Chili Bowls!

Since the weather has started to turn a little colder I have been craving chili! I've never made chili before and I didn't want to spend a lot of time on it. I know people soak their beans and what not, but after working 8 hours I don't have the time or energy to deal with that. I wanted fast and easy. I was so glad when I found a recipe on allrecipes.com that was titled "Easy Homemade Chili". That was it for me, I had to try it.

I also used my edible bowl maker pan to cook some sweet homemade corn bread. Gotta have cornbread with chili right? I loved the bowls even though no one else in my family wanted their chili to touch their cornbread. Silly family.

EASY HOMEMADE CHILI
(from allrecipes.com)

PREP TIME 10 Min
COOK TIME 20 Min
READY IN 30 Min

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 pound ground beef
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
* 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
* 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans
* 1 1/2 cups water
* 1 pinch chili powder
* 1 pinch garlic powder
* salt and pepper to taste


DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the beef and onion and saute until meat is browned and onion is tender. Add the stewed tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, beans and water.

2. Season with the chili powder, garlic powder, salt and ground black pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes.



SWEET HOMEMADE CORNBREAD RECIPE
(from grouprecipes.com)

Ingredients:

* 1 1/4 Cup of All-Purpose Flour
* 3/4 Cup of Cornmeal
* 1/4 Cup of Sugar
* 2 Teaspoons of Baking Powder
* 1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
* 1 Cup of Skim Milk (any milk will do though)
* 1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
* 1 Egg, beaten


Directions:

1. Heat over to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Grease 8-9 inch square pan.*
3. Combine dry ingredients.
4. Stir in milk, oil, and egg until moistened.
5. Pour into pan.
6. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

*Or use the edible bowl maker pan! Spray pan with Pam. Fill sections 1/2 full. Bake 15-20 minutes. Makes six bowls.

Taco Cups

This was a fast simple recipe.

Fry up some taco meat according to

seasoning packet directions.

Tear 10" tortillas in half.

Fold into a cup in a

tin cupcake pan.

Top with shredded cheese.

Bake in 350 degree oven

for 6 minutes.

Enjoy!

These are also good

topped with salsa and

sour cream. Yum!

What were the kids reactions?

50/50.

Carlee kept saying

"Num Yum!"

the whole time she was eating.

Collin on the other hand

complained the whole time

though he did finally taste it.

He doesn't like his food

mixed. Even if it's just meat

mixed with cheese. Silly boy.

Yorkshire Pudding

I remember in my youth my mother making Yorkshire pudding. I pictured dessert when she first said the name. This however was made with meat drippings and is definitely NOT dessert. It is however VERY delicious and compliments the rib roast perfectly. So, being National Yorkshire Pudding Day I just had to make this for the first time on my own. Ofcourse my family wouldn't touch it and I ate alone, but hey, sometimes you just have to make a meal for yourself.

Make your next beef roast dinner extra special by preparing it with this classic English “pudding.” Only 20 minutes hands-on prep time required! This recipe is courtesy the bettycrocker.com website.

Prep Time:20 min
Start to Finish:4 hr
Makes:8 servings

Beef Roast
1 beef rib roast (small end), 4 to 6 lb
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Yorkshire Pudding
Vegetable oil, if necessary
1 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs

1.Heat oven to 350°F. For easy cleanup, line shallow roasting pan with foil. In pan, place beef, fat side up; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Insert ovenproof meat thermometer so tip is in center of the thickest part of beef and does not rest in fat or touch bone. (Do not add water.)

2.For medium-rare, bake 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes or until thermometer reads 135°F. Remove beef from pan onto carving board. Cover beef loosely with foil and let stand 15 to 20 minutes until thermometer reads 145°F. (Temperature will continue to rise about 10°F, and beef will be easier to carve.) For medium, bake uncovered 2 hours 15 minutes to 2 hours 45 minutes or until thermometer reads 150°F. Cover beef loosely with foil and let stand 15 to 20 minutes or until thermometer reads 160°F.

3.While beef is standing, make Yorkshire Pudding. Measure pan drippings, adding enough oil to drippings, if necessary, to measure 1/4 cup. Place hot drippings in 9-inch square pan; place pan in oven and heat until hot. Increase oven temperature to 450°F. In medium bowl, beat flour, milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the eggs with wire whisk just until smooth. Pour batter into pan of drippings and oil. Bake 18 to 23 minutes or puffy and golden brown (pudding will puff during baking but will deflate shortly after being removed from oven). Cut pudding into squares; serve immediately with beef.

Nutrition Information: 1 Serving: Calories 340 (Calories from Fat 160); Total Fat 17g (Saturated Fat 7g, Trans Fat 1/2g); Cholesterol 140mg; Sodium 390mg; Total Carbohydrate 13g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 2g); Protein 32g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 4%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 4%; Iron 20% Exchanges: 1 Starch; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 4 Lean Meat; 1 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 1 *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Hip Hip Hooray! It's Noodle Day!

In honor of National Noodle Day I decided to make lasagna! It's actually Pasta Week too so I killed two birds with one stone. Lazy Lasagna

From Cooking Light

Using precooked or pre-shredded products makes throwing together this lasagna a snap!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground round
• 1 26-ounce jar low-fat spaghetti sauce
• 1 16-ounce carton fat-free cottage cheese
• 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• Cooking Spray
• 1 8-ounce package precooked lasagna noodles
• 1 cup (4-ounces) pre-shredded reduced-fat mild cheddar cheese
• Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook meat in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain well, and return to pan. Add sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Combine cottage and Parmesan cheeses in a bowl; set aside.

Spread 1/2 cup meat mixture in bottom of a 13x9 -inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 noodles over meat mixture; top with half of cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup meat mixture, and 1/3 cup cheddar cheese. Repeat layer, ending with noodles. Spread remaining meat mixture over noodles. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheddar cheese, and bake 5 more minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garish with parsley, if desired.

Yield: 9 servings

CALORIES: 275 (20% from fat); FAT: 6.2g; IRON: 2.8mg; CHOLESTEROL: 43mg; CALCIUM: 181mg; CARBOHYDRATE: 26.1g; SODIUM: 584mg; PROTEIN: 28.1g; FIBER: 1.9g.

Collin pronounced this as "Super Duper-licious!"

Hawaiian Haystacks

My family loves this recipe although the kids have to eat theirs all separated. Picky eaters! The good thing about this recipe is that you can add or subtract whatever sounds good to you.

Ingredients:

• rice
• Chinese noodles
• cream of chicken soup
• sliced olives
• pineapple chunks
• 2-3 chicken breasts, cubed and pan cooked
• maraschino cherries, cut small

Cook rice according to package directions. While it's cooking heat up soup using 1/2 of the water that it calls for. Cook chicken over medium-high heat in 1 tbsp butter until cooked through. To serve layer Chinese noodles, rice, cream of chicken soup, chicken, olives, pineapple and cherries.

Crockpot Taco Soup

Here's a recipe even my hubby can throw together!

• 1 lb. cooked ground beef, drained
• 1 pkg. taco seasoning
• 2 cans red kidney beans, drained (can use black beans)
• 2 cans kernel corn
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 1/3 cup salsa

Toss ingredients in crockpot. Don't drain tomatoes or corn. If there is too much liquid for your crockpot drain corn before adding. I usually cook mine on low for 8 hours while I'm at work. Can cook on high for 3-4 hours. Serve by itself or top with cheese, sour cream, or crushed tortilla chips.

Pantry Mexican Casserole

My family always has Mexican staples in our cupboards and fridge so I threw together some ingredients I had on hand and the result was delicious!

My Ingredients:

1 can corn (about 16 oz)

2 cups cooked chicken cut into cubes

1/2 cup salsa

1 can drained diced tomatoes (about 15 oz)

1 packet taco seasoning (1.25 oz)

1 can kidney beans (about 15 oz)

1 cup crushed tortilla chips

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cube chicken and cook over medium-high heat with 1 tbsp butter until cooked through. In medium bowl combine chicken, corn, salsa, diced tomatoes, taco seasoning, and kidney beans. Place crushed chips on bottom of casserole dish and cover with combined ingredients. Top with shredded cheese and bake in oven for 30 minutes. This was very good served on more tortilla chips with a dollop of sour cream. Also excellent for dipping!

Taco Bake

This is a great way to use up some extra taco meat!

Ingredients:

4 small flour tortillas
1 small can refried beans
1 lb. seasoned taco ground beef
1 cup shredded cheese (or more if you like it really cheesy!)
salsa
sour cream




Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spoon 1 tbsp refried beans onto bottom of pie dish and spread out. Place tortilla on top and push it down to keep it from slipping. Spread some beans, sprinkle taco meat and cheese on tortilla. Repeat with remaining layers. Place one tortilla on top and place in oven for 20 minutes. Top with salsa and sour cream.

Creamy Peas and Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 pint shelled peas
• 1 pint new potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
  

Instructions:

1. Cut new potatoes into fourths unless small and cook in sufficient boiling water; cover.
2. When almost tender add the peas and boil until both peas and potatoes are tender. Drain.
3. Prepare white sauce with milk, butter, flour, salt and pepper; add potatoes and peas to sauce.
4. Cook a few minutes to thicken.
   

I adapted this recipe from "Love to know recipes".