Chili and Cornbread

I don't think I have a style of cooking.....maybe comfort food would be a good category fit.  I like easy.  I like stuff my kids will eat.  I like mexican type spicy.  I like soup.  Ron doesn't.  But he likes this!  But really, does chili count as soup?

I don't do a traditional Sundee dinner around here....no pot roast, or chicken, or meatloaf every Sabbath.  I like to mix it up sometimes.  This week....Chili and Cornbread:

Excuse the blurriness....there is a small section of the chili that isn't...but it was dark, I had my 50mm on wide open so I didn't have to use a flash, therefore...bokeh, and lot's of it!

Rotel Chili (recipe found a long time ago on internet, and altered by me)

Brown 1# ground beef and 1 chopped onion
Combine with:
1 can Rotel tomatoes & green chilis
1 can crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz)
1 can each pinto, black, & kidney beans (I use 2 pinto and 1 black...we don't like kidney)
chili powder and cumin to taste (I use 1 T & 1 t respectively, I also add a pinch of chipotle chili powder)
salt to taste (I use about 3/4 t of Johnny's Seasoning Salt)

Simmer on stove top until flavors blend, or prepare in crockpot and cook on low 1 hour.  Top with cheese and sour cream if desired.


Cornbread - Creekside Cookery (my ward cookbook)  recipe by Melanie Ashby

2 eggs
1/2 c butter, melted
1 c milk
2 c Bisquick
1/2 t baking soda
3 T cornmeal
3/4 c sugar
1/3 c white flour

Mix together all ingredients and pour into greased 9X13 pan.  Bake at 350° until done, about 20-25 minutes until lightly browned.  I always just check it with a toothpick. :)


My kids loved me for this dinner.  Jared adores chili and taco soup, and who doesn't want to eat a big slab of cake cornbread drizzled with honey for dinner?!

Homemade Hot Fudge

This is the yummiest, easiest recipe for hot fudge sauce ever, and you probably have the ingredients for it right now!

Homemade Hot Fudge

1 cube butter
1 c. chocolate chips
1 c. evaporated milk
2 c. sifted powdered sugar

Melt ingredients over low heat. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes, stirring continuously. Add 1 t. vanilla. Serve warm over ice cream.

Recipe alert!

I found this recipe for Ravioli Lasagna the other day, and tried it out last night. So easy, yummy, and the kids LOVED it! I figured it was definitely worth passing on. Happy meal making! :)

Cinco de Mayo!

I hope everyone is having a bueno Cinco de Mayo! We are "celebrating" by having Tostada bake for dinner...I new recipe I got from here. Found it blog hopping! I love new recipes, especially when they are easy.

So...my chocolate cake plans yesterday very sadly hit a bump...I only had 2 eggs, and since all the neighbors were at church being good, I had no one to borrow from. But thankfully I had a chocolate chunk brownie mix from Costco that only required 2 eggs, so I made that instead. :)

I was going to make lemon bars for tonight, but I'm now out of time. So sad when life revolves around what dessert you are making...

Jared woke up yesterday afternoon with a nice little fever. By this morning it was obvious that, yes, he had strep. I promise, all who have not been in my home, it isn't a germy pig-sty. I even switched out all the toothbrushes for new and disinfected the drawer and bathroom when Nicole had it last. I'm about to tie my kids hands down to keep them out of their mouths and bathe them hourly in sanitizer. I'm already steeling myself for a couple days from now when Nicole gets it again...which she will because the drinking cups were only refilled last night instead of changed for new(yeah, and I wonder how and why they get strep...), and hers got mixed up and she got Jared's. Why me?! Her ENT appointment is Wednesday though, so maybe he'll test her then and we can treat if needed.

You must make this! It's heavenly!

I am a devoted reader of The Pioneer Woman, and have also tried a number of her recipes from her cooking blog as well...have yet to be disappointed! But this beauty...oh my! I've been craving it since I first saw it, and finally threw it together last night. My, oh my, it was delish! I did go a bit lighter on the cilantro than what she put in, since I don't like feeling overwhelmed by cilantro, and it turned out great! Ellie ate up two bowl of the noodles and veggies...the other kids weren't so sure of it, but they missed out!

So here's the link, and a little peek:

*photo taken by Ree the Pioneer Woman and borrowed by me! Hope she doesn't throw me in jail!

Try this...it's NUMMY!

This was taken from my mom's ward cookbook(the best cookbooks around), so the credit goes to Kathy Hill(one of my favorite people) for this recipe...I made rice to go with it as well, and the kids liked the chicken and stuff mixed in rice and noodles instead of in the lettuce...this is not a copy of PF Changs wraps, but is so yummy and fresh, who cares?! :)

Lettuce Wraps

Boneless chicken breasts (I got a Costco rotisserie chicken and just shredded one of the breasts)
Shredded carrots
cucumber, sliced in half lengthwise, remove seeds, then cut into half moon shapes
Saimin udon noodles or Somen noodles (oriental spaghetti product--not an egg noodle)
Hoisin sauce thinned with a little water for easier pouring
sesame seeds, I used toasted
Butter lettuce, cleaned and crisp (I used Iceberg)
chopped peanuts

Heat grill. Cook Saimin noodles per package instructions. Place chicken in large ziplock with olive oil to lightly coat. Place chicken on grill and sprinkle lightly with lemon pepper. Grill on med. til done. Slice chicken thinly, set aside. (Or cheat and shred your rotisserie chicken!) While chicken is cooking, slice veggies and prepare sauce. Layer a lettuce leaf, chicken, cucumber carrots, noodles, sauce peanuts and sesame seeds. These are eaten with your hands, kinda messy! But so nummy...

Food Storage Chicken and Dumplings

Here's the yummy recipe for the chicken and Dumplings I made the other night. The recipe uses all things from food storage, but I used fresh veggies instead. So I increased the amounts of veggies (I doubled them, but added even more carrots, because I like carrots!), and decreased the water by a cup or so.

Soup
1/4 c dried carrots
1/4 c dried celery
1/8 c dried onion
1/2 t chicken bullion (I used 1 cube)
1 t dried sage
salt and pepper to taste
2 (12.5 oz)cans chicken breast, with juice...I used 8 cooked tenders
2 (14.5 oz)cans chicken broth...or 1 chicken and 1 vegetable
6-8 c water

Dumplings
2 c biscuit mix-homemade (recipe below)
2/3 c milk

Combine all ingredients and let simmer until veggies are reconstituted and flavors are blended(about 40 min.). When soup is ready, bring it to a boil. Add dumplings one spoon drop at a time and cover with lid. Cook until the dumplings fluff up and look done(about 15-20 mins), cut into one to check it. The dumplings will help to make the soup a lot more creamy and hearty.
**Options: Add 1 c noodles instead of dumplings, more veggies to make it go farther, or adding different veggies like corn or peas.

Basic Biscuit Mix
9 c sifted flour 3 T baking powder
1/4 c sugar 1 T salt
2 c shortening

Mix until flour and shortening are thoroughly mixed together. Use in recipes calling for Bisquick. Store in sealed container in refrigerator.

I could just cry....

Remember that little prediction about Ellie at the end of my last post? The one that involved her getting sick this morning and me scrambling to figure out how to nursery today?

yep.

came true...

She woke up in the middle of the night burning up. So she and I had a sleepless night. This morning I made some phone calls to let people know what was going on, threw a little make-up and a skirt on, left Riley here to watch the kiddos, and ran over to the church to set up the nursery. The teachers will go it on their own today, and the primary counselor will lock it all up at the end. It's too bad that this didn't happen next Sunday when it is Stake Conference and I wouldn't even have to be worrying about nursery.

I'm trying to decide whether or not to go into after-hours clinic. Her fever did break this morning, and since Nicole didn't culture out for strep, Ellie could just have the virus that she had....but the fact that she got a hold of Jared's strep covered cup twice before he started antibiotics, it is more possible that it's strep. Sigh....I suppose I shouldn't care, it's just a co-pay. She is feeling a little hot right now. I'm just wanting us all to take a nap!

Sorry for the bummer posts lately....and no pictures even.....hopefully things will get better SOON!

On a side note, I made up a recipe last night, and it turned out pretty good, and was easy, so I'll share it here:

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
Salsa
1/2 t cumin
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small can sliced olives
1 large can green chile enchilada sauce
12 corn tortillas
Grated colby jack cheese

(Sorry for the lack of measurements...I told you I made it up!) Mix together the chicken, beans, cumin, and most of the olives(reserve enough for top). Pour some salsa over mixture to coat well (I bet I used about a cup). Some cheese in this mixture would also be good, but that was an afterthought! Spray a 9X13 pan with some Pam, Put a small amount of enchilada sauce in the bottom to coat. Layer 6 tortillas in bottom of pan, overlapping to fit. Pour some enchilada sauce over tortilla layer, enough to coat. Pour chicken mixture over tortillas, spread evenly. Pour some more enchilada sauce over chicken, to suit your taste...I liked mine saucy! Layer the last 6 tortillas over the top of the chicken, and top with (you guessed it!) more enchilada sauce. Again, however saucy you want. Top with cheese and sprinkle with reserved sliced olives for visual appeal! Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. I covered with foil, and then took it off for the last 5-7 minutes of baking time. I then served it with sour cream, lettuce, and fresh tomatoes.