Dragon Chili

My tried and true recipe for chili.  It’s great in a bowl or in a baked potato. (serves approx. 10)

What you need:

• 1lb Jimmy Dean Original/Regular Sausage
• 1lb Ground Meat – Chili Grind is best but not mandantory
• 6 slices of bacon
• 1 large onion – chopped
• 1 green bell pepper – chopped
• 2 cloves – minced OR 3 heaping Tblspns minced garlic
• Optional – 1 Jalapeno pepper diced
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 cup Wine – Burgandy preferred but really, ANY will do
• 2 tsp dry mustard
• 2 tsp celery seeds
• 3 Tblspns Chili Powder
• 2 LARGE cans Italian Pear Tomatoes/Whole Tomatoes
• 1 can Pinto Beans (15 oz)
• 2 cans Dark Red Kidney Beans (15 oz each) – (Do NOT use the creole/new orleans/cajun ‘style’ that has that groddy sauce in them!)
• Papa Guys Seasoning
• Kosher Salt
• Shredded/Grated Cheese
• Sour Cream
• Optional – Baked Potato (1 per person)

What you do:

In a large Dutch Oven fry up those 6 slices of bacon, drain well and set aside; crumble up the Jimmy Dean Sausage and fry – breaking it apart as it cooks so it’s smallish, drain well and set aside; now crumble up the ground beef and fry, again, breaking it apart so it’s smallish, drain well and set aside;

Now, take your chopped onion, bell pepper, diced garlic and optional diced jalepeno and throw it in the dutch oven, saute 5 minutes, then stir in the mustard, celery seeds, and chili powder, simmer for 10 minutes.

Mash the tomatoes in a large bowl then pour into dutch oven with the vegetable spice mixture, along with the wine and worcestershire sauce. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to simmer, now’s the time to bring your seasoning up to taste with the Papa Guys and the Kosher Salt, this is one of those things where measuring just doesn’t do the trick, but I’d start with a teaspoon or two of the Papa Guys and a tablespoon of the kosher salt; stir that in well and taste, add more seasoning if necessary, otherwise let that pot simmer for 30 minutes while you go check your email.  Pop back into the kitchen occasionally to stir.

When the timer goes ‘ding’ it’s time to add the three cans of beans (DO NOT DRAIN THE BEANS! ADD WITH THE LIQUID IN THE CAN). Stir those suckers in well and bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and continue stirring occasionally over the next 60 minutes as it simmers. (Now is when YOU go check your Facebook, email, and check the latest HBO Game of Thrones season two News & Updates)

Serve in bowls or fill hot baked potato;

Top with shredded cheese (I prefer cheddar) and a dollop of sour cream.

This makes enough for Two Tacos

Ingredients:

• 2 Flour Tortillas
• 2-3 Tblspns Chorizo
• 1 Egg beaten with a splash of milk
• 1/2 Cup shredded potato
• 2 Tblspns chopped/diced onions
• 1-2 Tblspns butter/margerine
• Taco Sauce (to taste)… or Pico de Gallo
• Finely Shredded 4-cheese blend

Heat both sides of tortilla in cast iron skillet or pop it in the microwave on a microwave-safe plate for 15-30 seconds depending on microwave;

In skillet heat butter margerine, add onions and potatoes;

cook till done, turning occasionally; when done put in small bowl & set aside;

In skillet cook chorizo till it separates;

add beaten egg-milk mixture;

cook till done stirring occasionally;

when done put in small bowl & set aside;

Now, take your tortilla and spread some taco sauce on it (to taste),

add 1/2 of the potato-onion (per taco), then shredded cheese

and top with 1/2 the chorizo-egg (per taco); add Pico de Gallo if you like

From ‘bottom’ fold tortilla 1/4 way up,

then fold each side over,

finishing with ‘top.

Enjoy!

I did a bit of experimenting the other night and it actually turned out quite good!  In fact the aroma that filled my kitchen nearly put me on my knees in tears and set my tummy to growling something fierce!

• 2 – Rock Cornish Game Hens
• 2 – finely chopped scallions
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion tops
• Fresh or Dried Rosemary
• Fresh Ground Pepper
• Kosher Salt
• Melted Butter/Margerine
• 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup White Wine (I used Columbia Winery Cellermasters Reisling)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Place cornish game hens in a baking dish, breast side up. Season with Fresh Ground Pepper and Kosher salt, then drizzle some of that melted butter over them.

Season with Fresh Ground Pepper and Kosher salt, then drizzle some of that melted butter over them.  Add the rosemary, chopped scallions and green onion tops on and around the hens, drizzle a bit more butter over the tops again and add some more of the pepper and salt if you wish.

Pour the wine into the baking dish around the hens.

Now bake for approx. 1.5 hours, basting frequently with the juices in the dish.  When the hens are a nice golden brown/meat thermometer reads 180F as soon as you insert it, or tug on one of those tiny wings and if it just about pulls off  then they are done.

Place one hen on a plate, drizzle some of the wine/juices from the baking dish. (If you really feel like it, and aren’t starving to death by now, you could put those juices in a small pot, bring to a near boil and add a bit of flour… whisking it in well… for a thicker sauce).

I used sides of Minnesota Wild Rice (cooked in low fat/low sodium chicken broth) and brussel sprouts;  asparagus would accompany this quite well also.

Ingredients:

• 2 cans sweetened condensed milk
• 1 graham cracker or chocolate cookie crumb pie crust

Use a *small* crockpot

Pour in the 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk

Cook for approx 4-6 hours (depends on the crockpot you have) stirring & scraping sides every 15 minutes until thick and the color of peanut butter.

Pour into pie crust

Let cool, then refrigerate to set up till firm

Slice &  Enjoy!

You can top each slice, or even the whole pie, with whipped cream:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Beat/Whip with mixer until thick and spreadable
• Spread on top of pie!

(Will add pictures in the next few days)

Nothing says ‘Sunday Dinner’ to my husband, kids and extended family like Chicken & Dumplings. The following is the recipe taught to me (never written down that’s for sure!) years ago by my late Mother-In-Law. The basic recipe is hers but I have tweaked it a bit to make it ‘mine’ over the last 28 years.

Chicken & Broth

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (about 6)
Tony Chachere’s Original Seasoning Blend
Diced Onion (2 large)
Minced Garlic (1-2 Tblspns or more if you really like garlic and are brave)
Diced Celery (4-6 stalks)
Diced Bell Pepper (1/2 pepper, remove seeds and fleshy ‘pulp’) *optional
Chopped Green Onion Tops (bunches & bunches) 3 cups
Water
Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Kitchen Bouquet

• Rinse Chicken Breasts, lay on a plate and season both tops & bottoms with Tony’s
• In a stock pot or dutch oven use 4 Tblspns Canola Oil
• heat over medium high
• place breasts in pot and brown (turn your vent on, or the spices will set everyone to coughing!)
• once well browned remove breasts from pot and set aside
• add diced onion, celery, garlic and optional bell pepper to pot and saute till onions soft and translucent
• Add water to halfway fill your pot, put chicken breasts back in pot, bring to boil, lower heat to simmer,
• add cut up green onion tops and cover. (Go make your dumpling dough now!)
• Cook until chicken is *very* tender, to where you can break each breast apart with a fork, break it up well
• add water if needed
• and enough Kitchen Bouquet to darken the broth nicely,
• season to taste with Tony’s or Kosher Salt/Fresh Ground Pepper
• Cover and lower heat to barely a simmer.

While the broth & chicken are simmering:

Dumplings

1-1/3 cups All Purpose flour (*not* self-rising!)
1/4 pound (one stick, eight tablespoons, 1/2 cup) butter or Crisco Solid (COLD)
1 dash salt
1/2 tspn baking soda
3 Tblspns cold water
Chopped Green Onion Tops 1 cup

• Sift together flour, salt, baking soda
• Cut in the butter/crisco until coarse crumbs form
• add cut up green union tops, mix in to where they are well distributed
• add cold water all at once, stirring until dough is formed into a ball, ***if chicken/broth is not to last step in chicken/broth section above, keep dough in bowl, cover with foil or plastic wrap and stick in refrigerator)
• put ball of dough on floured surface and pat down/flatten it a bit
• sprinkle a bit of flour on top and using a rolling pin, begin rolling it out as thin as you can get it, continue sprinkling flour on top of pastry to avoid sticking to rolling pin, this extra flour will help thicken your broth up nicely.
• now that it’s nice and thin take a dinner/butter knife and cut into strips vertically, then run the knife horizontally to cut into medium sided rectangles/squares

Now remove lid and turn up heat (or down as the case may be) until steam is rising from broth but it isn’t boiling and start slowly dropping your dumplings in, scattering them well. Dumplings will initially sink and then float this means they are ‘done’. From this point on do not *stir*, use a fork to lightly ‘shake’ through the contents of the pot and continue to add dumplings. When all dumplings have been dropped, turn the heat to low, re-cover if not serving immediately.

Chicken & Dumplings

Serve with Candied Sweet Potatoes (recipe to follow soon) and Pistolette’s. Green Beans with Almonds is a nice addition as well to round out this country meal

*Optional: If you don’t want to make your own dumplings you can find flat dumpling ‘strips’ in your grocer’s freezer, usually where the frozen breads, rolls, & biscuits are. The brand I prefer & have used in a pinch is “Mary B’s” and usually takes at least two (2) of the regular packs or one (1) of the bulk/family size packs.

Mary B's Open Kettle Dumplings