Foodie Friday--Dad's Favorite Chili

I have been on the lookout for a chili recipe for over thirty years. I've tried many types of recipes, some cooked by the letter of the recipe and some made with my own twist.

 

None of them compare to this recipe.

 

Seven days later we are still eating this chili and enjoying it like we had on the first day.

Plus, this recipe makes A LOT OF CHILI.

 

I had used my regular 5 quart Calphalon pot that I use for everything . . . and it was too small.

 

Fast forward to the chili bubbling and dripping down the sides of the pot and burning on the stove to me hastily scooping the chili into my big ass crock pot--lined with a slow cooker liner because those wonderful heat resistant bags of nylon are the BEST!

 

Two hours later, and a supreme amount of elbow grease to clean the stove and pot, I had a fantastic scoop of chili poured over Fritos, a sprinkling of shredded cheese and a large pinch of bacon crumbles. I was in heaven.

 

My hubby thinks I might give his boss a run for the money when the chili cookoff rolls around.

 

Feel free to take this recipe and put your own spin on it.

Dad's Favorite Chili

2 lbs ground chuck

1 lb bulk Italian sausage

3 1-lb can Ranch-style chili beans

1 1-lb can chili beans with spicy sauce

2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes

1 6-oz can tomato paste

1 large yellow onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

2 Poblano chili peppers, chopped

1 Tbls minced garlic

1 Tbls. bacon crumbles

1 Tbls. beef Better Than Bouillon

1 12-ounce Corona beer

1/4 cup chili powder

1 Tbls Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbls oregano

2 tsp. cumin

2 tsp hot pepper sauce (Tabasco)

1 tsp basil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp white sugar

 

In large stock pot (6 quart or larger), brown beef and sausage. Drain grease. Add all ingredients.

Stir to blend. Cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder.

 

Tips & Tricks

 

• I didn't have Italian sausage, so I used bulk sausage. Next time, I'll try spicy bulk breakfast sausage for a different zing.
• I picked up the Ranch-style (black label) beans thinking they were just beans. They aren't. They are in a sauce. I didn't drain them and just tossed them in the pot.
• I think I used 4 14-ounce cans of diced tomatoes, but honestly, I think I might have only put in 2 cans. Oops. Do what floats your boat. 2 cans or 4 cans. It really doesn't matter, just make sure you have enough room in your stock pot!
• Recently I bought fresh paprika. It was smoked paprika, because that was all they had. I like the nuance of the flavor.
• Yes, I did have to add more salt. It will all depend on your beans, bouillon, and the sausage you use. Wait until everything cooks down a bit so you don't over season it.

Fritos and shredded Mexican cheese is handy, gooey and makes a great Frito chili pie!

 

Enjoy!

MAGolla  

 

 



Foodie Friday -- Chicken Pot Pie

I haven't been cooking much recently, what with taking the kidlet to swim practice and the hubs working late (7 or 8 PM). The kidlet and I would leave the house at 5:05 PM on the days she has dry land prior to swim practice, and at 5:45 PM on regular swim days. We get home around 8:00. I refuse to feed my kid a heavy meal when she's going to bed in the hour or hour-and-a-half.

This last week I had thawed some pre-made pie crust {If you've EVER read my foodie blogs, I will tell you that I a) hate these crusts, and b) can't make crust if my life depended on it}. So I buy the crusts. And I had thawed a package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I love these little vacuum sealed packages from Target's Archer Farms brand. Each package is either twelve ounces for 2-3 breasts, or sixteen ounces for 3-4. And let's just say these breasts are plump!

These two items had to be used or they would go bad. So I told the kidlet when I picked her up at school on Wednesday that I was making Chicken Pot Pie, and received the rousing encouragement of "meh".

So go hungry. See if I care. Erm, she had two servings of this stuff.

I didn't measure anything, so be sure to taste and adjust seasonings prior to baking it. I did use the Pioneer Woman's Chicken Pot Pie recipe as a guideline. If I could have made more filling, I would have. I wasn't going to post this recipe, until I realized that I didn't have one on my Foodie Friday blogs.

Here's my rendition.

Chicken Pot Pie

2 large stalks celery, diced (about 1 cup)
1 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)
Carrots, diced (about 1 cup) All I had were mini-carrots.
Green peas--if you have them, I didn't :-(
1 Tbls butter
1 Tbls olive oil
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, raw, cut into 1-in. cubes (about 2 cups)
flour (about 1/4 cup)
Kosher salt
pepper
thyme
1 Tbls Better than Bouillon chicken base
2 cups water
splash of heavy cream (I had some left over about 1/2 cup)
1 pre-made pie crust, Pillsbury

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Melt butter with oil in large pan until hot, toss in celery, onions, and carrots. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Toss in chicken and cook, about 3-4 minutes. Add Bouillon chicken base, salt, pepper, thyme and sprinkle with flour. Stir to coat and cook for a minute or two. Add water. Stir and boil for 3-4 minutes. It will start to thicken. Taste seasonings, adjust if needed. Add splash of cream and simmer for a few minutes until thickens. Pour mixture into baking dish. Throw crust on top. Poke holes in crust. Bake in oven for about 30 minutes, until crust is golden.

Hints & suggestions:

• I love the Better than Bouillon products
• I use a flat-bottomed wok for cooking. It has nice high sides that angle out to make for easy sauteing.
• Find the fattest piece of chicken and break in half to see if it's cooked (NOT pink), then continue with recipe.

Enjoy!

Later, Peeps!