NOTICE: Made a batch for work and it fed about 15 people. Just beware that the recipe itself will completely fill a 6 quart crock pot to the rim, so unless you’re feeding a lot of people, not watching your diet, or you’re into canning, you’re making a LOT of chili.

The other thing to note is that I’m calling for one full ounce of Cayenne Pepper.  That, along with the rest, sounds like a LOT of spice, and it definitely adds a bite to the pot, but remember that it’s all relative.  You’re making a LOT of chili, so if you wimp out, you end up with meat sauce, not chili.

If you’re worried, or a little more sensitive than I, just put in half of the spices, wait a few hours try it, and keep adding as you think is necessary to suit your tastes.

Ingredients

• 1 lb smoked bacon, cut up in small chunks and browned
• 4 lbs ground beef
• 2 (15 ounce) cans, light kidney beans
• 2 (15 ounce) cans, dark kidney beans
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 12 ounces tomato paste
• 2 sweet yellow (or Vidalia) onions, finely chopped
• 2 ounces chili powder
• 1 ounce cayenne pepper (dry powder)
• 1 (15 ounce) can, Rotel’s Chilis and Tomatoes
• 2 (15 ounce) cans beef broth
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika

Directions

1. Brown bacon and add to crockpot.
2. Brown ground beef in bacon drippings. Once browned, separate beef from drippings, but don’t drain completely.
3. Add beef, beans, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, onions, chili powder, cayenne pepper, Rotel’s and beef broth in the crockpot.
4. Stir all ingredients, then cook 10-12 hrs on low, or 5-6 hrs on high.

As such, this blog will go self-hosted once I find a good domain name.

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 tablespoons margarine
• 1 fresh poblano chile pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 quart half and half
• 1 quart whole milk
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 (15 ounce) can cream-style corn
• 2 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• salt to taste
• white sugar to taste

Can add chicken or shrinp if desired

DIRECTIONS
In a blender or food processor, puree the onion, celery and poblano pepper.

Melt 2 tablespoons margarine in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and celery puree and the poblano chile pepper. Stirring constantly, cook about 5 minutes, until tender. Mix in heavy cream, half-and-half cream, and sugar. Stirring often, bring to a gentle boil.

Melt 1/2 cup margarine in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Mix in the flour, and stir constantly until thickened. Remove from heat, and gradually mix into the large saucepan. Cook and stir until the mixture is well blended and thickened. Mix cream-style corn and whole kernel corn into the large saucepan mixture.

Season with salt and sugar.

• 2/3 cup butter
• 2/3 cup flour
• 7 cups milk
• 4 large baking potatoes, baked, cooled, peeled and cubed, about 4 cups
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 10 to 12 strips bacon, cooked, drained, and crumbled
• 1 1/4 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preparation:
In a large Dutch oven or stockpot over low heat, melt butter. Stir in flour; stir until smooth and bubbly. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly, until sauce has thickened. Add potatoes and onions. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until soup begins to bubble. Reduce heat; simmer gently for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients; stir until cheese is melted. Serve baked potato soup immediately.

This baked potato soup recipe serves 6 to 8.

• 3 3/4 Tablespoon onion powder
• 1 1/2 cups Spanish Paprika
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar depending on your tastes
  

While a cup and a half of paprika may seem like an insane amount (if you’re used to buying the little grocery store 2 oz bottles), what I end up doing is just picking up one of those BIG Tones containers at the local Sam’s Club or Costco when I’m in the mood to Q.

You don’t HAVE to make that much spice rub (you can half the recipe), because unless you’re a pro, you’d never use it at one sitting, but I find that I can make it through a batch before it goes bad.

You can also use “Smoked Paprika” if you’d prefer that deep, smoky flavor, but depending on what you’re cooking and your choice of cooking methods, that’s sometimes a little overwhelming.  Using gas or the oven to cook the meat is ok, but if you use charcoal and/or wood chips, Smoked Paprika is a bit much.

I’ve even tossed in some Chipotle seasoning with mixed results.

PREP :

Anyway, put it all in a big bowl and using a whisk, just blend it all together and store it in a mason jar until needed.  It should keep for six months or so.  Admittedly I’ve used some that was a year old, but it was in an air-sealed jar.

USE :

An example of its use is to simply sprinkle it over the meat of your choice (I prefer chicken) to coat, then
“pat” it into the meat gently to make sure it penetrates for flavor.

1 lb package of cocktail weenies (plain or smoked, I prefer smoked)
1 can of ready-made croissant dough

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (f)

Pop open and prepare to roll out the dough. Each Croissant is already perforated in a triangle shape, but that’s too big for our needs here. For each Croissant triangle, take it, lay it on a plate, then cut it first in half, then cut each smaller half again down the middle. This means each Croissant triangle should make four equally cut triangles (enough to wrap around four individual weenies).

Take a Croissant slice, wrap it around a weenie, stick it on a baking pan. Once you’ve done them all, stick the pan in the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes, checking regularly to make sure they brown but don’t burn..

Like I said, simple. Good, and a treat I’ve even been known to make myself for dinner.

This recipe is great on a cold winter’s day and I know a lot of you deal with snow on a daily basis. I cook mine on the stove for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. You can also cook in the crockpot about 1/2 a day. They also have a tomato and jalapeno mix if you want to spice it up some more (instead of the green chiles).

2 pounds ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 cans pinto beans
1 can whole kernel corn ,drained
2 cans diced stewed tomatoes – italian style
1 can Rotel tomatoes & green chiles
1 can tomato sauce
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 pkg. original hidden valley ranch dressing mix (dry)

PREPARATION:
Brown ground beef and onions in a large pan, drain off fat. Add taco seasoning and ranch mix. Stir into beef and onion mixture. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for an hour and a half to 2 hours. When ready, serve in big soup bowls, top with sour cream, grated cheese and crushed tortilla chips.

1 recipe cornbread
1 lb. sausage (hot, regular, or sage)
2 c. sliced celery
1 c. chopped onion
6 c. soft bread cubes
1/2 c. melted butter
1/2 to 1 tsp. sage
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can condensed chicken broth
3/4 c. water
2 eggs, beaten

Bake cornbread according to package directions; cool completely. Crumble in large bowl; set aside.

Brown sausage, celery, and onion together; drain. Add sausage mixture, bread cubes, butter, and sage to cornbread. Mix well.

Add broth, water, and eggs; toss lightly until bread is thoroughly moistened. (Add 1/2 cup additional water if more moist dressing is desired.) Place dressing in casserole and bake 30 to 45 minutes at 350 degrees until set