Competition Chili

• 3 pounds trimmed Beef Chuck, cubed into 1/4-1/2 inch cubes.
• 2 tbs Vegetable Oil
• 32 oz Beef Broth, low sodium
• 1 tsp Franks Red Hot
• 8 oz can Tomato Sauce
• 5 tbs Chili Powder
• 2 tbs Beef Base
• 1 tbs Onion Powder
• 4 tsp Cumin
• 2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp White Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Paprika
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/4 tsp Oregano
• 1/2 Bay Leaf Crushed

Trimming the Meat

I purchased a beef chuck roast.  I then proceeded to cube it into 1/4-1/2 inch cubes.  The more uniform the size the better.  Make sure to trim the meat to remove all of the fat and connecting tissue.

As you can see the cubes are small and this step is quite time consuming.

But it is necessary for the best results.

The Dump

In a small bowl combine the Chili Powder, Cumin, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Salt, White Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Oregano and Bay Leaf.  Mix together and then split into three equal portions (called dumps).  It is funny I know.

The Beef

In a heavy based dutch oven or stock pot, heat the pan over medium heat.  Add the vegetable oil and then toss in the beef.

Once the meat is browned, add the Franks Red Hot, tomato sauce, beef base and enough beef broth to cover the meat. It may not take the whole container.

Cover and simmer for an hour.

Layering the Spice

Add the first portion (AKA the first dump) to the pot,  stir. Add more beef broth if the meat is not fully covered.  Cover and cook for 1 hour.

Add the second portion (AKA the second dump) to the pot, stir.  Add more beef broth if the meat is not fully covered. Cover and cook for 1/2 hour.

Add the final portion (AKA the final dump) to the pot, stir.  Cover for 15 minutes and the chili is ready.  Serve straight up and enjoy.

This chili was awesome!  Dana hates spice, but she said that this chili was the best!  It is the perfect balance of awesome flavor and spice.

Tips

Splitting the spices up into three separate dumps allows you to layer the flavor.  It keeps the punch in the chili.

Also only adding enough broth each time to cover the meat keeps the potency up and allows the flavors to effectively permeate the meat.  So, I know it sounds easier, but don’t add all of the broth at the beginning.

Pumpkin Pie – (From Paula Deen)

• 1 (8oz) Package Cream Cheese, room temperature
• 1 can pumpkin
• 1 egg, plus two yolks
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 pie dough, if you buy pre-made use a deep dish pie crust

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Prick the pie dough on the bottom and sides with a fork.

Then place in the oven to blind bake for 10-15 minutes.  Bake until the pie dough starts to brown.  Remove the crust and let it cool.

Turn the oven down to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer add the softened cream cheese.  Beat with a hand mixer or stand mixer until light and fluffy.

Add the pumpkin and beat until combined.

Add the sugar and salt, beat again.  Then add the eggs, half-and-half, melted butter and beat again till combined.  Finally add the vanilla, cinnamon and ginger.  Beat one more time until all of the ingredients are fully incorporated.

Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust.  If you use a shallow dish you may have a little left over. It may not all fit.

Bake the pie in a 350 degree oven for 50-55 minutes, or until the center is set.

Remove the pie from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

When cooled, cut into slices and serve.

This pie was amazing!

The only condiment needed was a little whipped cream.

M&M^® Cookies – (From Joy of Baking)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3 large egg yolk
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup M&Ms ^®

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Place a rack in the center of the oven.  Line a cookie sheet with either a Silpat or a sheet of parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and the sugars until light an fluffy.  Roughly 3 minutes.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract.  Beat until combined.

In a separate bowl mix together the flour, salt and baking soda.  Turn the mixer down to low and slowly add the dry ingredients into the creamed butter mixture.

Form the dough into 1-2 tbs balls and place them on a cookie sheet.

Then using your hand or the flat bottom of measuring cup, gently flatten the dough balls into 2-3 inch rounds.

Cover the top of the cookies with M&M’s ^®.  Then gently press them into the tops of the cookies.

Bake the cookies for 10-14 minutes until they are lightly browned.  They will seem a little soft but they will firm up and crisp when cooled.

Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes and then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.

This makes about 24 cookies.
M&M ^® is a registered trademark of Mars, Incorporated.

Birthday Lasagna

• 1 pound sheet (lasagna) noodles, fresh (recipe below) or dried
• 32 oz marinara sauce (recipe here), or two jars of your favorite red sauce
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbs basil
• 3 tbs olive oil
• 4 cups mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups Parmesan cheese
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbs fresh parsley, 2 tbs dried
• salt and pepper

Homemade Pasta

• 2 cups semolina flour
• 2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
• 1 cup cold water
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tbs oil
• 1/2 tsp salt

The Pasta – Step 1

The first step is to make the pasta.  If you are using dried pasta skip this step.

Mix together the eggs, water and oil in a mixing bowl.  In a separate bowl mix together the semolina, all-purpose flour and salt.  Slowly mix the wet ingredients while slowly adding the dry ingredients.  Mix until combined.  I used my kitchen aid mixer with the flat paddle blade.

Then roll the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it until it is no longer sticky.

Cut the dough into four portions and then roll it out using a pasta roller.  If you do not have a pasta roller, roll up your sleeves as it is going to take some good ole fashioned strength to roll out the pasta.

Dust the pasta lightly with flour and set aside.

The Sauce – Step 2

In a large saucepan or dutch oven over medium/high heat, add the olive oil and sweat the onions until they are translucent.  Add the garlic, basil and ground beef.  Add a dash of salt and pepper.  Brown the meat over medium/high heat, approximately 6-8 minutes.

Turn the heat down to medium and then add the marinara sauce to the pan.  Mix the beef into the sauce, lower the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes.  Taste to see if it needs extra seasoning.  It may need a little salt depending on your sauce.

While the beef is getting all saucy, boil the dried noodles if you opted to not make your own.  They need to be partially boiled according to the box directions.  If you made fresh noodles, no need to boil them.  You are good to go.

The Cheese – Step 3

No lasagna is set without cheese.  In a medium bowl combine the ricotta, egg, parsley and 1/2 tsp salt.  Mix it till the egg and ricotta are one.

Assembly – Step 4

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grease the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish or your dedicated lasagna pan.  I am not ashamed, I have a dedicated lasagna pan.

Add a layer of sauce to the bottom of the pan.  Roughly 1 1/2 cups of sauce.

Then add a layer of noodles.

Top the noodle layer with a layer of the ricotta mixture.  Top the ricotta with a couple of handfuls of mozzarella and a dusting of the Parmesan cheese.  You may need a rubber spatula to help you distribute the ricotta over the noodles.  It can be a little hard.  If you can’t get it just right, it will be fine.  When it heats up, it will distribute itself.

Then start the layers again using the sauce, noodles, ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan.

I then ended my lasagna with a layer of noodles and topped it off with cheese.  I would recommend that you save a tad bit of sauce for the top so that the noodles do not dry off too much.  I went a little overboard with the sauce early on and had none leftover for the top.  Keep that in mind when you make it.  However, I did love the crispy top.  It is up to you.

Baking – Step 5

Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Make sure that the foil does not touch the cheese.  If you feel the foil might touch the cheese, grease the bottom side of the foil with non-stick spray.

Once the 30 minutes are up, remove the foil from the pan and cook for another 25-30 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown.

Remove from the oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.  This way you will be able to get perfect slices.

I loved the lasagna.  It was tasty and the noodles were perfect.

Although I did not put a tiny layer of sauce over the noodles, I ended up loving it.  The top was crispy and added a nice texture to the dish.

Homemade noodles are the way to go.

Oreo Blast Spiked Shake (makes 1 shake)

• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups vanilla ice cream
• 4-5 Oreo cookies
• 1 oz Kahlua
• 1 oz Bailey’s Irish Cream
• 1 oz chocolate Syrup

Start by adding the milk to the mixture.  It is a good base.  That way you can add the liquor last, in the event there are any kids around that want a non-alcoholic drink.

I found out that about 4-5 cookies was the amount of cookies you should add before the Oreo flavor takes over the whole drink and is incapable of being sucked through a straw.  However, you can always add more if you like.

Then add the chocolate syrup and ice cream and blend.

Now it is time for the good stuff.  Add the Kahlua and Bailey’s and give it another blend.  Taste, and serve.  You can always add a bit more of the good stuff if you like a stronger flavor.

I found that this drink hit the spot.  It was cool, refreshing and totally beat the 100 degree temperatures down here.

Fuji Sunset

• 2 oz Sake (cold sake)
• 1 oz orange juice
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 1 oz grenadine
• Maraschino cherry for garnish

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.  Then pour in the ingredients, shake and strain into a martini glass.  Garnish with a cherry and you are on your way.

This cocktail is very refreshing.

Balsamic and Honey Glazed Nectarines – (adapted from Epicurious)

• 3 ripe nectarines
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• pinch salt
• 2-3 scoops vanilla ice cream

In a small bowl whisk together the honey, vinegar, vanilla and salt.

Cut the nectarines in half and remove the pit.

Preheat a grill to medium/high heat.

Brush the nectarines in the glaze.

Place the glazed nectarines flesh side down on the grill for 3-4 minutes.  Brush the backs of the nectarines and then flip.

Brush the flesh side again with the glaze.  Continue to grill for another 3-4 minutes or until the nectarines are heated all the way through.

Plate 2-3 nectarine halves flesh side up on a plate.  Top with a scoop of ice cream.  Drizzle with a little of the glaze and serve.

These were amazing!  The nectarines were perfectly cooked and the glaze was to die for.  I was not joking when I said honey and balsamic vinegar go together.

Bacon Chicken Kabobs

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 12 oz bacon
• your favorite bbq sauce
• 6-10 skewers, bamboo or metal

Cut the chicken breast into 1 inch cubes.  At this time it is easiest to take the bacon and lift it into individual strips.  It is a lot harder getting them strips apart when your fingers are covered in raw chicken.

Side Note – If you are using bamboo skewers make sure that you soak them for at least 30 minutes before you use them.

Skewer one end of the bacon.  Then add a piece of chicken.  Then bend the bacon over half the chicken and skewer it.  Then add a piece of chicken and then bend the bacon back over the chicken.  Basically you are making a ribbon of bacon with chicken pieces in the middle.

Continue to fill up the skewer and move on to the next.  You may need more than one piece of bacon per skewer.  Go hog wild.  The more bacon the better.

Preheat the grill to medium/high.

Grill the skewers directly over the heat, turning every couple of minutes.

After the chicken has started to brown.  Start basting with sauce.  Sauce the chicken and turn.  Do until all sides are coated and the juices of the chicken run clear.

Serve with your favorite side and enjoy!

I have found that the bacon keeps the chicken moist and tender.  Plus the added bonus of the crispy bacon.

Dana did not like the non-crispy bacon pieces between the chicken.  She discarded those portions but agreed that the chicken was flavorful and tender.

Homemade Mustard – (makes about 1 1/2 cups)

• 1/2 cup mustard seeds (yellow or brown)
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tbs honey
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp salt
• 1-2 tbs water, depending on the consistency you desire

You can use either yellow or brown/black mustard seeds.  The yellow seeds are milder and the black/brown seeds are more pungent.  In theory I would have used a 1/4 cup of each type, but I could only find yellow on short notice.

Combine the 1/2 cup mustard seeds, 3/4 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup of water in a large container.  Cover and let sit at room temperature for 1-2 days.  You want to soften the seeds and let them absorb that delicious vinegar.

You will notice that the seeds will absorb almost all of the liquid.

Pour the seeds, honey, turmeric and salt into a blender and process to your desired consistency.  At this point you can add a few tablespoons of water if you like it thinner.  You can also add a tad more honey if you like yours sweeter.

Serve or transfer to a covered container and let it age in the refrigerator.  It will get stronger and spicier with time.  It will keep in the refrigerator for up to a month.  It also tastes better after a week of aging.

Homemade mustard is awesome!

This was my favorite condiment to make.  Check out my Homemade Ketchup Recipe.

Bourbon Breeze

• 3 ounces Bourbon
• 1/2 ounce cointreau
• 1 orange wedge
• 4 ounces ginger ale

Fill a rocks glass with ice.  Then squeeze the orange wedge into the glass.  Add the bourbon and cointreau.  Top off with the ginger ale and you have a mighty fine cocktail.

Garnish with a orange slice or wedge.

This cocktail has a fresh taste from the orange, a zing from the ginger ale and a nice tang from the bourbon.  The perfect summer cocktail.