Chili

As I'm typing this, I am thinking "Why are you even putting this recipe on this blog Joni, everyone had their own chili recipe." I had mine own too, from my mom that I had made for years. Too many years too mention as a matter of fact. So when I stumbled upon a chili recipe on the Internet that sounded good, I thought I'd give it a try. I doctored it up a little to suit my tastes, but it was really good. I actually think this will be my new "go to" chili recipe from now on. I was going to say that I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks, but then I would be referring to myself as old and as a dog. So with that being said "woof woof" ...until next time! ;)
*Sorry the pics are still horrible. My camera is still not cooperating with me!

2 lbs ground beef, browned and drained 

1 large onion, chopped 

3 large bell peppers, chopped 

2 stalks of celery, chopped 

3 large garlic cloves, chopped 

1 (15 oz) can Ranch Style Beans, don't drain

1 (15 oz) can kidney beans,don't drain 

1 (10 oz) can Rotel Tomatoes 

1 (15 oz) can stewed tomatoes

30 oz tomato sauce

1 pks Chili seasoning (use your favorite brand)

1 tsp salt

2 jalapenos, chopped (chop with the seeds if you want extra heat. If not, remove the seeds first)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

Combine all the ingredients together in a large pot. Turn heat on high. After the chili begins to boil a little bit, turn down the fire to low. Simmer for 4 hours. Serve.

Crockpot Shredded Beef for Tacos

This morning I got up with every intention of cooking this shredded beef when I got home from work today. I get home early enough that I thought it would be a piece of cake. Well, good thing I checked the recipe this morning as it calls for cooking it 6-8 hours on low in the crockpot. This is where you can cue the "drama music" that should be playing while I tell you that I ran, yes  literally ran, through my house getting ready for work this morning. I not only managed to get ready, but I managed to get the roast defrosted in the microwave, all the sauce made, and managed to get it in my crock pot before I left for work. *cue applause*
After work I picked up my daughter and grand daughter and  came home to a wonderful smelling kitchen. We were all anxious to try this tonight in our tacos. Oh let me tell you...I am SO glad I made this. It tasted fantastic, was fairly easy (of course it would have been easier if I weren't running around like a maniac before work trying to prepare it) and everyone loved it. It even got my grand daughters seal of approval. For an almost 2 year old, that's saying A LOT!

Recipe Source: www.mykitchenaddiction.com

1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
2 pounds beef (boneless chuck roast) 
1 teaspoon chili powder 
1/2 teaspoon cumin 
1/2 teaspoon paprika 
1 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste 
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped
1/2 large sweet onion, diced 
3 cloves garlic, minced 
Flour or Corn tortillas
Favorite taco toppings

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Meanwhile, combine the chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika in a small bowl. Rub the spice mix onto the beef, covering each side evenly. Once the oil is hot, place the beef in the skillet and sear on each side. Remove the beef from the skillet and place in the bottom of a slow cooker.  Leave the pan on the heat, and add the beef stock, tomato paste and minced chipotle and whisk together. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly. 
Add the diced onion and minced garlic on top of the seared beef in the slow cooker.  Pour the pan sauce down over the onions, garlic, and beef.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours .

Remove the beef from the slow cooker and shred with two forks. Add the beef back to the slow cooker and keep warm until serving. Serve in a tortilla with your favorite taco fixins!

Ham and Roast Beef Roll Ups

I'm sure everyone has tasted these somewhere along their life journey. I had tasted them a couple years ago but had never made them. I was out walking with a friend recently and I shared with her that I needed an appetizer recipe that would be easy to travel with. Most of my appetizers are better served warm and right out of the oven. She suggested these roll ups. They fit in with what I needed since I didn't feel like lugging a crock pot or much else with me. The plus side  is that they take hardly any time at all to throw together.
Now if you want me to be honest, I can't say I'm a fan of these because I don't care for ham or roast beef, but everyone I know that has tried these, loves them. That must mean there is something wrong with my  taster ;) So if you need a quick appetizer and you are a red meat fan....these just might work for you!

Ham slices ( I used Bar S brand, it's the right amount of thickness)
Roast Beef Slices (not the super thin kind, a little thicker)
Soft spreadable cream cheese
Green onions
Fresh red bell peppers

Basically you just spread cream cheese on your ham and roll up a slice of green onion in the center and slice into bite size pieces. Do the same with roast beef, but use red pepper instead of green onions. Here is a pictoral how to that I took as I prepared them:

                      Place the green onion "lengthwise" on the ham that

                       has cream cheese spread onto it. Then roll it 

                and cut into bite size pieces

 

Place the red pepper strips on each of the short ends

of the roast beef slice that has cream cheese spread 

on it.

Now roll it up from each side until it meets 

in the middle. Slice down the center and re-roll

any loose edges of roast beef

Now slice into bite size pieces. 

Enchilada Casserole

It's not too often when I have a day that I'm not looking forward to cooking dinner. Well, today was definitely one of those days! With my mind on many of life's issues, I just didn't have it in me to create anything new myself or to make an elaborate recipe. So, this is the kind of day that just screams out "CASSEROLE." As it turns out, I'm really happy it was a casserole kind of night. This was a delicious dinner, easy to prepare and it filled our bellies well.
*Sorry for the "twisted to the side" pan in the picture. I obviously didn't even realize it was like this until I saw the picture....AFTER we had consumed the meal, so there was no going back haha. 

*Recipe adapted from the original recipe found at: justgetoffyourbuttandbake.com

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef 
1 large onion, chopped
26 oz jar of salsa
1 (15 oz can) black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup Italian salad dressing
2 tablespoons taco seasoning (powder)
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
6- 8 corn tortillas, (Depending on the size dish you use) ( I used a 2 qt dish and only had room for 6)
1 1/4 cups of frozen corn 
1/2 cup  sour cream 
2 cups, grated, pepper jack cheese
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Directions
In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink, Drain.
Stir in the salsa, beans, dressing, sour cream, corn, taco seasoning and cumin.
Spoon a layer of meat mixture on bottom of a well greased 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Place a corn tortilla on top of meat mixture. Repeat as many layers as you can to use up the meal, tortillas and cheese.
Place a layer of grated cheese over the top of the casserole. Cover with foil that has been sprayed with pam or other and bake at 400° for 25 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before topping with lettuce, tomato and cilantro.

Mexican Stuffed Shells

I wasn't sure what my initial reaction to this recipe would be, because as I have stated many times in this blog, I am not a big fan of ground beef. But, I guess if it's disguised in enough taco seasoning, it seems to work for me.This turned out to be very delicious and pretty simple to make. I love spicy food, so this one was right up my alley! If you don't like food too spicy, you could use mild  salsa and mild taco sauce.

1 lb. ground beef
1 package Lawrys taco seasoning
4 oz. cream cheese
18 jumbo pasta shells
1 1/2 cups salsa
1 cup taco sauce
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup grated monterey jack cheese
3 green onions
Sour cream
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a skillet cook ground beef. Add taco seasoning and prepare according to package directions.  Add cream cheese and stir until cheese is melted. Mix together thoroughly. Set meat aside and let it cool down. Cook the pasta shells according to directions. Drain. Set shells out individually on a cookie sheet so that they don’t stick together. Pour salsa into the bottom of a greased 9×13 baking dish.  Stuff each shell with the meat mixture. Place shells on top of the salsa in the pan with the open side of the pasta facing upward. Cover the shells with taco sauce. You may need to use a spoon to collect some of the sauce off the bottom of the pan to help cover the shells. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, add shredded cheeses and bake for 10-15 more minutes, with the foil removed.  Top with green onions. Serve with sour cream.