Chili Mac

Let's start off by saying this is okay, not great....and certainly not photogenic. I just wanted to use up some of the mac noodles we had in stock.

From Taste of Home March/April 2010

1 C uncooked elbow macaroni
1 lb. ground beef
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 cans chili with beans
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cook macaroni according to package directions.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef, green pepper and onion over medium heat; drain.
Stir in chili and corn. Drain macaroni; add to the skillet and heat through. Sprinkle with cheese.

Taco Salad with Homemade Seasoning

Ingredients

Measured Out

Shaken

Dinner-Taco Salad from Aunt Kathy? Aunt Murray?

The first time I had this salad I must admit I thought it was odd. But in 6 years I've probably eaten it 20+ times. The thing that makes this different are adding crunched up Doritos, along with Thousand Island Dressing. Will prefers to eat his chips out of the bag, but I add mine right to the salad!

One-Skillet Pasta

From Taste of Home Aug/Sept 2010

Yes Kristin, it's just spaghetti!

I am shocked I have made yet another meal with onion, this is huge...I'm branching out, onion, vinegar, huge chunks of tomatoes...who knows what will be next!

The great thing about this is that Will only has to clean one pan!

5 ServingsPrep: 20 min. Cook: 1-1/4 hours

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 pounds ground turkey
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium sweet red pepper, finely chopped
• 1 can (28 ounces) Hunt’s® Original Diced Tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium beef broth
• 1 can (4 ounces) sliced mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 8 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

• In a large skillet, cook the turkey, onion and pepper over medium
• heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
• 
  
• Add the tomatoes, broth, mushrooms, brown sugar and chili powder.
• Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Add
• pasta; return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-35
• minutes or until pasta is tender. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and
• cook 2-3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

As I am cooking tonight, I can't stop thinking of a dear friend that gave me this wine "Three Wishes" for Christmas...so I'm opening it and making three wishes for her as I indulge. I hope I don't finish the bottle since I have to work tomorrow.

Slow-Cooker Black Bean Chili w/ Venison

Recipe From the Local Cook
Ingredients:

• 1 lb+ ground beef, cooked and drained (I used venison that Will's client gave him)
• 2 pint jars of salsa (I used my fav garlic something... near the bagged salad)
• 2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
  
• 2 Tbsp taco seasoning
• 1 Tbsp Hot Cock, sirachi whatever...
  

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on high for 4-6 hours.

NYE Cheese Meatballs

We love to eat these, but I've never made them before. So I called Aunt Kathy and asked her a few questions then I went shopping.
3 C shredded cheese
1 C biscuit/baking mix
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper and garlic powder
1 lb lean ground beef

In a large bowl combine the first five ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1 in. balls (I missed this part and it was hard to accomplish). Place meatballs on a greased rack in a shallow baking pan.

Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until meat is no longer pink; drain. Yield: 4 dozen. From Taste of Home

What I should have realized is this has biscuit mix it will grow! I ended up with huge, not so pretty meatballs, but that's okay they still tasted good.

Three Bean Taco Chili

*Freezes Well

Jan/Feb 2010 Simple & Delicious

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 2 cups water
• 1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
• 1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (16 ounces) chili beans, undrained
• 1 can (15-1/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 cup chunky salsa
• 1 envelope taco seasoning
• 1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

• In a Dutch oven, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the water, beans, corn, tomatoes, tomato sauce, salsa, taco seasoning and olives.
• Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Garnish with cheese. Yield: 9 servings.

Spicy Stuffed Bell Peppers

I'm so excited I like bell peppers now...so many new recipes to try! I used only 2 bell peppers because Will picked out the biggest ones I've ever seen.

Of course I left the onion and salt out and I didn't have red pepper flakes, so I added more chili powder. In the end, this tasted like hamburger helper...so I'm not a huge fan. Will loved it, but said he'd add more cheese!

4 bell peppers (green are cheaper)
1/2 lb ground beef or turkey
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bag of quick cooking white rice
1/2-3/4 cup corn kernels
1/2 cup beef broth
3/4 cup shredded mexican cheese
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste(You can adjust the spices according to your taste to make it more or less spicy)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Begin by prepping all your ingredients (chopping the onions, garlic, cut the tops off of the peppers and remove the seeds). Boil the water for the rice. Once you have the rice cooking, heat a skillet over medium/hi heat and add a little olive oil (about 2 Tbsp). Add the onion to the pan and let cook for about 5 min. Add garlic and ground beef. Cook until the ground beef is done and drain. Put the ground beef mixture back into the skillet and add chili powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Next add the beef broth. Drain the rice once it's done and add that to the skillet with all other ingredients. Add corn and stir to combine. At this point add the pepper to taste. Stir in mexican cheese until melted. Place your bell peppers on a baking sheet and fill with the beef and rice mixture. Top with a additional cheese if desired. Bake for about 25 min.

Stolen from http://sweet-savory-southern.blogspot.com/