It’s as Easy as an Old Friendship

When good friends get together for a meal, no one expects pretension. Put a simple, home-cooked meal on the table and the occasion is made.

The following menu comprises three recipes that are easy to cook and to serve. They can also be prepared ahead and reheated at serving time. The corn and posole chowder simmers just 10 minutes, and it’s delicious.

Sandwiches of chili chicken go perfectly with the chowder.

Dessert? Serve maple-pecan cookies with ice cream, frozen yogurt or chilled red seedless grapes.

CORN AND POSOLE CHOWDER

1 (15-ounce) can cream-style corn

1 cup canned whole-kernel corn, well drained, or frozen corn

1 (15 1/2-ounce) can yellow or white hominy, rinsed and drained

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can vegetable broth (low-sodium chicken broth can also be used)

3/4 cup water mixed with 2 tablespoons instant masa

1 medium onion, diced

1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce or to taste

Salt

1/3 cup cilantro leaves

1/3 cup green onions, sliced thin

1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

Some soups and chowders come together quickly with great success, even without the benefit of homemade stock and long simmering. This is one. The hominy and instant masa enrich the soup with a deep corn flavor. If you’d like less conventional garnishes, try thin-sliced radishes, a squeeze of lime juice and fresh oregano leaves.

Simmer cream-style corn, canned corn, hominy, broth, water and instant masa, onion, cumin and hot sauce in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat until onion is softened, about 10 minutes. Stir often to avoid sticking. Add salt to taste. (Can be made a day ahead to this point and refrigerated, tightly covered). Gently reheat before serving, stirring often. If soup thickens too much, add water as needed.

Divide among 6 to 8 bowls and garnish with cilantro leaves, sliced green onions and diced red bell pepper. Pass extra hot sauce, if desired.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Each of 6 servings contains about:

180 calories; 850 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 1.30 grams fiber.

CHILI CHICKEN SANDWICHES

1/4 cup flour

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

3 skinned, boned chicken breast halves, about 3 1/2 ounces each, trimmed of all visible fat, washed, blotted dry with paper towels

1 tablespoon oil

1 medium onion, sliced

4 teaspoons hot sauce or to taste

2 1/2 tablespoons barbecue sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce

6 soft warm hamburger buns

Combine flour, chili powder, salt and pepper in large plastic bag. Shake well to combine. Add chicken breasts and toss until breasts are coated.

Heat oil in 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sear for 1 minute, then push to side. Add chicken breasts in single layer. Brown on 1 side, about 2 1/2 minutes. Turn and brown other side. Continue cooking until just cooked through, about 3 minutes more (use tip of sharp knife to pierce through thickest part of chicken; juices should run clear, not pink). During cooking, stir onion on side of pan to avoid burning. Remove pan from heat.

Cut chicken into shreds and return to pan with onion. Add hot sauce and barbecue sauce and toss well to combine. Adjust seasoning and hot sauce. (Can be made to this point a day ahead and refrigerated, tightly covered). Gently reheat before serving.

Divide lettuce among 6 bottom buns and top with chicken mixture. Close with top buns and lightly press together.

Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

293 calories; 597 mg sodium; 39 mg cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 18 grams protein; 0.49 gram fiber.

MAPLE PECAN CRISPS

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

Dash salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon maple extract

1 egg, separated

1 cup flour

3 tablespoons minced pecans

Place butter, brown sugar, salt, vanilla and maple extracts in mixer and beat to blend.

Lightly beat egg yolk with fork and add 1/2 to mixture. Beat until well-mixed and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add flour and mix well.

Drop batter by rounded teaspoons on 2 lightly greased baking sheets, spacing cookies 2 inches apart. Dip fingers in small dish of water and pat cookies into about 2 1/2-inch rounds. Froth egg white with fork and brush top of each cookie lightly with egg white. Don’t let egg white drip off cookies onto pan; cookies will stick. Sprinkle about 1/4 teaspoon pecans on each.

Bake at 350 degrees until cookies are medium brown, about 10 to 11 minutes. Let rest 2 minutes before using spatula to transfer them to cooling rack. Once completely cooled, cookies can be kept up to 1 week at room temperature in an airtight container or frozen as long as 3 months, wrapped airtight.

Makes 32 cookies.

Each cookie contains about:

66 calories; 11 mg sodium; 14 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.03 grams fiber.