inthecountrykitchen | one_local

Happy New Year! Real winter has yet to start here in our part of Virginia, the Northern Shenandoah Valley. We have had snow and ice already, but typically we get blasted in January and February. Which makes this recipe a winner all the time.

It is easy to put together, and by the time your family storms through the door at the end of another busy day, they will be asking when will it be time to eat. Perhaps they are running in only to run back out, then you may catch them eating straight from the crock-pot!

In your frying pan:

Heat: 2T oil of your choice (olive, safflower, sunflower, avocado).

Add : 2 cups chopped onion, and 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed

Add: 2 lbs ground beef (Our homegrown beef of course!). Brown beef with onion and garlic well, drain off fat (will not be much with our beef. :))

If the beef is still a bit frozen, place a piece of aluminum foil over pan to help cook meat faster. Set pan on edge of burner to help drain fat.

Rinse and drain: 4 1-pound cans of red kidney beans. Place in crock pot.

Add: 2 28-ounce can tomatoes, 1/2 cup beef stock (I use Better Than Beef bouillon)

The goodies that make it yummy: Remember: T=tablespoon,t=teaspoon

4 T chili powder

1.5 t salt

1.5 t paprika

1.5 t oregano

1.5 t ground cumin

1/2 t cayenne pepper (or a bit more if you are daring)

Add beef mixture, mix well. All ready! Cook on LOW 8-10 hours, or high 5 hours, or on automatic 6 hours.

This chili will take the most wonderful additions. Try any or all of the following:

Shredded cheese; sour cream, greek yogurt, jalapenos, tortilla chips or fritos. Let me know if there is something special you put on yours!

Kitchen Tips

I always season beef when browning. Use your favorite brand.

An excellent way to get iron in one’s diet is cooking with a cast iron skillet. Remember, they are heavy. I would recommend an 8″ skillet. The weight and size are great!

If you noticed in the photo of beans, there was a can of black beans. That is because I did not have enough kidney beans. They worked very well!

Do not be intimidated by recipes. By trying something different you may just discover something wonderful!

Homemade is always best

Who would not enjoy a big, steamy bowl of this fun-sounding stew?

Ingredients:

1 lb hamburger

1 medium onion chopped (or 2 onions if you like lots of them! They are great for fighting colds!)

4-6 medium potatoes

Can of: green beans, corn, and beans (your favorite type of bean, any type will work).

Large can of diced tomatoes (if all you have is tomatoe sauce, that is fine).

*Brown onion and potatoes while browning hamburger.*

It saves time, and makes for great taste to brown onion, potatoes, and hamburger together. Should they get sticky in the bottom of your dutch oven, add a small amount of water to loosen the goodness. Also, turn your burner temperature down. We tend to cook too hot! Do not know what a dutch oven is? Check out blog: https://bluerockhorses.com/2018/10/05/the-million-dollar-question/

You must know your tools and how to make them work for you!

After the meat is browned, add the tomatoes, corn, beans, and green beans. Season with 1 tsp salt and pepper. If more broth is needed, add 1-2 cups of tepid water. For extra fullness in flavor, stir in a teaspoon of beef bouillon into the water. Better Than Beef is the bouillon of choice for me.

Remember, this is a stew, not a soup. Which means it should not have as much broth as a soup.

Please do not boil your stew! It only needs to simmer gently. There will surely be left-overs, and the best part? They will taste even better the second and third night (or in a lunchbox!).

This recipe will serve 4-6 with leftovers, which we always strive for! It can easily be doubled as well. Simply double everything.

Kitchen Tips

Keep your pantry in a good supply of canned green beans, corn, diced (or crushed) tomatoes. There are usually 5-6 cans of each in my pantry.

Onion and potatoes should also have a permanent place in your pantry. Take them out of the plastic bags (this causes them to rot faster), put them in pretty baskets! Should the potatoes start growing ‘eyes’, break them off and toss out in your flower bed. This will extent their shelf life (if you do not, the ‘eyes’ will cause potatoes to shrivel up).

Enjoy!

Thoughts and ideas are always welcome!

Homemade is healthiest and best!