Hello?
Hellooooooo?!?!?!?
I suppose I should just write my first post and get it over with. Although, it is quite strange writing a blog that, chances are, no one but your mom will read. Hi Mom! Who knows where this will go or if anyone will ever even read this, but I am going to put myself out there and see what happens. My goal is to fill this blog with recipes that I can pass down to my daughters some day and to chronicle my adventures in the kitchen (which may not seem exciting to most, but with a 3 year old helper it is always interesting to say the least.)
It is finally feeling like Fall here in the Midwest and I have been waiting for a cool, not too busy day to dive into making a batch of chili. I have been searching for the perfect recipe. I have scoured the internet and my favorite bloggers throw a bit of this and that in a pot and call it a day. I have asked friends and family, but no one seems to follow a recipe when they make chili. I got a lot of "well, I don't really follow a recipe." Hmmmmm, not very helpful. I need a recipe. At least to start with and to use as a guide. I am not (yet) the kind of cook who can just throw in some random ingredients and spices and cross my fingers. Well, I can physically do that, but it just never works out. I would have loved to have found a crock-pot version, but none of them really seemed to be what I was looking for. I envisioned lots of chopping of veggies, multiple spice bottles pulled out, a bit pot simmering on the stove. I, in fact, did end up getting all of that... as well as a grease burn, 2 cuts on 2 separate fingers, and a severely messy kitchen. Woo hoo (but not really!)
If you have read the about me section of this blog and you look at the list of ingredients below, you can probably guess that my husband would not come anywhere near this chili. I ended up getting a huge pack of ground beef, putting half into my "good" chili and then using the other half to make him some boring meat and beans chili. Oh well, I have come to accept this (but I don't have to like it.)
It was a Food Network kinda night so I made a Neely's Chili recipe and a Rachael Ray Cornbread recipe. I do usually try to adapt a recipe and it my own, however I found myself following these two fairly closely, just switching some ingredients here and there.
Beef and Pork Chili
adapted from The Neely's
6 slices of thick cut bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 cloves of garlic, minced (I cheated and used jarred)
1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 orange bell pepper, chopped (because I bought a 3 pack and needed to use it up)
2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tbsp. chipotle chili powder
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. sweet paprika (because this was the only kind I had)
salt and pepper
1 lb. ground chuck
1 lb pork sausage (what kind of grocery store doesn't carry regular ground pork... mine!)
1 cup beer (I used Leinie's Classic Amber)
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (28 oz) can petite diced tomatoes, with juice
garnish (sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, scallions, etc)
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| Mollie being my veggie helper |
In a huge pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp (make sure it doesn't burn!) Once the bacon is done add in the garlic, onions, bell peppers, and all spices. Cook for a few minutes until veggies are semi-tender. Meanwhile, brown the ground beef and pork in a separate large skillet. I did this because there was already tons of bacon grease in the bottom of the huge pot and I figured it would get super greasy if I couldn't drain some of the beef grease off (I actually found the chili a bit greasy even with this step.) Once meat is browned and veggies are tender, add the meat into the pot. Add in the beer and beans, stirring to mix well. Add in both kinds of tomatoes and mix in. Leave on medium for 10 minutes and let chili get hot and bubbly. Turn down to low and let simmer for an hour and a half. Serve in bowls with chosen garnishes.
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| I'm going to get a better camera, I promise! |
Cornbread Muffins with Bacon and Cheddar
adapted from Rachael Ray
6 slices bacon, chopped (I used the rest of the same thick cut bacon from the chili... loved not wasting the rest)
1 box cornbread mix (I used Jiffy)
1/3 cup milk (for mix)
1 egg (for mix)
1 tsp. sweet paprika (again, I didn't have any hot in the house)
2 handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese (yep, that's the technical measurement)
1 tbsp. sour cream
(start these muffins when the chili has about 30 minutes of simmering left)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease muffin tin (I used Pam). Cook the bacon in a medium pan over medium heat (again be careful not to burn it like I did). Remove from pan and place on a plate with paper towel to let excess fat drain off. Prep the muffins according the directions on box using milk and egg. Stir in paprika, bacon and shredded cheese. Fill each muffin well half way and bake about 15 minutes.
