Several years ago, some friends of ours entered the chili cook off contest at Pumpkin Chunkin. We never got to go, but we did get to test their award-winning (2nd place!) chili. This recipe is mine and my husband’s version of that recipe. Over the years, we’ve changed the prep and cooking methods slightly. We’ve also amended the ingredient list to better align with our kitchen staples and to omit some of the ingredients that are harder to find.
This chili is thick and meaty. It makes a huge batch. It’s a weekend recipe, because it takes a good 1-2 hours of prep and cook time followed by another couple of hours of simmering. We like to make it and have a bunch of friends over to help us eat it. When there’s leftovers, my husband will eat it for lunch every day until it’s gone.
Manly Meaty Chili
By Books n’ Cooks
Makes a ton
In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the following meats. As each browns, move to a plate or bowl until ready to add to the stockpot:
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 lb. hot Italian sausage
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
1 lb. bacon or turkey bacon (optional)
Meanwhile, set a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add
a little vegetable oil
When hot, add the following veggies, sauteing until soft:
2 bell peppers, small dice
2 large vidalia onions, small dice
10 cloves garlic, minced
When the veggies have softened, deglaze pan with
1 c. bourbon
Stir in the following ingredients and bring to a boil:
2 Tbs. taco seasoning
2 Tbs. chili powder
1 cap full of Hot Mrs. Dash or McCormick’s Perfect Pinch Southwest Blend
1/4 c. dried oregano
1/4 c. dried basil
24 oz. lager
2-8 oz. cans Rotelle
12 oz. tomato paste
28 oz. tomato sauce
8 oz. semi-sweet baker’s chocolate
When boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and add cooked meats as well as
1-15 oz. can kidney beans
1-15 oz. can black beans
1-15 oz. can Great Northern beans
1-15 oz. can pinto beans
Stir to combine. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and allow to cook for 2-3 hours.
Serve hot with your choice of toppings (i.e shredded cheddar cheese, minced onions, etc.) and side (i.e. tortilla chips, traditional corn bread, bacon corn bread (pictured above), etc)
Cheesy jalapeno corn chowder provides a delicious and satisfying meal, assembles quickly, can easily be tweaked to taste or diet, and makes a lot. Perfect for a cold winter day.
When I was preparing for the arrival of our new little one, I knew that I’d have to line up some posts for you guys. I tried to prepare some in advance, but never quite got my act together. I did, however, line up a very special guest post for you – from Lynsey of Lynsey Lou’s. Lynsey and I met in person for the first time at Mixed, hit it off, and have been chatting ever since.
When I saw the posts Lynsey had worked up for me, I knew I was in trouble – my husband is going to take one look at the below and ask when I’m going to make it for him. 🙂
If you haven’t visitedLynsey Lou’s yet, be sure to check out it out. Her blog is full of fantastic recipes and amazing photos.
Thanks again to Lynsey for this post!
Hello all you Books n’ Cooks readers! I am so happy to be here today. I can’t tell you how happy I was when Liz asked me if I would be interested in posting over here for all of you! I debated for quite some time about what recipe to share with you. I debated between sweets; cookies, bars, cake? Or savory; soup, casserole, a side, etc? Finally after much debate, I decided on a savory dish to share with you.
Since Liz just welcomed a sweet, baby girl in the world (congratulations!), I decided to make something that is not only simple, but that’s delicious and makes quite a bit. Having a new baby in the house is not only a blessing but takes some adjustment, as well. Finding meals that can be assembled quickly and that can be stretched over a couple of days are essential for moms and busy families. I find that this recipe for cheesy jalapeno corn chowder does all of the above; provides a delicious and satisfying meal, assembles quickly, and makes a lot.
In the winter I am all about soups and stews. There is nothing better than cozying up with a big, hot bowl of something delicious on a cool, crisp winter day. It’s just comforting! There are a lot of recipes for soups that require quite a bit of simmering time before it can actually be enjoyed and if you were to dish it up before allowing it to simmer the minimum amount of time the flavor just wouldn’t be there. While I love these rich and flavorful soups and stews, sometimes I just can’t wait 2, 3, 4 hours or more. I’m hungry and I want that comfort food now! Well, this chowder delivers.
This chowder is rich and full of flavor, without the wait. The process from start to finish takes about 30-45 minutes, which for a soup isn’t bad at all, especially if it delivers big flavors in the end. The soup starts by sautéing onions in a mixture of bacon drippings and olive oil. After the onions have had time to simmer, flour is then added along with chicken stock to develop a rue. Once those ingredients are incorporated, the potatoes, corn and peppers are added and brought to a simmer to allow the potatoes to become tender. Then the good stuff is added; cheese and heavy cream! That’s it! After the cheese has melted, it’s time to dish it up, top with bacon and enjoy!
This soup is delicious and big on flavor. It’s a satisfying meal that can be assembled in no time. The flavors can be adjusted according to taste; if you’re a heat lover then add more jalapenos or leave a few seeds in the one that’s called for. This meal could also be made completely vegetarian by eliminating the bacon, and substituting the chicken stock for vegetable stock. It’s great for a cozy weekend meal, but is perfect for those busy weeknights too. Serve this with come crunchy garlic bread or homemade yeast rolls and you have the perfect meal!
Congratulations again, Liz. I know you are enjoying this special time with your newly extended family. Cherish every single moment, because it goes by way too fast.
Cheesy jalapeno corn chowder provides a delicious and satisfying meal, assembles quickly, can easily be tweaked to taste or diet, and makes a lot. Perfect for a cold winter day.
Course
Soup
Cuisine
American
Prep Time10minutes
Cook Time50minutes
Total Time1hour
AuthorLiz
Ingredients
1lb.bacon
2Tbs.olive oil
1medium oniondiced
2Tbs.butter
2clovesgarlicminced
1/3c.flour
8c.chicken broth
3-4medium potatoescubed (with skin left on)
1small jalapenoor more depending on heat preference, chopped
1 ½tsp.salt
2tsp.pepper
6c.frozen corn
2c.heavy cream
2c.sharp cheddarshredded
1c.Monterey jackshredded
½c.goudashredded (plus more for topping-optional)
Instructions
Cut bacon into lardons (small strips). Drizzle olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Once oil is heated, place the bacon lardons in the pan and cook until crisp. Once the bacon is cooked through, remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate.
Add the butter and diced onion to the Dutch oven and allow onions to cook until translucent, about 10 minutes. Once the onions are translucent; and fragrant, add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds longer. Add the flour, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to cook for about 3 minutes.
Stirring continuously, slowly pour in the chicken broth to avoid clumps from forming. Add the potatoes and jalapenos and bring to a boil. Once the mixture reaches a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender.
Once the potatoes are tender, add the corn, heavy cream and cheeses and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to cook about 5 minutes, until the cheese has melted.
Spoon soup in bowls, top with more cheese, crumbled bacon and green onions.
It’s just barely September and I’m ready for fall. I’m ready for warm soups and stews, comfort food like meatloaf and pasta. Unfortunately, the weather here doesn’t agree with me. With the exception of a couple of cool days following some storms, it’s still been 90+ degrees pretty regularly.
But I don’t care. I’ve been craving soup. And the moment I told my hubby that we were having Chicken Enchilada Soup for dinner, at 3pm, he couldn’t stop asking when it was going to be ready. We really enjoy this recipe, one that I had found last year and never got around to photographing. It’s quick and easy. It’s healthy, even when I deviate from original recipe (minus the tortilla chips). It’s adaptable – use up leftover veggies, add extra chicken for a heartier soup, add extra kick with an additional chipotle. Make it your own. And it freezes beautifully – important for me this past week, as I was making a double batch so that I could deliver some to friends with a newborn.
Below, I included both directions for making this in a crock pot as well as making it on the stove-top.
* Tip: Freeze extra chipotles in ziplock baggies for future use. One or two chipotles in a bag, and they defrost in 5 minutes or so on the counter.
Directions for the Crock Pot:
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, heat oil. When hot, add onion, garlic, and chipotle. Saute until soft and onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
While above is cooking, add remaining ingredients to a crock pot. Then add onion saute. Give a quick stir, ensuring that the chicken breasts are completely covered. Cover crock pot and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours.
Remove chicken from crock pot and shred with a fork. Return to crock pot. Give a quick stir, and cook on high heat for 5-10 minutes, just long enough to warm up the chicken (if it cooled while shredding) and the soup (if it switched to low heat after cooking for the 4-6 hours).
Directions for the Stove-Top:
In a large pot over medium-low heat, heat oil. When hot, add onion, garlic, and chipotle. Saute until soft and onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients (including cooked, shredded chicken) to a saucepan. Give a quick stir. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, until soup is hot and flavors have melded together.
When Borders was closing, I stalked the cookbook section, hoping that the cookbooks for my favorite chefs would end up dirt cheap. No such luck – they sold out long before that point, but I did score one major find. Borders had William Sonoma Cooking at Home marked for to $7, and then an extra 30% on top of that. The book didn’t have any photos, which I normally want in a cookbook, but I had heard such great things about WS recipes that I knew this was a good investment. No, a fabulous investment.
So far, I’ve only made a couple recipes from it – country fried chicken, buttermilk dinner rolls (recipe coming up) and this beef bourguignon recipe. I think I have a new favorite cookbook. This beef bourguignon blew me away. I’ve made it twice over the past month, a pretty big statement when it takes a good 4 hours from start to finish. The flavors were outstanding. I felt so warm and cozy while eating it, I kept expecting to see snow on the ground!
Recipe Notes: I skipped the salt pork called for in the recipe. I used it the first time, because everything was supposed to be fried in the fat rendered from it. However, the brand I got (Hornell) yielded no fat. In the below, I replaced the pork fat with Crisco and liberally salted the dish with kosher salt before baking it. (If you want to use it, fry pork fat until fat is rendered. Remove fat from pan and set aside. Fry veggies and beef in fat. Sprinkle fried salt pork on top of dish upon completion.) I also skipped the 1/4 cognac (to deglaze pan) and simply used some of the red wine, as we don’t usually keep cognac in the house. Finally, I skipped out on the pearl onions (saute 18-24 peeled pearl onions in an extra 2 Tbs. of butter, and add to dish at the same time as the mushrooms if you’d like to include them).
Beef Bourguignon
Adapted from Williams Sonoma Cooking at Home p. 274
Yields 6 servings
Ingredients:
Crisco
8 shallots, minced
2 yellow onions, diced
2 carrots, peeled & diced
2 clove garlic, minced
2 c. all-purpose flour
nutmeg
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
3 lb. beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
2 c. beef broth
2 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary
3 c. dry red wine
1 bay leaf
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 Tbs. sugar
1 lb. white or cremini mushrooms
chopped fresh flat-leafed parsley, for garnish (optional)
Instructions:
Heat 2-3 Tbs. Crisco in a large cast iron sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots, onions, carrots, and garlic. Sprinkle with a generous teaspoon of kosher salt and saute until soft.
While veggies are cooking, combine flour, nutmeg, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper in a bowl. Coat beef with flour mixture, shaking off the excess.
When veggies are soft, move to a plate with a slotted spoon, leaving as much of the grease as possible. In batches as not to overcrowd meat, brown the beef on all sides. Add more Crisco if needed. When browned, use a slotted spoon to transfer to a waiting Dutch oven.
Add 1/2 c. of the wine to the pan and deglaze, stirring with a wooden spoon to get up the bits at the bottom of the pan. Add deglazing liquid, the remaining 2 1/2 c. wine, the beef broth, and thyme/rosemary to the Dutch oven with beef.
Move Dutch oven to stove burner still set to medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Simmer on the stove or in an oven preheated to 324F for 2 1/2 hours.
At the 2 hour mark, start preparing the mushrooms. Clean and trim stems, if you haven’t done so already. Melt 3 Tbs. butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
At the 2 1/2 hour mark, add mushrooms to beef. Cook for another 30 minutes.
Remove from oven. Discard thyme/rosemary springs and bay leaf. Sprinkle with parsley and serve hot with crusty bread.
A month ago, I went to a week-long class for professional development. I was shocked when I arrived on the first day, and was told that they’d be serving us lunch. That’s completely unheard of for most of the professional development courses I am encouraged to attend. What was even more shocking… the food was actually good! No tasteless, unidentifiable entrees that are usually on cafeteria buffet lines (at least where I am), but rather carving stations for ham and turkey, a beautiful salad bar with fresh veggies and berries, pitchers of water flavored by the fresh fruit sitting on top… I couldn’t believe my luck, getting into such a class. I enjoyed great lunches all week, but the star, for me, was the fresh gazpacho I had on the first day.
Ever since, I’ve been craving gazpacho but a little hesitant to make it since I’ve never done so before and didn’t have a tried and true recipe on hand. I tried to satisfy my craving with Greek Panzanella, and then the following week with an improvised Greek salad (diced tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers with a little Italian dressing over them). However, I was still craving the freshness of the Gazpacho – a light treat for the warming weather. An added bonus – a great way to get in extra veggies.
Never having made Gazpacho, I was hesitant to change Ina’s recipe too much, as I’ve loved everything that I’ve tried of hers. However, I wanted to make this a little healthier by the olive oil (I used extra-virgin olive oil) in half. I also cut the amount of white wine vinegar by half. (Both changes are reflected below) Even with these minor adjustments, the soup was wonderful and super easy to make (what’s not easy about throwing everything into a blender and then refrigerating?).
Gazpacho
Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (p. 79) and on Food Network
Yields 10 serving (1-1/2 c. each)
Ingredients:
8 plum tomatoes
2 English cucumbers, seeded but not peeled
3 red peppers
2 red onions
6 cloves garlic
46 oz. (6 c.) tomato juice
1/4 c. white wine vinegar
1/4 c. olive oil
1 Tbs. kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp. black pepper
Roughly cut the tomatoes, cucumbers, red pepper, and red onions into chunks, about 1-inch large. Add tomatoes to a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until coarsely chopped but not pureed. (I left mine a little chunkier, but continue to pulse if you prefer a smoother consistency.) Do the same with the cucumbers, red peppers, and red onions, processing each vegetable individually.
Combine chopped veggies with remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Stir well and cover. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, to allow the flavors to blend, before serving.
Serve cold.
Optional Garnishes: Dollop of sour cream, homemade croutons, sprinking of Parmesan or feta cheese
