Kristen's Tailgate Chili

There are a lot of chili recipes in the world.  White chili, red chili, brothy chili, chunky chili.... My special chili falls under the "chunky" heading.  It is extremely hearty and filling.

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef chuck

1 pound bulk italian sausage

3 (15oz.) cans chili beans, drained

1 (15oz) can spicy chili beans, drained

2 (28oz) cans diced tomatoes with juice

1 (6oz) can tomato paste

1 large yellow onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

2 green serrano peppers, seeded and chopped

1 tablespoon bacon bits

4 cubes beef bouillon

1/2 cup beer

1/4 cup chili powder

1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (Tabasco)

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon white sugar

Shredded cheddar cheese to top

Step One:

In a large fry pan, brown sausage and beef together.  Drain off excess grease.  (Or, if you're going meatless, skip this step.)

Step Two:

Dump everything into a crockpot.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours, stirring thoroughly once an hour.  Or, heat on high for 3-4 hours if you need it sooner.  After 2 hours, taste and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary.  

Step Three:

Top with shredded cheddar cheese and enjoy!

Did you make this recipe?  Add your comments below!

One Pot Pasta

This recipe is incredibly easy to make and incredibly delicious.  When you first look at it all in the pot, it seems like it won't come together nicely, but somehow it all works.  Takes less than 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

12 ounces linguine

12 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered if large

1 onion, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)

6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

2 sprigs basil, plus torn leaves for garnish

2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

kosher salt

ground pepper

4 1/2 cups water

lots of freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving (I used a mix of parmesan and romano)

Step One:

Combine pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, red-pepper flakes, basil, oil, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and water in a large straight-sided skillet.

Step Two: 

Bring to a boil over high heat.  Boil mixture, stirring and turning pasta frequently with tongs, until pasta is al dente and water has nearly evaporated, about 9 minutes.  

Step Three:

Season to taste with salt and pepper, divide among 4 bowls, and garnish with basil.  Serve with oil and parmesan.

Enjoy!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Husband Taste Rating: ****
"It was delicious!"

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 onion, chopped

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk

2 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped broccoli florets

1 cup matchstick-cut carrots

1 stalk celery, thinly sliced

2 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

salt and ground black pepper to taste

Step One:

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Saute onion in hot butter until translucent, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Step Two:

Whisk 1/4 cup melted butter and flour together in a large saucepan over medium-low heat; cook until flour loses its granular texture, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk if necessary to keep the flour from burning, 3 to 4 minutes.

Step Three:

Gradually pour milk into flour mixture while whisking constantly.  Stir chicken stock into milk mixture.  Bring to a simmer; cook until flour taste is gone and mixture is thickened, about 20 minutes.  Add broccoli, carrots, sauteed onion, and celery; simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Step Four:

Stir cheddar cheese into vegetable mixture until cheese melts.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

No Peek Chicken

Husband Taste Rating: *****
"Wish there was more rice!  It was delicious.  Chicken was so tender you could pull it apart with a fork."

I stumbled upon this recipe online and I was very intrigued.  Ingredients are simple and it takes very little preparation.  Sounds great to me!

Ingredients:

1 box Uncle Ben's Long Grain Wild Rice (original recipe)

1 can cream of mushroom soup (as I'm allergic to mushrooms, I used cream of chicken)

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can water (I used 2 cans and it turned out great.  If you like more moisture in your rice, use 2.)

Chicken breasts or tenders

Step One:

Grease a 9x13 pan.

Step Two:

Mix the box of rice and seasoning, cans of soup, and can(s) of water in a medium bowl.  Pour into greased pan.

Step Three:

Arrange the raw chicken on top of the rice mixture, spoon some of the mixture on top of the chicken.  Cover and seal with foil.

Step Four:

Bake at 350 degrees F for 2 1/2 hours and "Don't Peek!"

Long time no post!

Sorry for the lull in posting.  The past few weeks have been absolutely nuts for me.  One of my cats, Sam, has had a bladder infection.  We've got him on antibiotics (which he hates) so hopefully he's on the mend now.  For those of you that know me, you probably know that he has a history of urinary problems.  Poor little baby.

Onto the food!  Tonight's meal is in the oven right now, but I will post the recipe (and a picture!) as soon as it's done cooking.  My house smells amazing.

I am making "No Peek Chicken."  Post to come later tonight!

Smoky Macaroni & Cheese

Husband Taste Rating: ***1/2  

"Could use more cayenne pepper.  Some bites are really flavorful, some not so much.  Good though!"

I found this recipe online and decided to try it out.  Gotta use up that smoked Gouda from the other day.  I followed the recipe exactly for the first time.

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz.) package elbow macaroni

6 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup all purpose flour

5 1/2 cups milk, divided

2 1/2 cups shredded smoked Gouda cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (I used sharp)

1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs (I used Panko)

1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

olive oil

Step One:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Step Two:

Fill a pot with lightly-salted water and bring to a boil.  Stir the macaroni into the water and return to a boil.  Cook and occasionally stir until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm.  About 8 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

Step Three:

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the flour to the melted butter and whisk continually for 1 to 2 minutes to make a roux.  Whisk 2 cups of the milk into the roux until smooth and then add the remaining milk.  Raise the heat to medium-high and continue cooking and stirring until thickened, but not boiling.

Step Four:

Stir the Gouda, Cheddar, Swiss, and 1 cup Parmesan cheese into the mixture.

Step Five:

Once the cheeses have melted completely, fold the drained macaroni into the mixture to coat.  Pour the macaroni mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Step Six:

Stir 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl; sprinkle over the macaroni.  Drizzle the olive oil over the bread crumbs.

Step Seven:

Bake in the preheated oven until golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes.  Allow to rest 10 minutes before cutting

Smoked Gouda & Italian Sausage Pasta

Husband Taste Rating: ****

"Could use more green onions.  I love green onions!"

This recipe is what we call "old reliable" in our house.  Super easy to make.  Cheap ingredients. Delicious.  One of the best parts is that there's no strict recipe.  You can freely adjust ingredients according to your own taste.  Here is how I do it.

Ingredients: 

1 box bow-tie pasta
Italian salad dressing
1 package sweet Italian sausage
2 small tomatoes (diced) or a handful of cherry tomatoes (halved)
1 bundle green onions
4 oz. of smoked gouda cheese (any kind of smoked cheese will do)

Step One:

Start boiling water in a small kettle.  Cook pasta according to package directions.

Step Two:

While pasta is cooking, fry sausage in large deep pan until browned.

Step Three:

While pasta and sausage are cooking, chop tomatoes, onions and dice cheese.  Mix together in a small mixing bowl.

Step Four:

Once sausage is browned, mix in tomatoes, onions, and cheese.  Add Italian dressing.  There is no specific measurement.  Add until ingredients are lightly coated.  You can always add more to taste later.

Step Five:

Pasta should be done by now.  Drain and add to the pan.  Mix well.  Add more Italian dressing to your taste preference.  Enjoy!