Chicken Enchilada Pasta

The same day the bf sent me the pork & bean casserole recipe, he sent me this chicken enchilada pasta recipe. I bookmarked it for later use since I'm pretty much always craving something Mexican.

http://www.bhg.com/recipe/pasta/chicken-enchilada-pasta/

The bf was sold when he realized it had crunched up Doritos on top!

Again, I pretty much followed the recipe. After running the idea past my mom, I decided to cook small shell-shaped pasta and mix it all up rather than stuffing manicotti-sized shells (because I was feeling lazy). Honestly, the mixture was so thick that I had to add some extra enchilada sauce and some Rotel tomatoes to loosen it up. It would probably be better stuffed, but small shells worked fine if you're feeling lazy.

I served it with sour cream, guacamole, and a black bean and corn salad (1 can black beans rinsed and drained, 2 bags of frozen sweet corn kernels, 1 chopped up bell pepper, Rotel, salt, pepper, lime, and extra taco seasoning from the casserole).  We enjoyed it, but it's too similar to our Mexi Mix and we much, much prefer Mexi Mix.

Oops, I started eating and then remembered to take a picture! :)

Pork & Beans Casserole

Whoa, I haven't updated this thing in a while! I've actually made some things I need to share, so I'll start with the Pork & Beans casserole. Actually, I'll start with a story...

This is me and the bf nearly every night (except he's the ponytailed one and he probably would've taken me up on the tacos):

A few weeks ago, I asked him what was for dinner. I think he was being a smarty butt when he IM'ed me this: http://www.recipe.com/pork-and-bean-casserole/  After the initial horror and asking if he was kidding me, I had two thoughts: 1. I'll show him! and 2. Hmm, it's relatively healthy and this might not be so bad!

I followed the recipe except I used pork tenderloin cut into cubes and I doubled it because we love our leftovers. Oh, and I topped it with some cilantro I'd just picked from the garden.

What a pleasant surprise! It was actually really tasty and really easy to make. We enjoyed it with roasted broccoli and fresh tomato from a little roadside stand we stopped by on our way home from Savannah. I think this one worked its way into regular rotation!

Quick Sriracha Beef Lettuce Wraps

I've neglected this little blog lately, mainly because the one potters have been lacking. With the warmer weather in Atlanta, the boy and I have grilled hamburgers a few times (and man are they delicious). I've made some Mexi-Mix. We even have a little urban garden, so I cooked up the collards and swiss chard for another Southern feast kind of night with fried chicken and mashed potatoes. There's just not been much to blog about. Then last night I made these sriracha beef lettuce wraps for the second time and figured I should share!

I found this recipe on Pinterest. It's so quick and easy and yum.  http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2012/01/recipe-for-quick-sriracha-beef-lettuce.html

-Brown the ground beef
-Drain the grease
-Add 1 tbsp of water, 1 tbsp of fish sauce, and as much sriracha as your little mouth can handle
-Add a bunch of chopped green onions, cilantro, lime zest, and lime juice
-Serve in lettuce leaves (I prefer Boston) and I like to add a little brown rice to make it more filling

This is exactly the type of thing I have to eat to feel good after two straight nights of fried chicken and mashed potatoes and greens cooked in bacon fat. Oh, and let's not forget the dessert- biscuits with honey or grape jelly. Sheesh! Yes, I needed something a little lighter and healthier and this is my new go-to. I'm already thinking about the leftovers I'll enjoy tonight... Yum!

Southern Feast

I've been making some repeat offenders lately (spaghetti, chili, etc.), but this week I had a hankerin' for some soul food. Monday was a work holiday for me and since my boyfriend had to work, I thought I'd treat him to a Southern feast when he got home. The menu was Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, truffled macaroni and cheese, mustard greens, and cornbread. This is the food I grew up on, so recipes weren't required. However, the one complaint about this meal is that everything takes about the same amount time to cook and I'm just one little girl with 2 hands. You should've heard me screaming "Ow!" while trying to flip the popping steaks while mixing cornbread without letting the preheated oil in the oven ignite into flames. But meals where a lot is going on at once make me feel accomplished when I get to sit down and eat 'em. This one was well worth it and the boyfriend most definitely agreed. In fact, I think he said he was "the luckiest boy in the world for having a girl who could cook stuff like that." I'd have to agree... ;)

BTW, have I mentioned lately how heinous I find those plates? Heinous!

Spicy Shrimp & Pasta Casserole

A One Pot Shot success! Finally! Hooray!

I went back to trusty FoodNetwork.com and found this recipe from Paula Deen. It sounded so strange that I decided I just had to try it, especially since it included a few of the bf's favorite things-- angel hair pasta and salsa. I bet he never thought he'd get those 2 items together and I certainly never thought I'd mix them! It has some Italian, Mexican, and Greek flavors going on, but it works. Trust me. It works. As a general rule, seafood and cheese do not mix. Except in this recipe. I found that it's not cheesy at all, just creamy. A few things I did differently...

-I accidentally ended up with mozzarella instead of Swiss cheese. I don't think it made much difference, but next time I would go for Swiss.
-I used Greek yogurt instead of plain because I like that little tang.
-I used a full box of angel hair because I wanted lots of leftovers. In retrospect, I probably should've upped the liquids a bit more, but it turned out fine anyway.
-I used hot salsa. We like it hot.
-I tossed my shrimp in salt, pepper, cayenne, and red pepper flakes. Again, we like it hot. And the title of the recipe is "spicy" but it only calls for "mild salsa." No ma'am, Ms. Paula. I want some spice!

I served it with a side salad and roasted broccoli and cauliflower.

My picture taking skills are terrible, especially when I'm hungry. I snap a pic and dive in. And since I'd decided to send my gluttonous January out with a bang, we topped this meal off with a lazy version of a hot fudge brownie sundae. Little Debbie brownie + chocolate syrup + zap in microwave for 25 seconds + vanilla ice cream + more hot syrup. Mmmmm!

Unsuccessful One Potters

I haven't posted any updates lately because I haven't cooked anything worthy of sharing. As a former food snob, all of my recipes came from Food Network chefs and they were always good. Lately, I've been testing out easy things I find on Pinterest and have been underwhelmed. Then I get annoyed and frustrated and cook something tried and true that I've already posted on here (Mexi Mix, spaghetti, etc.). The latest disappointment was these crock pot chicken and dumplings: http://www.bubblecrumb.com/2010/02/14/crock-pot-chicken-and-dumplings-recipe/

Now as a true GRITS (Girl Raised In The South), I know my dumplin's. These were not my mama's dumplin's and it just made me angry. The onion was overpowering and stunk the house up for days. The biscuits did not cook up in 30 minutes and never got that fluffy, dumplin' texture. They just didn't hit the spot. Thank the baby Jesus for a boyfriend who eats anything or else I'd be really mad. Luckily, they don't go to waste and he's so patient with all my experimenting when he probably secretly wishes I'd just cook the dinners that are both delicious and make me happy!

One thing I did make from Pinterest that was pretty good and easy was this Pizza Pasta Casserole: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Pizza-Pasta-Casserole
My one complaint is that the jar of spaghetti sauce I used was a little sweet for my liking. I don't do sugar in my homemade sauce, so I would probably just make my own next time.

I do plan on trying a few things out for the Super Bowl, so hopefully they'll be good enough to post about. Stay tuned and wish me luck!

Crock Pot Adaptaions - Learning from Failure

I had an underwhelming cooking day on Sunday. I wanted to stay in the kitchen so I wouldn't care about the Falcons game (yep, they lost), so I decided to make this s'more cobbler and a variant of this chicken, rice, and broccoli. Well, the s'more cobbler was a'right. It was rich and gooey and needed less melted marshmallows and more graham crackers. The chicken, rice, and broccoli was just a mushy mess.  It was the first I'd ever heard of converted vs. unconverted rice and I tried to speed the process along by cooking it all on high for 3-4 hours instead of on low for 6-8.  I think that's what caused the mushiness. However, my bf eats anything and both are all gone 4 days later. Whew!

My friend Heather has requested I take a stab at converting this recipe here for Great Green Chili to a crockpot recipe. Given the crockpot mushiness, I'm not sure how good at this I'll be, but I've learned a few things from my failures.  Namely, rice needs to be cooked low and slow and undisturbed OR cooked separately and stirred in at the end. I've also learned other little tricks, such as small veggies (mushrooms, green peas, pearl onions, etc.) don't need to cook all day. You just add them in for the last 30-60 minutes. Also, fresh herbs added just before serving add a little freshness to anything!

So, if I were to cook this in the crockpot (and I just might have to try it soon), this is what I would do:

1. Let's combine their steps 1 and 2 for the most part. Put the chicken, chilies, garlic, cumin, jalapeños and hominy* in the crockpot. Mix the gravy mix with the broth and pour on top of everything else.
2. Cook on low for 6 hours or high on 3. I don't think anything will turn to mush here.
*A note on hominy. I don't have much experience with it. If this does turn out mushy or you're scared of the hominy going mushy, add it for the last hour of cooking.
3. You'll notice I left out the cilantro, one of my most favorite flavors. I would add that 1/2 cup of fresh chopped cilantro during the last 30 minutes or so to just keep the flavor extra fresh.
4. Proceed with steps 3-5 and enjoy!

Heather, if you try this in the crockpot, do let us know how it turns out. And if it sucks? Well, I apologize in advance! Thanks for the blog post suggestion!

French Pot Roast - In a Slow Cooker

I've been meaning to post this one for a while, but I got sidetracked with the holidays and an impromptu escape to Key West.  My friend Heather pinned this on Pinterest and I immediately repinned it to my own board.  I left work one day at lunch and threw it all in the crockpot. Definitely couldn't whip up Julia's boeuf bourguignonne in that amount of time, huh? http://recipes.womenshealthmag.com/Recipe/french-pot-roast.aspx

It was good.  Not great.  Just good.  But it was easy and there weren't any leftovers, so it was still a success.  I originally served it with buttered egg noodles and roasted broccoli, but the bf ate it for numerous lunches with some leftover mashed potatoes (which he preferred, I think).

I definitely added more peas and mushrooms and onions than it called for.  It just still tasted like it was missing something to me.  Given that it's from Women's Health magazine, maybe the problem is just that it didn't have enough fattening deliciousness for my tastebuds?

Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken

Here is a super easy crock pot recipe for you-- buffalo chicken!  I found this on pinterest.com and was not disappointed. http://mykitchenapron.blogspot.com/2011/07/crock-pot-buffalo-chicken.html I decided to make this at the last minute on a Saturday, so I bought chicken breasts that were not frozen and cooked them on high for about 2-3 hours in the buffalo sauce and ranch mix.

Once they were cooked through, I shredded the chicken and added it back to the crock pot to soak up the juice with a little butter.

We enjoyed it on toasted hoagie rolls with pepper jack cheese and blue cheese dressing.  Tots and celery were a must!  It was VERY messy, but super tasty.

The next night, I made a quesadilla with the chicken and I suspect it would be super yummy on chips as a dip or even on a salad.  It's definitely an easy gameday meal or a quick supper solution if you love buffalo anything like me!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

In case you're thinking of baking for the holidays, it doesn't get much better than Tyler Florence's "My Big Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies." My brother is a cookie monster and would eat a dozen of these daily if his girlfriend and I would keep them stocked.  I follow the recipe for the most part. Definitely do not skip on the sifting.  That's what gives them their perfect texture. The only thing I do differently is that I do not chop up 8oz. of chocolate.  I find that is not nearly enough!  I typically use 1/2 bag of Ghiradelli Cacao chocolate chips and 1/2 bag of Ghiradelli semi-sweet chips.  If you're making them for kiddos, I suggest using a full bag of milk chocolate chips.  The more chocolate the better, I say.  (I use about 12oz total. Sometimes more if I have it!) I like for my dough to look something like this:

I'm also a big fan of having the proper tools, which makes baking them so much easier!  I love love love my Silpat and fancy cookie sheet, which were gifts from my brother (think he was giving me a hint?  MORE COOKIES)!

Tyler calls for you to make them big.  I like using an ice-cream scoop to make smaller cookies so they last longer.  Yum yum yum!  Merry Christmas!

The Saddest Post

I have sad news. Remember this post about my Le Creuset in Caribbean?  Well, it met a tragic end a couple of weeks ago. :(  It was a non-one-potter kind of night where I decided to make a pork roast with baked potatoes and veggies.  I covered my pork roast in fresh herbs and salt and pepper and olive oil and garlic and put it in my favorite dish to roast.  At the last second I remembered some apple cider I had in the fridge, so I poured that in the bottom to keep it extra moist.  This might have been part of my dish's demise.  When my roast was done, there was a sticky black mess coating the casserole dish.  The pork was delicious, so I wrapped the dish in foil with the leftovers and put it in the fridge.  A day later, the bf noticed a sticky mess dripping all into his fridge.  He called and said, "I have bad news."  Bless his heart for breaking the news to me so gently-- the dish had a crack down the middle!  I suspect it was a combo of the extra hot gooey cider and then refrigerating before it had cooled enough.  I found it hard to be too sad because Christmas is oh-so-close and now my brother can just give me the same fabulous gift two years in a row!  Rest in peace, sweet dish. You inspired one full year of delicious one-potters!

The dish's final meal

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I love soup and chicken tortilla is one of my favorites.  I usually make Tyler Florence's version found here.  There are a few things I particularly love about it-- it's totally from scratch, you fry your own tortilla chips, and, since it takes forever and a day to make, you feel like you've really accomplished something once you get to sit down and eat it.

That being said, my mom recommended Rachel Ray's recipe.  I tend to avoid most things Rachel Ray, but it was a Thursday after work, I really wanted soup, and my mom *really* loved it.  It was seriously good!  A couple of things I love about this version-- it is so easy to make without making you feel dumb (the charred corn is an excellent ingredient) and I've now discovered chipotle in adobo peppers.  Where have you been all my life, sweet-smokey-spicy deliciousnesses!?!  It calls for 2, but they were so tiny I put about half the can.  Then I tasted them.... If you don't care for super spicy, just put the two.  Half the can was perfect for my spicy tastes.  The only other thing I did differently was that my grocery store did not have any blue corn chips.  Since I wasn't going to stir in 4 cups like she recommended anyway (holy calories, Batman), I just used a couple of regular tortilla chips as garnish with my cheese, sour cream, avocado, and cilantro (because those are all fat-free, right?!).  Super easy and super good.  Thanks, Mom!

Casserole Break

I've been on a casserole break the past couple of weeks.  The first casserole-free week was because I felt like I needed something a little healthier.  That week it was baked chicken, baked potatoes, and roasted broccoli and cauliflower.

A little note about the broccoli-- my brother makes amazing roasted broccoli.  Apparently he douses it in olive oil, salt, pepper, and sometimes other herbs and garlic.  Then he puts them in a hot oven until they're tender and brown.  Mine never turn out as good as his, but I much prefer this over steamed. So tasty!

A note about these plates.  Ugh.  When my brother moved off to college, my mom went to the outlet to get him dishes and this was the most masculine option.  He hated them.  I hate them.  Are they Santa Fe inspired or what?  However, those heinous black and white dishes my food is normally on belong to the bf.  He moved into a new place, went to Target, those were the cheapest, so he got them.  I hate those too.  Well, one of them broke so we only had 3 plates in the house and that wasn't cutting it.  My mom donated the Santa Fe ones to him.  I'm quite certain I'm in china hell.

That's MY plate. Because I pick out pretty dishes.

This week there was no casserole because the bf suggested the most Southern meal imaginable-- meatloaf, mashed potatoes with gravy, mustard greens, and cornbread.  Hello, delicious.

I more or less make Paula Deen's Basic Meatloaf.  However, as you can see on my plate, it's more like meat-scoop than meat-loaf.  I'm always starving and cut it before it's ready.  It still tastes yummy.

I make mean cornbread and mustard greens, too.  The cornbread is more or less the White Lily recipe and the mustard greens are Rachel Ray's.  Mashed potatoes are always a hit.  I like mine nice and chunky, so I boil the potatoes, drain, add cream and butter, and mash by hand.  Mmm, Southern soul food!

Lasagna

Lasagna was this week's one-potter by request.  For the longest time I didn't believe in making homemade lasagna because Stouffer's is so darn good (and I'm not ashamed to admit I'll still eat those single servings they have if I'm alone).  Once I made a fancy Mario Batali version that involved homemade pasta and a bechamel sauce that nearly killed me- oww my arm!  These days, it's all about my easy little concoction.

What you need:
1. My Brother's Spaghetti sauce
2. Cooked lasagna noodles
3. 2 lbs. ricotta + 4 egg yolks + 1 1/2 cups of Parmesan + salt and pepper
4. 2 cups of mozzarella

Start by making the spaghetti sauce from my previous post.  As that's simmering, cook your noodles.  I suppose you could use those "no boil" noodles, but I kind of hate them.  In my experience, parts always stay crunchy and I miss those old-fashioned crinkled edges.  Mix the 2 lbs. of ricotta with 4 egg yolks (or 3 whole eggs... it doesn't really matter) and 1.5 cups of Parm and some salt and pepper.  Then start assembling!  I've never purchased a rectangle pan large enough, so I swear by those disposable ones you get for $2 at the store.  Plus, you don't have to wash it!  Easy cleanup!  Put some sauce in the bottom so it doesn't stick followed by a layer of pasta topped with the ricotta mixture then mozzarella cheese then sauce.  Repeat and be sure to end with pasta + sauce + the remaining mozzarella.  Bake in a 350 oven for about 30 minutes!

We enjoyed ours with salad and bread.  I'm always too impatient to let the lasagna set properly, so I end up getting a "scoop" of lasagna instead of a perfectly layered square.  It'll look prettier when I have leftovers tonight, I am sure!

Not a One Potter - Grilled Salmon

I had a very quick, easy, and healthy dinner this week.  Grilled salmon, baked potatoes, and roasted asparagus.  However, I have a confession... I put the baked potatoes in the microwave.  I'm so ashamed.  I needed dinner on the plate in about 10 minutes, so I didn't have time to do it the right way. The great thing about dinners like this is that you can cook them for just 1 or 2 people.

The asparagus was tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper and went into the oven set at 400 for about 10 minutes.  The potatoes were thrown in the microwave for about the same amount of time.  I put olive oil, salt, pepper, some Montreal spicy steak seasoning (I swear by the stuff), and lime juice on the salmon and cooked it on my grill pan for about 8-10 minutes.

I would've been really proud of myself for eating so healthy, but I cooked this after I left a bridal shower where I gorged myself on chips, salsa, guacamole, and cheese dip.  Because of that, I only ate about half of my dinner.  This was OK because the boy got to eat the other half of my potato, which pleased him and I had leftover salmon for the most perfect birthday lunch.

Crock Pot Gumbo

While I enjoy Cajun food, it's typically not something I cook too often.  My brother is the Cajun expert, so I usually enjoy it when he makes it and never have to put forth the effort myself.  But for some reason, a big pot of gumbo was sounding good to me last week.  Gumbo is a food of love and if I cooked gumbo for real on a weeknight, we'd be eating around 10pm and that just wasn't going to cut it.  So I ran to the store on my lunch break and decided to make a mediocre crock pot version.  It would still have gumbo ingredients and the same general feel, but without the hours of love a delicious, authentic pot would require.  If you're from Louisiana, do not judge me. I know this is not the real deal Holyfield, mmkay?

What you need:
-Chicken (I used 1 lb of boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they were cheap)
-1 lb of sausage
-1/2 lb of shrimp
-Frozen okra
-Can of tomatoes
-Chopped onion, bell pepper, celery
-Chicken stock
-Flour
-Oil
-Seasoning (I used salt, pepper, cayenne, and Emeril's Essence)

I hope I remember what I did... Let's see...

First I made a dark brown roux using 1/3 cup of flour and 1/3 cup of oil.  Just put it in a sauce pan and stir and stir and stir some more until it gets the color you want it to be.

Next, I seasoned the chicken with some salt, pepper, Essence, and cayenne and put it into the crock pot.  I poured about 2 cups or so of chicken broth in and stirred in my roux.  Then I dumped in my chopped onion, bell pepper, and celery.

Next came the can of tomatoes, which I don't think goes in "real gumbo," but whatever.  I turned the crock pot on low and went back to work.  It simmered for probably 5 or 6 hours?

Once I was home from work and facebooked about how delicious the house smelled, I poured in the okra.  I also tasted for my seasonings and likely added more salt, pepper, Essence, and a lot more cayenne.  I like it spicy!

Then while the rice was cooking, I added the shrimp.  (I'd let the okra cook for about the last 45 minutes and the shrimp for about the last 20-30 minutes.)  Time to eat!

 

It wasn't as good as my brother's, but it totally worked for a quick weeknight meal!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Fall finally arrived in Atlanta and brought with it a little cold for yours truly.  When I feel the sore throat and sniffles coming, all I can think about is soup.  So I ran to the store after work, checked the items off my list, and made myself a gigantic pot of homemade chicken noodle soup (and cornbread, because I'm country and that's what we do and because the boy is a big fan).  It hit the spot for days.  When you're sick, there's nothing like it with a glass of OJ.

I use Emeril's recipe found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/simple-chicken-noodle-soup-recipe2/index.html A few things I do different:
-I use old-fashioned egg noodles instead of vermicelli
-I use a whole carton of sliced mushrooms
-I use way more than 1/2 cup of diced onions, carrots, and celery

Why?  I don't really know.  I have a whole onion, why not use it all? Then you bought whole bags of carrots and celery... why not use more of those too?  And before you know it, you have something that no longer resembles soup because you have too much "stuff" and not enough liquid.  So I always try to make more stock than it calls for and have an extra store-bought container on hand, just in case.  As a result, I still have soup in my fridge after having served and eaten approximately 25 bowls. :)  So, I'm sure if you followed Emeril's directions, you'd be just fine!  It's delicious even when you aren't sick.

My Brother's Spaghetti

I feel a little silly doing a post about spaghetti since it's something everyone already has a recipe for, but I think my spaghetti is particularly heavenly so I will share.  This is actually my brother's spaghetti recipe and I'm not sure where he got it from.  However, once I had his spaghetti and got his recipe, I've never looked back.  It's traditional, easy, and delicious.  What more can you ask for?

Ingredients:
-Olive oil
-1 large onion diced
-1 package of sliced white mushrooms
-A few cloves of chopped garlic
-Crushed red pepper flakes
-1 large can of diced tomatoes, drained
-1 large can of tomato sauce
-1 small can of tomato paste
-1 tablespoon of each: oregano, basil, thyme
-1 lb ground beef
-Fresh basil
-Pasta (duh)

In a large pot, saute the chopped onion in olive oil until they begin to sweat.  Season with salt and pepper as you do this.  Add in the mushrooms and saute until they begin to brown.  You may need more olive oil.  I usually add a bit more salt and pepper, seasoning each layer as I go.  Add in the garlic and as much crushed red pepper as you like-- I add a lot.  Saute for a minute or two, careful to not brown the garlic.  Next add in the diced tomatoes for a few minutes, then comes the can of sauce.  I like my sauce thick and meaty, so I add the whole small can of paste, but you might like to use a little less.  Once it starts to bubble, add one tablespoon of dried oregano, dried basil, and dried thyme.  Taste for seasoning and adjust as you see fit.  Reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes or so.

Once your sauce is simmering, brown your ground beef and get your (salted) spaghetti water boiling.  Add the drained ground beef to the sauce to simmer while you cook your pasta.  My brother and I prefer linguine pasta, but I used angel hair when I made it last night.  To finish it off, I toss in a bunch of chiffonade basil and serve atop the pasta with a little Parmesan and more crushed red pepper flakes.  I like it spicy! Of course a salad and garlic bread are also necessary.  Yum!

Dragon's Breath Chili

Despite my foot stompin' about it, another summer has passed. The chill in the morning air, the fewer hours of sunlight, and the constant football on TV have all made me crave one thing-- CHILI. I think in the past week I've asked "Where's the chili?!" at least 5 times.  Yesterday was the day.  I had to have chili or I would die.  I ignored the fact that my chili is something best made on a weekend when you have lots of time to let it simmer and headed to the store anyway.  Chili would be mine and all would be right in the world.

I'm really not a chili snob.  My sorority did an annual Chili Cook-Off for its fundraiser and I ate all the chili.  Wendy's chili?  Yes, please.  Spicy Hormel chili on a hot dog?  You betcha.  My mom's way of just mixing up some tomatoes, meat, beans, and spices?  Get me a bowl.  We had a cooking contest at work and I made Emeril's chili recipe found here and won. A non-winner said to me, "You know, real chili doesn't have beans." This chili eater says, "My beany chili beat your chili. How ya like them apples?"

Then one day last winter, I found it.  I wanted chili, but I wanted it to be "special."  I searched high and I searched low and I found... Guy Fieri.  :(  I'll be the first to admit I'm not a fan of his.  His whole look just kinda irks me.  I'm more Bobby Flay/ Tyler Florence.  Give me a trained chef over a talented home cook on my TV, please.  But then I got to thinkin'... I bet he's a dude who knows a lot about chili.  It's called "Dragon's Breath" and I want it spicy.  It sounds special-- not just ordinary tomatoes and chili powder. I'll give it a shot.  The chili gods sang to me. This chili is *my* chili.

Here's the recipe.  Guy Fieri's Dragon's Breath Chili. Yes, use bacon fat if you have time.  Eat the leftover bacon while you wait for the hours of simmering or bake some potatoes to go with your chili and make them "loaded."  Yes, roast those peppers first.  Don't be silly.  Sometimes I can't find the Anaheim or Poblano and I just substitute with whichever peppers look similar at the store.  Everything else I do the same.  I have never made/ served it with those fries he talks about though.  Last night we had baked potatoes, but I've done twice-baked potatoes (with that extra bacon) before and I've just made cornbread.  PBR was the beer of choice last night, but I just always steal one from whatever the bro or boy has in the fridge.  Don't leave the beer out.  I think that's one of the key ingredients.  I dip it into a bowl and top with a little cheddar, some green onions, and a dollop of sour cream.

Chili was mine and all was right in the world. Enjoy!

Mexi Mix

College football starts this weekend (GO DAWGS!) so this seemed like a good week to make this and share with you my favorite thing I've ever created.  I believe Jason gets the credit for naming it Mexi Mix and it's one of his most favorite things I make.  It would be perfect to serve at a tailgate or football party and I'm really kind of proud of this concoction!

I love, love, love Mexican food so I've made numerous Mexican casseroles in search of the perfect one.  However, it seemed like it was always missing something or had something I didn't quite like.  Normally it was crushed up chips of some sort or mushy tortillas.  No mush allowed!  So I got to thinkin'...  I love burrito bowls, so what if I just mixed up all of the ingredients I like in a burrito and served it alongside chips?  So I hit the store and then the kitchen and the result was just magical.

What You Need:
-1 red (purple?) onion diced
-1 rotisserie chicken (aka chicken carcass) pulled off the bone
-1 pack of taco seasoning
-1 can of black beans
-1 can of corn
-1 can of (spicy) Rotel tomatoes
-1 can of cream of chicken soup
-1 package of cooked Spanish rice
-1 can of olives
-Cilantro
-2 cups of shredded Mexican cheese
-Salsa
-Sour Cream
-Shredded lettuce
-Jalapenos
-Guacamole (I mix avocados with lime, tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, cilantro, salt & pepper)
-Tortilla chips (or you could serve in tacos or burritos- I just eat mine like nachos!)

Here's what you do.  Saute your onion in a little EVOO.  Dump in your pulled chicken and the taco seasoning. Stir until combined.  It will look something like this:

Rinse your can of black beans and your can of corn and drain.  Add to the pot.  Next add your cream of chicken soup, your Rotel tomatoes, and about 1/4 c of salsa.  Stir in your cooked rice (I buy Mahatma and let it cook while I'm chopping and getting everything else going).  Lastly, I add about 1/3 of the bag of cheese and some fresh chopped cilantro.

Now all you have to do is pour it into your casserole dish and top with the remaining cheese and then I decorate mine with sliced black olives.  Into the oven it goes - 350 for 20 minutes or so until it's bubbly!

When you pull it out of the oven, you have magic Mexi Mix deliciousness! I added more cilantro for color.

Now you can build it up like nachos or put it in tortillas as a burrito filling.  Whatever you like, but it makes enough to both feed and please a crowd!  I personally scoop onto a plate and top with shredded lettuce, fresh chopped tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, and jalapenos.  Then I eat it with some chips and I get all full and happy.  I hope you make it this football season and love it as much as I do!