Chili

                                     Another winter favorite: A quick and easy spicy chili

Hot Chili

Ingredients

2 lbs of lean hamburger
1 can of pinto beans
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of petite diced tomatoes
1 can of tomato sauce
1 large sweet onion
1 tsp of crushed red pepper
3-4 heaping TB of chili powder (to your taste)
1 tsp of onion powder (optional)
Salt and Pepper

Instructions 

1) In a large stew pot, add your hamburger and half of your diced onion, brown until onions are tender
2) Drain any grease from the pot

3) Drain any juice or water from your canned beans.
4) add all remaining ingredients and mix well
5)  Simmer for 2 hours

Serve with cornbread and enjoy

* I've used only one style of bean, whichever I had on hand at the time. All measurements can be more or less*

The Best Thanksgiving Gravy

     One of my favorite must have's for Thanksgiving dinner is gravy for my turkey and dressing.


Turkey Gravy

1-2 Turkey Wings (or giblets from Turkey you are basting for dinner)
3-4 Cups of Turkey Broth
Salt and Pepper
1 tsp of Poultry Seasoning
2-3 TB of flour

1) Boil your wings in a large pot, keeping enough broth in to make at least 3 cups. Add water as needed.
2) After your wings are cooked to "fall off the bone" tenderness, set aside.
3) Pour your hot broth into a large bowl
4) Place in the freezer for at least one hour
5) Debone your turkey wings, set aside
6) After one hour remove the broth from the freezer
7) Skim the top layer of fat off and using 4-5 TB, add to a large skillet..skim the rest of the fat away and discard. You should have nothing left but clear turkey broth
8) Heat the fat until just sizzling
9) generously add flour, salt, pepper and 1 tsp of poultry seasoning
10) simmer until a golden brown, stirring the entire time to smooth out your gravy and dissolve the flour
11) Slowly stir in your broth, 1 cup at a time. For a thinner gravy, add more broth. For thicker gravy, less broth. Add in your shredded, deboned turkey. More or less to your taste.
12) mix well and simmer on lowest setting for 5 minutes.

Using broth instead of water and flour for your gravy gives it a rich flavor that is perfect with your turkey.

This is a favorite recipe of mine.

Spicy Chicken and Rice Soup

1 whole chicken*
1-2 jalapeno peppers
2 large green peppers
2 large sweet onions
2 TB of vegetable oil
1 can of tomato sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cup of rice*
1/2 cup of water

1) Boil the chicken whole until it starts to fall from the bone
2) take the chicken from the bone and set aside
     reserve 1 cup of chicken broth
3) wash and dice your peppers and onions
4) In large stew pot or dutch oven, add 2 TB of oil and 2 TB of chicken broth
5) Add your peppers and onions and saute until tender
6) Add your shredded chicken to the peppers and 1/2 - 1 cup of chicken broth, salt and pepper
7) simmer 15-20 minutes - taste test the "hotness" of your peppers. If they're not hot enough to suit your taste, add more jalapeno. If too hot, add another 1/2 cup of chicken broth.
8) Add one can of tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of water
9) Mix well, turn to low and simmer for one hour
10) Cook your rice according to directions
11) After your soup has simmered for one hour, serve over hot rice and enjoy.

*I love this recipe for the hot and sweet flavor but also because you can substitute beef and have an entirely different meal. Substitute with beef tips or cooked and shredded london broil. You can also substitute pasta for the rice.*

Hearty Beef Stew

For the fall loving Foodies

Hearty Beef Stew

Ingredients 
2-4 lbs of stew beef
1 large vidalia (sweet) onion  (any onion of your choice is fine)
4-6 large potatoes  (I like to use small baking potatoes for flavor)
3 carrots  (canned carrots work well too)
1 celery stalk  (optional)
1/4 cup of butter
2 cans of chicken broth or stock  (I like to save my broth from any chicken recipes to use for this or other soups) 
1 Cup of water (some have substituted with beer and it is good as well)
2 Tbsp of flour
Seasonings of your preference. 
I use -
1 tsp of garlic powder
1-1/2 tsp of seasoning salt
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1- In large dutch oven or stew pot, saute and sear your beef tips in 1/4 butter, garlic powder and seasoning salt until a good glaze forms on all sides and the bottom of your pan. This glaze gives a wonderful seared flavor, seals the flavor into the beef and gives your broth/gravy a rich color.  It takes 5-10 mins. 3-5 minutes on each side should do fine.
2- Once the beef is seared (not burnt)  scrape the bottom of your pan to loosen the glaze.
3- Stir in 1-1/2 cans of chicken broth, 1 Cup of water and salt and pepper
4- Bring the beef to a hard boil. Lower heat and simmer for one hour (add broth or water as needed if it boils down)
5- Dice your potatoes, carrots, and onions
6- After the beef has simmered for one hour to one and a half hours. Add your diced vegetables, cook for 30-45 minutes (until onions are translucent)
7-Take the 2 Tbsp of flour and mix with 1/2-1 can of chicken broth until smooth
8- Add it to your beef and vegetables and allow to simmer for 15-30 minutes. The gravy will thicken as it simmers. Continue to stir.

Total cooking time should be 3 to 3 and a half hours. Prep time combined is 30 minutes.

Serve with fresh biscuits and enjoy your dinner.