Chili and Cornbread

I love when the weather changes from hot to cold. That’s probably one of the reasons I miss Washington so much, the rainy weather inspires me to cook something warm. Now we live in Oklahoma and today it was 82° outside…not exactly chili weather but sometimes I can’t help myself. Winter to me means staying indoors, doing something crafty and eating warm food. Chili and Cornbread fit the bill. This is a quick and easy recipe, you can make it ahead and let it simmer for 2 hours but sometimes I don’t start making dinner early enough. Tonight was one of those nights. I let it simmer for at least an hour. Still really tasty. I also freeze the leftovers for another day. Just put leftovers in a plastic freezer bag and lay it flat in your freezer. Once it’s frozen it doesn’t take up much space at all.

Chili with Meat and Beans

Ingredients:

1-1 1/2 lbs ground beef

1 can pinto beans, *I don’t drain or rinse mine but you can if you’d like

1 can kidney beans *I don’t drain or rinse

1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes

1/2 can tomato paste

1 small white onion, diced

2 TBS chili powder (*homemade or store-bought)

1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tsp or 2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp or a few dashes hot pepper sauce, like Tabasco

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp white sugar

shredded cheese and more diced onions for garnish

Directions:

In a large pot brown ground beef and diced onions. Once meat is cooked all the way through, drain off excess fat and place back into the pot. Then add all the other ingredients except cheese and onion garnish. Allow to simmer at least 1-2 hours stirring occasionally. Top with shredded cheese and raw white onion. Serve hot with cornbread.

*Homemade chili powder*

1 tsp paprika

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp garlic powder

Sweet Yellow Cornbread

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup All purpose flour

1/2 cup-1 cup white sugar (* We like our cornbread sweet, I use 1 cup)

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup oil

2/3 cup milk

2 eggs, beaten

Directions:

Pre heat oven to 400°.

Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Mix oil, eggs, and milk together and add to the dry ingredients. Mix with a few stiff strokes only until just combined. Bake in a  9 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

 

 

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Super Quick and Easy Turkey or Chicken soup

Another way to use up turkey leftovers is to make a super quick and easy soup. I made this tonight. I can’t waste such a tasty bird. I’m sure there are a lot of recipes out there for Chicken/Turkey soup but here is what I did.

Quick and Easy Chicken/Turkey soup

Ingredients:

Leftover Chicken or Turkey Shredded

8 cups Chicken Broth (homemade, carton or 8 c. hot water with chicken bullion cubes; follow directions on package)

2 cups hot water

2-3 celery stalks chopped

1 small white onion

a couple handfuls of baby or regular carrots, sliced

1/2 pkg egg noodles

pepper

*salt if needed*

Directions:

In a large pot over high heat add chicken broth, hot water, shredded chicken/turkey, celery, onion, carrots and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 30-45 minutes or until carrots are cooked through. In the last 8-10 minutes of cooking add 1/2 package of egg noodles to the soup. Cook until noodles are done. Serve hot.