Warm Chili

I love chili, in fact it's in my top ten favorite foods. It always makes me happy, I never think "oh no, not chili again...."! I've been to a couple chili cook-offs and I LOVE tasting all the chili's. It gives me so many ideas, of course I never follow through with them... but I do love them! I wish my husband shared my love of chili so we could go to more cook-offs and eat more chili!

Which brings us to this recipe. My husband. He just doesn't love my chili. I've been making my chili for YEARS! I first shared it on the blog 6 years ago! Check it out here. Well, husband has become less of a fan of spicy than he ever was, and honestly I think some of the foods have become a little spicier? Like the chipotles in adobo, anyone else think they have gotten hotter over the years? Or maybe it's just my husband rubbing off on my tastebuds and I am not as tough as I used to be. 

I needed to find a chili we could agree on. I found it! Just walking through the grocery store yesterday, I saw a can of enchilada sauce and was inspired. A couple tweaks to my old recipe, and this recipe was born. And approved.

Enough spices to warm and give amazing flavor, but nothing to set you on fire. We have finally found the compromise with this "Warm Chili". Not bland, not hot, but warm!

As a side note, I am proud to say the canned tomatoes and tomato paste used in this recipe were canned by me, from my garden! So proud!

Warm Chili

1 lb. lean ground meat (turkey, venison, or beef would all work well)

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tablespoons chili powder

2 Tablespoons cumin

1 t. salt

1 t. black pepper

3 Tablespoons tomato paste

1 can medium red enchilada sauce
2 (15 oz) cans chili beans ( I used 1 can mild, and 1 can medium)

1 (14.5 oz) can tomatoes

1 - 2 cups water

Optional

Crushed tortilla chips
Shredded cheese

Sour Cream

Green onion

In large pot over medium-high heat, cook ground meat until brown.  Drain.  Stir in onion and peppers; cook until vegetables are tender.  Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute.  Add chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper.  Stir in tomato paste, beans, and enchilada sauce. 

In blender, puree tomatoes with one cup water. 

Simmer about 1 hour before serving. Add additional water if needed.

Garnish as desired!

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Cincinnati Chili - Recipe Hall of Fame

Am I the only one that struggles with spelling Cincinnati? I seriously cringe when I am going to spell it, and hope that spellcheck will help me through it! 

Anyway.....  The first recipe I tried from the cookbooks was for Cincinnati Chili. 

I have always heard of this, and never had the opportunity to try it.

This truly is a different chili than any I have ever tasted. As I was adding all the different ingredients, I was getting a little worried that we wouldn't like this "new to us" version. Cinnamon, allspice, unsweetened cocoa, bay leaves. I was quickly seeing why this chili was in a class of it's own. The other thing that makes Cincinnati Chili different, is that you don't eat it in "soup" style, in a bowl. You serve it over spaghetti on an oval dish (which I didn't have!). You can add on to it in different levels, there is a method though to stay in true Cincinnati fashion.  First, with cheese, and a side of crackers.  The next level is a spoonful of onions, added before the cheese.  Then the last, is to add warmed beans, even before the onions.

We both LOVED this.  The only thing I did different from the recipe was adding quite a bit of salt, and typically we add the bare minimum of salt. I hope that this doesn't offend the purist fans of this chili!  It really was so thick and savory. Definitely the most aromatic chili I have ever enjoyed.  The consistency was more of a meat sauce than a chili, to this Wisconsin girl. 

I think it would be great over a hot dog also.

On my low carb days I enjoyed this over spaghetti squash, and it was equally delicious!

Have you signed up for the chance to win the Recipe Hall of Fame cookbooks? Be sure to do that ASAP! You have until December 3rd to get it done!

Cincinnati Chili  

2 - 3 pounds ground beef
1 quart cold water
1 - 6 ounce can tomato paste
1 1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 Tbsp vinegar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp chili powder
5 bay leaves
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
2 cayenne peppers
1 1/2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
Salt and Pepper to taste (I used about 1 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper)
1 1/2 pounds cooked spaghetti

Optional toppings
Cheddar Cheese, grated
Oyster crackers
Kidney beans
Onion, chopped fine

 Add water to large pot. Crumble ground beef into the water. Add remaining ingredients (except for the spaghetti and toppings). Bring to boil. Stir often breaking up the meat. Cover and simmer for about 2 hours. Stir occasionally.

Source: The Recipe Hall of Fame Cookbook

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Turkey Chili with Roasted Butternut Squash

We love squash. Somehow though, we have never had butternut squash. I think I had it once many years ago and didn't care for it, so I have just stayed away from it. With all the amazing butternut recipes going around online, I knew that I had to give it a fair shot, and try it.

To give it a fair shake, we decided to try it in chili, and it was wonderful! The flavor really reminded us of pumpkin, but it has a slightly firmer texture so can hold up well as an addition in chili.

Turkey Chili with Roasted Butternut Squash

4-5 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes (See note below)
1 1/4 pound ground turkey
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 Tbsp plus 2 teaspoon olive oil, divided
2 1/2 tsp salt, divided
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, diced
2 14.5 oz cans Diced Red Gold Tomatoes
2 cups water
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 t. oregano
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In large baking pan, toss squash with one tablespoon of olive oil, and one teaspoon salt. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes. When done, set aside.

Meanwhile, heat one teaspoon olive oil in large skillet. Add ground turkey, chopped red and yellow onions, and one teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until turkey is completely cooked. Drain turkey and set aside.  Meanwhile, add one teaspoon oil to skillet. Add peppers to pan, saute until tender. Remove from heat.

In dutch oven, or large pot, add half of the roasted squash, tomatoes, and water. With immersion blender, puree until smooth. Set over medium heat, and add chili powder, cumin, oregano, and 1/2 tsp salt. Add cooked ground turkey, and sauteed peppers.  Let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add black beans, and remaining squash. Let simmer over low heat for another 30 minutes.  Taste to adjust seasoning as needed.

***Note: I cut half  the cubes bigger that were to be pureed, about 1". The other half of the cubes, that would stay whole in the chili, I cut smaller, about 1/2".

Enjoy!

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White Chicken Chili with Hatch Chilies

When my sister and I were VERY young, my parents took us to San Antonio, Texas. Do you know what I remember most about San Antonio? The smells! Food smells everywhere, and it was delicious! I guess maybe I had a little bit of "Foodie" starting me back then. 

What other seven or eight year old in Iowa was asking for tortillas! 

Sadly, there weren't any tortilla's to be found in Iowa in the 70's!

 (Do you love my soup pot? It was my GREAT Grandma's!)

The Hatch Chile Store sent me some of their Roasted Hatch Green Chile to try. I wanted the perfect dish to try these in, and bring back the flavors I remember from my childhood.  I thought chili would be perfect. White Chicken Chili was their destiny.  Oh my gosh... This turned out better than I could have imagined. Just one more bowl please! 

The Hatch Chile Store has me so excited to create more dishes, and enjoy the flavor of their roasted Hatch Chile.  They even hand peel them.  I have a new foodie love!

White Chicken Chili with Hatch Chile (Source: Food Network)

1 chicken (3 to 4 pounds), rinsed
1 large onion, peeled
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 Bay leaf
Thyme, several sprigs
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp oregano
1 cup ground tortilla chips (finely ground)
1 Tbsp masa flour
6 roasted Hatch Chiles, stemmed, deseeded, and chopped
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

Garnish suggestions
Sour cream
Cilantro
Jack Cheese, shredded

In large stockpot, add chicken, whole onion, 4 whole garlic cloves, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper.  Slowly bring to boil over medium heat, skimming foam off the top. Reduce heat and simmer for about one hour, until chicken is completely cooked.  Add more water if necessary during cooking to keep chicken covered.

Remove chicken and transfer to 9 x 13 pan to cool.  Strain and reserve broth.  When chicken has cooled, remove chicken from bones and skin, then shred.

Heat olive oil in stock pot or dutch oven.  Add chopped onion, and minced garlic.  Saute about 5 minutes, until softened.  Sprinkle cumin, coriander and oregano over top of the onions and garlic. Stir, continuing to cook for another couple minutes. Add ground tortilla chips. Add reserved chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Add Hatch Chiles, shredded chicken, and cilantro.  Simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

Enjoy!!

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Mmmmmm... Chili!

Chili is definitely in my "Top 10" of favorite foods.  It's simply yummy, warming, filling, and really one of the meals I eat a lot when I am trying to make up for the Christmas goodies.  It also helps me feel good about things before I start in on the Valentines Treats! Of course, when you have temperatures hanging around zero, it's just awesome for warmin' a girl up!

I never used to have much of a recipe for chili, I would just throw it together, or use a chili mix from the store.  That was the case anyway, until I came across this recipe years ago on allrecipes.  I just love the flavors, it is so perfect. Since the chipotle's go through the blender, you don't have any bites filled with strong heat, just a nice consistent warmth throughout.  I do typically leave the jalapeno out for dear boyfriend, as he isn't a fan of to much heat.  Also, to keep things in more his line of heat, I do remove the seeds from half of the chipotles.  It ends up with a nice heat level that we both agree on.  This freezes really well, too.

Best Chili

2 lb. lean ground beef  (I use 1 lb beef, 1 lb venison)

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 onion, chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, diced (optional)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c. chili powder

1/4 c. cumin

1 t. salt

1 t. black pepper

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 (15 oz) cans chili beans

1 (14.5 oz) can tomatoes

1 (7 oz) can chipotles in adobo (optional to remove seeds)

1 quart water, divided

1/4 c. flour

1 T. rice vinegar

Optional

Shredded cheese

Sour Cream

Green onion

Over medium-high heat, cook beef/venison til brown.  Drain.  Stir in onion and peppers; cook til tender.  Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute.  Add chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper.  Stir in tomato paste and beans.

In blender, puree tomatoes with chipotles til smooth.  Stir into the pot with 3 c. water.

Combine the remaining 1  cup water, with the flour in a jar and shake to combine.  Pour into chili. Add vinegar.  Simmer about 1 hour before serving. Garnish as desired!

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