Stephanie's Slice Of Life

Category: Comfort Food

• 

  Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

  Posted at 12:02 pm by StephMo

  Nov 9th

  Is there anything better than Mac and Cheese? The answer is no, there isn’t. It is the ultimate comfort food. I could eat mac and cheese every day and would not tire of it. If you are feeling a little spicy, why not give that heavenly mixture of macaroni and cheese a little kick with some buffalo sauce.

  This recipe is just a little spin off of the regular mac and cheese recipe that I normally make. It is also a recipe for baked mac and cheese, but if you prefer it unbaked just skip the breadcrumb topping and baking step. I always preferred it baked, but now I am starting to lean more towards unbaked. Either is delicious and I alternate back and forth.

  This is also one of those recipes that I make without measuring everything so please bear with the lack of accurate measurements.

  Now let’s get to that cheesy goodness!

  Ingredients:

  1 lb. pasta

  8 oz. block of cheddar cheese

  4 oz. block pepperjack cheese

  3 cups milk

  Pepper

  Ground mustard

  Shredded chicken

  1/4 cup – 1/2 cup Buffalo sauce

  3/4 cup breadcrumbs

  7 tbsp. butter, divided

  1 tbsp. crumbled blue cheese

  Shred the cheddar and pepperjack cheeses and set aside. I recommend using block cheese and shredding it yourself. You can use pre-shredded cheese, but using block cheese gives it better flavor.

  

  Shred some cooked chicken, you can use as much as you would like. I am guessing I used about a cup or a cup and a half.

  

  Start getting the pasta ready to cook. The sauce takes about 10 minutes so gear when to start the pasta based on that.

  Melt 4 tbsp. of butter in a saucepan. Add some pepper and some ground mustard and whisk together. I just sprinkle some in, maybe about two shakes of the ground mustard. You can also use about a tsp. of regular mustard if you don’t have ground mustard.

  Add flour and whisk to create a roux. I don’t measure the flour, I just add some and then add a little more until it becomes the consistency seen in the second photo below. It is really important to constantly whisk during this step.

  

  

  Add the milk while whisking well to really incorporate the roux into the milk. Add the buffalo sauce, use as much as you think you would like. I always tend to put less and then have it on the table for people to add more if they prefer. Bring to a low boil while continuing to whisk frequently.

  

  Once boiled reduce heat to a simmer and add the cheese. Whisk well until all the cheese is melted. As you can see I dropped some cheese on my stove, ooops.

  Keep simmering and whisking frequently until pasta is cooked.

  If you prefer an unbaked mac and cheese, just mix the pasta, chicken and cheese sauce together in the pan and serve.

  If you would like it baked, put half of the pasta and all the chicken into a greased casserole dish. Pour in half of the cheese sauce and stir it together. Look at that yummy cheese!

  

  Add the rest of the pasta and the rest of the sauce to the casserole. Stir.

  Mix together 3 tbsp. of melted butter with the breadcrumbs and blue cheese. If you like a lot of blue cheese, add more than the 1 tbsp.

  

  Sprinkle over the top of the casserole and bake covered with aluminum foil for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, and an additional 5-10 minutes uncovered until bubbly.

  

  Yum, yum, yum.

  

  So good! Enjoy!

  Posted in Comfort Food, Dinners, Recipes | Tagged buffalo chicken, buffalo chicken mac and cheese, buffalo chicken mac and cheese recipe, buffalo mac and cheese, Comfort Food, food blog, food blogger, mac and cheese, mac and cheese recipe, stephanie's slice of life
• 

  Lamb Bourguignon

  Posted at 5:32 pm by StephMo

  Oct 27th

  I was feeling a little down and unmotivated the other day and I took some time for myself to just watch a feel good movie. I chose Julie & Julia and it was just the movie I needed to give me a jump start back into cooking, and a smile when I needed one. I have seen that movie a few times, and it is one of those movies that you can watch again and again and still enjoy it.

  If you haven’t seen the movie, it is about a woman named Julie that decided to make every recipe in Julia Childs’ cookbook and blog about each one. While I share some similarities with Julie in blogging about food, I have no desire to make every one of Julia’s recipes. The only recipe I have made is this recipe but with lamb instead of the beef it calls for, and it is absolutely delicious. It is a hearty stew perfect for the colder weather. I hadn’t made it in quite some time and the movie encouraged me to get some lamb and get cooking!

  This is not Julia’s exact recipe. As I stated I use lamb instead of beef, and I have changed the ingredients and directions slightly.

  Ingredients:

  6 oz. bacon

  3-4 lbs. boneless lamb leg

  1 tbsp. olive oil

  1 carrot, sliced

  1/2 onion, sliced

  1 large potato, peeled and cubed

  1 tsp. salt

  1/2 tsp. pepper

  2 tbsp. flour

  2 cups red wine

  3 cups beef broth

  1 tbsp. tomato paste

  2 tsp. minced garlic

  1/2 tsp. thyme

  1 bay leaf

  4 -5 baby bella mushrooms, sliced

  1 tbsp. butter

  For this stew you will need a heavy dutch oven pot that can be used on top of the stove, and in the oven.

  Trim the fat off of the meat and cut into bite size cubes. Pat the meat dry with papertowels so that the meat will brown. Set aside.

  

  Chop the bacon into small pieces. Heat the olive oil in the dutch oven and add the bacon.

  

  After the bacon has cooked for a few minutes and is starting to brown, transfer it to a bowl using a slotted spoon and set aside.

  Start cooking the lamb in batches in the bacon grease until it browns.

  

  Transfer the meat to the same bowl as the bacon and set aside.

  

  Cook the carrot, onion, and potato in the lamb and bacon juices for a few minutes until they start to brown.

  

  Drain the liquid from the pot and add the lamb and bacon back in with the vegetables.

  Stir in the salt and pepper. Then add the 2 tbsp. of flour and stir well.

  

  Set the oven to 450 degrees and cook for 4 minutes. Stir and continue cooking for an additional 4 minutes and remove from the oven.

  Reduce the oven heat to 325 degrees.

  

  Add the wine, beef broth (enough to just cover the meat), tomato paste garlic and herbs. Bring to a boil on top of the stove then cover and transfer to the oven.

  Cook for 2 1/2 hours. Check the stew to make sure it is only cooking at a low simmer. If boiling too high lower the heat of the oven.

  While the stew is cooking, saute the mushrooms and butter in a frying pan until cooked and brown. Set aside.

  

  Once you remove the stew from the oven, drain the liquid into a saucepan.

  

  

  Simmer the liquid for a few minutes while skimming the fat from the top before adding the liquid back in with the meat. Add the mushrooms at this time as well.

  I have found the stew is not thick enough after doing this and I mix 1 tbsp. corn starch with 1 tbsp. water and add it to the stew and cook on the stove for a few minutes. If you prefer it thicker, use more cornstarch and water.

  Looks perfect to me!

  

  So delicious and such incredible comfort food! Here is the recipe for some homemade French Bread if you’d like to do some dipping https://stephaniessliceoflife.com/2020/10/23/french-bread/.

  Posted in Comfort Food, Dinners, Recipes, Soup | Tagged beef bourguignon, beef stew recipe, comfort food recipe, food blog, food blogger, lamb bourguignon, lamb bourguignon recipe, lamb stew, lamb stew recipe, stephanie's slice of life, stew, stew recipe
• 

  Easy Nachos

  Posted at 3:30 pm by StephMo

  Oct 6th

  Who doesn’t love nachos? They are the perfect food to eat while watching a football game right? Well that is what I gathered from my husband’s puppy dog eyes as he mentioned how one of his clients had said he was going to be having nachos for the Patriots game last night. Despite his insincere “oh no you don’t have to make nachos”, I made nachos. I am not complaining because they were a yummy treat!

  Let me start by saying I did not make gourmet nachos with all homemade ingredients. I made easy, no frills, but delicious nachos. I know making nachos may seem like a simple thing to do, which it is, but in case you have never made them I thought I would share how I make nachos.

  If I were making these for company I might make my own guacamole https://stephaniessliceoflife.com/?s=guacamole, maybe use homemade pulled pork https://stephaniessliceoflife.com/?s=pulled+pork, a combination of fancy cheeses, a better looking presentation, etc. The beauty of nachos is that you can make them however you like!

  Last night I decided to use the following ingredients:

  Tortilla chips

  Shredded cheddar cheese

  Queso

  Ground turkey (or beef)

  Taco seasoning

  Lettuce, chopped

  Tomatoes, chopped

  Black beans

  Sliced black olives

  Banana peppers, chopped

  Jalapenos

  Sour Cream

  Guacamole

  I cooked ground turkey until no longer pink in a frying pan, drained the grease, and added the taco seasoning and water (follow instructions on the package). Cook for about 5 minutes until the mixture thickens. You can also use shredded cooked chicken mixed with the taco seasoning if you’d like.

  

  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spread a layer of tortilla chips covering the sheet.

  Add shredded cheese on top of the chips. You can use as much or as little as you like.

  

  Spread half of the taco meat on top of the chips.

  

  Add another layer of chips and more shredded cheese. I don’t know about you but I like nachos stacked.

  

  Now add the rest of the meat, the olives and black beans. My son doesn’t like beans or olives so I had to leave a section without. I then added some queso on top as well. You can never have too much cheese!

  

  Bake at 375 degrees until the shredded cheese melts.

  Then top with the remaining ingredients and that’s it!

  

  Since not everyone in my family likes sour cream and guacamole, I served it on the side.

  

  Posted in Comfort Food, Recipes | Tagged easy nachos recipe, food blog, food blogger, game day foods, game day recipes, loaded nachos, nachos, nachos recipe, quick nachos recipe, stacked nachos, stephanies slice of life
• 

  Baked Rice Pudding

  Posted at 1:02 pm by StephMo

  Jul 1st

  Rice pudding is a dessert I have loved since I was a child and I always got so excited every time my mother would get ready to make it and take out her Betty Crocker cookbook. This is one of those childhood desserts that regardless of whether another recipe make look or taste better, I am sticking to this recipe because I want my rice pudding just the way it was. It may not look as creamy or appetizing as some others I have seen, but it is delicious and to me there is no better. My mother and I loved rice pudding, and now my daughter and I are the pudding fans in my family. My husband and son do not like it which just means more for us girls!

  I needed a little pick me up with this gloomy weather and rice pudding was just the thing to do it!

  There have been a number of different variations of this recipe over the years, but this is the Betty Crocker recipe my mother made when I was a child.

  Ingredients:

  2/3 cup uncooked white rice

  1 1/3 cup water

  2 eggs

  1/2 cup sugar

  1/4 tsp. salt

  2 cups milk

  1/2 tsp. vanilla

  1/2 cup raisins

  Cinnamon (or Nutmeg)

  Combine the rice and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer covered until all the water is absorbed. Around 20 minutes.

  While the rice is cooking start preparing the rest of the pudding.

  Whisk two eggs in an ungreased small casserole.

  

  Add the sugar, milk, salt, and vanilla and whisk together until combined.

  

  Add the rice and the raisins and stir well. Sadly I can never put in the full 1/2 cup raisins because I am the only one in my family that likes them.

  Sprinkle the top with cinnamon (the original recipe calls for Nutmeg, but I like Cinnamon better).

  

  Bake at 325 degrees for about an hour, stirring occasionally until a knife comes out clean.

  I prefer the pudding cold so I chill before eating. I also prefer it with whipped cream on top. Yum!

  I hope my childhood memories bring back some of yours as well 😊

  Posted in Comfort Food, Recipes | Tagged baked rice pudding, betty crocker rice pudding, food blog, food blogger, old fashioned rice pudding, rice pudding, rice pudding recipe, stephanies slice of life
• 

  Easy Cheesy Grits

  Posted at 1:32 pm by StephMo

  Feb 11th

  Lately I seem to be making and craving lots of Southern food and I’m not exactly sure what is prompting this. I guess because it’s yummy? Seems like as good of a reason as any. Grits are not something I ever had growing up, and I think I only tried them a few years ago. I honestly had no idea what grits even were, which I found out are ground dried corn. Oddly grits were available to me two separate times over the last month, and it made me want to try making them.

  When I went to purchase grits I had to stop and think about whether to buy quick cook grits or regular grits. Then I remembered the line in the movie My Cousin Vinny, “No self respecting Southerner uses instant grits”, so regular grits it was. Good thing I have all this impressive knowledge readily available in my brain.

  In addition to all of this Southern food I’ve been making, I also really want to start saying “y’all”. I’m not sure how that would mix with my Boston accent though, “y’all gonna pahk ya cah or what”. I think I may just need to stick to the food and not the slang.

  So, how do you make grits? Well, I looked on-line at a bunch of different recipes and decided on my own way. Here’s what you need to make my version:

  1 cup of grits (not quick cook!)

  4 cups of milk

  salt

  1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

  1 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

  pepper

  1 tbsp. butter

  Splash of cream

  Bring 4 cups of milk to a boil while being careful not to burn the milk. Add a dash of salt to the milk. Whisk in the grits. Turn the heat down to low and simmer covered for 15 minutes.

  

  After 15 minutes uncover and whisk well. If the liquid isn’t absorbed cook for a few more minutes.

  Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. I used about an 1/8 tsp. of pepper to start, and then added a tiny bit more after I tasted them.

  

  And that is all y’all need to do to make cheesy grits! Yum!

  

  Posted in Comfort Food, Recipes | Tagged cheese grits, cheese grits recipe, cheesy grits, cheesy grits recipe, food blog, food blogger, grits, grits recipe
• 

  Turkey Pork Meatloaf

  Posted at 10:08 am by StephMo

  Jan 21st

  Every time I make meatloaf I think “Meatloaf, smeatloaf, double beatloaf. I hate meatloaf”. If you have never seen the movie The Christmas Story, then you may not be familiar with that line. As you can probably guess, the little boy Randy in the movie does not like meatloaf. But I do! Talk about a classic comfort food, yum!

  Since my family doesn’t eat beef, I make it with ground turkey and ground pork. I used to make it with just turkey for years, but started adding pork and like this version better.

  It’s funny when you have to write out your recipe because you actually have to measure the ingredients. I am so used to just adding some of this, and a little of that, that I never knew how much I was adding. Last night’s meatloaf came out perfect, so now I know exactly how much to use!

  Ingredients:

  1 lb. ground turkey

  1 lb. ground pork

  1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs

  2 eggs

  1 tsp. salt

  3/4 tsp pepper

  1/4 cup ketchup

  1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

  2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

  Combine all ingredients except meats in a large mixing bowl.

  

  

  Add meats and combine thoroughly. Make sure you really take the time to incorporate the bread crumb mixture with the meat.

  Add half of mixture to a greased loaf pan. Add a layer of cheese, then add remaining meat mixture. You don’t have to use cheese, but I enjoy it this way. You can use whatever cheese you prefer or happen to have in the house. I have used cheddar, slices of American cheese, and tonight I decided to use shredded mozzarella.

  

  Top with ketchup, maybe about 1 tbsp? I went a little crazy with it this time and don’t usually use this much. I like the crust that it adds on the top when cooked.

  

  Bake at 375 degrees for 1 1/4 hours. Let the meatloaf rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

  

  My favorite side dish with meatloaf is mashed potatoes, but since my son doesn’t like potatoes, I decided to be nice and make couscous last night. Next time I’m not going to be so nice 😉

  Posted in Comfort Food, Dinners, meatloaf, Recipes | Tagged Comfort Food, food blog, food blogger, life blogger, meatloaf recipe, my slice of life, turkey meatloaf recipe, turkey pork meatloaf recipe
• 

  The BEST Pulled Pork

  Posted at 3:50 pm by StephMo

  Jan 13th

  This pulled pork recipe is hands down the best pulled pork I have ever had. I am not a ribs type of person, so any time I have ever gone to a BBQ restaurant I always either choose pulled pork or pulled chicken, and can say I have yet to find one that tastes better than this. This will be your new favorite once you try it, I can guarantee it. And since there is no cost for you reading this blog, I can offer a money back guarantee 😉

  I know there are some regional differences in regards to pulled pork, and this version uses a dry rub and a vinegar based sauce. I wasn’t aware of the differences but after trying this recipe I determined that I prefer the vinegar sauce. The only negative of the vinegar version is when you take a deep sniff of the sauce cooking. That vinegar is strong, yikes!

  When making this yesterday, I could not find a large enough piece of pork so I ended up using two which worked just as well. I thought maybe it would cook a little faster, but it didn’t. It took about 6 1/2 hours for the pork to be easily “pull-able”.

  I also have a strange hang up with meat with bones in them, so I always buy boneless shoulders or butts. Some may argue that bone-in may give it a better flavor, but the one time I tried that I almost passed out so boneless it is for me going forward.

  Below is the link to the recipe, and included in the link is a recipe for coleslaw, which I do not use. I will add my own recipe at the end in case you would like to try that as well.

  https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/pulled-pork-barbecue-recipe-1953137

  Although the recipe recommends rubbing the pork at least an hour before cooking, I usually just rub the pork right before I put it in the oven and it still comes out great.

  

  

  When the meat is done cooking I start making the sauce. The first part of the sauce can be made ahead of time and re-heated when it’s time to add the de-glazed pan drippings. As I mentioned, be careful taking a big sniff of this sauce, it has a strong vinegar smell. I used spicy brown mustard in my sauce, and I also use slightly less than it calls for.

  

  Once you take the meat out of the pan to rest, it is time to de-glaze the drippings. If you have never done this it is very easy. My pan was large so I had two burners on under the pan. You add water to the pan and scrape the pan to release all the drippings. Cook it while bubbling until some of the liquid burns off. Then add to the sauce as directed in recipe. I tend not to use as much as stated.

  

  The recipe states that you should let the meat rest for 10 minutes before you start pulling. You can use two forks to pull the meat, or your hands. I often just use my hands so that I can remove the fat as I go. If you can I suggest waiting until the meat has cooled somewhat so you don’t burn your fingers, which I have done numerous times. I am pretty sure I have been without finger prints after trying to pull this meat too soon.

  

  After you have pulled all of the meat, just pour on the sauce. Use only as much as you need so that the meat is moist, but not sitting in a pool of sauce. Depending on how much pork you yield after the fat is removed, you should have extra sauce. You can refrigerate the leftover sauce and add to the leftover meat to re-moisten.

  

  It is quite a time consuming meal to make, but if you are going to make pulled pork then this is the only recipe to use. Remember, it’s guaranteed or your money back! From me, not Tyler Florence or the Food Network.

  Here is the recipe for my coleslaw.

  Coleslaw Recipe:

  Bag of coleslaw

  1 cup mayonaise (or more)

  2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

  1/2 tsp. celery salt

  1/2 tsp. pepper

  1 tbsp. sugar

  Whisk together all ingredients except coleslaw. Stir in coleslaw. Refrigerate until coleslaw has softened.

  Posted in Comfort Food, Dinners, Recipes | Tagged Comfort Food, food blog, food blogger, my slice of life, my slice of life blog, pulled pork, pulled pork recipe, the best pulled pork
• 

  Mac And Cheese, Yes Please!

  Posted at 9:26 am by StephMo

  Dec 17th

  If you are anything like me, seeing that picture of melty cheesy goodness over pasta just made your mouth water. Mac and cheese is honestly the most wonderful creation that has ever been created. It is hands down my favorite food group. Yes, I consider it its own food group. It is the true definition of comfort food.

  I am such a lover of mac and cheese than when my daughter was first introduced to it as a baby and she didn’t like it, I actually thought she may have been switched in the hospital. It was not genetically possible for me to have a mac and cheese hating child. Thankfully she came to her senses quickly, and I am happy to say that mac and cheese is now her favorite food as well. Phew!

  Over the years I have played around with how I make it. I have tried different cheeses, different amounts of cheese, different amounts of milk, etc., until I settled on the recipe below.

  I like to use a combination of extra sharp cheddar and gruyere cheeses. I use the entire 8 oz. block of cheddar, and a little more than half of the block of gruyere. It is best to use block cheese, not pre-shredded. I did not shred the cheese for this batch, I just cut the cheese up into small chunks and it melted just as well.

  

  I start the sauce a few minutes before I put the pasta in to cook. The sauce usually takes about 8-10 minutes. Use a pound of pasta, and any pasta will do. For this classic mac and cheese recipe, I tend to use elbow pasta.

  The first step in making the cheese sauce is to create a roux. A roux is a mixture of flour and fat (butter) to use as a thickener for a sauce. Some recipes I have seen only call for a small amount of flour, but I always use enough to make a very thick roux. I actually added a little more flour after I took the picture below. I have never measured how much flour I use, I just keeping adding small amounts until it gets to the proper consistency.

  Melt 4 tbsp. of butter in a sauce pan over low to medium heat. Add salt and pepper to taste, and about 1/4 tsp. ground mustard. You can use actual mustard as well, which I have done many times. Whisk in flour constantly until you get a thick roux and cook while whisking for about a minute.

  

  The important thing to remember is not to stop whisking. The sauce will burn on the bottom very quickly.

  While whisking, add 3 cups of milk until it starts to thicken. It will take about 3-5 minutes. Don’t forget, keep whisking!

  Once your sauce has started to thicken and bubble a little, add the cheese. Keep whisking and cooking until all of the cheese has melted. By now your pasta should be cooked.

  

  Drain the pasta and pour into a greased casserole dish. Pour that heavenly cheese sauce over the pasta and mix well.

  

  If you don’t have time to make a baked mac and cheese, you can just add the sauce to the pasta and serve as is. Sometimes I prefer to make an unbaked version, or as we call it “a big bowl of cheesy yummy”. When I am not going to bake it I usually use medium shells pasta, it’s just my personal preference.

  For the crumb topping, melt about 2-3 tbsps. of butter in a bowl, add about a cup of panko bread crumbs, and about 1 tbsp. of grated parmesan cheese. Sprinkle evenly over the top to cover all of the pasta. Bake at 350 degrees covered with aluminum foil for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 5-10 more minutes until bubbly and the crumbs start to brown.

  

  Then dig in! Nom, nom nom!

  Posted in Comfort Food, Dinners, Recipes | Tagged blog, cheese, food blog, food blogger, mac and cheese, mac and cheese recipe, mac n cheese, mac n cheese recipe, my slice of life blog, recipe blog
• 

  Did Someone Say Wine and Cream? Delicious Bolognese Recipe

  Posted at 6:12 pm by StephMo

  Nov 27th

  Despite Ancestry.com stating that I am 8% Italian, I really don’t get as excited over red sauce as some other people. While my mother’s red sauce recipe that I use makes a really good “gravy” that is better than I have had elsewhere, I can usually take it or leave it. Even though I make sauce fairly often, and only ever make my own, I am usually more into the meatballs, lasagne or chicken cutlet parmesan that accompanies the sauce. I tend to be more of a cream or cheese sauce kind of girl.

  Even if you eliminated the 1/4 cup of heavy cream called for in this recipe, I’m sure it would still be amazing. For me, however, I add more than the required amount, probably about 1/2 cup. I have never measured how much I add, and I tend to be heavy handed with cream so gauge it on your own personal taste. You will probably notice Ina Garten’s picture looks a little more red than mine. I also have only ever made this with ground turkey, and to me you really don’t notice the difference.

  https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/weeknight-bolognese-1

  As with making my own red sauce, if a recipe calls for red wine then it automatically means you have to pour a glass for yourself. Last night while making the Bolognese my husband only saw the measuring cup of wine and asked “have you started drinking out of measuring cups now?” Of course not! Unless there weren’t any glasses, silly! Thankfully I have plenty of wine glasses and haven’t had to resort to Pyrex yet.

  

  While I never cut the amount of red wine I pour in my glass, I do cut the amount the recipe calls for. The first time I made this Bolognese I followed the recipe word for word, but my family didn’t like the overpowering wine taste. Instead of the 1 1/4 cups the recipe calls for, I use 3/4 cup total. While I would love to be able to say I have fresh herbs in my kitchen at all times, I don’t. For those of you that are like me, I usually just reach into my spice cabinet when a recipe calls for basil. I just use about 1 tbsp. of dried basil, maybe not even, instead of the fresh basil noted.

  

  It is an absolutely delicious recipe! While the Weeknight Bolognese isn’t a very difficult recipe, there are a number of steps. Make sure you are only heavy handed pouring the cream and not the wine or you might find this recipe hard to follow 😉

  

  Posted in Comfort Food, Dinners, Recipes | Tagged blog, bolognese, bolognese recipe, dinner, family dinner, food blog, food blogger, foodie, weeknight bolognese
• 

  It’s A Chili And Cornbread Kind Of Day

  Posted at 10:41 am by StephMo

  Nov 17th

  Comfort food season is upon us! Have you ever noticed how it also coincides with sweater season which helps hide our love for comfort food? Coincidence? One of the best feelings is when it’s cold outside, but you are warm inside and the house is full of wonderful smells. You could also accomplish that with a candle, but I am referring to food smells.

  The following chili recipe is one of the easiest recipes to make and it’s not only good, but depending on the size of your family, might give you leftovers that are even easier to heat up. I don’t remember where I found the base of this recipe, but I have tweaked it over the years and this version is my favorite. I use ground turkey instead of ground beef, but you can use either. The same holds true with the cornbread recipe, I’m not sure where it originally came from, but I’ve tweaked it over the years as well.

  I either serve the chili with cornbread, or with tortilla chips. Either way I always add some shredded cheddar and a dollop of sour cream. Last night I had a little extra time, and energy, and decided to make the cornbread. You can’t help feel good about yourself when your husband takes a bite and says “Holy crap that’s good cornbread!”

  Once you make this cornbread recipe, you won’t ever look for another one. It is so good! Probably because of all the butter. You know what they say, butter makes it better, or what I like to say “buttah makes it bettah”! It is so moist and doesn’t choke you if you happen to breathe in while eating it like some of those other dry cornbreads do.

  This recipe calls for a 9″ x 13″ baking dish, I used a square dish last night for a fatter piece of cornbread, and had to increase the cooking time quite a bit. When you do this, the edges will get more brown so if you aren’t a fan of that, use the rectangular dish.

  

  Cornbread Recipe:

  2/3 cup butter softened

  1 cup sugar

  3 eggs

  1 2/3 cups milk

  2 cups flour

  1 1/3 cup cornmeal

  4 1/2 tsps. baking powder

  1 tsp. salt

  Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9″ x 13″baking dish. In a mixing bowl cream butter and sugar. Combine eggs and milk and put aside. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Alternately add dry mixture and egg mixture to creamed mixture. Bake for 22-27 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

  

  

  Chili Recipe:

  2 lbs. ground beef or ground turkey

  1 tsp. black pepper

  1/2 tsp. garlic powder

  2 (14 oz) cans of tomato sauce

  1 (8 oz) jar of salsa

  2 1/2 tbsp. chili powder

  1 (15 oz) can of red kidney beans

  In a large saucepan over medium heat cook the ground turkey (or beef) until meat is browned. Drain grease. Add the pepper, garlic powder, tomato sauce, salsa, chili powder, and kidney beans. Mix well, reduce heat to low and simmer for at least an hour stirring frequently.

  

  The recipe originally called for two cans of kidney beans, but I have cut it down to one. My children will eat the entire bowl of chili and avoid every kidney bean, so I decided to make it easier for them and to stop wasting beans.

  Posted in Comfort Food, Dinners, Recipes | Tagged chili, chili recipe, corn bread, corn bread recipe, easy meals, family dinner, turkey chili

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