With the kids in school and the temperatures not quite up to balmy, this chili recipe will help you out! It is a great make-ahead chili that you can heat up quickly on evenings when your family is going 20 different directions. Enjoy!

What You Need:

1 lb ground chuck
1 lg onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 T chili powder
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
2 (15 oz) cans chili beans
2 T cornstarch, optional
1/4 C water, optional

How to Make It:

Place the ground chuck in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic. Cook until meat is browned through and vegetables are tender. Drain well.

Place the tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper into a large saucepan and place over high heat. Bring to a rapid boil.

Add the meat and beans. Reduce heat to low.

Cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Remove lid and continue cooking for 10 minutes.

Place saucepan in the refrigerator for a rapid cool.

Pour chili into freezer containers and freeze for up to 3 months.

To reheat, remove chili from the freezer.
Place 1/4 C of water in a saucepan. Add the chili and cook over medium heat until heated through. To thicken chili mix the cornstarch and 1/4 C water together. Add to the chili and stir well.

These cookies are very easy – easier than the length of the recipe makes it look. These are great any time of the year, but Fall seems to make them seem almost a necessity! I make them a little on the big side & add lots of chopped dried fruit and nuts – then they are a scone-like breakfast cookie…

2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 large can pumpkin pie filling
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 cups flour (sifted)
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups dried fruit*
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly
Drop large dough balls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Cool on rack.

*Our favorite fruits to use are chopped dried apricots and dried cranberries.

I know I usually post my own full recipes here, but I came across something today that I HAD to share!

http://theurbanhousewife.blogspot.com/2007/09/homemade-vegan-candy-corn-happy.html

Head over there & look at the recipe – it looks like it’s a good saturday shindig, but oh so worth it! I WILL be trying these in the near future…

Candy Corn Love… I can’t wait!

Ingredients:

6 Pears, peeled
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
2 cups red wine
1 cinnamon stick (or a sprinkle of cinnamon)
The peel of one lemon
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions:

Place the pears (peeled) in a medium saucepan and sprinkle the sugar over the pears. Pour the red win over to cover the pears. Add the cut fresh lemon peel and cinnamon stick and mix. Simmer on low heat until tender, approximately 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and add the lemon juice. Serve warm.

Did you know having a glass of red wine a day is a healthy part of your diet regimen? Do you also know what wines compliment foods best? If not, here are some tips and suggestions on a wine for every meal.

Traditionally, red wine can be used for poultry; beef; veal; ham; pasta; lamb; and pork.
What kind of wine? For poultry, ham, pork and veal, try a red Zinfandel or Beaujolais. For beef, pasta and lamb; a cabernet sauvignon or merlot would suffice.

White chardonnay would compliment strong cheeses; pork, poultry and seafood, including shellfish. A white Zinfandel or rose wine could accompany appetizers; mild cheeses; desserts; ham, lamb, poultry; and seafood. Sparkling wine such as Spumante or Champaign could also be served with appetizers; mild cheeses; and desserts. The rule of thumb when serving wine for a particular meal is selecting a light-bodied wine with lighter food and a full-bodied wine with heartier, flavorful dishes.

In addition, here are some suggestions on how to serve wine. First, quickly chill the wine by placing the bottle in a bucket of ice water for ten minutes, rather than in the freezer. Chill sparkling wine in the refrigerator for at least four hours before serving, or chill in ice water for twenty to thirty minutes. When filling a wine glass, you need to allow the wine to breathe; thus, filling it half way is suggested.

If you still have a problem deciding on what wines to service with your meals, here is a safe bet. When choosing white wines, pick out a Pinot Grigio (deliciously light and dry);
Sauvignon Blanc; Riesling; or Champagne (only for the most suitable occasions), and other Sparking wines. Rose wines can include White Zinfandel; and Red wines can include Beaujolis, Pinot Noir and Merlot (which is full-bodied wine perfect for any pasta dish as well).

Remember, you don’t have to spend a fortune on wine. A simple Pinot or Merlot will suffice, and both are affordable.

1 container (6 oz.) low-fat plain yogurt, preferably Greek-style
1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp. grated or finely chopped ginger
2-3 garlic cloves
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
4 skinless and boneless chicken breasts or thighs
1 Tbsp. canola oil
Salt and white pepper, to taste
1 Spanish onion, quartered and sliced thinly

Place the yogurt into a fine strainer lined with a paper towel and let drain while preparing the other ingredients. (The yogurt can also be drained overnight, if refrigerated.)

In a blender or food processor, purée the onion, garlic, ginger, coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper and orange juice. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken on all sides, about 8 minutes. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium. Carefully pour the puréed mixture into the pan to avoid sputters. Bring it to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan. Cover tightly and simmer gently 15 minutes. Turn chicken, cover, and continue to simmer. When chicken is almost done, add onions, cover and simmer until the meat is thoroughly cooked through. Place the chicken on a serving plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Turn off heat under skillet to allow mixture to cool slightly. Stir in the drained yogurt. Reduce heat to low and continue stirring until mixture is hot, taking care not to let it boil or the sauce will separate. Spoon the mixture over the chicken and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 237 calories, 6 g. total fat (1 g. saturated fat), 15 g. carbohydrate, 31 g. protein, 2 g. dietary fiber, 115 mg. sodium.

2 pounds hamburger
1 small package blue cheese crumbles*
1/4 cup butter – chilled & cut into small chunks
Worchestershire Sauce
ground pepper
1/3 sweet onion – finely diced
2 cloves minced garlic
seasonings to taste (we like Montreal Steak Seasoning)

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, mixing them well with your hands. Allow the mixture to sit for approx. 15 minutes, then form it into large, thick patties.

Grill the patties and serve with toasted buns, spicy, sweet hot or stone ground mustard, BBQ sauce, or your choice of condiments.

These are great for a change of pace from the normal burger. The blue cheese will melt through the burgers, adding a distinctive tang that will have people asking “what did you put in this? It’s great!”

*An alternate way is to form two patties for each person, and sandwich the blue cheese crumbles inside of them, sealing the edges. If you want a strong blue cheese flavor, this is the way to go, however you will often have a blue cheese explosion when you take the first bite. .Just be warned that there may be very hot blue cheese oozing out of the burgers.

2 packets dry Italian or Zesty Italian dressing mix
Water, Oil & Vinegar to make 1 packet of above dressing

1 box pasta – cooked (we use bow ties, shells or radiattori)

dry salami – about a 1″ long section

1/2 lb Cheddar cheese, cubed*

1/2 lb Monterey Jack cheese, cubed*

1 head broccoli, washed & divided into florets

1 red bell pepper, julienned

1 cup carrots, sliced

fresh ground black pepper, to taste (or a dash of white pepper)

Make 1 packet of Italian dressing according to package directions, then pour the contents of the other packet into it & mix well. This gives the dressing a little extra punch!

Combine all ingredients in a bowl & mix well. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving. Some alternate vegetables are listed below.

*If you are planning to have lots of leftovers, or not planning to eat it for a couple of days, leave the cheese on the side for people to add – it can get slimy if it sits too long in the fridge.

You can also add olives, pimentos, capers, onions, etc. Use the veggies your family prefers! We will often add more cheese, as we all really like cheese! Mozzarella works well too.

I have always loved the combination of chocolate and peanut butter. I used to love the commercials of the kids running into each other, one child with the Hershey chocolate bar, and the other child with a jar of peanut butter.

The first time I tried these cookies, I was hooked. The recipe is a very simple peanut butter dough, with a Hershey’s kiss in the middle:

1 cup butter
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 2/3 cups flour
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Additional sugar in a bowl for rolling
Chocolate Kisses

Combine butter, peanut butter and sugars; blend until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; blend. Mix flour, salt and soda, add to cream mixture; stir well. Roll dough into quarter size balls. Roll ball in bowl of sugar. Bake dough at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Immediately place chocolate kiss in center of each cookie. Bake an additional 2 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack.

You can add food coloring to the dough to create any color you’d like. We have made these cookies in red, green and blue. You can also divide the batter and make multiple colors for one batch of cookies.

Experiment with the many flavors of Hershey’s kisses. They make a kiss that has peanut butter right in the middle. These are a wonderful addition to the peanut butter cookie. Hershey’s also makes kisses with nuts in the middle. This is a fun kiss to put in the middle of the cookies. If you make a red dough, try the chocolate kisses that are part white and part brown.

We have also added peanut M&M’s in the middle, instead of Hershey’s Kisses. Follow the same recipe adding the M&M’s at the very end and baking 2 additional minutes.

If you find the cookies a little sweet for your taste, cut out some of the brown sugar. Try cutting the brown sugar down to 3/4 of a cup.

Bon Appetite!!

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Audrey’s mom always entertained when she was growing up. Audrey learned to prepare for large groups and has often entertained 15-30 people in her home at a time. You can find more great recipes at www.recipe-barn.com

Ingredients:

1 package white cake mix
1 package strawberry gelatin
4 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1 cup fresh sliced strawberries
Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350∞F. Lightly grease two 8-inch square baking pans. Combine cake mix and gelatin in large mixing bowl. Add eggs, oil, water and half of the strawberries. Beat on for a few minutes until well blended.

Divide batter evenly and pour batter into baking pans. Bake for approximately 35 minutes or until golden and baked through. Cool for 5 minutes in pans before turning over to wire racks to cool completely.

Top with remaining sliced strawberries and dust with powdered sugar.