Foodie Friday: Crockpot White Chicken Chili

Happy Friday, dear reader. We've made it through another week of winter. Hopefully, this will be the last Arctic blast to move through our area. The cold, dreary weather only increases my desire for comfort food. This week, I made Crockpot White Chicken Chili. The Bibbed Wonder brought home a recipe from Ogelbay Resort, which he frequently stayed at when he worked for a gas production company. He became friends with the restaurant's bartenders, wait staff, and managers because he was there so often. The manager graciously gave him the chef's recipe for white chili because he ordered it every week.

I turned this into a crockpot recipe because I rely heavily on this simple kitchen gadget to make my life easier. This recipe is warm, comforting, and delicious on a cold January day. I hope you enjoy it.

Crockpot White Chicken Chili

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 yellow onion diced

2 cloves garlic minced

24 oz. chicken broth

2 15oz cans of great at Northern beans drained and rinsed

2 4oz cans diced green chiles

1 15oz can whole kernel corn drained

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp cumin

3/4 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

small handful of fresh cilantro chopped

4 oz reduced-fat cream cheese softened

1/4 cup half and half

Add chicken breasts to the bottom of the slow cooker and top with salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and cayenne pepper.

Top with diced onion, minced garlic, great Northern beans, green chiles, corn, chicken broth and cilantro. Stir.

Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.

Remove chicken to a large mixing bowl, shred, then return to slow cooker.

Add the cream cheese and half-and-half, stir, and then cover and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes or until the chili is creamy and slightly thickened.

This comforting, filling chili pairs well with a nice salad and a loaf of fresh bread. It makes an easy, comforting meal on a bitterly cold day. Stay safe, be smart, enjoy easy, delicious, homemade food, and keep washing your hands.

The New Man Candy

We have introduced a new scent with a masculine vibe for Valentine's Day. The recently released Man Candy is scented with the popular classic scent of bay rum. If, like me, you are unfamiliar with the smell of bay rum, let me share what I have learned. Even if you don't find all things soap and scent fascinating, it's an interesting story.

The use of bay leaves for fragrance began in the 1500s. Sailors sailing from the West Indies would take bay leaves and rub them all over themselves to help mask the stink a long voyage at sea would create. This was a common practice that went on for centuries.

As the exportation of goods grew, so did the profit from sugar. West Indian plantations began growing sugar cane to export to Europe. A few ingenious plantation slaves discovered that molasses, a by-product of sugar, could be fermented and turned into what we now consider a staple of the Caribbean: rum.

Brewers expanded upon the idea of fermenting molasses for great profit. Each brewer had their secret recipe for the best rum, which often included spices such as clove, citrus, and cinnamon. Eventually, a sailor discovered that bay leaves steeped in rum created a delightful "perfume" that was easier to apply than rubbing dry leaves all over one's body. The scent of the Caribbean was made, and the Bay Rum scent became popular among barbers and perfumers.

Today, the Bay Rum fragrance is associated with the manliest of men and is the most popular scent for beard care products. I find the smell intoxicating and have declared it one of my top ten favorite scents. It is exotic, warm, spicy, and fresh. Of course, The Bibbed Wonder asked to be in charge of naming this new soap. I agreed as long as it wasn't inappropriate. He heaved a sigh of annoyance and declared he would settle for calling it Man Candy. Which, by the way, is what he calls himself. He is my man candy. The man candy of the business, and everyone loves the sight of man candy in bibs. He's a lot. Seriously.

The soap not only smells fantastic, but it is wonderful for one's kin. We added aloe vera juice and Tussah silk fibers to our original cold-process soap recipe to create a luxurious, skin-pampering bar. Yes, this scent is considered masculine; however, I like it so much that it is the soap I am currently using in the shower. It is delightful.

On this bitterly cold January day, that is a step up from saying Arctic cold January day, stay safe, be smart, enjoy delightfully scented soaps, and keep washing your hands.

Brrrr

Welcome to Wednesday, dear reader. We woke up to a -10-degree temperature with a feels-like temperature of -21. That, dear reader, is nonsense. Nobody wants to attempt to stick their little noses outside. My obnoxious and rambunctious canine bff refuses to go outside, let alone go for a walk. I opened the door to let him out; he stepped toward the door, felt a blast of subzero air, and ran back to his bed. I feel that way too. The Bibbed Wonder awoke a little before seven, and I asked him to remain in bed because I wasn't ready to give up his body heat. He complied for a few minutes, but putting off the daily chores was impossible.

I am down to twelve chickens, including the roosters, so my few remaining ones will stay indoors today. I will make them a gruel of warm rice cereal, peas, corn, and mealworms. I will also put a few apples in the coop for them to pick at. Although they have plenty of room in the coop, I like to offer them treats to break up the boredom. The coop is chilly but not enough to create problems such as frostbite.

I look forward to moving the three remaining chicks Jenna gifted me at Christmas to the little green coop this weekend. They are now entirely feathered, and once the arctic air moves out, it will be safe to move them out of the heated garage. Three little hens create quite a mess in our now-clean garage. The Bibbed Wonder has been very gracious about welcoming them into the garage. However, they are wearing out their welcome fast.

Our goats are fairing well despite the cold temperatures. Everyone is snuggled in with deep bedding, closed barn doors, and water buckets inside the barn. The girls don't feel it necessary to go out in weather like this. Perhaps later this afternoon, when the sun is shining, they will go out to soak up some vitamin D, but for now, they are content to stay inside. I am happy to share that my dear Red, our geriatric nanny goat, is doing well despite this cold snap. She is taking her arthritis medicine like a good girl. Getting up is a bit painful for her, but once she is up, she is large and in charge, biting the other girls on the ears and nipping at the tails of the little goats. I am sure the goats are ready for this cold snap to end. The cold is unpleasant for everyone.

My bib overall-wearing wonder buns is my hero. He has graciously taken over feeding my chickens and geese, so I don't have to go out in the cold. You must respect, appreciate, and adore a man who makes himself uncomfortable for the ones he loves. He dislikes my birds but cares for them, so I don't have to risk an arthritic flare. That, dear reader, is love. He says he only does it so he doesn't have to hear my complaints. I mean, there is that mouth of his to contend with, but he really is a bib-wearing superhero.

This cold snap is far-reaching. My friend Brandi lives in St. Augustine, Florida. She sent me a message saying it was 41 degrees last night. Although 41 degrees would feel like a heatwave right now, it is cold for Florida. I wrote thank you cards for our orders yesterday, and each one ended with the words, stay warm whether it went to Florida, Pennsylvania, or the Midwest. I hope you are fairing as well as we are in this cold. However, I can say everyone here is greatly looking forward to warmer temperatures.

On this bitterly cold January day, stay safe, be smart, keep warm, appreciate those who make your life better, care for your friends with feathers and fur, and keep washing your hands.