Easiest, best tasting CHILI I've ever eaten...hands down!

This may not be Brian-approved Jenn (because I've seen you slave away making chili his way) but it's darn good and takes me longer to brown the meat then it does to mix everything else together. Definitely a must try with some of Corcor's homemade cornbread (recipe somewhere below)!

1 can corn, undrained

1 can white beans, undrained

1 can kidney beans, undrained

1 can red beans, undrained

1 can Rotel's chili fixens tomatoes

2 big cans diced tomatoes

1/2 pound hamburger, cooked

2 tablespoons white vinegar or to taste

Salt/Pepper to taste

Water if you like it a little more soupy

Mix all together, heat up and enjoy!

*NOTE: The original recipe called for both hamburger and Jimmy Dean's spicy sausage. I ended up omitting the sausage in future batches because one, I don't like sausage and two, I didn't feel like it added anything to the chili...no kick, no spice, in fact I couldn't even taste it in there. BUT having said all that, for those that do like sausage, it's worth giving it a try.

Macadamia Nut Cookies

My hubby really loves Macadamia Nut Cookies and I have found this to be the best recipe, he agrees. It actually came from the back of a bag of Ghirardelli white chocolate chips.



1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups (one 11 oz bag) Ghirardelli Classic White Chips or whatever brand you have on hand - Ghirardelli are pretty tasty though.
1 1/2 cups Macadamia nuts chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Blend in flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in white chips and nuts. Drop by teaspoon onto ungreased cookies sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.


* I have equally separated the dough and used half for macadamia cookies and half for chocolate chip cookies. They were both yummy!




Click for cookie envelope directions.

Strawberry Pie

This has been the most flavorful strawberry season I can remember! I've made cases of jam since Brian won't eat any other (flattering, but sometimes frustrating). I decided to make a couple of strawberry pies. They are super easy and oh, so good!!

Strawberry Pie

1 cup fresh strawberries
1 cup water
¾ cup sugar
3 Tbs. cornstarch
5 cups fresh sliced strawberries

Crush 1 cup fresh strawberries and cook with water about 2 minutes and sieve (I never do that, it just makes the glaze smoother and I like chunks of strawberries). Combine sugar and cornstarch; stir into berry juice. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add a few drops red food coloring (never do that either). Place 2½ cups sliced strawberries in baked and cooled pie shell. Pour half sauce over. Repeat layers with 2½ cups berries and remaining sauce. Chill.

Brian likes it with whip cream.

Peanut Butter Noodles

Chris and I love Thai food and a NY friend of mine made this for me during my moving frenzy and it was delish and so easy, so this has become one of our favorites. If you are making it for more than two, I suggest doubling the recipe. I boil one chicken breast, shred it, and add it to the mix. I always use spaghetti noodles. You can vary the ginger and garlic to taste but I like the recipe as is. The minced ginger may be hard to find, I used pureed ginger and it worked wonderfully. It will be a lot more work if you have to mince the ginger yourself -- not fun.


1/2 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 3 tsps)
8 ounces spaghetti or Udon noodles
1 cooked chicken breast (shredded)
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until tender according to package directions. Drain.

Meanwhile, combine chicken broth, ginger, soy sauce, peanut butter, honey, chili paste, and garlic in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until peanut butter melts and is heated through. [Add chicken and stir to coat] Add noodles, and toss to coat. Garnish with green onions and peanuts.

Egg Sausage Casserole

6 slices of bread cubed (I like to use the not so good for you wonder white bread)
1 pound breakfast sausage, browned, drained
1 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese (I usually use more and I sometimes throw in Monterey jack cheese too)
8 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 tsp salt (you may not want this because the sausage is pretty salty usually)
pepper to taste

Cube bread and place evenly in greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle evenly with sausage and cheese. Mix eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour over ingredients in pan. Cover and chill overnight if desired. (If left overnight, remove from fridge 15 minutes before baking.) Bake 45 minutes at 325 or until eggs are set. Cut into squares and serve.

8-10 servings.

Sometimes I half the recipe but this is one that also reheats really well -- I think.

Corn Bread

1 1/4 C flour
3/4 C corn meal
1/2 C sugar
2 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 C milk
2 T oil
1 egg beaten

Preheat oven to 400. Mix all ingredients and pour into greased 8"or 9" square pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

I love this recipe because it is just sweet enough and moist. YUM!

Cheesy Artichoke Dip

1 C mayo
1 C grated cheddar cheese
1 C grated parmesan cheese
1 clove of garlic minced (about 1-2 tsps)
1-2 cans of artichoke hearts (in water)
Paprika

Preheat oven to 375. Drain artichoke hearts and cut into bite size pieces. Mix all ingredients except paprika in a mixing bowl. Spread dip in an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish. Sprinkle with paprika. Cook for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve with bread or tortilla chips.

Veggie Melts

I was smelling some basil in Jenni's garden while we were in Phoenix and thought of these awesome sandwiches. I think it's a really old Pampered Chef recipe, but I'm not sure. In any case, they are delicious! I make them as a main dish with fruit and salad, but Brian thinks they are more of an appetizer.... I don't really have a specific recipe, but I'll tell you how I do them.

Veggie Melts

I usually use day-old French bread sliced thin. Depending on how many you think you'll be making, slice 1 or 2 Roma tomatoes very thin and a zucchini very thin. I like to slice the zucchini on the diagonal so it makes the slice cover more surface area of the bread. Mix about ¼ cup-ish of Mayonnaise with 1 or 2 cloves crushed garlic and about 1/2 tsp. dried basil. (I'm not completely sure of these quantities - I may shake a little more basil in than that and I can't even tell you how GOOD these are with some finely chopped fresh basil!!). Spread this mixture on the bread slices (¼ c. mayo will do about twelve melts). Then top with zucchini and tomatoes slices. Finally, cover each veggie melt with grated mozzarella cheese (I use sliced because it's a lot less messy). Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Serve warm. It's melty goodness.

Sweet Smoky Chicken Legs

This was the first meal I made for Chris when we were married. It's super easy and so delicious! He asks for it all the time!

Ingredients:
2 medium onions (Or 1 large onion); sliced
3 pounds chicken legs (skinned)
1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons hickory smoked salt (or I just use some Johnny's seasonings salt)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup vinegar
2 tablespoons mustard

Directions:

1. Place sliced onions in a greased 13 x 9 x 2 in baking dish; arrange chicken in a single layer over onions and sprinkle with salt.

2. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over all, completely coating the chicken.

3. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 1 hr or until juices run clear, basting several times.

And Serve!

Pepper Jack Enchiladas with Green Chili-Sour Cream Sauce

Super yummy, not too time consuming and a perfect meal to take to someone who's just had a baby!

8 flour tortillas
8 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese, cheddar cheese mixed, divided
2-3 cups cooked, shredded chicken (I like to use a rotisserie chicken)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
2 cans diced green chilies
Cilantro, chopped
2 cups chopped green lettuce

1. Spread 2 tablespoons of cheese on flour tortilla. Layer a corn tortilla on top of shredded cheese. Then spread some chicken on corn tortilla. Roll up the tortillas and place it seam side down in a 13x9 baking pan. Repeat with the rest of tortillas.

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan and then stir in the flour. Add the broth all at once and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and bubbles. Stir in the sour cream and the chilies. Cook until the mixture starts to bubble, but do not boil. Pour the mixture over the tortillas.

3. Sprinkle left over cheese on top of tortillas as well as the cilantro.

4. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until warmed through and cheese on top has melted.

5. Serve over lettuce and drizzle extra sauce on top. Enjoy!