Easy Chili

 

Drain.  (I usually buy pretty lean ground beef so I often skip this step.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add chili powder (which we keep in the fridge so it doesn't lose flavor).  We eyeball it, but somewhere between 1 and 1 1/2 T. is the acceptable heat level for my family.  (Of course, my husband adds hot sauce to his.)

 

Warm until heated through and then enjoy! 

 

Feel free to make it in the Crockpot or to simmer it for hours in a Dutch oven.  It's a great recipe to have in my back pocket for nights where I need a quick meal or on winter days when I want the scent of chili wafting through my home all day.    I've also made it in bulk for my eldest' JULY birthday.  It is his FAVORITE!  Couldn't be easier or tastier.  Now if only spring would come so we could try out some thing other than chili recipes.  :-) 

 

 

 

 

White Chicken Chili

 

My sister is pretty cool.  You probably all know that already, because she is famous.  Seriously.  I can't go anywhere without someone knowing her.  The upside, though...I have met some pretty cool people by proxy.  This recipe came from one of those people.  Thanks, Lindsey, for the simply FAB and simply EASY White Chicken Chili recipe.  As she said..."It's sinfully simple."  It was perfect for throwing together for a teacher appreciation luncheon that I volunteered to bring "chicken" soup to.

White Chicken Chili

• 2 cans Northern beans
• 2 cans Navy beans
• 4 oz. can of diced green chiles
• 1-2 packages of Southwestern, precooked chicken strips (or 2 c. cooked chicken)
• 1 small onion
• minced garlic
• 2 t. cumin
• 2 t. oregano
• 1/8 t. cayenne pepper
• chicken broth
• garnishes (I used light sour cream, tortilla strips and shredded cheese)

 

Chop up an onion and some garlic (I used pre-minced, jarred garlic).  I threw this in the saute pan to cook some...(plus, it's always AWESOME to have your house smell like onions and garlic from 7:30 in the morning.  :-) )...but you could just throw this all into a Crockpot if you'd prefer.

 

I used two packages of chicken for my crock pot size.  The night before when I made a batch in my dutch oven for the hubster and myself, I only used one package.

 

I did chop up my chicken into smaller, soup-sized pieces before I threw it into the saute pan with the onions and garlic. 

 

After throwing this mixture into the Crockpot, I added my beans.  (I used half the amount for my single, dutch oven batch.)  I didn't drain my beans. 

 

Add one can of green chiles.  (I used the same amount for both batches.  My "hot" husband thought, two might make it too spicy for a teacher's luncheon.  Never thought I'd hear him say, "too spicy.")

 

Now for the spices.  My measuring was most certainly "ish."  2 teaspoons-ish...etc.  This was merely a guideline.





 

Add chicken broth until it reaches your preferred consistency.  I used the majority of one box of broth in my Crockpot to make it soupy...if you like a beanier chili, a smaller splash would get you there.  Cook on low until warmed through.  Top with garnishes of your choosing and ENJOY!  My husband ate 3 bowls the first night I tried it out.  :-)  

 

 

My husband's "HOT" birthday

"What do you want for your birthday?"
"Nothing."
"No, really.  What do you want for your birthday?
"I really can't think of anything."

And, in all honesty, I know he's telling the truth.  We are blessed.  Beyond blessed.  But I really did want him to tell me just one thing...that I could pick up at Target...so we could move on to dinner and cake.  The real reason we love celebrating birthdays.  But, alas, he didn't.  So, I had to get creative.

Every night at dinner, no matter what we are eating, my husband has to pull out his bottle of hot sauce.  Okay, not every dinner, but enough that when he is "out" of hot sauce, it's kind of a big deal. 

Every night, we tell him that he is going to get sick eating hot sauce on everything.  (I have no idea where my children would have gotten that idea from, although I am nearly positive that his stomach lining is being melted by all the spicy foods he puts in it.  I am sure their opinions are not based upon the factual information I present at every meal in which hot sauce makes its way to the table.  Just sayin'.)  Despite, all of our warnings, he still LOVES his food SPICY.  And we've all heard the way to a man's heart is through his inflamed stomach.  So.......

 

he got hot sauce!  Seven bottles, ranging from $.69 all the way up to $2.99.  I know...we are big spenders.  But this was his reaction...

 

 

...so happy!  I even had a special dinner treat in store for him. 

 

Saw something like this somewhere along the way...most likely Pinterest. Can't be sure anymore. If I didn't see it there, I'm pretty sure I could find something similar there. :-)

A cornbread muffin topped with piped mashed potatoes and a chicken wing...tossed in his brand new hot sauce.  And yes, I tossed seven chicken wings in seven different sauces.  He only ate two "muffins," but was insistent on trying out all of his new sauces.  I think he was also relishing the fact that I had purchased chicken on the bone.  I am most certainly a boneless girl.  I had mashed potatoes for dinner.  My oldest, on the other hand, was happy to leap in and join in the messy fun. 

So...to my "HOT" husband...Happy Birthday!  You make our lives extra spicy! 





A Favorite Post - Stuffed Pasta Shells

I have learned that one of the most generous gifts is the gift of a meal.  I have been blessed with meals as I have had my kiddos, when my kiddo was hospitalized, when I started the school year and a group of parents wanted to show their appreciation of my efforts as a working (out of the home) mom, and once when I spent a few months living in a little apartment with my two boys while transitioning from one town to another.  Each time, I was so touched by the gesture that I now find it my go to method of showing someone I care when the situation presents itself.  I hope that my friends and family will find it as helpful as I have in the past. 

Tonight was one of those times when I wanted someone to know that I cared and this was the recipe for it...I made two batches...quality control, right?

  Stuffed Pasta Shells

1 box jumbo pasta shells

1 jar pasta sauce

1 sm. container ricotta cheese

1 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

2 eggs

salt and pepper to taste

Cook your shells in boiling, salted water for 9 minutes.  (As per directions on the box :-))  This will make them cooked enough to fill...they will finish cooking in the oven after they have been stuffed.

 

Here's what they look like while they are cooling...

 

{I don't ever end up using the entire box, but I like to have extras so I don't have to try and stuff broken and torn shells.}

Pour your sauce into a 9x13 baking pan until the bottom of the pan is covered with a shallow layer of sauce.

 

Mix together ricotta cheese, 2 eggs, 3/4 c. of the mozzarella cheese and salt and pepper to taste until well incorporated.  It doesn't look delicious at this point, but trust me...it will be!

Stuff shells...I use a tablespoon and try to put the mixture under the tight curl of the shell.  It tends to hold it in better than the loose end.

I am pulling the tight curl open with my thumb in this picture (thanks to the hubs for the photo)

{wow...my hands have started to look so old to me...sadly it is a reminder that I am slowly becoming a real grown-up, but is also a sweet reminder of my grandma...I have her hands...but that is completely off topic, now isn't it.}

Place your shells in the baking pan with the seam up. (I could fit three rows plus some extra squished in here and there.)  Cover with remaining sauce and remaining cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Voila!

Served with a green salad and some garlic bread we had a meal that even the toddler devoured!

The best part about this recipe as a gifted meal...it can be frozen.  So, just in case that family or friend has been gifted with multiple meals, this one can slide into the freezer and be taken out when needed.  Perfect...flexibility...delicious flexibility!