Beef & Pork Chili

Last week my local Publix had coarsely ground beef for chili and it was on sale so I snagged a few packages and now I am wishing I would have grabbed more while they were on sale. The coarse grind really does make a difference because the meat was so soft it was really incredible. I added some Hot NM chopped green chile to this as well to add a bit more heat. I also like to combine some chile powders to add more flavor so I combined ancho and regular chile powder. This dish is really hearty and we ate it with Fritos. I personally like tortillas chips but wanted to try the Frito route but they were a bit too thick for me. There's just something about dipping a tortillas chip or tortilla into some chile when you take a spoonful - yum!

Beef & Pork Chili
Serves 16 

Chili for a Crowd

ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups dried pinto beans 

• 2 1/2 lbs coarsely ground set chuck

• 1 lb lean ground pork

• 3 cups chopped sweet green bell pepper

• 2 cups chopped white onion

• 3 large cloves garlic, minced

• 2 Tbsp chopped roasted green chilies

• 3- 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes undrained

• 1/3 cup chile powder (I mixed ancho and regular together)

• 2 tsp each kosher salt, pepper & cumin

• 1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped

Topping ideas: avocado, cilantro, red onion, roasted pumpkin seeds, green bell peppers, cheese, tortilla chips

directions

1. Combine beans in a dutch oven with just enough water to cover them. Bring to boiling, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans.

2. Combine the beans and 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered for 1 hour or until beans are tender. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup of the liquid. Return beans to pot with the reserved liquid. Add the undrained tomatoes, peppers, onions, green chile and garlic.

3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet brown the ground beef and pork, one third at a time to avoid overcrowding the pan. Drain off fat. Add the cooked beef to the pot with the beans and veggies. Stir in seasonings and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour stirring occasstionaly. Uncover and simmer for 30 minutes more, stirring occassionally. Stir in the parsley.

Serve each portion with some of the toppings mentioned above.

Beef & Pork Chili

This WILL make a ton of chili but I love that because it freezes really well and makes a terrific lunch! So I would definitely recommend making the full batch. Or this would make a wonderful dish for pot luck and you could also make this in slow cooker as well. 

Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Better Homes and Gardens.

Maple-Bacon Roasted Wings

As I've mentioned before every month Food Network puts a 4 page booklet in the magazine entitled "50 Somethings". One of which is "50 Wing Recipes"... I keep this one handy as we always get the 10 lb wings at Costco so we can make our own at home. Don't get me wrong I love going to Taco Mac to grab some wings but these will be much healthier because you know what you are putting in them. Q was reading through it last week and picked this one out - of course it has bacon in it! So we decided to give them a whirl and they were really tasty. The original recipe calls for bourbon and we don't drink that so I just used whiskey and they were great!

Maple-Bacon Roasted Wings

Serves 2 

Maple-Bacon Roasted Wings

ingredients

• 18 wings (combination of drums & flats)

• Kosher Salt & Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

• 4 slices apple wood smoked bacon

• 1/2 Tbsp bacon drippings

• 1/8 cup pure maple syrup

• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 Tbsp Whiskey or Bourbon (I used Crown)

directions

1. Preheat oven to 425º. Line a large baking sheet with foil and a wire rack on top of the foil. Coat the rack with nonstick spray as well. Season the wings with some S&P and roast for 45-55 minutes to your desired doneness. We like ours extra crispy so we tend to go more towards 50-55 minutes. It also depends on the size of your wings too. The bigger they are the longer it takes for them to cook!

2. Meanwhile cook the bacon in a large cast iron skillet until crispy. Drain on paper towel lined plate and crumble, set aside. Reserve 1/2 tbsp bacon drippings. Whisk the bacon drippings in with syrup, vinegar and whiskey. Set aside. Note: I did mine in a glass bowl and set it on the back of the stove while the wings were cooking otherwise the bacon drippings will begin to solidify if they get to cool. 

3. Toss the wings with the sauce and bacon crumbles.

I also served these with the roasted french fries that I am now obsessed with because they really do taste  like the fried ones! You can find the recipe on my blog here:  French Fries. I also whipped up a tasty dipping sauce for the fries by mixing equal parts mayo & ketchup and a few shakes of Sriracha Sauce. Yum!

Maple-Bacon Roasted Wings & Fries

Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Food Network.

BBQ Pulled Pork & French Fries

I really love this version of Homemade BBQ sauce - it's fresh and tastes incredible. Last time I made it, I froze a bunch of it so I could have it on hand to make easy peasy meals like this one. The original recipe for the sauce can be found here: BBQ Sauce.

I had some pork shoulder in the freezer and decided it was a good day to make some pulled pork. I spiced it up with some chopped chipotle in adobo. I was thrilled to see that they now sell it in jars so you can store in fridge. It's already chopped up and ready to go which is a major plus when you are in a hurry. I discovered a new french fry recipe that is so amazing and they went perfectly with this dinner as well.

BBQ Pulled Pork

Serves 4

Pulled Pork Sammies & Fries

ingredients

• 2.5 lb Pork Shoulder

• 1 - 1.5 cups homemade BBQ sauce

• 2 large cloves garlic, chopped

• 2 white onions, diced

• 2 Tbsp chopped chipotle in adobo sauce

• Kosher Salt & Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

directions

Put all ingredients into the slow cooker, except pork shoulder. Stir until combined, then add the pork and toss to coat. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Pull the pork out and shred, removing any excess fat. Put back in slow cooker and cook for 20-30 minutes.

Serve this on potato buns or flour tortillas and top with cheese.

This recipe was adapted from Me.

I found the next recipe on Pinterest and it appears to be one of Gwyneth Paltrow's recipes. I decided to give it a whirl and can't believe how much they taste like "fried" french fries and they are baked! The trick seems to be to soak them so that they potatoes lose most of their starchiness and they end up crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. This will become a staple in our house now 1) they are so easy and 2) much healthier alternative. Here's how to make em...

Baked French Fries

Serves 2

French Fries

 

ingredients

• 3 medium russet potatoes, washed & sliced

• Sea Salt to taste

• 1-2 Tbsp EVOO

directions

1. Preheat oven to 450º and line a baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray.
2. Soak the sliced potatoes in cold water for 1-2 hours, drain and pat dry.
3. In a medium bowl, toss the potatoes, EVOO & Salt until well coated. Place on baking sheet in a single layer.
4. Bake for 25 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Gwyneth Paltrow

Rice and Peas with Salmon

This was one of those dishes that I questioned - making rice in the oven??? and the combination of ingredients made me wonder how it was really going to be. But to my surprise it was a fantastic dinner and we both really liked it so I would definitely make it again. It's a new take on making a quick risotto which I didn't think any risotto dish could be made quickly. I was wrong! Here's how you make it...

Rice & Peas with Salmon

Serves 2  

Rice & Peas with Salmon

ingredients

• 1 tbsp EVOO

• 1 small onion, chopped

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• 1/2c arborio rice

• 1/8 cup Pinot Grigio

• 3/4 cup chicken broth

• 3/4 cup frozen peas

• 1 tbsp horseradish

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 6 oz pan seared salmon, flaked

• Kosher Salt & Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
• Baby arugula

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375º. Heat the EVOO in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and thyme and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the rice and cook, stirring constantly until glossy for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook for 1 minute while stirring. Add 1/2 tsp salt and pepper to taste.

2. Pour the broth and 3/4 cups water over the rice and bring to a simmer, 4 minutes. Stir, then cover and transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.

3. Meanwhile, cook the peas in 4 cups of salted water for 5 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking liquid and drain the peas. Set aside.

4. Remove the rice from the oven. Stir in the peas, horseradish, Parmesan, S&P to taste. Sir in enough reserved liquid until the rice is creamy. Serve each bowl with rice then salmon, some horseradish and the baby arugula on top. Drizzle with some EVOO.

Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Food Network.

Baked Penne with Fennel

Pasta is one of my favorite meals as most already know but this one was really tasty... it's loaded with 3 different kinds of cheese which makes it even better. I have to say after trying pancetta multiple times in various dishes I really don't like it. I prefer to substitute bacon. I used the pancetta in this dish and it was very good dish overall but I would have liked to use thick cut bacon instead. Just my opinion plus bacon tends to be cheaper especially when it's on sale. Anyway if I were to make this again - bacon would be substituted. The fennel is an awesome addition as it gives a mild kick and combined with the onion and garlic how could you go wrong. You can serve this with a side arugula salad as arugula goes really great with cheesy dishes.

Baked Penne with Fennel

Serves 6 

Baked Penne with Fennel

ingredients

• 3 Tbsp EVOO

• 1/2 lb pancetta or bacon, diced

• 1 medium white onion, diced

• 1 fennel bulb, trimmed & thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced

• 28 oz can plum tomatoes

• 1/2 cup half & half

• 12 oz penne

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
• 1 3/4 cup grated fontina cheese

• Kosher Salt 

directions

1. Position a rack in the upper third of your oven and preheat at 350º. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile heat 1 Tbsp EVOO in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add the pancetta/bacon and cook, stirring until fat renders - 4 minutes. Pour off the fat, except 1 tbsp. Add the fennel, garlic & onion to the pan and cook 5 minutes. Crush the tomatoes in a bowl with your hands and then add to the pan. Fill the empty can with 1/2 cup of the boiling pasta water and add to the sauce. Stir in the cream and simmer while you cook pasta.

2. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until almost al dente. Drain and add back to hot pot. Add the sauce to the pasta pot. Stir in basil and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Drizzle with 1 tbsp EVOO, S&P to taste.

3. Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray. Layer the pasta, alternate cheeses, until all is in dish. Top with 1 tbsp EVOO. Bake uncovered about 15 minutes. Put a baking sheet under the baking dish just in case it bubbles over so you don't have a mess. 

Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Food Network.

Turkey Dinner

Two weeks ago I decided to make an Early Turkey Dinner - I mean why only eat turkey one day a year right? I got all the recipes from one of my many Everyday magazines (Rachael Ray). They can all be found online and I've provided links below. Since I didn't change the recipes at all, I thought that would be the easiest way to show you how I made them. I did take some fabulous pics so you can drool over how amazing our meal was. Since it was just the two of us that night, I decided to whip up the most amazing turkey soup I've made in a long time. That post will follow with how I pulled that one off. Ah, homemade stock from the bones is really the most perfect way to make soup.

Turkey Dinner

Turkey, Asparagus, Mashed Potatoes, Rolls

The main event in any meal like this is always the bird... I had a 10 lb bird in my freezer that I used for the recipe and I used the same measurements and it turned out fantastic! It was juicy and the butter makes the skin oh so crispy. The recipe can be found here:  Kiss of Lemon Roast Turkey.  I also used her recipe for homemade stock for the gravy in this meal and the recipe can be found here:  Easy Turkey Stock.

Kiss of Lemon Roast Turkey

Now onto the savory, delicious, make your mouth water gravy... you basically make it in the pan you roasted the turkey in and it picks up the drippings and yumminess the bird left behind. My mom and grandma used to make their gravy this way so it brought back memories at the stove with this kind of meal:  Old Fashioned Pan Gravy.

Old Fashioned Pan Gravy

The mashed potatoes turned out creamy and decadent.... not too many ingredients but lots of flavor. The recipe is as follows:  Buttery Mashed Potatoes.

Buttery Mashed Potatoes

This was a really great "green side" dish, the original recipe called for green beans but the asparagus was on sale so I picked that up. It was really delicious. I kept everything the same and the crunchiness of the salty pumpkin seeds is a great touch... here is how to make it:  Sauteed Green Beans with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds. 

Sauteed Asparagus with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

For the cranberry sauce, I had leftover fresh cranberries in the freezer from last year and they tasted just as fresh as can be. So, buy those when they are on sale and you just freeze them in the bag they came in. We didn't love this recipe because it was way too tart for our tastes - reminded me of how tart margaritas are and I really don't like those. It's good - if you like the tartness factor. Here's how to make it: Cranberry-Lime Relish.

Cranberry Lime Relish

All in all this was such a great meal - you can do so much with the leftovers - sandwiches, pasta dishes, turkey soup - just have to use your imagination or a cookbook :-).

Enjoy!

These recipes were adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray.