Famous Chili

When we were first married and in a strange country in a strange state (U.S. and California respectively), we joined a small group in an attempt to find community. It worked wonderfully! And a long the way we found some fabulous recipes! One man in the group made the absolute best chili, and it was his own somewhat secret recipe - as in it was only in his head, not written down!

He has since passed away, I remember going to his funeral hugely pregnant, and we have since cracked the code on the chili recipe!

Famous Chili

2 pkgs ground turkey (or 2 and a half lbs ground beef) browned.
Season with a bit of salt and pepper while browning.
2 onions, diced (I like to fry them up with the meat)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cans of pinto beans, rained and rinsed
2 cans of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans of crushed tomatoes
2 green peppers, diced
1 cup chopped celery
Chili Powder to taste - about 2 tbspish
Salt and Pepper
1 bunch of cilantro (about a fist full of stems), chopped, leave the stems out.

Put all ingredients except the cilantro in the slow cooker. Cook all day on low, or all afternoon in high.

Add the cilantro for the last half hour of cooking.

Serve with cornbread (preferably over the cornbread), shredded cheddar cheese, more peppers and onion, and if you want, sour cream.

Famous Mushrooms - Revised

I am going to a lunch today where we are to bring a dish we would serve at Thanksgiving. I am choosing to take my Famous Mushrooms because they are the absolute best appetizer - delicious, easy, and most importantly, you can pop them in the slow cooker and then move it out of the kitchen so it is not taking up valuable kitchen counter space!

Plus, they always get rave reviews, so that is good too! And this way there is no whining when supper will be ready as there is a snack out! Pairing this with a veggie plate and dip rounds out a small appetizer table beautifully!

Famous Mushrooms

4-5 packages of whole button mushrooms, cleaned (the white ones in the blue tray, if they are really big I halve them or even quarter them so the finished product is a bite size)
2 sticks of butter
2 envelopes Italian or Ranch salad dressing mix.

Add all ingredients together in a Crock Pot. Turn on low for about 3 hours, stirring every now and then. Mushrooms will shrink and get nice and juicy.

Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes

I tried to make these this week without the cheese for my husband, and without the cheese they are nothing special, but with the cheese they are pretty good for a last minute meal idea when you remember after lunch that you have to run errands and you will not be home until exactly supper time!

Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes

2 lbs ground beef
1 medium onion chopped
2 stalks celery finely chopped
1 sweet pepper finely chopped
1 can condensed tomato soup
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
4-6 hamburger buns

Brown ground beef and add to slow cooker along with the next 7 ingredients (up to, but not including, the cheese), mix well.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, high for 3 hours.

Reduce heat to low, add cheese and let cook for an addition 10 minutes.

Spoon mixture over hamburger buns - best served open face.

SCT - Spaghetti Sauce

I originally shared this recipe here as a freezer recipe, and linked to a couple other great recipes in that post too. But this is a family favorite, and the only spaghetti sauce I use with any consistency. I learned to make it in Home Economics in Jr. High, and then tweaked the recipe like crazy to get this!

Seeing both my daughter and I am feeling under the weather today I am very grateful to have a meal of this sauce in the freezer to pull out!

Mrs. Pear's Spaghetti Sauce

2 packages of 1 and a 1/3 lb ground turkey
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
3-4 green peppers chopped (or more)
4x395mL can tomato sauce (medium size can)
3x156mL can tomato paste (small can)
1 tbsp sugar
1/8 – 1/4 cup dried oregano (depending on how strong the oregano is)
4 cloves crushed garlic
2 bay leaves
pepper

Brown turkey, (I usually do one package at a time with 3-4 grinds of pepper) place in slow cooker.

Saute onions and garlic in good olive oil (if possible, if not, whatever will work), place in slow cooker.

Place all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on high for at least 4 hours, or on low for at least 8 hours.

I use this sauce to make Lasagna too!

Slow Cooker Thursday - Honey Mustard Chicken

I have been renewed in my devotion to my slow cooker with the heat wave that hit southern California this past week and a half. It helps that we have the new All Clad Deluxe slow cooker that gives off a lot less heat than the average slow cooker! It was actually better to use our slow cooker than an electric frying pan! (And the BBQ was in full blazing sun for supper, so that was out too!) It has definitely been a wonderful investment for us, especially after I burned out two before this one, we are hoping that this one will be able to keep up!

This heat has shown me that I need to have an list of slow cooker recipes that I can go to again and again, especially when it is too hot to think or peruse recipe books because nothing sounds good! I am certain this will also help us on errand say!

So from now until next spring the plan is to use the slow cooker at least once a week, and half of that time be trying something new so that I have a good stock of reliable recipes!

On Monday I made Honey Mustard Chicken and it is definitely a keeper!

Honey Mustard Chicken

1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup honey
1/4 cup yellow mustard (kind you put on hot dogs)
1/4 cup dijon mustard (can substitute yellow mustard, but is better if you don't!)
1 tsp - 2 tbsp curry powder depending on your tastes!
6-8 chicken breasts or equivalent chicken pieces

Place chicken in slow cooker, mix all other ingredients together and pour over chicken. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. (If chicken is frozen cook for 6-7 hours, and if you use chicken with the bone in adjust accordingly!)

Excellent served with rice and veggies or a salad.

In hot weather, cool the chicken, dice it, and serve over a salad. Chicken is also wonderful in chicken salad or as sliced chicken for sandwiches and wraps.

To Freeze
Cook the chicken, cool, slice or chop, put quantities you want in a freezer bag, spoon some extra marinade over top, and then freeze using the Zip Top Bag Method!


Next up in the series, apparently in no particular order:
- Planning your shopping, prep and cooking
- Storing your meals revisited and revised
- Keeping track of what is in your freezer and what is the oldest
- Freezer lunch stash complete with ideas
- Freezer breakfast stash complete with ideas
- Recipes I used in my marathon cook that have not yet been posted
- What little I know about having a group of friends who share freezer meals
- Books and resources I love
- Successfully freezing cookies and baking
- Answers to questions you post for me or email to me (email button is in my profile).


Previously in the series:
Introduction to the series
Why Freezer Meals?
My Usual Method
Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Pesto Butter and Chicken Cordon Blue
Chicken Enchiladas
Kitchen Day - Tortilla Soup and Enchiladas (How To)
Blessing of Freezer Meals
Lazy Lasagna - A Freezer Meal
Sauce for Freezer Meatballs
Pineapple Tuna Cracker Snack
Freezer Cooking with Limited Space
Orange Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Orange-Apricot Glazed Pork Chops
Converting your Casserole Recipes to Freezer Recipes
Converting your Meat Recipes to Freezer Meals
Triple Chocolate Cookies
Bacon-Macaroni Bake
Once A Month Freezer Cooking Simply Explained
Planning Your Freezer Cooking Shopping Session
Zip Top Bag Method
Italian Sausage and Tomato Sauce
Menu Planning
Freezer Cooking Online Resources
Asian Beef Kabobs