Some Purty Tasty Chili, If I Do Say So Myself

I was getting tired of my old chili recipe and we had an upcoming chili cook-off at church, so I decided to Google "award winning chili". Well, lo and behold, I discovered my new fav-o-rite chili recipe. My dad makes a mean breaded chicken chili that is to die for but it's way too labor intensive for me and therefore I never make it. So while I can say I think his is the best chili I've ever had, this recipe riiiight here comes in at a close second. Now, I'm not saying it's THE BEST because good chili is a fairly subjective thing, but we can't get enough of it around this here household. Just sayin'. I did change up the recipe ever so slightly, (we like a fair amount of beans in our chili) but the original can be found [here].

The night before you want to eat the chili, mix in large bowl:
1 large white onion chopped
1 red pepper, chopped (I think they're sweeter than green bell peppers)
1 poblano pepper, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup finely diced jalapenos (mine is jarred, and I add a few spoonfuls of the juice too)
3 lbs round steak, cubed (Yup, I said steak. Buy it on sale and it's as cheap as ground beef, but waaaay better!)
1 lb. hot sausage
5 TBSP Worchestershire
2 TBSP liquid smoke
salt and pepper to taste

Allow mixture to marinate, covered, in the refrigerator at least overnight.

The next afternoon, fry everything, (it will probably take 2 or 3 separate batches) and don't discard those yummy juices! Don't worry about cooking the meat all the way through as it will finish cooking while the chili simmers. Transfer to medium-large stock pot.

Add:
2 - 28oz cans of crushed tomatoes
1 can pinto beans
1 can red kidney beans (I rinse these)
1 can ranch style beans
Tapatio (or other) hot sauce to taste
chili powder
ground cumin
cayenne pepper (go easy on this until you reach the amount of heat you can handle...we like a little kick but we don't like faces-melting-off-kind-of-heat at our house)
ground coriander (mmmm, my mouth is watering as I type...I love me some coriander)
additional salt and pepper, as needed

Adjust the spices to your personal taste. Heat mixture, stirring frequently over medium(ish) heat until it is warm throughout, then reduce heat to low and let simmer, covered, for 4 to 5 hours, stirring occasionally, (and of course tasting often *wink*.) Just be sure not to scorch the mixture. Long and slow is the key to tender meat here. (I haven't tried to make this in the crock-pot but if I ever do I'll post my results...I'm sure there would have to be some liquid adjustments.)

Enjoy! (Oh, and how you will enjoy this. I promise.)

Broccoli Basil Soup

4 Tbsp butter
1 chopped onion
3/4 Cup chopped celery
1 (16oz) package frozen broccoli florets
3 1/2 Cups chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cans undiluted evaporated milk
2 Cups instant mashed potato flakes

Melt butter. Sauté onion and celery. Add broccoli and broth, salt, basil and pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer 6 minutes or until broccoli is tender. Stir in milk and potato flakes. Warm to serving temperature, do not boil. Serves 6.

Dublin Coddle

Corey and Tyler needed to make this for Scouts today on St. Patrick's day and mmmmm did it turn out good. This is obviously our version, what with the bratwurst instead of Irish pork sausage, but it's still going to be a nice new addition to our menu around here!



1 1/4 pounds bratwurst
1/2 pound bacon
5 - 7 Cups water
3 chicken bouillon cubes
8 medium red potatoes
1 large onion
salt and pepper
1/2 Cabbage

Cut the bacon into 1 inch squares. Bring the water and bouillon cubes just to a boil in a stock pot that has a well fitting lid. Add the sausages (whole) and the chopped bacon and turn down to a simmer for about 13 minutes, covered.

Remove the bratwurst from the broth. Slice the bratwurst into bite sized pieces. Return to broth.

Cut potatoes into bite-sized pieces with the skin still on. Large chop the onion. Add to broth. Add more water if necessary to cover all the ingredients.

Generously season with salt and pepper. (I use something like this McCormick Peppercorn Medley.)

Cover and simmer on low for an hour to an hour and a half, or until potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, shred (like this) about half of a cabbage and steam for 10 - 15 minutes over boiling water. Salt if desired and serve in stew.

Mexican Beef Stew

Ingredients
2 pounds beef for stew, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 Cups beef broth
3 Cups salsa
2 medium zucchini, quartered and sliced
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans Mexican corn or 2 Cups frozen corn
Salt to taste
Sour Cream to taste

Directions
Heat oil til hot add beef and brown on all edges, then pour off drippings. With meat in pan, season with salt to taste and stir in broth and salsa. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Stir in zucchini, beans and corn. Continue cooking, covered, for 15 to 20 more minutes.

Garnish with Cilantro of desired. I like to stir in a tablespoon (or more) of Sour Cream for a little kick of flavor.

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

(I want to add cream cheese to this one day and see how that tastes...yum.)

Recipe
5 or 6 boneless chicken breasts
1 small can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
3/4 cup milk
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Topping
2 rolls Ritz crackers, finely crushed
1/2 - 3/4 cup melted butter
2 Tbsp poppy seeds

Flatten the chicken breasts to a fairly even thickness with a mallet. Lightly salt and pepper. Warm a wide saute pan (it needs to have a lid for later) on medium high heat. Add about a TBSP of butter or olive oil to the pan and turn down to medium heat. Add the chicken, single layer to the pan. Cook ONE MINUTE and then flip over. Cover with lid and turn the heat down to low for 10 minutes. Next, without lifting the lid, shut off the burner and let the chicken sit for another 10 minutes. You'll have the juiciest, softest chicken, ready for a quick chop for this casserole.

In a lightly greased 9x13 casserole pan, mix chicken, soup, sour cream, and cheese. Add milk, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.

For the topping, add poppy seeds to crushed Ritz crackers. (I run the crackers through my food processor.) Pour melted butter on top and mix well. Sprinkle mixture by hand evenly over top of chicken mixture.

Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes or until bubbly.

(Note: if serving a crowd, double the recipe and divide into two baking dishes but be aware that it will take a little bit longer to bake.)

Tortilla Soup

Ingredients
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts, chopped
3 1/2 Cups chicken broth
1/2 Cup uncooked long grain rice
1 tsp ground cumin
1 (11 oz) can Mexican-style corn (it has peppers in it)
1 Cup salsa
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp lime juice

Spray saucepot with cooking spray and heat for about a minute. Add chicken and cook until browned, stirring often.

Add broth, rice and cumin. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes.

Stir in corn, salsa, cilantro and lime juice. Heat through.

Top with corn tortilla strips and shredded cheese.

Tortilla Strips
(prepare while soup cooks)

Preheat oven to 425°. Cut corn tortillas into thin strips and sprinkle on a baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray (like Pam) and sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden, stirring occasionally.

Mexican Casserole

Ingredients
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can milk
1 can diced green chiles, (4 or 7 oz according to your taste)
1 can chicken breast (13oz), drained
1 diced onion
salt and pepper
1 bag tortilla chips
1 pound shredded Colby-Jack cheese

Directions
In medium bowl, mix soup, milk, chiles, chicken, onion and salt and pepper to taste.

In 9x13 casserole pan spread a layer of tortilla chips evenly over the bottom of the pan.

Scoop 1/3 of the soup mixture over the top of the chips.

Sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese.

Repeat layers two more times ending with cheese on the top and bake in a 350° oven for 30-45 minutes, or until bubbly.

(I think I am going to try this in the future with corn and black beans in it too....mmmm....!)

Chicken Tetrazzini

Ingredients

8 oz spaghetti, cook as directed on package
1 small chopped onion
1/2 green pepper, chopped, about 2/3 cup
2 Tbsp butter
3-4 Cups cooked chicken, chopped
2 1/2 Cups monterey jack cheese, grated
2 cans, 10.75 oz each, cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can of milk
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
grated parmesan for the top

(I usually cook too much spaghetti so when I do I freeze it and then thaw it out to use it when I make this casserole. Also, whenever I boil and chop chicken, I always do extra and freeze that too, for casseroles. Sometimes I can have most of the ingredients for a meal in my freezer, already prepped. You can do that with lots of veggies, shredded cheese, marinara sauces, etc... It sure does save time.)

In a medium skillet, sauté the onions and green peppers lightly in the butter, just to soften them up. I don't like my onion to cook down so that it's soggy so I put it in a minute or two after my green peppers.

Mix onions, peppers and all remaining ingredients (except the parmesan) in a large bowl, thoroughly. Place in 9x13 casserole baking dish. Lightly sprinkle with parmesan cheese to your taste.

Bake in a 350° preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until bubbly and a little crispy on top.

Incidentally, this meal can be prepped and frozen in a large ziploc bag and then thawed and baked later.

Chile Relleno Casserole

Chile Relleno Casserole
350° for about an hour

1 Cup half and half
2 eggs
1/3 Cup flour
3 cans (4oz each) diced green chiles
8 oz - 1 pound grated Colby-jack cheese (depends on how cheesy you like it...I use a pound)
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce

Lightly grease casserole dish with spray oil. Spread green chiles evenly in bottom of 13x9 casserole dish.

Beat half and half, eggs and flour until smooth. Pour evenly over chiles.

Top with half of the cheese, then drizzle tomato sauce evenly over top.

Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top.

Bake uncovered at 350° for about 1 hour or until egg mixture is firm and casserole is golden. If desired, serve with spanish rice.

Shredded BBQ Pork

I usually buy thick sliced boneless pork loin, I have also used regular pork chops bone-in, it would probably even work with a pork roast...not sure, I haven't tried that.

-Put pork chops into a crock pot. (I figure about 1/2 pork chop per person serving, maybe a little more.)

-Pour 1 to 1 1/2 bottles of your favorite BBQ sauce over the top. I use hickory flavor. Then, sometimes if I remember I throw a whole peeled onion in. Doesn't really matter.

-Pour about 1/2 can of soda over that...I know, weird, huh. My original recipe called for coke. I use Sprite or 7-up.

-Put the lid on, put it on high for about 6 hours or low for about 10.When I pull the pork out to shred it is usually very easy to take two forks and almost mush it apart on a plate. If it's too hard to shred, it hasn't cooked long enough. If you used pork chops with bone, be very careful to remove all the bone pieces.

-Discard the liquid (and the onion if you used one) and return meat to crockpot, then add another bottle (or more) of Hickory BBQ sauce to the meat and stir it all in. You may wish to put the crockpot on low to keep the meat warm.

-Serve on hamburger buns.

It's really easy. We always have this for New Years so I don't have to cook and it can sit in the crock pot all day so we can all eat whenever we feel like it.

Shepherd's Pie

We served this last week for the Sister Missionaries with a green salad and garlic bread. It was delicious.

1 (10oz) package frozen corn (can use mixed veggies too)

3/4 cup water

2 lbs ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 (10 3/4oz) cans tomato soup

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/8 tsp dried thyme

1/4 - 1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

3 or 4 cups mashed potatoes

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

In a large skillet cook meat until browned. Drain. Return to pan and add vegetable, water, onion, tomato soup, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, pepper and salt. Cook covered, 5 to 10 minutes or until corn is tender. Transfer to 13x9 inch baking dish. Top with mashed potatoes.

Sprinkle with cheese the last 10 minutes of baking.

Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Of course I have to quadruple(ish) this recipe when I make it...also it's good served with mixed vegetables. And I pretty much don't measure...I just throw stuff in to taste.

2 large green peppers

3/4 lb ground beef

1/3 cup chopped onion

1 (7 1/2oz) can diced tomatoes

1/3 cup long grain rice

1 Tbsp (+) Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/8 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup shredded american or cheddar cheese

Halve peppers lengthwise. Remove stem ends, seeds and membranes. Immerse peppers into rapidly boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove from water and sprinkle insides with salt. Drain well onto paper towels.

In large skillet cook meat until browned. Drain grease and return to pan. Add onion, undrained tomatoes, uncooked rice, worcestershire, basil, water, salt, and pepper. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15-18 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in half of the cheese.

Fill peppers with meat mixture. Place in an 8 inch square baking dish and top with any remaining meat mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake in 375° oven for 15 minutes or until heated through.

Serves 4.

Beef with Broccoli

1 lb flank steak, sliced thinkly across the grain into bite-sized pieces (I've used beef roast, too)
1 lb broccoli
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 Tbsp oil
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp oyster sauce

Marinade the beef in 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp cornstarch and 1 Tbsp oil for at least 15 minutes.

Cut the broccoli into thinly sliced and bite-sized pieces. Place them in a pan of rapidly boiling water. Cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and drain water.

Heat the 3 Tbsp oil in large frying pan or wok. Add the garlic and stir-fry for a few seconds. Add the beef and stir fry until most of the beef is brown, do not overcook here! Add the broccoli, sugar and oyster sauce. Add salt and pepper. Stir fry for two or three more minutes. Serve.

Ham Fried Rice

3 Tbsp oil

3 large eggs, beaten
4 cups cooked long grain rice

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3/4 cup diced ham

1/4 cup chopped green onions

3/4 cup frozen peas

1 Tbsp (+/-) soy sauce

Heat oil in large pan or wok over high heat. Pour in beaten eggs and stir fry until well done. Add the rice, salt, soy sauce, pepper and stir with the eggs until the rice grains are separated. Add the ham, green peas and green onion. Stir fry for about two more minutes and serve.

*I think this recipe works better if the rice was cooked and cooled for at least an hour. Or day-old rice.

Chicken Pot Pie

Seriously it's that good. I didn't even get to snap a photo before it was GONE!



Filling:

2 cups chopped, cooked chicken
1/2 cup onion
2 cups mixed frozen vegetables
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 - 3/4 cup chicken broth

Combine and place in lightly greased 13x9 baking dish.

Crust:

1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour (*recipe below)

Combine and pour evenly over filling.
Bake at 350° for about 1 hour or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly.


*Self-rising flour

2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Combine. Makes about 2 cups.

Delicious Chicken

8-10 unbreaded chicken tenders (or 4-5 boneless skinless breasts)

2 eggs, beaten

3-cheese croutons, crushed to make about 1 1/2 - 2 cups

-If using chicken breasts, pound with meat tenderizer to uniform height. Cut in half (not lengthwise...what is that called besides NOT lengthwise?) Dip chicken or tenders in egg and then in 3 cheese croutons. Fry both sides lightly in olive oil or butter. Place chicken in lightly greased 13x9 dish. Sprinkle with any remaining crouton crumbs.

Mix:

4 cups (1 quart) whipping cream

1 cup freshly grated parmesan

-Pour over chicken. Sprinkle some more parmesan on top if desired. Bake at 350° for 30 - 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked all the way through. Serve over angel hair pasta.

THE Best Meatloaf I've Ever Eaten/Made

Meatloaf

1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds extra-lean ground beef
3 slices bread, toasted and crumbled (I used wheat bread)
7 buttery round crackers, crushed
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 1/2 tablespoons sour cream
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce, divided
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons ketchup



Preheat oven to 350°.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the onion and garlic 5 minutes, until onion is tender. Remove from heat, and season with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, mix the onion and garlic, crumbled bread, crushed crackers, egg, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/2 can tomato sauce and the milk. Add the meat and mix well. Transfer the mixture to a 5x9 inch loaf pan.

Bake uncovered in the preheated oven 40 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 400°, and continue baking 15 minutes, to an internal temperature of 160°.

In a small bowl, mix the remaining tomato sauce and ketchup. Pour over the top of the meatloaf, and continue baking an additional 10 minutes.

PS-Lately I've also been adding chopped celery. Super yummy!