recipes 10, 11, and 12: creamy chicken noodle soup, celebrity chili, and frito pie

Moving on with the soups (or things like chili that are soup-ish and frito pie, which is one step removed from soup-ish)... The chicken soup and chili come to you courtesy of food network celebrity chef personalities. The creamy chicken soup is a modified and simplified version of Paula Deen's recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/the-ladys-chicken-noodle-soup-recipe/index.html. The chili is almost a direct replica of the Neelys' famous chili, save for some spice modification and a little extra beer (of course!): http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely/pats-famous-beef-and-pork-chili-recipe/index.html. The frito pie comes from an internet search of me trying to figure out what to do with leftover chili. I am my mother's daughter and I do not waste food. I found a bunch of frito pie recipes from real Texans, who apparently eat this as frequently as I eat pizza. I used various recipes as inspiration and then created my own "frito pie" recipe, successfully using up all of my leftover chili via a trick of a new recipe. Sleight of hand! And don't mess with Texas! (I only did a little bit when I altered the frito pie recipes I found...)

CREAMY CHICKEN SOUP (makes a pot full of soup)
Ingredients:
-3 quarts of low sodium chicken stock, seasoned with some garlic and lemon pepper
-1 cooked rotisserie chicken, shredded
-2 c sliced carrots
-2 c sliced celery
-2 1/2 c cooked egg noodles (or any pasta noodles that you would enjoy in a soup)
-1 c sliced mushrooms
-3 T fresh chopped parsley
-1/3 c sherry
-2 t rosemary
-1 c grated parmesan cheese
-3/4 c light cream (can be eliminated or reduced, but I think this is a good amount)
-salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1) bring the stock to a boil and once boiling, add the carrots and boil for 3 minutes
2) add the celery to the pot and boil for 5 minutes
3) add the noodles and cook according to package directions
4) when the noodles are cooked, add the chicken, mushrooms, parsley, sherry and rosemary
5) turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes
6) add the parmesan cheese and the light cream, stir, and simmer for about 3 more minutes
7) add salt and pepper to taste, adjust seasoning as necessary, and serve!

CELEBRITY CHILI (makes a pot full of chili and enough leftovers to make a frito pie)
Ingredients:
-6 slices of thick cut bacon, cut into half inch pieces
-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
-2 medium onions, finely chopped
-1 red pepper and 1 yellow pepper, chopped
-3 T chili powder
-3 T smoked paprika
-2 t dried oregano
-salt and black pepper, to taste
-1 lb lean ground beef
-1 lb ground pork
-1 bottle of Budweiser
-15 oz. black beans, drained
-15 oz. kidney beans, drained
-24 oz. crushed tomatoes
-24 oz. diced tomatoes, with juice
-garnish: lime wedges, sour cream, shredded cheddar, sliced scallions

Instructions:
1) cook bacon over medium high heat in a large pot until lightly crisp, stirring occasionally
2) once bacon is browned, add garlic, onions, peppers, spices, salt and pepper
3) cook until the vegetables are tender and the seasonings are aromatic
4) add the beef and once beginning to brown, add pork
5) cook until the pork is no longer pink, about 4 minutes
6) stir in the beer and beans and then add the tomatoes

7) turn the heat to low and simmer for about an hour and a half (this can be longer or shorter, with a lid on or off the pot, depending on your thickness-of-chili preference)
8) add salt and pepper to taste
9) transfer to serving bowls and add desired garnish(es)

FRITO PIE (serves 4)
Ingredients:
-3 c frito chips
-3/4 c chopped scallions
-1 c grated cheddar cheese
-2 1/2 c homemade chili

Instructions:
1) preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2) spread 2 c of fritos in an 8 inch baking dish
3) sprinkle half of the scallions and half of the cheese on top
4) pour all of the chili on top
5) sprinkle remaining fritos, scallions, and cheese on top
6) bake for 15-20 minutes (or until the cheese is bubbly)