New recipe Chili w vegetables recipe

Today was a day to play with food.

I added my touch to a recipe I had never used before.

My mother in law when she made chili she would add a can of mixed vegetables to hers.  I never cared for it so when I made chili I would make my version of a recipe I used from the first time I made chili and it involved beef, onion salt and pepper, chili powder and tomato juice.  My original recipe:

https://iliketobakeandcook.blogspot.com/2019/02/basic-chili-con-carne.html

New recipe:
I lb. Ground beef

1 medium onion chopped 

2 carrots chopped or sliced

I tsp. Cumin

1tsp. Chili powder

1tsp. Better than bullion beef seasoning****

1/2 cup water***

I stalk celery chopped 

1tsp. Salt

1large can crushed tomatoes 

1 small red or green or yellow pepper ****

1 can dark kidney beans rinsed and drained 

In a Dutch oven pot place a small amount of vegetable oil.

Place carrot,celery,onion and beef, yellow pepper ,salt and sauté until onion is translucent and beef is browned.

Add tomatoes, Better than bouillon, cumin , chili powder, drained beans and chopped pepper.

Cook on low to medium until it starts to boil.  Cook on low slightly covered for approximately 1hour or more.

Because of the vegetables this recipe will need to be cooked on low until vegetables are tender.

Some fresh bread or crackers to sop up the juice.

Tbis chili is meant to be soupy!

Usually chili is topped with shredded cheese but today I put a dollop of sour cream on mine.  Delicious!!

Enjoy!

Cinnamon swirl bread

            

This is an all recipes recipe that I followed the instructions to the tee!

I’m not too good at following instruction because I love adding my touch to a recipe so this was probably among the few I didn’t change in some way.

Here goes:

• 1 ⅓ cups white sugar, divided

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 large egg, beaten

• 1 cup milk

• ⅓ cup vegetable oil

1. Using a 9” x 5” bread pan spray pan lightly.

    I’m a small bowl Mix together 1/3 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon and set aside.

2. Combine flour, remaining 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Combine egg, milk, and oil in a separate bowl; add to flour mixture. Stir until just moistened.

3. Pour 1/2 of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the reserved cinnamon-sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining batter and cinnamon-sugar mixture. Draw a knife through batter to marble.

4. Bake in the preheated oven 350 °.  Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.

5. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap in foil and let sit overnight before slicing.

   Enjoy!

 

Banana Foster French toast

Breakfast for dinner tonight.  Bananas Foster over pancakes. 10/23/2023

It’s Sunday and I’m thinking an easy brunch meal for us...


                   

Hmmmm I have Italian bread, eggs, milk and cinnamon so French toast is always easy but toppings are better than plain syrup so since I have bananas, butter and maple syrup I’m going to experiment to make the Bananas Foster version my mind views it as.

  This was a total experiment and it turned out DELICIOUS!  My hubby loved it...


Topping

4 T butter
4 T pancake syrup ( I used log cabin brand)

2 bananas cut in medium slices

Melt butter in skillet add syrup.  Simmer.  Add bananas and allow to simmer on low until bananas are coated .  Serve over French toast.

French toast

2 eggs
2 cups milk
1 tsp. Cinnamon

Pinch salt

5 thick slices of Italian bread

Butter

Whisk eggs, add milk and cinnamon.

In a large skillet place a pad of butter.  Dip bread into egg mixture and then place in pan. Cook until brown on each side. Yummy and you'll WOW them...

This recipe made 5 slices of French Toast.  I sprinkled a little powdered sugar on them before I served it.

12/9/2018 original 

Meat sauce with Polenta

Fresh sauce with fine ground beef, pork and veal meat.

6/24/24

10/22/23

This is the Polenta I used.

Our family knows polenta as a traditional Italian meal. It's been around for generations..

Today I'm making it and although it's hot outside we don't care because I (we)are craving it.
 It's going to be awesome! 

I know I've said this many times and I am aware that family budgets are tight but check for sales and try hard to buy the best quality of meat that you can afford.  I truly believe quality meat for this sauce makes a remarkable difference it the taste.

Here is today's recipe:

1 lb. ground beef (85%)
1 lb. ground pork (90%)
2 cubes of basil, garlic and olive oil pesto or several cloves minced garlic and about 1 tsp.dried basil

Note:  I make my own blend with my garlic, basil and olive oil and freeze it by tablespoons in ice cube trays but feel free to either buy a good pesto blend(I do not have any nuts in mine) and use a little of it when you cook your meat.

Salt and pepper according to your taste
1 large can Hunts crushed tomatoes
1 large can Hunts tomato sauce
1 small can organic tomato paste
1 small can water
1 15 oz. can organic tomato sauce
1 carrot cleaned and cut into 3 pieces



In a Dutch place a little olive oil on medium heat.  Add ground meats and cook while breaking meat apart into small to medium pieces.  Once meat has started to brown slightly and there is no longer any pink add garlic/basil pesto , salt and pepper.  Keep stirring until incorporated.  Add small can tomato paste and small can water.  Cook and stir until all starts to bubble slightly.  Add mixture to crockpot that is set on high that you have placed crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and carrot. Stir well, cover and cook two hours on high and then lower heat to low and cook for an additional two hours. Delicious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Instant Polenta..........It's really good and cooks in 3 minutes.  Polenta is an acquired taste...Most Italians love it. All it is is thickened corn meal.

You can find a box of Polenta at most grocery stores.  The brand I used was was DeLallo
The box has instructions on it and it serves 3  similar to the portion below comfortably.

FYI:  Just a little note from me.  This was the first year I had so much fresh basil so I decided to try using my food processor(you can use a blender too) and using the basil, fresh garlic and olive oil and after blending it all I froze individual tablespoons in ice cube containers.  I had done this before but varied using pine nuts and cheese.  This year with basil so abundant I am good thru next summer.

You may want to next year grow your own basil.  Containers do well and make your own pesto that have so many uses.  You can add more olive oil when making pasta along with a few of these pesto cubes and top with a little grated cheese and you have an easy meal.

From my kitchen to yours,

Original April 2016

Shrimp fried rice my way

Shrimp fried rice my way.

You can easy make this for one or more just increase all ingredients especially vegetable oil and butter.

1 cup minute rice according to directions and set aside as well as 6 extra large shrimp I had defrosted and cut in half.

In a medium saucepan on medium heat add approximately 4 tablespoons vegetable oil and 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon *soy sauce.  

When it starts to sizzle I added one chopped scallion, about 1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots, dried parsley,  onion powder and garlic powder

Pinch of salt and pepper to taste.

Cover pan allowing peas and carrots to cook a few minutes.  Then  add the cut shrimp making sure to throughly coat all the shrimp with the butter vegetable oil .  I immediately added the cooked rice stirred thoroughly to mix.

Note:  you can add more scallions and if you want add about 1 tablespoon *soy sauce for color if you have them.  I only had one scallion  so I added additional onion powder.  It’s the first time I did this my way and it was so good.

It was ready to eat in less than 15 minutes.

Enjoy!