Cheesy Beef Bake with a Twist

I love my cheesy beef bake - you know, the one with browned beef covered with sliced potatoes. It's perfect if you're in a rush, but it's a bit pedantic on the "wow" factor. Here's the stepped up version!

Heat the oven to 350*F, and in a deep-sided oven-safe skillet over medium heat, add:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 poblano or mild pepper of your choice, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
Cook on medium heat until the onion sweetens and the pepper softens. Need to sneak in more veggies? Add finely chopped kale, carrots or spinach and let it melt in.

Add:
4-6 sundried tomatoes (to your taste - don't have? Use tomato paste)
1-3 anchovies (paste or stored in oil - not the tinned kind!)
Chop these, add them to the onions and pepper - give them a little time on medium heat to make friends.

***STOP*** If you stop reading this recipe because of the anchovies, shame on you. Try them! Try just one filet for now. I promise - they do not taste fishy at all! They actually melt into the oil and add a very mild nutty flavor to the dish. Can't do it - then don't! Though someday I hope you will...

Add:
1/4 pound (or more) fresh ground Italian sausage (we use mild - you can use chicken, turkey, whatever)
1/2 pound ground beef

Get in there and get some stress relief - use your potato masher to break the meat into fine bits so the beef and sausage mix well. Sprinkle on your favorite chili powder (Penzey's 3000 for us), smoked paprika, adobo powder, a little salt, some Aleppo or red pepper flakes, and black pepper to your liking.

While this mixture spends some time getting happy, slice up 5-7 medium potatoes. Add a layer of potato slices over the meat, sprinkle with salt and Parmesan or cheddar cheese. Continue to layer the potato, salt, cheese until the pan is full or you're out of potatoes.

Pour 1 can of evaporated (NOT sweeten condensed) milk, or an equal amount of half-and-half, over the whole shootin' match, then slide into that nice warm oven for 45-60 minutes until the potatoes are fork-tender. Serve with a side salad, and voila! Enjoy!

Bullseye Rice

Dancing Wild Rice
1 cup (dry) Lundberg Rice Mix (or similar), cooked to package directions
2 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp olive oil (I use extra virgin)
1 shallot, chopped
1 poblano pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chopped sundried tomatoes in olive oil
1 package baby portabella mushrooms, chopped
1 tsp garam masala spice blend
salt to taste

Heat oil and butter just to bubbling, add shallot and pepper and saute until tender. Add sundried tomatoes, mushrooms and spice blend. Stir occasionally and let cook until the mushrooms have wilted. Add rice mix and salt to taste.

Bullseye Ribeye
2 aged, thick cut (1.5 inches), ribeye steaks
Olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
salt and pepper

Heat a grill pan on medium high - you want it hot and ready for you. Drizzle olive oil over the steaks, add salt and pepper. Place seasoned side down on your hot grill or grill pan. Leave alone for 6 minutes. Drizzle unseasoned side with oil, salt and pepper. Turn steaks over, and leave for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes. Tent with foil if desired. Your steaks will be a perfect medium rare. Serve with a pat of butter on each steak, and a generous portion of rice mix on the side.

Day After Breakfast

Tortillas
1/2 cup Masa Harina tortilla mix
add splash of V8 and water for wet portion of instructions
Knead by hand until mixture pulls together. Roll golf-ball-sized dough balls and flatten in tortilla press. Toast for one minute on each side until tender and warm.

Filling
Heat leftover rice mix in a pan, add 2 whole eggs and cheese of your choice. Scoop into fresh tortillas and enjoy! Top with avocado, sour cream, salsa or other condiments of your choice.

Fagioli Ensalada

I love salads. I've created a special recipe to appeal precisely to those with a meatier appetite. On the upside? It's darn tasty! Fagioli is Italian for beans, and ensalada, just like it sounds - salad. Bean Salad. Dress it up or down, it's a great, go-to meal when you're short on time.

Fagioli Ensalada

In a skillet over medium heat, sautee:

1 softball sized onion, chopped
1 red (yellow, orange) bell pepper, chopped (poblano, any mild pepper works)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1-3 tomatillos chopped (these are gooseberries, omit if you can't find them)

Add:
1/2 to 1 pound ground beef (include some chorizo sausage if you like)
break up and brown with the sauteed veggies.

Add a tablespoon of your favorite chili seasoning blend (mine is Penzey's 3000) and some powdered Adobo or smoked paprika and crushed red pepper to taste. Then add:

1 15-oz can drained and rinsed kidney beans
1 15-oz can drained and rinsed black beans
1 15-oz can drained and rinsed garbanzo beans (chick peas)
1 12-oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1/3 cup of your favorite Italian dressing

Stir together and simmer for 10 mins. Serve with tortilla chips, shredded Romaine lettuce or Napa cabbage, shredded Mexican-blend cheese, chopped fresh cilantro, sour cream, guacamole or avocado, diced fresh tomatoes, and any other suitable condiments. Use the leftovers to make Taco Stew!

Enjoy! ~ky

Eat Your Veggies!!

I came up with a pretty good recipe today. I'm sure it's not a "real" unique creation, but given how much we love summer garden produce, it's unique enough for me!

I can only eat so much fried zucchini, zucchini bread, zucchini pizza...etc. So finding another go-to recipe made me very very happy!

{THE Mac Miller}

MacMiller's Zuk Soup

In a big pot add:

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 whole onion, chunked
6-8 medium zucchinis, chunked
1 red bell pepper, chunked
3-4 stalks of hearts of celery, chunked
(seeing a pattern here?)
4-5 cloves of garlic, smashed
5-7 small golden potatoes (ping pong ball sized), halved

Stir over medium heat and allow everything to gently sweat about 15 minutes.

Then add:
1/3 cup brown rice
1/2 cup dried green pea and lentil mix

Stir just until the oil coats the peas, lentils and rice, then add:

2 quarts (or more) water - just enough to cover everything (can use broth)
2 Tbsp better boullion
2 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning mix (recommend Penzey's!)
1 Tbsp dried basil, crushed
1 Tbsp Adobo seasoning
1 Tbsp smoked Paprika
1 Tbsp fresh cracked black pepper
1 Tbsp red pepper flakes (according to taste)
Check salt and add as needed

Cook for 20 minutes until the peas, lentils and rice soften. Strain, reserving the liquid. In batches, carefully puree the strained solids. Add the resulting heavenly grind to the reserved liquid and add:

2 cups milk (any % fat)
1 cup chopped Kale, or other hearty green

Bring almost to a boil, then remove from heat. Let set for15 minutes before serving. Freezable, and useful for moistening meatballs, meat loafs, base for other soups, etc. Serve with dollops of sour cream, mashed avocado, salsa, etc. and crusty bread. Enjoy!

Refried Bean Browns

I'm a sucker for hashbrowns. Seriously - give me some shredded, crisply fried potato patties, some hot sauce or ketchup, and I'm in heaven. I have a million ways to make potato hashbrowns, but I was thinking about classic refried black beans when I tripped over this recipe:

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 green onion, roughly chopped
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp Penzey's chili 9000 blend
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 egg, scrambled (reduce fat? use just the whites)

Add all ingredients except for the bread crumbs and egg to a food processor or blender. Process until coarsely chopped (I like mine to be partially pureed). You may find a slight spoonful of water or olive oil helps the process along.

Gently mix in the bread crumbs and egg. Form into patties and grill each side about 4 minutes. I love to mix in diced avocado, fresh chopped tomato, cheese...you name it. Just pay attention to the clumping ability of the mix. If needed, add more panko or a sprinkle of any all purpose baking mix (Jiffy, Bisquick, you know). Serve alongside fried eggs, with spicy rice, or in small patties with chips as an appetizer.

Tasty Taco Stew

I cannot tell you how yummy this recipe is. I wish I had a scratch and sniff blog! Like most stews, this one gets better tasting as it ages. It also freezes well. Going to a gathering? Cook it, then serve it in a crockpot on low. Use fresh chopped onions, chives, scallions, avocado, or tomatoes and sour cream, shredded cheese and crumbled or whole Tostitos!

Tasty Taco Stew

Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 whole onion, chopped
2-8 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 poblano peppers or similar mild peppers, chopped
1 lb ground beef
1 16-ounce can each: chick peas, black, kidney and white beans, optional: corn or hominy
1 can Rotel style tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
1 chipotle pepper with a spoonful of sauce
2 Tbsp Penzey's Chili 3000 seasoning blend
1 Tbsp Pensey's Adobo
2 cups beef stock

Brown ground beef, drain and set aside. In a saucepot, heat olive oil (you can use most oils, I prefer olive oil for it's health benefits) and add the chopped vegetables. Cook until the onions turn translucent. Drain and rinse the beans and corn/hominy. Add the beef and remaining ingredients to the pot and bring to a boil then reduce to simmer. Cover with a lid and let cook 20 minutes.

Salmon Patties, just for Robin!

I occasionally post what's for dinner on my facebook page. On this day, I heard from a dear friend from High School. She loves salmon patties - I wish I had known sooner, because I would have given her all the ones I had to eat during those school days! LOL! Now - no disrespect to my Mom, she made great salmon patties. I just didn't have the tastebuds to appreciate them. Good thing my palette grew up! So, in honor of both my Mom, and my friend Robin, I share with you my salmon patty recipe:

Robin's Dreamy Salmon Patties

1/2 Spanish onion, chopped finely
1 poblano pepper, chopped finely
1 stalk of celery, chopped finely
1 teaspoon shallot salt (Penzeys)
1 Tablespoon Chesapeake Bay seasoning (Penzeys)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 Tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
zest of 1 whole lemon
1/4 cup shrimp cocktail or pasta sauce
1 Tablespoon spicy mustard
1/4 cup raw rolled gluten-free oats or Panko breading (more, if you mix is very wet)
1 egg
1 teaspoon (depending on tastes) fresh ground black pepper
1 can drained salmon (wild Alaskan preferred)

Gently mix everything together. Heat about 2 tablespoons olive oil in a saute pan or skillet over medium heat. Form the mix into patties, and gently lay into the pan. Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes then gently turn them over. Takes about 2-3 minutes on the second side. You can double the recipe, and add almost anything to this. I love to add parmesan cheese, or red pepper flakes, depending on what I'm serving with it. Enjoy!

Avocado Ole!

There's a little Mexican restaurant where I once lived that had the best avocado dip. It wasn't guacamole, and I could literally drink it by the gallon because it was so good! I'm going to try to approximate that recipe based on my tastebud memory:

4 ripe avocados (slight give when you gently squeeze them), seeded
16 ounces sour cream (I use fat free)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Lemon zest
1/4 cup juice leftover from pickled peppers (I always have this around)
8 ounces cream cheese (fat free, room temperature)
1 teaspoon granulated garlic (or 2 cloves fresh, 1 tablespoon powder)
1 tablespoon celery salt
1 can diced tomatoes with chiles
1 bunch of leaves from cilantro
1/4 to 1/2 red onion
1-2 chipotle peppers with sauce (or 1-2 teaspoons ground red pepper)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Serve with chips, and a margarita on the side. Ole!

Holy Guacamole!!

I "borrowed" this recipe, and tweaked it for our needs, from http://kraftingwithkaren.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-do-you-eat-doritos.html

Gluten Free Mexican Cassarole
1 lb lean ground meat, browned and rinsed, set aside

2 Tbs olive oil
1 whole onion (any variety) chopped
handful of shredded or chopped carrots
1 stalk celery chopped
1 bell pepper (any color) chopped,, or anaheim or poblano
1 pkg white mushroom caps sliced
Saute these in the oil until soft, add salt and pepper at the end

1 can black or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can golden hominy
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies, or equal amount fresh salsa
3 Tbs Penzey's 3000 Chili powder
1 Tbs Penzey's Adobo powder
Mix these together with the drained meat, and sauteed veggies.

half a regular sized bag of Tostitos white corn chips (gluten free)
1 cup shredded cheese
Pre-Heat oven to 350

Layer the meat mixture in the bottom of a cassarole dish. Distribute the crushed chips on top. Sprinkle cheese on top of chips. Heat in oven for about 45 minutes. Serve with some fat free sour cream and guacamole (or just slices of fresh avocado sprinkled with lemon juice). I also like it with the chopped avocado mixed in with the meat and baked.

Please let me know how you like this - or how you adapt it for your families! I think it would be great as enchiladas, too!

~ky

Football Party On!

Here's a classic in our house - we use it as a dip, rolled up and baked as enchiladas, as a topping over crisp oven fries...you get the idea.

Creamy Tacos

1.5 lb ground beef, browned and drained
1 onion, chopped
1 roasted red pepper, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (choose your own heat level)
1 can chili with beans (use your favorite, or leftovers!)
16 oz block Velveeta cheese, cubed
1/2 tsp granulated garlic (or 1 tsp garlic powder)

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot set on low. Heat and stir until melted. Enjoy!

Tip: if you don't like your onions to be a little crispy, add them to the beef while browning to let them soften.

MmmmmmmEAT!

Yes, we are meatatarians. We like our meat. We try to do fish, chicken, veggies only...but sometimes....sometimes you've just got to have the real deal. Tonight was like that. So...I had an idea. I had an eye of round roast and some bacon...see where this is going? I just sliced off two half-inch thick slices...

Quick Smokey Steak Bites

1/2 pound Eye of Round roast, cut into bite sized pieces
6-8 slices of bacon, enough to match the number of pieces of beef
salt and pepper
toothpicks

Salt and pepper your bite sized pieces of roast. Roll a piece of beef in a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Set aside. When you have all rolled, heat a skillet on medium. When the skillet comes to temperature, place the bacon-wrapped meat into the pan, and let set until the bacon is done on that side. Rotate the meat until the bacon is done on all sides. This should leave the beef around medium doneness. If you would like the meat closer to well done, lower the heat on your skillet to allow slower cooking of the bacon.

Serve with your favorite steak sides (we love garlic mashed potatoes!). Enjoy!

Curried Chicken Soup

A cure for what ails you. Something to comfort your disappointment or loss. Warming up on a cool night...

Curried Chicken Soup

Ingredients

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lb carrots, chunked
3 stalks celery, sliced
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 poblano peppers, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
2 quarts chicken stock
2 quarts water
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp coarse black pepper
1 Tbsp mild curry powder (Maharajah)
1 Tbsp medium curry powder (Vindaloo)
2 large cans chicken breast, or 1 rotisserie chicken deboned

Heat oil in large stock pot, add veggies. Cook until tender. Add stock, water seasonings and chicken. Cook until reduced by 1/3 (45 mins or so). Reseason with salt and pepper as desired. I add noodles, rice or even dumplings to boost the slow burning carb value.

Curry names are from Penzey's Spice company (see the link in my sidebar).

Easy Tomatillo Salsa!

This is a cheater's recipe. Everyone needs some of these kinds of recipes in their box for lazy days, or something your kids could make on their own. It's also great for the middle of winter when fresh tomatoes are not generally tasty.

Ky's Winter Tomatillo Salsa

1 14-oz can of diced tomatoes with green chilies (or your favorite flavor)
1/2 red onion diced
1 Tbsp vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar, and experiment with others)
3-6 tomatillos, husked, rinsed and diced
small bunch of fresh cilantro, minced or 1-2 tsp dried
dash of granulated garlic (1 clove fresh chopped, a little more than a dash if powdered)

Combine all ingredients, taste for flavor. I usually don't add salt, but often need some black pepper.

Add-ins: try this mix and add in a can of drained and rinsed black beans, 1 diced avocado, 4 oz cream cheese at room temperature (you can do one, or all!). This is great over rice, as a taco topper, couscous, with sour cream on chili, quinoa (keen-wa), nachos...just about anything!

Sheldon's Pulled Pork

Mmmmm.... I love, adore, would swim for hours in a nice vat of pulled pork. I've made it a thousand times, but it occured to me that I didn't have a written recipe. So a friend of mine asked me for a recipe. I will write down what I do so we all can remember. Thanks for the prompting Stacy!

Sheldon's Pulled Pork

1-3 lb pork rump roast
2-4 Tbsp flour with salt and pepper
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Rinse and dry the roast. Roll in flour (or toss in flour in a zip top bag). Place into a hot pan with EVOO. Let sit on each side until lightly browned all around. Remove from pan and place in crock pot.

1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 4-oz can diced green chilies
2-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 Tbsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups water or chicken, pork or beef stock

Add these ingredients to the crock pot. Cook on low for 6 hours up to 10 hours. Allow to cool until you can handle the roast. Using two large forks, pull the meat in opposite directions until you have a pile of shredded meat. Return to the juice of the crock pot. Check the seasoning of the meat in the juices to see if salt or pepper need to be added. If desired, squeeze the juice of 2 limes over the meat and combine with the juices.

You can separate the meat into servings and freeze for later use. You can use this meat as filling for enchiladas or burritos; mix with barbeque sauce and pile onto buns for sandwiches; serve as is over rice. You can also change the recipe by adding chopped tomatillos, beans, hominy, cabbage, jalapenos or other chilies, corn, cilantro, etc. You can substitute a whole chicken, chicken taken off the bone from rotisserie, beef roast, etc. The possibilities are almost endless.

Enjoy!
~ky

"New" Tater Tots Cassarole

Tater tot cassaroles come in many flavors and varieties. They are traditional fare at gatherings all over the Southeastern states. I took a typical, basic recipe and spiffed it up a little!

Tater Tot Cassarole

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

8 oz sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 8 oz block of cream cheese, room temp
1 cup of milk
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
Mix these together and set aside.

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 poblano or similar pepper, chopped
2-4 tomatillos, chopped
1 pound hamburger
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp Chili 3000
1 Tbsp adobo
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp or more, salt (to taste)

In a large skillet, heat EVOO over medium heat and add onions, garlic, pepper, and tomatillos. Cook until tender, then add the hamburger. Saute until the hamburger is no longer pink, and stir in spices, salt and pepper. Combine with the sour cream mixture. Layer this mix into the bottom of a cassarole dish, and top with:

1 bag frozen tater tots

Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese for the last 10 minutes if desired.

Easy veggie booster - add a can of peas, broccoli, diced tomatoes, or shredded carrots when you mix the sour cream mixture into the meat.

Pasta e Fagioli

Some of my friends and I were talking about our favorite soups from Olive Garden, and Carrie said she had an approximation of OG's Pasta e Fagioli, so I asked her for it. I tweaked it to fit our palette and cooking style. Thanks Carrie!! Enjoy!

Pasta e Fagioli

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 cup of carrots, chopped
1-2 poblano or other mild peppers, chopped
2 stalks of celery chopped
1 lb of hamburger
1-2 cans petite diced tomatoes with juice
2 cans of kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
2 cans of cannelini beans (drained and rinsed)
24 ounces of beef broth
12 ounces of spaghetti sauce
1 Tbsp dried Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp ground pepper
1-2 tsp ground red pepper or crushed red pepper flakes
8-10 oz daltini pasta (half a box) tiny tube pasta (or elbow etc.)

In your stock pot (or in a skillet if you will put this in a crock pot later), heat the EVOO over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and let the onion soften. Add carrots, peppers and celery, and cook until tender. Remove from pot. Add the hamburger, brown then drain and rinse (removes the unhealthy fat). Add onion mixture back in, then add the remaining ingredients. Simmer until the pasta is tender.

NOTE: if you are using a crock pot, you will need to cook the pasta separately in boiling salted water (follow manufacturers directions) before adding it to the soup. The pasta will not continue to soften.

Stolen Recipes!!

I "borrowed" these recipes from my friend Tiffany's blog because I didn't want to forget to try them. Any mental association with the movie Hoodwinked is purely intentional!

Turkey Chili & Golden Sweet Cornbread

This Chili is pretty kid friendly! I recommend pureeing the bean if the kids have issues eating beans like mine!

Turkey Chili Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped yellow bell peppers
1 pound ground turkey
1 (28-ounce) can crushed organic tomatoes, undrained
1 (16-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

In a large skillet, saute onions, garlic and bell peppers in olive oil over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add ground turkey and cook until browned.

Add remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.


Golden Sweet Cornbread Ingredients:
1 cup corn meal
1 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable/canola oil
Honey squeeze bottle
Preheat oven to 400.

In a large bowl soak cornmeal w/ milk for 30 minutes.

Add flour, sugar, vanilla, salt, baking powder. Stir in egg and oil. Mix well.

Pour in individually lined 12-cup muffin tin/stone and bake for 20-25 minutes.

After the muffins have cooled a bit, squeeze a little honey over the top. It will add a nice glaze and prevent them from crumbling!

Summertime Sensations!

I've been thinking about summer. We've not really had much heat in our weather (and I'm not complaining!). Yet, I'm trying to think ahead to those hot days and dishes that won't add to the heat. That puts me in mind of slow cookers, cool soups, fresh veggies and simple fruit desserts.

I was recently asked about a recipe for chili - and I have a good one. This works really well in a slow cooker. It also freezes well, and you can cool it down quickly with some cold sour cream, yogurt or even an avocado cream.

Flexi-Chili

Ingredients

1 lb of stew meat, or any cut of beef labelled for slow cooking, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tbsp EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
1 softball sized onion, chopped
1-5 cloves of garlic, chopped (according to your tastes)
1 cup shredded carrots
1-2 stalks of celery chopped
2 peppers (bell, poblano, or other mild peppers) chopped

Heat the oil in a skillet on medium high, and add the meat. Quickly brown the meat and remove to your crock pot. Add the onion to the remaining oil, and cook until translucent (caramalizing, or browning of the onion, is fine). Add the carrots, celery and peppers to the oil and cook for a few minutes (until slightly softened) Move these veggies and residual oil to the crock pot.

1 16-ounce can of tomatoes (stewed, crushed, or diced with green chilies)
3 16-ounce cans of your favorite beans (cannelini, pinto, kidney, black, chick peas, etc.)
2 16-ounce cans of beef stock
2 tbsp good chili powder (I recommend Penzey's 3000)
1 tbsp good cumin or adobo powder (again, Penzey's is the best)
Add your desired level of heat with fresh jalapeno, habanero, or other hot peppers. Or use dried crushed red pepper flakes, hot sauce, or ground red pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

Add the above ingredients and simmer forever (or as long as you can wait!). Top with shredded cheese, a little fresh chopped onion, Fritos chips, crusty bread...you get the picture. Top with sour cream or unflavored yogurt.

Avocado Cream

1 avocado, seeded and mashed
1 tbsp lemon juice, drizzled over the mashed avocado (retains color)
1 cup sour cream
Celery salt to taste
Combine and let set in the fridge while your chili simmers.

Play with flavors and textures. Substitute various beans and other veggies to boost the nutrition value or to match your family's tastes. Serve it over broken cornbread muffins. Go ahead - play with your food!

Easy Cheesy Sauce

Today, we're going to discuss a Bechamel sauce. This is one of the 4 foundation sauces that most restaurant chefs use to make sauces. Bechamel is also referred to as a white sauce or white gravy.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp flour (regular, not self-rising)
1 1/4 cups warm milk
salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a heavy sauce pan, add the flour, and cook, stiring constantly. The flour and butter should bubble around the edges but not brown. This should take about 2 minutes. Add the warmed milk, and stir to eliminate clumps. Bring this mixture to a boil, then add salt and pepper to taste. If your sauce is too thick, add more milk. Lower the heat and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Makes about 1 cup. This can be doubled easily. Just add the milk in batches to make sure you don't develop a too-thin sauce.

This base sauce can become many things. Add freshly grated hard cheese (about 1 cup) and a pinch of nutmeg for a mac and cheese type sauce. Add herbs and garlic for a layering sauce with the red sauce typical with lasagne. Mix with pepperjack and top nachos, enchiladas or even chili. The sky's the limit with this base sauce. Substitute bacon, ham or sausage drippings to top biscuits for a southern sausage gravy and biscuits treat.

Other options: use almond flour and chicken broth (thanks for the idea, Rachel!); substitute chicken broth for the milk for a great base to potato and similar soups and stews. I also start with the butter, add a chopped onion and let it brown then add the flour, milk/stock, etc.

On top of Spaghetti

You've gotta have meatballs! They're also great on a crusty roll with some pasta sauce and cheese! Here's my recipe:

Mega Meatballs
Ingredients
1 medium onion, finely chopped or grated
1 poblano pepper, finely chopped
1/2 jar roasted red peppers, finely chopped
3-5 sundried tomatoes in oil, finely chopped
1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese
1/2 cup spaghetti sauce
1 egg
1 tbsp Pensey's 3000 chili powder
1/3 cup rolled quick cooking oats, dry
1 tbsp Italian herb seasoning blend
1/2 tbsp each salt and pepper
3 pound ground beef
1 pound mild Italian sausage

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix by hand until well incorporated (don't over mix or the meatballs will be tough). Roll into balls a little bigger than a golf ball, and place on a wire rack over a cookie sheet. For fast cleanup, cover the cookie sheet with foil. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 40 minutes. Let cool, then freeze what you won't immediately use.

Variations: add finely chopped mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, etc.; grated mozzarella or parmesan cheese; a well drained can of diced tomatoes - play around with whatever sounds good!