This one’s the simplest chili recipe, done the way it should be: a quick prep, cooked in a slow cooker or simmered in a pot on the stovetop, and gives you an appreciation of simpler times.
Slow cooker chili
Ingredients:
2 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (16 oz) chili beans in sauce, undrained
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
You can use tomato paste in addition to tomato sauce if you want a thickener.
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Steps:
In 12-inch skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain.
In 4- to 5-quart slow cooker, mix beef mixture and remaining ingredients.
Cover and cook on LOW setting 6 to 8 hours.
The slow cooker method is nice because you can go to do other things and come back indoors to the wonderful scent of chili con carne in the air.
It is cold, rainy and dull and boring, so I thought that you would all like some soup this time.
This comes from Genius Kitchen, potato soup made with leftover (or boxed) mashed potatoes.
Smashed Potato Soup from Genius Kitchen
2 tablespoons butter or 2 tablespoons bacon drippings
1?2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
14 1?2 ounces chicken broth (boxed is okay)
1?2 teaspoon kosher salt
1?4 teaspoon black pepper
1?2 teaspoon sweet paprika (I consider this to be optional)
2 cups prepared mashed potatoes (leftover is great, or the boxed mix, too)
1?2 cup cheddar cheese
2 scallions, finely chopped (Green onions are fine, too.)
3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons cream or 2 tablespoons half-and-half
Instructions:
Cook bacon, and set aside to crumble.
In a large saucepan, cook onion in butter or dripping until softened.
Add chopped mushrooms and cook until tender and onion is golden.
Add chicken broth, salt, pepper, and paprika, stirring to mix.
Blend in mashed potatoes, stirring until lumps are gone.
Bring soup to a boil, then lower heat and add cheddar cheese, stirring until it is melted and smooth.
Mix in scallions, crumbled bacon, sour cream, and cream/half and half, stirring to heated through but not to boiling point.
When you serve this, top it with some of the crumbled bacon, some cutup green onion tails, and some of the shredded cheddar.
Put a sandwich with it and enjoy it. On a cold, rainy, obnoxiously stubborn gray day, this and a good book fill the void of boredom.
Bears won their division title against the Packers last week. Yes, I did rub my sister’s nose in it. She says it only happened because she went to Italy. Okay, sure. (Snort!) Heh.
Frittata are the easiest thing in the world to fix.
You need cooked fillings, your choice, anything from bacon, potatoes,.onions, cheese, and ham to veggies and mushrooms and other fine comestibles.
One 10-inch cast iron skillet (with a lid, if you have it) If you don’t have a lid, improvise with one of those splatter shields.
If you are cooking this for more than one or two people, use a larger skillet.
Cook the fillings first and leave them in the skillet.
Leave the lid on the skillet to keep the heat in the pan.
For a frittata, the proportion is one to two eggs per person, so if you are making two helpings of this, use 4 eggs.
Beat the eggs severely about the head and shoulders. (Make them cry.)
Season the eggs with your personal preference in scrambled egg seasonings.
Pour the beaten eggs over the cooked fillings.
Cook over a low flame and keep an eye on this while it cooks. No, you do not have to turn it over. Keep an eye on it. It will cook quickly, and you can put the lid on the skillet, turn off the stove and let the skillet finish the cooking for you, with the lid on.
As an alternative, you can put the skillet into a slow oven (about 325F) to keep it warm while you make toast and cook bacon. Otherwise, turn off the heat and leave it on the stovetop with the lid on it for a few minutes. The heat of the skillet should finish cooking the eggs. And you should have made toast and cooked bacon ahead of time.
When the frittata is done, if it’s for more than one person, cut it into portions and put some cherry or grape tomatoes with it on the plate.
If you want to do this as sheet pan eggs for a large group of people, use a 10×13 glass baking dish, (coated with a fat like butter to prevent sticking) 2 eggs per person, cook the fillings first, add cream or whole milk to the eggs when beating them, and pour the seasoned eggs into the greased baking pan.
Bake at 350F for 12 to 15 minutes. Keep an eye on the baking dish, to make sure they are cooking completely, and top them with shredded cheese in the last 2 to 3 minutes.
If you are going to bake these eggs, make sure you grease the baking dish first, or the eggs will stick. Butter works well for this.
The alternate breakfast is fried eggs, sunnyside up on toasted shredded wheat biscuits (the BIG ones), surrounded by nice crispy bacon as a defense against bacon-picking predators.
The title of that book is “One Night of Scandal”. You guys need to read more romance novels.
It’s casseroles this time. The holidays are coming up and you will have leftovers galore, including ham and chicken and turkey and that can be either sliced or diced or just plain nibbled on.
The first, because I love bacon, is bacon mac and cheese. You will need the following:
2 cups of cooked short pasta. Penne is good for this. Those ridges hold lots of sauce.
1 garlic clove, minced (smashed flat with a spoon)
2 tablespoons of butter
¼ teaspoon of black pepper
2 cups of milk
3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup (or more) or crisp, crumbled, crunchy bacon – I have found LOTS of bacon is good for this, as it is mixed in with the pasta as well as sprinkled on top.
Cook the pasta according to the package directions until it is al dente. Put it in a 2 qt baking pan (line with foil for easy clean-up).
To make the roux base for the cheese sauce, over a low flame melt the butter in a saucepan, sauté the garlic in it until softened, add flour and pepper, stirring all the while, until the roux is smooth. Then slowly add the milk and stir until it thickens, then add 2 cups of shredded cheese and keep stirring until the cheese is all melted and blended in.
Add half of the bacon and stir into the cheese sauce. Then shut off the heat.
Pour the cheese sauce with bacon over the pasta and give it a mix with your spoon.
Cover with foil and bake at 350F for 30 minutes.
Uncover the casserole, sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese and bacon on the top of the casserole, and bake at 350F for another 5 to 10 minutes. Serve with side dishes, of course.
This next recipe, Shepherd’s Pie comes from Spend With Pennies. Since I love shepherd’s pie, I’m including it here. It’s an easy recipe and it originally comes from Ireland. Filling, tasty and quick to fix. https://www.spendwithpennies.com/shepherds-pie-recipe/
1 pound ground lamb or beef
1 medium onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
10 oz frozen peas and carrots defrosted
10.5 oz can corn drained
10 oz can tomato soup or mushroom soup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon basil
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
3 cups prepared mashed potatoes (boxed instant stuff is okay)
1 cup cheddar cheese shredded (optional)
Heat the oven to 400F.
Cook lamb or beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until no pink remains. Drain any fat and let it cool.
Stir in soup, Worcestershire sauce, salt, basil and pepper. Spread into the bottom of a 2 qt casserole dish. Sprinkle with peas, carrots and corn.
Spoon mashed potatoes over the filling, and top with cheese if you want that included. .
Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly. This will give you 4 to 6 servings, with side dishes. You can also substitute diced tomatoes canned in sauce for the tomato soup.
And finally, since no one ever thinks of dessert as a casserole candidate, this one is easy to prepare. You will need:
1 clean plate covered with foil for easy clean-up
1 square chocolate cake cut into three layers
Chocolate mousse or chocolate pudding (box mix is okay)
Swiss Miss dark chocolate instant cocoa
Whipped cream
Mini chocolate chips
Ice cream – chocolate, vanilla or mint chocolate chip
This is how you put this mess together:
Put one layer of chocolate cake in the baking pan
Spread chocolate mousse or pudding over it in a ½ inch layer
Sprinkle lightly with the Swiss Miss dark chocolate cocoa
Add a layer of whipped cream
Sprinkle whipped cream with mini chocolate chips
Repeat the above for the next layer.
Top with the last layer of chocolate cake
Refrigerate until after dinner, add a layer of whipped cream to the top and sprinkle with more Swiss Miss dark chocolate, then serve with chocolate, vanilla or mint chocolate chip ice cream and a hot beverage.
That was easy, wasn’t it?
Happy holidays, Merry Christmas, and enjoy the gifts we sometimes take for granted.
Since cold weather is closing in on us like there is no tomorrow (and there might not be a tomorrow!), I thought a hearty casserole which is quick and easy to fix would be the best thing possible.
This is from a Campbell’s Cookbook that I bought at a bookstore when they were real bookstores instead of the equivalent of warehouses with shelves. It will make up to five servings, to adjust the quantity accordingly.
Ingredients:
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of potato soup
1 cup of milk – 2% is fine
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups of cooked vegetables (I use the frozen mixed veggies and thaw them in warm taer. One 8-ounce bag is 2 cups.)
2 cups of leftover cooked chicken or turkey
4 cups of boxed dressing (1 box will cover a half recipe.)
1 1/2 cups of water
4 tablespoons of butter
Proceed:
Stir the soups, milk, thyme, pepper, veggies and chicken or turkey together in a baking dish or a bowl. I line the baking dish with foil for easier cleanup and use a bowl to mix the ingredients and pour them into the baking dish. The recipe calls for a 13x9x2 shallow baker.
Prepare the boxed dressing according to the package directions. That should take about three minutes to fix. Spoon the dressing over the casserole mixture.
Bake at 400F for about 25 minutes, but check on it. When you can smell the thyme floating through the air, it’s ready. It is quick to fix, easy, uses up leftovers and needs only the usual side dishes (like cornbread) to go with it. Lots of butter on the cornbread, too.
I usually skip the cream of celery soup and add chopped celery to it instead. I also use about a 1/2 teaspoon of thyme, because it just adds flavor. You can also toss in some chopped green onions, including the chopped tails, to add more flavor. And yes, you can use chicken leftover from one of those chicken cookin’ places. Good way to get rid of leftovers.
If this doesn’t fill your tummy and make you happy, nothing will. Pumpkin pie with real whipped cream is for dessert.
Daydreams are nice, aren’t they? But they don’t pay the bills or put food on the table, or make sure that your home is clean and free of unwanted other species.
There’s a huge push from many sides to transfer everyone to what is commonly referred to as “green energy” resources. This includes solar and wind energies as resources, with a large portion of it being politically motivated with no thought to the consequences.
In Australia, because they’ve shut down coal-fired plants and have only wind and solar facilities for generating electricity, with gas-fired plants as backup, electricity charges for residents are apparently spectacular and in some cases, enough to make it unaffordable, period. Angela Merkel has been harping on wind energy during her reign as the EU’s head, with disastrous results including the deaths of thousands of ordinary citizens from cold exposure in the winter, when those people could not pay their utility bills. Some had resorted to trying to stay warm by candlelight. It is a disgraceful thing to do to put your personal daydreams ahead of the welfare of people who voted you in, and Merkel is losing her job because of her insistence on using “green power” instead of reliable gas and/or coal. Germany is now, in fact, building new coal-fired power plants because Angela screwed up so badly. France has nuclear-powered plants, so all those protests have been partly over Macron’s plan to raise fuel taxes and partly over his reducing taxes on wealthy people.
China only gave a crap about coal-fired pollution when the air in Beijing got so smog-ridden, it made both Los Angeles and New York City in the 1960s look like pikers by comparison. Coal-fired plants in the USA have scrubbers to remove particulates from their exhausts, and gas-fired plants are replacing coal in some areas because natural gas is cheaper than coal.
In the daydream world of the greenbeans, solar and wind energy are freebies. There are no consequences involved. In the real world, however, you have $500 million in government subsidies given to companies like Solyndra who start the business and then go belly-up, leaving behind the detritus of their scam in the form of empty facilities and unemployed people whose livelihoods disappeared while they were watching.
There’s also the cost to the environment, in the matter of solar farms like the Ivanpah solar facility in the Mojave Desert, which has a record of incinerating migrating birds because the mirrors that focus sunlight toward the three towers embrace the routes of migrating birds.
“As many as 28,000 birds are killed each year — that’s one every two minutes — by the Ivanpah solar plant in the Mojave Desert, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service . Ivanpah focuses more than 300,000 mirrors on three 459-foot towers, generating heat of up to 800 degrees — enough to fry birds that happen to fly by. “ – from the article That’s just that solar furnace in particular. There are other solar facilities that endanger wildlife as well.
But this isn’t just about birds, in case you’re wondering. These winged migrants are part of the control species that eat pests like bugs that destroy crops. It’s the food on your plate that’s at stake, not some abstract concept. Birds and bats are natural pest control. Migrating birds feed on the local pests while they are on their way north or south.
“Estimates for bird deaths by wind turbine run from 100,000 a year (the National Research Council) to 300,000 (American Bird Conservancy). Bloomberg News puts the toll at 573,000 birds in 2012. At the high end of the estimates, that’s well more than 1,000 birds chopped to death each day.” – Article
These numbers are not remotely matched by the deaths of 161 birds in a 2015 oil spill off the coast of California, or the 2,303 that died during the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The worst portion of this is that the majority of birds killed by wind turbines are raptors, which includes hawks, vultures and eagles. These are apex avian predators that prey on pests both large and small, and dispose of carcasses as well.
Yes, cats, feral or domestic, allowed to run around outdoors, are also responsible for preying on birds. And so are squirrels. They will rob nests and eat the young when they think the coast is clear. My cat is, therefore, an indoor kitty.
The cost of so-called green energy is considerably higher than it should be. You, the customer who decides to use that, have to pay for the construction, equipment and delivery, which you chose to use. And it is not cheap, either, especially when a company that made big promises goes belly up and unemployment lines lengthen.
So you can understand my curiosity when an offer to switch “green” and “sustainable” energy (meaning wind and solar) arrived, and I read through the offer as outlined, finding that the per KwH charge is $0.095/KwH, never mind the delivery charges and taxes. This is a 50% rise in my usual charge, which is $0.065/KwH, plus delivery and taxes. I did the simple math, based on my current month’s usage compared to last year, because the furnace is running now, which runs up the bill. Whereas my normal winter usage runs around $52.00/month, this 50% hike in the KwH rate will boost my charges to well over $80.00/month, just to have a furnace running, plus a couple of appliances, and a few lights in my little house. The offering also says that rates are variable and may rise as needed. And this source of this power is to come from wind and solar energy farms in my area. Since there are no such things within 250 miles of where I live, it means that wherever it originates, the possibility of breakdowns and outages increases with distance, never mind storm damage to the “farm” itself.
The offering for this marvel of modernity comes from some group located in Washington, DC.
It would be far more constructive to start building more nuclear power plants in this country.
This one is easy. If you want it quickly, use canned beans. If you want to start the night before, use dry beans, which are considerably cheaper at $1.89 for a bagful than the canned version at $1.90 to $2.50/can, depending on where you are and what you purchase.
Ingredients:
One pack of mixed beans – soak overnight, starting at 8 PM or 9 PM, in a large pot, covered with water. Check them in the morning. They should all be inflated and ready to cook. Remove any floaters. Pour off the water, rinse again, and return the pot to the stove.
If you prefer the canned beans because it’s quicker:
1 can each of black beans, Great Northerns, dark red kidney beans, light red kidney beans, navy beans, cannellinis, lim beans, pinto beans – in short, use as many varieties as you can find.
Some ham, diced, chopped or minced in the Cuisinart thingy.
Optional: a small amount of smoked salt pork to go with the ham
1 large onion of your choice, chopped
Celery – yes, the entire stalk can be used, including the leaves, cut coarse or thin – your choice, and you can use less celery if you want to keep sodium content low.
Carrots – I find that half of a 1-lb bag of baby carrots is just fine for this
Oregano – about what will fit in the cupped palm of your hand, or a dessert spoon. Use less if you don’t like oregano.
Chopped garlic or two tablespoons of garlic powder (this is optional)
A very small amount of either chili powder or cumin is optional, your choice
Tomatoes are also optional; I’d use the diced canned versions.
Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb – this is if you are trying to keep salt usage low. Contains no salt, but dried lemon bumps up the flavor considerably, and this has a lot of coarse black pepper in it
Put all of that into the pot with the beans, then add equal parts chicken broth and beef broth to fill the pot to about 1.5 inches below the pot rim.
Again, with the broth, if you are trying to control your salt intake, use the low sodium versions.
Cover and cook on low. Keep checking on it, and yes, you are allowed to sample it from time to time.
Cornbread goes well with this, as do fresh, cut-up veggies, and a nice dessert – maybe pumpkin pie with whipped cream?
A majority of “non-citizens,” including those with legal green card rights, are tapping into welfare programs set up to help poor and ailing Americans, a Census Bureau finding that bolsters President Trump’s concern about immigrants costing the nation.
Good news for the far left. The parasitic nature of Liberalism at work.
