Chili

This Chili was awesome. I actually found it on the internet a while ago and finally tried it last night. They say that it's "Wendy's" chili recipe. I made a few minor changes to it. This is probably the best chili I've ever eaten, and especially ever made.


ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. browned sausage
2, 15-oz. cans tomato sauce
2, 15-oz. cans kidney beans (with liquid)
2, 15 oz. cans pinto beans (with liquid)
1 cup diced onion (I minced mine up to smithereens as we're not fans of big onion chunks)
1/2 cup diced green chilies (2 chilies) OR 1 small can diced green chilies
1/4 cup celery stalk (1 stalk)
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp. cumin powder
3 Tbsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups water

directions:
*You'll need a 6 qt. pot, dutch oven (LeCreuset type--not camping type), or crock-pot to make this. It makes a huge amount! Feed a crowd or freeze half for another meal.

1. Brown the ground beef and sausage. Drain off the fat.

2. In your large pot/dutch oven/crock-pot, combine all of the remaining ingredients.
*Crock Pot: place on high for 2 hours and low for the remaining cooking time (3-4 hours). Stir a few times .
*Pot/Dutch Oven: Bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook for 2 to 3 hours, stirring every 15 minutes.

*Serve with corn bread, crackers, or over a baked potato.

*Leftovers can be frozen for several months.

The Adults & the Kids LOVED it. Even my toddler gobbled it up!

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4-Star Brownies

Today, I have a holiday party to go to for one of my kids' class. I signed up to bring brownies. Of course, I look in my cabinet and find NO box mix of brownies. Ugh! Well, I have cocoa, and other baking items, so I'll do it the old-fashioned way. They turned out surprisingly good! Why only 4 stars and not 5...because a 5-star brownie for me is thick, a little gooey, warm, laced with caramel. This is a good basic brownie that you can make from scratch! Yummy and good with milk.

ingredients:

1 cup butter

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 eggs

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup walnuts or chocolate chips (or both)

directions:

1. Melt the butter (or margarine). In a mixer (or with a hand mixer) mix all the ingredients in the order above.

2. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes in a 9x13" greased pan.

*You may frost them, but it isn't needed. You can even dust the brownies with powdered sugar (for presentation).

*Next time, we're going to try making it with Dark cocoa powder, as we love the richness of dark chocolate.

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Hot Cocoa Mix

I am a huge fan of hot cocoa. I usually have at least 1 cup a day during the colder months--it warms me from the inside out and is very soothing. Have you noticed that a small can of semi-decent cocoa in the store is at least $4 and makes maybe 6 mug-fulls?? Expensive!! Well, I found this recipe in Good Housekeeping and thought I'd share it with you... I tried it this morning--and it was quick, easy, and awesomely delicious (and I'm pretty picky about my cocoa). I could see making up a batch and putting it in a cute tin as a nice (and useful) Christmas neighbor/friend gift. Hmmm....

ingredients:

1 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 1/4 cup sugar

6 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used semisweet chocolate chips)

**I MADE 1/2 OF THIS RECIPE**

directions:

1. In food processor, with knife blade attached, blend cocoa, sugar, chocolate, and 1/4 tsp. salt until almost smooth. Store in a tightly sealed container at room temperature up to 6 months.

2. To make cocoa: For each serving, in a microwave-safe mug, mix 3 Tbsp. Cocoa Mix with 1 cup milk. Microwave on High 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until blended and hot, stirring once.

*Top with a dollop of whipped cream on top, or marshmallows.

Makes about 3 1/2 cups of mix.

18 servings.

variations:

*Mexican Spice

Prepare Cocoa Mix recipe as above, adding 2 tsp. ground cinnamon and 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper *cayenne) before blending in a processor.

*Vanilla Variation

Prepare Cocoa Mix recipe as above, adding half of a vanilla bean (pod and seeds) before blending in a processor.

A great tool for making hot cocoa...Mr. Coffee's "CocoMotion." It blend the cocoa so smoothly and makes it light and luscious. It retails for $10-$15 at places like Wal-Mart. I LOVE MINE. My brother and sister in-law got it for me 2 Christmases ago (they drew our name) and it was a great gift...packaged with mugs and cocoas.

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White Enchilada Casserole

We had this at a friend's house not too long ago. I got the main idea from her, and then came home and put it together as best as I could. It turned out great! (Thanks Ann for the great meal) I'm making it again tonight. I think it has found its way into our dinner rotation. Quick, easy and yummy (my 3 requirements for an inductee to our "dinner rotation").

ingredients:
12 corn tortillas
1-2 cups cut up or shredded chicken (left over chicken or canned chicken is great)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (98% fat free)
2 cups sour cream (I use light)
1/2 4 oz. can of diced green chillies (or if you really like chillies, use the whole can)
1 cup shredded mozzarella or jack cheese

directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x9 baking dish with non-stick spray.

2. In a medium size mixing bowl, mix all of the above ingredients together EXCEPT the cheese.

3. Place 4 tortillas on the bottom of dish. Spread half of the cream/chicken mixture on this layer. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of the cheese over the cream/chicken mixture.

4. Again, place 4 more tortillas, mixture, and cheese (repeating above step). Finish with 4 tortillas on the top and your last 1/3 cup of cheese sprinkled.

5. Cover with foil. Cook for 40 minutes on 350.

This serves a family of 6 (2 adults 4 kids) well. For a larger group, double the recipe (but only use 3 cups sour cream) and place in a 9x13 size baking dish.

You can serve this alone, or over some tortilla chips (which was how we had it the first time at Ann's and since).

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Lemon Jell-O Cake

A friend of mine, Shauna, brought this one night to a game night at our home. It was so so good, and lemon is always refreshing and delicious in a dessert. I made it again the other night for our ward's progressive dinner when we were hosting the dessert rotation at our home. It was a hit--and it's easy to make!

ingredients:

Lemon Jell-O (6 oz), sugar-free or regular

3/4 cup hot water

1 box lemon cake mix

3/4 cup oil

4 eggs

glaze:

2 1/4 cup powdered sugar

7 1/2 tsp lemon juice

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In a large bowl, dissolve jello, add cake mix, oil and eggs. Mix well and pour in a 9x13" pan. Bake for 35 minutes.

3. Pour glaze on cake and return to oven for 5 minutes.

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Herb Buttered Pasta

I love this dish. It is a refreshing change to have a pasta dish instead of a heavy "meaty" dish. It is so quick and simple--and the ingredients are right in my cupboard. You can toss some blanched broccoli in with it.

ingredients:

8 oz. pasta (your favorite--we use extra-wide egg noodles, but anything will work)

4 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. thyme (or marjoram)

1 tsp. dill (or caraway seed)

directions:

1. Prepare the pasta according to package directions. Drain but do not rinse (as to keep pasta warm). Set aside.

2. Place butter in pasta and toss until melted. Sprinkle in the other herbs and then salt to taste.

Serving Ideas:

*Serve this pasta dish along side your favorite meat dish...it's great with a rotisserie chicken.

*Even better...use as the main dish and serve with a vegetable side (green beans are great with this)

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Egg Strata

I call it "Egg Pizza" for the sake of the kids! They seem to eat "pizza" with more enthusiasm.

This recipe has been in my family for a long time. My mother made this frequently and now I make it every so often. It is hard to mess this up. Recently I went camping with my family and some friends...and I made this in the dutch oven. It was great! You can make this for breakfast, a brunch, and we have it all time time for dinner--it is good any time of day! There are many variations to this, and you can add ingredients that you personally like and change what I've put here. Get creative and enjoy!

ingredients:
10-14 eggs (use your judgement...for a dryer strata, use less, for a fluffier more quiche like, use more)
1/2 to 3/4 cup milk
Salt
Pepper

Mix this all together...beating the eggs well.

optional ingredients:
sausage, chunked up and cooked
bacon, cooked
ham, sliced or diced up
mushrooms
broccoli or spinach

Use any or all of these ingredients...it's up to you!

cheese--2-3 cups of your favorite cheese blends mine are:
1-2 cups swiss, shredded
2 cups cheddar, shredded

10-12 pieces of bread, or more (you may lightly butter to make it richer, but it's not necessary)

directions:
1. Spray with non-stick cooking spray, a 9x13" baking dish. Line your dish with bread...however many slices will fit, and it's okay to squeeze them in tightly.

2. Sprinkle half of your meet and optional ingredients over the bread. Sprinkle half of your cheese mixture over this layer. Pour 1/2 of the egg mixture over this layer.

3. Again, lay as much bread down as you can for another layer. Put the rest of your meat and then your egg mixture on this layer. Finish by sprinkling the rest of your cheese on the top.

4. Cover with foil and let it soak in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Overnight is great.

5. Cook at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until egg is completely cooked and it's not mushy. (Don't be confused by the cheese...it may be melted and gooey, and that is fine, as long as the egg is done.)

*When I made it in the dutch oven, I added a couple of layers, doing the same thing, and I tried putting some cream cheese droplets on each layer for a variation...it was great.

*I'd like to try some pepper-jack cheese sometime and maybe some cilantro and chorizo (mexican sausage)...and perhaps serve it with salsa and sour cream for a completely different take on a great base meal.

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