foodie Foodie!

mmmmm.

The 4th of July is tomorrow.
I love the 4th of July!
My parents live a block away from where they launch fireworks every year for Independence Day. Every year we walk down to the launch site and watch the fireworks from right up close-
it. is. super. cool.

I have a confession. I have a strange/weird/stupid superstition about the 4th of July: however I spend the 4th of July is how I will spend the rest of my year. Weird, right?

But hey, this could be a good thing. I figure, I want to spend the 4th of July eating delicious food with people I love. Simple, right? Right.

Let’s make something delicious.
Let’s go to a barbecue. Wait. It’s the 4th of July. The grill the crowded! Let’s make something on the stove, yeah? Let all those people fight for room on the grill. You’re all set in the kitchen where there’s air conditioning.

Teriyaki Chicken Drumsticks! I’ll be honest, you can totally use the grill to cook these. I, however, LOVE using the braising pan that Tyler gave to me. They cook slowly, and become soooooo tender and nom nom-ey!
Did I mention that these are super easy to make? Yeah. It’s pretty sweet.

Teriyaki Chicken Drumsticks

You’ll need:
1 cup teriyaki marinade (I use Mr. Yoshida)
2 tbs grated ginger
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
10-12 chicken drumsticks
1 tbs butter
2 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper
2/3 c water

• Combine the Teriyaki marinade with the ginger, lemon juice, brown sugar, and pepper flakes.
• Place marinate into a large zip-top bag along with the drumsticks.
• Seal, and smoosh it all around to get the drumsticks all covered.
• Allow to marinate in the fridge 2–6 hours.
• After they’re all marinated, add the butter and oil to your braising pan (if you don’t have a “braising pan” just use a big pan/pot/whatever that has a lid) over high heat.
• Place the drumsticks into the hot pan, and sear on both sides.
• Reduce the heat to low, add the water, and allow to cook slowly with the lid partially opened for half an hour.
• Chow. Down.

There.
They’re delicious.
Let everyone fight over grill space, you’re using the stove! Boo yow!

Yum Foodie Foodie!

Say, for a moment that your boyfriend/girlfriend/friend/sister/brother/cousin/whoever is moving. Say you love them very much, and they have just managed to get all of their Earthly belongings into their brand spankin’ new place. Say they cannot, for the life of them, find their gosh darn silverware. Or their plates, or their coffee mugs, or even their toothbrush. Yikes.

You, being the fabulous person you are, think what item of insane deliciousness can I bring over there, to lift their spirits, and give them the courage to dig through their boxes to find their lost toothbrush?

Well let me tell you.
I will tell you.

Dirty rice.

Dirty Rice baby. A while back, Tyler moved into a glorious apartment. It’s quite cute, I must say. But when Tyler had the entirety of his kitchen packed into boxes, I sprung into action. A Le Creuset full of dirty rice? Check. Two spoons? Check. And that’s all we need. Let’s go!

Dirty Rice:

You’ll Need:
2 c uncooked rice (I used brown rice)
1 32 oz box of chicken broth
1 package of sweet Italian sausage (you can use spicy if you’d like)
1 white onion, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
I bunch of swiss chard, thick ribs removed, chopped
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

1. Start by combining the rice and chicken broth in a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and allow to simmer until the liquid has diminished and the rice is tender (mine took 30 minutes).
2. As the rice cooks, in a separate pot (the one you plan to bring along) remove the Italian sausage from the casings and cook over high heat. Once it’s cooked, remove and set aside.
3. In that same pot, reduce the heat to medium-high, add the onion, zucchini, and chard and cook
until tender.
4. Combine all the ingredients, including the red pepper flakes, into the same pot, mix well. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Hey! Look! You’re good to go! Grab two spoons, allow your pot to cool enough, and get goin!

Listen. Maybe you don’t want to bring this pot of dirty rice anywhere. Maybe you want to stand over your stove with a wooden spoon, and mow down. Hey, I won’t judge. But share. It’s good for you.

Yum Foodie Foodie!

My birthday was Saturday (June 9^th).

Here’s the thing about birthdays: as a child, you flip your lid about your birthday…. You get so amped up! Back when I was a kid, my mom threw me the best birthday parties with bounce-houses, cake, presents—the works! (thanks mama)

As an adult, however, you say goodbye to the bounce-houses and rely on yourself for your birthday festivities. Instead of Disney Princess-themed ice cream cakes with plastic forks, it’s bittersweet chocolate layer cake with espresso gelato and candied mint leaves. Not bad for an upgrade in my eyes.

So I tend to be a bit lazy for my birthday. Normally I end up just calling a few friends last minute to grab dinner together. But not this year. No. No way.

This year my fabulous, handsome, awesome, ridiculously thoughtful boyfriend planned the best day ever for my 23^rd birthday.

First, we woke up late (yessssssss), while I sat groggily in bed, he brought me this:

Coffee and all. Hurrah!

THEEEENNN we ran out to San Francisco, where the weather was just crazy great. It was warm, sunny, a little breezy. Geez. It was nuts.

Next up, hit the Ferry Building Farmers Market for lunch:

Have you ever had Roli Roti? Do you know what it is?

Roli Roti is a gourmet rotisserie, and they’ve got a famous Porchetta sandwich that will knock you off your feet. If you’re in the city on a Saturday, if you like sandwiches (who doesn’t?!), if you’re looking for something stupidly delicious, hop in line at the Roli Roti stand at the Ferry Building farmers market and getchurself a crazy good sandwich.  I demolished mine.

Next we went to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Admittedly, this part of the day appealed to the designer/artist in me rather than the foodie. But it was fantastic, and you know what was one of the best parts was? The Blue Bottle Coffee café on the top level. That’s right. So the foodie in me wasn’t sleeping throught the WHOLE museum :P

Would anyone like an affogato (a scoop of ice cream with espresso) with BOURBON AND CORNFLAKE ICE CREAM?!!?!!  Yeah. We went there. We did that.

After we’d had a moment to let the caffeine kick in, we headed out for the most magnificent part of my very foodie birthday: Opaque.

Ever heard of it? I think I saw it on TV at some point, that’s how I heard about it.

Opaque is a restaurant that specializes in “dining in the dark”. What’s that? Well, exactly what it sounds like. You eat a three course gourmet meal in complete darkness. And I’m not talking just a little dim, I’m talkin’ so-dark-you-can’t-see-your-own-hand-in-front-of-your-face.

You walk into a lit lobby area, where a host helps you check your bags and coats, and hands you a menu. At that point, while you can still see, you order what three courses you’d like to enjoy in pitch black. I was nervous, REALLY nervous! I was hoping that I wouldn’t totally wig out in there… but we were introduced to our server, Katie, who was perfectly equipped for the daunting task of serving us because she is vision impaired. All of the servers at Opaque are legally blind. As we stepped into the dark dining room, Katie very calmly explained to us that since she is vision impaired, what we saw in the dining room (well… nothing) is what she sees every day.  She sat us down at our table as I clawed randomly into the darkness trying to feel things out. A fork here, a bread dish there… hm.. linen table cloth? Or is that my napkin.. hm.

Once we had gotten situated, they brought us some bread and butter… Tyler put almost all of the butter on his bread… I put maybe 1/16 of a teaspoon of butter on my bread. Geesh. This dining in the dark this is hard! Then they brought us a teensy little bite, a single cucumber slice with all sorts of magical deliciousness on top. It was easy enough to just pick up and eat.

For an appetizer, we had tuna tartar with taro chips. It was magnificent. When you’re eating without any use of your vision, the textures, the smells, the sounds absolutely sing. The moment Katie approached with food, I could immediately smell what it was before she even put it down. I fumbled with the tartar… I pretty much ate all of my taro chips and then had a big pile of tartar left. Tyler thoroughly enjoyed stealing it off of my plate. I would have never known if he hadn’t told me!

Then they brought us a plate full of sliced veggies and several dips. The point was to guess what each veggie and each dip was. Unfortunately, this was the most difficult task of the whole dinner. I kept just dunking my hand in the dips. Yeesh. They were delicious though…

Next came our entrees, Tyler got steak with mashed potatoes, and I got grilled salmon with sweet potatoes and green lentils. At this point I pretty much abandoned all hope of eating with my utensils. There I was, eating a gourmet meal with. My. Hands. It was all together ridiculous. But, nobody could see me at all! SO WHO CARES!? The serving size was generous so I ended up being able to take some home with me to sneak a peak (it looked as good as it tasted!).

Last was chocolate cake. I was determined to use my spoon. I absolutely used my spoon. But I did cheat now and again when I kept putting the empty spoon in my mouth. The moment Katie came with my cake, I didn’t even need to hear her to know she was there. The smells if bittersweet chocolate, of the sweet strawberries, of the candied mint leaves were practically shouting at me. I ate that cake. I ate it like crazy.

Normally, I would include photos of such magnificent food, but if I were to do that, we’d be left with a blog post full of black photos. Ha!

So listen to me, Opaque.

You in the San Francisco Bay Area? You looking for a dinner that will blow your mind? Hit up Opaque. Just. Do. It. It is straight up YUMMMMM foodie foodie.

Man. It was such a good birthday, my boyfriend is amazing. It was a day I’ll never forget!

Yum Foodie Foodie! 

Let me tell you something.

Sometimes, there are days that I say to myself “Elise, today you will go for a run. And not a wimpy run, you will actually run all the way, and even on the hilly parts!”. And on most of those days, by the time I actually get home, exhausted, feeling a strong hankering for a spoonful (or two… or three) of Trader Joe’s cookie butter, I will say “no. nope. nope. nope. Sorry run, it’ll have to be tomorrow.”

So after days… weeks, (even months…) I hang my head in shame as I realize that I have not put on my good ol’ running shoes for far. too. long.

Let me tell you something else.
I also have days when I tell myself “Elise. Today, you will blog. You will photograph something delicious, you will edit the photos, you will write a whitty blog entry about it, and you will press the PUBLISH button. AND there won’t be ANY spelling errors!”
As you can imagine, these days are much like the days I tell myself to go for a run. fail. fail, Elise.

WELL. Not today, I say! Today, I went to work, got there 15 minutes early, did my very best, got home, went for a run (I even ran most of the hilly parts), and now I’m blogging.

So here I am.

Hi! I’ve missed you all dearly. Let me give you some to the deets on what’s been going on!
I’m busy

Life is busy. My life has left little time to spare. Here are some of the things that have been going on with me:

1. I moved out of my parents house (quite some time ago… yeesh!)
2. I have my very own apartment now! (AAAAH!)
3. I have been reunited with my kitty, Olive
4. I have been playing Canasta with some lovely new friends
5. I have been hanging out with my awesome, handsome, fantastic man-friend, Tyler
6. I have been going to work (duh)
7. I have been doing graphic design after hours (mostly as favors to family and friends)
8. I have been cooking… without my camera nearby. BAD Elise! BAD.
9. I have been cooking… with my camera too! (I’m stock-piling yummy photos)

Don’t believe me? Fine. Here’s proof:

Anywho- I’ve been listening to some podcasts lately, mostly the Joy the Baker Podcast. Joy the baker is a full-time food blogger. She writes in the blog, Joy the Baker (duh). Most of my baked goods now come from this website- she is very good.

Back on track, Elise. My point is that I’ve been listening to that podcast of hers, and it’s basically just a weekly chat with her friend Tracy from Shutterbean. From what I understand of it, Tracy has a day job, is married, has a small child… AND she blogs- and has a very successful blog at that. I’ve really come to admire bloggers like Joy and Tracy. Joy makes a living from blogging, and Tracy keeps up a totally kick-butt blog ON TOP of all of the other things she does! How is it, that a 22-year-old, unmarried, childless lady like me has SUCH a hard time blogging every once in a while (DANG IT!)?!?

So. There’s that.

Anyway, Olive seems to enjoy the situation. She tends to hang out on the top of my cushy chair (Tyler and I call it “the man chair”) while we cook/play cards/run around crazy.

So- horrah! There’s all of THAT for you! Now I’m sure you’re saying “alright Elise, enough with the babble, let’s get to the food”

and to that I say “okay okay! Fine. How about some chicken soup?”

Kaley-Carrotey Chicken Soup

You’ll need:
2 tsp olive oil
2 chicken breasts
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large bunch of kale, stems taken out, shredded
32 oz. chicken broth
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper

1. Put the oil in a large pot (or dutch oven) on medium/high heat. Salt and pepper the chicken, and place into the pot. Allow to brown on both sides and cook until it’s cooked through. Remove and allow to cool.
2. Add the carrots, onion, and sweet potato to the pot. Cook until potato is just getting tender.
3. Add the kale and stir. It should turn a brighter green color from the heat. Horrah! Add salt and pepper.
4. While the veggies continue to cook, cut the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add to the pot along with the broth, bay leaf, and more salt and pepper.
5. Allow to simmer until the veggies are lovely and tender, the kale has just a teensy bit of bite left, and your apartment is filled with the lovely smell of kaley-carrotey chicken soup.
6. Scoop yourself a bowl, grab a hunk of crusty bread if you’ve got it, and CHOW DOWN!

This will make you feel all warmy-happy inside. I promise.

Foodie Foodie!

What’s up guys?

I realize that I’ve been terrible about my new years resolution (“NOT neglecting Yum Foodie Foodie so much…”) sigh… things have been crazy-town around here lately. More on THAT later. For now I just figured, why not give you a little tid bit. A little morsel… a little spoonful.

Alright people here we go:

Listen, I love soup. You know what else I like? Stew. And Chowder. Ohhhh man. I love chowder. You know what I DON’T like about chowder? That normally, chowder is terrible for you. All that heavy cream.. all that butter.. ugh. For me, eating a big bowl of chowder is normally a one-way ticket to food-coma land. BUT, here’s a recipe that I found that yields all the decadence of a chowder, but none of the… food coma. Here’s what’s up:

Chicken Corn Chowder:

(originally from Cooking Light)

You’ll need:

2 tsp olive oil

2 chicken breasts

3 tbs of butter

1 small onion, chopped

4 pieces of celery, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped finely

3 tbs all purpose flour

3 cups 2% milk (you might need a tad more)

2 cups frozen corn

½ tsp ground red pepper

salt and pepper

1 can (14 ¾ oz) cream-style corn

¼ c chopped cilantro (plus more for garnish)

1.     getcho finest soup pot and put that baby over medium/high heat.
2.     Add the olive oil. While that’s heating, salt and pepper the chicken breasts. Add to the pan and cook (flipping once) until cooked through. Remove from heat.
3.     Then, add the butter to the pan along with the onion, celery, and jalapeno. Cook until tender (just a few minutes)

• Hey listen! Don’t be dumb, okay? Be careful when handling the jalapeno. You know what I do? I wear gloves. I look a little like a doctor doing surgery on a teeny, spicy patient. But you know what? If you touch a jalapeno, and then rub your eye… ouch. Mega ouch. So don’t do it, okay? Good talk.

4.     Add the flour and stir stir stir!
5.     Add the milk, corn, pepper, and cream corn and stir. Turn up the heat a little.
6.     While that’s heatin up, chop the chicken into little bits. Then add it to the pot.
7.     Once the soup has come to a gentle boil, reduce the heat and let it sit there and think things over. It’s gotta think about being delicious. Not for long, I’d give it… 5–10 minutes. Then it’s chow time.
8.     Add the cilantro at the last minute (and stick a few sprigs on top for funsies) and EAT THAT NOMLICOUSNESS. It’ll be lovely. AND you won’t nod off into your bowl. Win.

foodie foodie!