Quick and Simple Chili

During the fall and winter months we have chili and cornbread a lot. It's a very simple and hearty meal to make, and the boys generally like it. I have played around with this recipe a lot over the years. The basic recipe has always been the same, but I have added different ingredients from time to time. I like to at least double the recipe so I can freeze half for later. Corn bread is a must with this recipe- a classic favorite is the Jiffy brand corn bread mix, although we also really like the Trader Joe's cornbread mix. One of these days I'll try to make my own!

Chili
1 lb ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can Hunt's fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained (light red also work, I like the look of the dark better!)
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup frozen corn
Shredded cheese


Brown ground beef in a large pot. Drain fat. Add about 1/2 cup of water and place pot back on the stove. Add taco seasoning, tomatoes, beans celery, and corn. Cover pot and simmer on low for 30-60 minutes. Before serving, sprinkle with shredded cheese and serve with a generous portion of corn bread!

Salsa Chicken

I got this recipe yesterday on a friend's facebook page. Someone from my college gave it as a quick and easy crockpot recipe. I dug through my pantry and discovered that I had all the ingredients in my house, so I threw it together really fast. 6 hours later we had a meal, which was nice because my eldest son had T-Ball practice in the late afternoon and I had no time to cook. It took me less than 10 minutes to prepare and the whole family loved it.

Salsa Chicken
1 cup salsa
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 packet taco seasoning
Frozen chicken breasts
Cooked white rice

Combine salsa, soup and taco seasoning in a crock pot. Add frozen chicken breasts. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. After chicken is finished cooking, mix some of the extra sauce with cooked white rice for a nice side dish.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This is a newer recipe to our family. I started making it a couple years ago when I was pregnant with my third son and doing Once a Month Cooking. I have made a bunch of adjustments to the original recipe to meet the needs of our family. The biggest change has been to double the recipe. I like to make a huge batch of this, bake part of it for dinner, and divide and freeze the rest of it. Originally I was able to get 4 meals out of the doubled recipe but as the family has grown I typically divide it into thirds. The original recipe also called for canned mushrooms, which I have omitted, and I have added bamboo shoots instead. Feel free to play around with the vegetables- this recipe is very flexible. It would probably taste really good with some roasted peanuts or cashews mixed in, but I never seem to have any nuts when I make it!

Sweet and Sour Chicken
1 cup sugar
6 Tbs. cornstartch
3/4 cup white vinegar
2- 20 oz cans pineapple chunks (reserve juice)
1 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. crushed garlic
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground ginger
4 large celery stalks, chopped coarsely
1 large onion, chopped coarsely
8 chicken breasts
4 green bell peppers, chopped coarsely
2 8-oz cans sliced water chestnuts, drained
2 8-oz cans bamboo shoots, drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake chicken breasts for 1 hour, or until no pink remains. Remove from oven and chop into 1 inch pieces. If serving dish immediately, keep oven on.

In a large pot, combine sugar and cornstarch; stir in white vinegar, juice from pineapple chunks, soy sauce, salt, garlic, paprika, ginger, celery and onion. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in pineapple chunks, chicken, bell peppers, water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. Divide into smaller portions and freeze any portions that you will not be serving immediately.

To prepare for serving, thaw meal (if frozen) and put in a baking dish treated with nonstick spray. Bake uncovered in preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Serve over rice.

Rheinlander Lentil Soup

I have always loved lentil soup, and my mom made it for us quite often when I was a kid. I have always loved how hearty and flavorful it is. About 5 years ago my husband and I had the great pleasure of being able to eat at the Rhinelander restaurant in Portland. The Rhinelander serves German food and is one of my dad's old favorites. One of the things that I remember the most about that experience was their lentil soup. I later found the recipe for that soup online, which I was very excited about! I still make my original lentil soup recipe from time to time (and will promise to post that recipe at a later date), but I like to make this version when we're having guests over for lunch. The plus about this soup (and other soups in general) is that it's easy to freeze the leftovers for later!

Rhinelander Lentil Soup
1 cup dry lentils [I use the whole bag]
5 bacon slices, chopped into small pieces
1 cup potatoes, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup onions, chopped
3 1/2 qts water [I only use 3 quarts]
4 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 bay leaves
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 pinch ground white pepper [I use black pepper]
1 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp salt

1. Combine the oil, bacon, celery, carrots, and onions. Place them in a large pot, over a medium high heat then saute for 5 minutes, or until bacon becomes crisp. Mix in the flour until it's dissolved and creates a paste-like consistency.

2. Gradually add the water, stirring frequently. Now, add the lentils, potatoes, beef base, bay leaves, nutmeg, white pepper, thyme, and salt. Combine well, and allow the mixture to come just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 hours [or until lentils and potatoes are soft].