Meals/ RECIPES

Cincinnati Style Chili Recipe

We are in between meals being provided for our family, which is fine because I have felt pretty well the last few days. Last night I decided to make a big pot of chili for dinner. The weather has been a bit cooler, and I knew it would reheat well for the next couple days.
I looked at All Recipes for an authentic Cincinnati Style Chili Recipe and found one that sounded great! It had all kinds of great spices in it, and a square of baking chocolate! I made it and really, really liked it. It has a great depth of flavor and is a recipe I will for sure make again. We served it over whole grain noodles and sprinkles some cheese on top.
For the original, authentic recipe, click here and it will take you to the All Recipe website. I changed 3 things…I added beans, only used 1/8 cup chili powder, and browned the beef instead of boiling it.

Cincinnati Style Chili Recipe

2 pounds lean ground beef
1 quart water, **more or less depending on consistency you would like
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 cans chili beans (or kidney beans)
2 onions, finely chopped
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 (1 ounce) square unsweetened chocolate
1/4 cup chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
5 whole cloves
5 whole allspice berries
1 bay leaf

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large pan, add onions. Cook until translucent. Add the garlic and ground beef. Cook until browned. Drain if needed.
Stir in water, tomato sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, chocolate, chili powder, salt, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, cloves, allspice berries, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 hours. Add water if necessary to prevent the chili from burning.

My local health food store sells spices in bulk, so I was able to go buy 5 allspice berries for a quarter, and 5 cloves for pennies. I highly recommend finding a store that allows you to buy spices in bulk. It is amazing the difference in taste when spices are fresh! Enjoy.

Sorry I don’t have an “after” picture. I was pooped after dinner and spaced it!

Do you have a favorite chili recipe you want to share??

Meals/ RECIPES

Portable Chicken Tacos

My daughter’s soccer games are on Monday nights, usually around 5:30/6:00. Dinner can be tricky! These chicken tacos were a great solution to eating on the go–so easy to prepare! I came up with the recipe, and I’ll admit, I’m kinda impressed with myself:)

I had cooked, shredded chicken in the freezer which was made using this process. I froze it in a ziplock bag with about 1/2 cup of chicken broth. I add the broth to keep the chicken flavorful during the freezing process. When I use this method, I can never tell that the chicken has been frozen, and freezing it flat in a ziplock makes thawing a snap. I also use mason jars, but it takes longer to thaw in them.

I dumped the chicken out into a pan, broth and all. Then I added chili powder and taco seasoning (I make mine homemade, using this recipe), and 3 oz. cream cheese. This is just enough to make the chicken creamy and give it a rich flavor. Salt & pepper and some fresh herbs, and Voila! Seasoned chicken for tacos! This would be great in enchiladas, too.

Fresh Herbs and Lettuce From My Garden! So exciting!!

We were running late, rushing around to find jackets and long-sleeved shirts as the weather went from sunny and warm, to windy, chilly and stormy. I knew it was either make dinner portable or show up way too late, so I took a tortilla, added the chicken and some cheese, then heated in the microwave for about 25 seconds or until the cheese melted. I ripped squares of foil, rolled the tacos up like a burrito and then rolled them in the foil. I put the lettuce and tomato I had prepared into a ziplock, threw everything into a bag, and off we went to soccer.

My girls would rather not have the lettuce and tomato on their tacos, so they were very happy to eat their tacos in the car without the toppings. Todd and I ate ours at the soccer field, where I snapped this picture before I scarfed the rest down. The angle is a bit weird, but it was in my lap and I felt very WEIRD snapping photos of my food at a soccer game, so it was a quick pic! Sorry if the bite out of it is unappetizing!;)

The family loved these. I will be making them often!

Portable Chicken Tacos
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp taco seasoning (or to taste)
3 oz. cream cheese
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Fresh Parsely and Chives (optional)

Whole Wheat Tortillas
Shredded Cheese
Lettuce
Tomato
(whatever toppings you like)

Heat chicken, broth, seasonings, cream cheese, salt and pepper in pan on med. heat for about 5-10 minutes, stirring to incorporate the cream cheese as it melts. Remove from heat and add fresh herbs (optional)

Make you tacos using the method described above if you need a portable dinner. If not, serve chicken on the tortillas, add toppings of choice and enjoy!

Meals/ RECIPES

Pizza Rolls

Lately, I have been making batches of pizza dough in my bread maker, then throwing it is ziplocs and freezing it. I’ve been using this recipe off the bag of Bob Mill’s Organic Flour: (I tried a few Whole Wheat Pizza Dough recipes, and I’m still on the look out for one that does not remind me of cardboard…help!)

Perfect Pizza Crust (well almost perfect, would be if it used whole wheat flour!)

1 cup Warm Water (105-115 degrees)

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 tsp Rapadura (or Sugar or honey)

1 tsp Salt

21/2 Cups Unbleached White Flour

1 Tbsp Active Dry Yeast

Put in order given into bread maker.

Set maker on dough setting.

Push start, when finished,

Place in ziplock to freeze if not using right away.

I’ve done the same with

Seasoned Ground Beef:

~chop some onion and garlic, (1/2 med. onion, 1 clove garlic)

~cook in a bit of olive oil, (about 1 Tbsp)

~add ground beef (1 lb)

~and a bit of grill seasoning, (1-1/2 tsp)

~cook it up,

~put in a mason jar,

~and plop it in the freezer.

I’ve done the same with

Homemade Simple 5 Minute Tomato Sauce:

~click here for the recipe

~put into mason jar and freeze

I’ve also been buying

Mozzarella Cheese

when it goes on sale:

~shred it,

~then freeze it.

When I have a freezer full of these things, Homemade Pizza is a snap, and so delish! I can’t tell you the difference between homemade pizza and frozen store bought pizza. I had no idea until I started making my own!

I wanted to make our pizza more fun and portable, so when I saw these Pizza Rolls at Tammy’s Recipes, I knew I would copy her technique. These were a hit, especially with kids.

~Roll out the dough about 1/8 inch thick.

~Sprinkle with garlic powder, Seasoned Ground Beef, and Cheese

~Roll up

~Slice

~Put into a greased pan

~Bake 350 degrees about 15 minutes or until golden on top.

*You could bake these, then freeze and reheat for an easy snack.

*I recently used this same technique, but instead of seasoned ground beef and mozzarella cheese, I used seasoned taco meat and cheddar cheese, dipped in a sauce made of salsa mixed with sour cream. They were awesome!!

Meals/ RECIPES

Chicken Pot Pie

When my first child was born (10 years ago!), I had many lovely meals brought to my home by friends and family. This meal stood out as one of my favorites! It was made by my cousin, Kerri, and was just so comforting and delish!

I just made it again last week, and forgot that it fills 2 pie dishes. I only made enough crust for one, so the next night I used the leftover filling by heating it up and serving it over homemade biscuits! It was a huge hit with my kids, which means I need to pull this recipe out more often, and double it to make 2 Chicken Pot Pies and 2 meals of Chicken N’ Biscuits! All would freeze beautifully.

Chicken Pot Pie

2 carrots, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces

1 medium potato, cubed

1 medium onion, diced

1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas

***

6 Tbls butter

6 Tbls flour

2 1/2 cups chicken broth (homemade is great!)

1 1/2 cups heavy cream (I used whole milk)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp dried thyme, crushed

1/4 tsp ground sage

***

4 cups cooked chicken (can use this method)

Pie Crust Pastry (enough to cover the top of 2 pies)

In a saucepan, cook carrots, potato, onion and peas in a small amount of water, covered, about 10 minutes or until crisp tender. In another pan (skillet), melt butter. Add flour, cook and stir until mixture is golden brown. Slowly add broth, cream (or milk), salt, pepper, thyme, and sage. Cook and stir 5 minutes or until thickened and smooth. Divide chicken between 2 pie plates. Top with vegetables and sauce. Stir gently to combine. Place pastry over and cut slits on top.

Bake 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes (watch crust for browning).

Recipe for biscuits coming up!

This post is linked to:
Tasty Tuesdays @ Balancing Beauty And Bedlam

Homemaking/ Meals/ RECIPES

60 Nourishing Crockpot Recipes!

I’ve been surprised at how much fun I am having with the blogging community. It is so fun learning and sharing with other mom’s/women! My favorite fun is when one decides to have a “link up” party.

A “Link-Up” or “Linky” party is when one blogger allows other bloggers to come to her site, and leave a link to one of their own posts. Different link parties have different themes. I was very excited about a “Nourishing Crockpot Recipe” theme.

I think the beginning of the New Year is the perfect time to simplify, so I plan on using my crock-pot more often, especially when I have 60 healthful recipes to choose from! Thank you, Lindsey @ Passionate Homemaking for hosting.

Meals/ RECIPES

Crockpot Beef Stew

It’s been cold and snowy here in Nebraska. I was aching for a bowl of beef stew so I brought up the Allrecipes.com website and found this simple recipe, and hoped for the best. What I got was a very easy, flavorful stew. It hit the spot… ooooh yeah…yum.

If you want to read reviews and nutrition information, go to AllRecipes.com

Crock-Pot Beef Stew

Ingredients

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups beef broth
3 potatoes, diced
4 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped

Directions

Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery.
Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours.

Meals/ RECIPES

Hungarian Paprika Chicken

Kelley, from the Flylady website,(click here to learn about flylady) posted this great recipe that I stumbled upon a few years ago. It has become a favorite I make, every so often. I like that it is a slow cooked recipe, but doesn’t take as long as one would in a crockpot. It is great for the cold days of winter, it is so very filling and comforting. It smells just like a sweet, little, Hungarian Grandmother is cooking in your kitchen!

Kelly’s Chicken Paprika

“Chicken Paprika is a family favorite. My dh’s family is Hungarian and his sweet Grandmother has taught me so many of the family recipes. This is one that is always a huge hit!” – Kelly

1 whole chicken Cut into pieces (I used 3 bone-in chicken breasts)
2 medium sized onions, chopped
1 16 ounce can stewed tomatoes
1 large green pepper, chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup sour cream
1 pound of medium Egg Noodles

In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil and onions until onions are clear, add paprika and stir. Add chicken pieces and brown. Add can of tomatoes (whole can, juice and all), green pepper and spices. Reduce heat and simmer for one hour to an hour and a half until chicken is done.

Pull chicken pieces out and let cool until you can take the bones out. You need to cook it with the bones because of the flavor that it adds to the gravy). While the chicken pieces cooling, add the sour cream and stir well. Add the chicken pieces back in and simmer.

While Chicken is simmering, boil water and cook Egg Noodles according to package directions. Serves chicken over noodles. Makes a great meal with a loaf of french bread and a green salad.