My Chili

First, if you are a chili purist, avert your eyes and scroll down to the next entry. My chili has beans in it. Here's my recipe. I call it Pretty Good Chili because it is easy on you and the budget. It is not the finest version of chili that you could do. If you like a meatier chili, add another 1/2 pound of hamburger. I use the low fat hamburger from Sam's Club, so no draining is necessary. If you are using higher fat hamburger, cook it first and then drain all but a couple of tablespoons of fat to use to saute the vegetables. We have to cook low salt here, so the recipe reflects this. You may want to add an additional 1/2 tsp. of salt - 1 whole teaspoon is usually too much. If you are like me and never remove the strings on celery, you need to chop it a bit finer.

I learned on Food TV a while back that adding a little of the ingredients near the end of the cooking time can add some additional flavor. It is especially noticeable for those who have lost some of their sense of taste or smell.

Steph's Pretty Good Chili with Beans

1/2 pound hamburger
1/2 pound italian mild sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
24 oz. tomato sauce
32 oz kidney beans (2 cans)
2 tablespoons New Mexico Chili powder (see note)
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
14-16 oz can petite diced tomatoes

Brown the sausage in a Dutch oven or other large pot until it's released a little fat, then add the hamburger. After it's browned, add the onion and celery. Saute until onion is starting to turn clear. Add remaining ingredients except tomatoes, stir and turn on medium until hot, then turn to low. Simmer, uncovered for 45 minutes. Add the can of tomatoes including the juice and an additional 1/2 tablespoon of chili powder, if desired. Simmer another 20 minutes until thoroughly hot.

For better chili, simmer for 2 hours before adding the can of tomatoes. If you want a slightly thicker chili, drain the tomatoes before adding.


New Mexico Light chili blend can be purchased at Pendery's in Fort Worth, Texas. They have had a mail order business for many years. I know Mom has bought from them since 1980. I get cinnamon from them too. I like the New Mexico blend just a teeny bit better than the Fort Worth Light blend, which is also good. For those of you who like really hot, they specialize in chili blends.

Autumn Pot Roast

Yummy, yummy, yummy. Well worth trying. A few ingredients had to be changed due to missing ingredients.

Changes made. Used 1/4 inch cinnamon instead of cinnamon sticks. Chopped cloves and didn't bother with bag. Quartered 2 medium onions instead of using pearl onions. No sweet potatoes so during last 1/2 hour, added drained, canned yams.

Autumn Pot Roast

Deby Kominski, Taste of Home Halloween Party Favorites 2008

1 boneless beef rump roast (about 3 pounds), tied
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons canola oil
3/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
1/3 cup prepared horseradish, drained
1 cinnamon stick (3 inches)
3 whole cloves
16 pearl onions
2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
16 baby carrots
4 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water

1. Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven, brown meat in oil. Drain and remove from heat. In large saucepan, combine the cranberries, water and sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until cranberries pop and liquid is slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat.
2. Add the broth and horseradish; pour over meat. Place cinnamon stick and cloves in a double thickness of cheesecloth; bring up corners of cloth and tie with kitchen string to form a bag. Add to Dutch oven. Cover and bake at 325 F for 2 hours.
3. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring 6 cups water to a boil. Add pear onions; boil for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water; peel and set aside. Add sweet potatoes to Dutch oven. Cover and cook 15 minutes longer. Add carrots and onions; cover and cook 30-40 minutes more or until vegetables and meat are tender. Remove meat and vegetables; keep warm. Discard spice bag.
4. Cool pan juices for 10 minutes; transfer to a blender. Cover and process until smooth; return to pan. Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Gradually whisk into pan juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with meat and vegetables. Yield: 8 servings.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

A very yummy salad and perfect now with strawberries being cheap at the stores. It's from the Taste of Home's Mom's Best Meals magazine (Dec 1, 2008). Adjust the sugar as needed.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

1/3 cup raspberry vinaigrette
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. prepared mustard
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1 package (10 oz) fresh baby spinach
1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted

In a blender, combine the vinaigrette, sugar, salt and mustard. While processing, gradually add oil in a steady stream. Stir in p9oppy seeds. Transfer to a small pitcher or bowl. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until chilled.

Just before serving, toss the spinach, strawberries and pecans in a large salad bowl. Serve with the dressing. Yield 8 servings

Rhubard Time & Recipe

It's rhubarb time once more and the many recipes that show up using said tart fruit have been dribbling in. Got this recipe from the Star Tribune. The sauce is a tad short on sweetener, but the almond pound cake is to die for. It is so flavorful! Because recipes tend to disappear from newspapers, I am posting it here rather than linking it. This recipe appeared in the Taste Section of the Star Tribune on March 24, 2010.

Almond Cake With Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce

Makes 1 tube cake (20 servings).

Note: Almond paste comes in a tube, in the baking section of supermarkets. It's not critical to the recipe and can be omitted, but it will add an extra layer of almond flavor (if you don't use it, lessen the milk by 2 tablespoons). The cake can be made up to a day in advance, or longer if frozen. Adapted from "Come One, Come All/ Easy Entertaining With Seasonal Menus," by Lee Svitak Dean.

1 c. (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
7 oz. (3/4 c. ) almond paste (see Note)
2 c. sugar
6 eggs, separated
1-1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. milk
1 tbsp. almond extract
Powdered sugar
Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce (recipe follows)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and almond paste thoroughly. Add sugar slowly and continue beating until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks one at a time.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking powder thoroughly.

In a cup or small bowl, combine milk and almond extract.

Add one-third of flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir gently but thoroughly; add one-third of milk mixture and stir gently but thoroughly. Continue to add flour mixture and milk alternately until all has been incorporated into the batter.

Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry; gently fold into batter thoroughly.

Spoon into well-greased, 10-cup tube pan (an angel food cake pan or Bundt pan) or in 2 loaf pans. Bake for about 50 to 55 minutes (slightly less for loaf pans), or until cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool in pan for 10 minutes.

Loosen cake gently around rim and tube. Cool completely before removing from pan. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce

Makes about 2 cups.

Note: Make this the same day it is served for the best color and texture. Zest is the colored part of the skin on citrus fruit (not the white pith, which is bitter). Don't like rhubarb? Just use strawberries.

2 c. (1 pint) fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 c. sugar
2 c. chopped (1/4 -in. pieces) rhubarb (2 large stalks), fresh or frozen
Juice and zest from 1 orange (about 1/4 c. orange juice and 1 tbsp. orange zest)

Directions

In a medium bowl, toss sliced strawberries with sugar; set aside. In a medium pot, combine rhubarb and orange juice and, over low heat, bring to a simmer. Cook rhubarb until barely soft, about 5 minutes -- do not overcook or the color turns gray. (Or cook in a microwave.) Set aside to cool slightly. Add cooled rhubarb to strawberries and toss with orange zest. Serve over cake or ice cream.

Orange Beef Teriyaki

This was pretty good and worth trying again. The only way I can thinly slice steak is to cut it while partially thawed.

Orange Beef Teriyaki

Nelly Parker, Hersey, MI
America's Family Recipes 2006 by Taste of Home

1 can (11 oz.) mandarin oranges
1 tablespoonb cornstarch
1 1/2 pounds bonelss beef sirloin steak, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 garlic clove minced
Hot cooked rice
Green onion and orange peel curls, optional

Drain oranges, reserving juice; set oranges aside. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and 2 tablespoons reserved juice until smooth; set aside. In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry beef in oil. Add the soy sauce, honey, ginger, garlic and remaining juice. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until meat is tender. Stir cornstarch mixture; stir into beef mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the oranges. Serve over rice. Garnish with curls if desired. Yield 4-6 servings

Summer Spinach Salad

If you haven't tried a new salad in a long time, this was FABULOUS!! Couldn't get enough of it.

Summer Spinach Salad

Callie Berger, Diamond Springs CA
America's Best Church Supper Recipes by Taste of Home

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds
8 cups torn fresh spinach
3 green onions, sliced
2 pints fresh strawberries, sliced
3 large ripe bananas, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Place the first 6 ingredients in a blender o rfood processor; cover and process until the sugar is dissolved. Add the poppy seeds; process just until blended.

In a salad bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Drizzle with dressing; toss to coat.
Yield: 14 servings

Broccoli Cheese Soup

For brainless, yet yummy soup, here's my easy version. Can you make it from scratch? Probably. The whole point of this soup is easy. Perfect for a cold or wet day. My former boss gave me this recipe in the early 80s. If you want a from-scratch recipe, Emeril's is the best there is.
Emeril's Broccoli and Cheese Soup

Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom
1 can Campbell's Cheddar Cheese Soup
1 10 oz. bag frozen broccoli
water and/or milk
1/8 tsp. pepper

In a saucepan, cook the broccoli and pepper according to package directions. Once cooked, leaving the broccoli and water in the pan, add the soups and 1 can of either water or milk. Mix well and heat. Add more water if too thick. You want a total of about 1.5 cans of water/milk. Serve with crusty bread.

Alternative for fresher flavor: add 1 cup of shredded cheddar plus 1/3 cup half and half or cream. I don't usually do this because of the calories.