RECIPE: Red Meaty Chili

Or you can call this a "pantry chili"... so I start with a red onion...



And then chop up some garlic and set it aside...



After heating my dutch oven, I let the red onions soften... but I don't add the garlic until the last minute or two (no one likes burnt garlic).



Then I like to add my dry seasonings... it's almost like they get toasted when added at this point. Stir them around for a minute or two and then get along with things...


Next comes the ground beef...



Stir it up, break it down and brown it (until just a little bit of pink remains).



Next I add my diced green chiles and stewed tomatoes... and give her a stir.



Then I add the beans... and keep stirrin'...



Last addition... some tomato sauce...



Then I turn the heat to low, place the lid on top... and approximately 2 1/2 hours later, this is what we're havin' for dinner!



Give her another stir, grab the ladle and get outta my way ...




We serve up our chili with Red Lobster's Cheesy Biscuits - have you ever had these things?! Check 'em out... they're super easy (and super yummy)!



Red Meaty Chili

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, diced
1 can dark kidney beans, drained
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 pound ground beef
1 small can diced green chiles
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 small can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt/pepper to taste

Instructions
Set up beans to drain.

Place dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and let heat up until you see a whiff of smoke. Add diced red onion, sauté until tender. Add diced garlic, sauté for an add’l 2-3 minutes. Add chli powder and ground cumin to veg, stir well and sauté for 2-3 more minutes. Add hamburger and brown until most pink is gone. Add salt/pepper to taste.

Add drained beans, diced green chiles and stewed tomatoes (and can of chili) – bring to a simmer. Place lid on dutch oven and reduce heat to low. Stir several times and allow to simmer on low – but be careful that the bottom of the chili doesn’t burn.



enjoy your time in the kitchen...

RECIPE: Doubletree Hotel Chocolate Chip Cookies

About a year ago I enjoyed a cookie that changed the way I thought about chocolate chip cookies. And it's all the fault of Doubletree Hotel!

There's a Doubletree Hotel across the street from our office ... and they were attempting to swoon us into doing more business with them. And if it were up to me... I'd say "DEAL!" Those cookies were awesome!

Someone handed me the recipe about 6 months later... and then another 6 months went by before I finally got around to baking them... but this seems different. But, here goes nothing... let's start with our "mise en place".

And then we'll start with the butter... creaming it into submission.



And then we'll add our sugars...





And we'll just keep creaming it...



Then we'll stop for a scraping of the sides of the bowl...



Drop in one of the eggs and more creaming...





And then the other egg... and more creaming...



And here's a twist (literally)... this recipe calls for lemon juice. I've never made chocolate chip cookies with lemon juice in them. Maybe this is what made them taste so different.. hmm...



Next step: mix together the rolled oats, salt, baking soda, etc...

Add the dry mixture to the creamed sugar mixture. To avoid large puffs of flour on my kitchen walls, I usually add the flour mixture in two or three small doses and start out on low speed with the mixer. And then keep adding more flour until it's all mixed in.



Then comes the chocolate and a large wooden spoon...



And now I need my ice cream scoop - it apparently makes perfectly sized cookies.





Now - aren't those gorgeous?!



I sent home a batch of these with our new gardener who stopped in today... he was working between rain spurts and could smell the cookies from the backyard. So, I HAD to send some home with him! Right?!



Now, is smell-a-vision working yet?!



Are you drooling yet?!






So, after I did my baking I found a different recipe online. And this makes more sense. Because when I tasted the cookie (about a year ago, still hot from baking, from the DoubleTree around the corner) I thought I remembered there had been a hint of cinnamon in there. And the recipe I used today didn't call for any cinnamon... and now I'm disappointed that I ran out of vanilla extract.

Hmph... looks like I'll be going to the store tomorrow and baking another batch of cookies... but these are still good.


My hero-of-a-hubby opted against dinner tonight... he simply wanted more cookies.



Doubletree Hotel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup old-fashioned oatmeal, uncooked (not quick oats)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips, Ghirardelli
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts (optional, in my opinion)


Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the butter in a large bowl and cream lightly with an electric mixer. Add the sugars and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and lemon juice and mix well. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, oatmeal, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add to the creamed butter mixture and stir well to blend. Add chocolate chips and walnuts and stir to combine. Using a 1/4 cup measure or a 2-oz ice cream scoop, drop the batter on the parchment-lined pans, leaving 2 -3 inches between each cookie. Bake for 13 - 15 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Remove from parchment and cool on wire racks.



enjoy your time in the kitchen...

the way to my man's heart...

I learned many years ago that the way to my man's heart was through his stomach... and it's still the case today. For Valentine's Day 2010 I served up his new fav dinner (spicy beef enchiladas) and his forever favorite dessert (brownies).

This is where I started...

For the recipe on the meat, see my earlier blog: Spicy Shredded Beef

Then I take the BEST EVER enchilada sauce (from Trader Joe's) and warm it up in a large sauce pan. (But reserve some of the sauce ... you'll see ... )



This is where you want a few large spoonfuls of enchilada sauce. Thinly coat the bottom of a casserole pan. You don't need much...

Once the sauce is warmed, reduce heat and coat each tortilla (both sides) with enchilada sauce.



Like I said, both sides...



Now transfer your tortilla to the casserole pan and place some cheese down the middle of it...



And then place the shredded beef down the middle as well... try not to eat any of the beef while you're stuffing the enchiladas.



Flip one edge of the tortilla over the meat and then roll it towards the end of the pan...



Try to have the seam side down in the casserole pan...



Then you're on to your next enchilada...



Repeat and roll, repeat and roll...



Then rescue every last drop of this enchilada sauce by transferring it to the top of the rolled enchiladas ... every last drop...



Top with cheese... and transfer to hot oven.



Approximately 30 minutes later...



... you have this!




And tonight I surprised hubby with some brownies (thank you, Girardelli, for making me look good!) Well, if I had only been patient they wouldn't have fallen apart when I dished them onto the plate.



But I'll tell ya, they still tasted the same... and they were darn yummy!






enjoy your time in the kitchen...