Quick Chili

Things have been so busy lately that I've really been relying on my favorite throw together recipes.  My kiddos are running on the track team at their high school this year, so I'm having to run into town everyday to pick them up, right at dinner time.  It makes it hard to put anything that even resembles a meal on the table.  And I have to admit, we've had more YOYO (You're On Your Own) nights than I'm comfortable with.  My younger kiddos have even started telling me that if they have to have grilled cheese sandwiches one more time they are going to barf them up in front of me.  Yum.  So I finally pulled myself together and started to plan ahead a little better than I have been.  Usually I'm pretty on top of things, but lately....

I love this chili because if I'm short on time I can have it on the table in 30 minutes and if I plan ahead and make it early in the day I can dump it in the slow cooker on low and it is ready and delicious when we finally have time to eat.

This is also a family favorite.  I know I've mentioned my oldest son, Colton's love of food.  The kid is 6 foot 4 inches and has 2 hollow legs that also seem to be bottomless pits.  All he has to do is smell this cooking and I'm greeted with groans of delight.  I always try to make extra because it tastes fantastic as leftovers.

Quick Chili
Serves 8

1 (12 oz.) can kidney beans

1 (12 oz.) can pinto beans

1 (12 oz.) can black beans

2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

1 lb. hamburger

1/4 cup diced onion

garlic salt to taste

1 (12 oz.) can green beans, undrained
1 (12 oz.) can whole kernel corn, undrained

1 pkg. chili seasoning mix

1 cup diced beef stick or kielbasa

1/4 cup ketchup

Drain and rinse the beans. In a large pot, brown the ground beef, onions and garlic salt. Drain any grease. Mix the remaining ingredients in with the ground beef and simmer for 20-30 minutes if you have time or just heat through and serve.   At this point, you can transfer it to a slow cooker and leave it on low until you're ready to eat.

Source:  Tammy H.

Crunchy Oriental Beef Salad

Since summer is in full swing and temperatures are in the upper 90's in my neck of the woods, I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite salad recipes.  This salad is probably my all time favorite...ever.  I was a little worried that my kiddos wouldn't be satisfied with salad for dinner, but I was pleasantly surprised!  The whole family loved this so much, we all made total pigs out of ourselves.

This salad is so delicious and different.  I've had plenty of salads with chicken in them, but never beef.  It was delightfully different.  In fact, my hubby asked me if I got this recipe off a cooking show on TV.  What a compliment!  Actually, this recipe won the Idaho Beef Cook Off in 1990, and once you taste it you will totally understand why!

This recipe calls for flank steak, but that was way to pricey for my budget.  So I substituted a nice lean beef roast that I found on sale and had the butcher slice it nice and thin.

Crunchy Oriental Beef Salad
Serves 6 as a main dish


1 1/2 lb. beef flank steak (Or beef roast sliced thin)
1/2 cup water
2 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs. EACH  vegetable oil, apple juice, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. EACH  instant beef bouillon and garlic powder
1 (3 oz.) pkg. beef flavor ramen noodle soup mix
1 head iceberg lettuce, torn into bite sized pieces
1 cup EACH thinly sliced celery and shredded red cabbage
4 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 Tbs. toasted sesame seeds

Ginger Dressing


1/4 cup EACH sugar, vegetable oil, and rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. EACH ground ginger and black pepper

Partially freeze the flank steak until it is firm.  Meanwhile, combine the water, sugar, oil, apple juice, soy sauce, vinegar bouillon and garlic powder.  Mix well.  Stir in beef flavored packet from the noodle soup mix.

Slice the steak diagonally across the grain into 1/4 inch thick slices.  Cut the slices crosswise into 1 1/2 inch strips.  Place the beef and marinade into a plastic bag, turning to coat.  Place in the refrigerator and allow to marinate 1-2 hours or overnight.

Prepare the ginger by combining all the ingredients and mixing well.

Drain the beef and discard the marinade.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until hot.  Stir fry the beef in batches until browned.  Remove the beef and drain on paper towels.  Refrigerate beef for 30 minutes or until cool.  (If you are using sliced beef roast instead of flank steak, cut the meat into bite sized pieces once cooled.)

Combine the lettuce, celery, cabbage, green onions, almonds and 1 Tbs. sesame seeds.  Add the crushed ramen noodles, beef and ginger dressing and toss.  Sprinkle with remaining sesame seeds.

**This salad doesn't store well, so add the ramen noodles, beef and dressing immediately before serving**


Source:  Janeen T.

Southwestern Haystacks

I know that almost everyone has tried Hawaiian Haystacks, but have you ever tried Southwestern Haystacks?  It is basically the same concept, just with taco ingredients!  I have an unhealthy obsession with Mexican food, so I created this recipe to help feed my addiction in new and exciting ways.  Over the years I've tweaked and refined it, and its always a hit with everyone who tries it.  The ingredients are simple and you probably have most of them in your pantry or fridge right now.  I make this on busy nights since I can have it on the table in 30 minutes.

My family, specifically my 16 year old son Colton, loves this so much that I have to make him his own 8 x 8 pan.  And HE EATS THE WHOLE THING!!  Its unbelievable!  I've never in my entire life seen anyone eat that much food.  I think he may have a future in competitive eating.  :)

Southwestern Haystacks

Serves about 10

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 onion, chopped

3/4 cup tomato juice

3/4 cup water

1 pkg. taco seasoning

1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

2-3 cups hot cooked rice

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk

8 oz. Velveeta cheese, cubed (I like the Mexican flavored Velveeta)

Toppings

Shredded lettuce

Diced Tomatoes

Sliced black olives

Shredded cheddar cheese

Sliced jalapenos

In a skillet, brown the beef and onion until cooked through.  Drain.  Add the tomato juice, water, green chilies, black beans and taco seasoning and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until water is absorbed. 

While the meat is simmering, make the cheese sauce.  In a sauce pan, melt the butter.  Stir in the flour until smooth.  Gradually add the milk.  Bring to a boil and cook and stir for 2 minutes.  Reduce the heat and stir in the Velveeta until melted.

Spread the hot rice in the bottom of a  9 x 13 pan.  Then spread the meat mixture on top of the rice.  Pour the cheese sauce over the meat.  Top with lettuce, tomatoes, olives, shredded cheese and sliced jalapenos.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Source:  A Mommy's original recipe

Taco Meatball Ring

Tragedy struck our house a few weeks ago and it is really cramping my style.  My oven died.  (Sob! Sniffle! Sniffle!)  For the last few weeks, everything I've made has been either on the stove top or in my dutch ovens.  I've never been so glad that I know how to dutch oven cook!  For those who don't know, I spent every day of 2010 cooking in my dutch ovens, so I'm a fairly experienced black pot chef.  You can see that adventure here.  I did cook this in my dutch oven, but I'll give you the normal oven directions.  :)

This is a great twist on everyday tacos.  And if your a meatball connoisseur like me, you'll really love it.  I also love the presentation.  Everything you need is right there on the platter.  No need for bowls of lettuce and other toppings.

Taco Meatball Ring
Serves about 8

2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
3 Tbs. water
4 Tbs. taco seasoning
1 lb. ground beef
2 tubes refrigerated crescent rolls
Shredded lettuce
Chopped tomato
Sliced green onions
Sliced black olives
Sliced jalapeno peppers
Sour cream and salsa

In a large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups of cheese, water and taco seasoning.  Crumble beef over mixture and mix well.  Shape into 16 balls

Place the meatballs on a greased rack in a shallow baking pan.  Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 12 minutes or until meat is no longer pink.  Drain the meatballs on paper towels.  Reduce the oven heat to 375°.

Arrange the crescent rolls on a greased pizza pan, forming a ring with the pointed ends facing the outer edge of the pan and the wide ends overlapping.

Place a meatball on each roll.  Fold the point over the meatball and tuck under the wide end of the roll.  The meatball will still be visible.  Repeat with all the meatballs.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown.

Transfer to a serving platter.  Fill the center of the ring with lettuce, tomato, onions, olives, jalapenos, remaining cheese, sour cream and salsa.  Serve.

Source:  Amy L.

Mongolian Beef



Too bad that's a terrible picture of a great meal.  This is another one of my family's favorite meals.  The sauce is rich and thick and the meat is tender and flavorful.  This is supposed to be a knock off of PF Chang's Mongolian Beef.  Once again, I've never had PF Chang's version, but I can tell you that this is worth making.

Originally, this recipe called for sliced flank steak.  Have you seen the price of flank steak?  No way could that fit in my budget!  And I'm all about good food on a tight budget!  So I perused the grocery store ads and found a nice beef roast on sale for $1.78 a pound.  I had the butcher slice it thin and I was ready to go.

This dish comes together really fast.  Cooking the meat takes the longest, but that can be done ahead of time to get dinner on the table even faster.  Just be sure not to crowd the meat in the skillet.  You want it to get nice and browned, so cook it in batches.

Mongolian Beef

Serves 6

4 tsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. ginger, minced
2 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1 c. low sodium soy sauce
1 c. water
1 c. brown sugar (packed)
2 c. vegetable oil
2 lbs. thinly sliced beef roast
½ c. cornstarch
3 large green onions

Make the sauce by heating 4 tsp. vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to medium and boil the sauce 2-3 minutes or until sauce thickens a little bit. Remove sauce from heat.

Dip the meat pieces into cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef. Let the beef sit about 10 min. so the cornstarch sticks. As the beef sits, heat up 1 c. oil in a wok (or skillet). Heat the oil over medium heat until its hot, but not smoking. Add the beef to the oil and saute for just 2 minutes, or until beef just begins to darken on the edges. Stir the meat around a little bit so that it cooks evenly.

After a few minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour most of the oil out of the skillet. Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the sauce, cook for 1 minute while stirring and add green onions. Cook for 1 more minute. Now at this point you can either remove the beef with a slotted spoon or tongs and discard the sauce (this is what P.F. Chang's does) OR thicken the sauce with a cornstarch-water mixture to desired thickness and serve it over rice with the beef.  (The sauce is so good, its a shame to pour it off!)

Source:  Adapted from Favorite Family Recipes

Secret Ingredient Chili

My family absolutely loves chili.  It is my favorite snowy day meal.  There are so many different versions that there's no reason to ever get bored with the same old chili.  But this recipe is my favorite.  The "secret ingredient" is one that no one ever guesses, but that adds a new level of flavor.  Its cinnamon.  Yep, the same cinnamon that you put on your toast in the morning tastes great in chili.  It doesn't take much to deepen and enrich the flavor of the chili.  I serve this out of bread bowls as a main dish on Superbowl Sunday.  If I'm feeling really ambitious, I'll also whip up a pot of  Smokey Chipotle Chili for those that like it HOT!

Secret Ingredient Chili

Serves 12-15

2 lbs. ground beef

1 large onion, diced

2 cloves minced garlic

2 quarts diced tomatoes

2 cans tomato sauce

1 4oz can diced green chilies

2-4 Tsp. chili powder or to taste

1-2 tsp. cumin or to taste

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. pepper

cinnamon  (start with 1/4 tsp. and then add more to taste)

2 15 oz cans kidney beans, drained

1 15 oz can chili beans, undrained

Cook the ground beef, onion and garlic until meat is no longer pink.  Then add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, green chilies and spices. I started with 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon, and ended up using just shy of 1 tsp. Simmer the chili 1 1/2-2 hours. Add the beans and simmer until they are heated through.

Source:  A Mommy's original recipe

Smokey Chipotle Chili

Did you know that there are actually 7 food groups (9 if you're a mom)?  Of course there are the fruits/veggies, dairy, meat and grains.  The other 3 (or 5 if you're a mom)  are so delicious that they should be granted food group status.  Those would include bacon, chipotle peppers and chocolate (and ketchup and ranch dressing--again, if you're a mom).  I don't know what it is about chipotle peppers that delights me so much.  I get all giddy just thinking about cooking with them.  Maybe its because they add a flavor and smokiness that you just can't find anywhere else. 

So what are these little beauties?   A chipotle pepper is a red Jalapeño chili, ripened, dried, and smoked through a special process. Derived from the Aztec word meaning smoke, jalapeños are placed over huge pits and smoke is blown through tunnels running underground.
Chipotle peppers have a unique warm heat and smoky flavor.  Chipotles are packed in a red adobo sauce made from lightly seasoned tomato broth.  Medium-thick fleshed, with a subtle deep rounded heat, they are excellent in sauces, soups, and as a seasoning for meats and stews.

Really, whats not to love about these little baby's?

Chipotle peppers and Chili are a perfect marriage.  The great thing about it is you can make it smokey with just a bit of spice, you can make it "Holy crap!  Call the fire department!  My mouth just went up in flames!", or somewhere in between.  This Chili is smokey with a subtle burn as it goes down.  I'm afraid it was too spicy for my little ones, but from my 8 year old up, it was just right.  Feel free to adjust the spices to your tastes.  But add the chipotle pepper a little at a time and taste between additions to be sure you don't get it too spicy.

Smokey Chipotle Chili
Serves 12-15

2 lbs. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped
~2 tsp. cumin
~3 tsp. chili powder
~2 tsp. black pepper
~2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup water (use only if your chili seems to be too thick)
2 (15 oz.) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 (15 oz.) cans chili beans, undrained

In a large stock pot or dutch oven, cook the ground beef, onion, peppers and garlic until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender.  Drain off any liquid or grease.  Add the remaining ingredients except the beans.  Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours.  Add the beans and heat through.

Source:  A Mommy's original recipe

Smokey Chipotle Shredded Beef and Homemade Taco Bowls

This is an original recipe!  I wanted to have shredded beef taco salad for dinner, but I didn't have a great recipe for the meat.  Well, I do now!  This was fabulous!  Chipotle peppers are one of my favorite things!  They fall into the "food of the Gods" category with bacon, chocolate and  peanut butter.  You can find them canned in the Latin section of your grocery store. You can make it as spicy or mild as you want by adjusting the amount of chipotle peppers.  Just be sure to taste the sauce before you put the meat in. 

The taco bowls are awesome!  A lot of the time when I'd buy them from the store they would be soggy and greasy or broken by the time I needed to use them.  These taco bowls are baked fresh rather than fried.  They are not quite as flaky as the fried bowl, but they are nice and crispy!

Smokey Chipotle Shredded Beef
Serves 8-10

3 lbs. boneless beef chuck roast
2 Tbs. canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
3 cups water
8 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 (7 1/2 oz.) can El Pato Jalapeno Salsa (it is available in the Latin section of most grocery stores.  It doesn't add heat, it just adds flavor)

In large heavy pot, stir together everything except the meat.  Over medium high heat bring the mixture to a boil.  While the sauce is coming to a boil, cut the beef into pieces, trimming off the fat.  Add to the boiling sauce.  Bake at 350° for 2-3 hours or until fork tender, stirring every 30 minutes and adding more water as necessary.  Keep in mind that when the beef is finished cooking you want the sauce to be thick.  Remove the pot from the heat and shred the beef with 2 forks.  Allow it to sit in the sauce for about 5 minutes before serving.  Serve in tacos, burritos, chimichangas, or any Mexican dish.  Serves 8-10.

 

Homemade Taco Bowls

Flour tortillas  (Thinner is better)

Cooking spray (such as Pam spray)

Heat your oven to 350°.  Spray both sides of the tortilla with cooking spray.  Drape each tortilla over an empty quart jar.  Place on a baking pan and bake 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy.  Carefully remove from the jar and allow to cool.  Fill with your favorite taco salad fillings.