Quintessential Fall Food: Chili!

I don't know why it is but every fall as the weather starts to turn chilly, I start to get very excited  thinking of my fall foods and what I should make first.  Usually the pantheon of culinary creations includes at least stew, chili, and anything pumpkin and this year the story is no different. About a week ago I bought all of the fixings for chili and have anxiously awaited the day that I would make this joyous concoction.  Yesterday, I decided, was the day and I made Crockpot Chili.  Now as most people may know about me, sometimes I use recipes but mostly I just take all of the recipes I have seen or used and come up with my own version.  Sometimes I can give you the exact recipe and sometimes, I will just tell you what I put in and I will always try to include a photo because seeing the deliciousness is almost as good as eating it!



Crockpot Chili

I put a little extra virgin olive oil in the crockpot and then added the following
1 can of Ranch Style beans
1 can of chili beans
1 can of pork and beans
1 can of Great northern white beans
1 can of Red Kidney beans
1 can of diced tomatoes w/ Rosemary and Olive Oil
2 tbsp of tomato paste
1 tbsp of molasses
1 good squirt of mustard
1 good squirt of ketchup
about 1 tsp of liquid smoke
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp of chili powder
1 tbsp of cumin
1 tsp of coriander
1 tsp of season salt
1 tsp of mesquite BBQ seasoning
about a tbsp of garlic salt
and salt and pepper to taste, actually all of the seasonings are to taste, if you like it more spicey, add more chili powder and cumin

I added all of this to the crockpot and then I browned in a little olive oil:
1.5 pds of 80/20 beef
2 strips of maple bacon
1 diced yellow onion
I then drained the fat and added this to the crockpot.

It seemed a little dry so I added a little water at this point.  I then let it cook on high for about 4 hours, stirring occasionally.  When I was about ready to serve, I adjusted the flavor by adding a bit more salt and pepper and then served it up with shredded colby jack cheese, diced green onions, a dollop of sour cream, and Frito chips.  Mix that altogether and it was heaven in a bowl.....really.  We had fresh apple juice and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for dessert and my oh my, it was Fall.

I hope you will try this dish out and enjoy it as much as my family and I did.  I am not sure why I never make chili any other time of the year but it means Autumn for me and brought my favorite season of the year to a very happy climax!

Taco Soup - Love in a Bowl

This is a soup I first tasted when I worked in a Mexican Restaurant in Texas and I fell in love with it. I have tried for years to find this soup again and have tasted it at many restaurants but nothing close to that first bowl.Last night, I decided to recreate my own Tortilla soup using parts of other recipes and what I remembered from that Tortilla soup in Midland Texas. I think it comes pretty darn close. The little something extra is the green onion as well as the homemade tortilla strips. I hope you love it because it is one of my very favorites.


Taco Soup

6 chicken breasts

Drizzle with Olive Oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place about a cup of water on the pan with chicken, this helps prevent the chicken drying out. Roast on a cookie sheet at 300 for 35 minutes or until cooked through. Shred while still warm and salt and pepper. Set aside.



For soup base:

2 tbsp of olive oil and butter
1 half diced onion
1 diced celery stock
6 small carrots diced
3 minced of garlic
½ tsp of cumin
¼ tsp of chili powder
2 tsp of southwest seasoning
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp of tomato paste
1 container of Chicken stock
1 can of chicken broth
4 cups of water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1 can of diced tomatoes with lime and cilantro
1 tbsp of cilantro
2 tbsp of lime juice

4-8 shakes of Cholula hot sauce
Salt and pepper to taste (about 1 and a half tbsp)

Saute the vegetables in the olive oil and butter and add the spices. When they are soft and the onions translucent add the tomato paste and briefly cook. Add the chicken stock, chicken broth, water, and bouillon cubes. Mix and add hot sauce to taste. Add the tomatoes with juice, cilantro and the lime juice and simmer for 20 minutes. Check for taste and adjust salt and pepper accordingly.




Condiments:

2 ripe avocadoes diced into cubes.
Pour about 1 tbsp of lime juice over pieces to keep it nice and green
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese shredded
1 green onion diced
Cilantro washed and stems removed, I prefer to chop it slightly
Lime wedges
Sour cream
Tortilla strips



To make tortillas strips:
Take corn tortillas in a stack and cut into strips about 1 cm in dimension each. You can do this with a large pizza cutter or a knife. Heat up a small frying pan with corn oil on medium heat. Place a handful of strips at a time in oil and crisp each side. Place on a paper towel and salt lightly. Finish rest of pile.

How to assemble soup:

Place a small handful of chicken in bottom of bowl, place desired condiments: diced avocado, green onions, cilantro, and Monterey Jack cheese. Ladle soup over this which will heat up the condiments and melt cheese. Then top with tortilla strips and a dollop of sour cream. Squeeze on lime and enjoy. This is a pretty, delicious soup on a cold winter evening. Enjoy with a slice of hot jalapeno cheddar corn bread.

Who Doesn't Love Spaghetti and Meatballs

This is a picture of yes, my own Spaghetti and Meatballs and don't they look delicious.

Well here we are again making dinner. Tonight I wanted to make a family favorite and thought, heck why not publish my version of this classic dish. We looooooove pasta at my house and this spaghetti is at the top of the list.

Anyway, several years ago I started experimenting with making meatballs and I must have tried a million versions including baking them but this recipe is the one that I have come back to time and time again as the very best.

When making meatballs, I pan fry them in olive oil and handle them delicately with two spoons. They turn out better, don't break, and are so scrumptious. These meatballs are a little more time consuming but oh so worth it.

So here is the recipe, the little something extra in these is definitely the fresh herbs. In the summer time when I had fresh tomatoes and fresh herbs in my garden, this meal was unbeatable. I mean really you couldn't have anything better; but in the off season, you can buy fresh herbs at the market and they work almost as well.

Spaghetti & Meatballs-

1 Package of Spaghetti,

cooked according to directions on package

To make Meatballs:

1 lb ground beef

2 cloves of garlic minced or garlic salt abt 1 tsp

1 tbsp of Italian seasonings

1 Lipton Onion soup mix

½ cup Italian bread crumbs

1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp of Balsamic Vinegar

Salt and pepper

Lightly mix these together with your clean hands and form about 1 in balls.

Fry in extra virgin olive oil about 2 tbsps. I find turning them with a couple of spoons

is the easiest way and doesn’t break the meatball. Cook on medium until brown on all sides.

For Sauce:

1-2 containers of Barilla Tomato & Basil Sauce, depending on how saucy you want to make it

1 tbsp of Italian seasonings

Fresh rosemary, thyme, basil, and parsley, this is to taste but probably about a couple of tbsp each

2 cloves of garlic minced

2 tbsp parmesan

1 tsp of Balsamic Vinegar

Salt and Pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a separate bowl. Chop the fresh herbs and garlic and mix together. Place half of the fresh herbs and garlic in the sauce, reserving half for the end. Pour sauce over browned meatballs and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Cook and Drain Pasta and toss with spaghetti sauce and meatballs. Let heat through about 3 minutes and then top with remaining herbs and garlic, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and extra parmesan. Serve with a crunchy green salad and crusty garlic toast. Excellent Spaghetti! This is one of my Dad’s and my daughter Laura's favorite meals.

*To make garlic toast

Take any kind of bread and either butter it or drizzle it with extra virgin olive oil. Broil in oven for 2 minutes or until browned. Then either rub with a cut piece of garlic or sprinkle with garlic salt lightly.

Like I mentioned, the little something extra is the fresh herbs but fresh ingredients in general make for a better meal. Get the best spaghetti sauce, or make your own, get good pasta, get good quality beef and cheeses and you will always have an excellent meal!

Enjoy!

New Year, New Things

This is the Apple Dumplings Picture from the Original Pioneer Woman Post but mine looked a lot like these do.

Well, I have obviously been a little derelict in working on my blog seeing as the last post was in January of 2008 but I have reason to post on here now. People want to see the recipes of the things I have been posting on facebook.

I will post at random the things I make but if there are any special requests of the things you have seen in the past, just let me know and I will put them up.

Now I do have a disclaimer of sorts, I mess around with recipes a lot adding my own touches and what not so sometimes recipes are not exact but I will explain the base recipe, if there is one, and the additions of what I added or the little something extra. If this is still not enough explanation, call me and I will walk you through the recipe.

I actually used the recipe from the blog of the Pioneer Woman, who was quite humorous and she shows a lot of pictures, which I love. These things were amazing little creations, if I do say so myself. But I will add this that this is not a low calorie dessert so when you are pouring the gobs of butter and sugar over the little dumplings do not faint but think, ummm yummm.

I will also post my little something extra.

So without further ado:

Apple Dumplings

2 Regular tubes of Crescent dough

( I tried the butter ones, and too much butter, I know how is that possible but really it does make a difference)

2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into 8 wedges

(she used Granny Smiths but all I had on hand was Gala so do as you wish)

2 sticks of butter ( or 1 cup)

1 1/2 cups of sugar (white although I thought of putting half brown sugar for a darker flavor)

1 tsp of vanilla

1 can of sprite ( she used Mt Dew but I had a can of sprite on hand so once again, whatever your little heart desires)

cinnamon to sprinkle over top

( I used pumpkin pie seasoning because I like the ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice blend better but then again, I am a spice nut so ...)

Butter a 9 X 13 pan and set the oven to 350 degrees. Wrap each apple slice in one of the cresent roll wedges and place in pan. Then melt butter in sauce pan but only partially. Strange I know, but that was the recipe. Then add the sugar and stir but leave the mixture partially unmelted, apparently you want this grainy and mushy. Add the vanilla off the burner and pour mixture over the apple sliced dumplings, wow yeah, feel the loveliness of all the butter and sugar.

Next, pour Sprite around the edges of the pan and down the middle if you feel like doing so. Sprinkle the tops of each dumpling with the pumpkin pie spice and place in the oven once again, on 350 degrees for about 35 minutes. Now this said anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes or until the tops are crisp and brown but not overly brown.

When you get this out it will seem like an awful lot of liquid is sloshing around in there but it settles a bit and becomes the sauce to drizzle over the top. Boy howdy, my husband said he could feel his arteries clogging but he took a second helping so, clogging arteries in this case equals delightful lip smacking tasty.

I served this with a dollop of Cool Whip because it was what I had on hand but ice cream would be fabulous. My little something extra was going to be orange zest into the sugar butter mixture but I was in a hurry and forgot, I still think this will be an excellent addition and will add it the next time I make this.

Enjoy or go look at her website to see the pictures. I will take pictures of the next recipe and post it for you to look at so you can see the process right here.

I hope you love these little dumplings, the crispy cinnamon top and the dumpling gooey bottom makes these fantastic so much so, my daughter Emily requested these instead of my famous Cream Cake for her birthday in April.

Original Apple Dumpling Recipe: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/02/apple_dumplings/

Key Lime Fiesta

Why that is the title, I have no idea but that is what it is. I decided to write a whole blog on my Key Lime Pie Story. A few years ago everyone wanted me to bring my famous key lime pie to Thanksgiving dinner, the thing is I had never made a key lime pie in my life. I usually make my chocolate mint cream pie for Thanksgiving dinner and I couldn't figure out where in the world they kept getting this famous key lime pie of mine from. Then I figured out they meant Grandma's Key Lime Pie that she bought one year but I didn't figure that out until I decided to make one myself, because frankly they begged me to make one. So I made a Key Lime Pie and it was not my best; although everyone enjoyed it immensely and raved forever about it. Well over the course of a few years I have gotten much better at making my famous key lime pie, and have learned a few shortcuts and whatnots so it doesn't take a millenium to make it. Seriously have you ever tried juicing about 30 tiny little Key Limes?! It is a nightmare and everyone involved is literally dyed green from the experience. I mention all of this because my brother just helped me refinance my home and I asked him what he would like as a little something to say thanks and he said a little key lime pie would be nice. So here is the pie I make with a few shortcuts, if you want to make a real pie crust and juice 50 limes so it will be totally authentic, be my guest.


Susan's Famous Key Lime Pie

1 graham cracker crust for a 9' in pie
( I have made one by crushing up my own graham crackers, I have bought the crumbs, I have even made a typical real dough pie crust and still I like the Keebler 2 X servings graham cracker pie crust, plus it is soooo much faster but whatever, just a crust of some type)

1 8 oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese room temperature
( now it really does matter if it is room temperature because that first pie of which everyone raved and I thought a mess was from non-room temp cream cheese and it had little lumps which are not attractive but hey that is what whipped cream is for right, to cover it up.)

1 can of sweet and condensed milk
1/2 cup of key lime juice plus the juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime
(now you can juice all those little tiny rip your finger off key limes but I have found that you can find some pretty good bottled key lime juices and I use those plus the juice of one real lime or lemon for that real flavor.)
3 tsp of zest of key limes or a lemon or a lime or a combo of all three just three tsps of something citrus
1 12 oz container of cool whip, thawed

Beat cream cheese until smooth and clings to sides of bowl; then add the sweet and condensed milk and mix. Add zest and juices to taste, I like mine a little more on the tart side plus the cool whip mellows it out quite a bit so don't be afraid to add more juice. Then some people would say to add food coloring but I think that food dyed unnatural colors of green are prone to make one hurl and just looks less appetizing so if you must have it bright green go ahead but I will not do that Sam I Am. Then fold in the 2 cups of the cool whip. Place in crust and either freeze for about 4 hours to set it or in the fridge overnight. Add rest of cream on top in whatever pattern floats your boat and top with either a thin slice of lime or I didn't have lime last time so I shaved some white chocolate on top and it looked lovely. Store leftovers in the fridge if there are any because after all this is Susan's Famous Key Lime Pie. Someday I really am going to have to try Grandma's Key Lime Pie.

Be Still, My Soul

Well for five days I had those hives and swelling all over the place. No one knows how or why; which seems to be the norm with me. And even though I had that horrible time and all was kind of horrible; Phil does win the award for having the worst thing happen last week. I am truly sorry Phil and if there is anything we can do just let me know. So in the world of Griffins and Stringhams Happy Birthday to Jackie and Ann and Rick today. President Hinckley also died today. What a great great man who was truly a servant of the Lord. Our new prophet will also be great as the mantle of that calling falls upon his shoulders. It has been interesting throughout all of the many ordeals of late what I should exactly be getting out of all of these interesting trials and one night I had a song in my head and couldn't quite remember all of the words so I looked it up and it gave me great comfort. So to you Phil and anyone else in need of a little solace remember these words and be comforted:


Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side;
With patience bear they cross of grief or pain.
Leave to they God to order and provide;
In every change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: Thy best, thy heav'nly Friend
Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: Thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as he has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: The waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: The hour is hast'ning on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: When change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.


This is from Psalm 37:3 and Doctrine and Covenants 101: 14-16, 35-38.

This is a song by Katharina Schlegal

Some would say that I am a pretty intelligent person and I guess in a way I do know a few things but the one thing I absolutely know for sure is that the Lord loves me, I am his child, and that no matter what, there is a greater purpose to this life and the things we go through here. We are here for a reason and if we remain faithful, in the end, we shall meet at last.

So in these perilous times when the end does seem to be drawing nigh, take courage and "on, on to the victory." (Joseph Smith)

when you don't have anything nice to say, text or email, it's safer

Well, ladies and gents awe the world of blogging. Where did they get the stupid name for it, it sounds like some Swedish person with a cold was talking about making a website all about his clogging adventures and someone misheard. They could call it webmine or mywebbing or something. Anyway, I promised random samplings of thoughts etc. all of a sudden I feel like putting a recipe out there, a secret recipe I have never told anyone before, my Texas guacamole.


Texas Guacomole

2 somewhat soft avocados
1 half diced onion
1 diced small tomato
1 clove of minced garlic
2 to 3 TBS of lemon and lime juice
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup of Pace thick and chunky mild salsa

Immediately cover avocados after putting in bowl with lemon and lime juice and mash with fork until a slightly chunky texture, then add salt and pepper, tomatoes and onion. If you don't like strong garlic taste add garlic powder or add the minced garlic. Mix. At last minute add salsa and taste to see if you may need more salt and pepper. Serve with cornchips of which the Lime flavored are great.

Hope you like the recipe got to go for today.