Pork and Tomatillo Chili

I've decided to scale Christmas down this year. It seems that Thanksgiving is almost forgotten with the rush to start buying Christmas gifts earlier and earlier. So this year I have talked to my kids about not overdoing the holidays. They will be receiving one large gift from my husband and I and that's it. Now granted they are wanting electronics this year so the one big gift will be a little pricey, but it will still be less than the madness of previous years. In past years between family on both sides my kids have gotten more toys than I would like to admit. This year we will enjoy a big meal with family and the gifts will take a back seat. No mad dash for gifts and the frustration over not finding the 5,000 toys on my kid's wish lists.

The weather here has been cold and is supposed to get colder this week. Since the weather has been less than pleasant I have been making a lot of hot meals. Chili is a family favorite and this recipe for Pork and Tomatillo has great flavor and the meat is very tender.

Adapted from the Food Network Magazine.

Pork and Tomatillo Chili

Ingredients

• 1 pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 2 plum tomatoes
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 4 poblano chili peppers
• 2 jalapeno peppers
• 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth

Cooking Directions

1. Toss 1 tablespoon canola oil with the tomatillos and tomatoes on a baking sheet.
2. On the other side of the baking sheet place the poblanos and jalapeños.
3. Broil in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until blackened.
4. Place the peppers in a bowl and cover with a plate or plastic wrap.
5. Let the peppers soften for 10 minutes.
6. Take the skins off the tomatoes, then core and chop.
7. Repeat with the tomatillos.
8. Peel and seed the peppers.
9. In a bowl combine the pork with the chili powder, cumin, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.
10. In a pot over medium heat add 2 tablespoons canola oil.
11. Add pork and cook 3 minutes until browned.
12. Move to a plate.
13. Add 1 tablespoon canola oil and add the onion and garlic.
14. Cook 3 minutes until softened.
15. Add cornmeal and cook for 1 minute.
16. Add the peppers, tomatoes, and tomatillos.
17. Scrap up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
18. Add the broth and pork and bring to a simmer.
19. Cover and let cook for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
20. Uncover and salt and let cook for another 30 minutes.
21. Remove from the stove and let cool for 10 minutes.
22. Skim off fat.

Tips: 

• You can add sliced scallions, pickled jalapeños, or grated cheddar cheese for toppings. 
• When you trim the pork make sure to keep some the fat for cooking. If you don't have some fat your chili will dry out and your pork won't be as tender. 
• It may take longer for your peppers to char than 10-15 minutes. Just make sure to flip them when one side blackens so they cook evenly. 

Smokey Weeknight Chili with Homemade Chili Powder

Smokey Weeknight Chili

My husband thinks that I rearrange our furniture every 3-4 months to amuse myself. While I do enjoy moving things around in the house, the main reason I tend to rearrange rooms is to make space for the new things we accumulate. With four people in the house we end up with a lot of new things over the course of the year. Most things I buy second hand, clearanced or up-cycled. Every three or four months I go through the house and donate any items that we no longer use or I can't find in a way to re-purpose. Yesterday I spent the day moving a bookcase out of my kid's room and re-arranging the remaining furniture in their bedroom. Now they have a large play area and I have a bookcase that I will paint and make look like new for the living room. I already found oopsie paint at the home improvement store for 2 dollars. I love oopsie paint, it's a great way to buy high quality paint for very little money. The paint I found was originally 40 dollars, so 2 dollars was a great deal! The best part of rearranging furniture is watching my husband try to figure out where everything has been moved to. It always makes me smile.

I have been making a lot of soups and chili the last month due to the cold weather. It has been a very cold winter and when the weather is far below freezing I prefer food that is warm and comforting. Last week I tried a new recipe for Smokey Weeknight Chili from the February 2014 issue of Better Homes and Gardens.

Smokey Weeknight Chili

This recipe has 9 ingredients. It takes 45 minutes of total time, 10 minutes of which is active. I followed the original recipe pretty closely. The only change I made was to make my own chili powder. I prefer homemade chili powder to store bought, it tastes better and I can adjust the amount of heat for my family's tastes. Here is the recipe I used:

4 tablespoons Ancho chili powder

2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
4 teaspoons paprika (I use smoked)
1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoons black pepper

It took minutes to make and was really great tasting. I also made my beans from scratch. I made my beans in the crock pot in a big batch and then measured out the equivalent amount of beans (about a cup and a half for a 15 ounce can). 

This is a very easy recipe to put together. You can substitute black or kidney beans if you don't have chickpeas (or just prefer the taste). It's also an inexpensive meal since it's vegetarian and is even cheaper if you make the beans from scratch. It has 15 grams of protein per serving and only 6 grams of fat so it's a nice all around meal. My family liked the chili with a bit of sour cream since my homemade chili powder is a little on the spicier side. 

For the recipe go to Smokey Weeknight Chili. 

Summer Slow-Cooker Meals: Spicy Pumpkin Chili

Slow Cooker Spicy Pumpkin Chili

There are days I get burnt out as a stay-at-home mom. This has been one of those weeks. I love my kids and spending time at home with them everyday. However, there is also the flip side. I started working as an intern when I was 17. I stayed at the company for 7 years until I moved to West Virginia. During grad school I worked three jobs, including teaching a class. I met my husband and got married during my master's program and have stayed home since. Then there are the moments when you realize all the things that your high-school friends that got married and had kids later have accomplished. Some of them have been very, very successful. There is always that awkward situation when everyone that I knew back in Seattle talks about how smart and successful I was when I was younger. I know they don't mean it the way it comes out, but it still gives me pause. My husband thinks that I should start claiming that I work at home since I blog and take care of the household. Maybe he's right. I can always hope that one day my blog will become vastly successful, but we all know that's unrealistic. In the meantime I remind myself that my kids are growing up surrounded by my love and knowledge. That's enough rambling for now, onto the cooking! This weekend I chose to keep my cooking simple and I relied on my slow cooker. I tried a new recipe for Spicy Pumpkin Chili from the new All Recipes magazine.

This recipe has 18 ingredients. It takes 1 1/2 hours of total time, 15 minutes of which is active and makes 10 servings. I did make a few changes to the original recipe. First, I allowed my chili to cook in the slow cooker for 4 hours on low. I like my flavors to fully come to fruition so I increased the total cooking time. It would also work well on the stove in a dutch oven or a big pot with a lid. I was unable to find my crushed red pepper flakes, so I was forced to leave them out. Finally, I used a full 8 ounces of tomato sauce with garlic. I also found that I needed to add more salt than the 1 teaspoon suggested by the recipe.

My husband liked that this recipe has the health benefits of pumpkin without the taste being overly noticeable. He isn't a big fan of pumpkin, but he was surprised by how much he enjoyed this recipe. I love pumpkin and chili so this was a dish I really liked. It made a very big batch, more than enough for at least 10 servings. For the servings for my kids I added cheese and sour cream. They aren't big chili fans so these additions made them willing to eat their bowls. If you like your chili on the spicy side I would suggest adding jalapenos or a bit of cayenne. Since I cook with my kids in mind I always try to have my recipes be on the mild side.

For the recipe go to Spicy Pumpkin Chili.

Turkey, Squash and Black Bean Chili

There were very few foods that my dad could cook growing-up. He would make great fried potatoes, bacon and best of all chili. Everything else he burned or didn't even try to make. There was one time that my dad managed to completely burn boxed macaroni. He forgot that the macaroni was cooking and the water went dry. It was not delicious. However, he could make great chili. I never understood how everything else he made was so bad, when his chili was so great. Since my dad made chili so well I never really made chili when I was younger. I did have a great recipe for vegetarian chili, but since I married a big meat eater I haven't made it in years. After a couple years of marriage I decided that I needed to start cooking more chili since it is so hearty and can make multiple meals. Fast forward to ten years of marriage and I cook chili once or twice a month in the winter. It is one of my favorite winter time meals, it is warm and filling. Yesterday I made a new recipe for Turkey, Squash and Black Bean Chili from the January issue of All You magazine.

This recipe has 10 ingredients. It takes 34 minutes of total time, all of which is active and makes 4 servings. I did make a few modifications to the recipe. First, I have been making an effort to make everything I can from scratch. For this reason I made my black beans from scratch in the Crock-pot. I also grind my own turkey. It is cheaper and the texture is so much better. I saved the leftover butternut squash to make squash bread and it was delicious. The recipe cooks the chili on low for 10 minutes. I chose to cook the chili on medium for 10 minutes in order for it to fully thicken. Finally, I was out of regular chili powder so I used ancho chili powder instead. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

My whole family was really happy with this recipe. Normally I make beef chili since it tends to come out more tender and flavorful. This turkey chili was delicious and my husband even commented about how good it was since he normally doesn't like turkey chili. Do not use low-fat ground turkey. Very low-fat turkey will dry out and not have the same flavor as turkey with higher fat content.

For the recipe go to Turkey, Squash and Black Bean Chili.

Autumn Root Vegetable Chili

I have made so many sweet potatoes dishes in the last month. This is my favorite time of the year and sweet potatoes are one of my favorite fall foods. I was fortunate enough to receive a substantial amount of yams and sweet potatoes from a friend's garden. I think in total I ended up with over 20 pounds of vegetables. Thanks to this bounty of fall harvest I was able to prepare a large amount of my Thanksgiving dishes without having to spend much of anything at the grocery store. Even before I was given all the free garden goodness I had already been making a ton of sweet potato recipes. One of my favorite ways to utilize sweet potatoes is to use them in chili. My whole family loves chili and sweet potatoes give it an additional flavor and is full of vitamins. Recently I tried a new recipe for Autumn Root Vegetable Chili from the November issue of Family Circle magazine which looked like the perfect fall vegetarian meal.

This recipe has 15 ingredients. It takes 33 minutes of cooking time, 25 minutes of prep and makes 4 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store. This recipe is a little bit prep intensive. Since the majority of ingredients are vegetables there is a lot of peeling and cutting. One way I save time on prep is to cut all the vegetables either in the morning or on the night before. That way I only have a half an hour of cooking at dinner time. The recipe suggests a cooking time of 25 minutes. However, I felt that the sweet potatoes weren't as soft as I wanted them after that amount of cooking time, so I cooked the chili an additional 10-15 minutes. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I love the color on this dish. It would be a great meal to serve to guests since on the plate it looks very fall like. The flavor was mild enough that my two kids liked it, while well rounded enough that my husband and I enjoyed it. If you prefer spicier chili I would recommend increasing the chili powder to up to a teaspoon. I always adjust the amounts of spices to suit my family's needs.

For the recipe go to Autumn Root Vegetable Chili. (registration required)

Chicken and Three Bean Chili Verde

There is something about fall that just screams for chili. It is comforting and warm even when the weather rages outside. My husband loves chili and has definite opinions about the right and wrong way for it to be prepared. When we first met I had been a vegetarian for a number of years and only knew how to make one type of meat chili. Let's just say that he wasn't impressed. Luckily for him I am a quick learner and I love trying new recipes. After a couple of years and a number of failed attempts I learned the right and wrong way to make a great bowl of chili. While I still like chili with lots of beans my husband insists on meat so I am always looking for recipes that compromise between the two. Last month I tried a new recipe for Chicken and Three Bean Chili Verde from the October issue of Southern Living magazine, which looked like a great compromise chili for my family.

This recipe has 18 ingredients. It takes a total of 45 minutes and makes 12 cups of chili. As I normally do I had to go to multiple stores to find poblano peppers. Some weeks they are easier to find and other weeks not available anywhere. For the chopped chicken I used leftover grilled chicken with a bbq rub. It was a perfect fit. Instead of using bouillon cubes and water I used homemade chicken stock. I am not a big fan of bouillon, I find it way too salty to use in recipes. I don't salt my homemade stock, instead I salt the recipe itself. Instead of tortilla chips I used gluten free corn chips since I am able to eat them. I did find that I had to use additional chicken stock after the chili had cooked. Otherwise the chili would have been way too thick. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

If you're looking for a recipe that can feed a crowd this would be it. This recipe had enough for a meal for my family of four plus leftovers for two more meals. My two boys really loved this recipe. They especially enjoyed the chicken and picked it out and ate it first. The flavor on this chili is delicious. It has a perfect blend of flavors and the chicken was tender. Definitely a recipe I would make again.

For the recipe go to Chicken and Three Bean Chili Verde.

Black Bean, Chorizo and Sweet Potato Chili

If you have read this blog for any given amount of time you know that I love my slowcooker. I use it year round, it's great when it's hot and humid outside to keep kitchen temps down and it's even better in the winter for hearty soups, stews and chili. Since this has been a busy couple of weeks with the school year starting and re-adjustment of schedules I have been relying on my crockpot tremendously. I love that I can set all the ingredients up in the morning when I have more time and by dinner it's completely done. It's a great way to save time and stress. When I was looking through the August/September issue of Taste of Home magazine the recipe for Black Bean, Chorizo and Sweet Potato Chili caught my eye and looked perfect for a weekday meal.

This recipe has 15 ingredients. It takes 15 minutes of prep and 6 hours of cooking and makes 16 servings. I ended up having to go to two different grocery stores in order to find both poblanos and jalapenos. That's normal for my area though and I didn't consider it inconvenient. This recipe does have a number of ingredients, but they are all easy to prep. Make sure to rinse the beans very well or they will taste metallic. Normally, I make my own beef stock, but neither of my local stores had beef bones so I took the easier route and used all natural canned stock. Make sure when you pick any type of stock from the grocery store that it is all natural. The cheaper brands often have additives and they make a big difference in the taste and quality of the stock. This is one area that I do not cut corners and save money by buying the cheaper options. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

When this recipe states that it makes 16 servings it's telling the truth. This recipe made enough for over three meals and the some. I froze half of the dish for later meals, which I would suggest if you don't have a huge family. I really loved the chorizo in this recipe. I use chorizo frequently, especially with eggs and tacos, yum! However, I had never tried chorizo with chili before and I was very impressed. This will be a great meal for fall and winter and I look forward to making it again.

For the recipe go to Black Bean, Chorizo and Sweet Potato Chili.

State Fair Chili

Growing up I thought chili came from a can. My mother was a great cook, but never made chili. It wasn't until I became a vegetarian and started making bean chili that I knew that great homemade chili was possible. My husband on the other hand loves chili. He also has definite opinions on how it should taste. When we first got married I really only knew how to make bean chili, which I quickly learned wasn't going to cut it with my meat loving husband. So I started trying to learn to make chili with meat. Luckily the town that my family and I live in has its very own chili fest in the early fall and there have been many people that have helped me to perfect my chili cooking. Now I consider myself a proficient chili cook. Last week I was in the mood to experiment with a new chili recipe and prepared the State Fair Chili from Saveur magazine.

This recipe has 12 ingredients. It takes 2 hours and 15 minutes and makes 8 servings. As I do with all ground beef recipes I ground my own beef. I highly recommend this extra step. There is no comparison in taste and texture to home ground beef, it is so much better than store bought. To crush my tomatoes by hand I place them in a plastic bag, seal it and then crush them between my figures. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

Homemade chili is really delicious. This recipe is easy to follow and the chili has a great taste. I like that it is simple and lets the ingredients speak for themselves. Make sure to add enough salt to adequately season the chili. When seasoned adequately this chili recipe is delicious, simple and I would definitely make it again.

For the recipe go to State Fair Chili.

Cincy Chili Pizza

When I first met my husband he talked about two things: pizza and Cincinnati style chili. Luckily for him I was able to see past his food obsessions. I quickly realized that in order for our relationship to prosper I would have to learn to share his love of all things Cincinnati chili. So the next time I flew home to visit my family in Seattle we stopped at the Goldstar chili in the Cincinnati airport. Since that time I have eaten Goldstar, Skyline, Dixie (from the can) and some mom and pop place on the way to Cincinnati. As hard as I tried to resist loving Cincinnati style chili I have grown to appreciate it almost as much as my husband. Since that time, our family has expanded to include our two boys and they have followed on the chili tradition, my oldest son's first finger food was a Skyline chili cheese fry, and he fell in love. Given that my whole family loves Cincinnati chili as much as they do I have learned to experiment with recipes. I have made Cincinnati style chili from scratch on the stove, crockpot, with lamb, beef, and (my favorite) Cincy Chili Pizza. My husband and I first started making this recipe a couple of years back and it is delicious! Here's the recipe:

• One can of Cincinnati Chili
• Shredded mild cheddar cheese to taste 
• French fried onions to taste
• Pizza crust (I linked to the recipe I normally use)

I have never tried putting rinsed canned kidney beans on this pizza, but I'm sure that it would also be delicious. To prepare the pizza follow the following steps:

Open the jar of chili. Drain off all the fat from the top of the can. Most of the time this is approximately 1/4 of the cans contents. Spread out your pizza dough into a rectangle on a 11 X 13 inch baking sheet. Make sure to roll the dough out so it touches all corners. Alternately this recipe will also work with a round pizza shape if you prefer. Spread the entire contents of the Cincinnati chili onto the dough. Top with shredded cheddar cheese. I normally bake my pizza on a baking sheet placed on a pre-heated pizza stone, but it you don't own one it works fine without. Let bake at 425 degrees for approximately 20 minutes. Open the oven and spread the French fried onions over the entire top of the pizza. Place the pizza back into the oven for approximately 5 minutes or until the top of the onions is nicely browned and the crust is completely done. That's it!

This pizza is always a huge hit in my house and I make it frequently. While I make my crust from scratch it would also work with store bought pizza mix. When I first started making this pizza I used the pouch pizza mix from Kroger and it worked well. You really should try this pizza, it's delicious!

Family Circle Chipotle Chicken Chili

We are big chili fans in our house. Growing up my mom never really made chili and I didn't really eat it frequently until I started scoring cookbooks and cooking any recipe I could get my hands on. In my teens I became a vegetarian for over eight years and invented a delicious vegetarian chili recipe. I stopped being a vegetarian, but I continued to make the vegetarian chili. When I moved to West Virginia and met my husband I was surprised by the level of competition that people possessed over their homemade chili recipes. Everyone has their own way of making both hot dog chili and regular chili. I never knew that there were so many ways to prepare chili until I went to my first chili fest. Now that I have lived in West Virginia over 9 years and had two kids (my husband still says I'm not a true West Virginian, I'm still working on it :); I have tried a large number of chili recipes. One of my favorite ways to make chili when I am short on time is to utilize my crockpot. The February issue of Family Circle Magazine had a recipe for Chipotle Chicken Chili which promised 17 grams of protein and lots of flavor from the chipotles.

This recipe has 12 ingredients. It takes 15 minutes of prep and 8 hours of cooking time and makes 8 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store and made no ingredient modifications. Make sure to cut off any excess chicken fat or the chili will become too fatty. I always cook my recipes on low in the crockpot, I prefer the flavor, so as usual I cooked this recipe on low for eight hours. I made my own chicken stock the night before, the flavor is significantly better and since I don't add salt to my stock it allows me to control the amount of sodium in my family's food. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

With only five grams of fat and 17 grams of protein, this chili is low in fat and high in nutrients The taste of the chipotles really shines through and gives the chili a great flavor. The beans and corn add a nice texture and give great color to the chili. This recipe makes a large amount of servings and would be great to take to a potluck or party. Overall, a very easy crockpot meal which is full of protein and great for a busy weeknight.


For the recipe go to Chipotle Chicken Chili. (registration required).

Saveur Frito Pie

As I've stated numerous times before my husband loves meat. He will agree to one or two vegetarian meals a week, but also insists on beef or pork on at least one of the other days. One of my family's favorite types of meat dishes is chili. My husband and boys love chili and look forward to the annual chili fest in our region every year in September. Before I got married I had only made vegetarian chili, so after meeting my husband I had to teach myself to adequately make meat based chili. The most important part of any chili dish is the recipe, so I was excited when I saw a recipe for Frito Pie in a recent issue of Saveur magazine, which looked kid friendly and full of flavor.

This recipe has 15 ingredient, plus toppings. It takes an hour and twenty minutes of prep and cooking time and makes 6 servings. I already had all the spices in my cupboard and the remainder of the ingredients were easy to find locally. As with all recipes that call for ground meat, I ground my own. My kitchen aid attachment makes grinding meat very easy and the texture and taste is superior to store bought. Make sure to fully caramelize the onion for the full flavor to come out in the chili. I weighed out my meat to get the exact 2 1/2 pounds, which I highly recommend. Having the exact amount of an ingredient can make or break a recipe. I chose to serve the frito pie will all the toppings suggested which I placed in bowls and allowed my family to add to taste. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

The flavor on this frito pie was delicious. The spices worked well together and provided a full flavor to the dish. Make sure to place the fritos under the chili right before serving in order that they do not become soggy. My husband placed his fritos on top of the chili which kept them crunchy, which I think would work well if I made this dish again in the future. My favorite thing about this recipe is that it is a nice compromise between people that love meat and potatoes and those that want more involving meals. My whole family enjoyed this recipe and it was very family friendly.

For the recipe go to Frito Pie.

Everyday Food Turkey and White-Bean Chili

I'm not a fan of the cold. My husband can never understand why I need four blankets and three pairs of socks to sleep at night when the temp dips below 32. I grew up in Seattle where the idea of cold is about 30 during the coldest part of the winter. The first winter I spent in West Virginia and there was a week of 5-8 degree weather, I was ready to move back to Washington as quickly as possible. Luckily, since that time I have gotten a little more used to the cold and much better at finding ways to keep myself warm. One of the best ways that I have found to keep away the cold, is by making warm soups and chili. I absolutely love a bowl of warm soup and homemade bread when the temperature gets cold. I mostly make beef and pork chili, so I was intrigued when a recent issue of Everyday Food had a recipe for Turkey and White-Bean Chili, which looked like a great way to broaden my chili making.

This recipe has 13 ingredients. It makes 6 servings and takes a total of 1 hour and 20 minutes, with 45 minutes being active. As expected the one ingredient that I had to go to multiple stores to find was Serrano chilies. They always seem to be out of Serranos whenever I need them at my local grocery store. I had no problems finding any of the remaining ingredients. I did decide to substitute chicken for the turkey. Chicken breasts are a lot cheaper than turkey, and I try to keep down my family budget as much as possible. I ground my own chicken breast, the taste of fresh ground chicken breast is much better than anything you can get at the grocery store. Grinding my own meat added an additional 15 minutes to my overall time. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I served this chili with homemade Irish soda bread, which made a great combination. The recipe states that it makes 6 servings, but I had more than enough for my family of 4, plus enough for leftovers. Oftentimes chicken chili can taste slightly off and be a poor substitute for pork or beef. This recipe was the exception, it was delicious and the ground chicken worked perfectly, Overall, a great dish that takes far less time than most chili recipes and great for the cold weather months ahead.

For the recipe go to Turkey and White-Bean Chili.

All You Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili

I absolutely love fall. The weather gets cooler (but not too cold), the leaves turn and best of all fall baking and cooking season begins. There is something about the smells of cinnamon, all-spice and nutmeg that I find comforting and reminiscent of childhood. My mother used to cook tons during the fall season and the smells bring back great memories of the family meals my mother would prepare. The other fall cooking tradition I love is using my crockpot. My crockpot gets a lot of use making stews and chili during the colder months. One of my favorite ingredients to use in chili is butternut squash, so I was pleased the September issue of All You magazine had a recipe for Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili. 

This recipe has 14 ingredients. The prep time is approximately 20 minutes and then 6 hours of cooking in the crockpot. The ingredients are all basic and I was easily able to find all of them at my local grocery store. To save money I used dried black beans instead of canned, 4 cans of black beans is a lot more expensive than buying them dry and preparing. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written. 

The weather in our area has turned cold the last week and this chili was perfect. My two boys ate out all the beans and refused to eat the butternut squash, but that is usual behavior for them. I appreciated that all the work is done in the crockpot, saving me time right before dinner. My husband took the leftovers to work and said that they re-heated well. Overall, a great crockpot recipe for the cooler months ahead. 

For the recipe go to Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili.

Saveur Carne Adobada (Red Chile and Pork Stew)

Growing up my mother never really made stews or chili. I'm not sure if she didn't like them or never learned to cook them, but any of the chili or stew we had came from a can or was eaten at a restaurant. I taught myself to cook from cookbooks as a young teenagers and used my parents as guinea pigs for my food experiments It was during these experimenting that I fell in love with making chili and stew. I mostly made vegetarian stews and chili since I was a vegetarian for most of my teens years. However, in my twenties I went back to eating meat and married my husband, a huge meat fan. In the last 10 years I have been making meat stews and chili from scratch more frequently and was interested when a recent issue of Saveur magazine had a recipe for Carne Adobada (Red Chili and Pork Stew), which looked delicious and different from the usual beef and pork dishes I am used to making.

This recipe has 13 ingredients, including the tortillas for serving. I had to make some major modifications due to availability of ingredients in my area. I was unable to find either New Mexico chile powder or dried New Mexico chiles, so I substituted with locally attainable ingredients. For the chile powder, I substitute Ancho chile powder and for the dried New Mexico chiles I used dried Ancho chiles. Since I was using a different type of chili, I seeded and stemmed them before toasting. I find dried Ancho chiles to be too tough and they don't fully liquefy in the blender when the seeds are left in, therefore I prefer seeding them for recipes. When salting the stew make sure to taste the pork with the sauce, or you will be tempted to add to much salt. The sauce is somewhat bitter on it's own, but the flavors blend perfectly when paired with the pork. I did find that I had to add slightly more honey than the recipe suggested maybe another tablespoon and the other 1/2 of the lime, in order to reduce the bitterness from the ancho chiles. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I was pleased with the results of this stew. The sauce had a delicious, slightly chocolate undertone and the pork was tender and perfect. My two-year-old loved the pork in this dish and picked it out and ate his whole serving. My husband liked that it was something different than out usual pork routine and appreciated the multitude of flavors. This is a delicious stew recipe and worked well even with my ingredient modifications.

For the recipe go to Saveur Carne Adobada (Red Chile and Pork Stew).

Family Circle Sweet Potato Chili

As I stated in my previous post, this has been a crazy couple of weeks for my family and I have been using my slow cooker like crazy. I already posted the Lexington Pulled Pork and Indonesian Beef Curry recipes that I tried last week, which were both delicious. After trying two meat based slow cooker recipes, I wanted to try to find a vegetarian recipe which would be filling enough to feed my two growing boys. I didn't have to look very hard before finding a recipe for Sweet Potato Chili in the July issue of Family Circle magazine.

This recipe has 13 ingredients, including rice. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store and I already had the spices in my pantry cupboard. The total time for this recipe is 8 hours and 15 minutes (if cooked on low). All but 15 minutes of this time is done in the slow cooker, so the actual hands-on time is minimal. I made no major modifications to the recipe. I did serve the chili over white rice, I am still trying to convince my family that brown rice is an acceptable substitute. Make sure to rinse the canned pinto beans well, or the taste will be metallic.

My husband and I liked this curry, my two boys loved the beans, weren't sure of the rest. I liked that this recipe makes a large amount of curry, so there are lots of leftovers. Per serving the chili has only 2g of fat and 9g of protein, so definitely a healthy and nutritious vegetarian meal.

For the recipe go to  Family Circle Sweet Potato Chili (registration required).

Bon Apetit Cincinnati Chili

As I have stated before, my husband is a huge Cincinnati-style chili fan. I've had to hear numerous times the differences between Goldstar, Dixie and Skyline chili. Our oldest child's first table food was a Skyline chili cheese fry. Needless to say, my husband has opinions on how Cincinnati-style chili should taste. We regularly buy canned and frozen Cincy chili and I've made it from scratch using the spice packets more than once. I was intrigued when the February issue of Bon Appetit had a recipe for Cincinnati chili using lamb, instead of the traditional beef.

This is a relatively time consuming recipe. It isn't something that can be made last minute. The total time involved is about 2 1/2 hours, with about an hour and a half of prep. I grind my own lamb meat, so that added an additional ten minutes. The ingredients were all easily found at my local grocery store, or I already had in my spice cupboard. I did not use the goat's milk Gouda, my husband always tops his chili with shredded cheddar and I agreed that this was more traditional. I followed the rest of the recipe as stated, with no modifications .

Using lamb instead of beef in this recipe made a nice, rich flavor. This recipe tastes like a fancier version of the traditional Cincinnati style chili. My two boys weren't too sure of it at first, but ate the leftovers the next day. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this recipe and would make it again.

For the recipe go to Bon Appetit Cincinnati Chili.

Bon Appetit Pork Chile Verde with Red Chile Salsa

All the men in my family are huge fans of chili. When my husband and I were first dating he made a point of telling me all about chili from Skyline, Gold Star, etc when we went on a trip to Cincinnati.  He even went so far as to giving my older son Cincinnati-style chili fries for his first table food. Non-beef chilies have been slower to be appreciated by my husband until he had a great bowl of chicken chili last year at a local chili fest. I have been hesitant to try a lot of chili from scratch in my home kitchen, due to the extensive amount of time involved and my husbands high expectations. Recently, I decided to broaden my culinary horizons and try a new recipe from Bon Appetite for pork chile verde with red chile salsa.

This recipe is not one that can be started at the last minute. The prep alone takes about an hour and the cooking time is 3 1/2 hours. The salsa takes an additional 15 minutes, all of which is active cooking time.
Most of the items in this recipe are easy to find, with the exception of cumin seeds, as none of my local stores carry the spice. Next time I will have to check the alternative medicine/health food store in my area. I had to go to two stores to find the dried ancho chiles and the only size available was 1 lb. I didn't make any major modifications to the recipe, with the exception that I didn't top the finished chili with cilantro; I ran out.

The combination of the chili and the salsa is exceptional. However, taken alone the salsa is too smoky and the chili is bit underwhelming. I wouldn't suggest making one without the other, the tastes separately are lacking. I would make this recipe again, especially on a cold winter day when I wanted something hearty.

For the recipe go to Pork Chile Verde with Red Chile Salsa.

Bon Appetit Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash

Since temperatures are in the 80's in my area this week, I'm cramming my last few soup, stew, and chili recipes in before the thermometer hits the 90's. This weekend I tried the Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash from the February issue of Bon Appetit.

This dish takes a considerable amount of prep and cooking time: three and a half hours, combined. Pre-planning is definitely involved to get this recipe ready for the dinner table. The ingredients are easily accessible, though, and everything was available at my local grocery store. The only negative aspect of prepping is the cutting and peeling of the butternut squash, which can be time consuming.

I did forget to buy the pickled jalapenos and sour cream as suggested for serving. The other substitution that I made was to use the black beans available at my grocery store, not special order the beans from the two websites that Bon Appetit recommends. The added expense was not something justifiable for my family budget and I feel that the dish tasted great regardless.

My two-year-old loved this recipe. He ate his whole bowl and asked for seconds. My four-year-old also ate his whole serving and had leftovers for lunch today. I thought it was a good tasting chili, but I think that next time I would add more salt, it was a little sweeter than I think was intended. Many people would balk at the idea of meatless chili, but I thought this vegetarian (vegan if you skip the dairy toppings) version was a great way to introduce healthier and less-expensive recipes to my household. I will definitely make this recipe in the future (with more salt and the suggested toppings).

For the recipe visit Bon Appetit Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash.

(Note: Sorry about the unimpressive photo. My iPod Touch was the only camera available at the time.)